The Lost Art of Thank You

The Thank You note that is or any written note or card be it for saying "thanks" or just to say I was thinking about you. 

Why is it that the simple, beautiful, thoughtful act of saying "Thank You" in the written form has become a lost art?  Why do we think a short-hand text message is an acceptable way to wish someone a Happy Birthday?  Why do children no longer have to write thank you notes for gifts?  Why is Facebook the only place to tell people what is happening in your world?  Gosh, you hardly even get a paper invitation to events anymore, God help us when wedding invitations go digital! 

Why, Why, Why? 

Ahhh, yes, because life is hectic and constantly in warp speed motion.  Clearly, we understand social media is a powerful and when used properly wonderful tool for communication, but it is not the only form of communication.  Sure an e-mail gets the job done in a pinch, and any acknowledge of thanks is never a bad thing, however, there is something so special and meaningful about a note of gratitude or love sent by mail.  Isn't there a part of you that goes to the mailbox hoping for fun mail mixed in with the junk mail and bills?  We sure do! 

Remember when folks used to mail love letters or when you passed notes in class hoping you didn't get caught or wanting to get the most Valentines in the second grade (well every grade, really)?  These life moments, these written life moments seem to be becoming something of the past verses something of the present and future.   

What is the best way to express your gratitude?  Of course there is no wrong way but we are partial to the written form.  Both our mother's instilled it in us.  

Kate does her best to stay on top of thank you notes and Heather is pretty good with cards for life moments or just because moments.  Between the two of us we do have a fair group of friends that are also great with mailed notes.  We always send each other cards that we find hysterical!   

Heather is what she likes to call a procrastinating perfectionist with a grammatical deficiency.  All words were made up at some point, so what if she makes up her own?  Snoop Dog does it all the time and his stuff is now in the dictionary.  Heather can get a months worth of birthday cards addressed, stamped and in pile with a sticking note saying when to put in the mail the first of every month.  However, she feels thank you notes must be eloquent drawn out storybooks and therefore is not as great with the old thank you note.  Hence why it took over 3 months for her to get all her wedding thank you notes written and sent.  Boo (and her mother) were not very happy, but eventually all notes were written and mailed.  Leading her to have that "ah ha moment" realization that the timeliness of the note is just as important as the act of writing a note.  She has gotten much better.

We challenge ourselves to practice what we preach and make sure we send the occasional note to our friends and family and to make sure we send THANK YOU notes!  We hope you'll be inspired to make someone's trip to the mailbox a delightful surprise by sending a note or two of your own and to always send a thank you note (handwritten!) as often as possible!

Thank you for reading!

Cheers!

K&H

Setting the mood for fall

You scream, I scream, We all scream for Halloween!

Kate here. I love fall, LOVE IT! The only problem I have with fall is that I know the cold of winter is just around the corner. As a warm weather kind of girl, I need something to help me ease into the chill of fall. Between Halloween and the multitude of fall festivals in Richmond, there's enough to keep my mind off of the cold, dark nights that are on the horizon.

I've always been a fan of Halloween. I loved (and still do!) dressing up in creative costumes and decorating the house in spooky decor. Blending items purchased from the store and getting a little crafty, I've created something I'm calling "Halloween Shreik." Since I'm a fan of owls and bats in general, they get to play lead in the spookfest (although ravens are really taking over- a cool bird AND a Poe reference? Awesome!!)

Last year was my first Halloween aided by Pinterest. I found some free printable labels such as these and ran with it. Some were "seasoned" with tea and coffee grounds to give them an aged look. Some bottles and tins were spray painted, others left alone. Store bought fabric, candle holder, tray and cocktail shaker help fill in the space. Note the photo in the 2nd photo- taken at the now empty Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia PA. Talk about a spooky place! The port bottle in the top photo had a skull and crossbones etched into it using the same technique as the vases I made for my mom's birthday.

Potions!  Mostly from recycled bottles and jars.

Our bar got a little more flavor this month!

