Links I Love

So for some reason, this past week has left me feeling slammed. Pardon my lack of posting!

1. I really love these fridge liners. so posh. 

2. Tips on making great lemonade! perfect for summer

3. I wish i had a garden just for these lovely markers.

4. Cinderblocks and succulents, clever use of space to build a small wall.

5. Love this teapot.

6. An excuse to drink the bubbly stuff... it makes you smarter. 

7. Part of why i've been MIA- the hubs and i discovered

netflix...and this awesome show!

I've also been getting into some crafty stuff here lately and will share the deets soon!

xox

Natural Jewelry Cleaning

Rings and watch bands get really dirty with everyday wear.

Lotions, perfume, body-oils... it builds up. Every few weeks I like to clean my rings so they sparkle like new! Harsh chemical cleaners can strip protective layers put on your fine jewelry, so i like to use a simple natural solution.

You'll need:

white vinegar

baking soda

extra-soft bristled tooth brush

spray bottle

small dish/glass

paper towels

 mix a tablespoon of baking soda with just enough water to make a thick paste. 

Gently rub the paste into the nooks and crannies.

Fill the spray bottle with vinegar and spray the items until the baking soda bubbles. 

Continue to spray and gently rub with the tooth brush.

I like to then drop the rings into a small dish filled with vinegar to bubble off any excess baking soda and grime.

Rinse with hot water under the faucet (carefully! I always stop the drain to avoid any mishaps) and lightly polish with soft paper towels.

Your gems with sparkle like new!!

Year One

Yesterday was two wonderful occasions! Father's day, and our one year anniversary of our marriage!

We spent the day viewing our guest book, looking through our wedding photos, watching the full cuts of the ceremony and reception and eating our wedding cake 

(it was just as good as it was that day after being frozen for a year!).  

Julio also had the idea to bring little "anniversary-o-grams" to our wedding party here in town that included memory-inducing sweets and booze (Bourbon balls, seelbach cookies, canned mojitos, mini bottles of maker's mark, and a slice of wedding cake!). It was such a great idea and a lovely way to spend the afternoon running around town and dropping them on our loved ones doorsteps.

[it did tug my heart strings to be so far from my FL besties!]

Year One is the paper anniversary. Gifts from him included Tickets to Justin Timberlake, a frames wedding invitation, and a custom love-book! Gifts from me, the book 36 hours and a map to mark all of our travels with push-pins!

We had an amazing weekend reminiscing about our wedding! We spent the night in the beautiful suite we stayed in the night of our wedding, The Seelbach Suite at the Seelbach Hilton.  

We ate dinner at the hotel one evening in the ornate Oakroom, and at the Cuban restaurant where our rehearsal dinner was the next evening. It was so fun visiting these locations, reliving the amazing memories of the weekend.  

Bee's Knees

For my birthday this year, we decided to do a last minute trip to a great bar here in town with some friends. St. Charles Exchange has a great atmosphere, and an extensive cocktail menu.  After tasting a few other drinks I landed on the "bee's knees".  

It's so refreshingly light and sweet, i had to have a fourth, ahem, second. It's a boozy adult lemonade and perfect for summer. I just had to try to recreate it, and did so quite successfully here.

My take on the "bee's knees" from St. Charles Exchange

1  1/2 oz fresh lemon juice (strained; about 1 1/2 lemons)

1  1/2 oz Gin (I like Sapphire but St.CE uses Hendricks)

1  1/2 oz honey syrup *

add ingredients into a cocktail shaker with 6-8 ice cubes and shake for a full 30 seconds (don't skimp! this is where homemade cocktails go wrong! ) 

Then strain into a pretty glass. 

* For the honey syrup: Dissolve 1/4 c of honey in a 1/2 c of lukewarm water using a small whisk. 

be careful....

It's sooo good and you hardly taste the booze. You'll want more then one!

Links I Love

Clockwise from bottom left.

1. 50 rules for dads of daughters.

2. A hammer that is 6 tools in 1.

3. A Manly Cookbook from the famed Thomas Keller

4. Wouldn't a beer tasting brunch be a fun Daddy-Day special?

5. Super-creative manly cupcakes

6. I got these for my own sea-faring father.

7. I love this simple and true father's day card.

Invest & Protect

So... I have a little itsy bitsy problem with handbags. 

I love them.

very much..

