little.black.sheep.shop

Tipsy Tuesday - July 4 + Outdoor Entertaining

Having a barbecue outdoors before the big fireworks show this year? Here are a couple tips to make the night easy and fun for you + your guests!

 

 Who wants to clean up all that mess after a cookout and miss the big shebang!?

Not me!

Fireworks are one of my favorite all-time things.

So don't miss out... make your life easier and spread brown kraft paper onto an outdoor table instead of cloth tablecloths. Not only does it make cleanup a breeze, if you put some crayons + pencils out, it keeps kids of all ages busy doodling while you finish cooking!

Double-duty! :)

Weigh down the paper so it doesn't fly away with bowls of fruit or hurricane glasses filled with sand & red, white & blue candles.

 

 

Use wire-mesh sieves or colanders to keep food protected from curious flies & bugs. Turn the sieve or colandar upside down so it covers plates or bowls of food sitting on your table outdoors.

 

 

The final tip today comes from this month's issue of RealSimple:

Kids love sparklers, but sparklers can burn little ones.

To keep kiddle's hands a little further away from potential harm this Independence Day, stick sparkler sticks into small play-doh tubs and then light them.

The cup will give a little bit of extra protection to clutching hands!

 

 

 

Hope you all have excellent weather this Saturday!

I think we're going to make plans to head to "the lake" (aka Lake Murray) to check out the big fireworks show they put on there. I've been told it's not to be missed... hopefully we can find a good spot! 

xxoo!

In and out of the loop

I have tried to keep you all in the loop on my comings & goings via twitter these last few weeks. This week I am looking forward to having some family visit us in SC midweek for the July 4 weekend. (Yay!) After that, I'll be on the road traveling for a stint again. I will continue to post updates both here and on twitter.
 
Oh! I almost forgot!
I'm putting together a list of July 4-related tips for this week!!
 Do you have one you'd like me to share?
Email me! :)

xxoo!


 
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Also just wanted to mention...
 
I make it a daily habit to watch the morning national news. Every weekday (and some Saturdays) I get up and turn on Good Morning America to get caught up on snippets of world news, a lot of national news, and some heartwarming and funny stories that get me out of bed in the morning.
 
However, when I've stopped watching for a few days - when I make trips out of town, for example, or out of the country - or when I'm sick in bed for a few days...  all of a sudden I've found myself learning news days after it happened... and feeling completely out of the loop! Surely I'm not alone in this.
 
Over the last two weeks Ryan + I have been jamming to Michael Jackson's Number Ones album (it is one of my favorite recent CD purchases - I picked it up in March for the drive from Florida to "the SC"). I introduced him to 'Dirty Diana' - a song that he claims he had never heard before. (I found this profoundly strange as he is extremely well-versed in the world of music, both popular and obscure.) And we revisited numerous other songs neither of us had heard in a long time. We had discussions on the superstar - wondering what the day-to-day life for such a celebrity must hold - and discussing "whatever happened to him."
 
On Thursday, we both looked at each other, completely perplexed, when Dane Cook (his show in Columbia was perfection) dedicated the night to Michael. Huh?? Obviously, everyone else knew what he was talking about because the whole arena burst into applause.
 
I felt clueless for the rest of the night and for the following morning. Needless to say, we have since found out the news.
 
Very sad - such a legend...

What's that you said?

Warm chocolate chip cookie at check-in??

Woohoo!

Bear hugs all 'round

Relinquished an old stuffed bear to Riley last night. It was love at first sight...

The busy days of summer...

Wondering why I haven't checked in in a while?

I started back at work last week after enjoying some time off & hit the ground running!! I'm über excited about the stuff I'm doing, but I have had very little time to do much of anything else!

I'm currently sitting in the Houston airport waiting for my flight back home after what turned out to be quite a busy week... And I'm dreaming of having a few hours this weekend to get in a little r + r before digging back into work again.

*sigh*

I did manage to get my TexMex fix while in town this week... I even tried a new place! (Well, new for me anyway.) I highly recommend Cabo's downtown... Excellent food, comfy atmosphere... And the proverbial "cherry on top"? Plantain Chips!!! Oh yeah, baby!

I'll try to snap a couple pics from my travels to share with y'all over the next few weeks!!

Ciao for now...

-h-

mwah!

Pssssst!

Little Ewes are now available in the shop...
Add-On's (additional paper goods such as cards and stationary as well as portrait backdrops, among other goodies) to be added soon!!
Yippee!

Nighty night, all!

xxoo

Tree tickles house

Had crazy crazy weather earlier. Huge power surges, Texas sized lightning, and apparently winds strong enough to knock over live trees. Can't believe this tree barely brushed the side of our house. Any closer and we would have lost part of our kitchen! Veeeery lucky...

