Destination Love || Dolce Mia Me

Golden Girl Tuberose Lotion - 12 oz.

Beauty cosmetics are too good to live without. Dolce Mia spreads it's wings over the Southwest but originally started in California. A small family business that has been flourishing and giving all the art fairs and local shops something to rave about since 1991. This company gives that great retro feel and flash of vintage that most of girls love. US manufactured items that provide organic and "green" products, which are great for you and the environment.

Kristen Betz, a Dolce Mia representative loves the Vintage Pin-Up Golden Girl in Tuberose, Surfer Girl in Mango Tangerine, and Vintage Peacock in Sweet Almond. She says, "the products are great on my sensitive skin, which is a major plus, and leaves my skin smelling amazing". Their products not only include fun sounding moisturizers but also accessories and gift items. See below.

Vintage Peacock in Sweet Almond - 6 oz.

Kristen told me about the fresh and natural ingriendients in her products. I love the ingriedients in many of the items that include olive oil, shea butter, almond and sunflower oils, infused with organic botanical extracts, and Vitamin E.

An added bonus to Dolce Mia is the special other items that you can pickup through a home party or online. I found cute baby clocks, thank you cards, photo albums, and kid growth charts. They offer very unique items that you need to check out. A great idea for a girls party or bridal shower.

Special Edition || Mother's Day {Early Planning}

Mother's Day is almost upon us and I find myself thinking of the crafty or shall we say Etsy way to show my mom love. If you haven't heard of Etsy, this is a great place to find crafty originals from people buying and selling them. I found these cute drink covers that would be fun to share with the coozy lovin' mom's out there. It's a genious idea..ahem..those DIY brides out there would also love to check this site out. They have their own category on weddings that you can discover or spend hours clicking through.

Set of 7 tissue poms - Great part is you get to pick your colors!

Love Collection Red Pillow Covers - Ships anywhere in the world to your mom!

Lavender Wine Glass Set - These are fun to buy for mom and then sneak over to

share a glass a wine with her. Or, just buy yourself a set.

For many of us daughters and sons, we don't have to rely on our own crafy or uncrafty creations that we made in our youth years. We can celebrate our Mom's Day/ Mother's Day is all its glory with creations done with entrepreneurs out there. I love to see small business owners sprouting up and help keep our lives easier. Let's face it, much prettier too!

Brazilian Steakhouse

BLUEman: The Male Perspective

Recently, my wife and I were in Las Vegas surprising her Aunt and Uncle on their 50th Wedding Anniversary. While they enjoyed a nice show at the Aria, we headed out to Pampas Churrascaria, a Brazilian steakhouse located in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood.

We first fell in love with Brazilian steakhouses while eating at one in New Zealand on our honeymoon, Wildfire Churrascaria. Like the one in New Zealand and in Vegas, most all Brazilian steakhouse offer an all-you-can-eat menu selection, and that of course is what we chose.

Throughout the course of your meal, you’ll be visited by the wait staff with many different meat selections, from barbeque pork, to top sirloin, to smoked ham, to bacon wrapped turkey, to spicy chicken, and more. The flavors are never ending, and for around $40 to $60 per person, depending on the range of food you want to eat as much of you can until you can’t eat no more, the value is definitely there.

While people watching at dinner we observed a table of 15 to 20 guys out on the town for a bachelor party. They of course were having a great time, most likely just kicking off their night of fun. I mean, what better way to start a guy’s night out than with a manly feast of succulent meats?

There of course is a local Arizona spot that you can visit to get your bachelor party started. It’s located in Scottsdale and goes by the name of Fogo de Chao.

But if you do happen to entertain your bachelor party in Vegas, make sure you walk by in front of Planet Hollywood and nearby in their Miracle Mile Shops during the course of the day prior to your meal. You’ll likely run into someone passing out free drink and buy one get one free all-you-can-eat meals at Pampas Churrascaria.

Save some money, eat a delicious meal, and have plenty left over to gamble or party the night away with your closest buddies.

The Wedding Party

Are you ready for a party made just for your wedding? And we’re not talking about the usual wedding and reception. We’re talking about a pre-wedding party, and no, not a bridal shower, bachelor or bachelorette party either. This is called a Social.

In Canada, a social is an event held to help raise financial capital for your big wedding day. And in these economic times, it could be just the ticket to a debt free wedding.

Imagine walking away with $7,000 or more to cover your upcoming wedding.

