For this week’s edition of “What We Love Wednesday” we pulled together some of our favorite sweet summer jams to pump up your pool party or make folding laundry a little more exciting. If your iTunes is need of a refresher check our “Sweet Summer Sounds” Spotify playlist and our personal “top 5” picks below. Guaranteed to make you shake your booty. I mean, it is summer after all, let’s party!
EM:
• Do the Best We Can—Fialta
• Great Night—NEEDTOBREATHE
• Without You—Parachute
• Cheap Thrills—Sia
• Me Too—Meghan Trainor
ASHLEY:
• Ride—Twenty One Pilots
• Cake By The Ocean—DNCE
• My House–Flo Rida
• Just Like Fire–P!nk
• Shut Up and Dance—Walk the Moon
DANELLE:
• Can’t Stop The Feeling!—Justin Timberlake
• FourFiveSeconds—Rihanna, Kanye, Paul McCarney
• Wherever I Go—One Republic
• Never Forget You—Zara Larsson
• Wild Things—Alessia Cara
MEGAN:
• Dog Days Are Over—Florence and the Machine
• Fancy—Iggy Azalea
• Summer of 69—Bryan Adams
• That Was a Crazy Game of Poker—OAR
• Girls Just Wanna Have Fun—Cyndi Lauper
I’ve got a great DIY gift basket idea that can be given as a birthday gift, wedding gift, or for that student headed off to college. Even though this basket was made specifically for a wedding gift, I think the bakers and cooks in your life would love to receive this gift basket! If you are giving it to a baker friend, swap out a few of the items to suit like swapping out some of the kitchen utensils for cupcake liners, piping bags and tips, or sprinkles. And maybe the recipient of this basket will bake you some special treats or invite you over for some dessert! 🙂
Head to your favorite store (aka Target…my favorite store) or if you are on a budget, the dollar store has great kitchen items too. Once you’ve got all of your items find a basket or container to fit everything and get to filling up that basket! For a list of items I bought for this basket—checkout the list below.
Gift basket items:
Rolling pin
Half size baking sheet
Cooling rack
Spatula
Parchment paper
Cookie mix
Measuring cups (for dry and liquid ingredients)
Measuring spoons
Cookie cutters
Oven mitt
Dish towels
Bowl scrapper
assortment of other kitchen utensils (to fill basket)
Mom Shirt: I think this shirt speaks for itself! If you are a Diet Coke aficionado (read: addict) like me, you need this in your life. It is the perfect tee to throw on with your fave pair of jeans, a cute summer skirt or under a great light jacket. Anyone who has seen me lately, has most likely seen the shirt as well. It is just as comfy as it is cute. And even better, the cutest husband and wife duo design the shirts and run this great shop. Go check it out and grab a shirt… or two! Image Source: momshirt.com
Batiste Hair: I’m no stranger to dry shampoo. In fact, if you look in my bathroom cabinet at any one time you’re bound to find at least 4 different brands of dry shampoo. I use dry shampoo every day whether I shower or not. I have fine hair so I use it to give my hair some weight and texture and then of course on days I don’t wash my hair I use it help eliminate oils and bedhead. I was on a work trip one time and had forgotten to bring dry shampoo and stumbled across this blonde version of Batiste at a ransom Urban Outfitters. I was intrigued by the “blondeness” it offered. My hair has blonde highlights (from a bottle) and this magic little can not only adds volume, texture, and depth, but it covers up any highlight regrowth! WIN!! It seriously is like magic. Just don’t go hog-wild and spray it all over like crazy. If you do, your scalp will glow yellow. So just spray a little on the top of you’re looking for a miracle between highlights! Image Source: Ulta
Amope Pedi Perfect: Summer is officially here and that means…you probably need to show your feet some love to get them into tip top shape to wear your flip flops and those cute strappy sandals you’ve been itching to wear! Because let’s be honest, we are not all blessed with feet and heels that are as smooth as a baby’s bottom. Haha! I sure wasn’t! So, if you are like me and have been cursed with dry rough heels that have to be attended to all summer long you know a professional pedicure each week is just not doable for us busy working gals that don’t have the time. But don’t fret because there is a way to get smooth heels at home on your own with the Amope Pedi Perfect! This little machine will file your rough heels and smooth them out and it’s easy to use. All you have to do is turn it on and move it all around the rough areas. This little tool is great for at home pedicures and perfect for touch ups in between those professional pedicures. Image Source: Amazon
Younique Touch Liquid Foundation: I have gone most of my life without wearing any type of foundation. Every kind I’ve tried feels heavy and sticky. Now that I’m turning 29 (+4 ), my skin is changing and is not like it used to be. I decided to try the Younique Touch Liquid Foundation since I kept hearing such great things about it. (No, I don’t sell it, but if you are interested I can put you in touch with about 20 consultants!) This stuff is absolutely amazing. It has great coverage and the best part is, I can’t even tell I’m wearing it. Once the liquid touches your skin, it feels like powder. If you’re in the market for a new foundation or are curious because of my awesome review, I highly suggest you check it out!
