Sandy

A heartfelt thank you to all of our rescue workers who have been working around the clock as the jersey shore evaluates, cleans up, and regroups. Life here as we know it has changed forever. Our houses are destroyed and our favorite stores and hangouts have been washed away to sea. If we're lucky, our families and friends are safe. It will be years before we fully recover but we will recover.

With the help of organizations like these we'll rebuild our lives, and our homes. Please donate, if you can, and help the jersey shore get back on its feet.

Thankful

[author's note: this post was originally meant to go out last Thursday. In my allergy related, drug-induced state,

 I never pressed publish. Good thing, too, because now, even without power, I have a post for you all.

Sandy, be good to us. ]

Sometimes all it takes is the world's slowest moving week coupled with a massive allergy attack to make one really appreciate the little things in life [ever notice how the people who say fall is beautiful happen to be the same people who don't have allergies? I get it - summer's over. Bring on the frost and kill the pollen. PLEASE.] Not much can keep me going through the fall allergy season - but here's a peak at what is currently working.

[gorgeous sunsets off the boat]

[ice cream with sprinkles + a side of sprinkles]

 

[Orange lipstick + a fun Halloween manicure]

[leather pockets]

[Friday night wine club]

Baby Cupcakes

I've been looking for any excuse to craft lately and with the house hunt back on and a wedding in the not too distant future I'm sure I'll have plenty of opportunities soon. In the meantime, with no house to decorate, wedding to craft for, or even (shock horror!) a friends bridal shower to plan, I'm in a bit of a crafting rut. Luckily, my cousin's baby shower was this weekend. Unluckily, I have no experience with baby showers, never mind baby crafts. I found this picture on Pinterest and decided how hard could it be? As far as crafts go, it's definitely on the easier end of the spectrum. And, like me, you'll probably make your "cupcake", decide it looks nothing like a cupcake and try, try again. The best advice I can give you is make all four at once, place them in the cupcake box and then decide if any need to be re-rolled. There's magic in the cupcake box and things that don't normally look like cupcakes suddenly look adorable inside that box.  

Here's what you'll need:
4 onesies
4 baby socks (2 pairs)
Cupcake box (I found mine at Michael's)
Cupcake liners
Scotch tape

Each cupcake is made from one onesie and one [single] sock.

 

Fold the onesie in third's and the sock in half.

 

Using the toe of the sock as the piece sticking out, roll the sock into the onesie. Experiment with how tightly you do this. [Too tight makes the cupcake appear taller than is realistic but too loose and the cupcake looks like a blob.] Purposefully roll "down" so each roll is not even with the last, giving it a more stacked look. You can see this in the picture directly above. The picture to the left is the underside of this cupcake - don't  worry about how this looks. It's going to squish into the bottom of the box anyway.

Use scotch tape to hold the rolled onesie in place, put in a cupcake liner and voila! Onesie Cupcakes! Like I said before, wait until all the cupcakes are done and in the box before deciding to re-roll. You'll be shocked how much better they look once they're in the box surrounded by other cupcakes. That said, I wound up re-rolling the red cupcake four times before I was happy with how it looked [meanwhile, my nine year old sister rolled the yellow one on the first try and it was the best looking one in the box.]

One of the things I loved best about this gift idea is that, for family and close friends, it's the perfect "little something extra" that I find myself so often needing. This craft cost me under $20 and took no more than 30 minutes to complete. Additionally, for those people whose shower you aren't attending but probably should buy something for (neighbors, children's friend's parents, coworkers you only see and work with occasionally...) it's a really easy and inexpensive way to acknowledge this time in their life.

Comment below if you try it out and let me know how it went!

In pictures

Monday's are always hard. And I'm off to support a friend who just started her own business selling Arbonne products. I'll fill you in if it's worth it. Here's to hoping it is =)

Here's the weekend in pictures. Fun times filled with babies, pumpkins, and a bit too much champagne.

 

 

Hello There

It's Friday?! Already?!

