Hope you guys are as excited for the new year as I am. 2012 was not a good year for me at all. I had 5 deaths and various other incidents throughout this past year that I would rather not repeat for this coming year. 13 is my lucky number and 2013 will also be a Year of the Snake (which is my year) and hopefully only good things will come this year. I am moving into a new apartment which I am super excited about and I want to make some positive changes to my lifestyle. I used to eat much better than I have this past year and I want to get back into that habit. I also want to make more time for myself and try to be less stressed out than I was this past year. I also want to really get this blog up and running and I'm going to try to make a least one new recipe a week and post it here. Other than that I really want to get all of my bills paid off completely this year, since that will also get rid of a lot of stress. I want to take this year as it comes and not stress about everything and not worry about things before I need to, it's unnecessary stress that I want to be free of.
Hope 2013 brings nothing but wonderful things for all of us.
So
maybe you've been being a little rough with your nails, maybe someone
else was (link), or maybe you've never really known what to do with
them. My nails got absolutely murdered so I had to do what I could to
salvage them. I'll do a video on nail maintenance another time so you
can avoid this kind of situation.
Hey everyone. Today I want to talk about a local small business that you
have to check out. Tis the season for wreaths, so look no further than
Go See Go Wreath Co. Fawn is a very crafty friend of mine and a huge
supporter of local artisans, she's the creative mind behind Go See Go
Wreath Co and mother to one adorably chubby baby boy. I sat down with
her to see how she does it.
How did you get started making wreaths?
Honestly - it started when I
was cooped up at the end of my pregnancy. It was the late summer, hot,
and I was pregnant for a 9lb+ child. I had a lot of time to read and
study and a lot of creative "joneses" to get out of my system. I kept
seeing beautiful wreaths everywhere in my travels as well as online and
just KNEW I could do something similar with my own twists and turns to
make them completely unique and out of the box. I read anything and
everything I could; from basic wreath design info to floral design &
embellishment techniques. I made one simple wreath without many frills
once I settled into a flow with my new family and I was instantly
hooked. With each one I try new things, as well as try to push the
envelope. I love it!
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Everywhere
and everything. Vintage fabrics. Time periods. Music. Color
combinations/color theory. Personalities. Movies. Interior design (I
love matching a wreath to a room!). Certain embellishments that I see
out. I'll buy one little piece of ornamentation or a really cool silk
flower and that's it, I'm off like someone dropped the starting gate. Of
course the magic of the holidays always sweeps me off my feet too, I
love pretty much every holiday there is!
What sizes do they come in and what's the cost?
I
can do everything from teensie tiny six inch mini wreaths all the way
to 24" in certain circumstances. In most cases I price based on size and
detail. The one I sell the most of is my 16 inch size, and for a basic
design I usually charge around $35. I also do yarn wrapped wooden letters that start at $15.
Is there anything you can't do?
In
my opinon, no! I'm always up to do something new and exciting when it
comes to design. Where there's a will, there's a way! Right now I'm
looking for someone interested in having me create something that can
light up! I have several other new ideas as well that I'm dying to do,
such as a "wreath chandelier!" A nice, modern piece of art to hang from
your celing instead of your door! Where can people get your wreaths and how can they get in touch with you for a custom order? You can find and message me on facebook at www.facebook.com/goseegowreathco (where you can see great examples of my work - including custom pieces and ones that have been sold), on etsy at www.etsy.com/shop/goseegowreathco or you can send an email to goseegowreathco@gmail.com
I asked Fawn to make an ivory, gold, and burgundy creation for my mom
and everyone has been wowed. It's elegant and beautiful (like my mom)
and it's very much my mom's style. As soon as she received it, my mother
removed what she had on the door and promptly hung up her new wreath.
Make sure to check out Fawn's Etsy shop as well as her Facebook page
where she updates with new available wreaths as well as past creations.
Don't see what you're looking for, don't hesitate to get in touch for a
custom order! You will be pleasantly surprised!
