Sunday, September 26, 2010

Drink of the Week...



So here we go again... Another work week to come, and with the new week comes a new DRINK!

All you fans of The Real Housewives of New York, you're going to LOVE this weeks drink. It's yours truly Bethenny Frankel's "The Skinnygirl Margarita" Recipe. A yummy margarita you'll love and guess what, it's only 100 calories.

For more Skinnygirl cocktail recipes visit www.bethenny.com


Makes one serving

INGREDIENTS:

2 oz of Clear Premium Tequila (count 1, 2 while you pour, no need for measuring)
Tiny splash of Orange Liquor
Juice of 4 Fresh Lime Wedges

PREPARATION

To serve on the rocks, combine all ingredients over a glass of ice and garnish with a lime wedge

Enjoy!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Drink of the Week...


You've got 24hours until the work week kick starts, and you are probably wondering what's going to get you thru this crazy week this time?

Well, I have a solution...I am proposing the drink of the week!

This week's mixer is a recipe called "Passionate Dream", that I found from Semi Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee from the Food Network. It is an easy and tasty treat to help you unwind from your 9-5+ chore.

Ingredients
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice
6 packets sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda)
6 tablespoons lime juice
2 cups vodka
Club soda

Directions
In a pitcher, combine pomegranate juice, cranberry juice, sugar substitute, lime juice, and vodka over ice.
Top off with club soda.

Once you've prepared your beverage, here are your final steps:
Tie your hair back
Slip into your over sized college sweater
Turn on the tube to your favorite reality show
Kick back
Relax

and lastly
Enjoy your Passionate Dream.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Head over Heels...




Congratulations! You have found your true love, someone who understands and listens to you. Its the perfect match that is, to that other pair of heels you have been digging thru your closet for.

Do the most important men in your life bear the names Manolo, Jimmy C., Enzo and Steve M.? If so, then you have truly found “Mr. Right”. “Mr. Right” definitely knows how to pick you up when you are down and will always bring joy to your closet.

But if you all agree “Mr. Right” is not always perfect. I guess it is true what they say; there is never a perfect relationship. Within every happiness comes pain. Here are a few quick tips to help mend your pain.

Tip 1: Get the best-fitting high heel possible.  While this may seem like a given, stop and think: How many pairs of high heels cause your feet to slide to the front, leaving a gap big enough for a small cell phone behind your heel?  Look for narrow heels with a snug but not tight fit to correct the problem.

Tip 2: Cushion, cushion, cushion. While a full-shoe insert can help, if you have pain in the ball of the foot -- or you'll be standing in your heels a long time -- invest in silicone metatarsal pads. They look like flattened gummy bears, but they do a super job of shock absorption.

Tip 3: Wear a thicker heel for stability. A thicker heel will give you better balance and may help relieve some pressure by distributing the weight on your foot more evenly.  Alternating heel heights can also help reduce problems with the Achilles tendon.

Tip 4: Pay attention to the "slope" or "pitch" of the heel.  While some 4-inch heels will give you a straight drop down to the flatbed portion of the shoe, others will be a more gradual slope. This may be easier on the arch, and might help relieve some pain in the ball of the foot.

Tip 5: Wear open-toe high heels to relieve pressure on corns and calluses. See a podiatrist to have corns and calluses professionally removed and correct the problem that’s causing them. But if that's not possible, opt for open-toe shoes to take pressure off inflamed areas.

Now that you have these tips to help you, enjoy “Mr. Right”! We are so happy that you have found your “Sole Mate”

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Bejewel your next Bachelorette or Girls Night Out...



If you don't already know, Bejeweling is in! So when your thinking of your ensemble for the upcoming bachelorette or girls night out, don't forgot how a bit of jewelry can really go a long way.

Quick Fashion Tip:
Make a statement with a delicate cuff that's heavy on the sparkle, grip on a glittering evening bag or mix and match your favorite costume necklaces. You will look polished, trendy and it will sure give character to that old black dress.

I recently found my now new favorite jewelry shop. Jest Jewels.
They are located in San Francisco, Berkeley and recently opened their doors in San Jose. If you're not a California Girl, not to worry, visit their site www.jestjewels.com and you are sure to find all their super hot and trendy items.

