2015 Year In Review

I had an incredible year, last year, and I think it will be great to share all of the fun things with you. Sometimes, I think I am never doing enough, completing enough, scratching a line through enough items on my endless to-do list. Do you ever feel that way? I think this post will also be an amazing way to look back at all of the wonderful places we went, and things I accomplished throughout 2015. It is so important to share the things you are thankful for, and I am thankful for health, happiness, and all of the fun opportunities I had last year. Here's to another circle around the sun!!! 

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JANUARY

In late January of 2015, I decided it was a good idea for me to move over to a .com from my long-standing blogspot blog. I am still very happy that I chose to go to a .com! My previous blog was - http://lily-the-wandering-gypsy.blogspot.com/. Throughout the whole year of 2015, I had over 150,000 Page Views on lily-the-wandering-gypsy.com, and I am so happy about that!!! I also started my super popular Group Pinterest Board, called Inspire Me. 

I also created some pretty awesome things, like my Mixed Berry and Banana Smoothie Recipe, and this Beautiful Fleece Cowl Scarf. 

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FEBRUARY

I had the experience of a lifetime in February when I went to Laguna Niguel, CA to speak at The Re/Code Media conference at THE RITZ (!!!) on a panel of "New Influencers". This was a monumental trip that you can read all about here. 

This month, I also ramped up my holiday-inspired posts by making a few Valentine's Day Posts. I had lots of traffic from my post about Beautiful Bacon Roses and still love them so much! Another super popular post was my Candy Heart Tutorial. I photographed some beautiful goodies from Brightly Twisted, too! I also started a blog called Bisque This! (which I later turned into Bisque-This.com). This definitely marked a point where I began creating some really nice recipes and posting them. 

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MARCH

Some of the posts I made in March were these Bacon Wrapped Pineapple Rings, and the Tater Tot Horseshoe. We also created some gorgeous styled photos for Alice & Marie! We got out of the cold Illinois weather this month and headed out to Arizona!!! For some reason, I was silly and didn't post much about it on my blog...probably because of the complete lack of good internet while we were galavanting around in the desert? Who knows, but we had such an incredibly time, we are going back in March of 2016! I promise I will post more along the way this time around...PROMISE! 

The places we visited in March on our Southwest Road Trip include: Truth or Consequences, NM, Saguaro National Park, Cave Creek, AZ. Read about Utah Below...

AND ANOTHER THING...

Bobby and I also got to work on an amazing project for L'Oreal Advanced Hairstyles while we were in Arizona. I could not think of a more gorgeous place/backdrop for photos! View my portfolio here. I also created a Dedicated Pinterest Board, called Style It - Change It - Own It, which I had a lot of fun with! 

OFF TO UTAH

We had an amazing time doing each and every National Park in Utah - so glad we had a National Parks Pass. Zion National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Escalante, Canyonlands, Kodachrome Basin, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Moab, UT. What an unforgettable time!

Escalante National Park

Escalante National Park

View fullsize

Bryce Canyon National Park - Click To See Larger

Our Trusty Prius At Kodachrome! 

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APRIL

In April, the weather finally started to warm up here in Illinois, and I was creating even more content. I also started (another) blog for fashion-only, called She's So Chic (which I need to revisit pretty badly...). 

Bobby and I also created some more content and a Dedicated Pinterest Board for L'Oreal Infalliable Makeup. Another incredible and honorable projects that I was so happy to create.

I also created this DIY Daily Planner post, which remains my most popular post to date! I also created this Festival Ready Flower Crown, in honor of Coachella and Bonnaroo. 

I visited the Nashville Country Living fair with my mom and sister, and had a great time! 

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MAY

Another fun month! I collaborated with Sony Pictures to help promote their movie, Aloha! We have been to Hawaii three times, so I thought this was a really fun and inspiring project. Check out the Dedicated Pinterest Board and Blog Post talking more about the project. I was also named in the Top 100 Pinners of 2015 by Daily Tekk. I also created this Tassel Earrings Tutorial, and photographed Emblem Eyewear Sunnies.

