Whiskey Wednesday: Raspberry Bourbon Smash

Happy Wednesday guys!!!

In 2015, I started a fun new blog series - 

Whiskey Wednesday!!!

If you missed them, here are past posts:
Irish Mule
 Mint Julep
Bourbon & Sparkling Lemonade
Irish Redhead
Old Fashion
Jameson Coke Floats
Bourbon Cherry Coke
Bourbon Spiked Apple Cider
Hot Toddy
Whiskey Sour
Sage Brown Derby

Strawberry Whiskey Smash
Gold Rush
Blackberry Whiskey Punch
Kickin' Blood Orange Spritzer
Cherry Lime Whiskey Fizz
Peach Mint Julep

Apple Old Fashion
Rye Maple Fizz

I've made two other whiskey "smash" drinks for the blog,
but this one was by far the easiest of them.
In fact, it's one of the easiest drinks I've made.
Don't let that fool you though - it's full of flavor!

The Goods:

Raspberry Jam or Preserve

Bourbon

Triple Sec

Orange Juice

Club Soda

Orange

In a shaker, combine 1/2 cup ice, 2 tablespoons raspberry jam, 2 tablespoons bourbon, 1 tablespoon triple sec, and 2 tablespoons orange juice and shake quickly for 20 to 30 seconds. 

Strain into a chilled glass with ice, top with club soda and garnish with orange slice and peel.

Friday Link Ups: My Favorite Boots!

Happy Friday Everyone!!
I'm back today for another Friday Link Up!
And again, I'm linking up with THREE different groups.
Make sure to check them all out at the bottom of this post!

Even though I live in Southern California,

I'm still a HUGE fan of boots!

I've been growing my collection over time,

and even got two, yes TWO new pairs for Christmas!

Since I'm such a fan of boots,

and since Winter is in full sing all over, 

I thought that today was a great day to talk about

MY FIVE FAVORITE BOOTS!!!

1.Uggs

Ahhhh Uggs. I love my Uggs.

I've had my same pair for YEARS!

And they're still in great condition!!

Mine are so old, they aren't made anymore.
But if I were to get new ones anytime soon,
I'd have to pick from these, these and these!

2. Riding Boots

I've had riding boots for quite a few years too.

My favorite and most worn are black and pull on.

I have a dark brown suede over the knee pair as well.

Oh and a zippered cognac pair I got earlier this year!

Sadly, none of mine are available anymore, 

but I'm really liking theeeeeese!

3. Wellies AKA Rain Boots

I've had a two rather inexpensive pairs over the years,

but sadly they both ended up cracked within months.

Rain boots with cracks? Not gonna work - even in LA!

I guess I was a very good girl this year,

because these were under the Christmas tree for me!!

4. Cowboy (or Cowgirl) Boots

Until recently, I never owned Cowboy Boots.

This past year I've started riding with my aunt on occasion.

I've always just worn my running shoes, but they get filthy!

So I decided I'd put Cowboy Boots on my list for Santa.

While the cowboy boots weren't under the tree for me,

I was a lucky girl and got money so I could pick out my own!

And with the help of my mom, we left the store with these beauties.

I now own Cowboy Boots!

5. Booties

It took me a long time to get on board with Booties.

But certain outfits just NEED booties, 

so I buckled down and got myself a rather inexpensive pair.

And to my surprise, I really liked them!

The ones I got aren't available anymore,

but these and these would are super cute!

What are some of your favorite boots for 2015?

Now for more Friday Link Up Fun, check out the blogs below!

Andrea and Erika's blogs from Friday Favorites.

 April and Christina's blogs from 5 on Friday.

Karli and Amy's blogs from oh hey friday!

Merry Christmas!!!

December 25th!

Christmas Day!

Yippie!!!

Now that I've sent or given out all my homemade cards this year,

I will leave you with a quick look at the cute ones I came up with!

Wishing a very MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all!

I hope your day is wonderful and spent with those you love.

DIY Christmas PEACE Decorative Sign + Coupon Code!!!

Around the holidays last year, 

I kept seeing a Pottery Barn PEACE decorative sign.

I really liked the idea, but didn't like the price.

I thought to myself - hey I bet I could make that!!

And I bet I can make it WAY cheaper too!

I already had so much on my plate,

so sadly I didn't get around to making it last year.

But a few months ago I remembered the idea

and knew I wanted to make it for this Christmas!

And guess what?

I already had a piece of MDF the perfect size!

If that wasn't a sign (to make the sign - hahahaha)

I don't know what is!

After deciding I was really going to make it this year,

I decided on using vinyl letters instead of paint.

I know myself and if the letters were perfect,

I wouldn't be happy with the end result.

I measured my board and figured out what size letters I'd need.

I determined I wanted 8-inch letters and ordered them online.

While I was waiting for those to arrive in the mail,

I decided to figure out my painting technique.

