Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Agave Lemonade


Lemonade and I mean real lemonade is one of my favorite summer time drinks.  I rarely sweeten my lemonade because I like it tart. However, my husband can't stand it. So, we meet in the middle. He had tried some agave sweetened lemonade at Sam's Club awhile back and he really enjoyed it. So, what did he do? Oh, you know the only logical thing. He purchased an 80 ounce container of agave syrup. On a warm hot spring day I made Agave Lemon Martini's. They were refreshing and delicious. Pretty much a spiked version of this stuff.

Agave Lemonade
5-7 Lemons (juiced)
1/2 cup Agave syrup
1 lemon (sliced)
1 quart water

Fill your pitcher with ice. Add freshly squeezed lemon juice, agave syrup, and water. Stir well. Serve over ice and garnish with a sliced lemon. -Ruth-

Isn't that Sew Recipes Archive

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Friday, July 26, 2013

Summer time

ruth-reyes-loiacano

Dress (Target) | Cardigan (Target) | Belt (Limited) | Shoes (DSW)

Folks, we are halfway through summer! Can you believe it? I sure cannot! I am trying to make plans to visit the coast later in the season (for our 3 year anniversary/birthdays). I am really looking forward to that! We've lived in Texas for just over 2 years now and I haven't been to the Texas coast! Have you been on any fun vacations or weekend trips lately? I'd love to hear about them, or leave a link to your photos! -Ruth-

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Monday, July 22, 2013

Etsy...sneak peek

Leather fringe
Happy Monday y'all! Hope your weekend was fabulous! I just wanted to share with you a sneak peek into the Etsy shop. I've been busily working away at creating one of a kind, copper, brass, and upcycled leather pieces. I hope to launch the shop in a few short weeks. I am having so much fun with it and it feels nice to create something for myself. Even if it isn't really for me, it's for me. You know what I mean, right? I design for others at my day job and it feels good to design something inspired by my tastes. I hope designing and creating is something I am able to do for the rest of my life because it fills my soul full of joy! -Ruth-

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Sunday, July 21, 2013

Pavlova Recipe


new zealand pavlova
Y'all, I've never tried Pavlova or even heard of it until I started working for Kiwi folks (New Zealanders). It is the perfect summertime dessert! It's light, airy, and crispy all at the same time! I am officially obsessed with this dessert. The best part is the meringues last for ever! I've kept them for several weeks in a zip lock. This is what I did...

_____________Click here to read more_____________

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Friday, July 19, 2013

Commenting

Disqus
Morning y'all! I wanted to let you know that I've been experiencing some problems with my blogger default commenting system, so I've decided to install Disqus. I'm sure you've used it many times before. I know I have! So, if you don't already have a Disqus account, I encourage you to sign up! It makes it super fast and easy to comment!
One of the best things about Disqus is  you will be notified of my replies! How about that, creating a real community! Since a lot of folks are no reply bloggers, I feel like I'm responding only to myself! I know even on some of your blogs, I have to either subscribe by mail or I have to physically check back!
I've also allowed guest posting, so if you don't want to create an account, you don't have to! If that isn't working properly, please send me a message at ruth (at) isntthatsew (dot) com Thanks! -Ruth-



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Thursday, July 18, 2013

This must be the place

Talking Heads

Isn't that Sew Downloads Archieve

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Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Having fun with Photoshop

Mark Loiacano
ruth reyes-loiacano


Loiacano

This weekend, I had a lot of fun with Photoshop. I was attempting to take photos of my hair to update my post about Wen hair care products, and I asked Mark to stand against the wall so I could focus my camera. Well, that turned into a silly photo-shoot yielding mostly photographs not suitable for the internet. No! Nothing dirty, just silly. Really silly. So, instead of staying focused on my end goal I ended up having some Photoshop fun. I actually really love the way the photo turned out and think I will have it framed! 

