Crafts. Hooping. Food. Etc.

Moving....

2011-11-03T16:33:00.004-04:00

Thanks for reading my blog...my blog will be movinghere.

Introducing...picture of the week!

2011-11-02T15:59:00.004-04:00

I'm going to be posting one photo each week that captures my attention in some way. The photo might be funny, ironic, ridiculous, cute, or downright strange, or even a combination of all of the above.

The photo above is the lovely Naimah. Her blog is wayyyyyy cooler than mine. Then again I tend to abandon mine every now and again. But I have all the time for blogging now, and I intend to keep in that way. Hurray for working from home! :)

Is Ryan Gosling cuter than a puppy?

2011-11-01T21:48:00.003-04:00

This was too funny not to share hilarious post. Enjoy.

Everyone is a Genius.

2011-10-31T14:14:00.001-04:00

This is Halloween...weekend

2011-10-29T14:12:00.005-04:00

This year I decided to nerd up at the annual Rocky Horror Picture Show event at Cinema 16:9. Lucy went as a pirate so I wasn't the only one who dressed up. Chad wore a wig but took it off after we got there.

I didn't make my costume, despite how home-made it looks. My sewing machine is on the fritz so I resorted to Ebay and was pleasantly surprised with this Corpse Bride Costume. It's "one size fits all" but it definitely wouldn't fit any over my size, that's for sure. The top of the costume wouldn't stay closed on my shoulders.

It's snowing already so I had to cancel my hoop jam for this weekend. It's a freezing mix of rain and snow and I still have to lead the Third Annual Zombie Walk Tonight. This should be interesting. I'm glad I wore my costume last night because it is far too cold to wear it tonight.

Have a great Halloween weekend. Is anyone dressing up in anything fun and outrageous?

Shootin' some hoops

2011-10-27T19:28:00.009-04:00

Aside from general uncraftiness due to a broken sewing machine and malfunctioning (until mom can fix it) serger, I've been a hoop-making fool. Here's a few lovelies I churned out over the last few days.

Sometimes I forget to take photos of them before I sell them. Not cool.

How Philly Moves

2011-10-26T14:46:00.005-04:00

This weekend I was thrilled to hoopdance for How Philly Moves. My husband came with me and took this video of me performing to "Clubbed to Death" from the Matrix. The man in the video is JJ Tiziou, the amazingly talented photographer behind the whole How Philly Moves project.

The photo above was taken by my husband. I'm excitedly looking forward to seeing the ones taken by JJ.

Peterrrrrrr, whaaaattttttt's happening?

2011-10-16T11:34:00.006-04:00

The last few months have been busy...between working full-time, doing makeup and hooping on weekends, I've hardly made anything crafty much less had time to blog about it. The good news is I have weekends (mostly) free now and I'm in the mood to make something crafty today.

My mom gave me one of my Grandmother's serger's and I'm excited to try it out on some arm warmers I've been tempted to make for quite some time.

In other news, I hooped in the Philly Fringe Fest/Five Minute Follies, had several successful meet-ups, sold a bunch of my homemade hoops, and I'm going to perform for How Philly Moves on October 23rd. It's televised. And I might even get to be in a mural. How cool is that!?

I'm looking forward to Halloween because my mom gave Ziggy a hotdog costume. So Chad and I are going to be ketchup and mustard. I better get started on making our costumes. This month (and year) flew by! What are you going to be for Halloween? Do you dress up your dog?

My favorite recipe

2011-06-24T19:41:00.003-04:00

I don't like to cook but I love baking and of course I love sweets. So at times I make exceptions to the "anti-cooking" rule. Tonight I made grilled peanut butter and jelly with honey, cinnamon and butter. It's the best thing I've ever made, according to my husband. Here's the recipe I came up with:

Heat up some real salted butter (none of that fake margarine stuff) in a pan on low heat.
Take 2 slices of bread, add peanut butter, jelly, honey, and cinnamon. Make it into a sandwich.
Press the sandwich into the buttered pan with a spatula.
Flip it over when the bread turns a light brown. Cook evenly on both sides.
Sprinkle more cinnamon on top.

This was so good that we ate it before I could take a picture. It took all of my self control to only eat half of one.

What's your favorite recipe?

Hooping....in front of 5000 people

2011-06-23T15:05:00.004-04:00

Squuuuuuueeeeeeee! Funtown productions asked me to join them. I have a few hoopdancing gigs lined up. Yesterday they asked me to be the featured bubble busking ballerina at the Crayola Factory's 15th birthday celebration on July 16th! I'll also be hooping with 2 other hoopers. They picked out the outfit above (in the photo) for us to wear. That is not me in the photo, just to clarify. One of my friends thought so :)

Today is one of my last free days to goof off and do nothing. So of course I made some hooping videos. This is the latest:

Thanks for watching :)

DIY homemade natural deoderant, lip balm and more

2011-06-20T18:27:00.004-04:00

It's been a busy few weeks...between working, makeup, hoop stuff, and life, I haven't had the time to hoop, let alone blog. Okay I'll stop whining. Now for the good news. About a month ago I had the great idea to just get a full-time job like "normal" people and stop driving myself nuts keeping track of a billion weddings which I provide makeup for. So I immediately found my ideal job and they hired me. I start next Monday. I'm sad to leave the theater but it's for the best. And I will have most of my weekends and nights back. Which means I'll be happier and less stressed. And I will blog on a regular basis again. Woo-hoo.

This weekend was our wedding party at Cinema 16:9. Chad and I basically eloped a few months ago in Hawaii, and we had a big party for friends and family this past weekend. We showed our wedding video and pictures on the big screen. The party was wonderful but I'm relieved it's over.

On Falkersotherhood aka Father's day ("cake wreck" fans will get this reference), I treated my family to see The Hangover part 2.

Now for the recipes!

On Thursday last week my good friend Leah came over and we made homemade personal care products using all natural ingredients. It was easy and fun. But I didn't take pictures...I know, I'm so off my game lately. Fail.

But I will share some recipes.

Deoderant:
Combine in a double-broiler (or a stainless steel bowl stacked on top of a pot of boiling water, like I used) 1 tablespoon each of mango butter, shea butter, and cocoa butter, add 1 tablespoon each jojoba, almond and vitamin E oil.

When it all melts, add essential oils of your choice. I used ylang ylang and chamomile. I can't stop smelling my armpits now ;)

Add arrowroot powder (a thickening agent) and baking soda until it forms a dough-like consistency.

Lipbalm:
Combine in a double-broiler 1/4 c coconut oil, olive oil, and 1/2 c of grated beeswax. Add 3-5 drops of essential oil of your choice.

Enjoy your fresh-scented underarms and smooth lips :)

My new LED hoop! :)

2011-06-01T22:38:00.004-04:00

My amazing husband made me this gorgeous violet LED hoop! I love it so much.

You can see more pictures by "liking" me on facebook.

I can't wait until my next hoop meet up...it's going to be at night of course.

Two new Tutorials: Makeup & Hooping

2011-05-27T15:01:00.004-04:00

Today was pretty productive so far. I made two tutorials that were requested by friends. I'm also going to get my hoop-groove on and make some kids' hoops.

The makeup tutorial is for a simple flapper look.

Ziggy wanted to be on camera when I was working on the kick start tutorial.

Have a great memorial day weekend!

Easy DIY nails

2011-05-24T20:55:00.005-04:00

Step one: Go to the drug store and buy Sally Hansen Nail Effects peel and stick nail polish.

Step two: Apply the strips one at at time (duh) to your nails. File off the excess.

Step three: Enjoy all of the compliments you'll receive from bank tellers, customers, random strangers (male and female).

I've never gotten so many compliments in my life!

More fabulous duct tape

2011-05-24T20:50:00.002-04:00

Look at what my friend Haley sent me! Squuuuuuuueeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!! Can't wait to decorate more hoops!

Adventures in dogsitting

2011-05-24T20:26:00.009-04:00

My parents are on vacation this week so Minnie is staying with us. Ziggy was really excited....until my parents' left after dropping Minnie off. He was so pissed off at me. He keeps looking at me like "how dare you let this little runt live here, because I am so not cool with that." They usually get along pretty well.

Minnie is going to be 5 years old soon and weighs approximately 5 pounds. She's so small that she looks fake. She was the runt of the litter. Ziggy, on the other hand, towers over her and looks like a lanky old man.

Minnie's favorite thing to do is to perch on the back of the couch (or a shoulder) and look out the window.

It's been an interesting week. Ziggy's favorite thing to do is walk outside. Minnie is not accustomed to walks because my parents have a big fenced-in yard for her. Fortunately she follows Ziggy outside. Earlier She was running around outside and suddenly took a dump on the sidewalk...without even stopping! :)

And the winner is...........

2011-05-23T17:01:00.005-04:00

Congratulations to Mandie Shaner, the winner of the Freschetta cutting board and pizza coupon!

Thanks to everyone else who entered. Better luck next time :)

Despite most of the entries being deleted by blogger, I have them on all the comment moderation page.

The winner was chosen by a random number generator.

I'll be doing another giveaway in the near future, so stay tuned :)

Introducing: Collapsible hula hoops

2011-05-19T20:03:00.005-04:00

I spent the part of today making collapsible hoops (and trying to capture a good photo of my new wiener dog shirt, hehe). A collapsible hoop can be coiled down into a figure 8 and then folded in half. I brought one of mine to Hawaii with me, on several planes, and through many airports.

I also made a videoto demonstrate how a collapsible hoop works.

In other hoop news, the I feel very grateful for being featured on Hoop Pretty.

Have you seen my wiener(dog)?

2011-05-19T12:31:00.007-04:00

Hurray! My shirts arrived this week. I'll tell you where I got them later (after Chad gets home and opens his surprises).

It took forever to get a good picture of my wiener(shirt). There were some pretty funny pictures in my camera after spending 20 minutes trying to capture the entire wiener(shirt).

:)

Adventures in hair dying

2011-05-18T17:10:00.015-04:00

I'm typing this with iodine-orange fingers. I'm wearing a towel for a shirt and have a plastic bag on my head. (Super hot, right!?)

I'll admit I tend to stay far far away from any man-made chemicals. My skin is so sensitive I can't even use normal soap (thank goodness for goat milk soap!). But as a dedicated DIY-er, I was tempted by Clairol's "Natural Instincts" hair color, as it was on sale for under $6 at CVS last week.

When I was in skincare school, which happened to also be a hair school, I would get my hair dyed a gorgeous purpley red using natural dye (by Aveda) all the time, for dirt cheap! Now that I live over an hour away from the school and am extremely busy, I can't just drive to the school every time I want to change my hair.

So my hair has been it's natural mousey brown for about two years. I was SOOOOOO tempted to change it before my wedding, but after getting a 12 inches too much chopped off by a hair stylist, I've learned my lesson.

So we got married in April, and now it doesn't matter if I ruin my hair.

Anyway, I was not impressed with the box of hair dye at all. It stunk like pure chemicals, was messy, and did not do all that much to change my extremely thick hair. Nobody even noticed. Not even my dad, who dislikes red heads and always detects the slightest hint of red in my hair, didn't notice. Epic fail.

So I decided to go the REAL natural route and use henna hair dye. "Hennaluna" got rave reviews on amazon. But I was really wooed by the "before and after" photos on their website. The henna arrived today.

So I bought two packs: 1 in deep red, and 1 in burgundy. I even did a patch test for an hour first! I followed the directions to the letter. I definitely could have used about 1/4 of each packet. Even with my super thick hair, there is SO much left over!

