I’ve always been a fan of a great at-home bar. I strongly believe it’s a must-learn life skill to mix up classic cocktails, and as an avid host, it’s important to provide an array...
Looking back on Easter as a child, I remember how excited I was to dig through my Easter basket. Full of chocolate bunnies, malt ball Easter eggs, Peeps, golden coins, and my favorite Cadbury...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
Over the past few months, I’ve really been trying (trying being the operative word) to have less screen time in the morning. You see I have fallen hard into the rabbit hole of checking emails, texts, Instagram, my bank account—basically every app on my phone, if we’re being honest here—all before I had left the bed and started my day. And doing so does not make for a great day. You see, it effected my entire day. I felt rushed, stressed, behind-the-eight-ball on life pretty much, because I was simply reacting to the hustle and bustle. And I knew if I didn’t put a stop to it soon I wouldn’t be able to differentiate my morning, from my afternoon, from my night.
So when Truvia Sweetener reached out and asked how I felt about sharing their “life with less” campaign, I took it as a sign and jumped on board. I mean life with less screen time; I think that’s something we can all get behind, no? Just imagine: mornings without my phone. Mornings without emails. Morning without feeling that surge of panic and anxiety rush through my veins. And instead, mornings with my favorite magazines. Mornings with a cup of fresh coffee and breakfast where I actually sat down. Mornings that wrapped me in comforts—no matter how small they might be—to help me face my day with a renewed energy and sense of purpose.
And with that gentle nudge from my friends at Truvia, I’ve returned to a simpler morning routine, which of course, includes a recipe for my favorite, no-fuss homemade cranberry scones. Baked with simple, classic ingredients, these homemade cranberry scones are perfect because I can make them ahead, and have enough to enjoy for the week. Plus it helps that Truvia Natural Sweetener is zero-calorie and stevia-based which allows me to reduce sugar in any of my baking recipes… which means I can eat twice as many! Truly, MKR
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One of the best things you can do for your body and more specifically your immunity, is support its natural detox system. Yes, that’s right; your body knows how to do it well on its own. But the bonus here is that there are simple concoctions and DIY immunity boosting and detox tea recipes that can help your body get the job done even better, and kickstart healthier habits in general.
After finally settling into a routine at home over the past month, I’m setting out to sip on these DIY immunity teas at home every night. I’m thinking of it as a treat I’m giving myself to feel better from the inside out. See, the teas—with their rockstar ingredients like dandelion root, cerasee, ginger, green tea and more—can do more than rid the body of harmful toxin buildup; they give you increased energy, stronger immunity, and even stress relief. That being said, herbal tea is one of my favorite ways to detox because it’s a simple, soothing addition to my daily routine, and it’s known to work wonders for the mind, body and soul. Seriously, how good is settling into bed with a cup of hot tea in-hand especially with a slice of raw honeycomb to add a little bit of natural sweetness to my cup. Check out the four easy recipes below, and tell me which DIY immunity boosting tea is calling your name! And if DIY isn’t your thing, check out a few of our favorite teas you can get delivered to your door. Truly, MKR
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In case you didn’t know, apple cider vinegar has an incredible ingredient called the “mother.” Not only will it help your detox, its countless health benefits can help cure even pretty serious ailments, and it can help you feeling better ASAP when you’re feeling under the weather.
When using apple cider vinegar to detox in particular, you have to drink it; this easy detox tea makes it easier to go swallow. Drink this detox tea before meals for maximum benefits.
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR DETOX TEA
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon organic, raw, local honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
1 cup hot water
Directions:
Boil the water and allow it to cool off a bit before adding the other ingredients.
Mix in the apple cider vinegar and the raw honey.
Add roughly a teaspoon of lemon juice.
Here’s a play on an excellent detox recipe that’s been popular for years now; a simple mixture of water, dandelion root tea and cranberry juice. (Be sure to find the cranberry juice with NO sugar added.) You won’t need to boil the ingredients, instead just mix them together and drink on a daily basis (one pitcher every seven days) to eliminate water weight.
DANDELION ROOT DETOX TEA/WATER
Ingredients:
60 oz. distilled water
1 dandelion root tea bag
1 tablespoon pure cranberry juice
Directions: Mix the water, cranberry juice and lemon juice together.
Add the dandelion root tea bag after.
The MVP of natural detoxing is definitely green tea. Green tea doesn’t detox toxins all on its own (your body has a pretty good system to do that), but it is packed with the natural polyphenols that support the body when it’s detoxin’. Polyphenols have a direct impact on your liver (the body’s major detox organ), and they’re antioxidants that fight free radicals.
This detox tea is incredibly easy to mix up; simply add honey and lemon to your steeping green tea.
GREEN TEA DETOX
Ingredients:
1 slice lemon
1 green tea bag
1 teaspoon honey
8-10 oz. water
Directions:
Brew the green tea bag in the 8 to 10 fluid ounces of water.
Add the lemon slice and honey.
Cerasee leaves are grown in Jamaica, and known to be an excellent herb for your blood and has many overall health benefits. It has a bitter flavor and aroma, but it is an excellent source of calcium, iron, carotene, phosphorous, vitamin C and vitamin A.
The tea is known to protect your body from cold and flu symptoms, as well as headaches, stomach pains, fever and abdominal pain (including menstrual cramps). The leaves work to eliminate toxins, treat parasitic worms, liver conditions, skin problems and give constipation relief.
