mashup & giveaway winner

Hi friends! The week is almost over. Can you believe it? Today I'm off to explore some new (to me) shops around the city. I've lived here for too long and haven't explored enough. Hopefully my junior exploring companion will be as into it as I am.  :)

I wanted to share a few links of things I've loved around the web. I hope that you have a great day!

:: Super creative Disney shares the how-to on making this pretty headband. (I'm sad she is not going to post anymore.)

:: I love this lemonade themed wedding workshop. Check out the link for the candied lemon peels at the bottom of the post. I so want to try those!

:: What a sweet tiny birthday party.

:: A very stylish girls room for under $250!

:: Such a great dining room! Could that window hung on barn door tracks be any cooler?

Seen anything amazing/pretty/inspiring that you want to share? Please do!

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And the winner of the CSN Stores giveaway is... J. Henderson. Congrats!  Thanks to everyone who entered.

shop talk : hooray design shop

I was really excited to see that Alli re-opened her design shop - hooray. Alli's blog is one of my daily must-read's as she always shares such pretty and inspiring things and her shop is no different.

site : shop : blog

yes, please!

I'd really like one of these...

coastal living

canadian house & home

cottage living

decorpad

decorpad

This weekend I was able to do a couple things on my "want to-do" list. One of those items was hitting up a local farmer's market for some fresh goods. I love, love going to the farmer's market to see and smell all the great fruits, veggies and (if you're lucky) flowers. I took home some great produce.

While on the subject, I thought these farmer's market photos from abby trys again were so pretty.

Oh! and I also tried my hand at making pickles. I found a really easy recipe and made two jars. However, I have to let the pickles cure for a week so I'm not even sure if they'll be good or not. Let's hope so because I'm craving some pickles! If they are good, I'll share the recipe if anyone is interested. Have you ever made pickles before?

giveaway : CSN Stores

*closed*

Want a little something new for your house? The fine people over at CSN Stores want to help by giving an olive & a reader a $40 gift certificate! With 200+ stores, you can shop for everything from platform beds to mirrors to cookware all in just one click...literally a one stop shop!

I browsed around CSN Stores and found a lot of goodies that I wouldn't mind having. Here is just a sampling...

To enter for the CSN Stores $40 gift certificate, simply do any or all of the following leaving separate comments for each entry (oh, and you don't have to be a blogger to enter! but make sure to leave an email address.)

1. Leave a comment. Perhaps telling me what you'd buy using the gift card (first entry).

2. Become a follower of olive & a (second entry).

3. Blog, tweet or facebook about this giveaway and be sure to leave a link in your comment (third entry).

Giveaway ends at midnight (cst) on Wednesday, July 14th. I will randomly select a winner the next day.  Good Luck!

one of these days...

I'm going to have a closet stocked to the max with party supplies. Just for fun! I'd love to have these stripey straws in my supplies.

Speaking of parties...I was excited to see that Suann from Simplesong launch her new adventure Hip Hip Hooray! a daily resource for all things kid’s entertaining. I love the mantra of sorts, "We believe kids’ parties can be stylish, creative but still approachable and even better – affordable!" Can't wait to see what they share.

Oh and tell me, what are your go-to party supplies?

currently loving...

Thomas Paul pillows.

I came across this horse pillow and can't help but think that my Dad, a horseman, would love this in his office.

 A little dose of maritime for the living room perhaps?

I don't think I'll ever have a real birdcage in the house but I don't mind this pretty pillow.

on the hunt

Olivia is still in a crib/toddler bed but when she is ready to move into a big girl bed, I'd love to find a pretty {vintage} iron bed for her. I can see one painted a cheery yellow or some other fun color.

Although...I could also be persuaded to find a Jenny Lind type bed with turned spindles.

{photos via}

Palmer Weiss Interior Design

I've been loving glam interiors lately and these from Palmer Weiss fit the bill.

sharing time

I'm excited to share that we are due for arrival this fall. I somehow survived my first trimester and am now just over half way to d-day. Hope you don't mind if I incorporate a few baby posts here and there. I am very excited to have a boy this time around!

happy weekend

Happy weekend friends!

Are you ready for the holiday? We are celebrating with some family this weekend which is always a pleasure. I hope you have a great weekend and I'll see you back here Monday!

As always, thanks for reading!

xo, Heather

chicken with mushrooms and peas

• 8 chicken thighs
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper
• 8 ounces mushrooms, halved
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• One 10-ounce package frozen peas

1.Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400°. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the chicken with 1 tablespoon olive oil, the thyme and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper; roast for 20 minutes.

2.Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the mushrooms, onion, peas and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Add the vegetables to the chicken and cook for 25 minutes more.

{recipe & image via rachael ray}