Showing posts with label Tips and Tricks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tips and Tricks. Show all posts

Saturday, July 9, 2011

A Picnic in the Park: Inspiration

AAhh summer: Bike rides, beachin' it, bbq's, and, of course, picnics! I've always been a fan of stealing airline blankets for future picnic use and, well, 'tis the season! Below are some fun items that I've always enjoyed on a picnic and perhaps you will too! (From left to right, starting at the top)A Picnic in the Park






1) First of all, what's the point of loungin' in the sun if you have nothing to show for it afterwards! This MAUI BABE lotion is THE GREATEST! it can take you from "January Office Body" to "Bronzed Beauty" in a few short sun sessions. But remember, there's no sunscreen in it! So remember to load up on that first!!

2) one word: HAVAIANAS! I recently got to spend some time in Brazil and finally got what the big deal with these flop flops is. They may just be the most comfortable pair I've ever owned, and they come in every color as well as some awesome patters! Just Try on a pair and I bet you'll never buy another brand of flippy floppies ever again!

3) I dont understand why people limit board game adventures to the family living room. I say: BUST THAT SHIT OUT! and bring a game like scrabble or connect four along your next park outing. I was recently given this AWESOME travel scrabble game and it has served me well! The new game sets are waterproof and fold up ever so neatly so get one for yourself! and maybe one as a gift! You (and the gift recipient) won't be disappointed...

4) Plaid shirt: Picnic Chic... 'Nuff said.

5) A Crossword puzzle (this may not be for you, but I never leave the house without one... I encourage you to just give it a shot. I suggest a monday crossword for beginners, and I bet you'll be hooked in no time. Plus, studies show that exercising your brain every day with activities like crossword puzzles and other brain games can prevent mental deterioration. Here are a few words commonly found in crossword puzzles and their definition to get you started...
  • Aerie: High nest
  • Epee: Dueling sword
  • Nee: Formerly called, or precedes a maiden name
  • Poi: Polynesian food

6) Everything is better with music. Grab some portable speakers and create a soundtrack to your life! Here are a few tracks on MY soundtrack that really get my feet tappin'.
  • Got to Give it Up: Marvin Gaye
  • Steppin' Razor: Sublime
  • Down and Out in New York City: James Brown
  • Mais Que Nada: Sergio Mendes
  • He Got Game: Public Enemy
  • Hold Ya: Gyptian (the Billy Blue & Nicki Minaj as well as the Major Lazer remix are both great versions too!)
  • Beautiful: Damian Marley

7) Key necklace... nothin' special, just thought it went nicely with the outfit. I've got a necklace with keys that I've collected from some of my travels on it...I would, and probably have, worn it to the park.

8) Wayfarer sunglasses. Any so-cal resident will tell you these are a must. and now that EVERYONES knocking the ray-bans off, you can score a pair for $5 at places like Venice Beach and Swap Meets. Sweet Deal, sweeter look.

9) Jean shorts. Cause Daisy Duke aint the only gal who should be rockin these. Throw on a leather belt with bronze or antiqued looking buckle for a more polished look.

10) And last but CERTAINLY not least: The Quintessential Picnic Item: A WINE (and cheese) KIT! Trust me: once you've discovered collapsible plastic wine glasses you'll never go back to paper cups.. and c'mon.. face it...you're far too classy for a dixie cup!

***A little extra*** also, I recently stumbled across this ADORABLE modern take on a picnic basket. check it yo: MODERN PICNIC BOXES
Well, there you have it folks: A plethora of picnic paraphernalia! Hope this post gets you packing up for the park!
Enjoy!
-Sarah

Plaid blouse
$15 - delias.com

River Island black sunglasses
£5 - riverisland.com

Havaianas Mens Brasil Flip-Flops
$22 - piperlime.gap.com

Friday, July 8, 2011

Stripes Ahoy! Style & Inspiration

Thank goodness it's summer! And what's so fantastic about summer? (besides the BBQ's, beach trips and your excellent tan...) Getting to rock the nautical look of course!! I'm obsessed. I wait around all year till the weather is appropriate to sport the stripes and, BoNUS, it's a style thats popular year after year! So here's a little collection I threw together to inspire your own seafaring styles and nautical notions.
Bon Voyage!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Love Punch





