Bottoms Up // Mojitos with Homemade Simple Syrup

Bottoms Up // Mojitos with Homemade Simple Syrup

Bottoms Up // Mojitos with Homemade Simple Syrup

Bottoms Up // Mojitos with Homemade Simple Syrup

Sometimes I feel a little weird ordering a mojito when we’re out and about. I dunno, maybe they seem kind of cliché to me, or they got really trendy and I feel a bit cheesy asking a bartender to make me one. But making them at home for ourselves is a whole different story! I know. There is no rhyme or reason to my theories, but I do know that if you hand Mr. Lovely some mint and a muddler he makes magic. So here’s his recipe.

  • mint
  • limes
  • sugar
  • water
  • clear rum
  • seltzer
  • cocktail shaker
  • muddler
  • ice

First, make your simple syrup. Use a sugar-water ratio of 2:1. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. As soon as the water starts to boil, turn off the heat and add the sugar. Stir until fully dissolved. Let cool in the pan, transfer to a sealed container, and store in the refrigerator.

Bottoms Up // Mojitos with Homemade Simple Syrup

Now on to the good stuff! In a shaker, muddle a few sprigs of mint and half a lime, sliced.

Bottoms Up // Mojitos with Homemade Simple Syrup

Once muddled, pour one part simple syrup and two parts rum into the shaker. Add ice and shake.

Bottoms Up // Mojitos with Homemade Simple Syrup

Pour into your glass and top with seltzer. Stir gently. Garnish with an extra sprig of mint and serve! xoxo

Bottoms Up // Mojitos with Homemade Simple Syrup

Bottoms Up // Mojitos with Homemade Simple Syrup

Bottoms Up // Mojitos with Homemade Simple Syrup

Eat Out // fōnuts

Eat Out // fōnuts

Eat Out // fōnuts

Sometimes you just really want a donut. And sometimes you want that donut to have bacon on it. Enter fōnuts. Like, faux donuts. Because the deal at fōnuts is that nothing they serve is ever fried — it’s all either steamed or baked. So naturally, Mr. Lovely and I had to go and check this place out to see how good a steamed donut can be.

Eat Out // fōnuts

Eat Out // fōnuts

We popped by on a lazy Saturday morning and found a seat in the sunshine. While we were trying to decide on our order the kind folks behind the counter let us try a mini version of the Strawberry Buttermilk, which tasted like the best strawberry milkshake I’d ever had. After much deliberation, we decided to sample a few and got a half dozen: Rosemary Olive Oil, Maple Bacon, Chorizo Cheddar, Blueberry Earl Gray, Lemon, and a good old Glazed with Sprinkles.

Eat Out // fōnuts

Eat Out // fōnuts

We just wanted a couple bites of each, so we got down to business. Weirdly, I think my fave was the Chorizo Cheddar! It was like a breakfast sandwich — savory and filling. Mr. Lovely was loving the Maple BaconEach one kind of had its own vibe — the Rosemary was like bread before a meal, the glazed was cakey, the blueberry made you feel like you were 8 years old again and you needed a glass of milk. Truth be told, I can’t vouch for the lemon; that was Mr. Lovely’s choice through and through. I don’t really do lemon pastry. Blech.

But long story short, it was all delicious and it’s a quick, easy stop for sharing a sweet! Grab a couple of coffees and split a fōnut or two. You won’t be sorry. xoxo

Eat Out // fōnuts

Eat Out // fōnuts

Eat Out // fōnuts

Eat Out // fōnuts

DIY Gold-Toe Flats

DIY Gold-Toe Flats
DIY Gold-Toe Flats

While I was in Old Navy recently, looking at some shirts, I came across these rockin’ neon pointy-toed flats. I fell in love with the shape and the color (and the price!), and thought right away that they’d be perfect for a little golden project that I’ve been thinking of for a while now. So I snatched ‘em up.

If you want golden toes, too, here’s what you’ll need:

DIY Gold-Toe Flats

Start by taping off the area that you’d like to gild (ScotchBlue tape has become my favorite for gold leaf projects — it makes nice, clean borders). Make sure you tape the area where the shoe meets the sole also.

DIY Gold-Toe Flats

Paint a liberal amount of ModPodge on the taped-off area.

DIY Gold-Toe Flats

Gently lay gold leaf over the ModPodge and carefully pat it down using a clean, dry paintbrush.

DIY Gold-Toe Flats

Let dry completely, and carefully peel off the tape. Use the dry paintbrush to brush away any excess gold leaf.