I really wanted it to looked distressed, 

but I was using MDF board and not real wood, 

so I was a little scared how the sign would turn out.

After looking at numerous sites online,
 I decided to just give it a go!

The Goods:

MDF Board - 1 foot x 4 feet

Recycled Painting Paper

Green 8" Vinyl Letters

Vinyl Applicator

White Paint

Paint Brush

Steel Wool

Lay out your painting paper and get your paint ready.

Without putting too much paint on the brush,

paint the entire board, not covering up everything.

Let paint dry completely.

This shouldn't take long at all.

Because you don't use a lot of paint.

Next, take your steel wool and rub some paint off,

Keep working until you get your desired look.

I didn't have to remove much.

Once done, wipe down with a very damp cloth.

Let board dry completely before starting the letters.

Using a tape measure and pencil,

measure out your letter placement.

Once I thought I knew where each went,

I taped them down lightly with scotch tape.

Oh yeah - this guy was my letter helper.

He stayed by my side the entire process!!

Once done taping all the letters down,

step back and make sure everything is inline

and looks how you want it to.

Next, place the vinyl according to your markings

and use the vinyl applicator to make sure it adheres.

Remove the transfer paper and onto the next letter!

Anddddddddd you're done after just five letters!!!

Displayed outside my front door.

Even though this doesn't look exactly like the original inspiration,

I am SUPER happy with the way it turned out.

UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE!

Alphabet Signs is now offering my blog readers a special deal!!!

Head on over to their site, use Coupon Code ROBYNSPEACE 

and you'll receive $14.25 off PLUS free shipping!!

(Sorry - Pennsylvania customers subject to sales tax.)

Enter the coupon code in step 2 of the checkout process.

Look for the "Have A Coupon" link.

Offer valid until January 31, 2015 for the first 10 customers.

Happy Shopping!

That Time Christmas Took Over My Apartment

Yup! You read that right, folks.

Christmas has officially taken over my apartment!

It started the day after Thanksgiving and has continued ever since.

I'm pretty sure I'm done decorating for 2014, 

so I figured it was about time I share my Christmas decor! 

Please keep reading to see all the holiday festiveness.

Going to the local lot and getting my Christmas tree!

A girlfriend went with me to get my tree this year,

and she was SHOCKED they strapped it to my sedan!

Now that I have the tree, let's start from the front door.

Getting festive with my DIY yarn wreath that I made last year.

And the DIY copycat PEACE sign I made this year.

Detailed post on the sign coming soon, so check back!

Little Christmas knickknacks scattered around my apartment. 

Christmas kitchen fun!

My wonderful Christmas tree with and without the lights on.

My TV stand gets decorated for every holiday.

And my mantel gets decorated too!

Even my bathrooms get decorated!

Love me some festive towels.

Homemade snowflakes that have amazingly lasted a few years!

LOVE these banners, but I can't get them to stay put!

Every time I walk by the den, the darn thing is dangling.

Ahhhhhh flannel sheets! I put them on this past weekend,

and have loved climbing into my cozy bed every night since!

See? Holiday towels once again!

And last but certainly not least,

GIANT ornaments hanging outside.

Hope you enjoyed my Christmas decorations tour.

And if you'd like to see past year's decorations,
then check out 2013 and 2010! 

Well HELLO Garden!

A few posts ago, I said I may blog about the garden soon, but that I wouldn't hold your breath.

Well - for those of you who did hold your breath, the time is FINALLY here!

It's nothing big, it's nothing too exciting, but I thought it was about time I gave you a little look into what's going on in my balcony garden!

The poor little lime tree.

It's doing well, but looks so bare since it's lost all it's leave and I went crazy pruning it!

And holy wow - look at the Christmas tree!

This thing just keeps growing and growing and growingggggggg.

Oh and lookie there - the raspberry plant may very well come back this year!

I'd love to get some actual raspberries this year though...

My fresh herbs are doing SO well.

I can't believe it either because I sorta neglected them the last few months

I know I've said it before, and I'll say it a million more times, 

but I LOVE having fresh herbs to cook with.

The newest additions - two hanging planters with ranunculus.

Keep your eye out for updates on these AND hopefully more new additions to the garden soon! 

The geranium that just keeps growing. 

I neglect this baby like crazy over the last year or so, but I still haven't killed it!

And my poinsettia from Christmas time is doing great too!

I don't know if I've ever had one this long and I'm excited to see how long I am able to keep it living. 

While this isn't a very exciting update, I have hopes for the future!

My parents got me all new window box liners and I cannot wait to put them in and get some flowers growing. I could easily buy some flowers because the weather is already nice enough, but I am actually attempting to grow my own using a seedling kit my brother gave me a few years back. So far, I have a few sprouts but nothing worth photographing just yet. Stay tuned though!!