bag it up [October Birchbox]

Another month, another Birchbox.

Every few months, they give you the choice to "opt-in" to a specialized Birchbox. Such was the case in October, and I always go for it. "Goop" was the inspiration- apparently they're a lifestyle website with daily emails, seemingly like my beloved Pure Wow. I'll admit I haven't experienced Goop yet, but I have to say I'm unimpressed with their Birchbox selections.

Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum- can't really determine how well serums work in just a week or two, which is one of the downsides of Birchbox. With most products coming in sample size, you only get a short few weeks to test 'em out. I'd love to fade dark spots and acne scars, like this says it will, so I'll probably use the whole sample and see where I stand.

DDF® Brightening Cleanser- This came in a really big size, which was nice. It's a facial cleanser, not the best I've ever tried and certainly not the worst. Reminds me of a cetaphil, which is a little too gentle for my oily and acne-prone skin.

Mighty Leaf Tea - Tea Pouches- Uhh, this counts as one of my products? Is this a joke?

OROFLUIDO Elixir- I like using hair oils to protect before blow drying, so I'll use this. It works as well as any- nice scent, smooths flyaways, leaves hair soft. I still happen to be using the last hair oil I got from Birchbox though.

per-fékt beauty Lip Perfection Gel- This was a little absurd too, in my opinion. It came in a tiny tablet, barely enough for one use. I happen to not like lip glosses, as they're usually sticky and the shine factor make my lips appear bigger than they are, which is mo def not something I need help with.

Overall, wasn't thrilled about my October Birchbox. But, if only one or two disappoint me per year, I guess I'm doing just fine. Did anyone else get the October Goop box? Thoughts?

Hurricane Sandy

It's like the weekend is still going! It seems insensitive to say I'm excited about a hurricane that is doing some real damage to many, but I happen to be enjoying my two days off thus far. Pretty much all I've done is hang with my roommates, have a few cocktails, and watch half of season 1 Homeland. Good shit so far.

I got in from Chicago Friday night and have been running around for some holiday fun since then. We celebrated Halloween early this year. In this highly politicized town, especially pre-election, I thought everyone would understand our timely debate-related costume...a surprisingly good number didn't. C'mon people! Even if you didn't watch the first presidential debate, if you have twitter, facebook, or a TV you must have seen the references.

Really wishing I had a fireplace right about now, but I'm planning to make some mulled wine tonight. Here's a great recipe from Ina Garten, but I prefer to take a lil' Trader Joe's shortcut. 

Happy mulling! Stay safe and dry and warm, my friends.

blah blah blah it's the weekend

It's Friday. I haven't been home all week and I'm pooped. Can't wait to fly in from Chicago at 7pm, make a costume in an hour, and go to a party. Yay! Stay tuned for awesome pictures, because you know I'm a better crafter when under the gun. A hint: our costume is both timely and regional.

For your Friday viewing pleasure: some porn. The good kind. No really. I've lost a good deal of time looking at this and I don't plan to stop anytime soon.

Bibliophile [Lamb]

Remember my review of Fool?

Fool (Christopher Moore)
This was pretty much hilarious. I literally giggled a few times on my commute while reading. I was recommended the author, not the book, but this was the only one of his works that the D.C. Public Library system had in Kindle format. If you have any interest in witty humor or in Shakespeare, you should pick this up immediately. It's a comical interpretation of King Lear, written from the point of few of Lear's fool, named Pocket...but don't expect any iambic pentameter here. This book was the definition of cheeky and irreverent, and I loved every minute of it. I can't read to read his other, reputably better works.

Get ready for more of the same, except this time, we're not mocking Billy Shakespeare...we're mocking the good Lord himself.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, Christopher Moore

So I did some research: Christopher Moore is considered an "absurdist" novelist, and I love that title. It's so accurate. This story is literally absurd, in that it is absurdly bizarre and probably sacrilegious but humorous none the less. Blurb time:

The birth of Jesus has been well chronicled, as have his glorious teachings, acts, and divine sacrifice after his thirtieth birthday. But no one knows about the early life of the Son of God, the missing years -- except Biff, the Messiah's best bud, who has been resurrected to tell the story in the divinely hilarious yet heartfelt work.

