AZ Sunshine Lemonade

June 30, 2015

Earlier this year, we visited my parents in Cave Creek, AZ. It was a great time of year to visit, as the days were only mildly HOT and the nights were somewhat cool enough to wear lightweight pants or a long sleeve tee. The other great thing about being there in early Spring, was that their lemon tree was in full production mode, and even had a few blossoms still on it. I wish we could have taken home boxes of their organic lemons, so we could enjoy them at home, but they really only stay good for a few days after they are picked. So, we made as much lemonade as we could handle until our teeth hurt! We had a pitcher a day addiction going on!

Check out this super tasty fresh lemonade recipe!

INREDIENTS:

1 Part Lemon Juice (We used about 7-8 lemons for this)

3-4 Parts Water

1 Part Sugar (You can make a simple syrup at first if you want, although we didn't)

HOW TO:

We picked 7-8 lemons straight off the tree, cut them in half, and used an electric juicer to get as much juice out of them as we could. We then added the lemon juice to a pitcher, added the water, and sugar, and stirred. If you wind up making a simple syrup first, this is supposed to reduce the sugar from sinking to the bottom. Taste a bit to see if it is sweet or tart enough for your liking. Fill your glasses with ice, and pour the AZ Sunshine Lemonade on top! Enjoy!

Check out this awesome fresh squeezed lemonade recipe

I never grew up around fruit trees, and I love them! They do attract lots of bees, because of the little lemon blooms, but my step-mom made us a fresh batch of lemonade almost every day we were there! She has an electric juicer, which really does make things much easier for this whole process. Since we drank her super fresh lemonade, nothing from a bottle has tasted anywhere near as good. It all seems so bland, not tart, and loaded with more sugar than humanly possible.

I like my lemonade a little bit sweet, and a little bit tart. Feel free to add more sugar if this is way too tart, but I do hope you enjoy the way we make our fresh squeezed AZ Lemonade!

My little girls always helps me with my photos, poolside preferred!

Trend Report // Ripped + Distressed Denim

June 29, 2015

I am in need of some new jeans! I know it's still pretty warm here, but sooner or later, it's going to cool off in the evenings, and I want some comfy jeans just for that weather. These jeans are all SO adorable and I can't wait to replicate some of the outfits I found for you in this post.

Sources:

Mirror Selfie , With A Sweater + Black Purse + Birks , With Strappy Heels , With D'Orsay Heels, With Red Heels, With A White Button-Down, White Skinnies, Black Skinnies + A White Button Down,

Looking For More Inspiration? Check Me Out!

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Drink Easy // Bloody Mary Recipe

June 28, 2015

One of our favorite cocktails is definitely a Bloody Mary. They are relatively low in calories, and we have tried quite a few different combination, mixes, and recipes, and we have finally found the very best recipe of all and I wanted to share it with you!

We recently visited Wild Eggs in Louisville on the way out of town after a Mike Gordon concert. The restaurant proudly displayed a row of bottles of two main ingredients above their bar area. The whole meal was awesome, and we were so impressed with the wonderful breakfast drink, we had to make some at home.

WHAT YOU NEED - FOR EACH DRINK

Absolut Peppar Vodka - Zing Zang Mix - Ice - 1 or 2 Glasses - Olives -

Cute Paper Straws - Worcestershire Sauce - Olives - Seasoned Salt

Garnish = 1 Piece of Bacon + 2 Olives (Per Drink)

I love the crisp taste of the mix in addition to a hint of vodka. The alcohol taste is super easy to cover up with this recipe, and I definitely recommend it. This would be perfect for a large party as well, just mix it up ahead of time, add ice to your glasses, and pour!

The secret to this recipe is really quite simple. Absolut makes Peppar Vodka! Made especially for Bloody Marys! We were so excited to learn about the cool ingredients and believe it makes the perfect tasting Bloody Mary! The other, most important ingredient is the Zing Zang mix. It's really amazing, even compared to all the other mixes we have tried.

If you're into cool garnishes in your drinks, you can add bacon to this recipe. We baked the bacon on a wire rack in the oven (over a baking sheet covered in foil. Bake at 350* F for about 15-20 minutes. Let cool, and poke a skewer into the bacon. Add two olives to the skewer.

Here is my newest setup for baking bacon. A baking dish with shallow walls + a cooling rack that fits inside it perfectly. Make your bacon, let it cool, and skewer it up with two olives.

