Banish the Belt Bump

Trick of the day:

Image courtesy of New York & Company

In this time of tunic length everything, how's a girl 'sposed to hold her pants up without creating an extra roll?

Easy. If you have to wear a functional belt under that long-length shirt, simply turn your belt to the side, and fasten normally. This creates the illusion of a flat front to your pants, and by nesting the buckle to the front or back of your hip bone, the lump all but disappears.

Magical.

An Apple A Day Finale

The grand finale!

Personally, I think I saved the best for last. And it's a newbie on the scene, so I get to do a little introduction.

Friends, meet the Stop Motion Recorder.

Image courtesy of 148apps.com

No sneaky moves with the name - This guy does just as promised, and with panache. Snapping still photos every 1 to 20 seconds (or by using the stop/resume function if you need more time), your movie is created claymation style, complete with all the jerky charm. And it doesn't even have to feature Rudolph.

Image courtesy of us.catchapp.net

Choose your effect (from black and white to mirror image), and enjoy using the on-screen grid and 'shadow' of your last picture to perfectly line up the next shot. Pick your frames-per-second speed and save for easy sharing and all 'round entertainment.

Did you have a flip book as a kid? Well here it is, all grown up.

Image courtesy of edibleapple.com

Thanks for stickin' around for the series - Enjoy your new toys!

An Apple A Day #4

Day 4 and it's a shorty, promise.

It's not that I don't have a lot to say about this app, it's just that at this point you have probably already heard about it in some way, shape, or form. That fact doesn't make it any less great.

It's Pandora.

Image courtesy of chictech.com

This ubiquitous office and dorm room friend has found it's way into easy touch-screen form. If you're not familiar, basically if you have internet access (built in if you have the iPhone, optional for the other devices), you can create your very own radio sation(s) built around your song title/artist/genre preferences.

Image courtesy of cache.gawker.com

For instance: Type in Britney Spears and get a mix of that piece of work, plus Christina Aguilera, Rhianna, Backstreet Boys, etc.

Rogers and Hammerstein? A mix of tunes penned by them plus other musicals.

You get the picture. Er, hear it, I suppose. Fave feature: Vote the song playing up or down by tapping one of the thumb icons on the screen. Turn it down and the app moves on to the next option. The only downside of this guy is that to keep it free (oh right, it's free!), you hit a limit with your 'skips', and sometimes just have to tough it out through a song you'd rather not hear.

A small price to pay.

Image courtesy of geekschwag.com

An Apple A Day #3

It's day three in the series! No game changer here though. Just another fab app f.y.e. (for your entertainment).

Today's pick: Project 365

Image courtesy of find.macworld.com

This app allows (and even reminds, but we'll get to that later) you to take a photo each day of the year, add a caption, and create an ever evolving scrapbook right there on your iDevice.

Image courtesy of image.macworld.com

There are two versions of this guy: A freebie and a 99 cent-er, and I highly recommend busting out the coin purse for the paid-for version. That reminder I alluded to earlier? That's an included feature by way of a push notification every day (something I really need if this whole 365 program is going to stand a chance). Your near-dollar also gets you a slideshow feature for month in review purposes, cropping, and the option for online back-up.

And you don't need to pay to get the essence of this app - Even with the free version you still get to take the photos and caption each.

Daily documentation at your fingertips.

Image courtesy of thepirata.com

An Apple A Day #2

Number two in the series! I know you've been holding your breath. Sit back, relax, and begin the download.

Pick number 2: Hipstamatic

Image courtesy of iphone.appstorm.net

This is the most-used app I've downloaded on my phone, simply because it's so much fun. The Hipstamatic camera offers an unpredictable, analog-y feeling to any scene you snap. A multitude of lenses, films, and flash effects, I feel like I could take 20 pictures of the same thing and have a different, creative result each time.

Image courtesy of 3.bp.blogspot.com

Fantastic!

Bonus features: An easy button to upload to Facebook for sharing the ones that you feel rival Ansel Adams, and every-so-often themed photo contests for Hipsta-users.

Image courtesy of farm5.static.flickr.com

The $1.99 download comes with 3 lenses, 3 films, and 2 flashes - Plenty to be happy with. If you love it and want more options, you can purchase 'Hipstapaks' for $0.99 each, which also come with several lenses/films/flashes, and can be previewed before purchase. I have to say, I've absolutely zero complaints about this one.

Image courtesy of pocket-lint.com

Oh, snap.

Image courtesy of geeky-gadgets.com

An Apple A Day...

In the spirit of some of my own favorite bloggers, I'm going to try my hand at a little series.

