Pin It To Win It: Enter Surya's Inspired Home Sweepstakes!

Pin it to win it! That's what we're saying! Check out these gorgeous accessory packages from Surya valued at $1,300 each. How does getting one for free sound to you? Well you can if you enter this Sweepstakes! Check out how to do so below.

Item: Surya Accessory Package

From: Surya

Value: $1,300

Surya, one of our favorite sources for high-quality, fashion-forward rugs and home accessories, is hosting the Inspired Home Sweepstakes on Pinterest. The creative inspiration behind many of Surya's products comes from the local and global influences of fashion, travel and nature, and they want you to channel the inspiration to your home. The prize: one of their fabulous accessory packages, containing a combination of their famous colorful handmade rugs, along with coordinated accent pillows, poufs and artwork. And the best part? You get to select your favorite from 3 of their featured packages! Visit Surya's Inspired Home Sweepstakes Board on Pinterest to get started.

Get full details on the Inspired Home Sweepstakes, and instructions on how to enter

Full article here: http://bit.ly/XwooJj

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5 Exotic Smoothie Recipes From Around The Globe

These nutritious and delicious smoothies are sure to be unique treats for your taste buds. Each recipe comes from a different country and contains unique flavors and combinations indicative of the foreign food culture there. If you try them, let us know how they are! Check them out below!

Carioca’ Acai Bowl — Brazil

Brazil is one of my favorite places. From dancing samba in the parade at Carnival in Salvador, to people-watching at Posto 9 on the beach in Ipanema, it's impossible to be bored there! You'll find acai everywhere. This berry comes from the Amazon rainforest of Brazil and is considered a superfood because it's rich in antioxidants, omega fats, protein, fiber and amino acids.

Ingredients:

• 2 frozen acai packs (I use Sambazon)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 ripe banana

Blend until it's sorbet-like texture, then top with anything you'd like! Sliced bananas, bee pollen, berries — I used gluten-free granola, shredded coconut, vegan dark chocolate chips, and strawberries. YUM!!!

For a drinkable smoothie version, use only one acai pack, combine all of the ingredients and blend.

The Quintana Roo — Mexico

You would be hard-pressed to find more stunning beaches than those of Tulum, Mexico. Ah, to be there now, relaxing in a hammock, sipping on this smoothie.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 cup fresh or frozen mango
• ½ avocado
• few sprigs of fresh cilantro
• juice of one lime
• (Ice if using fresh mango)

Avocados are a great source of monounsaturated (healthy) fats and also provide potassium (twice as much as bananas), vitamin E, folic acid and fiber.

The Reclining Buddha — Thailand

The mangoes in Thailand are to die for! I took some cooking classes in Southeast Asia, which inspired this exotic smoothie!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups coconut milk
• 1 cup watercress
• 2 cups frozen mango
• 1 tsp galangal (Thai ginger) or 1 inch peeled fresh ginger
• 2 small stalks lemongrass (discard the outer leaves) or use frozen
• juice of 1 lime
• handful of cilantro

Cilantro is great for detoxifying heavy metals, easing inflammation, and is rich in vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, potassium, calcium, manganese, iron, and vitamins A, C, and K. Lemongrass has strong anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties.

Two more recipes in the full article here: http://bit.ly/Z8w2dm

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The Dos & Don'ts of Growing Mint

Mint is one of several plants that works wonderfully as a window box plant, not only because it’s able to thrive in lower levels of soil than some, but also because it’s a tasty addition to many treats from ice cream to mojitos. Look below for the “Dos and Don’ts of Growing Mint”.

Mint is really the perfect place to begin as you build your herb garden. It's easy to grow and is really fun to add to many recipes, whether breakfast, dinner or desert. And don't forget to add a sprig to a glass of iced tea on a hot summer afternoon.

If mint is the perfect place to begin when learning to grow an herb garden, why then are there don'ts about growing the plant?

Mint is not just easy to grow, but its roots, which are called "runners," are incredibly invasive: they quickly grow, sprouting new leaves and new plants as they go. Mint will overtake a flower bed or garden in no time if you're not careful. So, read on for the Do's and Don'ts of Growing Mint:

DO

• When choosing a location for your mint, find one where the plant will receive morning sun and partial afternoon shade.

• Plant on a patio, in a container.

• When planting the herb in a flower bed, first submerge a container (either a pot, a mesh bag or edging to at least 5 inches deep), leaving the rim above ground level when potted, so the mint's fast-growing root system will be contained. Otherwise, the herb will take over your garden and lawn in an annoying weed-like fashion.

• Harvest mint sprigs before the plant flowers.

• To extend the harvesting season, pinch off the flowering buds as they appear.

• If planting your mint in a garden bed, apply mulch to help keep it from spreading.

• Locate mint plants fifteen inches apart, and thin them regularly.

• If planting your mint indoors, locate your container where it will receive good morning light but where it will also be away from drying heating elements.

DON'T

• Plant mint in an open bed without first submerging a vessel that will contain the herb's wild-growing roots.

• If planting mint in a bed using a submerged pot, be sure it's not cracked. The "runners" will find their way out and continue to spread.

• Plant the herb in super moist conditions where it won't dry out.

Full article here: http://bit.ly/zsVrHY

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Shallow-Rooted Veggies for Growing in Window Boxes

If you’re thinking of growing any small window box gardens, you should make sure that you pick your plants based on how well they do in shallow soils. Some plants cannot thrive in less than 12 inches of dirt, so check out this article about which veggies in your windowsill will do well.

When I moved into my first apartment, I planted veggies in the two front window boxes. But I did it pretty willy-nilly, without any research, and some of those poor plants just didn't flourish. If you're thinking of doing the same, please check this out first for some ideas of which plants do best in shallow soils:

The plants listed below do well in shallow soils, shallow being about 12" of depth (or less for the lettuce):

• lettuce

• red radishes

• spinach

• scallions

• herbs

• garlic

• strawberry

Interested in creating your own window box? Check out this DIY from HGTV. Do remember that plants with shallow root systems have a greater requirement for water, so check often and keep them well-watered!

Full article here: http://bit.ly/Xsci0v

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