Strawberries are in season and I've been using them in everything from smoothies to salads! Here's one way to use strawberries to decorate and add a little flavor to your favorite juice, sparkling water, or other beverage.
To make the strawberries into hearts, cut the stem off by cutting two slits in the top at an angle, (i try to round mine like an arch to get more of that bubble heart look, but a simple straight line will do)






Align Right

then cut the strawberry in half and trip the sides to give it a sharp angle. (see photo below)


You can toss the strawberries in the pitcher just like that, or cut them into thinner slices. (I like the keep them in the halves because strawberries will absorb some of the water and get a little mushy if sliced too thin)

Awww... look how cute that is! Yay! I <3 strawberries!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Re-vamped Hanging Letter Organizer

Another renewal!


Here’s my most recent “renew”.... a hanging letter organizer that i found broken at a garage sale and believe I bought for $1.

** Tip: When hunting at garage sales or thrift stores for items to restore, ignore the color or any finishes on them! look for pieces that come apart for easy painting and reassembling! Remember, youre gonna sand and repaint everything and all you really need is a good skeleton...


Before.....



After!!!!!



To Renew this letter organizer, i took the backing off (it was just staple gunned in, as backing usually are..) lightly sanded it, primed it, and spray painted it white. Then I used scrap fabric to wrap the backing, stapled it back on, and voila! a new crisp white letter organizer with a little lime-green, mod flair!!


(also-these letter organizers a EASY to find at any goodwill and re-finishing one is a fun, quick DIY decorating project!)


Thursday, December 3, 2009

Fun Gifts for Him for Under $50!

As much as a love tearing through wrapping paper myself, one of my favorite parts of the Holidays is gift giving. But who knows what to get anyone these days?! And lets face it, the monogramed flask has been done, and no one needs another new bathrobe for the 4th year in a row... so how bout some fresh gift ideas, (and a few classics..) for that hard-to-shop-for gentleman on your list?


(top row from left)
1. SuperHeadz Plamodel DIY 35mm Camera $35! A DIY camera that lets you not only take the photos- but build the camera too!
2. Freaks and Geeks the Complete Collection $36! Seriously, its the best show ever.. Relive every high school swirlie and akward first dance with this awesome box set!
3. Ticket Stub Diary $12 OK so scrap booking may be Über girlie, but the gents still wanna save the memories of the Yankees taking another world series! This album is designed to document your favorite games, concerts and events... in the most masculine way possible.
(middle items)
4. Recycled Skateboard Cufflinks $20 Get him a gift even Tony Hawk would be jealous of! These one of a kind cufflinks are crafted from the wood of old skateboard decks. Each one is unique and it makes a great gift for your extreme sports dude.
5. Collapsible Trunk Organizer with Cooler $32 Its no secret that I'm a sucker for all things organization... so any chance i have to pass my OCD tendencies on to someone, I take. Plus, no gal likes a guy with junk in the trunk! am i right?!
(bottom row)
6. Jack Black Men's First Class Five Grooming Kit $48 One of the best in mens skin care, this airport security friendly kit has everything you need to keep guys skin smooth!
7. Cardboard Animal Head $28 Its a cardboard animal head! it pretty much sells itself.... Oh- and did I mention it comes in Bison too?
8. Double Horsepower SYMA Dragonfly Remote Controlled Helicopter $46 I don't care what any of you men say... you're all 10 year old boys at heart... and there isn't a-one of ya who wouldn't spend hours playing with a remote controlled anything any day of the week...
9. LEGO® Architecture: Empire State Building Set $24 Following the same rules as remote controlled toys, are Legos... Just TRY to not play with em if they're in front of you! and with Lego's new Architecture line, you can have all the fun and not feel like a total nerd stuck building the Death Star, or Temple of Doom ,or whatever...


