Fab Find Friday: iStik iPod Holder

Fab Find Fridays is a new, regular feature to the blog that will feature items that are Rebecca Approved and Beloved.   Basically, it is like a weekly Oprah’s Favorite Things without the unlimited disposable income and probably no car giveaways. And hey now that Oprah is retiring or whatever, maybe my Fab Find Fridays can take over!!!  For previous Fab Finds, click here.

I am an avid walker.  I have a well-known dislike for running.  But walking, I love!  I try to get in as many Capital Crescent trail walks as my schedule, the weather, and the waning hours of daylight permit.   I find my walks to be my best thinking time.  I plan; I mentally write blogs; I sort out things that are annoying me.

But  on my walks and during my gym workouts, I absolutely need a soundtrack.  I absolutely need to have my iPod attached to my hip.  With the iStik, my ipod is almost quite literally attached to my hip.  I LOVE this thing.  In the past, I have tried other iPod holders with no success.  Armband holders magnify any ounce of arm pudge that I may or may not have.  Clippy holders bounce and drive me insane.   iStik has neither of these issues.

Photo from the I-stik website.

Using magnets, the iStik sticks to almost anywhere you want it to.  At the gym, I stick it either to the bottom of my shirt or on the waistband of my workout pants.  When I walk outside, I “Stik” it to my coat pocket which allows me flip through songs with ease. 

I seriously have workout attire model written all over me, don’t I?

The iStik has designs available for each generation of iPod for $24.95.   The iStik can be purchased on the company’s website or from these retailers.  iHeart iStik!!!!

Pretty Pink Owls and Birdies

There is nothing I love more than a party at the office.  A baby shower, a wedding shower, a retirement party, sign me up!!! One, they are a break from work.  Two, it is nice to see colleagues just having fun and (for the most part) NOT talking about work. 

I am also big fan of proper invitations to office parties.  I like invites that stand out and are not just the typical office email.  Creativity, people!!!  Not so surprising is the fact that I love love LOVE to design the invitations to the office parties.

Yes, in my office, the invitations still have to be emailed so that limits the impact of texture and dimension, but those are just tiny roadblocks.  The possibilities are endless.

And I had so much fun designing the invitation to the latest office soiree!

My coworker Natalie  is having a baby girl in January and I am fairly certain that she and her husband Will are going to be the coolest parents ever.  I am slightly concerned about who will take Natalie’s place in our Tuesday morning Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill recap conversations while she is on maternity leave though.

Onto the invites!  Lately, I am VERY into birdies (there is difference between a birdie and a bird, I think, ha) and cute owls.  They are finding their way into a lot of my designs lately.  Luckily, they are also part of the baby’s room decor.

For this invite, the background was all designed using a graphic design program.  The birdies and owl were crafted  using carefully chosen paper (seriously, people, I can and do spend hours in the pretty paper aisle at craft stores), scanned, and then copied and carefully placed on the invite.

What do you think?

Halloween Swap Recap!

This swap coverage is a bit overdue given that we are a week away from Thanksgiving and Halloween is almost forgotten.  But I do love these swaps so I wanted to make sure I got it done!

The Spooky Sugar Swap was put on by Beantown Prepster.  The rule were very simple:

• Swap packages MUST be Halloween themed and must include at least ONE of your favorite Halloween candy, in addition to whatever fun goodies you'd like to include.

• The price limit is $25 on each swap package.
• Packages must be mailed out by Monday, Oct. 26th.

I was paired with Park Avenue Princess (who has taken a break from blogging.  But she’s super sweet!)

What I Sent

My favorite part of these swaps is coming up with a theme and then letting the creativity go from there.  For this swap, I went with the theme of “The Legend of the Candy Corn Princess.”  When the package was all wrapped up, this card was the first thing for Park Avenue Princess to see:

The text of the card reads:

Many but not so many years ago, in the autumn woods of Northern Wisconsin, a girl sat at her desk in a cramped yet cute dorm room. As it often was, her nose was buried in a book filled with economics and mathematics. And while she studied these very important things, her mind sometimes wandered--albeit briefly--to topics with more sparkle and more sugar. Her serious disposition was often belied by the fact that she often left an trail of actual glitter in her wake.

