Twinkle Studio

Peep Cheep Cheep

I love Peeps! But I haven't had any yet this year. 

With my recent health kick, I'm not sure I'll indulge (maybe just one, but how do you do that when the rest are beckoning you?). 

The only Peeps I'm into are the yellow chicks. Screw the pink bunnies, purple chicks, and especially all the other ones that are offered for different holidays. Yellow chicks Peeps are the only way to go. 

I prefer my Peeps 2-3 days stale. Cut the package open and expose them to the air for at least 48 hours to get a slightly crispy outside and firmer, sticker center. I don't like 'em all soft and out of the package immediately. 

Many people are insanely passionate about Peeps and there's scary, amble evidence on the Internet of just that. 

Smashz has some creative Peeps dioramas on his Flickr page. 

 

That damn blue bunny impostor is even smoking!

 
Peep dress and shoes from Carroll Arts Center. 

How about Erin who made her own? A for effort, but look at these sorry things. 

Will you be indulging in Peeps this year? If so, what's your preferred kind and method of consumption? 

  

Monkey Pops

I shared my love of frozen bananas with you several days ago and then I stumbled upon this lovely post on Craft for Chocolate Banana Pops. Cute and yummy! 

 

Full recipe here.

To decrease the unhealthy sugar factor, I might just drizzle the pops with chocolate and sprinkles versus dipping. But, delish in any case!

Let me know if you try 'em. 

Glass Slippers

This past weekend I had the privilege and honor of working with The Cinderella Project of Albany. 

This organization provides dresses and accessories, free of charge, for young women to attend formal events such as prom. 

The group collects donations of dresses and accessories and then distributes them to the high-school-aged ladies. Saturday was dress distribution day for more than 250 girls. Wow! 

There were more than 1,000 dresses in all different styles. Many of the dresses are brand new thanks to donations of hundreds of dresses by local formalwear shops. 

 

The dresses and accessories are all set-up and organize by size and color, just like a boutique. 

Each girl shops with a personal shopper who helps her pick out dresses and accessories. The girls then hit the fitting rooms and try on their options. 

There was even an on-site alterations group who modified dresses on the spot. 

I made up about 300 pieces of jewelry to bring with me...earrings, necklaces, bracelets, cocktail rings and feather hair clips. They went like hot cakes (as you can see by my near-empty table). 

 

Co-founders April and Sarah do a truly amazing job with this initiative. They have the biggest hearts!

This is an heart-warming organization and I highly encourage you to support their efforts via donations and volunteering. Learn more here. 

Hey, Garbanzo

One of my favorite little corny sayings is: "Hey, Garbanzo. How ya bean?" Ahahahahaha!

I also like to eat garbanzo beans, even if they aren't corny themselves. Also known as chickpeas, they are an excellent, excellent legume. You can make all sorts of cool stuff out of them such as hummus and falafel (I bake it...healthy!) 

I happened to stumble upon a recipe for roasted chickpeas from queen Martha. All I can say is DELISH! YUM! OMG! These are amazing on their own, but I'm excited to put them on a salad, too.  

- 12 oz. cooked chickpeas (you can use a canned chickpeas, but I like to make mine from scratch. It's so simple, healthier, and cheaper...info here)

- 2 T olive oil

- Seasoning of your choice! I used salt, pepper, 1 T paprika, 1/2 T cayenne pepper

Toss everything together and place on a baking sheet. I always line my baking sheets with foil for easy clean-up. Put in a 450 degree oven for approx 30 minutes, stirring at about 15 minutes in. You'll know they're done when they're getting brown, crispy, and toasty!

 

Parkity Park Park

Thanks to I've been taking full advantage of The Crossing of Colonie now that it's warmed up a bit. It's really a great park!

There are 6.5 miles of trails for walking, biking, running, or skating. The pavement is really smooth, so skating is a breeze. 

 

You may even run into some mooing creatures who hang out next door. 

My favorite trail area is The Ramble because it's a hilly, wooded area. Very fun to go fast through here on my skates when nobody is around! 

 

In the park's 130 acres, there are many ponds and geese, gulls, and ducks that hang out in them. In the large pond there is also a gigantic school of, what I believe are, orange koi fish. 