I mixed 1/2 of each packet with water until it looked like brownie batter. It stinks to high heaven, but not like chemicals. Remember that part in Anchor Man when they all say what Sex Panther Cologne smells like? Yeah, I'm living it. Imagine if spinach, iced tea, mud, and burnt rubber all got together. That's it. Btw, I HATE Spinach!

You are supposed to use gloves, but I didn't have any (because it doesn't come with gloves--who the heck has rubber gloves lying around?), so I used a plastic bag. I accidentally got some henna on my fingers and face. Thank god it came off my face! I don't mind having orange finger tips. You can only tell when I flip my hands over (trying to convince myself).

Unlike traditional chemical dyes, hennaluna has to stay on for 45 minutes to an hour. After about 21 minutes, the henna started to dry in my hair, making me look like some sort of half-human, half-statue.

I can't go downstairs or my crazy dog Ziggy will definitely try to eat this off my head. That sounds so gross, but it's true.

Okay, so after soaking my entire bathroom and making my tub look like a crime scene, I am not that impressed....yet. Yeah, my hair looks slightly reddish. But according to the package I can't wash it for two days, so I'm going to smell like sulphur (translation: pure sh*t) until then. Was it worth the major mess and the two hours?
Time will tell. According to the testimonials, the color may darken over night. I could have driven to NJ and back and had it done at the school and had them clean up the mess.

Thank goodness my husband isn't home because he seriously would have KILLED ME if he saw the mess I made in the bathroom with this henna.

I will update tomorrow if there is a difference :)

UPDATE: In just a few hours, my hair is burgundy-er and much, much softer! And it smells like iced-tea scented chapstick.

A great new Pizza & Giveaway!

2011-05-11T19:01:00.000-04:00

This post brought to you by FRESCHETTA®. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hello fellow pizza lovers! I was contacted by Freschetta to review one of their new pizzas. I just tried Freschetta Meditterranean Garlic Veggie pizza and was pleasantly surprised by how good (and fresh ;)) it tasted.

I'm a really picky eater and being a Peace a Pizza fan has turned me off of most other pizza. The Freschetta Pizza was comparable.

I like the fact that it uses real ingredients and uses 30% less packaging. You can read more about FRESCHETTA® Simply…Inspired™ here: http://www.freschettasimplyinspired.com/

Now for the GIVEAWAY! Freschetta has generously donated a gorgeous cutting board set for me to give to one lucky reader!

To enter, you must be a follower of Come of Get Crafty. Simply leave a comment about how you would use your new cutting board. You can also tweet about this giveaway as an extra entry.

I will announce the lucky winner in two weeks!

It's pretty! It's new! It's......Duct tape?!

2011-05-10T15:46:00.007-04:00

Yes, it's true. Look at the gorgeous duct tape I bought at Target. I can't wait to wrap some hoops with it!

I have a feeling I'll be making a duct tape handbag very soon.

Update: I wrapped a hoop with it tonight and named the hoop Melissa after my sister since she found the tape.

Fun Mother's Day card ideas

2011-05-05T14:53:00.003-04:00

Everyone says store-bought cards are so impersonal, but I disagree. They are the PERFECT canvas for creating your own fun cards.

These cards came for the Dollar Store. I used photos of my family and double-sided tape to personalize them for each recipient.

Since the cards are personalized and funny, I'm pretty sure my sister and my mom are going to hang onto these. They won't end up in some landfill somewhere like most other cards.

Awesome Dollar Store find!

2011-05-05T14:41:00.003-04:00

I simply HAD to have this gorgeous genuine feather mask from our local Dollar Store today. Masks always make me look cross-eyed though, so I will have to adjust the size of the eye holes.

Unusual uses for a coat rack

2011-05-05T14:07:00.003-04:00

I've taken over our coat rack as my new "hoop tree." I need some way to display them for the craft fair this weekend.

Hoopers, how do you store your hoops?

Everyone else, what do you use your coat rack for (besides its intended purpose?)

The coat rack was from Ikea.

My husband jumps through hoops for me

2011-05-02T16:43:00.006-04:00

We had a hoopy weekend. My hoop jam went really well! We had about 6 hoopers show up at Sycamore Park. Lucy came all the way from South Jersey! After hooping at Sycamore Park for an hour, we all went to the PIFA street fair in Philly.

Chad got to see his old band Paper Monster play. There had to be thousands of people at the street fair. I had my hoop on my shoulder with barely any room to walk in the crowd, let alone hoop. Hundreds of miniature hands (belonging to children) greedily grabbed at my hoop. I had to protect it. People snapped my picture like I was a celebrity. They assumed I was performing.

I was so hungry and all these little frogurt places popping up all over Philly were an answered wish. The street fair was fun, but also an assault on every single one of my senses.

We walked to Rittenhouse square where it was much less crowded. A thin guy with short hair in the front and dreads in the back politely asked if he could use my hoop. I said sure. I expected him to drop it, like most people do on their first attempt. This guy was AMAZING. Even better than me. At least that's what my husband said. Chad only likes "fast" hoopers. I'll admit, Gary was freaking awesome. And ever since seeing that, Chad is suddenly "into" hooping. Chad takes hooping to whole new level in the first photo.

Yesterday we took Ziggy to Bucky and Donna's house. I gave Donna a hoop for her birthday. Chad was trying to teach his dad, Bucky, some tricks. Trent was there hooping too. We had three generations of hoopers, and I got it all on video.

Fun with Photoshop

2011-04-29T12:43:00.001-04:00

Chad and I love making stuff in photo shop (or GIMP, the free photo shop wanna-be). Does that dolphin look familiar? Of course, it's Ziggy, our min-pin who looks more like a seal.

My sister wanted Chad to put my nephew's face on a gremlin. It's appropriate because he can be a real brat sometimes.

It's fun to make pictures and tag people in them on facebook.

Why Buy the cow/dvd?

2011-04-28T16:37:00.000-04:00

Damn. After I wasted $30 and spent over an hour doing this long as hell Tracy Anderson video, I found a bunch of basically the same "webisodes" on youtube FOR FREE! Arg! And they are shorter! My abs and thighs still don't feel like they've had a workout, but my pants are a little loose. Keep in mind I've also been walking more now that it is spring time.

Screw the dvd. I'm going to do three 10-minute webisodes 4x per week for two weeks. And I'm going to re-sell the dvd.

If I'm not satisfied with the miraculous results, I'm going back to Original Buns of Steel forever. :)

How to Lose Weight with Hooping

2011-04-28T14:36:00.001-04:00

Hello lovelies! Today I made a video log about the best way to go about losing weight with hooping.

Basically you want to always keep you body guessing by doing "intervals." You want to keep your body surprised by moving to different paces (one slow song, one fast song, mix it up!) and never fall into a pattern or your body will become more efficient and burn calories more slowly.

Most important is to hoop regularly, even if it's only for 5 to 10 minutes at a time. If you watch tv, hoop during commercial breaks.

You'll find more tips and success stories in the video.

Happy Hooping :)

Come on Get Hoopy

2011-04-27T22:06:00.001-04:00

I've been making hoops like a mo-fo to prepare for the next Lansdowne Arts & Crafts Fair on May 7th. It's a good thing my adult classes have been postponed (due to a flood in the social hall--which sucks), which actually gives me time to make them.

Chad has been busy working on my site. You can see the rest of the hoops on it. Many many more to come.

This weekend is my first time hosting a hoop jam at Sycamore Park. I plan to have them (for free!) on a monthly basis.

Buns of Steel vs. Tracy Anderson Method

2011-04-26T14:23:00.000-04:00

I'm a huge fan of the Original Buns of Steel. But every so often, I get tired of doing the video. It's awesome, effective, and unintentionally campy. But it hurts like a mo-fo, it's long, and I've been doing it for so long that I think I'm actually IMMUNE to it.

All of been hearing lately is how "amazing" the Tracy Anderson method is. "Tracy Anderson blah blah blah", "she'll make you poop flowers", etc. Okay I exaggerated on the last quote, but we shall see just how awesome she is.

I'm putting the two against each other in the Greg Smithy vs. Tracey Anderson challenge. So I'm going to stop doing Original Buns of Steel (for now), just so I can see if I get better results with the TAM.

My "mat work" dvd arrived in the mail today, so I tore it open and did most of it until I had to leave for work. So far none of it is on a mat. I did the warm up, the legs, the abs, and most of the arms. Tracy looks like she is club dancing for much of the ab and stuff, but looks can be deceiving. My arms were burning like hell before I even picked up a weight.

Things are not looking so well for TAM...my dvd is defective, arg! The company said they will send me another one. In the meantime, I found some free web-isodes and did those.

Here's what I think so far: TAM would be great for visual learners and experienced exercises. Not so great for others because Tracy doesn't really explain a whole lot. For me that's a plus, I can see what she is doing. But gee, after doing 100 reps of TAM, I sure HOPE I was in the right position. Vs. Buns of Steel, where Greg Smithy explains the ins and outs of EVERY move. Form is Key for results. After doing a few episodes of TAM, I think it would have just been easier and faster to do Buns of Steel. I don't even feel like my inner thighs got a workout at all, but I'm going to stick with it for two weeks, which is generally how long it takes to see results with Buns of Steel.

I don't diet. So that won't be a variable or factor. I eat mostly organic and healthy with the addition of some sweets here and there. Although on Easter I ate more candy than usual and today we went out for Indian food, which is all heavy fattening stuff. I lead an active lifestyle. My dog LOVES walks. I hula hoop whenever I get the chance.

Relax people who know me, I just want to tone up. Even when I was in ballet for hours and hours every day, I was NEVER ever toned. I don't want to look like Heman, I just don't want bye-bye arms and cellulite.

Stay tuned.

Hilarious, yet Sad

2011-04-26T13:34:00.000-04:00

Yesterday while I was at work, a girl (probably 17-ish) came in and handed me a resume. It was folded, a little wrinkled, and she stated, "I had this printed up for Mcdonalds, but they didn't take it so you guys can have it."

After she walked out the door I read the resume. Under the "skills" section, it said "none." I didn't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for her or both, but I'm pretty sure I knew more about getting hired when I was 5 years old, selling peanut butter crackers and homemade jewelry door-to-door, much to my parents' embarrassment. I was a damn good sales girl too.

The girl (who shall not be named), didn't even make eye contact or say hello to me, or even ask what this place is all about. It's surprisingly common. Apparently there needs to be a class in school called "getting a job 101" (or something) that shows people what to do . I thought it was common sense but it's not. Maybe kids are too busy sexting during school that this is what happens.

So I'm taking a collection of bad resumes. And eventually I will start a new blog for them. Coffee table book anyone?

Unusual Traditions

2011-04-25T21:33:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a happy Easter. I definitely did. My family's Easter Tradition is to go to the Shore and eat Pizza from Mac & Manko's and ice cream from Kohr's brothers. I hate ham. And going to shore is a lot more fun than a boring stuffy dinner.
Ziggy hung out with Minnie at my parents' house while we went to the shore. It was a lot of driving for Chad and I, who headed to his sister's house afterwards.

The last time my Grandmom went to the shore with us was last year when she was still alive. She ate one ice cream cone and five minutes later, shrugged her shoulders and said "what the hell" and ate another one. She was so funny. She would have wanted us to continue our ice cream tradition.