Her friends had gathered in the hallway, chatting away excitedly about what candy they had purchased for the hall’s trick-or-treaters. Her steely concentration broken, she joined in the chatter. And as was often the case when she got very excited about things, she made grand gestures with her arms. She was describing her favorite candy when something magical happened. No, this time it was not glitter. This time it was her most favorite candy, the candy corn, that came floating magically out of from the sleeves of her oversized college sweatshirt.

And in that moment, the Candy Corn Princess was born.

Every year in the weeks before Halloween, the Candy Corn Princess reappears to make the lives of those around here a little more sparkly, a little sweeter, and a little more fun.

(P.S.  In the unlikely event that any book publishers are reading this…since every other blogger is getting a book deal, I would love to develop the Candy Corn Princess idea in a children’s book series.  The Candy Corn Princess Bakes Cupcakes!  The Candy Corn Princess Learns To Eat Vegetables!   The Candy Corn Princess Gets Distracted by Sparkly Things!  Clearly there is a autobiographical element to these books.)

Then, each item in the package was paired with a Candy Corn Princess Belief.

Candy Corn Princess Belief #1

was paired with Trader Joe’s Pumpkin and Waffle Mix.  Seriously delicious!!!

Candy Corn Princess Belief #2

was paired with this super cute candy corn dip serving dish

Candy Corn Princess Belief #3

with Halloween Peeps, of course!

Candy Corn Princess Belief #4

was paired with a cute note pad cube and a sparkly pen!

Candy Corn Princess Belief #5

Did you honestly think I would do a swap without including something cupcake?

Candy Corn Princess Belief #6

My favorite Halloween Chocolates…Junior Mints, Reese’s Pumpkins (Reese’s and I have a storied past), and Hershey’s Cookie and Crème Bar.

Candy Corn Princess Belief #7

was paired with these adorable mini cookie cutters.

Candy Corn Princess Belief #8

Candy Corn Earrings!!!! I also own a pair.

And finally, Candy Corn Princess Belief #9

 

And of course, my favorite Halloween candy: Candy Corns!!!  Sent in this cute bucket that decorated all by myself.  So you know, if you have an orange feather boa floating around, here’s one way to use it!

This was such a fun package to put together!!!

What I Received

The package Park Avenue Princess sent me was so much fun (and so me!)

Martha Stewart Magazine – the Halloween issue

A huge cat-shaped lollipop

Sparkly orange nail polish

Cute pumpkin treat bags

A big bag of mini candy bars.  YUM!

I am a paper napkin addict so I LOVED these!!!

And hello, CANDY CORN DOTS!!!!  Who knew these existed!!!! So, um, interesting tasting.

  

Thanks Beantown Prepster for hosting the swap and Park Avenue Princess for being such a great swap buddy!!!

Snack of the Week: Amazing Grass Kidz SuperFood Wild Berry Flavor

I really struggle to eat enough vegetables each day.  There are some rare days when I am totally winning the veggie game and knock out five serving with ease.  Most days, I struggle to get one serving in.  I know.  That’s just sad.  And also unacceptable.  I have made some improvement.  The Green Monster has helped.  As does an addiction to Brussels Sprouts.

But I definitely feel the need to fill in the nutritional holes.  And I definitely a not a big fan of vegetables in capsule form.  That’s a little too astronaut ice cream for me.   Like something the Jetsons would eat.

But vegetables and fruit in Kool-Aid form?  I’ll drink that Kool-Aid.

Okay, it is really not Kool-Aid; it is Amazing Foods Kidz Superfood Wild Berry Flavor. 

The powder contains 32 different fruits and vegetables including (prepare yourself…it’s a long list): organic wheat grass, organic barley grass, organic alfalfa, asparagus, lima beans, green peas, kale, kiwi, organic spinach, organic broccoli, brussel sprouts, green beans, zucchini, apricots, organic carrots, mangos, pineapple, sweet potatoes, tangerines, yellow squash, organic yumberry, pomegranates, raspberries, guavas, cranberries, red cabbage, cherries, tomatoes, beets, plums, purple grapes, blueberries.