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JUNE

In June, I created a great post for HelloSociety about my Top 5 Pinterest Tips! It was shared quite a few times!!! I also created another boho tutorial, showing how to embellish the cutest boots ever! I also created some adorable onesies, and took some photos at our amazing Farmer's Market, one of which was featured on the VSCO blog! 

Speaking of Farmer's Markets, Carbondale gained a new Farmer's Market this past summer, and they had a great selection of local veggies. And, check out my favorite Bloody Mary Recipe ever! 

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JULY

This month, I worked with Nordstrom Rack to help promote their clothing on Pinterest! I created a new Tumblr site, called Wandering Gypsy Fashion Blog, to focus one site on fashion-only. I also photographed this organic lotion line from Ayushi Woods. We also gave a $100 Gift Certificate To one lucky winner! I also created this fun Raspberry Mint Spritzer Recipe. 

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AUGUST - OUR BIG ROAD TRIP + MORE

Things heated up this month with an amazing collaboration with Ulta Beauty Hair & Cosmetics. I also created an amazingly delicious No-Bake Cheesecake Recipe, perfect as individual servings! 

 The second week of August, we took the biggest road trip we have EVER taken!!! Again, I did not really post much about this on my blog, but I promise to blog more on upcoming road trips, promise! 

OUR ROAD TRIP...

We spent about 6 weeks on the road throughout August and September. We visited places in Colorado like Glenwood Springs, Crested Butte, Silverton, Ouray, and Silverton. I got a few photos, but this was when Lily was having a really hard time, so it's very hard to even go back and look at photos from this time...We lost one of our very best friends on the trip, though, and I have still never felt the same without her. Lily the AmStaff will always be loved and I am happy she had such an adventurous life. 

OFF TO CALIFORNIA

Lake Tahoe

San Francisco

Westport

OREGON

Waldport

Cannon Beach + Portland

WASHINGTON

Olympic Peninsula - Kalaloch Lodge 

Whidbey Island

MONTANA + IDAHO

On the way back home, we drove through Ketchum, Idaho, and Missoula, Montana. 

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SEPTEMBER

Some of the photos from August actually took place in September, but this month, I wanted to feature the projects we completed in August and September. We worked with Bacardi (!!!), Missouri Department of Tourism, Emma Stine, and the FYI Network for their show Style: Unzipped. 

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OCTOBER

Another pretty incredible month. While working on Halloween projects, I got an email from HelloSociety and Skype, asking me if I wanted to visit New York City (in a few days...), and help with a Skype Halloween Party for The Lower East Side Girls' Club! They flew me out, and then put me up in a (hotel). i had an amazing time and learned so many new things. Check out my tips for a great Halloween Party With Skype, and my trip to New York City! (Thanks, Skype!!!!)

I also created some amazing photos for Sony Pictures' movie, Burnt. This was one of the hardest projects I have ever done and loved learning so much from it. 

I also created a few photos for Toad&Co. 

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NOVEMBER

Going back to loving to cook, I created a great Stuffed Squash Recipe, a 7 Can Soup Recipe, took photos of Fall Ice Cream Treats at Cold Stone Creamery, and also shot some gorgeous photos for Erin Pelicano Jewelry. Her work is beautiful! I also created this gift guide, and also shot a few photos inspired by e.l.f. cosmetics for their #PlayBeautifully project. 

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DECEMBER

Wow, I did quite a bit this month! Christmas and the holidays were such a great inspiration for me, and I actually worked with Harley-Davidson! I think we got some great photos and I also made them a Dedicated Board. I also styled up a beautiful watch by JORD Wood Watches, made in St. Louis, just 2 hours from here. 

I also created some awesome DIY Gift Bags, an Ugly Christmas Sweater Dog Bandana, Pumpkin Oat Dog Treats, Holiday Decor with Nature Hills Nursery, Red Cocktail Recipes, Frozen Hot Chocolate Pie (YUM!!), Soft Gingerbread Cookies, Sugar Cookies From Scratch, styled up some more e.l.f. makeup, and also styled a cute New Year's Eve Party, which was featured here on Kara's Party Ideas.