The first set of images are the raw files straight from my camera. I opened the two photos in camera raw and made my adjustments there before opening them in Photoshop. Then, once in Photoshop, I made a few more adjustments using tools like the healing brush, layer masks, and maybe a soft light filter. The second set of photographs is after all of the editing has been done... I originally was finished there, until I posted it on Facebook and my entire family commented on how my husband didn't have a shirt on. Well, excuse me. He was doing yard work and I inconvenienced him by asked him to pose for me. So, I did the only logical thing and I erased my dress straps! The photo seemed to say something really quite different after that, but... I think it's playful. Don't you think? -Ruth-

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Thursday, July 11, 2013

Wen Hair Care

Okay, so I know I don’t normally do “review “posts. But, I do like to include the occasional favorite | fill in the blank | posts! I just can’t keep this one to myself. I recently mentioned in this post about my top 10 favorite beauty products that Wen gets and honorable mention because I had only started using in that week. Well, it’s been a month now and the verdict is in. I LOVE IT!
Chaz Dean

However, this product does need a few disclaimers. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE follow the directions! I cannot emphasize this enough! It makes the difference between a great experience and a bad one. I got lazy during my second week of using Wen and WOW, did it make a difference. And not a good one! First, I wasn't using enough because I’m cheap and this stuff is expensive. Second, I wasn't leaving it in long enough.  And, third I wasn't rinsing it long enough. After the second week, I found my new shower groove.  I apply Wen at the beginning of my shower and leave it in for the entire duration, which now includes brushing my teeth to extend the time a bit. Okay, confession. I lied; I've always brushed in the shower. Now you know. The ex-dental assistant who brushes in the shower and flosses on her couch.

Wen does not lather like “normal” shampoos and I prefer this. But, this stuff sure smells amazing! Honestly, it smells better than anything has ever smelled, ever, in the history of mankind. Honestly, it’s the best smelling stuff out there! Wen also doubles triples as a shampoo, conditioner, and leave in conditioner. I think most people are skeptical of this, but let me tell you…it really works.  |DISCLAIMER| For the love of baby Jesus, FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS!!!  It is a bit more labor intensive and a bit pricey, but beautiful hair trumps all of the above! And you purchase through QVC you can get the product for almost half price! BONUS! Go check it out!

I highly recommend you give Wen a try because I think Chaz Dean is a genius! There is also a Wen for Pets, Kids, and I just read a tweet the other day announcing the development of Wen for babies!

If you decide to give Wen a try I promise, your hair will look amazing, if you follow the directions. I have super fine and thin hair this product has made my hair feel thinker, and has given me more body, shine, and bounce. This stuff is supposed to be good for all hair types, and I believe it! But, |DISCLAIMER| please follow the recommendations and directions! Did I mention that already? When I wasn't using the product properly, my hair looked horrible. I could have said it was the worst product I’ve ever used, but, it would have been false. It was my own user error. When I use it incorrectly, my hair feels greasy, flat, weighed down, and had no life. 

Let me know if you have ever tried Wen. I’d like to hear your thoughts on your experience. Or, if you decide to try it for the first time, I need to know about it!!! –Ruth-

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Monday, July 8, 2013

Cocoa Almond Cookies

Gluten Free Cookie recipes
Trying to photograph these amazing treats was hard! They are so dark! However, I thought the recipe was worth sharing. So, here it is making an appearance on the blog! These gluten-free cookies were not only amazingly delicious, they only call for four ingredients! Actually, they taste more like a brownie than a cookie. But, hey...I don't care. They were great! 

I used Trader Joe's Cocoa Almond spread, but if you don't have a Trader Joe's nearby, you can use Nutella. But, dear I say it...I think this almond version is better than Nutella. Oh, I said it..and those are fightin' words I know. But, it's true! This is how I made them...

_____________Click here to read more_____________

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Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Be the change...free printable wall art


Isn't that Sew Downloads Archieve

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Monday, July 1, 2013

Insta-Recap || June

Instagram
July, seriously? Already? Why does the summer always seem to fly by? Anyhow, looking towards the bright side, my folks and Granny are in Texas for the week! YES! I love when we have guests and we've had quite a few of them lately. Two weeks ago, my mom's brother and his wife stopped by for a quick visit. They are from Nevada and had been in town for a golf event and we were so happy to have them swing by. (See what I did there?) Last week, I had a little get together with my work mates and that was a blast! I cooked them some Chicago staples. Which doesn't really seem all that exciting, except, some of them are from New Zealand! Texas and New Zealand unite! And, so far this year we have also seen a couple of Marks brothers and my uncle and his partner! Did I mention that I LOVE having house guests! Oh, I think I did....

So, my folks arrived Saturday morning and will be here for the entire week. I've had to put the blog on the back burner the last few weeks because summer time is so busy, and I'm just one person! I'm not making excuses or complaining because summer is my favorite time of the year!!! I'll be back soon enough y'all! In the meantime, keep up on Instagram and stay cool! -Ruth-

If we don't already follow each other on Instagram, please leave your IG name in the comments. I love, love, love following all of you! 

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