Randi with an i

Press for champagne

February 20, 2015 Randi34 comments

Wouldn’t it be lovely if you could just push a button for instant bubbly?

I’d been seeing the Press for Champagne pieces making their rounds on Pinterest and thought they were absolutely lovely, and wanted one for the bar in my apartment. But at $92 a pop, my post-grad budget reeeeally couldn’t afford one, no matter how adorable they were.

And for $92 a piece, that button better dang well produce champagne when pressed.

So, when I saw Ashley over at History in High Heels post a DIY version, I was over the moon. Ashley’s version was just as cute, and only cost a few dollars!

Sneak peek: Daighna Photography shoot

February 17, 2015 Randi31 comments

My friend Daighna is, hands down, one of the most talented editorial photographers I know.

(Hey, Vogue, are you listening? Hire her.)

She runs her own photo business, Daighna Photography, and in addition to weddings and senior portraits (you should book her btw), she’s very talented at putting together fashion magazine-esque photoshoots that channel all of her creative energy.

Her ideas always come completely out of left field, seem completely random and always just completely work. I stopped questioning her crazy visions years ago because whatever she puts together to shoot always just ends up looking straight up amazing.

Want proof? Here’s a shoot I helped her with two years ago.

So, when Daighna asked me a few weeks ago if I’d like to help her with another editorial photoshoot, I jumped at the opportunity.

Weekly Sundown Rundown

February 15, 2015 Randi37 comments

Lucky me, I have tomorrow off work, but I did work this past weekend and a lot of breaking news happened, so my work schedule is 50 shades of messed up right now. Regardless, it’s the end of the weekend for everyone else, soooo… weekly recap time!

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Link roundup:

This woman donated her kidney to a stranger and now they’re together and expecting a child. I bawl.

Iago (The bird from Lion King) read snippets of 50 Shades of Grey. My abs still hurt from laughing.

President Obama and Buzzfeed collaborated on a two-minute video and it’s adorable. Regardless of your political views, I think everyone can agree that Obama is definitely down-to-earth people person with a great sense of humor.

Some huge Harry Potter fan compiled every Severus Snape scene into chronological order and I bawled.

Kathryn posted this recipe for vegan lemon mint tarts on her blog, Through the Thicket, and I think I’m going to have to try them.

We’re in the middle of #NYFW and no worries, Vogue has got you completely covered.

Cindy Crawford posted un-retouched lingerie photos, which is lovely because she’s still absolutely gorgeous.

Apartment Therapy has a post about modernizing antique furniture which is good, because I’m kind of on a furniture rehab spree lately.

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And me this week? I had one of the most productive weeks ever. I mentioned working this past weekend, and when my company schedules me for four hours on Saturday and the four hours on Sunday, I get a weekday off. Also, working a split weekend shift forces me to stay in town and #GSD. So, this week, I…

Attempted to eat a massive ice cream brownie sundae at Pizza House and failed. Miserably. Even with Seth’s help.
Had a dinner date at Killer Hibachi with my friend Tasha.
Went to Target to get a pillow and ended up with like, $70 worth of home decor including this candle (in pink peony, peach prosecco and lemon trifle) and this gold serving tray.
Went on a gold spray painting spree. Stay tuned for results.
FINALLY painted my desk and dresser. I’d had my desk primed for six months but never got around to actually painting it until now. (Stay tuned for results on this project as well.)
Made this delicious Valentine’s Day popcorn and then mailed it to Seth.
Celebrated the actual Valentine’s Day by making raspberry lemonade red wine slushies and then going to see Fifty Shades of Grey with Elise.
Had a lunch date at Max and Emily’s (the best sandwich shop ~~in mid-Michigan~~ anywhere) with my friend Erin.
Ordered a new camera lens after I accidentally broke mine on assignment for work.
Devoured more newsroom cupcakes. (You guys seemed to love those last time)
Spent Friday in a flower shop learning about floral arrangements.
Bought myself roses because why the hell not.
Made my favorite root veggie and lentil stew.
Still managed to put in a full work week + overtime at the paper.

You can see this stuff as it happens if you follow me on Instagram.

I have no idea how the heck I accomplished all of that (maybe it’s because I averaged five hours of sleep a night?) but hooray for productive weeks! Hopefully this week will be just as productive. I have a few fun things planned that I already can’t wait to share! What do you have planned for this coming week? Let me know in the comments!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please read my disclosure policy.

Valentine’s Day look: Movies in mauve

February 13, 2015 Randi15 comments

Last Valentine’s Day look!

Let’s recap:
Look one was a champagne-and-roses inspired outfit perfect for a brunch date or a casual museum stroll.
Look two was a red lace look for a classy dinner date…
And look three is a simple mauve dress perfect for my actual plans, which include a movie date with my roommate.

Conversation heart popcorn

February 12, 2015 Randi27 comments

Are you getting sick of my lovey dovey mushy Valentine’s Day themed posts yet?

They’re almost over.

Promise.

