The Inspiration Board: creative party spotlight ~103~

Happy Friday creative friends! I’m so happy that you stopped by because as always, there are beautiful featured projects to see today. Here in the United States, it’s a holiday weekend. On Monday we honor the men and women who sacrificed their lives for our country. The 3- day weekend also unofficially marks the beginning of summer. Are you dreaming of summer? I know I am. I can’t wait the warm slower-paced days that summer brings.

In case you didn’t have a chance to stop by this week, here’s what I shared.

Grilled Asparagus Sandwich  |  Aqua and Shell Décor  |  Cupcakes 

Now on to the features. Thank you to everyone who linked up their projects on The Inspiration Board this week. Beautiful and amazing inspiration was shared by all. Here are a few in the spotlight this week.

A beautiful mermaid necklace by My Girlish Whims. I love the aquamarine color and how the tear drop beads dangle and catch the light.


An Extraordinary Day displays these beautiful Snowball Viburnum flowers that the wind brought to her. There’s nothing like fresh flowers to instantly brighten a room.


A gorgeous bathroom makeover by Forever Decorating. I love everything about this- the bead board wall, the lighting, the oval mirrors and vanity. But my favorite part – separate sinks. I could get used to that in my house.


Love Grows Wild created a personalized sign as a wedding gift. A beautiful subtle shade of colonial gray is the backdrop for the family name and wedding date. I’m sure it will always be a treasured keepsake.


I have to confess, I’ve never tasted rhubarb. Can you believe it? I understand it’s very tart but The Wilderness Wife has fixed that with sugar and spice and crumbles and ice cream. When I try rhubarb this is what I want – it looks fantastic.


I’m in love with this super simple no-sew top idea from Life a Little Brighter. You simply cut a large hole in a scarf to create an over blouse or flowy vest. I can’t wait to try this.


Glass etching is such a fun way to make a plain object into something unique and beautiful. Pet Scribbles used an adhesive silkscreen to achieve this pretty lace pattern. Gorgeous!


Backpacks are so handy – not just for kids but for adults too. This pretty backpack by Crystelle Boutique would be perfect for a day of shopping, a sporting event or anytime you don’t want to carry a purse. The bonus – the free downloadable pattern is available on her blog.


One of the best things about summer is the fresh produce – even better if it’s home grown. This fresh summer salsa by A Slocum Story has me dreaming about backyard gatherings, chips and margaritas.


This pomander ball is made out of sola wood flowers. Carver Junk Company has all the information about these beautiful flowers made out of wood lighter than balsa wood. Painted and pieced together they form a stunning creation perfect for a wedding. I’m in awe of this project and definitely want to get my hands on some of those sola wood flowers.

THIS WEEK ON THE INSPIRATION PINBOARD

Beach Inspiration Board – Curiosita Ellya  |   Blue Tinted Netted Vase – Simply Dream and Create  |  Anchors Away Tote Bag – It’s Always Ruetten  |  Whale Cupcake Toppers – Ashleys Dandelion Wishes  |  Lilacs & Shells – Thimbles Bobbins Paper and Ink  |  Summer Wreath – Adventures in DIY

If you were in the spotlight, please feel free to grab a button.

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Thank you again to everyone who linked a project and to everyone who came to visit. I loved looking at all the projects and visiting your sites.

Thanks for visiting.

I link at the wonderful parties listed here.

FRESH LOOK: ANTICIPATING SUMMER WITH AQUA & TEXTURE

There’s something about the anticipation of summer that not only energizes me but also calms me. Summer days mean a less hectic schedule, more family time and more time for creativity. Yay Summer!

In order to announce the fact that summer is coming, I changed out the accent color on my hutch.

It’s only been a few months since I painted my hutch, covering up the original pine with a pretty coat of Maison Blanche Vanille. Since it was spring, I added cheerful yellow accents. And although yellow can be a summer color, it was time for some coastal accents. Since I didn’t have any aqua accent pieces, I created some using jars.


A few years ago I created some faux cranberry glass using this method and the tutorial has been very popular. I love creating colored glass – you can instantly change up your décor with items you have on hand.

To color your jars, mix 2 tablespoons gloss Mod Podge, 1-2 teaspoons water and a few drops of food coloring. Pour the mixture into a clean jar and swirl it around until the inside of the jar is coated. Let the excess drip out. You’ll want to wipe the rims of your jars every now and then so that there isn’t a thick layer drying around the rim. The opaque mixture becomes more transparent as it dries. You’ll also notice that my jars are various shades of blue. For the lightest jar, I used 4 drops of blue food coloring and 2 drops of green. For the darkest jar, I probably doubled that.


