snow day

 

 

My snow day consisted of: baking brownies, watching Fear and shoveling snow with a dustpan cause I don't have a real shovel. Hope everyone's snow day was safe and enjoyable!

monday march 8, monday march 8, monday march 8!

It cannot come soon enough!

rodarte for vancouver

Sometimes, the stars align and two things you love dearly join forces and the results are amazing in ways you couldn't have ever predicted. Like Lady Gaga and Beyonce.  Or chocolate and peanut butter. Or Forever 21 and my clothing budget.
Added to the list: figure skating and the Rodarte sisters. Yes, you read that right. Fresh off the success of their diffusion line with Target, Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the sisters behind Rodarte, designed outfits for a select few Olympians in a New York Times Style Magazine photo shoot. The most notable outfit was the one donned by Johnny Weir, the ice dancer who freaking skated to "Poker Face" dressed like Edward Scissorhands. I imagine he'd be a little chilly wearing this outfit on the ice, but it's fabulous nonetheless:

 

In addition to providing ice skaters with something a little more Vogue-worthy than short, sassy skirts and sparkly unitards, they also outfitted freestyle skier Jeret Peterson in this stylish sweater:

 

Check out the magazine for more shots from the editorial--they're pretty great. Meanwhile, I'll be practicing my triple axel, since it now seems to be a reasonable way to ensure some Rodarte in my future. 

another cooking journey

Since my cinnamon bun adventure turned out so well,  I figured, I'd consult my Vegan Brunch cookbook again and try my hand at making bagels from scratch.
While it was still fun, I had a harder time with the bagels than the buns. There are fewer steps, and it takes a lot less time, but you'll see where I slipped up as I take you along my cooking journey...

 

First you put the basic mixture (yeast, flour, yadda, yadda) in a bowl and knead the dough. This is another one of those recipes where flour will be your best friend because sticky dough = bad baking experience. 

 

Then, like normal, you let the dough rise--this one sat for about an hour, covered by plastic wrap. 

 

I used parchment paper to turn out my dough, cut it into 12 pieces and molded them into little balls. If the dough is sticky, get out the flour!

 

Then you gently make a hole in the dough ball and shape it into a bagel. If you please, you can then dip it in sesame seeds or poppy seeds or what have you.

Then you boil a huge pot of water and drop a few bagels in at a time. The recipe said the dough would float to the surface of the water, but mine didn't. I can't image this altered the quality of the bagels significantly. 

 

Where I really went wrong was when I stuck the bagels in the oven. I didn't spray the pan (I know, I know!), so the bagels were basically superglued to the baking sheets I used. This made for a fun 20 minutes or so of scraping. Also, my overly-sensitive smoke detector went off just as I was pulling them out of the oven, which scared the bejesus out of me. But, these things happen, and now I know for future bagel baking to spray the pan! Above is a pile of the few undamaged bagels. Now, who has some cream cheese?

olsenboye launched today!

I know I told y'all about this line back in October, but just to recap: Mary-Kate and Ashley launched a low-priced JCPenney line aimed at teens several months ago, and the line is officially available in stores today. No one (I hope) was expecting anything as exquisite as their luxury line, The Row, or even its trendier little sister, Elizabeth and James, but I think Olsenboye deserves credit for being a cute, wearable line for teens and people who think they're still teens (i.e., me). So what pieces will fly off the racks first? Here are my predictions:

Boyfriend Blazer: I can't resist a good blazer, and this navy number is very Blair Waldorf, don't you think?

Denim Jacket: Cute denim jackets like this one are going to be all the rage this spring, so I have a feeling the item will be in high demand. Details like the pink stitching on the front and three-quarter length sleeves add a little something extra to this find.

Bow Skirt: This girly pink pleated skirt is one of my favorite items from the collection. It can be dressed up or down--or worn with the denim jacket above.

Madeline Shoe: SHOES! These lovely pink bow heels are animal-friendly and have a zipper in the back for easy on-off action. If I could pull off heels, I'd so get these.

