We are delighted to have Jewel Hazelton of Eat.Drink.Shop.Love. share her Sangria Recipe. This is the perfect, refreshing drink for a summer evening. Plus, it will look great in our Sangria Pitcher.
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The inspiration behind this recipe came to mind last week when my peaches were about to go bad. I didn’t want the labor of making a peach cobbler, and I knew I would be entertaining guests over the weekend.
See the recipe below.
Peach Sangria
- 1 bottle of Moscato d’asti Wine
- 1/2 cup of Peach Schnapps (DeKuyper)
- 2 large peaches sliced or 4 small peaches sliced
- 1 large diced mango
- 3 strawberries sliced
- 1 apple sliced
- 1 orange sliced
- 2 mint sprigs
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 1 lemon
- 1 lime
- 1 large pitcher
- 3 handfuls of ice
How to Prepare
Pour the bottle of wine into the pitcher, then add the peach schnapps. Add the honey to the juice mixture. Stir for a few seconds. Then add the peaches, mango, apple, orange, and strawberries to the pitcher. Next, add the juice from 1 lime and 1 lemon to the mix.
Add the mint sprigs to the pitcher.
Cover the pitcher and place it in the refrigerator to chill for 2 hours.
Serve over ice and add lime slices as a garnish.
After enjoying your drink, be sure to eat the fruit, because it will have absorbed all of the flavors. Yum!
See more of Jewel’s recipes and inspirations here.
Follow her on Twitter.
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Wedding season is in full swing. And for your wedding, there’s no better way to put a smile on your face and your guests than with these photo booth prop ideas.
Below are our favorite ideas from Etsy that will add a little whimsy and vintage fun!
Sarah Q Happy Booths shop:
Hang this near your booth to let guests know it’s time for their close up.
Let your guests play dress up with these super cute glasses on a stick!
Little Retreats shop:
Show the world you’re the perfect match with this perfect Mr. and Mrs. pair.
Maro Designs shop:
Customize this thought bubble to say whatever is bobbling in your head!
Rainy Day Story shop:
Play up your attire with a colorful, faux tie bow!
Perfectionate shop:
And we couldn’t forget the popular mustaches!
These fun ideas will add personality to your photos and will have you smiling every time you see them. Try your hand at making a few or purchase them on Etsy where the most creative handmade items are found.
One of the most interesting and popular DIY projects we have featured is the coffee bag headboard. Coffee bean bags and burlap are all the rage right now. But for those who want a more feminine look, we have another project that can be used as either a memo/inspiration board or headboard.
Currently, moxii’s interior designer, Katherine Bailey, has both! She recently finished this project for both her work area in the design studio and headboard for her master bedroom.
Here are the steps below:
Materials:
- Foam Board
- Staple Gun
- Painter’s Canvas
- Crochet fabric
- Picture Wire and Hangers
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- Neatly fold canvas, securing it with staples
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- Measure the length of the crochet fabric
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- Stretch crochet across board
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- Cover the entire board with the tightly stretched crochet
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- Secure crochet with staples
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- Katherine’s inspiration board in the moxii design studio
Instructions:
- Cut the foam board the length you desire.
- Lay the canvas over the foam board, making sure that it covers the entire board and can be wrapped around it to be stapled. Cut any excess fabric.
- Smooth out the canvas and start first at one side of the canvas, stapling it into the board
- Be sure to neatly fold the edges of the canvas. Securing it with your hand, staple the fold. Staple rest of sides.
- Stretch the crochet fabric over the board, making sure that it wraps around the board. Cut any excess fabric.
- Staples edges of crochet into board; also neatly folding the corners and securing them with staples
- Now secure wire onto back of board for hanging. See video tutorial here.
As the weather gets warmer, finding motivation to tackle projects around the house is much easier. While you’re spring cleaning and reevaluating the look of your space, think of ways to reuse the items you already own, rather than buying new ones.
With fresh fabric, the look of your dining room chairs will be transformed as well as the entire space. This project is as simple as 123. Check out the steps below.
So, you’ve decided that it’s time to take control of your life and get organized. But do you know the first steps to get started?
I’m sure you think that the first thing I’m going to tell you to do is to start chunking or tossing items out the door. But you’re wrong. Organizing is not the act of throwing things away. Organizing is the act of creating a system to effectively and efficiently manage the items you own. On the flip side, de-cluttering is the act of chunking and tossing items. So, with that being said, what are the first steps to getting organized?
