Food With Faces And Other Seasonal Treats…

Whoops. I’ve been in hiding the past couple of weeks. And while I can’t pinpoint the exact reason, there are multiple factors that inevitably go into every self-inflicted “hibernation,”…right? But I’m back this time, really and not without some great news and celebratory treats!

For starters, this law school grad has now transcended from the role of “student” to “attorney!”  After nearly 3 months of waiting on my bar exam results (which, by the way is arguably more grueling and torturous than preparing for the exam itself…) I found out last week that I passed!  What a relief…sort of.  Now I need to get a job, but can’t I just revel in this accomplishment first?…please? Either way, I’m so thankful to be on the other better side of this exam… a girl can only be in the fetal position for so long before things get pretty uncomfortable.  Bring on the swearing in ceremony, my inner Elle Woods transition is almost complete!

Next, my fiance and I got a puppy.  For the record, I am a dog lover – nothing like a wet, cold nose to warm my silly heart. BUT, I’m beginning to think that our little guy is still in Halloween mode – that cute, fuzzy, little face appears to only be a deceiving mask hiding a mini devil with sharp teeth and an uncontrollable bladder. Don’t get me wrong, I’m totally obsessed and in love with our “son”, but I am beyond all set with staying up all night and coming home to what I call “poop-losions” (poop explosions).  Any dog whisperers out there have any tips on taming this tenacious pup?

Okay so back to the always serious sweet treat business.  I’m a little late on the Halloween bandwagon, I know, but honestly any of the following treats can be adapted to fit most (major) holidays, you’re on your own for National Sandwich Day, yes, really.

FRANKENSTEIN & GHOST MARSHMALLOW POPS

Talk about easy and fun. Like I said, I have only done these Halloween pops, but I’m fairly confident will have me using the same directions with different colors and faces to make some winter themed ones… Frosty the snowman, anyone?

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Marshmallows

Melting Chocolate in Light Green, Brown, & White (for ghosts, only)

Lollipop Sticks

Black Gel Frosting Pen

Styrofoam Block

HOW TO DO IT

1. Melt light green chocolate melts in microwave stirring occasionally every 20 seconds until smooth.  Be careful not to burn chocolate otherwise it becomes a thick, gooey mess.

2. Dip stick end of stick into chocolate and then pierce one end of the marshmallow.

3. Dip entire marshmallow into chocolate or simply use a spoon to coat the marshmallow evenly.  Place pop in the styrofoam block to harden.

4. Once pops are hardened. Repeat melting chocolate step, only this type with brown melts.  Dip only the tops of each pop into the brown melted chocolate. Again place pop in styrofoam until hard.

5.  Decorate with black gel frosting as desired.  Enjoy!

NOTE: Since these babies need to be standing up, I used an old vase filled with candy corn to achieve a more creative and appealing way to display them than a styrofoam block!

WITCH HATS

Okay, I lied above.  These are the easiest, quickest, and most adorable little creations I’ve seen in a while.  No baking and no mess and in little time, you’ll have one hell of a conversation piece.  Christmas time?  I’m thinking Santa hats – I’ll post a recipe as it gets closer!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Keebler’s Original Striped Fudge Cookies

Hershey’s Kisses

Orange Frosting

Cookie Sheet

HOW TO DO IT

1. Flip over fudge cookies so that they are bottom up.

2. Unwrap kisses and place a small dollop of orange frosting on the bottom of the kiss and place in the center of the cookie.  Make sure there is enough evenly-coated frosting to make a ring around the candy mimicking a ribbon or belt on the “hat.”

3. Serve and enjoy!

GRAVEYARD BROWNIES

Dress up any box-mix brownies with some fun accessories!  These pictured were from the Christmas Tree Shop for $1.29!  Sidenote: I also picked up some great fall leaf cookie cutters for $1.00! God, that place feeds my cute food addiction like no other. Few things excite me more than a good deal, siigghh…

Now, these I did not have time to do, but they were on my list!  They are pretty much along the same lines as the Frankenstein and Ghost Pops, only instead of marshmallows, use Oreos.  Sugar on sugar on sugar.  I hope no one here is dieting.

Here’s to low temps and sugar highs…

XO

What’s Up, Noc?

So this is completely random, but I’ve been obsessing over this all day. You may have already heard the good news – we have a talking whale on our hands! As if millions of talking Americans weren’t enough, we now have this little (it’s all relative…right?) guy named Noc to converse with.

