Category Archives: Holiday

Pinterest Picks – Halloween Edition!

I’m not one to spend hours on Pinterest but I think it’s incredibly clever and I get a ton of inspiration and ideas from the site.  I have a hard time committing to laborious crafts but when I see a simple but awesome craft, I love to make them and share them.  Here are a few that are on my list for Halloween.

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1. THIS awesome DIY wreath.

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2. These beautiful lace candles.

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3. I love making pumpkin seeds, they are such a great snack!

These are three manageable crafts to conquer over the next month.  Happy October!

Fakin’ It: Cookie Style

SMK_987796A_88862002_GingBrdMix_Ctn_R2_OLWe love cookies! We love to eat cookies! We love to eat holiday cookies even more! There are those special people who kill it when it comes to baking things from scratch, Brittany is one of those people. However, when she arrived at my house with a box of gingerbread cookie mix and said, “screw it, let’s use this box instead” I wiped the sweat from my brow because gingerbread cookies are the hardest to make! I tried once and it took 6 hours and they didn’t even taste good. But this box, this box is magic. All you do is add water and egg and heat those bad boys up in the oven for 8 minutes! It only took us 6 to eat them all up too!

DSC_0370(We grabbed some mint M&M’s and topped the warm cookies)

DSC_0379(And we force fed them to each other too)

DSC_0382(Nom!)

This cookie mix is amazing, they tasted homemade but without all of the hassle!

Holiday Gift Guide.

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The holidays can be hard when trying to figure out what to get your friends and family.  We’ve compiled a little gift guide for fellow busy bees that have a hard time knowing what to get the ones you appreciate in your life.

image(Fun headphones like these ones)

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(Fun warm head accessories like this)

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(Fun scarf from K.Michael)

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(Cute tech covers like these)

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(A fun scenic print you can snag from their Instagram!  Print it out and frame it for their vanity or bathroom using sites like canvaspop.com)

Hope this helps when shopping for your friends and family.  ‘Tis the season to enjoy each others company, so don’t stress over the holidays this year.  Happy shopping!

Whoops.

imageWe’ve had a hard time concentrating this week with a mid week vacation day, what’s up with that?!  We even double posted on Wednesday because we were that ready for the 4th of July.  Most of the working world has work today and we know that hurts.  Don’t judge us by our traveling mug shot but if you are bearing through today at work, we feel you!  Enough text, it’s probably hurting your head even more.  Go drink some water and we will see ya next week!

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July – Beautiful Madness.

There are so many wonderful things about summer, especially July.  It’s usually the first real month of warmer nights and celebrations.  The 4th of July has always been a really fun holiday to celebrate because it doesn’t focus on anyone specifically but brings an entire mass of people together in America.  Our favorites of July happen to naturally be colorful, edible, and fashion related.  Weird, right?

imageWho doesn’t love sky art?!  Whether it be watching in a crowded field with thousands of others or watching with close friends at a home or on a hill.  Grab a picnic and set up camp with your friends and loved one!

imageNom nom nom.  This speaks for itself.  Although you can have watermelon pretty much year round in California, it tastes so much better when it’s hot out and the watermelon is nice and cold!  Also, you can make a tasty cocktail to drop in one, why not!

imageThis is the time to bust it out.  Everyone loves a good denim pattern but can’t really figure out the appropriate time to wear it.  Now is the time and rock that ish all summer ’cause you look good!

And hey, Happy Fourth of July from us here at IFL!
xoxo, Britt and Chels

Devil Those Eggs.

IMG_7757Who doesn’t love a good deviled egg???  It’s one of my favorite dishes at Easter time and any other time of year!  My mom makes a mean deviled egg and while I was helping her prepare some dishes the other day, she let me take control of finalizing these bad boys.  I know it sounds silly but it’s hard to make a deviled egg look delicious and delicate.  Normally, we just splatter the filling inside because at the end of day they are just going to our bellies anyway!  This time, I tried a few new things to go for more of a presentation and this is what I came up with.

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IMG_7750(Put the filling in a plastic bag and cut off a small piece of the corner.  This way you can squeeze a pre-meditated mound on the egg white)

IMG_7751(Things get messy.  It’s all part of the fun!)

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IMG_7756(After the filling has filled all of the eggs, I sprinkled small amounts of Paprika and Sea Salt to finalize these Easter eggs)

Gobble, gobble.  These were gone very fast once we put them out for dinner.  My mom has a lot of tricks up her sleeve when it comes to cooking and baking.  I know whatever it is she is making, I’m going to want some of it.  These deviled eggs are definitely one of her gems.