Verily, the story Biff has to tell is a miraculous one, filled with remarkable journeys, magic, healings, kung fu, corpse reanimations, demons, and hot babes. Even the considerable wiles and devotion of the Savior's pal may not be enough to divert Joshua from his tragic destiny. But there's no one who loves Josh more -- except maybe "Maggie," Mary of Magdala -- and Biff isn't about to let his extraordinary pal suffer and ascend without a fight.

In satirical and comical form, our narrator Biff fills in the gaps from Jesus' childhood to his resurrection. Especially as I am a product of two Catholic educations, live in the Irish Riviera, and have a deep educational understanding of the church, I found this to be cheeky and entertaining. It's nice to feel like you're on the inside- I got all the jokes, the asides, the biblical reference points. I want to make my fellow Christian roommate K read this, as well as some of my college buddies, just for the laugh. If anything, this is very imaginative- while it's heavy on the comedy, it actually does have a plot that I found creative and plausible...ish.

So if you've been asking "what would Jesus do?", you can just buy this book and KNOW what Jesus did. I hear Moore is wildly popular, but I seem to be the only person I actually know who has experienced his work...join me friends!

words are free

Been awhile since I paired an inspiring quote with a lovely image, and after 8 hours of professional training today, I've got no gas left in the tank. 

However, I do have some inspiration from my personal life. Heard this twice today. Didn't love it. Made a cute text image to display my disappointment.

\

ugh.

DIY [clocking in]

Happy Monday amigos. What time is it? DIY time!

This project comes to you from my bestie J, who bought a gorgeous condo (jealous? me too) and was able to decorate the whole thing herself. Gah! That's pretty much my dream. Of course, she's not rolling in the dough, so many of her decor decisions have been based around DIY projects and deals on furniture, like buying off the floor and using sites like One Kings Lane...my kinda girl.

I love her project for a wall clock, and wanted to share it here. No one realllllly uses analog clocks for time keeping, making it even more crucial that they be interesting and beautiful. I think she succeeded in both accounts, making this rustic, classic looking wall clock for her living room.

Here are some straightforward steps from J. 

First, she bought the mechanical piece of the clock and the wood from Michael's. You'll need to drill a hole in the center of the board to thread the clock base through; then, the arms are attached to the front and small screws attach to the back of the board. 

J used a ruler to make all the angles for the numbers clean and uniform. She drew the numbers in pencil and painted over them with acrylics, but I'm sure you could use paint or sharpies and a stencil if you don't have a steady hand. Pop some batteries in that baby and watch it go!

Link Up.

It's that time of week again, when I send you to look at all the stuff for which I wish I could take credit. God I'm so good at grammar. My excuse for not bringing you original content this week is that I have a chronic (since 2 weeks ago) facial twitch that could be Bells Palsy. This is serious. I've spent too much time on Mayo Clinic and WebMD to do any craft projects, so instead, you get the following.

Go learn how to make these, then report back.

I don't know how many of you read McSweeney's- they publish a lot, so there's bound to be some rubbish in there. Every few posts, though, really get me chuckling. Check out these two fall stories (apologies in advance for the vulgar language): decorative gourd season and an open letter to pumpkin-flavored seasonal treats.

In keeping with the fall theme...you may have seen these already, but Oh Happy Day created/shot the funniest "little artists" kids Halloween costumes. Do you know what you're being yet? I've always wanted to be a dia de los muertos skeleton, or Cruella DeVille, or Anna Wintour, but instead I'm doing a couples-costume with D. I'll post a picture fo sho.

Who watched the debate? I haven't missed any of them yet. Now, this isn't a political blog, but I do live in DC and I think that in order for this to stay authentic, it should include me and my life. Here are the funniest "binders full of women" spin offs I've seen, here and here and here and here and OMG Ryan Gosling here.

Really appreciate these tips for styling a shelf over at Little Green Notebook, and might have to take a second look at some of my own vignettes. It's tough to keep things functional while making them beautiful, to be thoughtful about placement yet not make things look like a museum.

