Blush and Jelly

My Insta Weekend: 05.20.13

Besties
Good times with the bestie!

Reflection
Wearing lip color makes me feel extra lady like. ;)

Dotty Pants and New Scarf
My new scarf = my new obsession

So the past week was sort of a crazy one. And not the good crazy. But the weird and extra overwhelming kind of crazy. And honestly, baking was the last thing on my mind so I didn’t get my weekly baking challenge completed.

But that was last week and it’s time to just focus on the new week ahead, which is what I plan on doing. :)

The week was a crazy one but at least I had a great weekend to make up for it. Friday I got some much needed rest and started to feel like myself once again. We then headed to Miami for the weekend to visit family and attend the Hubby’s Grandparents 50th Wedding Anniversary. It was all a surprise party and it was lots of fun to see everyone so happy and excited! A wedding anniversary like that is definitely something to celebrate and look forward to one day celebrate that milestone with my Hubby.

And of course when in Miami – I always make sure to spend some time with the bestie! We had a good time hanging out, eating tacos, and a little window shopping. Still trying to convince her to move closer but I think I need to work on my technique. Haha!

This week I have plenty of plans jotted down and just excited to start a new week and get working on some fun design projects and ideas that I have brewing. What great things do you have planned this week?

xo,
Meli
Photos by Blush + Jelly

Category // Weekend Recap

05.13.13 // by Meli // Leave a Comment

My Insta Weekend: 05.13.13

Fun Night Out at MGM
Got to wear my new fancy skirt on date night!

Sci Fi Dinner
Dinner at Hollywood’s Studio Sci Fi restaurant. Love the drive thru movie theater theme.

Red Head Once Again
Back to being a red head. ;)

Summer Fruit Tools from OXO
Good mail day on Saturday! Got lots of goodies from OXO!

Fancy Mexican Lunch
I’m not a Mommy but the Hubby took me out for a dinner lunch at Epcot’s San Angel Restaurant.

Treat Yo Self - Talenti
Launch 2 new sites this weekend so treated myself to a little Gelato.

It’s been over a year of going to Disney parks on almost a weekly basis and I thought I would be sick and tired of going to the parks. But turns out we are still discovering new places within the parks all the time! Just on Friday the Hubby discovered the Sci Fi Dine-In Theater restaurant at Hollywood’s Studio and surprised me with reservations. Loved the theme that they have going! The food is just casual stuff that you can find at most restaurants, but the decor and mood that the place offers is definitely worth it. We decided to share 2 appetizers, popcorn chicken and spinach dip. It was yummy, nothing extraordinary – but the place makes up for the basic menu. We had fun watching old Sci Fi movie clips and funny little videos. We also went to our favorite lounge for some drinks and laughs. Date nights are always the best! :)

I also finally became a red head once again! I am not much for going to the salon and having to sit there for a 2 hours. I just feel that there is always something more productive that I can be doing, but I am glad I finally went.

I also finished working on projects for Thinking Outside the Sandbox, a blog filled with tons of informational posts about businesses and social media. So happy that I got to work with the ladies that manage this blog. :)

Overall – the weekend was productive and filled with fun dates with the Hubby.

How did you spend your weekend? Did anything special for Mother’s Day?

xo,
Meli
Photos by Blush + Jelly

Category // Weekend Recap

05.12.13 // by Meli // Leave a Comment

The Baking Challenge // Week 19: Chocolate Yogurt Cake

Chocolate Yogurt Cake

I love chocolate, but in a moderate kind of love. I can’t do those chocolate lava cakes with extra chocolate sauce or triple chocolate ice cream. It’s just too much for me. It needs to be taken down a notch or two for me.

Don’t get me wrong, I do of course enjoy chocolate desserts – but I just gotta share it with someone. Cause seriously, the sweetness just overwhelms me. But it’s somewhat a good problem, because chocolate desserts are the one kind that I am willing to share.

So I made a chocolate yogurt cake. It’s delicious. But come over so we can share a slice and drink some tea. ;)

Original Recipe: One Bowl Chocolate Yogurt Cake

How do you feel about chocolate? Love the triple chocolate goodies or prefer a little less?

xo,
Meli
Photo by Blush + Jelly

Category // Food and Drink, Jelly's Kitchen, Recipes, The Baking Challenge

05.06.13 // by Meli // Leave a Comment

My Insta Weekend: 05.06.13

Pretty Flowers on my Bar Cart
Loving getting surprised with flowers.

