Vodka Lime Soda

January 19, 2020

Everybody loves a refreshing + simple drink! This cocktail is all in the name…vodka, lime, + soda! 3 ingredients that combine to make a delicious drink! Sip on this while enjoying warmer weather out in the sun and you will be living your BEST life! Check out the recipe below.

Ingredients

1 cup of ice
1 ounce of vodka (we prefer Tito’s)
3 ounces of club soda (we used Topo Chico)
1/2 lime juiced
1 lime wedge for garnish

Instructions

Fill a cocktail glass of choice with ice (we chose a mason jar).
Pour vodka, lime juice and club soda over ice.
Stir and garnish with a lime wedge.

Grapefruit and Basil Gin & Tonic

January 16, 2020

If you’re a gin lover, this drink is definitely for you! Refreshing with a hint of herb!

Find the recipe below.

INGREDIENTS

50ml gin of choice

Tonic

Slice of grapefruit or fresh grapefruit juice

2 fresh basil leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

Fill hi ball glass or wine glass with ice.
Pour gin over ice.
Garnish with grapefruit slice + basil leaves (or you can add a splash of fresh grapefruit juice instead).

Blueberry Mint Fizz

January 9, 2020

Does anybody else think of Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory when they see blueberries? No? Just me? Okay, cool.

While this drink won’t turn you into a giant blueberry like it did Violet, it WILL turn you into a blueberry mint fizz lover!

Check out the recipe below.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 OZ. SMIRNOFF BLUEBERRY VODKA

ST. GERMAINE LIQUOR (OR AGAVE SYRUP)

2 1/2 OZ. CLUB SODA

5-8 MINT LEAVES

BLUEBERRIES

INSTRUCTIONS

Place mint leaves in a cocktail shaker & muddle.
Add ice, vodka, and club soda…then shake, shake, shake!
Add agave or St. Germain liquor for a touch of sweetness. Also, for a more intense blueberry flavor, add 5 or so fresh blueberries to the bottom of your shaker along with the mint & muddle.

Maximizing Small Bedroom Spaces

January 6, 2020

In San Antonio, we are filled to the brim with older homes that hold a ton of character! But sometimes these older homes (like mine, built in 1960) have much smaller rooms than the modern day house.

One of the things I LOVE about styling an older home is getting creative with how to maximize the space. Our master bedroom is not the size of a true master but we still wanted to squeeze a King bed.

With that squeeze came the need to get creative about our bedside tables as the ones we already owned did not fit. My husband and I had just finished setting up our bar in the dining space using floating shelves and loved them so much that we went back to Hobby Lobby to pick up two more small ones that we could utilize as our bedside tables (pictured below).

Keep scrolling to see some other creative ways to do a bedside table in a small room.

Other Options:

Skinny Paloma

January 2, 2020

Happy 2020 friends! If your resolutions this year include changing to a healthier lifestyle, don’t feel like you have to give up alcohol. You can enjoy a good drink AND feel good about it.

Check out this skinny paloma below.

INGREDIENTS (yields 1 drink)

1 1/2 shots of reposado tequila (or any good quality blanco)
juice of half a ruby grape fruit (or to taste!)
1/2 shot of agave syrup or sugar syrup
about 75ml club soda
a squirt of fresh lime juice (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix the grapefruit juice, tequila and sugar syrup until well mixed.
Pour over a tall glass filled with ice and top up with soda water. Finish with a squirt of lime and rim the glass with salt.

NOTES

If you are wanting to reduce your sugar intake, simply leave the sugar out. Its less sweet but still delicious.

4 Tips for Travel

December 30, 2019

I am a girl who LOVES to travel…but in all reality, sometimes it can be so overwhelming to plan + prepare that I find myself needing a vacation from my vacations.

That’s why I have put together a few travel tips that I have learned along the way. Hopefully these will make your adventures more stress free!

Tip #1:

Use an itinerary template to layout your plans, flight + hotel details, etc. so you have them all in one location you can quickly access. You don't have to have every day planned out to the last tee, but it's nice to have a rough overview of what you will be doing.

Click here to see my travel itinerary from my recent trip to California.

Tip #2:

Take a good scarf - one that can be worn as headband, around ponytail or neck, and brings variety to your outfits without packing more.

Tip #3:

Pick your outfits based off the same pair of shoes...that way you only have to take 1-2 pairs of shoes instead of 6.

Tip #4:

Purchase travel sized reusable bottles for liquids like shampoo + conditioner. My favorite finds were these travel sized perfume bottles. I want to bring my perfume on all my trips, but transferring some of my perfume into these travel spray bottles saves a lot of space in my diddy bag.

Like what you read? Have more travel tips you’d like to share?

Comment at the bottom of the page + let us know!

Egg Nog Martini

December 19, 2019

Egg nog...you either love it or hate it!

