Is it just me or does it feel like dirty dishes never go away? I used to be one of those people that only hand wash dishes because the dishwasher didn’t clean well enough for me. But that recently changed when our house went on the market since we can’t have dirty dishes laying around in the sink. These 2in1 action packs came to my dishwashing rescue! They are ridiculously easy to use, and best of all, the dishes come out squeaky clean! No measuring and no mess. I also found out that dishwashing is being ‘green’. That means more time saved and no more puddles around my feet, all while helping our planet.

“You can work for peace on Earth every day, in the comfort of your very own car.
It’s easy; just follow the Golden Rule.
Don’t like being honked at?  Don’t honk at anyone except in warning.
Want to be let into traffic?  Let others in.
Don’t like waiting for the intersection to clear after the light turns red?  Then don’t push lights.
What else can you do for peace today?”

- Amy Houchen

Love the design of this chic cake I saw in the most recent issue of InStyle Weddings!

Tip 1 . Make sure to give your cake vendor a picture of the cake you want.

Tip 2 . If you want to cut wedding costs, you can have a small presentation cake and the rest as sheet cake. Your guests won’t know the difference.

Whenever I travel to New York or San Francisco, one of my regular stops is H&M. So when I heard the news that they’re coming to my favorite shopping center, University Village in Seattle, I was so excited! Looks like it will be in the middle of the strip between Sephora and Anthropologie [another favorite]. Talking with other H&M fans in Seattle, we’re wondering if we will shop there since it won’t be as exciting as it used to be when we could only get H&M items outside of Seattle.  

For comfort and style, shoe designers all around the world have been making flats like there’s no tomorrow. People have been complimenting my metallic pair above and are shocked to find out that I got them from Target for six dollars and something cents! Here’s another great pair at a great price. J.Crew or Piperlime also have some fabulous flats to choose from.

Check your label on your tee shirt and there’s a good chance that it’s from American Apparel even if you haven’t physically bought one from the store. Many tee shirt companies use American Apparel shirts because they simply are top-notch in quality and feel. And they’re even conscientious about how they run their business as they are proud to be sweatshop free.

I own many shirts from them, but I recently made my first direct purchase from them. I love my new comfy lounge pants!

Anyhow, the primary reason for this post is that I have this thing for shopping bags and I absolutely love American Apparel’s minimalist, cleverly designed shopping bag! I have lived in three and visited eleven of the locations printed on them. To be earth friendly, they sell a canvas tote version.

If you asked me a few years ago, cupcakes were all the same to me. But with this new trend, I found myself to be a cupcake connoisseur all of a sudden from having cupcakes at weddings and visiting different bakeries while traveling. Who knew that cupcakes could be so different? Hands down, the winning cupcake thus far is from Trophy Cupcakes in Seattle! And they get extra bonus points for creating such a darling ambiance to eat their delights in! 

They have a wide variety of yummy flavors for every day of the week - I haven’t tried all of them yet, but my favorites are Chocolate Vanilla, Lemon, and Red Velvet [below].

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

- Gandhi

Paying homage to the maker of iGrace in New York.