It’s Friday, woo-hoo! Do you have anything fun planned for the weekend? We are going to work on some unfinished projects, but I’m hoping to get a little relaxation in there too. This week has been extra insane and nothing sounds better than hanging out in the sun with a refreshing summer drink in my hand.

Yesterday I went to a nearby library to teach a small class about upcycling. I have to admit that when they asked me to do it the only reason I said yes is because I was so completely scared out of my mind. That may seem strange but I knew I had to get over my fear and the only way to do that was to say yes. Have you ever done that?

I don’t have a problem talking to people, but wasn’t sure if I was the right person to be doing the presentation. Sure my blog name is Upcycled Treasures, but not every single project I do is necessarily “upcycled” and I’m really not as green as I should be.  We recycle, and upcycle but other than that we don’t do anything too extreme. The most difficult part was coming up with smaller, easier projects that I could share and would be easy {and not so messy} to work on in the classroom.

I ended up bringing in some wood slices Eric had cut from a fallen branch in our backyard, and showed everyone how to transfer images/words onto them using a basic printer {as seen in this post}. We then turned those wood slices into magnets. The other project we did was use contact paper to cut out shapes and designs to add to painted terra cotta pots. I haven’t shared this on the blog yet, but you may have seen this photo from my DIY plant stand post:

All in all I think everyone enjoyed it, and I had a fun time talking to everyone and crafting it up. So in the end, I am so happy I said yes! I also spent some time this week working on the design for my business cards for the Haven conference next month, and can’t wait to share them with you!

With that said, I am also so ready for a drink! Is it 5:00 yet?

The Rand McNally

Speaking of….I recently got together with some of my blog friends to bring you this Drink with the Girls Series – Summer Edition. All of these drinks include booze, but can also be edited to be non-alcoholic 🙂

I’ve gotta admit that I am generally more of a beer kinda gal, and I also don’t mix too many of my own cocktails {although I do drink them!}, but I may now be obsessed with this super easy cocktail recipe.  I knew I wanted to make something light, refreshing and fruity for my summer cocktail, and so I bring you The Rand McNally!

I call the drink I made The Rand McNally because when I think of summer I think about roadtrips and traveling to the beach, the lake and the mountains. For those of you that don’t know Rand McNally is the publisher of maps, atlases and globes for travel purposes. Ya know, like back in the day when you {or your parents} would have to stop at the store to pick up a map before you went on a road trip? Yeah, that was likely a Rand McNally map. If you didn’t know that, don’t feel bad. I didn’t know until I heard the Jason Mraz song 8 years ago, haha.

Anyway, let’s get on to the super quick recipe! I actually did attempt to make my own simple syrup, but then edited it out of the drink. I didn’t want to buy simple syrup because I didn’t know what kind of sugar was used {I’m not a fan of bone char in my sugar which is found in regular granulated sugar}, but after making some I realized that I probably wouldn’t actually make it too often {even though I did make extra}. Besides, I wanted to keep this to something that doesn’t take much time or effort, so that it would be something I would actually continue to make in the future 🙂

I’m one of those girls that doesn’t like the taste of alcohol in her cocktail {call me lame}, so you may need to add more liquor depending on your preference.

What you’ll need for The Rand McNally:

Vodka

Pomegranate Juice

Lemonade {freshly squeezed or bottled, I used Simply Lemonade}

Fresh blueberries and raspberries

Ice

For a Single Serving:

2 oz. Vodka

5 oz. Lemonade

4 oz. Pomegranate juice

Top with fresh blueberries and raspberries

Directions:

Mix the vodka, lemonade and pomegranate juice, then serve over ice and top with fresh blueberries and raspberries. Stir, drink and enjoy!

For a yummy summer “Mocktail” version simply omit the vodka 🙂

Be sure to visit my blog friends for even more delicious summer cocktail recipes!

1.  Sparkling Blueberry Lemonade by Sypsie Designs

2.  Grapefruit Perrier with Vodka and Fresh Raspberries by Dolen Diaries

3.  Summer Sangria by One Krieger Chick

4.  Stars & Stripes Sangria by Stuffed Suitcase

5.  Strawberry Paradise by Tiny Sidekick

6.  The Rand McNally by Mountain Modern Life

7.  Grown Up Lemon Berry Slush by A Prudent Life

8.  Cherry Pie Moonshine by Addicted 2 DIY

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!