Wednesday, October 31, 2012

My Halloween Weekend Adventures (+ Some Words From My Heart)


Happy Halloween you guys!  Are you in full costume while you're reading this?  Eating ridiculous amounts of sugary treats?  Playing horror movies in the background?  Other than handing out candy to trick-or-treaters later on, I'm actually not doing much out of the ordinary today.  I celebrated over the weekend up in Milwaukee, where I met Robbie and the band for their Halloween run.  I explained this in Friday's post, but each year the band plays two shows the weekend before Halloween, with the second night being a mash-up themed set list and costume party.


I had the best intentions of getting all sorts of pictures of our costumes, but sometimes when you're doing something for the sole purpose of having fun, you just need to drink a beer and put down the camera already.  So alas, I didn't even get a full-length shot of my mash-up costume (Buddy Holly Golightly. Get it? Get it?), but I'm still going to share some of my photos from the evening, which ended up being an amazing time as usual.  Also, the Buddy Holly part of my ensemble didn't last very long because carrying around a guitar (even a mini one) in the middle of a packed venue isn't the easiest feat.  Audrey Hepburn is pretty much my ultimate idol anyway, so I certainly didn't mind devoting myself fully to her for the majority of the night. 


You may also notice my husband's "costume," which I made for him.  We compromised. I wanted him to wear a costume.  He felt it was too much effort.  Easy solution, seen above. That little black bar was Photoshopped in, by the way.  I'm sure you guys can figure out what it actually said.


On a completely different and much less happy note, I want to take a moment to pay tribute to my beautiful Aunt Kathy, who succumbed to her 12 year battle with cancer yesterday.  She made the decision from the beginning to treat it holistically and stuck to it, and lived far, far beyond the life expectancy she was given by doctors.  Only recently did it start to affect her quality of living, and she passed away peacefully in her own home.  Aunt Kathy was always smiling, always making serious times silly, and always bringing family together.  And although my heart hurts knowing that the world just lost someone so special, her entire family feels a sense of peace knowing that she was ready to say goodbye, and is no longer suffering.

I know many of you are in celebratory moods today because of Halloween, and that you come to this design + lifestyle blog for inspiration.  So I wanted to wish you all a happy holiday today, but I also wouldn't have felt right only talking about my adventures at a concert when something so much more important to me is going on.  I appreciate you guys letting me share this, and also appreciate any positive thoughts you can send out to Aunt Kathy's children, grandchildren, and her loving husband, my Uncle Tim.  I'd also like to thank those of you who are involved in efforts to help find a cure (and better preventative testing) for ovarian cancer.  You are true heroes in the fight against an ugly, unfair disease.

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Tuesday, October 30, 2012

GIVEAWAY >> Share Your Favorites & Win a $50 AmEx Gift Card!


I don't do many product reviews around here that aren't from handmade/independent companies, but every now and then I get a chance to try out something a little out of the ordinary for me and like it enough to want to share it with you guys.  So when the beverage line FUZE contacted me about sending some samples of their tasty drinks, I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a try.  I'll be honest - I'm not a big soda or fruit juice drinker.  If I have a drink in my hand it's usually water or coffee (and you don't have to twist my arm to pour me a glass of wine either).  But when the holidays come around, I'm always up for trying new foods and drinks that would be fun for family gatherings and celebrations with friends.  And once I received (and tasted!) FUZE, I knew that I'd found a new holiday tradition (at least as far as beverages are concerned).

FUZE beverages are just as tasty as sodas, juices or energy drinks, but with a healthy twist.  All of the flavors (except the Honey & Ginseng tea) contain vitamins B6 and B12 (10% of the daily value per 8 ounce serving for juice drinks and 10% of the daily value per 12 ounce serving for teas), which is awesome.  These are vitamins that I especially like to incorporate into my diet during the winter months when my energy is low.  They taste fresh rather than artificial, and I think they'll be delicious both alone and as a mixer for cocktails at holiday parties.  I tried all five flavors (Lemon Iced Tea, Honey and Ginseng Green Tea, Half Iced Tea & Half Lemonade, Berry Punch Juice Drink, and Strawberry Lemonade Juice Drink) and liked them all, but I think my favorite is the Lemon Iced Tea. It's a nice, mild flavor and is really refreshing.


