A royal affair...

Well if you live on earth you know today was that beautiful wedding of Price William & Kate Middleton. From the custom made Alexander McQueen bridal gown to the Irish Uniforms it was breathtaking. Actually I think most Americans find it fascinating, the whole idea of royalty. In America our royalty is Brad & Angelina. lol 

I luckily live on a Island where weddings are a BIG deal. There are amazing floral arrangements at the church and every reception table, light shows, bands & DJ's, cocktails flying. A normal wedding around here is about $50,000. So are you getting married this summer, engaged or just dreaming of your big day?

Here a some of my favorite trends & DIY money savers. 

If you have the time and help of friends and family try to do a DIY project for your wedding. Whether it be the favors or invitations, the little handmade details make a difference.

Instead of gathering all your pictures in a frame or white foam board think of different fun ways you can display them. I like this idea of pining them up on a line, plus you don't ruin the pictures.

Items like these miniature lollipops and tin buckets can be found on craft websites in bulk for super cheap.

A little ribbon & hot glue and you have yourself some treats for your guests.

Who doesn't like wine! Save, buy or ask a local restaurant to save you there corks and make these illuminating candles to put on each table.

This is my favorite because its the most personalized and its my field of work.

If your computer savvy, custom beer/wine labels or even small signs to put around your wedding are a sweet touch.

As like the last.. this is another favorite. You'll need to spend more of your budget on table numbers and seating cards OR your venue will supply them. (but usually boring and generic) Why not make your own!?

Bathroom Makeover Before

Currently renting an apartment & the bathroom was in desperate need of a facelift. 

Since I am renting,buying new fixtures would be a waste of money but I made the best of it. My bathroom was also very small with little storage space.

With a little paint, a few trips to Home Goods & Bed Bath & Beyond...it looks like a totally different bathroom. Might I mention it cost under $300!!

Check out the before pictures and stay tuned for the after reveal!

Blue Monday.

The day after a holiday is hard to function never mind it being a Monday and every ones back to work. I have a case of the Monday Blues! So I decided to turn it into something pretty & inspirational. Check out how you can use this bold color in your life.

Anywhere!

Your favorite blue nail polish shade.

Your blue statement piece!

Bring the blue sky inside!

Favorite Friday Items!

So every Friday I'm going to share with you my obsessions for the week. 

Feel free to add yours! Happy Friday everyone.

Don't forget to "follow" videos coming soon!

Amazing!

Best chapstick I have ever used! Lasts forever!

I was crying!

Ray-Ban Wayfarer Sunglasses

I don't know how they do it!

Spinach Taco Salad

This is one of my favorite weekly dishes to make. 

When I was a little girl my dad would make nachos for dinner all the time, this is my healthier twist on it.

Its a quick meal that only cost about $20 & will serve up to 4 people.

Groceries:

Chop Meat 

(prefer 90%/10% but whatever you can get)

Sorrento Mexican Cheese

1 Packet of Taco Seasoning

Tostitos chips

1 Bag of dried spinach leaves

3 Large Tomato's

2 Scallions

Cooking Supplies:

Frying pan, Cooking sheet & Non-stick aluminum foil (lifesaver)

Pre-Heat oven to 350.

Step 1. 

Brown the chop meat. I like to add a little Wisticher Sauce (say that 5 times fast)

to the meat before its cooked.

Step 2. 

Drain the excess liquids from your pan in a jar. Don't want to put grease down the drain.

Step 3. 

Add Taco seasoning & half a cup of water. Set to boil then simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. 

(cooking directions will be on the back of the seasoning for you.)

Keep stirring until thickened & put off to the side.

Step 4. 

While your meat is simmering or off to the side, cut up your tomatoes & scallions.

Step 5. 

Its all about layering. Get out your cooking sheet and cover it in non-stick aluminum foil. 

This will make the clean up a breeze! Break open your Tostitos and lightly layer the pan with chips. Break some up if they seem to big.

Step 6. 

Scatter half of the meat over the on top of the chips. 

Step 7.

Then grab your cheese and cover the meat. You will end up using half the bag.

Step 8.

Repeat. 

Chips, the rest of the meat & cheese. 

Now you have some nice layers so every bite will get all the flavor.

Step 9.

 Put your pan in the over for about 10 minutes or just until cheese is melted.

Step 10.

Grab a bowl you choose to eat out of. Cover the bottom with spinach & tomatoes. 

Add your prepared taco mixture.

Top that with more spinach, tomatoes, scallions, salsa, guacamole, whatever your fancy.

*Have fun with it. You can add refried beans, rice, sour cream....go crazy!

Its a delish, quick, healthy & cheap meal!

Comment if you have any questions or of you make this dish.

Don't forget to follow this blog for more great ideas! 

SummerTIME!

So finally its going to be 62 degrees and sunny today! Spring is finally poking it's head out from under the freezing soil. In celebration of this beautiful Thursday morning I thought I would skip ahead to summer. I day dream of laying on the beach soaking up the sun. 

Lets see what the TOP 10 Beaches are in the USA and maybe there is one close enough to you that you can enjoy! 

1. Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Hawaii 

2. Siesta Beach, Sarasota, Florida 

3. Coopers Beach, Southampton, New York

(now I have to go)

4. Coronado Beach, San Diego, California

5. Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii

6. Main Beach, East Hampton, New York

(what have I been missing out on)

7. Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks, North Carolina

8. Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne,Florida

9. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod,Massachusetts

10. Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island,South Carolina

Creepy or Beautiful?

I have been following the work of this photographer for years & thought i would share. He's work gears towards the....abandoned.

