FFF - Free Emeril's 20th Anniversary Cookbook download

Woohoo for another Fun, free Friday!

Slowly but surely, we're mostly unpacked and settling into our place.  The weekend also means Mr. Spend 'n Chomp can help out a bit more with cleaning house.  I know it will be the highlight of his week. ;)

What I'm most happy about is getting to cook a bit more because eating every single meal out for a few weeks gets annoying.  My first home cooked meal was yesterday evening when I made this easy and healthy  frittata from Liz.  It was great (I added chili pepper in the egg and topped it off with avocado, lime, and salt because I felt like it) and I think it's gonna be a staple menu item.

Love new (and easy) recipes!  Then I found out from Fantabulously Frugal that there was a free download of Emeril's 20th anniversary cookbook via Martha Stewart's radio blog.
The direct link for the PDF is here.

There are tons of delicious looking recipes but I think I'm going to try the Vietnamese style stuffed chicken wings recipe first.  I'm going to be a bit wacky and do this with chicken breasts or some other easy to use part instead because I don't want to go through deboning chicken wings.

Image from here

Hope you have a fabulous weekend and let me know if you try any recipes!

CnC Living Travel Log: Treats and Teatime on a mountain in Jiufen, Taiwan

I wanted to share a last post from my Taiwanese holiday to give you a peek at a cute little town with some interesting sites - a tea house in the mountains, a wacky sausage lady, and sweet and savory snacks.

Jiufen is a quiet town less than an hour away from Taipei in the North of Taiwan.  It was known as a gold mining town at the run of the century until the 1950s.  It is still a popular getaway due to its majestic mountain views and peeks at the Pacific.

Take a walk through one of its main roads - Jishan Street or Shuchi Street (it's a lovely walk and loved that lanterns adorned the way).

 There were lots of treats along the streets...
...mmm mochi

...brightly colored sweets

This is for Honey my Heart!

Adorable ceramic flutes for $3 (great for kids, we got one for each niece!)

Then of course the wig wearing sausage lady who insisted on drawing on our faces with face paint.  She did had some great wasabi sausage too so it was great food and entertainment!

Finally the tea house.

It's nice to do one "fancy" activity during vacation that also really represents the history of the place; the price for tea and snacks was also about $20/person with snacks so it was actually well priced.  This traditional Chinese tea house is at the site of Jiufen's historic mining operations center and retains many of the original Chinese cypress doors and Japanese style wooden frames.

The tea was wonderful and fragrant.  I learned that quality tea can be like selecting quality wine - a bouquet or aroma really differentiates each tea.  Our waitress educated us on the correct way to serve tea (steep fresh leaves in the hot water for a few minutes, pour out an initial cup that won't be as flavorful, and serve the tea thereafter.)

The artist/owner had cute paintings and sculptures everywhere.

Tea kettles and cups like this gorgeous glass ones were also sold.

So if you're ever in Taiwan, I definitely recommend this day trip!    Sausages, candy, tea - what more could you want? ♥

Accessories that appeal to your inner child (and 20% cashback at Sephora via Bing.com)

Is there an age limit to when you should stop having cute things?  Hearts, fairies, and cartoon characters definitely appeal to my inner child but could something be "too cute"(or at least for ladies my age).
I was intrigued by a few pieces from a few current collections.  You be the judge...

Both of these options are $198 and from the Coach Poppy collection (my favorite place to use a 25% customer discount that is mailed out a few times a year or one of the best basic accessories outlets)

 Then I saw from Dream Sequins that Tokidoki launched a makeup collection at Sephora.

The $18 lip gloss is supposed to have good coverage and I'm intrigued by the silicone brush (less left on the brush and more hygenic).  

 

Then of course adorable characters like these in a snow globe on each tube.

 

I've been on the lookout for liquid eyeliner and the Tokidoki one looks promising.  It's reasonably priced at $16 and is supposed to be relatively long lasting and water resistant.

Deal alert!

Bing.com users - Bing cashback for Sephora is now 20%!  That's pretty amazing and equivalent to Sephora's Friends and Family discount (though you can usually get a little more because you could buy through cashback sites like Bing).   No idea when this will end but act soon.  Yes I did end up getting the Tokidoki products to try out!

Then there is the momma of cute accessories - Ms. Hello Kitty.

She's certainly grown up as well with accessories to match.  I have to admit, I kinda love this garnet ring though at $950, it's not cheap.

Finally a personal and undeniably cute touch for your iPhone at $39.99.  You needed a cover anyway right?

So do any of these appeal to your inner child?  Or are they "too cutesy" for you?

Fun Finds: You hold the key to my...

...heart

...missing piece

 ...home

Now there's a styling and useful way to ensure for you to distinguish your keys! 

