My Favorite Things * Linen Suits & The Sartorialist

{images from The Sartorialist}

The Sartorialist by Scott Schuman is one of my favorite fashion blogs. He is a stunning handsome man with an eye for all things beautiful and photographing fashion on the streets. These two men are people who happened to be on the street in Milan wearing on of my favorite things the linen suit. They remind of a character someone would write for a movie. So much personality. Wonderful lovely styles with people who have character and just enough imperfection to make them perfect. When my boys are fully grown I am buying them a linen suit. I also noticed a gentleman at church this past Sunday wearing a linen suit. We do have style in The Valley!

My Favorite Finds * Metromint Flavored Water* Weekend Edition

I LOVE this drink. Metromint has something good going on! I just happen to pick up a bottle at Good Earth on Thursday while out shopping. The Chocolate mint was the first flavor I tried. It is my favorite so far. I was expecting an OK tasting flavored water. You know the kind that we see around all the time But NO OH NO this water is AMAZING! You have to give it a try. A perfect drink for those who don't want the calories or artificial sweeteners but want a ton of flavor. I am going to go broke buying it because it is my new addiction. These are the comments from my kids " the flavor is the after taste it is so good!" "can we just go buy a whole case of this stuff ?!" Wow mom I thought this was going to be gross like that other water stuff you buy." So far we have tried the Orange Mint Chocolate Mint Spearmint and the Peppermint. I can't wait to try the Cherry Mint and the Lemon Mint. Click here to see where you can buy it in your city. Here in The Valley you can find it at Good Earth Harmon's and Albertson's (if they have a natural food section). It is a perfectly refreshing water perfect for summer! Try it you will be very surprised.

P.S. No I am not getting paid to write this, it really is that good!

UPDATE: Harmon's has the four packs on sale this week.

Favorite Finds & Favorite Things * Green & Blacks Chocolate

{images via green & black}

Green & Blacks Chocolate is a favorite find of mine. I have been eating their yummy organic chocolates for years. My favorite three are the Carmel filled Chocolate Milk Chocolate and the White Chocolate Bars. Their white chocolate is amazing. If you have never been a fan of White Chocolate give this White Chocolate a try. You can find Green & Blacks in The Valley at Good Earth in Orem and American Fork. For those of you outside The Valley click here to see if your local store carries it.

Fun Free Fridays * Nalgene Bottles

With a twelve year old scout heading out into the wilds of Utah this summer I have been looking for a great water container for him to carry on his hiking and backpacking trips. The folks a Nalgene a beloved favorite company have a wonderful bottle in their Tritan Everyday collection that is just the right size for the bottle holder on a day pack and can also easily be attached to a belt loop with a bandanna or a carabiner. For the younger crowd they also have a wonderful grip-n-gulp that is a sippy cup on steroids - it's super strong and holds more. It can be used for kids up into the first years of grade school with it's 12oz fill and it's no spill. With all the hype on the news about plastics containing BPA these two are are BPA free made with plastics without this chemical. On our Fun Free Fridays we are giving away two sets of Nalgene Bottles that include two of the Tritan and two of the kids Grips - N- Gulp bottles just in time for your first family hike of the year. A big huge bonus with a Nalgene bottle for everyone in the family you are keeping tons of plastic water bottles our of our landfills! Nalgene Choice helps you choose the bottle that best fits your needs. Best of luck to you all in the giveaway.

NEW! now two ways to get extra entries into our Fun Free Fridays Giveaway- one:Write about our Fun Free Fridays giveaway on your blog myspace or other place online send me a link to your post and get an extra entry two: refer your friends and family(see below).

{To Enter to Win the one of two sets of Nalgene Bottles for the Family}

~ Send me an email with Nalgene as the subject to sweetlifeinthevalley@gmail.com

~ Answer the question of the week: Which Nalgene bottles would you choose for you and your family click here to see the selection

~ Include your name & address-open to anyone is the U.S

~ You have until midnight Thursday May 22nd enter this giveaway.

~ Don't forget to *refer someone & get extra entries !

*Fun Free Fridays refer someone & get an extra entry! We want to spread the word about Sweet Life in the Valley so if you refer someone to our giveaway & they enter you get an extra entry.

