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Pinterest Day!

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I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest. I love using the site as a way to find new recipes, party ideas, decor and organization ideas, but I feel like the popular pins are all the same. If you’re planning a wedding, your board will be full of “rustic glamour” including barns and a whole lot of mason jars. Planning a party? It better include a dessert table, and EVERYTHING better be labeled with puns and rhymes. Want to lose weight? I’m guessing your weight-loss board includes black and white photos of models working out with “inspirational” sayings about pushing yourself to the max. And all pins have the same comments: claims that the tip is the “Greatest thing EVER!” or “a Lifesaver!” PEOPLE: A braid tutorial is not the best thing ever in the world. Let’s calm down a bit.

Let’s not even talk about the fact that Pinterest is a time suck. I’ve spent evenings with a glass of wine and my laptop, and entertained myself for hours entirely with Pinterest. And then what? How often do people even do the things they pin?

Well, I’m gonna pin, and I’m gonna actually DO the pins. On Sunday, November 24th, I decree it will be “Pinterest Day.” On Pinterest Day, I will workout, craft/DIY, make all of my meals, and do my hair, makeup, and style my outfit based on popular pins. I will live-tweet throughout the day, and do side-by-side comparisons of the pins and my experience. You can find the pins I’m considering (as well as the side-by-side comparisons after the 24th) on my “Pinterest Day” board. (While you’re there, why don’t you follow all of my boards? Lots of geeky goodness there!)

What do you want to see me do? Let me be your Pinterest Guinea Pig. If there’s something you’ve had your eye on, send it my way. You can either leave a link to the pin in the comments of this post, or tag me in the comments of the pin itself. I’ll add them all to my Pinterest Day board!

I also encourage you to join in. Find one project you’ve been wanting to do from your boards, and plan to do it on the 24th. Tweet/Facebook about it with hashtag #PinterestDay so we can see what other folks are doing!

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Cupcake Recipe: The “Brad Roberts”

Brad Roberts Cupcake I want to take a quick minute to thank Brad Roberts. He donated to the Job Hunters Kickstarter campaign at a level that got him a dozen Geeky Hostess cupcakes of his choice. Without him, we may not have been funded! So if you’re a Job Hunters fan out there, thank him. In fact, you wouldn’t have gotten Season 2 of Job Hunters OR this delicious cupcake recipe without him! (And yes, that is a cupcake on top of the Season 2 script. And yes, I did purposely cut off the title. I’m mean like that.)

Brad chose to have me create cupcakes based off of this Apricot Nectar Cake recipe. What resulted was a light, fluffy, and fruity cupcake that works with or without the frosting! (Brad prefers the cake in a more traditional format sans frosting. I, being a bit obsessed with anything buttercream, choose to keep the frosting. It’s delicious either way!)

Brad Roberts Cupcakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 box yellow cake mix
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup apricot nectar
  • 1/3 cup hot water
  • 1 (3 oz.) package lemon JELLO mix

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 24 cupcake wrappers in cupcake tins.

Mix the cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, and apricot nectar together.

Dissolve the JELLO mix in the hot water and add to cake batter. Mix well.

Pour the batter into 24 cupcake tins evenly.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick/cake tester can go through the cake cleanly.

Let cool.

Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4-5 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 TBS vanilla extract
  • 3 TBS lemon juice

Directions:

Mix the butter and confectioner’s sugar together until well mixed, light, and fluffy.

Add in vanilla and lemon juice, mix well.

If the frosting is too soft, add in more confectioner’s sugar. If it’s too stiff, mix in a bit more lemon juice.

Fill a pastry bag and pipe onto the cupcake.

Are you a frosting or no-frosting kind of person? Let me know in the comments!

Recipes, Video Games, Videos

Recipes From Extra Life: Saints Flow

It was late. I needed to make an energy drink. And I was slowly losing my mind. Watch me laugh to avoid crying in pain. Join me.

Want to make your own Saints Flow? (Why? Why would you do that?)

Ingredients:

  • 1 can Cranberry Red Bull
  • 1 bottle generic 5 Hour Energy, in berry flavor
  • 20 ounces (or so) of pink stuff. (Tropical punch in a gallon jug)
  • A splash of Grape Juice (bonus if it’s warm and leftover from dinner)

Directions:

Mix the ingredients together. Drink. Cry.

