Strange & Charmed

My Disney World Vacation!

Hello Everyone! As you are reading this, my husband and I are on our 1 Year Wedding Anniversary Trip to Disney World! As you may already know, we went to Disney World for our Honeymoon and we had so much fun we decided we had to go again! Since I am on vacation for my anniversary, I thought I would post this week about our celebrating! So today I thought I would share a few pictures from our last vacation and tell you guys about what we loved and what we are excited to do this week while we are in Disney.

Last year, we started our honeymoon with a day trip to Kennedy Space Center. My husband is a big NASA/Space fan so this was a treat for him. One of my favorite memories from that day was watching my husband navigate us through the Rocket Garden telling me all about each famous rocket (I had no clue he knew so much about rockets and all those space missions!)

For our first full day in the Disney Parks, we visited Animal Kingdom because I had never been to that park before! My absolutely favorite ride in Animal Kingdom was the Safari where you can see all the animals that Disney takes care of in the habitats that they have created for them. It really felt like I was seeing the animals in the wild and our tour guide was amazing! I loved seeing the lions on pride rock! This year I can’t wait to ride Exploration Everest because I forgot to do that last year!

Each evening we spent in the Disney Parks we ended up eating dinner in Epcot! My favorite spot was Chef’s de France! This year we will also be celebrating our anniversary with a visit back to that restaurant on our actual anniversary evening! Other countries we plan on eating at this year are Japan, Mexico and Germany!

One of the highlights of our trip was visiting Universal Studios to see The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! We visited Hogwarts, shopped in Hogsmede, ate at the Three Broomsticks and even had authentic butter beer! Although we will not be going back to Universal this time around, we still plan to pick up some Harry Potter themed goodies from the gift shops at the airport (shhhh, don’t tell anyone we’re sorta cheating with this one)!

Have you been to Disney World lately? What are some of your favorite places to visit? What about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter? I know I have some Harry Potter fans out there!

lifestyle Quirky Uses

5 Quirky Uses for Makeup Bags

5 Quirky Uses is a new periodic feature for Strange & Charmed. For each post, I will select an everyday item and suggest five alternate uses or ways to upcycle the item in a fun or unusual way. Keep up with these posts with the Quirky Uses category!

If you are like me, you probably have a few spare makeup bags or cosmetic cases lingering around. I tend to collect them! Whether it’s a free gift with purchase or part of a limited edition makeup set, or even just a cute pack of patterned bags, I have accumulated more than my fair share of them! So, what do you do with all those spare bags? I use mine for a number of purposes, so hopefully this list will inspire you to pull out an extra bag and put it to good use!

1. Organize Medicine: Makeup bags come in a variety of sizes and shapes which makes them perfect for organizing. Keep frequently used medications together in a bag to keep everything in one place. No more missing pill bottles for you!

2. Save your tech: In this day and age many of us carry around extra chords, cables, earbuds and other random tech gadgets everywhere we go. Save your gadgets and chords by keeping them in a dedicated “tech bag” so you don’t have to wrangle wires and detangle knots every time you need to charge your phone!

3. Emergency Bag: Now, when I say emergency bag, I don’t mean medical or other serious emergency. More like those little day-to-day emergencies where we are dealing with a broken nail, hair disaster or other last-minute mini emergency! I like to keep a bag filled with personal supplies like feminine products, hair ties, lotion, etc in my car for any issues that might arise. A spare makeup bag can be a perfect way to keep these sensitive items in order and easily accessible!

4. A Cute Clutch: I don’t know about you, but I have some pretty cute makeup bags! I just picked up this adorable three pack of makeup bags pictured above from Forever 21 and I would totally use any of these as a clutch! Slim bags in cute patterns are the perfect size and shape to store your phone, some cash, cards and a lipstick or compact! Check out these cute and very affordable makeup bags that would make awesome clutches!

5. Store your unmentionables while traveling: Whenever I am traveling I like to keep my delicate underclothing like bra’s and panties separate from the rest of my clothing. Makeup bags can be a great way to keep your dainty items private and protected while you’re traveling!

