Thrifty Thursday: Glitter Nails! Skip that manicure and get busy!

I was inspired by the Cashmere and Cupcakes post on mermaid nails to give my nails a new look. I was bored of the basic polish that you see everywhere and thought it was time for something different. If you are looking for ways to cut costs, consider doing your nails yourself rather than getting a manicure. Don't be sad, though! This is definitely a project that will make skipping the nail salon fun!

J sweetly got me a collection of 24 martha stewart glitters, which made my project so much more fun! I highly advocate getting these glitters. They are very fine and have an easy to use top. No mess!

I used a cheap eyeshadow brush from CVS, a mauve OPI polish (the name has disappeared) and smokey quarts Martha Stewart glitter. I painted my nails with the mauve a few days ago. Last night, I put a bit of glitter into a small bowl and placed a drop of my Sephora by OPI top coat onto the eyeshadow brush. Then I dipped the brush into the glitter (be careful not to overload the brush!) and swiped it onto a nail. I just did a line of glitter across the top of five various nails and did designs on others so that it did not look too busy. After that, I cleaned the brush by dipping it in nail polish remover and wiping it on a paper towel to eliminate glitter - be careful, though! Nail polish remover eats through synthetic bristles. After everything was very very dry, I blew on my nails to get rid of the loose glitter (none!). I then dripped more top coat onto the brush (do not want to get glitter into the top coat) and used it to seal my polish and glitter.

The color combo allows me to keep my nails pink and still fit into the fall season. And the project is a ton of fun! Make sure you have something else going on since it is a rather long process. Maybe make an event out of it! I would love to get my hands on Melinda's nails - I think they are long due for some glitter :)

Forgive the low picture quality, I had to use photo booth on my mac. Photo booth is also the reason why the words appear backward. Thanks, Apple. Btw, yay for the new iphone talk tomorrow! Also, thanks to Ashley for sending me the mermaid nail inspiration. She should really be a contributor to Posh Purpose :)

Wedding Tip Wednesday: DIY Craft Storage

One of the reasons why Melinda's wedding planning is so exciting for me is that I know she will be doing a bunch of DIY crafty projects. She is so creative! Of course, this also means that I will soon find myself with a glue gun permanently in hand. Oh! the things we do for family (love you, Melinda!).

Now since I love to know things, I have been searching for lots of craft ideas and thinking of the logistics for Melinda. During one of my google searches, I came across a brilliant idea for storing your crafts. Martha Stewart, like always, never fails to disappoint. She suggests using the clear storage containers to hold the pieces for each craft. Create the labels by taking a picture of the assembled project.

This is such a great idea! It is especially helpful because it allows your lovely, amazing, lifesaving helpers to assemble your vision without you having to direct every detail. This system will make that day of scramble so much less stressful! In the very beginning of decorating, you simply place each box where you want the items to be set up and then your lovely, amazing, lifesaving helpers know exactly what to do. My only suggestion beyond Martha's is to include typed assembly steps for the more complicated crafts.

Another benefit is that, during your crafting sessions, you can see what you have already accomplished and easily visualize how all of your projects will go together. Seeing your crafts organized and labeled with a lovely picture will give you satisfaction and motivation to keep crafting!

Trousseau Tuesday: Ideeli Goes Bridal

Ideeli is having a sale on all things bridal for the next 10 hours or so. There is a huge selection of dresses, which are pretty to look at but I would not be comfortable buying one off of the internet. However, there are also some accessories, veils and shoes! Yay, shoes! You need an Ideeli account to shop, but the company is really good about not bugging you via email. Go here to sign up!

Bagdley Mischka Randee shoes for $105.99, originally $215.00

This ABS lace dress would be adorable for a bridal shower or the rehearsal. It is listed at $89.99, originally $237.00

The veils seem to be mostly polyester, which is not ideal. However, if the veil is a category you want to save in, definitely check out the options. I saw quite a few between $50 and $150. Thanks to Sam for keeping me up to date!

Barbie Loves Weddings

Reading Between the Lines with Barbie: you should check it out. And apply what you learn to your bridesmaid selection! Here is my favorite excerpt.

Looking at these three, I’m fairly certain they met back when Barbie was a fashion model at a United Colors of Benetton photo shoot. Steph and Barbie where modeling to support themselves through school, but Kira is still a model. Kira likes to talk about how she’s still a model because beige don’t age. Stephanie responds to that with black don’t crack and to shut them both up, Barbie always brings up how much bigger her boobs are than theirs. They’re the bestest of friends.

Again, thanks goes to Ashley for sharing! I told her to make a tumblr account since she is clearly so awesome and has the best taste.

Munchie Monday: Cast Iron Fried Chicken and Gravy

Hey y'all! I'm terribly sorry for missing the past few Mondays and also for today's article being so late. However, once you try this recipe you won't be able to help forgiving me! By the way, this is definitely better than engagement chicken.

Backstory:
J made me promise not to talk about wedding stuff for the entire month of September (woo hoo! it is October now!) because he needed some time to adjust. I was not very good at following his rule, but I think I did better than he expected. Anyway, after he ate my cast iron fried chicken and gravy he was so blown away that he said I could talk about wedding stuff for two hours. Now the effects don't seem to be too long lasting, he only lasted for about an hour and fifteen minutes of wedding talk before offering to give me another hour the next night as a trade for changing the topic.

Ingredients

• Skinless, boneless chicken - I used thighs
• Some flour
• Black pepper, salt, cayenne pepper
• Cream - I only had heavy cream, so I watered it down a bit, you can also use milk
• Water
• Butter - a few tablespoons
• Olive oil

Chicken Instructions

1. Melt some butter with olive oil (prevents burning) in your large cast iron on the stove while preheating the oven to 375
2. Mix flour, black pepper, salt and cayenne pepper - you want enough to coat all the chicken
3. Dip a piece of chicken in the cream, let the excess drip off and then roll the chicken around in the flour mixture until coated 
4. Repeat step 3 for all chicken bits
5. Make sure your butter is hot and then place the chicken flat into the cast iron
6. Flip chicken bits over when the bottom is a bit darker than golden
7. When chicken is a uniform color all around, place cast iron into the oven
8. Cook until done - this varies with how long you cooked on the stove top

Gravy Instructions

1. When chicken is fully cooked, remove it from oven and let sit for a few minutes
2. Transfer chicken onto a serving dish 
3. Put the cast iron back on the stove top and add some more butter
4. Now add the same mixture of flour, black pepper, salt and cayenne pepper to the hot fat in the cast iron
5. Add enough to dry up all the fat
6. Cook the flour-fat mixture until it no longer tastes like raw flour
7. Combine cream and water and add slowly to the cast iron and cook until it looks like the right consistency for gravy

My mother's ratio for gravy is about 2 tablespoons of fat to 2 tablespoons of flour to 1 cup of liquid. I never remember it and always end up calling her each time I want to make gravy. And yes, I had to call her for this article as well.