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Whew! So, that's my last year in a big gigantic nutshell! I hope this inspires you, I know it will help me keep motivated to continue to create new things and travel to new places! 

This post was inspired by This Post from Inspired By Charm! 

Create + Cultivate Conference

I am super excited to be attending the Create + Cultivate Conference in Dallas, at the end of this month. I know time will fly, so I am trying my best to get prepared for it. The tickets have already sold out, so they are announcing the next location pretty soon. Looks like such a fun time, I cannot wait!

Create & Cultivate Chicago 2015 from create cultivate on Vimeo.

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This conference also looked like a contender for next year - Thrive Blogger Conference. It is January 31, 2016. It costs about $150 for a ticket, which I am sure would be well worth it. It's held at The Embassy Suites in The Woodlands area of Texas.  

Check Out My DIY Page!

I just created a new page that helps you find all of my DIY projects in one place. I had so much fun going back through all of the fun projects I had created in 2015, and thinking about all of the great things I want to make, design, and share in 2016. If you have any requests, or ideas for me, just comment below! Happy Crafting!!

Amazing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe

These cookies tasted beyond good, and made the house smell like a cookie candle :) I wanted to share some of my favorite ingredients, so you can make your Oatmeal Raisin cookies the very best ever!

INGREDIENTS (WET):

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

INGREDIENTS (DRY):

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon
• 3 cups oats (not instant)
• 1 1⁄2 cups raisins (I used 2 small boxes)

INSTRUCTIONS: 

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Melt butter in heat safe container. 
3. Whisk dry ingredients; set aside.
4. Combine wet ingredients with a hand mixer on low.
5. To cream, increase speed to high and beat until fluffy and the color lightens.
6. Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture until no flour is visible.
7. (Over mixing develops the gluten, making a tough cookie.) Now add the oats and raisins; stir to incorporate.
8. Use a silicone Tablespoon measuring spoon, and scoop out dough
9. Drop 2-inches apart onto baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray.
10. Bake 11-13 minutes (on center rack), until golden, but still moist beneath cracks on top.
11. Remove from oven; let cookies sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Awesome Oatmeal Cookies! YUM! - The melted butter and the sugar, eggs, and both sugars.

Here is the cookie dough before the dry ingredients are added.

I hope you have enjoyed my process of creating some incredible Oatmeal Raisin Cookies! If you make some, I'd love to see them! Put your link below in the comments! 

Toad&Co Gets Comfy!

I have been a long-time lover of all things Toad&Co for a while now. I wanted to share some pretty amazing clothes with you today! You may want to add for a few of these items to your Wish List too! There's still time. 

Below, you will see this gorgeous, Intermezzo Jacket in Zuni Turquoise.  This is THE most comfortable Zip-Up I own, I just love it. The fit is beyond perfect. 

You can check out the other blog post I created with my Toad&Co clothing here. 

The Intermezzo Jacket in Zuni Turquoise

I also wanted to show you this adorable tunic top, The Tamaya Long Sleeve Tunic, in Falcon Brown Nordic Print, is my other favorite top right now. It's the perfect length to wear with leggings and boots. 

The Tamaya Long Sleeve Tunic, in Falcon Brown Nordic Print

The Toad&Co clothing is all so comfy and wonderful! I definitely recommend checking out their clothing, you will be happy you did! 

CHECK OUT TOAD&CO

Website - Facebook - Instagram - Pinterest

#UNselfie with Old Navy for #GivingTuesday

I am hoping to spread the message of giving back this holiday season! It is extremely important to think of those who are less fortunate this holiday season. My favorite charity in Carbondale, IL is The Women's Center. They are incredibly wonderful and help women and children in our community. So, this month, I will be helping spread the message of giving.

DECEMBER 1-7, 2015: Snap an #Unselfie and share how you plan to give back this holiday season, written on a sign of some sort. Get creative! Tag @OldNavy and Old Navy will donate $1 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, up to $25,000. Add #GivingTuesday and #UNselfie to your post to share! 

