Sweet as a Candy - lovely sweaters giveaway!

Congrats to Federica from Bologna, Italy for her 500th post and her blog's one year anniversary! She's holding a lovely sweater giveaway from Caroline Joy! My favorite is the peachy pink sweater called Upcycled Cardigan -- Just Peachy!

Hiking Rattlesnake Ledge on MLK day

I had Martin Luther King day off of work, on Monday, so a few friends and I hiked Rattlesnake Ledge outside of North Bend.This is the start of the two miles straight uphill. Halfway up the trail, we stopped for a picture, a water break, and to catch our breath!Here is the view from the top, where we ate lunch. I made delicious ham and swiss sandwiches with toasted wheat bread! Murphy, the great dane, was so fun to take pictures of, but even he got tired!The rocky beach of Rattlesnake Lake, at the end of the trail, was beautiful to relax on. If you're in the Seattle area, I recommend this enjoyable and scenic hike. It only took us an hour to get to the top and a little less time to trek down.

According to the Washington Trails Association website:

ROUNDTRIP	4.0 miles
ELEVATION GAIN	1160 ft
HIGHEST POINT	2078 ft

Driving Directions

(47.4335, -121.7675) Open in new window

Map data ©2009 Google - Terms of Use

From Seattle drive 32 miles east on I-90 to exit 32 (436th Avenue SE). Turn right (south) on 436th Avenue SE (Cedar Falls Road SE) and drive about 4 miles to the well-developed Rattlesnake Lake parking area on the right.

More fun Brittney Lee art!

Brittney Lee's artwork is so fun! Brittney just posted new artwork on her website. Check out her celebratory dinosaurs. There are no velociraptors allowed!

Wishful Wednesday...gown

'I wish' .... I could have worn the gown that ______ wore at the 67th Annual Golden Globes Award!

Here's your chance to dream big and wear that runway dress you have been eying!!  Don't forget to attach that photo of the dress!!

Thanks to Kelsey @ Seattle Smith's! I love her Wishful Wednesday topics! "Wishful Wednesday is meant to be something fun to get us through those lovely hump days.  It may be a wish, a hope, a dream, or an aspiration -- some topics may be fun and playful while others more insightful -- but most importantly, it will give us an opportunity to get to know our fellow bloggers a little bit better, and see what makes us tick ...."

'I wish' .... I could have worn the gown that Reese Witherspoon wore at the 67th Annual Golden Globes Award!

 [Source: Reese-Pics]

Second choice: 'I wish' .... I could have worn the gown that Lea Michele (Rachel from Glee) wore at the 67th Annual Golden Globes Award!

 [Source: Just Jared]

 [Source: Just Jared]

Check out Taylor Swift's new single "Today was a fairytale"

Taylor Swift's new single from the "Valentine's Day" soundtrack came out today! 

It's lovely!

I highly recommend downloading it on iTunes!

Today was a fairytale

You were the prince

I used to be a damsel in distress

You took me by the hand and you picked me up at six

Today was a fairytale

Today was a fairytale

Today was a fairytale

I wore a dress

You wore a dark grey t-shirt

You told me I was pretty when I looked like a mess

Today was a fairytale

Time slows down whenever you're around

But can you feel this magic in the air?

It must have been the way you kissed me

Fell in love when I saw you standing there

It must have been the way

Today was a fairytale

It must have been the way

Today was a fairytale

Watching Love Actually!

I heart Love Actually, especially the scene where Hugh Grant dances! What's your favorite scene from the movie?

Blooming on Bainbridge's Pink Week Giveaway!

Check out Blooming on Bainbridge's Pink Week Giveaway starting January 18!

Illuminate inspiration

There's a sweet illuminate necklace giveaway going on at Lisa Leonard Designs! It reminds me of my favorite dress of the Golden Globes! [Source: Just Jared]

IN ADDITION, to an illuminate necklace…

THREE lucky winners will also get a set of chandelier letterpress from paper lovely letterpress.

Favorites of the Weekend

YAY for Glee winning Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy!! 

Many of the gowns at the Golden Globes were beautiful but overdone, or even garish, [Source: FabSugar] but the girls of Glee were charming, sweet, and simply glamourous.

[Source: Just Jared] Rachel from Glee (Lea Michele) looked like a red carpet winner, even if she didn't win the Golden Globe award. As Vicki Hyman at the Star-Ledger writes, they were "Glee-fully gorgeous".

[Source: FabSugar] Quinn from Glee (Dianna Argon) looks so gorgeous in her goddess-like dress! 

 [Source: Zap2it] Sofia Vergara looked refreshingly classic and lovely too. I'm now very curious about her show, Modern Family. 

Reese Witherspoon presenting Best Picture, Musical or Comedy, looked spectacular in a form-fitting navy, one shoulder number. I wish I could find a photo of it! Has anyone seen it online?

Zachary Levi was an adorable presenter and looked so dapper too![Source: Zachary-Levi.com]

[Source: Pink Monkey via Just Jared] I was compelled to include Rachel Bilson too, who looked stunning in white Chanel at last night's, The Art of Elysium’s 3rd Annual Black Tie “Heaven” Charity Gala (January 16)!

What are the Glee girls going to wear tonight at the Golden Globes?

Happy Golden Globes Day![Source: Such a freaking lady]

Looking for ideas for birthday and Valentine's Day Cupcakes!

vday 2 008
Originally uploaded by theblushingbakeshop.com

I love the month of February! It's my husband's and my birthday month, as well as my Mom's and two of my best guy friends birthday too.

Do you have any favorite Valentine's Day traditions? I'm thinking that Valentine's cupcakes might be a good one to start.

Thank you, Susan Jane and jcrewaholics.com!

I just won a gorgeous and unique cuff from Susan Jane, thanks to Siv at jcrewaholics! I chose the Park Avenue Cuff and it's velvety and fantastic. It's my own little red carpet, complete with brilliant (costume) jewelry!

Beautiful Dresses worthy of the red carpet, or your big date night?

I love dresses.

The Powdered Sugar Dress from Sarah Seven is so sweet and fairy-like. This might be a fun birthday outfit too!

I recently discovered Rent the Runway, an awesome alternative to buying expensive dresses. It's a website dedicated to designer labels rentable at a reasonable price! The Lela Rose, pleated one shoulder dress in blue silk faille is one I've been coveting, but first I need to find an event worthy of it!

Lela Rose also has an amazing Convertible Belt Garnet Gown at Neiman Marcus that is truly stunning too. "Inspired by a rich and vibrant jewel tone, this dress is as precious as a rare gem." - Lela Rose. Check it out!

Also the Golden Globes are tomorrow! I'm excited to watch the red carpet and see all the beautiful dresses! Anne Hathaway is always dressed to impress!