Say hi to Noc, please…

Just so you know what we’re dealing with here, take a listen:

Thank you, Noc for that wonderful imitation of what appears to be the Swedish Chef from the Muppets… (anyone?.. anyone?) Anyway, this beluga whale reportedly spent nearly 30 years at the National Marine Mammal Association in San Diego, CA. Researchers believe that his close proximity with us “land-dwellers” prompted Noc to begin mimicking patterns of human speech spontaneously. And I thought Free Willy was cool…

Not to be a downer, but Noc has since passed. It’s pretty unfair that this audio was just released recently. Poor Noc couldn’t even revel in his own groundbreaking glory. Alas, his legacy will surely live on. Future whales have some serious work to do to, now – tail flips and full body breaches just aren’t cutting it anymore.

Until the next marvelous mammal…(new potential category, perhaps!?)

XO

20 Years Of Awesome…

Happy 20th Anniversary, Christian Louboutin!  Your iconic designs have graced some very fortunate soles for generations and brought confidence and sex appeal to a level few thought was possible by simply wearing a shoe. This by no means is a small feat, and for that the culture of fashion will forever be indebted to your innovative vision.

Need some recent Loubi news? Try these two stories on for size:

1. Louboutin World was proud to announce the grand opening of an Istanbul boutique yesterday! Hurray for expanding on the already established 50 stores world-wide! I was lucky enough to visit the Miami boutique this past year – shoe heaven!

Sneak a peak!

 2. Christian was in Boston yesterday to celebrate his 20th anniversary at Saks.  Lucky for everyone who attended, there was a meet and greet. Sad for me, I wasn’t part of that “everyone.”  Epic fail on my part. He’ll come back soon… right?

Louboutin World shared this behind the scenes photo of a shoe good enough to eat…literally!

Until next time red-sole lovers…

XO

White Pants, Don’t Care…

“Never wear white after Labor Day.”

We’ve all heard it.  We’ve all followed it. Now it’s time to engage in a revolution of sorts.  I don’t know about you, but white is one of the greatest, most versatile colors (or lack thereof…) to wear year-round. 

While white tops and dresses, especially, have found themselves soaking up the spotlight on some recent fall/winter runways and red carpets, it is time for the white pant to follow.  Honestly, if you live anywhere warm, the chances of you actually wanting to wear pants in the summer, regardless of color, is slim – it’s hot, muggy, and humid! Just thinking about those words make me instantly feel bad for any pair of legs subjected to a ‘pants prison’ in the summer heat.

Now’s the time to give the white pants some cozy, winter love. Here’s how to take white from beachside to fireside!

This girl has it all right. Slouchy boots, structured blazer, polished scarf, oversized bag, and ass-kicking aviators. Casual and put together. What’s not to love, seriously.

I’m sorry, but there is no explanation needed.  Victoria Beckham can do no wrong, end of story.

Oh, okay Zoe Saldana. Could she be more chic right now? This may be an older picture, but the girl knows how to rock a neutral palate. This outfit needs to be on me, like, now. 

So call me crazy, but I’m not in love with the awkward rust/brown colored, mini-peacoat..thing.  Maybe its the ballooning at the base of the arms. Just not feeling it. But it is still a great example of an epic white pants crossover.

And the ‘white (pant) fight’ continues…

What are your thoughts!?

XO

Autumn Ankle Boots

Reblogged from deux chicago:

• 

To anyone giving a cursory glance towards my ankles lately (um, who isn't?), it's no secret I'm all about the ankle boot trend this season. I'm loving the shapes, sizes, cuts and colors - what's that sound? Oh, riiiight, it's my wallet groaning in agreement. Quiet down, you silly thing! We're trying to look at boots here.

Rag & bone black boots…

Read more… 51 more words

A big thanks to Deux Chicago for this one. Such a great compilation of some seriously adorable Autumn ankle boots.

I need, like...all of these.

XO

We Go To Vermont-a And Do What We Want-a…

Let me begin by stating that I’ve been a terrible mother to my blog-baby.  I can’t believe it has taken me over a week to post – I really have no other excuse except that silly thing called life getting in the way!

Well, enough of that – I should probably stop apologizing and start writing!  Before I get to the namesake of this post, I’m compelled to share two mini-rants.

1. After weeks of drooling over that healthy pumpkin smoothie I blogged about earlier, I gathered all the materials and attempted to make it.  As if the world didn’t want me to taste that much awesome, my poor blender had a leak in it. How sad is that!?  The answer is verrry. Anyone have a blender suggestion?