From Stat key

I'd love that last key but our new place!!! has electronic key cards and magnets!  It's such a good feeling to be settled and have our bed and new leather sofa (never thought I'd be into it but it suited his need for a super comfy couch and mine for a styling one).  The joys of decorating our first place...more to come ♥

Photo Love: Nature Calling - A pool in the garden

Proud city girls can love Mother Nature too.  I've always lived in cities but do miss the opportunity to hike on a small mountain, walk through a field of flowers, or lie underneath the stars.  At least pools are something that can be built indoors or outdoors as long as you have the space.  I love swimming and love LOVE that there are so many complexes here that have pools.  Place that pool in a garden and it is the ultimate calling of nature - calm waters and lush foliage surround you. 

Picture taken from here

Some day, some day, this will be mine.  I'd have a few tables underneath the trees and hang out with friends and family.  In the meantime, I can travel to nearby countries that can have something similar and am researching where to go. So what do you think - Phuket or Bali for this natural poolside experience?

Chic 'n Cheap Living Contest: Modern Apron and crafting love from Kristin Rix (KRIX Designs)

As an avid lover of beautiful clothing and accessories, I am always appreciative of those that have the talent for sewing.  Kristin is one of my newest blogger buddies and has an eye for the stylish and fun as you can see by the aprons and sewing necklaces in her shop, Krix Designs.

She first learned sewing and crocheting from her grandmother and has crafted everything from bags she sold at the Buffalo Exchange in San Diego to developing her clothing and accessories capabilities in Chicago.

Kristin is now in Omaha with her soon to be husband living the good life.  She makes the loveliest aprons with inspiration from fabric designers like Anna Marie Horner and Amy Butler.  This led her to develop the multi-print style of the full apron and she is constantly looking for new fabrics and enhancing her techniques.


What else can we learn about Kristin?  Let's see...
What is your inspiration?
I adore fabric, print, cut, and construction, and am heavily inspired by clothing designers like Marc Jacobs, Valentino, Chloe, and so many more. I also take a lot of inspiration from catalogs like Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters. When I start a piece, the material seems to always come first, and sort of organically decide what it's going to become--a blouse, a bag, a necklace, an apron?

What makes your items unique?
Everything I make is one-of-a-kind and not really reproducible.  My fiance likens my sewing projects to paintings. The fabric being the paints, I put together a unique piece and hope someone somewhere likes it as much as I do.

If you love fascinating details, lovely prints, and have a good imagination, then you should definitely check out Kristin's shop!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/krixdesigns

Kristin has been kind enough to give away anything from her shop!
How about an adorable half apron?

Sewing scissors necklace?

Beaded necklace?

It's your choice!

It's the third in my series of Bloggy Birthday giveaways lovelies!

Image from here

I've partnered with some pretty awesome vendors to bring you some coolio gifts.  Each contest will last 2 weeks (except for the last giveaway which will last one week!).

Still to come:

Giveaway 4: Vintage style bird cage veil

This is for the Chic 'n Cheap Living family (aka blog followers - Blogger, Google Reader, BlogLovin) only because you rock!  New followers are always welcome too of course.

To enter, tell me your favorite item in Kristin's shop or what you'd like to see her make more of and how you follow (if we're blogger bffs already and I regularly comment on your blog, no need to say this, you know who you are).

If you win, please respond to me within 5 days.  I would hate to redraw a winner.

Note: Please WRITE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH EXTRA ENTRY, it will make the cross-referencing a little easier (esp. for people with different handles on different accounts).

Extra entries:
1. Become a Twitter Follower AND tweet about this contest with this line: "Enter to win a lovely apron from KRIX designs and @cncliving http://bit.ly/9biyPn"
2. Become a Facebook Fan - for my friends who love to keep up via Facebook! (If you already do this, please remind me!)
3. Blog about the contest/sidebar w/a picture on your page linking back here.

I'll leave this contest up until Thursday, May 6th, 11:59 pm PST.   This is open internationally!

Good luck

FFF - DIY photo and other designs on dinnerware

Happy Fun, Free, Friday everyone!

I saw this picture and had to share this project.

Isn't it cool - your own photo or other designs on a plate. 
Or you can just designs on part of the plate like this.

Instead of simply having your photos on the wall, you can use the photo plate for displaying a few baubles or just making your everyday dinnerware more personal.  This project comes from the ever ingenious Martha Stewart and I've copied and pasted below as well.  I'm totally doing this when I find a craft store in Singapore!  It seems really easy and would be a great memento for you or gift for a loved one.

Have a lovely weekend!

