The Great Shake Out (emergency preparedness)

Today at 10: 18 a.m., the state of Utah is participating in the first state-wide earth quake drill:The Great Utah Shake Out.  California has done this sort of drill as well. It certainly has me thinking about emergency preparedness. You can go to shakeout.org for more information.

Learning that I live practically on top of the fault line that runs through the state, has made me re-evaluate how prepared my family is for an emergency. One area that I fail miserably in is having water storage for an emergency. I would venture to guess I'm not alone.  It's easy to underestimate just how much water we use and need on a daily basis for drinking, cooking and hygiene ( most sources say 1 gallon per person per day).


Whether you live in Utah or anywhere else in the world, this site has a lot of good information about getting started with an emergency plan and emergency preparedness.  You can also check out FEMA's website for information.

Do you have any tips on simple ways to prepare for emergencies?

Famous Free Fonts

Happy Monday, friend!

In my endless pursuit of fonts, I found some great free fonts that look very similar to famous fonts you'll probably recognize.  Nearly all of these reminded me of my childhood. How about you?

Links to the fonts are listed below.

Swatch it

Madonna

Gabriel Weiss' Friends

Hollywood Hills

Waltograph

Simpson Font

Pez Font

Hurhseys

Doctor Soos bold

The Flip Flop Face Off (guest post)

I know I promised pictures of my wheat grass table scape, but it was a magnificent organic failure.  I was growing more mold than grass, and all efforts to salvage it failed. So I threw it out without even a photo. I am sorry, but on the bright side, I think I may have enough material for a great post on how not to grow wheat grass.

Thankfully I have an excellent guest post today from Susan who blogs at Beauty and the Beach.  She'll be discussing another Springtime favorite (with no green thumb required): flip flops.  I think you'll love it!

Flip-Flop Faceoff: Havaianas vs. iPANEMA

When it comes to summer footwear, a pair of  flip-flops is definitely the most essential style.  Even if you generally go for fancier footwear, flip-flops are a must-have for the beach, pool, running a quick errand or even a not-so-clean shower (yuck).  But before you run out and buy your new flip-flops, you should get to know two of the most popular brands: Havaianas and iPANEMA.  Read on…

Havaianas

The Havaianas brand was established back in 1962 and was created by Brazilian company, Alpargatas.  The first pair was inspired by a popular Japanese style of flip-flop (the Zori) and to this day, Havaianas flip-flops still feature that same textured rice pattern from the ‘60s, which can be seen in the footbed.  In addition to Japanese influences, Havaianas have always been inspired by the laidback Brazilian lifestyle and with each pair of flip-flops, the brand tries to capture its native country’s spirit.  Every year, the brand comes out with new styles, designs and patterns, featuring every color under the sun.  All Havaianas feature a firm rubber footbed that doesn’t lose its shape after just one wear.  For women, some of the most popular styles are the “Top,” “Slim” and “High Look.”  Most styles retail between $20-$30, but Havaianas makes styles for any and every budget; they even have styles embellished with diamonds and Swarovski crystals!  For all of these reasons and more, Havaianas flip-flops have become one of the most popular brands in the world.

   

iPANEMA

Like Havaianas,  iPANEMA flip-flops were also born in Brazil.  The brand was named after and inspired by the Brazilian beach town of Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro.  Perhaps more than any other city, Ipanema showcases the true spirit of Brazil and iPANEMA flip-flops try to mimic that laidback beach bum state of mind.  The textured flip-flop footbed even pays homage to the famous mosaic boardwalk in Ipanema!  Unlike Havaianas, classic styles of iPANEMA flip-flops feature a softer, squishier footbed, although other styles have thinner, firmer styles.  iPANEMA flip-flops come in assorted colors and their printed styles feature unique wrapped patterns that carry over the edges.  But the best thing about iPANEMAs is that all styles are made from recycled MELFLEX material and are 100% recyclable.  Custom MELFLEX appliqués and embellishments are added to certain iPANEMA styles to lend a flirty feminine touch to an ordinary flip-flop.  The brand has already been established in fashionable cities all around the world, but they’re first starting to make their way into the states.  Most iPANEMA flip-flops retail around $18-$25, making them one affordable and fully functional flip-flop!

So now that you know a bit about the two best-selling brands of flip-flops, what’s it going to be?  Are you going to go for the tried and true Havaianas or be the girl from Ipanema with IPANEMA flip-flops?  Either way, you can’t go wrong with summer’s hottest flip-flops!

