Busy Bee

Buzz-Bzzzzzzz
     Hey y'all! This is just a Polyvore set that I made a while back, when the weather was still horrific and cold out. While it was snowing and sleeting and hailing (oh my!) outside, I did my best to stay inside with lots of fires and snuggly blankets, fantasizing about warmer weather, and praying for spring to come.
    When I think about Spring, I think about flowers, and when I think about flowers, I think about (what else?) BEES! I think bees are such a cool source for creative inspiration. After all, they're creative too, and I mean, who doesn't love honey?!? (those bear shaped jars are the absolute cutest)

     I love the Gilded Bee Posts from Anthro. Sadly, they're sold out, but you can find some similar ones here, and here.

That watch is super cool, I think it would keep even the buzziest person on time (I'm sorry, I had to... too punny?)

The rest of the jewelry are that perfect honeycomb shape, those hexagons would fit right in with the geometric trend that's happening right now. That emerald green necklace is so great- I it would make any outfit pop! Stud earrings from Barneys, similar here, here and here. Hexagon dangle earrings, similar found here. Necklace; similar here.

These sunnies are like the honey-bee motif version of the proverbial "rose colored glasses" they have such a  retro look to them, and I love that warm honey/ golden yellow color combo.

That Fossil bag is adorable. It's the perfect size for a makeup bag, and what better place to put all of your favorite bee-related cosmetics, like this eyeshadow palette (available at Liberty of London.)

While we're talking about cosmetics, how cute is that flower blush from Clinique? I actually have it in "Plum Pop," but I've been eyeing the ginger as well...

Also, how perfect is it that Marc Jacobs' newest perfume features honey as a main note (not to mention the name,) with a bottle that oh-so-clearly emanates the honeybees that make it! I love this perfume too, it's sweet, but not too overpowering, and has a really lovely hint of citrus in it as well.

This nail polish from Topshop is a really lovely light honey color, and it totally goes along with the latest reincarnation of the springtime pastel trend. I think that even Tory Burch's lipsticks look vaguely like a honey-comb/ geometric bee pattern. Plus, they're pretty.

The honey bath and shampoo look so yummy!! The packaging completely makes them. You thought the bear shaped honey bottle was cute, how about a honey bear-shaped shampoo bottle?

And finally, of course, Burt's Bees Beeswax lipbalm... how could I not include the iconic honeybee logo in a post about bees?

Busy Bee by sellett16 featuring bracelet jewelry

I just think that these things are absolutely precious. I'm totally obsessed~ and that is coming from the girl who completely freaks whenever any stinging, flying insect is within a ten yard radius.

(When I was little, I had a few semi-traumatic run-ins with yellow jackets, and then there was an incident that involved a rope swing, and colliding with one of these monsters while swinging out over a ravine, clinging to my rope for dear life while the evil thing stung me repeatedly (it.flew.up.my.sleeve.) to this day I still cringe a little thinking about it. Because of this, I had a fear of bees/ hornets/ wasps that bordered on pathological. It was so bad that if I heard anything that sounded even remotely like buzzing, I would run like lightning to the nearest door to the house.)

It has since gotten better; Nowadays, when I see a wasp or hornet, I only run screaming sometimes, and I am actually quite fond of bumble bees and honey bees. They were the only ones that never stung me... besides, as someone who enjoys gardening, I've learned to love them.
And not just as accessories!

xoxo, Sallie

Menu Planning...

Hi All!

OK so I'm about to get really domestic on y'all. Which is good for me, because I'm trying to be better at domestic things. (haha- but actually, I need help)

   In an attempt to better myself in the kitchen, I've convinced mis padres to let me cook dinner one night this weekend. Yay! Now, I'm not sure how much time I'll have, or, now that I think of it, how much help either, but I've put some thought into planning the "menu" so to speak. I didn't want to do anything too over-the-top, but I also want something that's interesting and multi-dimensional, with several different flavors that compliment each other. Here's what I came up with:

~Soup~

I want to do some variation on a Carrot Ginger soup. The picture below is from a recipe by Williams Sonoma, but I also like the idea of having a cream based soup, like this one.

