Last summer I shared how we built our raised garden beds and I’m happy to back this year with twice the boxes! My little piece of heaven in the backyard was doubled in early April thanks to my Dad. He built me two more raised beds during their Spring visit. I was so grateful and excited! I think he is happy to have someone to chat about veggies and gardens with since he grew up on a farm in North Dakota and love having his own little backyard garden now in Las Vegas.

Last year was all about starting small and seeing what grew well, how much work I could handle on a weekly basis of watering and maintanance. This year is all about experimentation. I’ve planted a lot more variety and feeling very playful of what we’ve planted. A little bit of the “let’s throw this on the wall and see what sticks” kind of experimentation.

A rundown of what we’ve planted:

Romaine lettuce
Strawberries
Sugar Snap Peas
Green Beans
Cucumbers
Zucchini
Bell Peppers
Tomatoes
Various Herbs

The strawberries are already producing fruit and ready to harvest! I can’t wait to make some jams later this summer.

I also have one box dedicated to my dozens of dahlia tubers. Previously, I grew these by the house. However, since I plant mostly dinner plate dahlias (which have blooms as a big as a small dinner plate) they grew sort of wild and were unattractive near our neater looking landscaping. I dug all of the tubers up and moved them all out to one raised box in the garden.

Of course, I added a few new ones to my collection as well…(says the dahlia hoarder)

I’m happy with this decision because I’ll now have a trellis support system for them. This is pretty necessary because the stalks can grow almost 5′ tall and summer storms can knock them out. They are just starting to pop up now and I know this box is going to be GORGEOUS come July/August. Stay tuned for lots of gorgeous cut flower bouquets made of my favorite bloom.

Naturally, my four year-old *loves* helping out in the garden. He enjoys helping dig the holes for each of the starter plants (yes, I buy plants already started – I will attempt starting from seeds next year) and just generally checking in on the plants every day after school.

Now that the basics of two extra boxes and new plants are in place, the growing season is just starting to heat up and get exciting. I was delighted for the opportunity to work with Duluth Trading Company and try out some of their products to help make my time spent in the garden more enjoyable.

I have to admit that most of my garden and outdoor work was previously done in old workout clothes like yoga pants and t-shirts. Which is not very comfortable come in July and August in the morning heat…enter the Duluth Trading Company with a line of clothing that is durable and beats some of the summer heat. You can also look pretty cute while happily getting dirty:

In my new gardening-wear collection:

Women’s No Sweat Tank

Women’s Quick Dry Skort

Women’s UPF 50 Crusher Sun Hat

I love that the Duluth clothing also has neat little zippers that are perfect for my iphone. I don’t necessarily use it for listening to music (though it’s a great idea) but I generally have my phone on me so I can take pictures. Most of my garden pictures are taken from my iphone so I can share them quickly on Instagram.

Gift Card Giveaway

I know that you are going to love the Duluth Trading Company products too and I’m happy to announce a $50 gift card giveaway! Just comment below to this blog post one of the things you are planning on planting or growing this summer…it can be a vegetable or flower or whatever. You can also earn bonus points for social media shares or following. I’m using Rafflecopter to help facilitate the giveaway, so be sure to leave a blog comment AND confirm that you have left one with the Rafflecopter app below.

Duluth Trading Company is also offering free shipping now through June 30, 2013, for my readers. Just enter code “T13PRCG” (Note: $50 minimum order. Minimum order applies to total before tax, shipping or gift card purchases. Valid for US shipping only, on standard delivery.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It’s no surprise that the kitchen is the heart of our home. I love dreaming up new recipes, preparing dishes and drinks for our next get together. We are fortunate in that we built our home a few years ago and had the opportunity to pick out many of the details of our kitchen but I still love always dreaming up new ideas and possibilities of a stylish and functional “dream kitchen.”

My must haves: lots of sunlight, great tools and gadgets, and stylish decorative details.

When dreaming up this gorgeous kitchen, the first step is choosing beautiful appliances that complement one another. I love Electrolux’s mantra of embracing the art of “suite design,” which basically means selecting stylish and sleek appliances that all complement each other aesthetically while looking and performing in a professional way. I mean, who doesn’t want their kitchen to prepare food that rivals the kitchens on tv or your favorite cookbook.

