Friday's Fancies #63: White Hot

White wasn't the cool thing to wear growing up. Being an 80s baby and a 90s kid, we were all about neon, jewel tones, and distressed denim. I went to an overnight summer camp growing up and we had to dress up in all white for Shabbat - and I remember it was IMPOSSIBLE to find white dresses and skirts. Who wants white when you can wear a teal and fuchsia wind-suit,  am I right?! 

Well lucky for those kids going to camp now, white is everywhere- and here are a few of my favorite white finds:

I feel like a white dress is a summer necessity. Especially for those days when you're outside and the sun is completely beating down on you- the only thing that will do short of running around in your birthday suit is a bright white dress! This simple one from TopShop looks great on its own or with a fun, colorful necklace like this stunner from C.Wonder.

I'm not big on white accessories, but this white enamel J.Crew one keeps popping in and out of my shopping cart. And since there is no way in hell I could keep a white bag clean, this little clutch with a bit of white is about as far as I could go! 

If you feel like ditching all the accessories, just stick with the best basic flip flops from Gap. Super comfy, super simple.

What do you wear with your white?

Bright accessories or simple shoes?

xo, lp

(award winning) SALTED CARAMEL CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

No, I'm not lying, they really are award winning!

I mean, sure, it's not some fancy culinary award, but still. I work at a super great place- and for it's 50th anniversary as a company they held a version of Cupcake Wars. I entered this recipe and won one of the three awards. Boom. 

These cupcakes are insanely rich and sweet- with just the perfect amount of salt. The sour cream makes them extra-dense, and the salted caramel filling keeps them from drying out. Gahh. So good.

What you'll need to make it happen:

Cupcake:

This recipe is one I've made a ton of times, and it's a version of Martha Stewart's basic chocolate cupcakes (click for recipe). The only things I change is add an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract & a little extra sour cream!

Salted Caramel Sauce:

Oh, you missed the recipe? I just shared it on the blog recently!

You can find the recipe HERE

Caramel Frosting:

2 cups powdered sugar

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 cup salted caramel sauce

1. Cube room temperature butter and beat in mixer for 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.

2. Add in your sugar, mixing lightly to keep contained. Once well mixed, add in caramel sauce and beat for another 4 minutes or so until light and fluffy!

3. Refrigerate your frosting until you're ready to use it. Just leave out to get to room temp and you'll be good to go!

--------------------

Tips for the cupcakes, now that you have the recipes:

1. Unless you have a fancy frosting set, all you need is a glass, a ziplock bag, and a scissors! Insert the bag into your glass, folding the edges over & filling the bag. 

2. An easy way to hollow out the center of cupcakes for filling is to take a sharp paring knife, and cut out a square in the center of the cake. Fill with caramel sauce and top with frosting!

3. This caramel sauce is too good just to fill the cupcakes with, drizzle it on top too, and cover with sprinkles!

 The finished product:

 And of course, the best part of the cupcake is when you cut it open and all the salted caramel ooooozes out:

So what are you waiting for? I mean, they're award winning people! Get to it!

What cupcake would be your award winner?

Share away so I can try them for myself!

xo, lp

Love cupcakes? Try out my chocolate peanut butter cupcakes or my rainbow cupcakes!

For instagram fabulousness, go here!

BALLOONS LIKE UP, CUPCAKE WARS, AND CHEAP THRILLS

Whoa it's already Tuesday.

Hope you all spent the long weekend well- and had a chance to get outside! It was cold & rainy here the whole weekend, but I saw on Instagram  some of you had some nice sunny weather (jealous). 

Here's what's been going on lately:

The company I work for recently celebrated it's 50th year in business, so naturally they threw a big old party.   Here's them setting up in the atrium with hundreds of balloons (looks like UP, right??):

What kind of party did they throw, you ask? A CUPCAKE PARTY. Or rather, Cupcake Wars.

A bunch of employees submitted recipes- and over 60 across the company's 3 locations were allowed to make 50+ cupcakes to compete. I mean, you all know me well enough by now that you know I entered, right!?! 

I threw my salted caramel chocolate cupcakes in the ring and ended up winning one of the 3 prizes! Woo hoo!

 I'll be sharing the recipe for those on the blog tomorrow... but here's a sneak peek for ya. Hungry yet??