Hi everyone! Sorry this post is coming a little late. I was away for a long weekend to celebrate my birthday and then my uncle arrived from Germany (it's his first time in the US!) Overall I had a really great birthday. My mother surprised me with the KitchenAid Mixer I've been drooling over for eons. Now my apartment search includes the qualifier of having enough counter space for the mixer to have a permanent home. Greg has asked more than once if this is going to be the mixer that opens my bakery. It just may be. Originally I was planning on going to Maine's Acadia State Park to try to view the Geminid meteor shower, which was supposed to peak on the night of my birthday, work schedules, however, made for difficulties. It also ended up being very cloudy that night and the following night, so I didn't get to see any. Hopefully next year I'll have a little bit better luck. Even though the original plan fell through, Greg and I spent a fantastic weekend in Newport. We visit there a few times a year, but we never stay for the weekend, so this was a nice change. If you're ever visiting there, I can highly recommend the Hotel Viking where we stayed. The hotel itself is beautiful and located right at the beginning of Bellevue Avenue. If you've never been, this is where the mansions are and I highly recommend the Cliff Walk which is open to the public and completely free. If you can, do the guided tour of at least one mansion, they are spectacular. Greg and I walked around town for a bit and went down to Thames Street where there are lots of great shops and restaurants. This is another area I highly recommend, there is lots to see and do in that neighborhood. Greg and I headed back to the hotel after a few hours (mostly to escape the cold) and he sent me for a fantastic massage as my birthday gift. The hotel's SpaTerre is truly luxurious and I felt so pampered. I got all of my knots and kinks worked out and I felt like I was walking on clouds. As I returned to my room I found a box of cupcakes and a card from the hotel which was also good for a complimentary bottle of wine with dinner to celebrate. Greg and I got ready for dinner and this is when I met the naughty monkey. After a delicious assortment of crab cakes, stuffed quahogs, and the chef specialty grand chowder (which was amazing with lobster, shrimp and scallops) I had to peek at the dessert menu. I love dessert, so trying to decide what to try is always difficult. The waiter recommended the house specialty, The Naughty Monkey. Curious Greg and I ordered it and it was delicious. The Viking describes it as "a house made nutella filled crepe topped with caramelized bananas, whipped cream, chocolate syrup and a side of walnut chocolate chip ice cream." Re read that sentence and just drool, I know I am. If you are ever in Newport, even if you aren't staying at the Viking, go by there and just try the naughty monkey, it's worth it. All of the food at their restaurant, One Bellevue, is fabulous and you won't be disappointed. The next time I am up that way however, I really want to attend one of their afternoon teas, I swear I live in the wrong time period.
After stuffing my face with delicious food for the weekend, I came home to my mother making my favorite, gnocchi and a birthday gift of Paula Deen coconut cake. Yummm.
Funny little side story. While we were out and about Greg and I went to the Alex and Ani store and he bought me the Fascinate Me with Love charm and I had my eye on one of the feather bracelets. I asked to see one out of the case and found one of the other ones I wanted to try was on the counter. I noticed that this one had a clasp instead of their usual expandable bracelet. I said to Greg, "Look this one is kind of weird, no?" The girl behind the counter looks at my wrist and says, "Oh! That one is a an earring!" I would do that... Anyway, on to birthday freebies! One of the best parts of getting older (one of the only good things) is getting presents! Here's a list of some of the perks and freebies you can get for your birthday. - Free lip duo from Sephora for Beauty Insider members - $10 for Victoria's Secret - Free Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity breakfast at IHOP - Free gift with $10 purchase at Godiva - Free entree and dessert at Not Your Average Joe's - Free box of chocolate covered strawberries with purchase of 2 4-course dinners at The Melting Pot - $5 off $30 at Hot Topic for HT+1 members - 50 free Swagbucks (I'll have a blog on those soon) - Free smoothie at Tropical Smoothie Cafe - Free pastry at Panera Bread - Free drink of choice at Starbucks - $10 free game play at Dave & Buster's - Free piece of cake from Smokey Bones - 25 points on your A.C. Moore reward card
and there are honestly probably many more out there. What's your favorite part of your birthday?
Hey
everyone. So sorry I haven't blogged much recently, I've been working
60-70 hour weeks and got really sick because of it. This post is long
overdue because of it, so again I apologize. Anyway, here they are,
glitter ornaments that make lovely party favors (which is what I did
with them) or even surprise gift wrap. Either way they make for
pretty little things that will amuse friends and guests. I apologize in
advance, this was my first ever tutorial so the camera work is not
great. I'm hoping to get a tripod before I film my next one. I'm not
going to pretend I've ever done this type of project before, but I
wanted to experiment and figured someone had to try to do this. I wanted
people to see the whole process, blunders and all. Here we go! Instructions are under the video.
