Seashell Wrapping

In case you were wondering, "Mary Call" is
an inside nickname for my mom.

Life's been so busy (and tossing in a cross-country move next week isn't going to help) that I have a feeling these posts are going to be a bit sporadic for awhile. I did want to share an idea, however, that I had this past weekend for incorporating seashells into gift wrap for a present for my mom, since it was simple and came out cute. I had a friend visit for the weekend, and we went to the beach on Saturday (it was a steamy 99 degrees). Since my mom's birthday was also on Saturday, I had an idea for incorporating one of my favorite beach activities--shell collecting!--with wrapping her birthday gift.

I was already planning on tucking her present in a Michaels photo storage box that I had picked up on sale for $2.00 a few months ago (I had actually picked up two, and my mom commented on how pretty they were [she then failed to find them at her local Micahels], so it was an obvious decision!). Since the box had a nautical theme, I thought it would be nice to add some seashells as embellishments. I went to the beach with a mission to collect shells with holes in them, which are plentiful. As luck would have it, we arrived during low tide, so scooping up handfuls of shells/shell fragments to pick through was pretty easy. I tried to sort out a variety of pierced shell bits, and when I set out to incorporate them into my wrapping process, I selected some black-and-white baker's twine, which I had leftover from my Cirque des Rêves party, for stringing. I will admit, it took me a few tries to come up with the idea of simply lacing twine through the shells in a parcel knot (my first attempt involved tying the shells to the ends of the twine... which looked like something a five-year-old would do!). But once I figured out my layout (I actually did tie off the bigger shells on the vertical strand to prevent slipping), it was easy-peasy. It gave the gift a nice touch, and it gave me a reason to collect shells (something I find great satisfaction in doing, despite their tendency to become clutter). So, next time you're at the beach, you can collect shells, guilt-free, and stock up on wrapping embellishments! Double bonus indeed.

A Sweet and Simple Fourth

I know, I know, the Fourth of July was a week and a half ago, but moving at the end of June and beginning my summer job this past week have kept me so busy, it's ridiculous. And add to that an unplanned (and yet hopeful, in terms of job-seeking!) overnight trip to Ohio this weekend. Whew. But anyway, back to the Fourth. I just wanted to share a quick (and VERY easy) dessert treat that we made, along with our decorations from this year and last (some of which we recycled for this year!). The dessert comes courtesy of my friend Beth, who gave me the idea the week before. Ready?

Step One: Follow the instructions on a cookie mix for sugar cookies (or you can whip the dough up from scratch, if you're that sort of person).

Step Two: Take your dough and spread it on a pizza pan like a crust. We lined our pan with parchment paper for easy non-stick serving. Bake your super-huge cookie until it's that lovely shade of golden-brown. We just eyed ours until we could tell it was ready, but I bet you could find a more specific time limit online.

Step Three: Once your cookie crust is cool, layer on the Cool Whip! We didn't use entire tub, if I remember correctly - just spread it on until you have a nice thick covering.

Step Four: Select and arrange your fruit! My friend's version had blueberries, strawberries, kiwis, and possibly more - we stuck to the red, white, and blue holiday colors, so we used blueberries and strawberries. Starting with the strawberries, I just laid out a circular pattern, eventually adding blueberries in the open spaces.

Step Five: Cut and serve! It's so simple, but it's really delicious and versatile. And it has fresh fruit on it, so it can't be THAT bad for you, right? ;)

Mmmmmmmmm.....

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As for decorations, we had a pretty simple spread, since our Fourth was a low-key affair (I think we were still recuperating from my move!). We did use paper straws, which are an easy way to festivize any meal. My mom also does this cup-layering trick to dress up plain plastic cups (which she prefers since they are larger than typical paper cups), so that helped as well. We also pulled out some past decorations, like the balloon-weight-turned-centerpiece from Memorial Day and the paper burlap banner from last year.

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Click to Enlarge

Something we did last year, but not this time around, was use a decorating method that eventually became the basis for my Testudo treat-toppers from this past May. We ran old book pages through our home printer to digitally "stamp" images and text on them. We used clip art and text in Microsoft Word to create our designs (both are mashups, actually). Check them out!

Spinner decoration (with the same design on both sides)

Silverware/napkin adornment

I'd like to note that I traced the words "happy fourth!" on the spinner with a Sharpie marker so they would stand out more sharply. We also made a few festive pinwheels, which we tucked into an embellished Mason jar to sit on the table - we didn't save them, since they are so easy to whip up, and less easy to store without crushing. You can find an easy tutorial here.

Hope everyone had a Happy Fourth!

I'll Be Back Next Friday!