Typically, I'm counting down the minutes starting on...oh...Monday evening until the next Friday but not so much this week. You ever have a week where you hit the ground running at 7:35am Monday morning and just don't come up for air? Like, at all? That was this week for me.

I got quite a bit accomplished though, happily. And I'm looking forward to a weekend filled with relaxation: a baby shower, a dinner date with grandma, and a football game with dad and fiance on Sunday. Sadly, that football game on Sunday means I'll be a no-show at the premiere of my always inspiring cousin's pilot episode. See the information on all of that here. [Love ya, Mike. Maybe you can pick me up a copy?] Follow Mission Possible for updates on their amazing journey.

Happy Weekend.

Bag Girl

Every girl has their vice. For me, there is a magnetic field from my very soul into the heart of either the shoe or outerwear department in any store I walk into. I stopped counting the number of coats I own back in '05 when the world's smallest dorm room (née closet) had no more hangers and I used two jackets as a pillow until my mother came with more hangers (since buying my own hangers would have been ludicrous)

However, this past weekend was the celebration of both my fiance's 27th birthday and a close friends 30th (and my mom's xth...she'd kill me if I said more.) My friend's husband bought her this gorgeous, long-loved-from-afar Prada bag and I've since been on a bit of a handbag kick. I don't think I'll ever justify spending more than $100 on a handbag - mostly because I treat mine terribly - but  when I hit the sale racks at Charmin' Charlie and T.J. Maxx this winter, here's where my inspiration will be coming from.


I first confessed by love for all things neutral here and this bag certainly doesn't disappoint. Steve Madden incorporated snakeskin, gold accents, and a metal chain without looking over the top or show-stealing. Well played. 

Marc by Marc Jacobs is kind of like a long way of saying can't go wrong. The leather is so soft you want to snuggle with it and the color-blocking ensures an effortless match to almost any outfit. 

Clearly I'm living out a color-block moment but this Pour La Victoire bag is perfection (and it's currently on sale at Piperlime - run! don't walk!)

What's a handbag wishlist without a little Rebecca? I'm pining after the first one for it's classic shape in this season's hottest color and the second one tells me story: winter kidnapped summer and hid her in a handbag. She's bursting to get out but winter is putting up a fight. Basically, it's the story of my soul.

                     

 

After All

When I began this blog a few months ago, I wanted a place to discuss and explore the things that inspire me everyday. The very first week I began my Weekend Book Review as a way to discuss with my readers one of the things I love most in this world: reading. Since then I've discussed a number of books, as well as fashion trends, shopping tips, and beauty tutorials, to name a few. I've spent weeks trying to decide how to incorporate my love of travel into this blog in a way that speaks to me. I'm not interested in discussing basic travel tips [however...pack at least two days worth of necessities in your carry-on for international flights. Don't have the room? Lose your luggage for three and a half weeks in a country where you can't even recognize their letters and then tell me you don't have room. Trust me: find room.] nor am I interested in discussing the beauty of touristy hot spots [although most of the ones I've seen are indeed beautiful].

I was very fortunate to have my first international travel experience as an extended one. I was in Europe for months, as opposed to days. Perhaps its because that was my first experience, and I had no other "travel traditions" to speak of, but I have traveled internationally numerous times since then and pride myself on being a traveler, not a tourist. As an example, I was in Rome for over a month before I made it to the Colosseum and if you asked me for ten must-see places in Paris, the Eiffel tower wouldn't make my list.  Don't get me wrong, the Eiffel tower is fun [and my name, along with my fiance's, is etched into the cement at the southern corner on the second floor walkout] but I prefer to walk the less crowded side streets and find the tiny patisserie in the center of Montmartre where the locals are.

I immerse myself in the culture, and have made a fool of myself on multiple occasions as I attempt to speak the language [I once ordered a "what time is it lamb chop" at a fancy restaurant in France after I decided to speak only in French and mixed up the expression "what time is it" with "I would like to eat..." The stunningly gorgeous waiter laughed at me for days.]

I'm still working out the details on how, and in what context, but I can't wait to bring my love of travel and introduce him to all of you.