They carry a variety of designers from classic Miriam Haskell to contemporary artists as Tarina Tarantino, Betsey Johnson, SydneyEvan, Chan Luu and Alex and Ani. You will also find an amazing variety of handbags, hats, and other accessories, as well as unique gift items from all around the world. A one stop shop to get your Bejewel on.

Who says you're jewelry can't have a life of its own? Make this evening a chance for you to explore and play!

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Las Vegas Hidden Treasure


As I mentioned earlier, Vegas is known for its rituals. But if you are one of those girls who just doesn’t care too much for these “rituals,” I have a spot for you. As we ventured shops and restaurants on the strip, we noticed right across from our hotel was The Mandarin Oriental hotel. Part of the attractiveness of Vegas is simply enjoying the scenery (the hotels and not the men in this case). So we walked over and checked it out. To our surprise, we walked into an oriental palace with a modern twist of beautiful and refreshing décor. As we marched through this wonderland, we also discovered their Tea lounge. I was super excited to see it, as it was a sign of relief that people in Vegas actually drink other forms of beverages other than alcohol. It is an intimate and relaxing setting for anyone who wants a little getaway from the craziness. No loud music, no waitresses in tights, and no cigarette polluted air- just herbs and pretty flowers. Their menu is centered around petite cakes, sandwiches, assorted sweets and flavorful teas. This hidden gem will surely add a shine to your Vegas experience.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

The Las Vegas Rituals…


In any fraternity or sorority, there are always acts or rituals that must be done before the ultimate initiation into a brotherhood/sisterhood. Analogous to this path towards Greek kinship, one should view the path towards marriage in exactly the same manner. And so, with Las Vegas being the quintessence of debauchery, a trip to “Sin City” is a must do prior to wedlock.

Of course, you already knew all of that, thinking that these rituals simply consist of hanging around the pool half naked, partying it up at the nightclubs with an aim towards robbing young men of free drinks, visiting the countless strip clubs, maintaining a constant buzz during the entire trip, and gambling. Easy enough, right?

My girlfriends and I recently partied up the strip for a bachelorette party in honor of our friend’s engagement. Boy, what a weekend it was! I worried that I would have jet lag coming home because of our 4am bedtimes and 9am wake-up call schedule. But what I absolutely love about Vegas is the fact that it is very accommodating and you can do whatever you want, thus making my sleep deprivation a moot point. For example, didn’t finish your martini? Then take it to go. You certainly can’t do that at your local neighborhood Applebee’s restaurant. The best part is that you can walk around drunk all night long. Take it from that movie Hangover. If you haven’t watched it, you must. Vegas is known for its glorified craziness, especially when you are drunk. You’ll see exactly what I mean. But do me a favor, please don’t lose your Bride.

The girls and I wanted to have a good time and, most importantly, stay drunk. We made sure that we were always glamoured up in our cutest dress and sexiest heels.

Speaking of heels , I just want to ask the question. How long can you last in your heels? I was in pain after 2 hours. I guess it’s true what they say - it hurts to be beautiful. If you have any ideas or suggestions on how us females can stay on heels longer than 2 hours, I would love to hear from you.

So here was our Saturday Vegas itinerary:

10:00 am Grab your oversized sombrero and sun block because your first stop is pool side. Summer in Vegas is every girls dream when it comes to tanning. Why? Because the sun’s out by 7 or 8 am. We laid out for a good hour. Nothing beats a natural glow to begin the day. And best of all….it’s free!

Quick tip: If you plan on drinking at the pool, I suggest sticking to margaritas. These drinks aren’t too strong, refreshing enough to beat the heat, and can be sipped slowly without getting you hammered and feeling bloated. Oh, and don’t forget the water to stay hydrated!

11:30am Brunch Time. Hello Mimosas! Need I say more?

Quick tip: If you are in dire need to visit a buffet and don’t want to overeat as many of us do at buffets, might I suggest you begin with a tall glass of water and eat the proteins ie eggs and deli meats first before hitting up the carbs. Eating the protein first will slow down the digestion of those carbs, making you feel full faster. And most importantly still look HOT in your bathing suit.

