Super Bowl 50 Football Cupcakes!

It’s finally that time of year again: It’s Super Bowl Sunday tomorrow! A day you get to eat your heart out and drink beer ’til you pass out without feeling bad about it. If you are like me you look forward to this day all year. Spending time with friends and family sitting around the big screen. It doesn’t get better than that. But if you are heading to a big Super Bowl party you cant show up empty handed.

Here’s a step by step on how to make the cutest football cupcakes under $15 dollars!

SUPPLIES: 

• Chocolate Cake Mix ($2.35)
• Chocolate Frosting ($1.88)
• Baking cups ($5.21) *I spent more for sturdier ones. Use any you prefer.
• 2 Writing Frosting Gels–white ($1.50 each) *I ended up needing two..and had to drive back to the store…*ugh*. So get two just to be safe!
• Plastic Decorating Tips ($2.50)

Preheat Oven to 350

Place baking sheets into muffin pans

Mix up the cake mix by following the directions on the back of the box. 

*I used a 1/4 cup to scoop the mix into the baking cups (as seen below). You can use a spoon but I found using a measuring cup helped scooping the same amount each time.

Fill up a little under half way full.

Bake in oven for 20 minutes. Let cool completely (30 minutes or more) before frosting! *Very important* 

Here is the youtube video to how I made a DIY frosting bag using just a Zip Lock bag and a plastic decorating tip: 

Now you are ready to Frost!

Add frosting to cupcake in a zig zag motion. Starting out narrow, getting wider in the middle and then back to narrow.

*Surprisingly very easy. This was my first time ever making these before. So if I can do it, you can do it :)* 

For the finishing touches: Grab your white decorating gel and draw on the football laces. 

*VOILÁ!*

The most perfect football cupcakes! 

Hope this was helpful!

GO BRONCOS | #Superbowl50

XO, 

Knock offs? Yes Please!

Don’t you just love finding knock offs of your favorite fashion brands?

I know I do and when I find products that look just like the real deal I love sharing my secret with everyone!

So here you go:

I am for some reason so drawn to collecting sunglasses. I may not have the courage yet to wear all my sunglasses out in public haha however I do have them. When I found out about this website I had to share it with you all. Maybe it will make me stop wearing the same boring aviators and try a new fun look.

For the most part keeping up with new styles and trends can get very expensive, especially top brand sunglasses. If you do love changing up your eyewear on a regular basis you can’t be dropping hundreds of dollars on multiple pairs! And what I mean by you…is us college kids. We cannot be dropping hundreds of dollars on pairs of sunglasses. At least not yet!

So here is how you will now be able to stay up with the hottest sunglass trends and not break your bank account.

Sunglass Spot

http://www.sunglassspot.com/default.asp

My most recent sunglass obsession is with Quay Australia sunglasses. Celebrity after celebrity have been spotted repping these awesome sunnies from GiGi Hadid, Ruby Rose, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson & Shay Mitchell.  I was expecting them to be the typical $200 but on their website they are actually pretty reasonable! Roughly around $50 each.

I want them all!

However I still am always looking for the better deal. And what do you know Sunglass Spot has Q/A knock offs for $5 bucks!!

Quay Australia website: ($50)

Sunglass Spot Website: ($5) 

*quick note. I am sure you are thinking the same thing as me, the above picture does look to be poor quality however I posted a picture below of a model on their page wearing the glasses. I am hoping they look closer to the image below.

Quay Australia: ($50)

Sunglass Spot: ($5)

My aunt posted an Instagram picture of her wearing them and I instantly commented on the picture asking if they were the Quay Australia ones! She quickly informed me that she got them for $5 at Sunglass Spot! So here is a nice shout out to you Rochell! Thank  you for finding this amazing look alike and awesome deal.

Now we can all stay up to date with the hottest fashion trends (at least for our eye wear!)

Enjoy :)

Ps. follow my Pinterest page @alexchrin to see my “Sunnies” board dedicated to my favorite sunglass trends!

xoxo,

Planning for your next Planner!

Hi everyone! Today I am talking to all you organize freaks out there like me!

One of my favorite times of the year is getting a new planner for the school semester/new year. This is my last semester of college ever! (Can’t believe it, if you are just starting college enjoy every minute of it cause it truly flies by!).  So I wanted to make sure I got the perfect planner. I have had experience with two great brands which I have listed below & also listed the new planner I just ordered which I am so excited to get in the mail.

My first “big girl” planner was from none other than the amazing Lily Pulitzer. I think every girl should have at least have one of these bad boys. I loved how big this agenda was. I got it a year ago and it still goes until December 2015! It was a year & a half long (& actually I could technically still be using it for this last semester — its that large — but I wanted a new planner for a fresh start hehe).

http://www.lillypulitzer.com/category/agendas/jumbo-agenda/pc/429/433.uts

 Pros: 

• Durable
• Enough room to write under each day
• Cute stickers (i.e. Mani/Pedi day, Date Night, Me Day etc.)