1. Send the names of the people you referred with your entry

2.They enter you get an extra entry for each person who enter

{The winner of of the Share & Tell set from Pebbles in my Pocket is Ashlee A.- Thanks to Random.org for helping us choose our winner.}

Find of the Week * Bathroom Luxury

Rain Shower Head -Restoration Hardware

Slipper Tub - Home Depot

Towel Warmer Costco

Jacquard & Turkish Towels Restoration Hardware

My brother gave his wife a wonderful rain shower head similar to the one shown here for Mother's Day. He also it installed it ready to use before he surprised her with it. That is a sign of true love and thoughtfulness-having it installed too. I have been looking at one of those for a while now. Don't they just look like heaven in a shower. I have wanted a warming towel rack since I was 16 and toured the Villa Philmonte at Philmont boy scout ranch. If you have never heard of it or seen it is villa built as a vacation home for the Philips family back in 1926. My first thoughts of luxury living came from this home from the heated towels racks to a drain near the bathtub to a beautiful walkway arched with climbing roses. What a brilliant idea to have a drain just outside of the tub. I can not count how many time I wish I had one with dripping little ones in my bathroom. I love slipper tubs. Remember the scene in The Holiday where Cameron Diaz is sitting in a small slipper tub? At that moment my dreams of a footed tub turned into dreams of slipper footed tub with it's higher back to rest your head. Most of the finds this week are things that can easily be added to any bathroom to add some luxury.

Sweet House Keeping * Dish Soap Bottles

{Dish Soap Bottles}

{image via martha stewart.com}

Years ago back before I was married & before children & back in the earlier days of Martha Stewart, Martha came out with this idea in her Good Things feature in Martha Stewart Living Magazine. I wanted to tell you all about it since there is a whole new generation of ladies that keep house since then and a whole lot of your who didn't even know about Martha Stewart back in those days. It is very simple. You take a lovely bottle and top it will a spout, the kind one would use for a liquor bottle. Fill the bottle with your favorite dish soap. It is much prettier than a plastic bottle sitting on your counter top and you can buy a refill bottle instead of the little bottles and save a lot of plastic. You can find the spouts at William-Sonoma and most any kitchen supply store.

Find of the Week * Baker Coffee House Chair & Amy Butler Prints

{Baker Coffee House Chair & Amy Butler Prints}

When I get my apartment in San Francisco I will buy this chair by Baker to go in it. I love the clean smooth lines of the wood & the rounded back that looks like it would cradle your back just right so you could sit for hours and chat with your friends over cookies & tea looking out over the bay. I would most likely recover the seat in a print like this:

I love the graphics & colors on these Amy Butler Fabrics in her Midwestern Modern Collection

Not to worry I will still live in The Valley on the week days. My San Fransisco apartment will be for an occasional weekends & holidays. A girl needs the big city sometimes.

{Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley passed away last night. This world has lost a great man in the effort for all that is good. Rest in peace.}

Fun Free Fridays * Dippidee Cakes

{Dippidee "A Place of Sweet Surprises"}

I was very sweetly surprised when I found this little shop in American Fork while out doing some Christmas shopping. I drove past the window & saw pretty sweet things through the window & had to go in. I love sugar cookies & cakes & most of all frosting. I wanted to see how good they would be since I am ever looking for the world's best sugar cookie. Well I must tell you at this moment Dippidee is tied with my mom's sugar cookies. They are soooo good!With no frosting to spare. Just the way I like it! The cup cake above is call "Little Devil" it is chocolate cake with a white cream filling & chocolate butter cream frosting swirled on top. Marcee's mom use to make them for her when she was growing up. It is her Grandmother's recipe. If you are looking for someone to dream up a yummy & lovely cake for your special day stop by & chat with Marcee owner of Dippidee. She is filled with ideas & even dreams up cakes in her sleep. This week we are giving away a $25 gift card to Dippidee for our Fun Free Friday.Yummy yum!

{find Dippidee * address}

Dippidee*476 North 900 West Ste D American Fork UT * 801-756-4383

dippidee.com

{to enter to win $25 gift card to Dippidee}

~ Send me an email with Dippidee as the subject to sweetlifeinthevalley@gmail.com

~ answer the question of the week: If you could have any cake you could dream up what would it be (color flavor shape etc)?

~ include your name & address-open to anyone is the U.S. -who can make it to Dippidee in the next 6o days since it is a pick up only prize.

~ you have until midnight Thursday January 31st to enter this giveaway

{about Dippidee}

"Welcome to Dippidee, a place of sweet surprises. We offer the best in homemade desserts. Our recipes have been passed down from generation to generation. Each dessert is made with only the finest ingredients and of course a bit of Dippidee love. We specialize in made to order sugar cookies, cupcakes, specialty cakes and wedding cakes. Come into the store anytime to enjoy our regular items such as the Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie, Chocolate Cream Cake, and Creamy Rice Pudding just to name a few. We hope to see you soon!"

