It started with a non-sensical auto-correct on an Instagram photo. Valentine’s became Cakentine’s, and suddenly, a new holiday was born.
Today, Melissa from Lulu the Baker, MJ from Pars Caeli, and I are all sharing posts related to the classic birthday treat: Cake. Melissa has a citrus cake recipe, MJ is making individual cakes, and I’m going to teach you how to frost a cake a like a pro… READ MORE!
You guys were so excited about my chocolate caramel s’mores bars that Nestle Toll House wants you to be able to try their new DelightFulls filled morsels, too… READ MORE!
This past Wednesday, Jordan and I played hooky from our parental duties to see a Broadway matinee. A couple of his friends were raving about Hand To God, a play that’s been described as “Avenue Q meets The Book of Mormon,” so we found a pair of cheap tickets and hopped on the train for an afternoon in New York City.
Either Jordan’s friends have terrible taste or we are simply not cultured enough to appreciate a show like Hand to God. We walked out of the theater disappointed (ok, we hated it) and completely baffled by what we just saw. Puppets. Blood. Religion. What?!
We decided that we couldn’t leave the city on such a sour note, so we bought discount tickets to the 7:30pm showing of Matilda. If you love musicals or Roald Dahl or pipsqueak little girls with British accents, you must go see it. Even though the actress who played Matilda got sick during the First Act (off-stage, thank goodness), and they had to put the show on hold for 10 minutes so her stand by could replace her, it was one of the best musicals I’ve ever seen.
Although our tickets were inexpensive by Broadway standards, it still felt indulgent to see two shows in one day. However, we justified it by calling it an early birthday present; my 35th birthday is on Sunday.
I haven’t brought up my birthday until now because I’m somewhat in denial that I’ll be–ack!–halfway through my 30s. When did I get so old? Also, this milestone birthday sort of snuck up on me. March has really flown by, hasn’t it?
I’m sure that next week I’ll have some deep thoughts to share about turning a year older. But until then, here are some lighthearted links to enjoy!
Two weeks ago, my friend Sheri and I were supposed to meet in New York City for a nosh in Soho and modern manicures at Paintbox. I was equally excited about getting in some quality girl time with Sheri and getting my nails color blocked and bedazzled.
Not exaggerating, I’d been poring over Paintbox’s selection of nail art designs online for weeks.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature decided to dump 10 inches of snow on us that day, canceling our kids’ schools and making travel into the city virtually impossible. Rather than spend the day staring at my naked nails, however, I decided to try a Paintbox-inspired color block manicure at home. After some trial and error, I figured out a relatively easy way to give myself a French manicure with color blocking.
Want to try your hand at a DIY color block manicure? Don’t be intimidated! Here’s what you’ll need:
Before you do anything, swipe a cotton pad soaked in nail polish remover across each nail to remove any oils or dirt.
01. Apply base coat from cuticle to tip and wait until nails are completely dry. (I like Orly Bonder.) Then wait a few minutes longer.
02. Cover bottom half of nails with washi tape. I prefer washi tape to regular tape because it’s less sticky. Don’t bother breaking out the ruler; the division doesn’t have to be exactly even.
03. Using vertical strokes, paint nail tips with two coats of bright nail polish, waiting for polish to dry between coats. Here I’m using Essie Lacquered Up.
04. Remove washi tape while second coat is still wet. If any base coat from the bottom half of your nails comes off with the tape, gently tap on a little bit more, taking care to stay below the painted line.
05. Using horizontal strokes, apply two coats of pale nail polish to the unpainted half of your nails, using the line of bright polish as your guide (it will feel slightly raised as you brush against it). Essie Au Natural has a lovely subtle shimmer.
06. Wait (and then wait some more) for polish to dry before applying top coat. If you notice any of the bright color transferring to the pale color, try cleaning the brush or letting the polish dry a little bit longer. I’ve had success with Orly Won’t Chip Topcoat.
As the final step, I add a drop of Orly Flash Dry to each nail about minute after applying my top coat. It really does speed up the drying process!
Now you may be wondering why I don’t simply paint my entire nail with beige polish, cover the bottom half with tape, then paint the top half with the red. It would save a bunch of steps, right? Well, I have two reasons.
So what do you think? Are you a fan of manicures with nail designs or are they too trendy for your taste? Would you give this DIY color block manicure a go?
(If you do, share your photo on Instagram and use the hashtag #AGirlNamedPJmani!)
PS – My first attempt at an ombre manicure!
Perhaps because spring is finally on the horizon, I’ve been actively pinning to my Flowers board on Pinterest. Interestingly, most of my recent pins have been of houseplants. (Maybe it’s time to change the name to Plants and Flowers?)
I say “interestingly” because our house in Omaha was conspicuously void of living plants. I love how fiddle leaf fig trees, snake plants, and potted houseplants of all sizes bring a natural vibe to a space, but I never trusted myself not to kill them.
We actually had two small potted plants on display — one in the living room and one in the basement — but they were both artificial plants from IKEA. Totally cheesy, I know. I just wanted the look of houseplants without any the maintenance or the risk.
When we move into our new place (whenever/wherever that may be), my goal is to transform my brown thumb into a green thumb, or some in-between shade of tan. Until that happens, though, I think I found the perfect compromise between live and artificial houseplants: clean, colorful prints of real plants from Flora.
The Barcelona-based online shop offers “a better way to love plants eternally” with poster-size photos of actual houseplants and flowers. They call their prints “the best thing since plastic flowers,” but I’d call them the next-best thing to live greenery.
Granted, they can’t improve the air quality in your home, but you never have to water them, they take up little space, and they can survive in the shadows.
I’d happily display the Kentia or Zanzibar prints in my kitchen, above my desk, or maybe even a bathroom. I also really like the Roses print, which is surprising because I don’t care much for roses in real life!
Let’s talk about houseplants in the comments below. Have you successfully kept any alive, or do you have a gardening aversion like me? What do you think about these Flora Indoor posters?