Image Via Yummly.com

 ~Side~

I actually centered the whole meal around this. There is a bowl of mangos on my kitchen counter that will be perfectly ripe by the weekend, so I'm going to make some fresh mango chutney (I honestly love that word, every time I read it, I can't help but say "Chut-en-ney" in an over-exaggerated british accent in my head...) and serve it over white rice. I think I've found a pretty good recipe, too. I got the idea from the mangos (obviously) and tonight, at dinner, when I decided to put honey on my plain rice to make it taste nice, and it was very, very tasty!

Image found here

~Main Course~

     I decided that since I already have a lot going on with the soup and the chutney (hehe...) that I would keep it simple with the main course, to anchor everything nicely. So, of course, I went straight to chicken, because it's my favorite and for it's versatility. It's pretty much the superhero of all poultry meats. Not to worry though, I;m still going to throw in some flavor by baking it with citrus and seasoning it well with some fresh herbs from our garden. Hopefully, it will look something like the image below. 

Via simplyrecipes.com

And of course, one can't forget the most important part of any meal...

~Dessert~
(!!)

   I'm thinking chocolate cupcakes (9 times out of 10 I am thinking chocolate something,) but with a bit of a twist. Instead of your average, run-of-the-mill chocolate cake mix cup cakes, I'm going to use super yummy DARK chocolate cake mix. Oh, and throw in some cinnamon and chipotle powder, for a little "kick." It won't really even be spicy at all, the chipotle powder just brings out and amplifies the already chocolatey goodness... 

source

source: here

source

Well, that's it guys. Wish me luck with my cooking endeavors!! Hopefully they'll work out well enough to warrant a mini food-photo-shoot :) 

-I'm off to go look at more pictures of cupcakes...

xoxo Sallie

Paying It Forward...

Hi All!
First off, there are several reasons why Anthropologie is one of my favorite stores. Here's just a few:
     ~Reason No. 1~ Everything in there is beautiful, and so beautifully displayed... Yes, they want you to buy things, but they make the process of shopping so darn enjoyable, not to mention the AMAZING window displays (see photo below.)
     ~Reason No. 2~ The customer service is stellar; I never had more than two items in my hand, before a salesperson came over and asked if they could hold it for me. That is such a welcome change from the usual lugging-around of countless hangers until you're ready to try things on/ your arms are about to fall off routine that I find myself following in other stores.
     ~Reason No. 3~ It smells nice. ;)

I've always loved shopping here, even more so after today. Today I came back to Anthropologie to get something I had seen there yesterday while shopping, and had my day made by a complete stranger. I apologize in advance for the lengthy post, I tried to add pictures where I could, but I think it only ended up making it longer...

     Yesterday, I went in with a couple of gift cards, and left with a new dress and top- but not without trying on half of the store first. While I was looking through one of the bins of accessories, etc in the back room (where they have the absolute best sales) I found a bottle of perfume that I had been coveting for a while... at a 50% discount. (It was one of a few "tester"bottles of that perfume in there, but, unlike the others, it was pretty much completely full.) Obviously I had to have it. I had used the gift cards on clothes though, so like any other rational person, I hid it behind one of the boxes and prayed that no-one would get it before I could come back for it. (Perfume falls under the category of things-I-have-more-than-enough-of, and mi madre wasn't there to spot me the cash, which meant I was on my own for this one.)

Just a few...  via Polyvore

    And that's exactly what I did when I came back today. I counted out what I would need, and put it in my wallet. I even calculated and re-adjusted for tax. So I went in to Anthro, found the bottle right where I had left (ok, *hidden*) it, and went to the register. When it came time to pay, I came up $1 short. I was a little irritated with myself for counting wrong, but I was having an "off" day. No biggie: I laughed it off and said something like "Great, I'm in advanced math and I can't even count to ten..." I asked them to hold it for me, and went next door to get the difference from my mom. Then, I went back in, and re-did the checkout process, and even counted out the money one dollar at a time.
     The cashier looked at me and politely told me that I was *again* one dollar short. Now, you've gotta understand, that I thought I was going a little crazy there. I mean, hadn't I JUST been through this? I came up one dollar short before, so I went and got another dollar, only to be told I was still one dollar short. WTF MATH?!? At this point, I was pretty flustered, and I pretty much looked at the lady and was like "You have got to be kidding me." I felt so, so stupid and incapable seeing as how I had apparently either a.) failed to count to ten properly for the 2nd time b.) managed to lose the dollar I had just gotten in the 25 yard walk from my mother to the register.
     I was about to go back to the store where my mom was and ask her for ANOTHER dollar, when the woman in line at the register next to me kindly leaned over, and put a fresh, crisp one dollar bill on the counter in front of me. I was halfway between ecstatic and mortified, and sincerely thanked the woman several times. So I purchased my bottle of perfume, turned to the woman to thank her once more, and left the store in a wonderful mood.

