Hello Friends. Thank you for reading today. Doesn't it feel like we need to slow down and thank more people in our lives? Especially friends. I'm talking about the old friends we have lost touch with and the new friends that are right around the corner. Both help us get though the day. If our lives are good they cheer us on. If our lives are falling apart, they hold our hand and guide us forward. 

An old friend and I have set up a new routine. We are 3,000 miles away but for the last few weeks we pour ourselves a cup of tea or coffee. We then call each other to talk. She is one of my dearest friends. Wth distance and time, however, we have found ourselves talking only a few times a year. Although, the weekly calls are short, we have created and brought a new sense of support to our long life friendship.

I have to thank her today. She is an amazing person and my life wouldn't be the same without her. If I haven't said it before Ms. You Know Who, thank you for sticking by me when I couldn't stop complaining about life, supporting the endless crying when I was pregnant and coming to see me when things fell apart. You are brilliant, sweet and hands down one of the best people I know. I'm so lucky and grateful we are friends.

Today, pick someone you have lost touch with or a person you want to know better. Create a weekly time to talk, email or text. Chat about whatever is on the top of mind. Make it a point, however, to thank them for all the good stuff they have brought to your life. Call it a friend specific goodfinding mission today.

I'm going to guess you won't need to look far to say thank you. There are so many people that make our lives feel full and round. See you tomorrow friends!

Morning! I'm going to keep this post quick today as there is never enough time in the day! Speaking of time, my daughter turns a big birthday in just a few weeks. I have mentioned that birthday's are big at our house and this one will be no exception. When I, however, sat down to think about the theme for her birthday, I came up with nothing. Nada. No ideas. My mind was a blank page. That's when I realized I had a creative block. "Well, now what?" I said to myself. How do I get the creative juices flowing?

First, I asked the birthday girl what kind of party she wanted. She wanted a movie party, slip 'n slide party and a candy party. Great! The birthday girl solved my problem. I sat down to create a party that incorporated all three ideas together. Only to realize, together they would create a kid storm so epic, no one would ever attend one of our birthday parties ever again.

Back to the drawing board. I again was drawing a blank. I realized I was having serious creative block. Creative ideas usually work themselves out when I walk, with two kids in tow, we went for an urban hike. When I returned home, the creative juices were flowing and I had ideas! The birthday girl loved the idea of bringing her love of baking and art together or "Tarts & Arts." Whew. 

Today's project is to think of a time when you had a block in creativity. How did you unblock it? How did you solve the problem that needed solving? Create a plan to get your creative juices flowing to solve any idea. Will it be a walk? A trip to see an old friend? Or long drive? What will unblock the right side of the brain?

Well, I have a party to plan but let me know what makes your creativity come alive. See you tomorrow Art Tarts!

Konnichiwa! After the massive amount of indulging I did over the 4th of the July weekend, I need a break from the ribs, fried chicken and cole slaw. Today, I need to lighten up on the heart attack food train. Who's with me? Whenever I need something light and satisfying I turn to sushi. For the record, this isn't a food blog. I promise! Food, however, and creating go hand in hand. Since we all need to eat everyday, I'm finding creating food a great way to practice change everyday.

Let's get back to talking about sushi. For all you sushi novices out there, including me, sushi refers to the sticky rice not the fish in a Maki (roll), Nigiri (sliced fish with molded ball of rice underneath) or Sashimi (sliced fish). Sushi chefs train anywhere from five to ten years to develop their impeccable skills. In short, sushi is considered an art form. You can read more about sushi facts here: Sushi Trivia By The Thrillist. 

For today's project, we are going to try our hand at being a sushi chef and create easy fruit sushi. 

Fruit Sushi

Makes 2 1/2 cups cooked sweet rice

• 1 cup fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, mango, kiwi, bananas or any sliceable fruit)
• 1 cup short grain sushi rice 
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 coconut milk (full fat)
• 1/4 sugar 
• shrub syrup (optional for dipping)

Step 1: Sort and rinse the rice before cooking. Combine the rice and 1 1/4 cups water in a pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover with lid and simmer for approximately 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 10 minutes or until water is absorbed. 

Step 2: Add coconut milk and sugar. Stir till blended. Place cooked rice in refrigerator and let cool for 20 minutes.

Step 3: In the meantime, wash, peel and thoughtfully slice fruit into tiny thin slices.

Step 4: Remove the rice from the refrigerator. Using a spoon form heaping rectangles. Place sliced fruit on top of each rice rectangle. 

