The unfortunate part about St. Patrick’s Day this year is that it fell on a Wednesday (a.k.a. the busiest day of the week when I am least likely to cook.)  Fortunately, corned beef and veggies is one of THE EASIEST things to make, so if you haven’t already done so, follow these quick steps and make some corned beef while you’re still feeling a little Irish!

Step 1: In the morning, remove the corned beef from its packaging and place it in a crock pot… don’t forget to sprinkle the package of spices on top of the meat!

Step 2: Fill a tea kettle with water and bring to a boil, then pour this over the corned beef, submerging it completely.

Step 3: Set the crock pot to a low heat and go to work/school/the store/wherever it is that you lovelies go all day.

Step 4: About 2 hours before you’re planning to eat, put your veggies into the crock pot with the meat and the water.

Step 5: Once the veggies are done, so are you!  Remove the food, drain any excess water, and enjoy!

It was soo delish.  Travis actually said, “Mmmm, you are so good.”  I call that a success.

Don’t forget: Corned beef is also great for breakfast, so if you made some last night, use the leftovers this morning and enjoy a delicious scramble!

Did you make corned beef for St. Patrick’s Day?  Are you planning to make it over the weekend?  And what other recipes do you use your crock pot for?

PLUS… you can still enter for the mega giveaway this week by clicking here and commenting!

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There are a lot of things about this morning that could put you in a funk.  Of course, it’s the dreaded hump day… Wednesdays always make me wonder if the week will ever actually end.  Plus, with the time change this past weekend, people tend to get a little grumpy.  But it is St. Patrick’s Day today!  (And Travis and I have been together 2 1/2 years as of today… but maybe I’m the only one who cares about that…)  If this isn’t enough to get you going this morning, I bet I know something that will:

FREE BEAUTY PRODUCTS!

Here’s what I’m giving away today:

-Lancome Bi-Facil eye makeup remover
-A sample of Lancome mascara (my mascara brand of choice… you will LOVE the way your lashes look!)
-A sample of Lancome Genifique, which will lessen the appearance of dark eye circles and keep you looking fresh!
-A sample of Lancome foundation (some of the best coverage I’ve seen, yet still so sheer!)
-A tube of Lancome Juicy Tubes lipgloss
-An adorable charm keychain from Benefit Cosmetics

I’m going to be honest… I wish I could keep this stuff for myself!

Here’s what you do to enter (you can get up to SIX entries if you do it all):

-If you leave a comment on this post telling me which of these items you’d most like to try, you’ll get one entry
-If you leave a comment on another post, and tell me about it by commenting on this post, you’ll get another entry
-If you become a fan of {blending beautiful} on Facebook, and tell me about it by commenting on this post, you’ll get TWO more entries
-If you follow {blending beautiful} on Twitter, and tell me about it by commenting on this post, you’ll get another TWO entries

You have until midnight on Friday to enter, and I’ll announce the winner on Monday morning!  Don’t forget to check back on Monday to see if you won!

Update: Congrats to Marina, this week’s winner!

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I love cards.  I love browsing around my local card shop (shout out to Just Because Gift & Card Shoppe in San Francisco), finding something adorable, and putting that puppy in the mail with love from yours truly.

Granted, the postal service isn’t doing so well these days, but that’s all the more reason to send someone a piece of snail mail while you can!  Here’s a quick dose of inspiration, courtesy of Etsy seller magpiepaperworks.  Check out these cute sets of stationary, based on the city skyline of your choice:

You can pick from one of these 12 cities… how cute and simple are these?

This is definitely putting me in the mood to send a little mid-week hello to someone…

What do you think?  Do you like these cityscape cards?  Do you use stationary when you send someone a letter?  Do you even send letters anymore?

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I was reading this fun post from a cute blog called A Little Green Notebook over the weekend and I just had to share it with you guys!  The author, Jenny, converted this ugly old credenza into a totally fabulous piece of furniture, just by painting it red. (For those of you who don’t know, I am obsessed with credenzas and can’t wait until I live in an apartment big enough to house one!)

Check out the before and after photos…

BEFORE (the credenza is on the right, obviously)

AFTER

Isn’t it adorable?!  And get this— she used spray paint!

My mom and I did a similar project last year.  We painted an old entertainment center a cranberry red and then gave it an antique finish.  It was definitely labor intensive, but it was super inexpensive and now my mom has a totally one-of-a-kind piece of furniture in her home!

What do you think of Jenny’s credenza?  Have you ever re-vamped a piece of furniture by painting it?  Do you have any other tips for making old furniture feel brand new?  Share your experience in the comments section!

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I went home to visit my parents this past weekend, and my mom mentioned at one point that I looked pale.  (Don’t worry mom, you didn’t hurt my feelings.)  It’s true… I am pale!  I live in cloudy, rainy San Francisco, and last I checked, Spring has not sprung.

photo courtesy of Joseph Seibel

But this got me thinking… there’s always that horrible in-between time (a.k.a. Spring), when you are too pale for your summer foundation, but you’re tired of looking like you’ve been hibernating all winter.

Here are some easy solutions to this problem:

1. The BEST way to warm up your complexion (while still looking like you haven’t fake-baked your way through the winter months) is to use tinted moisturizer.  You can either buy a light shade specifically for Spring, or you can use this awesome little trick:  Squeeze a dime’s worth of the regular moisturizer you use for your face into your hand and then do the same with the darker shade of tinted moisturizer you use in the Summer.  Mix the two in your palms and rub the mixture onto your face and neck.  This will provide a lighter version of your tinted moisturizer, which is much more appropriate for Spring!

2. Don’t over-bronze!  Definitely bust out the bronzer to warm up your face, but if you’re not willing to buy a lighter shade, make sure you’re using significantly less than you would in the Summertime.

3. Use warm-colored eye shadows to compliment your warmer skin tone.  Try pinks, browns, or neutral shades… and try brown mascara!  Your lashes will still look full and long, but it has a softer feel than black, which makes it especially great for daytime wear.

Have you tried any of these tricks?  Do you have any great between-season makeup tricks of your own?  Share them in the comment section below!

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