If you are in the "love it" category, then you are in the right place. This boozy egg nog martini is SERIOUSLY delicious!

Check out the recipe below!

INGREDIENTS:

3 oz egg nog (without alcohol)

1 oz vanilla vodka
1/2 oz amaretto
nutmeg and cinnamon sticks for garnish
honey and brown sugar for rim

DIRECTIONS:

Add the egg nog, vodka and amaretto to a martini shaker filled with ice. Give the shaker a few good, strong shakes to mix and chill the drink.

Drizzle some honey and brown sugar on separate plates, and dip your glass rims into the honey and then the sugar.

Pour your chilled drinks into your glasses, and garnish with a hint of nutmeg and one cinnamon stick.

Easy 3 Ingredient Fudge

December 16, 2019

If you’re looking to sweeten things up this season, try out this easy 3 ingredient fudge! Baking has never been easier. Not into vanilla or want to shake things up? Try adding peppermint or almond extract instead…or even combining them! The possibilities are endless.

Check out the recipe below.

Ingredients

12 ounces dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped
1 can 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
sea salt sprinkles, or chopped nuts (optional)

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the chocolate, sweetened condensed milk, and extract. Microwave on high for 1-1.5 minutes, in 30-second intervals. Stir in between. Or you can melt this in a glass mixing bowl set over a pot of simmering water (double boiler).
Once the mixture is melted and smooth, pour into a square baking dish lined with parchment paper. Top with salt, sprinkles, or nuts if using. Allow to fully set before cutting into squares. If you want to speed up this process, you can pop the fudge in the refrigerator or freezer.

Recipe Notes

You can swap the vanilla extract for other flavors like peppermint or almond to change up the fudge's flavor.

Source:

https://abeautifulmess.com/2018/12/easy-3-ingredient-fudge.html

Gift Wrapping Tips + Tricks

December 13, 2019

Each gift is unique and there is no wrong way to wrap something, but here are a few of our tips + tricks to make your presents look beautiful!

Paper

If you’re not using all the same paper for your different gifts, it’s still important to think about how each of the uniquely wrapped gifts will look next to each other. To maintain consistency, pick a theme and stick to it. Here are some examples of you might choose:
- Classic: Rich greens, reds, and whites. Might include a Christmas plaid ribbon or a red berry sprig as an accent.
- Natural: This look is very organic. Brown paper, muted colors, burlap ribbon, a pattern with outdoor elements drawn on it.
- Whimsical: Silvers, aquas, pinks, purples, and lots of glitter!! If you want to stick with red and green but have a more whimsical look, find a paper with Christmas characters on it and/or incorporates a fun color like lime green with the traditional red and green.
- Fancy: Gold, silver, and glitter.
Fold the edge of your wrapping paper seam before taping it down to give a clean look.
Run your fingers along all of the rims of the box so the paper looks sharp.

Tissue

Always use two sheets of tissue at a time in a bag or if you’re using for stuffing in a box. Makes it look more full + more expensive. Also, if you’re using a tissue paper with a pattern on it, you can pair with a white or a complimentary color paper to save money/fancy paper.
If wrapping something fragile, make sure to put tissue on top and bottom.

Other

Use either gift wrap tape so it blends with paper, double-sided so it’s not seen at all, or a washi tape for a fun pop! Other fun fact: Washi tape can also be used to label wine glasses at your next cocktail party.
When tying a ribbon around a package, instead of crossing the pieces on the bottom of the package, do it on the top. This allows you to keep it taut without having someone put their finger there for you.

Christmas Sangria

December 12, 2019

Whoever said sangrias were strictly for the summertime were seriously mistaken! This sangria recipe has a Christmas twist that anyone can get behind.

Check it out below!

INGREDIENTS:

2 Green Apples; Chopped

2 Cups of Fresh Cranberries
½ Cup of Granulated Sugar
1 Bunch of Rosemary
1 Bottle of Moscato
1 Bottle of Sparkling Apple Cider

DIRECTIONS:

Chop both green apples into small pieces. Add all but a few of the pieces of green apple to the bottom of your drink pitcher. You will use the other pieces for garnish.

Rinse the cranberries in a colander and immediately roll a handful into the sugar. Set aside the sugared cranberries to use for the garnish.

Add all cranberries except the sugared cranberries to the pitcher.

Use a muddler or wooden spoon to crush some of the fruit in the bottom of the pitcher. I crush just a few pieces of fruit, specifically the cranberries, to leave a nice flavor. I like to leave most of the fruit whole because it looks so lovely in the pitcher and in the glass.

Pour in the moscato and sparkling apple cider. Add rosemary to the top to garnish.

Wet the rim your champagne flutes with a little bit of water and roll in granulated sugar and fill with the Christmas Sangria.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2M3IOJH