Friday, March 17, 2017

Friday Cocktail - St. Patrick's Lemon Cucumber Martini

oh mi... doesn't this sound absolutely lovely? Refreshing, light and just a hint of green for St. Patrick's Day!  Discovered on Beyond Mere Sustenance, we are definitely going to give this gorgeous cocktail a try this weekend.  Thinking maybe with Tom's favorite, fresh Tomales Bay oysters...


Sounds so yummy!

Ingredients:

Lemon Cucumber Simple Syrup:

  • 2 lemons: juice both, zest 1
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cucumber peeled: 1/2 for simple syrup, 1/2 for garnish

Cocktail:

  • 4 oz. gin 
  • 1 oz. lemon cucumber simple syrup
  • 1 oz. dry white vermouth
  • 8 large leaves sweet basil, well muddled 

Instructions:

Lemon Cucumber Simple Syrup - 

  1. Zest 1 of the 2 lemons, and set aside. Squeeze juice from both into a glass measuring cup. Add water to equal 1 cup. Add to a small saucepan along with the sugar.
  2. Bring just to a simmer, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to low. Do not boil! 
  3. Add 12 - 1/2" thick slices of cucumber to the saucepan. Simmer (not boil) 10 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat. Add lemon zest. Cool completely. Strain into a jar, and refrigerate until ready to use. 

Cocktail - 

  1. Add gin, lemon cucumber simple syrup, vermouth, muddled basil and ice to a cocktail shaker.
  2. Shake well. Strain into glass. If you have an aversion to flecks of basil, use a fine mesh strainer.
  3. Garnish with thin slices of cucumber
Make sure to pop over to Beyond Mere Sustenance for more details and more fun ideas for entertaining by the sea! More Here

Don't forget to use your favorite martini glasses!


Perfect for weddings, house warming gifts and more

Have a wonderful weekend!

Monday, March 13, 2017

Coastal Color Palette: Sunshine, Blue Sky and Jade

Raise your hand if you're ready for spring?  Even though we live in California, it has not been very "California-like" this winter. We have been assaulted with ocean storm after ocean storm - sideways rain and mighty winds. Really not very fun, we are so ready to be outside in the Sunshine and Blue Sky!

As we've been adding to our coastal design collections online, I ran across the color palette of sunshine yellow, sky blue and aqua jade in Cottage and Bungalow Magazine and thought that it might be an inspiring color combination to try out this spring!  I just love yellow and am always looking for ideas of how we could incorporate into more of our beach home products, and in our own beach home.

Here are a few room ideas that we've collected to showcase these colors together - enjoy!


From our Half Moon Bay deck - this was my color scheme last year, and will be again this year! Love these colors together to create a sense of warmth and welcoming on our deck that just enhances our coastal lifestyle. So fun to mix and match - More info here












What do you think?  Are you ready to give this a try?  All images can be sourced on our Sunshine Yellow Pinterest Board!






P.S. Inspired by Jolene Nolte's Extra Color Palette article in the April/May Issue of Cottage and Bungalow Magazine, featuring our Surya Acacia Cobalt Blue and Ivory Lamp! 




Friday, March 10, 2017

Daylight Savings - 10 Tips to Reset Your Time Clock

Spring is coming and setting your clocks ahead for daylight savings is a great reminder of warm weather and sunny days to come - right around the corner, I promise! (FINALLY here in Northern California this weekend...)

Not sure about all of you, but I really, really struggle the next week after resetting the time to adjust my own internal clock. Darker mornings for our beach bike rides and walks along our coastside trail are pretty tough around our house. We will just have to adjust our walks to sunset, rather than sunrise. I am okay with that!

Here are Ten Tips to make the sleep deprivation just a little bit easier*:
  1. Go to bed an hour earlier Saturday night, and enjoy your seven to eight hours of sleep in your cozy bed.
  2. Kids pay more attention to their internal time clock than timepieces, so make sure that your kiddoes get to bed early on Saturday night too. That way they will be bright eyed and bushy-tailed for Monday morning school routines. (at least you hope so!)
  3. Don't give into the urge for a long nap, it will really mess up your sleep schedule. Darn it, that's our fave thing to do on a lazy Sunday...
  4. Limit your caffeine intake in the late afternoon. Maybe try a new decaf tea?
  5. Watch your cocktail and wine consumption before bedtime - not always a great sleep inducer, even though you might think so!
  6. Don't eat a big dinner too close to bedtime. (not a great idea any time!)
  7. If you usually work out at night, maybe mix it up this week to make sure that your exercise routine ends 3 hours before bedtime to give your body (and mind) a chance to relax before climbing into your sheets.
  8. Wind down with a relaxing activity; stretching, yoga, listening to music or reading a good book. (you know, the one that you've been meaning to read for months....)
  9. GET OFF of your electronic devices at least 2 hours before snuggling in bed. This means everything; ipads, computers, cell phones, and step away from the tv. Seriously, this is a great habit for good sleep all of the time. Your brain and your eyes need a break.
  10. Make your bedroom a sleep sanctuary.  Dark, (no electronic lights - leave your cell phone in the other room), quiet and open your windows to let in the sea breeze.  Don't forget great bedding, soft pillows, snuggly throw blankets....


Have a wonderful weekend!



Thursday, March 9, 2017

Polished Patio Feature

So excited to open the Cottage and Bungalow April/May 2017 magazine issue and see our fun, seaside colorful (and affordable!) indoor-outdoor pillows featured in the "Polished Patio" article on pages 32-35.  Just in time for spring and dreaming of living outdoors on patios, porches, decks and lanais - all depends on where your coastal home resides.


A wonderful collection of modern "polished" patio idea put together by author, Carly Evans - including our indoor, or outdoor Turquoise Palms Pillow and our popular Navy Blue Seaside Rings Pillow!  Coastal, without being too kitschy - my favorite kind of decor. (P.S. Navy Blue is so trendy this season!)



Pillows in stock - and more sizes and options for your "Polished Patio"!





The whole issue is packed full of great, easy ideas and inspiration for freshening up your beach cottage for spring!  Not sure about you, but I am definitely ready for warmer weather, longer days and sunshine.  




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