I've got an adult slumber party at J's tonight, Maryland homecoming football tomorrow, date night Saturday, and flag football madness on Sunday. Updates via Instagram and Twitter all weekend, of course.

DIY [wedding seating chart]

I wanted to share another wedding DIY. J and R asked me to help with the seating chart for their celebration, a 200 person affair. Now, there are a lot of amazing ideas out there for organizing and displaying a seating chart, but when you're dealing with 200 people, you have to get innovative to fit them all in.

Here were our inspiration images:

Pretty, no?

So to get started, we needed a frame. I found one at a thrift store in Virginia- it was tagged for $300, but the woman was willing to take $100 (what??! make sure you're always bartering at thrift stores).   I painted it black like the other frames, using chalkboard paint, so they would all be cohesive. It was relatively easy to pop out the mirror, so that (1) it would be lightweight and (2) we could replace it with something that could hold pins. With a quick trip to Michael's and Joann Fabrics, I bought a tri-fold cardboard board and a yard of burlap. Hopefully you can see what I did in the image below: I kept the tri-fold board folded up so it would be double the thickness, and covered it with the burlap.

 I used a staple gun to pin burlap down around the cardboard.

Once the cardboard was covered, I popped it into the frame. We decided to use gold pins, also from Michael's, to hold the names, which would be written on small tags and hung with twine. The pins were a bit too long, so we (my lovers K and J, actually) cut them down to size using scissors and protective eye wear- very important my friends!

I hand wrote the names using a thin purple sharpie, as their wedding colors were purple and green. We put the table number on the back, as we ran out of space on the front, particularly for the couples where longer names were required.

Spacing was a little tricky, since we had to fit on 116 individual tags (couples together), but it managed to work with a slight stagger.



Here is one image of the full frame, so you get the full idea, though it's obviously incomplete. Hope you like it!

Recap [fall frolic]

I did mange to have a wonderful weekend, as planned. I got SO MUCH done around the house- summer clothes packed, fall boots shined, wardrobe culled, hall closet organized, bathroom scrubbed, all that good stuff. I feel more on top of my home life now, which makes everything run smoother. 

Even with all the cleaning, I did mange to have some fun- went apple picking, thai and talking with an old friend, flag football on the national mall. I also made a big batch of Apple Pie Oatmeal (an autumn staple last year). Some images of our fall frolic below!

decor at Rock Hill Orchard in MD

Glorious pumpkins

Fall foliage, made me miss New England

One of the 2304983 apples we sampled

Hope they find a use for all the fallen fruit

Definitely not just for children

Coach D preparing the gloves for our first flag football game

Puppy mascot for our Nakid League team!

Bibliophile [The Art of Racing in the Rain]

This book is so sweet, and worth the read for all you mush-balls and dog lovers.

The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein

I want to snuggle this book like a golden retriever puppy. Here's your blurb for this book-club-favorite NYT best seller:

Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate all of life's ordeals.

A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life . . . as only a dog could tell it.

I like how the blurb calls it "ultimately uplifting", because there is truly some sad sh*t in this little book, though things wrap up nicely.

Link Up.

Literally, thank the good lord that it is the weekend. I'm going to fully exploit every moment- hoping to have some time to fall frolic (apple picking, anyone?), but really want to focus on home organization, cleaning, and planning for the season. I need to exfoliate and declutter my living space to feel more in control. Anyone know the feeling? I want to enjoy my favorite season in peace and prepare for the holidays.

If  you have more free time than me this weekend, check out some cool links below. Here's to fall festivities and simplified living!

If you're from Massachusetts, what Barbie are you?

How I will be tying my scarf this weekend.

The most hilarious email from a bride to her bridesmaids I've ever seen. Thank god J is normal.

A unique cocktail recipe using bacon bourbon. I'll let you in on why that matters next week :)

How to do custom foiling. Noted.

LearnVest Live debrief

I'm on such a high from Tuesday night's first ever LearnVest Live. It was well attended, exciting, yummy, boozy, chatty, funny, network-y, swag-y, all the things ladies love overlaid with a focus on living your richest life. This is a long post, covering the event logistics, the food/booze/swag, and my personal networking. Feel free to jump ahead.