The mantle is always a fun place to decorate for the holidays. Ravens perch on spooky fabric and keep the bat bouquet company. Book jackets were printed on cardstock and aged with a lighter and coffee grounds. Small paperbacks keep the new spell books in shape.
 

The front hall went a little batty this year. I taped bat shapes onto the lamp shade for creepy effect. The framed photo was a creepy hologram I scored on sale last year. Paper bats (some purchased, others cut with the Silhouette), fly from the front door and up the stairs. A blown up image of a cemetery in Savannah was transferred to a canvas using textile medium. The front door was easy. I bought a grapevine wreath from the craft store, spray painted it black, and added fake cobwebs and glittery spiders. For Halloween night, we plug in a fog machine to really set the mood in the yard.

 

Inside the lamp shade

Photo of Bonaventure Cemetery

A cobwebbed wrapped grapevine wreath with some spider friends greet guests.

Last year's foggy front steps. It's easy to make your own awesome skirt!

Lastly the dining room. I was so excited last year to get the skeleton servers from Target! I personalized the buffet with painted pumpkins, an owl painting given to me from our talented friend Ashley, and a photo of the first Halloween my husband and I were together (zombie Lucy and Charlie Brown. It was the best costume ever). On the table, more pumpkins accented by candles. I used candy corn and dried black beans in the jars for some added texture.

A few other fun surprises can be found around the house, I just didn't have the room here to show you all! Over all, my favorite Halloween shriek decor are the photos of Halloweens past. I plan on adding to that collection every year!

Now that my house is in order, it's time to focus on the other fun things of fall, starting with the Richmond Folk Festival! It's the main event in Richmond this weekend- even if folk music isn't your thing, it's a great place to people watch and you're sure to find some freshly popped kettle korn!

Cheers, 

K&H

October is now Boob-tober

Boob-tober is a celebration of the boob! 

We all know October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month but there is so much more to breast health than the scary "C" word. 


The boob should be celebrated not feared, or for some women, loathed. Much like your skin, if you take care of your boobs your boobs will take care of you.  However, we tend to forget about and neglect the care and health of our skin and boobs, until the lines start to show and the boobs start to fall. 

This month, we will all wear our pink to show our love and support of all women who have had their lives changed in so many ways by hearing the words "breast cancer" and then enduring the emotions and treatments of this cancer. We will celebrate your strength, spirit and womanliness. We will look to the future when this cancer is eradicated and no woman ever again must hear those two words. We will also celebrate the boob in all it's glory. 

So whether you call them breasts, boobs, ta tas, the girls, jugs, pride & joy, boobies, cans, melons, ninnies, The Dollys, hooters, in the way, ha has, assets, can cans, a gift from god, pancakes, second base, awesome... be good to them. Embrace their unique femininity, smile when they make heads turn, take pride in the knowledge they can produce life sustaining food and regardless of their shape or size, celebrate them and love them because they are yours and they are beautiful like you.

The bra has come a long way baby!

So this month we say Support your Girls give them the gift of a properly fitted bra for daily use as well as exercise.  Know your Girls: give yourself a self exam so you are aware of your normal.  Name your Girls seriously, why not?  Heather proudly calls her's "pride & joy."  Kate equally as proud referrers to hers as "rooby & looby boobie." Celebrate your Girls!

We won't spend the whole month blogging about boobs as we have to talk about apples and pumpkins and Halloween and Fall Festivals, but we may pepper in a tad bit or two more.


Cheers!

K&H

Races Are Fun

Running not so much, but we will do it as long as there is someone throwing colored cornstarch at us or there is the hope of a beer or Bloody Mary at the finish line.

The fun run craze is sweeping the nation and Richmond hasn't been left out.  From foam to mud to glow sticks to colored cornstarch to beer--Richmond is hosting them all. In April, we ran the Color Me Rad color run and had a blast. We discovered that there are multiple color runs of many names, and decided to give The Color Run a try this past weekend to see how it compared to our Color Me Rad experience.

     

The Color Run vs. Color Me Rad

Each had an enthusiastic MC getting the crowd pumped (The Color Run gets a thumbs up for the girl that sang the National Anthem- she rocked!).

