Add a little more joy to your weekday with posts designed to bring out the fun in your life, featuring things to do, easy party ideas, games and more
Whether you want to take your culinary skills to the next level — or just enjoy some food-focused entertainment — you’ve got to subscribe to these YouTube creators’ channels.
Nerdy Nummies, Rosanna Pansino
Her face has been plastered on billboards everywhere for a reason — this YouTube star turns pop culture nerdiness into easy-to-recreate baked goods. Plus, she’s downright adorable to watch.
Maybe it’s my Florida upbringing, but I feel most like myself in the summer. The glorious feeling of the sun on my skin again (the sun! It does exist!), sliding on flip flops before dashing out the door, lazy afternoons at the beach — it’s the life I’m most familiar with, and the world I’m most comfortable in.
That also means that I have a minor obsession with all things summer. Price aside, if I could pack a weekend getaway bag, these would be my must-haves:
No speakers? No problem!
File this under crazy but it works: If you stick your phone in an empty glass (or empty fishbowl — emphasis on the ’empty’ part!), it will amplify your speakers’ sound. Really.
It’s a lifesaver for three critical moments in life:
By Sheila Blackwell
I like to rock out hard after a long day at work. Upbeat music is a must, because nothing shakes off stress like something you can sway your head side to side to. Even the crappiest day doesn’t stand a chance against these songs.
Blast this Reclaiming Mondays playlist on your commute home. Open your mind, sit back and get pumped for the simple fact that you’re no longer at work and are heading home. The unwinding process starts now.
You can follow Sheila on Twitter at @OMGItsBones, and catch her on YouTube at MilanoDynamite.
Photo: Thomas Lefebvre
By Aide Sierra
Caught up in the hustle and grind of daily life in your city? Come to Dallas! I’ve lived here a considerable amount of my life; long enough to know the city won’t disappoint. We like to go big and go hard; after all, our nickname is the Big D. For the men, we have sports, for the women, we have men in tight jeans (mostly hipsters but you’ll find an urban cowboy from time to time), and if you are married, don’t fret — there are plenty of places you can enjoy each other’s company.
Here a few of my favorite places (and some tourist sites) you must experience.
By Meggy Masters
Get a side-by-side comparison of what Ipsy, Birchbox and Allue Sample Society sent subscribers this past month, and snag the latest discounts, in case you’re interested in trying them yourself. (FYI: Post contains referral links.)
Birchbox – March 2015
Cost: $10.00/month or 1 year for $110.
Coupon: Use code “GAP10” to get $10 (100 Birchbox points) to spend in the shop when you sign up for a subscription.
I can’t resist a good prank, joke or pun. When April Fool’s Day rolls around, I love seeing what fake creations Google’s touting, what faux posts Emily Schuman has crafted at Cupcakes and Cashmere, but especially, what fakeout foods people have cooked up.
Remember when Family Fun showed you how to make fake chicken drumsticks and ice cream mashed potatoes? Or the slime cakes from Nickelodeon Magazine? (A moment of silence, please, for Nick Mag. RIP.)
I thought about writing a satirical post, or something entirely off the wall, but then I realized I needed a throwback to the wild-eyed glee I’d get at the thought of making my very own faux food.
In the past decade, Nashville has undergone a radical shift. When a new restaurant opens up, it’s not a barbecue joint or cheap Tex-Mex—it’s probably destined for a write-up in The New York Times. East Nashville, a neighborhood once known for an ice cream truck that drove around at midnight (spoiler: it was not selling desserts), is now lauded as a national cultural destination. It’s been rewarding and a little bizarre to see Nashville’s star rise so rapidly, but it’s definitely easier to impress out-of-towners with our big city–style amenities— coupled with downhome charm, of course. If you decide to take a jaunt down to Music City, here are just a few of the highlights.
I don’t know what happens to me when I sit in that swiveling chair at the salon, but it’s like my brain short circuits. I start babbling in rambling sentences, using hair terms I don’t fully understand—but hey, that magazine told me to suggest it!—gesturing at photos wildly, until I finally mumble something along the lines of, “um, whatever you think would look best.”
That confusing mix usually leads to layers-bordering-on-mullet territory. (If you’re thinking “yikes,” you’re right.) I really, really don’t want to be that incompetent girl anymore—and I learned I’m not alone in my haircutting dilemma—so I enlisted the help of a pro to help make sense of the latest hair trends, the mistakes that trip us all up, and what to do to get the haircut you can’t wait to Instagram to the world.
Giovanna Berardi is a top hairstylist at the Parlor Salon in Brooklyn, and she’s worked on everyone from runway models during New York Fashion Week to regular women who have to find a hairstyle that can survive long workdays and windy commutes. And now, she’s here to help me get my act together—and share the latest hairstyling terms you need to know.
People have said for years that email and texts have killed the handwritten letter. Some have gone so far as to declare that penmanship will be lost forever (you’ve heard those debates about whether cursive should be taught in schools, right?).
We’ve found a practical solution: Turn those scribblings of yours into a font! Then you never have to endure the painstakingly menial task of looping an “O” or drawing a tail on a “q” again — the robots inside your computer can do it for you! And you can keep pushing buttons like good humans were made to do.
Okay, okay, we kid.
This is the second half of our two-part series on Everything You Need to Know About Subscription Boxes. You can check out Part 1 here.
By Meggy Masters
Now, how do you find a box you like without spending a ton of money on useless items? Here is a list of tips (and discount codes!) to help you out:
This is Part 1 of a two-part series on everything you need to know about Subscription Boxes (AKA a way to make getting the mail 10x more enjoyable each month). Today’s post focuses on finding the best box for you. Come back next Monday for Meggy’s post on how to score the best deals on ’em.
It all started when I ordered a free trial subscription box from Julep in the spring of 2013. I placed my order, my box was shipped and the excitement of receiving that package ensued! When I got the package, it helped turn my crappy day around! So, I looked for more boxes — I was hooked.
Following the launch of Birchbox in 2010, the market has exploded with subscription boxes of all types. Some of them can help you discover awesome new products, while others may simply send you expensive junk. You can spend $5 to $5,000 (seriously) on boxes filled with anything, and for anyone, you can think of: fashionistas, moms, Christians, women, men, kids, babies, fitness enthusiasts, geeks, gamers, pet-parents, foodies and more.
So, is this new shopping trend worth it? And what makes a good box?