{Congrats to our winner Taryn S of the Polka Dot Bird Thank You Cards from Polka Dots & Daisies! & thanks to random.org for helping me choose our winner each week}

***If you are a business & would like to participate in our Fun Free Fridays send me an email at sweetlifeinthevalley@gmail.com

Find of the Week * Flocked Vintage Valentines

{Flocked Vintage Valentines}

Valentines Day is just around the corner. It is one of my favorite holidays. I love pinks & reds. I love hearts. I love valentine candies & I love vintage illustrations. I found these pretty little Valentines by Golden Book at Borders Books in Provo. They are flocked-have velvety stuff- on the accents on the darker red colored parts. They are a reprint of 1945 Valentines printed by Dell Publishing. "Valentines to make! Envelopes, too! Happy hours of fun Waiting for you!" Illustrations are by Vivian Robbins. I can't decide if I want to keep them or give them away to my friends & family for Valentines Day. They are my find of the week & one of my favorite things!
April

{Where to find them}
Borders Books
Barnes & Noble
Amazon.com

Other Stuff * 3191 a year of mornings to a year of evenings

{3191 a year of mornings * 3191 a year of evenings}

I came across this charmingly clever photography project in mid- September which I am green with envy -I wish I had though of it first, well only kind envious more happy for them. I would look forward to seeing what Stephanie & Maria would post for the day. I love these two mornings I posted above. The letters remind me of how much I want my own letter press which I am currently on the hunt for.. The tea pot reminds me I need to by more Cocoa Spice Tea from Yogi Teas. The images with the blues & reds are some of my favorite color combinations as well as the berries & fruits like my Redoute Fruit Prints. Their project ended on January 1st with great news. This lovely project is being published by Princeton Architectural Press this fall 2008. Another great piece of news is that they are starting 3191 a year of evenings tomorrow the 15th of January. I can not wait to see what they will have for their first post. Click here to see what they post.--->

{3191 a year of evenings site}
3191.visualblogging.com

{their book site}
3191ayearofmornings.com

{about 3191}
"we are stephanie and mav. we live 3191 miles apart. we like to get up early. mav:left steph:right"

Congratulations girls! I am looking forward to your year of evenings!
April

Fun Free Fridays Giveaway * Sarah Jane Studios

{Sarah Jane Studios}

I am so excited! My Sarah Jane prints arrived today. They are so beautiful & even better in hand. I ordered all the months she has made so far & the "my little cupcake" A,B&C shown above. Guess what ?!? Sarah has graciously offered a $40 gift card to give away this week on our Fun Free Fridays Giveaway! I am in love with Sarah’s beautiful illustrations. If I could sit down and create an illustration with all the elements & influences & colors to choose from I would create something very similar to Sarah’s work. Since this is not my talent I am so happy to have her prints to add to my treasures.


{To Enter To Win * $40 Gift Card * Sarah Jane Studios}

~ Send me an email with Sarah Jane as the subject to sweetlifeinthevalley@gmail.com
~ answer the question of the week: Choose your favorite Sarah Jane illustration & tell us-what story does it tell you?
~ include your name & address-open to anyone is the U.S.
~ you have until midnight Thursday January 17th to enter this giveaway


{See Sarah Jane Studios Here}

Read her Blog here www.sarahjaneblog.com
Buy Her Prints Here Sarah Jane Studios


{About Sarah * My Interview}

When did you start creating your beautiful illustrations? I have been drawing since I was old enough to hold a crayon. My illustrations that I am selling are fresh...my latest one was done last night. But the idea of starting a business creating children's artwork is something that has been in my heart and head for a long time.
What is your back ground, education, experience etc..? I took private art lessons when I was 10 years old. My parents really believed in me. I was painting in oils by my 3rd lesson. I entered competitions starting in elementary school! I have to also say, I have two uncles that are very talented artists...one in portraiture and another in landscapes and watercolor. My grandfather was an architect, and my dad was always doodling with us children. I also attended Interlochen Academy for the Arts my summer after my junior year, and gained a lot of great training from artists all over the world. But, I also had another love: music and theater. I decided to major in Musical Theater performance in college (BYU) and coincidentally met my husband there. I received a lot of great training, and performed professionally a bit. But my first love is art, and after having my first child, I hit the sketch books again.
What are your favorite colors? deep bright pastels. Soft enough to cuddle, but strong enough to invigorate.
What & who are your influences? Carl Larsson, Maurice Sendak, E. Shepherd, and many other vintage children's illustrators.
Where do you pool&pull your inspiration from? My children, my own childhood, my time in and my love for Europe, Scandinavian interiors, French children's clothing, vintage children's books, Mother Goose, internet....you name it!
Which is you favorite illustration so far? My favorite illustration is the one that I have in my head right now, but haven't put onto paper yet.
What was it that sparked your interest in children's Illustration? My love for books, and the books I read as a child. I could sit and stare at the pictures all day. I always wanted to rip out the pictures and put them on my wall. They told such a story....but more importantly, it was MY story. Each child is really hearing what they want to hear, and seeing what they want to see. I try and keep my illustrations simple enough so that the child can do the rest of the imagining. They are meant to convey a feeling.
Would you like to illustrate a children's book? Yes...I would like to Write AND illustrate.

