Do you like trying treats from around the world? Well, now you can sample flavors from all over the world without having to buy a plane ticket all thanks to SnackCrate.
Who doesn’t love a good snack? My boyfriend’s brother gifted him with a subscription to SnackCrate for his birthday. SnackCrate is a subscription box service sending snacks from all over the world to your front door. The neat thing is that every box features a different country.
We were both a bit hesitant to open the first box since we’re not super adventurous eaters, but to our surprise his first box featured our neighbor, Canada! One great touch is the little card they add which features fun facts about the country your box features.
Along with the country fact card, you’ll find a list of potential snacks you may have received and a little tidbit about the snack – no blind snacking here!
Time for a peek inside!
We haven’t actually snacked on anything yet, it’s been a busy work week, but we’re looking forward to sampling the treats. Can’t wait to see what country my boyfriend gets next!
I love reading, it’s one of my favorite hobbies. With summer here, it just seems like the perfect time to turn off the tv and cuddle up with a good book while the summer breezes flow through the apartment. I’ve also made a goal to read 16 books in 2016, and I’m a bit behind, so it’s time to start reading more!
My boyfriend recently discovered that there are book subscription services, and suggested I check one out since I’m always on the hunt for a new book. Nowadays subscription boxes are all the craze, so it isn’t all that surprising that books are joining the bandwagon. I’m excited to try it out!
I’ve been doing some research to figure out what options are out there. Here’s what I’m currently considering:
Uppercase: A young adult book subscription service that starts at $17 a month
OwlCrate: Monthly YA (young adult) subscription service. The name makes me think Harry Potter. This service starts at $29.99 a month
The Book Drop: Created by a small independent bookstore. They have different categories you can subscribe to from historical fiction to YA. Prices are cheaper for children’s books, starting at $9, but books for those of us who are past our childhood can subscribe to the service at the low price of $13 a month.
Have you tried a book box subscription service? Let me know if you have any suggestions!
It’s time for another Stitch Fix Review! For my 6th Fix I requested my stylist Kim provide me with flowly tops and dresses since it’s been pretty hot here in NYC and there’s nothing worse than wearing overly warm clothing when commuting on the train and subway!
This Fix contained four tops and one dress. As I opened the box, I was pleasantly surprised with the color selection, everything was bright and cheery. So, let’s get down to business and check out the fashion!
#1 – Lore Pleat Detail Blouse by 41Hawthorn
This top is bright, flowy, and really comfy. Right down the center is a full length pleat, which is flattering for the top part at least, but I felt that the bottom of the pleat looked a little awkward. I think once I steam the top (there were a few wrinkles) that might make the top look more flattering overall.
41Hawthorn Lore Pleat Detail Blouse41Hawthorn Lore Pleat Detail Blouse and Ankle Pants by Ann Taylor
#2 – Doutzen Crochet Detail Top by Daniel Rainn Another pinned top has come my way! My stylist has been checking out my Pinterest Board again, and spotted I had pinned this top. Daniel Rainn must really be into crochet this season because this is the second top, two Fixes in a row, where I’ve received a crochet top from the designer. I can’t say I’m a big crochet person myself, but this top wasn’t too overdone and the detail was done in a charming way. I did find that the crochet landed on an awkward part of my chest, so sometimes when I went to lift my arms up the chest piece of crochet made things a bit stiff. I’m thinking with use and washing things will relax a bit. Overall, a comfy option that looks cute with jeans or white pants.
Daniel Rainn Doutzen Crochet Detail TopDaniel Rainn Doutzen Crochet Detail Top with Ann Talyor Ankle Pants
#3 – Senza Embroidery Detail Top by Skies are Blue
This top is just too cute and so much fun! It really brightens my mood and if my red hair didn’t say “look at me” enough, this top will certainly get someone’s attention. I recieved a size small in this top, and it’s still got tons of room to move around and breathe in, and it’s absolutely comfortable! I think this could be a Fourth of July contender.
Senza Embroidery Detail Top by Skies are BlueSenza Embroidery Detail Top with white jeans from Delia’s
#4 – Rolfe Knit Back Top by Brixon Ivy
Talk about a cute casual tank! I absolutely love this top. The back is solid navy, no print, while the front is a bright floral design, perfect for shorts or jeans. I have a feeling I’m going to get a lot of use out of this top this summer. Oh, and the top is so soft! It’s a must have tank ladies!
Brixon Ivy Rolfe Knit Back TopBrixon Ivy Rolfe Knit Back Top with shorts from Target
#5 – Evelyne Jersey V-neck Maxi Dress by Le Lis
When I read my stylist’s note saying she included a maxi dress I have to admit I wasn’t excited. I’m not a maxi dress kind of girl. I’ve owned one other in my life and it’s sitting in the back of my closet. For me, when I hear the words maxi dress, I feel I have to be some super tall modelesque type, who’s at least five foot eight, which I’m not. But, I said what the heck let’s give this a try and see if my stylist is onto something. Let me tell you, I had the hardest time getting this dress on. First it was hard to figure out where the front was vs the back, and then the elastic bodice wasn’t so elastic so as I was pulling the dress over my chest it definitely stretched out some of the sewing holding in the elastic, but I eventually got myself situated. Once in the dress, I felt it was pretty flattering and I liked that it had thick enough straps to conceal bra straps. I’m going to keep an open mind and hope the dress grows on me. One neat tidbit is the dress was made in the USA, not something you see a lot!