Cons:

• The only reason I switched to a different planner was it wasn’t the best fit for a college student in my personal opinion. It was hard to separate each class and assignment and my OCD would really kick in when it looked all scattered.
• A little pricier than most ($34)

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PlumPaperDesigns

The above photo is THE number one reason to get this planner. It has been the best for writing down homework or when your next exam is. Hands down best college planner out there.

Pros:

• CUSTOMIZATION! (name on front, adding classes, and stickers etc.)
• Also durable
• Great price
• Custom class sections
• They do more than just student planner. (wedding planners, teacher planners, parent planners etc.)

Cons:

• Not great for other than school, needed two planners. (one for classes, one for other)
• Not a fan of the outer designs (personal opinion)

Below are the two that I have right now. You can see that the Lily Pulitzer planner is much larger! Both were great quality and have lasted for a year! The reason I got both was that while I am in college I needed more of a student based planner which Plum Paper designs is awesome for! But I also liked having one for separate life events and to do lists which Lily is great for.

Of course I am always looking for the  next best planner because let’s face it I love a good planner! And I have still not found the PERFECT one yet. So I have officially just ordered this one from BAN.DO. It looks great and at a reasonable price ($20). I cant wait until I get it and I will for sure post a review as soon as its here. I have a feeling I might just be obsessed with it!  (Yes I know above I wrote that Plum Papers is great for school and since I do have one more semester left I’m sure I might regret it, but just look how cute this one is!)

http://www.shopbando.com/collections/agendas

What really sold me was what they wrote at the bottom, so true! Organizing did get cool… haha. So cute!

Let me know what planners you all use && what ones you love!

Again I will be sure to update you guys on what I think of the Ban.do planner when it arrives.

xoxo,

Let’s Talk Nails!

I don’t know about anyone else but I never feel more put together than when I have a fresh manicure! Its a chance to treat yo self and have a little “me” time.

Below are a few of my most recent favorite manicures.

I truly believe having your nails done says a lot about yourself! It may seem like a pointless expense but trust me PEOPLE NOTICE. I know personally if I see a girl with chipped off nail polish or bitten finger nails it comes off to me as a woman who doesn’t care about how she presents herself and most the time is not put together. (that’s just my opinion though).

SO a little back story on my nail history, cause I’m sure you all care haha. I have always been someone to get manicures and pedicures. My mom and I usually make a day of it, nails, lunch & shopping, what more could a girl want. It’s our favorite thing to do (we are honestly best friends)! Anyways for years I used to bite my nails & that was the main reason for me to get my nails done, however I would always get Acrylic (fake) nails. I found a place that did a great job & who made them look semi-natural but the down fall was it was super expensive to keep up (remember college budget here) plus it is really terrible for your natural nails. So one day I realized I could not keep up the $45-50 dollars every 3 weeks and decided it was time to take them off for good. It was getting so hard to find places who did a good job & I had enough of being disappointed.

I thought to myself, I’ll just paint my own nails & they’ll look perfectly fine. OH CONTRAIRE! ummm why does normal nail polish chip off in 5 minutes?! It’s ridiculous. Exhibit A below of how my nails looked when I did them (I am horrified). However I guess when you drink 2 buck chuck wine you could care less what your nails look like! haha.

So after trying this pathetic look out I decided to make a change. I was determined to grow my natural nails out…and I some how actually did!

Here is the trick ladies:

GET GEL NAILS! I don’t know why I never thought of getting gel nail polish on my natural nails but I did and for some reason it allowed me to not bite/pick at my nails and they grew!! It was the best thing. Also for all ya’ll who don’t know about gel nail polish, it stays shiny, it makes your nails feel stronger, and it lasts for 3 weeks! As soon as they grew out long enough, I was able to square them off and it was the best thing I’ve ever done. AND the best part is its so much cheaper. ($25-$30). I told my mom what I was doing this and she decided after 30 years of wearing acrylics she was going to try it too! And what do you know it worked for her too.

Here is a list of my top celeb nail inspirations who usually post quite a bit about their fun manicures on Instagram: Shay Mitchell, Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale (yes all the pretty little liar girls are killin it with the manicures), Kyle Richards & Yolanda Foster (for all you Real Housewife fans out there like me), Kristen Taekmen (who is also a housewife andd has just recently released a nail polish line called “Pop Of Color” @POCbeauty) , Stassi Shroeder & Courtney Kerr.

I personally go every 2 weeks cause by that point I’m ready for a new color and like I said before its your chance to treat your self!

                                                                      xo,

Why Living By Yourself is the Sh*t!

It’s finally happened! I have my own place. 

