6 Ingredients to a Warm-Yo-Tummy Soup

December 11, 2009 by

This Taco Soup recipe is easy, fast, and you probably have these ingredients in your pantry right now!

  • Step 1: Brown 1 pd. of hamburger meat and add taco seasoning according to package directions.
  • Step 2: In either a crock pot or a stove-top pot, combine the remaining ingredients.
  • Step 3. Allow the soup to simmer on the stove-top OR leave it in the crock pot for as long as you’d like.
  • Step 4: Enjoy with shredded cheese, tortillas, or by itself.

This soup only gets better the longer it sits, and it’s even better the second day…a perfect “fix it and forget it” meal!

Filed Under: food, sk

Haircare for the Redken Obsessed!

December 10, 2009 by

In keeping with the tradition of the Tipsy ladies, I wanted to share the products that I use on a semi-daily basis. You may notice a common theme: I’m OBSESSED w/ all things Redken! (I blame this on my friend Kelli, whose family owns a Redken distribution center close to my home town, and I also blame it on the fact that I tend to have OCD when it comes to specific brands.)

Anyway, my hair is thick and wavy, I always wear it straight, and these products do the trick! (All of which can be found on Amazon.com.)

  1. Redken Allsoft Heavy Cream: I use this as my deep conditioning treatment. About once every week or two, I leave it in for 10 minutes or so and then rinse out.
  2. Redken Smooth Down Heat Glide: This is a daily pre-styling treatment that I use on the ends of my hair before blow drying. It seems to help with the AWFUL amount of heat my CHI iron puts out.
  3. Redken Vinyl Glam: I use this every other day, because I only wash my hair every other day. (So this is a first hair wash product.) I spray it in my hands, not directly on my hair, then smooth it through my tresses…haha…it really does make your hair look shiny, not the dirty/oily shiny, but movie-star shiny!
  4. Redken Extreme Conditioner: What can I say? It’s conditioner…it smells good and does the trick…I stick to what I know!
  5. Redken Guts: This stuff came out when I was in high school and was ALL the rage. It’s spray mousse and gives you ALL kinds of volume. Since I have thick hair, I don’t really use it for volume, but I do use it when I wear my hair wavy…it just gives it that extra umph (is that a word?) that I need.
  6. Redken Workforce Flexible Volumizing Spray: LOVE, LOVE this hair spray! It keeps my hair in check without making it feel crunchy, which is the WORST don’t you think?
  7. Redken Fresh Curls Curl Boost: For all my curly/wavy headed ladies out there this product is for you, maybe…I use it when I’m wearing my hair wavy and I like the fact that it’s not heavy and it doesn’t leave my hair frizzy…so, win win!
  8. Redken Extreme Shampoo: This is my Redken shampoo for the moment, and I like that it repairs damaged hair. Even though I don’t like to think of my hair as damaged, I think years of daily heat treatments will take a toll on anyone/everyone’s hair.
  9. David Babaii Bohemian Beach Spray: NEWSFLASH, this is not Redken! This is a new product that I was just recently introduced to, but so far I LOVE! I just spray it in my hair after I’m finished fixing it and it gives a super-cute textured/messy kind of look.
Filed Under: hair, sk Tagged With: ,

My Glass, your glass, WHOSE GLASS!?!?

December 2, 2009 by

Stop the madness now and invest in some of these awesome glass markers!

  1. This Wine is Mine, Personalized Wine Markers
  2. Etsy, Vintage Oija Boards
  3. Etsy, Custom Wine Charms
  4. Sur la Table, Wine Lines
  5. Amazon, Vacu Vin Party People Glass Markers
  6. Etsy, Winter Wonderland Wine Charmer Gift Set
Filed Under: party time, sk, wine Tagged With: , , ,

Turkey-Day Decor

November 25, 2009 by

Happy Thanksgiving!