I think purses are an investment and I make caring for them a priority so they will have long lives. 

(I also dream of being able to pass down my designer bags to my teenage daughter one day so she can be super hip with her then-vintage Tory Burch or LouisV.)

Enter the newest member of my collection! 

(Can you believe I didn't have a white bag!? uhg, and side-note i would buy it in every color if i could...so versatile)

Tip 1: I make sure to have a dust-bag for every purse! 

Most good designer handbags come with this little necessity, but if a bag doesn't you can order a cheap set on ebay.  This new one has a dust bag that matches the lining! so cute.

Tip 2: When you get a new leather bag, spray it with protector! 

I like the TLC brand above. In a well ventilated space - spray an even coat about 6-8 inches away from the bag. I wait about an hour, then go back and spray the most touched/used part of the bag again (ie. the bottoms, the handles, the back of this bag esp that will rub against jeans for example, I sprayed 3 times waiting an hour in between each spray). Let dry for at least 4-6 hours before using (overnight is best).

 Tip 3: Tie the handles out-side the bag.

This can help keep the shape extended properly, and help you pick out what the bag is easily if dust bags are all the same.

 Tip 4: remove long straps if you can, roll them up, and store inside the bag.

It will keep them from getting bent in funny places.

Tip 5: make sure they're accessible and store properly!

I keep everything stored on two shelves on the side of my closet. top shelf for smaller bags and clutches, bottom for the larger options. It does require some effort to tug my clothes out of the way, but I keep a tap light just inside to help illuminate my options and make finding what i want a breeze! 

I try not shove, and make sure everything has just enough space to not get bent or misshapen.

Also, depending on how long i've been using the bag, I will clean and protect it again before rotating it back into my closet. That way it's ready to go when I want to use it!

These extra steps will make those investments last a lifetime.

Strawberry Jam

I scoured the internet for recipes, read a few, and then decided to wing it.

4 Cups of sliced strawberries

1 cup of sugar

juice from 1 ripe lime

Combine everything in a saucepan, bring to a light boil for about 3-5 minutes, then reduce to medium heat and cook down until soupy and thickened. It took mine about 20 minutes on medium to medium-high heat.

I used much less sugar then other recipes  called for, but my strawberries were super-ripe and so naturally sweet. I wanted to highlight this rather then sugar-it out. 

Also... I really need a better camera.

Strawberry Pie

Before our spoils spoiled, I had to do something yummy!

Just enough for a pie and some jam.  

I'm a big believer in homemade pie crust. It's truly not that difficult and the taste is leaps and bounds better than that store bought preservative laden stuff.

I used this basic pie crust recipe, and this filling recipe. It was super simple, and after setting overnight and topping with fresh whipped cream, it was delicious!!

Links I Love

The past week has been nuts for me. My super-big-deal licensing exam is Monday, so I've been spending most of my spare time studying like crazy and avoiding studying like crazy by looking at blogs and pretty things online.

clockwise from top left 

Cake Kitchen Paper products - 

beautiful paper place-mats and serving papers to class up an indoor or outdoor dinner party. 

An indoor summer picnic table-scape 

ThSkimm is a lovely little service that sends all the most important news highlights to your inbox on the daily.
It's how i stay informed and it's geared towards educated professional women

J.Crew 25% off with code SUMMER ends Sunday

These love knot rings on etsy are beautiful but way too expensive - i like this version just as much.

Craving these awesome looking muffins from Joy the Baker
(stress makes me want nothing but bread and cheese!)

Yoga Poses for stress relief.. man i need it these past few days. 

Strawberry Fields Forever

We had an amazing time this Saturday picking strawberries!

This is one of those things that makes me really like living in Kentucky. A short drive over the bridge to Starlight, Indiana puts in the middle of Huber's Family Farm. They do seasonal "u-pick" and right now, is Strawberry season! 

 rows and rows of berries!

The Vineyards.

It was also fun to spend some time here with it being so close to our anniversary. The Thursday evening prior to our wedding, my parents hosted an evening out at the farm for our family and friends who were in town for the festivities. We hadn't been back since, but have vowed to make this a more regular thing.

They also have a winery! So we picked up a few bottles, and hope to plan a summer tasting party with some friends sometime soon.

It was a great Saturday.

Now I just have to figure out what to do with 7 pounds of delicious strawberries in the next few days. I'm thinking pie and homemade jam. yum.