planning my Easter table

Planning my Easter table is so easy with the fun and so budget-friendly with the goodies that I get at Oriental Trading! This year, I chose a few key items for my table as well as a few little treats for the kids. Of course, the adults will love the treats too! 

This is the kids table, set with fancy scalloped edge paper plates, fun glasses, bright napkins and then to finish off the look, a cute little take-home gift. Each of our young guests will get to take home this darling little flower pot filled with real Easter grass and planted in the middle is a tasty chocolate lollipop!

At the center of the table is Oriental Trading’s long wood box filled with lush green wheat grass and surrounded by tiny purple wax flowers. This Easter grass will come in handy when we’re hiding Easter eggs throughout the house, but for now it’s a gorgeous living centerpiece. 

This versatile wooden box can be filled with so many different plants, flowers and candles and it can even be painted a fun color for a future holiday table. 

Each place setting is ready with fun scalloped edge paper plates in mint green, hot pink napkins, and our little chocolate friend that’s all planted and ready to bring smiles to young faces. 

This “Easter Grass” keeps growing, so the kids will have fun giving it a haircut! They can even draw silly faces on the pots when they get home and they’ll have a new easy to take care of little pet! And there’s no mess like you have with traditional Easter grass. That stuff is soooo messy!

I love the adorable moss bunnies that I got at Home Goods. They’re simple but have lots of personality. 

Next to those are the silver lanterns. I use them so much year long! I always have candles in them and they’re one of my favorite ways to add a little ambiance when evening arrives. 

They even look great outside the front door lighting the way for guests.

Setting the table is easy with just a few key components to get you started. These little pots were so easy to put together and really only took a few minutes to make.

I’m so looking forward to Easter with the family! What are your plans? Will you be hosting a group at your home?

And, it all came together like this: 

 Dinner Plates: Wedgwood

 Scalloped Edge Paper Plates: Oriental Trading

Napkins: World Market

Flatware: World Market

Water Glasses: vintage

Wooden Flower Box: Oriental Trading

Flower Pots: Oriental Trading

Wheat Grass: Mother’s Market

Chocolate Bunny Lollipops: Oriental Trading

Flowers: Trader Joe’s

Moss Bunnies: Home Goods

Eggs in Nest: Home Goods

Silver Lanterns: Oriental Trading

Market Basket: French Basketeer

Salt & Pepper Shakers: vintage

Pink Lemonade: Trader Joe’s 

Here are some of the other looks I’ve 
put together using pieces from Oriental Trading.

ciao! fabiana

Thank you to Oriental Trading for sending me these products to review. 

The opinions expressed in this post are truly my own.

travel together as a couple

Most people would agree that traveling together as a couple is an enjoyable escape from the day-to-day grind of life. We look forward to vacations, come back and share stories with our friends, and reminisce about our travels for years after. 

But, did you know that studies actually show there are real relationship benefits that transpire when you travel together as a couple? 

Here are the top 6 reasons you should travel together with your significant other, according to American Express.

1. BUILD NEW RELATIONSHIPS

When you travel, you see and learn new things, meet new people, taste new foods, and immerse yourself into a brand new experience. It doesn’t matter if you travel to the same destination repeatedly or consistently knock off destinations from, your list. 

Among non-married couples 79% say that sharing new experiences is an important reason to travel together. Finding shared ground is key when learning about one another, especially early on in a relationship. 

Traveling together as a couple and in turn creating shared ground to relate to one another on, can even further relationship bonds. It can provide you with inside jokes and memories only the two of you will share, all the while you will be learning about one another’s tastes, interests, and habits.

2. BETTER COMMUNICATION

Couples who travel together report that they are over 10% more likely to communicate well with their partners than those who do not travel together. Traveling together provides you with opportunities to talk to one another, whether it be on a flight, taxi ride, at dinner, or in your hotel room. 

The amount of uninterrupted time that you’ll have while on a vacation tends to be far greater than during your typical business week, especially if you truly try to “disconnect” from the digital world during your trip. 

More than seven in ten couples who travel together agree that talking and reconnecting is an important reason to vacation.

3. MORE MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS

According to the study, couples who travel together are more likely to say that they share similar goals and desires, that they have a good balance of time together and apart; that they have shared hobbies and interests; that they agree on how to spend money; that they laugh and have fun together; that they handle differences well; that their partner is patient; and that they are best friends. 

84% of respondents who travel as a couple believe that they spend quality time together, compared to only 70% of respondents who do not. For many relationships, quality time together is key for a meaningful and fulfilling relationship.

4. CONNECT INTIMATELY

A lack of energy and time can have an adverse impact on intimacy. However, a couples getaway, if planned with the intent of relaxation and connecting with one another, can provide an opportune time to reconnect and romance one another. 

During the study, 58% of married respondents said that being intimate is an important reason to vacation together.

5. LONGER LASTING RELATIONSHIPS

Strong relationships are built on a variety of different components. According to the study, almost two-thirds of couples believe that travel helps couples stay together longer. It seems rather logical when you consider all the benefits of traveling together. 

You are able to build your relationship on shared experiences, communicate, learn about each other more in depth, as well as connect or reconnect romantically. The study even goes on to note that divorce rates are higher among couples who do not travel together.

6. TRAVEL IS BETTER THAN A PHYSICAL GIFT

Vacation or new car? Survey says, 63% of respondents rate a vacation or weekend getaway as important in sparking romance where only 15% credit a big gift to sparking romance. Chances are, your vacation may even end up being more budget friendly than a brand new car. It’s a win-win.

Do you have any couples trips planned in the near future?

