The Things I Care To Share: Styled by Me

The Things I Care To Share: Styled by Me: Aztec by Day 

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Notes On A Party

I am a wedding planner and a party thrower so a lot of my time is invested in all things parties.  I know, it sounds like such an awful job but someone has got to help plan!  I love sharing ideas for parties with anyone because you never know whose party you'll be attending next.  Basically, these are three of my favorite party throwing tips and three of my cheapest!  

Mason Jar Prepared Drinks

You will need: Mason jars (around 2 per guest), labels, and serving buckets

Offering your guests drinks that you have already mixed is a great way to get a drink in everyone's hand.  For our Christmas party this past year, my friend Bethany and I used mason jars to serve drinks.  We offered sangria, a bailey's drink, something with vodka and something with rum. (No mixers with carbonation!)  We were able to buy cheaper booze and save a lot of money.  Whatever mixers and alcohol we didn't use for the mason jar drinks we set up in the bar area for guests to make their own versions of our drinks.

 Side note: always have wine glasses handy because wine-os usually bring their own bottle!

How to serve mason jar drinks: 

Always offer straws, have a basket for lids, use an ice bucket/cooler or display them in your refrigerator.

Drinks that work for mason jars: 

Mixed drinks with no carbonation, sangria, punches, dessert style cocktails, margaritas, etc...

Where to buy: 

Grocery stores around canning time, trader horn, craft stores, home improvement stores, Walmart, etc...

Napkin Conversation Starters

What you will need: a variety of witty cocktail napkins
A witty napkin generally goes unappreciated.  But when you throw a bunch of people into a room and pass around a funny cocktail napkin to go with their drink, they may get a kick out of it!  This is one of my personal little party touches.  It's not always appropriate to have these if you're going for a certain formality and there is no Hallmark for napkins so you may not find the perfect one.  I buy these little suckers whenever I see them on sale.  They're so cheap and I can just throw them in my party supply box for later use.

Where to buy:
TJMaxx, Target, party supplies stores, clearance bins, etc...

Water Bottles

You will need: water bottles!
One of the best things you can do for you guests after liquering them up is to offer them water bottles.  This way they can just take them out the door with them or straight to which ever couch they're crashing on.  Also, this saves a lot of extra glasses that you won't need to wash the next day.  They don't need to be cold and you don't need to display them nicely if you don't want to.  Just buy a pack and have them handy, everyone including yourself will be glad you did.




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Out To Dinner Outfit

Last night I ate dinner at Houlihan's!  I love their Home Style Pot Roast and "Pomtini" Martinis... mmm. Anyways, I documented my outfit from dinner for today's post.  It's a  good "going out for a fun dinner" outfit.  Assuming you don't need to wear a dress or anything more formal, of course.  So, here your go!

Here's the Out to Dinner Outfit

Lace top: Lucky Brand

Belt and Maroon Tank/Wedges: Target

Dark Wash Skinny Jeans: Gap

Ring: Forever 21

I tucked the front of my shirt into my jeans to show off the belt and also because it felt a little baggy.  This doesn't always work with shirts but this particular one has a round cut bottom which falls nicely when the front is tucked in.  I also matched my tank color to my shoes but it was just a subtle pop of color.  Somehow I have a pair of really comfortable wedges and a tank top that match... But these wedges were on sale at Target for like $3 so I bought them, and I also bought them in grey.  

Details

This cute tan belt came with a pair of shorts from Target.  I love when you can use stuff like that for many different outfits.  Those shorts are in a future blog!

This ring is from Forever 21.  I like it because it's different and the color kind of just goes with everything.  It's a bigger cocktail ring without budging off your finger.  I'm really not an over accessorized but I do admit I could have added some pretty earrings or a bracelet.

The shoes were really difficult to photograph... Sorry!  But just imagine a maroon wedge and there you have it.

Second Look

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Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pretzel Cupcakes

Okay everyone, I have a really special treat for you...  This is my most recent baking invention.  It's kind of like the best of everything in one yummy cupcake!  I recommend using a stand mixer if you have one but if not you will need an electric-beater!  The batter tends to be thicker than you're average batter.

Ingredients:
1 box moist white cake mix
3/4 cup all-purpose flower
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sour cream
4 egg whites
Strawberry dessert filling
"Tiny Twist" pretzels
Chocolate frosting

Baking Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325'F and line your cupcake pans with liners.  Place one pretzel at the bottom of the liner.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix, sugar, flour and salt.  Then just add all the other ingredients to the dry mix!  Keep mixing as you go.
3. Scoop mix into the cupcake liners until they're about 3/4 of the way full.
4. Bake for about 18 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.

