One Sassy Lady

Today I want to pay respects to those people out there who pursue their life's path to the fullest extent and inspire us all.

On one of the morning shows I occasionally watch, I was introduced to one amazing lady. At 101, Sally Gorden is still walking into work each day with a jaunty step and no plans on taking a break. What struck me most about this woman was her zest for life.

I also loved that she sported a wide-brimmed hat and huge sparkly earrings for her tv appearance....


You can't help but love that, right?

Interested in the interview? click here

Color In Your New Year's

For those of you who are over the 'little black dress' and want to make a bright splash on your night, here are a few sweet little numbers that are full of color!










What are you wearing for New Year's?

Once again the joys of a New Year approach and with them come parties. With parties swiftly approaching, the inevitable question must be asked ..what will I wear?

Are you the type who pulls on a simple cocktail dress you already own and go a bit crazy with the latest accessories? Or do you shop like crazy for a little something new in the form of a dress or separates ?

Since Coco Chanel, the little black dress has always been a classic choice.Here are a few adorable ones I found in a variety of price ranges that may begin to help you with that all important clothing decision...
 



See the next post for the next installment of New Year's suggestions...

Infomercials...

Infomercials make me laugh...every time I see one for a seemingly useless object I totally crack up.
This one strikes me as rather bizarre. Not that having something stir your sauces while you do other things is a useless idea, but the "robostir" simply looked so strange that I couldn't help but laugh.

Merry Christmas to All!

First of all I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. I hope that everyone has managed to get thier fill of Christmas tv specials, cookies, lights, shopping, gifts and eggnog.

Enjoy your day (I know I will)

Throw yourself a Cookie Swap party for the holidays! (Warning Recipe EXTRAVAGANZZZZA)

Last night brought a bit of a crowd into my apartment. This wasn't just for any holiday party...no, folks it was for a Cookie Swap. It was a devious device used to get a good variety of cookies floating around without spending weeks baking cookies. The whole game was as follows; everyone brings some cookies (homemade, from a tube, from the local market) and a container to carry cookies home in, the cookies get set out on a table to be sampled, everyone loads up containers and carries home what cookies they prefer. We ended up with a pretty good spread of cookies. I brought Coffee Spice Shortbread with Crystallized Ginger and Ambrosia Macaroons to the party. They both turned out pretty well, but if you are anti-ginger or anti-orange  you may not want to bake both of these.

To counteract the sugar rush that would ensue after an evening full of cookie sampling, we had a table full of savory treats. We had some healthy snacks in the form of some Crudites and Dressing,  some delish Baked Brie with water crackers, Cheese Puffs ( which were A-MAZING! best fresh out of the oven with a bit of butter), I also made some Herbed Goat Cheese Tarts in little mini pie crusts (which are always a hit - pretty much a standard make at parties I throw).

Some other quick apps that can become standard at your next party....

Lightly Roasted Asparagus
   Take one bunch of asparagus and wash. Hold both ends of each stalk and snap. It will naturally break at the point you need it too, and the tough ends are gone. Put your asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven for 4 minutes at 400*F. It will be lightly roasted and still crisp. Great with dip for parties.

Puff Pastry Twists
  Thaw your frozen puff pastry according to directions. Fold out and drizzle with olive oil or brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with garlic powder and chopped fresh herbs of choice ( I like Oregano and Thyme). Cut into 1 1/2 inch ribbons, twist and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350*F for about 15 - 20 minutes. They are done when lightly brown and fluffy.

 Roasted Gnocchi     (warning: when this gets cold, it gets a little tough - make sure it is served hot) 
    Get a package of gnocchi, preferrably potato - it's usually near the pasta at the grocery store, and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake at 350* for about 20 minutes or so. It will be done when the edges are just a bit brown. Serve hot with marinara sauce as a dip.


   Now you know some of my entertaining secret recipes...make these and people will rave.

                                                   Have a Happy Holiday season folks!

Shoe Discovery!

My heart stopped a little when I came across these...
Pretty Amazing...yes?

Five Tips To Make Your Next Holiday Trip an Amazing One!

The holidays are a time of joy, laughter and getting together with friends and family. Lights, food, laughter and traveling, whether by plane, train, boat or car. This past weekend, I joined the mass of holiday venturers in a trip of my own to visit the fiance's parents. Here are my pieces of advice for amazing and successful travels....

