feeling polished

Piggybacking on yesterday's theme of paint and color, today I am showcasing some of my fav nail colors for the summer! Painting your nails is a simple way to feel polished (no pun intended) and instantly brighten a mood. Here are some of the best colors I've seen lately:

OPI: Jade is the New Black
This color is just bold enough to make a statement. It makes me feel like I'm in a jungle, actually. Sassy, summery, and looks great with bright clothes like yellow or orange.

Essie: Mint Candy Apple
This is the color currently on my nails. When I first saw it in the bottle, I figured it would be a nice, light pastel. Much to my delight, this color packs a lot of punch! Though it is light, it's pleasantly bright as well. Looks great with a little denim sundress or black and white.

Sally Hansen: Commander in Chic
This color is currently on my toes. I am in love with its neutrality combined with just a hint of purple. It looks great on any skin tone and matches with any outfit. Bonus: I have never had a polish last as long without chipping as this one! Kudos to my namesake, Sally!

OPI: Need Sunglasses?
Yes, in fact I do need sunglasses all summer. I had to end these selections with a punch, and this polish truly delivers. This yellow is bright and cheery, but it feels much more lemon and juicy than taxi cab. It is sure to make your day sunny.

What are some of your favorite summer shades?

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let's colour!

You don't have to be a rocket scientist or a rock star to change the world. This is truly evident in a worldwide project: Let's Colour Project.

What is their goal? Simple: It is a worldwide initiative to transform grey spaces with colorful paint. They are working with local communities to paint streets, houses, schools, and squares. How amazing is that?!

Their philosophy is that color can infuse joy, rejuvenation, enthusiasm, and inspiration. What I love about this project is that the concept is so simple, anyone can participate! They encourage everyone to share their color -- whether it be on a wall, a home, or a school.

One photo on their blog I found particularly amazing was this hotel in Amsterdam:

It looks like a fairy tale!

How will YOU infuse some color into your life?

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is your brain on overload?

How many things are you doing right now?

If you're anything like me, you're on your computer, you're texting your friend about happy hour plans tomorrow, the television is set to HGTV in the background, you're waiting for those cupcakes to finish baking, you're thinking about how you should probably return you mom's call from (two? three? eight?) days ago...

Um...how can one do so many things at once? Simple: We can't.

It's a fact that the human brain cannot conduct two cognitive tasks at once. Sure, you can run AND listen to music; however, you cannot read a novel AND watch Liz Lemon do something awkward and truly focus on both.

Our culture has become obsessed with multitasking. If you've been on a job interview lately, you likely boasted your skills as a "great multitasker." My family can't get through a game of Scrabble without someone getting out their phone. Heck -- AT&T even assures people that they can talk on the phone WHILE searching online!

I imagine that this obsession with multitasking is a result of the convenience of technology: There are so many ways to entertain oneself these days! But, is it helping us advance as a society? According to one study, the excessive multitasking is actually hurting our ability to focus! Too...many...bursts...of info...

This is probably not groundbreaking information to anyone. The bigger question might be, "How can I focus?" Here are a few tips to stay on top of the multitasking trap:

1) Become aware of what you are doing. Step one is making the concious effort to notice how often you talk on the phone, glance at GoogleNews, and paint your nails all at the same time. You can't stop doing something unless you realize you are doing it!

2) Set yourself up to focus. Place your phone in one designated place while you're at home instead of in your pocket or in your left hand. Keep your computer in it's own room (or area if you have a small space like me!). Go into a technology-free area when talking on the phone and listen to the other person speak!

3) Strive to prioritize. Instead of taking design notes watching David Bromstad while you research volunteer opportunities and listen to stories from you sister about her "amazing boyfriend," stop. Evaluate everything you want to accomplish in your evening or your day at work. Make a list of different things you'd like or need to do. Once you see your tasks, it will be much easier to work on things one at a time, and you won't feel the need to rush around and work on too many things at once.

Sounds simple, no? The benefits are endless. Your boss will appreciate your organization and attention to detail (you won't miss that important sentence as you scan an email because you were on the phone anymore!). Your friends will appreciate your listening skills (you will hear the mumble about the dog chewing her fav headband and shock her with a new one!).

You will be amazed at your newfound productivity! Efficiency rules.

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tiny delights

My favorite part of a meal? Simple: the dessert!

If I had it my way, the five basic food groups would be chocolate products, cakes, cookies, fruit, and peanut butter. Not that I don't love a nice piece of celery...but isn't it better when smothered in peanut butter?

Now, unless one lives in a home with several roommakes, making an entire cake is not always the best use of resources. Nothing is worse than a batch of cookies getting stale before I can finish eating them all! (Not that I am unable to eat a whole batch; I just try not to do it every week.) Solution? Beautiful *mini* desserts!

Here I offer some desserts from a few of my fav blogs/sites that are cute, delicious, and tiny. Lovely!

Sour Cherry Pies from sweetfineday

*makes four individual four-inch pies*

crust
2- 2/3 c flour

14 tbsp butter

1 tsp salt

1/4 c cold water

filling
2 c fresh sour cherries, pitted

1/3 c sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

what to do
Mix butter, flour, and salt until incorporated. Mix in enough cold water to create a dough. Roll as thin as possible and cut into eight circles about two inches larger than your pans. Chill until use.

While chilling, toss cherries in sugar and let sit for 20 minutes. Drain and reserve the juice. Put the juice into a saucepan with the cornstarch and bring to a boil. Once thickened, remove from heat and and stir in cherries.

Press one dough circle into four-inch tart pan. Fill almost to the top with filling. Place another circle of dough on top; press edges together to seal. Crimp decoratively as desired and cut short slit on top of pie. Repeat for remaining pies. Bake on parchment lined cookie sheet for 40 min. at 375 degrees. YUM!

