Sorry I've not posted for a bit, but I've been busy wasting my days. Anyway I am back and I have some good stuff for you tonight. We have decorating tips. Craft tips, Fashion tips, Shopping tips, Travel tips and I think i will give you a new recipe as well as share my new poem with you. So lots to get to, let's get started.
Decorating Tip
Ok to start off with, we have never discussed decorating so let's do that. Understand I may not have implemented these myself, but they are great ideas and I may just do them. I have decorated extensively with candle related items. But this is more of a bold statement or soft let's see what we can find. My own personal recommendation is first of all, paint your walls. If they are white, you need some color. If you don't like bold colors like I do, go with a soft pastel. I know everybody is all "Oh no I couldn't PAINT my WALLS!! Yes you can. Paint your walls and then decorate around that. For bold colors I like a sienna or a dark forest green, reds, blues. If you go bold, pain an accent color so there is no monotony in the room. A contrasting color is great. For pastels, I like dove gray, mauve, yellow and blues. I would actually use one wall or the top of the wall for a bold statement, You would be surprised at the POP it will give your room. Once you have painted the room, select your furniture. Always a pleaser is a chaise lounge. I had one and I LOVED that thing. I hurt my back and couldn't use it anymore, but oh man it was awesome. Depending on the room of course. If it is a breakfast room, you have pastels, then go with a light wood color for main furniture and some bold seat covers. Bold colors same for you on the wood, you really can;t have a Mahogany table in a bold room. You can in a pastel room if you want it. I usually go with light wood and make my statement in the seat cushions and napkins, dinnerware, etc. If living room, use some bold pieces with pastel touches. No using too many pillows. they are just fluff and do nothing for a room on a sofa. You can use 3 additional decorative pillows on a sofa. Now I'm going into the living area and dining room for this post only. We shall have others with different rooms and ideas. Your table in the living area depending on personal taste, whether it is spartan or bold, if you've painted pastel, make that table a dark piece. If you've gone with bold colors, use a lighter piece. You don't want too much of one thing in any room. The pillows would contrast with the color of the walls. Or if you've used an accent wall, use those colors.
Shopping Tip
Ok if you are out shopping I want to try something. no matter what store you go to, this holds even more so for a thrift store, but Nordstroms as well. Negotiate a lower price. Ask them if they are willing to drop the cost. You like the item, but really don't want to spend that much on it. Depending on the price, use your head. If at Nordstroms, ask for a $10 discount. If at a thrift store ask for 10% off. The worst they can say is no. I do it all the time. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. I never don;t try tho. Unless the item is already priced really well like my $140 shoes for $36. Of course I'm not asking for more than that off. But a full price item. Try it. They can only say no, but be willing to walk away and spend your money in a different department or thrift store. Let them know you will be going to a different store. Do it at Penney's or Sears. Really on the high dollar stuff, they are willing to deal with you rather than lose the sale. I have had great success, but also failures.
Fashion Tip
Ok with Labor Day fast approaching, you've all heard you can't wear white after Labor Day. Poppycock! You can wear whatever color you damn well please. A couple of tips tho for all year. If you are a larger woman and have nice curves, embrace your beautiful self. Your new word if you recall is Voluptuous. White is not an ideal color for you anyway. Unless you are in a lot of camouflage, I still would use white as only an accent color. A tank top to wear underneath a jacket or a top. A belt and shoes. Jewelry. If you are thin, White is fine for you. regardless of your skin coloring, white is usually flattering to all types of color. Again as an accent or a full white ensemble. I personally love white, but I am Voluptuous. i stick to accent pieces. I'm not fat, just curvy. i love my body, I love the skin I'm in. Sure I exercise and could lose a few pounds, but I don't stress over it. So I will wear a white tank, white jewelry, white shoes. If you wear an all white ensemble, make it POP with hot pink. Really not kidding. Pink is in and it is gorgeous. If pink is too much, try red. Some bold color to break up the monotony of all white. If you wear a bold color to accent the white, wear gold or silver accessories.
Craft Tip
Today lets talk about a hot glue gun. You can get some molds that have body parts or faces or flowers or whatever at any craft store. Joanne's, Micheal's, Ben Franklin, Hobby House...Pick one and they are just rubber molds. You'll need a large glue gun and large glue sticks in whatever color you need for your project. Once the glue gun is hot, with the glue stick in it, keep a steady pressure on the glue gun trigger and fill the mold of whatever you have chosen. let is harden and since the mold is rubber it will just pop out. You can use your creation in an altered book, a deco book, any paper craft including scrapbooks or cards. use a glue gun or double sided tape, glue is better. nice addition to any project.
