Weekend Warriors

Happy Friday! We made it through another week and it's time to celebrate any little accomplishment. Today, I am unveiling a new series called "Weekend Warriors" featuring five things celebrate or try this weekend. I want to start it off with five things I love to do every weekend. Here goes the list!

1. Spend Time Outside: If you are like me, you spend way more time than you would like inside. I constantly find myself looking out the window longing to be soaking up the sun. My challenge to you this weekend is to take some time and enjoy the beautiful weather. Summer is quickly coming to an end so take it all in while you can!

2. Get Crafty: For me, it's a creative outlet. I like to find something I love online and try and recreate it myself. This weekend, I'll be making this great cherry blossom cake stand that I'll share with you next week!

3. Make a Fabulous Meal: Whether it be breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert, be creative with what you make. During the week it's all about being quick and healthy. Weekends are a perfect time to try out that daunting but delicious looking recipe you've been eyeing for months or maybe make a four course meal.

4. Grab a Cocktail: It doesn't matter if you are out on the town with a big group of friends or relaxing at home with a more intimate crowd, take some time to spend with the people that make you laugh. They say laughing helps you to relax and I couldn't agree more!

5. Sleep In: It seems so simple, but often times I find myself working so much during the week that weekends are left for that lengthy to-do list of chores and errands that I wake up early to accomplish. Sometimes, I like to throw it out the window and do just what I want, catch up on sleep!

Hope you enjoy the new series and maybe even try out a couple of these things this weekend!

Let's Get Crafty {DIY Wreath}

Ever made your own Christmas wreath? Neither had I till this past weekend. Jonesing for some long over due craft time, I decided to get crafty this weekend and take our Christmas tree trimmings and turn them into a wreath for the front door. The best part about doing this is you can make the wreath as big or as small as you like. And seeing as my Christmas decoration philosophy is the bigger the better, I went big. Here's what you'll need to do to make your own!

::Supplies::

{1} Tree Trimmings

{2} Scissors

{3} Zip ties

::Instructions::

{1}Gather your tree trimmings and lay them flat.

{2}Begin to layer branches

{3}Secure branches with zip ties

{4}Continue to layer and secure until you have a line of desired length. Note that the longer the line of secured branches the bigger the wreath. 

{5}Take the two ends of the branches and join together securing with a zip tie to form a circle.

{6}Trim branches to make a more concise circle.  I had to trim most of mine from the center of the wreath because it looked a bit just like a solid circle and not a wreath.

{7}Attach a bow and hang from the front door!

What is your favorite holiday diy? Let me know. I'd love to try it out! 

Fun and Games {Ring Toss}

What's a carnival without ring toss? It's one of my favorite carnival games from when I was little. And, by the way, there is a huge gap in the market for purchasing/renting ring toss games. Hence why I decided to make my own! After many, many beers (over the course of a couple months...), 4 cans of spray paint, and countless hours of label peeling later, it is finished. I made two sets of this game so that more than one person could play at a time. So here's what you need to make it....

{50} label-less beer bottles -> note. It's better to use bottles with paper labels rather than ones that have sticker labels. The sticker labels leave a residue that DOES NOT come off. Trust me...

{4} cans of spray paint -> I used "Caramel Latte" to add a splash of something different. I was starting to get a little over the top on all of the navy, red, and yellow details. However, feel free to use whatever color you like. 

{1} pack of shower rings. 

So the best method for getting the labels off the bottles I discovered, is to fill a bucket with hot water and submerge the bottles in the water. The longer it can soak the easier it is to peel off the label. Once it's peeled off, you will still need to scrub it with a wash cloth to get the remaining residue off. Once the bottles are clean, dry them off and begin to spray paint. Once all the bottles are spray painted, let them dry. I left mine outside for a couple of hours. Maybe 3 or 4. After they are dry, you are good to go! 

Have fun! 

Let's Get Crafty {Wine Bottle Tiki Torches}

Why yes, I did just say wine bottle tiki torches. I mean, hello, talk about the most amazing way to keep annoying bugs away. Plus, they are so easy to make and you don't have to worry about having a place to stick the base of the torch in the ground. Oh and let's not forget to mention that it's cheap. Cheaper than buying a brand new tiki torch. Yes, the wine it probably a little expensive, but if you are like me, you have the wine already and a recycling bin full of empty wine bottles. Okay, so here is what you are going to need...

{1} An empty wine bottle

{2} Tiki brand replacement wicks

{3} Tiki brand torch oil

{4} 1/2" x 3/8" copper coupling 

{5} 1/2" teflon tape

And here is what you are going to need to do...

{1} Take your wine bottle and peel the label off. I have determined that the best way to do this is under hot water in your sink.

{2} Take your copper coupling (1/2" side up) and slide it over the wick leaving approximately 1/2" of wick at the top.

{3} Use the teflon tape to tape the wick in place on the 3/8" side. It should be thick enough so that it will fit securely in the bottle.
{4} Fill the bottle with oil until it reaches the curve in the bottle.
{5} Put the secured wick in the bottle, grab a lighter, and enjoy a bug free evening!