Finally... a little FASHION!

Alright, I know I've been terrible at posting again!  The important thing is I've discovered a new website, and I'm here to share it!  I stumbled across a website called JustFab.com.  It's a website that allows you to tell stylists about your style and they essentially become your personal shopper!  After you take a little style quiz, they give you monthly selections of purses, shoes, and jewelry.... and everything is only $39.95... with free shipping!!!  There's a little glitch... and you actually have to remember to skip your selections each month so you won't get charged, but that's only after you've made your first purchase.

ANYWAYS..... the whole point here is that I got not just one... but TWO amazing purses for $39.95!!!!  Last month they had a sale that you could get 2 items for the price of one, and since I don't wear high heels often enough, I ended up buying myself two purses.  And here they are:

And the best part... they both have cross-body straps!  What great colors to kick off spring with too!  Seriously.... make sure you check out the website.  And if you decide to buy something, don't forget to cancel your monthly selections afterwards so you don't get charged.  Thank you to the fashionistas who like their quality, but know how to get it cheap!

Wii Like To Party

Greg's brother had a Wii party this weekend! Knowing there was probably gonna be some drinking, I thought I'd bring along some food.  I had a recipe for cupcakes that I had been wanting to try, but I also knew that I should probably bring something salty to balance it out, so I brought my Greek Dip to share!

Greek Dip

Mix together one 8 oz package of softened cream cheese with 1/2 cup Miracle Whip and spread out on a platter.  Top with chopped cucumber, black olives, seeded tomatoes (I seed them so the dip doesn't get soggy), and garlic and herb feta.

*We serve our dip with an option of either baked Ritz crackers or Garlic Triscuits.

As for the cupcakes, I knew I was pretty excited to try out this new recipe, but I had no idea how popular they would be.  The recipe that I found said it should yield 48 cupcakes, but apparently I make my cupcakes a little larger and ended up with about 36.  They are super easy to make and I can't believe I haven't made them sooner!

 

Neapolitan Cupcakes

1 (19.5 oz) package brownie mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

1/4 cup water

1 (18.25 oz) package strawberry cake mix

1/3 cup canola oil

1 1/3 cups water

3 eggs 

Vanilla frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the brownie mix, eggs, canola oil and water in a bowl. Fill paper muffin cups 1/3 full with brownie mix.  Then mix together cake mix, canola oil, water, and eggs in a bowl.  Pour the cake mix over the brownie mix, filling the paper muffin cups 2/3 full.  Bake 15-20 minutes.  Remove from pan and let completely cool before frosting.

This recipe is just kind of a general guideline.  You'll want to make sure that the box mixes that you pick up cook at the same temperature.  Then just mix the ingredients listed on the box according to the package directions.  I've read that if you refrigerate the brownie mix before you put it in the muffin cups, that the brownies come out a little gooier.

Both of these recipes were super easy, and I ended up going home empty handed!  Oh, and if you were wondering... my cocktail for the night was a mixture of whipped cream flavored vodka, cranberry juice, apple juice, and ginger ale!

Easy Cheesy

I should be writing about the Shrimp Puffs that I made for Christmas, but I didn't take a picture of them and I don't plan on making them again any time soon.  These cheeseballs were another appetizer for our Christmas dinner.  I got the recipe out of my Food Network magazine and they were easy to make, but weren't anything amazing.  Next time I plan on mixing in jalapenos or trying different things for the cheeseball recipe itself!  I rolled mine in almonds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and a mixture of bacon bits and paprika.

Mini Cheesballs

Mix 8 oz softened cream cheese with 1 tsp worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest and 1 cup shredded firm cheese (I used mild shredded cheddar); season with salt and pepper. Form into 1-inch balls using moistened hands.  Chill 4 hours, then roll in toppings.

Cold Air Makes Me Creative

Well, it's finally starting to feel like winter.  There's not a blizzard or anything keeping us inside, but who wants to be outside in 30+ mph wind?  Cold wind?!  I kept myself busy this weekend with several projects, mostly inspired by my new addiction to Pinterest, but also things that I've planned on doing and have never done. 

Started out the weekend by making my mom's homemade salsa.  Not as good as hers, but still impressive for my first time.  And by myself!  Then I decided to decorate my powder room.  Greg helped me paint it a while ago, and I was having a hard time adjusting to the pink, but now that I'm decorating I'm enjoying it more.  The first thing to go up was a decal of the Eiffel Tower that I got as a birthday gift... back in August!  It was a pain in the butt to put it up, but I think it looks great!

Then I saw an idea on Pinterest for organizing my scarves.  I had seen several DIY methods just using shower curtain rings and a hanger, but I thought it was messy and looked the same.  So when I saw that someone had used a towel bar with S hooks and metal rings, I thought it looked much more organized and more of a way to decorate the room!  Now I certainly have more than 12 scarves, but this got my most used ones out of a pile.  The rest will go into the suitcase that I'm decorating (pictures coming later!).  I also put the shelf above the bar because I have so many trinkets that needed a home, and I think it looks really clean over the bar... kind of like my old merchandising days :)

I have some more shelves to decorate with and more suitcases to paint, so there will be more pictures soon.  Special thanks to my boyfriend, Greg, and his power drill!