A Coffee Caddy Kind Of Mornin'

Hey there friends! I hope you all are having a glorious morning! To be honest with you, I have had a feeling down and home-sick kind of week. I was allowing myself to get overwhelmed by trivial things and wasn't looking at the positive. Maybe it's the lack of sun that I am so used to (I should get a sun lamp). Today, on the other hand, I am feeling incredibly happy and hopeful and I am challenging myself and all of you to focus on and look at all the beauty in life around you. I am blessed with a comfy chair to blog in (in my dream little village and home in Europe), the sound of the morning breeze blowing gently through my trees, and the refreshing smell of dawn coming in my window. I am blessed with a supportive family and friends and the list goes on and on....Ignore the negative today and enjoy all of your blessings big and small. 

While you are doing that, here is a quick afternoon project for you that can be done by just shopping around your home. I decided I wanted to create a coffee/ tea caddy-bar (you could do this with cocoa if you aren't a caffeine drinker) in my kitchen since my bar area pretty much goes unused. I grabbed a galvanized metal pedestal I got on clearance at Homegoods last summer,  and filled it to the brim with goodies that could go in coffee and tea. 

The pedestal is portable so I can carry it out to the patio or to our coffee table where we could enjoy a cup of tea or Jo!

I filled the bottom tray with loose and packaged tea, local honey, tea cups, and my homemade flavored sugars.

The top tray holds cream, vanilla extract, vintage spoons, more homemade flavored sugar, and salt and sugar shakers that I filled with cinnamon and cocoa powder. In the Fall I will add pumpkin spice. 

I also took pictures of what it looks like on my beverage bar . This would be nice for a casual coffee or tea party.

I grabbed one of my wine crates (a fruit crate would look fantastic too!) and set it up with homemade all natural chocolate oat bars. The bars are sitting on a homemade pedestal from left over dishes. The best part about wood is you can write on it with chalk and it wipes right off!

I am off to drink some coffee and to reflect on all the good things in life. 

I would love to see pictures of any of your coffee caddies or bars or just to hear about the awesome things happening in your life! If you have a prayer request it would give me joy to add you to my prayer list :)

Romans 12:2 "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind........"

*Click here to get recipes for homemade flavored sugar

*Click here for a tutorial on making homemade vintage cake pedestals

*Click here for a tutorial on making a cafe style chalkboard

*Click here for instructions on making a beverage bar

DIY Flavored Sugar

 Well howdy there folks! I hope y'all are enjoying your summer! It has been rainy and cloudy here in Germany....hardly summery but rather refreshing. I have been working on re-plastering some walls where the old plaster "decided" to collapse after we took off a paper border. We have been working, working, working for so long and it seems like there is no end in sight. I needed a small project that would give me the instant gratification I so desperately desired. Home-made flavored sugar was the answer! Below I made Vanilla Bean Sugar and Mint Sugar. You could use any edible herbs or flowers that you have in your garden such as Rosemary, Basil, Geranium, Lemon Peel etc. Get creative! Flavored sugars are wonderful in cocktails, tea, coffee on muffins and other baked goods and in lemonade. The uses for it are endless!

To get my Lavender Sugar Recipe click here.

 Gather all of your supplies; sugar, brown sugar or sweetener (use Truvia, it's way better for you than other sweeteners), an air tight jar, and 2 vanilla beans.

 Put your vanilla sugar in your air tight mason jar with the bean pods and let sit for two weeks. After two weeks you can use the pods to make vanilla extract!

For:

Place your sugar and fresh mint leaves in an air tight jar and let sit for 3-4 days. Remove the mint leaves and enjoy. This would make a beautiful gift for someone as well!

Check out my recipe for Lavender sugar!

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T.V. Wall and Living Room Reveal

Hey, Hey, Hey folks! I finally finished my living room and I am so excited to show it to you!

I have seen chandelier medallions used a few times as a wall treatment and have been dying to put a collection of them on my wall for over a year now. This weekend, I finally got around to doing it. It's a contemporary way to display an antique "frou frou" item. Not only is it a break from all the rectangles on that wall but is also a nice contrast to my rustic pallet table. Since almost all of our things were throw away items that we've dolled up, this room cost under $1000!

Before:

And Now!

Lanterns are the perfect way to add magic to a space.

To see how we made our pallet table, click here.

To see how we created our shimmering tree stump side table, click here.

I hope you are all having a marvelous day, I am going to relax and enjoy some t.v. (wall).

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