Living La Vida Holoka


DIY Wood Anniversary Stenciled Planter

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My husband and I celebrated our five year anniversary yesterday.  We’ve had this unwritten tradition of creating an anniversary project together for the past couple of years.  It’s a nice way to spend quality time together and create something beautiful for our home.  I happen to think that our little tradition is so much better than exchanging gifts or going out to dinner!

Since the fifth wedding anniversary is the wood anniversary, I started thinking about a wooden DIY project we could make together.  My husband and I love to spend time out in our backyard and garden, so I thought that a wooden planter box would be perfect for us!  I started searching the basement for wood scraps to use.  I didn’t mind if some of the wood was a little beat up.  It’s all part of that rustic charm that I love so much!  



My husband cut the wood to size and helped me while I drilled holes and added screws to secure the box. Then, I got to work on staining the planter. I used a mixture of Minwax Gunstock and Minwax Ebony to create a unique color stain.  It’s light in some spots and darker in others.  I really love the way the color turned out! The stain dried overnight and I planned to finish our planter the next day.

The next morning, we went shopping together and picked out plants and stencils to finish our planter. Succulents are my jam and my husband’s taken a liking to them, too.  So I picked out three Jade plants to fill our planter with.  Then, I grabbed a variety pack of stencils.  This planter wasn’t quite large enough for a quote, but the word “LOVE” spelled out in large letters worked just fine!

But that wasn’t it!  I decided to give the letters an aged look.  You know, kind of like you found the box hidden away somewhere – like a Pottery Barn catalog.  I did this by using a little rubbing alcohol and a finishing sandpaper.  The outcome was perfect!  As I beamed down at our little project, my husband said, “Ut-oh!  She’s obsessed!”  Damn right, I am!  With the planter and the man who helped me make it!


SUPPLIES

  • 5 pieces of wood
    • Bottom – 12 1/2″
    • 2 sides – 11″
    • 2 sides – 6 1/2″
    • All pieces are 1 inch in thickness
  • Drill
  • 16 screws
  • Wood stain, gloves, and rags
  • LOVE, or other stencil
  • Washi tape
  • White acrylic paint
  • Foam brush
  • Rubbing alcohol and a Q-tip
  • Fine sandpaper
  • River rocks
  • Potting soil
  • Three Jade plants, or other small succulents

STEPS

  1. Begin to form your box.  Use the largest piece for the bottom.  Then, you’ll need two long sides and two short sides.
  2. Drill small holes where you want to secure the sides together.  Then, add screws to hold them tightly in place.  I used 4 screws for each short side of the box (8 total) and 8 for the bottom (2 on each side).
  3. Once your box is made, being staining.  Wear gloves and use a rag to dip into your stain.  Working quickly, wipe on the stain.  Allow stain to dry overnight.
  4. When the stain has completely dried, position your stencil into place.  Secure it with washi tape.
  5. Using a small amount of paint on a foam brush, paint the stencil onto one side of the box.
  6. When the paint has completely dried, use rubbing alcohol and a Q-tip to clean up the edges.  Lightly swipe the Q-tip over the stenciled letters.  Then, use a fine grit sandpaper to gently “age” the letters.
  7. Add river rocks to the bottom of the planter for drainage.  Then, fill the box with potting soil or a cactus soil mix (if planting succulents).
  8. Plant succulents or flowers in your planter and place in a spot you can admire together!


I thought about keeping our planter outside, but ended up moving it into our dining room instead. If you’re going to keep your planter outside, I would suggest adding a protective coat on the wood to avoid wear or weather damage.  No matter where you keep this planter, it will be a charming way to remind you of your love for one another.

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Do you have an anniversary tradition with your Mr. or Mrs.?

Bloody Mary Steak Salad Cups

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This post may contain affiliate links. Making a purchase through one of these links helps support this blog. “Food52: Mighty Salads” was provided to me through Blogging for Books in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.


I love a good cocktail every now and then. Although, I have to admit that I’ve never tried a Bloody Mary.  The savory combination of ingredients just never really appealed to me.  I’ve seen these classic cocktails made in a ton of crazy creative ways recently. From stacks of sliders, to lobster tails, and bacon – it definitely seems like an interesting way to have your brunch and eat it, too!  I don’t know about you, but I would rather have my meal served to me on a plate!  Not topped on a cocktail glass!