Another favorite "shore memory" was a few years ago when Chad got pooped on by a seagull. Melissa actually has a picture of him making a disgusted face and me laughing in the background. I'll have to find the picture and post it later. Don't tell my husband ;)

Yesterday we rode some rides, including Dumbo and the Merry Go Round. My 1 year old nephew Vincent was there, but he was glued to Melissa the whole time. I'm not going to lie, I would have went on the Dumbo ride even if Vincent wasn't there.

What are you unusual traditions?

Hawaii Travel Log

2011-04-21T20:54:00.001-04:00

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While I was on the plane I kept a travel log of our Hawaii trip.

Sunday-Monday April 10th
We're at the "airport" if you can call it that. We just had to walk here with all of our bags from the rental car place in Hawaii because EVERYTHING IS CLOSED! It's around 4am. I'm pissed!

We are about to fly to Maui in a plane that looks like a toy. It's so small they had to weigh us. I'm scared.

Hawaii (the big island) was so beautiful and very different than the Hawaii I remember. There are streetlights now, and tons of new houses and shopping centers, and sadly no more cute suction-cup feet gecko's. Apparently bigger lizards came and ate them all. :( There are other animals all over, including adorable mongoose (mongeese?). The Hilton grounds are now home to feral cats. If Dad still worked here he would personally poison them all.

It's starting to rain. There is no roof.

...We're on the plane now. It's like a flying mini van. There are 8 people and a pilot.

Let's go back to the beginning:
Thursday-Saturday

When we first arrived in Hawaii it was rainy and chilly. We rented a car and drove to our cottage in Kona to drop off our bags. A giant Hawaiian man driving our shuttle recommended we eat at Tante's. I was looking forward to some fresh grilled fish. When my food arrived, the overwhelming smell made me sick to my stomach. This was the only bad meal we had the whole week. I needed sleep after flying for so long, not greasy fish. Back at our cottage, we collapsed into bed exhausted. Our host Judy provided an amazing breakfast in the morning. Chad and I devoured EVERYTHING.

We took a ride to King Kam beach, which got a lot of damage from the tsunami. There's still a small patch of sand left.

We checked into the Hilton Waikaloa. It is still much like a palace. There were so many people (and kids!) here. Dad's friend Greg sent us chocolate covered strawberries and champagne. So nice of him!

We had THE BEST FOOD at the Hilton. First we ate lunch at a burger place. Their ahi tuna burgers were amazing. Chad couldn't believe fish isn't supposed to taste fishy...it's that fresh. For dinner we ate at a Japanese restaurant called Imari's. It looks like it is floating on the koi pond that surrounds it. Our waiter was so nice and gave us free dessert because the next day we were getting married.

We started our wedding day with room service. I would have punched a nun for some eggs and real butter at this point. Everywhere we went they had margarine! I finally got my wish :) No nuns were harmed. Later Chad and I had partner massages and then went to a store to buy some leis for our wedding. Mine was fuschia and white. Chad's was green with kukui nuts. After relaxing in the Hilton hot tubs, we left early to find Kukio beach.

Good thing we left early. The beach was closed due to tsunami damage. Luckily the guards took pity on us and let us use the other side of the beach without a reservation. This beach is even more beautiful then the one we had planned on using.

Our Canadian photographer Glen was already there setting up, so we decided to start early. It was starting to drizzle a little--which according to everyone we met is a blessing of wealth and good luck from the universe. Glen was hilarious and made us feel very relaxed. Soon our officiant Patrick arrived. He made us feel comfortable too and reminded me of another Glen, my brother-in-law.

The ceremony was perfect. I could not stop smiling. It was way more beautiful than I could have imagined. While walking back to our car, a Hawaiian musician that was there for another wedding serenaded us with a beautiful Hawaiian song.

Back at the Hilton, we ate at KPC...which stands for Kamuela Provision Company. It was the best meal I've ever had. We started with soft bread with thick melty butter, then a tower of crispy onion rings. Chad had the ono (a delicious fish) and I had the local chicken. For dessert we shared chocolate mousse with homemade marshmallow meringue.

The next day we hiked to a private beach that our officiant recommended. The water was so warm that we finally went swimming. I got severely sunburned, despite wearing sunscreen every day. I'm glad this was AFTER the wedding.

Later we took a drive past Kona into Captain Cook. It was very green- lots of plants and native Hawaiians here. Sadly there are no more lilicois anywhere. The passion fruit that was everywhere when I was a kid seems to have gone extinct or something. We ate dinner at an awesome Thai restaurant because the brewing company Chad wanted to go to was too crowded.

We went to bed early for our flight today. This tiny little plane is so bumpy. I just screamed.

Maui
Our last day, Thursday

Everywhere we go there is another screaming kid. We're at the airport waiting to get on the plane. This plane seems to be normal sized.

We checked out of Ka'anapali beach hotel at 11am and had all day to spend (kill time) here. We didn't have towels (or access to a shower) so I didn't want to go to the beach again. We found a hiking trail nearby. We quickly gave up because Chad's back was hurting and I am not dressed for a hike. We gave a ride to 3 friendly old men who hiked up the trail before we attempted it. They were cool.

We found an outdoor mall and ate some amazing frogurt at this place called Yogurtland. Then we drove to this small (and hot!) town called Paia. It was so hot I basically ripped off my clothes in the parking lot and threw on another dress before lunch. We ate flatbread pizza then headed back to the mall to watch a movie.

Soul Surfer was really good and better than I thought it would be. Glad we saw it at the end of our trip or we would not have gone swimming at all, lol. We drove to a health food store to pick up snacks. Birds were mating in the parking lot. Sexual Healing was on the radio. I kid you not! We returned our smelly rental car and waited at the Maui airport.

Overall I liked the big island wayyyy better than Maui. Our rental car in Hawaii was better too. I found a human tooth in the Maui rental car and had to clean the toilet myself when we first arrived at Ka'anapali beach hotel...not what I expected to be doing on my honeymoon. We'll never do a "package deal" again.

The hotel itself was nice and had a beautiful beach which we took advantage off by swimming in daily. Lisa and Paul sent us a gift card to the hotel salon and Chad's mom sent us a gift card for the Tiki Bar Grill and a fruit basket. The pineapple was sweeter than candy.

Overall my favorite Maui food was at a french restaurant called Girard's, followed by yogurtland..I'm serious. We also had some amazing mochi on our first day.

One day we drove up Hana highway and when I made Chad turn the car around we found an awesome hiking trail and a fruit stand. We found a waterfall there too.

On Wednesday we were up early for our dolphin cruise. I had imagined wearing a cute bikini, but I'm covered from head to toe because I'm so sunburned :( We saw a bunch of dolphins including babies! Later we snorkeled off the boat. Or rather, Chad snorkeled and I swam on a boogie board. The water was 80 feet deep but so clear you could see strait down to the bottom. I was terrified.

The cruise included lunch. We ate like we had never seen food before. Best burgers ever!

We saw whales and a turtle too. By this time I had wayyy too much sun. We took a nap back at the hotel and decided to watch some tv. We saw our friends Alec and Annie on tv! They were on a show called Man Vs. Food which happened to be about The Franklin Fountain in Philly. So weird! :)

The sound of lawnmowers woke me up. Do they EVER stop doing yard work at this hotel? It doesn't seem like it. The Hilton was so quiet and serene. The Ka'anapali is so noisy. I'm ready to go home. I miss Ziggy.

Friday night

Will we EVER get home!? Been traveling for more than 18 hours and came back to a car that won't start. The idiot shuttle guy hooked up the cables wrong and fried my battery :(

Thankfully my parents are on the way. In the meantime, we are starving and exhausted. And COLD! I'm wearing flip-flops, a bad choice, but none of my other shoes will fit. Flying makes my feet swell. And flying gives Chad cankles! lol. I had bought coconut candy for my mom at the fruit stand a few days ago, so I'm eating it now. Sorry mom! :)

Today (4/21)

I'm still jet lagged and feel like I'm on a boat (rocking back and forth). I gained so much weight on the honeymoon that none of my jeans fit me. It was all worth it. That was the best time of my life and I am so grateful for my parents for helping us with the trip and helping us get home. Ziggy is thrilled to be an "only child" again, because my parents' dog Minnie likes to pick on him.

I'm still getting used to working again and having a full normal life. I'm still not exactly sure what day it is. :)

Pants Party & Hawaii Trip

2011-04-06T15:52:00.001-04:00

Last night Chad came up with the brilliant idea that we should make Ziggy wear pants around the house to prevent him from licking his a-hole. Ziggy is a dog, and since they don't make pants for dogs, I'll have to make him a pair or find an infant pair of pants to alter when we get back from Hawaii. Ziggy's poo is finally back to normal, but we don't want to to reinfect himself with Giardia, hence HE MUST BE STOPPED from licking his "a-noose", as Borat would say.

We're going to my parents' tonight to drop Ziggy off after my hoop class. Ziggy knows something is up. The suitcases, the homemade food, me and Chad fighting over who gets to sleep next to Ziggy...it has the poor dog shaking with uncertainty. Of course we are just going on vacation and will be back next Friday, and Ziggy knows my parents. But we don't know his history since we got him from a shelter, so he probably thinks we're moving and leaving him behind. Poor thing.

Other than that, I am beside myself with excitement. It's finally here! Back in winter I felt like this week would NEVER ever get here. Last night I wrote my vows. Tonight we'll take the long flight to Hawaii, stay in an awesome cottage near the beach. Then we'll be staying at the Hilton Waikaloa Village (where my dad used to work when we lived there). Other than that, no major plans. I want to swim with dolphins and go to the beach. Chad wants to see a volcano. We'll wander around like we did in Europe.

I'm hoping there's a nail salon in one of the airports. My hands look like Hoggle's from the Labyrinth. I meant to go this weekend but ended up playing tennis with Chad instead, which was much more fun. I even bought nail polish, but again, I haven't really made the time and it would look like a five year old did my nails. I still haven't decided on which shoes to wear...we'll be barefoot on the beach though. I'm rambling.

Aloha! :)

Easy Homemade Dog Food Recipe

2011-04-05T22:36:00.000-04:00

Ziggy has a lot of...erm....digestive issues, so Chad and I decided to make his food ourselves. Yup, those are Chad's manhands in the photos, not mine ;)

The main ingredients of a basic dog food include: a meat, a starch, some veggies. We are going to continue giving him his dry dog food in addition to this while he is at my parents' house this week. Chad and I will be in Hawaii (to get married <3) until next Friday. <3 After we come home we'll slowly wean him off of the dry dog food until he gets mostly our homemade food.

Here's a list of foods dogs should avoid:

1. Onions
2. Chocolate
3. Grapes and raisins
4. Macadamia Nuts
5. Mushrooms
6. Citrus Oil
7. Baby Food
8. Caffeine

Disclaimer

The content in this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a licensed veterinarian before using the information presented here.

Here is what Chad and I did to make his food:

*Peel some potatoes. Cut them up into bite sized pieces and boil along with some pasta.
This is the starch component.

*Cook the meat (we used local organic ground turkey) on high heat. Keep adding water to keep the meat moist. After cooking, strain the meat and rinse off the fat.

*Add veggies: we used peas, green beans, and pureed pumpkin. Pumpkin is the only thing that stopped Ziggy from having diarrhea. I found out about it yesterday on this awesome site.

*Mix everything together. Put half in the fridge for up to 4 days and freeze the rest.

*Optional: soak some acidophilis (the friendly bacteria found in yogurt) tablets in water until they dissolve. Pour this into the mixture.

Chad says Ziggy eats better than most people. He's right!

