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Earth Friendly, Home, Sustainable Brands

Bare Candle Company uses natural ingredients and premium fragrance oils

Erin Sluka
Bare Candle Company uses natural ingredients and premium fragrance oils

I am not sure what I am most excited about looking at my Bare Candle Company candles – burning these great scents or finding creative uses for these reusable jars when done. These bare candles are as natural as they look. Each candle is crafted with wax made entirely from soybeans grown in the United States. This reduces its carbon footprint while providing local jobs.

Bare candles are vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, and made with no paraffins, phthalates, parabens, or prop 65 chemicals. Aside from how sustainably made these are, the scents are fantastic.

Bare candle co

I have 2 scents – Citrus + Fig and Eucalyptus + Spearmint. The scents are made with synthetic fragrance oils which protects natural resources as opposed to purely essential oils that take a lot of plants/earth to create enough scent for a number of candles. Bare Candle Co. scents are sustainable.

Every candle is made with 100% soy wax which offers a cleaner, longer burn. Visit bare Candle Co. to order your favorite scents and feel better about what you burn in you home around your family.

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Cocktail glasses by AlanaKayART inspired by original AlanaKay resin paintings

Erin Sluka
Cocktail glasses by AlanaKayART inspired by original AlanaKay resin paintings

These beautiful cocktail glasses by AlanaKayART are inspired by original AlanaKay resin paintings. They instantly become a conversation piece when using it for drinks. I aim to collect more and allow guests to choose a glass that matches their mood. I have the Carnival design and love holding this glass with my drink. It is of good weight and well designed.

art cocktail glass

AlanaKayART brings vibrant colors to art that can change a mood and spark some joy. When I entertain, I love for my guests to have everything they need and to look like I have put care into their stay. By having stylish glassware, it makes the gathering more fun and engaging. At only $32 a glass, they make great gifts and pieces to collect.

You can choose from 6 designs in several color palates. AlanaKayART has these same designs in art pieces, candles and more. It is easy to set a mood in your home with her art. Shop AlanaKayART today!

Father's Day, Home

A Southern French Martini Recipe with my Well Told Yellowstone Rocks Glass

Erin Sluka
Southern French Martini

OK, so a martini should be served in a martini glass but when you have a Yellowstone Rocks Glass available and you just want to drink from it, it is perfectly acceptable to make a martini in one. As I feature one of the National Parks Rocks Glasses that Well Told offers, I thought I’d share how I recently learned how to make a Southern French Martini. A southern french martini has a simple syrup in the recipe. To not use a simple syrup would make it a french martini (without the southern title). I use stevia or monkfruit rather than standard sugar for a sugar free simple syrup and I infuse my syrup with pineapple so there is an element of ‘natural sugars’.

Southern French Martini

I got this recipe from a family member. I used a monkfruit sweetner for my infused simple syrup, however this does contain natural sugars within the fruit I use.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings: 1 cocktail
Course: Drinks
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 oz Vodka
  • 1 oz Raspberry Liqueur I used Chombord
  • 1 oz Fresh Pineapple Juice I used Dole 100% Fresh juice
  • .5 oz Simple Syrup I used pineapple infused
  • Ice to shake and chill

Equipment

  • 1 Shot Glass
  • 1 Cocktail Shaker

Method
 

Pineapple Infused Simple Syrup
  1. In a small saucepan ass 1:1 ratio of sugar (I used monkfruit sweetener) and water. I cup each will make several drinks. Add fresh cut pineapple. I buy precut pineapple from my grocers fruit bowl section. Bring to a boil as you stir occasionally. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Cool and transfer to a glass container. It will keep for a week in the fridge.
The Cocktail
  1. Add ice to your shaker
  2. Add the vodka, liqueur, simple syrup and pineapple juice and shake until blended and chilled. Drain into a glass and enjoy!

Notes

You can omit the simple syrup and use the other ingredients. In this case you have a French Martini rather than a Southern French Martini (Southern=Sugar)

Well Told has the best barware and drinkware. I have many Well Told items in my bar and they always bring compliments. Not only am I a Yellowstone (TV series) fan, but we visiting Yellowstone last summer in an RV road trip. I was so excited to find this rocks glass. You can also choose city maps, colleges, literature and more that are etched with the best quality. Shop Well Told for gifts and glasses for you home bar!

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Family activities to do in the garden

Erin Sluka
Family activities to do in the garden
Photo by Marissa Price on Unsplash

If you’re lucky enough to have a beautiful garden where you live, then the warmer months are the perfect time to make the most of it with your family. However, your children probably won’t be content to sit and take in the peace and tranquillity, so you’ll need to come up with some fun activities that you can all do together. If you’re drawing a blank, this blog has you covered. Take a look at these amazing activities you could do together this summer:

Get planting

The beauty of having your own garden is that you can plant anything you like in its soil. This is what makes spending time in your own garden so different from visiting a park or woodland trail and it’s about time your children discovered that. Whether you decide to plant a birch tree for a classic look, lots of flower beds for a more colorful aesthetic, or a vegetable patch filled with tomatoes and carrots for a more sensory touch, your children will love getting their hands dirty and helping out. 

Have a picnic

Picnics don’t always have to take place in a far-off location. In fact, the best way to make use of your garden is to have your meals outside. Buy a large picnic blanket and some fun plastic plates and cups and enjoy having pizza or sandwiches out on the lawn. While you can create all kinds of unique snacks for your picnic, if you want to make it a regular event, you could have many of your regular meals outside too.

Play some sports

Children of all ages need to be active and get some exercise regularly, so playing sports together is a great way to encourage them. Sports that can be played in the garden include badminton, tennis, cricket, and football, but if your children aren’t excited by those, have a skipping or hula hooping competition instead. It doesn’t matter what kind of game or sport you make up, as long as you’re moving around and having fun.

Take some photographs

Have you ever wanted to do a family photo shoot but aren’t sure if a studio is your thing? Photos in the garden are much more interesting than those shot with a simple white background. Set up a tripod and take some snaps of you and your kids enjoying the natural world together. These photos will be much more important and memorable than those taken by a professional. What’s more, they’ll showcase your beautiful home and garden so you can see how that changes over the years as well.

Learn about nature

Children are naturally curious and nature is just begging to be explored. If you have many different plants in your garden, equip your children with a simple guidebook and challenge them to spot various flowers or bushes in your garden. If they find a certain number, tell them they can have a sticker or treat as a reward for all their hard work.