Flashback: DIY Wine Cork Board

For those of you who love wine, you may find yourself wondering what to do with all those leftover corks. Well, here’s a fun DIY project, an idea that I’m sure it nothing new to you.

Back in 2007, I created my own wine cork board after painstakingly collecting 198 true corks (no synthetics). And no, I did not drink 198 bottles of wine all by myself. Luckily some friends donated to the cause.

I wish I had step-by-step photos, but no such luck. So I’ll do my best to recapture this project for you. Good luck!

Shopping List (16″ x 20″ wine cork board):

198+ wine corks (no synthetic corks) – You’ll want extras (see step 2)
16″ x 20″ frame – I found mine on clearance at World Market. Check IKEA too.
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Patience :)

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Conquering Guacamole

Growing up, I used to hate when I’d order a quesadilla or fajitas and there would be that big green slob of nasty guacamole sitting there. I’d gently scoop it off my plate, making sure it didn’t even touch my food. My dad, a hater as well, referred to it as “cow snot.”

You have to love that I despised guacamole and had never even tried it (a typical trait of a picky eater). In fact, I never tasted it – or avocados in general – until after college. It wasn’t until about a year ago that I really started to love it. I give all my thanks to friends who make lime-rich guacamole and the folks at Chipotle, whose version I love.

So this weekend, I decided to make my own Chipotle-style guacamole. It was pretty easy, as all guacamole seems to be, and it made the perfect afternoon snack paired with Tostitos Multigrain Tortilla Chips.

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Game Time at Dave & Buster’s

Finally! I’ve been hearing about Dave & Buster’s from my sister-in-law (a Jacksonville native) for years, but I’d never been to one. Well, looks like Orlando finally jumped on the bandwagon. Our very first Dave & Buster’s opens on I-Drive tomorrow (July 18th).

Lucky for me, a friend handling the publicity shared tickets to a special sneak preview on Friday night (along with many of my former co-workers). As part of the event, my duo each received a $10 Power Card for arcade fun, along with an appetizer to split and an entrée each.

This Dave & Buster’s is huge: more than 40,200 square feet of gaming, drinking and eating goodness – all geared towards adults ages 21+ (I must say, I kind of love that under 21-ers must be accompanied by an adult at all times – particularly for the youngsters).

Here’s a rundown on our experience during this event…

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07.17.2011
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activities, bar, dining, nightlife, Orlando, Restaurants

A New Cure for Hiccups

Last week was long, so a night out on the town was desperately needed. My friend and I bar-hopped a bit, and en route to our 4th stop I developed an awful case of the hiccups. Her suggested fix? Drinking water upside down, of course. But water wasn’t really on our drink menu – so the question was: Could drinking beer upside down cure hiccups too? Well, apparently yes. And, thankfully, it only took two attempts because I’m pretty sure the other bar-goers thought I was crazy!

Time to try Yoga

Although I’m in love with PiYo classes (an upbeat blend of Pilates and yoga) and I’ve been to two Pilates classes, I’ve never been to a straight up yoga class. Well, consider that item checked off my list.

Earlier this week, I attended a yoga class at my 24 Hour Fitness gym. Even by arriving 15 minutes early, the line was already about 20 people long – waiting for the previous group class to clear out. Everyone scattered into the space and I was able to carve out my 3′ x 6′ piece of real estate – unfortunately far enough in the back that I could barely see the instructor. In all, I’d say there were about 40 people mat-to-mat in the room.

The instructor, Shanna, is adorable. Very friendly with a great sense of humor. At first, I was a little lost as she quickly called out pose after pose, but by about 10 minutes in I found my groove. That doesn’t mean I was good – just that I was at least keeping with the flow.

The guy next to me was very ambitious. While the rest of us barely made it through intermediate level poses, he was attempting the advanced moves, including an advanced lizard (legs in the air), crow and even a headstand. He didn’t have them perfected yet, but you have to give him credit for trying. (And no, ladies… he wasn’t cute – so don’t even ask.)

