iPod Case

I love it! This is the little padded pouch I just got for my iPod. It fits the cords and everything:




From Wiggletiggy via Etsy. They come in all different sizes, or a variety of other monsters too. This little guy matches my coat, and my iPod.

Excellent Product: Krylon Snap and Spray Aerosol Spray Can Adapter

I might have complained before about how I'm too wimpy to handle large spray painting jobs, I have to constantly switch off fingers and thumbs and hands to keep pushing down the nozzle, and I always end up painting half of my fingers. Part of my problem is I don't follow the directions and spray in short spurts (sorry, that's just too annoying, sometimes you just need to do a larger area in one burst, even if that means you create drips and messes). The other part of the program is that I'm weak and it's an awkward movement - does anyone have super buff fingers that don't get fatigued spray painting? Never something I've worked on.

Well, that problem is now a thing of the past, as I recently stumbled on the Snap and Spray Aerosol Spray Can Adapter by Krylon!



So simple, yet so helpful, I grabbed this at Michael's for around $6 (I think - I see them online for a lot less too). It's super easy to work, you just snap it on the top of the can and then you can use the much more friendly shooting motion rather than the awkward pressing.



I love it! It feels much better, meaning I can paint longer and get things done quicker, and it keeps me from getting paint all over my fingernails. It comes back off easily and you can re-use it again and again.

EXCELLENT job Krylon, kudos to you!

AHA!

I've known for some time that M&N International operates under a million different names - but I never knew what any of those other names were, or what the differences are.

The differences are big.

The differences are DOLLARS!

I was looking up products on M&N and they had a link to Anderson's Giant Party Store - the same company, but CHEAPER PRICES! SCORE! Even the shipping prices are lower!

Now I'm kicking myself for paying more all these times...

BUMP-IT!

I even have ANOTHER product review from last weekend to share(so many new experiences!) but unlike my Sleep Number Bed fiasco, this is a GLOWING review!

A while back I ordered a set of "Bump-Its" off of TV.

You know, these things you see on Sunday morning infomercials?

The things Ellen DeGeneres surprised "The Office's" Jenna Fischer with on this episode of Ellen?

I'm a self-admitted hair tragedy, and most of the time I just can't be bothered but these were so hilarious I had to try them. I ordered a set, upgraded to the "deluxe" rubberized coating (supposedly that stays in your hair better) and even got a free "Hollywood" bump-it for "ordering now!"

But I couldn't figure out how to use them. Most of my problem was that everyone in all of their advertising photos has bangs, and I do not - so figuring out where to place them was confusing, and I ended up looking like a cone head. So I threw them in the back of my linen closet and ignored them for a few months, till Alison's wedding rolled around. I stuck them in my bag at the last minute.

At the stylist, I still had no idea how I wanted to wear my hair. We discussed a few options, and I mentioned I had brought a set of Bump-Its. The stylist went CRAZY! She was so excited and demanded we try one. She started with the back, so this is pre-bumpage.

Don't I have a ton of hair? At first we were thinking the front half up, with the back long and curled, but as she started to see how resistant my hair was to holding curls, she urged me to put it all up. That ended up being a GREAT choice, since we battled raging winds all day! I was happy for each one of the 7000 bobby pins stapling my hairdo in place.

First we tried the "Hollywood" Bump-It, the one that is supposed to create "EXTRA DRAMA." Maybe a little too much drama, I thought it was approaching Elvira proportions and the stylist thought it looked too "porn star." Probably not the look Al wanted in her wedding party, so we switched down to the regular Bump-It.


Here is the bump "in progress"...All that straight hair eventually got pinned up into the 'do, and I had a big silver flower comb on one side...but I don't have any good photos of the finished product yet! Can you believe it? I'm sure I'll get one eventually, but it didn't occur to me at the salon. Here's close to the end, with the "bump" looking pretty great...



