Link Party Archives - Satori Design for Living

Outdoor Extravaganza Decorating Link Party

May

2013

I love this time of year when our living space expands outdoors. We tend to eat as many meals as we can in our outdoor dining area, and yesterday I shared the new tablescape I created for hosting brunch over the summer season as part of this week’s Outdoor Extravaganza decorating challenge.

Outdoor decorating is definitely one of my favorite things to do this time of year. I’ve been inspired to take on a few more projects this summer thanks to the other hosts of this series, Tiffany, Dawn, Barbara and Carmel. Be sure to check out their projects before you link up yours below.

Now it’s your turn! Link up as many outdoor plants & flowers projects as you like- old and new. Your project will show up on all 5 blogs! Please include a backlink to this post, and be sure to take a look around and show some blog love. No items for sale please!

Outdoor Decorating Projects

Outdoor Extravaganza Plants & Flowers Link Party

May

2013

6 Comments

It’s time to officially kick off the Outdoor Extravaganza! Yesterday I shared my strawberry pot herb garden with you, which is a little different take on the way I usually grow these summer essential plants.

The other hosts of this outdoor series, Tiffany, Carmel, Dawn, and Barbara, have also been busy playing in the dirt. Check out all their inspiring projects!

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Filed Under: Gardening & Outdoor Tagged With: Link Party, Outdoor Extravaganza 2013, Plants & Flowers

Get Ready to Join the Outdoor Extravaganza!

Apr

2013

10 Comments

Last year I introduced you to the Outdoor Extravaganza link parties, and I’m so excited to tell you that the series is back! This time I’m joining Tiffany, Carmel, Dawn, and Barbara to share some of the outdoor projects we’ve been working on, and to invite you to join in the fun.

Be sure to mark your calendars- dates and themes are above. Remember it’s outdoor projects, so start working on them now. We’re talking window boxes, outdoor lounge areas, benches, tablescapes, lanterns, and more.

Procrastinating? Need a little motivation to get going on some projects? This is it! Not only will your project be seen on all 5 blogs, but we’re also looking for fantastic ideas to pin, share, and feature.

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Filed Under: News & Updates Tagged With: Link Party, Outdoor Extravaganza 2013

Holiday Countdown Series Finale + Link Party

Dec

2012

3 Comments

I’m posting the final installment of the Holiday Countdown one day early to give you a little more prep time before the weekend. If you’ve been following along since the first post in October, there shouldn’t be too much left on your list, but there are always those tasks that are best done in the last few days.

Don't count the days make the days count

{via}

If you’re feeling frazzled, try to keep in mind what the Christmas season is all about- peace, love and joy. It’s not about perfect decorating, baking, wrapping and all the other preparations. At this point, good enough is good enough! It’s time to enjoy our loved ones, especially in light of what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary. Let’s keep all the families in our thoughts and prayers.

If you’ve missed any weeks along the way, follow this link to see the full 2012 Holiday Countdown Series.

Now on to the final To Do list. Be sure to link up your holiday preparations at the bottom of this post!

This Week:

Add fresh flowers and greenery.

There isn’t anything that can bring a space to life more than adding fresh natural elements. Back on week one, I recommended that you plant amaryllis or paper white bulbs. My amaryllis has really taken off and will hopefully bloom for Christmas. If you didn’t plant bulbs, no worries. These plants are available at many locations for next to nothing. You don’t have to spend a fortune on fresh materials for them to look fantastic. Consider mixing less expensive materials with only a few luxurious blooms.

{via Canadian House & Home}

Cookie Exchange Link Party

Dec

2012

14 Comments

One of the best parts of the Christmas season (or worst, depending on how you look at it) is the abundance of goodies. Over the years, I’ve really pared back my baking to keep us from over-indulging. I find that if it isn’t in the house, we don’t eat it. However, to satisfy the sweet tooth in all of us, I do make a few family favorites. Last year it was chocolate almond biscotti and chocolate caramel pretzels. You may also remember it was my first year partaking in a baking exchange, and I was so excited to get some of my friend Sandi’s decadent shortbread and chewy molasses cookies.

