Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Beverage Station

Good morning friends! Long time no see!....Read? Write? Anyway. Here I am with more beautiful things to delight.
There has been this empty spot on our kitchen counter that I always thought needed something. I don't know, a vase, a bowl of fruit....something! I have been really into vignettes lately and have seen one or two people with these cute beverage or coffee stations in their kitchen and I decided that would be the perfect thing to fill up the space and make it more complete. Then I had to find all the perfect pieces.

Here is how to build your own beverage station:

First things first. Think about what your specific needs are. Are you a coffee person? A tea drinker? A waffle connoisseur? There's no point in filling up a tray with things you don't use or like. So first determine what things will not only look cute, but also be useful.

* Basically I can't start the day (and be a nice person) without coffee so I knew I needed my coffee syrups out there. I got these mini bottles (Cost Plus) so that I can have two flavors on hand. You can either fill with pre-made syrups or make your own. I have recipes for making your own here. Even if you don't drink coffee you can use simple syrups to create sodas or other yummy drinks. They are so fun and easy to make.

* I wanted my tray of goodies to have some kind of definition, some height and something to hold flowers whenever I have them. So I searched and searched for a tall white farmhouse pitcher. It fits into our farmhouse style and also has an actual use. The perfect thing to use for beverages and decor. I had a really hard finding one that I liked and that was tall enough. I got this cute one at IKEA.

* My husband and I have been trying out the Paleo diet for the last month and I know I could not have survived without some kind of sugar! Raw honey is my new best friend. Its a "healthy" sugar and can be substituted in most cases for normal white sugar. I also got some honey dippers to add a little cuteness factor (I don't know why, but I have always wanted honey dippers!). It made sense to put the honey out so that I can use it is coffee, tea, smoothies or any other homemade drink. Good quality honey can be expensive, but it is so much better than those (albeit) cute honey bears! Cheap honey brands have been known to have fillers in it that isn't even honey! Scary right? 

* I hate drinking water. I really hate it. Its so boring! I hate how it makes you pee all the time too. TMI? Sorry. One way I can handle drinking water is to put sliced lemons in it. But I have been looking for new natural flavors to try out. I thought it would be really fun to grow my own mint and have it in my beverage tray to flavor water or lemonade in the Summer. OOO! Or Mojitos! So off I went to our local nursery and bought some mint seeds and starter soil. The itty bitty leaves started sprouting about a week ago and I can't wait til they are full grown! P.S. I have actually had this in the windowsill while it is starting, so that it can get some good sunlight to grow. But I read that it doesn't need that much light to grow, so I am planning to keep it on the tray full time once it gets going good.  

* I have had this little milk cow for awhile now, but it has been shut up in the cupboard for too long! She adds the perfect touch while still keeping with the farmhouse/beverage theme. I got this at Target about a year or two ago.

 * The last thing I like to keep on the tray is fruit. I always like to have some fruit out in the kitchen so that I may actually be inspired to eat it. I do like fruit, but I just never think to eat it. So it always helps to have it out in plain sight. Pears and apples are my fav. 

Now lets pull it all together with a cute tray and.....

Voila! Your very own adorable drink station!

Some other ideas for your tray:
Cinnamon sugar shaker
Powdered sugar shaker (they have good ones at Container Store)
Raw sugar cubes
Nutmeg
Green berry baskets
Other potted herbs and spices
A framed special recipe
Pretty napkins
Anything else that is special to you!

Have fun creating your very own beverage station!

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