Supplies:
Fillable acrylic ornaments (I used 70mm and liked that size, but you can use whatever you like.)
Masking tape or scotch tape
Spray paint made for use on plastic (I used Rustoleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover)
Spray
glue for glitter (didn't know they made it until I went looking for it.
If you wanted to you could use a craft glue and paint it on each one
individually, but it will take a lot longer.) (I used Design Master Glue
for Glitter invisible adhesive)
A clear spray sealant (I used Patricia Nimock's Clear Acrylic Sealer)
Fine glitter (I used Nicole Crafts Ultra Fine Premium Glitter in Iridescent Silver)
Plastic
sheeting or something similar to cover your workspace (I used a
surgical drape because I was in the office and some of them got stuck to
it at one point, not good)
Thin ribbon of choice to string through
A mask to wear while spray painting
Make sure to work in a well ventilated area.
Open
a window and get a fan going if you can. It's no good to breathe in any
of the fumes from the spray paints. I mention working with kids in the
video, only have them help you during parts when no spray paints are
being used and once any fumes have cleared away. During the glitter
step, it would be best to only have children help if you are using a
paint on glue. Otherwise have them help with other tasks.
Lets get started!
Lay down protective sheeting or whatever you are using to cover your workspace.
Next star unwrapping those ornaments. Mine came individually wrapped so this could take a little while.
Start
laying down the ornaments onto your working space and try to keep your
halves together as it will make matching them up later a but easier.
Next
(or while unwrapping) you'll want to take a small piece of tape and
wrap the loop at the top of each half, this will help to prevent it from
getting clogged by paint and glitter, making it easier to string a
ribbon through later.
If you are making a lot of ornaments, it may be easier to do them in batches on more than one work space.
Lay
down a thin layer of your spray paint, you can go in with a second
layer if you like later. If you are using the glitter (which, why
wouldn't you? It's beautiful) you don't need much of the spray paint,
just enough to give it a little background color and opacity. If you
decide to keep a few just spray painted or want to do designs or
splashes of glitter, go in for a second, more thorough coat.
Allow this to dry.
Next
apply a fairly liberal amount of the spray adhesive, do only a few
ornaments at a time, something I realized a little late, you'll get a
better result. Have your glitter ready and liberally pour it on to the
wet ornaments. Keep repeating until they are covered. Allow them to dry
again.
Shake
off the excess glitter and move the ornaments to a second space if you
have one, or at least off of the first workspace so you can collect the
leftover glitter. I managed to gather up a lot of mine and bottled it
back up.
Check
your ornaments, some might already be just the way you want them, if
not, take them one at a time and apply a small amount of spray adhesive
(too much and they might look blotchy and chunky, not gorgeous) and
again liberally apply glitter.
Once they have dried completely from this step as well, again shake off the loose glitter.
Clean
off your work surface and one by one liberally spray the ornaments with
the sealer. You want to ensure a good even coat with this step, because
it will ensure that more glitter stays on your ornament than on your
guests (or your floor.)
Allow these to dry completely. Be patient. I know it's a lot of drying steps.
Remove the tape from the loops at the top
Once
these lovely, glittering orbs have dried, match them up with their
mate, if a little, or a lot, of glitter has made it's way into the seam,
just twist them side to side as you connect them and it should loosen
them up.
Once matched up use small lengths of ribbon to string them together, I choose to make bows, but do it however you like.
Now
you can place small gifts, raffle tickets, etc. inside to surprise your
guests. You might even be able to do a Yankee Swapper like this.
It's a fun little party favor that guests will remember.
I
love doing my nails, I mean, I LOVE doing my nails, and getting them
done. I got turned on to gel nails way in the beginning of the year and I
loved them. They lasted for forever and people loved them, plus they
were super durable which was great for work. I got them initially
because I had been doing my own nails weekly as sort of ritual to keep
myself from biting and picking at my nails, an awful habit I had. It was
working, until I got super busy and was having trouble devoting my time
to it each week. The idea of having someone do my nails once a month
(sometimes longer) and still having them strong and beautiful was
amazing. The caveat, the girl who does an amazing job on my nails is an
hour away for me... Yeah that bit makes it a bit harder. I know there
are plenty of places that do gel nails, but I've seen many in my area
that their work just looks plain tacky, not classy.