Each has a great websites, but Color Me Rad wins this one.

Post run water and a snack were available in each.

Race packets and goodies-each had a tattoo, color packet and their signature extra: A headband for The Color Run and neon shades for Color Me Rad. Both are very cool & were used. Win for each race here.

Shirts-this is a win for The Color Run, the stripes beat the squares (however we did get the upgraded blue shirt for Color Me Rad which is super soft and love it's design).

Mile Markers- Neither had mile markers which is thumbs down for both.

Course- The scenery wasn't spectacular, but knowing you can't have color bombs in parks and neighborhoods, it was as good as it could get. The Color Me Rad was around office buildings in Innsbrook, while The Color Run was at Richmond International Raceway. The courses were pretty good, and we liked seeing folks just finishing as we started and vice versa.

Color-Color Me Rad colors were more intense but The Color Run announced their color stations with fun and flair so both win again.

Clean up-Color Me Rad takes the cake here as it took days and days and multiple showers to get all the rad color off.   

Organization of each race seemed to run smoothly but this is a win for The Color Run by a hair.

Volunteers and staffing goes to The Color Run (Possibly because the race was supporting Hands On Richmond, a great organization that helps pull together volunteers!)

Parking is another double win as there was plenty of it!

And the winner is...A tie! They BOTH win!

They aren't your hardcore-going-for-a-personal-best-time races, but they are fun and get your heart pumping. If you have either of these fun runs in your area we recommend giving at least one of them try. 

Cheers!

K&H

Sunday Funday!

Easy breezy Sunday!

Cocktails & Glitter rocked it out on Sunday and it was...wait for it...you guessed it...AWESOME!

We started the day off with a 5-mile walk around Robious Landing Park. This is a gorgeous park with great views of the river and beautifully maintained trails, pathways, parking lots, bathrooms and picnic shelters. Not only was the exercise enjoyed, the weather was perfect! 

After a quick stop to change we went to the Olive Oil Taproom newly opened at the Shoppes at Bellgrade. There is also a location in the West End. Essentially this is a tasting room for olive oils and vinegars, really an interesting concept! The staff was friendly and informative, and the atmosphere pleasant and welcoming. Each dispenser was well marked with information and pairing suggestions. If you choose, and have the stomach for it, you can taste over 50 olive oils and vinegars ranging in various levels of infused flavors and degrees of robustness. Straight shots of oil and vinegar were a bit much but when mixed together and paired with a small piece of bread those we tried were pretty good. We had a few misses but overall enjoyed the few we sampled. After you taste, if you wish to purchase anything you have 3 different size bottle options to choose. The smallest bottle is the perfect size for a unique hostess gift. The next time we have a recipe that calls for olive oil we are going there to get the good stuff!

Olive oil is a healthy fat but on its own is not a healthy or satisfying meal. So off we went to garb a bite for lunch. We went to the Urban Farmhouse and Market Place. Heather has now been several times and each time has been disappointed and under-whelmed by the food, this visit was no different. Kate was not impressed either.  The food sounds great and inventive on the menu but once on the plate it falls flat in inspiration and taste. The setting is ideal so future visits, if any, will be for sharing a bottle of wine on the patio or a cup of weekend coffee and newspaper reading.

With lunch over it was time to get crafty!  One of the greatest things to ever hit Richmond is the fabric store UFab and now that greatness has invaded the Southside! The fabric fabulousness is just too much to handle!  We both left with visions of fabric projects dancing in our heads, as well as, with a few remnant pieces for random little sewing projects that are sure to be future blogs. 

With all the fun stuff out of the way it was time to get down to business.  The whole point of the day was for Kate to teach Heather how to use her Silhouette, the fancy craft machine she purchased way back in February. Kate has used it several times with great success so to save Heather some technology frustration, it was time for a one-on-one tutorial. This machine is amazing and the person that invented it is a crafting genius! Thank you Silhouette inventor whoever you are wherever you are!! Highlight of playing with the Silhouette we made Cocktails & Glitter temporary tattoos! Now it is time to take on a crafty idea and put the Silhouette to work!

