So long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye

In my office we have a zombie menace action plan. No joke. If you are in Seattle when the zombie menace happens you need to head to my office. We have the plans set out for survival and plans for when you turn (sorry we don't 'wait' to see if it will really turn you. It will and you must be done with). This has been carefully and thoughtfully planned out by my boss (Tracy) and me. Others when they get involved try to insert their opinion that they think will be helpful, when in reality they just would get us killed. If we need your help we will ask.

Along with the zombies there have been My Little Ponies, Hello Kitty, Care Bears and other random crap that has caught our eyes. Weekly People Magazine reviews and discussions about Flavor of Love (to later include Rock of Love). I swear some day's it was like working at middle school except I got paid and stuff. Oh yeah I even worked every once in awhile.

It pains me to leave a company I have had the pleasure of working at for the last 7 going on 8 years, but we all have life choices that necessitate changes. For this I dedicate this post to one of the most unique bosses of my life. We may not have Paris, but we will always have the zombie menace. Hearts, kisses, ponies, puppies, kitties, unicorns and rainbows to you Tracy.

xoxoxo
Princess

P.S. Rondero & Serna 4Eva

Hard at work!

Peel for Real

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I was trying a new face mask/peel and would give you a run down on how it turned out if I liked it. I had never tried anything like this before so it was a new and different experience for me, but all in all pretty cool.

The Earthen Instant Peel is a very interesting product. You get in the shower and wash up allowing your skin to get prepped for the peel. Once it’s ready you apply a little bit of the product to a small area of your face and then rub it in and then keep rubbing. And then you rub a little more and then finally you feel it starting to peel. At first I thought that it was just the product getting flaky then I realized it was the top layer of my skin (this is what it is supposed to do. I triple checked. Seriously.).  I moved through the different parts of my face and repeated the process as instructed. At this point I didn’t know what to think. That is until I got out of the shower. Holy cow my skin felt so soft and firm it was amazing what one little mask can do!

It is a pretty cool product, but I am on the fence on purchasing it only because of the price point. Since I have dry skin they recommend that you only do this every two weeks (oily and normal would use it a little more often). So it would last me for awhile, but I have about 5 different masks in my arsenal right now that I am using. I am trying to streamline my beauty routine, because I plan to be traveling quite a bit in the very near future. Got to keep simple and easy so I may hold off on this, but maybe this is exactly what I need. We will see.

I do however recommend trying it out, it’s not harsh at all, my skin didn't freak out and it really did have a noticeable difference with one application. Pretty cool. Let me know what you think if you have given it a chance. 

Return of the lady like elegance

A friend of mine recently went shopping with me and was mentioning that we are really starting to see the return of lady like elegance. Well I love the thought of that (since you will find me in dresses more often than not) so I put together my wish I could have it dream outfit for fall. I love the combination of colors and would totally rock this out. You could also change this up with tights and brown boots (or booties) for a slightly edgier (blatant use of overused word) look.

Oh also someone showed me Polyvore. It's like showing your cat where you hide the catnip and walking away. I will be on this site until I pass out from the high I am getting from creating outfits!

Green tank dress, Funnel neck coat Anthropologie $168, Zara high heel pump shoes, $50, Friis Company beige bag, €70

Kate Spade layered jewelry, $103, Wrap jewelry, $58


I may need an intervention.

The Final Countdown

Yes this song by Europe is ringing in my head for the last month. One week left with life as I know it. All sorts of changes are in the works and that is leaving me a little neurotic. From new housing plans, leaving a job of almost 8 years and relocating my BFF to a new forever home I have not had time to think beyond lunch. So this week I took some time each evening to unwind and de-stress by window shopping online. Some people read, meditate, exercise or cook. I shop. I am responsible about it though by looking at things I would never buy (but are hilarious) or more pathetic, can't afford (so no money is spent and without a clear cut job and stuff I should watch my pennies). Here are some of the highlights.

I am all for recycling, but this is a little odd. Nice hawk though. Fab.com

60% of the time, it works every time. Yes it does. Amazon 

No words describe this. Etsy

Guess what you are getting for Christmas? Amazon

And to leave everyone with my favorite, wish I had the money to drop on these, item of the week feast your eyes on these.

This has been my most re-pinned item on Pinterest (eclipsing the wine and
cheese tray). Apparently I am not the only one with shoe lust. At $695 though, I
 would rather have wine.

TGIF and all that good stuff! Have a super weekend.

