SPRING ON THE FARM + COCKTAIL RECIPE

Refresh, renewal, rebirth--all the metaphors we associate spring with are wonderfully depicted in this charming styled shoot by Arizona's Lauren Buman Photography. Farm fresh eggs from the resident chickens, a homemade flower crown for Foxy, the miniature burro, and sunflowers were included. Plus, a lavender coffee cake, cocktail and vanilla bean macarons helped set a festive table. Bonus--we're sharing the recipe for the lavender cocktail by Mint and Mirth below. Cheers!

Porch Sundays Cocktail
2 oz. Aria dry gin (or any gin you prefer)
3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
3/4 oz. simple syrup
1-2 sprigs fresh lavender
Muddle the lavender with a shaker in lemon juice to express the natural oils. Add ice and shake hard. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into an ice-filled rocks glass. Garnish with lavender and/or slice of lemon.

Photographer:   Lauren Buman Photography//Event Designer: Lauren Buman Photography//Caterer: Mint and Mirth//Bakery: sift bakehouse//Personal Stylist:Suzy Goodrick Photography//Calligrapher: Tenn Letters//Location:Williams Farm Life//

Submitted via Two Bright Lights

CANDY DRINK GEMS

I really love this idea from Whipperberry. A fun and non-permanent way to add color to glasses,  mason jars and pitchers while also adding some sweet flavor to your drinks. These drink gems are made with Airheads candy.  Don't these glasses look great for summer?! Visit Whipperberry here for the full tutorial.

4TH OF JULY DESSERTS FOR ADULTS WITH CK MONDAVI WINE

Summer is in full swing and the 4th of July is quickly approaching.  To me the 4th of July is the pinnacle of summer. People either have trips or big barbecue party plans centered around the holiday. If you are planning a barbecue blast I have some great treat ideas that you (the adults) will love! Y'see, whenever we're at a summer bash, there always seems to be lots of treats distributed to the kids... well what about the adults?  I have your answer–THREE in fact–and I'm doing them all with CK Mondavi wines. Not only does CK Mondavi provide great flavor, it is the only American made/grown wine in the "supermarket wine under $10 category." Another big reason to choose CK Mondavi when making desserts or cooking with wine.  No one wants to fry a $75 bottle of wine!

For these particular desserts, I chose to use CK Mondavi Scarlet Five. It's a full-bodied wine that offers a collective expression of five red varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Frank and Malbec) with the flavors of black cherries and plums. Perfect for these types of recipes!

#1: WINE POPS

Really, why should kids get all the fun?! These wine pops are just as easy to make as regular juice pops.

Ingredients: (Makes 4-5 pops)

• 10 oz. of wine (CK Mondavi Scarlet Five) 
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 6 oz. of no-pulp orange juice
• Couple of blackberries chopped up (optional)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and pour carefully into pop molds. Freeze overnight and you have your wine pops!

But before you suck up all those wine pops, I have a second idea for you that makes plain old vanilla ice cream a wow dessert.

#2: WINE TOPPED ICE CREAM

Using a fork, scrape up one of the frozen wine pops and place the shavings onto a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I used Blue Bell's Vanilla Homemade. But, something like a Vanilla Bean or French Vanilla would go really well with the wine taste. And the dessert fits right into a red, white and blue color scheme!

Where's the 3rd dessert idea? Well that's simply just a bottle of your choice of CK Mondavi! It's the perfect gift to bring to or serve at any 4th of July occasion. Dress up a bottle with stars like I did to give it a festive touch.

A Purchase with a Good Cause

CK Mondavi wines are produced in the Napa Valley by the iconic C. Mondavi & Family. In honor of Mondavi's American heritage and tradition, CK Mondavi will donate a percentage of sales on all bottles sold through August 2014 to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.  The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund supports U.S. military personnel wounded or killed in service to our nation and their families. What better reason do you need to choose CK Mondavi as your wine of choice for the 4th?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

MOONLIGHT MARGARITA

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  If you have the opportunity to relax this evening after a long day on your back deck or just on the couch try this electric blue margarita. The magic ingredient is the blue curacao which replaces the triple sec of the original margarita.  I love the bold color! Find the full recipe here.

Fruit Flavored Water

Doesn't that look totally refreshing?!  A pretty addition to your Mother's Day brunch on Sunday?? Also perfect for a spa party. Make sure you make it well in advance so the fruit flavors have time to infuse into the water.  Find the full tutorial at Sweet Little Gals here.

Whatever your drink of choice on Sunday, have a wonderful Mother's Day!!

Martini Jelly Shot Pops

I'm guessing last weekend (Easter weekend) was a bit busy for most people. So if you're like me, you just plan on taking it easy this weekend.  These Martini Jelly Shot Pops might just help you do that! Don't they look good?!  In such pretty colors, perfect for Spring, you can find the full recipe at Kiki's Korner.

King Cake Cocktail

Happy Fat Tuesday!  Although we're immersed in all things hearts and red for Valentine's Day this week, doesn't mean we can't take a pause to celebrate Fat Tuesday today.  If you don't have a wild night of festivities planned, you can enjoy this yummy cocktail after dinner.  Find the full recipe at Home is Where the Boat is.

