Strange & Charmed

Tech Gifts for the Chic Geek

Welcome to the first installment of my Holiday 2013 Gift Guide! Today is all about finding that perfect gift for the Chic Geek in your life. Diamonds are no longer a girls best friend when she has a smartphone or tablet in hand! So give your favorite techie gal a gift that will keep her precious gadgets safe, sound and stylish! Just choose her style and leave the gift ideas to me!

Feminine

Ted Baker London iPad Case :: Kate Spade New York Champagne Labels iPhone 5/5s Case :: Frends Ella B Earbuds

Black & Gold

Native Union Monocle Speaker :: Kate Spade New York Black and Gold Stripe iPhone 5/5s Case :: MARC by Marc Jacobs Dreamy Metallic iPad Mini Case

Chromatic

Rafe Rainbow Tab Shell iPhone 5/5s Case :: Frends Taylor Headphones in Oil Slick :: Tory Burch Robinson Smartphone Wallet

Do you have any Chic Geeks in your life that you are buying a holiday gift for? What are you getting them? Feel free to share some more gift ideas or links to other blogs/sites with similar gift guides in the comments!

lifestyle tech

Happy Vlogmas!

Good news everyone! This year I have decided to partake in Vlogmas! If you are not familiar with that term, Vlogmas is when you put up a video blog everyday from December 1-24th to celebrate Christmas and the whole spirit of the season! Each day in December through December 24th, I will be posting a holiday themed video to my YouTube channel. Here is my first Vlog for December 1st which I posted yesterday on the topic of my Christmas Tree! So make sure to check it out and to subscribe to my channel to follow along with all the festive fun!

Have you ever partaken in Vlogmas or followed YouTubers who have? What sorts of topics would you like me to cover in my vlogmas videos? I am open to suggestions since I have 23 more days of content to film! So, please share your ideas in the comments!

lifestyle

My Thanksgiving 2013 #OOTD

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! I know fashion posts are rare on Strange & Charmed, but I have been planning my Thanksgiving #OOTD for at least a week now and I am really excited about it. It’s nothing incredibly fancy since I do have to cook, travel, and of course eat today, but I am loving the look so much I thought I would post it here!

Top :: Forever 21 Crazy Bow Dolman Sweater :: I don’t think this top is available online anymore, but if you check your local Forever 21 they may still have a few in stock. The bows are actually a fuzzy texture which I love!

Pants :: J Crew Pixi Pants in Black :: These are my go to pants for the fall/winter because they are thick yet comfortable and give an effortless chic appearance!

Shoes :: Black pointed toe flats from Forever 21 :: I bought these a while ago, but I wear them for work and they go nicely with my pants.

Bag :: Kate Spade Beau Bag in Black :: This is my go to bag at the moment and since I will be carting a lot over to my in laws, this bag will be perfect for storing everything I need!

Accessories :: Michael Kors Runway Watch in Rose Golden :: Kate Spade Blue Stone Earrings :: Kate Spade Goreski Glasses Bangle :: Since I am going for a black and white look, I decided to warm it all up with a bit of gold and rose gold, and those earrings match my birthstone Aquamarine so I love them!

Other :: Dior Addict Eau Fraiche :: Dior Addict Lipstick in Diorkiss :: Kate Spade Festive Bubbles iPhone Case :: I love this Dior perfume because its clean and sweet. The lipstick is my favorite day to day shade because it produces a lovely natural pink, and finally, I just received this new Kate Spade iPhone case from Shopbop.com and its my go to holiday iPhone case!

Are you dressing up fancy for Thanksgiving? Let me know what you are wearing in the comments or feel free to Tweet or Instagram a pic of your outfit and make sure to tag me @MissTrenchcoat in your comments so I can see them!

tech

How to Fix Broken Instagram Tags

Some time ago I began realizing that some of my Instagram photos were not showing up in tag search results. It was a real bummer because I didn’t think my pics were getting the exposure they deserved, especially when I would work hard to compose an image and then spend time editing it on my iPhone! At first I thought the issue had something to do with a large amount of users on the server and figured that the app just “dropped” images from search results because of the traffic on certain tags, but after a while it was getting so annoying that I decided to research the issue. What I found out was quite a surprise to me, so I thought I should share the information with you in case you are suffering from the same issue! Basically, in order to fight against illegal or explicit photo’s (think pics of drugs or sexy photos), Instagram has blocked certain tags from their search (think tags with curse words or explicit language), but because people normally use more than one tag when promoting these sorts of images, if a picture has a tag that is blocked in the description, the image is automatically flagged and none of your tags will work so that your image is blocked from searches completely!

