DIY: Food Edition - Taco Dip Recipe!

My favourite food is tacos and anything that tastes like tacos. My favourite dip is taco dip with low sodium nacho chips. For a Labour Day weekend BBQ I made Taco Dip and thought I would share the easy how-to recipe with all of you lovely ladies. This really is the easiest dip to make, so here we go!

Shopping List

500mL container of sour cream

250g of cream cheese

35g package of taco seasoning

340g bag of shredded cheese

430mL jar of salsa

10-12 cherry tomatoes

 

Utensils List

Medium mixing bowl

Electric mixer

Spatula

9x11 pan

 

Additional Optional Toppings

Green Onions

Lettuce

Ground Beef

Olives

Anything you would put on a taco!

 

Step 1 - Put the sour cream and cream cheese in a mixing bowl. Blend until almost smooth.

Step 2 - Add taco seasoning to liquid mixture.

Step 3 - Blend, blend, blend until cmpletely smooth. You dont want any clumps of cream cheese left.

Step 4 - Spread the mixture into the bottom of a 9x11 pan (glass or foil). You want an even layer.

Step 5 - Pour the entire jar of salsa over the bottom layer and spread evenly with a spatula.

Step 6 - Sprinkle the bag of pre-shredded cheese over the sour cream in an even layer.

Step 7 - Cut up the cherry tomatoes and sprinkle over the top of the cheese.

 

If you were going to put any other toppings on your dip just cut them up and sprinkle on top of the cheese along with the tomatoes.

 

Keep the dip refridgerated and serve with any sort of tortilla or nacho chips that you prefer.

 

Hope you enjoy!

 

DIY - Missglamorazzi Inspired Tote Bag!

Last week I linked to a video where Ingrid or Missglamorazzi made this adorable no-sew tote bag using only duct tape and staples. I was hooked and knew I needed to make one of these. So me and my Mom went to Fabric Land and got a bold and bright floral print fabric and black belting for handles. Then we went to Walmart and got the duct tape. She got yellow and I got a bright highlighter green.

 

I am not going to do a complete step by step on how to make it here but I will link the video again. This bag was super simple to make and took me about an hour. Below the pictures I will have some tips and tricks that I think might make it easier for you to make this awesome tote bag if you should decide too!

 

In this video Ingrid used:

-Two pieces of 18"x21" fabric
-Standard size stapler
-Scissors
-Tape measure or ruler
-Two 24" pieces of belting for handles
-Duct tape
-An iron

 

For my tote bag I used:

-Two pieces of 18"x21" fabric (which I cut out of a larger piece of fabric)
-Standard size stapler
-Scissors (both regular and fabric scissors)
-Tape measure
-Two 24" pieces of belting for handles
-Duct tape

 

Tips & Tricks

1. When getting your fabric I would recommend getting pieces already cut to the 18"x21" dimensions. It was very hard to measure and cut out the fabric perfectly and by the end the two pieces I cut were not the same size and didn't line up so I had to do some trimming.

2. Walmart sells tons of different sets of fabric already cut to this size so next time I will be buying them pre-cut.

3. When it comes to scissors if you can find or have scissors that are made to cut fabric this will make it much easier for you if you are cutting from a larger piece of fabric. I found that regular scissors were too dull and fabric scissors cut through the duct tape easier as well.

4. When buying the duct tape think about what kind of bag you want to make. My roll had 15 yards and that was enough for a bag without a square bottom. I was 2 pieces of duct tape short when I made it into a square bottom bag. My mom's roll has 20 yards so she will have more then enough for making the square bottom.

5. I did not iron my fabric and when it came to putting the duct tape on the back where there were wrinkles it was hard to get the tape to stick. I would definitely recommend ironing the fabric first.

6. Do not keep your tote bag in a super hot area or directly in the sun for long, because it will cause the glue on the back of the duct tape to soften, melt, and peel away from the fabric. This didn't happen to me but my dad said it will so I should put it as a helpful hint to others who make and use this bag.

 

 

As you can see I filled the bag with a ton of stuff! I had a textbook, iPad, wallet, change purse, puffer, keys, agenda, and hardcover book and it lifted no problem. To tear or ripping, it held up extremely well.

 

 

This is me lifting it off the ground with everything above in it and there were no problems.

 

 

 

Did you make one of these Missglamorazzi Tote Bags? If so leave me a link to your blog below, I would love to check yours out! :)



 

 

5 Things I Heart Right Now

Found on Pinterest

1. Blogging

Lately I have really gotten back into blogging. I am trying to post every weekday and am doing pretty good so far. There is just something about blogging that is so relaxing.

 

Found on Pinterest

2. Glitter Nails

I have been obsessed with glitter nails lately! I really want the polish pictured above.

 

3. DIY

Ingrid's GIY Tote Bag video is amazing and I will be making my own as soon as I can get to the fabric store.