1. Determine your organization style. Decide if you like things organized and concealed or organized and set out on display. Do you like things labeled or do you like having a master list to cross-reference where things are located? By identifying your organizational style up front, you reduce the amount of time it takes to plan your organizing project.
2. Determine where to start your organizing project. To avoid becoming overwhelmed or frustrated early on in a huge project, start with a small room or a small section of a larger room. Some good ideas would be to start with your kitchen pantry, linen closet, or bathroom cabinet. A huge organizing project, like the garage, can be daunting. Opt for taking baby steps towards reaching your goal to become organized.
3. Determine what is required in that space. What items do you use more frequently and what items can be tucked away for infrequent access and retrieval? Obviously, you don’t want to have to dig to find items you use on a regular basis. Make sure you have everything required for the everyday operations of your household. If something is missing, now is the time to add it. For example, if you always have to grab something from the utility room every time you do laundry chances are your laundry room is missing a key requirement to complete the task.
4. Have fun getting organized. Create a system to effectively and efficiently manage the items you have in that space. If some items belong in another space, move them appropriately. But don’t get side tracked. Return back to your current project so that you can finish it before you move on to another. Think about tying an imaginary ribbon around your completed project before you start the next one. One organizing project will probably lead to another, so get ready.
Once you know the first steps to getting started, finishing will become second nature. Getting organized is a lot easier when you know your organization style. Pick a small space in your home and determine what is required. Take a small baby step and start your first organizing project. Before you know it, you will be heading towards a future of having a more organized life.
By Leslie Kate Thornton
Follow Leslie on Twitter and visit Staging Designs website here.
Leslie Kate Thornton is a real estate staging expert and professional organizer, and is the owner of STAGING DESIGNS based in Birmingham, Alabama. Leslie holds a B.S. degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and has extensive consulting and project management experience. Leslie is passionate about transforming properties to make lasting, first impressions. She is the master of clutter and infuses eco-friendly ideas into each property.
In our last post, we shared with you various Valentine’s projects that we found while scouring Etsy.com. We chose to do the Garland o’ Hearts.
Here’s how we created it by using materials that we already had at home.
Materials
* You will need hard stock paper, so use magazines from recycled paper (or any other material that bends and keeps its shape).
Directions
1. Cut strips of hard stock paper of the same size.
2. Punch a small hole at the top of a strip, looping a piece of yarn through it. This will serve as the stem of the heart.
3. Choose two strips of paper for the outer body of your heart. We chose the most colorful ones because these are the pieces that are most seen. Staple these pieces at the top of the stem, leaving just enough room at the top for the loop.
4. Use 3 more strips on each side varying in lengths to create a layered look. You will need to cut these strips to make them shorter than the one above it. Staple the two matching strips at the top and then staple all 4 at the bottom. This will make it look less messy rather than stapling at the bottom for each strip.
5. Repeat these steps to make as many as you’d like. We made 5. (An odd number tends to look the best.)
6. Using a long piece of yarn, stagger the hearts on the string and secure them by tying the loop onto the string.
7. Using push pins or nails, you can now hang your Garland o’ Hearts.
The Super Bowl everyone anxiously awaits is just a couple of days away. Most of you are going to a friend’s house to watch the game and some of you are hosting your own viewing party.
But what’s a football game without good food? Shawna of Styleberry Blog let us steal her recipe for these Ranch Burger Sliders. And as she puts it, “Who doesn’t love a good burger?”
Ranch Burger Sliders
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds lean ground beef (for half the serving, use 1 lb.)
- 1 (1 oz.) package of ranch dressing
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 3/4 cup crushed saltine crackers (or 2 slices of whole wheat crumbled bread)
- 1 chopped onion (half if using 1 lb. of beef)
Preparation:
- Preheat the grill for high heat.
- In a bowl, mix the ground beef, ranch dressing mix, egg, crushed crackers and onion. Form into hamburger patties.
- Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the patties on the grill, and cook 5 minutes per side or until well done.
Ingredients on the left. We love Alexia Fries. These counted as our veggie for dinner. For the sliders, I bought whole wheat dinner rolls from the bakery at Target. I whisked the egg and ranch together before adding the meat and onion.
Don’t over mix the meat, but form into flat patties, size of your choice. You can always make these big or small. I did small just for fun this time.
Be sure to spray BEFORE you heat the grill.
I don’t like super melted cheese on my burgers, so I sprinkle it on after I pull them off the grill. It melts to the perfect texture, even away from the heat!
