hello!

Sorry we've been so absent. Kristen is out of town with her precious girls and I am moving (out (only) oh yeh, and i'm in the middle of a six-month renovation of the house we'll be moving into ... one day) this week, sooooooooooo the little ole blog has taken a (temporary) backseat to our real lives. Please accept our apologies.

And be entertained by Chloe Warner. I just love her. She has great style and seems like such a goofball :)

or catch up on Glee - Fox has full episodes on. demand. awesome.

ok, now i have to go pick a(nother) paint color.

xx

the grocery store & a book suggestion

I never minded the grocery store until I had 3 kids. My first trip with all 3 (Mills was a newborn) I was such a nervous wreck (hoping & praying no meltdowns) that we grabbed maybe 3 items and i high tailed it out of there with the huge car driving green buggy only to take out (like take off the hinges) the sliding doors.  I should’ve known then.  I normally try to go when I have only 2 (or the rare times – 1!) with me.
But Mary James convinced me that we NEEDED to go (with all 3) and I agreed (because we were out of eggs and it was really hampering our breakfasts).  So we went..and it went like all trips to the grocery store go and as I left I swore I would NEVER do this again..we’ll just all starve…and this was our conversation as soon as the car door closed (and don’t get me wrong..this didn’t START in the car, i just wasn’t listening while we were in the grocery store out of serious concentration to just get us the h*ll out of there)
picture this:  MJ’s fist are balled up face is beat red and here she goes….
MJ: you’re the meanest MOM EVERRRRRRRRRRRRRR. I wanted chips because i was STARVING and YOU ARE SO MEAN and you did take us to TCBY and that was nice and all but then we got HERE and YOU GOT THE WRONG SPRITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i NEVER should’ve been your first baby! I’M GOING TO THE FARTHEST AWAY COLLEGE I CAN GO BECAUSE YOU’RE MEAN AND NEVER GIVE ME ANYTHING AND ALL I LIKE IS DADDY AND YOU CAN’T COME IN MY ROOM AND ONLY DADDY AND MOLLY AND MILLS BECAUSE YOU’RE THE MEANEST EVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
(takes a breath)
But i love you mama and i just wish you wouldn’t be mean and I’m not going to go far away because I want to live with you forever.  
Me:  see..couldn’t we have just skipped all that in between?
So this couldn’t have come at a better time:  My sister told me about this book that makes your life easier

I read it and knew it was for me when the example on page 1 has a little girl screaming that she’s going to kill herself and run away because her mom didn’t give her a Twinkie.  I started it the day after our shopping trip and so far…it has been magic!  It’s really simple and basic, but seems to work!  If any of you (that live nearby) want to borrow it, email me.
Have a wonderful weekend!

cheers {to a HOT weekend}!

things have been so wild around here that i almost forgot to post this week's cocktail - whew!

Shelley, of Pas de Deux, posted these on Cassandra's blog a few weeks ago and I literally went straight to the liquor store (actually, no. it was more like i called matt and asked him to swing by on his way home from work.). I've pretty much not stopped drinking them (and constantly re-buying the ingredients.) since then ;)

They are perfectly fun and fresh - just what the sultry evenings around here are (already) calling for. sheesh!

st-germain cocktail

their signature recipe!

• 2 parts Brut Champagne (or you can use Dry Sparkling Wine but I don't)

• 1 1/2 parts St-Germain

• 2 parts Club Soda (or you can use sparkling water but (again) I don't)

Method:

Fill a tall Collins glass with ice. Add Champagne first, then St-Germain, then Club Soda. Stir completely.

* Garnish with a lemon twist, making sure to squeeze essential oils into the glass.
* St-Germain is heavier than wine, thus it will settle to the bottom unless mixed thoroughly. (and if it sits for a while it requires a re-stir)




oh - and i really did listen to pink martini while i made and drank these (the first time, anyway!)

happy weekend!

xx

image source

paper rainbows

We have another birthday to get ready for (MJ will be 5!)  It is time for the birds to come down and replace them with lots and lots of color!  Here is MJ’s request for her party this  year: rainbows & swim.  She has definitely gotten better at narrowing down her “ideas”.. (remember last year?)
Lucky for me – there is lots of great inspiration out there (thanks for sending links arre!)
I used a rainbow colors of tissue paper for this first idea…(from design sponge)

I took one sheet of tissue paper and folded it over and over until it was 2.5-3” wide.  Then, punched holes all along the top, made lots of cuts (MJ was able to help on this part) and strung a red ribbon through them all. 

