iPhone Pics & Adobe Effects

When I got my iPhone, I sort of figured that the photo capabilities were really only good for Facebook posts and mere reference photos of things I needed to capture on the go. However, since I came across the Adobe Photoshop app for the iPhone, my opinion has slowly, but surely, changed. Most of the time I forget to utilize the great things this app offers, but when I do I’m always impressed. For example, today I was babysitting my boyfriend’s niece, and my littlest and sweetest friend, Addison. I caught Dave, my guy, and Addie in the sweetest nose-to-nose pose, and although I couldn’t capture the moment fast enough, I did get a few other shots that, with the help of the Adobe app, turned out to be really great. My advice is, download the app if you haven’t. It takes an ordinary photograph and turns it into something really spectacular and worth holding onto. Here are a couple of photos that helped to convince me:

 

 

Are they not the cutest?! Look at those two bottom teeth!

Pepitas!

As promised, here is the recipe for the “guts” (in this case, just the seeds) of the pumpkin:

• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (average yield of medium sized pumpkin)
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp. garlic salt
• olive oil to coat (I used the spray variety, which can be found at any grocery store, because it coats the seeds lightly and evenly)

1. Hollow out pumpkin and remove seeds from pulp.
2. Rinse seeds.
3. Lay seeds out on a layer of paper towels, top with another layer, and allow seeds to dry COMPLETELY.
4. Line a baking sheet with tin foil.
5. Preheat oven broiler to HI setting.
6. Spread dried seeds evenly over baking sheet, spray with olive oil, toss, and spray again.
7. Sprinkle salt, pepper, cayenne and garlic salt evenly over seeds.
8. Toss to coat.
9. Redistribute evenly over baking sheet.
10. Place sheet under the broiler on the lowest rack, keeping a close eye on it at all times. This is NOT a recipe you can walk away from.
11. A minute or two later (they turn very quickly) toss seeds with a spatula and place them back in the oven.
12. Repeat this process a few more times until the seeds are browned and crispy.
13. Eat straight off the pan, once they are cool enough; or use as a topping on salads, soups, or just as a salty snack to sit in front of the T.V. with.

Note: If you do not have the spray olive oil, do not fret. All the steps above can be achieved by just tossing the seeds in a bowl with the ingredients. Just make sure not to get them overly oily, or they will be greasy when you pull them from the oven.

So, there you have it. Pepitas! Enjoy!

A Pumpkin, By Any Other Name…

Out of the purchases I made yesterday morning at the Overland Park Farmer’s Market was a really beautiful pumpkin. It was the perfect symmetrical shape, a very chic color, not the typical bright orange, but a more subtle tone, and, oh yeah, it was a whopping $2. Not bad. So, I spent last night deciding what to do with the little guy, and came up with creating Jack from The Night Before Christmas, one of my all-time favorite movies. So, here’s the finished product. Recipe and photos of what I did with Jack’s guts to come…

A growing admiration.

Today, for the first time since I moved to Kansas from Florida, I finally got up early and went to the local Farmer’s Markets. I have been planning on making the trip for a few weeks now, and since there are only a few more Saturday mornings left in this year’s market schedule, I figured I would suck it up and at least go check it out today. Man am I glad I got my lazy butt up out of bed. First, I went to the Olathe Farmer’s Market. Although there were only three vendors there, I managed to fill up both of my reusable grocery bags for a mere $27. I’m talking everything from tomatoes to bell peppers to three heaping handfuls of fresh and dried hot peppers that a most generous man gave me for the unbelievable price of $1. $1! And that was just the first stop. After convincing my boyfriend that while we were out we should at least check out the other location, we finally arrived, admittedly after getting lost more than a couple of times, at the Overland Park Farmer’s Market. It was a beautiful site to behold. Stall after stall after stall of the freshest, most colorful, varied produce and other homemade products you could possibly imagine (unless, of course, you have been to Eastern Market in D.C., in which case, you know what I’m talking about). There were homemade pastas, of which I bought three different varieties, handmade cheeses, beautiful flowers, stunning pumpkins, and cantaloupe, sweet cantaloupe, that has not been affected by this whole Detroit cantaloupe of death thing. So, after salivating over every offering, I finally laid down the rest of the $60 I withdrew from my ever-shrinking bank account this morning, and ended up with more fresh goodies than I know what to do with. My loving boyfriend then hauled my catch back to the house and left me to ravage my bounty. My point is this, get up on Saturday morning. Get to your local farmer’s markets. Get there before the frost gets there and you have to wait until April to take my advice. You’ll save yourself a ton of money, encourage yourself to eat healthy and homecooked meals, and be stimulated by the kaleidoscope that is your local Farmer’s Market. (Addresses and photos below.)

P.S. If you have any suggestions for what I should do with my mountain of produce, please leave a comment and, not only will I take you up on your ideas, but I’ll post pictures and recipes too!

Oh Joy! A Sale!

I almost forgot, the lovely Joy Cho, creator of Oh Joy! (a great blog, in case you haven’t had the pleasure, over at www.ohjoy.blogs.com), is sponsoring a sale on Terrain products. Their products are impeccable, I especially love their kitchenware.  Just go to www.shopterrain.com, or follow the link to the right, and enter code OHJOY for a 15% discount on your purchase. The sale lasts until October 31st, so get over there while you still can!