Now, I am sure you’re thinking to yourself, “I’m not posting explicit photos or using questionable tags in my description but my photos are still not showing up in searches.” Well, I’m sorry to tell you that Instagram’s approach to solving their naughty pic issues aren’t so cut and dry and seemingly innocuous tags like #iPhone have been blocked as well! In my instance, all my photos that weren’t showing up in searches included the tag #iPhone and I had no idea it was a blocked tag. So, if you are having trouble with your images missing from search results, I suggest you go through your tags and select them one by one and if your search results yield no images, you have found your blocked tag. When I went into Instagram and searched #iPhone, it indeed yielded no results, so unless you are using a totally unique tag or a misspelling and your search yields no results, your tag is probably blocked and causing your image to disappear in search!

If searching through your tags one by one seems too daunting a task for you, I have also found a link to A List of Blocked and Unsearchable Instagram Hashtags for your review. Just a warning, this link does show explicit language, so if you are underage or sensitive to fowl language, please don’t click the link. The link itself is to a reputable site, but I just wanted to give you a heads up because most of the list is bad language in hashtag form!

Have you had this hashtag issue happen to you? Have you been using tags that seem innocent enough but found that they were actually blocked by Instagram? Let me know your opinion on Instagram’s hashtag crackdown in the comments!

lifestyle

Our Christmas Tree is Up!

Hey Everyone and Happy Thanksgiving Week! For many of us in the U.S. I am sure this is a very busy week filled with shopping and cooking and prepping for family gatherings so I am probably going to keep my content short and sweet this week! I wanted to update you on my Christmas tree which went up last night, which was a bit early (usually I like to put the tree up on Thanksgiving night or Black Friday). Basically, Mike and I were looking at our plans for the week and decided that we should put the tree up on Sunday night because we have a majority of our Christmas shopping done so we needed a place to put all the gifts and we are going to have company this week on multiple occasions so we thought it best to just have the tree in place before our visitors arrived.

I am only working two days this week, which is pretty customary for me! Today is really my only “free day,” however, as other than work, I don’t have much that needs to be done today. Tomorrow is Mike’s birthday and we will be going to dinner with my Aunt whose birthday was last week, so we are doing a little double birthday celebration! Wednesday is prep day for me because I have a lot of cooking to do on Thursday morning! We are going to Mike’s parents house for Thanksgiving along with his grandmother, aunt, uncle and cousins, but I am doing a majority of the Thanksgiving cooking for the meal at my house and then packing it up for a short one and a half our trip over to theirs. I have a 23 pound turkey to prepare, plus some sides, appetizers and desserts so this is going to be an interesting undertaking!

In case you weren’t aware, this year Black Friday shopping has spilled over on to Thanksgiving itself, so after dinner, Mike, myself and possibly some other family members will be heading over to Target to get in line for their sale that starts at 8pm. I know that seems a little intense, but they have some items that we are looking for and we know we need to get in line early if we want to secure some of the deals! After that we will be heading back home with Mike’s cousins in tow and they will be spending a few days with us doing some more shopping. We plan to hit a few outlet malls in our area before returning them to their parents on Saturday! So, yeah, this is going to be a long week for me and Mike!

What are your plans for this week? Do you go all out cooking and decorating for Thanksgiving? What about Black Friday shopping? Will you be hitting any of the major stores on Thursday night or early Friday morning to take advantage of their sales? Let us know your plans for this week in the comments!

lifestyle

Life in Black & White

Lately, I have been super obsessed with all things black & white as you can see from this Instagram pic I posted on Monday. There is something so simple, clean and elegant about this look that says “put together” when really the whole thing was an effortless thought. I’m not sure what exactly has drawn me to this particular style, but I always think that the state of our lives dictate the way we choose to express ourselves, especially through clothes and accessories. Although my life has been pretty much the same for a long time now, recently, some very very positive things have been coming my way and I have a feeling that as I ride this wave of positivity, I will end up in a place that is different from where I began. In the new year, I expect that my life is going to change in some interesting ways and I suppose that I have fallen back to the simplicity of black and white to impose some sort of conservatism to my life while I navigate these new waters of opportunity. I truly feel that the choices I make in the near future of how to handle all these opportunities I have been given, may shape my life for a good many years.

How has your style changed in recent times? Do you find that your state of mind dictates your style as well? How do you handle change in your life? Are you pro change or do you get worried by it? Lets discuss in the comments!

lifestyle tech

Kate Spade Holiday 2013 iPhone Cases

I have been honestly loving the recent designs that Kate Spade has brought out for their iPhone cases. Every time I see a new design I want it and that is a very rare feeling for me when it comes to cases because I am very particular about my iPhone! I may have mentioned this before but it bears repeating that the new resin design that Kate Spade is using for their iPhone 5/5s cases is beyond perfect. Not only are the cases super slim, but they feel fully protected. I know Kate Spade makes some other cases that are similar to snap on hard cases and also some softer cases, but I find that the resin cases are the most protective and stylish! A few weeks ago Kate Spade brought out their Holiday 2013 collection which included some absolutely beautiful iPhone case designs as well. The whole champagne theme done in light cremes and muted pinks is so feminine and sophisticated I want to own them all! Here are some of my favorite cases from the collection as well as a Nordstrom exclusive case that doubles as an on the go iPhone charger… LOVE IT!