If you'd like to give FUZE a try for yourself, they're available in 1-liter bottles for just $.99 (!) at local retailers.  They're also formulated to be dispensed in traditional Coca-Cola fountain dispensers, so the next time you stop at your favorite convenience store, you'll be able to skip the soda and fill your cup with Raspberry Tea, Lemon Tea, Peach Tea, Sweet Tea or Unsweetened Tea.  When I'm traveling or out running errands and want to grab something to drink besides a bottle of water, it's kind of cool to know that I'll have an option for a healthier alternative to overly sweet sodas or fruit juices.  You can also keep up to date with all things FUZE on their Facebook and Twitter pages. 


And now for the fun part. Those of you who follow me on Pinterest may know how often I'm over there pinning my favorite things (often at 2 AM when I can't sleep).  So when FUZE asked if I'd be interested in creating a Pinterest board that featured my favorite meals and and experiences that I'd like to share with my friends, I was pretty excited.  And I was even more excited when they asked me to partner up for a Pinterest Giveaway (what's better than Pinterest + giveaways?!) that included all of you.  All you guys have to do to enter is create a board like mine (which you can see right here), and one lucky reader will win a $50 American Express gift card and FUZE samples to try out for yourself!


This giveaway is open to all Bubby and Bean followers/subscribers.  To enter, just do the following:
  • Create a new board on your Pinterest account (like mine) titled "Come Together and Pass the FUZE."
  • Pin images of your favorite meals, recipes, drinks and experiences that you'd want to share with your friends. (Your board just needs to include at least 10 pins.)
  • Leave a comment below with a link to your Pinterest board.

That's it!  The giveaway will be open through November 13th and a winner will be randomly chosen shortly after.

I hope you guys have as much fun as I did creating your boards!  I can't wait to see and share your pins. Big thanks to FUZE for partnering up with me for this amazing giveaway!  GOOD LUCK!

UPDATE:  This Giveaway is now closed.  Random.org chose lucky #4.  Mami2jcn, that's you! Please contact me at bubbyandbean (AT) gmail to claim your prize!




The oh-so-serious legal disclaimer: I received product and compensation from The Coca-Cola Company in the form of a gift card to participate in this campaign promoting the new line of FUZE beverages. The winner of this giveaway will be randomly chosen. In addition, The Coca-Cola Company provided the gift card I am using as the prize in my promotion.  As always, all opinions are 100% honest and my 100% own, because that's the right way to roll. 

Monday, October 29, 2012

Guess Who WON the October Giveaway??!


Big thanks to all of you who entered the Bubby and Bean Big October Giveaway!  I loved reading through the entries and learning your favorite things about October. The winner was chosen via random.org, and that lucky reader is...




CONGRATULATIONS 2JustByou!  You are now the official recipient of a prize package worth $160 from Frugal Beautiful, Behind My Desk, Shannon Hearts, Little Tree, Blissoma, and Bubby & Bean Art(Please contact me at bubbyandbean {at} gmail.com so we can discuss getting you your prizes!)

Thanks again to Bubby and Bean's October sponsors for contributing these amazing prices.  And if you haven't yet, be sure to enter our current giveaway for a chance to win a $50 jewelry gift card!