Jon Hamm is dreamy

So, while I am sad that Mad Men has yet to return to TV, it is still everywhere. Banana Republic came out with it’s"Mad Men" collection, the show was nominated for some Emmy’s and the other day while in Anaheim I had one of the most fabulous martini’s ever and thought of Mad Men. If you are not familiar with the show it is set in the early 60’s and focuses on an advertising firm on Madison Avenue in NYC. There is a lot of incredible costumes, cocktails, affairs and smoking. Please return to TV soon Mad Men, I miss you Don Draper. I love martini’s and whenever I order one I think of Mad Men and not sure why. The characters don’t usually order those often, but my brain still puts the two together and I figure whatever I like them both and no one gets hurt. James Bond just isn’t my thing. (excluding Daniel Craig of course). Sexy man...I'll stuff blue cheese olives for him any day of the week!

So when I have a martini (which is not terribly often, but my friend Jamie likes them too so when we go out it’s trouble) it varies on what you get depending on the place and the bartender. I ask for a Kettle One or Grey Goose dirty martini with olives (I have tried the gin version and it’s just not the same). Since Jamie was with me this business trip there were martini’s and they happened often. They ranged from crazy dirty swamp water to little to no olive juice to the seriously most fab martini ever at Morton’s. Let me explain.

The mix of olive juice to vodka was superb. Not too much not too little. Enough for a taste, but not to over power. Then came the crowning glory, the blue cheese stuffed olive. I am not talking about some left over blue cheese stuffed in a supermarket olive, but a high quality creamy blue cheese put inside an olive that had not been sitting out on the bar for hours, days or weeks, but was most likely kept in a jar to retain it’s firm, but not hard texture. It probably cost $15-$18, but it was soooo worth it. I am going to recreate this blue cheese stuffed lovely, but think it requires some research on the best olive and blue cheese to use. I will keep you updated on the results. In the meantime go to Morton’s or recommend your favorite martini bar, I could totally use a drink.    Shaken, not stirred. Cheers!

Magnificent Maleficent

In case you were wondering what hat I got at Disneyland!

To lipstick or not

Lipstick for some reason is tricky to me. Not the actual application, but the reapplication. I have some crazy fabulous colors that I swear I am going to wear forever, but they tend to end up in my drawer and not on my lips. I love the look and I think that lipstick really puts together the outfit, face, attitude but I just can’t remember to reapply the darn thing. So one of my goals was to try and put lipstick and reapply it all day for a week. I failed and miserably. So to not be a quitter I am trying it again and picked up some new long wearing Sephora brand lipstick. I was cruising through the aisles of my favorite beauty store and came across these slight pinky neutral tones with a hint (not a smattering) of sparkle. I thought wow for $12 a pop I should totally get a few different colors because I am totally going to love and wear them every day. So I had 4 different colors picked out and was ready to head up to the checkout when I stopped and realized I only needed one. Until I proved that I could use it and not have it collect dust I only should spend money on one, #18.

So I have been wearing #18 for a week straight and have been so good about reapplying. I love the velvety feel of when it goes on and it does seem to last for quite awhile which helps me out a bit by allowing longer periods in between reapplications. The neutral color gives me a nice casual look and feel for everyday wear. I think I will go back and get a few of the other colors for weekends, meetings and days I just want to step it up a bit. I may just be a lipstick lady after all...at least until the next time I forget to put it on!

Please Stand By

As previously mentioned I am on site at an event in Anaheim, California. This has put a bit of a cramp in my day and definitely in my ability to get my posts up. Since this is my last show with my company I am going to be a bit delayed in getting some posts up, but I will return to regular posts next week. In the meantime you should check out my Facebook page to get a load of my favorite sparkly guy. He is fantastic and may have me arrested for taking so many photos.

Be back soon...

Shann

Mickey's House

When I was younger I went every summer from Seattle to LA (Redondo Beach) to visit my dad. Each summer we would go to the amusement park du jour (Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Sea World, LA Zoo) and while all were great Disneyland was by far the best. Once in the park and I got my fill of Dumbo, Thunder Mountain, Rocket ships, etc. I would get a souvenir hat. The first of course was Mickey ears, but through the years I would end up with Goofy, Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse and I am sure there has to be at least one more that I am forgetting. Well to make things even worse for my sister (on top of having to babysit me) I would wear the hat for the remainder of the trip. As a teenager the only that could be more embarrassing was if there had been two of us. So while I apologize today for the sins of yesterday, let me be clear I would still wear the hats today! The Goofy one was particularly stylish because it was trucker hat style with long ears and buck teeth. AWESOME. Whenever I think of Disneyland I always reference it as a kid with my hat.