Foldover Xbody Tote: I absolutely love this tote bag. As I've mentioned before, I tend to carry most of my possessions along with me when I leave the house, so giant bags with long shoulder straps are always welcome. This bag has handles, so you can carry it, in addition to a shoulder strap. Versatile, cute, and Olsen-approved.

Of course, there are a few misses in the collection, especially the graphic logo tees, but you can decide that for yourselves. So either head to your local JCPenney, or shop online here.

i just did your valentine's day shopping for you

Now that February has arrived, we can begin to focus on that oh-so-controversial Hallmark holiday, Valentine's Day. Whether you love it or hate it, you have to at least kind of enjoy a holiday that's focused purely on candy, cupcakes, the color red and this movie.
Don't indulge in sleazy-looking undergarments or calorie-packed confections for V-Day gifts--I did all the heavy lifting for you and perused the home of all things cute and quirky: Etsy. So, now I will share with you some potential gifts for yourself or your significant other--and I dare you not to "aw" over at least ONE of these items:

 

First, we have cards and their sickeningly sweet statements. In this day and age, this I love you more than twitter card means a lot coming from a Web-obsessed friend or significant other. Don't tweet? This seller, the UK-based Storeyshop has tons of other cut-out cards declaring love greater than Facebook, ketchup, payday and other modern-day necessities.

Who can forget the "I Choo Choo Choose You" Valentine? There's a wealth of cards, shirts and other paraphernalia declaring this statement, but I particularly loved this I choo choo choose you French bulldog card. Come on, he's dressed as a train conductor!

 

Let's not forget the prevalence of jewelry as a Valentine's Day surprise. But instead of a boring diamond or ruby, how about an emoticon? You know you've used the "<3" symbol to express your love for someone or something, so here you go, a less than 3 ring!

Don't like symbolic representations of the heart? Why not present your lady with the real deal? This what's in your heart? ring looks more like a science textbook drawing of the heart, but still has love inside of it. Say it with me: "Awww..."

This haz todo con amor wall art brings El Dio de los Muertos and the day of cupid together. The combination of grim-looking skeletons and sweet "Do Everything with Love" message is the perfect mixture of macabre and romantic.

The most important issue to address on Valentine's Day is not what type of flowers to order or what romantic restaurant to dine at, but what to wear! What could be more darling for a night out than this 1950s party dress?

If that frock is too precious for you, this 1960s mod dress looks like something right out of Meg White's red, white and black-filled closet.

And, finally, I couldn't resist including this beyond adorable 1970s sweater.

OK, guys and gals, I've done all the hard work for you--so get shopping! See you in line for Valentine's Day February 12!

packing my bag

Thanks to the folks at CSN Stores, I was given a chance to select and review a product of my choice. Fashion always comes first for me, but I do have a practical side, so I decided to go with this cute-yet-functional Ricardo Beverly Hills Super Tote. I finally got to put it to use this weekend when I needed to haul some stuff to Eric's house.
Here it is, sitting on my couch, waiting to be filled with stuff:

 

And fill it with stuff I did. The bag's major selling point is that you can basically pack your whole life in it--and there are so many nooks and compartments, you won't have a hard time locating your hairbrush or cell phone when you need it. I packed a change of clothes and some toiletries in the large center compartment:

  

And the two outer compartments are just begging to be stuffed with books, magazines or a laptop, which I did:

 

There's also some small zipper compartments on the sides that I stuck my various chargers in. 

One downside: I'd like it if the handles were a bit longer, because once you head out with this thing, it can get a little awkward to carry--especially if you jam pack it like I did. If it were easier to throw it over the shoulder, it would be pretty much perfect.

Overall, I really like the bag and will definitely use it for short trips that don't call for a big suitcase. I can see mothers with young kids getting a lot of mileage out of this thing too, cause it's so easy to grab your necessities out of the many zipper compartments. Any bag that makes me feel not crazy for needing five magazines and two novels on my person at all times gets an A+ from me!