Silver Boxes

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Happy Heart Day!

These love-inspired layouts are ones that I created last spring.
The sweet photos are from a Valentine's shoot my friend, Allison, did with my daughter, Audrey.

Paper from the Echo Park "Little Girl" Collection

Paper from the Echo Park "For The Record" Collection

Paper from the Echo Park "Be Mine" Collection

They still make me smile. :)

Enjoy your love-filled day!

Monday, February 13, 2012

Flea Market Finds

What an enjoyable weekend I had! I hope you did too. :)

A couple of friends joined me in a trek to the long awaited, bi-annual flea market on Saturday. We were able to find a few treasures among the throngs of people & tables of curiosities. Sadly, I wasn't able to find anything from my wish list, but here's what I came home with...

A vintage step stool - in yellow & chrome, no less! Score.

I've been wanting one of these for a long time.

An old post card from my favourite place (even though I've never been there) - Paris!

It's postmarked 1925 & has a beautiful patina.

The elephant statue intrigued me since I have never seen it in any photos of the Eiffel Tower before. From the little research I did, the statue is no longer there, but has been moved to the Musee d'Orsay.

I'll be looking for a frame to put this little gem on display.

And last, but not least, I found two vintage turquoise Pyrex bowls.

There was a lot of Pyrex at the flea market, but these were the only turquoise pieces I saw.

I'm so glad I snapped them up.

Was there any thrifting, antiquing, or flea market shopping in your weekend? Yes?

I would love to hear about it! Please leave me a comment & tell me about your treasures.

~~~

On another note, you may have heard that Google Friend Connect (the way a lot of you follow this blog - on the right side bar) is going bu-bye for non-Blogger blogs as of the end of this month. Rumour has it that eventually it will stop for Blogger too. I'm just trying to be proactive & adding this new way to follow sooner, rather than later.

So, if you follow Silver Boxes or would like to, you can now sign up to follow it under LinkyTools. Signing up is SUPER fast & easy. I promise - under 5 minutes. It's actually a really neat way to follow your favourite blogs - I've gotta say that it organizes them really well. You should check it out if you read multiple blogs.

Have a wonderful Monday!

Check out these great link parties I link up to!

Friday, February 10, 2012

Mexican Limeade

Mexico is one of my favourite places on earth. The glorious weather, the kind people, & don't forget the amazing food! After having the real deal in Mexico, I've wanted to learn how to make all the authentic Mexican dishes. One of my absolute favourite parts about Mexican cooking is the use of limes. I've come to believe that limes can make just about anything taste better.

On our first visit to Mexico, I asked for lemonade at our first meal. Woah, baby! Amazingness! Our waiter said that they made it with limes instead of lemons. As soon as we got home, I started to search for a recipe that tasted like the limeade we discovered in Mexico. This one is close. Next time we go, I may just ask for the recipe at our favourite restaurant. :) But for now, when we get an urge for a taste of sunshine, this is the recipe I make.

Mexican Limeade

makes 1/2 a gallon

1 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice

add enough water to equal 1/2 a gallon (8 cups)

2 cups white sugar

1 cup water

Combine sugar & water in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until it barely begins to boil. Cool.

Combine lime mixture & syrup. Stir well, refrigerate until cold. It really is better after "marinating" for several hours, so just leave it alone until it's cold.

~~~

Me enjoying a massive glass of limeade on our first trip to Mexico in 2007.

And because it's a very cold February day here in Saskatchewan, Canada,

I will leave you with a warm beach scene from a beautiful Mexican beach.

Stay warm & enjoy your weekend!

Thursday, February 09, 2012

Blog Award!

I received a very kind blog award a few days ago. It's called the Liebster Blog Award. Liebster is German for dearest, beloved, or favorite. The Liebster Award is given to up and coming bloggers , who have less than 200 followers.

Here are the rules:

Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog.
Link back to the blogger who awarded you.
Give your top 5 picks for the award.
Inform your top 5 by leaving a comment on their blog.
Post the award on your blog.

First of all, a HUGE thank you to Jaimee at Craft, Interrupted for awarding me!

My choices for the award, in no particular order, are...

1) This Girl's Life

Mandy's blog has a fun mix of decorating, fashion, crafts (including scrapbooking, which I love), & DIY projects.
Don't miss: DIY Earring Stand

2) Two Yellow Birds Decor

Jill has a great link party on Thursdays & she makes great crafty projects & recipes to share with her readers!

Don't miss: Rolo Cookies

3) Simply Chic Treasures

Cynthia does fabulous furniture makeovers & blogs about them with a splash of craft projects thrown in.

Don't miss: Retro Nightstand Makeover

4) My Sew Called Life

I'm not a wonderful seamstress, but Kiki's blog has me planning some sewing projects... her projects are so inspiring!

Don't Miss: Sewing Nook Makeover

5) The Dabbling Crafter

Krista has some cute projects... sewing, DIY, & thrifty finds.

Don't Miss: Chevron Bookcase

So, let's spread some love. Go check out these up & coming blogs & see what good stuff they have to offer.

Enjoy your day!

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Flea Market Wish List

Here in Saskatoon, we have a semi annual flea market. Last fall was my first visit & I loved it! The next date is this Saturday & I'm definitely planing to go! In fact, I've compiled a little wish list of things to look for! Here are my ideas...

Some wire baskets to turn into cute storage