The Bump-It was a HUGE success - apparently you just need some actual hair design skills to use it! The stylist said she was sold - it saved so much time for her, and gave a really even effect. It felt secure but not painful, and since it was solid it held its shape all night, as opposed to a backcombed bump which tends to fall under the weight of my heavy hair. It also seemed far less itchy than the tangled hair version, so I didn't mess with it nearly as much. Bump-It gets a win!

I bought mine online, but I've recently seen them in Target stores and even Rainbow foods! I don't know if you get the "special rubberized coating upgrade" but I noticed they were about half the price (Rainbow was $9.99!), so might be worth a try.

Here's the one pic I've stolen from someone who caught the back of my head in something - what do you think?

Here's another little handy-dandy product review, courtesy of my weekend at the Radisson LaCrosse: Sleep Number Beds.

I abhor these things.
Detest.
Might avoid Radissons for this sole reason.

Don't get me wrong, our hotel was LOVELY. It was in a GREAT location, had plenty of free parking, nice rooms, and great staff. But these beds are way more trouble than they are worth, and Radisson seems to be using them exclusively now.

Our first night we arrived home late from Groom's Dinner festivities and the bed felt a little funny. My side was stuck on 100 (ROCK HARD) and hubby's side wasn't registering at all - the remote just showed "--" over and over. Hmmm. That's probably not good. But we were tired and the prospect of packing everything up again and moving to another room was daunting, so we decided to just live with it.

Never decide to just live with it.

Hubby slept in a trench. Seriously. His side of the bed completely deflated so that there was a concave tube with zero cushion. At some point he stole all of the pillows and laid them in the trench to try and cope - but we both slept awfully. Around 7am when my day started, I was torn about what to do - I had to run around doing wedding stuff all day, and wouldn't be able to come back and re-pack/move stuff, so hubby would just have to deal. Hubby who could barely stand up straight after a night of twisted sleep. Sigh.

At 7ish I went downstairs to explain our problem, and was told there were no managers on duty (apparently managers are the only ones who can take action on broken beds?). I told them I had to leave and they said they'd pass it along.

Ugh.

At 10am I stopped back (to pick up the hair accessories I had forgotten)and hubby hadn't heard anything from the hotel, but had at least moved to the flat (if rock hard) side of the bed.

Sometime between 11 and 12:30 housekeeping came and said someone was on their way, hubby went to lunch and when he returned there was a note of apology. Apparently a "hose had become unattached" so the bed deflated.

We had hardly SAT on the bed, it wasn't like we were jumping like monkeys or anything. Just so you know.

Can you imagine what a pain that must be for a whole hotel to have those beds? It must happen all the time! And if so, why on earth would we have to wait for a MANAGER to dispatch the repair? UGH!

So sleep number beds get a huge thumbs down, if only for the annoyance factor. I know beds are a pretty personal choice and some people prefer softer, some harder, but I'm pretty sure everyone prefers a functional, semi-padded bed. Not a hard trench. And sleep number beds are hella expensive!

To the hotel's credit, once I expressed my dissatisfaction we came to a mutually agreeable discount on the bill, and they were fair about it. But they wouldn't have done anything if I hadn't pushed for it. There's another lesson - corporate America won't give you anything if you don't ask for it - but if you do, they generally want to come to an arrangement that makes you happy and likely to return, or at least not to tell your friends not to patronize them.

The hotel overall (and aside from the bed) was LOVELY and we're considering going back again for a little weekend trip - we didn't get to see much of the cute little downtown area and there appears to be a lot of shops and restaurants. I just don't know that I'd be excited for those beds again...

Now the Sheraton "sweet sleeper" beds on the other hand, are HEAVENLY...

Better in Feathers

In addition to the goodie bags I described earlier, each guest at this weekend's bachelorette party got a teal blue feather boa to wear out on the town.

I love boas.

How fun do they look all hanging over the wall in our hotel suite? This is how I laid them out before everyone arrived.

