tattoo tuesday!

here is your weekly dose of tattoos at kaelahbee.com! such lovely work! i honestly would totally have all of those on my body. speaking of which, i need to call my artist because i'm WAY overdue on a sleeve session. happy tuesday!

xo

ps; SHOW ME YOUR TATTOOS!
if you've got 'em at least. if not, show me what you'd like to get! :D

20 things i'd like to do with you...

1. Go on a search for as many good climbing trees as possible, climb as high as we both can in all of them, compile photo evidence
2. Go to a major chain bookstore, and leave notes to future readers in copies of our favorite books
3. I'll dress up as a ghost and you dress up us Pacman. Walk around downtown holding hands, and whenever anyone sees us, pretend to be embarrassed, and run off screaming “wocka wocka wocka.”
4. Create photo evidence suggesting that we went on an adventure that didn’t really happen
5. Dress up as superheroes and stop at least one petty crime “ie. jaywalking, littering….”
6. Build forts out of furniture and blankets, and wage war with paper airplanes.
7. Try and visit as many people as we can in one night, and turn as many things inside their apartment upside down as we can, without them noticing.
8. Go to the airport, get the cheapest, soonest departing flight to anywhere when we show up, and stay there for a weekend.
9. Write a piece of fiction together. Outside at a cafe. Ask strangers when we get stuck.
10. Dress to the nines, pretend to be married, and test drive very expensive vehicles at an auto dealership.
11. Do the lamest tourist thing in our area that we have both secretly wanted to do forever. Have an unabashed good time!
12. In the middle of the night, drive to the beach, so we arrive just as the sun is rising. Have a breakfast picnic, then fall asleep together. Bring a sun umbrella.
13. Drive somewhere unknown and have dinner in a city we’ve never been to. With fake names.
14. Go to a minor league baseball game under the stars. Tell each other stories about how bad we are at athletics. Randomly cheer for both teams. Eat lots of Cracker Jacks.
15. Go around the city with sidewalk chalk and draw hearts with equations inside on random things
16. Walk around a city and perform short silent plays in front of security cameras
17. With camera and pair of boots, make photolog of a day in the life of the invisible man.
18. Walk around the city all night and find a place to eat breakfast at dawn
19. Go to a restaurant and convince the cook to create something completely new for us.
20. Rent a movie we’ve never seen before. Set on mute and improvise dialogue.

Turkey Day is Almost Here!

Wow! 152 participants in yesterday's Metamorphosis Monday! So many fabulous "Before and Afters!" When you have some spare time this holiday weekend, come back and check them all out. I promise you will come away inspired to tackle that project you've been putting off around your house.

You may have noticed a little trend this week here at BNOTP. I wanted these last few days before Thanksgiving to be a week filled with gorgeous tablescapes...lots of inspiration for your Thanksgiving tables.

We started with Bab's beautiful tablescape on Saturday...



That was followed by Bonnie's hutch transformation and wonderful tablescape on Monday...


Today, I have one last Thanksgiving tablescape to share...a wonderful Thanksgiving table created by my friend, Pinky. Will you be posting your Thanksgiving tablescape this Tablescape Thursday? If so, Mr. Linky will be here waiting for you...so hope you stop by with that belly full of turkey, dressing and cranberry sauce to link up. :-)

While Uncle Harry is snoring on the sofa, and your DH is catching the game on t.v....while the kids are running around out in the yard throwing footballs and frisbees...and chasing the dog, stop by and see the whimsical Christmas tablescape I've created to kick off the Christmas tablescape season. I'll be leaving Tablescape Thursday up through the weekend so everyone will have plenty of time to visit. There are lots of wonderful Met Monday posts from earlier in the week for you to enjoy over this long holiday weekend.

Pinky, thanks so much for graciously sharing your beautiful Thanksgiving tablescape. Love the rich, warm fall colors...perfect for a Thanksgiving feast! Pinky told me, "I did this table for a dinner I had for a group of friends. We call ourselves the Crafty Ladies cause we get together to make a craft and then have dinner."


Love how the sun is dancing across the tablecloth covered in Autumn leaves. Gorgeous wine glasses! Speaking of wine...if you are looking for a great red wine for the holidays, Julio at Beaux Mondes Designs has done your homework for you. You'll find the top 10 highly rated and affordable red wines chosen by Wine Spectator HERE.



Your place is all ready...won't you join us?


Great bamboo flatware...love the color! Beautiful napkins! You'll find a list at the end of this post detailing where Pinky found all these lovely treasures.


Awww, love the place card holders!


This is truly a "horn of plenty." Pinky made this beautiful cornucopia, herself...what a gorgeous centerpiece!


Have you ever wondered where this idea of the cornucopia got started? Here's the scoop from Wikipedia:
"In modern depictions, the cornucopia is typically a hollow, horn-shaped wicker basket filled with various kinds of festive fruit and vegetables. In North America, the cornucopia has come to be associated with Thanksgiving and the harvest. Cornucopia is also the name of the annual November Wine and Food celebration in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. Two cornucopias are seen in the flag and state seal of Idaho. There is also one seen in the state seal of North Carolina, the state seal of New Jersey, the coat of arms of Colombia, Panama, Peru and Venezuela, and the Coat of Arms of the State of Victoria, Australia, symbolising prosperity."