Mini Molten Chocolate Cakes

ingredients
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted
400 degree oven

what to do
Generously butter four cups of a muffin pan. Dust lightly with sugar. Set aside.

Cream butter and 1/3 cup sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. At a low speed, beat in flour and salt until just combined. Beat in chocolate without overmixing. Divide among the four cups.

Place muffin pan on baking sheet and bake for 8-10 min or until tops no longer jiggle. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 min. Remove from pan and dust with sugar and whipped cream, if desired. YUM!

Mini Ice Cream Cakes

ingredients
Cooking spray
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup softened butter
2 large eggs
1-2/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
3 cups low-fat strawberry ice cream, softened (or your fav flavor instead!)
1-1/2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
12 maraschino cherries with stems, drained
350 degree oven

what to do
Coat a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan with spray; line pan with wax paper. Coat paper with spray; set aside.

Beat sugar and butter in large bowl at medium speed for 5 min. Add eggs one at a time, beating with each addition.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder & soda, and salt; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture; mix after each addition. Beat in extracts. Pour batter into prepared pan. Tap pan once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake 20 min or until a wooden pick comes out clean from center. Cool 10 min on wire rack; remove from pan. Peel off wax paper; cool completely on wire rack. Place on cutting board and refrigerate about two hours.

Spread ice cream evenly over top of cake; cover with plastic wrap. Freeze until firm.

Uncover cake. Cut cake with a two-inch round cutter into 24 cake rounds. Place one cake round, ice cream side up, in a paper muffin cup liner; top with another cake round, ice cream side down. Repeat procedure with remaining cake rounds to form 12 filled ice cream cakes.

Top each cake with two tablespoons whipped topping; add maraschino cherry atop each cake. Freeze until ready to serve. YUM!

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plan z

Have you ever thought about your ideal life? If you went to high school, you probably got some sort of speech from a guidance counselor or similar person about "discovering your destiny." Or, as my mother would say, "Find what you love to do and then find a way to get paid for it."

But, how often does one fantasize about the worst-case scenario life? Unless you are eternally pessimistic, probably not very often!

Per the inspiration of the amazing Unicorns for Socialism, I offer my Plan Z. As she defines it, "The end of the road. The point of no return. The bottomest bottom. The lowest low. The pit of despair. EPIC. FAILURE."

My Z begins with my living in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and not being able to afford a winter coat. Seeing as car insurance would be too expensive, I would live on my bike. I would be forced to sleep in dumpsters, with the trash keeping me warm. I would have only two outfits: cutoffs and a t-shirt for summer, a floor-length wool dress for winter (heinous!). Having lost my resume and portfolio in the snow, I would have to take a midnight shift at Walmart in the stock room (bonus: a warm place to be at night!). When I wasn't working, I would entertain myself talking to the little animals that live in my dumpster and convince them that if they have enough ambition, they might be able to be as successful as that rat from Disney's Ratatouille. The only alcohol I'd be able to afford would be the communion wine at the local church. Church would also be my place to bathe: I'd find the ones that do full-body submersion for baptisms and request a conversion. Luckily, I'd be able to use my Walmart employee discount to maximize my welfare check to buy saltines and store-brand peanut butter for dinner.

So, do I plan to pursue this? Not exactly. But, knowing that I'd still find a way to eat, work, and keep warm, failure doesn't seem quite so horrible...

Besides, I hear that store-brand peanut butter isn't too bad.

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music from blu to chocolate

Think back to 2001: To what songs were you jammin'? Almost ten years ago, I know...

At this time, I was somewhere on the bridge from middle school to high school, and, of course, this meant I was a Top 40 listener, keeping up with the songs the "cool" kids liked. One such song was "Hit 'Em Up Style" by Blu Cantrell. Do you remember this song? It was an awesome R&B hit, full of soul. Now, granted, to this day I am uncertain what exactly it means to hit one "up style," but, neverthless, still a memerable song.

Flash forward to present day: I was bopping along to The Current the other week and heard a folksy-sounding little diddy playing. As I listened, I thought, Hey, don't I already know this song? Sure enough; it was "Hit 'Em Up Style" with a totally different flavor from the Carolina Chocolate Drops!

click photo to see a video

How fabulous!

This is one of my favorite things about music. Take one song, keep the melody and lyrics the same, and create endless renditions with different voices, instruments, and interpretations. Talk about making it your own!

The Carolina Chocolate Drops are a fascinating threesome who met at a Black Banjo Gathering. Two members are classically trained, and the third member has a history of slam poetry and guitar. At the core of their music is the minstrel music of the 1920s. They truly excel at taking the roots of Southern folk music and putting a modern spin on the sound.

Music is magic. Who would have thought a soulful R&B tune could turn into a string band melody? How did this happen? Simple: a little creativity through an amazing medium makes for beauitful results!

Thanks to NPR for the bio info.

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the allure of black & white

As much as I love color, there is something to be said for the power of black and white. So simple, yet so bold!

Growing up, my bedroom was always some crazy color such as "Platinum Plum" or "Pepto Pink." However, in the past few years, I've become enchanted by beautiful black and white design concepts. I love how clean and fresh the contrast feels. I love how beautifully simple black and white designs tend to be.

Another fascinating tidbit about this fab color combo is that they are truly opposites. White is the blending of all colors; black is the absence of all colors. It's like the saying goes: Opposites attract!

I'm not quite sure that I'd have the guts to paint walls black, but this room is so striking that it almost makes me want to try it!

Patterns can sometimes overwhelm, but this couch makes the perfect statement in the room.

I am having a love affair with the wall art in this kitchen. As for now, I can only dream about counter space whilst I attempt to cook in my studio apartment...

Above all, your space should make you sparkle. The beauty of black and white surely brings a smile to my cheeks!

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