THE FINAL DRINK...

Fill a glass with as much ice as you want. Pour 1-2 shots of Absolut Peppar Vodka over your ice. Next, add some Zing Zang Mix, to fill up the rest of the glass. Add a splash of Green Olive brine, and garnish with Bacon + Olive Skewer.

Well, enjoy! Comment below if you were able to test this recipe. Happy Weekend!!

Some of the BEST waffles I have ever had!

Weekend Wardrobe // What To Wear on July 4th Weekend

June 26, 2015

July 4th is a pretty fun excuse to party, let's admit it! With warmer weather, there can definitely be challenges in finding ways to look cute while enduring that hot weather. Make sure to hydrate yourself between red, white, and blue cocktails, too!

Check out some of my absolute favorite ideas of what to wear for the holiday weekend, or really any time it's nice and warm outside.

Sources:

SPORT SOME STRIPES - Short Sleeve Tee, With A Hat, Dress, Sweatshirt, Flatlay

WHITE DRESS + JEAN JACKET - With A Hat, With A Brown Purse, With A Belt

WEAR SOMETHING RED - Street Style, Heels, Dress

STARS + STRIPES - With Boots, Tank Top, Romper, Bikini

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Look What's New! Baby Quote Tees

June 26, 2015

I love the fact that graphic tees are so popular. They're so instagram-worthy and one day while looking at Jawbreaker's Tumblr site, I got super inspired to make some of my own. Not for myself, though, for kids and babies!!! So excited to introduce my newest creations. If you are in need of one of these tees or onesies, for now, please comment below. I will make it so you can purchase them soon! (Please leave your email below so I can get back to you), just let me know what size. The prices are marked below the images. Thanks!!!

To explain my process, I actually iron on each and every letter individually! The letters are old school flocked letters. If you need a different quote, I may be able to accommodate.

I Woke Up Like This Baby Tee Or Onesie $25.00

Mornings Are For Cuddles Tee or Onesie $25.00 — Mornings Are For Cuddles Tee or Onesie $25.00

If you are interested in a cute Quote Onesie, just leave a comment with your email below. Thanks!!!

Farm To Table // A New Market in Carbondale, IL

June 23, 2015

Last week, Carbondale saw the start of a new Farmer's Market! It's super close to our house, and it is organized by one of my friends, Courtney Smith. This market is super convenient because it runs from 4-7 pm on Wednesdays, which is right before I would be making dinner. We ate all of the veggies right after I got home from my market visit, and had an amazing vegetarian dinner of mashed potatoes, green beans, and raw carrots for the appetizer! The reason I named this post Farm To Table is because I spoke with a couple, from Homer Grown, who were vending at the market. They grew most of the vegetables pictured below, and they seemed so incredibly passionate about what they do. They knew so much about each and every vegetable and bean picked, and would even grow you something you request!

We chopped off the ends of these green beans, and then fried them in 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil, some chopped red onions, and one piece of bacon we had baked the day before for Bloody Mary's :) I didn't get a great photo of the potatoes, but we chopped up the red potatoes and white potatoes and boiled them with a little bit of salt and onion. After they were soft, I strained them, and added a splash of milk, more salt, and some butter. Just taste as you go, and see what you think tastes best. They were amazing with the beans! Beans (above) and Red Onions (below) from Homer Grown.

I also found myself some beautiful flowers from Flora Bay Farm. They're also from my friend Courtney, and she is great with floral arrangements. It's so fun to see what she grows each season, and I will definitely be making this new Farmer's Market a weekly thing!

And, some super fresh BASIL! What a beautiful smell :)

My Free People Reusable Shopping Bag and my market finds

Isn't this the cutest Farmer's Market Stand you've ever seen? They built it and are proud that it helps identify the market to people who pass by and hope it makes them want to stop. Homer Grown has some of the best veggies around!

If you're in southern Illinois, please visit the newest Farmer's Market in Carbondale!!

Classic Stripes - Free People Denim - Brown Accessories

June 22, 2015

I love how classic a striped shirt looks, and I have wanted to try out some stripes for the longest time. I received this adorable shirt from Bikini Luxe, and it's super comfortable! I decided to pair it with my new jeans I got at the Free People store in Water Tower place in Chicago a few weeks ago. I have also been using my Sole Society purse quite a bit lately and thought it really fit the classic look I was going for. I also threw on my Lucky Brand Flats in a lighter brown color.