- - - - I actually found the missing dollar in the side pocket of my wallet, later on - - - -

Image via Anthropologie

     The woman who came to my rescue did not witness my first failed attempt at counting, and therefore could have no idea how incomparably stupid I felt in that moment, but her kind gesture completely made my day. It just goes to show that even a small act of kindness can go a long way. Which brings me to "paying it forward."

     That is something I have always believed in, but have not always practiced. Sometimes I hesitate too long, and someone else beats me to the punch. Other times, I may only have enough money to cover the items in my bag. I don't usually carry that much cash on me, and I almost always have a general list of what I want to get, in order to avoid making a spontaneous purchase that I usually regret and end up returning. Next time I find myself waiting at the register with my basket, in line behind someone who's having an "off" day, I could help them out, and just put one of my items back, because, chances are, despite my list, I still picked up something that I really don't need as an afterthought. And, unlike my spontaneous purchases, paying it forward rarely comes with a sense of regret. 
     The fact that I don't keep much money in my wallet goes back to something my grandfather used to say, "Never carry around more than what you can afford to lose," which, being a jobless 16 year old, isn't much. I totally agree with his advice, and have clearly taken it to heart, but, in light of my experience today, I would like to amend it: Never carry more than you can afford to lose, but always carry what you can afford to give.

*Sorry, I know this was really wordy and long. I promise not to do posts like this often. I was just in a really reflective mood, and happened to have my computer in front of me. I'll try to do something fun next time- with lots of pictures!*

**"The last picture of this post was made using ABM app for iPhone**

Sweet April showers, do spring May flowers...

Hi All!

I've been so bad! It has been OVER a month since I updated the blog. Mea culpa! (This is the part where I offer up the lame excuse that "I've been busy/ I've had a lot going on." Which is true, but still...) The blog is still very much in it's infancy, basically a newborn, if you want to keep using that metaphor. There have only been a few posts, but I'm feeling like I've gotten something good here, or, at the very least, a whole lot of potential. Anyhow, there was a 2 week period where I didn't have school, (during which I had Spring Break, and also a lot of time to work on my art, thanks to my school's enrichment program) and I lost the momentum I had gained with my blog posts. I tried sitting down to my computer and writing several times, but it just wasn't happening. I do plan on blogging about my spring break trip, and will probably do some little "review" posts of the restaurants we ate at while on vacation. And let me tell you, there were some good ones.

In the meantime, here is the past month (March- the present) in a series of pictures of flowers. Enjoy!

A snapshot of a lovely little pink camellia that I took at the Edmondston-Alston house in Charleston, SC. There is actually a great story that goes along with this, but I'll save that for another post. I just love this picture, the flower had just bloomed, so it was 100% perfect, and had the smallest, most delicate petals I have ever seen. It really reminded me exactly of a frosted flower on a cake, and I may or may not have used the word "yummy" to describe it... but actually, I wanted to eat it. It was that pretty.

Another camellia, this time a white one. I took this picture at Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, GA.

the first daffodils of spring!!

I love daffodils. There's just something about them that is so cheerful, and they can instantly brighten up a room and make me smile. They're one of the first signs of spring where I live, and when they pop up at the end of an especially long and brutal winter (like the one we've just had) they always seem to be saying, "Oh! Thank God THAT's over!!" On a side note, there is a hill at the end of my street that is almost completely covered in daffodils in the early spring. We drive by it every day, and it is quite the sight to see!

The rest are pictures I took yesterday while out and about with my dad. We did a little thrifting, and then stopped by Lowe's to check out the garden department. We're really into gardening in my family, especially my dad, who keeps a very impressive vegetable garden- with my help, of course :)

Maybe when we're done planting, I'll do a blog post on our veggie garden! I can't wait to start harvesting fresh tomatoes! We also grow several varieties of lettuce, so we've gotten really spoiled in the summer when it comes to having delicious fresh salads. Adjusting to store-bought produce in the winter is always hard...