{Shay T. is the winner of the Princess Tots Ocean Blue & Green Tutu. Congratulations!}
Thanks to random.org for helping us choose our winner!

My Favorite Things * Vintage Prints

{Redoute Botanical Fruit Prints}

I bought these two prints a couple of years ago along with the raspberries & the lemons to hang in my kitchen. My kitchen at the time lacked wall space so I didn't frame them. Since I still have the same kitchen & they are too lovely to have sitting in storage I am going to frame them & find another place to hang them until I get that new kitchen. I bought mine on ebay. One problem- ebay is lacking a good selection of the fruit prints at the moment but you can get vintage prints online at fine-art-prints-store.com They also have birds, dogs, fishes, flowers & more.

{Tip}
Great place to frame your prints in The Valley - Red Plum Designs Orem

New Years ~ Root Beer Floats

{New Years Celebration Idea No.5}

A fun non-alcoholic way to toast in the New Year- a Root Beer Float! We have these every New Years Eve night. We have had this tradition for years. I think my mom started doing this out of her love of good root beer & root beer floats. Her all time favorite- good 'ol A&W! Of course an orange cream floats is always yummy too!
April

{tip}
Pour the root beer in the glass first then add the ice cream for less foaming.

My Favorite Things ~ Cake Stands

I have been wanting a cake stand or two or a dozen for some time now. Here are a few that I have found. Wouldn’t a lemon cake with light yellow butter cream frosting topped with white chocolate curls look lovely on ones of these charming cake stands. Sweet Dreaming!
April

{Where to Find These Lovely Cake Stands}
1 randall antiques & fine art
2 pottery barn
3 epinions
4 momastore
5 feather your nest
6 fishs eddy

Find of the Week * My Favorite Things ~ Ribbon

{Image compliments of Midori Ribbons}
One of My Favorite Things in the world is ribbon. I love velvet, grosgrain, double sided satin, silk, rick rack, wide, narrow & everything in between. It is so much fun to get a beautiful wrapped gift with a big bow on top. Some of my favorite ribbon companies are May Arts, Midori, Renaissance Ribbons, American Crafts to name a few. I just love these ribbons by LFN textiles with the tiny cakes.





Here is a Fun idea from Martha on recycling your ribbons. Make a chain for your Christmas tree by cutting your ribbon into 6 inch long strips & stapling them together with colored staples.





Find of the week is a ribbon holder from Pottery Barn to hold your fine collection of ribbons & keep them in order as well as a treat for the eyes. Bonus with this find: it is also on sale!


Happy ribbon crafting, creating & decorating!
April


{Tip: Places to find ribbon in The Valley}

Pebbles in My Pocket Orem
Archivers Orem
Michaels
Roberts Crafts
Most scrap booking & craft stores

My Favorite Things ~ Villaware Waffle Iron

Almost every Saturday morning we either make french toast or waffles smothered in home made Real Vermont Maple Syrup compliments of my sisters and their families in Vermont. It was just french toast until I invested in a Villaware waffle iron. I have the reversible plate model that makes belgium waffles and heart shaped waffles. Now some may say a waffle iron is a waffle iron right? Oh no! This waffle iron makes perfect waffles right from the start. It chimes to let you know it is ready to put some batter in and chimes when the waffle is finished. But, not only does it chime at just the right time it is also very fast, much faster than the cheap model I had made waffles on in the past. It brings happiness to me when I make waffles and I think that alone was worth the investment! It is truly one of My Favorite Things. Try our Cinnamon Whole Wheat Waffle recipe. It’s quite tasty!
April

Cinnamon Whole Wheat Waffles

• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour

• 2 tbs sugar

• 1 tbs baking powder

• 2 eggs

• 1 3/4 cup milk

• ½ cooking oil or melted butter

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1tsp ground cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Pour about 1 cup batter in waffle iron. Follow direction on waffle iron for cooking time. Top with Real Vermont Maple syrup or topping of choice.

Tips:
Villaware Waffle Iron can be purchased locally at
~ Provo Riverwoods Mall Williams-Sonoma Or online~ Spoon ‘n Spice, Sandy Mall