Striped T-shirt, Dark Denim, Cute Brown Purse

The shirt is super comfy, and while it's long sleeve, I liked the look of it pulled up to a 3/4 sleeve. It's very loose and forgiving. The jeans are great! I got a lighter pair in Aspen Free People about 2 years ago. They are my absolute faves! They have held up really well and no other jeans fit like these do. I have shorter legs, so the cropped length is also perfect! When I came across a darker pair in Chicago, I bought two pairs, in two different sizes, and am so happy I now have three pairs.

Striped T-shirt, Dark Denim, Brown Purse, Tan Flats

This purse is from Sole Society, but is no longer on the site! Shoot, sorry about that but you can find similar purses on their site here - http://www.solesociety.com/bags.html - I have had several purses from them, and they hold up super well! The Flats are from Lucky Brand, but they were on a super sale at Dillard's, and unfortunately cannot find them online either :( Check out these other options from Lucky's Website. They're more comfortable than the Born flats I got at the same time, actually!

The black bracelet is actually from JCPenney, and the rings are all thrifted and vintage!

Striped Tee - Dark Denim, Brown Purse, Flats

VSCO - My Image Was Featured!

June 16, 2015

I got word that one of my very first VSCO Cam images was featured today! So cool, as I really love their app and available filters. I have been running every iPhone pic through the editor before either posting it to Instagram or even my blog. Check out all the featured images here.

CHECK OUT MY VSCO IMAGES HERE...

It's funny, because I believe VSCO attracts a certain type of person. Your follower count isn't visible to anyone, you can't comment on photos, and you can't even really like images, from what I can tell. I think it would be fun to have access to your metrics, but for now I'm fine with VSCO Cam just the way it is! It's SO very different from Instagram, that I think someone who immerses themselves into the world of VSCO is really utilizing it for themselves above anyone else. Your images actually display as a really nice portfolio, though. It's very genuine. You can either post photos to your grid, or do photo stories as "journal" entries, without any text.

Have you ever used VSCO? If so, tell us what you think, and feel free to share your link below!

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My Week In Images

June 15, 2015

We had a really fun time this past week and a half (give or take). We went to Louisville and St. Louis for two Mike Gordon concerts, stayed in great hotels, and drank our fair share of Bloody Mary's and Tequila Drinks :) I'd say that's a good start to "summer" if I do say so myself!

We used to travel to way more shows a few years ago than we do now. When Bobby and I first met in 2005 (yes, this year marked TEN years, and I'm so happy!!), we used to go to concerts every weekend or two, mostly in St. Louis and Chicago. We would see bands like Widespread Panic (75+ shows!), and lots of bluegrass shoes, and attend lots of festivals every summer.

We have been going to far less concerts lately. The music scene here in Carbondale just isn't anything that is sparking my fancy. We used to get a few good bands through the area (mostly bluegrass), playing at out favorite venue in town, The Hangar 9, but it seems like the better the music, the smaller the crowd. It's sad to see less than ten people attending a concert, I'm sure it would be hard to survive on ticket sales when there's no one there!

It's also harder now to leave the dogs home with a friend watching them, with Lily not in her best health, and we do realize how expensive it gets to see a show for just one night. The hotel can easily be $100 + Tickets + Drinks = $$OUCH! So, now that we do these shows less often, they are even more special!

A SHOW + BRUNCH IN LOUISVILLE, KY

The Mercury Ballroom in Louisville was a great place to see a show!

We stayed right next to the Mercury Ballroom at The Hilton Garden Hotel The rooms were incredibly nice.

We brunched at Wild Eggs in Louisville before we went home, their Bloody Mary was not super strong, but really really good. Hot Chocolate (below) was good, too!

Hot Chocolate - Wild Eggs in Louisville, KY

The second best waffle ever, second only to the Passion Pie Cafe, in Truth or Consequences, NM.

ON TO ST. LOUIS

A couple of nights later, we headed to St. Louis to see the boys again! We stayed in the hotel right next to the venue, where the band also stayed, which is always cool. The Moonrise Hotel is also dog (and cat) friendly, and so we decided to bring the dogs along for some fun.

Round TWO, We had a little fun mixing drinks for ourselves before the show at The Pageant.