CERASEE DETOX TEA
Ingredients: Cerasee leaves with vines (or cerasee tea)
Ginger
Water
Raw honey
Directions Boil the cerasee leaves and ginger in water. If you don’t have the leaves, boil water for the cerasee tea bags to steep, adding ginger once boiling.
Add honey and enjoy.
If you’ve been following my journey from the beginning then you’d know that I’ve been dreaming about taking Waiting On Martha the e-commerce shoppe to Waiting On Martha the brick and mortar for five years now.
I’ve been patient; doing my due diligence through four different pop up shops that ranged from one weekend to 8 months. Those experience have been priceless. They have helped me understand exactly what it takes to run a retail store alongside a busy e-commerce business. How much staff I would need, how much money it would actually take, what sells in store verses online, and most importantly if I really wanted to get in the retail game. And after many years and a very long pro/con list my answer is yes.
So without further ado, I am thrilled, nervous, but mostly just plain ready to tell you that Waiting on Martha Home will finally be opening in the Vinings Jubilee this June!!!
Truthfully, while this took four long years to come to fruition now it feels like everything is moving at lighting speed. There hasn’t even been time to pop a bottle of Veuve. The minute the lease was signed I had my inspiration boards pulled up and got right to work planning the design elements and making this dream a reality.
Where the Shoppe stands now is a completely destroyed demo mess. I’ve knocked down walls and tore up floors in preparation for all the pretty that’s to come. The team I’m working with has been a dream and for anyone in the Atlanta area I highly suggest Rob from Vision Construction, seriously he’s made this experience actually fun! I’ll of course be taking you all through each and every step until we open our doors, including an IG Story tour this weekend, but for now I thought it best to start with what I’m doing design wise.
The great news is my Shoppe is truly in the form of a home, so I feel like I’m designing a place where I would live. I’m bringing in soft, light and airy vibes in the form of grasscloth wallpaper, shiplap, custom cabinetry and four different paint colors from my friends at Farrow & Ball.
I’ve worked with F&B numerous times in the past and even visited England where all the magic happens this past fall. So when it came to this project I knew there was no other choice than Farrow & Ball. Which brings me to our signature color: Chappell Green. In the past our signature color has been navy, and while you’ll still find plenty of blue and white moments in the Shoppe, in my heart of hearts I knew this new chapter needed a new color and I knew that color was Chappell Green.
I mean Chappell Green is really where it all started for me; I’ve had a love affair with this green for years now. The cool, rich sage color is entirely elegant, while lending a certain femininity as well. And I just love its chameleon-like ability to go with just about everything. It plays nice with bold colors, while acting as the perfect neutral too.
In the Brick & Mortar, you’ll find Chappell Green in key accent places like our checkout station—made lovingly by my ever talented father—and our coffee bar and front door. Along with items such as bags, tags, tissue paper and a few other fun pieces we have our friend Jenn Gietzen working up some watercolor goodness for.
Along with Chappell Green, you can expect to see very soft paint tones. Think mint green, natural sand and white paint colors. Farrow & Ball’s Dimity is a very beautiful light natural color that’s almost like a smooth vanilla that we’ll be using on all of the custom woodwork and cabinetry. I needed a color that would make the beautiful custom cabinetry stand out, but allow the products we’re selling to really shine. Dimity also plays perfectly with F&B’s All White which will be used on all of the trim and ceiling.
Rounding out my paint choices will be Farrow & Ball’s Pale Powder. This pale minty-blue shade will painted over the shiplap my father, husband and I will be hanging in the back room. I love shiplap’s ability to add texture and dimension to a space, while giving it an older, almost historic feel.
And if pale powder shiplap didn’t make this room feel special enough, I’ll be accenting the shiplap with Mirth Studio’s hand-crafted wood flooring tiles in Sweet Cecilia. Available in various patterns and prints these show-stopping tiles are like nothing I’ve ever seen before and I’m thrilled to say we will also be the exclusive retail partner for Atlanta.
Finalizing the core design elements would be of course grasscloth wallpaper. You know I couldn’t do a space and not wallpaper. I mean I LOVE wallpaper. And since texture is one of my favorite elements, I had to, of course, go with grasscloth. I settled on the most gorgeous “Puka” jute from Bradley, a design showroom at ADAC here in Atlanta.
Lastly, I’ll be indulging my love of art with an Artist in Residency program. Every 6-8 weeks, I’ll be bringing in a new artist with original pieces to be displayed and sold in store. Since this all began in our first pop up with Atlanta’s very own Britt Bass, there really was no other choice as to who would be our first artist in residence for the Brick and Mortar. Britt really awakened my love for art, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have her kick this all off.
There you have it; the dream has become a reality. Thank you to everyone who has followed since the beginning, or is just following now. To every person who ever bought anything from my e-commerce shoppe, the pop up shops, or the warehouse sales. To all the full time staff, part time staffers and interns over the years, thank you. To my parents, husband and friends that have moved me more times than I can count and who will move me again this one last time, thank you. Just thank you. You are all the reason I’m able to do this and still love doing it. Thank you. Truly, MKR
P.S. Now to the biz talk! WOM has immediate openings for two-three part-time and possibly one full-time retail associate for the Waiting on Martha Home brick and mortar location. The ideal candidate will have retail experience, know how to hustle, have a knack for creativity and merchandising, and be a self starter to work with our crazy, but amazing, small business! Comment with any questions below, and please email all resumes to liz@waitingonmartha.com. xo