  1. Etsy, Harvest Letters Pumpkin Glitter Decoupage Autumn Fall
  2. Etsy, Thanksgiving Turkey Fondant Cookie and Cupcake Art
  3. Etsy, Give Thanks Banner for Thanksgiving
  4. Etsy, This awesome outdoor decoration was listed on Etsy, but in no longer there because some one, who wasn’t me, bought it. This is an IMPORTANT lesson in you snooze you lose…
  5. Williams-Sonoma, Also another lesson in you snooze you lose, but these are equally as cute: Fall Leaf Wreath and Garland
Filed Under: holiday, sk Tagged With: ,

Amazingly Chic Wedding for UNDER $10,000!

November 19, 2009 by

My beautiful little sister got married a couple of months ago, 9/26/09, and I wanted to share how AMAZING it turned out. Not only was it amazing, but the entire thing cost just under $10,000, which, in wedding terms, is on the cheap side…especially with a crowd of around 100 people!

sk-budget wedding

1. THE DRESS: Wedding dresses are crazy expensive, especially if they’re a recognized designer. However, Rachael was able to find a surprisingly affordable Nicole Miller dress that I swear was made especially for her. I think the tip is to not go overboard with the fabric of your dress. This particular one was made of a jacquard cotton material. Oh yeah, it took us all of one hour to pick out THE DRESS.

2. This is just a great picture of my sister and our Dad…they were both so happy! (Check out the flower/feather headpiece she wore instead of a veil…classic.)

3. Wedding Party: You’re going to hear all kinds of rules and regulations when it comes to picking a bridal party, which, even though you don’t realize it, totally adds to the wedding cost as well. I mean, you’re talking extra flowers, extra gifts, etc…So, if you want to stay on a budget, keep your wedding party small. Don’t worry, your friends won’t shouldn’t be offended. (That’s me in the picture, aka the Maid Matron of Honor, and my dress was AWESOME!)

4. The Venue: This is a tricky one because every place you fall in love with wants to charge you an arm, a leg, and all your hair just to book it! We did a lot of research on this one and wound up having the wedding and reception at the upscale Shoreline restaurant in Austin that overlooks TowneLady Bird Lake. What saved us the moola is that they don’t have a rental fee! You do have a food and beverage minimum, but you would have spent that anyway…so bam…$2,000 (average rental fee) back in our budget! (Did I mention that our menu consisted of hand-passed hors d’oeuvres, salad, grilled chicken w/ preserved lemon and sun-dried tomato sauce, and prime rib?)

5. Flowers: Keep them simple! Rachael opted for amazing bouquets for herself and I that included a lot of different flowers that had a lot of texture, but when it came to the table decorations, she kept it classic and simple with short hydrangea centerpieces and tall hydrangea and curly willow centerpieces at alternating tables. Oh yeah, and candles…you can never have too many candles…so romantic!

6. The happy couple: If you look closely you can see the lake in the background…and look at the cowboy boot-clad Groom and barefoot Bride…totally Austin…

7. Entertainment: Band vs. DJ is always tough. Rachael ended up finding a great local southern rock band that charged a minimal fee AND played at the ceremony too…double-score! (Seriously, she gave them the music she wanted them to play at the ceremony and they played it amazingly.) They were great and they kept the dance floor packed ALL night!

8. Cake: I don’t have any budget-saving tips on this one except that there wasn’t a typical “Bride” and “Groom” cake…there was only one. However, Rachael did alternating layers on the cake. Her layer was an almond-butter cake with passion fruit preserves and Sam’s (the groom) layer was red velvet. Stardust Pastry was the cake designer and it was perfect!

9. Another one of the Bride and Groom…was this not the most perfect setting?

10. The Getaway: Sparklers are cheap, but oh what an exit they make…

Congrats Rachael and Sam…we wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

Many thanks to the great photographer, Natalie Blake, for capturing these happy moments.

