Cocktail time: Tiki drank

EASY TIKI DRANK 

Word on the street is that today, August 16th is National Rum Day so debuting a new cocktail series on the blog is only appropriate! "Cocktail Time", the new series of posts will showcase tried and tested cocktail recipes from my very own home mixologist, and boyfriend extraordinaire. For more on him and his experience on the category read his profile below.

It was purely a coincidence that the first recipe he sent through is a rum cocktail but I personally can't think of a better way to celebrate the "holiday" and kick off the weekend than with a delicious tropical tiki drank in hand! 

Cocktail recipe after the jump!

Finds: Pyrex Glamorama

Vintage Pyrex ad found via Vidalia's Vintage

I've always really liked the look of vintage pyrex, its durable, inexpensive and comes in quite a few cool colors and patterns. I never set out to look for pyrex in particular but was stoked when I stumbled across these cool mugs.


I noticed one of these guys sitting there unconsciously and held on to it for a second before deciding it wasn't worth getting because it was a single mug. Then, as fate would have it, I unearthed two more from a pile of glass and ceramic ware. They just had to come with me at that point.

Pyrex comes in a ton of cutesy and quirky patterns but I don't think I've ever spotted any striped sets like these before. If I'm ever so lucky as to find more you better believe i'll snag em' to add to the collection. Would be awesome to have a full set!

As cool as the mugs are my true pride and joy in the pyrex department is this amazing mid century coffee carafe. Its full on atomic awesomeness. I mean, seriously... how kick-ass is this?

I saw a similar carafe (sans the warmer) in a vintage store in Martha's Vineyard awhile back and was kicking myself for not having taken it home with me so I scored the internet for one and found this beauty, which pretty much had every original piece except for the box (SCORE!). The warmer rack on the bottom still even has candle wax for keeping coffee warm. It will likely be more of a special occasion or display item for me but it's still great to have the full piece.

I scream DIY

It's been incredibly hot outside lately here in New York and if you too have been enduring temperatures fit for a heat stroke, I feel for you. I do love summer, don't get me wrong - I'm from a tropical island, where it is humid and hot all the time but when it comes to NYC heatwaves it feels like all the concrete absorbes the heat making it even hotter. I'm always totally blown aback by how incredibly unbearable it can get sometimes but can you guess what makes it all better? This magical thing called iced cream.

Holiday in PA

A couple of weeks ago, for the fourth of July holiday I spent the week in Pennsylvania, visiting my friend Kate (who is the most amazing hostess ever) in the country. The trip was so much fun, filled with adventures and beer tastings but also incredibly relaxing. I drank a lot of beer, cocktails and shandys, the last of which I just recently found out is a thing down there (who knew?). I also hung out with some of my favorite puppies, explored a couple of historical sites and spent a day in Philly checking out some truly awesome new spots. That particular day even earned a hashtag of its own, #phillyfoodtour.

Here's a glimpse of what my weekend looked like...

Drink: Summer Sangria

For me, sangria is a summer staple, one that I look forward to enjoying every year as soon as it gets warm outside. It's been 90-100 degrees here in NYC for the past couple of weeks and I honestly can't think of a better way to beat the heat than relaxing up on the roof, fire escape or  - if your're really lucky - in a pool or backyard with this easy boozy treat in hand.

House tour: Living room

My living room is looking snazzy these days thanks to my "somewhat healthy" thrifty/craiglist/freecycle obsession. The newest addition in our place is that sexy looking surfboard table up there, which I just brought back from Philadelphia. I found it listed on Craigslist and had been eyeing it for the past couple of weeks. I finally made my way to Philly this past weekend and picked up the beauty from Jen at Picked Vintage. It was just what I needed to pull everything together. As it turns out, the finish of the table and the tapered legs with bronze detailing match the mini bar exactly... to a T. It seriously looks like they were part of the same set!

Click the link below for the rest of the details..

Back (in Black)

After a nice vacation from the blog and very nice, very long fourth of July holiday vacation from the daily grind I am back. It really was a much needed break from routine, the burdens of city living and I feel so refreshed. In all honesty though, it wasn't all an escape, this whole time I've been plotting away ideas, projects & picking up vintage steals - and I'm sure as hell ready to share all of the awesome stuff that has happened while I was away.

During my little extended vacation I drove up to Massachusetts (first time!), spent a weekend up in Martha's Vineyard, got tattooed, did some major spring cleaning, celebrated my 25th birthday, got my very own (another first!) powerdrill, hung out in the countryside out in Bucks County,PA and brought back tons of goodies from a day trip to Philly - and thats just the past two weeks!

Stay tuned!
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