I took a little time this weekend to do some summer shopping, and hit the jackpot at Forever21. I tell ya, if you take the time to weed through the crap at that store, you really can find some good stuff! 

I found this AWESOME light chambray shirt dress, geo/aztec tank, floral lightweight maxi, and turquoise necklace for a total of about $60. And that necklace- kind of spikethepunch-esque right? But only $7, so a tiny fraction of the price and you don't have to wait months on end to get one!

So while I like having plenty of alone time, after living with Michael for the last couple years..I've become a total wimp staying home alone for a long period of time. Yes, go ahead and make fun of me, it's fine. I'm 25 and a baby. Michael was gone for 5 days camping up north MN without any service...and with it being a holiday weekend no.one.was.in.town. Gah. I may or may not have double locked and barricaded the door with a chair #oopsfirehazard.

Luckily I'm dating one cool dude who knew I'd be bummed out being in town alone, and did a few things to make me feel better, including a whole lotta flowers and Pitch Perfect (yes I'm a nerd).

 In addition- he left me notes ALL over the apartment. 

Makeup bag? Note. Under the pillow? Note. Kitchen? Note. Coffee table? Note.

Went to grab a mug for tea the first morning and found this one:

He'a a good one, folks.

And on that happy note, I'll stop babbling.

How did you spend the long weekend?

What are you waiting for? Go grab that turquoise necklace!

xo, lp

*pssssst: find me on Instagram here!

BLING. BLING.

 Here's the deal. 

"Bling" became an official word in the dictionary when I was in high school, and I remember just about every rapper bragged about their ridiculous oversized diamond studs and chains. Around that time I had dated a couple guys who wore pretty noticeable stud earrings, which I thought was the coolest thing on earth. My mother thought otherwise, and would say "Oh you like those boys with the Bliiiiiiiiiiing in their ears!!", and would giggle every time she said "bling". To this day, whenever I see the word I think of her. I just can't help it. 

Why am I babbling about this?

Let me get there! Patience!

There's a company called Jojo Loves you out of Boston, MA that makes a HUGE array of fun earrings that they have dubbed their "blings"! They have every color you can imagine- but my favorites are the kind of opaque-y ones that look like the Kate Spade gumdrop studs. All Swarovski crystals (not crappy plastic), they are seriously shiny. I don't like wearing too much heavy necklaces/bracelets in summer because they just get too sticky/hot- so fun earrings is definitely the way to go!

These are the BLING (hah mom) that Maggie from JoJo loves you sent me:

And now, what you all actually care about- the SALE!!

info is below- but allow me to assure you- there are about 100 colors to choose from- so if the ones in the images below aren't your jam, check out the different metallic, matte, opaque, and clear ones they offer!

Either treat yo'self to three pairs- or get one for yourself and two for some friends :)

So be sure to check out Jojo Loves You for this sale- only good this weekend!!! 

Which fun color/style would you choose?

I think the oval ones are next on my list!

xo, lp

Love them a lot? Shop their online store, like them on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter!

*yep, jojo loves me sent me that pretty pink pair of bling, but the opinions, as always, are my own. not all the bling are my style, and they might not be yours, but i'm only here to share an awesome sale to a fun shop. supporting small businesses is where it's at, especially one that helps it's community. jojo loves you helped it's local boston after the marathon bombings- so you know you're buying from a quality company!*

WAS IT YOU!?

...........that won the awesome monogram necklace giveaway with Sincerely Me, PJD? 

Well, if your name is Alyssa L, then it was you!!!!!!!!!

Clearly a lot of you were excited about this giveaway, you were tweeting like mad! Well done! 

Sorry I can't give a necklace to each of you, that would be just too sweet...so Alyssa is the lucky lady this time around! If you haven't checked out Alyssa's blog- you've got to- she is a killer chef and a master DIYer. CONGRATS LADY, you have Rafflecopter and Sincerely Me, PJD to thank! We'll be contacting you shortly :) 

BUT WAIT!

Even if you didn't win, Emma is still offering 10% off everything plus free shipping to all of you!

Just enter BEAUTYBEARD10 at checkout. Pretty sweet, right?

Thanks to Emma at Sincerely Me for yet another amazing giveaway!!

What are you still reading this for?