I
made the decision to get rid of my gels after several weeks of debating
it. I called to make an appointment for a fill and since my usual was
not available, I figured I'd spare her the breakup and get them off
while she wasn't around. Trust me my friends, there is a price to pay
for cheating, no matter the kind.
I
got to my appointment, and the man who was supposed to be taking off my
nails was still busy with his previous appointment and handed me off to
another man. Unfortunately it was the one tech in the nail salon people
tell you to avoid. There's always one that people warn you "if so and
so can't take you, at least don't go to _____" or they tell you who's
just as good I case of emergency. So my luck, I get the guy no one
wants. He begins my asking why I want them off and I explain, to which
he begins chastising me, saying a fill would be better. I explained a
second time and he shrugged it off. He asked if I at least wanted a
manicure and I said yes, please. Then I got the lecture about why
Shellac is better than polish, I explained I just wanted regular polish.
Apparently, none of my answers were good enough. He started to drill
off the top layers of the gel, which is fine and dandy, but then he
grabs a fake nail and starts trying to pry them off of my fingers and a
cuticle clipper to start clipping chunks of my nails parallel to my
nail. Now mind you, not only is this not the right way to take off my
nails, but pieces are flying into my face and onto the girl at my side
(who at this point I believe was equally disgusted. The right way is to
soak the nails in a solution to break down the remaining gel. Next he
had one of the other techs come over to look at my nails, the other tech
proceeded to ask my how long I wanted them and I showed him a specific
length, not super long, but a little long, I had plenty for him to work
with. He then proceeded to use the drill again to get more of the gel
off and all of a sudden nicks me with the drill and says, "whoops, guess
I can't save that one!" He then proceeded to whoops at least 3 more
healthy nails. After annihilating my length he managed to whittle my
nails down to a ridiculous thinness, so much so that it was painful and I
had a burn from the drill on my right thumbnail. Once he decided he'd
done enough damage with the drill he began to wipe my nails with acetone
(now he decided to use it.) I had a scab that had finally formed where I
cut my ring finger, it ended probably about a half centimeter below my
nail bed, I say had because he decided to grab a little lower on that
particular finger and ripped the whole scab off. He looked at me and
shrugged it off. Once that was done he filed my nails and proceeded to
break pieces off the rest of them and then painted them saying, your
nails will be weak for a while so expect them to break easily. I was so
upset. I understand that the techs make money based on how much you have
done, but I am a generous tipper, even when I don't spend a lot, and
had he done a quality job I would have tipped him well. I nearly cried
on the way home. I was so upset and I will NEVER go back there again. I
should have complained as soon as he started trying to pry off my nails,
but some stupid part of me kept quiet and that stupid little man gave
me a burn, cuts and ripped off a scab on top of ruining my nails, it was
truly insult on top of injury.
If
something like this ever happens to you, at a salon
or restaurant or any kind of business, speak up immediately, don't do
what I did. I want to kick my own butt for it.
So
now my precious nails are torn to shreds right as I had a work holiday
event, my birthday, and Christmas and New Year's Eve with all their
parties coming up. I'm going to have to figure out a way to rescue my
nails. I would show you how bad they look, but it's truly awful. I might do a nail rescue video and you might see them there.
Have
you ever been through an awful experience like this? Did you speak up
and if so what did you say? I didn't want to make a huge scene.
Hey everyone! If you're reading this, congratulations! You survived Black Friday too. Black Friday is a day of the good, the bad, and the ugly. I happen to love Black Friday, although less than I used to. I started shopping it when I was about 11. My aunt would pick me up in the middle of the night and we would camp out to get great deals and start our holiday shopping. I won't lie to you, I find it thrilling. To me it's like a shopaholic's olympics. You train and develop a strategy for success, you compete against others, and there are certainly spoils for the victor. I know what you're thinking, it sounds so melodramatic and you can find deals all year long if you know where to look. For some of us though, it's a lot of fun. However, there is a dark side to Black Friday, people who ruin it for us. They kick and punch and scream and trample anyone in their way, this is not fun for anyone and those of us who love Black Friday, despise these people.