First up: My fave smart phone applications. I'm an iPhone drone, but with so many jumping on the iPad, and the iPod Touch being practically everywhere, apps are pretty approachable even if you don't want to sign a contract with AT&T.

Image courtesy of blog.crowdspring.com

Being... thrifty, I try to stay in the Free-99 cent range as much as possible, and it has served me well.

Number 1 in the series? Shazam.

Image courtesy of AppScout.com

This amazing little technological snack allows you to, with the touch of a button, secure the artist name and song title through any speaker playing music. Simply open the app, click the screen to "shazam" the song, and the iDevice will 'listen', analyze, and produce the info complete with album art.

And of course offer a button to take you directly to iTunes to purchase. It is an Apple product, after all.

However, it will keep a catalog of the songs you've 'zam'd if you don't want to purchase right away. The only drawbacks I've found are minor: The free version of this app only allows 5 tags per month. If you want more prepare to shell out $4.99 for the "Shazam Encore" to receive unlimited tagging. Also, if there is any ambient noise the analysis can stutter a bit and need to be retried.

All-in-all a fab app that has nailed down new music, hard to find remixes, and even some songs from tv commercials for this gal.

Image courtesy of EndlessSimmer.com

Summer Drink for an Autumn Day

Happy first day of fall!

I don't know about you, but I was ready for a little bit more summer (although I am loving busting out the knee-high boots again). I found myself some indoor sunshine courtesy of the (massive) September issue of InStyle magazine.

So without further adieu, the Salted Plum & Vodka Tonic:

Ingredients for one drink (Large. Could easily be split into 2 shorter glasses.):

*1 red plum, pitted and sliced. Reserve one slice (the prettiest.)

*1&1/2 oz. fresh lime juice

*1oz. simple syrup

*2oz. vodka

*tonic water

*sea salt

1) Place plum slices in cocktail shaker, and muddle (wooden spoon handle perfect for this job)

2) Add lime juice, syrup, and vodka.

3) Shake with 1/4 cup ice. Strain (really, really strain) into a glass. Use fresh ice if you'd like.

4) Garnish with a plum slice (set it on flat, otherwise it sinks); sprinkle sea salt on top.

That's it! Delish. And don't feel like you need to go out and buy simple syrup. All it is is 2 parts sugar to one part water. Boil your water, add the sugar until it's dissolved, let it cool, and use it or pack it away in the fridge. Easy peasy.

Bella Candela

I don't really feel the need to scent my home very often, and I'm loathed to purchase anything overly floral or dripping in sugary cupcake scents. But every once in a while, I need a little smile for my nose.

Bella by Illume candles are my favorite. I received one as a gift from my dear PNH last holiday season, and haven't looked back. They always have a balance of spice to sugar, and tend towards the natural side of the olfactory options.

Image courtesy of fringebenefitssalon.com

I'm currently burning the Pink Grapefruit and Tarragon, which is not only a lovely shade of terra cotta itself, but comes in a cute tin that I'm actually happy to leave on the coffee table even when unlit.

The scent of my living room...

I'm struggling to find a link to this scent online, but the Illume website offers a wide (and I mean WIDE) variety of designs and scents, including the one I just found myself being intrigued by: Pink Pepper. If only there were scratch and sniff screens...

I've found my Bella by Illume options most often at Target, where they retail from $10-$30, depending on size and style. Long burning and subtle - Bella indeed.

Umbra-lievably Easy

I love to scrapbook, but sometimes I just don't have the time or motivation to bust out all of my supplies and get down to business. I still tend to hang on to all those little bits and pieces that make a scrapbook live up to it's name, and have finally found something quick and easy to take care of the memory-inducing goodies that tend to start cluttering up my mantle/fridge/dresser.

Image courtesy of PostModernDesigns.co.uk

Umbra, which I'm sure you've seen the aisle of at Target, has always been my favorite for clever twists on photo display. Lately they've been doing a lot with magnetic structures, allowing the user to create a three dimensional scrapbook that can be changed in seconds.

Image courtesy of FridgeDoor.com

This is the Seto Suspension Frame, which I've decked out in my house with sports tickets, a sew-on patch, pinback button, and even an ice cream bar shaped eraser. Each spoke is completely removable, allowing any combo of items to be masterfully staged. I needed mine to be a lower profile, so have no spokes emitting from the top plane, taking down the height shown above considerably.

My own 3D scrapbook results

This frame isn't available on the Umbra site any more, but is at FridgeDoor.com, and retails for under $20.

Blow the dust of those scraps, de-clutter your surfaces, and create a piece of art, all in 5 minutes or less.