Sunday Southern Days

You read that title right. Pickle. Dip. Two exclamation points. It's that exciting. Pickle Dip 8 oz. cream cheese at room temp 1 cup finely diced dill pickles 1 T Worcestershire sauce Mix all and serve at room temp. You can make a day ahead, just allow it to sit out of the fridge for a couple of hours before serving. It's a great variation from the standard French Onion dip. Try it out this summer and let us know what you think!

You can't walk into any grocery store in our area without passing by an entire aisle of prayer candles. While I've never been a personal purchaser of them, I loved these re-styled prayer candles I found at  http://nestnc.blogspot.com/ . They wrapped them in burlap pieces and glued loose silk roses to create skinny, tall candles for a mantle piece or windowsill. These are on my summer crafting to-do list! 5/18 Update: I found the candles at.the.Dollar.Store. And I had leftover burlap from today's wreath tutorial. Photos to follow!

So this party is cheating a little bit by having these gorgeous cherry blossoms as it's backdrop, but it's all about working with whatchya got! We pine for Chiavari chairs (a little event planning pun there), and these are no exception. White Chiavari chairs with honey gold seat pads and a mix of white and honey gold linens are so beautiful. Fresh flowers and a little white tuille marks the chair for the Guest of Honor and an eclectic mix of centerpieces get the conversations going: Vintage Books, Mini Shaded Lamps, Festive Teapots and Antique Footed Bowls full of snacks and candies (or floating flowers). Serve with a variety of coffees and teas, finger sandwiches, and assorted truffles -- simple and memorable.

Lemonade. vodka. ice. lemon garnish. straw. Adult Capri Sun. Who's ready for the beach?

Seriously, I sit through every photo of my friends' kids. Now you all get to enjoy my dog. I give you .... Flaps.

A little trick I found online and wanted to share with you all. I find red onions yummy in flavor but way too strong to enjoy much of on a sandwich or salad. Upon slicing your red onions, soak in a bowl of ice water for 10-15 minutes, then pat dry before using in your favorite recipes. It'll just soak off some of the brashness and leave behind a lovely flavor.

I was lucky enough to inherit a great armoire from our neighbors who were otherwise going to craigslist it (and according to my husband, I'm the adopter of lost furniture everywhere). The piece was totally solid and in great shape, with a 70s vibe. I've been seeking a piece to create a painted distressed chest for our home office and started working on this when my momma came to visit a couple of weeks ago. After removing the drawers, doors, and hardware, I gave it a little rough up with an electric sander and 80 bit sandpaper. Wiped clean with a damp towel and allowed it to dry thoroughly. We painted it a wonderful neutral Martha Stewart. *Tip* Use a 4" high-density foam roller to paint so you don't get the typical roller marks a high-nap roller will leave. While the second coat was about 20 minutes into drying. we took a Scotch-Brite pad (like a green scour pad for dishes) and started roughing up the edges, doors, and some of the panels.  The great pa