*********************************************************************
Tools and Materials:

• Laser printer
• Water-slide decal paper for laser printers, available at stationery and crafts stores
• Scissors
• Baking sheet
• Bowl of water
• Ovenproof porcelain plate
• Paper towel
• Blow-dryer

Decorative Photo Plate How-To

1. On a computer, reverse the photograph. Print it onto the decal paper, and cut out the image.

2. Place the decal paper on a baking sheet, and heat in an oven according to the manufacturer's instructions.

3. Put the decal into the bowl of water. The plastic will begin to curl away from the paper backing. Slip off image, and apply it facedown on the plate, positioning it as desired.

4. Dampen paper towel with water. Heat the image with the blow-dryer on low, using the paper towel to smooth the image and press out any bubbles or ridges as you work.

5. When the image is completely smooth and the decal has dried, heat the plate in the oven to set the design, following the manufacturer's instructions.

Sites for great, earth friendly new/pre owned stuff (incl. wedding gowns!)

Shopping? Saving? Reducing waste?  Sounds good to me!

In the spirit of Earth Day, I wanted to remind you about some great sites that resell (or sometimes have brand new products) for every day as well as wedding items.


Here are my top picks:

1. eBay - the mother of auction sites really has it all (got tuxes for my dad and Mr. Gadget both under $70 for great quality tuxes, a like new Thomas Pink dress, silk tulle from a closed bridal boutique, leather conditioner, etc.).  Stalking vintage scarves right now!
2. Craigslist - tons of listings depending on your location, it may take a while to get what you're looking for but I've heard of amazing stories of people buying whole sets of furniture, etc. here

I know I just posted about amazing Carolina Herrera gowns.  They are exceptional gowns made of great quality, but are also priced accordingly.  If you have your heart set on a certain gown but it's out of your budget, look on the big lists above as well as the specialized wedding sites below and you may just get a good deal (of course you can also resell and recoup some of your costs as well)! You can also spot some unique gowns you never would have found otherwise and that's worth the price!

1. Etsy - this artisan marketplace is heaven and designers like Amy Jo (Bridechic) even make gowns out of organic, earth friendly materials
2. Preowned wedding dresses - amazing quality, selection and user interface
3. Once Wed - dresses and cute craft projects
4. Recycled Bride - decent selection
5. Save the dress - sometimes slow interface, smaller selection
6. Brideshare.net - look locally for dresses and other items to share 
7. Bride to Bride Boutique - dresses, bm dresses, reception decor - smaller selection
   
8. The Knot - look on your local board or The Dress board
9. Wore it Once - decent number of dresses, somewhat clunky interface

What kind of deals have you gotten from sites like these?

Designer Thursday - Carolina Herrara (Bridal Market Fall 2010)

I couldn't let Bridal Fashion Week go by without giving you a few of my favorite loves.  One classic designer, Carolina Herrara, did not disappoint.  In fact, her gowns intrigued me immensely.  This collection was a tribute to iconic ladies and their unique styles - think Grace Kelly, Georgia O’ Keefe, Martha Graham, Edith Piaf, Virgina Wolf, Anna Pavlova, Frida Kahlo, Mary Cassatt and more (previously her gowns have also been inspired by paintings). The infusion of color onto flowing silk was pretty amazing (and I'll feature some other favorite colorful gowns later).
I love the brightness and versatility of these gowns (can you imagine rocking one as a guest to another wedding or fancy function!)

There are more traditional white gown options too like this gorgeous one sleeve with lovely tiers of alternating silk and tulle.

For more coverage or just because you like lace, this is a great option (I'd probably shorten the sleeves though)!

 All images taken from brides.com

What's your favorite gown?

LOTC: Hat love and Eugenia Kim for Target

Spring and Summer = floppy wide brimmed hats or cute straw hats
Winter = Newsboy caps, wool fedoras

I am an unabashed hat lover and love they way they can really complete an outfit.  I heard of Eugenia Kim's hats a few years ago when I was really exploring my love for this versatile headpiece.  But this talented milliner's wares are usually $145 and up.

Luckily Eugenia Kim launched a Target collection a few days ago and most items are under $20 so act quickly.  The mostly straw hats are inspired by a laidback Cuban vibe - how perfect for Spring!  I'd definitely check it out in the stores if I could!

I never thought I'd like this green straw hat but I love the pop of color and it's $16.99 (but sold out online)!

For the same price, but a sleeker vibe, this black straw hat with a sequin trim really glams it up.

Finally this wide sunhat with blue trim  is only $19.99 and will really keep you covered if you're out for a few hours.

I'm not really sold on the engineer caps in this collection, but like the straw hats.
Are you a hat person?  What do you think of this collection?

Chic 'n Cheap Living Contest: Lights, camera, lashes Mascara Giveaway and Tarte Smooth Operator

Surprise, another giveaway!  I couldn't resist, not when someone can get this sexy mascara.