In my opinion, Black Friday is kind of a sport for professionals and companies are making things worse by increasing the number of amateurs who are out and about. When stores opened at 4 or 6 in the morning, there were only the few (hundred) of us that were dedicated to the sales, but now that many stores open at midnight or earlier, thousands show up, making things unpleasant for everyone.
The last three Black Fridays I have worked at Victoria's Secret and I have opened, meaning I didn't really get to shop. The first two years we opened at 4 am and it was crazy, but exciting. This year we opened at midnight and it was horrible. Due to Massachusetts law, we technically could not be at work until midnight, which meant at the very best our registers wouldn't be open until 12:01. Shoppers were let into the mall at midnight and you could hear the stampede. They came running and screaming in and started pounding on our gate and trying to lift it open. I took a moment to put on some lipstick and perfume since I knew that I wouldn't get another millisecond to do it later, when I heard "Are you kidding me bitch? Who do you have to smell good for? Open this gate it's 12:01!" ... yeah, people were crazy. A few of us tried to explain that the registers weren't open, but they didn't care. It got to the point that my store manager had to come out and tell them to settle down and we would open as soon as possible. When she finally came out with the key to open the gate they came diving under and running in, I hid behind a sales fixture, there was no way I was getting trampled. They filled the store so quickly that some of us were starting to get pushed out of the store. They started tearing down shelves of merchandise and some of us had bruises by the end of the day. We had the head of mall security and police officers from two towns at our door and there were almost a few arrests made, I wasn't able to see if anyone was taken away. We had to have some people removed from the store and we had at least a two hour wait to get in. It became so crowded that we had two customers faint and EMS had to come in. If you want to get a visual of how bad it was, here's some footage of another Victoria's Secret store at opening. I'll be honest, there's was bad, but ours was worse, we had a much larger crowd. Edit: Original video got taken down, but here's another one to give you an idea. This was the insanity.
After working for twelve hours in this madness I stayed awake by going to a different mall to just casually see what promotions were out there. I got a great pair of shoes on clearance, some bath bombs at Lush (not on sale, but I needed the soak. I got a horrible cold and lost my voice that day, when I had been fine the day before and all morning.) and Greg bought me a beautiful cupcake ornament. Honestly, that one little gesture made my day. While I was too tired that night to decorate the tree, we will be doing it tonight, and I'm sure I will find the perfect spot for my cupcake.
I'd love to know, how do you start your holiday season?
As you may have already noticed, there's a chill in the air and the stores are changing their music. For those who don't know, I work part time at Victoria's Secret, which means I've already started hearing my fair share of holiday music. They were already starting it at the end of October. I love the holidays, but this is a bit much. I was walking by Nordstrom the other night and they had a sign in their window stating that they were going to be saving their holiday windows until December because they like celebrating one holiday at a time, I agree. On the other hand, I'm one of those freaks of nature who has their holiday shopping done by Black Friday. I love decorating my house, it's fairly simple, but pretty. This year I want to put my tree up on Black Friday (after I get out of work that is), it's something that my father used to do years ago. This is the first year that my family will be here from around the world, so I'd like to get started early so that it's perfect.
At my full time job, I've been in holiday mode since September. I manage all the marketing so everything is way ahead. There we will most likely be putting up our tree next week. We're making some party favors with a little surprise inside! Hopefully I will have a DIY post up this week showing you how to make them.
Do you love the holidays or are you a grinch (like my mom)? How early do you get started?
(Sorry this got posted a day late, I was having issues getting this post up) I hope everyone exercised their right to vote! I had a teacher in high school who always said “If you don't vote, you don't have the right to complain, you didn't try to change anything.” I went off to the polls bright and early before work. Unfortunately they changed my polling place and I wasn't 100% certain where to go in, but I figured it out. Because I live in a small city, a lot of our local positions were re-elects with no opposition, including one jerk I went to high school with. He was always really mean to me, so I didn't want to vote for him, but really, even with a write in, he was still going to win. Oh well, there are bigger fish to fry this election. I knew who I was voting for for the presidency, but I have to say that I had a lot of unease about the senatorial vote. I voted for the person I believe has the same views as I do, but can you ever really be sure? I feel like the campaigns this year bashed a lot more than usual. It felt like children fighting in grade school, and if they can't play nice and address the issues at hand, I don't know that I want them making decisions that affect my life.