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Friday, October 26, 2012

Color of the Month // October's Orange

Orange: Fall 2012
1. Light and Shadow Dress, Modcloth  //  2. Fossil Vintage Revival Clutch, Zappos
  3. Vegan Lip Tar in Beta, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics
4. Judy Smoking Slipper Flats, Lulu's  //   5. Believe Necklace, Asos 
  6. Felicity Dip Dyed Scarf, Jigsaw London //  7. Urbanears Headphones, UO

With Halloween just a few days away, it feels like the perfect time to pay tribute to the quintessential color of this time of year: orange.  I'm admittedly picky when it comes to orange.  It has to be the right shade, and how I define "right" depends on the object.  For example, I'm quite fond of muted oranges and rust tones in my clothing and accessories, but likely wouldn't wear a dramatically bright or neon orange unless it was just a pop.  The same goes for home decor and other non-wearable items, although I do love a nice vibrant orange when it comes to mid-century vintage pieces (my most prized piece of kitchenware is an orange Pyrex daisy bowl that was my mother's).  Regardless of shade, there's no denying that orange is October's official color.  The items above represent some of my current favorites.


It's Friday you guys!  I'm spending the rest of the morning tying up work stuff for the week, and then I'm taking a short road trip up to Milwaukee to meet Robbie and the band for their two-night Halloween run.  Each year, in a different city, they play two shows in a row the weekend before Halloween.  The second night is always quite the event.  The entire evening is a mash-up theme, so they play mash-ups of different songs, and the band, crew, family, friends and fans wear mashed-up costumes. I'm not going to reveal my costume yet, but I'll post some pictures on Twitter and Instagram (user name bubbyandbean) tomorrow before the show. :)

What are your plans this weekend?  And what about orange?  Love it or leave it?

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Thursday, October 25, 2012

GIVEAWAY // Win a $50 Gift Card to Oh Nostalgia Handmade Jewelry!

Handmade Jewelry Giveaway

I'm so excited to announce this month's featured sponsor giveaway!  Paige of Oh Nostalgia has been a long-time sponsor of Bubby and Bean.  She is the designer of two incredible vintage-inspired jewelry lines (you can check out the other one right here), a blogger, and an all-around rad lady. 


And best of all, Paige is giving Bubby and Bean readers a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to spend at Oh, Nostalgia! 


How to Enter
This giveaway is open to all Bubby and Bean followers/subscribers.  (If you're a new reader, just make sure to subscribe first using GFC or one of these readers). Then just leave a comment with your favorite item in the Oh Nostalgia Shop!

extra entries
Once you've completed the mandatory entry above, you can also gain one additional entry for each of the following.  (*Please put each extra entry in a SEPARATE comment in order for it to count).
  • Favorite Oh Nostalgia on Etsy 
  • Follow Paige on Twitter (please list your username) 
  • Follow/Subscribe to Paige's blog, Little Nostalgia 
  • Tweet this:  Win a $50 Handmade Jewelry Gift Card in Bubby & Bean's latest GIVEAWAY!  >> http://bit.ly/VrC97n via @MotM_EcoFashion & @paigeronchetti
  • Follow Paige on Pinterest 

This giveaway is open through October 31st. The winner's name will be randomly chosen and announced shortly after.  Thank you again to our featured sponsor Oh Nostalgia for giving Bubby and Bean's readers the chance to win some of her gorgeous jewelry! 

Paige has also generously offered up the following coupon for Bubby and Bean readers: 15% off at Oh Nostalgia with code BUBBYANDBEAN15.  I definitely plan to do some of my holiday shopping there!  And if you didn't catch it yet, you have to see her recent guest post on how to make a simple, pretty jewelry display for your home.  It's a very cool project that only take a few minutes. 

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Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Is Capturing Images with Phones Real Photography?

water macro photograph © John Baswell

I grew up with a dark room in my house.  My dad was (and continues to be) a black and white film photographer.  He hasn't sold many of his prints (by choice - he says that he knows himself and that his passion for the medium would be greatly diminished if it became a job or obligation), but he takes it very seriously.  And although he owns a digital camera and a phone capable of taking pictures, he refuses to use them for anything beyond capturing everyday photos of family and "non-serious" occasions.  In his opinion, when you're creating art, you use film.  Period.  I'm not sure if he knows what Instagram is, but I'm 100% certain that he would laugh it off.  He respects my love for digital photography (which includes my iPhone), but also feels that it's a completely different medium, full of short cuts that can too easily take away from the photographer's vision.  The process of developing film, alone in his darkroom with his work, is meditation to him, and the act of over-editing by digitally manipulating images or (gasp!) quickly applying Instagram filters will never be something he practices.