  

I brought a little friend with me to the park and we found a turtle around one of the ponds!

 

It's a great place to walk dogs, too. Look at that smile on my Lola. 

We met Paris, the male white poodle, there one day and he was all jazzed up for St. Patty's Day. I wasn't sure if I should be laughing or making a call to PETA. 

There is a large kids' play area with a spongy surface. No bumps or bruises here! Plus there's a small maze garden. 

Click here for the trail map and distances. 

We Toasted! We Noshed!

Thanks to all my old and new friends for coming out to Artique on Thursday night for the Cupcakes & Champagne party! It was a lot of fun and great to be able to chat and hang out with some yummy treats and bubbly. Mmmmmm!

 

And thanks to everyone who sent well-wishes from afar. 

 

I'm already scheming the next event...summer-time patio, live music, food, drinks! Stay tuned...
 

 

So a Llama Walks Into a Bar

Last weekend I did something that I had never heard of nor could I have dreamed it up. I walked a llama!

The resourceful and kind Naomi Seldin, Simple Living blogger and Features Editor of the Times Union, posted a blog about her experience and I just knew that I had to try it. She graciously invited me with her on Sunday. 

Teri Conroy (whose blog you can read here) of Wunsupana Farm was a perfectly gracious host! Her daughter, Hannah, was also wonderful. Both are incredibly knowledgeable and really nice people. 

Upon entering Teri's farm, Captain Jack Sparrow (also known as CJ) is ready to greet. He's the stud llama and will be papa of three babies due in the next couple of months. CJ is separated from the rest of the herd for obvious reasons.  

These two were more than happy to receive some special hay which lures them into the barn so that Teri can put on their walking harnesses.  

And we walk. I wasn't kidding. Each of us had our own llama and we walked it through trails in the woods. 

 

This was my llama Ella. She's going to be Teri's show llama this year, so I felt very honored to walk her. Ella is quite sweet. 

Llama booties! This was the view for much of the walk. 

 

We had the opportunity to jump the llamas (you can kind of see that in the background) and Ella was quite the jumper. You can see the enthusiasm and pride in both of our faces after a successful jump! 

 

 
 
 
 

TONIGHT! Cupcakes & Champagne (and milk!)

Don't forget about the Cupcakes & Champagne Party tonite. Due to popular demand, I'll also have an assortment of milk!

Details here: 

 
 

Summer of the Romper

If you have been shopping recently, you know this is the summer of jumpsuits and rompers. They're everywhere!

I love the idea of a one piece with shorts or pants (versus a dress). I'm not liking the hippie dippy, unstructured florals ones though. Here are several solid-color, more-structured ones that I have my eye on. 

Urban Outfitters Ruffle Apron Jumper - $58. I adore the ruffle detail on this one! It's casual and dressy at the same time. 

 

Forever 21 Simply Woven Romper - $22.80 - I actually own this and it's adorable! The denim is a cool shimmery silvery color. 

This Rachel Pally Cross Front Romper is on sale for $143.90. Doesn't it look perfectly soft and comfy without being sloppy? 

Filigree Frill Romper from Anthropologie - $148. This is tugging at my wallet.   
 

What do you think about this rompin' trend? 
  

The only drawback is the complication of taking it off and on when you have to go to the bathroom. Ugh. Despite that, I'll be giving it a try!

Thank You, Clinton and Stacy

I have caught a couple of episodes of What Not to Wear recently and was inspired by all the casual, cute jackets that the snarky Stacy and Clinton recommend. 

So I headed out to the mall and snagged these cutie patooties myself!

Charlotte Russe Button-Front Bomber - $26. This is much cuter when it's not buttoned up. It has a little hood tucked in the collar that I'm probably going to just cut out since I'm not a hoodie girl. 

 

H&M Gray Military Coat - on sale for $15! It's not this exact one, but very similar. I had to hem up the arms a bit, but it was worth it. There's lots of stretch in it, so it's super comfy. 

 

Old Navy Twill Cargo Zip Jacket - $39.50. I have been wearing this all the time! It has elastic in the back to nip in your waist...very flattering!

 

So for a small investment of $80, I am ready to transition to Spring while staying warm and fashionable.