just the little things

portillo's-esque cupcakes

If you've ever been to Chicago, you've probably had an Italian beef from Portillo's. It's one of the best around! But their chocolate cake is equally delicious and very inexpensive! I had always heard rumors that they used mayonnaise to keep their cakes super moist. The other day, I made these for a friend of mine at work and let's just say that they did not disappoint!

I made regular cupcakes and mini cupcakes. I could use some practice on the frosting! I stuck a candle in one of them and made her one to take home in a plastic cup. (Extra safe for transport but you probably need to eat it with a fork!)

Ingredients:

1 betty crocker super moist chocolate recipe cake mix 
3 large eggs
1 ice-cold cup of water
1 cup Hellmann's mayonnaise (not light)

TIP: line your measuring cup with a sandiwch baggie and fill with mayonnaise. Scrape mayo out of the bag into your bowl and toss the baggie. Voila, no messy mayo to clean up!

Directions:
1. Beat all ingredients for 4 minutes (makes it fluffy).
2. Line your muffin tins
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
4. Pour into tins.
5. Bake for 18-22 minutes
6. Use toothpick to make sure they are fully cooked
7. Cool on a wire rack
8. Frost 

I'll have to definitely go with mini cupcakes from now on. The cupcakes were extra moist and fluffy. As my friend would say, they were truly the most perfect bite!

orla kiely for method | target

When I saw a sneak peek of the new orla kiely for method line here, I checked Target every time I stopped by to see if they carried them. Last week, I finally caved and bought them! I'm not a huge fan of every scent , but the bottles were just so cute to set on a sink, I had to get one for every sink in my house! 

And the best part is I'll refill them after they get used up with this recipe. Who knew it doesn't take a lot of liquid soap to make foam soap!

1. Fill empty foamy soap container with about 10 pumps of liquid soap.
2. Add water (may want to add slowly and on the side)
3. Close foamy soap container 
4. Gently swirl container around to dilute the liquid soap.
5. Voila, new bottle of foamy hand soap in your favorite scent and pretty container! 

packing for a trip

When I was younger, the thought of taking a trip somewhere excited me so much that I'd often pack my bag weeks in advance! Only to have to go back into my bag to find something I needed/wanted prior to the trip.

These days, I'm lucky if I pack it all before 3am the day of my trip. For some odd reason, I often find myself traveling early in the morning. As the travel date approaches, I'll pull out my suitcase and throw items in there as I remember them. The usual suspects include my dirty laundry bag (it's an old bag that's large enough to hold my unmentionables + dirty socks), my toiletry kit (boy is it ever extensive), a cheap pashmina which doubles as a scarf and a thin blanket for the chilly evenings + cold plane ride and my 3 oz clear quart size bag.

But I stumbled upon this list from Daily Candy and thought I should really pin this up or print a copy and toss it into my suitcase for my next trip!

I especially like the idea of the white button-up, it really goes with everything when you're in a pinch. But now really, could all this fit in a TSA approved carry on bag? Lucky for me, I force it in. The only problem is bringing home any kind of souvenir or shopping on the trip!

image source: http://www.a.80spurple.com

lifesaver

One of my lifesavers lately has been the gal pal. I picked it up earlier last year and I must say, it works magic. Usually, it’s deodorant, but once it was actually flaming hot cheetos! I picked mine up at Bed, Bath and Beyond [used a 20% off coupon to make it a little cheaper]. So if you’re making an emergency kit for your special day or even for any normal day, add this to your list… you’ll be glad you purchased it in advance!

One of these days, I'll have to come up with a list for your emergency kit... After each event, I find more things to add. Pretty soon, I'll have to bring 3 of my normal toolkits with me!

[image via gal-pal.com]

tricky...

Guess what these are?

You’d think they are the latest craft idea or something fun for little kids…

But they are actually place cards! If you take a closer look you’ll see ribbon on each place card but when you fold the card together the ribbon may become loose. Plus they are much easier to transport. So late last night on Monday, I devised this plan to keep them in order and keep the structure of the place card in tact. I placed a clothespin on every 2 cards to keep them connected. Then placed post-its on top so that they and removed the clothespin. The hot pink one states what letter they are and which one is the first one of the bunch. I think I might do this for all intricate place cards.

 

Glad they are finished… can’t wait to see them on a place card table!

sharp punches

I forget where and how I learned this but after a while, even punches lose their cutting power. While punching out over 1,000 of these little flowers for shower, I noticed over time that it was harder to actually force the punch through cardstock. It was partially my thumb because I started to develop a blister but it was also because the punch was loser it’s punch. haha..

I recalled learning that you can bring your craft punches back to life with parchment paper + tin foil. The tin foil sharpens the punch and the parchment paper waxes the punch so that it’s easier to punch through heavier paper.

It worked!

lifesavers…

There are a few things I can’t do without… But this has to be one of my favorite items these days! They are called the Dr. Scholl’s Rub Relief Strips. They have literally been a life saver… or maybe a heel saver. [kekeke…] They basically look like foam tape but do wonders because I get a lot of blisters on my heels, even from my favorite pair of pumps. Go ahead and place these on the heels of your shoes in the perfect location – wherever you tend to get blisters or feel some pain because the heel tends to pinch into your skin. Voila, problem solved. No more pain! I’m tempted to try it with foam tape because I have a bunch of lying around, but just to be safe, I think I’ll stick with this for now.

Just in case you’re getting married this summer or perhaps standing in a wedding or even attending a wedding, this will help save your feet. And in case you forget, but you see me at one of these weddings, have no fear, it’ll be in my handy dandy emergency kit that I carry with me. :)

tip: no cell phones allowed

As a bride, it's important to focus on the day and just relax and definitely not pick up any phone calls. So, try to hand over your phone to one of your bridesmaids or a personal assistant for the day especially after you get your hair and makeup done!

tuesday tip: bridal wear

 

Towards the last few days/weeks of planning, you'll pick up your wedding gown and tuxedo. You're taking care of all the little details and you'll want to make sure that you look good too!

On one of your final visits to try on your wedding dress, you'll also learn how to bustle your dress. But since you can't bustle it yourself, you should bring along one of your friends/bridesmaids who will be with you on the day of. It should take a few minutes, but each bustle is a little different based on the seamstress. Some are kind enough to # them for you but sometimes, it's hard to exactly see where those little hooks are hiding! :)

The groom and groomsmen should also try on their tuxedos when they go to pick them up. Even though you pass along the measurements, sometimes things get mixed up and what gets picked up is not exactly what you ordered!

[image courtesy Danielle Blitz]

tuesday tip - photos [delayed]

[sorry for the delay - my family is in town and that always makes me a tad more busier]

to ensure you capture every moment of the day [especially moments that you can't be a part of but have planned for], you may want to give your photographer a list of pictures to take!

sometimes it's the details that you've worked hard on: menus, programs, place cards, table runners, party favors, water bottles, fans, parasols, the bottoms of your shoes, etc.

sometimes, it's just moments: when the flower girl gets her hair done, the groom and his best man showing off their socks, or the bridesmaids singing a special song for the bride!

Remember, it's your day and the photos are the only lasting impression...