3:00 pm Now that the alcohol had subsided, be adventurous and take the girls to Stratosphere. If you don’t know, there are 3 popular extreme thrill rides built right on top of this building: X-Scream, Insanity and Ring Shot. Our pick was the X-Scream. It was a fast and crazy ride. You definitely get a good view of Vegas from way up there. Though a quick ride, we were fortunate enough to let our charm kick in and, with a little Vegas luck, was able to ride a second time for FREE.

Quick tip: Try and take advantage of the opportunity of being a group of girls in Vegas. With a little smile and subtle wink, you can really get a lot of free stuff especially when it’s a bachelorette group.

7:30 pm As we were getting ready for the night to start, the maid of honor had a little surprise. She made everyone pick something out of a bag. As my luck would have it, I grabbed a pink wig, which meant my crazy twin sister "Kiki" was coming out for the night instead. But so were my fellow gals Asia, Tatyana, Roxy, Trisha, KC and Lola, each with their very own and brightly colored wig.

8:00 pm We had dinner reservation at Union. It’s a modern, upscale American/Steakhouse restaurant and lounge inside the Aria Hotel. We started off with a Champaign toast and then proceeded with a fixed dinner menu: salad for starters, a tasting of 3 main courses and an assortment of chocolate and ice cream for dessert, all accompanied with booze… Yeah!

Quick tip: When you’re booking your dinner reservations, ask the restaurant if they have any special VIP passes or special offers that will allow you and your girls’ free access to other lounges or clubs. You’ll be surprised of their connections because a lot of these night clubs and restaurants are owned by the same company. Like I said, take advantage of your resources. There’s nothing to lose… just gain.

10:00 pm The night was still young so after dinner, we jumped into our very own white hummer limo. Next activity….our personal photo shoot! We went to the famous “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign. I personally have been to Vegas before but I have never seen this sign, so I was excited to have a moment with it. The sign is huge and lit up with bright lights. At this point we were all pretty drunk so we tried to keep our composure and posed for our glam shots. Beautiful! A favor you’ll cherish forever.

10:30 pm Now that we’ve made the cut to America’s Next Top Model, our next stop was to Australia… “Australia Thunder from Down Unda” that is! This is one of the hottest male shows in Vegas. To sum the experience up, it was pretty much a group of HOT Aussie men running around, dancing and singing in their tiny whities. These ABSSSSilicious men left every girl in the room sweating and drooling. Bib, please! And if you have that Vegas luck, you’re fantasy might just come true to hang out on stage with them! So sit back relax and relax.

12:00 am After we trekked through Australia’s outback, we then partied it up at The Palms. The night scene was just starting, so bottles up! Palms has some of the hottest night clubs in Vegas. Thanks Ms.Rose for sharing the luck. Rose is one of the promoters for Palms that we had ran into earlier that day and fortunately for her she got us in the VIP guest list for all clubs. So give her a ring when you’re out there and she’ll hook you up. We were like bunnies hoping from one club to the next. We started at the Playboy Club and gambled a little. Then visited Ghost bar and finished the night with some techno music at Rain.

It was a successful night with the girls. I don’t quite remember how we got home that night, but waking up in my hotel room without a voice was priceless. As exhausting as it was taking part in the Vegas rituals, I have to say I am leaving Vegas with a stronger sense of sisterhood.

xoxo
The Card Lady

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Planning The "Big Day"...

Weddings are a once in a lifetime event.  Rightfully so, everything must be perfect, from choosing the right shade of blush to having the exact count of freshly cut flowers.

But you must not forget that before that ‘Perfect Day’ comes knocking on your door, there is also another ‘Big Day’ to be planned for, never to be forgotten and of course, never ever spoken of. That's right, it’s the BACHELORETTE Party! So ladies, dust of that tiara and throw on your sexy stilettos and pink feather boas. Whether you’re the bride, maid of honor or even the grandmother of the bride, this day symbolizes the essence of partying like a rockstar- a full day of pampering, hitting the night life scene and ultimately, going wild with the girls. (But of course always drink responsibly).