Logistics: the main event

Live your richest life

I didn't fully understand the logistics of the event beforehand, so I'd like to share that with you now. Cocktails for the first hour, then a general assembly with Alexa Von Tobel, the muy impressive founder (Harvard ugrad, Morgan Stanley employee, HBS attendee). After that, grab your dinner and head to the breakout sessions...but wait! There are 4 options per session, 2 sessions, so you can only go to two. My FOMO (fear of missing out) was in FULL SWING, let me tell you. I couldn't miss a chance to worship at the feet of sit in front of Genevieve Gorder...after all, Trading Spaces sparked my initial interest in design....but I desperately wanted to listen in to Joanna Coles as well, whom I heard totally rocked it. Also missed Cynthia Rowley (fashion) and Gail Simmons (food network). Argh! Someone mentioned that all speakers were recorded, so I'm hoping I'll have access to them soon so I can catch up on the events I missed. I'll keep y'all in the loop too.

Food, Booze, Swag

Dinner was boxed sandwiches from a woman-owned NYC restaurant, and they served Brooklyn Beer and fine wines all evening. Georgetown Cupcake (the Soho shop of course) provided cupcakes for a nice lil' taste of home. The swag bag was admirable, especially the mini-shoulder bag from Lo & Sons. I plan on doing an "all I want for Christmas" post soon, and those bags will literally top the list- perfect for the commuter chick. I won't elaborate here, since that is for a future post, but we were given a 25% off coupon that may just tip the scales for me. We also got an iPhone case (damn my Android), some makeup and beauty products, a few magazines, and discounts and coupons to many popular services, like Exhibition a (contemporary art prints, an interest of mine), Style for Hire (established by Stacy London, so how could I not love it?), and Uber (didn't know about this private car service, but D was super excited when I mentioned it). Can you see how this event was right up my alley?

Oh, don't forget the LearnVest financial planning sessions (worth $89) that we were all comped, which includes a technical conversation about my money reality and goals with a certified financial planner, a new budget, and 3 months of email access to your expert. Sweet! I start mine tomorrow.

Networking

Me in my snazzy all-women's networking outfit

It was tough to go alone, especially once I realized that many of the women attending had brought one or a gaggle of girlfriends and weren't necessarily looking to network with other attendees. My solution? Food and drink lines. You have some poor soul's undivided attention while they wait to be sated. I got on line behind a total rockstar who I ended up hanging with most of the night. Her friend worked for LV, and had gotten her to write a "Money Mic" article before; I actually remembered her piece, and we chatted about our careers, families, girl-crushes on Alexa, and affection for a Hoboken restaurant. We ended up having more than a few personal connections that made our conversation that much more fun, and I'm pretty sure we're now best friends. Later I got to sit with some girls who do social media consulting, and they were techy-cool and very "plugged in", if you know what I mean.

One other tip- utilize social media. I tweeted/instagrammed my outfit pic above, and within 5 minutes of my arrival (and 10 minutes of my post) I had the following exchange:

LV Staffer: excuse me, did you just tweet your outfit?
Me: um, yes? 
LV Staffer: It's a great outfit! I'm working all night to promote LVLive social media, so I reposted you here and retweeted you here etc etc. Who are you most excited to hear from tonight?
Me: Alexa Von Tobel is a goddess.
LV Staffer: Let's introduce you then! (snags blonde woman rushing by) Alexa? This is Meaghan and she's been sharing her LVLive experience via social media.
Alexa: You may touch my hand.
Me: This is so worth 20 bucks.

This is paraphrased, but only a little :) for real, use your social media, your network, your contacts, to represent yourself and your brand. And come with me next year! LVLive, coming to cities all over the U.S. soon.

Pinned.

Here are some images that I've admired lately.

I believe this is Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams? Make an over-sized sheet music print of your favorite song. Would be really sweet for your wedding first dance.

Jonathan Fuller sea glass sculptures look amazing. I want to pin this one because I think I could recreate it and use it as a wreath, but check out his other work.

Rose et Vert had a very smart and simple idea: cover existing wires or cords with embroidery floss for a pop of color. I like projects that bring design to the mundane, and I happen to currently have a piece of string hanging from my overhead light (for shame). It will be replaced shortly.