If you ever really want to make an impact as a group, you can't go wrong with bright feather boas. Sure, they can be a little itchy, and expensive (which I learned while making the Bjork dress), and they leave a trail of feathers wherever you go, but it's totally worth it and often inspires free drinks.

Actually, mid way through our evening some drunk man offered me $20 for my boa, which I gladly accepted towards our bar tab!

And I just found a great new source for feather boas! PartyMart.com has the best prices I've seen on feather boas by the dozen, and in a huge range of great colors! I found them through a google search (teal is a pretty uncommon color and hard to find in stores) and they really came through, I'd order from them again.

Since I had ordered the boas before getting a final head count, I was a little bummed to find out I was a couple short. I ran all over town trying to find a match and the best solution ended up being these multi-color boas from Party America - they had some of the teal feathers, and a few other colors, so the bride could really stand out. They were WAY more expensive than the bulk boas ($9!), but worked out in a pinch.

Much like glitter, feather boas leave a trail of "joy" behind - I'm sure housekeeping was less than thrilled at what we left all over the floor, but hey -
sometimes fashion involves sacrifice, right ladies? :)

Neutrogena Anti Residue Shampoo

This stuff is awesome.

I have really thick hair, and though I don't use a lot of styling products, I do have recurring periodic issues with sticky waxy build up.

Gross right?

But it's true. It's not all the time, just off and on, and more often when I have longer hair. I can clearly remember being in elementary school and going to the Aveda Institute as a hair model with another little girl in my Brownie troop. I had beautiful white blond hair, done in a graceful side braid, with a fancy new beaded t-shirt (hey, it was the 80s...you looked like a fool too) but when they unraveled my braid the stylists in training were aghast and couldn't understand why it felt so strange. They insisted it was something wrong with my shampoo (really effective to lecture a 7 year old on her shampoo choice...what kid controls that?), but all I knew was that I was highly embarrassed.

Now days I realized that when I go long periods of time letting my hair air dry (which is most days - blow drying thick hair is wayyyyyyy too much work!), the build up starts, just in the back of my hair. But there is a cure!

I remember my mom rationing this when I was little, the crystal clear shampoo in the tiny bottle: Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo, formerly called "clarifying shampoo," this stuff is amazing. Per the directions you use it once a week, it strips out the build up, and when you go back to your regular shampoo it works even better without that base of residue. I thought I remembered it being horribly expensive when I was a child, but I picked it up for about $4 at Target last night, not too bad for such an impact.

Today my hair is still air drying, but I can already tell it feels better, cleaner, and I'm so relieved. There is nothing like icky hair to make you feel self conscious and down. The smell is a little antiseptic compared to most hair junk these days, but not overpowering.

By the way, I review products and services on here because I like to share my opinions, and possibly give others the benefit of my experience. I don't get paid for any of them, good or bad - not that I'm not entirely open to the possibility - but it just isn't the case unless I've said otherwise. So far, it's all just out of the goodness of my own heart. Don't you feel better trying products someone has tried and recommended? Or skipping ones they don't? That's one of my favorite parts about reading blogs, finding new products or hearing how a "real person" felt about using something.
:)

Custom Mermaid Inspired Sundress

Here is yet another bucket list item I crossed off recently:
#43 Have a garment custom made

When I wrote this list I was thinking the "garment" in question would be a suit or ball gown or something decadent, but as fate would have it, I stumbled into a situation and ended up custom ordering an adorable sundress on Etsy!

If you don't know about Etsy, I'm sorry to fill you in - because you will probably become addicted and spend both hours and fortunes lost in all the treasures. Etsy is an online marketplace for crafters and artisans, where anyone can set up their own shop and sell their handmade, vintage, or craft supplies. It's sort of like Ebay but with set prices instead of auctions, and instead of used crap it's all either new or vintage. So far there's a lot less fraud and crap to get in the way, so it feels much more secure, though I suppose it only takes a few bad apples...