Many film photographers share this opinion.  And when it comes to using phones instead of DSLRs, many serious digital photographers feel similarly.  But where is the line drawn?  Where do we make the decision to look beyond the equipment and processing to the simple fact that perhaps capturing an image is an art in itself - a way to save a moment, through the eyes only of the person snapping the picture, and to evoke human emotion through an image? 

cabbage macro photography © John Baswell

The rush of new technology that has enveloped our society, and the endless platforms where we can instantly share photos, may seem incredibly modern.  But it's really not new.  Throughout the last century advances in equipment (like the first affordable Kodak cameras 100 year ago, or Polaroids in the 1970s) has made the art of being a photographer available to everyone.  Amateur photographers have even evolved into professionals because of this easy access.  And even though taking, editing and sharing a photo with thousands in a matter of minutes (or less) may be individual to the present time, it's a concept that has, in various ways, been around well before most of our lifetimes.

River photography © John Baswell

All of this said, I recently came across a very interesting video put together by an iPhone photographer by the name of Richard Koci Hernandez.  The video is 10 minutes along, but I highly suggest watching at least a few minutes of it.  Hernandez states that we should "embrace photography, as it exists now. And let's continue to find our individual voice, perspectives, stories and style, regardless of the medium."  Hernandez has a huge following on Instagram.  But he's also a serious photographer who spent 15 years working as a photojournalist.  Oh yeah, and he also won an Emmy award for his multimedia production work, and has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize twice. No big deal.  Although I have a profound respect and admiration for film photography, sincerely hope that it never becomes a lost art, and do feel that it is its own medium, I agree with Hernandez's views.

click here to watch directly on youtube

What are your thoughts on film vs digital vs phone photography?  Do you think they should be equally respected, or is one better than the others? 

(All photographs © John Baswell. That's my pops!  All rights reserved.)

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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

spicy roasted pumpkin seeds

Since I am, under normal circumstances, quite possibly the worst cook ever, my amazing little sis Morgan is usually the official recipe poster around here.  From time to time however, a miracle occurs and I come up with something delicious in the kitchen.  I happen to think that this recipe makes the very best roasted pumpkin seeds I've ever had (as does my husband, who has been consuming full batches in a matter of minutes).  Therefore, this will be one of the rare occasions that I post a food-related DIY that I did all by myself (yes, I am 5).  If you'd like to check out some of the other recipes we've shared here in the past, from homemade cinnamon rolls to black bean and sweet potato tacos (thanks to Morgan the chef), click here

One of my absolute favorite things to do this time of year is to carve pumpkins.  The smell alone evokes instant memories of my childhood and the blissful anticipation I'd feel as I counted down to that one magical evening where I could be anything I wanted to be (and collect excessive amounts of candy as a bonus.)  As an adult, I still love the entire process: picking out the perfect pumpkin, bringing it home, lying out newspaper, and carving out pieces until that quintessential face of a jack o' lantern appears. 

I'm of the strong opinion that the best part of carving pumpkins is roasting the seeds.  Late October is really the only time of year when I get to enjoy this snack fresh from the oven, all warm and crunchy and full of flavor.  Pumpkin seeds are also an incredibly healthy snack, packed with zinc, magnesium and fiber.  This year, I decided that I wanted to add a kick to our regular recipe.  We picked up some amazing chili powder and dried chili peppers on our recent trip to Santa Fe, and I figured if these spices taste as good as they do in other recipes, they'd have to taste at least as amazing when added to my beloved pumpkin seeds.  I was right!

This recipe is ridiculously easy, especially if you're already gutting a pumpkin to carve it.  You'll also have a tasty snack to reward yourself when you're done creating your jack o' lantern masterpiece.