So that’s exactly what I did!  The classic combination of Bloody Mary flavors comes together in this recipe featured in the Food 52: Mighty Salads cookbook.  I made the Bloody Mary Steak Salad recipe recently for lunch.  It was easy to put together and definitely packs an interesting punch of flavors!

The steak gets grilled first and marinaded later.  It’s an interesting technique that still allows the steak to soak in the flavors of the other ingredients.  Tomatoes, celery, onion, pickled jalapeño (canned from our garden), and briny green olives make up the rest of the salad.  The salad gets topped with crumbled blue cheese and fresh parsley before serving.  I took this salad to a new level by serving it as my new favorite thing – a lettuce cup!


Bloody Mary Steak Salad Cups
Serves 4
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Ingredients
  1. 1-1 1/2 pounds skirt or hanger steak
  2. 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
  3. 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  4. 1 small lemon, juiced
  5. 2 tbsp. prepared horseradish
  6. 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  7. 2 tsp. hot sauce
  8. 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
  9. 1/2 cup red onion, sliced thin
  10. 1/2 cup celery, chopped into half moons
  11. 1/4 green olives in brine, chopped + 2 tbsp. brine
  12. 2 pickled jalapeños, chopped
  13. Black pepper, to taste
  14. 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
  15. 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  16. Whole Boston lettuce leaves, rinsed and dried
Instructions
  1. Heat a grill pan on medium-high heat.
  2. Sear or grill the unseasoned steak until it's browned well on both sides with grill marks, about 3-4 minutes on each side.
  3. Place the steak on a plate to rest and begin preparing the other ingredients.
  4. Combine the rice and balsamic vinegars, lemon juice, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce in a large bowl.
  5. Next, add the red onion, celery, jalapeños, olives with brine, and tomatoes. Toss to combine.
  6. Slice the meat, across the grain, into thin strips and add to the salad.
  7. Toss again, cover, and marinade for at least 30 minutes.
  8. Serve salad with Boston lettuce leaves to make lettuce cups or eat salad on its own.
  9. Top with blue cheese and fresh parsley. Season with black pepper.
Adapted from Food 52
Adapted from Food 52
Living La Vida Holoka http://www.livinglavidaholoka.com/


Even though I don’t know exactly what a Bloody Mary tastes like, this recipe was delicious (and even better the next day)! I might actually want to try the cocktail form now! But maybe sans the over-the-top sliders, lobster tails, or any other food item (aside from a celery stick) stuck into it!  I’ll have that on a plate, thanks!

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If you like this recipe, you might enjoy these salad recipes, as well:

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DIY Chalkboard Milk Bottle Candles

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Our kitchen is decorated in a vintage, country style.  Aside from a coat of paint and a few of my decorative touches, I’m pretty sure the kitchen hasn’t changed much since my husband bought the house.  Remember – I moved in when he already had the house!  We have a chalkboard window hanging on the wall that I upcycled. We use it as a weekly meal planner.  I like to use mason jars as storage and love using milk bottles as vases and other decor.  I love that rustic, farmhouse look!

For a while, I wanted to paint anything that I could with chalkboard paint!  If I could have, I would have painted an entire wall in the house with chalkboard paint!  My love of vintage decor and my obsession with chalkboard everything inspired this candle project.  What’s better than combining a few of my favorite home decor style elements into one DIY project?


Now, I have to admit that even though I absolutely love farmhouse style, I’m so not a fan of “Fixer Upper.”  Chip and Joanna Gaines get on my nerves (and that was only after watching 1 1/2 episodes with my husband) and I could probably make a drinking game out of the amount of times they say “shiplap.”  In fact, I might as well continue to piss most of you off by saying that I don’t even really like the look of shiplap that much!

There.  I said it.  So for those of you who haven’t turned on me and hit the “x” at the top of the page, let’s press on and talk about something else that I love.  Flea markets and garage sales!  I’ll admit that I totally used to judge people who frequented garage sales and picked up other people’s so-called “junk. ” I was stupid and I apologize because a month or two ago, I actually lugged a jack-o-lantern painted metal tub home PICKED OUT OF SOMEONE’S CURBSIDE GARBAGE!  Go ahead.  Judge me.

Although the milk bottles used in this project were purchased in a set from Five Below, I did score a sweet deal on bottles at a garage sale last year.  I honestly bought them for the wooden tray they were sitting in.  But the whole dollar that I paid for them has definitely gone pretty far!

