B is for Bows

"Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance." -Coco Chanel

Last year in November I made Minnie Mouse ears for my friend and I to wear to Disney during the food and wine festival. This year as Spring was approaching I decided I was going to purchase an annual pass to Walt Disney World- I live in Orlando, I spend $75 a year to go one time, so why not spend more over a period of time and be able to go whenever I wish?! I didn't even really need to think about it before making a definite decision. With the idea of frequenting the lands of Disney came the idea of making more ears to wear while I was there, but there are a few things about ears that I don't really like all the much: they are annoyingly tight to wear for extended periods of time, they feel super top heavy, they're a bitch to make. So then I decided why not just make the thing that's the cutest about them, the bows. And with that decision came a revelation, I can wear bows to other places besides Disney and not look like a complete buffoon. 

So today I set off to JoAnn fabric with little intention of buying a lot of things. I left with about six different printed fabrics and a couple of Easter decorations that were on extreme sale and I barely spent over $30! I had to run to Walmart after making four bows to get some more glue sticks and there I grabbed a couple more patterns of fabric, go figure. 

I'm going to continue on this bow making journey until my fabric supply has dwindled down to nothing. Currently I have the materials to make a few Little Mermaid themed bows and that's pretty exciting. That's the only Disney themed bow I'm making as of now but I'll return to the fabric store well prepared to get the supplies for many more Disney themed accessories! I'm planning on making them as clips as well as headbands because after making them I noticed it would be cute to wear them on the crown of your head with your hair down as well as the usual "bow in your hair" placements. 

Below are the bows that I have made as of this second- let me know what you think. I've opened up an Etsy shop! It's in the making but you're able to buy current bows as well as submit custom orders.

Go go kitchen gadgets!

I have an obsession with shopping... I know what you're saying, "well you're a girl and every girl-" blah blah blah. No. Like I buy things I think I'll need when in fact I don't need them at all. Then I'll have them in my apartment just sitting in a drawer or cabinet somewhere only to never use them more than twice. For this reason exactly I have for sets of knives, two garlic presses, four cutting boards, two vegetable peelers, an egg separator, and other things like those. Some were hits and some were misses, I'll share with you the bottom and the top items on that list!
First up, the garlic press! For some reason this diet made me really think that I needed to own a garlic press, so I bought one at TJ Maxx. I purchased a Zyliss brand one, it's white. The packaging stated that there was no need to peel the clove of garlic prior to pressing it. look at the picture below and tell me if you think that worked...

See it barely worked. So after this you have to open the press back up and remove the skin. I guess on a good note it "easily" peels it for you. 

But when you open it back up the garlic is stuck in the grooves of the top, so you have to pick it out and put it back into the compartment to be pressed again. The second picture shows the second press, it results in more garlic but you have to use a spoon to take it out. Honestly this thing is a bitch to clean; the garlic gets pressed (go figure) into the red piece and you have to pick it all out. My general consensus was that this is a terrible item, especially after reading a bad review on it- but then I got another one: the Cuisinart garlic press. 

My Cuisinart garlic press is more difficult to use but easier to clean, not really anything better. 

You put the garlic in the same as the other one, unpeeled. You press. And you get nothing. So then you have to reopen it, remove the skin, and press it again. 

As you can see, after pressing it again you do get garlic out of it, but considering the first press resulted in nothing I don't think this is a lot. I usually put two cloves in when I'm cooking just so I can yield enough. I use this one over the other one simply because it's easier to clean, not because of its efficiency. When you scrape the remaining garlic out this is what you have left-

Needless to say, I'll be purchasing a higher quality garlic press. 

Next on my list is my can opener, as boring as that sounds. I didn't actually purchase this one, my mom gave it to me because she didn't like it; I love it! This bad boy removes the entire top of the can and leaves the edges dull so you don't have to worry about cutting yourself. This is definitely something I would recommend anyone to go pick up. I've seen them for sale at stores like TJ Maxx and HomeGoods as well as grocery stores. 

Last but not least in anyway is an item I had to pick up for my FitGirl journey (down 6 lbs now!). One week called for breakfast sandwiches and they suggested using an egg ring so your egg fit neatly onto the english muffin. This little guy makes making muffin-shaped eggs a breeze! I got mine at TJ Maxx for like $4 so I'm pleased. I'm still unsure, though, why it's a pig. 

Happy cooking!