Sunset in my favorite city in all the world. Can you identify it?

Winter Necessities

Although I've put endless amounts of energy into the denial of this fact, mother nature is no longer allowing it to continue: Fall has arrived and winter is close behind. I'm taking my boots out of the attic this week, and replacing that attic space with shorts, flip-flops and my ever-expanding fedora collection [a la here] . After reading this article, I compiled a list of feel-good winter clothes that I'm craving right now.

Leather pants
It's the mullet of the 21st century. Leather in the front, stretchy legging in the back. You want to look bad-ass, but the last thing you need is this scene as you head in to a big meeting.

Two tone loafers
I bought a pair of leopard print loafers a few weeks back. I have a difficult time passing up leopard print and when its Steve Madden + sale + leopard print, it's practical impossible. What I didn't expect was to love the look as much as I did. It's the ballet flats older, edgier, cooler cousin who buys booze for all of ballet flats friends. And who doesn't love the cool older cousin who buys you alcohol? Since I reach for my loafers practically every day, I've decided it's time to purchase a more neutral color. This shoe goes with basically everything.

Leather Accents
In case you can't tell, I'm channeling my inner biker chic this fall/winter [her name's Sabrina and trust me, you do not. want. to mess.]. An obvious wardrobe staple for Sabrina is a leather jacket and I'm obsessed with this season's fun take on a classic. This one is my personal favorite but for those of us whose winter coat budget doesn't hover upwards of two thousand dollars, these two (1 and 2) are options as well. Or you could hop on over to Urban and practically steal this one.

Lined in Silver

I was out of school last Thursday and Friday at a workshop. Between that and yesterday's no school due to Columbus Day, I found myself with an unexpected 5-day miniature vacation from my students. If you thought that gave me time to refresh, catch up on some grading, and come back today with a clear mind full of fantastic idea's, you are correct. So imagine my surprise when I caught my own mouth saying this little gem at 8:32 this morning:

"In this classroom, we do not poke people in the head. That's twice. I will not say it a third time."

The school day starts at 8:30, folks. That's two minutes prior to my above comment. Ever looking for the silver-lining I followed that statement up with a private one: looks like I found today's blog post. 

Happy Tuesday!

WBR: Wifey

I had myself a momentous life event this week as I headed in to the local library for the first time in a decade. This was not by choice, mind you, as I would far rather borrow books for free than purchase them at the alarming rate that I do. But let's just say that ten years ago, the library and I disagreed on fines that I owed. Well, first I disagreed with the library, then my mom disagreed with them, then we both disagreed with Her Royal Highness, Ruler of all Libraries, which resulted in me getting permanently blacklisted. [Do I look like the type of person that would borrow $350+ worth of books on retirement in Florida and never return them? At age 16, no less? But never mind...this story has been falling on deaf  ears for years]. A few weeks ago, my fiancé got himself a library card and surprised me with it. I finally made it in this week [yes, wearing wearing sunglasses and a scarf to hide my face] and....I went a little crazy.

First up is Wifey by Judy Blume. Once I heard it was the Fifty Shades of the 1970s I knew I had to read it. If you want proof of how times have changed [like you need it] read the backlash Judy Blume received for this book...and then go watch any PG movie out there today. Also interesting is the role of the woman in the household - especially considering this book was supposedly progressive! My, how far we've come. 

Unless your a real Judy Blume fan [guilty as charged] there's no reason to buy the book but if you, too, are allowed in your local library pick up a copy. And please return it, will you? I hear libraries get cranky when you don't.

A Minnie Problem

Let me guess, you are obsessed with J. Crew's Minnie pant. If you're not obsessed with the Minnie, it must be because you've never tried it on. And that is a concept I can't begin to wrap my head around. It's been deemed "the only pant you'll ever need" and I'd drink to that [though I must say, I'd drink to most things by this point in the week]. I own them in 'vibrant flame' and isn't that a shame because it's not as though you can get away with that color every day of the week. Luckily, I purchased them in black recently. And I say them, not it, because I purchased plural. Black goes with anything, after all. And didn't someone once say when you find something you like buy two? No? Well someone should have. Actually someone should have said when you find something you like buy it in every imaginable color, since that's what I'm doing.

