One night last week, I was feeling rather.....motivated. Motivated to cook. Actually, I think, motivated to be distracted in the kitchen for a few hours--do you know what I mean? Sometimes it's really nice to be focused on one thing for several hours. And it's even nicer when that one thing reaps quantifiable results. I made yams. I made
My two beagles, Ruby and Hairy, are beyond-verbal-description wonderful. I love these two little dogs as I'm sure you love your pets. I love how, on sunny mornings, they follow sunspots around the house. The sun carries them between their early-morning nap and their mid-morning nap; both of which generally take place on the
Simplicity Embellished | Simple Daily Makeup Routine from Simplicity Embellished on Vimeo. This is Cole's tried-and-true daily makeup routine. Developed after years and years of mistakes, mishaps and mooching off of other makeup mavens. Mmmmmm! This is my normal, everyday makeup routine. I debated on whether or not to post a video of
My husband and I were in visiting my mother-in-law and family this past Monday. January in West Virginia is cold, just like January in Ohio is. We were all sitting in the living room Monday afternoon, just chatting and talking, and my MIL got up and said "I have something for you, Cole." For me? She reappeared in the living room with the
Having a plant in the house is important. I have this belief that if your house has some sort of living foliage inside; your house is then a home. Aside from this, common houseplants actually purify the air. They can filter out things like formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and benzene from the air. NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of
If you don't already, go to your nearest thrift store on a regular basis. There are treasures to be had. Finds to discover. Trinkets to claim. Look at this. It's a carousel. Made of some metal of some sort...zinc maybe? No idea. It's certainly not a recent creation. Look at the details. Doesn't it just capture you? Pull you
It's a New Year. January 1. Here's to it being a lucky one for you and yours. My sister gave me these little fishies for a holiday gift this year. I just love them. They are kitsch. They are gaudy. They are flashy. They are perfect. I believe these are said to be some sort of good luck talisman and are manufactured (or maybe
No matter what holiday you celebrate in December, I think they all have one thing in common. Light. Candles. Brightness. Perhaps that sounds sappy, but seriously, let's look at some of the holidays. Christmas + Christmas Lights + Lots of songs about stars + For those that attend Church or services, many sects of Christianity use a
It happens. You haul bags and bags of crap into your home over a period of days, months; years. But, an equal number of bags do not go out. In fact, it seems like not even half as many bags of stuff you bring in; go out. This is a dreadful problem that causes me anxiety and disdain for, well, myself. I am happy that I've been improving my
I've recently re-discovered crochet. I think it started when I found a book called "Lacy Crochet" and there was something about the addition of the word 'lacy' that suddenly made it sound so appealing. I ventured out a few Sunday's ago to acquire some teeny tiny crochet hooks (I only had big, fat, massive hooks I used for making scarves....the
I'm doing something new right now- I'm blogging ON LOCATION. Who cares, right? Anyway, I am sitting here and I realized that such an important piece to anyone's puzzle is having your own space, your own places. Everyone needs a place to go now and again outside of the home because jeebus knows we all just have to get away sometimes. Or maybe
Isn't it great when you find stuff you love? And when you use it; it actually works?! I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite products that I use almost every day. + Gold Bond Lotion + Nivea Silky Shimmer Lotion + Eucerin Day and Night Lotion for Sensitive Skin + Sponge Rollers + Mint Julep
What's in your purse? No really, I'm serious. Would you be proud of the contents? Maybe not so much? I think the fight against purse-junk build-up is one of the great battles of womanhood. Have you ever bought a new purse primarily because the one before wasn't working? Why wasn't it working? Did it hold too much? Or not enough? Here's my
There are times during the year when I buy an actual greeting card from the store. But mostly, I make one myself. Most of my gifts don't require a big card and they don't require something other than a one or two-line note and a signature inside. I make these for most of my gifts, and I think you'll find that they make a nice addition to any
My previous post on this topic, How to Stylishly Wrap Baked Goods, has been getting a lot of traffic since it went up. I guess because you, like me, think it's a dumb expense to have to go run out and buy a box and a bow for something. Having to do that kind of ruins the enjoyment out of making something for others. So, for most, using what you've
Kind of a big thing for gold shoes. But the main problem is that I rarely find a pair I like, let alone a pair I love. And when I find a pair I love, I wear them to death. I wear them so much that they get all beat up and grody, but I just can't stop wearing them. This pair is in good shape. My golden flip flops look OK. What a steal
When I saw this at an outdoor arts festival, I was intrigued by the texture. There was an entire basket of these things and so I went over to them. Then I touched them. Oh, so soft! And I picked up a few. Oh, so light! And I showed my husband. That's nice, honey. I found the lady running the booth. Or, she found me. I asked her about these
I'm going to do something today most people would be ashamed to do. I'm going to show you what's in my purse. First, this is the purse I use every single day. Every single day. It's 6.5" x 3.5" x 1.75" so it's not very big. Here's what I keep inside: That's everything. I promise that I did not remove any receipts, candy wrappers
Earrings. I am an earring girl. You might be a necklace girl. Or maybe you're married to a bracelet girl. Who knows. For me, earrings are like my icing. I love to wear them, and I love having options. Options, options, options. Here's where I keep some of my most frequently worn earrings. Oooooo. Look how it sparkles...... I
![Golden Shoes | My LBD [Little Black Dress]](http://simplicityembellished.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/SE_GoldShoeHeel-150x150.jpg "Golden Shoes | My LBD [Little Black Dress]")
The Little Black Dress. We all have one; although it may not exactly be a little black dress. For men, it might be a particular suit, or a pair of shoes. You know, it's that piece of clothing or that outfit that you just go to and know you feel and look fabulous in it. For me, it's a certain pair of gold shoes. These ratty, beat up gold
Color Me Beautiful by Carole Jackson I found this one at Half Price Books when I was still in high school, and although my version was about 15 years out-of-date when I bought it; it still was very accurate and helpful. This is an excellent book that focuses on something that women often overlook or forget about; color. This book features
Mascara is a wonderful invention. It has this magic ability to make you feel better and more confident and all it does is lengthen and thicken teeny tiny hairs. Women are complicated creatures, huh? Here's how I put on mascara. I learned this from my days as a ballerina [the community-recital ballerina days nonetheless, but someone's Mother was
I found this book in a 200-year-old church turned into a hub-bub of an antique store in Metamora, Indiana. It was $2. And worth every penny. The cover was ripped off the book, so the title page is now the cover. This amazing book will tell you your horoscope, teach you how to tell fortunes, decode your dreams and explain palmistry to you.
