“Breathe in peace and breathe out blessings to all.” Courtesy of my Yogi tea and Sylvester the cat.
I’m feeling like I should be drinking more tea and less coffee (in addition to tons of water), so after my morning cup of coffee it’s (mostly) tea for now. This is my favorite tea. It’s something like Spicy Hibiscus. I don’t have the package in front of me for the exact name, but it’s close enough if you want to try it. It’s a yummy black tea blend with just a hint of spice and touch of sweetness from monk fruit.
I’m totally not sponsored by Yogi or anything, I really just love this blend. Also, it’s getting harder to find, so maybe more people buying it will make more stores carry it. 😜
I know it’s still about a million degrees outside. I don’t care. I’m ready for cool breezes, for crunchy leaves, flannel shirts and all things pumpkin. As someone who runs off copious amounts of caffeine, my favorite way to enjoy pumpkin is a hot Pumpkin Spice Latte. Here’s my favorite recipe to make a pumpkin spice latte myself when a store-bought latte is too much of a splurge, or I just don’t want to leave the house. You can make it with tea, coffee or turn it into a smoothie for a healthy, frugal way to enjoy pumpkin spice at home.
2-3 tablespoons of milk (original recipe called for coconut. I usually use almond milk. You can use whole milk, too.)
1/3-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Optional: a dash to 1/8 teaspoon of turmeric
Maple syrup, sugar or honey to taste. I like maple syrup.
To make:
Blend all ingredients together. Top with whipped cream and a dash of nutmeg. Enjoy. Repeat. 🙂
I’ve also used this basic recipe to make a pumpkin spice smoothie. All you do is swap out the coffee for the milk of your choice and add a frozen banana or a fresh banana and some ice. While it’s healthy as is, I also like to add an extra spoonful of pumpkin to up the vitamin content, as well as some chia or flax seeds. You could easily leave those out, though.
With just a few simple ingredients, you can make a yummy pumpkin spice latte inexpensively at home. I've included variations for a chai latte and smoothie, too! The recipe serves one or two, depending on how much coffee you drink. 😉
2-3Tablespoons Milk of choice.I usually use almond milk.
1/3-1/5Teaspoonground cinnamon
1/4Teaspoonground ginger
1/8Teaspoonground cloves
1/8Teaspoon ground allspice
1/8Teaspoonground nutmeg
1/8Teaspoonground tumeric (optional)
Maple syrup, sugar or honey to taste.
Whipped Cream (optional)
Instructions
Blend all ingredients together.
Top with whipped cream and a dash of nutmeg. I like the non-dairy Reddi-Wip
Enjoy.
Notes
I’ve also used this basic recipe to make a pumpkin spice smoothie. Just swap the coffee or tea for the milk of your choice and add a frozen banana or fresh banana and ice. Blend thoroughly. While it’s healthy as-is, I like to add an extra spoonful of pumpkin to up the vitamin content, as well as some chia or flax seeds. You can easily leave those out, though.
What’s your favorite way to enjoy pumpkin spice? If pumpkin spice isn’t your thing, what’s your preferred fall drink or scent? Please share it in the comments.
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Here’s a quick peek at some boho upcycled shirts I’ve made. They’re flowy and oversized to be one size fits most.
I’ll have them in the shop soon with all the dimensions and details listed. In the meantime, if you see one you like, feel free to contact me about it now. They’re $60+ $45+ shipping. If you’re local to Fort Worth, we can arrange pickup as well. Oh, and I’ve already claimed the first one for myself.
It seems like everyone has at least a couple of promotional mugs hanging out in the back of their cupboards. If you don’t, there’s hundreds at any thrift store. On the one hand, they’re actually pretty useful, as far as promo swag goes. even if you’re not a coffee or tea drinker, they’ll hold any beverage. Or, you could use them to hold pens or random desk stuff, makeup brushes, or toothbrushes. You could even use them as little planters. (Tip: plant in a nursery pot and put that inside the mug. No need to drill holes, and the mug catches the drainage. )
The problem is that the designs usually aren’t very cute, and who really wants advertisements with their morning cuppa?
Take this mug. I like the shape. It’s a nice size and a lovely bright orange. I could use it as-is, but the orange reminds me of the orange VW my husband drove way back when, and I don’t even know what idstc is. So, I decided to cover it with vinyl.