Geeky Fashion

Fashionably Late Watches

Rakani

I HATE being late. In an ideal world, I’d get everywhere 15 minutes early, and I used to successfully do it. Now? Multiple activities, clients, and meetings means that I’m always rushing somewhere, and sometimes I can’t help but be a few minutes late. Perhaps I’m missing one of the 20 Best Seiko Watches in 2020 in my wrist, that’s the first time I’ve thought of it. Unfortunately, when I start to run late I get anxious and frustrated and end up making myself more late by freaking out. I’m trying to learn to take a deep breath and just go with it. (Oh, and to budget out more time so I’m not late in the first place.) Luckily, Rakani watches can help me with all of this. Their “Fashionably Late” collection is based on the excuses people give when they’re running late.

Rakani Watch

They gave me the gorgeous “Stuck in Traffic,” and I absolutely love it. It’s a fantastic accessory (because let’s face it, more watches are worn as accessories than necessary timepieces nowadays), helps me keep track of time, and allow me to make light of the rushing around I do. The Swarovski crystals between the hours of 4 to 8 symbolize evening rush hour, so if I’m running late or stuck in the traffic, I can look down at my watch and be distracted by the shiny crystals. (It worked today!)

I also love their “+5” (the minute hand could be pointing 5 minutes ahead or behind the actual time) and their “What Time” with all of the numbers jumbled at the bottom of the watch. If you know someone that’s always late or needs to lighten up a bit when it comes to time, you can get them a watch at Rakani.com. The watches all come in a super cute box that doubles as a travel case (it can hold your watch and jewelry).

Are you always late or right on time? And do you still wear watches, or just rely on your cell phone?

 This is a sponsored post. All words and opinions are my own. For more information, please see my advertising page. 

 

Geeky Fashion

Geeky and Gorgeous Convertible Dresses

Wonder Woman Dress

If you don’t own a convertible dress yet (and you’re the dress-wearing-type) you should get one immediately. They’re comfortable, versatile, travel well, and fit/flatter everyone. Little Petal NYC has now given you one more reason to own one: They’re available in colors and designs based on your favorite geeky character or franchise. They’re all SO cute. I can’t choose a favorite with choices like Wonder Woman, Batman, and TARDIS.

The dresses range in price from $150 to $200 and are custom made with your color choice. See them all at Little Petal NYC’s Etsy page.

Which is your fave? Do you own a convertible dress? What’s your favorite way to wear it?

Geeky Fashion

Geeky Leggings from We Love Fine

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I’ve loved We Love Fine for a while (every single person I’ve met that works there is so incredibly sweet. AND their stuff is amazing!), but I’ve been loving them even more lately. In addition to cute new dresses, sweaters, and shirts, they’ve created some of the coolest leggings I’ve seen in a while. Their Kawaii Marvel and Star Wars leggings are too cute for words, and are only $26.50 each. The Dalek leggings (with a giant EXTERMINATE down one leg) are bad-ass.

I  haven’t purchased fun leggings like these before because I’m afraid they won’t be long enough (I have fairly long legs) and I don’t know what to wear with them. Luckily, We Love Fine is holding a Google Hangout tomorrow to talk leggings with a bunch of amazing geeky women. I’ll be tuning in at 2pm Pacific to get some questions answered and convince myself I need a pair of these leggings. If I’m lucky, I may even win one of the pairs they’ll be giving out! Find out more about the hangout here, and let me know if you’ll be joining!

You can find all of We Love Fine’s leggings here. Do you have geeky leggings? How do you wear/style them?

Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites: November 1

Friday Faves Nov 1

Happy November! This past week has involved parties, a wedding, my birthday, Halloween, and prepping for Extra Life. All I want to do is sleep and instead I’m prepping to stay awake for 25 hours! Hey, it’s for the kids. These are the things I’m loving from the past week:

Favorite Kickstarter #1: Heroes and Inspirations Jewelry Line
Optimystical Studios (the amazing geeky jewelry found at conventions and my booth neighbors at Geek Girl Con) are launching a new jewelry line that features renditions of lady scientists by lady artists on dog tags. They’re beautiful and the campaign is thisclose to succeeding! Check out all of the different types of jewelry they have available here.