Susan is a blogger for Beauty and the Beach, a swimwear and fashion blog by InStyleSwimwear.com.  Check them out today!

Are you growing wheat grass?

I'm up to my eye balls in sprouting wheat grass! Are you growing some?  I love it for Easter, but it's great any time in the Spring. I've got a new wheat grass tablescape to show you (hopefully tomorrow).  For now,  here's a sneak peak at a little Easter vignette I did.  I'm growing it on paper towels again.


 Click here to read last year's tutorial for growing wheat grass -it's easier than you think!

DVF for Gap Kids

What do you think of Dian Von Furstenberg's line for Gap Kids?  Pretty fun.

  

Here are a few of my favorites:

The baby espadrilles are pretty ridiculous-ridiculoulsly cute, that is.

These wrap rompers  are fun

This bold-print dress also scores high on the cute-o-meter

I love this whimsical heart print

This is such a sweet little swimming suit. I love the little skirt!

But Diane, darling, WHAT ABOUT THE BOYS?  Did I miss something? NOTHING for the boys? 

I was pretty disappointed.  

Quick and Easy Invites for a Recipe Swap party

I'm getting ready for a fun recipe swap party at our church! The idea is pretty simple: party guests prepare their favorite dish (serving it in small sample sizes).  They also bring a copy of the recipe to share. We set up a buffet table for guests to layout their dishes. Party goers sample everything and chat!  The host copies all of the recipes and sends everyone home with the collection of new (and tested) recipes!  

I  used a recipe card as the invitation- and it couldn't be simpler to make.  I found this bright, happy Retro Fleur Recipe Card Template from Free Printables Online.com.  I downloaded it to my computer and used some hand written fonts (Rock Salt and Dakota) to make it look like a real recipe card (you could just print the blank templates and write the invitations by hand if the guest list is small). Write the invitation in a recipe format. Print the recipe cards on card stock, cut them out and you are done! It would be fun to tie a small dollar store kitchen utensil to the invite- we skipped this step due to budget restraints and a very LONG guest list.

Three cheers for color (and Target)

In my eyes, Target can do no wrong.  I've even asked to be buried there when my time comes.  Have you seen their new color-soaked commercial?  It is so fun!  I love the concept, the music, the choreography and of course the products. Three cheers for color and for Target!

my favorite free fonts

I've been collecting some great new fonts via blogs and Pinterest lately and enjoying them thoroughly as a self-proclaimed font addict.  I decided to return the favor and share some of my go-to favorites.  All fonts are free for download  (Click the font name below to link to the download for that particular font).

Viper Nora

Channel

Alegre Sans

Carnevalle Freakshow

Payday

Doris Day

Neou

(the secret to a simple) Strawberry Shortcake birthday Party

Friend, I have the secret to making your children's birthday parties extremely quick and easy.  Are you ready for the inside scoop?  Here it is:  run out of time. It's true. I've never had a simpler party to prepare for that my daughter's Strawberry Shortcake birthday party simply because I didn't have much time.  It's funny, but true.   I admit to getting carried away when it comes to party planning. The longer I have to prepare, the more complicated the project becomes.  I pinned lots of birthday party inspiration on Pinterest. I had loads of intricate plans and then life happened. Having a short amount of time forced me to keep it simple.  

I made a quick trip to Zurcher's for all of the licensed Strawberry Shortcake party supplies.  I also found the polka dot balloons there. You can purchase just about any theme or licensed-character party supplies from Zurchers.com if you don't have a store near you. 

I used the same DIY cupcake stand I used for my son's birthday party. The cupcakes were pretty atrocious-looking (another side-effect of running out of time) BUT they tasted great- and really, that is all the kids cared about.

I found the polka-dot napkins at Dollar Tree and tucked them in glittered party boxes also from Dollar Tree.

 I shopped my daughter's bedroom for a few little details: the vase full of pink carnations, a pink and green storage basket to hold party favors.

 My daughter came up with this  party game idea all on her own and it was a hit: Pin the Seed on the Strawberry.  It follows the same format as Pin the Tail on the Donkey.  I printed a BIG strawberry shape from Photoshop .  We cut out seeds from basic card stock, blindfolded each kid and sent them on their way with a seed.  Obviously, this was a big target, and better geared toward younger children.  I think this idea could be adapted to almost any party theme.

 I designed cupcake flags in Photoshop, printed them on card stock and stuck them on toothpicks.

