Feeling Scrappy Now With My Home Depot Rubbermaid All Access Organizers...

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Home Depot & Rubbermaid, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #AllAccessOrganizers  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

I am not going to lie. When I was selected to try out the new Rubbermaid All Access Organizers from Home Depot, I was ecstatic. I have been needing a good kick in the pants to finally get my scrapbooking supplies organized.

I mean, they are a mess.

So much a mess that I have avoided working on scrapbooking my wedding... that happened 2 years and 2 months ago.

And I haven't even started on my baby girl's baby book.

She will be 18 months in about a week.

Yeah... it is that bad. See for yourself...

Honestly, I feel awful that I am SO behind on putting all those precious memories to paper.

I even feel a bit ashamed.

But now since discovering the Rubbermaid All Access Organizers, I have no more excuses!

My scrapbooking supplies are organized, pretty, and oh so easily accessible with their clear drop-down doors. No digging through a tote or a box anymore!
(Oh, and no more cardboard boxes for storing my scrapbooking supplies! Can we say ugly??)

I used the smaller All Access Organizer for storing my scrapbooking embellishments, stickers, and letters for baby girl's baby book...

I used the larger one to organize the various sheets and pads of scrapbook paper I have gathered for both the wedding scrapbook and the baby scrapbook. I divided the scrapbook pages for each using the albums themselves.

I also stashed all the wedding photos and embellishments for the wedding scrapbook right in front of the larger Rubbermaid All Access Container...

And yes, I did jazz up both of my All Access Organizers with a little washi tape. It only seemed like the scrapbooky, crafty thing to do. ;)

Even though I chose not to stack them, they are totally stackable! You can stack all the same size (they come in 2 different sizes, FYI) or smaller ones on top of the larger ones.

The wheels are already spinning with all of the other rooms and spaces that I need to go buy more Rubbermaid All Access Organizers for!
Like maybe organizing my jumbled mess of food photography props...
Or my Christmas gift wrapping supplies...
Or baby girl's heaps of toys strewn about our living room floor...
Oh, the endless possibilities, folks! :)

Make sure you visit and Like The Home Depot Facebook page and the Rubbermaid Facebook page for more creative ways to get your home organized and functional!

What room or area would you use the new Rubbermaid All Access Organizers in?

Marvelous Mondays Link Party #57

 

 Good evening and welcome to Marvelous Mondays! We hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! :) We are so happy to have you join us each week. We really enjoy your recipes and projects and we enjoy giving you the opportunity to share your creations with the blogging world. We’d love for you to spread the word about the party and invite your blogging friends to join the fun! We thank all of you for linking up each week and we welcome any new bloggers who linked up! Let’s keep this party growing!

I am not going to lie... I am suffering a bit from the post-beach blues. :(  The day after you return home from a week long vacation is always the roughest, right?  I know I said at last week's party that I wouldn't be hosting Marvelous Mondays this week, but I figured what better to help get me out of this back-to-reality funk than to see your all's delicious recipe posts and creative DIY & crafty posts? :)

In Case You Missed It On The Blog Earlier This Week...

My Italian Basil Orzo Salad- the perfect summertime pasta salad!

And because I wanted to bring some of the beach home with me this weekend, I rounded up 16 Just Beachy recipe, craft, & DIY posts for us all! :) 

And make sure you get entered in the HUGE giveaway to celebrate Something Swanky's birthday! There is a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer, $300 Target Gift Card, & cookbooks from ALL of your favorite food bloggers up for grabs! 

Now, let's move on to the party.

Your Hosts Julie from This Gal Cooks ~ Carrie from Frugal Foodie Mama ~ Paula from Call Me PMc

Last week's most viewed link:

Cherry Coca-Cola Cupcakes from Sweet2Eat Baking

A few of my Favorites...

Triple Layer Cappuccino Brownies from The First Year Blog

Caprese Flatbread with Balsamic Reduction from Joyful Healthy Eats

Coconut Crusted Stuffed French Toast from Will Cook For Smiles

Be sure to stop by This Gal Cooks and Call Me PMc to check out their favorites from Marvelous Mondays #56! :)

Party Rules

• Please follow your hosts and co-hosts via Twitter, Blog Lovin, Facebook or RSS Feed. Please leave a comment stating how you followed so your host can follow you back. Your host and co-host links can be found at the top of the party post.
• Please visit at least 2 other links. I suggest leaving a comment to let them know that you stopped by.
• Grab a button. It’s not mandatory but it helps get the word out about the party.
• Link up your recipes, crafts or DIY projects. Please link something that you made. No giveaways or shops, please.
• Please note that by linking up your posts and projects you are giving This Gal Cooks, Frugal Foodie Mama, and Call Me PMC permission to use your photos in the featured posts and possibly on our social media outlets. All photos will be linked back to your sites and your posts.

