DIY Life

I celebrated another birthday this week, so I've got party decor on the brain, and this is one of my favorite tutorials from Ms. Martha herself (do I need a last name here?). Swizzle sticks are a surefire way to add a touch of elegance to your table setting, whether you're hosting a dinner party or entertaining a simple gathering of friends.

The tutorial includes a super easy-to-use template and requires just a few handy materials like tissue paper, floral tape, scissors and stamens. That's it!

And while we're on the subject of drink decor, here's one of my favorite spritzer recipes from Real Simple. Or, you can throw a fun margarita party with these great tips from ShelterPop. Lastly, while we enjoy just a few more days of summer, why not check out The Scentual Life, DIY Life's round-up of summery drinks. After all, you don't need a party to enjoy a refreshing drink -- all swizzle sticks aside.

Join me each week as I explore the naturally aromatic side of DIY. Helpful recipes for your "scentual" pleasure: from essential oils, herbs, and other botanicals to soap-making, body care products and other useful blends.

The mint in my yard is running wild just about now, begging to be plucked and used. That sure is handy, since it's hot outside! I could really use some cooling fresh mint in my beverages, to combat this sweltering heat.

I'm sure you must also have some peppermint essential oil around the house, right? You've got to have some left over, after making your chocolate mint lip balm and ant repellent, so pull it out and add some cool to your summer drinks.

After the break, I'll share recipes for simple syrup with mint, which can be used for a number of summery delights, and other refreshing minty recipes to keep your beverages interesting -- as well as hydrating.

Here in the United States, July Fourth means cookouts, BBQs, celebrations, and parties. With most parties come food and drink, and if you're hosting, you're bound to need to know how to mix up some festive beverages.

Most of us know our way around a margarita and a mojito, but I, for one, don't know how to make any patriotic drinks. Thanks to DIY Maven over at Curbly, we'll all know how to serve up some Independence Day libations.

The fun part of her drink recipes is that the non-alcoholic versions are given, so designated drivers, boaters, and swimmers, along with the kiddies, can drink responsibly and still partake in the festivities.

From a layered red, white, and blue drink, to a pumped-up lemonade with a cherry on top, these drink recipes should please the masses at your shindig.

Summer is here and it's berry season. Mmm: fresh blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are at hand! We went you-pick blueberry picking last June and had the best time, although it was incredibly hot. Are you planning to pick berries this summer? The best source for berry-picking tips is the website Pick Your Own. Here are a handful of their top tips:

1. It's summer: bring lots of drinks, plus snacks, hats, sunscreen and bug repellent.

2. Bend down and look up through the middle of the plant. You will find tons of berries other pickers have missed.

Earlier this week, Debra taught us how to remove seeds from a watermelon. Reading her post made me keen for summers on the patio, enjoying ripe, juicy watermelon.

Of course, as soon as my mind drifts to watermelon and summer evening on the patio, I'm immediately planning the rest of the moonlight treats, which simply must include spiked watermelon. I remember when we thought that spiking watermelon was a matter of setting chunks of it to soak in a bowl of vodka, but there is actually a right way to do this, and you'll really notice the difference.

This technique seems to the the most effective. Basically, you cut a small hole in the top of the watermelon, and pull out the plug. Next, take a skewer and poke it through the hold at various angles. This will help make passages for the alcohol to flow through (but really the watermelon has plenty of those naturally, so you should be ok). Funnel in about one cup of your favorite alcohol. I think vodka is great with watermelon, but over at Sweet Georgia Blue, they recommend bourbon, so you might like to experiment with it and decide for yourself. Once you've poured in the alcohol, replace the plug and put it in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Invite some friends over, slice the booze infused melon, and enjoy!

Green beer is a St. Patrick's day tradition in many homes, restaurants, and pubs. You don't need to be a chemist to mix this celebratory drink. All you need is beer and food coloring. Simply add food coloring to your favorite beer, mix it up and enjoy.