Iron Man Date Night
Fun date night with the Hubby. Of course we had to watch Iron Man 3. ;)

How could I say no to an Iron Man inspired drink? Especially since it’s glowing.

Saturday Morning Routine
Saturday routine.

Tacos and Margaritas were a must this weekend!

Drinks that Glow
Made margaritas at home and added an ice cube that lights up because I have a thing for glowing drinks. Ha!

Me and My Guy
Totally into this guy.

As usual, the weekend was packed with lots of fun and some work. It’s all about balancing. ;)

On Friday we went to watch Iron Man 3 and I think I was just as excited as the Hubby for this movie. It was great and the best part was that I got to have a yummy cocktail inspired by the movie. Win!

Saturday was filled with some work but we still had a good time. I finally launched a new Blogger template and loved the final design. Emails also got (somewhat) handled and we ate plenty of tacos. Cuz that’s what you do on the Cinco de Mayo weekend.

Now Monday is here again so that means it’s time to start planning on my to-do list. What plans do you have for the week?

xo,
Meli
Photos by Blush + Jelly

Category // Weekend Recap

05.05.13 // by Meli // Leave a Comment

The Baking Challenge // Week 18: Mixed Berries Crumble Bars

Mixed Berries Crumble Bars

Sometimes I plan a recipe and when I open up the pantry I realize I am missing ingredients. So then I just get bold and decide to just roll with it.

That’s how this crumble happened.

And the best part is that it’s soooo easy to make and it’s filled with flavor. No need for fancy equipment, just your hands.

The Baking Challenge // Week 18: Mixed Berries Crumble Bars

Ingredients

3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tbs baking powder
1 cup cold butter, cubed
1 tbps almond extract
1 cup strawberry jam
1 cup raspberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9” x 13” baking pan.
In a large bowl mix flour, sugar, and baking powder.
Cut butter into small cubes and mix with the dry ingredients. The best way to get it all mixed is just using your hand. The dry ingredients will start mixing in with the butter and creating a crumb-like mixture.
Once mixed, get half of the mixture and place into your baking pan. Press mixture down until evenly spread throughout the pan.
Spread jam all over the dough and then place raspberries over it all.
With the rest of the crumb mixture, just spread it over the top in small chunks.
Place in oven for 40-45 minutes. Crumbs will be lightly golden.
Once ready, remove from oven and let it cool. Cut into bars and share with friends.

Such an easy recipe and it’s great for summer time picnics and gathering. Plus, you can just use any combination of berries and jam. ;)

xo,
Meli
Photo by Blush + Jelly

Category // Food and Drink, Jelly's Kitchen, Recipes, The Baking Challenge

04.30.13 // by Meli // 1 Comment

The Container Store Opening!

The Container Store Blogger Event

The Container Store - Rainbox of Hangers

The Container Store Orlando - Office Goodies The Container Store - Desk Organization

Last week a few local bloggers in the Orlando area were invited to tour The Container Store that has just opened in our area – and let me just tell ya, this place is amazing!

From the second I walked into this store I was in heaven! So many goodies to organize your space. And I love how their products are multi-purpose and their staff has been trained to help you discover the many uses each product has and how it can work for you.

It was so great to walk this store with their amazing staff and show us all the great products they have. I also love their return policy! It’s very flexible which is good for someone like me. I never measure things so knowing that I could purchase a few things that might work for my space and then I can return the items that didn’t work for me and just keep what I need.

I was seriously inspired in this store. So inspired that the moment I got home I started organizing the office and seeing what goodies I will need to help my space stay clean and organized for a more productive me. :)

Container Store - Finger Foods

Container Store - Finger Foods 2

Container Store Party

Container Store Events

For the official grinding opening – the store hosted a top-notch party! These people seriously know how to throw a party. And I was so in love with the tiny finger foods. Teeny-tiny burgers, sandwiches, pasta dishes, and drawers filled with macarons! Yum! They even setup a dance floor.