Head to the shop NOW!

xo, lp

SALTED CARAMEL SAUCE. (it's as good as it sounds)

 If you're reading this as work- this is one of those recipes that is going to make you HATE ME.

Especially if you're on a summer diet/ doing whole30 / aren't able to immediately go home an make 10 batches of this.

This salted caramel sauce is good on anything. Ice cream, cupcakes, pie, apple slices, or hell- just all by itself. It's pretty easy to make and fairly difficult to mess up, so make some, keep it in your fridge at all times, and thank me later.

What you'll need to make it happen:

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup water- room temperature

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 stick unsalted OR salted butter

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

either:

two pinches kosher or sea salt

OR  1/4 teaspoon iodized salt.

How to make it happen:

- as i've mentioned before- when working with caramel you do have to pay attention. so set aside your phone/computer/iPad/mirror for 15 minutes and make this correctly the first time, ya dig?-

1. Combine your water and sugar in a heavy bottom sauce pan and stir to combine. It'll seem too thick- it's not!

2. Place the pan over medium heat so the sugar begins to slowly dissolve. This will take about 5 minutes. Resist your urge to stir it constantly and only give the pan a swirl every minute or so. 

3. Slowly raise the heat a notch at a time to medium high, lightly swirling the pan every minute or so for 7 minutes. Keep a close eye on it after the 5th minute or so- you'll want to get your butter ready to put in once the mixture is a LIGHT amber color. Too dark and it'll burn! 

4. Cube your room temp butter and add it to the sugar mixture- it'll sizzle a bit because well.. you're adding something cooler to a really hot liquid. Don't worry! It should happen that way! Stir the mixture VERY carefully, partially incorporating the butter. Be super careful not to whip the mixture up on the sides of the pan, or the sugar will crystalize, get back in your mixture, and ruin the whole batch. Sadness.

5. Once melted, take your pan off the heat and add your vanilla and heavy cream. Using a whisk, LIGHTLY stir it until it is a cohesive, very liquid caramel. Pour quickly into a clean pan or bowl to avoid any of the uncooked sugar. 

6. In the new bowl, whisk in your salt, taste- add more if you'd like! Put it aside to cool for a bit. (yes, you're allowed to go back on instagram at this point in the process. snap a pic and tag me, @lpodlich so I can see your sweet caramel!)

7. After this, keep it refrigerated .. or eat it all in one sitting. It'll yield about 1 1/2 cups- so plenty for you and your favorite friends.

 SO good while still warm on ice cream!

 It's messy- but worth it!

 This will totally be my new go-to little gift to bring to dinner parties, or other get togethers!

Throw it in a cute mason jar with twine and a sweet tag and you'll be everyone's favorite for sure :)

What would you slather this caramel on?

I highly recommend chocolate ice cream. Just sayin'

xo, lp

NEON SHOES AND DRINKING WITH FRISBEES

IT IS SUMMER IN THE MIDWEST!

It was in the 80s this weekend- and with the exception of a few rain showers- it was completely perfect. 

---

Let's rewind a little. So I've started to get back into running...not that I was ever really talented at it. Evidently I'm 25 going on 80 because my knees are a load of crap if I run more than a mile or two. Michael finally convinced me to get some new shoes with more support & comfort- and Asics were the only option! My friend Dani recently got these- and after failing searching high and low for a cooler pair, I copied the gal and got them too. Kind of awesome, right??

It took me about 4 wearings to break them in, but now that they're good to go I am SO happy with the decision to invest in a quality pair of shoes. They not only help my feet, but me knees too! I highly, HIGHLY recommend them. And no, Asics isn't paying for this post ;)  

I'm not the only one with cool neon shoes in this household- Michael's running and basketball shoes are SUPER bright too!

Speaking of bright, now that summer is here I've finally ditched the dark clothes and reached for the sunny hues. Oh, and I wear my J.Crew factory crystal necklace all. the. time. Not quite sure why I put off getting it for so long! Also- am I the only one who owns gingham shirts in about every color?

In case you've been hibernating the last week and missed this giveaway- WAKE UP! It ends in just a few days, so click here to enter to WIN!

The nice weather means it's yard game season! Thank goodness Dani & her husband have a sweet backyard that lends itself to games like Beersbie!

We got to spend time with friends from college this weekend, including brunch at a little townie restaurant right on a lake. Any weekend that includes dock time is good in my book.

