Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Jen's Pirate Booty Review

As most of you know, my blog is just my shopping list. I like to write about stuff that everyone can wear, that's easy and has something a bit different about it. I just recently purchased a few Jen's Pirate Booty tops/dress, so I thought I would give you an update.
I got this one above, the Poncho Villa, in lilac. I love it! The bottom half is very sheer and you definitely need to wear a slip at the very least (more likely a pair of short, tube dress and leggings). I really love the color too. This one is definitely my favorite of the two. The cut of this one is much more flattering. Very cute!
This one is the one I loved going in to it. I'm a sucker for off the shoulder styles. I like the bright yellow color, but the cut of this one is not so flattering. This one seems much wider and looks best when belted. The off the should part has thin elastic in it so you could wear it with a higher neckline if you wanted. Again, very sheer and it is necessary to wear something under it unless you're going to the beach/pool.

I like the light weight of these dressed and their versatility. But I am not such a fan of the fabric. This fabric is a blessing and curse. The fabric definitely gives these tops their "look" but it is a loosely woven fabric so it catches on ANYTHING. I would warn you against wearing any jewelry with these tops. Now, I can't wait to go to the beach!

More Great Stuff on Etsy

I love Etsy! It's full of stuff you must have that you never knew you even needed. Haha. I saw this the other day. Super cute. I'm a sucker for beady eyes and felt.
This cute craft is made by a woman who lives in Albuquerque, NM. She says she has "a ridiculous number of shoes but mostly prefer to be barefoot" (sound like anyone you know?). And also likes to name her houseplants. Hmm, sounds like my kinda girl. Too bad she can't join our craft group.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

I Bet Your Dog Can't Do This

Too cute.

Another Successful Craft Group

Well, we've had about 4 meetings of our craft group now. During our last meeting we worked on jewelry. After doing some research online and taking into consideration we were meeting at the Nut House I decided to make some charm bracelets. These bracelets were pretty simple and making them seemed a lot cheaper than buying them.
This bracelet (above) is made by Ettika and retails for $75. Seems pretty steep, right?
This one, is by M. Cohen and retails for a whopping $225. Yikes! I can't believe that anyone would pay that much for this. Are there diamonds hiding in those skulls!?!?
Well, it's a little hard to see, but after about 3 hrs and $60 I was able to make all of these. The blueish one has sea themed charms on it. The middle one is an exact copy of the M. Cohen one. And the multi colored one is a more Caitlin-y version of the Ettika one. Not too bad, right? These bracelets were really easy to make and there are tons of variations you could do. With a few bucks and a little perseverance, anything is possible.
I hope to see more of you at our next craft group.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Mmm, A Great Summer Drink

Looking for something to quench your thirst? How about some lavender lemon aid? Mmm, doesn't it sound yummy?!?

Fresh lavender imparts a subtle flavor to the lemonade. If you are using dried culinary lavender, cut the amount in half since its stronger taste can quickly become overpowering. At Sunshine Lavender Farm, Annie Baggett makes lemonade by putting dried lavender in a tea ball and letting it steep in hot water until the desired flavor is reached.

Lavender Lemonade

Makes a generous quart

Ingredients:

3-1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar
5 fresh lavender flower heads, or 1-1/2 teaspoons dried culinary lavender (see note)
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
4 springs fresh lavender, for garnish

1. Combine 1 cup of water with the sugar in a medium saucepan over a hot flame and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the remaining 2-1/2 cups water and the fresh or dried lavender and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. (If using dried lavender, put it in a tea ball.) Remove from the heat and let the mixture steep for 20 minutes, or until it has a light lavender taste.

2. Strain the mixture into a pitcher or jar, and stir in the lemon juice. Refrigerate until it is cold.

3. To serve, pour the lemonade over a glass of ice and garnish with a sprig of fresh lavender.



Who Knew Hamsters Drove?!?

For some reason I find this hilarious! Yeah, I know I'm crazy.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Bring Out Your Inner Sex Kitten

Everyone likes to feel sexy.
As usual, I insist upon being (semi) unique and sexy.
It should come at no surprise that I don't like Victoria Secret of things of that nature. My favorite brand of lingerie, with out doubt is Agent Provocateur.
This brand is definitely sexy. Something just happens when you slip into it.
If you're in the market for lingere, definitely check out Agent Provocateur.

This Is A Commercial For WHAT?


Dita Von Teese is beautiful as usual, but I can't believe this commercial. It amazing me what companies will go through to sell their product. What does Dita have to do with water?!?!