 

 

A ring thing

My hunny and I stepped into a jewelry shop a few weeks ago to peruse the shimmery treats locked away behind glass. (Knowing that I am particular about jewelry, he proposed with a ring borrowed from his mom, which I'll wear for the time being until we pick out something together.) It was fun to see a few options there - it definitely got me thinking about what I want to wear forever!

So tonight I perused the Etsy walls to see what visual delights popped up when I searched for "rings" - a vague search term, I know - but I was more than happy with the variety that appeared in the results!

I couldn't help but share a few of my favorite finds with you (photo credits go to each individual shop keeper):
 
 

 
- This ring is just precious with a capital P - I am not really a ring person, but I am giving some serious thought to snatching up this cute little thing from Missficklemedia's shop before it disappears!
 
 

 
- Classic, clean and simple - and, of course, the infinity theme of this ring from seababejewelry totally works for an engagement or wedding. Another ring from this shop that I love is this stacked combination that features rough diamonds - absolutely lovely:
 

 
 
Next up:
 

 
- Indiaylaluna designed this smart set so it iisn't fused into place... you can rotate the orbs into different positions depending on your mood - love it.
 
 

 
- Ok... can you keep a secret? This ring from PatrickIrlaJewelry is my number one favorite piece. I love it because it is perfectly delicate - yet this is also why I know I could never own such a pretty thing. I am way too harsh on my hands day-to-day to be able to wear this gorgeous ring for any significant length of time... *insert wistful sigh here*

If you have any other ring finds that you think I might fancy - either for an engagement ring or otherwise! - please send them my way. I am def in the market for something a little different.

xxoo!!

Little Ewes!

Howdy to the flock!
 
I am SO excited that this day has come... I have been working on this little project for quite a while now... and these little creatures have finally come to life!
 
Flock, I'd like to introduce...
 
 

Starting tomorrow, you will be able to order your own custom Little Ewes portrait from the shop... transforming your family, your softball team, your school class or any other grouping of people into Little Ewes!!
 
 

 
 
Each Little Ewes creation is made just for you - based on a picture (or a combination of pictures) you provide... we can even include pets in your Little Ewes portrait!
 
This is a custom service, so the possibilities are absolutely endless!
 
 

 
 
And in addition to prints, soon you'll be able to have your Little Ewes printed onto stationary, thank you cards and paper goods in addition to other treasures!
 
Here is a thumbnail sample based on the picture shown above:
 
 

 
 
I'm building an FAQ list that I will post here soon.
In the meantime, please feel free to email me if you have any questions.
 
Yippee!!
I hope you love these as much as I do!!

(For those of you in the Houston area, if you are looking for someone who can perfectly capture your family's personality in a photo, please contact kd loftis photography. They are friends of mine and are incredibly gifted. Please peruse their blog to see a sampling of their wondrous past work, which includes sittings with babies, children, couples and families.)

See you all in the shop tomorrow!

xxoo!!

Liquid heaven from Sunnyside Maples

Our friend from "the northeast" (New Hampshire, if you want to be specific) has been raving about "real" maple syrup for the last few months. I made the switch from Mrs. Butterworth's to Log Cabin years ago (Log Cabin really is the best syrup I had ever found).
 
But... did you know this so-called "maple" syrup isn't maple syrup at all? It isn't even 20% - or even 5% maple syrup! I was SHOCKED. It's made from a blend of corn syrup, sugar and flavoring, among other ingredients. Who knew?!

In an effort to bribe us (let's face it, Scott, it was definitely a bribe!) to accompany him on a trip to the northeast at some point later this year, our friend sent us the most adorable sample of REAL maple syrup from good ole NH.
 
First impression? LOVE the bottle. It is capped in this sparkling gold wax to protect the tasty sweetness inside. And it has the teeniest little handle on it for pouring! I couldn't get over it...
 
Our friend told us a family that harvests it sell them at the end of the road that leads to their house - and set up the bottles out there and people make their purchases using the honor system. Can we say "quaint"?! Sounds like something from another world, doesn't it?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I probably don't need to tell you that this little vial of amber-colored syrup didn't last long! It contains about enough for two (maybe three) waffle-gobblers to share at breakfast.
 
 
 
 
 
For those of you who have visited NH (or anywhere in the northeast where you can get real maple syrup, for that matter) - I hope you realize just how lucky you are! And if you're feeling particularly generous, please feel free to send some our way!!
 
(Thank you, Scott, for this special little treat. Can't wait 'til we can all meet up in NH one day!)