Whatever the outcome, here's hoping it improves our country for the best.
Tell me, did you vote today?
Update: Congratulations President Obama on another 4 years. Lead us forward!
Well somehow I ended up spending money again. Greg is starting a new job and since he's going from welding to a bank job, he needed a bit of a wardrobe update. He has some business clothing, but not a lot since he didn't ever need much of it. Mostly he needed some new pants and a nice work appropriate coat. We started out at Kohl's where much to our surprise there was a huge store-wide sale going on. He found two pairs of great fitting pants and they were $20 each! Next we were off to TJ Maxx, but I warned him not to let me go too crazy. Every time I go in there it's like they know I'm coming and put everything I like out, or maybe I just like everything. We found him a nice new Calvin Klein tie for $14 and a Michael Kors belt that was originally $85, was just $7! He also got a nice new peacoat by Kenneth Cole for $70. If you add in the price of his new dress shoes last week, this whole thing cost only about $150 which is very reasonable. Especially when you consider that the last suit he liked was nearly $2000 with jacket, pants, shirt, tie, shoes, and belt. Let's not even dare to imagine that I didn't get something for myself. Confessions of a shopaholic my friends. I found a cute summer dress, lightweight snake print asymmetrical and clearance! That was just $14 and I can already picture wearing it next summer.
While we were browsing Greg mentioned that I might find a suit for myself since I have been saying I need one for umpteen years. All of a sudden he holds up a blazer and says: “What do you think of this one?” Please keep in mind that I am very near-sighted and a few racks away when I burst out with: “Is that Tory Burch???” He of course had no clue whether it was or wasn't, but he is still a freshman in the world of designers. Sure enough it was a beautiful, charcoal gray, one button Tory Burch blazer. Originally $450 and only $199. This is where it gets ugly and the inner turmoil begins. Those who are faint of heart should turn away now. I started on a desperate hunt to find the pants or skirt that went along with it for about 45 minutes to no avail. The fact that the blazer was a rare find was reinforced to me by multiple associates. You see, some TJ Maxx stores carry what they call Runway, but not usually at any of the stores in my area, and they were nearly positive no one would have a match. I started trying to justify the purchase in my head. I can afford to buy it, I just have to be really frugal the next few weeks. On the other hand, it's 200 freaking dollars! I could definitely find another blazer somewhere else, in fact I found another one on the same rack for $30, but it just didn't compare. I tried both on, certain that the stars would align and I would hate the Tory Burch blazer and accept it as fate that it was not meant to be... of course not. I don't have that kind of luck. It looked perfect. The charcoal color was beautiful on me, the waist nipped in just right and the fit was perfection. This was a dilemma. My biggest problem is that if I really like something, I can manage a way to justify it's purchase. I hate to be anticlimactic, but for now I didn't buy it. I put it on a 24 hour hold and I'm going to try some healthy separation. If by tomorrow I still really want it and can reasonably afford it, I will go get it, if not, then there will be others. Let's just say I've been trying to find the matching pants online all night though.
Do you think designer pieces are worth the splurge? I think if it's a classic piece that you can use for life go for it, but what about seasonal pieces that are only in the now? Let me know what you think.
Update: So you know I went back and bought it, right? Yeah, everyone knew how that was going to really end.
So remember that part where I mentioned I love cupcakes? For those who know me that's pretty much a daily basis. Anyway, once upon a birthday someone ordered me a birthday cake martini and it was scrumptious. The waitress told me that they blended vanilla ice cream and vodka and voila it was delicious. Well there was definitely some kind of witchcraft behind it that I can't seem to get right. I have found tons of recipes online for different cake martinis. Cupcake, birthday cake, pineapple upside down cake, but none of them call for ice cream. So I did what any crazy person would do. I went out and bought Pinnacle Cake Vodka, Breyer's Extra Creamy Vanilla ice cream, Duncan Hines frosting, and some colorful nonpareils... oh yes my friends, it's a party. I managed to figure out how to rim a martini glass in frosting and coat it with nonpareils. I thought it would be no big deal, but I won't lie, it took about 10 minutes and I ate more frosting than I got on the glass. I thought the next part would be easy. I measured out a shot of vodka and got myself a scoop of ice cream and threw them both in the blender. This is the part where I would like to say I enjoyed a deliciously creamy martini. The ice cream just keep getting spun around the blender and the vodka just kind of mixed with the melted ice cream. They just would not come together and be friends. I tried adding a little more softened ice cream and only made a bigger mess. When enough of this frankentini had melted I managed to somewhat blend and pour the whole atrocity into my beautifully rimmed glass. I tried to drink it, the rim was delicious, but that was not a martini. It did not taste like cake or vodka or ice cream. I managed to ruin 3 different delicious things. I'm still trying to figure out how on earth to make this silly thing, but it is just not happening.
