Today is the LAST DAY to enter the scratch and sniff custom dog silhouette giveaway!  Where you can win a personalized print in your CHOICE of dog breed and style.  Here’s one of my faves:

Have you entered?

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As we were cleaning up our house this past weekend and figuring out what to put in the recycling bin, I came across one of the Kohl’s ads that we so frequently get.  This ad had a “secret discount” of either 15%, 20%, or 30% off your purchase, and lo and behold, I got the 30% off!  (I wonder if everyone gets this, haha).  So I then proceeded to log on my computer (OK, who are we kidding here, my computer was already up) and checked out the Kohl’s website and on the homepage I saw a picture of the new LC Lauren Conrad collection, you know, the girl from the Hills!  OK, so maybe it’s not new, but it’s new to me!  And here are some of my FAVORITE picks, not to mention, the prices are SEVERELY AFFORDABLE friends!

Round Sunglasses – $21

Floral Ruffle Camisole – $22.99

Gray Boyfriend Blazer – $41.99

Henley Set – $29.99

Lace Jacket – $53.99

Pintuck Tunic – $27.99

Motorcycle Jacket – $49.99

Ruffle Sweater – $34.99

Boyfriend Blazer with Pinstripe Cuffs – $44.99

Ruffle Chiffon Dress – $41.99

All of that for a grand total of $367.91 + tax.  Pretty good bargain for a pair of sunglasses, 4 tops, 2 blazers, 2 jackets and 1 dress, yea??  Bargain shopping at its finest!  By the way, I hear that there are more lovely items in store and not online, must check it out!

Are you a fan of this collection?  What other celebrity collections are you a fan of?

OK this post is going to be a bit all over the place… just to warn you!  Oh yea and you’ve got two more days to enter the  scratch and sniff custom dog silhouette print giveaway!  Get on it!

Remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned that I flew to Chicago to be in the audience of Oprah… well that show is airing TODAY!  The topic being The Mom Who “Fathered” Her Own Children, Plus the Cast of Modern Family.  So if you’re a Modern Family fan, you should totally watch the show!

After a night of staying up late and catching up with my friend Ning-Ju (who let us stay at her place) and my sister-in-law, Jenny and I woke up bright and early to get ready.  Showers, make-up, and getting dressed, we were ready to head out by 9AM.  We hailed a cab to Harpo Studios to find a decent sized line of people dressed in really bright clothing, looking like they were ready for a cocktail party.  Around 9:45AM, one-by-one, we went through metal detectors and had to check our coats, cameras and cell phones.  We went up to a waiting area where we filled out a few forms and waited until all the audience members arrived.

Around 12PM, we were ready to head into the studio, but first they called a few names to go in first… and guess whose name was first?!?!  My sister-in-laws!  Which meant that we got to sit in the SECOND ROW!!  Here’s what we looked like, hopefully we’ll get at least a few seconds on air. 

We shot a few different segments and Oprah was amazing, of course!  She even answered a few audience questions after the taping and you really got to see how beautiful, inspirational, and wonderful she is!  Afterwards, we took a gander at her shop across the street and then headed to the airport.  It was so great that Oprah was able to bring my sister-in-law and I together, I don’t see her nearly enough.  It seemed like lots of audience members were friends or family that hadn’t seen each other in awhile, coming together, even Oprah mentioned that!  I’m also so glad I got to be a part of Oprah’s legacy in the last season of her show and I can’t wait to see more of her on her own network!  Let me know if you see one of us on TV!

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Next up, I’ve been featured as a brilliant blogger on the rikrak studio!  Totally *blushing* right now.  Go check out the interview to see some of my blogging favorites and tips!  I had so much fun with the interview kristal, thanks so much!!

My pear, kiwi, and peach sorbet trio hairpins have been featured on a mums etsy treasury curated by My Creative Pathway!  This treasury totally screams autumn + pretty to me!

AND, my pink passion martini hairpins were featured in sizeMedium’s So Cute It Hurts treasury too!  I LOVE the colors of this treasury!

Thanks so much for the feature ladies~!  I feel soo honored!

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And finally, I couldn’t be more excited to announce the giveaway winner from my new blog look, sponsorship and etsy shop launch celebration!  First up, the winner of a free 30 day ad spot is…

And the winner of some of my etsy shop items is Josie from airplaneninja who won through her tweet! Congrats ladies! You should receive an email from me shortly! And thank you EVERYONE from the bottom of my heart for the sweet comments about my new look and shop!

For the DOG LOVER, we still have the scratch and sniff custom dog silhouette print giveaway going on~!!  Make sure to head on over to this post and enter if you haven’t already!