Here's another resource that will show you how to make your own dog food.

Beauty Trends for Spring 2011

2011-04-05T19:57:00.000-04:00

1. Violet makeup — especially in eyeshadow — is the bold color of choice for Spring: It's flattering on every skin tone.(Spotted at: Jason Wu, Chris Benz, Monique Lhuillier, Rag & Bone, Victoria Beckham, Whitney Eve).

2. In 2010 we saw bleached and barely-there brows, thankfully this year natural brows are back in style. That doesn't mean Burt's brows (our pal from Sesame Street) have become the norm. Remember to pluck or wax stray hairs ;)

3. One of the fastest growing trends is Eyelash Augmentation. “Emerging technologies actually trigger eyelash growth ,” says Jan Marini, creator of Marini Lash. I'm not sure if I would personally use any, but they exist and are huge right now (says me :))

4. Safe Tans...the only safe tan is a fake one! Many celebrities—Mariah Carey, Kim Kardashian, and Hilary Duff, to name a few—have turned to airbrush tans, which have gotten more natural looking and less "oompah loompah looking" lately.

Photo: A different Sarah. Photo taken with my cellphone prior to a shoot. Makeup: by me.

Tutorial Tuesday: Many uses for a Scarf

2011-04-05T11:14:00.000-04:00

via grosgrainfabulous

Two Years in the Making...Our Rap Video is Finished!

2011-04-02T23:11:00.001-04:00

A few years ago, I got a new bike. My fiance & I took a bike ride to Philly that day. We were so inspired we wrote a rap about it and recorded it. We FINALLY finished the video for Ketchup & Lip Gloss.
I hope you enjoy it. We had so much fun making it! :)

Awesome Inexpensive Makeup...Zoe & Zac at Payless!

2011-04-01T17:50:00.000-04:00

My sister bought me a bunch of Zoe & Zac makeup for my wedding. I tried the following today:

*August Sunrise Mineral Powder: "a lightweight blend of 4 flattering shades for cheeks and eyes". This is the softest, prettiest blush shade. It gives me a very subtle glow, unlike most blush--which makes me look like I'm from Jersey Shore or the 80's. It has a very very soft shimmer to it. Nothing sparkley or tacky though. It feels very natural and has no scent whatsoever, which is a good thing to me. It's been on my face all day and the staying power is really impressive. I did a lot of cleaning and laundry today, so I did get a bit hot.

*Sunset Lip Shimmer: "The perfect hint of glistening color." I totally agree with that statement. It gave my lips a beautiful bronzy shimmer, very very natural looking, not frosty at all. It makes my lips feel really smooth (a definite plus!) and smells a little like mint (also a good thing!). This is my new favorite lip

They are GORGEOUS! I think this is my new favorite brand...yeah, I said it!

Shopping for our Hawaii Trip, etc.

2011-04-01T15:39:00.000-04:00

It's been a productive weekend...I cleaned the house a little bit, got the oil changed in the car, and then went to Target & Kohl's to pick up a few last-minute things for our Hawaii trip IN 5 DAYS!!!!!!!!!

The pink shoes are from Kohl's (photo from their website). They are much cuter in person and on my feet. Actually quite comfy. I NEVER wear heels. We'll see how I do in them.

I had to have the most comfortable slippers ever from Target for the airplane...they are gray and fuzzy and have tons of padding. At $10, they're a steal.

Then I saw the softest hoodie ever, which is also perfect for the plane ride. It's really thin and light, and even though it has kangaroo pockets, it doesn't make me look like I gained 20 pounds of muffin top.

I also bought a jacket for the uncomfortable transition from tropical weather to cold Pennsylvania weather for when we are our way home. My usually puffy coat (ski jacket) was not going to cut it. My usual fall/spring jacket (hot pink pea coat) got ruined when my friend's cat peed on it. Everytime it rains the jacket smells...so I donated that one to Goodwill.

There were a bunch of cute shoes and purses I saw, but I resisted. I love shoes and purses because they always fit. I've recently bought 4 pairs of shoes (all inexpensive) for the trip. Don't tell Chad ;)

Hilarious email from my mom

2011-03-31T11:22:00.000-04:00

"so I have an extremely small bunny loose in my house today. Got kitten milk at Petco and fed it with an eye dropper last night. Kept it in a box about 12 inches high on my island in the kitchen last night. This morning....no bunny. I called Dad to see if perhaps it passed away and he got rid of it... but he said "no. Isn't it in the box???" No idea how he got down off the island or where he is."

To give you some background info...my mom found the tiny baby bunny in the yard yesterday...or rather, Minnie (their frisky miniature pinscher) found it. I sure hope Minnie doesn't eat the rabbit today while my mom is at work. That would be horrible. But the email itself is pretty funny.

I bet the bunny is just hiding. Poor thing is probably traumatized with Minnie there hunting for it all day.

Holy Giant Mutant Strawberries!

2011-03-29T18:31:00.000-04:00

That's not a baby hand in the photo, it's my relatively average-sized hand holding one of the many ginormous, apple-sized strawberries I got at Trader Joe's the other day.

My favorite strawberry recipe is this one that I came up with for smoothies:
Cut up some strawberries, and put them in a blender with coconut milk, a little vanilla extract and agave nectar. Blend until smooth. It's so good!

Did you know strawberries are good for your teeth? :)

Wear your veggies

2011-03-29T13:50:00.000-04:00

Stunning green dress on Grosgrain's blog today.

I'd totally rock that? Would you?

Angry Birds is the new crack

2011-03-28T22:49:00.000-04:00

Angry Birds is my new mistress away from Tetris. Has anyone else played this highly addictive game? I could really see myself playing all day in my pajamas, too "sick" for other responsibilities, cough cough. Seriously though, I've spent so much time ALMOST WINNING that I HAVE to keep playing. I'm currently in world 3, level 21. Those damn laughing hippo-eared pigs make me personally want to kick their asses and they make is so satisfying when I beat a level.

My favorite birds are the bombs, the tiny blue birds, and the red one with the uni-brow because you can make him squawk. Which ones are your favorite?

If you love Angry Birds, you'll love this hilarious trailer.

Feeding the homeless one party at a time

2011-03-26T23:09:00.000-04:00

Today was my hula hooping bachelorette party at my sister Melissa's house. It was awesome! I just wanted it to be very small so we only invited about 10 people. Melissa made tons of great food and Lisa came with my favorite tomato salad and cupcakes and my mom made this amazing brie bread (which I couldn't have, sniff sniff--since I need my skin to be clear for my wedding in less than 2 weeks) and italian cookies--yum!

I made out like a lingerie bandit and I now have a lifetime supply of condoms--or so it seems! lol. That was another reason to keep the party small and intimate. I knew my best friends (especially Kristina) would get me sex games and other bachelorette stuff, haha.

I showed everyone how to decorate/tape the hoops that Chad & I made for the party, then we played a Sarah & Chad trivia game while we watched the slide show Chad made. Later my Dad came and he hula hooped too!

Chad gave me permission to get a midget stripper. And although there wasn't a stripper at the party, my one-year-old nephew was there and he took off his hoodie. I guess that counts ;)

After the party, my mom handed me this big box containing cake, cupcakes and candy and she says "you have to take all this home, I'm watching my weight." A few people took some stuff home, but the majority of it was now in this box in my car. And I was thinking "HELL NO! I have to wear a bikini in less than 2 weeks! I can't have these sweets sitting around, taunting me with their sugary goodness." But when it comes to food, it is pointless to say no because I come from a family of food pushers.

So I took the box like a good sport. But when I got home, I walked to the store in my neighborhood and threw everything in the trashcan except for the italian cookies. I win, lol. Homemade cookies trump store-bought cake any day. I'm going to make the Lansdowne homeless VERY happy tonight indeed.

I walked home whistling that milkshake song, thinking "my junk food brings all the bums to the yard, la la la la la." Either they'll eat it or the neighborhood stray animals will. Better them than me! :)

Things I like Thursday: More Free Time! :)

2011-03-24T15:09:00.000-04:00

I have a new schedule at work...my other schedule was still pretty darn awesome, but now I get Thursdays and Fridays off! (I already have weekends off too)...woohoo!

I was up most of the night in and out of the bathroom (TMI, but I had to draw a toilet on my paintshop day chart) so after I took care of Ziggy I slept until 11:30am. I was starting to get serious bags under my eyes from all this running around.

I plan to spend the rest of my free day doing yoga, playing Angry Birds, hanging out with the Zig-meister, making hula hoops for my party on Saturday, going to Peace a Pizza with Chad tonight. Finally, a day to relax and do whatever I want :)

Whatever Wednesday: Ziggy's Revenge

2011-03-23T10:17:00.000-04:00

Oops...the font is too small to read and I don't have time to fix it. Anyway, Ziggy is saying "that's for leaving me in the car, a**holes."

Makeup Monday...or Tuesday: Vacation Essentials

2011-03-22T10:59:00.000-04:00

Dear Future Self,

Never let anyone pack for you while you are at work or you will starve in the car and have no shampoo. Or makeup.

Despite not having any of my old standbys on vacation, I found a lot of great and inexpensive products that have become new favorites! And since everything in the south is cheaper, I didn't have to spend a lot of money.

Here's a few things I picked up on our trip:

*Wet n Wild Mega Creme Gel Eyeliner: This is the holy grail of eyeliners....better than MAC, better than Smashbox, better than Urban Decay, and costed me a whole $3. It even came with an adorable little brush. This stuff is so so so so deliciously dark and seriously will not come off. Unless if you use a makeup remover. Trust me, I was crying/freaking out on the side of a mountain with no guard rails, and to my surprise I did not have raccoon eyes afterward. It glides on like buttah. See crappy cell phone photo above.

*Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer: I used this instead of my usual pressed powder (Neutrogena mineral sheers). I wanted more coverage because I was breaking out from eating road trip food. The lightest shade matched my ghostly pale face perfectly, and it DID NOT TURN PINK like most foundations do on me. Throw your hands up if you have yellow undertones! ;)

*Sunglasses from Dollar General: Yes, these do not count as makeup, but they concealed my dark circles perfectly. Dollar Stores always have THE BEST sunglasses! Photo forthcoming :)

Finally out of the car! We're baaaaaaaaaack.

2011-03-22T10:40:00.000-04:00

I haven't uploaded any photos of our trip yet, so this kindergarten-esque picture that I made in paintshop will have to do.

Last night I had yet to shower, unpack or brush my teeth yet since NC. My pits were hairy and I looked like a dumpster diving orphan. We got home around 11pm on Sunday night and then I had to go grocery shopping. Up early Monday for Ziggy then to work then to hoop class at the library. Made dinner, and then hunted down some tubing for my wednesday night hoop class because Chad wouldn't stop the car to go to home depot for me on the way to NC.
He redeemed himself by cutting ten 10 hoops for me last night. And I felt much better after a shower :)

Poor Ziggy did not like the car and is still a little under the weather. He took a huge dump on the car seat when Chad insisted on leaving him in the car for more than a few minutes. I told him not to, but you know how men are sometimes ;) Ziggy got his revenge! Good thing I packed paper towels.

North Carolina was very warm the first day we got there (around 80) but nothing like summer. It felt great! The rest of the time it was high 60's, low 70's. The weather there is much milder...I hate the heat and the cold, so it's perfect. Ashville is near the mountains so it does not get as hot as PA, and doesn't get as cold either. We checked out a few towns nearby: Black Mountain and West Asheville were our favorites.