Of course, besides performing well, my dream kitchen needs to look good, too…

I really love white kitchens.

I should clarify, not a bright, modern white, but a creamy, warm white. A cozy, breezy central hub to our home. My kitchen cabinets today are a cream color with some toffee colored accents in the edging, so it’s no surprise that when I pulled these images together on my dream kitchen Pinterest board they still had that common theme.

Other favorite accents in my dream kitchen? Coffered ceilings, brick flooring, and lots of glass cupboards to display my ever growing collection of dishware. It is true, I have a weakness for entertaining plates, platters and glasses, too. Oh, you too? 

One of the biggest trends in kitchen remodeling is the “built-in” look and Electrolux offers not only a collection of counter-depth refrigerators designed to achieve that look, but this Under Counter Beverage Center is something I seriously need for my next party. It can hold both party trays and wine bottles. Yes, please!

So tell me, what is in your dream kitchen? Maybe this gorgeous counter-depth French Door Refrigerator? Or maybe this amazing natural light from wall to ceiling windows:

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

In just two weeks we are about to kick off our summer family vacation! We are headed south to the always wonderful 30-A, a highway along the Northwest Florida coast. In the past we’ve stayed in Cape San Blas (more east of Panama City) and Seagrove Beach (right next to Seaside). Last year we intended to go back another time to Seagrove Beach (I even blogged about our packing), but Hurricane Irene forced us to cancel our plane tickets the day before and head east to the Smoky Mountains.

This year, we’ve chosen the wise month of May to visit, and we’re headed to Grayton Beach for the first time and bunking up in this most adorable beach house:

The pink may or may not have had something to do in determining that it was “the one” for our week-long adventure.

Since we’re about to start our summer vacation, it feels like Spring is just about finished (I know, that sounds cray-zay). After we return from the beach, I know that many lake and hot Summer days are not far away.

In honor of Spring, I’m offering a  flash sale on everything in the Sweet Tea & Lemonade Etsy shop now through April 24. Everything will ship out by May 2 in advance of our beach vacation. Just use coupon code SPRING when checking out to receive a discount of 25% off!

Be sure to check out some new designs that have been added to the shop:

Are you thinking of your summer plans yet? Where are you headed this year? Leave your comments below!

The lovely gals and lovely blog at Southern Weddings Magazine are featuring my Confetti Pretzels DIY – a recipe for delicious white chocolate covered pretzels, all packaged up in cute boxes and a touch of colorful confetti sprinkles!

These would be perfect for a Southern “Surcee” (an unexpected gift) or even make a delightful hostess or favor gift idea for all the Spring soirees that are ahead this season.

Be sure to check out the full feature here with step-by-step photos from my friend Leslie at Leslie & Dusty Photography.

This time of year, the grocery stores are stocked with gorgeous selections of spring flowers at great prices! Everything from daffodils to tulips to hyacinth can be arranged easily into baskets for a sweet table centerpiece. Here I’m sharing some easy DIY (do-it-yourself) centerpieces that will be perfect for your Easter celebrations this weekend or other parties to celebrate Spring.

Special thanks to Leslie Walker of Leslie & Dusty Photography for capturing gorgeous images of this project. Leslie and I collaborated on some great Spring projects for your celebrations. Be sure to check out our Sweet As A Peach classic cocktail recipe shared on Style Me Pretty Living earlier this week!

Supplies

1. 1 medium size straw basket and 2 mini baskets
2. grocery store flowers such as tulips, alstroemeria, hyacinth and other filler
3. flower frog vase that fits inside medium size basket and 2 votive candle-sized cups for the 2 mini baskets
4. easter basket paper filler to help ‘nest’ the vases inside the baskets

Instructions

1. Trim leaves from flowers stems
2. Fill vases mid-way with water and place inside baskets
3. For the large basket, work from the inside of the flower frog outward, placing stems evenly in the wire grid.
4. Place a little mix of smaller blooms in the votive cups

Aren’t these tiny woven baskets adorable? These would even be fun to use as placecard holders for your Easter dinner or would be great for a baby or bridal shower party. You could even have the guests take them home as a favor!

The adorable large grass basket and woven mini baskets + the rabbit are sourced from one of my favorite home entertaining stores, World Market.

Wishing everyone a delightful Easter celebration this weekend!

- Amber