Of course, somehow they didn’t turn out quite as perfect as we thought, but they are festive and fun!
The next paper project is my favorite so far and can’t wait to see them in their final party place (which will be in trees all along the pool for the swim party)
These vellum mobiles (info via Oh Happy Day) are SO fun and so easy.  I had to do them a bit differently since I do not sew.  They do take a bit of time, but the finished product is so worth it!
Step 1: buy whatever shades of vellum paper you like… stack them in the order you want them to hang on the mobile, and it’s easiest to use a paper cutter to cut them 1” wide.

step 2: Thread a needle with fishing line and “sew” it through the middle (or off to the side..either way!) of the strip of vellum.
 
Step 3:  Keep adding strips until you feel happy with your length…tie some sort of weight (i used a bell) onto the end of the string to prevent the paper from curling up.

And voila!  The fun thing about these is that you can make them as long as you like (even hang them from the ceiling) and whatever color you like!  I plan to make as many as I can until the big day (which is not until July so we should have PLENTY)

More to come on invitations and party favors!

bottle garden

while i am super excited about having a real garden at the new house, i'm not moving there yet. maybe one of these would work for the *homeless person i am about to become...

*we have to be out of our house in ten days. we don't move into the new house until late Summer (at best). we don't know where we are going in the meantime. this is not a joke.

how do you like us now?!

Happy Monday you three (are there at least three of you out there? *fingers crossed*)! Remember this? Well, we're slowly but surely putting it all together and our new logo is the first fruit.
We want you (our readers) to see it first, so it's making it's debut here ...



but we want you to help us decide ...



which one?!




option a

option b

???

cheers {to a wedding weekend}

this weekend i'm celebrating an old friend as he gets married. and a frou-frou drink will not do. so bourbon it will be.




+


BBG

1.5 oz. Bulleit

4 oz. Blenheim

1-2 oz. grapefruit juice

pour all ingredients over ice and stir. If you are particularly dexterous, pour the Bulleit and Blenheim at the same time so they mix evenly.
 
recipe courtesy of (the same) Mark

have a good one!

Happy wedding weekend!

It’s not unlikely that I met Katy the day I was born.  Our families were close and in the 5 short years we were all friends (until they moved away) i have early memories scattered about those years, but all filled with this family.

katy & me


katy and my sister (kelley)


our moms (pregnant with me & david – katy’s brother)


  After they moved, we (the kids) lost touch but have been updated through our parents throughout the years.  So you can imagine how excited I was when I received an e-mail from Katy for a request for custom frames for her bridesmaids.  How fun!  She had to make a trip down this way anyway, so she dropped by a fabric sample of the bridesmaid dresses and it was so fun to see her again!
 
For now – this is what you get to see…. (don’t want to spoil any surprises ;))



Stay tuned for more.  We hope everyone loves their frames Katy and I’m so glad our paths crossed after all these years!

Best wishes to you and Adam!

cast your vote if you wanna

My friend Courtney takes some pretty awesome photographs. She also travels to some pretty incredible destinations. She takes pictures along the way.

One of them ended up here.

Her {gorgeous} photo (pictured above) is currently keeping great company . If you think it's is the best (i do), vote for it (and soon. the competition ends this week). It's entry #3.


see more of Courtney's trip here.

image courtesy of C. Barton. thanks love.

i spy with my little eye…

some green circles on an S&J original!   Here at Whittington Design Studio’s new website!