Recipe of the Week
Well let's see if you are having a Labor Day end of summer BBQ, here is a recipe to try out. Enjoy!
This recipe is by Beth and goes great with pork that is grilled on the barbie. Yum....
Prep Time:
10 Min
Cook Time:
10 Min
Ready In:
20 Min
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup hot pepper sauce (such as Frank's RedHot®)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 4 pears, halved lengthwise and cored
- 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
Directions
- Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate.
- Whisk the hot sauce and olive oil together in a separate bowl. Brush the flesh side of each pear half evenly with the mixture; place on preheated grill with the skin side on the grill. Stir the blue cheese and butter together in a small bowl; scoop even amounts of the cheese mixture into the cavity of each pear half.
- Grill the pears on the preheated grill until soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
Nutritional Information 
Amount Per Serving Calories: 82 | Total Fat: 3.4g | Cholesterol: 7mg Powered by ESHA Nutrient Databas |
| Blue Cheese Pears |
Travel Tip
Courtesy of Aimee Maxwell for The Camping Gear Info
Traveling for Labor Day? Here are some Don'ts so you have a pretty enjoyable trip. If you are camping, which we all know is the Marriott with no Room Service, these tips will help you out managing your gear. Bring these essential items. Now the majority of you know this. I don't camp unless it is a Marriott WITH room service. My nature hike is across the room to see out the window at nature.
Tent: the REI Half-Dome tent as a first backpacking tent, plus it doesn’t have as steep of price tag as other lightweight backpacking tents. My current dream tent is the Big Anges Fly Creek – it only weighs 2lbs. 2oz. For families, the Kelty Yellowstone is a pretty affordable 4-person tent with excellent performance in rainy and windy conditions.
Sleeping bag: The Marmot Trestles is a great bag at only $119 and will keep sleepers cozy down to zero degrees. The Marmot Helium is one of the best lightweight 15-degree bags on the market.
Sleeping pad: The Big Agnes Diversion is a whopping 2.5 inches thick yet packs down to the size of a nalgene water bottle plus it is made from 100% recycled materials and the Exped DownMat is the cadillac of all sleeping pads with its down filled interior
A day pack: For those nature hikes The REI Flash 18 is a lightweight pack that also doubles as a stuff sack. The pack is hydration system compatible and has plenty of loops and chains to secure gear to the outside of your pack Stay hydrated, it's important. Sunscreen is ESSENTIAL. a hat to avoid burn and sunstroke,
A camp stove ( you gotta eat?), The Coleman Propane Stove is a classic and great for family campouts. The MSR WhisperLite is a good option if you are thinking about doing some backpacking trips as well.
A back country cooking set: The GSI Deluxe Kitchen Set has it all from a tiny cutting board and cheese grater to a whisk and spice shakers. The GSI Bugaboo Camper Cooksets are a great intro set to camp cooking. The sets include a variety of pots, skillets, plates, bowls, and cups that all fit together in a compact set.
Camp Seating: The Kelty Loveseat is wide enough to sit two comfortably plus it is complete with cup holders for each person. For those wanting their own space, REI’s new Mesh Camp Chair is awesome. It is quick drying, super rugged, and the cup holder is big enough for a coffee cup.
The Hammock Bliss Travel Hammock is a fabulous place for an afternoon siesta and can quite honestly keep your kids entertained for hours
LED Headlight: The Black Diamond Ion is a fairly small light with a price tag to match its size and the Petzl Tactikka Plus is a great all around headlamp with a red light option for enhanced night vision.
Compact Digital Camera: Waterproof digital cameras are designed with the outdoor adventure traveler in mind. In particular the Olympus Stylus Tough 8010 is the ultimate waterproof, shockproof, and crushproof camera. The waterproof camera can withstand 220 pounds of pressure and falls from 6.6-feet high not to mention that it takes photos as deep as 33-feet underwater.
First Aid Kit: investing in a quality first aid kit like the Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Day Tripper for the occasional blister, bug bite, or laceration. The Day Tripper includes all the essentials like Moleskin patches, antibiotic ointment, antihistamine tablets, and plenty of bandages.