My favorite weekend getaways here in so cal are:

Santa Barbara,

La Jolla,

Laguna Beach,

Palm Springs, 

and

Beverly Hills.

ciao! fabiana

photos

easy italian coffee at home

Italian style coffee or espresso is so easy to make! I do it every morning, and then just add foamed milk to make a cappuccino. All you need is a moka pot or machinetta which works on the stove top. 

For a cappuccino, all you do is add warmed frothy milk to the espresso. My frother of choice is the Nespresso Aeroccino. It heats the milk in it’s little thermos-like compartment and all you do is top of your coffee. 

THE Italian METHOD

1. Unscrew the base of the caffettiera and take the coffee basket out of the base. Fill the base of the caffettiera with cold water, ensuring the water level is just to the level of the valve.

2. Fill the basket to the top with ground coffee and use the back of a spoon to smooth the surface, without pressing the coffee into the basket. Place the coffee basket back into the base and screw the base back onto the caffettiera.

3. Place the caffettiera over medium heat (a hotplate, or gas or electric stovetop is fine) and heat for about 8-10 minutes or until the gurgling sound subsides and all the coffee has risen to the top half of the pot. Don't put it over a high heat as a slow extraction will yield a better result. When the gurgling noise stops, immediately remove caffettiera from the heat (it should be about half-full with brewed coffee). If you leave it on the stove too long, the coffee will boil and may develop a burnt flavor.

4. Stir coffee with a spoon and pour into warmed serving cups. This method makes espresso coffee for 4. If you like weaker coffee, add hot water to taste.  This is the way my mother and grandmothers always made their coffee too! 

(Instructions via taste .com)

Do try this at home!

ü Cappuccino: equal parts espresso, steamed milk, and foamed milk

ü Caffè latte: espresso with more steamed milk and less foam

ü Latte macchiato: steamed milk “marked” with a splash of espresso

ü Caffè macchiato: For the softer side of coffee, enjoy this espresso “marked” with a splash of frothy milk. Unlike the breakfast drinks, this lightly milky caffè can be enjoyed as frequently as caffè normale.

ü Caffè americano: After trying drip coffee in the United States, Italians decided to offer tourists a taste of home. Their interpretation: espresso diluted with plenty of hot water.

ü Caffè lungo: This “long coffee” comprises espresso with a splash of hot water but is stronger than the americano.

  

ciao! fabiana

beautiful framed succulents

Framed succulents are the ideal focal point for a barren patio or garden wall. I know there are many nurseries that sell similar arrangements to these, but they can be pricey. Have you ever thought about making one of your own? Here are a few guidelines for you, if you’re feeling crafty enough to create your own succulent wall hanging.

Make or purchase an interesting wooden frame. With the frame still face down, you’ll want to use a staple gun and staple ½ inch grid hardware cloth to the back edge of the frame. Then attach a ¼ inch plywood backing to the shadow box with nails or staple gun. Fill with soil over the hardware cloth and push soil through the openings. Keep adding soil until it reaches the bottom of the wire grid. Lay your project flat on a table. 

Have your succulents ready. Choose varieties that stay small. Echeveria, hens & chicks, and sedums are good choices because they’ll stay tidy and compact. Limit your palette to three or four colors. 

Choose different varieties of succulents within that color scheme and supplement with cuttings if you can. Create movement of color through the display. If it’s a larger piece, you can give your framed plants a focal point, such as a singular large floral shaped selection.

Use a chopstick or pencil to push through one square of the grid and into the soil. Place the stem of each succulent cutting into the planting hole. Finish the look by tucking in smaller varieties after you've planted the larger ones. As the succulents grow, they'll fill in bare spots. 

Keep the framed succulents flat and in the shade for at least a week or two for the roots to establish themselves.  Hang the frame on a wall with heavy duty picture frame hooks and water about once a month, by laying it flat.

Then just sit back, grab a cold drink and enjoy!

ciao! fabiana

Photos from the California Cut Flower Commission

first day of spring

I'm so happy to welcome spring this year, especially since it's the perfect time to work on new ideas, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection and regrowth. 

And of course the most glorious representation of spring are the beautiful flowers that explode this season. Take time this week to treat yourself to flowers. Cut a few wild flowers or garden flowers or buy yourself a little bunch of daffodils or daisies. 

Celebrate the season of rebirth! 

  

After women, flowers are the most lovely things God has given the world. --Christian Dior

Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. --Oscar Wilde

I am following Nature without being able to grasp her, I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.  --Claude Monet 

ciao! fabiana

photo credit:

Country Living

Ciao Newport Beach Blog

The Flower Fields

Oriental Trading

Coastal Living

super healthy blueberry muffins

It’s such a treat to wake up to freshly-baked blueberry muffins on a Sunday morning! They make the kitchen smell amazing and they’re the perfect little treat for our morning coffee and tea. 

My favorite organic muffin mix is Cherryvale Farms Blueberry Muffin Mix. All you need to add to this mix is a stick of melted butter, a cup of fresh blueberries, and water. 

It all mixes up in a bowl in less than three minutes and they bake for about 25 to 30 minutes.

You can also substitute coconut oil for the butter which I do occasionally. This time I added the yummy butter, but I used about a half cup of coconut water and a quarter cup of water in the mix for the liquids, just for fun! 

If you know me, then you know I really  like to change things up a bit each time I make them, but my favorite way to add a real nutritional boost is to these muffins is to add a tablespoon or so of Trader Joe’s Super Seed and Ancient Grain Mix. 

It’s filled with super foods like quinoa, flax seed, chia seed and more! We also love adding this mix to cereal, oatmeal and almost anything we bake here at home!

Well, they turned out to be so delicious and soon after these photos were taken, my family had already gobbled them all up! Look at these sweet and juicy blueberries infusing all their goodness into the muffins! 

Next time I think I’ll need to make two batches. 

xo

ciao! fabiana