The Pageant is a place where we have been many times. It's usually PACKED beyond belief, which makes is hard for a short girl like myself to see the stage if we want to dance in the GA area, in front of the stage. But, we were pleasantly surprised to see the place less than half-full. This was one of the first times I have ever been able to get up to almost front row for my favorite band, ever! They put on such a good show, and the vibe of the crowd was also great, also not always the case.

After the show, I visited the merch table and met the band. I even chilled with them for a bit, an experience I will never forget! The poster from STL was one of the best we have seen for Gordo, also, and were super happy to pick up two copies of the poster, and had Mike sign the poster that wasn't already up in the room :) Wow, what a fun night.

AND MY BROTHER GRADUATED...

My brother also graduated high school and I am SO proud of him! He also turned 18 yesterday! Time flies...FAST

It was nice to spend time back home last weekend. Springfield (IL) has grown quite a bit. Their downtown area is much nicer than it was when we lived there about 10 years ago, and there are more small businesses downtown than there used to be. My mom visited the Farmer's Market, Urban Sassafras, Vintage Pop and the connected antique furniture stores, and Shabby Shack - a shop with hand painted furniture. We had a great time and I will post about those fun businesses soon!

My Newest Creations - Applique Onesies

June 14, 2015

I have been uber inspired by the summer, and have created some 100% ORGANIC Onesies for the hippest babies around! Babies smile when they see my work, and I hope you do too!

I take great pride in everything I create. I am so happy with how these onesie turned out! If you would like to order a custom size, please comment below with your contact info, and I will get back you right away! If you have an uber adorable baby (and you know you DO!), and would like to help me spread the word about my organic onesies, also, just let me know in a comment below! I am looking for models in exchange for free merchandise!

These Camper Baby Onesies (and Peace Hand Onesies), are so fun! The onesies are super soft, 100% Organic, and the appliques are made from linen. So happy with these babies!!!

Click To Open

98 claps

15 Pages

Check out all of my Steller Stories HERE. And, if you have a Steller account, feel free to leave the link in the comments below! Have a good day :)

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How To Make Boho Fringe Festival Boots - Embellish Your Boots For Summer

June 3, 2015

Summer festival season is upon us and I have a cute DIY tutorial for you to try. I made these for about $14, and all I had to buy was the boots and the fringe trim. If you already have boots, a glue gun, and ribbons and trims, these could be practically FREE to make! These are such a cute addition to your summer festival wardrobe and outfits. If you make some, please comment below with a link to your photo!

SUPPLIES (YOU MAY ALREADY HAVE THESE)

1 Pair of Boots - Glue Gun & Glue Sticks - Scissors - Boho Ribbons and Trims (about 3/4 -1 Yard each) - 1 Yard of Fringe (Not Pictured) - 1-2 Skinny Belts That Can Be Cut In Half

Next, lay your ribbons and trim over the boots to see where you want them. I glued my ribbon on much lower than this photo shows, this way I could add fringe to the top.

Below, you will see the interior side of the boots. Cut the trims so they line up half way around the back. These raw edges will be covered by a final layer of ribbon for a finishing touch.

Below, you will see the ribbons/trims after I hot-glued them all on. The raw edges will soon be covered with ribbon. I used a cheap, low-heat hot glue gun, and it worked super well on these materials! My boots were made of an ultra-suede like material. If you are using leather boots, you may need to use a fabric-ready, 2 part Epoxy, or E-6000.

Next, cut your belt in half, and decide where you want to position the buckle. The outer side of the boots will look best, as you will see in my first photo.

Do a test placement of the belt, and then mark where the new buckle hole needs to be, so the belt fits around the boot. Cut the new hole, so that the belt fits snugly around the bottom of the boot, but not too tight. I used an awl from a multi-tool, but a sharp X-Acto Knife would also work. Be super careful not to cut yourself or the work surface. (See below)

You will see that I also added the ribbon to go up the side of the boot. Glue this in place, making sure to only glue half way up. The fringe will also go under this ribbon!

Make sure your ribbon covers any rough edges of the ribbons. (See Above)

Let's get your fringe ready! This fringe really makes the boots super cute! Cut your yard of fringe in half, and position it around the top of the boot. Cut the fringe to fit all the way around each boot. Hot glue ribbon to the top of the fringe, for a cute boho look.