I am JACKED about tomorrow's recipe post. Salted. Caramel. Sauce. Uses: limitless. Taste: Unreal! Be sure you come back tomorrow to check it out!

How did you spend the weekend my friends?

Let me know, then go enter the giveaway!

xo, lp

Psssssssssst: Find me on Instagram HERE!

Friday's Fancies #62 : Simple Stripes

PEOPLE!!!

It is FINALLY nice out in Wisconsin. I mean really, really nice. PLUS it's wedding season, which means it's buy-a-pretty-new-dress-season. 

This stripe-inspired outfit is one I'd wear again and again!

This lovely buttercup striped dress is so perfect for summer weddings- easy to dress up with pumps for more formal weddings, or dress down with gold flip flops for the backyard shindigs! Pair it with a fun floral necklace and a catchall mint clutch and you are good to go.

OH! And this honeycomb gold bracelet is my favorite find recently. How cute is the bee detail??? Nothing like a little conversation piece to make a good talk with your random wedding table-mates! 

Where have you been finding fun wedding/summer party wear at?

Leave a link in the comments!

xo, lp

*HEY! did you enter the monogram necklace giveaway yet?? If not you can do so HERE!*

YOUR CHOICE GIVEAWAY (back by popular demand!)

So back in November I held a Monogram Necklace giveaway with Sincerely, Me PJD... and MAN - the feedback on it... looks like I'm not the only one who likes personalized jewelry!!

If you weren't around the blog in November, allow me to introduce you to Emma's shop! She has a great grouping of personalized jewelry that is probably the most fairly priced out there. PLUS she always offers free shipping! Impressive, right?

Well, Emma likes y'all so much that she's back again to give you the choice between two necklaces. In case you're so freaking excited you can't read, I'll just show you the necklaces you can choose from:

I mean, who doesn't love a classic Carrie necklace? Not only is it perfectly feminine and delicate- but it goes with just about everything. Now, if having your name front and center in a big way isn't you're thing- you can snag the simple silver bar necklace with your name or just a little monogram. I've been wearing it almost daily since Emma sent it to me!

So here's the deal. Enter below in the Rafflecopter system below- and remember you can tweet daily for more entries! Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
OH WAIT! There's more my friends. Emma has made a permanent coupon code for you guys. Just use BEAUTYBEARD10 for 10% off  anything in the shop (plus always free shipping)! So if you don't need anything right now- bookmark this post and come back to it when you need a gift for a birthday, bridal shower, or just yourself!!


xo, lp

I COULD NEVER BE A VAMPIRE

Alternate title for this post: An Ode to Garlic.

 As you might have seen on Instagram on Sunday, I made the first batch of pesto of the season with the basil Michael has been growing. We threw it on some pasta and it was deeee-lish. Pretty sure I still smelled like garlic when I went to work today- despite brushing my teeth a few times. Oops. Sorry team. 

While normal people crave chocolate or bacon or chips- I crave garlic. I know, total weirdo. Whatever. I pretty much try and put garlic into everything I cook- and evidently some of you guys like garlic too- because some of these recipes are the most pinned I've got!

Without further ado- I give you my top 7 garlic bomb recipes:

Pesto 3 Ways (with plenty of garlic)

Roasted Garlic Hummus

Garlic Parmesan Quinoa (you'll never eat mac&cheese again)

Garlic Chili Broccoli

Garlic Herb Cheese Twists

Garlic Kale Chips

Lemon Garlic Gnocchi 

Are you a garlic fiend too?

What's your best garlic-y recipe? Share it and I'll give you a (virtual) hug!

xo, lp 

don't like garlic? oh don't you worry, i've got an arsenal of recipes without it here!

STICKER LOVE and ROOTBEER FLOATS

Thanks for all the love on the DIY project last week! Sometimes it's funny how the simple, quick projects end up being your favorite. Every morning when I grab my rings off the colorful tray next to my bed I smile. If you're looking for the Printstagram stickers but can't find them on the site- click HERE! 252 stickers for $10!

 Thanks to the cool people at Social Print Studio and my girl Shanna for the love on Twitter!! 

---

Speaking of attention, let's talk about all of you that went crazy over this necklace when I posted it on Instagram!! I'm VERY happy to say that this week one of you lucky, lucky people will get a chance to win a gorgeous gold or silver necklace... so be sure to come back later this week!