Do yo see the adorable pitcher? :-)


Pinky told me she enjoys creating special tablescapes for friends and family. She said, "I just love to do it, plus, it seems to me that it tells people that they are SPECIAL and I enjoy them being here." Pinky, I could not have said it better! In just one sentence you perfectly summed up what tablescaping is ALL about!


You may view more of Pinky's wonderful tablescapes and her lovely home on Rate My Space by clicking HERE.

Dinner plates: Wal-mart, several years ago
Pumpkin Salad Plates: Wal-mart, last year and this year, too
Chargers: Target
Flatware: Christmas Tree Shop
Tablecloth: Christmas Tree Shop,
Embroidered napkins: HomeGoods
Beaded Pumpkins: Wal-mart, last year
Cornucopia: Pinky made it!

Did you get a chance to see all the awesome "Before and Afters" posted yesterday? If not, just scroll down to the next post and enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Thanksgiving...Best Pie EVER!!!

When posed with the question, What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? My answer is instant, Triple layered chocolate pumpkin pie. Here is the recipe.....mmmmmmmm Thanks Kate Parker, for posing the question....Enjoy everyone!!


Triple Layered Chocolate Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
Foolproof Pie Shell
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
Instructions
Prepare, chill, and prebake a Foolproof Pie Shell. Reduce the oven temperature to 350º.
Melt the butter in the top of a double boiler set over, not in, barely simmering water. Add the chocolate and leave it over the heat until melted (5 to 7 minutes), and then whisk it until smooth. Set aside the top of the double boiler to partially cool the chocolate.
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl, gradually adding 1 1/4 cups of the sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Next, blend in the pumpkin, vanilla extract, spices, and salt until the filling is evenly combined. Pour slightly less than half of the filling into a separate bowl and stir in the melted chocolate until evenly blended. Pour the chocolate filling into the pie shell and gently shake the pan to settle the filling. Bake the pie on the center oven rack for 20 minutes. Then let it cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
Carefully ladle the remaining plain pumpkin filling over the chocolate layer and shake the pan to settle the filling. Return the pie to the oven and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes. When done, the filling around the perimeter will have puffed somewhat, but not so much that it develops large cracks. Place the pie on the cooling rack until the filling levels, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Combine the sour cream and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar in a small saucepan. Stir the mixture over very low heat for about 2 minutes, until it is fairly thin and slightly warm. Carefully pour it over the last layer and tilt the pan to evenly distribute the topping. Cool the pie thoroughly, then cover it with loosely tented tinfoil and chill for at least 4 hours before serving. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

music monday!

it's music monday timeeeee! i didn't have time to design a back cover to the mixtape, sorry! no one downloads them anyway, they're really just for blog aesthetics. i chose to put my face on this one (so narcissistic, i know!) because its a direct take from my new twitter background. lazy? me? never! haha

anyway, here are 10 tunes i've been jamming to this week! enjoy!

eleven twenty three
(click title to download!)

Tracklist:

1. AA Bondy - When The Devil's Loose
2. Dntel - Roll On
3. The Avett Brothers - January Wedding
4. Deer Tick - Easy
5. Rachel Yamagata - Be Be Your Love
6. The Republic Tigers - Buildings & Mountains
7. Paper Route - Waiting For The Final Leaf To Fall
8. Noah and The Whale - Shape Of My Heart
9. Tapes 'N Tapes - Say Back Something
10. AA Bondy - I Can See The Pines Are Dancing

Opening and closing it with AA Bondy thanks to the recommendation of my friend Craig. Thanks Craig! Just click the title to download! Enjoy!

If you'd like to download past mixtapes, just click below! (If you click the title it will take you directly to the download page. If you click "blog post" it will take you to the post on kaelahbee.com that shows you the tracklist and album art!)

• "A" Mixtape / blog post
  
• Songs That Say Goodbye / blog post
• Mello Mellow / blog post
• Kansas / blog post
• Part One / blog post
• One Of Those Days / blog post
  
• Part Two (previously unposted!)

AND HERE'S A SPECIAL TREAT!

Here is Fanfarlo's album "Reservoir"!

ENJOY!
xo

ps; don't forget, you can vote for my shirts in Brickfish's CR Next Design Star by clicking HERE!

tshirt contest!

i entered Brickfish's Charlotte Russe's Next Design Star online.. its nothing major.. just design a shirt and if you win you get a trip to NYC and a $750 shopping spree at CR. we all know i could spend $750 at CR fairly quickly. i entered 14 designs i think. none of them are anything special. i just played around in Illustrator for a couple of hours. The reason I didnt submit anything amazing is because if you read the fine print of the Terms of Use, you'll notice that Charlotte Russe owns anything you upload, therefore you give them a license to duplicate, alter, and produce your design even if you don't win.

now, i dont necessarily find this fair.... but that is life. many contests do this so i've refrained from uploading anything i'd like to keep copyright to and produce myself. however, i invite you all to come join and submit a few entries! just be smart about it! most of the competition is undeniably 14-17 years old, and most uses the graphics provided by CR. but its still fun nonetheless.

i just did a few quick illustrations and slapped them on. if you'd like to view my entries and possibly vote, that'd be awesome. i'm not going to beg for votes, i'm just putting it out there. if you think it's worthy of your vote, i'd highly appreciate it. if not, all is well :P

you can view my entries and vote by clicking HERE!

here are a couple i put in...





anyway, have a great sunday night, y'all!

xo

Thanksgiving Tablescape Welcome to the 45th Metamorphosis Monday!

