cookout with the Kirks

I had a great lazy afternoon/evening at a cookout hosted by friends this weekend. LH carried out a picnic theme, using borrowed supplies from her mom. What a creative way to serve watermelon! It's a bug! 

They decorated with tissue flowers, which I didn't get a good picture of, jars, and pretty paper straws. 

Two of the guests brought three flavors of sangria they had made with homemade liqueurs. I didn't taste them, but they were beautiful! 

I didn't try the lawn games, either, though there was cornhole and a frisbee game. I tried for an action shot, instead. 

LH eats gluten free, which made for a fun baking challenge for those of us who decided to take desserts. I have been trying to eat healthier, especially cutting carbohydrates, so I was happy to have an event for which to give paleo cookies a go. 

By the way, could someone tell me what exactly paleo means? Between my best efforts to eat low carb and natural and having friends who don't tolerate gluten, I find myself making a lot of "paleo" recipes, but when my SIL asked me to define paleo, I couldn't. However, I do know what gluten is. (Thanks, LH, for this reference.)

LH's brother in law made these doughnuts using leftover coconut flour passed from Lindsay to LH to him. They passed on the flour because after using it to make gluten free foods, they decided they didn't like it. Well, he made doughnuts with it, and they were FABULOUS. I wanted the recipe but was scared to ask for fear that there's cups and cups of sugar. 

Lindsay made gluten free candy shaped cookies above and these Eiffel tower cookies. I sure do miss Paris! 

LH made pretty, pretty Pinterest-y dipped strawberries. 

Can you tell that sweet treats were the most photogenic aspects of the party? Isn't that always the case? The company was great, and the other food (hot dogs, pulled pork, salads, fruit) were delicious, too. I wish I had taken pictures of people and the gorgeous house! 

Thank you for including me, Kirks!

cornhole boards

About a year ago, I won a wonderful giveaway--a set of SC Cornhole Games boards from Southern Weddings magazine!  Somehow I missed that the cornhole set was supposed to be for your wedding, but they sent two plain white boards and my color choice of weather-resistant bags right to my house.  You can see the post announcing the winners here.  I changed up the designs slightly, but still I ended up with something pretty similar to what I wrote about in my giveaway entry.  

The light blue board is for Carolina, and the quatrefoil shape represents my sorority, painted in one of our colors, rose.  I couldn't convince my mom to freehand my monogram on the board, but she did create stencils for me.  

I painted my home state in gold on purple, for East Carolina.  When I found these paint colors after looking and looking at many colors, I knew they were just right.  

Here is a basic step-by-step process:
1. Get prepared by picking out and purchasing paint colors and brushes.  I used a few different sizes of brushes and also rollers.  I think high gloss paints look best for this project, but I was more concerned about finding the right color than the right finish, so mine were different levels of gloss.
2. Paint several coats of the base colors.  Doing a final coat with a roller will make it look much smoother.
3. Create stencils for your designs.  I found images on my computer and projected them onto my tv, much like for my cooler project.  I actually used interfacing (for sewing) to make stencils because it is somewhat transparent but also sturdy.  I taped a close-to-size piece of interfacing to the screen, traced using a permanent marker, then cut out the shape.  I used painter's tape to attach the interfacing to my tv and to the boards.  It peeled off of the interfacing easily when I moved it so I could trace every part of the edge.  I used pencil to trace the stencils onto the boards.
4. Paint several coats of each layer of your designs.  I painted carefully around the edges of the designs then filled in the inside, several times each.
5. Seal the paint if you're brave.  I purchased a spray sealer that I still have not used because I have heard that it may puddle or bubble up on top of the paint.  I haven't used my boards very roughly, either, though, so I am not sure how much they would get scratched with use.



Have you painted your own cornhole boards?  Any cornhole playing tips?  I am terrible at the game but am mostly concerned about having the prettiest boards.

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