This year, trying to be a little more health conscious, I asked my nutritionist friend Karen to share one of her holiday recipes. Karen recently launched her website Nourish With Karen, where you’ll find inspiration for healthier living through better nutrition. Although her website is just off the ground, she does have a few recipes posted, including quinoa chocolate cake (yum!) and sugar cookies made with almond flour.

On Monday, Karen stopped by for tea and brought the most delicious dark chocolate bark I have tasted. To add, it’s full of antioxidants, contains magnesium contributing to serotonin levels, and has less sugar than milk chocolate (as she informed me). A decadent treat providing nutrition- bring it on!

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Filed Under: Food Love, Holiday & Seasonal Tagged With: Baking, Christmas, Handmade, Holiday Cookie Exchange, Link Party, Recipes

Memory Candy Jar + Handmade Gifts Link Party

Dec

2012

7 Comments

I always try to create a few handmade gifts every Christmas, especially for grandparents. Not only are they a budget-friendly alternative to purchasing gifts, they also add a personal touch that really shows someone you care. A few weeks ago, I shared how I plan for handmade gifts, including where I find inspiration, as well as the steps I take to make sure they’re all ready for Christmas. This year I followed the same process, but it took me a while to come up with something unique for my mom. I wanted to get all the grandkids involved to make it extra special for her, but I didn’t want it to be overly complicated or time consuming.

After pondering for a week or two about what to make, I finally got an idea after having dinner with a few family members at an Asian restaurant. Although I’m not a huge fan of eating fortune cookies, I do love reading the messages that come within. I was thinking it would be fun to make fortune cookies to give out at Christmas, but I’d substitute the dry cookie with something a little tastier. In my mind I was thinking fortune cookie meets Hershey’s Kisses, and the idea of a Memory Candy Jar was born.

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Filed Under: Holiday & Seasonal Tagged With: Christmas, Gift Giving, Handmade, Link Party

Handmade Gift Planning + Upcoming Link Parties

Nov

2012

1 Comment

On this week’s Holiday Countdown list, I encouraged you to make some gifts for Christmas instead of buying everything. Handmade gifts are not only budget-friendly, but they add a personal touch and really show someone you care. In my experience, what usually stands in the way of getting around to handcrafting gifts rather than purchasing them is careful planning. That’s why I always start no later than mid-November.

If you’re stumped about what to make grandparents, neighbors, friends or anyone else on your gift list, start by looking through magazines or websites for ideas. Some of my favorite sources are Style at Home, Chatelaine, Pinterest, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart, and other design blogs. Once you’ve found some possibilities, bookmark them or pin them to a board on Pinterest.

{Left to Right: Teacup Candle, Cowgirl Cookie Mix, Christmas in a Jar

After I’ve found some handmade gift possibilities (or at least some inspiration), I think about who the gift would be perfect for. For instance, my husband’s aunt loves sweets, so I always try to bake something to go along with her main gift. Some of my friends are avid readers, so I make something to complement a book. You get the picture…

The Orange Fence is Gone!

Jun

2012

8 Comments

You know those projects that start out with good intentions, but turn out to be a major miss. Since we moved into our home several years ago, my fence and I have not had a good relationship. We started out with a tall grey fence along the back that the developer put in, and a simple cedar fence was added on either side of our house. It sounded like an alright idea at the time, but I didn’t realize it would turn out to cause me so much grief.

From the minute that fence went in, I hated it (such a strong word, but nothing else would suffice!). I didn’t want to stain it to match the grey, so I thought I’d try staining over the grey to match the cedar. ‘Natural Cedar’ stain sounded like the perfect solution.

It looked okay to start with, but when the sun was shining, it gave off a terrible orange glow. I almost didn’t want to look out my back window- EVER! I ended up living with it for a while because at least it blended better with the cedar fence and looked a little more uniform. In addition, I wasn’t very excited about having to pull out the paint brush, yet again.

After not being able to go one more year looking at my orange fence, I decided to finally do something about it. I knew it would be a big project, but it was worth it to me. [Read more...]

Filed Under: DIY, Gardening & Outdoor Tagged With: Link Party, Outdoor Extravaganza, Paint Colors, Staining