My husband, Victor, has a signature pen. It's his Cross Affinity Fountain Pen in Crimson Red. This is a new model, out only since September 2009, but it's a great little fountain pen. Cross' fountain pens have vastly improved over the years and Pelikan makes some of their nibs. He uses a fine nib. And he keeps it stocked with
I love paper. I love buying it, writing on it, finding new kinds, touching it; it's an odd obsession I think I share with very few people. I know many people, especially scrapbookers, love papers with unique patterns. That's not really what I'm into. I like paper that's plain and made for writing. I pay close attention to texture, thickness and
I use pretty inks in my fountain pens. I only use black or blue ink if, for some reason, it's absolutely required. I think using colored inks are a good reflection of your personality. I use a few inks by Diamine, a British ink manufacturer. Here's what the Pumpkin looks like: For some reason my LAMY Safari in magenta dribbles ink out
Writing is such an important tool we all have but seldom use. I mean, really use. We write things all the time; the grocery list, our signatures, notes taken during a meeting; the list goes on. But do you ever really write anything? When's the last time you did? Better yet, do you write well? This is one of my favorite books: Wiliam
A fountain pen is a wonderful writing instrument. If you are someone that seems to be purchasing and trying out new pens all the time, then you'll likely love writing with a fountain pen. Since I discovered them, I no longer reach for a ballpoint; I no longer use a gel pen and I no longer love felt tips. The fountain pen has improved my
If you're like me, you don't have very many dishes you're willing to part with. OK, actually, I don't have any dishes, platters or otherwise that I want to part with. It seems that this, this little detail, is what holds people back from gifting each other baked goods. (That, and maybe, oh, I don't know; time.) But you don't want to look cheap
Letter writing is a lot of fun. You 'meet' people from all over, learn new things and end up with an interesting pastime. I have several pen pals and I so enjoy getting a handwritten note from someone far away. I keep my more recent ones in a hollowed-out book. These are the ones I've recently responded to or still need to respond
Most women seem to go through phases where they wear nail polish for awhile, then they don't. It's bright pink shades for a few months and then deep, dark reds; with maybe a short foray into vivid blue. I am a firm believer in signatures. Signature style. Signature colors. Signature silhouettes. Both men and women should have them; well, at
There's nothing quite like fried chicken; especially when it's really, really good. So good that you think about it on a regular basis. My husband, Victor, makes this heavenly delight on occasion. It's incredible. Incredible. The chicken is always juicy, the breading is crispy and crunchy and flavorful. I've noticed that one of the
My husband is a gem. He actually designed my wedding band for me. I receive compliments on it all the time; especially when I'm out and about at places like the grocery store and out shopping. Here she is: The center is, in fact, a diamond. Except it's a brown diamond. Most people don't realize those even exist, but they most certainly
For my Dad's birthday this year, I got him a few really nice cigars from a local tobacconist here in Cincinnati. Upon arriving home, I realized I didn't have an appropriately sized box to wrap them in. So I thought, how do you wrap cigars? Like this, I suppose: And guess what? No tape, no staples and no glue were required to do this.
Ahh, foliage. It has the ability to drastically improve our living spaces and an almost equal ability to make us feel like incompetent plant owners. How many of you just can't seem to keep houseplants alive? I picked this little guy up for $6 the other day. Look how beautiful it is! This is a Desert Rose Sorbet. It's a succulent
You know, you might not be able to buy every little thing you see at the store, but you can certainly 'eye buy.' That's what I do, I 'eye buy.' It's kind of like window shopping, except I either take a picture or rip a photo of what I want out of a magazine. Then I stick it up here. And it satisfies me greatly. Because sometimes I
Oh mercy, there's a new magazine that just hit newsstands this month and it's a doozy. Let me introduce you to Urban Farm Magazine. The premiere issue features articles on turning your lawn into a garden, raising chickens, goats and bees in the suburbs and container gardening. This publication, out of Lexington, KY, is edited by Karen Keb Acevedo.
Over the weekend, I was able to carve out a few hours to ‘edit’ our front and back decks. By edit, I mean transition them for the oncoming cooler weather. I pulled out dead plants and turned the soil in all of our garden pots, moved deck furniture around, thoroughly swept and brought out some blankets, pillows and rugs. I also moved our
On a cool Sunday in August, I spent several hours cooking and baking in the kitchen. It was nice. I made some thumbprint cookies with a dollop of jam in the center, and encrusted in almonds. I also made some soup. It’s good for you because it has a blend of 23 beans, quinoa, peas, carrots, seasonings and chicken that I marinated for