Although Ziggy was overwhelmed, he got to have dog ice cream at an ice cream parlor. People there are really into dogs. He got to walk around town with us. Dogs are allowed to eat at outdoor restaurants! Ziggy got to hang out at a pizza place with us!

We seriously got treated like celebrities everywhere we went. Even the rednecks were friendly. And when we had to cross the street, people smiled and waved at us instead of trying to hit us with their cars!

There was NO TRAFFIC whatsoever. The only issue is the job market. There are like no jobs there. But that's not an issue and me and Chad because we want to grow all of our own food and he will most likely be able to stay at the same company and work from home/telecommuting. I want to have a bed and breakfast on our property (seperate from our house of course)...people eat that stuff up over there and I've always loved the idea. And since we'll have goats and other critters we can have a petting zoo for the visitors :)

Another thing I liked about Asheville is that even out in the middle of nowhere, the grocery stores had everything I wanted (coconut milk and chocolate kashi granola for breakfast--very hard to find in PA). Back at home I have to go to 3 different stores to get everything we need. In Asheville it was only one stop.

There were so many amazing restaurants in town...we ate at a Bavarian restaurant, a Crepery (my favorite), a New Orleans/Creole style cafe, just to name a few. The people there get that food should be about quality not quantity, so everything is really fresh and you can clean your plate without popping the button on your pants.

Despite all that, there's nothing like sleeping in your own bed after being on vacation.

Ziggy's First Road Trip!

2011-03-16T10:41:00.000-04:00

Chad and I are leaving for Ashville, NC on Thursday after work. We're taking Ziggy with us. The poor dog is not a huge fan of the car, but I think he'll fall asleep once we've been driving for a little while.

We're going to scout out places that we might eventually want to move to. I love Lansdowne, PA but can't take the bitter winters or the scorching summers. I don't want to live indoors for half the year.

We're going to be staying at a pet-friendly cottage that we found on Air B & B. Someday I want to have my own bed and breakfast...in a little cottage on our property that is seperate from our house.

There's nothing like going on vacation...except coming home from vacation. I LOVE the first night back in my own bed.

In other news, my adult hoop classes start tonight at 7pm. Woot woot. My goal is for my students to have a lot of fun. The class doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be fun. I've been a hoop making, hoop taping fool. I have to make even more for my class (bigger hoops for bigger people) and for my bachelorette party at the end of the month...and then next month I'll be making more to sell at the craft fair.

I'll be sure to take lots of pictures in Asheville for a photoriffic post when I come home.

Super Easy Hooded Dog Shirt from a Sweater Sleeve

2011-03-12T14:08:00.000-05:00

Ziggy has a small wardrobe of hand-me-downs, most of which don't fit him right or fall off when he is walking outside. It's effing cold out, and he needed something comfortable that would stay on. So Chad gave me one of his old sweaters to transform.

I didn't measure because Ziggy wouldn't stay still. First I cut the sleeve off of the sweater with pinking sheers. I guestimated how long Ziggy is and cut the sleeve until it was that length. I cut arms holes in the tube. Ziggy let me put his new sweater on without any jumping. He seemed to know this was made just for him.

Ziggy is really thin so this fits him perfectly and is comfortable enough for him to wear around the house.

It took less than 2 minutes to make.

Things I like Thursday: Random Stores and More

2011-03-10T13:28:00.000-05:00

The Dollar Store: The Dollar Store rules. I get all of my pens, notebooks, envelopes and tape there. The other day I saw that they even have swiffer wipes! I am so going back to stock up. Now if only they had baby wipes.

The Head Nut: My friend Leah told me about this amazing food store...at first I thought it was going to be a store full of nuts. But it's like the Disney World of food stores...it's small and set up like a winding maze of rows and rows of nuts, dried fruits, teas and spices. They have every hard to find ingredient and they are super inexpensive! I love this store! I stocked up on unsweetened coconut (which I add to cereals, trail mix, recipes, etc) for less than 3 bucks for a HUGE bag.

Umbrellas: I'm not a fan of rain, but umbrellas were a great invention. I walked to work in the rain today (and feel so accomplished, lol) and stayed dry because of our ginormous umbrella and my rain boots.

Bubbles and Balloons: It's the simple things in life. Who doesn't like bubbles? This video of bubbles on the beach is so amazing. I want a huge bubble maker!

Clean Sheets: They feel so fresh...it really makes a big difference in how the bed feels. Especially when you share your bed with a spoiled min-pin (and fiance, hehe).

The Film Everyone Must See!

2011-03-06T22:16:00.001-05:00

I'm watching Fat Head right now and it is so surprisingly informative and good! If you have any interest in health and nutrition or weight loss, this is a must see film.

This film goes to show what I've been saying all along...eating fat won't make you fat!

Although I do not eat fast food, I don't blame Mcdonalds or other fast food joints on the current obesity epidemic...people need to take responsibility for their own choices..nobody can force you to eat a supersized meal.

By the way, when "Super-size Me" first came out, I was in college. I watched the film while eating french fries from Mcdonalds, which I often ate a few times a week. And I weighed even less than I weigh now.

So my conclusion is, trust the government (to tell you what to eat) if you still believe in Santa Clause.

Hoop News

2011-03-04T20:56:00.000-05:00

I've been running around like crazy this week searching for somewhere to have my hoop dance/hoop fitness classes because my other location fell through as of last saturday...3 days before my classes were supposed to start. Oh well, at least it happened BEFORE they started. I have a bunch of local hoopers interested, now I just need the location. I've visited churches, dance studios, schools and more. My goal is to teach in Lansdowne.

Some places were too small, too pricey, etc...I'm not willing to settle on less than ideal. The good news is that in the process of visiting all of these places I got a few more teaching gigs for kids! The Salt and Light Learning Institute has an after school program and they are interested in having me come there for an hour a week when the weather warms up. I love teaching kids...it's so much fun. I could probably just focus on teaching kids and be really busy with that but I don't want to let my adult hoopers who signed up for my original classes down. I also don't want to let my Hoopnotica certification go to waste. I'm putting it out there to the universe. I know it will happen at the right time.

In other news, I'm going to be selling my handmade hoops at the Lansdowne Arts and Crafts Fair in May. Last year I sold quite a lot of my handmade jewelry there. I also have to make a bunch of hoops for my hoop-themed bachelorette (spelling?) party at the end of this month.

Last but not least, I entered Fitness Magazine's Cover Model Contest. The winner wins a trip for two to Hawaii...I'll be happy for my hoop friend Jen Moore if she wins though. I'm already going to Hawaii this year...Chad and I leave in 34 days to get married there :)

Vegan Crack

2011-03-04T20:47:00.001-05:00

What's vegan, raw, healthy, and more addictive than crack? Give up? Sarahbars! I'm sure most of you are familiar with lara bars...if not, then let me explain. They are one of the only snack/meal bars that are soy-free, dairy-free, vegan, kosher, and organic. They are also quite pricey since I was buying them by the case. My friend Leah introduced me to an AMAZING store called The Head Nut (it's like the Disneyworld of snack stores!) and gave me the recipe for Cashew Cookie Lara bars. I tweaked the recipe and dubbed them Sarahbars, after yours truly. Below is the original recipe. I tweaked it by adding unsweetened shredded coconut (tons of it), cranberries and chocolate chips. I also omitted the seeds and salt. I ate 3/4 of the entire batch the first night. I made more tonight. They are that good!

2 cups raw cashews
2 1/2 to 3 cups of whole pitted medjool dates
1 T coconut oil (make sure it is liquid - if solid, warm slightly to liquify)
1 T hemp seeds (I used flax)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp sea salt

Grind cashews in food processor until a fine meal (don't process too long or you'll have cashew butter). With processor on, gradually add 3/4 of the pitted dates through the food tube. Stop the machine and add all the other ingredients through the food tube. Continue to add dates until you have enough dates to thoroughly combine with the cashews. Keep processing until the mixture forms a ball. You may need to scrape the sides down and push the mixture toward the blades a couple times. Remove the "dough" from the processor and press into a square glass dish. Refrigerate until firm. Store in the refrigerator. (Tip: to cut smoothly, use a wet knife.)

New Camera! (attached to my new phone :))

2011-03-01T00:18:00.000-05:00

I finally decided to upgrade from my $10/month bare minimum cell phone to a Virgin Mobile $25/month unlimited data plan (and LG Rumor 2 phone)...this phone had me at tetris and a nice camera and a slide out keyboard that makes texting easier. No, I'm not being paid for this commercial ;) It was a pain in the butt to "port" my old phone number over, but the camera and sweet effects were worth it.

I love taking pictures, and this phone makes it easy to do when I don't feel like bringing my camera.

It's More Fun Than Video Games!

2011-02-28T18:42:00.001-05:00

I've been running around all week long and it feels so good to sit down. When I was home this week we had company...which is nice but I'm glad it's just me, Chad and Ziggy again tonight.

After work today I taught a hoop class for kids at the Lansdowne Public Library for their after school program. It was so much fun! The kids were natural hoopers and very excited about it. One little boy said "this is even more fun than video games!"...it made my day! One of the staff members is going to join my class next week.

My adult classes fell through at the last minute because of the location...actually because of the owner of the location. So I'm scouting other places in the area because I have a bunch of adult hoopers lined up already, which is great!

Paint-Shop Friday (standing in for photo Friday)

2011-02-25T17:18:00.001-05:00

Every day I make something in paint shop (that free program under accessories on every computer) while I wait for the computer to boot up. Here are a few pictures I made this week. Obviously there's a trend of Ziggy and colorful abstract stuff.

Have a happy weekend!

Whatever Wednesday: Wedding Shoes From Target!

2011-02-24T10:09:00.000-05:00

Last night's outing to NJ included a Target trip with Melissa...on my way to the bathroom these GORGEOUS and inexpensive flesh-toned patent-leather flats caught my eye. They are so comfortable (the back has to be smooshy if you know what I mean) and perfect and CHEAP (12.99!) that I had to buy them for my weddingmoon in April. I can imagine carrying them as we walk barefoot in the sand, but I will definitely wear them on the way TO the beach where we'll get married. These little shoes were definitely inspired by Black Swan :)

Edited to add: Oh my god...it's 11pm and I just realized it's Thursday, not Wednesday. Duh.

Last Week of Weeknight Freedom

2011-02-22T22:48:00.000-05:00

No, I won't be going to an evening-only jail, like my title suggests. But I'll be busy teaching hoop fitness classes...woot woot. Monday at the library I'll be teaching up to 10 kids...mostly games involving the hoops. Tuesday evening is Cardio Hoop and Tone at the dance studio, followed by Hoop Dance on Wednesday evening. I can't wait! :) I've been making playlists on the Ipod and doing class outlines like crazy. My fiance was my student/guinea pig. He learned a lot of tricks for someone who has no interest in hooping.

I gave up on my blogging schedule...well sort of. I was too busy taping hula hoops while watching Season 7 of The Office (yes, my betrothed and I make the hoops ourselves!) to come up with a tutorial for today. So I'll still follow my schedule when my I have the time. I haven't lost my mojo or anything. Schedules can be limiting, so it will be more of a loose suggestion than anything written in stone. Does that make sense? My brain is foggy, or as Melissa and I would say, I have "Target Disease.

Tomorrow night I'm meeting Melissa (of the Melissa Method) in NJ to give her a private Hoop Dance lesson.