Any bartenders out there who can suggest any tips or tricks or who want to come whip me up one? Anyone?
I'll probably give this another go soon.
Have you ever royally messed up a recipe you thought was foolproof? Tell me below.
I've been doing a lot of shopping online lately which is something I shouldn't do, but it gives me time to “walk away” from something I like for a little while and go back to it if I REALLY want it. Plus there's usually a coupon and free shipping, which is way better than spending $10 to drive to the mall and then having to lug it up three flights of stairs. Well today one of my packages arrived (I've had something arrive almost every day this week) and I was happily surprised. I'm a big fan of ModCloth and I always want to snag one of their Stylish Surprise deals and I always miss it. Well not this time! In fact, I got two (and a very cute pair of flats.) Stylish Surprise is a really fantastic deal if you can ever snag it, you get a mystery clothing item in the size of your choice and it's worth up to $249.99 and it's only $15! I love clothes, but let's face it, I don't have the budget for my taste and this is a great way to get a fabulous unexpected piece for a steal. Also, ModCloth has the best names for their clothes. I got a cute dress that had caught my eye before (On the other line) and a top I wouldn't necessarily have picked. The dress has a great retro feel to it and the top is very 1970's laid back (You tan do it). I actually think my mother would like it more than I did and if that's the case, well I guess she just got another Christmas gift. So to sum it up, I got a super cute pair of ballet flats, a funky retro dress, and a boho top for just about $50 and got free shipping. Sounds like a win.
On the other line:
You tan do it:
Earlier this week I went by Burlington Coat Factory to exchange something... which means of course I bought something else. I have to say it was an incredible deal though! I normally don't like yellow on myself, but this trench coat just called my name and begged me to take it home. It was the last one, it was my size, it was clearance AND it was Calvin Klein. Originally $160, marked down to $30 and I had an exchange for $15, I basically only ended up paying $15! I don't normally do exchanges, I usually know whether I really want something before I buy it, but it was a workout top that was in no way doing it's job and looked really unflattering and it was bought in an unfortunate hurry.
Lesson reinforced: always try before you buy.
I'd love to know, what's the best/favorite deal you ever got?
*Photos are from ModCloth.com and do not belong to me in any way
I love yummy things, especially baked goods; some call me the Cupcake Queen. A very good friend always calls me Cupcake and when I'm dolled up she says “You look gorgeous, Cupcake!” - hence the name of this blog. Cooking is my own edible therapy and I find it only brings good to everyone around you. Baking to me just smells like happiness, I mean have you ever seen anyone be angry in a bakery when the bread is coming fresh out of the oven? I didn't think so. I also love crafts. I'm not particularly great at any crafts yet, but I love trying out new ideas and techniques. It's another way I get rid of stress and I find it's a great outlet for it. I love clothes and shopping. My mother has always said that we have terrible taste, everything we like is expensive, but prices don't always love me. We're talking “Oh look at that pretty dress, it can't cost that much... it's only more than my annual salary.” I'm tenacious though, I will search high and low and I love finding unexpected deals and steals. There is nothing wrong with consignment. Keeping your eyes open you can always find something in your budget. Right now I'm in the poor college kid category. I am taking a little break from school to find the direction I want to go in, I call it my quarter life crisis. I live with my boyfriend Greg in an older than dirt, third floor apartment with what I call a grown up easy bake oven and a makeshift closet. We moved! It isn't much, but it's home and we love to share it with our friends and family.
I work for Victoria's Secret as a sales associate (and self professed beauty queen) and also as the marketing coordinator for a medical spa and I'm also an Arbonne Independent Consultant. I'm mommy to one adorable fluffy fat cat and this blog is going to be my new baby.
I know there are lots of people out there like me and I hope you can find some laughs and ideas here and I'd love to hear back!
