Vanilla Coke

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ShareItForward #CollectiveBias

Who would you like to share a coke with?  A friend?  Your sis or bro?  Sharing a Coke with a superstar could be the highlight of your summer.  How about sharing a Coke with an explorer or an adventure seeker?  Perhaps you’d like to just chillax in your own back yard with friends and family.  I know we will be doing plenty of that this summer and keeping a cooler full of ice cold Cokes on hand is essential.

I’m pretty psyched about these Coca Cola cans with fun words on them – it adds to the merrymaking for kids and adults alike.  Since we are empty nesters most of our summertime gatherings will be adult only.  I’ll have plenty of  beverages on hand but the one I think will stir up a few memories and be the biggest hit will be my  offering of “Vanilla Coke”.

I have fond memories of being a teen, cruising around with a car full of giggly girlfriends, driving up and down the drag and wheeling into our favorite “drive in”- yep, the one where the car hop comes to the window and takes your order, for a round of frosty “Vanilla Cokes”.  I’m recreating that by putting out a small bottle of pure vanilla extract for my guests to add to their cokes.

One of the things I enjoy most about summer is watching all the birds that come through our yard for a bit of seed or a drink.  The hummingbirds are especially adorable and beautiful, with their iridescent colors and chirping sounds, they are one of my favorites.  My guests will get a kick out of watching them hover at the  feeder my man Dan makes out of a Coca Cola can.  Making these feeders is a great way to pass the time when camping or vacationing as they can be filled and easily hung anywhere.  It’s a fantastic way to “recycle” and the red can attracts the little hummers, wherever it is hung.  I’ll post the instructions at the end – but here’s what it looks like!

I grabbed a big 32 can case of Coke at Sam’s when we ran in to pick up some outdoor lounge chairs, you know to keep our guests comfy.  Sam’s is sharing some great summer recipes and thoughts for end of the year teacher’s gifts, #ShareItForward photos and ideas galore. Be sure to pop over here to find all the exciting ideas and recipes at Sam’s!  I’d love to know which is your favorite!  Maybe it’s my “Vanilla Coke”!

Don’t forget to stock up on these fun cokes and #ShareItForward with your friends, family, co-workers, your delivery guy, postal worker, neighbors, yard man, or just kick back and relax with an icy cold one yourself.  However you do it, “have a coke and a smile” and #ShareItForward!  Now, I’m off to greet my guests and share a cold one – Coca Cola that is with them.  I’m saving the adventurer can for my man Dan – it fits him to a “T”.

Here are photos and instructions so you can make your own hummingbird feeder.  Go green and recycle your leftover soda cans!

Instructions:  Using a box cutter carefully make a slit down the side of a coke can, just below and above the ridge at the top and bottom of the can.  Make another slit exactly the same  about 1 inch away from the first.

Next make a cut from the first slit to the second at one end – followed by the same cut at the other end.  You should now have a piece of aluminum to be removed.  Move over about 1 inch and repeat this process.  Leaving an open space on either side of a center piece.

Lastly, make two small holes on either end of the can and run a piece of wire through those holes.  Hang from a tree and wait to be entertained by these sweet little birds.