So it’s fitting that I stumbled upon this article from Elite Daily called “20 Reasons Every Girl Should Live By Herself At Least Once In Her 20s.” And I gotta say it’s spot on. To all you ladies who are either living by yourself now, looking forward to living by yourself or scared sh*tless to live on your own READ THIS ARTICLE! 

http://elitedaily.com/women/reasons-girl-live-alone-20s/805422/

I can honestly say from living with roommates all of college, this is all so true! Like the quote below says learning to depend on yourself and nobody else is so empowering.  

{Also if you haven’t checked out Elite Daily before & you are in your 20’s like myself, sign up now! I’ve never found more relatable articles! http://elitedaily.com/ } 

xo,

DIY Don’t Forget Your Roots

Moving to a new state soon? If so this is a cute little way to remember your roots!

I have lived in Northern California my entire life and wanted to make a little something to remember where I came from. Also hopefully seeing this every day on my desk will motivate me to make my goal of moving to Denver a reality!

All you’ll need:

• Frame: I got mine from Michaels ($9.99) & chose a floating style frame. But you can ultimately chose any style/size frame you want.

• Red Sharpie: To draw a heart next to the city you want (optional)
• Print out states! 

I chose to only do two states, however you can do as many as you’d like.

• I found the state images from google maps.

CALIFORNIA

 

COLORADO

Print & Cut. Frame it up!

This was the DIY of the day. Enjoy!

xo,

DIY: DESIGN YOUR OWN MUGS WITH SHARPIES.

Good morning! Any coffee addicts or tea drinkers in the house? If so this might be a fun craft for you!

I don’t know about you all, but my favorite thing about the morning is a nice cup of joe. Which means I have A LOT of coffee mugs. I love collecting mugs with funny sayings or from places I’ve been, but I hate paying $9.99-$16.00 for them! Especially when I can get perfectly fine mugs at the Dollar Store, but lets face it those ones are boring. So I had been hearing that you can make your own designs on mugs with sharpies and bake them in the oven to make the ink stay. I was intrigued…

I did a little research and people were writing that the ink didn’t last with normal sharpies, that you needed to buy special Oil-Based ones called “Sharpie Pen-Peinture.” I went down to my local Staples and picked up a pack.

Here is everything you will need:

• Mugs (Dollar Store) $1
• A Pencil
• Sharpie Pen-Peinture $8.89 (make sure it is not regular sharpies or it will not stay)
• An Oven

• I used the pencil to sketch the words on the mug, then went over it with the sharpie! I found all my mug designs on Pinterest.

• Place in the oven for roughly 30 minutes at 350 degrees! Then let them cool off for another 30 minutes.

                   Now you can have personalized mugs anytime you want! 

The only downfall = *Not dishwasher safe. Must hand wash.

These make great (cheap) little gifts! Hope you Enjoyed!

xo,

Behind the Name

Hi all! 

Since I just started this blog I wanted to make sure to give you a little reasoning behind the blog name. Enjoy! 

As a woman we go through one, if not many heartbreaks and we all handle them differently. I myself have had my fair share. For me I often turn to the country singer Miranda Lambert. Her lyrics tend to put a lot of things in perspective for me. She has that ‘kick him to the curb’ attitude if a man isn’t treating you the way he should. Most importantly the way she portrays life is something I look up too. The kind of F#@% it I’m doing my own thing and I don’t care what any of ya’ll think. She sings about being a strong, sassy, independent woman. She’s badass and who wouldn’t want to be her!

So one of my favorite songs by Miranda is called Mama’s Broken Heart. It’s a song that sings about how you need to go ‘fix your makeup cause its just a break up.’ The lyrics really hit home because even when you go through a shitty break up (like I know we all have) you just have to think, “screw that guy he’s missing out.” He’s not worth the tears & move on!

In the song she sings about how her mother is telling her you should be lady like and keep it together. But her mother “grew up in a softer generation where you get a grip and bite your lip just to safe a little face.” That’s definitely not the generation we’re in now; instead woman tend to go crazy (as portrayed in the music video)!

To me I take this song as a perfect representation of our female society now. After a break up woman are allowing it to make them go crazy and feel they need to some how get revenge. How do we let it affect us so much! I am definitely guilty of letting a break up take its toll on me. After listening to this song I say we should go back to the times where it is our mama’s broken heart and we   “cross our legs, dot our I’s & don’t ever let ‘em see you cry.” Because we all know the one thing that really gets to them is seeing that we’re doing justttt fine without them.

So that’s where the name came from! It really just incorporates being a strong & classy woman. And I hope I get many of you strong ladies following me! 