For Shawna’s Freezing and Big Batch Cooking tips, click here.
Also, check out how she used one of moxii’s shower curtains to transform her bathroom here.
After seeing Stephanie Drake’s chair transformations, I’m sure you wondered how she finds such treasures. After all, scouring thrift stores can sometimes be daunting. But somehow she is able to find treasures among all of the junk. But how does she do it?
Well, we asked her! You’re welcome. 
Below are Stephanie’s 7 Tips for Treasure Hunting:
1. Keep an open mind. There may be a stigma associated with shopping in second-hand stores like Goodwill, America’s Thrift, Salvation Army, etc. The fact of the matter is, people just like you and me donate really great stuff all the time. Either we outgrow it, downsize, or just get sick, we get tired of perfectly good items and send them on their way. With an open mind, these shops can be goldmines. Not to mention, you are indirectly helping those in need with your purchases and RECYCLING!
2. Don’t be afraid to mix NEW with OLD. The trick to decorating any space is not to get stuck trying to conform to a particular style or theme. If you see something that strikes you, any item you are immediately drawn to, grab it. You will always find connections that make your thrifted items cohesive within your home.
3. Thrifting furniture is about the BONES. When looking for vintage sofas, tables, or chairs, try not to get too caught up in cosmetics. The current color or fabric can be changed. It’s the underlying structure you are interested in, so you’ll want to make sure it’s sound. It may take a few coats of paint, reupholstering, or maybe both, but you can score an awesome deal on a piece with potential and have money left over to make it look exactly how you want. (Check out my chair makeovers here).
4. Instant Collections. If you want to create instant, mini collections, thrift stores are perfect. Ball jars, milk glass, depression glass, tea cups, candle sticks, etc. are abundant in these sorts of stores and look great in groups. You can start a decent sized collection or grouping without breaking the bank.
5. Go Forth + Go Often. Since thrift stores literally accept donations daily, you will find a constantly changing inventory. Find out what days your local thrift stores restock shelves then show up early for the greatest selection. Go as often as you can. You are competing with all sorts of Ebay resellers and Antique Roadshow types for the best stuff, so the more you go, the better your chances of finding a diamond in the rough.
6. Know the Sales. Yes, the thrifty shopper can be even thriftier! Most second-hand stores have special days where they offer their wares for up to 75% off the ticketed price! Check with your local thrift stores to find out the extra savings days. Remember to show up early, the better the deals, the more people you will have to fight off to get to your treasures!
7. Have Fun! Don’t get discouraged if you don’t find something amazing every time you go thrifting. See Tip # 5. Remember that half the fun of thrifting is the hunt and the story you get to tell after you’ve uncovered a great find!
by Stephanie Drake – owner and event stylist of Proper Measures
Visit her website here.
Not many people can see the beauty in old furniture like Stephanie Drake of Proper Measures. She transformed her loft, which also serves as her office with a few finds from thrift stores and Craigslist. With an eye for design, Stephanie shares her chair makeovers with us. We hope you enjoy!
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I found this chair for only $30 on Craigslist, and it was in great condition as well.
This one, I completely reupholstered. I stripped the velvety avocado green fabric off and used that to make a pattern with my new, more modern printed fabric. I painted the wood a glossy white, recovered the cushions and then added a gunmetal nail head trim all around to hide my imperfect stapling job (I am a novice after all).
I LOVE the outcome!
I also found these chairs at the thrift store. I purchased both for $10. Although these chairs look like they are for the outdoors, I love the round backs; I decided I could make some cushions for them and use them in my office.
A couple coats of (you guessed it) white paint and some easy cushions later, I have new chairs for clients in our home office.
I found another Craigslist gem when I came across 6 Federal style chairs with ugly, floral seat cushions. A flip and a quick change with some bold fabric, a staple gun and a coat of glossy paint, and I transformed 4 of the chairs to use at our dining room table.
I painted the other 2 a high gloss turquoise and covered the seats in a buttery white leather. I used these in our den area. I am not afraid of color… can you tell? Tompkins, our kitty, clearly is a fan.
The coffee table is another thrift store find at only $7. I added a white coat of paint and ta-da! The sofa was a cool $89 on Craigslist, and I am in love with it.
Sometimes the beauty in a piece of furniture is hard to see. However, with a little patience browsing the internet or thrift store, you may just come across a wonderful find like Stephanie did. Add a coat of paint and a fun pattern, and you’ll have a piece of furniture that is fresh and modern.
Check out Stephanie’s event styling business here.