five things friday - 11.9.12

{5 things currently making me happy this week}

1. Knotted ear warmer
2. Led Zeppelin t-shirt
3. Red denim
4. Black nail polish
5. Trip to San Diego in December

Thursday's Trend Alert: Camo.

Not in a million years did I think I would be blogging about a trend alert consisting of.. gulp.. camoflauge! But yes... it's happening right here and now and to be honest, I'm kinda diggin it. For a little fashion inspiration, here are some photos of how to rock this look. Try it out!

  

Photos taken from various sources

I do not own the rights to them

DIY Wednesday: Wax Seal

The world of IT has practically taken over America, but the art of snail mail can still be FUN! Sending mail via the U.S. Postal Service can even be more fun than sending an email or... dare I say it... Facebook message.. GASP! Although the internet is quick and easy, I must admit, finding a letter/card/invite in my mailbox is a pleasant and exciting surprise!

Now, for those of who you simply hate loathe licking envelope glue such as myself, I stumbled across this amazing tutorial, courtesy of Honestly...WTF, which is absolutely PERF for the upcoming holiday season! And yes boys and girls.. start preparing those greeting cards because the holidays will be here before you know it. You don't want to just send out another boring, old e-card and be like everyone else now do ya?! Or maybe you do, I dunno.

You’ll need: 
-A brass seal (available here, here and here) 
-Abraxas sealing wax or glue gun sealing wax 
-A candle and lighter  
-Large glue gun (optional) 
-Envelope

Directions:

 

 Start by lighting a candle. Hold the stick of wax about half an inch above the flame. When melting wax, it’s very important not to touch the wax to the flame as it will start to burn and smoke. Allow the heat of the flame to melt the wax, not the flame itself. Watch the tip carefully as it starts to melt. As soon as it wants to drip, rotate the stick quickly – don’t worry if some wax drips into the candle. Just continue rotating for a full minute or until the end of the wax stick looks completely melted and soft.

Quickly apply the melted wax to the back of the envelope. Remove the stick and press the seal directly on top of the wax for a few seconds.

 Carefully remove the seal and allow to dry completely before touching it.  

*Tip: Traditional wax dries brittle. If you plan on mailing the letter, have it postmarked by hand at the post office and not run through a postmarking machine. 

Directions for the glue gun method: 

Glue gun sealing wax is a flexible wax and although it doesn’t have the same organic look to traditional sealing wax, it’s a much faster and mess-free way to seal. Simply insert the sealing wax tube into a large glue gun. Allow it to heat up completely and squeeze out a dollop of wax onto an envelope.

 Press the seal directly on top of the wax for a few seconds. Remove it to reveal the seal!  

*Tip: When using a glue gun, make sure it’s dedicated to only wax and not mixed with glue. This is a great type of wax to use if you’re sealing multiple envelopes.

 

Photos courtesy of Honestly...WTF  

Tipsy Tuesday: Presidential Election 2012 Edition!

What better excuse is there to drink than on an evening in which you will make one of the most important decisions of your life ... which one of the 2 crazies will run Amurrrika?! 

Enough chatter... let's get to the important stuff.. cocktails! I leave you with 3 cocktails featuring the colors of our fine country: the red, white, and blue!

First up we have.. 

{Watermelon-Blueberry Cooler}

Serving Size: 

-Makes 1 tall cocktail

Ingredients:

-6 ounces watermelon

-1 ounce blueberry vodka

-1-2 lemon wedges

-Ice

-Blue decorating sugar, optional for rim (or use Tropical Punch Blue Pop Rocks!)

Directions:

1. Puree watermelon, vodka and juice of one lemon wedge in a blender. Add ice (to desired thickness) and blend until smooth.

2. If sugaring the rim, pour a small amount of blue decorating sugar onto a plate. Run lemon wedge around the rim of the glass. Dip rim in sugar.

3. Pour cocktail into glass.

And for you wine-o's out there like myself, I give you...