I am excited to share these helpful tips and a series of bachelorette party ideas with you – they will surely knock your socks off and definitely be the talk of the town ‘til death do we part. So if you’re the lucky candidate chosen to plan this amazing event, just take a deep breath, think happy thoughts and get your top secret party planning book ready to jot down a wealth of information in planning the ‘Big Day’ of the year. 

TIP 1 Before you get too excited and start calling for bottle service reservations, the  very important first step in planning a successful bachelorette party is to ask the bride what she wants. As much as you want to plan a crazy night, let's face it - it's all about the bride! A happy bride will make a happy night.  

TIP2   Stay organized. Leverage your planning book and draft a mock up itinerary with all of the activities planned.  This will keep you on track and avoid any stress and fuss on the day of. 

TIP3    Budget, Budget, Budget…did I stress that enough? With a few event ideas in mind, it’s very important to then establish a budget with the attendees. This way, you set the expectation on total spend with your fellow divas and give them plenty of time to save up. The last thing you want is the bride covering someone's portion of dinner or, even worse, paying for her own lap dances!

TIP4   Have a theme or color scheme. With a budget set, you can now start working those initial ideas into a single plan – but not without a theme or color. You could maybe have all the girls wear pink and have the bride stand out wearing red. But if you really want to go that extra mile, make it a ‘cougar night’ with everyone putting on their best animal print dress. This is definitely eye catching and it'll separate your group from the rest. Even better, this simple act makes it that much easier to get access to the VIP section. After all, what guys wouldn't want to party with cougars?

So now that you have some general tips to get you started, here are a few great ideas if you're planning to take on the city streets….

"City Lights and Shooting Stars"

If you're not a city girl, don’t hesitate to throw a bachelorette party in your nearest city. Do some research and you will definitely find some hidden gems, both unique and exciting. I've had the honor of planning my BFF's bachelorette party in San Francisco. Being a suburb girl, I really wanted us to have a change of pace- do something different and out of the ordinary. We all deserved a night to party like a rockstar, and that's exactly what we did.  

5:00pm
We started the night with a pre-party at my place. Everyone grabbed a glass of wine as we toasted to what would inevitably be an amazing night. All of the girls looked scrumptious in their cocktail dress. To top their fits off, I gave everyone a pink feather boa and, to their surprise, they each found a jeweled whistle that I had attached to every boa. With the girls already tooting away on their whistles, this established a heightened sense of anxiety for a night of unknown activities to come. And the best part was that this made for an awesome party favor. 

Quick Tip: Try to keep the plans under wrap. You'll find the girls (especially the bride) more excited and on their toes wanting for more.

7:00pm
Asia SF Restaurant / Night Club. They have a lovely ambiance, flavorful drinks and, of course, entertainment. To put it nicely, the entertainers were “gender illusionists.” But simply stated, they were hot looking drag queens. The goooooorgeous and talented ladies of Asia SF served us triple star Asian cuisine and performed hourly atop the Chinese red runway bar. They offer a variety of dinner packages at a very reasonable price and also can help customize your special event. They have a spacious club downstairs with a live DJ and a VIP booth if you decide to extend your stay after dinner. “Shout out to my girls at Asia SF a big THANK YOU!”

10:30pm
Fisherman's Wharf – The Mermaid Cruise. Fisherman’s Wharf is known for its incredible scenery, creamy clam chowder, and mermaids. Yes…Mermaids - The Mermaid Cruise that is. You can call this venue a floating strip club. It was equipped with a surround sound system, a fully stocked bar, a stripper pole (including personal lessons at our convenience) and delicious mermen.  We spent roughly 4 hours on the boat that circled the San Francisco Bay, with drinks in hand, lap dances running ramped, and some tutelage in the clever art of stripping.

Quick Tip:  Always have an open mind. Just because you’re not P. Diddy doesn't mean you too can't party like the stars on a private boat.  Keep in mind that the more attendees, the cheaper it'll be.  So enlist the support of local neighborhood buddies to bring down the cost.

So at this point of the night you can probably assume what happened (hint hint…pink whistles going off). Unfortunately, what happened on the boat stays on the boat. It was an unforgettable night with great girls and memorable views: rock hard abs, city lights and, if you’re lucky, a shooting star. 

xoxo
The Card Lady