Coming up this weekend is the Color Run 5K at RIR where we will huff and puff our way to the finish line. Also be sure to check out the RVA Street Art Festival at the old GRTC buss depot on Cary Street.


Cheers!

K&H

September Anticipation

There is a giddy school girl anticipation to the month of September.  The bummer part about September is that it means summer is over, but it is also the month that leads us into everything fabulously fall such as back to school, fall festivals, apple picking, the leaves changing colors, football, Halloween, fall cocktails, fall hikes, lighting the fire pit, and less sweaty weather! 

With the crisp fall weather just around the corner, we are pondering very important questions such as...

• How many different ways can you make wings for the tailgate? (The endless possibilities and flavor combos are making our bellies rumble just thinking about it!)  

• How many apple influenced delectables can you create after you bring home that 237 pound bag of fresh picked apples from the orchard? Is there such a thing as eating too many apple donuts? (we think not!)

• What craft and decorating ideas will be inspired by the rich breathtaking colors of the changing leaves and the spooky celebration of Halloween? 

• How many fall festivals can we attend? (All of them...well maybe not all, but we'll have fun trying.)

• Will this year be the year we go for the raw oysters or will we just stick to the roasted? (Probably sticking to the roasted. Either way we get to say the word "shucked" a lot and giggle)

On top of all that, there is a lot to celebrate and remember in the fall. It is a time for remembrance for those our country has lost. Take the opportunity to say thank you to our armed forces. It is a time of celebration as we both celebrate our wedding anniversaries in September. It is a time for long weekends away and full blown out of the country vacation with great friends.  It is a time that the holidays still seem a bit off, but really we know they are right around the corner.  

September may be the 9th month of the year, but it has the air of everything being fresh and new as if the world is at your finger tips and anything and everything is possible. Much like the first of the year, September is a great time to reflect and make resolutions, as well as take stock of the resolutions made at the beginning of the year. Where do you stand with all you said would accomplish in the calendar year? No worries, there's still plenty of time to meet your 2013 goals whether you have stayed on track, need a reboot, or start from scratch!

Where does Cocktails & Glitter stand on goals we've made?

• Creating and sticking with a weekly blog--check

• Keeping up with all our tabs--needs some work

• Heather getting more comfortable with technology, the world wide web and social media--depending on the day. It is going smashingly well or there are tears lots and lots of tears...it is a long term project in progress with potential for great success!

• Time well spent with family and friends--check

• Loving and celebrating our RVA and all things festival--check, with lots more lovin' to come!

• Getting our Happy Hour on--check and our list of "places to try" continues to grow.

• Big "Nitty Gritty" projects-- partly check, with some still on the list (Heather has big plans in September).

• Crafting and sewing projects--check, with lots of fun ones still on the list. We still need to make the wreaths we wanted to way back in February!

• Meeting health and weight goals and exploring what really works for us--for the most part check but still working on it!

• Over using the word AWESOME!--not check enough! We have gotten away from this and need to get back on it!

For the most part we are right on track for reaching the goals we set for this year even though some goals have been added or changed as the year as progressed. We hope your goals are being met with awesome success as well. Please let us know on our Facebook Page what goals you have achieved this year and those you are still working toward.

Happy September everyone!

The leaves will be changing before you know it!

Cheers!
K&H









   

  

Homemade Happy Hour!

Who says babies can't Happy Hour? 

If the Happy Houring is in a public bar setting then most mothers everywhere say "NO" to babies at Happy Hour. However, if you get Cocktails & Glitter creative and bring Happy Hour home, all babies are welcome all the time...as long as they get permission and a ride from their moms!

When the tide of life changes you must adjust to the new ebb and flow.  In the last year, life has changed a great deal for many of our friends as they have created tiny wonderful human beings that we adore. Those tiny human beings have a great many needs and a schedule all their own that does not mesh well at a typical Happy Hour, so we decided to bring Happy Hour home! This gives us and others the chance to see our girlfriends that can't Happy Hour at bars and a chance to fuss over their beautiful babies. Win Win for everyone! 