{Miranda will definitely be someone I will continue to reference in this blog. PS who else was absolutely heartbroken to hear the news that her and Blake got divorced (makes me think love is a lie! haha). However I’m sure we will see Miranda being strong as ever. You go girl! }

xo,

MAMA’S BROKEN HEART:

 I cut my bangs with some rusty kitchen scissors
I screamed his name ‘til the neighbors called the cops
I numbed the pain at the expense of my liver
Don’t know what I did next all I know, I couldn’t stop

Word got around to the barflies and the baptists
My mama’s phone started ringin’ off the hook
I can hear her now sayin’ she ain’t gonna have it
Don’t matter how you feel, it only matters how you look

Go and fix your make up, girl, it’s just a break up
Run and hide your crazy and start actin’ like a lady
‘Cause I raised you better, gotta keep it together
Even when you fall apart
But this ain’t my mama’s broken heart

I wish I could be just a little less dramatic
Like a Kennedy when Camelot went down in flames
Leave it to me to be holdin’ the matches
When the fire trucks show up and there’s nobody else to blame

Can’t get revenge and keep a spotless reputation
Sometimes revenge is a choice you gotta make
My mama came from a softer generation
Where you get a grip and bite your lip just to save a little face

Go and fix your make up, girl, it’s just a break up
Run and hide your crazy and start actin’ like a lady
‘Cause I raised you better, gotta keep it together
Even when you fall apart
But this ain’t my mama’s broken heart

Powder your nose, paint your toes
Line your lips and keep ’em closed
Cross your legs, dot your eyes
And never let ’em see you cry

Go and fix your make up, well it’s just a break up
Run and hide your crazy and start actin’ like a lady
‘Cause I raised you better, gotta keep it together
Even when you fall apart
But this ain’t my mama’s broken heart

DIY: Rustic Farmhouse Coffee Table

I’m am currently moving into my own place for the first time! And for the past three years in college I have used this coffee table below. Through many, MANY roommates this table has seen it all! It was time for a coffee table face lift.

I decided to stain wood beams and place it on top for a rustic country chic look! Sounded simple, easy and cheap. And it truly was!

Step 1: Get the dimensions of the table.

Step 2: I went to Home Depot with the dimensions (W: 3′ 4″ L: 19″)

Step 3: I bought 8 pine beams, had them cut to the right length and it ended up costing me $24. I wanted the beams to be different widths so it wasn’t super matchy, but that was just my preference. They were extremely helpful for a new comer in the store who had absolutely no idea what she was doing. So if I can do it so can you!                                               

Step 4: Find the right stain! I was lucky that my parents had just stained their front door so I was able to borrow that. The stain I used is called MinMax PolyShades Espresso. Here is a picture of the stain that I used. You can get this at any home depot for a little over $12.

Step 5: Get ready to stain away! This was my first time staining wood and it was surprisingly super easy.

Here is what you will need: Gloves, a paint brush, the stain of your choice and some sort of stand to place the wood on (preferably something you don’t mind getting stain all over).

Next, I dipped the brush in and went at it! I recommend putting on a light coat at first and then going over it 2-3 times. I personally wanted it to be semi-light to be able to still see the wood grain.

Step 6: Let dry and grab a cold one!

Let it dry for 24 hours.

Step 7: Sand down the top of the coffee table.

Make sure to get any sand paper that is rougher than “fine.” All you are trying to do here is take off any smooth gloss that may be on top of the table. I used two sheets and for both of them I tore them into fours. I went back and forth length wise. This will allow for the wood to stick better to the liquid nails.

Step 8: If you decide to have the wood hang over the edge like I did, make sure to mark the first piece of wood you place onto the table to give you the right placement for the rest of the pieces.

Step 9: Before getting started to glue down the boards, make sure to lay out the pieces of wood in the correct order you want them on the ground next to you.

Next Grab your Liquid Nails. You can get this at Walmart! ($5.22)

Make a squiggly design on to the table.   
                

Step 10: Place boards onto the glue.

         

Step 11: When I was doing research on how to do this, many people showed using clamps to hold down the boards like this picture below

However, I am cheap and definitely didn’t have these  fancy shmancy tools.

Step 11: So for you cheapos out there like me, just find a cardboard box and something heavy!

I found some bricks in my backyard and placed them on top
       

Step 12: Wait ANOTHER 24 hours. Let dry for about 4-5 hours. Here was the thing. I realized  I didn’t want to wait another day. So I did let it dry for a couple hours. Then I decided to drill screws into it to make sure it was extremely secure (and would be done that day!)

Step 13: Put in pre-drill holes using an electric drill and a drill bit. I did a row on each end and down the middle

       

Step 14: Drill in the screws into the pre-drilled holes

      

And BAM! You have a beautiful refurbished coffee table. I love how mine turned out and cant wait to move it into my new place.

xo,

Hello World!

It’s official…after months of following and admiring many blogs I finally grew the balls to start my own! While this is extremely overwhelming I could not be more excited to start this journey and have my own creative space. Cant wait to share with you all!

xo,