Well.. I hope that gives you a few ideas... the websites I found these items on are great as well! (especially uncommongoods.com ) And remember : NO ONE UNDER 92 YEARS OF AGE LIKES FRUITCAKE!

To all The Holiday Jet-Setters and Globe-Trotters... and those just going over the river and through the woods to Granny's..



The Holidays are here people! And chances are good, with that comes traveling to see family! ( ...or traveling to escape ‘em) Either way, i thought I’d share with you a few tips and tricks for smooth sailing!

Tip #1... Pack light!

I used to want “options”... then I realized I only ever wear about half the clothes I brought... and what a waste of packing space that is!


The easiest way to maximize your outfits is to bring items that are “cross-over” pieces... or items that (with a little tweaking) can go from a day look to a night look....

I LOVE my grey sweater dress and heres how, with a few added accessories, it goes from a comfy day look to a swanky night-out-on-the-town ensemble!


Tip #2 Rock and “ROLL”!!

ok ok... maybe rockin’ isnt in line with my traveling tips, but ROLLING your clothes when packing sure is!! This helps to keep clothes wrinkle-free and gives you TONS more room than just folding (or stuffing) your clothes into your bag would.


cherry on top: if you wanna get fancy, you can roll your clothes in tissue paper.. this help to keep clothes extra extra wrinkle free!




Tip #3... Packing Cubes!!!

Allow me to introduce you to what may be the greatest invention in packing since the rolling suitcase... PACKING CUBES!!! GET YOURS HERE AT AMAZON.COM!!




After my dear friend Audrey raved about these packing aides, I had to get one for myself and boy-oh-boy i don’t know how I ever travelled without ‘em!!

These mesh bags are the secret to packing organization! Instead of unpacking everything to find what your looking for, all you have to do is grab the cube, take out what you want, zip it and toss it back in your bag. No more digging around or unpacking everything just to find that one thing you need!


Take a look at how the double-sided packing cube condensed a whopping 23 items that spread out over my whole bed into a cube just barely bigger than a shoe box!!


2 pants

3 dresses

1 jacket

2 pairs of leggings

1 vest

3 undershirts

1 blazer

2 sweaters

5 shirts

2 belts

1 skirt

all fits in this:


im telling you... im amazed every time!!


Tip #4 Check in Online!!

I’m sure you’ve heard this one before.. but I’ll reiterate... Airlines allow you to check in online and print your boarding pass from home. Also, now you can have your boarding pass sent to your cell or PDA and, from that, they can simply scan the barcode on your screen!


Tip #5 Cover your Ass!!!

Recently, on a trip to NYC I had my entire purse stolen, and with that went my wallet, cell phone, ID, credit cards, (and even my Ipod... ) boo....

Needless to say, I learned a couple of lessons the hard way! I learned that you dont necessarily need your ID when you travel (THIS IS NO EXCUSE TO TRAVEL W/OUT ONE!...Just advice for what to do if one gets lost!)

Make photo copies of your ID and passport and keep them hidden in your suitcase just in case. I also recommend bringing 2 credit cards/atm cards and keeping each in a different bag or wallet.

One day this just may save you a whole lotta time/money and DEFINITELY the headache.


Other than that..bon voyage!

Oh... and to expunge any possible feelings of guilt, it IS, according to me and any person who’s ever flown on a plane ever, OK to steal the blankets... I take em any chance I get... WASH em when you get home of course, but they make for wonderful picnic blankets-- and lets face it- now some airlines have to audacity to charge for pillows and blankets...RUDE!! “I’m sorry, but I was under the impression that my $523 ticket included my comfort... oh it doesn’t? I see..so I have to pay an additional fee to be warm and comfortably cushioned...i. i get it... tooootally fair...”

BAH! take the blankets! take em all!!