DIY Gold-Toe Flats

You’re ready to step out! I love how these look. It’s probably best to be a little careful with these guys (don’t wear them in the rain or to a monster truck rally or anything crazy like that). But other than that, have a ball making them and wearing them. xoxo

DIY Gold-Toe Flats

DIY Gold-Toe Flats

Lovely Indeed Around the Web

CHECKIT

Just wanted to pop in and give you a few links to hit up on your lunch hour! Lovely Indeed has been making lots of appearances around the web this month, so check ‘em out if you haven’t already. xoxo

I’ve got a desktop wallpaper for you here

Don’t forget about the garden marker download I made here

… and I’m a Crafty Superstar over here!

Photobooth Factory // Cinco de Mayo Fringe

fringe7

fringe5

There was no way this backdrop wasn’t going to happen. I mean, if Cinco de Mayo isn’t an excuse to have a photo wall full of giant fringe, I don’t know what is. So there.

This was my first project ever using the most delicious crepe paper I have ever found. It’s from Carte Fini, and it’s this amazing, heavy, delicious crepe paper that comes in a long, rolled-up sheet. (It’s about 19 inches wide and 8 feet long.) You can find it in other party stores as well; just do a search for “crepe paper rolls” and it should produce lots of options. If you want to make this backdrop, here’s the low-down:

Materials

  • crepe paper rolls in various colors
  • scissors
  • paper cutter, if available
  • masking tape

Make Time: 45 minutes

fringe1

First, cut your crepe paper into strips that are 5 feet long and about 6 inches wide. It’s okay if your width isn’t exact!

fringe2

Using a paper cutter or scissors, cut 1-inch-wide fringe along the strips, leaving about 2 inches intact.

fringe3

fringe4

Tape your fringed paper to the wall using multiple pieces of masking tape. Start at the bottom and work your way up, hiding the masking tape of the previous rows as you go.

fringe

On the top row, roll your masking tape so that it’s double-sided and hidden behind the crepe paper.

Set up your camera and snap away at your Cinco de Mayo fiesta! Mr. Lovely and I had fun messing around with this one — the ukulele even came out to play. Have fun, amigos! xoxo

fringe2

fringe6

fringe8

Desktop Designers // Keema of Pencil Me In Stationery

 Desktop Designers // Keema of Pencil Me In Stationery

Today’s lovely Desktop Designer is a pro with color and pattern. Just looking at Keema’s site, Pencil Me In Stationery, is a fresh breath of inspiration and delicious design. (I’m a particular fan of this diamond pattern!) And if downloading her desktop wallpaper isn’t enough, you can bring her designs into the rest of your home if you visit her sweet Etsy shop.

I just love what Keema put together for today’s download! The colors are so gentle, and so are the words. It’s the perfect peaceful thing to have on my desktop as a reminder. Here’s a little more from Keema.

Desktop Designers // Keema of Pencil Me In Stationery

Big thanks to Keema for the loveliness she’s sharing today! Be sure to download her design below. And if you love this design, there are a few similar ones in her Etsy shop — check them out here. (By the way, I also checked out her friend Lauriana Mae’s music, and it’s awesome!) Have a great weekend, all! xoxo

Download for Desktop.
Download for Tablet.
Download for Phone.

Desktop Designers // Keema of Pencil Me In Stationery

Oh, I Want To Go

ADVENTURERE

Image by Jeremy K. Spencer.

Serious case of wanderlust happening over here right now. And it’s a good thing, because we’re going to be away from home for about 6 weeks soon — May and June are full of work trips, play trips, and family business that’s taking us out of town (lots more details to come).

But I think that Mr. Lovely and I have lived this crazy, on-the-road life for so long because of all the touring that now if we are in one place for more than a few months, we both get a little itchy. And I’m pretty cool with that. I’ve always had a desire to go and see everything. Just everything. To be honest, it’s almost overwhelming sometimes because I feel stressed about seeing as many places as I can. I want to get to know the whole world.

For today though, I’ll have to trick myself into thinking that I’m jetting off to somewhere amazing. I think if I could go anywhere today, it would be Paris. And I’d run around with my camera in one hand and a baguette in the other, just doin’ my thang. I’d stop at a flea market and then a flower shop, and then go sit on my patio and sip something delicious while the sun went down. There. That sounds good.

Come on, play! If you could go anywhere today, where would it be? xoxo