Jewelry is one of those things that are super personal and say a lot about a person. If a person wears jewelry it kind of always gives you an in on what kind of person they are which is a nice non-verbal clue into someone mind. Me, I personally don't wear a lot of it. I have my Tiffany's initial necklace as well as a cool serotonin one and that's it. They're both sterling silver and very simple and say that I'm not a flashy person.
When it comes to rings I normally don't wear any because it's really hard for me to find something I'm gaga over. That has changed recently because of this beautiful ring that I received from Emma&Chloe.
Emma&Chloe is a subscription box service that picks unique pieces from French designers each month for as little as $30 (depending on the chosen subscription plan) that you can actually keep, unlike others that you have to return and legit rent. These pieces are delicate, well thought of and will totally make an impression when they're being worn.
The January box that I received by M.A. Stone contained a ring that is so beautiful. It's brass plated dipped in a gold bath and has embossed beads as a special touch. Normally this would cost $100 but if you subscribed to the January box it would end up running for a lot less- like more than half off!
I'm trying to be more visible lately with my insane weight loss and boost of confidence that it's given me and part of that is to step out of my yoga pants wearing self. Wearing delicate pieces of jewelry is a nice way to ease back into the dressy person that I used to be which is something I really look forward to.
I received this item for free but am going to join because I want to start building a collection of jewelry and the cost of the boxes, how pretty the pieces are and the fact that they only sell French designers has me sold!
Emma & Chloe Subscription Box
I'm a blogger that has fallen madly in love with Instagram. It's fun, easy to use and again, super fun! The best part about it is the use of hashtags. Hashtags are the best way to get new followers checking out your photos because if someone searches for one and your pic is one of the top (or most recent ones), it gets peoples attention.
Now with Instagram, you're allowed up to 30 hashtags per photo or video which means you have A LOT of chances to get the attention of the right people. Unfortunately though, sometimes it's not easy to think of a single hashtag, let alone 30, and trying to find them while you're on the actual app can be a pain, so a site like Upsocial is where it's at.
Upsocial is super easy to use. You enter a topic and it gives you a massive list of relevant hashtags for it. It's super cool. Plus if you sign up with them, because using the site is free, you get a bunch of other features like hashtag stats, which is super important because you absolutely do not want to waste hashtags on something that is irrelevant or not used/search as it defeats the purpose of them and will not aid in gaining a single follower.
Now to sign up with Upsocial is free but you have to sign up with your Facebook--there's no way around this--but if you're an active blogger that is trying to grow a brand, you're already using Facebook regularly, right?
I've been searching for a way to get relevant hashtags and I'm glad I've found one. Now their next step is getting a mobile app so I can use this on the go when I have something that I don't regularly post on a whim!
Better Hashtags with Upsocial
I'm a tech junkie so it's only natural that I like the idea of controlling everything through my phone. I don't have a single light switch in my bedroom and turn on and off the lights using a remote. The remote has a little base which is always great but when I don't put it back there, which is often, I'm stuck using my phone as a flashlight for it.
This is why having these WiFi Power Socketsby EDSUN are super awesome. I love the idea of turning on lights before I get home and never having to worry about searching for my remote. I also like that they're small and portable so there's no installation needed and if I go away on a long-ish vacation, they can come right along with me.
These can of course be used for things other than lights but I can't think of something I would want to use them with that can turn on automatically. But it gets even better: I can set a timer with it so that I can have my lights go on automatically before I even get there. I know this isn't a brand new concept but there aren't many places where you can get these for under $20 so they're worth the investment if you're just starting to dip your toes in the world of smart homes.
WiFi Power Sockets
Hey Guys!!! Raising creative kids is EXTREMELY important.
Check out this Amazon Coloring Clothing brand we are partnering with:
The DaVinci in U kit comes with two shirts and they have amazing Unicorns, Flower and Parrot designs - this is the perfect gift for creative/artistic girls. They will be proud to wear something they created. Your family will love spending time coloring the shirts and will remember every time they wear it.
DIY Coloring Shirts for Kids


Hi guys, I'm back! And I have a super yummy recipe to start 2018 with. Yes, I realize that we are well into January but throw me a bone, I'm still defrosting from the bomb cyclone that happened in the Northeast. Check out one of my favorite breakfast recipes. It's quick and easy to make but packs a big punch!
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Vanilla Chai Pancakes
by Diane D January-16-2018
Two things I love: pancakes and chai tea. So I thought, why not mix them up!