What woman doesn't want long, full, gorgeous lashes?  Some of us are born with it, the rest of us use mascara (*raises hand*).  Tarte has offered one of you lovely ladies their new Lights, Camera Lashes mascara - it lengthens, conditions, voluminizes, and curls.  Sigh all things I need and totally jealous of this winner.

Other popular Tarte products are the Tarte Smooth Operator (hmm totally intrigued, would it compare with my Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer?!) and the Tarte mineral powder bronzer.  Definitely worth a try and how convenient that they have 30% off now with code bblg (also reported as bbld)!

To enter, tell me why you need this mascara and how you follow (if we're blogger bffs already and I comment on your blog regularly, no need to say this, you know who you are).

If you win, please respond to me within 5 days.  I would hate to redraw a winner but want everyone to have a fair shot.

Note: Please WRITE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH EXTRA ENTRY, it will make the cross-referencing a little easier (esp. for people with different handles on different accounts).

Extra entries:

1. Become a Twitter Follower AND tweet about this contest with this line: "Enter to win Tarte mascara from @cncliving http://bit.ly/aoGId7"

2. Become a Facebook Fan - for my friends who love to keep up via Facebook! (If you already do this, please remind me!)

3. Blog about the contest/sidebar w/a picture on your page linking back here.

I'll leave this contest up until Tuesday, April 27th, 11:59 pm PST.   This is open in the US only (sorry!)

Good luck

Photo Love: Feminine and fashionable but not perfect

Irving Penn

A polka-dot suit with a perfect sheen, gorgeous hat, and a chewable strand of classic pearls (I'm more of a twirler myself).  You can be perfectly fashionable and put together and still let your little quirks come out.  You'll still be stylish and you.  I love that and hope I can accomplish that wherever I am (well I did do some funny things in my wedding gown after all).

What are your little habits?

I didn't have time to see the Irving Penn exhibit at the National Gallery in London (until 6 June, 10 pounds if you're not a member or eligible for other discounts). But if you're in the area, check out 140 prints of one of the world's most famous photographers and make me jealous.

FFF - Free download of Stars "Fixed"

"What you want, you are, you always were..."

That's a great opening line from a cool little band, namely the Stars.  They're offering a free download of their single "Fixed" from the album "The Five Ghosts".  Download it here.

Happy Fun, Free, Friday lovelies!

It's my official Blog Birthday!

This little blog is 1 today!  Yes and happy US taxes day to you.

This year...
...I scored some insane deals

...I got married

...moved to London

...moved to Singapore

...pondered partnership and my own individuality

 Image from here

...met some lovely ladies while sharing pizza and cupcakes

 Image taken from here

...had some great giveaways (like the Florrie Mitton couture garter one going on now!)

It's been a really cool and crazy year.  Thank you for being a great community, sounding board, voice of reason, wedding planning/fashion/deal/pop culture guru, and so much more.

I've still gotta find a place to live, a new job, and kick start this life in Asia.  But I'm hoping the best is yet to come...♥

 

What I'd wear...to the gym

In honor of me hitting the gym a few times recently (*gasp* what is my husband doing to me?), I put together a little guide of useful and fashionable active wear.   I am totally fine going in an old t-shirt and exercise pants, but if I wanted some sensibly priced and fashionable options, I'm glad I found some below!

Comfort, style, and an iPod pocket - score.

All in the Body Rock Sports bra

Ooh but for those that don't want to rock just a sports bra (me included, not everyone is allowed to see my tummy now), I found some great options from Alo, like the one below for $24.

I love how some workout tops can actually be worn as "regular" clothes - seriously double duty clothing rocks.  Hey, it's always nice to have options besides my h.s. musical t-shirt (seriously I was in h.s. a long time ago) when the laundry is piling up.

Workout pants can be pricey, but Overstock has a pretty decent selection under "Loungewear".
I'd definitely get these Calvin Klein rollover pants and they're one of the best deals I could find at $27.

Found here

How cute are the stripes on these socks?  They will also inevitably differentiate between my socks and my husband's socks.

$5.80 here

There are just too many sneakers to choose from, but if I had to have only one pair of sneakers/trainers, they would be cross trainers or running shoes.  They are great at absorbing impact from a variety of physical activities and are readily available.
I like Amazon's large selection and consistently good prices.  These Adidas are simple and classic.

 Found for $44.99 here  Darn, I wish I found these before I moved.

Nothing is grosser than smelly gym shoes.  Keep them dry and smelling fresh with Stuffits.  Alternatively, Gold Bond or a talcum powder is always great too!

Stuffitts at $24.95

What's your workout outfit?