Favorite Kickstarter #2: BatteryBot
The makers of MimoBot have created a rechargeable battery for devices like phones and tablets. The super cute creatures can help you out whenever you’re stuck with a dead phone, and you can help make them a reality! Pledge here–there are some early bird discounts for those who pledge!

Favorite Exhibit: Modernist Cuisine
The Pacific Science Center has a really cool exhibit up now until February, and I can’t wait to go check it out. You will see the “science of food” through close up and fantastic photos, many of which include preparation and cooking of food and detail into how it happens. Food, science, and photography? This sounds too good to miss! Find out more here.

Favorite Event: Extra Life
Extra Life is tomorrow! I’ll be making video game-themed food and participating with Team Hypercube. You can see our full schedule here. Tune in to see what we’re up to, and make a pledge if you can! The money goes towards the Seattle Children’s Hospital!

What have you discovered this week? Will you be tuning into the Extra Life livestream tomorrow?

A Geeky Home

Ouija Board Furniture

Ouiji Board Living Room

 

If this furniture actually existed, you could get into the Halloween spirit everyday with your very own Ouija Board carpet and coffee table. Alas, it is only a concept made by Dave Delisle. This makes me wonder…what other games would you like to see as furniture? What if every room in your house was themed from a different board game?

(Thanks Mom, for sending this my way!)

Disney, Holidays, Libations, Recipes

Hocus Pocus Cocktails

For my birthday, I wanted a low key night where I watched Hocus Pocus (my favorite Halloween movie) with some friends. Apparently low-key to me means fall foods, pumpkin spice cupcakes, and three specialty cocktails inspired by the Sanderson sisters (and based on the color of their robes). The cocktails are all pretty easy and fairly low maintenance during a party. Just set them up right before and you won’t have to worry about it while you watch a movie or dance until you’re dead. Without further ado:

Sarah

Sarah: Bubbly, sparkly, and purple. This drink attracted all of the men. 

Ingredients:

Pour a little bit of Chambord into the bottom of a champagne glass. Fill the glass with champagne. Top with a few Pop Rocks.

 

Winifred

Winifred: Traditionally witchy, strong, and has a pretty big bite.

Ingredients:

  • Jolly Rancher Green Apple Jello
  • 1 Cup Water
  • 1 Cup Cinnamon Whiskey (I used SinFire)

Heat one cup of water on the stove until boiling. Add in the Jello mix and mix until fully dissolved. Add in 1 cup of Cinnamon Whiskey and a couple ice cubes, mix. Pour into Jello shot containers and let chill in the fridge for four hours.

 

Mary

Mary: Fruity, fun, and reliable. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 Part Raspberry Vodka
  • 2 Parts Pomegranate Juice
  • 2 Parts Cranberry Sprite

Mix together in a large pitcher with ice and pour into individual cups.

Which Sanderson sister is your favorite? 

Geek Etiquette, News

Birthday Resolution: Think Big

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Today’s my birthday, and I often take the day as an opportunity for a resolution or new goal. This year? I want to “Think Big.” (And yes, I’m a grown adult taking advice from a 90’s cartoon character. What of it.) You see, as an entrepreneur/blogger/marketing person/etc./etc., I often have fun, ridiculous, and grand ideas. Usually these go away as quickly as they come with thoughts like “that’ll never work” or “I’m just one person. I can’t do that.”

In this past year, I’ve done some awesome stuff. I’ve put together fun events, had a booth at a convention, started planning for an upcoming Kickstarter, created an online store, attended more cons, and laid plans for future partnerships/opportunities with the blog. A lot of these things have been scary. At some point in all of it, I’ve doubted if I could even do it. But I’ve loved everything and learned so much.

I resolve to not hold myself back. I’m going to dream and actually put my dreams into action. And each thing I do, whether it’s writing a blog post, throwing a party,hiring catering companies in miami for party. After that planning a new goal, I’m going to say “What can I do to go even BIGGER.” I think this will continue to push me throughout the year and will help me grow tremendously.

Do you make resolutions on your birthday? What are yours? How would you like to see me go bigger this upcoming year?

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