First, we picked a day and date that worked for us and the moms. Looks like Mondays are going to be our go-to day for our home brewed Happy Hours! Kate's house was picked as the location because it is so centrally located and a great party house with plenty of indoor and especially outdoor space. Then we decided to each bring a snack to share and our own drink of choice.  Spread a quilt on the floor for the babies, poured some wine, ate fabulous chocolate cake and kissed those babies. SUCCESS!

If we were to rate our own Happy Hour hands down it gets a 5 out of 5 martinis. The atmosphere is charming and flows for a large gathering or an intimate few. The bathrooms are great! Service down right phenomenal! The deals are the best in town 5 snacks for the price of one and wine with fun labels! Not to mention private spaces for nursing or diaper changes if needed.

It was such a brilliant idea and smashing success that we are already planning the next one for September and hope to make it a monthly thing or as much as possible. We will still be scouting out great Happy Hour deals and locations in RVA, but this way we get the best of both worlds! 

Cheers!
K&H



 

August is Just Like July

Why is blogging so tough in July and August?

In July we feared we would have little to blog about and worried it would carry over into August...it appears that fear is coming true. Just like in July we are rocking and rolling, but just like in July we are rocking and rolling with non-C&G stuff. 

There are no shortage of crafting ideas or house projects to tackle and have fun working on. Yet, the motivation to start any of them seems to be seriously lacking or chores get in the way or we simply have to go out of town for weekend getaways. Why doesn't the house clean itself so all we have to do is work on fun craft projects? 

We at least managed to get in one Happy Hour in July at Viceroy, which earned 2.5 martinis based mainly on the décor. We won't Happy Hour there again but would be willing to give it a try for dinner. We started August with a Happy Hour at The Continental (the former Phil's Continental, which relocated to the other end of the block of Libbie and Grove). The Continental earned 3 martinis. Tomorrow we will be giving The Well (the former Cous Cous) a go.  So at least we will have gotten in two Happy Hours in for the month of August.  

September we are counting on you to bring a renewal of creativity and fresh inspiration for crafting and Happy Houring and Festivaling.

September is going to be our comeback month...we feel it! 

Cheers!
K&H

It's official: I'm a hero!

A James River Hero Homeowner that is! And you can be one too!

When my husband and I purchased our first home last year, we had great plans for a great yard. We were fortunate that the former owners kept up with their yard, unlike many of the other urban backyard jungles we witnessed while house hunting. However, the backyard wasn’t quite our style: Lots of brick paths, neat rows of boring bushes, and even a side yard filled with pea gravel. Since we moved in, in mid spring of 2012, we had to be content with planting our vegetables in the small square beds in the back, and adding a few pops of color here and there.



This was taken a few days after we moved in. The juniper was removed ASAP as we discovered it was a hideout for rats!  None have been seen since.

During the winter months, we made plans and sketches for our future oasis. In the early stages of planning, we both agreed that we wanted the yard to be pretty, but also functional for us and for wildlife. I came across the James River Hero Homes program from the James River Association (JRA), and we decided that this was something we needed to be a part of. After a bit of research, it turned out to be the easiest part of our backyard makeover! The purpose of the program is to encourage residents in the James River Watershed to reduce the amount of storm water and pollution leaving their property, and ultimately entering the local rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. All we do to our yards, from fertilizer to pet waste, can impact the health of the waterways, making it unsafe for wildlife and for humans.

The application process is easy. Simply indicate on the application the river friendly practice(s) you currently have in place with photo documentation. We had recently purchased 2 rain barrels from JRA at Hardywood Brewery, so we chose that for our photo documentation. Then we completed the checklist of smart yard practices that we currently had in place or planned to implement. Just a few that we were able to check included composting, mowing the grass at a high level, reduced use of herbicides & pesticides, and including native plants to our gardens. After that, all we had to do was click submit and wait! A week or so later, we received our welcome packet from JRA that included a garden flag and a discount card to use at local nurseries and other yard related retailers. Having the discount card saved us a few hundred dollars in plants, mulch and gravel!

