JuBella.com – Get Your Creative Dose

Don’t you just love when you stumble across a blog that inspires you so much that you click away feeling super motivated, as if you can now go out and conquer your creative world. That’s how I felt after browsing the immaculate photography and recipes that are taken and written by Photographer Katie Quinn Davies. I left her blog feeling as though I could prepare beautiful dishes and create lovely photos to remember my own kitchen creations by! What I like most about many of Katies photos are the rustic tones that many of them have…so comforting and inviting don’t you think?

Be sure to look out for her first recipe book due to be published in 2012! Woo Hoo, and click the image below to see a short video highlighting her work and her inspirations via Martha Stewart Living!

Oh, how I love the tableware and dining collections of Tableware Designer Rosanna Bowles of Rosanna Inc.. All of the cheerful and rich colors would bring any party to life, especially those that consist of sweet and divine desserts!

Oh my I am so excited to see this new Gift Wrap Green line that just launched by the lovely and talented Amy Butler! The colors are darling, and the patterns are elegant and festive. So, click on over and check out the full collection. I think that my first purchase from the line will be this, & aren’t the product photos FABULOUS…it really makes me want to go wrap a gift and then throw a party for someone special! Great job Amy(as usual!).

“I love making gifts for my friends and family, but in buying giftwrap and paper party ware I always thought that there should be an eco-alternative. So I have been working with the Gift Wrap Company to come up with an ecological alternative to gift-giving & paper party ware. We’ve done it! The new lines of GIFTWRAP GREEN, 100% post-consumer recycled gift wraps, bags, and giftcard boxes are out now! You may recognize some of the print designs from past fabric collections (recolored, of course). Alongside the gift wrap & bags, we’ve developed an eco line of paper tableware (plates, napkins, towels) that coordinate so you’re entire party can be fresh and “green.” The plates and napkins are printed with 100% soy ink, plus the plates use a water-soluble coating so that they can be rinsed and recycled too! It’s exciting to be able to offer a green alternative that keeps the fresh look and design we all love.” -Amy Butler

When I look at these gift wrap patterns from Whimsy Press, I cannot help but to picture them as wallpaper. Wouldn’t some of these prints look fantastic on the wall! I would love to see them offer their designs in wallpaper form for sure! Anyhow, these are just a few of my favorite gift wrap patterns that they offer. They also sell some great note cards, and place mats, and lots of other goodies that are essential for wrapping a special gift or for throwing a special party for friends or family!

We do not really do too much for the Fourth of July. We are just happy to have the hubby home for a long weekend and the little one gets so excited about going to see the fireworks over the Savannah River. Nevertheless, I thought I would share a couple of easy and laid back recipes that are a breeze to fix for your 4th of July gathering!

Frozen Sake Lemonade
I do not like drinks that are heavy on the alcohol and outside of ordering virgin cocktails I usually just enjoy a glass of wine or sake every now and then, So this cool concoction that I came up with of sake, lemons, and sweetness is perfect for a summer gathering with friends.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients
zest of one lemon
1 C. fresh lemon juice
1/2 C. sugar
1 1/2 C. ginger ale
1/2 C. sake
Ice (about 24 cubes)

1 C. frozen blueberries and strawberries for garnishing

Directions
Stir together your lemon juice and sugar until sugar dissolves. Blend all ingredients EXCEPT for your frozen blueberries and strawberries in your blender. Place your frozen blueberries and strawberries in your glasses or pitcher. Pour in your mixture. Serve with a slice of lemon on the side & Enjoy!

Alternative: Take your mixture and let it freeze. When you are ready to use it simply take it out of the freezer and blend in your blender to make a lovely sorbet. Garnish with lemons, berries, and mint!

Berry S’mores

I have to be perfectly honest…my four year old came up with this idea. He wanted me to make smores for a snack but we had no chocolate, so he says, “well, we can use strawberries”. I was in a desperate need of a sweet fix so I agreed to it. These were SO GOOD!!! I am sure they would be a hit for any kid that comes over as well as the adults (I must have eaten quite a few myself) You could also add some fresh blueberries to escalate the whole 4th of July red white and blue theme, but these are great for a snack at anytime!

Ingredients
graham crackers
marshmallows
sliced strawberries
fresh blueberries (optional)

Directions
Simply place your marshmallows on top of your graham crackers and warm it up in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Your marshmallows should be soft but NOT totally melted. Take your graham crackers out of the microwave and place your berries on top of the marshmallow. Sandwich your graham crackers together. Serve immediately & indulge in the sweet gooey goodness!

There’s a virtual party going on, and the host is none other than the lovely Ez of Creature Comforts. I just love creative ideas and I had SO much fun creating my virtual outfit, party food, and gifts, and since it is virtual money I splurged a bit on the Fendi dress, & Ez, since we are dealing with virtual money here, use your imagination to think of the amount that the Crate & Barrel Gift card is worth! . Okay, so here is my little collage. I started out going after a black clutch to keep in line with the black and gold, but…well..I just couldn’t resist this purple clutch! Thank you Ez for the invite…such a glowing party it is..filled with some pretty creative people & I can’t wait to see who all arrives!

The Outfit: Fendi Silk Gold leaf Dress: mytheresa.com, Gold South Seashell pearl Earrings, Hayden Harnett Positano Guilded Clutch; piperlime.com, Carlos by Carlos Santana Gold Sandals: piperlime.com

The Gifts: Vintage Swallow Bobby Pins: Very Vintage, Little Wren Print: Bad Bird, Crate & Barrel Gift Card, Crate & Barrel.

I am absolutely in love with the work of Food Stylist and Photographer Beatrice Peltre. Her way of styling food is is a true art form, and I was instantly engaged by her use of color. Her award winning blog La Tartine Gourmande, is filled with some of the most delightful photos of food, her travels abroad, and of course recipes that are all cataloged into tasty categories. She also has a wonderful amazon store that carries some of her favorite culinary reads. If you love food, photography, and traveling as I do, then you might find yourself browsing her blog and website for hours.

Beatrice has officially inspired me to become an Artist within the kitchen. I can honestly feel her passion for food and photography within every picture and that sort of love for something just makes me happy and I commend Beatrice for bringing such beauty to something that is most commonly taken for granted throughout our days. What if we all created art within the kitchen and shared our photos with the world to be enthused by! Thank you Beatrice for being such a creative inspiration!

Here are our top 5 picks from her blog, but to be quite honest every one of her posts are impeccable, and you will just have to taste the goodness of it all by visiting your blog and website yourself:

A Whole World of Sweet Mini-Bites — Tout un monde de petites bouchées sucrées/

Rhubarb and Raspberry Yogurt Ice Pops — Sucettes au yaourt glacé rhubarbe et framboise.

Apple Trees Give us a Queen — Les pommiers nous offrent une reine.

Vitamins in a Summer Verrine — Verrine estivale vitaminée

Fall Medley Vegetable Soup — Soupe automnale de légumes variés

oh, and this: A Casual Lavender Crème Brûlée — Crème Brûlée à la lavande à la bonne franquette because those heart shaped handles are just too cute!