Martha Stewart, Michaels, painting and wine... What more do you need?! In celebration of Michael's expansion of its craft paint offerings, they threw an awesome party where we got to check out the new products. Get this too, not only did we get to learn different painting techniques like using stencils, splattering, and using rollers but we also got to paint the event space. Say what?! Oh yeah, as in painting the styled spaces including the bed, tables, canvases, rug and more. Definitely not something you get to do every day!

Needless to say, we had such a BLAST at the event! It was so much checking out the new products and trying out the paints first-hand. All while sipping on some wine from Martha Stewart Wine Co. (more on that over here)! 

We met the sweetest girls from the Atlanta team too who not only taught us how to splatter but also walked us through some of the key features of the new products. I'm certainly no Picasso, but it only took a few brush strokes to see some of the features in action including the quality of the paint. The consistency was much thicker than a lot of paints I've used before so we only needed one coat on our project. Plus it also dried quickly which is always a nice perk! 

The great thing about the expansion of the line too is they offer multi-surface, outdoor, watercolor and weather resistant paints -- so something for everyone. They really took us testing the multi-surface to heart too! Wood, canvas, metal, canvas, and the furniture. You name it, we tried it! I have to say I was really impressed with the application on each too. Now if only I could just start painting everything in my apartment like the event! 😉

If you're looking to get crafty this summer, definitely check out the Martha Stewart line at Michaels. I certainly know I will! Plus they sent us home with some goodies to try out so I'll be getting my DIY on again soon. Be sure to follow me on  Instagram to see what I make! Thanks for a great event Martha Stewart and Michaels!

Some photos courtesy of Getty & Michaels PR Team

The backyard is officially back in business and you know what that means, summer is here! When you have outdoor space in the city, there is one thing you can count on... Your friends are definitely going to want to come over and enjoy the space too! Whether you have outdoor space or not though, summer is prime for entertaining and today I'm going to share some of my tips to make planning your next get together a little bit easier!

Make the Most of Your Space

While having outdoor space definitely makes entertaining a little easier, if you're like most New Yorkers that probably isn't an option. So how do you make the most of your space (which usually isn't a lot)? If you're having 10 or more people over my first tip is to try and declutter and tidy up. Obviously, you want your apartment to be clean, but you may also want to consider putting away knick knacks or things that you normally leave out day-to-day -- coats, hats, shoes, books, etc.. When you're fitting extra people in your apartment the less things that could potentially be knocked over the better. You might not be throwing a rager, but trust me this can help. I did fit 25 people in my 380 sq ft studio after all -- all while not feeling cramped.

If you have a little room to play with, reorganizing your furniture to allow for extra standing space can really help too. When I have a bigger party in the backyard I usually fold up the lounge chair and move some of the chairs out of the way so it's a little bit more open. Again, you don't have to go crazy, but moving things to the edge of your room can make a big difference in the space you'll have.

Keep the Menu Simple

I'm the queen of wanting to try all of the things and am a little guilty of trying to do too much when it comes to entertaining. You know what that leads to too? Oh yeah, that stress thing which is a total buzzkill. One of my biggest pieces of advice when it comes to entertaining is to keep the menu simple! It will make hosting so much more enjoyable and let's get real, who has space for a ton of ingredients anyways. Big city, small fridge!

My suggestion is to pick a couple of main dishes and sides and call it a day. BBQs are perfect for this because you can grill up a few things, make a salad, grab a few bags of chips and some cut up fruit and BAM you're all set! If you want to dazzle your friends with your cooking skills great, but as long as you have enough of the food you select, no one will complain! The more you can prep the night or day before the better too. Simple and stress-free for the day of is the goal!

Make Sure the Drinks are On Point

Now onto another important factor of your party... the drinks! Oh yes! I was introduced to Our/Vodka a few years back and they just launched a brand new product called Our/Infusions that are perfect for summer entertaining. They are DIY vodka infusion kits and I'm not going to lie I had SO much fun trying these out. There are 4 different varieties Our/Juniper, Our/Oak, Our/Citrus, and Our/Tea and each bottle comes with a bag of botanicals, a filter, and sticker to mark when it was infused.

The process is super simple (you can watch the full rundown here). You put the botanicals in the filter, just like you were making tea. Then you roll them up and put them in the bottle. They can take between 8 mins and 15 hours to infuse (depending on the flavor) so I'd suggest doing them the night ahead of your party. 

The cocktails that accompany the selections are SO tasty too and come right on the tag. I've been really big on Moscow Mules this year because 1.) They are so refreshing and delicious and 2.) They are really easy to make (back to that simple factor). If you're a fan like me, this recipe is perfect for your get together:

Our/Oak Infused Mint Mule

Ingredients  

• 2 parts Oak Infused Our/Vodka

• 1/4 part lime

• 5 mint leaves

• Top with ginger beer (My fav is Gosling's)

Another go-to for me are vodka lemonades, which the kits also taste great with. I really like that option too because people who don't drink or kids can enjoy the lemonade separate and then those looking for a boozy treat can add vodka. All about those easy, breezy and totally delicious options. 

Well, now that your space is ready, you've created a simple menu and your drinks are on point, you're all set to partayyyy! Do you have more tips to add? Share your best advice in the comments below.

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**Disclaimer: Our/Vodka provided me with complimentary Our/Infusion kits in exchange for a review for their products. This post and all opinions stated are based on my own ideas and honest experience with the product and has not been influenced based upon the sponsorship.

An afternoon sipping wine with Martha Stewart, totally casually right? I was lucky enough to attend the launch party for Martha Stewart Wine Co. to get a first look at the wine selections and I have to say I am so excited about this launch!

Martha Stewart has been the go-to household name for all things entertainment, DIY, home decor so adding a wine company to her brand only seems natural. Martha Stewart Wine Co. is a curated online wine service that brings wine (including selections from Martha) right to your door. You can buy by the bottle, wine packs, or they also offer a wine club.

The service has curated wine selections from across the globe to help make every celebration or a casual night in top-notch. Dinner party? You got it! Girls night? Done! Date-night in? They've thought about that too. No detail has gone unnoticed and the brand also highlights pairing suggestions with Martha's recipes to make your next get-together even easier to plan.

During the event, I got to taste a variety of the line's offerings and it was tough, but I have a few favorites that I'd highly recommend!

3 of my Favorites from the Collection:

1. The first being the Bear Hug Chardonnay, it was smooth but with a classic Chardonnay taste. Being from California it also reminded me of my last trip to Napa which was an added bonus.

2. If you like a nice sparkling wine the Fincalegre Cava Brut is a great option! It was tasty on its own and would be great for a celebration or can you say brunch cocktails?! Count me in.

3. If you're a Rosé lover then you should definitely check out the Villa Ruby Rosé -- which also happens to be one of Martha's favorites!

I have to add, in addition to a great selection the pricing for the line is very affordable too -- which is always a perk! The bottles range in price from $12.49-$29.99 and they're also offering a special on their 6-bottle pack for $59.99. WIN! If you're someone who enjoys always having wine in the house, you might also be interested in their wine club. They offer a half case and full case offering with either 6 bottles every 6 weeks for only $8.33/bottle or 12 bottle every 8 weeks for $7.49/bottle, plus that includes free shipping. You just can't beat those deals plus you won't even have to leave your house to pick them up.

It was a fantastic event and  I was very impressed by the line. I definitely know I'll be ordering some of the selections for Spring and Summer entertaining! You can learn more about the line or order some bottles yourself at the link below.

Photo Credit: Cover photo courtesy of Martha Stewart Wine Co. Facebook