Bag Tag

Almost a year ago, I moved to the Kansas City area from South Florida. (I know, I know, you don’t have to say it.) Anyway, in a couple of weeks I am going on my first big trip since that move. My boyfriend and I are going to Maui (yippee!!) to attend his sister’s wedding. Obviously, I have already started laying out the outfits I need to take with me and trying to figure out how I am going to fit everything I need into my one large bag, so I don’t have to pay the fee for an extra, of course. In doing so, I came across my luggage tag, which is neon green and a little kitschy (it says “Are We There Yet?”) but I love it. However, I realized that the little info card inside of it, which I suppose is the point of the whole thing if you really want to get technical, still had my contact info fromWest Palm Beach. Ugh. Well, it actually became a fun little project I thought I might share with you. Here are the steps I used:
1. Find a blank greeting card (because the card stock is more suitable to holding up to this purpose) that has a color theme or pattern complimentary to that of your luggage tag, or that just makes you smile.
2. Remove original information card.
3. Trace the info card onto the front cover of the greeting card, utilizing the two straight sides you already have, and cut out. (Or just do it freehand, it’s not going to kill you.)
4. Carefully write in all your necessary contact information, (i.e. Name, Address, Email Address, and Phone Numbers), and an alternate person’s phone number or email, just in case.
5. Discard old card, insert new one, and, voila!
The great thing about this simple project is, due to the infinite number of decorative greeting cards out there, you could replace your info card as often as you travel, or as often as you like. Replace it once a season (think ice blues and whites for winter and pastels for spring), or even for every trip you take. The beauty of the project is that it only costs you the price of a greeting card!
(Note: If you want to be ultra Eco-friendly and not waste any paper, try cutting the excess greeting card into tiny pieces or punching shapes out to use as confetti in invitations, on table scapes, or for any other uses you can think of! Just don’t send the card out with half it’s cover missing. That’s just tacky.)

Online Shopping Site: tobi.com

As I’ve previously stated, before I started reading all the wonderful blogs out there, I was under the impression that there were only a couple of shopping sites worth spending hours and hours of free time browsing through. I’ve come to know better. If you are in the same shopping rut that I was in; emptying out your pockets for a single, beautiful item; please, allow me to be your guide. At some point I will provide a list of all of my favorite sites for all things girly and necessary, but for now let me begin by starting a tradition of reviewing one online site at a time.

For this first go-around, let’s start with a wardrobe essential: the dress. The dress is such a versatile piece of clothing. Maxi or mini, boho or modern, it can take you from day to night, work to play, and playground to nightclub. So, for this installment, I have chosen a great little site called Tobi.com, and have made a list of my favorite of their dresses for all occasions. Let this inspire you to go out there and feel the wind between your thighs. Here we go:

TOBI.COM’S BEST OF THE BEST: DRESSES

1. Best Workwear Dress: Parker/Flowy Wrap Dress/Khaki/$177.00

2. Best Daytime Play Dress: Audrey 3+1/Poke-A-Dot Open Back Dress/$45.00

3. Best Nightlife Dress: Theory/Harmen Sequin Striped Tunic Dress/Black/$237.00

4. Best Special Event Dress: Ark & Co./Wave Reviews Dress/Navy/$78.00

5. Best Maxi Dress: Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent/Erykah Badu Silk Ruffle Maxi Dress/Multi/$255.00

6. Best Everyday Dress: Seneca Rising/Sutton Asymmetrical Back Tie Dress/Navy Watercolor Check/$90.00

7. Best Vintage-Inspired Dress: Beulah/Summer Night Dreams Silk Dress/Cream/$88.00

8. Best Printed Dress: Everly/That 70′s Dress/Orange/$39.00

9. Best Blank Slate Dress: T by Alexander Wang/Boatneck Dress/Black/$85.00

To begin…

I’m not sure how to begin. I guess to start, I should tell you that I am a young woman, 25 to be exact, and my passions are all things beautiful. I have a penchant for organization, I love decorating, I have a degree in International Baking and Patisserie, so cooking is a constant form of expression in my life, and I adore fashion…(especially if it is on sale!) I began reading other women’s blogs about six months ago and couldn’t believe what a treasure trove of information they turned out to be. Before I ever read a blog, I really believed that the only goods online shopping sites were ShopBop and TopShop…how wrong I was. I just had no idea what was out there. So I starting wondering how many other women like me were out there. Buying magazines off the racks like they were candy just to glimpse some of the attainable good they fantasized about. I realized, I couldn’t be the only one. So I took a long time to sit my butt on the couch and just look at the internet….find all the knooks and crannies where beautiful things hide. I realized that beauty is completely accessible if you know where to look. So, I want to bring some of that to you. Now, I realize that chance that not a single other person will read this blog, so I intend to use it for all things inspirational to me. There are a few key topics I would like to circulate through: Fashion/Shopping, Decorating/Organization, Cooking & Baking, Art/Music/Reading, and Beauty. So, on that note, I think I will jump right in while the water’s warm. Enjoy!