SUPPLIES

STEPS

  1. Glue a soy wick to the bottom of a milk bottle.
  2. Melt microwaveable wax according to directions (you’ll need approximately 2 cups of soy wax per bottle).
  3. Stir in a desired amount of candle scent.  Then, carefully pour wax into each bottle.
  4. Place bottles into the fridge.  This will help speed up the time it’ll take for the wax to harden.
  5. When wax has completely solidified, wrap the milk bottles with washi tape.
  6. Paint the milk bottles, from the top of the tape to the bottom of the bottle, with chalkboard paint.  You may need to use two coats.
  7. Allow paint to dry completely.  Then, write on your chalkboard candles and display!


If you’re a fan of rustic decor and flea market finds, this is a fun way to combine the two into an easy DIY project!  These look great in the kitchen, but would add a little farmhouse style to any room in the house! Write a personal message on them and they’d make a nice gift for your shiplap farmhouse loving friend!

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If you like this chalkboard DIY project, you might also enjoy these:

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Making Scents of Marriage

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Thank you to Demeter Fragrance Library for sending me fragrance samples from their Zodiac Collection in exchange for this post. No other compensation has been received. All opinions expressed in this post are 100% my own.


My husband and I will be celebrating five years of marriage next week. We’ve been together for 10 years, in total.  I’ve definitely learned a thing or two this past decade!  I’ve learned about love, partnership, and what “for better or for worse” truly means.  Through thick or thin, one thing has remained the same – I go to bed every single night with a heart full of love for my “mister.”  

This year, I thought I would have a little fun with our anniversary!  I used to be really into astrology at one time.  I kept astrological charts and read Tarot cards.  Since I know a thing or two about astrology, I wasn’t too thrilled when I initially found out my husband was a Cancer.  We’re not exactly cosmically compatible.  He’s a calm, water sign. I’m a feisty, fiery, sun sign.  But together we’ve proven that opposites can definitely attract!


Cancer

Cancer, the crab, is a water sign who is gentle and kind.  People born under this star sign are loyal when it comes to family and friends.  They have a hard time opening up to other people outside of their circle.

My husband is the quiet one in our relationship.  He’s a good listener and there for me when I have a problem to work out.  Although he provides a great calmness to my fiery inner Leo, he can be a bit stubborn at times.

Leo

Leo, the lion, is pretty hard to ignore.  We tend to be a bit dramatic at times, I will admit, but we’re extremely loyal and loving towards those closest to us.  Deep down, we’re just a big pussycat who wants to be loved and adored.

When you first meet me, I’m a little timid.  Over time, you’ll realize that was just how I ease myself into situations.  Then, my loud, proud, lion starts to roar and there’s no stopping me!  Just like Cancer, I can be quite stubborn at times.  But I will always follow my heart.


When I learned that Demeter Fragrance Library released a Zodiac Collection, I needed to see how our sign’s fragrances matched up!  You already know that I’m a huge fan of the Demeter Fragrance Library!  I helped them celebrate the launch of their Jelly Doughnut fragrance.

The Zodia Collection is sold in pretty 1.7 oz/50mL Italian glass bottles (perfect for gifting!) and the fragrances are available for every star sign.  I was immediately drawn to the collection and knew that I had to have Cancer and Leo.  My husband and I even each other out, just like the Cancer and Leo fragrances do.  I put them to the test to see how they blend together.  

The Cancer fragrance is made with a blend of Ylang Ylang, Black Davana, Ugandan Vanilla Bean and Burl Wood. It’s soft, clean, and romantic.  Leo is a blend of Black Myrrh, Indonesian Teakwood, Black Pepper and Bitter Orange Blossom.  It’s spicy without being overwhelming and embraces you in a warm, sexy fragrance. Together, these fragrances are a little spicy and a little sweet, just like us! 


There’s nothing more beautiful in life than when two become one. The same can be said about these Demeter fragrances. It’s not always easy to make sense out of marriage. Demeter makes it easier to make “scents” out of marriage with their Zodiac Collection.  Choose your unique scent or blend it with your partner’s to create your own signature scent.  

Right now, if you spend $30 or more on Demeter’s website, you can get a one ounce bottle of their Bamboo scent free + a bonus gift!  Visit Demeter Fragrance Library to see more of their truly unique scents.

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How do your signs match up in the zodiac fragrance collection?

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