So, do you have a bunch of extra makeup bags like me? Do you just store them away or do you try to use them for organizational or other quirky purposes? Can you think of any other ways to use a makeup bag? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

Career lifestyle tech

My New iPad Mini Portfolio

If you haven’t noticed, I really like to be organized, especially when it comes to my many gadgets. So, I recently ordered this cute little iPad mini portfolio that I thought would be perfect for traveling and would make an awesome little to go bag for my iPad mini when I am out and about. I bought it off MochiThings.com which has seriously been my internet obsession for months. It is made by the brand M. Humming, which I have never heard of beyond this website, but they are a Korean accessories brand that focus’ on work & life balance!

Before I get into my impressions of the bag itself, I wanted to take a moment to point out the packaging this bag came in. I half expected it to be wrapped in plastic with maybe a little info card attached, but it come in this nice sturdy box with some nice images of the bag printed on it.

The back of the box was pretty cool because it gave specs on the bag and illustrations on which sorts of devices would fit in the bag. I love the little illustration of the bag open showing that you can fit your iPad, smart phone, and lots of little accessories like pens, headphones etc.

Here is a close up of that portion of the illustration. I don’t mean to be going on and on about the packaging, but it was seriously impressive to me.

Okay, so back to the bag itself. As you can tell from these last few images, one side of the bag has a nice zippered pocket and the other side of the bag just has the company info embossed on the bottom. They called this color “pink” but I think it would be more accurately described as rose or claret red. Either way, I do like the color and the way it looks on the faux leather. It’s feminine and professional which is exactly what I wanted!

Taking a peek into the zipper pocket on the one side of the bag, you can see it has slots for credit cards and a nice deep pocket that could easily store cords, cash, change, whatever loose little items you need to keep contained. Like I said in the intro, I think this bag will be perfect for traveling and I am going to test this theory out next week on my anniversary trip with my husband. Since we are flying and actually bringing minimal tech with us, I think this bag will be perfect for storing my iPad mini, iPhone, travel documents, ear buds, charging cables, etc.

Now, for the main compartment. As you can see, this main section of the bag is perfect for an iPad mini (it even fits my iPad mini while it’s in a case although I didn’t take a picture of that) and the alternate side has two large pockets that will easily hold a smartphone, small point and shoot camera, paperwork, cards, cables, pens, and more! I’m excited because I can even get a small Moleskine in here or a larger one in the iPad mini pocket. You can really use this bag a number of ways which is awesome because I am thinking about using this as a mini bag while I work that will fit my notebook, some pens, my iPhone and a few little extras! It is the perfect size to take to a meeting or conference because you can easily carry around your necessities in one small bag instead of juggling them between pockets and free hands.

So, how do you like this little portfolio? Do you use anything like this for work? Have you ever been to the Mochi Things website? Isn’t it filled with the cutest things on earth?!? Let me know in the comments!

lifestyle tech

My October Favorites

October is one of my favorite months. It’s usually the first month that is full on fall weather, pumpkin everything is totally acceptable, and leggings with boots become my fashion staple! I am so sorry to see it go, but here are a few of my favorite things that will help keep October close to my heart for the rest of the year!

1. Christian Dior, Cherie Bow Palette: I feel bad whenever I include an item in my favorites that isn’t really available anymore, but I have been loving this palette this month because of the nice neutral grey smokey eye I can create with it. Luckily for you, it looks like you can still get this palette online from some wholesale beauty vendors. Click image to link to available sellers!

2. Sparkling Silver Styrofoam Skull: Okay, so this is a little weird, but I am in love with this skull that I bought for Halloween. I love skulls (if you didn’t already notice) and skull print! Not really sure why, but I love the morbid glamour of these sparkling decorations. I picked mine up at a local retail store for a few bucks!

3. Wet n Wild Dollhouse Pink Lipstick: Lately, I have been obsessed with wearing a Barbie Pink lip! It’s a little more playful than my usually hot pink lip, and so bright. I think its been a fun change for me and this Wet n Wild Lipstick is so inexpensive there really is no reason why you shouldn’t give it a try!

4. Bath & Body Works Cider Donut 3 Wick Candle: I am always a fan of Bath & Body Works 3 Wick Candles, but I am crazy about this Cider Donut scent. It is the perfect complement to October and screams fall in the most delightfully spicy and sweet way!

5. I Heart KSNY iPhone 5 Case: I love everything about this Kate Spade NY iPhone 5 Case. The print is bright and fun and the case itself is pretty protective. I have a few Kate Spade cases right now, but this is by far my favorite one!