{White Wine-Berry Sangria}

Serving Size: 

-1 pitcher

Ingredients:

-1 bottle dry white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)

-1 cup lemon-lime soda

-1/2 cup raspberry vodka

-1/4 cup brandy

-Chopped strawberries

-Raspberries

-Blueberries

Directions:

1. In a pitcher, combine wine, soda, vodka and brandy.

2. Put a few raspberries and a small handful of chopped strawberries into the bottom of each glass and muddle. 

3. Fill glass with ice, then top with sangria and a few blueberries. Stir.

And lastly, what's more American than drinking out of a freakin' MASON JAR?

{Spiked Raspberry Lemonade}

Serving Size:

-About 3 cups

Ingredients: 

-6 ounces fresh lemon juice

-2 to 3 tablespoons sugar

-1/2 (750 milliliters) bottle sparkling water

-1/4 pint fresh raspberries

-1/4 pint fresh blueberries

-1/4 cup gin

Directions:

1. Mix the lemon juice and sugar together until the sugar dissolves.

2. Stir in the gin. 

3. Add the sparkling water just before serving (so the drink is bubbly).

4. Add fresh raspberries and blueberries to each glass. 

I hope you enjoy all or 1 of these delish cocktails! Happy election day ya'll!!!

Recipes courtesy of Tasty Trials and Fabulous Foods

five things friday

A few thangs currently on my fave radar this week are..

{Seein my faves w/ my fave @ Fox Theater tonight!}

{Gaga's perfume is to die for}

{Xen-Tan self-tanner.. to keep me bronzed in this amazing not so Fall weather}

{Finally chalked my hair for the 1st time on Halloween.. kinda obsessed now}

{I'm back in the Smartphone world!}

Hair Chalking!

Wake up, wake up, wake up... it's the 1st of the month...

So last night... aka HALLOWEEN--my most fave night of the YEAR if you haven't learned by now--was simply amazing. Nothing like costumes and karaoke at a dive bar, ya? Pine Cove did me well. Anywho, I got multiple comments on my hair last night, which obvi, looked 10 times better before I even got to the bar. OBVI. So, for my 4203974203947 readers and followers out there, I thought I'd put together this little diddy to show you the specifics of how I did it. Most people didn't believe me when I said I used pastels. A lot of celebs have been rockin the hair chalking look, but not many peeps knew what they used to do it. Of course, people can dye it, but for a more temporary look, feast your eyes on this DIY!

What You'll Need:

-Soft pastels (not to be confused with oil pastels)

-Gloves (or if you don't give a shit like me, no gloves)

-Brush

***Soft chalk pastels can be found at any major art store. The best soft pastels (if you want to drop some serious dough) are Sennelier pastels. However, I went to Michael's and found some pastels that cost me $4.99 or something like that. Umm, can you say score?!

Directions:

1. Twist the hair as you chalk. The texture from twisting makes the chalk release more pigment.

2. Always brush the excess powder out after chalking each piece.

3. If you’re blonde or you have blonde tips, DO NOT wet your hair before chalking. It will stain if you do because adding water to pure pigment creates a real dye. If you’re okay with the staining for several washes then go for it! If you’re looking to do color for the day, do not add water at any time. If your hair color is anything darker than blonde and you don’t have blonde tips, you’ll NEED the water. Doubling the pigment is what will help the colors to show up on darker hair. Mist a little water on the strand with a spray bottle, then chalk it up! It won’t stain darker hair the same way it will on lighter hair.

Washing it out: 

1. Before you shower, brush with a soft, natural hair brush get out as much pigment as you possibly can! It should come off almost all the way with brushing.

2. Shampoo your hair with a clarifying shampoo after chalking. Soft chalk pastels use “gum arabic” as a binder. It’s a very very small amount and totally natural, but it’s made from a tree sap so it’s really important to get it all out.

3. Conditioning treatment is a MUST after you wash out your chalk. Replenish the moisture that may get sucked out with chalking.

Here is a peek at what I was rockin on Halloween...

Tutorial via The Beauty Department

Wish List - 10.25.12

By the end of November, my goal is to buy all 5 of these items. 

I haven't been able to stop drooling over #'s 2 & 3 for awhile now...

Gotta pull the trigger sometime. It ain't gonna buy itself!

1. A new pair of waxed denim

2. UNIF's "Go To Hell For Heavens Sake" cardigan

3. Jeffrey Campbell Venice Wedge Sneaker

4. A new oversized white tee

5. Bright red nail polish