Book of Randomness

Please note that all of the pictures included are from FredFlare.com. Thank you!

The website I’m LOVIN???

FRED FLARE!

Ok so I haven’t actually gotten the full experience of Fred Flare yet because, well, I’m on a self induced spending freeze. BUT when that is over, I’m gonna have to seriously watch my spending limit because I won’t be able to help myself!

I honestly cannot even remember where I heard about the site but once I visited, I was hooked. Fred Flare has the cutest accessories and clothes. It kind of reminded me of Urban Outfitters, but without the sometimes hefty price tags.

I had a hard enough time trying to choose pictures for this post, so I am not going to even dive into choosing favorites or giving specific prices. As with any store, there is going to be a range of prices, but you can trust that there is something available for everyone, and very few items $100 or over. In fact I’m not sure if I even saw any that were that high, I’m just giving you a “price ceiling.”

Fred Flare carries women’s and men’s clothing, accessories, novelties and household items. The women’s clothing includes jackets, tops, dress, skirts, sweatshirts, pants, tights, leggings and you name it.

If you are lucky enough to live in New York, they have a new store located in Brooklyn. Go check it out and let me know!!

In the meantime, check out these pictures of all of the cute and/or offbeat items I found in their online store. And then go buys some cute stuff. Send me a giftcard while you are at it!!! I would love you forever and ever!

Other extras on their site: weekly cartoon, blog, Fred Flare TV episodes and music.

My FAVORITE book EVER! Ok maybe it is my favorite possession….? I guess that could be stretching it, but this book is definitely WAY up there.

So what is it you may ask?

Freakin’ Fabulous by Clinton Kelly. I feel hesitant to share this with everyone because, well if I share, then you may become more fabulous than I am… oh well. The more fabulous people the better!

Everyone has seen the TLC show What Not to Wear on at least one occasion (and if you haven’t, you must be living under a rock). Clinton is half of the hosting duo, Clinton and Stacy. Clinton is also touring the country’s Macy’s stores for Make Over America (sadly I was not chosen ) He is undoubtedly funny on the show, and it translates perfectly into his book. He had me laughing cover to cover.

Freakin’ Fabulous is like my new life bible. I have only had the chance to read it all the way through once, but I frequently refer back to it. I actually began to annoy my friends and family by saying… “Clinton says….” or “According to Clinton…” I even had my DAD quoting the book!! Weird.

By the first few pages of the book you will wish Clinton was your best friend!

Freakin’ Fabulous is the book that you need if you want to know “How to Dress, Speak, Behave, Eat, Drink, Entertain, Decorate, and Generally Be Better than Everyone Else” according to its sub-title!

Highlights of the book… according to moi!

• Dress: Includes everything you need to know from accessories, to tailoring, dressing for certain occasions and a page of very ugly shoes (clearly the DON’T page)
• Speak: Definitely the section I need to read again… and AGAIN. The proper use for words. My greatest accomplishment so far has been taking the “s” off of the end of anyway! The pretty pictures and doodles help my learning… what can I say, I’m a visual person!
• Behave: Don’t butter the entire roll!! Holding wine glasses, eating oysters, texting with company and even a section on “bodily functions.” This section is definitely a must read. Did you know you should never bring your own food item to a party unless requested? I did not know that one, but you can ruin the theme/atmosphere.
• Eat: Four recipes you should MEMORIZE, cutting onions and other great recipes.
• Drink: I was laughing from the first page of this section as Clinton says, “Gin has made me do a lot of stupid things, but I forgive it.” Obviously there are drink recipes in the section, but my part is the section on wine; descriptions, how to serve, how to order and which wine pairs best with your food.
• Entertain: Plan for 1 bottle of wine per person!! Now that sounds like a party! Covers food to serve, music, booting people at the end of the night and making the potty smell nice! The “Mac and Cheese with Bacon” looks and sounds delicious… although it reminds me of the overeating experience I had at Yardhouse.
• Decorate: I cannot wait until I have my own house to be able to do all of this!! Room by room tricks, organization (“Kill the Clutter”), and fresh flowers. Never include baby’s breath or ferns IN an arrangement! Clinton suggests using Flowerbud.com for flowers.

  The book is full of color and information. Clinton has done an amazing job with this book balancing entertainment and information. I suggest it to EVERYONE. Give it to your girlfriends for their birthday or as a bachelorette party gift.