What were your favorite things from October? I know I usually do my monthly favorites as a YouTube video, but I am thinking about switching it to a blog post format from now on. Did you enjoy this post? Would you want to read about my monthly favorites on my blog each month? Let me know in the comments!

lifestyle Solutions

5 Frightfully Fun Halloween Activities to do @ Home

This year Halloween falls on a Thursday night, so unless you’re a college student or really into the holiday, you will most likely be celebrating at home! Don’t let your adult responsibilities get you down, there is plenty of haunted fun to be had even if you aren’t planning on partying it up! Here are five Frightfully Fun activities for Halloween Night!

1. Have a Monster Movie Fest

There is really nothing better than watching scary movies on Halloween! Some of my favorite Halloween classics are Hocus Pocus, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Sleepy Hollow.

2. Listen to The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe as read by Christopher Walken via YouTube

Yes, this really exists and its pretty incredible. If you are a major Christopher Walken fan like I am, you will surely appreciate his eerie narration to one of literatures classic haunting tales.

3. Read H.P. Lovecraft Stories by candle light

Lovecraft is considered one of the great masters of horror, so if you prefer the pace of a good novel instead of a classic film, try one of his spine chilling tales. Make sure to ready by candle light for an extra creepy effect!

4. Dress up as your favorite Ghoul and hand out halloween candy

What’s the next best thing to trick or treating? Handing out the candy, of course! It’s the perfect excuse to dress up for Halloween and the trick or treaters love the unexpected surprise when you open your door!

5. Rock out to a custom Halloween mixtape

Nothing can put you in that Halloween Spirit like music, so make your own playlist to set the mood for a spooky Halloween at home! Some of my fav’s are The Monster Mash, I Put a Spell on You, and Witchcraft!

Happy Halloween Everyone! How will you be spending your night? Let me know in the comments!

tech wallpaper

Great Gatsby Inspired iPhone Background

Earlier this month I rented The Great Gatsby from my local Redbox when it was finally released onto DVD. I totally missed watching it in theaters when it came out, so I was very eager to watch it! My husband had apparently never read the book in high school, which I found to be amazing because I thought it was required reading for every U.S. Student! So, he was not at all familiar with the story which was kinda exciting. Of course I had read the book multiple times and seen the original Robert Redford rendition so I knew what to expect ever step along the way. That didn’t mean, however, that I didn’t completely enjoy the film, because I did very much. I loved the way they filmed this movie and the way they used modern music and even some CGI to really turn the traditional story upside down and feel very relevant to today’s modern society.

So, after I finished watching the film I was totally in the mood for all things roaring 20s! The heavy use of gold, scallop print everything and the slinky flapper style were roaming around my mind. Of course, I just had to turn this movie into an inspired iPhone background to share with you guys! I pulled one of my favorite Gatsby quotes and put together a modern scallop print in a gilded color for this Great Gatsby inspired smartphone wallpaper! I hope you all enjoy this as much as I do!

Gatsby-iPhone-5-Quote — Right click image to save

Did you love the new Great Gatsby movie? How do you like this 1920’s film inspired iPhone wallpaper? Do you want me to continue to create more of these sorts of lock screen quote wallpapers? Let me know in the comments!

lifestyle

Nanowrimo 2013 Resources

It’s that time of year again! November has come and it’s the National Novel Writing Month in case you haven’t heard! Whether you are a NaNoWriMo vet or a newbie, there are many resources out there to help you get to 50k success at the end of the month. I have rounded up as many of these resources as I could find for you, so hopefully something or other down below will make the month a little easier for you. Happy Noveling!

For Mac Users

Macworld has a number of staff members who partake in nano, here is their article series for success!

Not to be outdone by Macworld, MacLife also has a mini guide to nano-ing that includes some iOS apps as well.

Here’s a Mac app that turns off the internet for a set amount of time, for those of you who are easily distracted by the Internet. Aptly named SelfControl.

For those of you who have an iPad and want to use that to assist you with your noveling efforts, here is a link to a site with some great app suggestions for iOS.

For Linux Users

For those of you out there running Linux, this is a link of 5 Essential Linux Applications for Nanowrimo.