1. Late flights are amazing! It was my first time flying at night, and watching the lights as I took off and landed warmed my heart. Despite the holiday season, both my flights were half empty. I lucked out with a window seat with an empty seat next to me both flights! It probably helped that I flew up at 9:40pm on a Thursday and scheduled to fly back at 9:00pm on a Monday( my flight got delayed quite a bit and I actually left quite a bit later). The only downside, of course, is that you get in pretty late, especially if a flight gets delayed. But if you are a night person like me, it's ideal.

2. If you go to touristy areas of New York (or any city for that matter), be prepared for tons of crowds. And people all standing in the exact same spot, taking the exact same picture. We ventured into Bryant Park and people-watched a little bit. I promise you, a lot of these people photographing those on the ice did not know anyone out there...


3. Any time you go into a well-populated areas, keep your eyes open and you will make interesting discoveries...

Hello Kitty statue in the middle of a courtyard.

Rather creepy puppet stall in Bryant Park.
4. Don't be afraid to go out on a limb and try out recommendations by friends and other sources, you may find a new favorite. Examples, this weekend's thumb's up go to ... the Brooklyn Flea Market, amazing cheese at the Grand Central Station Market and the cutest little restaurant called Alice's teacup.

Ecstatic over a completely amazing Swedish cheese gotten at the Grand Central Station Market ( it had a revolutionary caramel-ly flavor to it and was only $6 for  a block of it!)

One of the many Alice in Wonderland inspired pieces of decor inside Alice's Teacup
Amazing butterscotch scone was served with fresh cream and preserves. Along with it I had some amazing black tea with mulling spices.
Cait's scone was full of pumpkiny goodness!

5. Accept with open arms holiday traditions, and even holidays, when you are a guest, especially when they are soon-to-be family members. While I was up in Long Island, I got to experience my first Chanukah celebration. It was a beautiful and rewarding experience and enjoyed every minute of it!


In short, keep these pieces of advice in mind and you may have a wonderful holiday experience!

Super Amazing Yummy Pie!

Things have been really crazy on this end; I'm just now posting about Thanksgiving ( I know, I know!)

I whipped up a ...wait for it....Apple Pie with Oat Streusel!

Well, I actually made this amazing goodness from the November 2010 Bon Appetit (suprise, suprise) to bring to Thanksgiving with the fiance's parents. Yes, not exactly a great idea to bring an untried dish to a dinner with the future in-laws, but it turned out AMAZING. Feel free to try this delish recipe.

Random Find of the Day....


And the random find of the day today is....a 1943 gas mask. Brought to you by Shopgoodwill.com

to check it out and make a bid...click here

Love ...or obsession with self?

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

-William Shakespeare

A new wedding-themed reality show has hit the airways folks. In many ways, however, it has nothing really to do with weddings...or even love for that matter. I'm not that big into reality shows, myself, but I find the premise of this one disturbing. Women compete for the chance to have plastic surgery and a big humdinger of a wedding. The sad part is, these are all beautiful women, willing to submit to major body changes for a chance at a overblown wedding.

Aren't we as women told enough that we have to measure up to an unrealistic standard, without telling a group of beautiful women on national television that they need surgical assistance to prep for a day when they should feel totally accepted by the love of their lives exactly as who they really are? Weddings should be about two people who love each other and celebrating with family and friends, not about trying to reach some ideal by your wedding date.

What do you think?




Curious about what I'm talking about ?click here
 

World's Smallest Car

I came across this online today. Apparently, It is the world's smallest car that you need a license to drive and it resides in Germany.

Can you imagine how easy it would be to find a parking spot in this baby?

Fast and Easy Caramel Rolls

When I was a kid, my mom would make caramel rolls. Cinnamon rolls with a thick gooey crust that was absolutely delicious. However, they would have to raise overnight to be ready for the morning.These, on the other hand, are quick, easy and allow me to get my fix without baking all night. The secret is to use a tube of big and fluffy refrigerated biscuit dough..

First, you roll out your biscuit dough until it is one square or rectangle. Spread out room temperature butter on the dough making sure its evenly coated. Sprinkle handfuls of brown sugar evenly across the dough, then evenly sprinkle out cinnamon. Roll up the dough starting from the longest side and  roll across until you have one big tube of goodness. Slice up the dough into rounds divided by the amount of biscuits that were in the can. In a greased round cake pan randomly place squares of butter followed by a generous sprinkling of brown sugar. Place your roll rounds on top of the deliciousness and stick into a preheated oven at 350*F for about 15 - 20 minutes. The rolls are done when the tops are nicely brown. Let cool for a few minutes. Then, place a plate on the top of pan and flip. If they don't pop right out, it means the pan didn't get enough spray and you'll have to use your own ingenuity to get them out. Enjoy warm, topped with a bit of butter.