The 4th of July is right around the corner and if you are looking for some decorating ideas to spruce up your mantel, I’ve got a few crafts and DIYs to share with you! DON’T HAVE A MANTEL? Don’t worry…you can recreate these decor ideas using a shelf or bookcase in your house. You can also decorate a console table you may have in your entryway or in your living room. The possibilities are endless!
I designed this 4th or July mantel with a big statement piece, a DIY string art of the USA. I have wanted to do a string art piece for a long time but, could never decide on what to do until I saw Wendy from The Paisley Pickle making one at a friends house. Just a warning…this string art project is not for the faint-hearted crafter. This project takes patience and time. But, once it’s finished you will be thrilled with the results! I am! And I love the finished project even though it tested my patience. Look below for all of the materials needed and instructions on how to make your own the string art.
The wood stars, firecrackers, and 4th & flag can be purchased from the Wood Connection. The wood pieces come unfinished and can be decorated and painted however you like. I painted and distressed mine and added a few embellishments to some of the pieces to give them some dimension. And the USA letters were from Target’s dollar spot section.
DIY How To—USA Map String Art
Materials Needed:
4 wood boards that are 24″ x 5″ and 2 boards/pieces to nail to the back to hold it together.
String – I used DMC Baroque Crochet Cotton for the white string and DMC Embroidery Floss for the red string
Box of nails (you will want a nail with a decent head so the string won’t pop off)
Stain – I used Rustoleum stain in Kona
Cheesecloth and vinyl gloves (for staining)
USA map template (Get it printed at Office Max or your local print shop and ask them for an engineer print.)
Step 1: Cut and nail together wood planks
Step 2: Stain your wood board.
Step 3: Print out the map template.
Step 4: Once your stain is dry, cut out the template and tape it to your board.
Step 5: Time to get the hammer out! Nail around the entire outline of the map – I spaced out the nails about an inch apart. (Warning: this step is the hardest and longest. Don’t get discouraged.)
Step 6: Once all of your nails are in, remove the paper template.
Step 7: Now for the fun part! Get your string and tie a knot around the head of one of the nails. Start by stringing the string down towards the heart and wrapping the string around one of the nails of the heart. (Tip: since the heart has less nails, you will need to string the outside strings around the nails multiple times.) Keep repeating until you are all done. Once you are done, tie another knot.
Step 8: Get your red DMC Embroidery Floss. Begin by tying a knot around one of the nails around the heart and string the string back and forth criss crossing the string.
Wood Connection Wood Projects
Materials Needed:
Red, white/cream, and blue paint
Foam brushes
Sand paper
Wood glue
Painters tape
Balsa wood sticks (for the stripes on the flag)
Metal star embellishment
Twin for embellishment
Thick wire for the firecrackers (can be purchased from Lowe’s or Home Depot)
Wire cutters
A pencil or wooden dowel to wrap the wire around to crate the twisted shape
Step 1: Sand any rough edges and wipe all wood pieces down with a cloth to get rid of any saw dust.
Step 2: Paint all wood pieces the desired colors and let dry. For the flag, I taped off the section for the blue and let dry and then covered the blue to paint the red.
Step 3: Once they have dried, sand the edges to distress (optional).
Step 4: Glue small stars onto the ‘4’, the balsa wood sticks to the flag, and the star to the flag.
Step 5: Cut wire to desired length and wrap it around a pencil/dowel to twist it into shape.
Step 6: Place a tiny amount of glue onto the end of the wire and insert into hole on top of each firecracker.
Step 7: Tie or wrap twine around whatever you want (optional).
These Blue Moon cupcakes are light and fluffy topped with zesty orange cream cheese frosting. When I first came across these on Pinterest, I knew I needed to pin it for later so that I could make them for one of my friends who loves Blue Moon beer! So surprise a Blue Moon loving friend with these scrumptious cupcakes!
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter for 1 minute, until pale and fluffy. Add sugar. Cream together butter and sugar for 3-4 minutes.
Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides of the bowl after each addition. Add vanilla and orange zest; mix until just combined.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together beer and milk. Alternatively add beer mixture and flour mixture to butter mixture until fully incorporated.
Fill cupcake liners 1/2 – 2/3 full. Bake for 15-18 minutes until slightly golden brown and cupcakes bounce back at the touch of a finger, or a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
In a stand mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and cream cheese.
Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until all sugar has been added, scraping down sides of bowl after each addition. Stir in orange juice until fully incorporated.
Pipe frosting onto cupcakes and top with fresh orange zest and small orange slice, if desired.
