This post has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. This post was sponsored by Starbucks as part of an Influencer Activation. I received compensation and complimentary products to facilitate my review. #StarbucksCaffeLatte #MyStarbucksatHome #CollectiveBias

My Keurig coffee maker is probably hands-down one of the best presents I have ever gotten.  My husband got it for me for Mother’s Day several years ago.  Funny thing is… I didn’t drink a whole lot of coffee at that time.   But that all changed once I started to use the Keurig. Nowadays, it’s a necessity and if the coffee has run out…WATCH out because I cannot function without it. The new Starbucks® Caffè Latte K-cup® pods and my new hand lettered mug are seriously adding a whole new level of decadence to my morning routine.

It’s always coffee o’clock in my house and when it comes to coffee brands, Starbucks® pretty much tops my list. As much as I would love to enjoy a leisurely morning in the Starbucks® Café every morning, that’s just not how things go around my house.  My mornings consist of dragging myself out of bed around 6:30 am to help the kids get ready for school.  I head to my Keurig first thing. I mean VERY first thing. Because if I don’t get my caffeine, things just don’t run smoothly. I love the Keurig because it brews single cups and I’m a single cup kinda girl.  Occasionally it will be a two-cup kind of morning but for the most part, one cup does the job.  So for me, there’s no use in wasting an entire pot of coffee when I can just brew a single cup.

If you’re not familiar with a Keurig, you fill it with water, place a pod into the machine, turn it on and press the “brew” button.

 You can choose 6, 8, or 10 oz. when filling with water.  When using the Starbucks® Caffè Latte K-cup® pods, you’ll want to fill the water reservoir to 8 oz.

When using The Starbucks® Caffè Latte K-cup® pods with your Keurig, add the flavor to your mug first. They come in three Starbucks® signature flavors (caramel, vanilla and mocha) and two Starbucks® seasonal flavors (pumpkin spice and peppermint mocha).

Next, fill your Keurig with water and place the Keurig caffè blend cup into the machine.

 Close the lid, turn it on and press “BREW”

Once the BREW button turns red, you are seconds away from a delicious cup of caffeinated goodness.

Once your caffè latte is brewed, just stir and enjoy. Starbucks® Caffè Latte K-cup® pods are made from milk with no artificial flavors. Yay for natural flavors!

And when you’re drinking coffee, you need a favorite mug, right?  Let’s learn how to make a beautiful hand lettered mug, shall we?

HAND LETTERED MUG

SUPPLIES
White mug
Paint pen (oil based)
Pencil
Scrap paper
Tape

DIRECTIONS
1. Sketch your design onto a piece of white paper with a pencil

2. Color over your design with black marker, making sure to make your downstrokes thick
3. Turn the paper over and rub all over the back of your design using your pencil to
4. Tape the paper onto the front of the mug

5. Trace over your design with pencil.  The design will then transfer to the mug.

6. Trace over your pencil lines with an oil based paint pen. Once the paint has dried, you can go over it again if it needs more than one coat.

7. Bake your mug in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  Place your mug into the oven before it heats up and leave it in the oven until it cools.

A hand lettered mug makes the perfect gift. Package it up with Starbucks® Caffè Latte K-Cup® pods and you can cross one person off your Christmas list.  And yes, I’m talking Christmas in October because why not?

What’s YOUR favorite coffee flavor?

2016 Starbucks® Corporation. All rights reserved. Keurig, Keurig HOT, K-Cup and the K logo are trademarks of Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., used with permission.

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