I have an etsy shop now!

After being told for months by various friends of mine that I am an "etsy shop waiting to happen", I now have a shop. I'm pretty excited. Right now the only things that are on there are cuff links that I made after wedding crafting cufflinks for the men involved in the wedding. They turned out pretty amazing and I promise I'm going to put a tutorial on how to make the cuff links on here later.

Feel free to check it out...

Sweet Boutineers with Paper flowers and Peacock Feathers

This weekend I spent part of my time working on crafting for the wedding. Remember those paper flowers a while back? Well, I took some of those, trimmed them so they were a bit smaller and added some feathers and such. It was such quick going, that in the course of an afternoon, I had made boutineers for all the Groomzombies and family members.

First, I trimmed the stem on the flower so that it was the desired length.Then, on the back of the stem I put a dot of glue from a hot glue gun. I attached the peacock feather to this dot.


I added another dot on the stem to the side of the peacock feather. (I decided where to put the feathers depending on how they curved). I attached a small ostrich feather or rooster feather to the other dot of glue.

After the glue has cooled, put an small vertical line of hot glue on the stem near the bottom and attach the end of a 1" ribbon.

Wrap around once and fold down.

Fold up again, capturing the feather and stem ends.

 Fold another 45*.

Wrap around the stems all the way up to the base of your flower.

Fold over the end of the ribbon and secure with hot glue. Glue a broach or broken earring with the back removed to the front to add texture, interest and a bit of sparkle.



Final Product





PS- sorry the photos are so awful...I had to take them with my phone and the quality isn't the best...

Car Dancin' is For the Cool Kids

Have you ever turned on the radio in your car, and even though you may have heard a song many times before, it hits you how truly amazing the song is? Well, yesterday the song below came on as I was driving home from work, and some serious car dancing commenced. When I say serious, I mean that the people in the Honda CR-V next to me were laughing and pointing...





Awesome song to jam out to, right? And the video for it just makes me want to go put on a flowing dress and dance around my apartment...

Bedecked with Baubles

Just sharing a few little sweet (and a few totally rockin') recent discoveries...

I mean, can you beat these totally awesome sugar skull wedding rings???


Golden Key to the Flight of Dreams Artful Hardware Pendant
Skeleton Key AND Wings...total winner! And it gets bonus points for its awesome steampunkish cogs!

These are so sweet and romantic...they make me want to don a lacey frock...


Diana in  Coral Pink
I Love You in many Languages Brass Ox
Maud a Victorian Mermaid







MARIE ANTOINETTE DESSERTS  3 MODELS Ring MTuent
Warm beverage? Check! For every finger? Check!



Large Brass Scarab Beetle
This scarab totally rocks! Can I put it on my Christmas list...please...?

Jane Austen Fan Club

There is a common trend popping up among modern fiction writers; fan fiction. Now, I'm not talking necessarily about the massive amount of fan fiction that hangs about on Harry Potter. I am talking of the fan fiction that surrounds Jane Austen's tales. I did not realize how much Jane Austen was inspiring authors until I took a turn around my local chain bookstore and realized how much there was. Fan fiction written about a classic author, perish the thought!

Fan fiction abounds; there are tales of Elizabeth Bennet kicking zombie butt, multiple continuations of the Elizabeth and Darcy tales, murder mysteries that feature  her characters, novels about characters reading and obsessing over her books, characters switching places with Jane Austen characters and going back in time to relive the lives of the Jane Austen world. That isn't even the full sum of it.

I am an admitted fan of classic literature. I have, in actuality, read all of Ms. Austen's works and have them on the shelf. For the most part, however, I am disappointed in the fiction based off her books, and I read everything. If there is any fabulous fan fiction that I have not read, I would love to stand corrected.

Oh the joys of the 'Find of the Day'!

I have been, and probably always will be, an avid reader. Today I totally geeked out when I happened to come across these lovelies at Anthropology. Some of my favorite books as a child in all their printed clothbound glory!



Ok...happiness has commenced...