Le Lis Evelyne Jersey V-neck Maxi DressLe Lis Evelyne Jersey V-neck Maxi Dress
Some final thoughts: This fix was great! As I tried on each item I kept saying to myself “is this going to be a 5 out of 5, I think it just might be.” Ultimately, it was and I decided to keep all 5. I didn’t have any issues with any of the items, and I really felt like my stylist is starting to get better in tune with my likes and style.
Suggestions for a better fix:
Be very specific. If there are certain pieces or types of clothing you really want, provide that in your styling note to your stylist.
Create a Pinterest Board. Stylists will check them out if you keep mentioning them in your style notes.
Call out designers or names of actual articles of clothing . Your stylist may not provide those exact items but they’ll start to get a better sense of what style you’re into.
Don’t forget to follow my Pinterest Boards for more Stitch Fix fun!
Cupcakes in the City, round two! For those of you just joining this cupcake adventure, I’ll be focusing on the old fashion chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. Read about our first Cupcakes in the City stop here.
This time we headed over to Molly’s Cupcakes. I’d read a bunch of articles about cupcakes around the city, and Molly’s came up a few times. People kept raving about the cupcakes, saying they were better than most places in the city so I had to put Molly’s to the test. Hearing that Molly’s had a service called “create-a-cupcake” where you tell them cake flavor you want, what type of frosting, and you can top it off with an assortment of toppings, I knew I had to visit sooner than later.
Build your own cupcake at Mollys Cupcakes
Details: Location – 228 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014 Cupcake Price – $2.50/each
The bakery was, in my opinion, a hipster joint. From the workers, customers, to the decor, everything just screamed hipster. Now I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but it’s definitely a different vibe than the other bakeries I’ve been to in the city.
Hipster swings in Mollys Cupcakes
Cupcake Logistics: Appearance: Plain and simple with no frills. The cake itself glistened with moisture. Molly’s “Build Your Own Cupcake” isn’t a pretty cake, but some of their cupcakes and desserts on display did have more attention to detail and were cuter looking. Frosting: Sweet and thick, with a strong flavor. There’s no subtlety here. I tried a cupcake with vanilla frosting, and one with chocolate. I highly recommend the chocolate frosting! Cake flavor/consistency: Very moist, which can be seen in a positive and negative light. The cake was so moist that when you took a bite with frosting, you could almost not tell the two apart since they both were of the same mushy consistency.
The cupcakes you can build yourself were kept in Tupperware containers behind the counter. Being kept in such an environment, perhaps without cooling properly left the cakes very wet to the touch, leaving behind moisture stains in the cardboard boxes they came in, something I haven’t experienced previously at other popular bakeries. Grabbing the cupcakes (in their wrappers) was slippery and not the best experience.
I was hoping for the building experience to be special and fun. I had seen a review online that made them sound magical, saying you got to watch the staff create your cupcake right in front of your eyes. The worker I interacted with was far from magical, and seemed disinterested. The featured sprinkle station was far from exciting. I was hoping for several cool types of sprinkles that I could spoon onto my cupcakes, instead, you got what you see below…not even traditional sprinkles in sight!
Sprinkle station at Mollys Cupcakes in NYC
In the end, the cupcakes tasted fine, but the frosting was a bit heavy for me, which is saying something since frosting is usually my favorite part of any cake. If you ever find yourself on Bleecker Street in NYC, poke your head in! You’re sure to find something sweet to enjoy.
If you’ve read my Tieks post, you know that I’m a fan of the flats but find that they tend to carry an odor after a period of time. In the post I mentioned finding a new product called Foot Petals: Sock-Free Saviors and that I was going to put them to the test, which is exactly what I’ve been doing.
Foot Petals: Sock-Free Saviors are shoe inserts that are removable and machine washable. You can’t go wrong with something that you can easily remove and wash!
When you get the pack (2 insoles) you’ll see there are different cut lines on the insoles so you can trim them to fit appropriately. I went with the small cut line and found that was still a teeny tiny bit too large still, so I trimmed just a little bit more off. From there, insert them into your shoes!
My journey began with using the inserts with my Keds. I’ve previously been wearing my Keds with what I call micro socks, and while those worked out ok, sometimes you would see the black fabric poke up above the shoe – not a great look. I figured I would give these insoles a try in my Keds because then I would get the comfort of something like a sock, but without needing to wear them or worry about them showing awkwardly. With my Keds, I have no complaints. The sock-free saviors did their job, and my feet felt fresh and were odor free 🙂
Since my first experiment went so well I figured it was time to try the inserts with shoes that really needed them – my Tieks.
Odor: My feet didn’t carry a bad odor! Previously, when I wore my Tieks, my feet would end up getting all hot and sweaty, leading to some unpleasant smells. Due to this, I would have to immediately dunk my feet into the tub after taking the flats off every evening. However, this time around, my feet only really smelled like the insoles themselves (which just smells like plastic). No need to wash my feet – phew!
Comfort: In my Keds, the Foot Petals work great. However, with slimmer shoes like my Tieks, I found there was too much bulk/cushion which caused my feet to feel very squished and a bit uncomfortable. When I removed my Tieks, my feet had deep indents in them for quite a while due to losing some of the roominess in the shoe. I might try to stretch my Tieks out some more with heavy socks to see if that will help loosen things a bit and let me continue to use the insoles. If that doesn’t work, I may try to see if I can cut down the “bulk” a little but I’m not if that’ll be doable.
In the end, I feel Foot Petals: Sock-Free Saviors are a great and affordable investment, especially for sneakers that are cut low on the foot/ankle. I’m not sure they are a great fit for traditional flats, but I’m not going to give up quite yet!