Festive Bubbles :: Champagne Lables :: POP, FIZZ, CLINK! :: Power Trip Charging Case

Are you enjoying these cases as much as I am? Do you own a Kate Spade iPhone 5/5s case? Which case is your favorite? I’m also thinking about creating an iPhone and Macbook background set based on these designs. Would you be interested in something seasonal like that for your devices? Let’s chat about it in the comments!

lifestyle

Seasonal Treats Winter 2013

With a littler over a week until Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, I thought I would share with you some of the items I have been lusting over recently! Any of these items would make a great gift for her or a wonderful treat for yourself. While this isn’t my official gift guide for her (that will come later, I promise!), lets think of this as a little holiday primer, or seasonal treat to get those gifting juices flowing!

Kate Spade POP.FIZZ.CLINK! Coin Purse :: Sugar Paper LA for Target 2014 Planner :: Michael Kors Rose Golden Runway Watch :: Target Headphone Earmuffs :: Alice + Olivia for Starbucks Travel Mug

What season treats are you eyeing this winter? Have you started your holiday gift list yet? Did any of these items make the cut? Let us know in the comments below!

lifestyle Solutions

How to Properly Store Your Wedding Cake

One of the most exciting parts about planning my wedding was decided on a wedding cake because when you make your appointment with your bakery they actually let you taste all different flavors of cakes and icing! Our wedding cake ended up being two layers, the bottom was a lemon cake with a citrus icing that was amazing and the top was a traditional red velvet which is my husband favorite!

As you may already know, there is something of a wedding tradition that you save the top tier of your wedding cake for your 1^st anniversary! For a long time, I thought this was a totally gross tradition, that was, until I did it myself! I was completely surprised when I defrosted mine because it actually tasted so good! Granted, it didn’t taste like a freshly baked cake, rather, it tasted like a cake that has been left in a refrigerator for a day or two! It’s so crazy to think that it didn’t spoil over the year, but I will have to attribute that to how it was stored. So, I thought I would share with you guys the proper way to store that top tier of your wedding cake and then how to prepare it for your 1^st year anniversary so that your cake stays as yummy as possible!

After you get married, it’s really important that you deal with the top layer of your cake as soon as possible to ensure freshness for the year in storage. I suggest getting the cake prepped and in the freezer within the first 12 hours after your wedding! First, you need to cover your cake in plastic wrap, at least 2 layers to make sure every inch is covered and that the plastic is closely fitted to your cake. Make sure to remove any air bubbles or tighten any looser spots of plastic because the less air you have trapped in your cake at the time of freezing, the better for the life of your cake! Next, wrap your cake up in aluminum foil, enough to generously cover it! Then pop it in the back of your freezer! I left mine in the back corner of my freezer so that it would stay out-of-the-way and consistently cold for the year. Leaving your cake too close to the front of your freezer may cause the temp to vary as you open and close your freezer. The defrost instructions are super simple. Once your anniversary comes around, all you need to do is take the cake out of the freezer, remove the aluminum so that only the plastic remains and leave it in your refrigerator to thaw for 2 days! I took a sharpie and wrote my defrosting instructions on the top of the aluminum foil of the cake so I wouldn’t forget what to do a year later! Like I said, my cake defrosted beautifully and tasted delicious, so I hope these instructions help any of you in this situation!

Did you end up saving the top layer of your wedding cake? How did it taste after a year in the freezer? Do you think this is a fun tradition or a gross one? Let us know in the comments!

tech

Mickey and Minnie Mouse iPhone Cases

Yep! I am still on my Disney World vacation with my husband for our Anniversary! So, today I thought I would share something cute and funny with you guys! Before we left on vacation, I ordered a set of Mickey and Minnie iPhone cases specifically for our trip! Last year my husband and I kept seeing Disney themed iPhone cases at every store and we really wanted to get them, but we decided that $40 each was a little too much for cases we only planned to use in the Disney Parks! So, I found these cute cases online from Amazon and ordered them weeks ago and they were only a few bucks each! I was really pleased with these cases because they are pretty tough and give a little bit of screen protection as well. If you happen to like these cases, I have included links to where I purchased these so you can check them our for yourself.