All the places that he photographers are lost souls. These abandoned hospitals, jails, movie theaters and amusement parks are all beautiful reminders of what once was. Some abandoned due to economic fail or weathers wrath there all quit amazingly beautiful. Check some out. 

This ones for my fellow Long Islanders. CREEPY!

Check out more or search your state, from our friends at http://www.opacity.us

Economic Rant...

This post is really going to be a rant about the economic state we are in and some help/advise. Im 100% sure everyone knows someone who has lost there job in the past year if not themselves. Some of  these people are still not working. They are pounding the pavement searching for a career they actually have a degree in (which doesn't even seem to matter anymore) & having to resort to a $9 a hour job anywhere they can find it. Companies are down sizing, cutting salaries, vacation time, 401k, benefits and not looking to hire anyone. 

SO where does that leave the thousands of people out of work? 

A woman at my job posted a ad on craigslist for a driver. With in 10 minutes she had 113 emails. That to me is amazing! Oh and it doesn't matter if your a Teacher, Buyer, Lawyer.. there aren't too many safe positions out there. Unless you work for yourself and make it happen this world has become more cut-throat then ever. 

So all this ranting got me thinking where are the safe jobs? Someone close to me has been out of work for about 2 months. That's 2 months of rent, car insurance, food, ect. What can he/people do to make money when they cant even find a job at minimum wage?

Cut Back-First of sit down and go through your finances. 

Look at EVERYTHING down to the last penny. 

Where is all your money going? Yes you have become comfortable with a certain lifestyle but that will HAVE to change. See where you can cut corners. Hey an extra $10 a month for the HBO package is a extra $10 for gas or food.

Sell-Look around your home for items that you haven't touched in over a year & sell it! Sell it online or have a garage sale! You don't need the clutter anyway. I went through my closet the other day (and being a girl I have excess of stuff)

I found 4 pairs of shoes I can easily get $200 for. I will never where them again or miss them. Find the hidden money in your home!

Create-If you even have the slightest creative bone in your body or are handy put it to good use. The number one way to find a job is NETWORKING! Talk to everyone! Ask friends, family, friends of friends if you can do work for them. Paint there bathroom, clean there home, create something for a special occasion or landscape there lawn. You will be surprised at how many people are willing to pay for your (legit) services. They will refer you to other friends & neighbors and the money could start rolling in. 

I'm not saying any of this is easy, there just might be options you haven't thought of or just haven't followed through on them yet! Don't hold yourself back! You might think your only good at one thing  because that's what you know. But I am willing to bet there is a lot more out there you can do. You just need to put yourself out there and believe it! 

Hope any of this helps even 1 person. :)

Butter...

Butter nail polish that is. Went on a lil shopping spree at Ulta this weekend & found this new salon nail polish. I have seen this brand in magazines since fashion week but haven't come across it in the stores till now. Let me tell you I was standing in front of the display for about 30 minutes trying to choose a color. They were all awesome! I choose two colors that were different then anything I have seen from another brand. The drawback there $14 a pop. That's right, $14 PER nail polish. 

So that being said I ran home and tried out the first color Victoriana. It's a blueish silver, A textured twinkling vintage blue pale and slightly smoky.  Almost looks like Denim! 

PRO'S-Goes on super smooth, great coverage and dries pretty fast. It has been about 4 days and no chipping so far. (my nails usually chip right away) 

CONS-Expensive. 

Also bought Rosie Lee. This color is more of a glitter. But a beautiful shade of rosey/gold that I haven't seen before. 

PRO'S-Pigment is great for a glitter. 

Coverage is great

Long Lasting

CONS-Expensive.

My over all review for this Nail Polish is to save your money. It isn't a magic nail polish for $14. Yes they have some amazing colors but unless i am getting ready for a special occasion I will just pick up a O.P.I color for half the price. 

I

Brilliant Packaging...

Smart Hair Mask

 A brilliant concept for haircare product that protects and rejuvenate your hair from Kudryavtseva Oksana, a student from Russia.

"This is my student design concept of Remendy for hair care based on antioxidants and vitamins "Smart Hair Mask". The idea behind the concept - the product protects and care for your hair like a cap"

Designed by Kudryavtseva Oksana, British Higher School of 

Art and Design in Moscow.

Bottle Green Packaging

Bottle Green limited edition, Fashion Targets Breast Cancer Bottles. Illustrations done by Monsieur Qui Throughout the month of April, every time someone "likes" bottle green facebook page, they will make a 25p donation. 

"bottlegreen has been designing and creating limited edition bottles for over three years. Here is a showcase of our collectable bottles which all have a stylish and unique design. These limited edition bottles were created for a different purpose but the focus is always on producing a beautifully designed and elegant bottle that people would want to collect."

Illustrator / Monsieur Qui (Paris)

Rep / Colagene (Paris, Montreal, London)

Agency / Ziggurats Brands (London)

Age Your Own Whiskey Kits

Rooster Studio designed these Age Your Own Whiskey Kits from 

Woodinville Whiskey Co. From WWC:

"Being such a unique item, we wanted the consumer to be able to see and touch the contents of the package, yet it still had to be functional. Graphically, we wanted to bring the Woodinville Whiskey Co. brand into the package while tying it into a Prohibition-era theme since the product intrinsically has a bit of a rebellious element to it.

The design of the box itself was a collaboration between Woodinville Whiskey Co. and our packaging manufacturer. The graphics were a collaboration between Woodinville Whiskey Co. and [Rooster Studio]"

Thanx Dieline.