Happy Holidays!

Hi beauties! It’s been a while since I didn’t post anything, sorry I have been a bit busy. I hope you guys are all doing well and enjoying the holidays with your family & friends. I just wanted to take a quick second today to wish you all happy holidays! I hope that your day is filled with joy and cheer.

Happy Holidays! And, Let me know in the comments below what your plans are for new years eve?

xoxo
Humaira

Gentle Barn Visit in California

Hey Girls! I watched this really heart touching video a few days ago and I just had to share it with you beauties. Have a look yourself:

Let me know what you thought of the video in the comments below! Also, it would mean so much to me if you follow me on my blog.

DIY a Pretty Bookmark

By Elle&Blair

This week’s DIY inspiration had me thinking about all of the fun jewelry that I never wear anymore, but can’t bring myself to get rid of. So, I thought why not try to give them new life by using them for a creative DIY project? Hence, glamorous bookmarks! These pretty page holders are super easy to make and they can make any book fun to read.

What you’ll need:

• Strips of ribbon – They can be any color and texture you want, so have fun with it and be creative! You can purchase a yard of ribbon for about $1.59 from here.
• Ribbon clamps – these need to be the same width as your ribbon strips. You can purchase a pack of 10 for $1.50 here.
• Flat-nose jewelry pliers –if you have a pair of household pliers just lying around, these will work perfectly too!
• Jump Rings – These are what will keep your jewelry attached to the ribbon. You can purchase a pack of 100 for roughly $1.00 from here.
• Jewelry pieces of your choice – these can be necklace charms, rings, or even chandelier earrings.

Directions:

1. Start out by cutting a strip of ribbon. If you have a specific book in mind that you’d like to use, lay the ribbon across it and add about an extra inch. If not, I found that a good practical length is between nine and eleven inches.
2. With the flat-nosed pliers, secure a clamp to each end of the ribbon. This prevents the ribbon from fraying and lets you enjoy it even longer!
3. On one end of the newly clamped ribbon, hook a jump ring to the clamp.
4. And for the finishing touch, add your jewelry of choice to the jump ring for a one of a kind bookmark!

It’s that easy and it will look so pretty marking the page in your favorite storybook. Don’t forget to follow

What piece of jewelry will you use to make your bookmark?

Photo and instructions are from here and here.

3 Fresh & Fruity Drinks!

By Elle&Blair

If you’re anything like me, I’m sure you love coming up with just about any excuse to get your girlfriends together. Well, the other day when I was out running my daily errands I saw the cutest display of drinking glasses in all different shapes and sizes and I immediately wanted to call all my girls to have a summer brunch just so I could have an excuse to buy the glasses! I think it would be adorable to personalize them so all of your friends could have a party favor to take away with them. Anyway, all of this planning and shopping had me craving my favorite fruity drinks! So, here are my three fav fresh and fruity sips. Enjoy!

1. Strawberry Banana Smoothie: Ok, I know it’s not that original, but the combination is so yummy! This is definitely my favorite smoothie flavor.

How To:

• Peel 2 ripe bananas and cut them into small chunks.
• Toss your banana chunks in the blender along with 1 cup of frozen strawberries, 8oz of vanilla yogurt, and ¾ cup of milk.
• Cover the blender and blend for about 1 minute, or until the texture is smooth.

2. Coconut Faux-garitas: I love just about anything coconut, and I think these drinks would be so delicious and such a unique take on the traditional virgin margarita!

How To: 

• Mix 2 cups of sweet and sour mix with ½ cup of coconut milk. Squeeze 2 fresh limes into the pitcher and serve over ice!

3. Strawberry Faux-jitos: Don’t mojitos always look so refreshing?! Just looking at one makes me crave the yummy minty-lime flavor. This strawberry version puts a new twist on an old favorite.

How To: 

• Place ½ cup of water, 1 cup of sugar, and 6 fresh strawberries (without the stems!) into a blender and blend until smooth.
• Drizzle the syrup in equal parts into the bottom of two tall glasses.
• Squeeze some lime juice into each cup along with finely crushed ice.
• Then, add some chopped basil and sliced strawberries on top of the ice.
• Top if all off with sparkling water or ginger ale and stir well.

How delicious do these drinks look? They are all super easy to make, so the next time you host a summer brunch whip up these fruity drinks and be ready to share your secret recipes because everyone will be asking for them!

What’s your favorite summer drink? Share your recipes below in the comments. I’d love to make some of your favorites myself!

Photos are from here, here and here.

DIY Crystal Cake Stand

By Elle&Blair

Happy Saturday lovelies! I must admit that I’m a little obsessed with today’s décor post! This DIY is a simple way to make a really glamorous addition for your kitchen counter, bathroom vanity, or even bedroom. By gluing a candlestick or small vase to a pretty dish, you can make your very own cake stand! I’ve also found that it can be used as a pretty way to display jewelry on a vanity, or set aside your favorite lipglosses or nail polishes. And of course it’s perfect for setting out yummy treats like cupcakes and cookies too. Here’s how you can make your own:

1. First, find a lovely candlestick and a pretty plate that you want to use for your stand. I’ve found that searching through thrift stores or antique shops is a great way to find unique treasures for this kind of project. (And they might be less expensive there too!)
2. Next, simply wash and dry your candlestick and plate.
3. Use a strong glue to adhere the opening of the candlestick to the bottom of the plate. I found that hot glue worked well for this. And be sure to check that your candlestick is centered when you stick it to the plate!
4. To let it dry, put the plate face down with the candlestick sticking up, and let it set for at least 1 day to ensure it’s dry.