 

4. Dainty Necklaces

I got this camera necklace at Forever 21 for only $1.50 and love it!

 

5. Kittens

We had a stray kitten living on our deck for the past 2 weeks. We totally fell in love with him but unfortunately couldn't keep him :(

 

 

What have you been loving lately?

 

 
 

 

 

It's My Birthday x2 [GIVEAWAY] {OVER}

So today is my 22nd Birthday! It also happens to be my blogs 1 year birthday! I cant believe that it has been a year since I started blogging. When I started my blogging journey I never thought I would get 1 follower besides my Mom and now I'm here a year later with 21 loyal followers who mean the world to me.

To thank everyone who has followed, commented, and viewed my blog I am hosting a little giveaway of some of my favourite products.

This giveaway is super simple to enter using the Rafflecopter form below and will run for 3 weeks. After that I will pick the winner from all the entries at random and will email you to let you know that you have won. If I don't hear back from the winner within 48 hours I will pick another winner.

Unfortunately, this giveaway is only open to Canadian residents and you must be a follower of my blog. If you have any other questions please let me know and I will do my best to answer them right away.

Thank you again to everyone for making this year in the beauty blogging community a great one! Here is to many more!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclaimer - All products were purchased with my own money.

A favourite thing and a new layout

As I was browsing my blog today I realized that it was kinda dark and depressing with so much gray and black. I felt like the heaviness of the background really took away from the pictures and the actual content on my blog. So I decided it was time for something a little more light and airy, thus what you see now. I really like how it turned out and I really like how simple it was to make the changes. I may start changing my blog layout every few months. Let me know what you think of my new layout below or if you have any suggestions for changes I could make!!

Now on to my favourite thing of the moment. It is a maxi-dress that I bought to wear to my friends wedding in July. This dress is not usually something I go for but it looks so good on that I just had to get it. It is from RW&Co and costs $88.00. It comes with the rope belt but not the necklace that you see in the picture. It is so light and airy, I cant wait to wear it to the wedding but I also think that it will be nice for everyday wear too!

5 Things...

...that I've been loving lately!

1. Blueberry White Chocolate Cheesecake with Blueberry Sauce.

When I made this dessert I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out but it was amazing! The cheesecake is really light and the fresh blueberries pop in your mouth when you eat them. This is my go-to recipe from now on when I need to make a dessert for something.

2. My cat Sloan

Just look at that face how could you not love him!

3. Blush Colored Steve Madden Kitten Heels

I bought these 1 year ago at Winners for only $30 and I still love them. They can be worn with a causal or dressy outfit, and because they are a nude colour you can wear them with almost anything.

4. Flowers in my Mother's Garden

My mom is a master gardener. Her yard always looks like a masterpiece. These beautiful flowers are in pots on either side of the garage and I cant help but smile whenever I look at them. Love this colour.

5. Nail Polish in bright Spring colours

I have been loving wearing bright polish lately. And it seems like I am going for colours inspired by the Spring things around me. This colour by Rimmel was inspired by the colour of the flowers above.



Favourite Things Part 2: Book Series

So here is the next installment of my Favourite Things Series. This time I am sharing some of my favourite book series, as the title says. I am a huge reader and I usually enjoy reading a series of books only. It is very rare that I find a stand alone book I really enjoy. I think that this is because I get so into the book and the characters that I don't want it to end.

I have added a brief synopsis of each of the series under the pictures to give you a hint of what it is about. You may see a trend in the series below..I am in a Fantasy/Paranormal phase that I just can't seem to shake. Like the my Favourite TV Shows in Part 1 some these are old favourites and new, but all still a very good read.

Let me know what your favourite book series is in the comments below.

Harry Potter by J.K Rowling

About the books: Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of a wizard, Harry Potter and his friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story arc concerns Harry's quest to overcome the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort, whose aims are to become immortal, to conquer the wizarding world, subjugate non-magical people, and destroy all those who stand in his way, especially Harry Potter.

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

About the books: The Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit (1937), but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in stages between 1937 and 1949, much of it during World War II. It is the third best-selling novel ever written, with over 150 million copies sold.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

About the books: Vampire Academy is a best-selling series of six young-adult paranormal romance novels by American author Richelle Mead. It tells the story of Rose Hathaway, a seventeen-year-old Dhampir girl, who is training to be a bodyguard for her Moroi best friend, Vasilisa "Lissa" Dragomir. In the process of learning how to defeat Strigoi (the evil undead vampires) in St. Vladimir's Academy, Rose finds herself caught in a forbidden romance with her instructor, Dimitri Belikov, while having an unbreakable bond with Lissa.

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

About the books: Pretty Little Liars is a series of 12 young adult novels by Sara Shepard. The series follows the lives of four girls — Spencer Hastings, Hanna Marin, Aria Montgomery, and Emily Fields — whose clique falls apart after the disappearance of their leader, Alison DiLaurentis. Three years later, when the girls are juniors in high school, Alison's body is found, and they begin receiving various messages from someone using the alias "A" who threatens to expose their secrets and get revenge.

Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

About the books: Twilight is a series of four vampire-themed fantasy romance novels by American author Stephenie Meyer. It charts a period in the life of Isabella "Bella" Swan, a teenage girl who moves to Forks, Washington, and falls in love with a 104-year-old vampire named Edward Cullen.

 

Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris

About the books: In The Southern Vampire Mysteries series, Harris develops a detailed mythology and alternate history that approaches supernatural beings as real; at the beginning of the series, vampires have only been public knowledge for a couple of years. Other supernatural beings, such as werewolves, shape shifters, etc., exist but do not go public until later in the series. Its history has otherwise unfolded so closely to that of the real world that the series contains occasional references to popular culture.

Women of the Underworld by Kelley Armstrong

About the books: Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series is part of a recently popular contemporary fantasy subgenre of the fantasy genre that superimposes supernatural characters upon a backdrop of contemporary North American life, with strong romantic elements. Within that subgenre, she is notable for including many types of supernatural characters, including witches, sorcerers, werewolves, necromancers, ghosts, shamans, demons and vampires, rather than limiting herself primarily to a single type of supernatural creature. Most of her works have a mystery genre plot, with leading characters investigating some novel situation or unsolved question.

Lords of the Underworld by Gena Showalter

About the books: Long ago, twelve immortals warriors – each more dangerously seductive than the last -- stole and opened Pandora’s box, unleashing the evil from within. Now they carry that evil within themselves. Violence, Pain, Death, Disease, Disaster, Misery, Doubt, Promiscuity, Defeat, Lies, Secrets, and Wrath. When a powerful enemy returns, they will travel the world in search of a sacred relic of the gods – one that threatens to destroy them all.

The Dark Hunters/Dream Hunters by Sherrilyn Kenyon

About the books: Dark-Hunter is a best-selling paranormal romance book series by the American author Sherrilyn Kenyon.

The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith 

About the books: The series follows the life of Elena Gilbert a 17-year-old girl, who falls for a 162-year-old vampire named Stefan Salvatore. Their relationship becomes increasingly complicated as Stefan's vicious and malevolent older brother Damon returns with a plan to wreak havoc on the town and also to plan a revenge against his younger brother.

The League by Sherrilyn Kenyon

About the books: The League series is an on-going romance book series by the American author Sherrilyn Kenyon. It consists of three books that take place in a future time in a place known as the Ichidian Universe. In this universe, The League is in charge. The brutal, expertly trained League Assassins are essentially the power of the government. But like all governments, even the League is corrupt.The tag line for the series is "In Morte Veritas". In Death, There is Truth.

Pictures for this blog were found on www.weheartit.com

Book Summary Information taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/

Disclaimer: I give all credit to those who wrote the summaries on Wikipedia, and for those who took the pictures on WeHeartIt.



Favourite Things Part 1: TV Shows

So I decided to share some of my favourite things, make my blog a little more personal. Every month I am going to post some of my favourite things grouped together by theme. This month is going to be TV shows. Some of these shows have been longtime favourites and others are newly discovered but to me they are all amazing and you should definitely check these shows out! Leave your favourite TV shows in the comments below and I will add them to my list of shows to check out :)

Game of Thrones

Seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros.

Six Feet Under

A drama series that takes a darkly comical look at members of a dysfunctional California family that runs an independent funeral home.

Dexter

A likeable Miami police forensics expert moonlights as a serial killer of criminals who he believes have escaped justice.

Supernatural

Two brothers search for their missing father, the man who trained them to be warriors against supernatural evil.

Auction Hunters

Auction Hunters, Allen Haff and Ton Jones, travel America bidding on unclaimed storage units they think will contain the most hidden treasure - worth big cash - the better the history the higher the price.

The Tudors

A dramatic series about the reign and marriages of King Henry VIII.

Friday Night Lights

The trials and tribulations of small town Texas football players, their friends, family, and coaching staff.

CSI: Las Vegas

An elite team of police forensic evidence investigation experts work their cases in Las Vegas.

True Blood

In a world where vampires have "come out of the coffin", Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress, discovers a new world of different creatures when she meets Bill Compton, a vampire.

The Walking Dead

Police officer Rick Grimes leads a group of survivors in a world overrun by zombies.

Jersey Shore

A reality-based look at the vapid lives of several New Jersey 20-somethings and their respective friends and/or hook-ups.

Spartacus

Watch the story of history's greatest gladiator unfold with graphic violence and explicit sex. This is Spartacus.

Big Bang Theory

A woman who moves into an apartment next door to two brilliant but socially awkward physicists shows them how little they know about life outside of the laboratory.

Vampire Diaries

About a high school girl torn between two vampire brothers.

Pictures from weheartit.com

Show synopsis from imdb.com