GRAPEFRUIT INFUSED VODKA

A while back I made one of my girl friends some homemade grapefruit infused vodka. It's very easy to make all you have to do is add fresh grapefruit to vodka and let it do all the work! Fortunately for me, I had enough of everything to make a batch for myself also!

Recently I used it to make a take on a grey hound and it was delish! Very flavorful and so fun to know that I made it from scratch! On a side note, this glass has been in my family for generations. According to my mom it was my great grandfathers! Tastes even better! Love having a drink with the family relaxing in the backyard.

BEST FRIEND MUGS

SO thrilled with how these best friend mugs turned out! Obviously, I found the inspiration for this on pinterest, but I was disappointed with the directions that I followed. The post recommended that you make a stencil and then outline it with eyeliner first the go inside that line with permanent marker. I did this but when I went to wipe away the eyeliner then marker came off as well, possibly because of the oil in the makeup. I'm not sure, and it may work for some but it didn't for me. My solution was just to wipe it off and free-hand and I think they turned out adorable!

However you get the state shape, the key is to put them in the oven for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Seals the deal!

Can't wait for my best friends to get these!!

DAILY ORGANIZING SYSTEM

Finally, putting up a post on my Christmas gift to Nick! He requested a calendar for his new place so I decided to give him an entire wall of organizing! This was a relatively easy project {excluding the calendar, which was rather maddening}.

To begin I bought all the frames a Michaels. I opted to do alternating colors to contrast from what was going to be placed in the frame. Starting on the left, is  a dry erase board {purchased at Home Depot}. Next is a chalk board {board purchased at Home Depot, learn how to make the paint here}, following this is the seemingly simple yet very math intensive calendar that actually ended up great! To make this last for years to come, I made all of the lines with marker on mat paper that I placed underneath the frame glass. Now Nick can write and erase with the same markers he uses on the white board. The final piece to this little frame organization is a simple cork board. Hope this is as useful as I envisioned it!

HAPPY LATE HALLOWEEN!

Made this cute little gift for Nick in honor of Halloween. It was just perfect for him because he loves Reese's Pieces and they are fall colors!! Small mementos can sometimes mean the most!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

RED STAMP

While I am on the trend of sharing what I learn from other blogs I will share an app I learned about from Deliciously Organized. Red Stamp is an app that has templates to create personal and adorable cards again for FREE!! They can be sent via text, e-mail, or can be printed and snail mailed {my method of choice}. The options are endless and have me constantly thinking of reasons to create and send one! Here are a few I have made:

Easter Goodies

I am going to be spending this Easter with my boyfriend's family because my parents haven't quite moved here yet. Its going to be a really fun day! Church Saturday night and then lots of festivities on Sunday, including celebrating Nick's mom's and aunt's birthdays. I got this fun pack of candies and desk supplies for Lisa (Nick's mom). They all have little witty quotes on them that I think she will enjoy.

I found these chips and guacamole mix at World Market with my girlfriend yesterday and think they are the perfect thank you/birthday gift for his aunt. World Market is fast becoming one of my favorite places to go!

While there I (actually Chelsey) found this cute pack of festive pasta that will serve as the perfect hostess gift for Nick's grandma who always entertains for the family. It will be so fun to spread the Easter cheer this weekend! Looking forward to the holiday and hope you have a great Easter Sunday too!!

Gift Stash

As you can see from my previous post sometimes it takes me a while to get my friends gifts. Birthdays are the worst because I can never remember when they are. I have found two solutions to this. First, I have found a wonderful little planner that has an area in the back where I can keep important information like that and number two is having a secret stash of little gifts on hand...just in case a list minute gift worthy moment comes up! My mom always used to have one of these and now I am starting one. So far not too many pieces yet but can't wait to keep my eyes open for good little finds that may come in handy! Another bonus is that one of the boxes I wrapped from an earlier post will be filled now!

Wedding Gift

My prior roommate got married in January and I was unfortunately unable to make it to her wedding. Since then we have been on opposite schedules so I was unable to get her her gift. When I checked their registry before the wedding one of the only items left was a pie pan. I recently went to Target to get the pan she requested but couldn't find it so ended up going for a really nice option from the wonderful Williams Sonoma. I also personalized the gift by adding a nilla wafers pre-made crust and some butterscotch pudding packets. When I lived with her we always used to make these easy and delish pies so now she can share them with her new roommate (her hubby!) Finished it off with some cellophane and a jute twine bow!

Old School

Nothing replaces a good old fashioned letter in the mail. I love sending random nice cards to my friends and family to remind them that they are important to me and that they are in my thoughts! I LOVE LOVE this new stationary. I have an obsession with everything sea themed so I couldn't turn these down! They are off to put a smile on someone else's face now!

My one year anniversary gift!! He unknowingly stole one of my potential future projects...and completely nailed it. Satisfied my love of maps: Check. Included quotes: Check. Recapped all of our adventures: Check. Found unique push pins: Check. Reminded me how lucky I am: Check. So great!!

Always a great gift for teams. Made this for our manager and co-manager! Missed the boat on a Christmas gift so created a New Years Gift…Best Bosses of 2011! It came with flowers and they loved it!