Decorating Instructions:
1. After the cupcakes have cooled off you scoop the center out.  Try using a tablespoon, a tube cookie cutter or even a mellon-baler.
2. Either pipe or scoop the filling into the center of the cupcake.  Smooth the top of the cupcake with the back of a spoon.
3. Frost with chocolate and decorate with crumbled pretzels!

Boots That Stand

Come fall I'm always so excited to pull out my boots.  Nothing is worse than when I go for a favorite pair and find that there is a big crease from how I stored them.  This especially happens with leather, and unfortunately they're the most expensive kind to replace.  So, I learned this great little trick for storing your boots and keeping them in good shape. 

How To:

I know you figured it out already but for those of you who want a description...

- Just take a magazine, make sure it's not too thin that it won't stand, and roll it into a tube.

- Insert the rolled up magazine into the boot and push it down until it hits the sole.

 It is also a great way to recycle/store magazines you're done reading.  I have tons of catalogs and magazines I recycle every month and with this trick, I am able to hang on to them instead.  This is so simple you're probably wondering why I even blogged about it... Well, this trick also feeds into my need to have an organized closet.  I hate when I can't find the things I'm looking for even though it should be right in front of me.   It's a great thing to have all your boot options standing in front of you waiting to get picked!

And there you have it... Boots that don't fall over.  You're welcome.

Fun T-Shirts!

Every now and then a simple t-shirt is exactly what you need.  Sometimes, all you want is to be able to wear a simple t-shirt.  If you're not into the whole dressing up thing, there are other options!  Fun "t-shirt-like" styles and designs are everywhere and they are very comfortable.  The idea is to dress nice without feeling uncomfortable.  

Some choices from my closet...  

Black LaceI love this t-shirt because it's comfortable and pretty.  Lace is really "in" right now and black is always a good go-to color.  I also really like how the sleeves aren't backed with black like the rest of the shirt.  Pair a shirt like this with jeans or even your spring red pants!

Sequined Top
Another great go-to top is this neutral colored sequined one from Express.  The sleeves are sheer and it is so comfortable and breezy. I would wear this out to dinner and drink with friends or wherever!  Sequined clothes are really in style right now, it's not secret, and this is a subtle option when you don't want to shine too much.

Chevron T-Shirt
This shirt is from the Missoni for Target line that literally flew out the doors.  Funny story... I got my wisdom teeth out a few days before this line launched.  I actually didn't even know Missoni was coming to Target!  A few days after my surgery, I was out and about at Target with my boyfriend and I started to feel horrible.  I just wanted to go home, crawl into bed with my pain meds and heal more.  On the way past the registers and to the door I looked over my shoulder toward the women's section and there it was... A huge sign that read, "MISSONI".  No matter how bad I felt I had to go over there.  The racks were so picked over I felt like I had been robbed of my chance.  I was picking through and came across this lone t-shirt in my size.  (A similar thing happened with Jason Wu)  I had to buy it, no trying on necessary.  I also happen to adore chevron!  This goes with skirts, jeans, black skinny jeans, and whatever else!

Knit T-Shirt
This type of t-shirt is different and interesting.  I found this while shopping in Vegas last summer.  I really like it!  I usually get compliments on how unique it is.  Another plus is that knitwear is in and especially lighter versions of it like this shirt.  I don't think this top is very dressy but it definitely holds its own when I'm out to eat or getting a quick drink!  This shirt made for some interesting sun burns in the summer time.. Always wear sunscreen girls and guys!

Thanks for reading!  Make sure to comment and follow me on Twitter (@soiree_bisou) !!

But I Don't Want To Diet...

I feel like I face this dilemma on the regular... "I want to look great in that dress, but I don't want to actually try and diet".  In a perfect world I would just accept that sometimes you have to do things you don't want to in order to get what you want.  Considering that this is not a perfect world, I will go down refusing to diet for the sake of looking good in one dress.  Assuming you're healthy and take care of yourself, I don't see anything wrong with fudging a little bit when trying to look your best.  We all want to feel good, especially when we have to dress up and try.  Here are some of my tips and tricks for pulling it together at the last minute.  

Spanx
No matter how thin you are, you should own a pair of Spanx!  Almost every celebrity who walks the red carpet is either wearing one or two of these problem area disguisers to pull off their gorgeous gowns.  They come in different colors and styles. You can buy less expensive versions are various stores but for about $20.00 you can get the name brand from Nordstroms or online.

Let's address your concerns...