Here is how it works. Find a reception hall or cheap venue to hold your Social. Find a DJ to spin the music and layout a dance floor. Get a liquor license, if you are required to, and provide alcohol for this one night event. Make sure your coordinate with the selected venue. They may provide this liquor license for you, and you want to make sure you know your limits. But if you’re making money off of the bar, you’ll need some sort of license.

This is not a party reserved for just the bridal party and guests…this is a party that you want to bring as many people as you can to, whether you know them or not. But make sure you limit the number of tickets to the space you have. If your hall will hold 200 people comfortable, don’t sell 250 tickets.

The key to making money is to limit your expenses. Don’t go to a venue that is too pricey, and don’t spend more than you need to on a great DJ, otherwise, your ticket sales will do nothing more than pay for the cost of those expenses and you won’t walk away with any profits, which is the goal of this Social. And if you need to, don’t forget to pay for some security so when the money comes in, it’s protected.

One of the ways to draw people into the party is to raffle off prizes throughout the night. Advertise a big giveaway when selling tickets to get their attention. Even consider holding a silent auction. Keep people entertained as much as possible. And at midnight, throw out some free appetizers and keep the party going until closing time.

The goal is to have people spend money, so when it’s time for your wedding, you’re spending less.

Love Love || Valentine's Day Ideas

Telling the one you love on Valentine’s Day is easy to do and always an intentional way of loving them. There are so many easy ideas that will make this day better than last year. If you were single last year, even better, but if you’re new to the mushy love stuff, listen up. There’s nothing like a great night with the one you love without stressing over dinner reservations. Bring the love and quality time together by making a great dinner at home. There’s nothing more exciting than opening a bottle of wine to create a simple dinner filling your home with great aromas.

Dinner Ideas

The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. I’m sure you’ve been told. Just make sure you have a recipe handy for the novice’s on cooking. A common craving for most men is pizza but not any round shape creation– instead a heart-shaped pizza made for two. Grab your keys and make a quick trip to your local store for some easy items. Add or remove toppings that fit your style. (You may want to check your pantry for items on hand – if anything like my husband, many of these are already on reserve)

Be- My-Valentine Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 (13.8 ounce) package refrigerated pizza crust
•  1/4 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
•  1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
•  2 slices provolone cheese, cut in half
•  1/4 cup pizza sauce
•  18 slices pepperoni
•  1/4 cup chopped onion
•  1/4 cup sliced ripe olives

To read more instructions to make this recipe visit allrecipes.com

Dessert

There’s no denying that a way to a girls heart is sweets. Some of you may have your favorite cupcakes, candies, or ice cream. However, this is one recipe for greatness that is easy to make or slip to your beloved for their gift to you – Chocolate Covered Strawberries. The ingredients are simple and it should only take about 20-30 minutes to make. Just remember to store in the refrigerator until ready to eat to prevent a melty mess.

*Tip: Be sure to fully dry each strawberry after rinsing to prevent globs of chocolate

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 pint of perfectly ripened strawberries with stems and leaves intact
• about 4 ounces of chocolate chips - dark, white, milk or even chocolate mint flavors
• microwavable bowl and microwave
• cookie sheet covered in wax paper
• optional: Valentine sprinkles, small candies, contrasting color of melted chocolate

To read more instructions to make this recipe visit Allfreecrafts.com by Jane Lake

Happy New Year !! - from BLUEman

So 2009 has come and gone. Have you had a chance to reflect all that is good that happened to you this year? Perhaps it was a recent engagement. Or perhaps you got to utter those two cherished words “I do.” Whatever it was, I hope your 2009 finished on a high note and you are ready to enter 2010 with a bang.

For me, I married the love of my life in 2009. So it will be sad to see that year go, but, there are many great years ahead, starting with 2010. So how can you celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of a new year? Of course there are many New Year’s Eve parties around the Valley of the Sun that you could take part in…

Big Parties
Glendale: Westgate Rocks New Year’s Eve Party - Tickets: $20 and up
Tempe: Fiesta Bowl Block Party Tickets: $25

Fancier Parties
Scottsdale: New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball - Tickets: $150 and up 
                 New Year’s Eve Rock & Roll Charity Bash - Tickets: $25 and up
Phoenix: Atrium Party at the Hyatt Regency - Tickets: $99


Sport Enthusiast Parties
Phoenix: Midnight Madness Three-mile Run & Walk - Entry Fee: $20 and up
Mesa: New Year’s Eve Battle of the Bands – Tickets: $18