A few years ago my brother, sister, nieces, nephew and parents all went to Disneyland and it was crazy fun and exhausting at the same time. We rode the rides, ate the food and bought hats (including me, duh!) and loved it all. However, the best time that I ever had was when my sister, aunt and her friends (the latter two being Disney freaks…in a good way) went together. We saw what we wanted to see, rode the rides we wanted to ride and ate at Club 33 (which was a blast on its own) all without kids. While it is lovely to take kids to Disneyland, you really transform into a kid when they aren’t there. Being with two Disney freaks (in a good way) allowed us to experience the park in a way I never had before. They know secrets and sneaks all over the park. It was a blast. Everyone should try this as an adult (and yes I got a hat. You should too.).

So why am I talking about Disneyland? Well I am currently on my way to Anaheim and was feeling a little nostalgic. I also will be hitting up Euro Disney mid October so I figured why not talk about the Happiest Place on Earth today. Also I will be getting new hats at both places (Nemo, old school Mickey or maybe a Jack Sparrow hat? Can’t decide). You should too.

To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.”

—Walter E. Disney, July 17, 1955

Green Beans, Yellow Beans, Haricot Verts

So with the end of summer bounty of vegetables and fruits I have been searching for great recipes to have the veggies take center plate (if you will). Every other week I get a veggie/fruit delivery filled with local organic products. Each box is different and I was super excited when I received my yellow and green bean mixture this week, but wanted to step up the way I prepared them. After looking through so many recipes I finally found a three different ones that if I combined would give me what I was looking for, simple flavors with fresh ingredients. Now I must admit that it is not the healthiest of recipes, but truth be told I think quality pure ingredients taste better and in the long run you eat less being satisfied with fewer bites! Here is the listing of what I used:

.5 lbs Fresh green and yellow beans
salt
1 1/2 tablespoons butter (I prefer goat or Irish butter)
2 small garlic cloves crushed
1/2 large red onion or 1 shallot chopped into strips (I have done both and don't know which one I like more)
a sprig of fresh thyme (in a pinch I used herbs de Provence)
Dash of red or white wine
salt and pepper to taste
freshly ground nutmeg to taste

You start with blanching the green beans by cooking them in salted boiling water for 5 minutes and then an ice water bath. While that is happening heat up your butter on medium heat and add the crushed garlic allowing it to slightly brown. Turn off heat and have it sit for 10 minutes to get all that garlicky flavor*. Discard garlic.

Place butter back on medium heat and add in onion or shallot and thyme and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Turn up the heat to medium high to caramelize the onions slightly. Add in green beans and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Complete by adding a dash of the wine to de glaze the pan (you could also use red or white wine vinegar) and salt, pepper and nutmeg to your liking. Here is the result (I didn't plan on posting about this so I only took a photo with my phone last minute, so excuse the quality.):

*Quick note I have also just minced the garlic and added it to the butter and slightly brown leaving it in to save on time.

As you can tell writing recipes is not my hidden talent, but I really wanted to share this easy and tasty dish. I loved this so much I may just make it again tonight!

Happy Hour

So earlier this week I had mentioned I was making strawberry vodka for the Labor Day weekend. Well to make sure we were on the right track I of course had to taste test so I knew what I was serving people was not awful. Let's just say it was pretty darn fantastic and went perfectly with the lovely weather we have been lucky enough to have here in the Pacific Northwest.

I found the recipe via Pintrest and it came from Shutter Bean. The recipe is so simple and easy, all you need to do is cut strawberries and pour vodka in a jar. Basically if you have ever served a cocktail at home you can do this. If you can't pour liquid or cut fruit I am pretty sure this isn't a good idea for you. I love how it came out and think this would be a great little gift for or something fun to bring to a party or BBQ.

Here are some pictures of the final product and the cocktails I made last night.

I just washed and reused the vodka bottle
because it was so perfect!

I also froze the left over strawberries in ice cube trays
with water to make the drinks pretty.

Yummy! I only wish I had a sprig of mint.

In other news Martha Stewart is still crafty and I want to make this necklace.

This is pretty cute and easy to DIY.
Martha Stewart

Thank goodness for Friday and a 3 day weekend! I hope you all have a happy and safe weekend!