Style Me Pretty (who else) had this image of an incredible champagne bucket from a retro-themed December wedding, styled by Southern Flair. I'm sure with a mold this is pretty easy, and I think it's stunning. Obviously very cheap too. FYI, did you know that the way to get clear ice cubes is to use boiled water? Regular water from the tap freezes cloudy, but boiling will remove those imperfections. Perfect for when you want to add a piece of fruit or herb (though I think the cloudy-ness is perfect for this project).

This room room (art, floors, rug, seating, fire place) is calm, de-cluttered, and deliberate, all the things I'm currently going for in my life. I want to sit in that leather chair (Chieftain chair, by Danish designer Finn Juhl), sip a fancy cocktail, and journal about all the ways I'm going to get my life in order this fall.

Discover [LearnVest] + LearnVest Live!

Guess where I'm going tonight!

Does anyone here use LearnVest? I'm surprised I haven't posted about it earlier, as it is one of the few daily email subscriptions I utilize, to great benefit. Their tagline, "where life gets richer", says it all: for me, their philosophy seems to be about living a fulfilling life within the confines of your budget. Kinda like my tagline, "a beautiful life, budgeted", no? LearnVest + Meaghan Gibbons = a match made in money heaven.

LearnVest, a 2009 start-up focused on educating women about finance, is really like having a super hip, honest girlfriend who is also a savvy financial planner. If you're a newbie, check out personal fianance 101, top money-managing mistakes, and the knowledge center for an introduction. The main way I use LearnVest is through their daily emails, usually human interest stories combined with sound financial advice. They also have a Mint-esque Money Center; I've heard it's less sophisticated, but they aren't trying to sell you products or push credit cards, either. You can also pay a very modest fee to have a personal financial planner.

They're hosting their first "LearnVest Live" in NYC tomorrow night, and I'm excited to be attending. It includes a free Financial Plan, so I'll let you know if I find that useful. It's sold out, but I heard you can get a virtual ticket (and Financial Plan) if you're interested. In the meantime, go sign up for LearnVest!

LearnVest Live

WHO: LearnVest, our favorite celebrity role models (including fashion designer Cynthia Rowley, Marie Claire editor Joanna Coles, Top Chef judge Gail Simmons, Gilt Groupe cofounder Alexandra Wilkis Wilson and LearnVest's own Stephany Kirkpatrick, CFP) ... and you!

WHAT: An in-person event where you'll meet other LearnVest members, indulge in fun drinks, dinner and dessert, and attend breakout sessions where industry leaders (like the above—and more!) will teach you how to live your best life ... on your budget.

WHAT YOU'LL GET: Dinner, drinks, dessert, breakout sessions with top experts, a gift bag ... and a free LearnVest Financial Plan! Grab your girlfriends, send them a calendar invite today, and we'll see you for a night you won't forget!

Bibliophile [The Illumination]

I'm sorry that all I've been doing with my life is reading. 
I trust NPR, and they named this a "best book of the year" in 2011.

The Illumination, by Kevin Brockmeier

Very intriguing read. I enjoyed it in itself, but I also appreciated the way the premise and idea occupies your mind even once the book is closed. Here's your blurb:

What if our pain was the most beautiful thing about us?
 
At 8:17 on a Friday night, the Illumination begins. Every wound begins to shine, every bruise to glow and shimmer. And in the aftermath of a fatal car accident, a journal of love notes, written by a husband to his wife, passes into the keeping of Carol Ann Page, and from there through the hands of five other people—a photojournalist, a schoolchild, a missionary, a writer, and a street vendor. As their stories unfold, we come to understand how intricately and brilliantly they are connected, in all their human injury and experience. With the artistry and imagination that have become his trademark, Kevin Brockmeier reveals a world that only he could imagine, casting his gaze on the wounds we bear and the light that radiates from us all.

