Investing in Ideas

The clouds have gathered overhead and all is quiet aside from the steady thrum of the dryer. It's the perfect moment to be captivated by new ideas. I have the bad habit of allowing ideas to swirl around in my mind without ever putting pen to paper. They end up drowned out in the sea of day-to-day life and the seemingly urgent things that clamor for my more immediate attention. A frustrating cycle that can be broken with the simplicity of intention.

I recently pre-ordered Jon Acuff's new book Start. With the pre-order comes a host of extras including the e-book The Three Stages of Every Awesome Idea. Step one? Imagine. Jon talks about the importance of making small investments in big ideas. That got me thinking, what sparks my imagination? What are the activities and where are the spaces that generate the most ideas in my life? For me one of those things is reading a magazine. I have a list of my go-tos, but I've been letting them gather dust. Not today! Instead I have a stack of recently purchased volumes and a notebook.

It really shouldn't be amazing to me how inspiration has already started flowing, and yet I'm surprised that such a simple task can make such an immediate impact. An article about sea side bed and breakfasts in Wales led to a new storage idea for my bedroom. I have a stack of ideas that need a little more research and even a few new additions for my life list. If one thing has been made clear in this exercise it's that I need to invest more of my time into "thinking time" and being intentional about taking quiet moments to rekindle my imagination.

What sparks your imagination? Do you have a favorite space or activity set aside for investing in new ideas?

Monogrammed Glasses DIY

I have a special treat for you today! The lovely and inspiring Margeaux from A Snapshot of Today has a DIY to share with us. I've been wanting to give glass etching a shot and I think this project may just be the one to get me to give it a go.

I am so happy to be posting over here at Baubles & Bites. Erica is a huge blessing and a wonderful bloggity blog friend.

I made this simple (but super classy!) DIY project in 15 minutes when I got home from work tonight. It was a blast. I knew I couldn’t make any for Jordan. He has a lot already and mine just wouldn’t be cool enough since he collects them when we go to breweries. Hehe. I made some for my co-workers instead, though, and they turned out lovely.

I gathered my supplies:
Etching Cream
Foam Brush
2 Pint Glasses
Contact Paper
Alphabet Stickers
1.5’’ Hole Punch

I used the lines on the back of the contact paper to line up the circles I punched out. Then I lined it up on the top of the glass so the circles were in the same place on both of the glasses.

I put the stickers in the middle of the circles, making sure everything was completely stuck down. I didn’t want there to be places where the cream could creep under the contact paper.

Then I put a thick layer of the cream over the entire area. I followed these rules on ABM for safely using the cream.

I let the cream sit for 3 minutes. I think I might let it it sit longer next time to see if I can get it even “etchier.” I ran them under warm water and washed all the cream off before I peeled the contact paper and the sticker off. Once they air dried on the counter they were ready to rock and roll.

I am so happy with how these turned out. Since the only item I had to actually pick up was the pint glasses, this project cost me $2.12. I think that’s a pretty great deal.

Have a lovely day, readers! Craft on!

Trail Mix Bar

Spring is here! At least technically. And what more perfect time to throw a party? I have been long smitten with the candy and dessert bars that have been cropping up on blogs and Pinterest for the past few years, but for this kid's Easter event we wanted to take a more savory twist. The conclusion? A trail mix bar.

Let's talk ingredients. In hosting over 100 people bulk shopping was the way to go, but this part is fully customizable to your preferences. We went with cheerios, rice chex, mini-pretzels, white chocolate chips, goldfish, and raisins in order to include some gluten and dairy free options. Other add ins could include M&M's, crushed oreos, gummy worms, nuts, granola, or fruit loops. Anything small and bite sized.

For a little spring flair pick up some plastic pots at your local gardening center. Choose your size based on the number of people in attendance. In our case that meant one of the larger varieties. For cute garden-themed scoops check out the toy section for plastic shovels. These were on sale in the dollar section and were the perfect size for little hands.