It was seriously a great event and the staff was the best! I can’t wait to get my organization on and pick up a few things from The Container Store.

Have you been to The Container Store before? What has your experience been like?

xo,
Meli
Photos by Blush + Jelly

Category // Current Events, Latest Obsession

04.29.13 // by Meli // Leave a Comment

My Insta Weekend: 04.29.13

Organized Desk
Clean desk was inspired by my visit to The Container Store. ;)

Disney's Be Our Guest Restaurant
After months of waiting finally got to try Disney’s Be Our Guest restaurant. Truly impressed.

“Try the grey stuff it’s delicious! Don’t believe me? Ask the dishes!” — Finally tried the grey stuff.

Slice of Cake and a Movie
Ending the weekend with some blueberry cake and a movie.

xo,
Meli
Photos by Blush + Jelly

Category // Weekend Recap

04.28.13 // by Meli // 1 Comment

The Baking Challenge // Week 17: Blueberry and Strawberry Coffee Cake

Blueberry and Strawberry Coffee Cake

Recently I discovered my love for blueberries. I had never really been much of a fan – and then one day I just started enjoying blueberries. So I thought it was time to bake something with these yummy little berries.

I was in the mood to make something quick and easy that had lots of taste. I found this delicious blueberry and jam cake and knew I had to give it a try.

Making Cake with OXO Egg Beater

I love how easy-peasy it was to make this cake. Everything was mixed using my OXO Egg Beater. It was as simple and tossing all the ingredients in a bowl, mix, pour, add some jam, and then throw in the blueberries.

You can definitely change it up by using different berries and change up the jam. ;)

Slice of Blueberry Cake

Original Recipe: Blueberry and Jam Buttermilk Coffee Cake from Averie Cooks

xo,
Meli
Photos by Blush + Jelly

Category // Food and Drink, Jelly's Kitchen, Recipes, The Baking Challenge

04.24.13 // by Meli // 1 Comment

Capturing Moments

The other day I read a post by Bri from DesignLoveFest about home movies that really got me thinking. I started to remember how when I was little every vacation we would go on my Dad was lugging around a large video camera and shooting video. When we would come back from our trip we would always enjoy watching it and sharing it with others. We would sometimes watch a few videos during the holidays and laugh till our sides would hurt. So many simple and amazing moments were recorded and it makes me sad to realize that I never record anything.

The Hubby and I take random photos and always love looking back at them. It’s a reminder of so many things that have happened since we started dating. Photos of us at a car show where he entered his car, our first Valentine’s Day, birthdays, road trips, and just little things that might be forgotten with time. Now we have our instagram photos, which are still special because they bring back simple but fun memories such as sharing a delicious cupcake when thrift shopping or a photo from moving day.

But when I read Bri’s post about home movies I decided it was time to start recording little videos. No fancy equipment – just an iPhone or a really cheap and tiny video camera. No need for perfecting lighting, editing, or sharing all over social media. Just a video of a moment in our life.

Right now it may seem silly – but maybe one day when we have a kiddo or two (slow down, not any time soon!) we can show them a video of us painting our home for the first time or a little video from a simple night out on the Boardwalk.

These are things that I know we will love to look back on. It will be a beautiful reminder how silly we were and what made us laugh. At the end of the day – it’s all about the simple little memories in life.

Do you make little home movies or is it something you would like to start doing?

xo,

Meli
Photo from Gallymogger Antiques and Oddities. Buy here.

Category // About Me, Randomness, Video

04.23.13 // by Meli // 1 Comment

Jelly Loves: Justyna Mrugala

justyna mrugala - Etsy Vintage Shop

With our newly painted walls I feel like our home is a blank canvas that we can start adding our special touches to.

I am excited to start doing a little vintage shopping to buy a few special pieces for the living and dining room. Probably a few little tables, pretty lamps, and some fun shelving like that wooden display drawer from Justyna Mrugala!

When I spotted this shop I first feel in love with all the amazing pieces – then I feel in love with how beautifully staged these photos are. It really makes a difference when a shop has a great combination of products and photography. It will automatically get me daydreaming about how great all of those pieces would look in our home. ;)

To see more goodies visit Justyna Mrugala on Etsy.

xo,

Meli

Category // Jelly Loves