Paris Doing What She Does Best

I don't know about you, but when I travel it involves chickens, bugs and too much stuff crammed in a backpack. Never in my life have I even sat in business class, let alone first class. Arm and leg room are only for people that can afford it. And who decide that one suitcase is enough. Why should I have to pay more for another one!?!?
Well, I guess not EVERYONE has to travel this way. Check out how Paris Hilton travels. Can you BELIEVE it?!!?!?!? Man just seeing that much Louis Vuitton in one place makes me drool. Must be a nice life....




Cool Craft Or Crazy?!?

Who in craft group wants to offer up their car? I don't think this is the most practical craft. I kinda didn't see anything wrong with crocheting sweaters and potholders. The car was created by Magda Sayeg for the Il Lusso Essenziale art festival in Rome. Who knew?!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Oh Man, This Sounds GOOD!

I really don't eat much meat. I'm not vegetarian. I don't do it for health or moral reasons. I just don't really like meat. But when something like this comes up, I will have NO issues eating it. Delicious meaty goodness. Mmmm. Check out the Bacon Explosion. Does this not look like the most amazing thing you've seen?

I can' wait to try this at a bbq. Here's how to make your very own Bacon Explosion.

Here’s what you’ll need…

2 pounds thick cut bacon
2 pounds Italian sausage
1 jar of your favorite barbeque sauce
1 jar of your favorite
barbeque rub

1.) You need to create a 5×5 bacon weave. If the strips you’re using aren’t as wide as the ones pictured, then you may need to use a few extra slices to fill out the pattern. Just make sure your bacon weave is tight and that you end up with a nice square shape to work with.

2.) The next step is to add some barbecue seasoning on top of your bacon weave. Seeing as not everyone has the time, or the expertise, to create a tasty rub of their own, you could try Cowtown Sweet Spot for the best combination. Plowboys Yardbird, Bad Byron’s Butt Rub, and Rendezvous Famous Seasoning are also excellent choices.

3.) Take two pounds of Italian sausage and layer it directly on top of your bacon weave. Be sure to press the sausage to the outer edges of the bacon creating a patty that is the same thickness all the way across. Most grocery stores carry loose sausage, so just pick out one you like.

4.) Next up is bacon layer number two. Take the remaining bacon slices and fry them up the same way you would for breakfast. If you like soft bacon, make it soft. If you like crunchy bacon, make it crunchy. These pieces are going to be a major part of the inner flavor of our sausage fatty, so cook them your favorite way. Next, crumble or chop the cooked strips into bite size pieces and place on top of the sausage layer.

5.) Take your favorite sauce and drizzle it all over the top of the bacon pieces. Once you’ve sauced the bacon, sprinkle on some more of the barbeque seasoning you used on the bacon weave.

6.) Now comes the fun part. Very carefully separate the front edge of the sausage layer from the bacon weave and begin rolling backwards. You want to include all layers EXCEPT the bacon weave in your roll. Try and keep the sausage as tight as possible and be sure to release any air pockets that may have formed. Once the sausage is fully rolled up, pinch together the seams and ends to seal all of the bacon goodness inside.

7.) To complte the constuction process, roll the sausage forward completely wrapping it in the bacon weave. Make sure it sits with the seam facing downward to help keep it all sealed up.

8.) Sprinkle some barbeque seasoning on the outside of the bacon weave. Now this bad boy is ready for the smoker! Cook your Bacon Explosion at 225 degrees in a constant cloud of hickory smoke until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Normally this will take about 1 hour for each inch of thickness, but that could vary depending on how well you maintain your fire and also how many times you open the smoker to take a peek. It should take around 2.5 hours.

9.) Remember that barbecue sauce we used for inner flavor? We’ll be using that same sauce to glaze the cooked bacon weave. Using a basting brush, coat the entire surface with a thin layer of sauce. Sweet sauces are loaded with sugars, so they’ll give your fatty a nice glossy finish. Spicy and vinegar based sauces don’t contain as much, so they won’t set up as well. If you’re dead set on using those sauces, just cut them with a bit of honey and you’ll get the same effect.

10.) Slice the Bacon Explosion into quarter to half inch rounds to serve.

Mmmmmm!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

World Cup...For Cats

Cute!! Too bad I don't have hardwood floors at my house....or a team of cats.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Great Overnight Bag

With the whole Americana thing going on in fashion, there's a lot of heavier fabrics and brown leather. I really like this bag. It would be a stylish overnight bag. It would certainly be easy to pick out in the sea of black suitcases at the airport.