Makeup Monday: The "Melissa Method" of Organization

2011-02-21T13:45:00.000-05:00

My sister Melissa is the most organized person I know...and she LOVES to organize stuff. She wants to be clutter intervention specialist for hoarders, and she would be great at it! Her bathroom (in my Grandmom's house) is small and lacks cabinets, so she has all of her stuff (and her hubby Glen's stuff) in pretty baskets.

I stole the idea and organized my bathroom cabinets and makeup studio using the Melissa Method this weekend. The Dollar Store has all our their pretty Easter Baskets on sale 2 for $1, so I bought at least 20! As you can see, my bathroom cabinet is no longer living up to its former nickname, "the exploding makeup cabinet".

I used the same trick in my makeup studio. I have to be able to see everything I have or I forget it exists...so the Melissa Method works very effectively to keep things nice and organized and visible too. No more piles of stuff. This looks so much better!

My makeup is now arranged by its purpose...hair stuff, eyes, lips, face, eyelashes, tools, airbrush stuff, etc.

How do you keep your makeup organized?

My Happy List

2011-02-20T20:51:00.000-05:00

The Following always puts a smile on my face (in no particular order):
*Hanging out with Ziggy (our old man dog)
*Hooping (performing & teaching)
*Hanging out with my betrothed, Chad (doing just about anything...but usually: walking around the neighborhood with Ziggy, cooking together, yoga-ing together, biking, creating silly videos and songs, taking pictures, watching movies...)
*The Original Buns of Steel (Greg Smithey is hilarious and adorable)
*Creating something (usually sewing or crocheting or making jewelry or altering clothing but lately making hula hoops)
*Taking pictures (usually of Ziggy)
*Making people feel gorgeous (this usually involves my makeup artistry)
*Experimenting with makeup
*A clean house (freshly vaccuumed and dusted...ahhhh)
*Relaxing days at work
*Watching Office Space
*The Happy Happy Joy Joy Song from Ren & Stimpy

Of course the list could go on forever, but that's it for now. What makes you happy?

Whatever Wednesday: 15 Things You Didn't Know About Me

2011-02-16T20:30:00.000-05:00

1)I never wear high heels. Dancing in a ballet company for many years deems that I now wear comfortable shoes all the time. I get to wear sneakers to work :)

2)I've always hated milk but love ice cream and the occasional cheese...I use almond milk and coconut milk on a regular basis in place of dairy. Dairy gives me cysts in my face!

3)I have a degree in psychology and a Skin Care/Estheticians License. I tried on a lot of careers before settling on Freelance Makeup Artist and Hoop Fitness/Dance Instructor.

4)I'm addicted to The Original Buns of Steel. Seriously, Chuck Norris' feminine doppleganger will shred your ass.

5)My second toe is about a half an inch longer than my big toe. It's quite creepy.

6)I met my future hubs on Match.com....believe it.

7)My fiance does most of the cooking and I do most of the baking and the dishes.

8)My parents were high school sweethearts and are still together.

9)I lived in Hawaii from age 7 to 11...my parents fell in love with it when they went there on a cruise so we ended up moving there...and back.

10)My high school (in Orlando, Florida) was across the street from Universal Studios.

11)During my Reiki attunement I heard the didgeridoo and was smacked in the third eye with a ball of blue light.

12)I'm a little on the psychic side...and synchronicity happens to me all the time.

13)I still remember dreams I had when I was a kid. I think I have some sort of brain damage that causes me to remember really useless information. I seriously remember everything long term, but couldn't tell you what I had for breakfast.

14)I usually eat chocolate a few times a day...in many forms, especially Ashers chocolates at Cinema 16:9.

15)Despite fact #14, I'm passionate about nutrition and 90% of what I eat is organic or local. You will NEVER catch me eating fast food or drinking soda. I eat REAL butter, REAL sugar (not high fructose corn syrup) and plenty of fat. And by the way, I've never weighed more than 110 pounds.

DIY Fashion: Blooming Bib Recycled T-shirt Necklace

2011-02-15T11:06:00.000-05:00

I didn't make this amazing necklace but they did. I saw the tutorial and just had to share. Maybe I'll make one this week. Last night I was too busy taping my hula hoops to create a tutorial :)

Makeup Monday: HUGE anime/Lady Gaga eyes

2011-02-14T10:47:00.000-05:00

This look was inspired by Lady Gaga's Bad Romance video. I'm not a fan of her music, but I'm definitely digging her style and her makeup artist :)

I made a video tutorial for this look because it is much easier when you can see it.

You're going to need:
White loose eye pigment (mine is by Naked Minerals)
eyeshadow (white, black, brown and purple)
Eyeliner brush
Eyeshadow Brush
E.L.F. False Eye Lashes

I hope you enjoy recreating this look at home :)

Photo-riffic Friday: Ziggy, Hoop, & Food Edition

2011-02-10T18:45:00.000-05:00

Things I like Thursday: Music Edition

2011-02-10T12:59:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make: my first concert was Vanilla Ice! I still remember my Dad trying to do that dance, lol. I was in third grade and had to leave early because the vibrations of the music made me violently ill. Aside from that embarrassing admission, my musical taste has evolved over time but hasn't really changed all that much. I still don't like loud music. At concerts I often wear ear plugs and have to leave not from the sound but because I can feel the vibrations in my teeth!

When I was in third grade, I saw Bjork's video for Human Behavior on MTV while visiting a friend's house. I was spell bound and fell instantly in love with the artist (not gay). To this day, I'm still a huge fan. My first tattoo was a Bjork logo on my hip. My hips were smaller at age 18...11 years later and my tattoo has grown and stretched with my skin. Doh! At least I still like the artist.

Another Icelandic group I like is Sigor Ros....my fiance turned me onto them when we first met. He gave me a bunch of cds as a gift for my apartment warming party. At the time I had just moved out of my parents house into my first apartment with my good friend Jill. I live with Chad now of course, but I'll always remember the first time I heard the cds he made for me, listening to them in my new room as I slept.

David Bowie is another artist that I've loved for a really really long time. I saw him in the Labyrinth as a kid...my parents told me he was the one who sang "Ziggy Stardust" and I liked him even more. I even named our dog Ziggy because of that song. Although my favorite Bowie song is Star Man, I thought that would be an odd name for a dog :)

I do like some "newer" music too...thanks to Pandora I adore The Blow.

Air, Radiohead, The Postal Service, Weezer, MGMT, Beats Antique are other favorites.

What's on your IPOD?

Whatever Wednesday: Yo Teach

2011-02-09T10:54:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday I attended a Hoopnotica Teacher training certification workshop. To say it was intense would be an understatement. That's me falling asleep on the floor (lower left side) in the photo after hooping for 6 hours. Hoop Dance isn't just waist hooping, but includes hooping all over the body, doing tricks and integrating dance at the same time. It's a fantastic workout!

I made some new friends who are also hoop enthusiasts. I passed the certification with flying colors. I start teaching my own classes start March first at a gorgeous 2000 sq ft professional dance studion inside Akers Gym for Kids in Lansdowne, PA.

What hoop dance can do for you:

*Calm your mind and reduce stress. Hooping is a meditation in movement.

*Provide an amazing cardiovascular workout –burn up to 600 calories an hour while having fun!

*Tone your entire body, not just your abs.

*Increase your flexibility, coordination and balance.

Scientific Evidence backs up these claims.

I started a meet up group 2 days ago for Lansdowne Hoopers. So far I have 7 members and growing. My goal is to make exercise fun and accessible to all people in my community.

Tonight Leah is going to teach me how to make my own hula hoops.

Tutorial Tuesday: Chocolate Bread Pudding

2011-02-08T10:54:00.000-05:00

What if french toast and brownies mated? This chocolate bread pudding would be definitely be their delicious, ooey gooey spawn.

Okay, so I'll admit this is not a "tutorial" per se, but you can still enjoy the recipe I found and my photos of making this amazing dessert this weekend.

Here is the recipe:

* 1 3/4 cups whipping cream
* 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (I used agave nectar)
* 1/4 cup whole milk (I used almond milk)
* 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
* 1 large egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* 4 ounces French bread with crust, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Bring cream, 1/2 cup sugar, and milk to simmer in heavy medium saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup chocolate chips and whisk until melted and smooth. Whisk egg and vanilla in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in hot chocolate mixture. Cool chocolate custard 10 minutes, stirring often.

Add bread cubes and remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips to custard and toss to coat. Transfer to 1 1/2-quart-capacity shallow oval baking dish. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar over mixture. Bake until custard thickens and center is just set, about 50 minutes. Serve warm.

I don't know how many servings this was supposed to make, but Chad and I ate it all in less than 2 days.

It's Makeup Monday: Soft & Smokey Grey & Pearl

2011-02-06T22:51:00.001-05:00

It's Makeup Monday! Today I decided to do a soft & smokey gray and pearl eye look. I had on some gorgeous pinky brown lipstick too but I had eaten some delicious & gooey chocolate bread pudding prior to taking these pictures. Needless to say I ended up eating my lip color too.

I'm not going to mention what brands I used because you can do this look with any brand of makeup you have on hand.

You're going to need:
*An eyeshadow primer/base (this gives your shadow something to stick to, absorbs oil & makes the shadow stay put all day)
*white shimmery eyeshadow (makes you eyes look brighter)
*black or gray eye shadow (adds dimension & depth to your eyes)
*an eyeliner brush, an eyeshadow brush & a blending brush

First dot some primer onto each eyelid and blend it with your finger. Make sure you only use a tiny bit! Next, take your eyeshadow brush and pat some white shimmery eyeshadow onto each eye. Patting the shadow on with a brush helps it to stay on longer. Next take your black or gray eyeshadow on your brush and pat it into your crease and blend away any harsh lines with your blending brush. This really softens up the look. Lastly, use a wet eyeliner brush and line your eyes (under the lashes, not on your water line) with the same black or gray eyeshadow. Using a powder shadow will make your liner last all day. It's also very cost effective since you can use something you already have, no need to buy expensive eye liners :)

I hope you enjoyed re-creating this look at home.

A Strict Diet--for my blog!

2011-02-03T17:14:00.001-05:00

I'm going to be sticking to a blog schedule where I write about certain topics on specific days, such as:

Makeup Monday--probably photos of makeup I did and/or reviews of makeup products.

Tutorial Tuesday--lots of crafty goodness.

Whatever Wednesday--basically whatever I want.

Things I like Thursday--self-explanatory

Photo Friday--a photo dump of all the pics I've taken throughout the week.

Do you like this idea? If not, I'm still going to do it anyway :) But I'm open to feed back.

"Winter, slumbering in the open air, wears on its smiling face a dream... of spring. Ciao. "

2011-02-02T13:52:00.000-05:00

I'm quite proud of my ground hog chalk board art, complete with shadow.

What could be a better way to predict the weather than relying on an animal to see its shadow? Animals are more intelligent than some people I know :)

My title was a direct quote from Ground Hog Day. When I was in 8th or 9th grade I remember seeing it in the theater for the first time and I still like to watch it every year at home. This year I'll get to see it on the big screen again because the theater where I work part-time is showing it all day today, woot woot.

Attack of the Ugly Pants!

2011-02-02T13:49:00.000-05:00

I was reading The Non-Blonde: Anne Hathaway- The Ugly Pants Chronicles and it is blatantly obvious to me now that I dress better than most celebrities. My secret goal for this year was to dress better, but now I don't have to make much of an effort. Thank you Anne Hathaway for that little jolt of self esteem :)

An obsession

2011-02-01T10:37:00.000-05:00

Ziggy hated the camera when we first got him. The noise and the flash scared him. But I can't stop taking pictures of him because he is so adorable. I'm seriously obsessed. Now he's used to me taking pictures of him all the time. Don't look at his wang in the first photo! :) Made ya look.