For PC Users

Here is a link to writer’s software and resources for PC users, not nanowrimo branded, but still useful for wrimo’s.

Popular Applications

Here is the link for the Nanowrimo trial version of Scrivener. In case you don’t know, Scrivener is a great application for writers of all types. They are also a sponsor of NaNoWriMo and if you win you can get half off the software!

Here is the link for WriteRoom, one of the distraction free writing applications that full screens your manuscript so you can focus on nothing but writing.

Here is a link to Write or Die, one of the full screen apps that prompts you to write with settings that can prevent you from backspacing, and can even start deleting your work if you procrastinate too long. This also has an iOS app in case you are interested.

Other Misc Resources and Motivation

This link is for timeline-mapping software that may help you keep track of events in your novel.

If you are having trouble naming characters, this website is very useful.

Here is Written? Kitten! Which appears to be a web app where you get a new picture of a cat/kitten once you have hit the interval word goal of your choosing. Helpful for those of you who require a dose of cuteness as positive reinforcement.

Found this series of articles from the Guardian on how to write a novel in 30 days.

So, will you be participating in Nanowrimo 2013? What are some of your must have resources? Have you ever wanted to write a novel or attempted any other writing challenge? Let us know in the comments below!

Career lifestyle

Oh Hello Beau!

So, this week I became the proud owner of my very own Beau Bag from Kate Spade! You may have seen my little rant last month about how badly I wanted the bag, but thanks to the encouraging words of many of you I was able to resist the temptation of breaking my commercial detox over this guy! So thank you all very much for your support! Now, getting back to the bag and why I suddenly have it! My husband and I got some really great news in the last week or so, NO, I’m not expecting or anything, but a wonderful thing happened and if you are friends with me IRL and want to know what it was, send me an email or a direct message on Twitter! Because of said awesome news/event/game changer, my husband decided that he would buy me a bag for all my hard work/awesomeness/genius in getting us to this point! Now, on top of all that, as though it were some sign from the gods, the bag was on sale! Kate Spade NY has actually had two sales since the time I first ranted about my love for this bag but both times the Beau Bag was specifically excluded from the sale. Epic sad face! However, Saks Fifth Avenue is/was having their Friends and Family 2013 Sale and they were not so picky about what they were discounting, so when I saw the sale and shared it with Mike, he basically agreed that it was just too good to be true and we had to buy the bag. So, we ended up getting something like $150 off the bag plus free shipping and it was pretty awesome!

Now, I just wanted to talk a little bit about the bag itself, why I think its wonderful and all that jazz! Since I now own the bag, you can imagine I am treating it like a total baby! I absolutely love it for a number of reasons. First, it’s just an absolutely cute bag. I know it may not be everyone’s style, but it suits mine just fine! I have actually never owned a Kate Spade bag before, I have a few different accessories and pieces of jewelry, not to mention some iPhone cases, but never a bag before this. I am eager to see how the bag wears to the minor beating it will most likely get as a my work bag. Which brings me to the second point I want to make about why I love this bag; it will make a perfect work bag! It fits everything I used to keep in my Rebecca Minkoff MAB Tote that I was using as my work bag up until I received this one, and this bag keeps its shape! The Beau Bag keeping its shape was a major selling point of the bag. My Rebecca Minkoff MAB Tote looked sturdy when I bought it, but unless it was packed with items it didn’t hold a shape easily. That bag really took a beating, and it’s still in great shape, but I just didn’t like that it couldn’t stand up on its own and when I went to meetings and put it on the floor or on a table it would fall over and the contents of my bag would often fall out! This will not be the case with my Beau Bag. Since the Beau has a zipper closure I can make sure my items are secure, and since the bag holds a steady shape, it will actually stay standing up if I place it on a desk or on the floor during a meeting, etc! Okay, so final thoughts on things I love about the bag. I love the interior print which is a cream lining with gold polka dots and spade symbols. I am obsessed with the “iPad Compartment” which helps to conceal your expensive gadget! Finally, I adore the bow pocket on the front of the bag. It’s really a great sort of secret compartment, because when you look at the bag, you can’t tell that the bow is a pocket, it just looks like a structural embellishment to the bag, but nope, it’s a pocket and a wonderful place to put my iPhone because it has a magnetic closure! Okay, so that’s all I will say about the bag… for now! I do love it and I am so glad it’s finally mine!

