Yearly Archives: 2013

Recipe // strawberry mozzarella balsamic salad

February 21, 2013

I am craving summer with all this cold weather, but for now, I am going to just take advantage of some of the strawberries I am starting to see at the market!  I love unexpected salads with amazing ingredients that blend well together!  The combination of strawberries, basil, mozzarella, and balsamic vinaigrette is amazing, and it makes for the perfect light lunch or an addition to your dinner!
{Strawberry Mozzarella Balsamic Salad}
Mixed greens (spinach or romaine also works well!)
Sliced Fresh Strawberries
Fresh Mozzarella cut into cubes
Chopped Pecans
Fresh Basil chopped
Simple Balsamic Dressing (makes 3/4 cup)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette
1 teaspoons agave nectar
1/4 sea salt
1/4 fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Whisk together all of the ingredients except for the olive oil.  Slowly whisk in the olive oil.

Arrange the salad with the greens first, then sliced strawberries, mozzarella, chopped pecans, then top with fresh basil and drizzle with balsamic dressing and serve. 
Enjoy!

welcome sponsor + a giveaway: andruby …

I am excited to introduce you to Armelle Blog’s latest sponsor, andRuby!

andRuby is an online boutique with amazing deals to be had!  They hand pick and scope out the most ridiculously divine things and offer them at a discount.  There is something for everyone on andRuby, plus they offer a lot of fun on their Facebook page with giveaways and treats for their followers!

andRuby has a little something for everyone, they have a For her section filled with fun things.

An at home section.

A create section.

And, a kids section.  Full of darling stuff for the kiddos.

And, I am excited that andRuby wants to giveaway one of their Smart Phone Wallets to one of you!!

These darling wallets can hold your cards, cash, ID, smartphone, all in one stylish case!  
The front flips open for easy access to all your things, and all of the features of your phone are completely accessible without having to remove it from its case.
All you have to do to enter the giveaway is comment on this post, and tell me what color of Smart Phone Wallet you would get if you won!
For additional entries (make sure to comment separately for each of these extra entries, up to 9! And, in the comment, tell me which on you did.)
1) Subscribe to Armelle Blog.
2) Follow Armelle blog on Twitter.
3) Like Armelle blog on facebook.
4) Follow @armelle_blog on instagram
5) Follow armelleblog on pinterest
6) Follow andRuby on Instagram @andrubyshops
7) Like the andRuby facebook page: andRuby
8) Follow andRuby on pinterest: andRuby
9) Follow andRuby on twitter:  @andrubyshops
For additional entries, you can enter on my instagram account, @armelle_blog (details over there!)

Good Luck!

——————————–COMMENTS CLOSED ————————————————-

The giveaway ends Sunday, February 24th at midnight! I’ll announce the winner Monday February, 25, 2013!

CONGRATS to Stacey Smith our winner!!

{*This is a sponsored post, if you would like to be a sponsor on the Armelle Blog, email: carolinearmelle@gmail.com for rates}

Holiday // “Colorful” Class Non-candy Valentines + Free printable

February 15, 2013

My cute little Ezra was worried that his little lady friends in kindergarten wouldn’t like the army valentines, so we came up with some “colorful” valentines for them!  I love to give out non-candy class Valentine’s, because one, they get so much candy, and two there are so many kids with food allergies these days, it is nice to give out an allergy free class valentine.

You can find these darling mini-watercolor sets on Amazon (direct link, Affiliate).  They were perfect!

All you have to do is download the free “colorful” valentine printable here!

After you print them onto thick white cardstock paper, cut them out and gather your paints, and some glue dots to secure them to the card.

Have your little Valentine fill out the to, and from, and you are all set!  These would also be darling with some crayons taped in the middle with washi tape like Danyelle did here.

I also put together these “colorful” valentine markers for my daughter Norah’s pre-school class.

I found these darling markers in the dollar spot section at my local target, and I made a print out that fit right into the packaging!

If you would like to download this Colorful Valentine printable, go ahead and click here!   They would also be darling with crayons in a little bag, and you can staple the printable on!

I hope you can use these for your special Valentines coming up!

Happy Valentines Day!

{all photos by me, Caroline Armelle Drake}