Tag Archives | bees

Valentine Gifts for Her

disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links, which means Simplified Bee receives commission if you make a purchase using these links.

bee mine mug #bee #bumblebee #valentine

Whether your are in a relationship or not, Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to spoil those that you love. Giving your hubby, boyfriend or love a little nudge or suggestion on Valentine gift ideas for you is often welcomed. I’m loving this sweet bee mine mug (above) and here are a few more items that are currently on my list:Valentine Gifts for Her #valentinegifts #valentines

:: product links ::

  1. heart tray :: 2. chloe backpack :: 3. heart charm necklace :: 4. cozy fleece pullover :: 5. cookie cutter set :: 6. xoxo mug :: 7. faux fur heart pillow :: 8. wool knit beanie :: 9. xoxo plate :: 10. champagne chocolates :: 11. coco chanel perfume :: 12. dior addict lip maximizer

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Read full story By on January 21, 2018 in Entertaining, fashion, gift guide, Valentine's Day

Shades of Green Bridal Shower Ideas

Recently I hosted a casual bridal shower luncheon for my future sister-in-law who’s a real sweetie with the kindest heart. She loves the color green and that was enough to get my creative juices flowing!  Here are a few images from the event…

bridal+shower+invitation

The invitation sets the mood for a party. I always recommend doing it the old fashion way too… sending a printed invite in the mail. In this digital day and age, receiving an invite in the mail is just more special.  The sweet invitations with the brides’s monogram framed in a leafy wreath were from Minted.

ribbon+tablerunner+green+white

Because the event was casual, we served lunch buffet style. The table was covered in a crisp white table cloth and shades of green ribbon in varying widths ran down the middle to create the table-runner  .

Ranunculus and green Hypericum berry flowersFresh flowers are always a must for an bridal shower event. Providing contrast and a burst of vivid color, I selected fuchsia ranunculus for the centerpieces. The ranunuculus were paired with green hypericum berry flowers and place in a trio of grass green ceramic vases.

boxwood+urn table centerpiece

For more visual interest,  a pair of forest green boxwood balls on top of mini silver urns were placed between the floral arrangements.

green+white bridal shower ideasorchid floral arrangement for bridal showerglittered initials and streamer garlandglitter+letter+initial+garlandFor a personal touch, the engaged couples’ initials hung in the window. I actually made these myself. I downloaded the italic monograms here, cut them out on heavy card stock and added glitter. Well, so much glitter I ran out on the third letter and my hubby was nice enough to run to Michael’s the morning of the party for more glitter. Isn’t that sweet? I have the best hubby.

dessert+table+bridal+showerxoxo dessert

I was too busy being a hostess to snap a shot of the yummy salads we shared, but did manage to capture an image of the beautiful desserts. I think having a variety of mini cakes like this is so fun! We all loved the XOXO detail on the side of the mini cheesecake pictured above.

bee+bridal+shower+favors

No guest should go away without a little gift.  To celebrate my sister-in-law joining the Bisbee family soon, we selected these beautifully packaged organic worker bee balms to remember the afternoon.  It’s a good think my further sister-in-law like bees… it would be hard to become a Bisbee if not!

Happy day!

Cristin

* photo credit: Cristin Priest, Simplified Bee

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Read full story By on March 18, 2013 in DIY, Entertaining, flowers, food, invite, monograms, Parties, Tips/Tricks, Uncategorized

Bee is for Baby Shower

bee baby shower ideas - simplified bee

Bee is for Baby! How could a bee lover resist this buzzing theme to celebrate a baby-to-be? Here are some pictures of a baby shower I recently hosted for a couple expecting a baby boy, but the theme would work for a girl too. Martha Stewart’s bumblebee paper punch from Michael’s came in very handy – used on the table, baby sign and bumblebee “chandelier.” Also, a big thank you to Lolliblog’s B is for Baby Shower for inspiring me!

bee is for baby sign bee theme baby shower #beebaby shower bee bannerbee-baby-shower-ideasbee cupcakes for baby shower - simplified beebee baby shower honey party favors

* images from Simplified Bee

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Read full story By on December 3, 2009 in baby and children, Entertaining, Parties, simplified bee portfolio

Save the Bees – The Great Sunflower Project

It should come as no surprise – I’m a bee lover. I love their beautifully organized beehive homes, team focus and sweet honey creations. I even love honey bee art. So of course, I was very troubled to learned a few years ago that bee populations were declining.

Just Bee Art

Recently, I read a hopeful article in Sunset Magazine (August 2009) called Hive Minds promoting a grassroot effort aimed at learning more about this problem and finding solutions to restore the numbers of pollinators. Founded in 2008 by San Francisco State University associate of biology professor, Gretchen LeBuhn, The Great Sunflower Project distributes free ‘Lemon Queen’ sunflower seeds for people to plant in their yards. After the sunflowers have bloomed, participants are asked to track and report any bee activity. LeBuhn says, “Sunflowers are easy to grow and wildly attractive to bees.”

Why is this important to us all? LeBuhn says it best and puts the problem into perspective –

“Economists and ecologists have started working together to find a way to place a financial value the contribution of natural ecosystems to human existence. The estimates are eye-opening. For example, the value of pollination services from wild pollinators in the U.S. alone is estimated at four to six billion dollars per year. While these ecosystem services are currently produced for “free”, replacing the natural ecosystem would cost many trillions of dollars. Unless human activities are carefully planned and managed, valuable ecosystems will continue to be impaired or destroyed.”

The project has been wildly successful and now has approximately 55,000 participants. The data these volunteers collect will provide valuable insight on determining the root of the problem and how to help reverse it. To “hunt for bees” and join this worthwhile project, visit The Great Sunflower Project.

Also, if you are interested in making your yard more bee-friendly, here are three easy ways from Sunset Magazine

1. Plant diverse bee-friendly flowers and edibles like asters, lavender, strawberries and of course sunflowers.
2. Avoid using too much mulch or pesticides – it discourages native ground-nesting bees and approximately 70 of native bees are ground nesters.
3. Don’t pick those weeds! Weeds such as dandelions and clover provide quality pollen and nectar. Simply pull them after their blossoms are spent. This last one is tough for me! Guess I shouldn’t worry too much about the the clover that has popped up in my yard.


Or you can do what Martha Stewart does and have your own beehives. In June of this year, she blogged about having nearly 12,000 honeybees and one queen delivered to her farm. The incredible photo above is of her lovely queen bee – the large bee with the blue dot. She hired Guy Hodges of Bee Guy Apiaries LLC in South Salem, New York to handle the buzzing project.

Now let’s go help save our favorite pollinating friends. Buzz, buzz, buzz…

*honey bee artwork from Candice H. McDonald on Etsy, Jennifer Lambein on Etsy, and ronniegunn on Etsy, photo by Martha Stewart Blog.
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Read full story By on July 29, 2009 in Garden, healthy home, honey bee art