**Julie, Paula, and I please ask that you ONLY link up posts that you have not linked up before to Marvelous Mondays.  We have been noticing some repeat posts being linked up recently.  To be fair to all party-goers, please only link up NEW posts or posts that you have never linked up to our party before.  We will not be "policing" post link-ups, but please note that repeat offenders' posts will not be featured on Marvelous Mondays.  Thank you, all.

Just Beachy {A Round-Up of 16 Posts Inspired by the Sand & the Sea}

Sadly as you all are reading this, I am spending my last full day at the beach with my family.  Tomorrow we will be rising bright and early and heading back home.  

Away from the sand...

Away from the salty air...

Away from the fresh seafood I have been indulging in all week... ;)

But just like the beautiful seashells that washed up on the early morning sand that we eagerly tossed into our buckets, I have gathered 16 creative, fun, and beautiful ways to bring and keep the beach home with you all year round...

8 DIY's Worth Saving Those Sand & Shells For...

Beachy Mason Jar Terranium from Making Home Base

DIY Seashell Serving Tray from A Little Claireification

DIY Seashell Earrings from PinkWhen

Map Cork Board with Shell Pushpins from Yesterday on Tuesday

Easy DIY Beachy Candles from The V Spot

Beach Inspired Mason Jar Craft from A Pumpkin & A Princess

Beachy Souvenir Ornament from One Artsy Mama

DIY Seashell Stopper Bottles from Sharlotte's Reflections

3 Creative Recipe Posts Inspired by the Sea...

How to Make a Sandcastle Cake Tutorial from Living Well Spending Less

Crab Cakes {Cupcakes} from Clean & Scentsible

Beach Sand Dessert from Cupcakes and Crinoline

5 Simple Simple Beachy Crafts for the Home...

Summer Nautical Wreath from Making Home Base

Free Beach Printable from A Little Claireification

DIY Sea Glass Vases from Sand & Sisal

Sharpie Starfish Coffee Mugs from Homework

Anchor's Away Wreath from Lil' Luna

Which post shared is your favorite??  I can tell you now that I have been gathering shells and sand all week to make a keepsake ornament for baby girl's first visit to the beach and to make those gorgeous beachy sand candles! 

Although I am more than sure that I will not stop there... ;)

Looking for more beach inspired ideas, recipes, & DIY's?  Then be sure to check out and follow my Just Beachy board on Pinterest! 

Back to reality in a day... catch you all then!

Helping Something Swanky Celebrate Her Birthday With a Few of Her Favorite Things {Giveaway!}

I may be on vacation this week, but that doesn't mean that I can't help my blogging buddy Ashton from Something Swanky celebrate her birthday! ;) And we are celebrating in a BIG way, folks! 

Want to win some of my favorite things?! Here's what's up for grabs:

• KitchenAid Artisan 5 qt. Stand Mixer - Red
• A $300 Gift Card to Target
• All of the Blogger recipe books pictured above! (10 total)

How can you enter to win all of these goodies (an $800 value!)? Simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below by signing in with your Facebook or E-mail account (you're required to use one of those so we can contact you if you win!):

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The 'Not So' Jersey Shore {A Guest Travel Piece from All She Cooks}

Jessica McCoy is a recipe developer and food and travel writer. She blogs at All She Cooks, where she offers readers tasty recipes, travel stories, and 52 Weeks of No-Repeat Meal Plans.

The 'Not So' Jersey Shore

The Shore in New Jersey is a place of many sights, sounds and smells. From the Victorian-era homes in Cape May, to lighthouses, boardwalks and scents of carnival fun, to the miles upon 217 miles of sandy beaches. Smack dab between Pennsylvania and New York, and referred to by many as a suburb to Philadelphia and New York City, the Jersey Shore is a playground for many vacationers. While the beaches are relaxing and fun for adults and children alike, there is more to do on the Jersey Shore than what you might typically imagine. Take an afternoon break from building sandcastles, playing in the surf, and throwing money away on carnival games that few ever win. Enjoy a New Jersey that locals to the Shore are familiar with, and a past time that is as common here as casting a rod and reel.

Blue Crabbing in New Jersey

To some families vacationing on the Jersey Shore, crabbing is a ritual they look forward to each and every year. It's something they pass on to their children, and crabbing stories are swapped like fishing stories as grandfathers tell their grand-kids how it used to be done by flashlight at night.

