watermelon mint daiquiri

one of my favorite parts of New Orleans was a simple stall in the open-air market in the French Quarter.

The stand was called "Organic Banana" and you could buy a 16-ounce fresh fruit daiquiri for $6.99. And being New Orleans, you could take the daiquiri with you, to sip while you walked.

In Seattle, it's not legal to drink a daiquiri in the street, but you can make pitchers of it for backyard or porch sipping. I've made several versions since returning home, including my most recent variation with watermelon and mint.

watermelon mint daiquiri

2 cups frozen cubed watermelon
1/2 cup pineapple or other juice
handful of mint leaves, torn
juice of half a lime
3 shots of rum (of course without this, it's just as good)
1 cup of ice

blend ingredients well, serve immediately with a garnish of mint.

You can use nearly any fruit here. This weekend I tried peach, and left the mint out. I've also made mango daiquiris. In both cases, the fruit does not need to be frozen, but freezing the fruit makes it a little more refreshing on a hot day.

messy hair

When I was in junior high -- and I admit -- well into high school and part of college, I did my hair to an almost obsessive level. Pony tails couldn't have "bumps" -- remember those days? -- and my hair had to be perfectly straight.

The thing is, my hair does not lie perfectly straight. It's got this slight bend to it, that makes one side turn in and one side turn out. This drove me nuts as a 17-year-old. Each morning I entered the bathroom armed for battle, mousse in my left hand and curling iron in my right.

Two things changed.

One, I got lazier. Or rather, I started accepting that my hair would not be perfectly straight. I can straight-iron the heck out of it, but once I step outside, some bends are going to appear. I started asking for haircuts that would fit with my hair's natural shape, rather than bringing along a magazine clipping of a hair style that would never work for me.

Also, I got a little lucky, because messy hair -- at least where I live -- is in style. Perfectly coiffed, pin-straight is still beautiful, but hair with bends and kinks, is just as acceptable.

As I get older, (I know, in the grand scheme of things I am not that old), I am coming more and more to terms with things about myself. Sure, accepting the texture of hair is a small thing, I think it's just one part of a journey to be happy with who God made me to be.

my recipe for messy hair

Towel dry and comb hair.
Blow dry hair, scrunching as you dry.
Dry hair to about 80 percent dry, then spritz in sea-salt spray
Scrunch a little more -- finish with hair spray, if desired.

a little shift in direction

I keep trying to make time to blog but lately the day job, and then etsy shop have taken up most of my time. Also, sleep. By the time I have a moment to blog, my bed calls me and suddenly the ideas I have for a post seem lame in comparison to catching up on my beauty sleep. (And this girl needs beauty sleep.)

I have been thinking a lot about blogging. It was my first love -- way before my etsy shop-- and I love it but more and more I'm finding that I don't have a ton of time for it. And when I do blog, the audience I once had seems to have disappeared. (I think they're hanging out on Instagram.)

That's fine, I get it. Today people like photos, not words and I can be wordy. And honestly it's made me really think about why I write on the blog. Is it for comments? Is it for recognition? If I honestly think about it, I know the answer is yes to both of those.

I think on some level it's fine to want recognition for the work that you do-- to feel like what you put out there is appreciated. But I do not want to be driven by what others think of me, or how they respond to me.

All this to be said is that there will be a little shift on rouge + whimsy. I am going to be sharing less recipe posts, less diy posts (not that I've done one in forever) and a few less outfit posts. Instead, I'm going to be sharing more about what I'm thinking about, dreaming about... It'll be less Pinterest and more library book.

I hope you stick around, but if not, that's cool, too. It'll give me the chance to practice what I preach. 

5 ways to stay creative

My day job is fairly creative.

The evening job -- writing the blog and running my handmade shop -- is very creative.

But there are days when I feel like I'm in a rut; I feel stuck. And if you are in a creative role at all, or even consider yourself a creative person, you have likely felt this way more than once. Maybe, if you're like me, the creative drought hits at least once a month.

I haven't found the magic solution -- I'll patent it once I do -- however there are a few things that I try to do to keep myself going when my creative spark feels dim.

1. walk away. // You can force and force and force yourself to come up with an idea, but usually the pressure we put on ourselves kills any creative juices we have. If you're stuck on something, walk away from it and do something you enjoy. It can even be something as light as watching TV-- just do something to get your mind on something else.

2. exercise. // I am a huge proponent of exercise because of its effects on mental health. Going for a walk, or a run, or even dancing around your kitchen can make a huge impact on your mood and your creativity. Science says it's true.

3. talk it out. // Find your people-- your friends, your coworkers, even a pet -- who is your listening board. Tell them the problem, tell them all the things that you've considered. Sometimes just even speaking words aloud can help you get to a solution. If you have some people you trust, ask them to help you brainstorm.

4. work on something else creative. // I imagine the creative brain as a muscle and maybe some parts of the muscle are weak in areas-- kind of like when you work out, you should work arms and legs. So if you're stuck on writing, try drawing for a while. If you're stuck on sewing, try cooking. Feeling creative success somewhere else can help you feel like you can be successful in the area you want to be.

and if all else fails...

5. start anyway. // Sometimes I get so crippled by the idea of a starting point. I ask myself, where do I even begin? But if I just start the process anyway, sometimes things will come to me. For example, with writing, it helps to just get words down -- even if they make no sense. Artist? Start painting. Start sewing. Just get yourself to start somewhere without any pressure attached,  even if it's not exactly the direction you want to be in.

what do you do to stay creative?

xo, erika

goat cheese phyllo tarts

I love goat cheese and I really love it sprinkled over the salads I bring to work. So I added it to the grocery list when the husband went to the store.

I didn't specify how much goat cheese to buy, so the husband came back with a 10 oz loaf. I don't want to look at the receipt to know how much 10 oz of goat cheese was, but I did know that it was more than enough that I could get through before it went bad.

Rather than make copious goat cheese salads, I went the opposite direction, and made goat cheese tarts.

First off, I'm someone who always makes their own crust, always. But time is precious, and even more so recently, so to save my sanity, I bought store-bought phyllo crust. Pretty good, and it makes this recipe really easy (yet they look super fancy).

goat cheese phyllo tarts

4 oz of goat cheese
1 egg
2 tbs of honey or maple syrup
1 package of phyllo tarts
toppings-- I used fresh raspberries.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

With a mixer, blend goat cheese until creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add egg and honey and continue to beat for another minute or two until frothy.

Pour goat cheese mixture into each phyllo tart, filling each one to the brim.

Bake in oven for 10 minutes, or until filling has puffed and is golden in color.

Remove from heat and top with a raspberry, or other topping of your choice.

Feel really accomplished for making something that looks so fancy in about 20 minutes.

xo, erika