The weather has been super confused lately- with it getting down to freezing last night...but being 80 a few days before. Here's hoping this week is another gorgeous one! Last week a couple coworkers and I went over to a local A&W for lunch...few things are more refreshing than a rootbeer float on a hot sunny day!

To anyone who celebrated Mother's Day yesterday- hope you took the chance to do something special for your mothers- or your kids did something special for you! I didn't get to see my momma this year as we didn't make it back to MN, but I made sure to get a good chat with her in! Flowers always make me think of her, so I grabbed a few bunches the other day and have them all over the apartment in her honor :) 

order the awesome fleur de lys glasses from anthro HERE, the necklace from jcrew HERE, and domino HERE

What'd you do this weekend, friends?

Be sure to come back for the giveaway, you won't want to miss it!

xo, lp

pssssssssssssssst: find me on Instagram here (@lpodlich)

Friday's Fancies #61: Easy Weekend Wear

The Friday's Fancies theme this week was Easy Weekend Wear-and it was definitely easy to come up with an outfit for it! This is what my weekend wear looks like:

This charcoal dress from TopShop (only $45!) is one you NEED in your closet. Everyone should have a few pieces that are so easy to wear and versatile that if you're in a rush to get ready you can just throw it on and now it'll work with whatever occasion you've got. This one is casual enough to run out to the farmer's market in sandals or dressy enough to pair with sparkly jewels,tights, and some black pumps! 

For easy weekend wear, I'd wear it with some simple black flats (Gap), the most perfect Transport Tote (Madewell), and a few basic bracelets in gold (Gorjana) and white enamel (J.crew). Oh, and since I'm never without a necklace, why not layer two BaubleBar beauties? Love this gold nameplate one and teal teardrop beauty!

What does your easy weekend wear look like?

If you like this dress but are looking for a sleeveless option, this one from Old Navy is super comfy! 

xo,  lp 

(PR)INSTAGRAM STICKER DIY TRAY

Alright.

There are a few ways I thought about beginning this post:

1. I LOVE INSTAGRAM AND PRINSTAGRAM!

2. HEY SO I'M A BOBBY PIN HOARDER!

3. STICKERS ARE JUST AS COOL NOW AS WHEN WE WERE 5!

And since I couldn't decide, I went with all 3. Are you following me yet with what this post will be about? I gave it away in the title, so unless you're really daft you clearly do. Dang. Too late to go back and change it now, I'm on a roll!

So to break these titles down:

1. You all know I love Instagram. I've done post about my collections here and here. I've also done a post on Social Print Studio and Prinstagrams, and my undying groupie love for their products.

2. If you gave Michael a dime for every bobby pin he found in random places in our apartment he would have enough money to buy us a nicer apartment. Fun fact: once got into the apt in summer and realized I had a bobby pin stuck to my leg- no idea when/how it got there. #facepalm

3. I had a massive sticker collection as a kid. My dad used to work for Lisa Frank- so that should give you a hint at my obsession. Social Print Studio turns your Instagram shots into stickers...is this all coming together yet?

Here, I'll just let you at it:

What I used:

Ugly tin trays for $0.49 from Goodwill  //  Black spray paint  // Instagram stickers from Printstagram  // Mod Podge

Before:

During:

After:

Couldn't have been easier- just picked out my 48 favorite images, stuck them on, and sealed with a layer of Mod Podge so it would be water resistant. Boom. 

So these are the pretty little things. You get 252 of them for $10. YEAH. TEN DOLLARS. Whaaaaat! 

**Update: Social PS might take this product away. WAH. I'm totally going to beg and plead that they keep them foreva. If you want some too email them or place an order ASAP!!  **

I made two trays- one to keep little jewelry and trinkets on ....

...and one for the ridiculous amount of bobby pins I own. No, the amount shown below is not realistic. If you scrubbed our apartment this tray would be so full you wouldn't be able to see an inch of the pictures. For real.

So there you have it! Pretty, colorful, happy trays. Besides being useful, they're also fun to look at because the pictures are from adventures all over the USA! 

Instagram lover too?

Find me: @lpodlich & leave your handle in the comments!

xo, lp

** NO this post was not paid for or sponsored by Social PS! I paid for everything on my own. I just love a good Instagram project and a good DIY! **