And, since we are on the topic of Old Navy, I thought this Black and White Sweater was appropriate for the photos as well! I got this one last year, around the holidays, but I wanted to share some other open front cardigans with you. 

If you wind up participating, please post a link below to let me see what you came up with! I cannot wait to see how you guys are giving back this year. Remember, post your #UNselfie by Dec. 7, 2015. 

Sugar and Spice - Yummy Creations By Cold Stone Creamery

Don't think Fall is the time to eat ice cream? Well, it is! I recently visited Cold Stone Creamery, in order to help showcase some of the most amazing ice cream I have ever eaten! There was just a small hint of spice that was very well balanced in these treats. And, if you love frozen coffee drinks, there is even a Sugar and Spice creation for you! Make sure to stop by the Springfield, IL location, the general manager was incredibly helpful throughout this project. 

I think one of my favorites in this collection is the Salted Caramel Frappe! It has just a hint of coffee flavor, just enough for me, and it's topped with a generous amount of whipped topping and a caramel drizzle. This would be perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up. 

Next, I think this adorable Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie would really impress your guests at Thanksgiving! It contains pumpkin ice cream, and is adorned with vanilla bean whipped topping and chocolate leaves! This would make such an elegant dessert option for the holidays. 

This Twisted Salted Caramel Ice Cream was also pretty great. It starts with Salted Caramel Ice Cream, and they mix in chocolate chips and pretzels. They will even top it with caramel if you ask with a smile. 

So, the Pumpkin Pie In The Sky Ice Cream was my second favorite treat. It contains Pumpkin Ice Cream, and they mix in Graham Cracker Pie Crust, Whipped Topping, and drizzle it with Caramel! At first bite, I knew this one was a winner :) 

Happy November! Let's Eat Squash!

We finally got all of the ingredients together to make this hearty meal last night, and it was pretty good! I even made a Flipagram for you to watch and see how pretty these turn out!

I was so happy to find Organic Acorn Squash at Kroger! 

They're really quite pretty when you cut them open! Scoop out all of the seeds and inside bits!

View on Flipagram

Scoop out the insides, cover with oil and salt, and bake at 4000 Degrees for 40 mins. Then, prepare to make the filling!

Below, we covered the acorn squash with olive oil and salt, and baked them for 40 minutes at 400 Degrees.

For the filling, we used about 1/2 Lb/ ground pork (but could have easily used ground beed or turkey), 1/2 a red onion, 3 stalks of celery, salt and seasonings, 1/2 C. breadcrumbs, and 1/2 C. Parmesan cheese. 

Now, cook the onions, celery, and ground beef in a little bit of olive oil, and season for extra flavor. Below, you will see the filling after the meat has browned. Photo on the left is after we added the breadcrumbs and the parmesan! Yum!

Now, put that filling into the squash you just took out of the oven! Bake for 20 more minutes...

And you're ready to eat!!! YUM!!!

New York City!!

I had SO much fun in New York City last weekend. I was recently working a fun content creation project for Skype, where I shared my Halloween Party Tips and DIY Ideas! This was my first time to New York City (we did visit years ago for like 2 hours, but this was completely different...)

So, the images I created for Skype can be found HERE. I had SO much fun creating some holiday content, as this was one of the first projects I have done of this nature. Halloween Tips and Tricks are some of my absolute FAVORITES, so I had a really great time! I also helped with a Pinterest Board (here), and I helped lead a fun, Skype Group Chat (search SkypeHalloween to find us!!). 

One of the best parts of this project came at pretty short notice. Skype personally invited me out to New York City, to help coordinate a Halloween party for The Lower East Side Girls' Club of NYC! Pretty incredible and practically unbelievable. What an amazing opportunity! I am still so fortunate I was the one chosen for this whole thing. I had an absolute blast, my hotel was amazing, I ate some of the best food in my life (and I've eaten food all over the country!!), met some wonderful people, and helped some really amazing kids have the Best Halloween Party Ever! 

 I also learned on this trip, that the earlier you get to the airport, the less stressful your whole trip will be! This really worked out so well, without really any problems!