The beer
Choose a lighter beer, one that will take the color easily. If your favorite beer is of the darker variety, it will take more coloring.

The color
It was suggested by a commenter on Slashfood, where we were reminded of this cool St. Patrick's day tradition, that blue food coloring works best; by mixing it with the yellow beer, you should achieve a true green color. I tried both blue and green food coloring. Take a look through the gallery and decide which one you think worked best.

For the purists among us who don't want to tamper with good beer, enjoy a Guinness. If you're in the St. Patrick's day spirit, but aren't really a beer drinker, follow me through the break and I'll share some other green cocktails along with a few non-alcoholic ones.

There are many hot beverages that are great during cold weather in general, and the cozy, convivial Christmas-to-New-Year's-Day period in particular, but my favorite is spiced cider.

It's more warming and flavorful than hot cocoa, and not as cloying (don't get me wrong -- if you offer me cocoa, I'm not turning it down). The flavor is fresher and often more complex than that of mulled wine; it's also more family-friendly in its unfermented form. It's even a healthy drink for people who are under the weather.

You can get really fancy with the recipes, creating a concoction that's almost more of a punch than a cider and takes as much time to make as a small meal.

However, I know of two ways to make a few servings of tasty hot apple goodness in well under five minutes, with special ingredients that make it easy. You'll find more about them after the break!

Eggnog is a holiday tradition. Eggnog came to America from Europe in the early 17th century. The name origins and particular history are disputed, but one thing is for sure: It has become a North American tradition for toasting the holidays.

The grocery stores started stocking eggnog weeks ago so somebody must be buying it. For our family we're still a couple of weeks off from enjoying this traditional drink so I have time to perfect my homemade recipe.

Our sister site, Engadget, has a post about a coaster project from Evil Mad Scientist Labs.

These coasters are made from the photomasks used in semiconductor manufacturing; the patterns on the photomasks are etched into the components in the factory. The masks are solid glass with a thin metal design applied to them. You can get them from retailers who deal in electronics surplus.

Be sure to check out the comments on the Engadget post, where readers discuss safety issues and sources for the materials. It's useful to know, for example, that shattered quartz glass is unusually sharp -- and difficult to remove from a cut. The reader suggests backing the coasters with clear plastic; I suggest keeping them away from small children.

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who drink coffee and those who drink tea. I drink coffee, and lots of it.

What? It's summer. Yes, but that doesn't mean you have to abandon the dark side -- in fact -- it's time to embrace it. It's the perfect time to try an iced coffee. You still get the great kick of a coffee (hello caffeine) but is far more refreshing. Like a regular cup of coffee, iced coffee is incredibly diverse. If you've ever stepped foot into a Starbucks, you already know that there are numerous ways to create a number of iced coffee beverages that will suit the particular tastes of anybody ... unless, of course you are a tea drinker!

These drinks are simple to make and even simpler to drink ... the problem however; I can't find a good iced coffee recipe online, which is extremely surprising considering it's popularity. So here's how I make mine:

1. Make strong coffee. Ice will significantly dilute the final cup, so you need to start with strong coffee to get a good flavor. A rule of thumb that I use is to double the normal amount of grounds. Example: If you are brewing 4 cups of coffee, put in enough grounds for 8 cups. If you don't do this your iced coffee will taste like bad water.
2. Add sugar. I don't use sugar, but if you do, this is the time to add it -- while it's still hot -- stir in your desired sugar amount. Sweeten slightly more than usual. The main reason you add the sugar now is simply because sugar won't dissolve in cold water. You don't want sips full of crunchy sugar granules and otherwise unsweetened coffee do you?

Iced beverages are summer standards, but in my household, not everyone likes their drinks at the same level of sweetness. We don't sweeten iced tea or coffee while it's freshly brewed: everyone sweetens their own glass. Then the sugar doesn't dissolve into the cold beverage, and the last few sips are gritty and twice as sweet as the rest of the drink.

How to solve this problem? Do what the coffee shops do: make simple syrup!