The other day I dug out my old polaroid and proceeded to use the rest of my 15-year-old film that they don't make anymore. These are not the photos. Ziggy had a relapse with his camera phobia. My polaroid is huge and loud and I can understand how he could have mistaken the polaroid for a robot.

I want to get an underwater camera for our Hawaii trip in April as a surprise for Chad. The camera would be a surprise, not the trip. He doesn't read this blog so I'm not blowing the surprise by posting this. We're getting married there, just the two of us. It doesn't feel real yet. Feels like winter will always be here. Having lived in Hawaii and Florida before, I'm not used to winter and never will be.

Toot Toot: Lose Weight and Have Fun!

2011-01-31T16:50:00.000-05:00

On Saturday I had a makeup consultation for a bride in Bensalem. She said she chose me because Fox News voted me the 2nd best makeup artist in Philly. I had no idea! :) So now I'm spreading the joy, tooting my own horn. Later I worked at Cinema 16:9 and watched The Stuff. Been craving marshmallow fluff every since. While I worked, Chad took Ziggy to his brother's house (Chad's brother, not Ziggy's), where Ziggy marked his territory 3 times! They have small male dog too. Apparently Ziggy is the alpha dog.

On Sunday I met with Joyce at Aker's Gym for Kids in Lansdowne, where starting March 1st I'll be teaching Hoop Dance for teens on Tuesday nights from 7:30pm to 8:30pm & Hoop Dance for adults on Wednesday nights from 7:30pm to 8:30pm. Four classes for $50 or $15 for walk-ins. The dance studio is GORGEOUS and huge and perfect and is right across the street from Cinema 16:9! :) The gig sort of just fell into my lap and I am so excited and happy that it is so close and seems to be working out by without me even trying that hard. Tonight Chad & I will make my flyers. Next weekend is my Hoopnotica teacher certification :)

I lost about 10 pounds (that I didn't need to lose) the first month I started hoop dancing. I became obsessed though and hooped a few hours a week. I continued to eat the way I usually do (lots of sweets and snacks and homecooked meals prepared by my awesome fiance). One hour of hooping is proven to burn about 600 calories.

For those of you who don't know what Hoop Dance is, you will soon be able to read all about it on my other website, which will be finished this week, according to my talented fiance Chad.

I'm going to make Huevos Rancheros for dinner in a few minutes. Yum!

In the Bedroom, a storm & a smoothie

2011-01-27T09:53:00.000-05:00

The other day I felt compelled to give our bedroom a makeover. It was so boring, brown and looked like a bachelor pad. I've been living here for almost 2 years and finally decided to make it look like I share the bedroom :) First I got rid of all the dust bunnies everywhere. I put a bunch of junk that was on Chad's night stand in a drawer. I added some red candles and a switched out the old photo of us to a photo of when we got engaged. I changed the art in the room and gave Ziggy his own little corner of the room. Of course, he never sleeps there because he usually jumps into our bed.

As you can see from the view out the window, it snowed like a mofo last night. The storm was being called a "thundersnow", which sounds like the name of a wrestler. Ziggy wouldn't go for a walk last night, and held it in like a champ. I expected to wake up to a pile of dog poop this morning, but so far he hasn't had any accidents. I wouldn't blame him. The snow is taller than he is now.

Chad and I were out in the middle of the storm. We had the most amazing authentic Mexican food at Hidalgo and then watched I Love You Phillip Morris at Cinema 16:9. It was such a great film. And I was totally believing that Jim Carrey's character was gay. The movie was based on a true story. I might have to actually read the book, it was that good.

Speaking of good, I'm going to drink the rest of my banana peanut butter smoothie. I dumped a banana into the blender with some peanut butter and almond milk this morning and came downstairs to find Ziggy ON TOP OF the table trying to eat it.

Stop Motion Animation featuring Ziggy

2011-01-25T01:39:00.000-05:00

Tonight Chad & I made this. We like making videos. Ziggy was so cooperative. Chad is so talented.

Finally! Shameless Self Promotion Never Hurt Anyone

2011-01-24T20:01:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I had a hoop dance photo shoot in NJ. I finally got a photo back! The shoot was in a basement studio, where it was about 20 degrees outside. I was sick all week for this, and at first I was disappointed but the photo started to grow on me and now I love it. By the way, it is not a fire hoop. It's a shiny hoop moving really fast. I'm actually terrified of fire and rarely even cook on the stove top for that reason.

I've been busy studying for my Hoopnotica training, which is in Philly on February 5th. I already know all of the "moves" (I guess that's what you would call it) but teaching them is another story.

My own hoop dance fitness website is in the process of being built. Actually my fiance has yet to start it but I have all the content I need and domain name bought. We're basically going to use the same layout as my makeup site but use different colors. I'm thinking white and purple instead of black and white. I'm open to suggestions :)

A Bribe I Couldn't Refuse

2011-01-23T20:09:00.001-05:00

Melissa came over today to celebrate her belated 31st birthday. Chad & I took her to our favorite Indian restaurant to celebrate. We stuffed ourselves with coconut soup and naan and then came back home.

Melissa took a peak at pig sty of a my craft/makeup studio and asked me where I got my white cabinet. "Actually, you gave that to me," I said to my forgetful sister. Then she offered me a bribe I could not refuse. In exchange for the cabinet, she helped me clean & organize the room from top to bottom and even vaccuumed it for me. She also helped me make the gorgeous aquamarine table cover for my sewing table (to match my curtains, which my Grandmom made). It was well worth it!

My mom brought the fabric over last night after cleaning out my deceased Grandmom's sewing room. I still have plenty of fabric left over to make a dress and a purse and a scarf! And I scored a ton of fabric and from Grandmom's stash. I'd rather have my Grandmom, but she'd be happy to know her fabric is not going to waste.

The swanky orange chair is from my Grandmom too. It used to be downstairs in our living room, but after cleaning and organizing the sewing room, it actually fits in there now too.

To quote Tangeena from Poltergeist, "this room is clean!" :)

Damn it feels good to be a gangsta

2011-01-20T13:12:00.000-05:00

Today I mustered all of my strength to walk downstairs to hang out with my dog, Ziggy. I have the flu and yesterday I thought I was in Hell. I couldn't stay awake for more than 5 seconds at a time and I was so sore I thought I was having muscle spasms (I tend to get them sometimes) and so I took a muscle relaxer...on an empty stomach. The room was spinning and in those rare moments of consciousness and the few times I got up to go to the bathroom I felt like I was going to black out. When my fiance got home from work, I swore he had fixed all of the clocks to make it seem earlier (like those gremlins did in the first Gremlins movie) because I could have sworn I had been laying there for days. Chad got me rice, toast, water, tea, jello, etc. I couldn't stay awake long enough to eat any of it except the jello. At 9pm I finally got out of bed and didn't feel as dizzy. I don't feel as horrible today, but still feel pretty darn crappy. It's taken more than an hour for me to eat a few bites of cereal.

Ziggy is disappointed, I can totally tell. I used to think he just slept all day while Chad and I went to work. Not true. He looks out the window, walks around the house--usually the kitchen--and sits in front of the stair case and stares. That part freaks me out. He loves my sewing room, so maybe that's what he's staring at. Or maybe this house is haunted. That would be awesome. NOT.

I used to wish I had a day to just "do nothing" (like in Office Space) and yesterday I did just that. I should have specified that I want to day to just do nothing...and still feel healthy enough to enjoy it. On that note, I'm going to watch Office Space.

Frugal Rock: What I'm Saving up For

2011-01-17T17:05:00.000-05:00

I feel like Ralphie lusting after the infamous bb gun in A Christmas Story because I simply must havethis LED hoop! My plan is to not buy anything I don't need (no makeup, no clothes, no shoes, no jewelry, no hula hoops, etc) until at least May 1st or June 1st, and then treat myself to that dazzling hoop. It's going to be quite hard because I'm going to Hawaii in April to get married and want to wear really cute clothes in all of the pictures. My clothes suck. I will allow myself the occasional trip to the thrift store for this vacation, and that's it! No more exceptions. Besides, I spent far too much money on Christmas and on vet appointments and dog stuff for Ziggy (and he is so worth it!).

I'm already very thrifty and make a lot of my stuff (clothes, jewelry, etc) and pack my lunch most of the time, so this should be fairly easy.

What are you saving up for?

When Min-Pins Attack

2011-01-16T14:37:00.000-05:00

On Friday night I performed a hoop dance in the Five Minute Follies variety show. The show was awesome. There were comedians, singers, a magician, improv acts, and more. I got treated like a celebrity. We ate at a chain called Hummus before the show, where Chad and I chowed down on fallafel balls and hummus. I was freezing my butt off all day long, so I opted to keep my jeans and long sleeve shirt on instead of the adorable tank top and yoga pants I had planned to wear for the show. Next time I'll suffer and wear something cuter.

Ziggy met Minnie for the first time on Saturday. Minnie is the smallest min-pin, weighing in at just over 5 pounds. She doesn't take crap from anyone though, and promptly attacked Ziggy for entering her territory. Ziggy took it like a champ and eventually they became friends. Thank goodness. My parents (Minnie's owners) are our pet sitters so it is important that the dogs get a long to a certain extent. Minnie was a little jealous and spitefully peed on the rug, but Ziggy was good and that's all the mattered :)

Today I was feeling under the weather, so Chad cleaned the house...so nice of him :)

Attitude of Gratitute

2011-01-15T00:27:00.000-05:00

Tiny Buddha's Blog inspired me to do this gratification-themed post. Some stuff that made me smile today: Ziggy, Chad, drinking hot chai, eating fresh hummus, Hooping, that creepy female Elvis impersonator at the Philadelphia Follies...:)

This is the exercise from the blog:

1. Write down three things you are grateful for: All the awesome people in my life (my fiance, family, friends, etc), my job, heat & hot water. I'm not effing built for winter!

2. Write down three things that you feel happy about: Adopting Ziggy the min pin <3, getting to sleep in tomorrow, my hoop dance performance went really well tonight.

3. Share what you have written down for #1 & #2 with someone. Just did, assuming anyone reads this :)

4. Give a compliment to a friend or stranger. I complimented the lady at the post office on her glass earrings.

5. Notice how it feels inside after you have practiced the above items. Pretty pretty good :)

Now keep creating that feeling.

Hand-Me-Ups & Downs

2011-01-12T20:14:00.000-05:00

My little sister and her husband came to visit from California for the weekend. She gave me three really cute dresses that no longer fit her. I will alter them soon...I've become pretty good at forcing things to fit me :) I did however alter the photos with GIMP. It's quite hard to take a self portrait that shows the entire dress! I tried. Dress alterations forthcoming very soon:)

I'm wishing for spring to come so I can actually wear the dresses. Ziggy wants spring to come too. He's not a fan of the snow either. I read somewhere today that every state in the US has snow on the ground (even the mountains in Hawaii) except for Florida. When I was walking home from work today, I was thinking "how did I ever think playing in this was fun?"

Easy Clothing Upgrades

2011-01-12T10:01:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago I made a t-shirt skirt and even though it turned out really cute, I still wasn't 100% satisfied.