Problem is, Minnie doesn't come cheap. And certain people in my life that I love dearly don't exactly see eye to eye with me on this whole own multiple pairs of an expensive pant when you don't even like pants idea [I prefer dresses, is all. Back up from the gutter, all of you]. To make matters worse, the Minnie only comes in  a limited number of colors. What ever will I do once I have them all?

Thankfully, I found a potential solution. Did you Minnie-lovers out there know that the Loft sells the same pant, minus the name, for $59.95? And Loft loves to give things to you for 50% off, which makes us a match made in heaven actually since, as it turns out, I love buying things for 50% off. I just ordered fake-Minnie in blue and orange [both pairs for less than one Minnie. I know, right??]. I'll keep you updated. In the meantime, run don't walk to the nearest J. Crew and buy the Minnie. Even if fake-Minnie is a win, everyone needs to own the real thing.    

Neutral Territory

With the recent change of season, I expected a shift in the no-bright-is-too-bright color trend of this summer. And while the colors are changing slightly, from electric blue to a deeper cobalt and a neon yellow to a more subtle olive, neutrals seem to have gotten lost in the shuffle. Maybe that's why these three pictures below stood out to me on Gilt a few days ago, and why I had to physically restrain myself from ordering every piece shown. I love the play on textures and the unexpected color combinations. With the vibrant colors stealing the spotlight lately, I find this palette remarkably refreshing.

                    

 

I wish I could remember what boutiques on Gilt these came from. I screen captured them on my iPhone and never looked back. Unfortunately the sale is over now but if anyone recognizes them, leave it in a comment below.

Half Moon

I've seen this manicure floating around pinterest for awhile and decided to try it out for myself this weekend. Unlike some of these nail blogs out there, my manicure did not come out perfect. It looks like exactly what it is - a homemade mani by a person who is not the least bit ambidextrous. I'm showing it here because I think most people are like me - relatively uncreative and completely inartistic. Not all fancy-pants manicures are created equal, and this is one of the easiest I've found.

You'll need:
1. Clean, dry nails
2. Two nail polish colors [I used bobbin for baubles and absolutely shore]
3. Hole Reinforcers
4. A DVR'd episode of your favorite show, possibly two, because there is a lot of waiting involved

I start with a base coat, CND brand is my personal favorite, and let dry. Apply whichever color you want to be on the bottom of your nails, closest to your skin. In this manicure I picked the lighter color, Absolutely Shore, to be on the bottom. I was originally worried about a light color being painted over a dark color but now that I've done it, I don't think it would have mattered. As long as you have time for multiple coats. As you can see in the pictures, I didn't even paint my whole nail this color. It's a waste of color, and time, to do so since most of the nail will be covered by your second color later. I opted for only one coat of this polish, but that was probably a mistake [patience is not a strength of mine]

                

 The key to this manicure is to allow this first color to completely dry before moving on to the next step. Enter material #4. Once it's completely dry, you apply the hole reinforcers. I cut mine in half as I found it sticks better to the nail without all that 'extra' material. Really make sure the reinforcers are stuck to your nails, especially around the cuticles. Otherwise, the darker polish can sneak underneath.

Paint the second color on. It's not a big deal if you get paint on the hole reinforcers, since they come off anyway, but be careful not to paint inside the hole! Enter material #4 again because this paint needs to be completely dry before removing the reinforcers. 

                 

Once it's dry, peel back and enjoy your manicure! Below is my finished product. I don't hate it but I have a few improvements to make next time. One I already recommended: Apply a second coat of the lighter polish on the bottom. And the second improvement for next time will be to make my half moon's smaller. As you can see, I left a little polish showing through when placing the hole reinforcer down. Next time, I won't leave any polish - with my shorter nails I think it will look better that way. I'll keep you updated!