Glamping Girls: Gift Bags

The excitement is growing here as my weekend in the mountains gets a little closer!  I can't wait to kick back, catch up and lounge without interruption.  Did I mention there's a hot tub?  Last year, these gift bags for our girls trip were a huge hit so I knew I wanted to recreate something similar for our glamping weekend.  I stuck to a green and pink theme and threw in several goodies to get us through the weekend.  A few toiletries, some treats and a couple of necessities like bug wipes and kindling make a perfect little gift for my glamping girls.  Here's the details of what's inside and where you can purchase these goodies for yourself!


Badger Cuticle Care Tin

Toasted Marshmallow Jelly Belly  (bought a 1 lb bag and divided them into small bags.)

Smirnoff Raspberry Vodka (at your local liquor store)

Colgate Wisp Portable Spearmint Mini Brush

Avon Skin so Soft Bug Guard towelettes

Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar

Yes Facial Towelettes

Kindling (from my yard!)

Clear Treat Bags

I bought the brown boxes and glitter tape at Michaels for a few dollars.  I was unable to locate links for these items but the brand name of the tape is Recollections.

Tomorrow I'll be sharing my signature glamping girls cocktail and trust me, you won't want to miss this amazing apertif!  Looking forward to mixing one up for my favorite friends too.

Girl's Night Out Gifts

 Don't you love making a new friend when you least expect it?

When my son started preschool a few years ago, I had no idea I would met so many amazing women who were smart, funny, thoughtful, gorgeous, ambitious, successful.....I could go on and on.   These few women have become a source of daily motivation and encouragement for me and I have grown to absolutely adore them!  

A small group of us managed to clear our hectic schedules and sneak away to Charleston this past weekend.  Among the seven ladies who went, we have sixteen children so trust me when I say this took a lot of effort and coordinating and of course some very brave and amazing husbands.  (Next time around I hope more moms can join us!)

This week I'll be sharing some details from our trip including our favorite shopping spots and where we dined but today I want to show you an easy DIY gift bag you can put together for your next girls night out.  I did have to do some searching and advanced planning to color coordinate the items but you can find all the "pink" links below.

A few of my favorite things I tucked into the weekend swag bags:

Little i Personality Mints with Mirrored Tin
Emergen-C Health and Energy Booster Pink Lemonade
KIND Almond and Apricot Bars
Ghirardelli Chocolate Raspberry Squares
Essence Long Lasting Lip Gloss
Ms. Manicure File and Clipper Set

I found the Martha Stewart pink scalloped treat boxes at Michael's which made packaging these sweet treats a cinch!

I hope ya'll enjoyed the weekend and thanks so much for stopping by today.  Looking forward to catching up with all of you on Twitter, Facebook and your own blogs!

Precious Visits

Hi there friends! I'm writing this post at the stroke of midnight with the most tired eyes so forgive me if it's short and sweet.

I have been so busy that I've barely had time to breathe much less blog.  It's been a good kinda busy though.  I've been spending every moment with my sister and niece who flew into Atlanta on Saturday and we've been doing a whirlwind of family events to show off her pretty little face.  

Coincidentally, my best friend from high school is also in town with her family which is always a treat. Since she moved Mexico several years ago, my visits with her are few but precious.  It's so true that great friends don't skip a beat despite the distance.  Here's all our kids together, along with two of my nieces.  Yes, we had NINE children under one roof on Monday.  (Four are hers, two mine, two my older sisters and one my younger sisters.  The infants were not in this photo.)  They are all such great kids!

Here's Mel and I with her fourth and newest addition.  She's one of those moms who makes motherhood look easy!   

 I hope ya'll are enjoying your week.  I can't believe school is beginning for so many of you and that summer break is coming to an end.  

Savor those moments and may the lazy days of summer linger just a bit longer!

Belle of the Ball

I missed the actual Golden Globes but you know I never miss a fashion recap!  Did anyone notice who was wearing one of my top picks?  None other than Catherine herself!  Doesn't she look divine?