I love etsy.

They also have a special section called "alchemy" where you can essentially post a "want ad" and anyone with a shop can respond to your request with a bid to complete the project. I originally posted an ad looking for a mermaid COSTUME (back way before the Coney Island Mermaid Parade), then in talking with one of the shop owners who responded, came up with the idea of doing a less literal adaptation in sun dress form.

Custom made just for me!

I accepted NancyNeedlesandPens bid, because she had an established shop with a good history, and her clothes looked high quality and cute. She had mostly done kids stuff, but I figured that worked in my favor as far as durability :) It was actually a child's sundress that inspired my design, I liked the tiered ruffles idea. We emailed and I sent her my measurements, design, and fabrics.

I did a drawing of what I was hoping for - tiered skirt, halter top, appliques on the bust, and a low back to show off my tattoo. She found a pattern that accomplished most of that, and we agreed on changes to the back & skirt (less wide). She was fantastic and I LOVE the final product! We made a few adjustments as the process unfolded, and I was very pleased with the final product - the photo above is what she sent me to approve just before she sent it across the country to me (I believe she's in Oregon or Washington - looks like maybe on the water!).

I didn't end up wearing it to the Mermaid Parade, the pull of spectacle and sequins was too great and I decided to go much bigger for the actual festival (and then scrapped that and went in a 3rd direction once I actually got to New York), but I do think this dress is fantastic and I will make good summer use of it. It definitely suits my personality :) and it's all cotton, so completely washable and easy to care for!

Pretty Pantry Project, or An Ode to Tupperware

I should point out that this is not the current state of my pantry, this was taken back in April when I completely cleaned and organized our tiny little kitchen and took this photo as proof that it was, at least at one point in time, beautiful.

I love Tupperware. I love the product, the idea, and the whole story of how a scientist with an idea and an outgoing divorcee with a penchant for parties came together to create an empire, and then when that divorcee started getting too much of the limelight, the scientist fired her and a significant section of the magic disappeared. The 1950's were a decade of wonder and automation and relative ease. All of the worst foods we cling to today were created in the 50's - sugar cereals, TV dinners, M&Ms, chex mix - if it was highly processed, it came from the 50's. Mmmmmm.

Suffice it to say I am enamored with Tupperware, a trait likely gained from my mother whose pantry I should also steal a pic of - she could be in Tupperware advertisements. While most teens fight with their parents about curfews and allowance, my mother and I were locked in an epic battle of "you'd better return this Tupperware!" and "This better not end up in your locker!"

But now I have my own Tupperware. And it is wonderful.

A small 1940's kitchen provides a few challenges as far as storage space, and Tupperware was my answer. We have two sets of cupboards, one full of dishes, and this one which must store all of our non-refrigerated food. The top shelves are fairly inaccessible except with a chair, so we needed most of our daily things on the first few levels. There is a reasonable depth available, so I started with the "Super Oval Pantry Set." These are the perfect depth, and stack so that various containers end up the same heights, perfect for a cupboard. They are partially transparent so you can tell what is in each one, and the Tupperware seal means they are air tight and everything stays fresh.

We also had picked up several "cereal storers" along the way, so I have a collection of the original clear, black, and red seals, but they all do the same thing - they store a whole box (or most of a giant costco bag) of cereal with an air-tight seal, so much better than a cardboard box. These are all lined up on the 3rd shelf with the pancake mix & other breakfast goodies.

On the high shelf I decided to store my baking staples - flour, sugars, chopped nuts, etc. Since I needed to hold a bigger volume but didn't have as much height on the top shelves I went with the "Modular Mates Rectangles" set. These are great because I don't use them very often, but know that the Tupperware seal keeps it all fresh in between.