Step 5: Place the fruit sushi on a plate. Add a small dish to the plate and add a little shrub syrup to the dish. Dip the sushi into the shrub syrup and enjoy the fruit sushi!

Well, let me know how stepping into a sushi chef's shoes feels. See you later future sushi chefs!

Good Morning America! Great to see that you are up and ready to enjoy America's 240th birthday. Since you most likely have lots of BBQ prep and parades to watch, I'll keep today's project simple and fun. Who doesn't love fireworks? Firecrackers are the most extravagant and dangerous thing I can think of besides eating ice cream at a tanning bed. What I am trying to say is fireworks are cool but when they light on fire, who knows what could happen. To lessen the danger but still celebrate the 4th, let's create a firecracker that everyone can enjoy. Here is what you will need:

• empty toilet paper roll
• 1 balloon (red, white or blue) 
• firecracker paper and fringe artwork (Free artwork PDF here)
• confetti
• scissors
• 1/4 inch masking tape 

Step 1: Tie off the end of the ballon. Now, cut off the bottom of the balloon.

Step 2: Place the ballon end on the bottom of the toilet paper roll.

Step 3: Cut out the fringe from the artwork template and tape to the top of the toilet paper roll.

Step 4: Tape the festive 4th of July paper to the outside of the toilet paper roll. Now, add the confetti inside.

Now pull gently back on the balloon and let the firecracker go!

That's it! Have fun celebrating and Happy Birthday America!

Hey you all American gals out there! Today we are going to glam it up for our 4th of July BBQs and parades. Well, ok maybe the phrase "glam it up" might be an overstatement but I have a style project today for us. Let's create fireworks inspired nail art that will add a touch of glory to any July 4th extravaganza. This is a simple, fast and easy project to get us ready to celebrate America's birthday. You will need three different colors of nail polish. Specifically, red, white and blue nail polish and a clear fast drying top coat. I used these fun colors from Zoya brand: April (cream), Dory (blue) and Haley (red).

Step 1: Prep nails. Clean and file. 

Step 2: With the blue polish, make heavy dots at the top of the nail and smaller dots as you make your way down to the cuticle.

Step 3: Repeat with the red polish and then the cream. Let dry for a 5 minutes and then add the top coat. Now, let the nails dry for 20 minutes or until the polish is set.

That's it! Firecracker nails. What do you think America? Did we nail it? Are we 4th of July glamorous? Well, either way, see you tomorrow good old U.S.A!

Good day everyone! This is going to be a short, fast project today because it's a holiday weekend and who wants to be reading this blog or any blog for that matter? I bet we all want to be outside soaking up the endless summer rays and celebrating the 4th of July holiday.

Today, in celebration of America, let's do a "blind state" drawing. That is to say we are going to draw the outline of the state where you live with your eyes closed. Grab a piece of paper and a pen. With a pen in hand and paper right in front of you, find a comfortable spot. Now close your eyes. Visualize the shape of the state where you live and draw it. It's harder than it seems. My mind couldn't remember what California looked like on either the left or right side. Notice how my drawing could be California, New Jersey or Florida?

This Might Be New Jersey.

Let me know how it feels to draw in a blind state and get a jump on that celebrating. Have a hot dog or three for me. See you tomorrow great Americans!

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Well, hello! The July 4th holiday weekend is almost upon us. Some of us will be visiting county fairs, going to the lake or enjoying delicious backyard BBQs. Hosting a BBQ made me dream of cool, crisp watermelon. July 4th weekend always provides plenty of hot sun and humid weather. It could be said, nothing beats the heat and celebrates July 4th better than a slice of sweet, crunchy watermelon. To kick off America's birthday, let's create a summer celebration worthy drink to toast in the 240th birthday of the good old U.S.A.

Let's get this party started! Today's project is to create a watermelon boba fruit smoothie. Who doesn't love a boba or bubble drink? Let's check out how to incorporate these tapioca balls into this luscious 4th of July smoothie and make a party worth beverage without the alcohol.

If you want to check out the exact recipe, you can find it here on the "Daily Burn." I made a big batch of boba ahead of time and stored them in simple syrup. For the record, not all boba are created equal. The original bag of boba I purchase never fully hydrated. They were crunchy and awful. However, the black boba used in the video are super delicious. They can be purchased on Amazon {affiliate link}. Just remember chew your boba. They are slippery than snot!

Let the July 4th celebration begin. Cheers to you America and all you sweet watermelons out there!