Hmm, Maybe I Will Move to SF

Now here's a place with a view!!
With views of the whole city and the Golden Gate bridge, you can't go wrong.
This AMAZING property is a rare two-story penthouse with 360-degree views. It's located atop the 5-star St. Regis Hotel. Oh, poor you. Currently, it is listed at $49 million. The apartment was listed at $70 million in November 2008. DAMN!!
It also features three grand entertaining rooms with 21-foot glass walls and an adjacent 2,000-square-foot terrace reminiscent of terraces that border New York's Central Park.
This 20,000-square-foot residence that has both catering and family kitchens....cause eveyone needs catering!
A private elevator, an in-home cinema and game lounge with a wet bar.
The penthouse also has a double-height cascading water feature in the grand stair hall. There are six bedrooms, four fireplaces and a garage bay for five or six cars.. There are hardwood floors, an in-home fitness center, sauna, spa and library.
And best of all, closets that make me blush!!
I guess living in the City wouldn't be that bad after all......

For The Person Who Has Everything


HOLY CRAP!! Better make sure not to loose your phone! Stuart Hughes has not only
gilding the iPad and creating the world's most expensive suit, Stuart Hughes has created the iPhone 4 Diamond Edition. The white iPhone 4 32GB is unlocked and the whole surrounding frame is set with around 6.5 carats of VVS, F color diamonds. The back of the device has a platinum and diamondApple logo. The phone comes with a hand-finished wallet made from real ostrich foot that also holds up to four credit cards. It is a limited edition of 50. It sells for £12,995 (close to $20,000).

Over on
Goldstriker they are selling the gold covered version of the iPhone 4G. It is available in 24K gold, 20K white gold or 18K rose gold. The half-gold version sold above sells for £1,595. An edition with the full rear section in gold sells for £2,195.

WOW! Guess I won't be getting that one anytime soon......

As If I Needed Another Reason.....

Baby, don't freak out, but I found another reason we should go back to Napa (as if we needed another reason). Napa has some how scored itself another delicious restaurant.

We all know Chef Masahaur Morimoto from the show Iron Chef. His Morimoto Napa restaurant in the Napa Riverfront development opens this month. The restaurant will offer a variety of dining options from the full omakase experience at the sushi bar to quick bites at the lounge. The fish will be flown in from Japan but other ingredients will be sourced locally. Some Morimoto favorites like tuna pizza will be served along with other new Napa dishes like the daring sea urchin carbonara (udon, smoked bacon, crispy shallots, sea urchin) and fig tempura (whole fried Black Mission figs, sliced and served with foie gras peanut butter sauce and pomegranate reduction). Mmm, drooling! The menu is designed to pair with California wines and Morimoto will be serving his signature Rogue ale and the restaurant has applied for a brewery license so housemade suds should be in the future.
When can we go?!??!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

World's Fastest Car

Have you ever wondered what the world's fastest car was? Currently, the record is held by the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. This car was clocked at 267.81 miles per hour. The cops will love ya in this one!

Skeletor Transformer


Eww! Gross. Check out this girls ribs. Somebody get a cheeseburger FAST. Rosie Huntington has replaced Megan Fox in the next Transformers movie.
Bleh!

Bahahah! You Knew It Was Coming


Life's a bitch. Hahaha. That will teach you. I mean come on, it's not like she didn't get 100 chances.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

There Is Some Justice In The World

Finally! A "celeb" who didn't get off the hook....and this girl really deserved it. You may know her from the E! show, Pretty Wild, but you probably know her as the idiot mastermind behind the celeb break ins that were happening awhile back (2008-2009). Well, Alexis Neiers is finally getting what she had coming. The 19 yr old will serve six months in jail and will be on probation for 3 years.
The group, named the "Bling Ring," broke into homes of celebs including Orlando Bloom, Paris Hilton, Audrina Patridge, Lindsay Lohan andMegan Fox among others. The stolen property was estimated at $3 million.
Mommy and Daddy won't be able to get you out of this one.

What? You Don't Have Your Own Vineyard?!?

I'm not so hip with wine making, but this house is pretty cool.
Apparently there aren't too many homes with vineyards in Irvine, California. But 26 Grey Owl one of them.
This one of a kind house has a 13,500 square foot mansion is on a 1.73 acre lot with a surrounding vineyard that produces two barrels of wine at harvest.
The property is located in the community of Shady Canyon and designed by the collaborative efforts of ForestStudios and Ritner Group and constructed by Pacific Design Estates Construction, Inc.
The artsy interiors were designed by local designer, d. Kruse and the property features a subterranean wine cellar and tunnel connecting the residence to the pool house and home theater.
The huge gourmet kitchen has a walk-in refrigerator, Lacanche range and a large center island with a pop-up television.
It was originally listed at $17.5 million but was listed at $15.995 million but the OC Register reportsit's down to $15.495 million.
Not too shabby if you ask me!
Now that's my kinda view!