Whew!!! Trust me though, it taste like Kool-Aid.  Every night while I prepare dinner (I use ‘prepare’ loosely, I open a carton of yogurt and add cereal), I mix one scoop of the powder with a juice glass of cold water and wa-la.   Yummy looking, right? LOL.

Or I add a scoop to my Green Monster.  So good!  Obviously, I keep trying my hardest to eat actual vegetable but I see nothing wrong with filling in the holes and having fun with it!

Amazing Grass does make an adult line of these products in Green, Berry, and Chocolate flavors.  The major reason that I chose the children’s (er, Kidz)  flavor over the adult is that the adult blends contain an herbal component.  While herbs do serve a great purpose to many, many people (and actually “cured” my eczema as a child.  True Story.), I tend to be hesitant about using them.  But also, the kidz flavor just tastes better.

Fab Find Fridays: ShedRain WindPro Mini Umbrella

Fab Find Fridays is a new, regular feature to the blog that will feature items that are Rebecca Approved and Beloved.   Basically, it is like a weekly Oprah’s Favorite Things without the unlimited disposable income and probably no car giveaways.

I had a Fab Find product in mind for this week’s feature.  But then, the remnants of Hurricane Ida rolled into town. And hovered. And hovered. And hovered.  Five days of rain, wind, and cold.  Five days of zero motivation to do anything.  Seriously, I had Wednesday off for Veteran’s Day. And spent almost the entire day watching the NCIS marathon on USA Network (though it is on the channel so much that it is next to impossible to differentiate between a marathon and you know, a Wednesday).

But the weather made me grateful for one item that I purchased two years ago: the ShedRain WindPro Mini Umbrella.  Three factors played into this purchase:

1.  Of all the images of President George W. Bush’s presidency, the one that I always think of is the one where the wind gets the best of his umbrella.   Why that image?  There are so many things that a President has to deal with that we just cannot fathom the magnitude.  But a windblown umbrella?  We’ve all been there.  And no one wants that to happen to them.  Even those of us who do not have the White House Press Corps monitoring our every move.

2.  The street that I live on is a serious wind tunnel.  There can be zero wind anywhere in the DC metro area but my street?  Gusty.  Not good for regular umbrellas.  Or wrap dresses.

3.  I never really invested in a good umbrella.  Because I always lose them or break them.

With these things in mind, I bought the ShedRain WindPro Mini in Pink with a Latte trim.

At 30 dollars, it is the most expensive umbrella I have ever owned (though still not so expensive in the world of umbrellas).  At two years, it is the longest lasting umbrella I have ever had (and having just typed that, I am now destined to leave it on Metro). 

The WindPro has vents built into it that allow wind to blow through; thus not forcing the umbrella to blow up.  The vents are designed so that rain does not get through.  Its mini size provides ample rain coverage yet folds into a small enough form that you can fit it in a medium sized handbag.  Oh, it has an auto open/close button that is fun to use!

I seriously love this umbrella.  I delight in my purchase when I observe my fellow commuters battling with their umbrellas on their walk home and I am practically skipping with wind-free delight (well, if I knew how to skip, I would be).

The ShedRain WindPro Mini is available from Ebags.  They appear to only have black umbrellas in stock.  But if you Google around, you might be able to find it in other colors.

A Vent on the Subject of Cupcakes

I do consider myself a bit of a cupcake connoisseur.  I have lost count of the number of flavors of cupcakes I have baked and consumed, the number of cupcakes that I have frosted, the amount of cupcake themed merchandize that I have purchased or has been given to me.

So I know cupcakes.  And I remain firm in this belief:

Cupcakes DO NOT HAVE A CHERRY ON TOP!!!! 

Ice cream sundaes have a cherry on top; cupcakes do not. 

Correct Cupcake in Dental Floss Form:

Incorrect Cupcakes in Band-Aid Form:

It drives me insane. Well, I refuse to buy any of this incorrect cupcake merchandise!  I am taking a stand!!!!

P.S.  Mom, it would be fabulous if that Cupcake Dental Floss made an appearance in my St. Nick’s Stocking. :)

Why I Should Not Be Allowed To Cut Through Bloomingdales. Ever.