This is my first novel from Brockmeier, and I would recommend it. With such a unique plot line, I honestly don't have too much to say about his writing style- it served the novel well by not standing out in a good or bad way, but instead allowing the content to shine (pun intended). While I cared about the characters (the novel follows 6 people, a chapter each), I was perhaps more drawn in by the social fall-out of the illumination of pain. It must have been great fun for the author to speculate on how the modern world would accept and move forward with such an event. I agree with reviews that feel each character represents a very different aspect of the book, for there are some chapters that I would highly recommend, and some that I didn't enjoy. Multi-perspective story telling is nothing new- I can name many books I've read this past year that give a different perspective each chapter, like A Visit From the Goon Squad and Poisonwood Bible. This novel, perhaps more than others, was inconsistent across the narration. 

Either way, I enjoyed this relatively quick read, and found the premise fascinating!

Link It Up.

Weekend again. Where is the fall going? Can anyone else grasp that we're already into October? I feel like September was one big whirlwind of fun, with time passing much too quickly. It was so dark out when I got up to run this morning- nothing makes me accept the end of summer quite like the shortening of days. Time to get out your leather boots, buy some fall-themed food products at trader joe's, re-learn 25 ways to tie a scarf, and start preparing warm beverages...mulled wine or hot cocoa, anyone?

In all your fall enjoyment, take a break to visit the following for some humor, education, or inspiration.

If anyone else gets distracted by the catchy lists of Buzzfeed, you'll appreciate this: 25 awesome DIY ideas for bookshelves. D and I have an open wall, and we're trying to decide if it's worth filling before he (hopefully) leaves for business school next year...decisions decisions.

Appreciate the most beautiful water tower ever in Brooklyn, designed by Tom Fruin. R, we need to go see this next time I visit you! It's not functional, but I suppose this is one time where beauty of design doesn't need to be useful. It's made from recycled materials.

CNN released a list of the "25 funniest tweets about the debate". Most of these are worth a chuckle.  We watched every minute of this in our house, and quickly jumped on social media at the end to see the popular reaction. Biggest diassapointment? @FiredBigBird on Twitter. Concept is great, but writer isn't actually funny. Like, at all.

All 32 NFL quarterbacks and their muppet doppelgangers. Surprisingly well done. It would probably be funnier if I knew every muppet...or every quarterback. Oh well. For a sports-fanatic-child, this is probably the best page on the internet.

One blog that I doubt too many of you have seen: Pinterest, You Are Drunk. Super funny image-based blog of the ridiculous nonsense that people pin, mainly products, projects, and quotes. Always accompanied by a snarky and hilarious one-liner highlighting the absurdity.

Bag it Up [September Birchbox]

Birchbox strikes again with their September offering. Heavy focus on hair care, and I am a-o-k with that. Let's take a look at the products, shall we?

Bulgari Mon Jasmin Noir- not my scent. Was a little old for me, and not like sexy cougar old, more like grandma hitting the town old. I like the simplicity of the bottle, but won't be buying this one.

Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm with SPF. I I happen to not be a lover of BB creams, unlike everyone else in the world. I just don't see how one cream can do a better job than my serum, moisturizer, primer, and foundation. Yes, my routine takes a bit longer, but between layers I do my hair, make coffee, get dressed, etc, so I don't think it adds any time. If I was a tinted-moisturizer-and-go kinda make up girl, I can see this being a definite upgrade, but I like to wear a full face, thank you very much.

LiQWd Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner- great packaging, acceptable product. I have very, very fine hair and a deep mistrust of the value of shampoos/conditioners. So, while I do appreciate anything that claims to provide some much-needed volume, I just don't trust that it happens in the shower. I rely much more heavily on products I use after the shower, making me an inadequate and skeptical reviewer for this one. Can anyone convince me otherwise?

LiQWd Volumizing Catalyst, to round out my LiQWd family. They even included a video on how to best use this product: pump it into damp hair, style as usual. I found that it worked well, but I was greasy after one day. For those of you that wash your hair daily, no problem. I definitely don't fall into that camp, so I'll only use this for special events.

Not a ton to say about these babies- who doesn't like extras? The nailpolish I got from Color Club was vibrant and fun, and the hair ties from Twistband adequately keep my hair out of my face. Yay for value added!

As always, visit here if you'd like to get signed up for your $10 per month package of sample-sized beauty. It will not disappoint.