DIY: Make Your Mail Glitter!

Here's a simple way to make your Valentine's mail even more special.

What You'll Need:

1 cellophane envelope

Some glitter & confetti

Washi tape

1 address label

A cute card

A cute friend

Step 1:

Fill out your card. The mushier the better.

Step 2:

Just kidding. That's gross.

Step 3:

Seal it up in its paper envelope, then slip it into the cellophane envelope. You can get a package of them here.

Step 4:

Throw in a pinch of glitter and a pinch of confetti. Seal up the cellophane. Make sure you don't fold the cello envelope smaller than it really is (tip from USPS). Use the washi tape to seal any gaps where the glitter escapes.

Step 5:

Address the envelope. Add postage, duh.

Step 6:

Fill someone's mailbox with love!

P.S. I made that Grumpy Cat stamp! I've made so many cards with it. They watch over me while I sleep.

♠

Look of the Day: Picnic for One

My husband, Trevor, is gone on a business trip, but that's no reason to mope around all week. That means it's times to be pretend single!

Whenever he goes away, it's always a mix of feelings. We're both pretty independent, but we got married for a reason, so of course we miss each other. It's nice, though, having a big bed to myself and doing whatever I want for dinner.

Monday was the most glorious day we've had in Seattle in a while. It was close to 60 and splendidly sunny. I didn't have much to do at work, so I threw on my Madewell sweatshirt dress (haven't had many opportunities to wear it) and some happy colors, and went shopping with Frida at University Village. We didn't buy anything (amazingly), but Frida did have her photo taken twice! And we finally met another Corgi Chihuahua mix that, somehow, had ears bigger than Frida's.

When I got home, a picnic dinner sounded like a good idea, so I stopped by Malena's, which recently opened down the block from my apartment. I ordered the shrimp taco combo, which was amazing. I expected previously frozen cocktail shrimp, but they were pretty fresh and perfectly cooked. I finished off some hard cider from an orchard in Chelan and read a bit of the new Vogue.

The best part about Spring: being able to go out with bare legs!! I've been looking forward to wearing skirts and dresses without tights for so long! I just wish the swelling would go down in my ankles. That's right, a month later, still recovering from my multiple falls. Stupid weak ankles! Luckily, I think I'm the only one who can tell the difference.

If only my husband could have as lovely a week, but that is not the life of a man who works in the thrilling field of grants administration. Hopefully his weekend will be more enjoyable than his week, though. Thursday, I'm off to Baltimore to visit friends and meet up with Trevor (back to being for-real married). I've packed 3 camera cards, so I should have some photos of my travels to share with you by next week! Hope you all have wonderful holiday weekend!

Madewell Sweatshirt Dress - J.Crew jersey cardigan (similar) - Lady Howard circle scarf (similar) - Classic Vans - vintage sunglasses (similar)
♠

Breakfast basics made better

-The Basics-

Oatmeal, eggs, toast. Pretty basic breakfast fair, but it doesn't have to be boring or bland. Here are some ideas to switch up your morning routine!

Oatmeal

Try different grains! Most oat-alternatives aren't much more expensive than your regular rolled oats and are especially affordable when bought in bulk at places like Whole Foods Market.

Try rolled rye, barley, Kamut, or spelt. Steel cut oats are another delicious, high-fiber option. It takes a little longer to cook, but has a nicer texture than the rolled variety.

Try new toppings!

-Miss Melba: Dried apricot, raspberry, almonds and yogurt (pictured above)

- Cinnamon Roll: Cinnamon, brown sugar, raisins, butter and low-fat milk

-Maple Walnut: Toasted walnuts & maple syrup or a little bit of maple flavoring

Tip: Cook dried fruit, such as apricots & raisins, in the grains. They plump up really nicely!

Eggs

In my opinion, eggs are pretty much perfect. I like them all ways. My mom turned me onto a different way to eat my poached eggs: Wrapped in crepes! They're amazing! Of course, that tends to happen when you wrap things in crepes. A little salt and pepper is all that's needed.

 I recommend the Jacques Pépin crepe recipe my mother has been using for years

French Toast

I usually put a little vanilla in the egg batter, but these other flavors are delicious too:

-Maple flavoring

-Lemon flavoring

-Orange flower water

 (my mom used this last flavor to death, so I don't like it any more)

-OR- use coconut butter to fry the toast. It tastes delicious and is not any worse for you than butter (remember there's no such thing as low-fat fat)

Warning: this next tip is not low-fat!

One time I was making french toast and I ran out of egg mixture. I had a couple dry spots on the slice of toast I was trying to fry, and the only thing left in my fridge was a half-pint of heavy whipping cream. One thing led to another and I was soon eating the most amazing piece of whipping cream french toast! So the next time you're planning a birthday breakfast or just really feel like calories don't matter, try using whipping cream in your egg mixture instead of milk!