Hooray new paper goods listed on etsy

the cake topper of my dreams!

I was browsing on etsy and stumbled across the MOST ADORABLE cake topper ever! The topper can be personalized to look just like the bride and groom... from the skin tone, to the flowers, hair, clothing, and I could even add a dog to include our pups! Now all I need is to get engaged, haha. Then the cake topper will be MINE MINE MINE! I showed the BF and he actually thinks its adorable too and agreed that it could be our future cake topper :). I love it because it looks whimsical and childlike...SO beautiful! Check out the creator's etsy shop called Lollipopworkshop. Click on picture below:

happy labor day weekend!

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy, safe and fun Labor Day Weekend! Also, wanted to share the happy news (not so happy for my wallet) of my growing Balenciaga collection! My BF surprised me with a Raisin GSH coin purse :). I now own a Vert Gazon RH Day and the CP. The green and purple really pop together! I'll upload pics soon :)

LOUIS VUITTON AVAILABLE! :)

Hi Everyone. Since I just purchased a balenciaga bag, I've decided to sell off some of my personal Louis Vuitton items to pay for it. Check out my auctions:

http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/bebeangel_W0QQ_nkwZQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZQQ_ipgZ25


Louis Vuitton Monogram Sonatine Handbag (retired item)



Louis Vuitton Epi Canvas Small Ring Agenda Planner


Louis Vuitton Lilac Epi Z Coin Purse Wallet (retired item and color)

BRITNEY TICKETS YA'LL

I have two tickets available to see Britney Spears on 08/29 in Boston at the TDBanknorth Garden. They are floor tickets next to the stage. I paid $388 but am listing the auction at a start of only 99 cents. Please bid... this is a great deal:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300335358100&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

blove

This picture makes me swoon <33 src="http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af351/emishop/bcp.jpg">

I have a thing for leather accessories, I think I have a matching wallet for every bag. I found the above photo from Flickr - it's of someones colorful collection of Balenciaga Coin Purses with both regular hardware and giant silver hardware. I love the blues the most and I've been on the hunt to find one. I've looked everywhere and it's been impossible to find since these colors are from past seasons. I checked out TPF today and found out that the 2010 colors are very similar to these two! I hope they make them in the giant gold hardware *cross fingers*

Paper Goods

I've been an etsy.com member for a few years now and have always enjoyed scouring the site for unique finds. I finally decided in the midst of decluttering my closet to make use of all the excess paper I've collected through the years of helping my cousin with invites for her wedding. I created some greeting note cards, personalized stationary and invites which are now available on my etsy site: http://www.shekstar.etsy.com. Please stop by and check it out :). Any feedback would also be greatly appreciated!

Project FABULOUS!

I absolutely adored Leanne Marshall's creations on Season 5 of Project Runway! Here's a picture of her showing at Bryant Park during New York fashion week last year:



Her creations are so beautiful and whimsical, so imagine my excitement when I logged onto bluefly.com today and saw this:





Her pieces on bluefly are so pretty and 20% off! Snap them up while you can. These are much more affordable pieces than her other clothes on etsy --> leanimal. I'm going to go shopping now so excited cause I have a $10 credit on bluefly that I never used. Happy shopping, be sure to check it out!

red, white and blueberry

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

I'm making red, white and blueberry cupcakes for today's barbeque. Here's the recipe:

MAKES 12 MEDIUM CUPCAKES

CUPCAKES

1/3 cup fresh blueberries
1-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup fresh strawberries

TOPPING

2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup fresh strawberries
1/3 cup fresh blueberries


Make the cupcakes. Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 12 muffin tin cups with paper cupcake liners.

Put the blueberries and strawberries in a small bowl and stir them gently with 1 tablespoon of the flour. Sift the remaining flour, the baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until smoothly blended and lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. In 2 additions, beat in the egg whites, mixing until smoothly blended. Add the vanilla and almond extract and beat for 2 minutes. The batter should look smooth but foamy. On low speed, add half of the flour mixture, mixing just to incorporate it. Mix in the milk. Mix in the remaining flour mixture until it is incorporated and the batter looks smooth. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the blueberries and strawberries into the batter.

Fill each paper liner with 1/4 cup of batter, to about 1/2 inch below the top of the liner. Bake just until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

Cool the cupcakes for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Remove the cupcakes from the pan onto a wire rack and let cool completely.

Make the topping. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until firm peaks form.

Use a small spatula to spread a generous 3 tablespoons of whipped cream evenly over the top of each cupcake. Gently spoon several raspberries and blueberries over the whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate up to 5 hours, and serve cold.

Here's a picture of my finished product, I arranged the strawberries and blueberries into stars and stripes. The cupcake liners are from Bake It Pretty.

Cute Bakeware!

I absolutely LOVE baking/decorating baked goods and just as importantly - sharing it with friends and family! Here's a picture of a cake I made a few years ago, as you can see I went a little crazy with the frosting:



I frequently browse Williams-Sonoma and Crate Barrel - ever since moving into our own place a few years ago, I've become engulfed in home decor/baking. Here are a few of my favorite finds that I heart and hope to add soon to my bakeware collection:


Williams Sonoma Pocket Pie Molds
This nifty two piece set is only $17 and very kid friendly - which is perfect for my two little sisters (6 & 7). The molds have a cute peek-through filling cut-out and can be used to stuff with meat, cheeses and fruits. You can make your very own hot pockets! I would love to make a ton of these to serve at a party or to bring to a bbq.



Williams Sonoma The Great Cupcake Pan
Calling all cupcake fanatics! This is the ultimate cupcake cake. This cupcake pan bakes in two molds and I imagine is easy to piece together with a little frosting "glue". There are so many possibilities with this cake pan. My favorite idea would be to hollow out some of the bottom center and fill it with chocolate fudge or ice cream. :) This would be my ideal birthday cake even though I'm not 10 anymore. If only it wasn't $36!