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DAY ONE - Sticky Rice Thai Food + Top Hops

View more photos from Day One, below! I ate at StickyRice, drank craft beer at Top Hops, and stayed at The Holiday Inn - Lower East Side (it was super nice and newly renovated). 

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DAY TWO - LOWER EAST SIDE MURALS + ARIEL'S LATIN BISTRO + PARDON MY FRENCH

Check out the slideshow, below, to see my mural sightings and awesome NYC food! If you're in the area, I would definitely recommend Ariel's Bistro for lunch and a $5 strawberry margarita, and Pardon My French for a super fancy date night. The whole Skype team was so wonderful to take me out for dinner and cocktails after the Halloween party.

THE SKYPE HALLOWEEN PARTY

So, the main reason I was there was, of course, The Skype Halloween Party at The Lower East Side Girls' Club! The girls absolutely LOVED the party, there was a DJ that played spooky beats, I hosted a craft table featuring Tissue Paper Pumpkins filled with CANDY. Once the candy ran out, the girls practically disowned me :) The whole party will be made into a couple of short movies that will feature yours truly for a short bit, helping the girls make pumpkins, and also myself chatting with influencers from YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram! It all went super well, and I had a blast! It was incredible giving back to the community in this way, and hopefully inspiring the kids!

Until next time! NYC, I really had fun, and hope to be back soon! A very special thanks to HelloSociety and Skype for helping make this project an absolute success!!! 

Missouri Department Of Tourism

Super excited about this recent collaboration with Missouri Department of Tourism! They even posted my recipes on their blog (here). They asked me to submit ideas and then images of activities someone would do in Missouri in the Fall. I immediately thought about all the times we have camped, fished, hiked, and road tripped to Missouri! Bobby used to go down with his family to camp in Missouri a countless number of times when he was younger, and he was the one who really showed me the beauty of the state. 

CHECK OUT THE MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM BLOG HERE

Here are a few of my favorite images Bobby and I created for this amazingly fun and nostalgic project! View all the images in my Portfolio (here). 

VIEW THE WHOLE PORTFOLIO HERE

View This On Pinterest / View This On The Missouri Department of Tourism Blog

View This On Pinterest / View This On The Missouri Department of Tourism Blog

View This On Pinterest / View This On The Missouri Department of Tourism Blog

Emma Stine Limited

I have loved Emma Stine Limited for a LONG time. Their clothing and jewelry is gorgeous and would make any woman feel special. They recently asked me to model and photograph some of their items! I was so excited to collaborate with them. Below, you can see what I created! 

Below, I featured a few of my favorite images from the project. To view the whole photo shoot, please visit MY PORTFOLIO :) There are so many more photos to see! Enjoy! 

Learn more about these earrings - click here.

To find this dress, click here. 

Pinterest  //  Facebook  //  Instagram  //  She's So Chic Blog  //  Twitter  //  Polyvore

Portfolio Spotlight - FYI Style Unzipped - Cute Fall Ideas

FYI Style Unzipped was such a cute show, and a fun brand to collaborate with! I have always LOVED fashion, and you can see that in my pins I find daily. I also love TV shows where you learn about fashion, so when FYI approached me, I was beyond excited! I was asked to showcase my style in regards to scarves, ballet flats, and neon! These terms are pretty open-ended, so I did my best to try and figure out how these specific terms were most relevant to today's most current trends. Check out my FULL PORTFOLIO...

Whidbey Island - Langley, WA in September

Well, we are on one of our last stops of our BIG road trip, and this area is just beautiful! You can get a good taste of a small ocean-side town, that is not so focused around deep water ports, like some of the places we visited (like Port Townsend WA - where we hopped on the ferry, or even Newport, OR - where we visited Rogue Brewery). It's less fishy-smelling, that's for sure :)

I'm not saying we got the friendliest vibe from the people walking around the downtown area, or even at the place we hiked! We are generally friendly people and smile or wave at those who pass by us, but people seemed a little freaked out by this, and made sure to avoid even looking at us altogether. People also almost seemed bothered by us, and made sure not to move out of the way if we needed by them in a restaurant or on the sidewalks. Not sure why, maybe because we are about half the age of most of the people here, and maybe we look a bit out of place, but we don't live here, so we just take in all the beauty wherever we can. 

