Adult Style Birthday Cake

This weekend is my dad's birthday so, naturally, I had to celebrate!

... three days early...

... with alcohol...

... alone in my house...

Let's call it taste testing! I found this pin on Pinterest and couldn't help myself. Luckily, I had all but one item already in my house. And who needs a better reason than that to buy cake flavored vodka? *Hint: Not me.*

First, get all your stuff together - this includes cake flavored vodka, coffee liqueur (I had Bailey's on hand), half and half and vanilla cake mix.

First, measure out a shot or so (the recipe says one ounce) of cake vodka and pour into a shaker.

Then measure out a teaspoon of vanilla cake mix. I wasn't exact on this, and it ultimately became "a heaping" teaspoon.

Then, it's on to your half an ounce of coffee liqueur. I used Bailey's because that is what I had on hand.

Next, add your half and half to make enough liquid to fill the glass, and throw some ice cubes into the shaker to make it nice and chilly. Then - shake it up!

Then pour it into a glass stolen from your wedding limo by your groom. Or any other fancy drink glass you have on hand.

And, of course, plaster the top with some delicious whipped cream and dress it up with some sprinkles. Because you can, and it's awesome.

Ultimate result? Delicious. I ended up adding a bit more vodka to cut the Bailey's taste a bit (it was strong!) but otherwise I didn't change it up too much. If I were to make it again, I would definitely go with Kahlua - my gut says it would make it phenomenal. Then you could add more alcohol and less half and half, as all drinks should be.

See you Sunday friends!

Painters Frock

Hey friends! This week, I had a very busy Saturday. First thing I did was run to the Salvation Army to pick up some new finds, then it was onto complete this weeks project before jetting off to a girls night! On the agenda for girls night was a "Paint and Sip" where you do just that - get instructed on how to paint a pretty picture whilst sipping (and/or gulping) your choice of beverage.

Now, I am not a neat person when I do arts and crafts, so I knew I needed something cheap that I wouldn't mind at all that I drip drinks or paint on. I found the perfect little frock:

The problem? It was super large. BUT! It was a perfect length for leggings - helping me stay comfortable, cool and covered up the entire time. Win!

Now, I only had about a half hour to get thing ready for wear before I had to head out, so this was a quick and dirty fix. Luckily, the only problem was just the sheer size of it. First, I pinned about an inch and a half into either side of the shirt.

Once pinned, I turned it right side out and put it on with all the pins in it to ensure I didn't take too much or too little in and adjusted as needed. Then, I sewed up my new seams, and trimmed the excess material off.

And that was literally it! I love that just a small thing like a sizing issue is so easily and quickly fixed to take this shirt from super frumpy to totally chic. Of course, I had to take the after in my sunnies to prove how clearly awesome I am.

And how did the painting go? Although the purple paint did a number on my white leggings, I got 0 drops of paint on my shirt, so it will live another day. I think it may end up being a fall staple with black leggings and a cardigan.

And the painting itself? I did not see it going so well, but I am in love with it and once I find a good place to hang it, it will be a permanent fixture soon.

Just makes you want to jump in and relax, doesn't it?

Enjoy your Sunday, friends, and I will see you on Wednesday (spoiler alert!) with a little mid-week cocktail. Because every week needs a work-day cocktail night.

Testing YouTube - Two Toned Manicure

I should probably not go as far to call this a "manicure" - it's more of just strictly nail polishing. I'm not one to shape, file or do anything fancy to my nails. They usually break too easily to do anything too exotic. However, I recently saw a YouTube video posted by PopSugar that claimed "easiest nails" and I felt the need to test their definition of "easiest".  Here's what you need:

Pretty flowers (shameless gardening plug) and delicious smelling candle are optional, but certainly set a fancy mood.

Basically, you need two colored polishes (or more, go crazy), a top and base coat, tape (stay with me here) and nail polish remover. I could be lying about the polish remover - it says to use "clean" nails, so I did some soap and water and some remover. Do whatever your definition of "clean" would be. 

First, lay down your base coat. Then paint two coats of your choice bottom color. I chose myself a bright blue from China Glaze.

Let it dry completely before you move on. Once dry, place tape on your nails to cover certain portions of the nail. The exposed parts will end up being the other color - for me, this is a dark glittery purple, also by China Glaze.

 

*Handy Tip* Place the tape on the back of your hand and tear it off a couple times before placing on your nail to make it less sticky. If you put it straight on your nail from the roll, it will rip off your polish instead of peeling nicely. Took me a few goes to get this one.

 

Paint over the tape with the second color. 

It's not gonna look pretty yet. Settle down. 

Next, let the top color dry for a few minutes until it is tacky but not completely dry and pull the tape slowly off from the bottom of your nail to top. 

Let dry, and then add your top coat for some staying power. 

Don't judge on the angles of these pictures - it's super hard to get pictures of your own nails!

So - was it easy? Meh. The idea is easy to follow and the steps themselves do not take an art degree. Keeping the tape flat on my nail without bumps, creases or air bubbles was hard, and polish certainly leaked into anywhere I didn't have perfect. My lines weren't exactly clear. 

 

Also, sitting on my couch for so long waiting for all my layers to dry was hard, but it's mainly because I think of everything I have to do with my hands when I can't use them. Every. Time. For this, have a nice movie going to keep you interested.

All in all, it's a fun look and I'll certainly try it again and attempt some clearer lines. For now, these pictures are the closest anyone will see them!

See ya Sunday, friends!

Didn't Forget About You!

Hey friends. Just a quick check in to explain my absence on Sunday. The problem?

I didn't have anything to refashion! *Gasp!*

Here's the deal: mama needed clothes for work. And I love making clothes - but summer clothes! Not too many things I make are work appropriate, and that is mainly what keeps this fun. 

So, I recently went out to the local outlets and blew this weeks refashion budget on work clothes. 

Yes, I feel bad. But not so bad, because I looked fantastic today in my new dress :)

Payday is this week, so my budget resets and posts will continue as planned. Don't fret! 

Until then, keep an eye out for the Wednesday post - who knows what I'll be testing next!