Gorgeous Milestone Photo Cards

Know someone expecting a baby and looking for a gift? I love these Baby Milestone cards to mark baby's first year of accomplishments. Gorgeously illustrated with a space for a date, just add to your baby's photos and you have a beautiful way to keep a record of memorable moments. Just found out your expecting? They also have a sweet set of milestone cards to mark your pregnancy progress and your belly grows. Sure beats those handmade signs in photos we've all seen on Facebook.

Visit milestonecards.com for store locations near you.

Strongbow Ginger Cider Cocktail

It's getting warmer and outdoor entertaining is in full swing. It's time to crack out the summer cocktails. Now I'm normally partial to sangria or a great margarita on the rocks but one sip of this Strongbow Ginger Cider Cocktail and I was hooked. Plus it's gluten-free friendly.

Enjoy!

Strongbow Ginger Cider Cocktail

Ingredients:

Juice from one lemon

1tsp of freshly grated ginger

A few dashes of Peach Bitters

1 x 355ml Bottle of Strongbow Cider

Ice

Directions:

Mix juice, ginger and bitters. Add ice and cider.

A Perfect $10 Gift

As we get older, we fill our homes with all kinds of things - buying what we need or want. This can make gift giving very difficult as we try to find something unique and inexpensive that says Happy Birthday or Thank You that isn't flowers or wine (not that I don't love receiving either!).

Well, look no further then Blue Owl Design studs. They are so sweet and stylish. And at $10 a pair, they won't break the bank. They are the perfect token gift that says "I thought about you." I bought the Faux Druzy Studs in rose gold and love their understated sparkle. Promise the next pair I buy will be gifted.

Porch Pillows

After our porch renovation last summer, I secured the perfect furniture set but had not found the right pillows to complement our new house paint colour. I love bright summer prints, but wanted something that really worked with our victorian house. So, I had this vision to create pillows with historical photos of the City we live in and from the year our house was built.  I scoured our local archives and found a number of digital photos from 1895. I copied them to my desktop and printed them in a 5x7 format on Jolee's iron-on transfer paper for dark fabrics ($9.99) from Michaels. You must use an inkjet printer and I suggest cutting your images down to exactly what you want transferred on your pillow, otherwise you'll end up with white borders. I used IKEA cushion covers ($5.99) and a quick iron on your highest setting and voila, they were done. I now have some very unique porch pillows that are a real conversation starter and look so good on the porch.

A Delicious Summer Pasta

I'm a cookbook junkie and recently picked up The Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon and just had to make the 15-Minute Creamy Avocado Pasta. Boy, was I not disappointed - it was so good. I didn't have the suggested basil, so I substituted cilantro. It's a super summer pasta recipe and guest worthy too.

http://ohsheglows.com/2011/01/31/15-minute-creamy-avocado-pasta/

Baby Shower Gifts Vancouver Style

I'm often asked about my favourite gifts for baby showers.  Here a few suggestions from the complete DIY to a high-end option as featured on Shaw's That Talk Show.

I am in love with these "lovingly curated" mom & baby gift boxes created By Broken Arrow.  All local Vancouver products including a fresh flower arrangement from my go-to florist, Flower Factory.

These adorable wool slippers from Padraig Cottage I have mailed all over Canada.  They are durable and oh-so-comfy that I would like a pair for myself.

Looking to up your presentation on those baby onesies you are gifting?  Look no further then the cupcake wrap.  It's a modern twist on the diaper cake and the complete instructions can be found here at Chica Circle.

Lastly, the felt bird mobile is very easy and inexpensive - this entire mobile cost under $2! All you need is felt, craft cord, scissors and a branch to hang it from.  The bird template for your use is here. Trace the template onto the felt and cut out each bird.  Cut a small hole in the top of the bird for the cord to tie onto. Then tie onto the branch at varying lengths.  This gift is nice because it can be customized to the theme or colour scheme of the nursery. 

Tissue Paper Pom Poms How-To

Image courtesy of Martha Stewart

1. Stack five to ten sheets of tissue paper. Make 1 1/2-inchwide accordion folds, creasing with each fold.

2. Find the centre and tie off with string (at least 18 inches) leaving one long end.

3. With scissors, trim ends of tissue into rounded or pointy shapes.

4. Separate layers, pulling away from center one at a time and fluff.

4. Hang and admire!