Happy Easter, from me and Chels!

You’re Such a Lovely Cup

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OK, since my last post I attributed to a song (“Sweater Weather” by Neighbourhood) I thought I’d give this one the appropriate “Lovely Cup” by Grouplove.  We are HUGE music lovers and always on the hunt for good music or listening to music we consider classics so feel free to share with us anytime!  Anyway, sorry I got distracted.  With Valentine’s Day coming up, it’s such a great ‘holiday’ to gorge on sweet treats and hang out with your friends and/or lover.  This is a perfect sweet treat to have or even possibly make with your friends/lover.  Cake in a cup – genius!

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What you will need:

– Glass mugs
– Cake mix of your liking (with needed ingredients: eggs, vanilla, etc.)
– Fun sprinkles or toppings

I only made two cups so I didn’t need much cake mix at all.  Half a batch of cake mix from a box will be plenty for two mugs.

IMG_6858(While the oven is pre-heating, I greased the mugs and mixed up the cake batter)

IMG_6862(I then filled the cups a little less than halfway full)

IMG_6864(You can then place the mugs directly on the oven rack once the oven is pre-heated)

IMG_6872(I started the timer with about 20 minutes but kept checking back as they actually finished around 30 minutes.  It’s a trial and error depending on how much cake mix you used.  I tried to follow the instructions on the cake box for cupcakes though)

IMG_6829(These sprinkles that I found at Target, are a gift from the baking gods.  I use them for sooo many things as you will see throughout the blog)

IMG_6877(I then added pretty/delicious sprinkles and a few marshmallows for some added sugar 😀  Valentine’s Day is worth splurging for)

IMG_6878Then, after you eat the cake, just fill up your mug with some coffee.  It’s perfection really.  It’s a great way to bribe people to spend some quality time with you.  I mean, I’d be sold!

Beanie Couture.

One thing you can always count on about San Francisco is the chilly Winters. Sometimes the weather is in between freezing and on-the-verge-of-being-nice which is why we always have a beanie on hand! We snapped some shots on our lunch break displaying all the different kinds of beanies we love to wear.

1(the slouchy beanie is one of our favorites, it is pretty trendy in this city)

2(I love this beanie on Brittany! She always reminds me of Waldo in it, a prettier Waldo of course.  Beanie: Sessions brand)

3(I picked up this slouchy one in Chinatown for $5- they have some sweet deals)

4(I am borrowing this beanie for my trip to Paris since it covers your ears!)

5(This one resembles a beret, I grabbed it at Anthropologie a few years ago)

6(the slouchy black beanie is a definite classic.  Beanie: Free People)

7(This is one of Britt’s floral beanies, she has a bunch. They are really cute and cozy!  Beanie: Target)

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It would be hard for us to get through this crisp Winter without our favorite accessory. It not only keeps you warm, it adds a little color and flare to any outfit. We personally think that you can never have enough!

Come On, Get Ornament Happy

IMG_5523I do love Christmas time.  It’s a wonderful holiday and I love seeing all of the lights that decorate homes and businesses.  There’s something special about the holidays (besides all of the madness).  This year, I wanted to customize my parents tree since I don’t have room for a tree at my own place.  These are extremely easy and you can really customize these for your own holiday needs.  However, I can’t lie.  This idea really came to me while standing in a store staring at some seriously hideous and ridiculously expensive ornaments.  Have you ever thought to yourself, I could do that for way cheaper and do a much better job?!  Well, you probably can.

IMG_5521(This idea originated with the idea of making snow globe ornaments.  All you need are some clear ornaments and some sparkles.)

IMG_5525(Sparkly snow ornaments!  Hand model: my mom)

IMG_5539(Ta da!)

IMG_5529(Then I thought, what other S#!@ can I put in these ornaments?!  Coffee beans!)

IMG_5537(For a coffee lover like me!)

IMG_5531(Sprinkles, for the avid baker)

IMG_5534(I put a few different kinds of sprinkles in there but you could really pick any kind you’d like)

While my mom and I were working on these we thought of other good ingredients for ornament makings.  Advil, for the everyday drinker.  Dog food, for the pet owners with a death wish on their Christmas tree.  Matches, for the over zealous pyro.  Well you get the idea.  You can get crafty and have fun with it.  It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, so stop resisting it and just embrace it already!