To prep the pots wash well in hot, soapy water. After they're dry line with cling wrap. For smaller ingredients like the raisins or chocolate chips use some filler (in this case, leftover plastic bags) underneath the cling wrap to prop up the pieces without having to purchase unnecessary extras. Seven bags of chocolate chips was plenty, but without the filler the chips would have only filled up a quarter of the pot.

Arrange on the table and enjoy! We served ours with some small paper favor bags for the kids to scoop into, but some small baskets or tins would be adorable too.

Half and Half Tea Express

Last weekend I had the chance to take a short vacation to California. While much of that is a story for another day I did want to kick off the week with some of the best boba tea I've ever had. When I knew that I was going to be in the Rowland Heights area of Los Angeles I knew I had to give Half and Half Tea Express a shot, especially after reading Joy's review. The tea didn't disappoint.

Upon walking in the shop you are greeted with some seriously cute decor. They have a garden and natural wood theme going and it works. The menu itself is simple, note the ten options on the board, but those options are well worth the lack of variety. After spending a few minutes agonizing over my choice I decided to go with the caramel pudding (that I knew I would enjoy) and the taro pudding (which I wasn't too sure about).

Not surprisingly the caramel was delicious. The honey boba was the perfect compliment to the sweet caramel pudding and I can think of few things that go together better than milk tea and caramel. Unexpectedly, the taro pudding was the stand-out favorite of the morning. The taro had an almost nutty quality, reminiscent of toasted sesame. With the swwet milk tea and honey boba it was the perfect pair. This is definitely somewhere I would return to the next time I'm in California.

Have you found any unexpected gems while traveling lately?

Blue Cheese Crackers with Heirloom Tomato Tapenade

Thanks to the lovely Margeaux Knight I had the opportunity to write my first guest blog. Take a look at my recipes for Blue Cheese Crackers with Heirloom Tomato Tapenade over here at A Snapshot of Today. And while you're there stick around and check out her fabulous blog, I always find some inspiration there!

Let's Talk About Books

It is no secret that I love books. Reading has been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember and while that in of itself is a story for another day it would follow that I have acquired quite the collection over the years. When I started my adventure in organization I knew that I would need to tackle my beast of a bookshelf at some point...

Somewhere along the line I stopped curating my collection. I started keeping just about everything I purchased, even stories that I wasn't particularly keen on. Books sat on my shelf covered in dust and filling me with a vague sort of dread. I'd always wanted my books to reflect my mom's collection. That is, keeping only my most favorite books. The pages that draw me back in time and time again. This is a life-long process, but every path has a first step. Mine? A ruthless sorting of the main block of my collection. Gone are the books of my youth that no longer resonate. Books that have gone unread for well over ten years? In the bin. What remains are my treasured favorites, quite the collection of potentials, and a much clearer picture of what I want my book shelf to become.

Not bad for a day's work. And now to the fun part! Finding these books new homes. Something that didn't tickle my fancy could very well be a treasured favorite just waiting to be found. My re-homing process is multifaceted: I have a selection listed up on Bookmooch, some are going to my favorite used bookstore to be traded in for credit, and others are heading to the donation bin at my library branch.

The best part? Clearing out has made space for some potential new favorites. These came home with my yesterday after my first trip to the used bookstore. City of Ashes because I am determined to read this series before the first movie hits theaters later this year. The two Barbara Michaels' were my lucky finds of the day. She is one of my all-time favorites and I'm on the search for specific editions to match my mom's collection (so I can stop borrowing her's). And what sounds like a fun new series with Tempest in the Tea Leaves. I picked it up yesterday afternoon and I'm far enough in to know that there is some fantastic world building, likable characters, and a particularly wonderful cat. I'll be sure to keep you posted.

I'm curious, do you have a system for managing your bookshelf?

Happy Saturday!

There's something wonderful about Saturdays. Rolling out of bed leisurely and spending a few precious minutes curled with a favorite blanket, the whole day full of possibility. Bliss.

This weekend is shaping up to be a good one too. Full of picnics and a trip to Anthropologie. Some much needed time for chores and some even more needed time to write. There's so much to catch up on! What are you up to this weekend?