When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Sangria!

I’m not over-stating this when I say…. It’s has been an overwhelmingly stressful month.  From moving out of our family home, to getting a couch stuck in a house, to actually moving into our new home, June has been W-I-L-D. When I get overwhelmed, I either get busy and start tackling projects or give up and watch reruns of bad TV.  I’ve done a lot of both.  Unfortunately, neither of those equate to much fun.  And, this momma deserves a bit of fun.

This is my personal equation for a good time:

Food + Wine + (Friends x Family) = Fun

Don’t you agree?

So as soon as I got enough boxes unpacked, my first line of business was to invite some friends over to the new house for a Sangria Party on the patio.  As luck would have it, it rained and our outdoor festivities had to get moved indoors.   Fortunately, I picked up some festive accessories and great party treats at World Market.   So although it rained outside, it was bright and fun inside!

Let me walk you through some of the highlights of the party, just in case you find yourself with a few extra lemons this summer (literal or figurative) and you need to host a Sangria Party.

The Setup:

Everything you need can be found here at World Market! 

Big ‘ol pitcher

Acrylic tumblers

Sangria topping containers

Citrus juicer

Linens and napkins

 

The Sangria:

Look no further: World Market has you covered!

Red Wine Sangria:  Mix 1 1/3 cups of lemon juice, 2/3 cups of orange juice and ½ cup of sugar in pitcher.  Select two bottles of your favorite World Market red wine, and pour into citrus sugar mixture.  Chill until ready to serve.

Non-Alcoholic Sangria: My guests loved the Soiree Red Sangria, a sparkling mocktail perfect for non-drinkers.

Sangria Wine Freezer: This was as good as dessert!  For this treat, we added red wine, brandy and water to prepared mix and then put it in the freezer until party time.  Wine slushy anyone?

White Wine Sangria:  Guests made their own custom white wine sangria!  Serve white wine with exotic juices.  I chose Ceres Litchi (my favorite!) and Guava juices.  Simply pour wine into the tumbler and add a splash of your juice of choice!

The Toppings Bar:

This is where things get fun!  Sangria is best with a fun mix of sweet and savory toppings.  For our sangria toppings bar, we had: oranges, limes, strawberries and World Market Soiree Maraschino cherries.   We also had some creative stirrers including rosemary branches, lollipops and cinnamon sticks.  Here’s where you can get really creative;tThe possibilities are endless!

The only thing that would be better than sipping a drink on my new patio?  Getting the heck out of dodge!  Fortunately, Cost Plus World Market has partnered up with Southwest Airlines to offer four Great Summer Getaways. Enter for a chance to win a trip for 4 anywhere Southwest Airlines flies!   I could totally use a beach get-away.  Or maybe cool off somewhere in the Pacific Northwest?  I bet they have sangria at both those places!

Where would you go?   For your own chance to win airfare for 4 on Southwest Airlines, hotel accommodations, and a $500 World Market gift card click here!  Participants can earn bonus entries for liking the Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram & Tumblr brand pages for more chances to win!

Best of luck, and remember, if you win, I wanna be one of your “4” peeps you take!

Cheers, Katie

This is a sponsored post on behalf of World Market.  I was provided with gift cards for supplies and for compensation for my time.  All opinions are my own.