 

The Strawberry-shaped marshmallows are one of my favorite elements of the party! Pretty candies are always my go-to cake decorations to camouflage my complete lack of cake-decorating skills.  The marshmallows made a perfect and SIMPLE decoration for my otherwise pathetic cupcakes. The strawberry marshmallows are available at WalMart in the baking aisle with the regular marshmallows.  They come in a package of 12-15 for about $2.00 per package.  Did I mention they have a chocolate filling?! Pretty amazing find!

 I propped the cute paper plates  from Zurchers in a clear napkin holder- making them a decorative element. I did something similar at my son's party.

Pressed for time or not, my daughter loved it, so I am calling it a success....even if there were no decorative cupcake liners ;)

Book page vase filler/gift wrap

Are you ready for V-day, friend?  I'm not even close ;) but here is a simple vase filler or gift wrap filler that I created for Valentine purposes.

It's a fun alternative to the tiny, solid-colored crinkled paper.

I took 8-10 pages from and old book, accordion folded each sheet.

I snipped the folded sheet every 1/4 inch or so.

 Very quickly I had some pretty filler for my jar and my Valentine gift wrapping.

I'm using it for some V-day projects, but obviously it would great for any gift wrapping or filling any container for any holiday or occasion.

The best paper organization solution + pretty organizing tools

(folders from seejanework.com)

Paper clutter is one of the banes  of my existence.  I try endlessly to stay on top of it, but at the end of the day, it always seems to be on top of me.  Receipts, statements, preschool masterpieces, medical bills, coupons (that I never use)- if it's paper, it's currently taking over my countertop. This never happens to you, right?

My favorite professional organizer, Kelly Pratt, talked about a great system for managing paper clutter, on my favorite local TV show, Studio 5. She always has a logical approach to organizing and she thinks of everything.

To follow her approach to organizing paper, you need three containers: 

1. An inbox
2. A desktop file or easily accessible filing cabinet
3. A  container for reading materials 

I'll put a link to the t.v. segment that details her paper organizing system, at the end of this post. She has inspired me and I am on a mission for three pretty containers to help me tackle the paper clutter, Kelly Pratt style. Here are a few organizing tools that have caught my eye.

First on the list, an in box. This industrial-looking basket from See Jane Work is pretty great.

This desktop file from The Container Store seems like a practical and pretty solution.  It's metal, meaning it will last and be easy to clean (and re-paint if my hankering to spray paint takes over)

The desktop file is part of the Brocade office collection.  

 You can choose any of these colored hanging files to go inside

My hat is off to my husband who suggested I check etsy for file containers.  I really didn't think that would be a product one would find on etsy, but find one I did and it's really cool- but don't tell him that.

This is a vintage file box: The Dandy File- sadly it's already sold, but isn't it cool? It' so compact and unique- what's not to love?

This simple, colorful file box from See Jane Work comes in a variety of colors and would certainly get the job done.

These patterned magazine files from Ikea would be a good solution for a reading material bin and the matching boxes might work as a desk top file.

 There are so many pretty folders available to fill those filing containers.

  I love the stripes from See Jane Work

Paper Source has some great vintage-inspired folders

 Vera Bradley folders offer loads of color and pattern.

Do you have any sources for great organizing tools?

You can visit the Studio 5 website to read Kelly Pratt's article or watch the video by clicking here. I promise it's worth a few minutes of your time.

Simple Organziation for Ribbon

My name is Tatum and I have a ribbon addiction.  I have more rolls of ribbon than I care to count. It is somewhat shameful because I can't imagine that I will ever use them all. Maybe you can relate?

 Lately I've been trying to organize my craft supplies.  Since the giant tangled ball of ribbon hasn't proved to be the most effective means of storage, I've been looking for other solutions.  Thanks to Pinterest, I have my bolts of ribbon hanging from dowel rods on pegboard, much like this (only not nearly so pretty)

(image via Pinterest)

I have loads of ribbon scraps that have for unexplained reasons been separated from their bolts.  I have been trying to find a simple solution for loose ribbon. While I found a few good ideas on Pinterest, they were all a bit complicated and time-consuimg. I wanted a fast and immediate solution.  I shopped my house and decided that clothespins would do the trick.

Pinch one end of the ribbon with the clothespin and wrap the ribbon around the pin and carefully tuck the remaining end in the clothespin opening.  It works best with small scraps.  If you have 3 yards of wide grosgrain it probably won't fit on a clothes pin, but this worked for my scraps. I suggest storing them in a clear container so that you can easily see what you are looking for.  Have you found any other ways to store ribbon?  Please share if you have!