Total time required: 1 hour
Serves 6-8  

• 1 large pumpkin or 2 medium pumpkins
• 2 TB olive oil
• sea salt
• black pepper
• chili powder
• dried crushed red or green chili peppers (I used green)
• celery salt (optional)


spicy roasted pumpkin seeds recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut off the top of your pumpkin, remove the pulp, and separate the seeds.
3. Rinse the seeds in a colander.  You can leave a small amount of pulp (it adds flavor), but make sure all of the large chunks are removed.


4. Transfer your seeds to a medium sized mixing bowl and add the olive oil.  Toss. 
5. Add sea salt, black pepper, chili powder, and dried crushed chili pepper, and mix well.  The amount of spice you add depends on how much of a kick you want.  My advice is to add a little at a time, taste test, then add more as necessary.  You can also add a few dashes of celery salt for a more savory flavor.


6. Spread the coated seeds evenly in a single layer on a baking sheet.
7. Set your timer for 45 minutes and place seeds in oven.  Use a spatula to stir your seeds every 10 minutes or so.


8. After about 30 minutes, taste your seeds and see if you need to add any more spices.  I added some extra salt and chili powder to mine at this time.


9. Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes, and EAT!

I hope you guys enjoy this deliciously healthy fall snack as much as I do.  If you're not completely gluttonous like I am and would like to keep your spicy pumpkin seeds around for more than a day, you can store them in an air-tight container for up to a week.



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Monday, October 22, 2012

Be a Part of Bubby & Bean for the Holidays >> Official Call for 2012 Holiday Season Sponsors!

Be a Part of Bubby and Bean For the Holidays!
This is the official call for Holiday Season Sponsors here at Bubby and Bean!  November and December will be the busiest and highest traffic months of the year here on the blog - and therefore for our sponsors as well. November marks Bubby and Bean's 2-year anniversary month, full of giveaways and other special celebrations. And both November and December will bring our most frequent and best posts of the year: holiday DIY projects and tutorials, gift guides, holiday decor and recipe posts, holiday fashion guides, free holiday printables, and lots more.  If you're looking for an affordable, effective way to spread the word about your brand, blog, shop, Etsy store, small business, or online portfolio to several thousands of interested people every single day, a Bubby and Bean Sponsorship is the perfect way to do so!

In addition to promoting sponsors through their ads on all pages and posts here at Bubby and Bean, I work one on one with each advertiser to ensure they are given optimum exposure through the blog and our social media channels.  For more information on our various advertising packages, current stats, press, and pricing, visit our sponsor page right here. You can also book your ad space there directly in one click.   *Please note that holiday sponsorships sell out quickly. All ad spaces are first come, first serve.

Have questions?  Feel free to contact me

Guess Who WON the Tumbleweeds Sunglasses Giveaway??!

Tumbleweeds
Big thanks to all of you who entered the Handmade Sunglasses Giveaway for a chance to win a pair of limited edition Melissa Sunglasses from Tumbleweeds!  And I said before, this was a very special giveaway, and I'm so honored that the amazing Beca and Doug over at Tumbleweeds asked me to co-design this pair of sunglasses them.  They are my all-time favorites and I'm so excited that one of you gets to own a pair as well. 

The winner was chosen via random.org, and that lucky Bubby and Bean reader is...



CONGRATULATIONS A WILD TONIC!  Please contact me at bubbyandbean {at} gmail.com with your mailing address so we can get you your new sunnies!


Huge thanks again to Tumbleweeds for partnering with me on this project and offering up this pair of sunglasses to my readers!  If you didn't win but want to snag a pair of these before they're all gone, they still have a handful available in their shop.  Beca and Doug are also donating 10% of sales to my favorite charity, Grey Muzzle - an incredible organization devoted to improving the lives of at-risk senior dogs by providing funding and resources to animal shelters, rescue groups, and sanctuaries.  Also take a minute to visit Beca's blog - it's full of all sorts of goodness.

If you haven't yet, make sure to enter our current Giveaway for a chance to win 6 prizes worth $160! 
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