So, what are you guys currently obsessed with? Have you put any fashion or accessory items on your holiday wish list? What bag are you currently carrying or eyeing right now? Let us know in the comments!

tech

Pretty & Protective iPhone Cases

As you may already know, I have something of an iPhone case obsession! For me, it has never been a question that I would always need to use a case to protect my iPhone; a full glass screen + aluminum body = damage waiting to happen! Although I have a lot of cases, I try to focus on purchasing cases that are both pretty and protective! My iPhone is like an accessory for me that I always have with me, so its important that I get good coverage with the case, but also a good amount of style and flair. Your iPhone case can really say a lot about you (a topic I have already covered here) and there is no reason to have a boring, ugly case just for the protection. So, here are a few of my favorite cases that blend style and protection!

1. Kate Spade Literary Glasses iPhone 5/5s Case: You may have seen this stylish pattern on my blog earlier this month, but I am totally in love with the new protective Kate Spade cases. These cases are double layered, so there is an interior “bumper” style layer and then a nice hard but flexible plastic exterior. What I love is that is does have a lip around the front of the case, so if you place the phone face down on a surface the screen is elevated. I won’t say this is as protective as an Otterbox or Lifeproof case, but for a designer iPhone case, its a really solid option!

2. Otterbox Commuter Series 3D Case: I would venture to say that when you think of protective iPhone cases, your mind probably lands on Otterbox cases first and for good reason, they have been on top of the protective case market for a long long time now! The problem with Otterbox cases, however, is that although they are super protective and can totally save the life of your iPhone, they really aren’t the most attractive cases out there! With that being said, I am totally excited about these new Commuter Series 3D Cases! They are absolutely lovely for an Otterbox and I love the color options! Hopefully, we will see more cute cases like this coming from Otterbox in the future!

3. Custom Monogramed Otterbox Case: While Otterbox gets their act together with some more cute iPhone cases, one awesome option you have is to order one of these custom monogramed Otterbox cases from places like Lipstick Shades. Companies like these will basically make you a custom design on an Otterbox case with your choice of patterns, colors and personalization options! I think these are a great holiday gift idea because the case is totally unique and personalized to their owner so you always know which phone is yours! Don’t you love this custom teal chevron case I made up on their site?

Do you use a protective case on your phone? Which do you use? Are you a fan of Otterbox cases? How are you liking these protective but stylish choices for iPhone cases? Let us know in the comments!

lifestyle

How to Politely Leave a Restaurant

6794513932_125532bdfc_z — Flickr via Falcondale Restaurant

Have you ever gone to a new restaurant only to take one look at the menu and want to bolt? I have to admit, this has happened to me more times than I care to admit. I seem to have a problem with trying new things, especially when it comes to food! I really need to get into the habit of checking the menu before I am seated at a new restaurant, but a recent experience got me thinking whether there was proper etiquette for such a situation. So, here’s the scenario. You take a chance and visit a new restaurant you are not familiar with, and then after being seated (and even perhaps ordering a beverage) you take a look at the menu and think to yourself “there is nothing on this menu I want to eat!” What do you do?

After discussing my dilemma with my spouse, who was also thinking the exact same thing, our first step was deciding that we didn’t want to stay and tough it out! So, in order to honor the fact that the hostess bothered to seat us and a waitress went to fetch us some soda’s, we decided it would be best to dig some dollars out of our pockets and discretely find our waitress. We explained to her that we had never been to the restaurant before and weren’t interested in anything on the menu. We slipped her a few bucks and thanked her for her time.

Overall, I think that although exiting a restaurant before you have ordered can be an awkward thing, we handled it well. The important thing to remember is it’s not what you are doing, but how you do it that matters. So, talking to your waitress and explaining your situation is a must! I guess we didn’t have to leave a tip, but since she had gone to get our drinks we felt like we needed to leave something for her trouble and the fact that she had two wasted drinks in her hand. Hopefully this will be the last time this happens to us! I will say, I still felt a bit embarrassed even though I think we did everything right.

So, what you do think? Do you think we did the right thing? Is there anything you think we forgot or should have done? Anyone a current/former waitress and been on the other end of this? How did it play out for you and how did you feel about it? Let us know in the comments!