Don't get me wrong, we did encounter some very nice people, especially the store owners of three shops in particular, those being Kalakala Co. Mercantile, edit. gallery, and Music For The Eyes. See some of my photos from the stores, Whidbey Island in general, and Langley. 

KALAKALA CO. MERCANTILE 

Kalakala Co. Mercantile was probably my favorite of all the places in town. It is owned by one or two girls, who are super hip and really creative! The who place is ridiculously hip, actually, featuring air plants, awesome t-shirts, beer and kombucha on tap, Washington-made chocolate and caramel sauces, and more! I grabbed a couple of can glasses with their adorable logo on them, and they also offer taster glasses, half-growlers, and full sized growlers, all merchandised with their name in the most fashionable way possible! I loved the art and ambiance in this place, and I wish we had been able to drink a couple beers here, and get a growler filled. Oh well, next time! 

EDIT GALLERY 

edit. was amazing! It's not a very big space, and everything in the shop is sleek and minimal. No clutter, here! You can find more minimal and masculine gifts here, mostly home goods. I really liked the Juniper Ridge Trail Soap, the cap was made out of a branch! SO creative! They have a small set of product photos on edit's website, but items are only available in-store, so be sure to make a stop by this amazing shop if you are in Langley! I wanted everything :) 

USELESS BAY COFFEE CO. & CAFE

Useless Bay Coffee Co. and Cafe is named after one of the bays on this island. This place was packed for lunch, even in the middle of the week. The burger was really good, and although they forgot my cheese (which was $1 for a slice, so you know I went ahead back and grabbed some...), it was done just right and the shoestring fries were a great compliment! The BBQ sandwich was also great, with lots of flavor, topped with semi-sweet coleslaw. The hot cocoa was pretty good, but more light and milky than the one I had from the Braeburn Cafe just yesterday. Still, a great place to grab breakfast or lunch, sit outside with your dog, and enjoy the beautiful sights and vegetation of downtown Langley. You can definitely grab a lot of different sandwiches or pastries to go here, too. Isn't the signage at this place cute?!

HIDBEY ISLAND AGATES + THE BEACH

The beach was right at our back porch! The Whidbey Island Agates were mixed in with the normal rocks and sand, and were definitely easy to spot. They ranged in colors from green to red, orange, blue-ish, and more! We even saw a huge Man-Of-War jellyfish, it looked like Amber. What a site! There were also tons of clam shells, still in tact, and super purple inside. We also saw playful sea lions, that Cabbie wound up really taking an interest in, and also crabs and jellyfish in the water. 

Our VRBO house was located in the Fox Spit area/neighborhood. We were RIGHT on the beach and water, and the sunsets were absolutely gorgeous! Cabbie LOVED being able to swim every day, and it was hard to get her out of the water. Such a difference between low tide and high tide, because when we arrived the first night, the water came right up to the property, and we could't even see a beach at all. The next morning, we had at least 3-4 feet of sand behind the house, and we were SO happy! There are such beautiful homes here, all looking like they belong in Coastal Living Magazine or something. The house we stayed in was a newer home, two stories, that both had great views of the water. 

Lavender Lemonade - Bacardi Inspired

One of the coolest projects I have ever done is working with Bacardi to show my readers how to create summer party-ready drinks with two of their flavors - Limon and Tangerine (a new one). 

I was asked to pretty much create whatever I wanted, and below you will see some of the goodness I thought up.

Actually, the main reason I thought this recipe would be great, is that the VRBO house we stayed in while we were in the Tahoe are a couple of weeks ago had some wild lavender growing nearby. I technically borrowed some clippings from the neighbor's yard, and WOW, did it smell incredible! The other wildflowers in the photos were also sourced from the neighbors, and I will tell you, I didn't even make a dent in their landscaping :) 

I made a simple syrup with the lavender, some sugar, and water. This way the lavender infused properly into the drink. But, I actually added it into some pretty glasses with Simply Lemonade and a shot of Bacardi. Below, you will find the recipe if you want to make it from scratch, with real lemons. 