Last night while doing laundry I stumbled upon a new pair of white shoe laces that had fallen out of my closet. And I could only think of one thing: drawstring. So I created a slight drawstring on one side of the t-shirt skirt. It was a big improvement but the skirt still needed something. I dug into my craft closet and found a few yards of brown lace, which I sewed along the bottom of the skirt, making sure to let a bit of lace peek over the edge.

My dress form is modeling the skirt because I'm lazy and didn't feel like putting it on.

My Cheap DIY Costume for Friday

2011-01-11T20:19:00.000-05:00

This Friday I'll be hoop dancing in the Five Minute Follies variety show in Philly. Today I finally decided what to wear. Although you can't see them in the photo, I'm wearing dark cropped jeans with a black lace up tank top. I made the arm warmers myself out of a pair of tights. My shoes are silver flats. I don't have any makeup on in the photo, but on Friday I'll be all glammed out in performance makeup that would make any drag queen proud.

What's in the bag?

2011-01-10T10:55:00.000-05:00

Today's post was inspired by A Hasty Life.

My usual Andy Warhol tote bag that I use as a purse has been so well loved that it is shedding the graphics on the handles and looking rather sloppy. Since one of my resolutions is the look more "put together" on a regular basis, a new bag was in order. However, since I just spent a lot of money on getting Ziggy's teeth cleaned, a new bag was not in my budget. Besides, I love thrift stores.

My Grandmom was a stylish woman and quite the shopper up until she passed away last year. My sister is now renting her old house and the attic is filled with various treasures that used to belong to my Grandmom. So this weekend after my nephew's baptism, I went "shopping" in my Grandmom's attic and found two adorable purses that she would have wanted me to have.

One of them is this bluish green trapezoid shaped bag from NY & Company, which looks just like my other sister's purse. It doesn't have very much in it right now, since I just got the purse yesterday.

Contents:
Pink sunglasses (from 5 Below)
Travel Wallet (from my mom)
Soft Lips lip balm (vanilla flavor...mmmm)
My business cards
A gift card to Bed, Bath & Beyond

Not very exciting, but so far my purse doesn't weigh a ton yet :)

Easy DIY T-shirt Makeover

2011-01-06T20:11:00.001-05:00

Don't throw away that old t-shirt! You can easily upcycle it into something unique and pretty. I'm pretty much a walking rainbow and don't own anything white. So I borrowed a white t-shirt from my fiance, who has a drawer overflowing with them. My idea was to make this project as comfy as possible. Of course what could be more comfortable than a soft, white tee?

You'll need two shirts: your old shirt that you want to makeover, and one shirt that fits you really well (which we're essentially going to trace). This project also requires sharp scissors, a needle and thread or a sewing machine, pins (or not--I never use them because I'm lazy).

Step 1: Turn the reject shirt inside out
Step 2: Chop off the sleeves and the neckband
Step 3: Chop off the bottom band and set the band aside
Step 4: Lay the shirt that you want to makeover on your cutting surface.
Step 5: Grab the shirt that fits you really well and lay it on top of the other shirt.
Step 6: Following the outline of the other shirt, cut your reject shirt leaving a small (an inch or less) seam allowance on both sides.
Step 7: Sew both sides of the shirt back together
Step 8: Cut the band (the one you cut off) in half. Use these to "pinch" the front of the sleeves by tying one on each sleeve.
Step 9: Put on your "new" awesome shirt. Pretty easy huh?

The "before" pics are pretty crappy. It's tough to get a decent photo of myself with a camera in my hand. My fiance took the "after" picture. Notice how frumpy I look in the baggy shirt, and how much more "put-together" I look in the after photo. A few simple tweaks is all it takes :)

What Not to Wear worthy?

2011-01-05T18:02:00.003-05:00

This post was inspired by this awesome blog. and one of my favorite shows, What Not to Wear. My clothes are not nearly as cute as Sadie's though :) I'm making an effort to dress a little better this year. Accessorize more, look less sloppy, etc. I have tons and tons and jewelry that I forget to wear. Sadly I didn't put on any makeup for these pictures. My fiance bought a new camera and took the one of me laying on the ground. The other one is a self-portait. Obviously :)

The gorgeous necklace I'm wearing is from my sister. She most likely got it from a thrift store. We both love thrifting. It's like a treasure hunt :)

The rest of my outfit most likely came from Ross or Plato's Closet.

DIY Feather Choker

2011-01-04T09:51:00.001-05:00

Inspired by all the feathery goodness on Etsy, I decided to save some cash by making my own drool-worthy choker. I had a green ribbon that I'm pretty sure came from a Christmas present that my sister wrapped. While searching the house for my hot glue gun I found a gorgeous black feather thingy with tiny beads on the feather stems (or is it called a quill? oh well). I cut a bit of felt and hot glued it to the back of the feather "pendant", and then hot glued that to the ribbon. I can either tie it around my neck like a choker or put it on my head like a flapper headband.

It didn't cost me anything and took me longer to actually find my glue gun than it did to glue the stuff together :)

We got a Dog!

2011-01-03T20:24:00.001-05:00

Chad and I adopted 8 year old Ziggy, a min-pin from a shelter in Burlington County, NJ tonight. Actually he's a rather tall "medium-pin" who needs to be fattened up. As soon as the man brought Ziggy out of the other room, he ran right up to us. He licked my hand and gobbled up a treat. When I opened the car door he jumped right in and went in the cage all by himself. I named him Ziggy, after David Bowie's alter ego, Ziggy Stardust.

Ziggy went for a walk and ate a good dinner. Now he is asleep on the couch. Later he'll get a bath because he smells. I can't wait to make a shirt for him :)

Altered States of Clothing: Wardrobe upgrades

2011-01-02T23:43:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm not going to lie. One of my secret resolutions is to dress better. Oops. I guess it isn't a secret anymore. I'm tired of looking like a bum (no offense to the stylish homeless) most of the time. What Not to Wear is one of my favorite shows, but they never ever pick me to be on it. And since I don't have an extra five grand laying around to waste on clothes (like they do on the show), I decided to alter a few of the clothes that I already have and never wear.

Believe it or not, this colorful blouse was a hand-me-down from my Grandmom. She sure had style, that's for sure. It was several sizes too big, so I turned it inside out, then put it on the ground underneath a shirt that already fits me and cut up the sides (leaving about an inch for seam allowance). Then I sewed it back together. It fits like a glove! Eventually I'll serge the inner seams and it will look brand new.

Next, I found an adorable (yet unflattering) "bubble" shirt at Ross a few months ago. I've never worn it because it looks hideous on. Who would add a bubble around their middle on purpose? Anyway, tonight I decided to make it fit! I turned it inside out and put it on my dress form. Next I pinned it pretty close to the dress form. I didn't leave a seam allowance because the material is quite stretchy. I sewed it up the sides, and voila, a shirt that fits me! :)

Goodbye 2010...Hello 2011!

2011-01-02T00:18:00.000-05:00

The year went by so fast. It was a bittersweet one for me.

In 2010:

*I switched jobs several times. I got fired for the first time. Eventually the job I wanted all along at Cinema 16:9 became available and I got it :) I finally have a job that I love.

*My fiance built my makeup website and I got a ton of gigs all summer long from it. I am booked through August 2011 :)

*Our room-mate moved out and I got my own in-home craft/makeup studio :)

*I started hooping. Eventually took a class and got hooked. Met Leah and made a great friend.

*I went to Europe for the first time. We got engaged in Brugge, Belgium:)

*My Grandmom broke her shoulder and passed away 6 months later. I still can't believe it.

In 2011, I'm looking forward to:

*Adopting Ziggy, a miniature pincher, from a shelter. Crossing my fingers that the application is approved. Should be any day now :)

*Being a certified Hoopnotica Hoopdance instructor in addition to working at the Cinema and doing makeup :)

*Getting married in Hawaii in April <3 I used to live there. I know Chad will love it there just as much as I do.

*Turning 30. Yes, I'm actually looking forward to leaving my twenties behind. They were pretty tumultuous at times. By thirty, I'll have all my sh*t together :)

"Fragile, that must be italian"

2010-12-31T16:50:00.001-05:00

Today my prize arrived from Pixipine Blog. I felt like the Dad in A Christmas Story as I tore open the box. Actually I made my fiance open the box ;)

I'm going to pay it forward to do a giveaway of my own pretty soon. More details to come. The prize will probably be something awesome and crafty because that's how I roll.

Easy DIY Necklace: Converting a pair of french hook earrings into a necklace

2010-12-27T19:40:00.001-05:00

After my boyfriend proposed a few months ago, I bought a gorgeous pair of genuine shell earrings at H & M for $2.95 because I thought they would make the perfect necklace to wear on our wedding day.

Tonight I finally got around to making the necklace. It was super easy and took me less than 5 minutes! You can make one too! All you need are a pair of pliers or two and a chain (or cord or ribbon--something to dangle the charm from basically) and a french hook earring.

This is the perfect project for people short on time (and patience--hehe) because it offers instant gratification. Also a great project for those of you with drawers full of earrings that you no longer wear, or if you lose one earring and can't bear to part with the other one.

Crafty Gifts & Project Ideas

2010-12-27T16:39:00.000-05:00

My sister gave me an awesome yarn organizer (and some makeup) for Christmas. My old yarn "organization" was to just throw it in a drawer. This one is a neat container with holes for each end of the yarn to come out of and stay nice and neat without any knots. Maybe this will motivate me to pick up my dusty crochet hooks.

In other news, my mom is going to be giving me one of her sergers soon :) She now has four and can basically open up her own sweat shop if she wanted to ;)

I came across these awesome DIY projects for a handmade home. I love seeing other ideas. It's so inspiring :)

Super Easy DIY Skirt Tutorial

2010-12-21T22:50:00.000-05:00

If you know how to trace, you can make this skirt! You'll need a skirt that fits you well, some stretchy fabric (I used a t-shirt), a sewing machine or a needle and thread, and some scissors.

DIY hoop skirt & arm or legwarmers

2010-12-19T13:57:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I asked my fiancee to get rid of some of his old clothes that he never wears. One of the things for the goodwill pile was a really soft, striped thermal shirt. I grabbed it and decided to make something with it.

The shirt sat in my craft/makeup room for a few weeks until inspiration struck. I want one of those cute skirts that the ladies in the Hoopnotica videos wear over their pants...but not enough to buy one...they are expensive!

Video tutorial forthcoming, but in the meantime, this is how I made it:

Last night I made the skirt, which is more like a "butt hugger" by cutting off the bottom 14" of the shirt.

Cut up one seam so you have a long strip of fabric. Measure your waist and cut this rectangle to match your waist size.

Fold the strip in half and pin about an inch from the opening. Press the little flaps you have from pinning to each side, sew up both sides of the fabric to create two little tubes wear a drawstring will go. This creates the pleated, puckered look.

Thread a piece of ribbon or elastic through the tubes you just made, pull it tight to pucker the fabric and tie it in a double knot. Tuck the ends in or tie it in a bow.

Next, to make the arm/leg warmers, cut off the sleeve and the wrist cuffs if your shirt has them. You are left with a really stretchy tube to wear on your arms or legs.

Enjoy your new inexpensive and cute hoopwear.

Super Easy DIY Hoop Shirt & Arm Warmers Tutorial

2010-12-12T20:15:00.000-05:00

This will probably be the EASIEST thing you ever make! Go grab a pair of tights. The stretchier the better. Take a pair of scizzors and cut the toe part of each side of the tights. Now cut out the crotch part. Put your arms through the leg holes and put your head through the hole where the crotch used to be. Enjoy your new shirt :)