Ingredients
- 1 Chai Tea Bag
- 1 French Vanilla Tea Bag
- 2 cups Water
- 1 link Aidells Italian Style Susage
- as much as you want Pancake Mix
- ummm...a little? butter
Instructions
-Cut Aidells sausages into whatever size you want. I like to cut mine straight down the center and then cut those into small pieces. I then cook the sausage in butter until it's up to my standards. These sausages are pre-cooked, so it's just getting them warm and crispy
-While the sausage is being cooked, I warm up 1/4 of the water and steep both bags into it. I don't want it to be too watery because I want the amount to be somewhat heavy and concentrated
-While the sausage is being cooked I pour water and tea concentrate into the mix and whisk it until it's at the consistency that I want
-Once the sausages are done I use the same butter to cook the pancakes. Turning them only once to keep them fluffy on the inside.Serve, eat and enjoy!
-While the sausage is being cooked, I warm up 1/4 of the water and steep both bags into it. I don't want it to be too watery because I want the amount to be somewhat heavy and concentrated
-While the sausage is being cooked I pour water and tea concentrate into the mix and whisk it until it's at the consistency that I want
-Once the sausages are done I use the same butter to cook the pancakes. Turning them only once to keep them fluffy on the inside.Serve, eat and enjoy!
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Vanilla Chai Pancakes for Chai Lovers
I'm just going to say it, carbs are my best friend. They make me sluggish, tired and do nothing for my waistline but they taste so good that it's hard to not eat. But because I love to torture myself in order to break bad habits I have officially cut carbs off for the month of February.
When I first moved to LA I did the South Beach Diet and it helped me lose my sweet tooth (I rarely eat sweets or desserts) and got me into veggies because I was never really a fan. I also learned how to cook fish which I was never able to master before.
I mentioned this to a few coworkers and they said it was a great thing to do but eating healthy is so expensive. NOT TRUE! Especially here in Los Angeles where we have access to the best produce for almost half the cost of what it is in NYC. I managed to do groceries for the next two weeks and only spent $42. I may have to grab more sparkling water--if I can' have champagne, I still need bubbles--and a few avocados but I'm trying to stick to Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet while not going broke.
Tonight I made a really tasty dinner which I also plan on having for lunch tomorrow. It's my first time making Mahi-Mahi so I was excited to taste it. Needless to say it was amazing and I can't wait to have it again tomorrow. As per usual, I'm not a measurer (I will work on this, I promise) so you can eyeball the ingredients like I did.
Now what I really love about getting back into cooking is having my recipes ready to share online or in my kitchen. I've never really felt that the things I made deserved a nice display, or a card even, but now thats all changed. I recently got this super cute recipe box that I can't wait to fill up with all of my tasty recipes.
This recipe box by Polite Society comes in a nice tin container that is rust proof, so there's no need to worry about it being near water. So because of that, if you already have a recipe holder that you love, or simply don't use recipes, you can use this in the bathroom to hold samples, masks, or anything that you want al in one place. I really like the cards that it came with and how it's separated into sections for easy reference and the design is super cute. Now I just have to make sure my handwriting gets 1000 times better so that I don't have to preface every recipe inquiry with "excuse my handwriting".
Ingredients
Mahi-Mahi Fillet
baby Spinach
3 Garlic Cloves
Cherry Tomatoes
Fresh Parmesan Cheese
Salt
Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
EVOO
Balsamic Vinaigrette
I bought the fish last night and was so eager to cook it and then I read that it has to thaw in the fridge for at least 8 hours. FAIL! So after letting it sit in the fridge while I was at work it was ready to get cooked.
I put some EVOO in a frying pan and while I waited for it to get hot I seasoned the fillet with salt and pepper.
Up next was throwing it in the pan. I cooked it on one side for about 3 minuted and then turned it over. I put the chopped up garlic in at this point to saute it a bit as well as added the red pepper flakes to the fish.
I can never make a frying pan look glamorous |
In the meantime I cut the cherry tomatoes (omg one of them exploded as I cut it and the tiles in my kitchen looked like a murder scene) and added some salt and pepper to give it a bit of flavor.
I'm a tomato addict |
Spinach is so tasty and pretty |
In my past life, I was a mouse. I heart cheese |
So. Much. Yum. |
It's not lost on me that there's an avocado in the shot. Originally I was going to put some in it and save the other half for lunch tomorrow but I didn't want oxidation to ruin the color of my amazing lunch so I'll reserve serving with with avocados when I make this for more than one person.
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pin me :-) |
Seared Mahi Mahi Salad
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