LAVENDER LEMONADE VIA SIMPLYRECIPES.COM

The sugar/lemon balance will depend on what types of lemons you are using (Meyer lemons are less tart than regular lemons), and your own preference for sweetness. While all varieties of lavender are edible, English lavender and Provence lavender are most often used for culinary purposes. If you use fresh, garden flowers, make sure they have not been sprayed with pesticides. Do not use florist flowers.

Ingredients

• A small handful of freshly picked and rinsed lavender flowers or a tablespoon of dried lavender flowers
• 1 cup white, granulated sugar
• 2 cups of boiling water for the infusion
• 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 cups or more of cold water
• Ice

Method

1 Cut the lavender flowers from the stems (no need to strip) and place in a medium bowl (a large pyrex measuring bowl works great because you can pour easily from it). Pour the sugar over the flowers and use your (clean) fingers to gently rub the flowers into the sugar.

2 Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the lavender sugar and stir with a spoon until the sugar has melted. Cover and let infuse for 30 minutes (or up to several hours).

3 Strain the lavender-infused simple syrup and pour into a serving carafe or pitcher.

4 Stir in the lemon juice.  Add another two cups of water. Taste and adjust for tartness. Add more lemon juice if too sweet.  Add more sugar if too tart. Add ice and more water to desired level of concentration. Note that the ice will melt eventually, further diluting the drink.

Add some thinly sliced lemons and a few lavender sprigs to the serving pitcher for presentation.

DogVacay - What's In Cabbie's Bag?

Sometimes, we are lucky enough to take our pups on vacation. But, sometimes, it's just not feasible. Next time I travel without my baby girl, I am considering using DogVacay! It's a service tat enables you to hire a dog (or cat) sitter to come to your house, or you can actually bring your pet to their house. There are thousands of sitters in the country, which is pretty cool, so most likely, someone close to your home can help you out. 

Cabbie + DogVacay  - Get a FREE day or night of Pet Sitting! Click the image to learn more!

In honor of New York Fashion Week, I wanted to show you what's in Cabbie's Bag! These are some of the items I would pack for her for a weekend away at a sitter's house. 

Water and food bowl, toys, poo bags, lots and lots of treats, rawhides, leash, collar, E-Collar with remote, A blankie that smells like home, and her new dog bed. 

Cabbie + DogVacay

HOW DOGVACAY WORKS

• DogVacay is an online community that connects dog owners with our 20,000 vetted and insured pet sitters across the US & Canada, ready to care for your dog like a member of their family in their home or yours.

• All reservations include pet insurance, 24/7 customer support, and daily photo updates of your pooch enjoying a "Vacay" of his own. You can finally travel with peace of mind--at prices half the price of the local kennel.

• How it works:

  • Type in your zip code and find a PAWesome sitter in your neighborhood.

  • Schedule a meet ‘n greet to meet your Host, then book your pup’s Vacay and pay online.

  • Receive photo updates showing how much fun your pup is having, and rest assured knowing each Vacay is covered with our free pet insurance and 24/7 customer care.

• Featured in the Wall Street Journal, the NY Times, Forbes and The Today Show.

BECOME A DOGVACAY HOST:

• Who can Host? You! Whether you're a professional dog sitter or just a regular dog lover, DogVacay makes it easy to earn money watching pups. Simply create a free profile, set your own rates, decide which dogs to take and when to take them. We do the rest!

• With over 1 Million doggie nights booked, our Hosts rest easy knowing each Vacay is covered by insurance and 24/7 customer care.

Cabbie + DogVacay

Cabbie + Her DogVacay Tote Bag

Use code WANDERINGGYPSY for a FREE day or night of pet sitting on DogVacay!! 

Cabbie + DogVacay

Cabbie + DogVacay

So, remember, if your fur baby needs a sitter while you are away, DogVacay has you covered! Get a FREE day or night of sitting with code WANDERINGGYPSY. 