A crab trap, chicken pieces, a bucket and some string are the only tools required, which makes crabbing an inexpensive and relaxing past time. While my family lived in New Jersey, we would often take our son to Seaside Heights to go crabbing. We've been back on vacation a couple times since, and each time, going crabbing is one of the things on our must do list. If you've been to Seaside Heights, you'll know it's best known for the boardwalk, amusement parks, and of course the beach. Take a short walk to the bay side of the Seaside Heights, and you'll find a few scattered tackle and bait shops and several fishing piers at your disposal. For less than $20.00 you can purchase a trap and other necessary supplies that will have you completely decked out for an afternoon of fun. You can catch and release, or catch and cook. Just make sure to pick up a current brochure from one of the bait shops and follow crabbing guidelines. Crabbing for blue crabs on the bay side of the Jersey Shore (or in the Hudson River, I've heard) is great fun for families with kids. We've taken our kids since our son was just a baby, whenever we can get back to New Jersey.

 

The scariest part of crabbing for some people might be picking up these little blue crabs and either throwing them back in the water, but don't be worried! If you don't want to touch them and are planning to catch and release, they'll practically run out of the trap if you let them once you get it on the dock. We've watched a number of these little guys shuffle across the dock and dive back into the water. If you haven't thought of visiting the Jersey Shore because its all hyped up on television as THE 'Jersey Shore', don't let that image fool you. The Jersey Shore is a family friendly beach destination with additional activities that will keep your kids interested and give you a taste of the Shore culture while getting a momentary break from the sand. And who could resist this little guy:

Thank you so much for sharing, Jessica!  I love this piece & found it to be perfect timing as we were considering trying our hand at crabbing for the first time while at the beach this week. ;) Make sure you stop by Jessica's blog and peruse all of her wonderful recipes! 

Summer Market Potato Salad

Inspired by some gorgeous veggie finds at my local farmers market (and some fresh green beans from my parents' garden), I decided to combine all that summer freshness into one delicious and healthy potato salad.  Not only is this potato salad better for you (no heavy mayonnaise here!), it is also really flavorful and can be served cold or warm.  I had it both ways- warm right after I made it with dinner, and cold the next day and both were equally tasty. ;)

I have a favorite vendor at the farmers market for my potatoes each week.  They grow and sell such a unique variety of local potatoes.  From Yukon Golds to Cranberry Reds, and All-Blue to Russian Banana Fingerlings.  I am pretty sure my husband and I have tried just about every variety they offer by now.  Their booth is always my first stop when I visit the market.  I have to get our weekly potato fix before they are sold out.  For my Summer Market Potato Salad, I used a combination of their All-Blue and their Yukon Golds.  You could use a combination of any potatoes, or just one kind of potato.  But the All-Blues were just too beautiful to not use in this salad...

Summer Market Potato Salad

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30-40 minutes

6050382

Ingredients (8-10 servings)

• 2 lbs potatoes (any variety or combination of varieties as long as they as smaller)
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• 1 medium summer squash, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• 1/2 lb green beans, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 tbsp whole grain Dijon mustard
• 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• Fresh parsley, chopped
• Fresh basil, chopped
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions

Heat your oven to 450 degrees.

Clean the potatoes under warm water. Cut the potatoes into 1 1/2 inch chunks. Place in a large saucepan and cover the potatoes with water. Bring to a boil and continue to cook the potatoes until they are almost fork tender. Remove from heat, drain in a colander, and set aside.

While the potatoes are boiling, combine the cut up zucchini and summer squash in a medium sized bowl. Pour a touch of olive oil over them and toss well to coat. Turn out in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes.

Now for a quick blanch on the green beans. Bring salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Boil the green beans for 3 minutes. Quickly drain in a colander and then plunge into an ice bath. This can be in a large bowl or sink filled with cold water and ice.

Combine the potatoes, squash, zucchini, and green beans in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, olive oil, fresh chopped parsley and basil, and cider vinegar.

Pour the Dijon dressing over the veggies in the large bowl and toss well. Taste your potato salad and add salt and pepper to your liking.

Powered by Recipage

This salad makes about 8-10 servings and is perfect for a barbecue or family get-together.  And since it is mayonnaise free, it is safe to leave at room temperature. 

Looking for other tasty ways to use up all those glorious, in-season veggies from your gardens and local farmers markets?  How about my...

Summer Pomodoro Sauce

Potato & Summer Squash Chowder

Summer Gazpacho