Festive Holiday Drinks

During the holidays, the drinks are just as fun to make as the treats! Here are some festive options to make for your younger and older guests. Click on the names to get to the recipes.  Cheers!

Top Row:
Vodka Slushies from Food Network
Peppermint Eggnog Punch from BHG
Reindeer Cocktail from HGTV

Bottom Row:
Grinch Spritzer from Mimosas in the Morning
Cranberry Mojito
Candy Cane Punch from Taste of Home

Cotton Candy Cosmo

Have you seen this tempting cotton candy concoction on Pinterest??!  I have to try this fun drink with some lady friends soon. And it would be really fun for guests to make their own.  Maybe try a winter blue or white cotton candy for the upcoming holiday season?  Have fun with it! Get the full recipe here.

Fringe Straw Decor

Renee and Siena have decided on a baking party for their birthday in June, so I've already started looking for different ideas–including any decor ideas you can do with cupcake liners. I came across this great little roundup on Babble.com. My favorite project is this super fun fringe to dress up your drinks! Not only great for a baking party, but for any occasion where you want to add some pizzazz to your cocktails.

So easy. Just fold the cupcake liner into quarters; cut the top to give you the center hole, and cut the fringe. Find complete directions in the original post at Daily Mixer.

Interactive Fizz Bar

Don't you wanna' grab one of those NOW??! Fizz drinks are so simple to make. The basic recipe is sparkling water, juice, ice, herbs (optional) and sweetener (optional). But when you let guests crush their own fruit and herbs, and choose their favorite juice to make it, the whole idea takes on a whole new form of entertainment!

Visit Nest of Posies for her Fizz drink ideas and recipes. And why wait for a party? With this great weather we're all having--invite neighbors over this weekend for one! Have a happy!

Sunday Style: Citrus Soda Station

Photo from Floridian Weddings, found via Studio DIY.

Soju-Juice Cocktail

I saw these large ice balls on Martha Stewart's show and meant to look up where to buy the molds... but thanks to Sugar and Charm, she has provided all the info, including a drink recipe idea. The ice ball melts gradually so it's a good way to keep a drink cold for a while. Definitely something fun and different to serve at your next gathering.

Find the shopping source and recipe at Sugar and Charm.

Spiced Mulled Wine

We went to a holiday party last weekend, and the hot spiced wine the hostess made was the hit of the night! Warm alcohol–perfect for a party on a cold evening. I've had variations of mulled wine, but I think this one here at Jane Spice, that uses cranberry juice, is close to the one she made and one of my favorite versions. And for some reason, it's even better with an inexpensive red wine like Carlo Rossi. Make sure to add this to your beverage bar over the holidays!

DIY Ornament Glasses

I have passed by craft ornaments in Michaels and Hobby Lobby hundreds of times and never thought to use them as drinking glasses. Dur! Love this idea from Poca Cosa. Best of all, her's are filled with an adult chocolate milk. Visit here for the original post.

Glow Snow Cones

Here's a great way to light up your 4th of July celebrations until the fireworks go off. These glow-in-the-dark snow cones are fun for the kids and adults. Maybe you can put something "extra" in the adults' drinks ;)

The glow comes from glow sticks. The color comes from different colored syrups. If you don't have the different color syrups, I bet you can just buy those long ice pops (the kind you can get 25 for $3 in WalMart) and just shave them down to get different color ices. This would even be a fun idea for Halloween.

To get the complete how-to visit here.

Red, White and Blue Sangria

I am planning on having one of these in my hands this weekend--just like this! If you're like me and don't completely love red wine (almost always too dry for my taste), but love fruity drinks, Sangria is a great compromise. Plus, I love this presentation, with the star shaped pineapple! If you don't have blue rimmed glasses, just use blue sugar crystals to line the rims. This would also be perfect to bring to a barbecue. Just fill up a large pitcher or decanter.

For the complete recipe, visit Recipe Girl.

Cocktail on a Stick

I frequently post party food ideas for the kiddies, but here is a good one for adults. A refreshing popsicle, perfect for any summer soiree. This one uses one of my favorite drink ingredients–Prosecco. And being that it's red, makes it perfect for the 4th of July, too.

Get the recipe at endless simmer.

Mimosa Bar w/Free Printables

Mimosas have definitely become a customary drink at brunches–and why not? They are simple to make, delicious and bubbly goes with everything!

I love this colorful setup from The Party Dress. They added vibrant color with different choices of fruit juices and garnishes, around a matching floral centerpiece. You can easily create this look for your Mother's Day or shower brunch. And The Party Dress helps you out by providing those colorful tags you see on the juice bottles for free! Visit The Party Dress for more info on this and a link to the printable download.

Shamrock Shake

Since McDonald's brought back the Shamrock Shake, this green minty shake has become all the rave. Make your own with this copycat recipe from Skip to My Lou. Serve it to your kids as a special after school treat today in honor of St. Paddy's Day. I'm hoping to be sipping one on my back deck this afternoon. But, mine just might include one extra ingredient–creme de menthe. Cheers! ;)