Oh My Lily

Last week we lost our best friend ever, Lily The Wandering Gypsy. She was definitely the very best dog ever, and I don't know what we are going to do without her. She lived to be about 11 years old, and was loved by so many people. She will be missed forever, and I will remember all the wonderful times we had with her. I cried uncontrollably when we made the decision that it was her time. Her last days were spent in Colorado, which is much better than back home, I think. What a swat little pit bull. I hope to be reunited with her in Heaven again some day. I hope she is looking down on Bobby, me, and her sister, Cabbie and smiling. Now, this blog will forever commemorate the BEST DOG EVER. Love you, Lily!!!!!!

Ulta Hair + Nails Collaboration

Recently, I was contracted by Ulta Beauty to share some of the ways I would style their nail polish. This dark denim color was really nice. I usually wear lighter colors, but I just loved how the dark indigo color complimented most of my clothing. It looked great with different shades of brown, especially leather. I was also offered a complimentary hair appointment to test out one of their new hair color services for Fall. The hair trend is bronde, and I like it a lot! It is a nice mix of brown and blonde, and my stylist made it look so natural! I am very happy with the results.

I hadn't colored my hair in about ten years, and I knew they were trustworthy enough to make my hair look natural, but elevated.

Our Big Trip!

We have been having an absolute BLAST this past week on the first leg of our road trip. I have also been gaining lots of amazing followers on Flipagram, and you can see all of my stories here - 

I just love Flipagram! I have been an active member for less than two weeks, and I have had an amazing response from their community. I have been wanting to venture into making videos and multimedia projects for some time, and this app is the best way I have found to incorporate photos, videos, and music. They make it easy to share your story with the world.

Below, you can see some of my Flipagrams from our trip so far. If you have a company and would like mw to create you a Flipagram and share it with my followers, just contact me, or comment below! I would LOVE to work with you! 

AND HERE ARE A FEW MORE STORIES I CRATED

Have a wonderful day! See you soon!

Summer Fun!

I recently tried White Cheddar Skinny Pop, and Hubert's Raspberry Lemonade and I am in love!! They're actually a good combo for summer! I would definitely take this to the park or beach for a summer picnic. The flowers are from my new, favorite place near Carbondale, Chautauqua Bend Flower Farm. 

I also love this blanket by Domain, it's super soft and perfect for summer. I grabbed this bag from Sole Society a while back, and it has held up really great.

Those sandals, though! My favorite part of all of this is the Sam Edelman Studded Asbury Sandals. They're comfortable, very chic, and look amazing with everything I have paired them with so far. 

This popcorn is addicting! 

What are your summer picnic essentials? 

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L'Oreal Infalliable Makeup

Recently I was asked by L'Oreal to help promote one of their new Infalliable makeup lines that is perfect for summer. It's definitely more challenging keeping your makeup looking fresh when it's hot outside, and this makeup really stays put. I created this Dedicated Board to show you more!

I'm not usually one to wear much makeup, especially the full-coverage kind, but wow, it makes such a difference in my appearance! It's so fun experimenting with different color combinations, and it was also fun learning some makeup application tips from Katie at Fringe The Salon, who is a local salon-owner. She does amazing work and it was a lot of fun working with her. 

L'Oreal Infalliable Lip Colors 

The tutorial (below), was created by using some of the L'Oreal Infalliable products like foundation, powder, and of course, their Lip Colors. There were so many colors to choose from, and this stuff really stays put! Below you can see some of the content we created for L'Oreal! 

And below, you can check out the other photos we created for the project. This is one of my favorite projects to date! Check out my Dedicated Board Here. 

When I first learned about this project, I was a bit nervous because my face would be on full display for these. I had no clue how well these photos would turn out thanks to the help from Bobby and Katie at The Fringe Salon. Throughout this project, I also learned that makeup makes such a difference in photos, and this was the perfect project to break me out of my comfort zone. 

This content creation was sponsored by L'Oreal, and all opinions are 100% my own. Thanks so such a wonderful company for collaborating with me! 

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VISIT THE DEDICATED BOARD HERE