2.  Word on the street is that my girl, Jen Aniston, was in town last week… and. I. missed. it. I mean, I know the chances of me ever “casually” running into JenJen are slim to none, but what’s a girl have to do to get a heads up on such an epic sighting!? As if her presence wasn’t enough, my BFF is now backing Cambridge, MA based hair product firm, Living Proof.  How great is that?  Having been a Living Proof user for over a year now, I can definitely say that this is a beyond glorious union.

Great product + great spokeswoman = genius business move.

For more info on Living Proof products click here! Need a few more details on Jen’s new hair-care home? Click here!

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OKAY, so lets talk about Vermont.  If you haven’t been, you should go. If you live there, take a look around – it is beautiful! Following in designer, Rebecca Minkoff’s recent footsteps, my fiance, bestie, and her boyfriend decided to give this great state a visit this past weekend and we weren’t disappointed.

While us leaf peepers may have missed the peak of foliage season, we still were greeted with some majestic, colorful landscapes.  Our souls were warmed this weekend by some serious hot apple cider and warm apple cider donuts.With all this goodness, I’m seriously contemplating putting cinnamon on pretty much everything.

We also found our new favorite restaurant/bar called The Parlor.  I can’t really describe this cozy, rustic gem, but it has a fireplace, cheese plates, and great drinks… did I mention the fireplace!?  I’m not going to lie, snatching the coveted benches in front of the fire made us me feel a little like the cast of Friends… replace the bench with an orange couch and the hard cider with a hot coffee and I’d say we’re pretty much indiscernible.

Anyway, here are a few shots from our little New England adventure!

Where is your favorite fall destination!?

Here’s to apples as crisp as the fall air and leaves on fire with color…

XO 

Lovin’ Lovato…

I just can’t resist.  Maybe its my intense obsession with X-Factor, but I am currently loving me some Demi Lovato.  Seriously.  I just want to be this girl’s friend.  Now, I know I’ve said that once before on here about Jennifer Aniston.  Let me be clear, Jen Jen will always be my #1 girl crush/ secret BFF, but I do have to say, Demi has been climbing the ranks as being someone that should have been in my group of girlfriends, like, ten years ago.   So the girl’s got the occasional style fumble and rehab stint…in Hollywood, that’s just inevitable, isn’t it? (insert Lindsay Lohan shout out here).

Anyway, I find her to be inspirational (um, hello Anti-Bullying Campaign), witty, smart, talented, and just…well, cool.  I don’t know if any of you have noticed her completely rocking the sock bun lately, either.  That bun is no joke and always seems to look effortlessly chic (teach me your ways, Demi… I have a serious handicap when it comes to the sock bun…)

Ugh, she’s totally killing it right now.  I think the X-Factor was such a smart career move as it allows America to see how refreshingly genuine some teen stars can truly be.  Now, Britney on the other hand…she’s great and all, but really, I can’t take her and her lackluster responses (not to mention the random shots of her gaping mouth) seriously on that show.

We’ll see you tonight, Demi!

Who’s your favorite female X-Factor judge?

XO

‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ Takes On A Whole New Meaning…

Okay, so I wish I came up with these fantastic DIY ways to breathe new life into your broken, cracked, and ”not-quite-gone” makeup items, but sadly, I didn’t.  However, what I can do is share the page with all the secrets..err, tips…?

 

Check it out and say hellooo pretty, new shade of lipstick and goodbye sad, broken, bronzer!

14 Easy Steps to Revive Your Makeup!

What do you do to extend the life of your makeup essentials!?  Let me know!

XO

Cool Wwwwhhhhip…

Get ready for a really random post.  First things first…we haven’t had a “Verdict” in a while… I’m definitely long overdue for picking apart celeb outfits and unapologetically declaring one a winner. That sounds hard, but really, they clearly don’t care what I think.

And. here. we. go…

I was flipping through some photos of some style-stealing celebs and came across this one.  Both ladies are totally gorg and on trend with the sheer blouse, but let’s face it, some people wear certain items better than others.  I’m always a big fan of the “polished” look so for me Miranda Kerr takes this one. The sleek navy skinny pant coupled with the fantastic and always effortlessly chic bare, nude pump really kick this outfit up a notch.  It’s totally casual, but still looks put-together – a “can’t-go-wrong” combo in my opinion.

