Found It Friday - Stars

It's that time again for some more inspiration! Welcome to Found It Friday, where I take a theme, draw inspiration from it, and show you five results of that inspiration. I hope you can join in this week and show us all some starry goodness.

And that is our theme this week: Stars!

1. The first thing that came to mind with this week's theme was origami stars. These little cuties are super easy to make and can be used for so many things - jewelry, garlands, confetti, etc. I think a glass bowl filled with origami stars in similar colors can be quite beautiful as home decor. You can make your own or even buy origami stars premade by crafters on Etsy. (origami stars by zhoira at smashingapps)

2. I always love to include at least one food inspiration each week. I googled "star cupcake" and found hundreds of starry cupcakes, many of them Fourth of July inspired. My favorite was this sweet swirly pink frosted one with dainty purple stars scattered on top. (cupcake from donuts to delirium)

3. And now, moving on from cupcakes (but not necessarily from sprinkles!), these fun yet chic star hair pins caught my eye. The resin stars contain hundreds of tiny neon sprinkles, perfect for the party girl or the girl who wishes she were at a party. The best part? These flashy pins can be yours for the low price of just $12.00. (bad hair day neon sprinkle pins by high strung beads)

4. Another way to add a touch of the celestial beauties to your home is by bringing in some beautiful star-shaped flowers. There are several kinds, and I found this red star flower to particularly striking. Just one placed in a simple bud vase would brighten a room instantly. (red star flower photo by DLC Flower Photos)

5. I see those metal barn stars displayed everywhere - front doors, porches, even living rooms or entryways. Usually they are painted a dark red, navy blue, or rust color and then distressed on the edges. I love this take on the traditional barn star - cleverly decoupaged with coordinating papers and then distressed at the creases. This Olivia Star would be a great addition to my daughter's green and pink butterfly room! (Olivia Star by 4 guys and a girl)

Well, it's time to see what star-inspired finds you came up with this week. Go ahead and link up below, and I will be sure to check it out!

There will be no Found It! Friday posts for the next two weeks. I will be in Canada visiting my sister and her husband and lavishing a lot of hugs, kisses, and cuddles on my new niece, Delaney Hope. I may still post here and there throughout the weeks, but Found It! Friday will have to wait until I get back. And when I do, the theme will be: Back to School. :) woohoo!

Found It Friday - Detective Shows

Well, as I have mentioned before, it has been a crazy week. Besides all the appointments and meetings, The Nerd was out of town on business all week as well. He got back late last night, thankfully bringing lots of "swag" from his conference for the kiddos. (stuffed animals, balls that light up, nerf rockets, and more!) I say thankfully because today I have the stomach flu. Good times.

But still, I wanted to get the Found It Friday post up, even if it is a bit late in the day.

Found It Friday, in case you're new to the fun, is a weekly event in which participating bloggers take that week's theme and find five things inspired by the theme. Then of course they blog about them, sharing them with the world!

Found it Friday has had a bit of a slow start, with few participating, but I am hoping that with perseverance more will join in soon. :)

This week's theme: detective shows

1. Okay, so this recipe for pineapple fried rice was inspired by the show Psych. If you watch Psych, you will totally get it. If not, you may not get the pineapple reference, but you can certainly enjoy the recipe. Total yum! (recipe by Darlene Schmidt)

2. This set of perfectly aligned vases reminds me of Monk and his obsessive desire to be sure that everything is in its proper place. (ColorBlok Vases from Kichler Lighting)

3. When I think of Columbo, I think "tan trench coat." This charming piece of outerwear is a vintage 80s find. (vintage trench coat by the pudding store vintage)

4. Okay, so this one is not a TV show; but The Shadow is one of my favorite radio dramas ever! There are many "shadow artists" out there, and this shot is one of my favorites. (shadow tricks by ziza)

5. And lastly, here's a well-done digital caricature of the cast of CSI: Miami. I must confess I have never seen the show, but this just cracked me up! (caricature by karikamania)

So link up your detective posts below:

And next week's theme will be: Water!

