Jen Caputo

Our New Patio Set

I had been searching for the perfect patio set for 2 years. I couldn't decide between a couch/sectional set or a dining set. I really wanted the perfect combination of the comfort of a couch AND the usefulness of a dining set. As far as I could tell, there was no such thing. So when we received money and gift cards for our wedding, I promised I'd set aside some of it to buy us a new patio set, just as soon as I could find one I loved.

And finally I found it - it does exist! The perfect combination of sectional and dining set. It's comfortable, all-weather wicker, from Target. To make the price a little more palatable, I went through ebates to get an extra 3% back ($30! Not bad!), plus we managed to get $40 for our old one (which was more than a little rusty) through craigslist.

It arrived a few weeks ago and so we've had a few opportunities to put it to use.

Here is the first dinner we ate at it:

But let's rewind a bit so I can show you more of that delicious dinner.   I was growing Pak Choi in my window boxes and it was starting to bolt.

So I cut it all down (isn't it gorgeous?)

 

And we sauteed it out on the grill with sesame oil and soy sauce

It was fantastic and I'm so sad it's all gone. Since it won't grow in the summer heat, I'm definitely going to grow more in the fall. Meanwhile, Adam grilled these bacon wrapped filets:

We also had fries dressed in truffle oil. The meal was accompanied with a Predator Zinfadel. We loved our first dinner on our new table :)

It also got exercised at our recent 3rd annual Sausagefest Memorial Day party. Adam and I make 25 pounds of various sausages (italian, spinach/chicken/feta, sage/apple/cheddar breakfast) over the weekend, everyone comes over to eat it, and at the end of the night, we throw a projector up in the backyard and watch a movie under the stars (movie tradition inherited from our Lost Finale party last year). We were super impressed with the amount of people it could sit. The benches that claimed to sit 1 person comfortably sat 2 and those that were supposed to sit 2 sat at least 3, meaning we can easily accommodate 10 people for an outdoor dinner.

See the mason jars holding the candles hanging from the umbrella? I got the idea from Martha Stewart:

Source: marthastewart.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

 

Ok, hers looks better... but here's a few more pictures of mine anyway :P

And here's our hot tub being put to good use as a buffet!

I forgot to take pictures of the movie watching set up so picture 14 bag chairs + 2 princess chairs around a big screen (pretty much just like our Lost Finale party setup).

So a huge thank you to everyone who gifted us cash for our wedding, we love our new patio set and think it brings such a sense of warmth to the backyard. And for anyone who is curious, I bring the cushions in when we are not using the set to prolong it's life as long as possible.

PTI Blog Hop: June 2011

It's been a long time since I've played around with a Blog Hop but since I'm home sick instead of at the Green Music Festival with Adam, I decided to jump in.

Nichole gave us this photo as inspiration:

{photo credit}

I loved the way the colors all blended into each other so I focused on that as my inspiration. I took a piece of vellum and used Alcohol Ink in stripes, blending as I went all over it. This left me with a full sheet of striped paper so I cut it into quarters and used it as the background for 3 cards.

The artist in me really wanted to add some buttons to this card but I am sick of my recipients telling me they arrive damaged due to the buttons getting stuck in the machines at the post office so I restrained myself and went embellishment free.

All of the white stamped designs are embossed (after letting the alcohol ink background dry for a few hours).

This one uses Background Basics: Stars and Tiny Tags.

For this one I stamped various circles from Borders & Corners: Circle. The sentiment is from an anniversary set a few years ago. I really wish this one had a few buttons :)

Finally, I stamped a bunch of whales (they are so cute!) from Whale Wishes.

The color is off in all of these photos, the olivey green strip of paper is actually "Simply Chartreuse" but I took these pictures at 7pm so it's about all the natural light I could hope for.

Anthro-Inspired Yellow Beaded Necklace & Earrings

I came across this necklace at Anthropologie and thought I might try to make my own version.

Source: anthropologie.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

 

My supplies:

• Chain
• Earring Wire
• Beading Wire
• Round Beads
• Focal Beads
• Wire Snips
• Needle nose Pliers
• Crimp Pliers
• Flat nose pliers
• Clasp
• Jump Rings
• Head pins
• crimp beads

I started with my focal beads. I strung a wire through it and curled both ends into a loop. I did this three times, once for the necklace, and one for each earring.

Then I started on the necklace. I strung two crimp beads, a jump ring, then back through the two crimp beads. Using the crimping pliers, I closed the beads.

Then I just strung the round beads with the focal bead in the middle.

Two more crimp beads and another jump ring.

Here's how the necklace looks finished.

Next I worked on my dangles. I threaded a single bead onto a head pin

Trimmed down the pin and bent it at a 90 degree angle

And used the needle nose pliers to create a loop

 

I cut a bunch of random segments of chain, opened up the loop, strung them on the chain, and closed the loop. I did a bunch of these.

 

I opened up the loop on the focal bead and threaded on all of the chains.

And here's my finished set. Total cost was less than $10 compared to $58 for anthro's, and mine came with earrings!

Fathers Day Cards

Happy Fathers day going out to my dad, father-in-law, and grandpa. These are the cards I sent them this year.

Here's a peak at the inside of one of them.

All of the paper strips are embossed.

All supplies are Papertrey Ink.