  You don’t NEED a reason, just get the book for crying out loud!! You will thank me later!

My FAVORITE book EVER! Ok maybe it is my favorite possession….? I guess that could be stretching it, but this book is definitely WAY up there.

So what is it you may ask?

Freakin’ Fabulous by Clinton Kelly. I feel hesitant to share this with everyone because, well if I share, then you may become more fabulous than I am… oh well. The more fabulous people the better!

Everyone has seen the TLC show What Not to Wear on at least one occasion (and if you haven’t, you must be living under a rock). Clinton is half of the hosting duo, Clinton and Stacy. Clinton is also touring the country’s Macy’s stores for Make Over America (sadly I was not chosen ) He is undoubtedly funny on the show, and it translates perfectly into his book. He had me laughing cover to cover.

Freakin’ Fabulous is like my new life bible. I have only had the chance to read it all the way through once, but I frequently refer back to it. I actually began to annoy my friends and family by saying… “Clinton says….” or “According to Clinton…” I even had my DAD quoting the book!! Weird.

By the first few pages of the book you will wish Clinton was your best friend!

Freakin’ Fabulous is the book that you need if you want to know “How to Dress, Speak, Behave, Eat, Drink, Entertain, Decorate, and Generally Be Better than Everyone Else” according to its sub-title!

Highlights of the book… according to moi!

• Dress: Includes everything you need to know from accessories, to tailoring, dressing for certain occasions and a page of very ugly shoes (clearly the DON’T page)
• Speak: Definitely the section I need to read again… and AGAIN. The proper use for words. My greatest accomplishment so far has been taking the “s” off of the end of anyway! The pretty pictures and doodles help my learning… what can I say, I’m a visual person!
• Behave: Don’t butter the entire roll!! Holding wine glasses, eating oysters, texting with company and even a section on “bodily functions.” This section is definitely a must read. Did you know you should never bring your own food item to a party unless requested? I did not know that one, but you can ruin the theme/atmosphere.
• Eat: Four recipes you should MEMORIZE, cutting onions and other great recipes.
• Drink: I was laughing from the first page of this section as Clinton says, “Gin has made me do a lot of stupid things, but I forgive it.” Obviously there are drink recipes in the section, but my part is the section on wine; descriptions, how to serve, how to order and which wine pairs best with your food.
• Entertain: Plan for 1 bottle of wine per person!! Now that sounds like a party! Covers food to serve, music, booting people at the end of the night and making the potty smell nice! The “Mac and Cheese with Bacon” looks and sounds delicious… although it reminds me of the overeating experience I had at Yardhouse.
• Decorate: I cannot wait until I have my own house to be able to do all of this!! Room by room tricks, organization (“Kill the Clutter”), and fresh flowers. Never include baby’s breath or ferns IN an arrangement! Clinton suggests using Flowerbud.com for flowers.

  The book is full of color and information. Clinton has done an amazing job with this book balancing entertainment and information. I suggest it to EVERYONE. Give it to your girlfriends for their birthday or as a bachelorette party gift.

  You don’t NEED a reason, just get the book for crying out loud!! You will thank me later!

First off, thank you to Nicole at Teleflora for actually taking the time to respond to my post on Flower Deliveries. I think it shows something about a company who takes their time to stay in touch with their customers.

On another update note, and not to take away from Teleflora, but when one receives sage advice, one shares.

I received the suggestion from Clinton Kelly (yes that one) to use a website called Flowerbud.com. I immediately trusted the suggestion because according to Freakin’ Fabulous, (which I will write about later this week) Clinton believes in always having fresh flowers in your house (even if it is only in one room). So he is clearly familiar with the website.

Flowerbud.com offers more unique arrangements than some of the others. The site offers detailed descriptions of why they named it the way they did, and which flowers will specifically be in the arrangement. You can still search by occasion like the others offer.

My Favorite Arrangement

What I found most interesting about the site is the “grand boxes” they offer. The boxes are the wholesale options that are perfect for parties or weddings. You can choose from many different flowers such as roses, tulips and sunflowers. Flowerbud.com even has a DIY Wedding Flowers section. If you do decide to do your own wedding flowers, they also offer a 10% discount on flower samples.

While I have not had a chance to use Flowerbud.com, I highly recommend that you give it a try!