I found some other aqua and blue pieces to add to mix. Some pretty glass bits, a metal pitcher with nice patina, some mod Cera Stone harlequin mugs and a small dish that I filled with shells and coral.

Because it’s not summer until you break out the shells and coral!

I love this pitcher. The rough texture and aged patina always add the perfect touch no matter what room I put it in.

The retro Cera Stone mugs were a thrift store find. You can read about my thrift store victory here. 

I also added my little shell jar with the rusty lid. If you want to learn how to rust a jar lid almost instantly, I share the tutorial here.

I love how it turned out but after I took these photos, I tweaked a few more things. Are you like that? Once you start fiddling, you just can’t stop.

I'll probably fiddle with it even more tomorrow…

Are you excited for summer? Or are you just settling into spring? 

Thanks for visiting.

I link at the wonderful parties listed here.

THE DIRT: THE GRO PROJECT

This post brought to you by Miracle-Gro. All opinions are 100% mine.


Last week I showed you my little Japanese Spring Garden Seedlings. I’ve been taking really good care of them and I’m so excited about the possibility of actually harvesting these yummy veggies. The seedlings are Kabocha, Japanese Eggplant and Japanese Cucumber. You can read more about these vegetables here.

GOOD TASTE: BLACK & WHITE CUPCAKES

I’m trying to learn how to frost cupcakes so that they’re oooh and ahhh worthy. This is my first attempt at the swirl technique. I definitely need some more practice but thankfully I had some pretty cupcake holders to detract from my mediocre frosting skills. The cupcake is in a black & white polka dot baking cup and then nestled in a beautiful pearl paper floral cupcake wrapper.

THE INSPIRATION BOARD: CREATIVE PARTY [103]

From my archives – diy cloche jar 

 

Welcome to The Inspiration Board creative party! I'm so happy that you are here and willing to share your creativity. Are you working in your garden, adding spring or even summer decor to your home or cooking and baking up a storm? Whatever you've been up to, I can't wait to see.

GOOD TASTE: A ZESTY GRILLED ASPARAGUS SANDWICH

Kraft sent me a bottle of the product to review, but they haven’t reviewed or approved what I wrote below. All opinions are mine. Enjoy!

Do I have a treat for you today. I made the most delicious sandwich the other day with the complimentary bottle of Kraft Zesty Italian Anything Dressing I received. When I was chosen to review this product, I wanted to create something outside of my normal cooking box. Something that I wouldn’t usually cook at home but I would order at a restaurant. I came up with a grilled asparagus sandwich that was out of this world good.

EXTRA CREDIT: COLORFUL AND MODERN STYLE {#CB2NovogratzBrasilSweepstakes}

This post brought to you by CB2. All opinions are 100% mine.

I wanted to let you know about this great opportunity to win a dream trip to Brasil and see a beautiful collection of pieces inspired by the beauty of Brasil.

CB2 is definitely a source of creative inspiration. Whether your style leans toward vintage or modern it’s hard not to be inspired by the clean and colorful style that CB2 offers. CB2 has now partnered with the husband and wife design team Robert and Cortney Novogratz. As seen on their popular TV home design shows, they are all about a mix of modern and vintage with a playful edge.

THE INSPIRATION BOARD: LINK PARTY SPOTLIGHT ~102~

Happy Friday everyone! Another creative week has flown by. We had a busy week at our house. We survived a prom, had a wonderful Mother’s Day celebration, plus the regular hectic daily schedule, including sports practices and the end of season sport’s banquet {and guess who is team mom?}. I made several bouquets for the banquet out of beautiful sunny yellow sunflowers, hydrangeas, spider mums and more. I didn’t post them here but posted the photo to Instagram. I just joined Instagram – can you believe it? You can follow me here if you’d like.

And, in case you didn’t have a chance to stop by this week, here’s what I shared. My Asian Spring Vegetable Garden, A Facial Scrub Round Up and a Sympathy Card. 

Thank you to everyone who stopped by and linked up their projects this week. There were some problems with the linky this week and the linky people are working on fixing the issue. If you had trouble linking up I’m so sorry. I hope you come back next week and try again. I’d love to see your projects.

As always, there were so many beautiful projects and I was so inspired by the pops of color. Here are the projects in the spotlight this week.