Wednesday, October 30, 2013

DIY Drop-Cloth Zebra Hide Rug





I have been wanting a faux zebra hide rug bad.... and for a long time. They add a nice dose of sassiness and sophistication. A touch of animal print looks awesome in any style of room, traditional, contemporary, boho etc.  I needed one (yes I said need, not want) like a fatty needs a tub of ice cream. The ones that you can purchase in stores (typically are cow hides that are painted or dyed with a zebra pattern) cost a fortune and I  am not willing to spend the money on one at the moment. So, I decided to do the next best thing... paint one from a drop-cloth!
I stumbled on a tutorial for a zebra painted drop-cloth rug by Vidya at  "What's Your Home Story" and I  just had to make one for our barn! In fact, I am going to make another one in a bronze color too! It was that easy... 
My shimmery hide is a cross between a unicorn and a zebra... I call it  Zebrunicorn or Zeb for short. 

Grab a Coftail (coffee-cocktail) and get ready to make magic! 




Note: If you are leaving your drop-cloth the natural color, you may want to stitch the sides so it doesn't fray over time.


Note: Be sure to add the fabric medium to your stripe color as well. Fabric medium keeps your paint from cracking and chipping. If you stitch the edges, you should (at your rugs own risk) be able to wash your rug safely. If you polyurethane it, do NOT put it in the dryer... It could be a fire hazard. 



Once you are done, 

Don't you just love captain Zebbby pants???!!! I especially love how cheap he was to make!
He will look beautiful during the holidays and will go perfectly with some of the modern touches that I plan on adding to our home. 



I definitely recommend placing your rug in a low traffic area. Also, it cleans so easily with a wet rag!

Good luck and have fun! I am off to start planning our holiday decor. 
Ciao!
xo


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Tuesday, October 22, 2013

DIY {Flavors of Fall} Infused Vodkas




That's right!  I have returned from our fabulous vacation with the family and I am going to show you how to infuse the "Flavors of Fall" into liquid heaven. It is a super simple and age-old process that can be done with any flavor for any season. I let the gorgeous herbs, spices, and freshly harvested fruits below be my inspiration for my four Fall-infused vodkas that I have created. When you serve this at your next party, you will trick all your guests into thinking you are fancy pantsy.
These make lovely gifts as well!  

Collect all your supplies
-A decent amount of mid-grade vodka. Since it will be infused with robust flavors, a top-shelf brand is unnecessary
-Four airtight jars (or the number of jars for amount of flavors you will be making)
-Four bottles (or... blah, blah, blah, see above bullet)
-Fruits, herbs and spices of your choice

The flavors that I have created are:
Apple, Pear, Cinnamon, Vanilla (my favorite!)
Rosemary Vodka 
Vanilla Vodka
and
Blackberry-Sage Vodka
but... you can create anything your boozy little heart desires. 

Let's begin, shall we?
You will want to clean your fruits and herbs and prepare them accordingly.

For Herbs
Rinse with water and dry. You will use the herb as it is, leaving the stems attached.

For Fruits
Clean and towel-dry fruits. Leave berries whole. For larger fruits such as apples or pears, leave the skin on and chop in chunks. If you are using mangos, papayas or pineapple you will need to remove the skin and cut into chunks as well. The more chunks you have the more the flavor will be infused into your vodka. For citrus fruits and strawberries, cut into thin slices or use the citrus peels or zest.

Vanilla
For vanilla infused vodka, slice the bean vertically and use whole bean. 

For Peppers and Garlic (fabulous for Bloody Marys)
Cut peppers into large chunks.
Remove skin on garlic and use the entire clove.

Place your fruit, spices, and herbs in your jars and fill up with vodka. Once the jar is sealed, you will shake the vodka (and your booty!) for a few seconds and continue doing this several times a day.
Store your jars in a cool dark place until your vodka is ready! 

Here are the estimated infusion times for the different flavors you may want to use. The times below are just a suggestion, the best way to find out if your vodka is ready is to taste test it. Remember, these are to be used with mixers and are unsweetened. 

Peppers will only need to infuse for a few hours (around 2-3).

Intense flavors such as cucumbers, basil, coffee beans or vanilla beans take about 3-4 days to infuse. 

Moderate flavors like berries, lavender, cardamom or rosemary will take a week or so to infuse.

Mild flavors like lemongrass or ginger will take around 2 weeks to infuse. 

The estimated ratios for my flavors were:

Vanilla
About 2 cups vodka
1-2 vanilla beans

Rosemary
About 2 cups vodka
3-5 sprigs of rosemary

Blackberry-Sage
About 1.5-2 cups vodka
A Handful of blackberries
6 sprigs of sage

Apple, Pear, Cinnamon, Vanilla
About 1.5 cups vodka
1/2 pear
1/2 apple
2 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla bean

Modify it however you would like! The best part about this is you don't need to be exact, you can play around to get different flavors and intensities. 

After the vodkas have been infusing for the right amount of time, many will turn a beautiful, rich color. Once it is ready, you will want to filter all the gunk out by using cheesecloth or a coffee filter. 

Voila! It is that simple!


The fresher ones that I created are de-lish in lemonade and the ones with cinnamon and or vanilla are great in cider. Vanilla is good in all the above, including coffee!

I am working on my Christmas flavors now! The mashed potatoes and gravy flavor didn't turn out too well (insert wink).
What flavors will you be creating??

Enjoy and remember to drink responsibly.


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Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Creatively Made Home {For The Holidays} Giveaway Winners!


I just landed in gorgeous KY and am soaking up being with our amazing, southern family! It is nice to be in The States again too!  The fall colors are exquisite and I am loving seeing the sun! Anyhow... it's about time I announce the winners of the Creatively Made Home {For The Holidays} Giveaway. Jen, from The City Farmhouse blog will be e-mailing the winners and entering them into her fabulous e-course. 
Drum roll please...the winners are...


Thanks all for entering to win this class! If you didn't win but still want to get inspired with this fantastic e-course, you can sign up by clicking here!

Well, I am off to do some American shopping and to enjoy a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks... 


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