My Mug Upcycle Method
First, I measured the height and width of the logo. Then, I used Cricut Design Space to create my design, a VW bug, of course. (If you don’t have a cutting machine, don’t worry. I have ideas for you, too.) I made sure that my Bug was a little bigger than the logo. After that, It was just cut out the design in permanent vinyl and apply. Voila!
(Or, rather, cut it out, realizing after the first cut that you had the wrong color loaded, so you end up making a set in your original color scheme and one in the inverse. Then mess up applying one side so you do one side of the mug in the original, and the other side in the inverse colors only to decide you actually like the inverse better. But you leave it as is because you don’t want to risk messing it up trying to change it. )
One layer cut and weeded.The design I planned…The accidental one I like better.It’s still cute though.
Other Methods
Now, if you don’t have a cutting machine, you could use a big sticker. Clear contact paper does an excellent job making them water-resistant. I did that to cover a graduation logo on a water tumbler that worked well. You could also cut a heart or other simple shape out of adhesive vinyl or contact paper. I find lots of it at thrift stores. Dollar Tree also sells vinyl as well as sticker paper.
Another option that I haven’t tried is adhesive chalkboard paper. I think it would be so cute to be able to write little notes on a coffee cup. I’m not sure how well it would hold up to moisture, though.
So far, I’ve only hand washed any of the mugs and tumblers I’ve decorated with vinyl. I don’t think putting them in the dishwasher is the best idea. I really hate handwashing dishes, though, so at some point it will probably happen. When it does, I’ll let you know how it holds up.
Share Your Upcycles
Share your upcycled mugs in the comments or on our Facebook page.
Don’t Forget!
On a different note, don’t forget my digital and printable planners are all only $0.99 through August 22, as well as all of my single machine embroidery files. I’ve also made some more of my older machine embroidery designs freebies, so be sure to check them out.
Hello lovelies! If you follow me on all the socials, you know I owe you a quick how-to on this:
But, I haven’t written it yet. I apologize.
I did want to let you know, though, that I added some new planners/journals to my shop. There’s a Meal Planner, a Reading Journal, and a Fitness Journal now, as well as a set of Literary Terms posters for my teacher friends. I may get some more added tomorrow, if the kiddos don’t keep me too busy to work on them tonight. They are all in PDF format, so you can either print the pages you want or use them with a digitally with something like Goodnotes.
Now for the SALE part: ALL digital products that are normally $5 are on sale for $0.99. That’s all the planners, journals, and all of my machine embroidery designs. I have also made a few more of my older embroidery designs FREEBIES!
Please, check them out. If they’re not for you, but you know someone who would like them, please share.
This sale only lasts through August 22, so don’t miss out!
The end of the school year and summer are crazypants in my household, so here’s an older post with some upcycling inspiration for you.
Last Christmas we received a new set of bath towels. Many of our old ones had worn through in places and were ready to be retired. I hate to throw out something that still has some life left in it, so here’s what I did:
I cut the towels to salvage the most usable material possible. Then, I serged the edge with my serger. You could also use a wide zig-zag, fold and hem, or use bias binding to finish the edges and prevent fraying.
The white towels were cut down to about half-size. This makes them perfect for wiping up big spills or as a bath mat. The green towels on the right are smaller sized for kitchen and cleaning towels. The stack of squares in the middle can be used in place of disposable cotton squares for toner, make-up remover, etc.
The small squares are also handy for DIY dryer sheets. I keep a few in a small tub on the dryer soaking in diluted white vinegar and lavender essential oil. I wring one out slightly and toss it into the dryer to add a fresh, lavender scent to our laundry.
A few minutes after my 5 am alarm went off, strong storms knocked out electricity in our neighborhood. So far our home seems to be without damage, just some branches and things knocked over that are easily dealt with.
Hopefully the electricity comes back soon, though. I just did about $300 worth of grocery shopping this weekend. It would really suck to have to replace it
If you know me, you know I love coffee, and I prefer my morning coffee hot. I’m not ready to dig out a camping stove yet, so I tried a hack I saw floating around. You put four tea lights in the cups of a muffin tin and put a pan of water or whatever you’re trying to heat above them. I fully expected it not to work, but it did! The water even started boiling. It did take a while, but I got my hot coffee.
I did try using my tea kettle first, but the saucepan worked better.
Since the electricity is out, I am writing this on my phone, so please excuse any typos. 😄
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