Upright and Caffeinated

For everything in life that keeps you on your feet! I share simple DIY projects and crafts, home decor ideas and helpful tips as well as easy recipes for week-night meals.

DIY No Soliciting Sign

Want to welcome friends and family, but kindly tell solicitors to bugger off?  You can make this beautiful DIY No Soliciting sign in minutes while adding a lovely decoration to your front porch. I love when a DIY project serves both a functional and decorative purpose.  This DIY no soliciting sign definitely fits the bill with a beautiful floral arrangement and a funny message. First, let's start with what you need to make this.  I used Chalk Couture to add the words to the black, half ... View Post

Vodka Bee’s Knees Cocktail Recipe

I love a good signature cocktail, how about you?  This vodka Bee's Knees cocktail is perfect for a crowd or just a single happy hour drink on a Friday afternoon.  The combination of fresh lemon and honey is refreshing and light! A traditional Bee's Knees is made with gin, but I am a vodka-loving girl, so I replaced the gin with vodka to suit my taste.  If you are trying this recipe, please note you can make it with either gin or vodka! The secret of this recipe is the honey syrup.  I ... View Post

How to Clean a Chalk Couture Ink Mat

Hello!  I'm betting since you are here, you have a dirty, un-sticky ink mat.  I've been there and today I am going to share how to clean your Chalk Couture ink mat so that it is ink-free and sticky again! First of all, if you don't know much about Chalk Couture START HERE! If you are new to Chalk Couture Ink, you will want to save this post on TIPS AND TRICKS FOR USING CHALK COUTURE INK. ​WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CHALK COUTURE?  JOIN MY FREE CRAFTING COMMUNITY. Chalk Couture ink ... View Post

DIY Gifts for Plant Lovers

Happy Spring!  The other day was National Gardening Day, and I made a series of craft projects to celebrate.  These projects would be GREAT DIY gifts for plant lovers.  Each of these could stand alone as a small gift, or combined with other projects for a tiered tray. If you are new around here, I have an obsession with tiered trays.  They are a great way to decorate seasonally, but not have to change out all of your decor.  Just swap out some items on your tiered tray.  Easy peasy!  I went ... View Post

Simple Spring Door Hanger

Happy Spring!  If you are like me, you are ready to pack away the winter gear, pull out some gardening gloves and welcome spring!  I'm sharing this simple way to create a spring door hanger with you today.  Door hangers have become increasingly popular over the recent years and are a great alternative to traditional spring wreaths. I used reusable stencils to make this door hanger.  If you are a crafter who sells at craft shows, having reusable stencils are a FANTASTIC way to increase your ... View Post

Spring Table Setting

Happy Spring!  Today I am sharing a cherry blossom-inspired spring table setting idea.  If you are new around here, welcome!  I'm Allison and my family and I live right outside of Washington, DC.  This week happens to be the peek bloom for the Japanese cherry blossoms around the tidal basin. I figure this is the perfect time to share this spring table setting with you since I used my fabulous cherry blossom dishes. Lets jump right in, shall we? WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CHALK COUTURE?  ... View Post