Found It Friday - Daisies

It's time again for a breath of fresh inspiration. Welcome to Found It Friday, where I (and other awesome bloggers) share how we were inspired by the simple yet beautiful flower called a daisy. In case you're joining us for the first time, each week I post a theme for inspiration. All participating bloggers come up with five things inspired by the theme. You can read more about how you can join in on the fun with this new meme here.

He loves me, he loves me not. . . let's explore this field of daisies together.

1. I love the cheerful effect that giant Gerber daisies have. I couldn't think of a more appropriate place for my daisies than my big sunny kitchen window. I bought adorable hourglass vases at IKEA, filled the bottoms with white rice, and then inserted the Gerber daisies (which I cut down to the height I wanted.) Instant happiness!

2. Perhaps if you love flowers but have trouble keeping them alive (I have no green thumb whatsoever!), this steel daisy chain may work perfectly in your garden. It is made entirely out of recycled propane tanks by Shining Sun Garden Works. Gorgeous!

3. The Drama Queen and I were so inspired by the shape of daisies that we made our own monogrammed daisy hair clippies. (tutorial)

4. Daisies are just lovely at weddings! Here is a very chic and easy way to make your wedding favors memorable - just add a sweet daisy to the top of a standard wedding bubbles container. (daisy wedding ideas)

5. And speaking of sweet, make edible daisies like these charming beauties to decorate cupcakes for your next garden party or bridal shower. (Puffed-Up Petal Cupcakes by Wilton)

And finally, as a little bonus this week, I made a daisy-inspired treasury at Etsy, highlighting items featuring fresh yellows and clean whites. It's easy (and addicting!) to make your own treasuries at Etsy.com. It's strangely exhilarating to organize a group of your favorite things and make it look beautiful. You can see my entire treasury here.

So, show me your daisy love! Link up with your Found It Friday daisy post below, and be sure to visit everyone else's posts to kick up the creativity this weekend!

Next week's inspiration is: Sand and Surf . Start gathering your wonderful finds now and wow us with a beautiful post next week!

(and if you came visiting through Follow Me, Chickadee Fridays, welcome! I am so glad you dropped by!)

Found It Friday - Summer Picnic

It's time for the second edition of "Found It Friday" - a fun meme in which an inspiration is given and readers participate by sharing five things related to that inspiration. Please join in by writing your own post about this week's inspiration - summer picnics - and then linking up here. I am looking forward to seeing what you think of when you think of summer picnics and hoping to glean some great ideas for the upcoming Fourth of July festivities!

1. Picnicking means planning some activities for the young ones. Mine happen to love sidewalk chalk and bubbles! Above is a photo of homemade sidewalk chalk. (tutorial at Mad Maggie Designs)

2. Be sure to have plenty of drinks at your picnic! We always have lemonade and soda, but my favorite is iced tea. I found this new Cherry Pomegranate black tea at the local grocery store and finished it off in one day! And I love that it is made by a company based in Lancaster County, PA, near my childhood neighborhood. I grew up drinking Turkey Hill teas and lemonades and eating their delicious ice cream. (tea by Turkey Hill)

3. Sometimes it's just way too hot outside to have a picnic. In that case, don't abandon the picnic plans! Just bring your picnic indoors. Spread out a tablecloth on the living room floor, serve up your regular picnic fare, and turn on Animal Planet.

4. You need to have the proper utensils at your picnic, especially if you are serving up baked beans or sizzling steaks from the grill. Why not make your own incredibly cute and useful picnic utensil container? (tutorial at Clearly IStamp)

5. Or, for a fancier picnic, you may want to make some picnic flatware rolls. Especially if you've got sewing skills! Each one rolls up with its own set of flatware so they can be handily stored in the picnic basket. The best part is choosing the fabric - I do love the sunny lemon and verdant greenery fabric used here. (tutorial at make it do)

I am totally ready for some summer picnics now! Go ahead and link up your summer picnic post below and be sure to visit the other posts for summery inspiration!

next week's inspiration is: daisies!