So where did Jennifer Hudson, the newly slimmed down diva, go awry?  Well, it certainly wasn’t her playful hair or fresh-faced makeup.  For me, it was the sloppy buttoning of the untucked blouse and the navy and black legging pairing.  Now I know the blue/black rule technically no longer applies, but I’m sorry… I just don’t like it.  It almost looks like you got dressed in the dark and you tried to match colors, but failed.  I will say, I love Jenny’s loafers.  These babies are so in right now and I’m dying to get my hands on a pair!

Overall “Verdict”?  The beautious Miranda and her flawless after-baby figure for the win!

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Here’s where things get random.  Wondering about the title?  Even if you aren’t, you should be and you also should have said it in Stewie’s voice…but that’s beside the point.  Anyway, in yesterday’s sweet treats post I failed to mention a really adorable companion to this winter’s inevitable hot chocolate binge: I give you the cool ‘whhhhip’ heart!

Ta-da!

This couldn’t be easier either.  Simply buy a tub of this creamy goodness, freeze it in a pan, and then use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to instantly make your drab, yet delicious drink, more appealing.

Want another twist on classic hot cocoa?  How about strawberry white hot chocolate. Yup, that’s right. Pink, creamy, chocolaty…did I mention it’s pink!?

How cute is this!?  Everyone should be drinking this, like, all the time. Even if you aren’t drinking it, just have it near you…it’s that pretty. Thanks to Darla of Bakingdom (such a clever name, right!?), we can all have a little fun this winter.  Check out the recipe below!

WHAT YOU NEED

1 lb. fresh strawberries, hulled

1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 cups (750 ml) milk
1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream (for a lighter version, omit the cream and replace with more milk)
1/4 cup white chocolate, chopped

**NOTE: For a semi-homemade version, replace the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice with 1/4 cup strawberry milk drink mix, such as Nesquik.

**NOTE: If you want yours sweeter, add up to an extra half cup of sugar while the mixture is cooking.

HOW TO DO IT

Slice the strawberries then toss them in a medium bowl with the sugar and lemon juice.

Cover and set aside for one hour.

Stir the strawberry mixture to evenly coat everything, then transfer it to a blender or food processor. Process until completely pureed, then press the strawberries through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds.

Pour the strawberries back into the processor and add the milk and cream. Process until blended.

Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan set over medium heat in the white chocolate.  Cooking over medium heat, whisking almost constantly, until it just barely begins to lightly boil, about 10 minutes; remove from heat.

Transfer to your favorite mug, top with marshmallows or whipped cream, and any other yummy treats.

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Here’s to hearts and polka dots!

XO

Diamonds: A Girl’s Best Friend or A Wallet’s Enemy…

Let’s be honest, diamonds are pretty amazing from how they look to how they’re formed (talk about pressure to be beautiful! — sorry for the pun,…just had to). These dazzling beauties are of the most coveted stones on Earth whether they are on your neck, on your ears, or on your pretty little left ring finger. But recent trends have broadened our bedazzled horizons by creating some of the most exquisite, and outrageously lavish, diamond laden designs.

Try the World’s Most Expensive Dress on for size…

The elaborate handmade dress by British designer, Debbie Wingham, is encrusted with 50 two-carat black diamonds and weighs roughly 29 pounds – that’s a workout in itself.  To put things in perspective, the bustier alone took six months to complete!  As expected, the whopping price tag of £3.5m, or $5,600,000 dollars, reflects the dress’ extravagant nature and intricate designs.

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If that beauty didn’t tickle your fancy, how about this one…

Black. Diamond. Nail. Polish.

This bottle of nail polish (varnish) by LA jeweler and self-proclaimed “Black Diamond King”, Azature, retails for $250,000 and boasts 267- carats of black diamonds.  Honestly, I can’ve believe this even exists.  Please take my opinion with a grain of salt, as my nails typically look homeless…I try, I really do.. but my nails just hate me. Anyway, Kelly Osbourne had the honor of clothing her nails in this lovely, sparkly number at the 2012 Emmy Awards. Kelly, by the way, is only the second person to ever wear this varnish – second to none-other than the the ‘glam queen’ herself, Jennifer Lopez.

Don’t get me wrong, it looks great.. but I really could never justify any more than $8 on any given nail polish (you’re the best, Essie!). Fear not ultimate fashionistas, there is a significantly lower priced Azature alternative for around $25 that is now available at Fred Segal/Ron Robinson. Even at the new “low” price, the alternative polish would have to do a lot more than sit on my nails and look pretty…maybe if it went to work for me, cleaned the house, washed the dishes/clothes, and actually brought in an income, etc. then mayyybeee…

What do you think? Too extreme or every girls’ dream?

XO