Summer in California is about as glorious as it gets. It rarely rains, is warm and sunny during the day, and cool and breezy at night. Our neighborhood sits at the top of a canyon, so the sunsets can be pretty spectacular and make the perfect setting for outdoor entertaining.
This summer, I decided to do a new take on the drink station with a Lemonade Bar – inviting guests to mix their own creations by using homemade simple syrups in 3 different flavors. I chose 3 of my favorite flavors and made a strawberry simple syrup, a lavender simple syrup, and a basil simple syrup. I rimmed the glasses with sugar and added paper straws. Then I set the table with some fresh flowers, fresh fruit, and yummy treats to make the perfect summer drink station for entertaining.
After I made each syrup, I stored them in these Mainstays Oil and Vinegar bottles that I picked up at my local Walmart for $1.97 each. I used my Cricut Explore ($249 at Walmart and worth every penny) to cut the yellow decorative bottle covers and white labels with handwritten names of the different syrups. I set the whole thing up on a small folding table – which was easy to set up and gave me a lot of freedom dealing with uneven ground.
I also used my Cricut Explore to cut out this adorable banner for the front of the table, and then I attached it to some twine that I had left over from making our Fairy Garden. Then I attached it to the underside of the tablecloth with safety pins.
I went back to the Cricut to cut out the menu, and while the lemons on the bottom of the menu are cut from paper, the rest of the menu is written using the fonts available in Cricut Design Space and the cool writing feature on the new Cricut Explore.
I made the lemonade without any sugar, knowing that most of my guests would choose to use a flavored syrup in their lemonade which would allow them to sweeten it to their individual preferences. I did have an unflavored simple syrup on hand to sweeten things up just in case someone didn’t want a flavored lemonade. After I made the lemonade I stored it in an adorable dispenser that looks just like a mason jar. I picked it up at Walmart for $9.99 (I can’t find the exact one online but here is a similar one).
Ok, so you have your Lemonade Bar set up, now what? All there really is left is to grab a drink and enjoy the sunset!
Does the new Cricut make cuts that small? Did you have any trouble? I have a Cricut and it would never make such small cuts – I might have to upgrade!
Wen can we come over?! I love it!
Can I have your backyard? Gorgeous!
This is absolutely darling – what a great idea!
This is such a cute idea! Those Mainstays bottles are SO versatile. I used them to make etched dish soap bottles a few years ago, and I also put my real maple syrup in them to make it easy for the kids to drizzle it on their pancakes.