Halloween mini-haul at Bath & Body Works: "Boo" gift

Just a quick post to share this super cute Halloween-themed gift! My work is doing a "secret friend" type gift exchange where you "Boo" someone with a Halloween/Fall themed gift. We exchange names and then surprise our "Boo" friend at some point this month.

Here is what I picked up for my "Boo friend" at Bath and Body Works

The haunted house gift bag is TDF cute! In the bag I am going to put a bag of candy corns, the Candy Corn Anti-bact hand gel, and the Jack-o-Lantern soap (the label glows in the dark). I think I will surprise her with this on Monday! :)

While I was in Bath and Body, I caught a good sale on hand soaps (4 for $15) and the mini Anti-Bact Hand gels were 5 for $5...I, of course, picked up the "Vampire Blood" (plum scented) ones for some of my girlfriends!

Here's the haul:

Girls-Night-In: with the Vampire Diaries

The CW's Vampire Diaries is giving me a whole new excuse to look forward to Thursday nights!!! My girlfriends and I seem to have set up a trend of getting together (rotating houses) for good tv nights. This summer it was TrueBlood at Kelly's...and now that Fall tv has started, it is Thursday night with Vampire Diaries. Yes, my husband will occasionally walk through the room with an eye-roll towards the tv and will mumble something like "is this another one of those shows where all the actors look like Abercrombie models?"...and the answer would be, um, yes! I mean, lets face it, the male cast is *ridiculous* (in a good way!).



Just a fun excuse to get together and giggle/swoon over some cute vamps on TV. Yes, we are definitely bringing the maturity level down to middle school...but, we don't care. We love it!!! Its fun and silly...and after a hard week of work/school...so stress relieving! Plus, throw it a bottle of wine, and we are golden!

Just being silly...FYI: I am team Stephan

Jamie's team Damon

Kara and Kelly are not converted fans yet (we will turn them!), but I will post a team Eric (TrueBlood) photo for Kelly (and, well, for me too!)

What team are you??? :) LOL! :)

Here's to girls nights!

Me, Jamie, and Kelly

Love you, mean it!!!

P.S. In honor of the vampy theme here...Picked up Revlon's new "Just Bitten" (love the name!) lipstain in Frenzy...that review will be coming soon!

P.P.S. Who else loves Elena's Vervain Locket? Me? Love it, mean it!

Art Opening: Spruill Arts Center

Spruill Gallery:

Michael David Murphy and Margaret Fletcher

(source)

Do you ever find yourself at an event or outing thinking "I should do this sort of thing more often?". Feeling "in the moment" and knowing that it is a good moment? That is exactly how I felt at this art-opening last Thursday! Living in a large city, there is so much opportunity to explore art and culture. It felt very "The Artist's Way" to enjoy a lovely Fall weeknight by looking at beautiful art, being with a good friend, and enjoying great wine and food.

I am a big believer in "girls night out" (and "girls night in" for that matter). I am so lucky to have such awesome girlfriends in my life!!! We all need a little girl time, right! So, this was our "outing" for the week. My friend Jamie is an artist herself and works for the Spruill Center.

That's me and my friend Jamie :)

The art was amazing...and we even ended up with a photo of us taken by Michael David Murphy, one of the artists on exhibit, (photographer)...so, this begs the questions...does this make this photo of us art? We like to think so! We actually both wanted to take a picture with the artist (but, were both too shy to ask LOL...Barbara and Kelly, where are you girls when we need ya!?!?):) We loved Michael David Murphy's quirky sense of finding humor and irony in urban landscapes. As Jamie expressed, there was a serendipitous quality to his photos. The works by the other exhibitor Margaret Fletcher were amazing too. She uses a really cool technique called encaustic painting or hot wax painting...it was amazing and beautiful and hard to describe. The great news is that you can see it for yourself! This exhibit is on display until Oct 31st. Also, please be sure to check out the artists' websites (linked under the Spruill Gallery heading).

Lets all strive to find a little more beauty in our everyday lives...and as always, enjoy our time with good friends!

And, if you have never read: "The Artist's Way"...then, you must!!!

The Clothing Swap: A big success!

Here are some photos of the swap setup (before the guests arrived)...and some photos of some of the items I scored...

OMG! The swap was sooooo fun! There were about 12 ladies there total and we all left with some great "new" items. If you are thinking about having a swap yourself...you should do it! Clothing swaps are incredibly easy parties to plan/throw. If you would like some good swap party planning guidelines, check out "Buford Betty's" Swap tips. I co-hosted this swap with two friends plus we made use of Buford Betty's clothing racks (thanks girl! And, thanks to Jamie for hosting at her house, and Kara for organizing the evite, etc). I am so happy with the items I got...and I am even more happy about clearing some things out of my closet that I didn't want. Its funny, even though a lot of the girls there didn't necessarily know each other, as soon as you start swapping-it totally breaks the ice as we were all trying things on, "shopping", and drinking.

The snacks were a hit too. Mimosas, sausage balls (YUM! Kara!), veggie tray, and my Cheese Danish Squares. I got some requests for the recipe for that; so, I will post it here.

Cheese Danish Squares

Perfect for: Brunches, breakfasts, or other early gatherings.

Make and Take: Bake the day before and chill overnight. Cut into squares, cover, and carry.

Hands-on Time: 10 mins, total 40 min. Serves: Makes 24 squares.

Ingredients:

2 (8 oz) packages of refrigerated crescent rolls

1 (12-oz) container whipped cream cheese

1 cup, plus 2 T granulated sugar, divided

1 egg, separated

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I used pecans)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease or spray 13X9 inch baking dish. Line bottom with 1 package of crescent rolls and pinch the seams together. In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla. Spread the mixture over the dough in the pan. Carefully unroll the second package of crescent rolls over the filling. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg white and the remaining 2 T sugar until foamy; brush over the top of the rolls. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nuts, if desired.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting into squares. Top with cool whip or whipped cream.

YUMMMY!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures! I am still trying to figure out how blogger works (and how to insert photos into the text!). What can I say, I'm on a learning curve here. :) We couldn't believe how only 12 girls FILLED 10 clothing racks. There was a TON of stuff there. At the end of the party Kara carted all the leftover swap items to Goodwill.

Anyways great swap...so much fun! It was great to have a "girls" afternoon and hang out with some of my favorite ladies in the world (love you, mean it!). AND...I love the dresses, tops, and bags that I scored! What can I say...I have friends that have great taste! And, I have something "new" to wear to work tomorrow. WORD!

XOXO!!!

Pammy