Crate & Barrel Mini 8-Loaf Pan
How cute is this pan. It's the perfect size to make a variety of loaves to wrap up and give away to friends and family for holidays. Way more cost and time effective than baking one mini loaf at a time or buying a ton of mini loaf pans. It's only $11.95 at the Crate and Barrel outlet. I'm definitely going to get this one and making lots of yummy loaves to share.

Anthropologie Tritone Dress

I absolutely ADORE this Anthropologie Tritone dress. It happens to be the three colors I tend to gravitate towards the most: navy, green and gray. Also, it's made of a soft jersey material so it's super comfy for all day wear. Dress it up for a night out with a pair of heels and a drop necklace or dress it down to a barbeque with flip flops. My favorite jersey dress designers are the dresses at Anthropologie, Ella Moss and Rachel Pally. I am in need of a Fourth of July outfit so this may be it. I could wear jersey dresses every day of the summer if only the weather in New England would brighten up!

fresh Home Spa Facial

Every few weeks when my skin starts to feel super oily from the weather conditions, I perform this facial regime using mostly fresh products. In fact, I am doing it now while blogging. I love going to the spa as much as the next girl, but getting a facial at home is significantly kinder to your wallet.

Step 1: Fresh Soy Face Cleanser $38. First I wash my face with the soy cleanser. It doesn't have a strong fragrance, is extremely gentle and doesn't dry out your face. It's made from soybean extracts which help improve the texture of your skin. The cleanser is like a fancier Cetaphil face wash. Also, since I started using this face wash, my face doesn't really break out anymore - hallelujah!


Step 2: Fresh Sugar Face Polish $55. Next, I use the sugar face polish to gently scrub off dead skin cells and around my nose, where blackheads are more prone to crop up (gross!). It's not abrasive like most scrubs I've tried and will not cause redness or sting. It has brown sugar crystals and crushed wild strawberries, which are rich in vitamin C, but more importantly, makes the scrub smell yummy. I leave this on for about ten minutes and then rinse off.

Step 3: Fresh Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask $85. This hydrating mask leaves my skin feeling tingly and renewed. I leave this on my face for about 15 minutes, then rinse it off. This mask is an Allure Magazine Editors Choice award winner, and after one use, it's easy to see why. This mask makes my face feel smooth and moisturized.

Recessionista tip: This mask is almost as expensive as getting a facial at the spa! To save money, you can go to Sephora and ask for a sample of the mask. Depending on the sales associate, they'll either put it in a small or large sample jar for you, free of charge. Every time I stop by a Sephora, I ask for a sample of the mask. I've saved myself $85 and have been able to use the samples for the past few months.

Step 4: shu uemura Depsea Water Facial Mist in Chamomile $24. As the finishing touch, I spray my face 1-2 times with this mist. The chamomile is very soothing and the mist contains 60 minerals :D. It also keeps my skin moisturized. The facial mist comes in 9 different fragrances - my other favorites are rose and lavender.


Grand total spent: $202, or using my sephora tip, $117. That's less than my last spa visit! Plus the size of fresh products are very generous and will last you from half a year to a year, depending on how often you use the products. I know this blog is new, so I'm not sure that anyone reads it but please do share any skin care regimes you swear by.

Introduction

Hello and welcome to my very first blog entry! I finally decided to start my own after I realized how addicted I've become to reading other people's blogs (see sidebar). A little about myself - My name is Emily, I'm a twenty something young professional, I have an affinity for baking cupcakes, graphic arts / web design, shopping, kitschy home decor items, all things cute and just about any song with acoustic guitar.

sheknots has a few meanings... some of the letters in the site make up my last name and the "knots" stands for my newfound interest in wedding blogs. Being the maid of honor to a friend that was engaged for two years will do that to you. My favorite part of wedding blogs are the creative inspirations to piece together an event that truly reflects a couples' unique personalities. My boyfriend and I have been dating just a little under eight (yes eight!) years so maybe some day the blog name will hold a new meaning, but for now I'm quite chipper with being a girlfriend and a loving mum to our little puggle fur baby :).

To start off the premier entry are a few of my latest purchases:

Fresh Sugar Rosé Tinted Lip Treatment

Being a devout "fresh junkie", I literally squealed with glee when I opened the Sephora e-mail announcing the newest fresh lip balm. Of all the lip balms I've ever owned, fresh sugar treatment is the only one I've used religiously. I'm currently on my third tube. The balm has a faint yet delectable lemon scent and leaves my lips feeling smooth and unchapped for hours. I rarely wear lipstick and although I love lip gloss, I'm not a fan of the "hair stuck in lipgloss" look. The NEW fresh balm has the same original formula goodness except with a hint of tint! GENIUS! I ordered it online before it sold out again and also scored handful of sample freebies. Can't wait for it to arrive in my mailbox!

J. Crew Crystal-Flower Ring

This whimsical gold ring from J. Crew is a fun summer piece. It's sparkly, cute and charming. It's currently on sale at jcrew.com for $29.99 but only in size large. I held off purchasing it online in my size (medium) because I wanted to get the ring at a store and save an extra 15% off with my student discount. Unfortunately, it ended up selling out fairly quickly online in the medium. In my frantic panic, I called every J. Crew location in my state only to hear that the ring was sold out :(. I was determined to find it so I ended up calling several other states and after what seemed like the 25th call, I found one in Tennessee! The lesson to this story is to snap up a bargain when you see one. Online shopping is a bit addicting, whenever I get a package in the mail, I feel like it's Christmas.