Thanks Clinton!!
Freakin’ Fabulous: How to Dress, Speak, Behave, Eat, Drink, Entertain, Decorate, and Generally Be Better than Everyone Else

Do you ever worry about your friends that live out of the area? Like a few close friends that you just can’t get to when you know they need you most?

One of my best friends lives a couple states away, just out of my reach, and she has been having a tough year. She is going to grad school, so she is in a foreign state surrounded by the few friends she has met so far through school.

Of course with all of this modern technology we can talk all of the time, but I can’t give her that hug you know she needs every so often. So what do you do?

A few days before Valentine’s Day this year, she was having a really rough time. After giving it some thought, my other best friends and I (all of us friends from high school) found a good way to cheer her up.

FLOWERS!! Yes, that is right, we used the classic sending flowers trick.

It was my first experience with sending flowers. Period.

I’m guessing I lucked out because you no longer have to call up a florist in the destination area, and you have the convenience of having pictures of all of your options.

So for a few minutes of work and $30 (we split the $90 bill three ways), we had the perfect cheer up for my friend. She received a HUGE purple bouquet of flowers at her door step on Valentine’s day.

No matter who you are, a girly girl, a sporty girl, grandmother, mom, sister, friend, etc. if you are surprised with flowers, you can’t help but to be happy. When you aren’t expecting anything, it truly is one of those situations where it is the thought that counts. Regardless of how much was spent, what kind of flowers, and any other details, your initial thought is just surprise and happiness.

My friends and I searched around the typical websites, which I have listed below, and eventually landed on a bouquet from Teleflora. Most of the websites offer similar options and prices, the Telefora website just happened to have one that matched what we were looking for.

Prices usually start at $20, and go up to nearly $100. You are bound to find something you are looking for, for your friend, anniversary, birthday, “I’m sorry” and any celebration.

But do you really need an excuse? Just picture the look on your loved one’s face when they get a beautiful package of flowers delievered for absolutely no reason. If you split it with some friends like I did, you can get a great bouquet without breaking the bank.

You should really check it out, and make someone’s day!! Or even month depending on how long the flowers last!

Also keep in mind that you can find fruits, stuffed animals and just about anything delivered.

• Teleflora
• FTD
• ProFlowers
• 1-800-Flowers
  

Do you ever worry about your friends that live out of the area? Like a few close friends that you just can’t get to when you know they need you most?

One of my best friends lives a couple states away, just out of my reach, and she has been having a tough year. She is going to grad school, so she is in a foreign state surrounded by the few friends she has met so far through school.

Of course with all of this modern technology we can talk all of the time, but I can’t give her that hug you know she needs every so often. So what do you do?

A few days before Valentine’s Day this year, she was having a really rough time. After giving it some thought, my other best friends and I (all of us friends from high school) found a good way to cheer her up.

FLOWERS!! Yes, that is right, we used the classic sending flowers trick.

It was my first experience with sending flowers. Period.

I’m guessing I lucked out because you no longer have to call up a florist in the destination area, and you have the convenience of having pictures of all of your options.

So for a few minutes of work and $30 (we split the $90 bill three ways), we had the perfect cheer up for my friend. She received a HUGE purple bouquet of flowers at her door step on Valentine’s day.

No matter who you are, a girly girl, a sporty girl, grandmother, mom, sister, friend, etc. if you are surprised with flowers, you can’t help but to be happy. When you aren’t expecting anything, it truly is one of those situations where it is the thought that counts. Regardless of how much was spent, what kind of flowers, and any other details, your initial thought is just surprise and happiness.

My friends and I searched around the typical websites, which I have listed below, and eventually landed on a bouquet from Teleflora. Most of the websites offer similar options and prices, the Telefora website just happened to have one that matched what we were looking for.

Prices usually start at $20, and go up to nearly $100. You are bound to find something you are looking for, for your friend, anniversary, birthday, “I’m sorry” and any celebration.

But do you really need an excuse? Just picture the look on your loved one’s face when they get a beautiful package of flowers delievered for absolutely no reason. If you split it with some friends like I did, you can get a great bouquet without breaking the bank.

You should really check it out, and make someone’s day!! Or even month depending on how long the flowers last!

Also keep in mind that you can find fruits, stuffed animals and just about anything delivered.

• Teleflora
• FTD
• ProFlowers
• 1-800-Flowers