My favorite poses at the moment are pigeon, chaturanga (to cobra), any warrior stance, downward facing dog, and of course the child’s pose so I can take a breather. Easy ones, I know.

The class ended with five minutes or pure relaxation. Shanna even walked around lightly spritzing lavender in the air.

Even though my muscles are still punishing me, will I go again? Certainly.

Cake Mix, Marshmallows & Rice Krispies = Tasty!

Growing up, I loved Rice Krispies treats. All that marshmallow goodness… yum! We’d even experiment, adding in ingredients like peanut butter (my absolute favorite!). But as I’ve aged, I’ve forgotten about these tasty treats. That is, until I came across a recipe for “Cake Batter Crispy Treats”. My interest was spiked immediately, and I decided to treat my co-workers to a little post-holiday calorie-rich temptation.

The recipe is easy enough – you just add a little yellow cake mix to the marshmallows and then stir in some sprinkles. To be completely honestly, I don’t think the cake mix made that much of a difference. But the sprinkles… they were a fantastic addition. I highly recommend adding to all your future Rice Krispies treats!

Cake Batter Crispy Treats

3 Tbsp. butter
1 10-oz. bag of mini marshmallows
1/4 c. yellow cake mix
6 c. Rice Krispies cereal
1 1.75-oz. container of multi-colored sprinkles

Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat and add marshmallows. Stir until they begin to melt, then add cake mix one spoonful at a time so its combined. Continue to stair until about halfway melted. Stir in cereal until completely coated with marshmallow mixture. Sprinkle in half of the sprinkles and mix. Press into a baking dish (any size will do) and top with remaining sprinkles (use wax or parchment paper to press into pan). Let sit for about 30 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy!

Taking Color Coding to the Max

I’ve noticed many photos on Pinterest recently of people color coding their bookshelves. Some look amazing, with collections spanning one or more walls.

I can only dream of having a room filled with wall-to-wall books one day. But for now, I just have one little bookshelf to work with. But just because I don’t have a huge collection, that doesn’t mean I couldn’t try tackling this color coding challenge.

Here’s what I started with, my five shelves of books ranging from biographies to chick lit, to travel guidebooks and other novels (many past book club picks):

The first step was to pile all the books into color-specific piles. It was kind of interesting to note how many were white (how boring) and how many were red or blue.

Then came the hard part. Painstakingly placing each book in the best color wheel representation possible. To be honest, it only took about 15 minutes. It just seemed like forever! Here’s the result:

Fun, right? Okay, maybe I have a little too much time on my hands, but it was a little something different to try out.

Have you ever tried color coding anything? Your bookshelf, closet, work files?

Dry Shampoo: Friend or Foe?

I was lucky enough to inherit my father’s oil-ridden scalp – something I should be thanking him for every day. I mean, who doesn’t love the feeling of greasy hair a mere 24 hours after your last shampoo? Oh yeah, that’s right, NO ONE.

Because of this, I shampoo my hair every day. If there’s a day I don’t/can’t, my hair is inevitably slicked back into a ponytail (no product needed…ha!).

So when dry shampoos started popping up in the past year, I was curious yet skeptical. Are you really telling me that by spraying something on my hair, the “gloss” will just disappear?

I was willing to give this a try, but a just a minimal one. While at Target, I picked up a mid-priced product: Salon Grafix Invisible Dry Spray Shampoo. A couple days later, I gave it a go. At first, it seemed to do the trick. I mean, my hair wasn’t sparkling fresh, but it was better than the alternative.

However, by a couple hours later, the natural beauty started creeping back in. And I was left to – as usual – pull my hair back to avoid the slightly grungy look. Since then, I’ve reluctantly tried it once or twice more, with the same result.

Several friends all swear by dry shampoo, so obviously I just need to stop being cheap and buy a good brand. Above are recommendations I found from magazine articles, plus the one I purchased. Have you tried any of them? What brand is your favorite? Or have you encountered the same results as me?