My blogger friend Kate and I both thought Catherine looked like a modern day Scarlett O'Hara.  Fiddle-dee-dee! Kate has a side by side comparison of Catherine and Scarlett on her blog Southern Belle Simple.  If you have a free minute this weekend, stop over and say hi to her.  She is such a doll and a true southern belle, always ladylike and gracious.  

"Southern Favorites" from Lavish!

I'm still unwinding from attending Lavish! this past weekend and my, oh my, there was some talent there!  I met so many other bloggers, some who have been at it for years and some who were new to it like me, but regardless, everyone was very approachable and willing to share ideas, advice and tips.  It was such a great learning experience and it really got me thinking about the direction of my blog, my goals for the blog and ways I can make it so much sweeter!

With that being said, I'd love to share with ya'll some of my favorites from the conference.  Although I'm only highlighting my "Southern favorites" today, there were many others who deserve to be shared as well, but I'll save that for a later (but not too later) time.  I hope you enjoy these picks and get to know these lovely brands and people for yourself.

1. Justice Fergie is crazy smart AND she's been featured in Southern Living.  Proof women can do it all!
2. Atlanta based and oh so charismatic James Andrews , a social media genius.
3. Tami at Running with Tweezers has THE coolest job.ever. 
4. Courtney Khail Stationery...an amazing Atlanta artist!
5. Looking for wedding blogs? Check out Ashley's Bride Guide.  She's the first person I met.
6. The photography of north Georgia's Honey and Jam. is phenomenal, lovely, humble and smart.
7. Homemade Grits, a  fellow Marietta blogger and editor of Southern Flourish
8. Travels in Heels the lucky winner of a Nikon D90, compliments of the Pioneer Woman. 
9. Danica Kombol's presentation on Heart of Haiti, helping artisans support their families with dignity.
10.  And finally, the passion and the heart behind Lavish!, Shameeka Ayers of The Broke Socialite.  She's local and she's fabulous.  Enough said.

If you missed this years "unconference," don't dismay.  Mrs. Ayers announced that there WILL be a Lavish! 2011 so stay tuned or follow Lavish! on twitter. 

The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls

Yes, I did. Or shall I say, yes we did.  And with matching aprons too!  Aren't we cute for 7:30 AM?

Here's how we got ourselves into this hot mess.  A few months ago, my good friend phoned me to ask if I'd be interested in taking on The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls  Ummm, yes please!  After reading all about these rolls for months, I was happy to have someone to embark on this journey with me.  I say journey because the recipe makes EIGHT PANS of cinnamon rolls which are heavenly in every.single.way.  But I must say the icing....Oh my goodness, the icing is amazing!!!  Coffee and Maple heaven.  We started at 7:30AM and finished early afternoon.  I know it sounds like a long time but much of it was simply waiting for dough to rise.  While we waited, we watched Ree throw down with Bobby Flay on Foodnetwork, which she won. Good for her!  I'm pretty sure anyone who refers to themselves as "Pioneer Woman" could win just about any kind throw down she set her mind to!

Beautifully sifted flour....sifted by my sweet friend.

I highly recommend refrigerating the dough before rolling it out.  Also make it as much like a rectangle shape as possible.  Obviously, my photo is bad example but the rolls were still edible.

This recipe requires a ton of butter!  About 5 sticks to be exact.

This is where two sets of hands are better than one!  After slicing the rolls and placing in your pans, be sure to cover and let them rise a bit more as the recipe suggests.  I really think it helps the rolls puff up better while cooking.

As if this wasn't good enough....

You then add the glorious maple flavored icing, of which I could sing its praises forever and ever.  Amen.

These rolls are everything promised and more.  Sweet (very, very sweet), sugary, gooey, sinful goodness.  My friend and I had a blast making these together and we served them to our families on Thanksgiving morning for which they were very, very thankful.  My only warning for this recipe is this....Be prepared for an intense sugar high.  It's the only thing I may do differently next time around.  I think you could reduce the amount of sugar by almost half and still have a perfect cinnamon roll.  In the end though, the pièce de résistance is the maple frosting. I could drizzle it on everything.

If you plan to try these for yourself or for gifts this Christmas, be sure to read Pioneer Woman's tips on making her famous cinnamon rolls.  Happy Holidays and Happy Baking!