Thanks to Whittington Design Studio and one of their fabulous designers (Christen) for hooking us up with them.  They also have a new blog, so go see why we ♥ them!

l♥ve lonny back

with the major loss design feinds readers of shelter magazines have suffered lately, lonny has filled quite a void.

i've loved lonny from the start. but only recently have i used lonny. the link-to-resource (click-to-buy, whatever) feature is quite possibly one the most time saving and valuable resources i've ever encountered (in the capacity of design). in the midst of my current biggest project ever, i really don't know what i would do without it. (well, yes i do but it would take a whole lot of time and effort that could be better spent many other ways)

while they do a phenomenal job putting out a stellar product on a dime, they still require funding. they come us to us, wherever we are and don't ask for anything in return. but that doesn't mean they don't need it.

if you want to do what you can to ensure this gem sticks around, give a little (or a lot).

mother’s day

“There’s a time when you have to explain to your children why they’re born and it’s a marvelous thing if you know the reason”  --Hazel Scot

i know the reasons but don’t want to forget so I'm taking notes (for the rest of my life) …

There is something so sweet about the day you meet your child... and the days that follow.  Ask anyone that knows me: when i talk about the day each of my children were born my eyes well up, and i want to do it all over again. I feel so blessed and happy to have these little people in my life and I don’t want to forget a moment of it.  So, here is my elephant list (because an elephant never forgets)

sweet baby breath

 

chubby armed hugs



sweet voices telling me I'm their best friend



oh those squeezable rolls



carefree twirls



kisses on the lips (and these precious cheeks)

 
photo by sarah bennett

baby dances (head bobbing, swaying, hands on knees bouncing)

kid hair..sweet light, care free, bouncy curls



tiny little hands



being taught patience from the greatest teachers on earth


photo by sarah bennett

pure innocence


photo by shanna scott

mending a hurt heart over something simple



from the gut laughs….

toothless smiles

innocent precious faces


photo by shanna scott

peaceful sleepers



this list could go on and on but for now…i think it’s a good start :)

happy mother’s day moms- hug your little (or big ones!) today!

picture frames in stock; updated!

Let us know if you have any questions!
Leave a comment here or send an e-mail to stewartandjames {at} gmail {dot} com with the number of the frame you are interested in.  We will gladly provide more pictures or measurements of any frame.    
         

 

  

   
 

           

 
 
 

cheers {to cinco de mayo}!

I'm mixing it up a little this week - just for the fun of it! (and i'm posting this today (instead of tomorrow, when it's actually cinco de mayo) so you can go to the market ahead of time! look at me trying to organized.)

While I do l♥ve a trad marg, I'm really digging these alternatives for
Cinco de Mayo!



Paloma





INGREDIENTS:

2 oz Tequila
.5 oz Fresh lime juice
Pinch of salt
4 oz Grapefruit soda
Garnish: Lime wedge
Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Add all the ingredients to a highball glass filled with ice, stir and garnish with a lime wedge




St Rita




INGREDIENTS:

1.5 oz Tequila
1.5 oz St-Germain Liqueur
Juice of 1 lime

Garnish: Lime wedge

Glass: Rocks or Collins

PREPARATION:

Shake all the ingredients with ice and fine strain into an ice-filled glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.



Cider House Rules





INGREDIENTS:

1.5 oz Don Julio Blanco Tequila
1.5 oz Fresh apple cider
.5 oz Club soda
.5 oz Fresh lemon juice
.5 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
Ground cinnamon

Glass: Highball

PREPARATION:

Rim the edge of a highball glass with cinnamon. Add Don Julio Blanco Tequila, fresh apple cider, club soda, fresh lemon juice and simple syrup to a cocktail shaker with ice. Cover and shake well. Strain contents into the highball glass full of fresh ice.



Blood Orange Margarita


INGREDIENTS:

1/4 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh blood-orange juice
3 tablespoons tequila
1 tablespoon Cointreau
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Lime slice, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Put the grated ginger in a small sieve set over a small bowl and press to extract the juice. Combine the ginger juice with the orange juice, tequila, Cointreau and lime juice in a cocktail shaker filled with cracked ice and shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with the lime slice and serve.



¡salud!

first three drinks via 7x7; last one via food & wine

This is so me

Perusing old Domino Mags (God rest her (wasn't Domino probably a girl (not that I don't adore Tom Delavan and Paul Costello)?) soul), I came across these (awesome) folders. If there was ever a time for me to really need these, I'd say this is it.
-abf-

Tammi Nowack Photography

We have a fun little surprise - Tammi Nowack took some photos for us of our frames and is graciously featuring US on her blog today!  But that’s not all, you don’t want to miss it because one lucky person will win a frame!  Check her (and us) out here.

She is an amazing photographer and we feel so lucky to have worked with her!  Here are a few I love…








Thanks Tammi!
xx