Filed Under: sk, wedding Tagged With: , ,

6 Steps to a Successful Keno Par-tay!

November 17, 2009 by

About a year ago, the Tipsy girls thought we needed an excuse to get together once a month to eat fattening yummy food, gossip, and, oh yeah, drink! (po)Keno was the answer to our prayers. Over the past year, old friends  have meshed with new friends, and I feel the need to share our recipe for success!

Step 1: Food.

sk-keno1

Step 2: Drinks

sk-keno2

Step 3: Keno Cards and Markers

sk-keno3

Step 4: Concentrated Playing

sk-keno4

Step 5: Gifts

sk-keno5

Step 6: FABULOUS Friends!

sk-keno6

Filed Under: girly, party time, sk Tagged With:

Holiday Gift Ideas from CB2: $20 and Under!

November 12, 2009 by

The holidays are right around the corner…

sk-cb2

  1. Libertinis
  2. Stainless Steel Snack Bowls
  3. Wilma Appetizer Plate
  4. Lumiere Candleholders
  5. Tree Soapdish/Ring Holder
Filed Under: holiday, sk Tagged With:

Hump Day Happy Hour: Tailgating Punch!

November 11, 2009 by

Ok, so this recipe isn’t REALLY called Tailgating Punch, but it was always my favorite drink while tailgating before football games in college…does that count? If you’ve never heard of or made Hop, Skip, and Go Naked punch before, you need to STAT! It’s soooo easy and tastes soooo good.

Ingredients:

Six 12-oz. cans of beer
1 pint of Vodka
One 12-oz. can of frozen lemonade concentrate
2 liters of lemon-lime soda

Directions:

In a large container mix the beer, vodka, lemonade concentrate, and the lemon-lime soda. Serve over ice and enjoy the festivities!

Filed Under: hump day happy hour, sk Tagged With: , , ,

Budget-Friendly Wall Art

November 5, 2009 by

Like most young couples, my husband and I got married and bought a house all within about a year of each other. Needless to say, money was a little tight, BUT I still wanted to decorate my house super-cute…so I figured out a GREAT solution: frame pictures that you take with your own camera!

sk-house pics

Above are pictures from my home where I have done this very thing. I’ve started actually taking pictures from our vacations, blowing them up, putting them in gallery frames, and hanging them on the wall. So then, not only do I have budget-friendly wall art, but I also have an AWESOME souvenir that I can look at daily! (BTW, I took these pictures with a small point and shoot camera, not a big fancy one.)

sk-house pic ny

AK showed this wall art idea to me last week and I felt like I had to share it with everyone else! Here, Lisa Mahar featured her rather amazing home on the New York Social Diary, and her headboard in her master bedroom consists of a gallery of personal photos that all combine into a great piece of art.

I don’t know about you, but I’m putting this idea to work in my own home STAT. All I will need are more of my own great pictures and a trip to Ikea for some awesome, simple, and cheap frames!

Filed Under: home, sk Tagged With: , , , ,

Cowboy Boots…NOT Just for Cowgirls Anymore!

October 27, 2009 by

Oh how I love cowboy boots….I love that they’re comfortable, I love that they’re cute, I love how I feel when I wear them…I could go on for DAYS! Of course some of you may be thinking, “She’s from Texas so of course she loves cowboy boots.” Not true, I love them for the simple fact that they’re AWESOME, and they seem to never go out of style!

So…If cowboy boots grew on trees, I would want this one planted in my backyard…

sk-boots

  1. Allen’s Boots, Lucchese 1883 Mad Dog Goat
  2. Shepler’s,  Corral Africa Inlay
  3. Cavender’s, Corral Ladies Black Lizard Inlay
  4. Allen’s Boots, Ladies’ Old Gringo Cruzadas
  5. Cavender’s, Corral Ladies Multicolored Butterfly Western
  6. Allen’s Boots, Corral Black – Cognac / Turquoise Lase
Filed Under: shoes, sk Tagged With: , , , , , ,