For this weeks Met Monday, we're going to Bonnie's beautiful home to see how she has transformed her hutch in her breakfast room. When we last saw it around the end of October, it was all decked out for Halloween. Remember this amazing pic?



Well, honey, that was so, three weeks ago! Feast your eyes now! Wow...quite a transformation from Halloween...love it!



Come a little closer for a better view...




Love this guy...he appears to be a tureen. Wouldn't he be gorgeous in the center of a tablescape?! I love the platter he's sitting on, too!




Today's Met Monday has a bonus! Bonnie is sharing her Thanksgiving tablescape. Oh, I see the lower half of the hutch now...do you see the harvest pumpkins?





Another gorgeous Fitz and Floyd tureen is acting as the centerpiece on Bonnie's Thanksgiving table.




Wow, he's huge and fabulous! Perfect for Turkey Day!




I love all the colors...he really is stunning!




Intricately carved, wooden chargers are the base for our place setting...



Love the Johnson Bros. 'His Majesty' salad plates! You'll find a list at the end of this post showing all the items Bonnie used for her tablescape.


Beautiful embroidered napkins with a pretty leaf design...



Your soup will be served in your own little turkey tureen. Love the bark flatware! I've sort of become obsessed with different kinds of flatware lately...wonder who got me on this kick? ;-) You can really see the beautiful tablecloth in this pic...the colors are so perfect for this fall tablescape.




Let's dim the lights and enjoy by candlelight...




Beautiful!




Bonnie, thanks so much for generously sharing your home with all of us. Your hutch is stunning and your Thanksgiving tablescape was a delight!



China: Dinner Plates, Plymouth from Williams-Sonoma and Johnson Bros., 'His Majesty'
Flatware, Glass Turkey mini tureens and Wood Chargers: Panach, which is unfortunately, no long in business
Stemware: Marshall's
Turkey Tureen Centerpiece & Platter: Fitz & Floyd, 'Country Gourmet'
Linens: Tuesday Morning

Love Tablescaping, but don't have a blog?
Do you love playing in the dishes and creating beautiful tablescapes, but don't have a blog on which to showcase those great tablescapes? Well, here's your chance! Each Saturday, during the month of December, I will publish photos of your tablescapes, to share with readers who visit BNOTP. It can be a holiday tablescape or a regular, non-themed tablescape...it's up to you.

Here's how it works:
Send me 5-6 of your favorite photos of a tablescape you've created, along with a brief description (if you like) of how you created it or where you got your inspiration.

E-mail you pics to betweennapsontheporch@gmail.com with the subject "Saturday Tablescapes." Each Saturday, during the month of December, I will post tablescapes that were submitted by readers/followers of BNOTP.

A few tips:
1. Try taking your pics without using the flash, if possible. Turn on lamps, etc... in the room for light. Your pics will turn out much prettier without the glare of the flash. (Hint: Tripods help in low lighting, although I don't much like using them.)

2. Give us one "overall" shot of your tablescape so we can see the whole table. Then give us some closeups of your place settings, centerpiece and any other details you wish to share.

3. Give us a brief list of the patterns/brands of china, stemware, flatware, centerpiece, etc... you used and where and when you acquired those items.
Here's an example:
China: Lenox, Winter Greetings, Macys, 3 years ago
Stemware: Dollar Store, 2 weeks ago
Centerpiece: Fitz and Floyd, eBay, 2 months ago
Flatware: Pattern unknown

BNOTP readers are an inquisitive bunch...we always want to know the name of your china, stemware, etc...and where and how long ago you bought it, so we can go buy some, too! :-) If it's no longer available, break it to us gently. ;-)

Please list the elements you use, as I've shown in the above example in your e-mail to me. That will greatly assist in the preparation of the post and will make those folks viewing your tablescape very happy people. :-)

Please let me know if you have any questions. I'll reply via a comment here on this post and will try to amend the above information to include any additional details I've overlooked.


If you are participating in Metamorphosis Monday, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general blog address. If you aren't sure how to obtain your permalink or have any questions about using Mr. Linky for this post, just click HERE for detailed instructions.

Don't forget to copy and paste the Met Monday logo button to your computer so you can add it to your side bar and your Met Monday post. That way visitors will know that your are participating in Metamorphosis Monday.

Please be sure to link back to the host blog, Between Naps on the Porch, so your fellow bloggers who are participating today, will get lots of visits, as well.

Please do not add your link below until your Met Monday post is actually published to your blog.

Fabulous "Before and Afters" await your visit: