Forever 21 Floral Stack Ring Set

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Date: April 14, 2012
Item: Ring
From: Forever 21
Price: $2.80 plus tax

There are many stylists out there who tell you to find your style. Are you an agressive take-charge executive? A laid back artist? A stay at home mom? A nerdy geek? A hopeless romantic? A foodie and gourmand? Then plan your wardrobe around your identity and personality!

I've personally never followed their BS. Why do I have to be pidgeon-holed into their defined style compartments? Why can't I have many facets in my life? The fact that I have a little of everything in my closet does not make my style schizophrenic. Not as long as I incorporate everything appropriately in my life.

For example, working in finance and marketing, I want to be taken seriously by clients. Therefore, I wear a lot of professional office clothes. Suits, cardigans, knee-length skirts, closed-toe shoes. But there is a little girly side of me that adores florals too. So I also buy a lot of floral things without hesitation. There is no problem wearing them during weekends, but incorporating them into the weekday takes a little more thought. It doesn't stop me from dipping my toe into the floral pool; I just always remind myself to not dive into the deep end when it comes to dressing for work.

The trick, of course, is to incorporate florals (or other prints) sparsingly into my work wardrobe. If I wear a colorful floral top or large floral statement jewelry, I ground everything with a dark severe suit. If I wear a more casual outfit, I stick to smaller florals in my accessories. In no way do I mix and match different florals and prints for work, even if it is the trendy thing to do these days. When I am with clients, I want them to be looking at me. I want them to think, "Gosh, darn it, I want her to work on my accounts in the future because I know she is at the top of her profession." Not, "She looks like she could be the next Rachel Zoe." Of course, during the weekend, anything goes.

So what is the point of my ramblings above and what does it have to do with this Forever 21 floral stack ring set I just bought? Well, the great thing about this ring set is that I can add or leave off rings to match my outfit. Head-to-toe dark pantsuit for a Monday meeting? Wear all six ring so I look less funereal. Floral cardigan on casual Friday? Maybe just one or two rings then, to accent my outfit. During the summer, I can do a ring and necklace set by wearing one ring on my finger and a matching one as a pendant. In the winter, I can do a ring on one hand and another on a silk scarf.

It looks like I have endless possibilities to play with when it comes to this ring set. And endless definitions of my style with which this ring set will work.

Talbots Voile Crystal Pleat Skirt

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Date: June 30, 2012
Item: Skirt
From: Talbots
Purchased: $27.29 plus tax each (originally $79.50 plus tax each)

I've previously mentioned in this Jason Wu for Target Navy Floral Skirt post that my local Target didn't carry the light-blue Belize Skirt when the collaboration came out in February earlier this year. Although some Belize Skirts made their way onto Ebay, they were almost always were so outrageously marked up that I refused to buy them.

So, I've been looking around for something similar, and I believe I found it in this Voile Crystal Pleat Skirt from Talbots. Let's do a comparison between the Jason Wu Belize skirt and the Talbots Voile Crystal Pleat Skirt, shall we?

Jason Wu For Target Belize Skirt	Talbots Voile Crystal Pleat Skirt

As the above pictures show, the colors of the two skirts seem to be almost identical. Even if there were differences due to the lighting in the pictures, there shouldn't be a huge glaring difference between the two shades of light blue of the skirts.

Now, at first glance, the navy and white stripes at the bottom of the skirt really draws the eye to the Jason Wu for Target skirt. However, upon closer inspection, the large pleats and the short length of the Jason Wu for Target version really makes the skirt look a bit like the bottom half of a cheerleader uniform. In comparison, the smaller pleats and clean palette of the Talbots skirt helps the skirt retain flowiness and gracefulness, giving the skirt a more mature and grownup look.

So, after the comparison, I'm actually happy I didn't get the Jason Wu for Target Belize skirt. Instead, I ended up loving this Talbots skirt even more, especially since it has better length and is more work appropriate.

Originally, I was planning to just get the skirt in blue. However, when I found out it went on sale for 65% off this weekend, I couldn't resist getting it in the white and the pink as well. If the store had the khaki and the green ones, I probably would have bought those too.

Here is more information about the skirt from the Tablots website.

Talbots Embroidered Linen Skirt (Aquamarine)

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Date: June 30, 2012
Item: Skirt
From: Talbots
Price: $37.79 plus tax (originally $109.00)

I think the last time I tried something on at Talbots was maybe 10 years ago. I remember it was a skirt with a bee pattern on it, if that helps with the timeline. The skirt was cute, but the cut was wrong for my body. So after that one experience, I never went into their stores again.

Then, a few weeks ago, I was researching the possibilities of the Voile Crystal Pleat Skirt as a substitute for the Jason Wu for Target Belize Skirt that got away from me back in February. In the process, I came across this Embroidered Linen Skirt in the sale section of the Talbots website. Immdiately I was intrigued. The store labeled the color of the skirt as aquamarine, but I think it's actually more a cornflower blue or steel blue. The color in real life is definitely more muted than it looks on the website.

The only problem was, I had no idea what kind of size I would wear at Talbots. I had an inkling that my gripe with the store 10 years ago was that the clothes there were sized as if the store was selling to the Green Giant over there. Had I grown any taller these past few years? Had their sizing changed these past few years? Or, if I try on their clothes today, will I still feel like a little kid standing next to a "You must be this tall for this ride" sign at the carnival?

Since the website announced that there was a 65% off sale this weekend, I decided to drive 30 minutes to the nearest local Talbots store and figure out once and for all what size I wear at Talbots. After a few dressing room fittings, here is what I discovered.

When it comes to Talbots clothes, I need to wear their petites to avoid looking like a kid wearing her mom's clothes. Their sizes are pretty generously cut, so I wear a smaller size at Talbots than I do from higher-end designer brands.

With that in mind, I walked out of the store with my beloved Embroidered Linen Skirt in the aquamarine.

Once home, I did some quick Googling and found that First Lady Michelle Obama has the same skirt as well. She recently wore it on Good Morning America in early June. The blue shade of the skirt looks a lot darker and grayer in this photo, but trust me, it really is lighter in real life.

Here is how I wore it in the dressing room. I paired it with the Solid V Neck Cardi in Mineral Blue, which was also on sale. I liked the lighter blue on darker blue combination, because it kind of looks like something that Emma Pillsbury on Glee might wear. And since blue is DH's favorite color, he approved of the ensemble too. So both the skirt and the cardigan came home with me.

Here is more information about the skirt from the Talbots website.

My AllRecipes Story

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I have been kicking around the idea of filming my "AllRecipes Story" for my YouTube Channel the past few months. I have learned over time that we all have a story on AllRecipes. Some of us happened upon the website while doing a general internet search for a recipe, some have been referred here, and others simply came across it and found the great support network AllRecipes is known for.
I remember eating these delicious orange colored chocolate chip cookies during my childhood at a friend’s house. I can still remember the texture and taste and being amazed because they were so different than any chocolate chip cookie I ever had. I never knew what kind of cookie they were until I saw a package of soft pumpkin chocolate chip cookies in the deli section of a grocery store in downtown San Diego. I knew at once those were the cookies I never forgot and went home to do an internet search for a recipe!
I remember it was June of 2008 for me. I was sitting in my kitchen at the center island on my laptop. So there I was…sitting on my black barstool quickly typing in “pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.” AllRecipes.com was the first option that came up so I promptly clicked on the link for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies III. I made the recipe and it was everything I hoped it would be!
I spent several weeks becoming familiar with the website before I submitted my first photo of the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. I quickly became fascinated with the website. I found much joy in being able to read reviews of recipes and browse through the photos and started adding photos of my own.
While I always enjoyed baking, I credit AllRecipes.com for really propelling me deep into my baking adventure I have been on for the past four years. I never photographed anything I baked prior to finding AllRecipes and as of today I have 2,002 photos on the site making me the second highest photo submitter.
When I started using AllRecipes.com, I never created a recipe of my own and today I have many. I spent the first couple years making so many cakes, cookies, and other sweet treats using the recipes that I learned the basics of a recipe and became confident it branching out and creating something that was my own. I want to genuinely thank AllRecipes.com for the wonderful experience I had during our episode of "What's Cooking?" and every other opportunity they have afforded me. I look forward to continuing an active relationship with AllRecipes.com.

I've Been Baking & Cooking. Here's What I Made This Week!

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I have been baking and cooking a loy lately and thought I would share a collection of photos of what I have been up to. As an brand ambassador for AllRecipes.com I was asked to make three Al Fresco Chicken recipes this month. This is the Greek Salad with Spinach Feta Chicken Sausage.

Earlier this week I made Garlic Chicken Sausage and Summer Vegetable Saute.

This was the Liguini with Roasted Vegetables and Tomato Basil Chicken Meatballs, which I might add was delicious.

I whipped up some Cream Filled Cupcakes aka Hostness Cupcakes for my husband to take to work.

This was something different that I came across but wanted to try it since I had all of the ingredients. It is the Grilled Brie & Apple Sandwich  from the GoBoldWithButter.com website I found through AllRecipes.

My signature strawberry almond vanilla smoothie. It is great that I am throw this tasty drink together quickly.

This month I was also asked to make my favorite cocktail on AllRecipes.com as a brand ambassador. My drink of choice would be champagne. We don't keep any hard liquors in our home, so I searched through many champagne cocktail recipes which I have to say there is a lot to choose from!

I settled on the Champagne Cocktail recipe because the recipe didn't have any reviews or photos yet it sounded delicious. This drink is made with champagne, vanilla ice cream, and lemonade. (I used pink lemonade.)

Feeling inspired one morning, I decided to make a frozen toaster waffle but make it look like a breakfast you would be served at a nice retaurant.

I want to show you all that it is easy to do at home with a little creativity you can serve your guests, or a loved one a speical breakfast at home that looks and tastes good.

Well.....I had an open bottle of champagne so I have to use it up, right? I made another champagne cocktail.

This one is called Pomosa which is pomegrante and champagne. (I used a sprarkling pomegrante juice in mine. )

My drink of choice lately: Cold Chai or known as an Iced Chai at Starbucks. I have been making them at home since they are super easy to make. Equal parts of liquid chai concentrate and milk.

Put it in your to-go cup and your on your way and saving money.

I made this grilled cheese with brie, swiss, onions, and tomatos. I butter the bread with Compound Herb Butter from GoBoldWithButter.com This butter recipe is a must try!

~Enjoy! MySweetCreations.

What happens during TV 'sweeps'?

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Search: february sweeps

Why: My programs have been airing all erratic-like for the last few weeks. I know that "sweeps" are related to ratings, and that advertising is a big deal during these times, but, like ... why?

Answer: Well, wouldn't you know - Nielsen is behind it! Everybody knows about the "Nielsen box" Set Meters hidden in a bunch of secret homes across America, causing masterpieces like "Arrested Development" to get canceled while letting abominations like "Whitney" terrorize innocent TV owners for months on end.

WELL, Nielsen collects data in many other ways, too. One of their other methods is to send out 2 million paper diaries to homes across the country. Household members record what they watch in the diaries for 7 days (or 8 if they have a DVR). Here is a real one:

The diaries are sent out to different regions each week for a month (Northeast, then South, then Midwest, West), then literally swept up from each place to be processed. Swept! Sweeps! They're sweeping the nation!

Source: Math in the Media, Wikipedia

The More You Know: Standard sweeps weeks are in November, February, May, and July. In some bigger markets, they do additional sweeps in October, January, and March. In case you've lost count, that's special data-collecting periods in 7 of the 12 months of the year. 7.

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Who sings that song that goes "you're just somebody who I used to know"?

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Search: just somebody that i used to know

Why: I heard a song with that line today, but I know another song from a long time ago with that same line. Is this a cover or something?

Answer: Well, no. This is a whole new song by Gotye (featuring Kimbra).

Gotye is Belgian-Australian. His real name is Wouter "Wally" De Backer.

Source: YouTube

The More You Know: That other song I was thinking of was by Elliott Smith. The twist is that this is not the version I know - the one I know is a cover by someone else. It doesn't appear to be on my iPod (which I plugged in for the first time in 4+ months specifically for this), and I can't remember enough details about the voice to figure it out. It's frustrating. If anyone has any details, plz halp.