Are they comfortable?  Yes!  They actually make dresses MORE comfortable because you're not worried about, well, anything!  They aren't like tights either because they stay up really well.  You won't be fussing with them the whole time, in fact they prevent fussing.  Always buy the correct size, this goes for every clothing purchase you ever make!

Aren't they for old women?  Probably, but it's no secret that every celebrity wears these suckers to help smooth out their figure.   Even the 20 somethings.  Men probably also think that these are like a push-up bra... misleading.  But they don't really change anything about how you accept streamlining your figure.

When do you wear them?  Personally, I don't wear them a whole lot mainly because I don't wear a lot of dresses that require them.  I usually just like to wear them with tighter dresses or sheer dresses.  But you could wear them under anything you want!  They really are that comfortable.

Epsom Salts
I did a whole post on why I love Epsom salts.  One of the best things about it is it's ability to reduce swelling and bloat.  The idea is that it pulls toxins out of your body like a sauna, minus the sweating.  Take an Epsom salt bath every other day leading up to your big event.  I've read that it takes two cups of salts and 12 minutes for Epsom salt to do it's thang but I'd hang out in the tub for a while longer and just enjoy.  And on top of reducing bloat you will also be exfoliating all over which is a huge plus for dresses that show some skin!

Concerns?

Where can I even buy Epsom salt?  Anywhere like a drug store, grocery store or Target.  It's really cheap, rounds out to be about $1.00 a pound, so buy in bulk!  This is what those scented bath salts are made of.  You can buy some brands of Epsom salt that are scented with lavender and other soothing smells.

Is it natural?  Yeah, much more natural than anything in your shower right now!

Is it possible to use too much?  In my opinion, no.  I use probably four cups per bath!  I like to rub it directly on rough areas and I also use it to volumize my hair.  But this could vary for medical reasons or whatever.

Benefiber
I know this sounds like a stupid piece of advice because I'm not a doctor.  But I started adding fiber to my diet every morning with my coffee and I lost three pounds.  I'm not saying this will happen for everyone but it really does help cut out the bloat.  It's also really healthy for you and some Benefiber comes with extra benefits like heart health.  So you can either hike up the fiber volume in your diet a few weeks before your event or just make the healthy everyday change.

Concerns?

Can you taste the fiber when you mix it into your coffee?  No!  It's crazy because even in water it completely dissolves and you can not taste a thing.  I even cook with it and add it to sauces, cheeses and mashed potatoes!

Am I going to get stuck in the bathroom because of this?  Seriously, I didn't know how else to word this... but no, you won't get "stuck in the bathroom".  It's not a laxative.

Light Weight Lifting

When I don't want to diet I usually also don't want to work out extra.  But if you want to really "wow" in a dress, at least do some light weight arm toning.  I'm talking three sets of bicep curls using a full water bottle or 5lb weight while watching Project Runway.  Every commercial break do a different arm workout!  If you add some arm workouts to your routine prior to having to dress up, you will start to notice some nice definition in your arms that shows up in pictures.  Every little bit helps!

Here are some easy workouts for arms:

Bicep Curls- Start with your arms straight at your side and your palms facing in toward your thighs holding your weight.  Curl your bicep and bring the weight up to your shoulder.  Rotate a quarter turn so your palm is level with and facing your shoulder.  Then slowly lower your weight back to the starting position.  Repeat on both sides!

Tricep Extensions- Hold one weight with both hands behind your hard so that your elbow are by your ears.  Extend your arms up so that they straighten, holding the weight above your head.  Return your arms back to the bent position and repeat.  Sit up straight!

Shoulder Press- Check your posture first.  Holding one weight in each hand, bend your arms and hold the weights ad shoulder height.  Press the weights up so that your arms are straight.  Then slowly lower your arms back to the original position and repeat. 

Drink Water

Have I lectured you on healthy living habits enough yet?  Well, this is my last piece of advice to make getting into that dress a little easier.  Drink water!  Get all your 8 glasses everyday and then a little more.  Drinking too much water can potentially bloat you but this is usually in conjunction with high salt intake.  Don't overload yourself on water OR salt the week prior.  Drinking water will help you look healthy and also help flush out extra waste that can be causing a little bloat.  

Other small tips:

- If you have one available to you, hit the sauna and sweat out that extra puff!

- Don't starve yourself because eating a lot of little things throughout the day can help you loose weight and it actually works pretty quickly.  

- Stretch!  Sometimes I feel really gross and I know I just need to hit a few yoga poses to help the blood flow.

- Wear your dress around the house a little to help it take shape to your body better.