Once your cake stand is dry, you can start using it right away! I think that Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Walnut Bon Bons, chocolate button cookies, or even some sparkly brooches would look so pretty atop your homemade cake stand, don’t you think!?

Are you going to give this DIY a try? What goodies would you place on it?

What’s Your Four?

By Elle&Blair

Hello beautiful readers! Today is Friday and I couldn’t be happier. I’m totally in the TGIF spirit, so I wanted to share a fun little game that I started my morning off with. Although this game is simple, it will keep you smiling throughout the whole weekend.

So here’s how it works…

First, look at the adorable smiley face above. The smiley is made up of a variety of words and other miscellaneous letters. The first words you see while looking at the smiley, describe you!

My words were: loyal, peaceful, passionate and talented. How perfect is that? LOL. I don’t know how accurate this thing is, but I thought it was kinda fun.

What were the first four words you saw? Leave your fab 4 words in the comments section below.

Father’s Day Gift Idea: Candy Jar

By Elle&Blair

It’s so important to let your dad know you care about him on Father’s Day, and I think the best way to celebrate him this holiday isn’t necessarily with a super fancy gift but with something cheerful, meaningful, and special. Since I think dads deserve a little something sweet on their day, I thought this DIY Candy Jar would be the perfect gift to treat him to. All you need is a simple glass jar, hand cut pieces of paper and your dad’s favorite sweet treat.  I would probably fill my dad’s jar with Hershey’s Kisses and Hugs to show him just how much he means to me.

No matter how you decide to spend the day, make sure to give your dad a hug and tell him you love him, because that’s the best gift of all! 

What are you doing for your dad today? And don’t forget to follow!

Have a great Father’s Day, Dad. We love you! xoxo

Photo is from here.

DIY Date Night Jar

By Elle&Blair

Hey everyone! The weekend is only hours away, and for those of you looking for something to do with your boyfriends, girlfriends, or friend-friends, I found the cutest idea ever to fix the problem once and for all. It’s this “Date Night Jar” craft and to do it yourself all you need are popsicle sticks, a jar, a sharpie and some ideas. It’s basically an easy way to decide what to do when you need to make plans and are feeling indecisive; you write a bunch of ideas out on your popsicle sticks and then draw from it when you need to decide what to do! Like drawing from a hat… but a jar… LOL. Here are the basic instructions:

1. First, color code your popsicle sticks according to the amount of time, planning, or money that an activity involves. That way, when you’re looking at the jar, it’s easy to choose from only dates that you know you will actually be able to do.
2. With a marker, write a bunch of ideas out on your sticks – 1 idea per stick. If you don’t have many at first, just keep the sticks and marker somewhere easy to get to so that you when you think of something you can write it down right away. Choose ideas that you actually want to do so that when you draw one, you stick to it. (No pun intended LOL)
3. Fill your jar with all of your date options and decorate it however you want! You can keep the sticks after you use them or toss them, but I would definitely add to the supply whenever you think of something so that the options are always fresh and exciting.

What do you think of this idea? How do YOU decide what to do with your friends or dates?

Photo and craft are from here.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Walnut Bon Bons

Hey Friends! I am obsessed with these Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Walnut Bon Bons made by April. Yummm!!! My mouth is already watery……..so it is have a look yourself:

It would mean so much to me if you follow me on my blog!!

My New Starbucks Obsession

By Elle&Blair

Hey guys! I thought I’d tell you guys about my new favorite drink at Starbucks. I have never been a coffee drinker during this season, so this is the first time I have tried it! It’s the Pumpkin Spice Latte… and it’s delicious!  I’d never tried it before and really liked it! It’s the perfect combination of sweet cinnamon goodness and pumpkin yumminess all mixed up into one delicious latte. Even the official description of it from Starbucks makes my mouth water…

“The ideal vision of fall: bright days that grow cool and call for warm knits as we walk under leaves that curl red and gold in a soft wind. As friends come together to mark the end of summer and anticipate coming festivities, there is one warm treat that has come to stand above all others – one that we get asked for again and again and again because people love it so much. The Pumpkin Spice Latte is fall’s favorite drink. Signature espresso blended with the unmistakable spices of fall – cinnamon, nutmeg and clove – smooth with steamed milk and topped with delectably sweetened whipped cream. When it’s time to fall back into fall, sweet and spicy pumpkin is sure to please.”

I absolutely adore seasonal drinks – pumpkin lattes, apple ciders, and cinnamon teas… yum!

Have you tried Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte? What is your all time favorite seasonal drink? And don’t forget to follow!