I was cutting through Bloomingdales today (seriously, I was really cutting through with no intent to shop) on my way to the more affordable TJ Maxx. 

When there it was.  The Cracked Metallic Mitzi Hobo by Mulberry.

Purple?  Check!  Sparkly? Check! Soft leather? Check! Big enough to haul my MacGyver like existence with me? Check!  Completely, absolutely out of my price range? CHECK, CHECK! 

The sales staff wandered over as they often do and asked if they could help.  Um, can you cut the price on this by like 75%?  The did mention that next weekend was Friends & Family weekend so I could get 20% off.  Unfortunately, 20% off of OMG  is still WHOA.   Sad.  Maybe one day it will turn up at TJ Maxx.

P.S.  Every store I went into today—Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, Loehmanns, Pottery Barn, Ann Taylor Loft, TJ Maxx, and CVS--was insanely busy!  Sign of the economy turning around?  Maybe.  My contribution to the economy today was $3 for some super cute notecards at TJ Maxx and $3.49 at CVS for nail polish remover.  Somewhere the Council of Economic Advisers is writing me an equally super cute notecard thanking me for my contribution.

Smokin’ Hot

I really really do not enjoy cooking. If I were to win the lottery, my first splurge would be a chef. Seriously. I just hate cooking. And it turns out, I am not very good at it. At all.

This afternoon, I was preparing my lunch: a grilled cheese and roasted Brussels Sprouts. One second, I was flipping the grilled cheese, the next second, my sweater* was smoking! Yes, I set myself on smoke. I would say that I set myself on fire but there were no flames.

Luckily, between the ages of 6 and 12, I was well-schooled by Smokey the Bear on the Stop, Drop, and Roll technique. This is knowledge that I have never used but have stored in my brain just in case. Today was my day to call on those brain stores. Except today was more of a “Tear off, Scream, and Stomp.”

I totally realize that this was a very dangerous situation and I am not trying to make light of it (well, okay, I sort of am) but it was very weird. One, my sweater sleeve was not at all close to the burner (the sleeve that was smoking was not that of the arm that was flipping the grilled cheese). Two, there are no burn marks on the sweater. At all. I have searched it thoroughly.

By all appearances, my sweater spontaneously burst into smoke?

*This was not the sweater featured in the Fab Find Fridays post from earlier today. This sweater was a beloved GAP sweater. Which luckily is still in mint condition.

Fab Find Fridays: Old Navy Shawl-Collar Cardigans

Fab Find Fridays is a new, regular feature to the blog that will feature items that are Rebecca Approved and Beloved.   Basically, it is like a weekly Oprah’s Favorite Things without the unlimited disposable income and probably no car giveaways. 

As the weather approaches that level of chill that makes me seek coziness at all costs, this week's item has quickly become one of my favorite wardrobe pieces.   Whether at home, running errands, or at the office, I need that stylish layer of extra warmth to ward off the perpetual chill… my office, like many others, has Igloo tendencies.  The Shawl Cardigan by Old Navy is appropriate for all three venues.  Warm and super comfy!  It is what I have been calling a “fancy sweatshirt.”

Fancy Sweatshirt Goes to the Office! Yesterday, for my Casual Thursday outfit, I paired the Peacock Green colored cardigan with a long sleeved ivory thermal henley, denim trousers, and purple patent flats.

Fancy Sweatshirt Runs Errands!  Today, I have the Wise Owl colored cardigan on with with a fitted long-sleeved salmon colored t-shirt, black yoga pants, and casual sneakers.

So easy to incorporate into almost any outfit  or throw over your pjs to stay warm while watching television. 

The Shawl Cardigan is available only online at Old Navy for $24.50 in black, peacock green, and wise owl  However, take advantage of the “Stuff the Bag” promotion using the promo code ONSTUFF30 and receive 30% off.  An amazing deal!!!

Not cool, Maintenance People, not cool.

There is nothing fun about waking up and discovering that my building’s water supply had been shut down for an emergency repair.

A showered Rebecca is not exactly God’s gift to pleasantness at 5 a.m.; an unshowered Rebecca? Look out world.

But since I am such a trooper and dedicated worker, I powered through the day. Luckily, I came home to water. And a shower.