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One of my favorite things about home ownership is the fact that we have a yard, and in that yard we can grow whatever we want!  A tiny basil plant picked up at a Farmer’s Market a few months ago has turned into this!!

We decided to hang the basil to dry so that it would be one less spice container that we need to purchase!  I just love this photo which I’ll be linking up to…

And to go along with it, I came up with two fabulous recipes where the basil really adds a nice kick of flavor!  We’re still happily eating the leftovers!

Caprese Salad

Ingredients


2 large tomatoes
1 package mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon basil
Pinch of salt and pepper

Directions

1. Slice tomato and mozzarella cheese into 1/4 inch thick rounds.
2. Layer tomato and mozzarella on serving plate.
3. Mix together olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Pour mixture over tomato and mozzarella.
4. Sprinkle basil on top.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Mushroom Flatbread with Cheese and Herbs

Ingredients

3 mini pizza crusts (pre-packaged)
8 oz. assorted shitake mushrooms, cleaned and cut
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, sliced
2 tablespoons basil pesto sauce
4 oz. romano cheese
3 oz. goat cheese
1 tablespoon thyme
caprese salad from above, cut (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Heat skillet over medium high heat.  Add olive oil, garlic, and onions.  Stir in mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.
3. Spread basil pesto sauce on pizza crusts and sprinkle on romano cheese.
4. Add mushroom mixture to pizza crusts as well as goat cheese.
5. Sprinkle thyme on top.
6. I felt like adding the chopped caprese salad mixture on top (tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, balsamic vinegar). It added more dimension and taste to the flatbreads.
7. Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

What is your favorite recipe that contains basil?  I still have a lot left so I can sure use some more ideas!

Hello!  I have a very special post for you today, it’s a little bit out of the ordinary, but still so very fun!  The fabulous Beth, from hello, splendor, is hosting a Blog Crawl where tons and tons of wonderful bloggers give their own interpretation on “My Life is an Open Book”.  Last Friday, The Social Thread, shared her journey of turning her passion for fashion into a career and tomorrow, my dear blogger friend who’ve I’ve actually met in real life, One Sydney Road, will share her story with us!

And this is where my open book begins… wide open… for you all to read!  Do you have your bookmark ready?

image credits: grant archibald, venture photography, sophia ritz, his & hers photography, epicute, sandy a la mode

Well, that’s all folks!  Hope you enjoyed my story.  And make sure to check out the full list of bloggers here so you can discover new blogs, learn more about bloggers you already know, and leave them some love!  And you’ll have to come back often to see how my twist unfolds! 

P.S. Don’t forget to enter this giveaway for ad spot/etsy items and this giveaway for a dog lover if you haven’t already!

Since autumn has made it’s appearance, I can’t help but hold on to bits of summer like warm weather from the beautiful golden sun.  My very first Flavors To Follow was a yellow theme, and 8 months later, I am still obsessed with it (that’s why i HAD to add some of it into my banner).  Doesn’t looking at yellow just make you want to smile??  Well if not, hopefully after seeing this collage, I can make a believer out of you! 

1 awesomely cool knit bow headphones seen on wattlebird made by late to the revolution
2 never struggle to find change in your bag with this pineapple brocade coin purse by downtown girl designs
3 keep your bangs out of your hair with this lemon lime hairpin set, guess who made it?
4 take yourself back to the 1920s with this decadent vintage sycamore fall 1920s necklace by jeanjeanvintage
5 since mustaches are all the craze now, these little booties by pocketful of pretty are soo perfect for your little one
6 add a bit of vintage charm to your outfit with this beautiful much love, illy golden rod poppy garland headband
7 dress up your feet with these flowering durum heels from anthropologie, spotted on oh, hello friend
8 wear this flower crown by cucuco to establish your royalty as princess!
9 use this super cute wesley purse by jacqueline from for your tissues, cards, money, etc.
10 adorn your neckline with this beautiful mustard ruffle necklace by pretty things by meg

Was I the only one who smiled while looking through this collage? Now go link click happy and pay all of these wonderful bloggers and shop owners a visit, you will soooo thank me!

In other blog news, have you joined The First Annual Snuggle Up Scarf Swap hosted by Mateya and Miss Chelsea?? You can never have enough scarves since they are just the perfect accessory for adding a pop of color and keeping warm! What are you waiting for!?  You have until this SUNDAY to enter! If you enter, make sure to add this button to your sidebar like I did!

Hope you all have a beautiful fall weekend!  And don’t forget to enter my ad spot / etsy shop giveaway and the scratch and sniff custom dog silhouette print giveaway! Whew, I love giveaways!