Glue the fringe around the top of the boots. Then, hot glue the ribbon over your fringe, and fold into the inside of the boot, for a finished look. I cut a few of the fringe pieces off, that would be under the ribbon, but that's optional.

And you're done! You are ready to and the night away at your next festival!

How To Make Boho Fringe Festival Boots - DIY Tutorial

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Top 5 Pinterest Tips

June 3, 2015

Katherine Accettura is a HelloSociety Influencer from Illinois. She has over 1.2 million Pinterest followers. Katherine has been kind enough to share some of her Pinterest tips with us in this post:

This article was written by me and originally published here, on the HelloSociety Blog.

1. Make Time To Pin & Pin Regularly

- Try to pin every day, several times a day. If you don’t pin regularly, your followers may become bored and won’t visit your Pinterest account as often.

- Utilize a pin scheduler every day. Try to implement it into your daily routine, especially while you are going to be busy, and see if it makes a difference in the overall number of repins and likes on your pins

- TIP: A good time to pin is when you begin seeing your phone blowing up with Pinterest notifications (your Pinterest app phone notifications should be turned on until you understand your audience’s schedule).

2. Pin From Your Phone

- The majority of Pinterest users are accessing the site via the Pinterest mobile app. It’s important to be in touch with your audience and see what your pins look like across all devices. Scroll through your pins on a daily basis, and make sure they look coherent and interesting.

- Make sure you aren’t pinning or repinning thumbnail-sized images. They look deceptively good on the Pinterest app, but look really bad on a computer screen.

3. Keep Your Blog or Website Updated (Important!)

- This is one of the biggest problems I see among pinners. Your blog or website link is at the very top of your Pinterest profile (or should be!). This encourages your followers to click through to learn more about you. If someone is directed to a site that has not been updated in a month or even a year, it can be off-putting, and may not encourage them to continue to keep interest in you and your pins. Make sure your Pinterest profile links to the blog/website that you keep up with most.

- It is important to verify your blog/website. Your pins may become more pin-worthy and show up higher in your followers’ home feed more often. There are lots of tutorials on how to verify your profile URL on Pinterest.

4. Think Of Your Pins As A Whole, Not As Disparate Boards

- It is important to look at your pins as a whole entity. This will provide your followers with the most visually pleasing experience. Example: If you pin the same pin to multiple boards in a row, they will show up as a duplicate pin to viewers on your Pinterest profile.

5. When In Doubt, Pin Food and Quotes

- Everyone hits creative blocks sometimes, so if you’re experiencing this, pin a few recipes or beautiful pictures of food. Inspiring quotes can also be popular to a wide variety of followers.

- In my opinion, Food, Quotes, and DIY tend to be some of the most repinned and liked pins out there. Make sure they are cohesive with your other pins, though!

Connect with Katherine:

Pinterest – Website – Blog – Instagram

These ‘HelloSociety Influencer Guest Posts’ are shared in support of successful influencers teaching best practices to fellow influencers, aspiring influencers, brands and social media users.

Healthy Jar Salad Recipe - Black Beans & Greens With Creamy Chipotle Dressing

June 2, 2015

I have been helping to promote the Mira Fitness Tracker Bracelet on Pinterest recently, which is a really cool product. It's a more and I found this awesome recipe on their blog. I decided to create a graphic explaining the tasty recipe, and you can find it on Pinterest here. I love creating graphics for these brands! If you need some cute graphics made, just let me know!

Below, you can see the Mira Fitness Tracker Bracelet - it's much cuter than the traditional FitBits.

L'Oreal Advanced Hairstyle - Cute Hairstyles and Products

June 1, 2015

I recently created some hairstyles inspired by the line of hair products by L'Oreal Advanced Hairstyle (read about that here). They liked my images so much, they even asked me for more! You can imagine how excited I was, and wanted to show you some of my most recent hairstyles below. L'Oreal provides a wide array of products for pretty much any hair type. Their website, hairstyle.com, also has tons of tutorials that make things pretty easy for some every day styles, as well as some more dressy hairstyles. If you like my style, check me out on Pinterest.

L'Oreal Advanced Hairstyle - Getting ready for a night out!

Hairstyle Idea + White Dress + Accessories

If you like these photos, please comment below to share your thoughts. I had a lot of fun with this project! A special thanks to L'Oreal for collaborating with me to present these!