I found this recipe for white chocolate conversation heart popcorn on Pinterest a few weeks ago when I was trying to help a guy friend come up with gift suggestions for his girlfriend. He didn’t like the idea but I loved it. This Valentine’s themed popcorn is really colorful and festive, and – even better – it’s simple and inexpensive.

So, of course, I gave it a try!

2015’s engagement ring trends

February 10, 2015 Randi31 comments

Disclaimer: No, I am not engaged. And no, I will not be anytime soon.

With that being said, I had a chance to write a pretty fun story for today’s paper. Last Friday, I got to head into Ace of Diamonds downtown and talk to the owners about what current trends are in engagement rings. With Valentine’s Day coming up, the local jeweler has seen a huge spike in engagement ring sales (duh!). Mike and Kriss Roethlisberger took time out of their busy sales season to tell me what they’re keeping on stock because of recent customer interest.

Here’s the story.

Right now, engagement ring trends include:

Halo settings, often with a split shank
Cluster center settings
Contemporary styles (asymmetrical and uneven designs)
Rose gold
Pink diamonds
Chocolate diamonds

Even though I’m nowhere close to being engaged, I love being able to rock trends in whatever capacity I can. Here are some fun ways of wearing some of those engagement ring trends, but without the cost of a ring or the commitment of that whole marriage thing that accompanies it.

Click the arrow to scroll through and see all of my picks.

Weekly Sundown Rundown

February 8, 2015 Randi8 comments

Whoever decided that we need to work for five days and have fun for two, instead of the other way around, was kind of a jerk.

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Unless you’re living in a cave, you likely heard the story (and updates) about Detroiter James Robertson, who walks 21 miles to work day in and day out. Amazing. $300,000 has been raised to get him a new car.

This is an awesome post about what happened when an online author confronted her troll. As an online author that deals with her fair share of trolls, I really enjoyed reading it.

The trailer for Ryan Gosling’s Lost River was released and it looks amazing. PS: It was shot in Detroit which makes me love it that much more.

Aaaaand Magic Mike XXL’s trailer was released. To quote a friend: “much excite very muscles such yum.”

The Kitchn put together a list of healthy snack boxes. I’ve been debating getting on the snack box train because I love my snacks, so I might have to look into some of these.

Refinery29 posted a story about the struggle with Seasonal Affective Disorder, which really hit home with me.

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And me this week? I…

Heard an excerpt of The Marriage of Figaro as performed by CMU opera students.
Stopped in Lansing on Monday morning and picked up some new items at Ann Taylor during the half-off clearance sale, like this 100 percent silk blouse and a new henley to lounge in.
Checked out my local Habitat for Humanity ReStore and picked up an old sewing machine table that I’m planning on repurposing into a vanity this summer.
Finally got around to watching The Interview. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t good.
Started Fahrenheit 451.
Had my B12 shot (screw you Seasonal Affective Disorder).
Tried this face mask with Elise. It used honey, lemon and coconut oil and made my skin suuuuper soft.
Saw Flint Eastwood perform at Hunter’s Ale House.
Had a date night with Seth including bd’s Mongolian Grill and Cold Stone.

You can see all this stuff as it happens if you follow me on Instagram.

How was your week? Did you do anything fun? Let me know in the comments!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please read my disclosure policy.

Spring fashion: Looking ahead!

February 5, 2015 Randi31 comments

The logic of fashion is something that has always intrigued me. When you think about it, clothing that is “suddenly” trendy didn’t pop up overnight. I learned this in my “Introduction to the Fashion Industry” class I enrolled in last semester. The whole process — sourcing materials, creating a design, putting the design together, marketing it to buyers and offering it to consumers — takes a lot of time. This means that trends don’t just happen overnight! Years of planning goes into fashion, so when you think about it, the super trendy stuff you’re wearing now was conceptualized between a year and two years ago!

For my job, I was tasked with writing a lifestyles story about upcoming fashion trends and how they will translate into prom dresses. I called up my fashion class instructor today and talked with him a little bit about upcoming spring trends and how they’ll relate to prom. Obviously, many of the themes we’ll be seeing this coming spring have nothing to do with prom. But, fashion is inspirational and malleable, meaning anything from the spring 2015 runway is easily adaptable for any occasion, whether it’s for formal occasions, like prom, or everyday ready-to-wear, like street style or workwear.

(As an aside, when I took my Introduction to the Fashion Industry class, we had a project revolving around trend forecasting. You can read about it here!)

Now that retailers are starting to bring in their spring lines (even though it seems like winter is never going to end here in Michigan), we can start to see some of these trends making their way into stores.

So what trends did my instructor predict we’d be seeing a lot of?

Colors: dusty roses, dusty blues, champagnes and bright yellows
Longer hemlines (maxis are still around!)
Statement gems and rhinestones
Embroidery, beading and lace detailing
Oriental-inspired garments (think kimonos and silks)
70’s-inspired garments (fringe and flares)

Here are some of my favorite ready-to-wear ways of rocking these upcoming trends this spring.