Tupperware isn't cheap, so it was a little hard to make such an investment initially - but it lasts virtually forever. If your Tupperware breaks down or has a defect, the company will replace it for you - even years later, and believe me, my family has taken advantage of that policy and they really come through. Having everything in my pantry organized and accessible was well worth a few hundred dollars up front, now everything has its place and I'm not losing food to bad containers, forgetting it's mashed behind something else, or wasting time searching for stuff that's hard to find. It makes baking a lot more fun too.

Need to order some Tupperware? My current "Tupperware Lady" is Elda Hanson, I met her through some vendor fairs in the burbs and she's great - always makes it worthwhile to order through her, she never pressures me to have a party, and she sends out good deals every once in a while, which is how I bought my initial pantry set. elda@my2.tupperware.com

Forever Floral - The best flower shop around!

I don't buy or receive flowers very often, but my sister's wedding reminded me of just how wonderful my favorite flower shop is - Forever Floral.

They have two locations, one on Foley Boulevard in Coon Rapids, and the other on Hwy. 10 in Ramsey. I have never once been disappointed in an order from them, and they are my official "go to" flower shop for corsages, sending bouquets, or referring brides-to-be. So of course I referred my sister to check them out, and she can now officially say they were wonderful too!

I first fell in love with Forever Floral (and their super owner, Jackie) when I was preparing for the Breast Cancer 3-Day walks. We partnered both years on a special mother's day bouquet - here was one of them:

They created this special "Think Pink" arrangement and donated a portion of each one ordered to the 3-Day. I personally ordered them for all our mothers & grandmothers, and everyone RAVED about them! Jackie was so nice and truly has a talent in putting together beautiful things.

They are also FANTASTIC at customer service - my sister was able to pick out all of her wedding flowers in under 10 minutes, and had a quote that same day that was very reasonable - in fact, I'm pretty jealous that she got more + nicer flowers than I did for a much better price! And we even got married in a "cheaper" city up north. Suffice it to say, Forever Floral is a good value.

She asked for simple white roses for the maids, partially open:

How beautiful are these?!?! The stems were all wrapped in ribbon and they were delivered each in their own vase to keep them hearty until needed - at no extra charge, that is just part of their service.

The bride's bouquet was perfect:

She also ordered a matching wired rose for her hair, after the ceremony she removed her veil and changed her hairstyle so she had a flower over one ear - well, this great shop sent TWO flowers, since it was a summer wedding they wanted to be sure nothing wilted before she changed into it. So thoughtful.

And all of the corsages and boutonnieres arrived tagged with who they were for and pinned to a board with extra pins for the hard to attach ones.

As a personal attendant, you can't find a better set up than that for distributing all of the various corsages and boutonnieres to wedding party members, parents, readers, etc. - and they even go so far as to put black pins with the boutonnieres (so they blend with the tuxes) and white pearl ones with the corsages. Pretty to the last detail!

I can't say enough about this shop, they've never disappointed me! Beautiful products, great service, and a really good value. A+!

Goodie Bags

I love goodie bags. Adore them. Feel that they are unfairly relegated to children's parties and the academy awards. To me, a party is not complete unless you take home party favors.

That said, some of my closest friends are quite minimalist and can't stand taking home "useless junk", so there's that to consider as well.

And then disregard :)

These "schwag bags" were for the Oscar's party I threw as a fundraiser for the Roseville Women of Today, they were glossy black gift bags snagged on clearance at the Taher Retail Store (the folks behind a million party supply catalogs, including M&N International). They were stuffed with all the trivia games for the night - rolled into tubes and tied with a ribbon, a pencil to complete them, a ballot to guess the night's Hollywood winners. Gold mardi-gras beads peeked out to carry on the black & gold theme, and inside were movie-themed trinkets from Oriental Traders

Clapboard keychains - these were junk. Cheap, yes, but I'm sure nobody held on to them. Not recommended. I don't even see them sold by themselves anymore, but you can see them in this "party pack" they put out.

Movie Mints - these were fine, edible favors are always good.

Mini Neon Clappers - to "cheer on" your favorite stars. I love the larger version of these, but the minis are junk. Too small to actually make any noise.

We also had coupons from local businesses, some of which were really great deals.

In general, this wasn't my finest batch of goodie bags, but considering the event and budget (fundraiser) they still made an impact. And they looked delightful all lined up waiting to be distributed :)

Carrying Cupcakes - a review of products

I love bringing cupcakes to events since they don't require plates, forks, or major serving utensils and involve relatively little clean up. But unfortunately, cupcakes are not immensely portable. I've tried several different routes over the years, and here are some of my thoughts:


1. Tupperware cupcake courier
This holds an odd # of cupcakes - 18, which is really strange to me. Cupcake mixes generally make 24, even muffins usually do at least 12, so it's pretty strange to build a carrier that takes 18 cupcakes. The bottom has round cavities for each cupcake that are less than 1" deep, and therefore kind of useless when it comes to keeping the cupcakes upright and secure. It also flips to convert to a 1/4 sheet rectangular cake, though I've never used it as such. I appreciate how well Tupperware makes the pieces snap together, they feel relatively secure and I don't worry about the bottom falling out, but I do wish I didn't have to work so hard to keep the cupcakes from falling over and ruining the frosting.


2. Snapware Cupcake system
I scooped up one of these at Costco, mine came with 3 layers and supposedly you can hook up to 6 together, though I can't imagine that would be very easy to carry. Nor do I believe for a moment that the handle would support it, even with just 3 layers I felt it pulling and warping, and it sucked in a big bunch of air every time I picked it up and used the handle to support the weight. This has an insert for each level much like the Tupperware version, with spaces for 12 cupcakes in each level. But again, the cavities are less than an inch deep, so with this carrier as above, any jostling tipped the cupcakes out of the cavities and into each other. I had high hopes, but it's really just a less expensive and more stackable version of the Tupperware one.


3. Disposable cupcake containers
This are awful for the earth, I know, but they are really the best way to keep cupcakes secure and upright. Sometimes you have to be careful that there is enough frosting room, and there aren't a ton of places to get them at a reasonable price, but they are worth it for many occasions. I've found them at Lynn's Cake & Candy Supply and used both the half dozen (good for bake sales) and full dozen sizes. Next I want to try the individual cupcake holders, but they're usually close to $1 each, which really ups the price per cupcake.


4. Tupperware Pie Holder
I've found that the 12" rounds, marketed as pie storers, are actually a great size for keeping cupcakes. They are deep enough to allow a decent pile of frosting, and you can load them up so that they fit snugly and keep each other from tipping over. The Tupperware seal means it's airtight, and I really like to use these for cupcakes I'm refrigerating before travel. In general, I've had much better luck with cupcakes surviving travel in this container than the others.



5. Window Box
I picked up a package of these at target and they really are adorable...and spendy. Over $1 each seems difficult for a single serve and quickly discarded item. The cardboard box is easy to set up with an insert to set the cupcake in, it seemed to keep things relatively stable.

"Alphaloons"

Here's a product I love for parties and events - huge mylar balloons shaped like numbers or letters. I've used them for many things (more pictures to come - a NYE Party, Anniversary, I'm sure something else...) and here we used them to spell out "OSCARS" for the Roseville Women of Today's Oscar Party Fundraiser - they really make an impact and come in shiny metallic colors. You can get a few numbers (like the current year) at most party stores, but I generally go to M&N International for ease of ordering and the full selection. Of course, then you have to fill them up yourself, but renting a helium tank is fairly easy and balloons are a reasonably priced decorative tool - they cover a large area and come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.

One thing to keep in mind if you are doing a ton of balloons - tying balloons hurts. Sure, the first few are fine, and I'm pretty fast & dexterous actually, but after a few dozen and for sure as you close in on 1-200, you'll be bruised and blistered. I've never tried the clips, but I might consider that for any future balloon-heavy events.