 

Rain barrels made from bourbon barrels.

Another bonus of our makeover is that we can be qualified to earn “credit” (really a discount!) in our storm water fees from the City of Richmond. We have yet to apply for this, but since we’ve added rain barrels and reduced the amount of impervious surfaces, I’m sure we’ll qualify!

Since we wanted to use a lot of native plants, we had a home consultation from Garden Gate Nursery. Although we had access to lists of native plants, it was very helpful for someone to give us options that would work best for our yard. I highly recommend doing this, as it took the guess work out of shade vs. sun, heights, and what grows well together! 

So instead of me writing about what we did to the yard, I thought I’d just show you! I unfortunately lost some photos from early this year, but have some from last year to serve as my “before” photos to my “after.” Happy viewing!

A few months after moving in, taken early summer. Not a bad yard, just not quite ours.

Using the existing beds, this was our garden mid-summer 2012.

Fast forward to Spring 2013:

The rows of bushes were removed and raised gardens for herbs and veggies were built. The Carolina jasmine on the fence was put up by the previous owner.

We created a winding path though the back.

I planted flowers as soon as I could!

 

It started to take shape really quickly!

At the end of our new pathway, tickseed on the right, bee balm, goldenrod and sedum on the left.

We chose a chipped slate for our pathways- less weeds to pull yet still will drain water well. On the right you can see elderberry, butterfly bushes, itea (with the white flowers in the back), service berry (back corner), baptisa (front left), yellow yarrow and tall phlox.

We filled the slate between the garden beds as well for easy maintenance.

Most of the plants are in and the path is complete! We even extended the fire pit area.

 

The cherry tree was removed, and more native plants were planted.

The beds on the side yard were planted with oak leaf hydrangea, a native variety. And not to state the obvious, but how awesome is our lounge area! Perfect for an evening cocktail!

The veggie garden started taking off!!

Most of the plants are thriving, aside from the ones eaten by bunnies. Here are some purple coneflowers, tickseed (with the red flowers), and yarrow (the coral).

Our (mostly) thriving veggie garden!

Over all we are thrilled with the results. It took us several weekends and lots of sweat, but we have the yard we wanted! We hope to finish a few more projects once the weather begins to cool, such as replacing the fire pit, removing the brick around the fire pit, and adding additional rain barrels to the back gutters and shed. We hope we can inspire you to create a backyard oasis that will not only be a place for you to enjoy, but one that will have a positive impact to our environment!

Cheers!

Kate

Friendship

You'll always be my friend...you know too much! 

 It seems there is a day or month to celebrate everything from the "Are you kidding me that deserves a day?" to the, "Duh that should happen every day!"  Which is the case when it comes to celebrating friendships. August 1 is National Girlfriends Day (as well as National Raspberry Cream Pie Day; check out the recipe), and the first Sunday in August is National Friendship Day! 

As two ladies who know and value the gift of friendship, we would like to take the time to celebrate our friends. We have a great many friends in common and over the years our separate friends have become each others friends. It's so great to see our circles overlap, it's just another way they grow.



We understand the depth and meaning and love of friendship. We know the laughter and tears of friendship. We know the triumphs and the missteps of friendship. We know the joys and frustrations of friendships. We know the honor and endless support of friendship. We know the challenges and magic of friendship. We know a great deal about friendship as we have been taught it by the many individuals who we have had the privilege of gracing our lives. 

 

Yep, this happens most of the time. Wardrobe ESP.

Our lives our are rich with the gifts of friendship and we are thankful and grateful for every single one of our friends every single day. Without you, we would not be the (awesome) people we are today. Our friendships have taught us about ourselves, life and love. Our friendships have given us support and encouragement and the occasional Come-to-Jesus meeting moments when needed. Our friendships have been the source of joy in moments of great happiness and the source of strength in moments of great sadness. Our friendships have endured highs and lows, the challenge of distance and the test of time. Our friendships have out the lived the 80s, the 90s and the first decade of the 2000s! Our friendships are rooted and based in something that is hard to explain but not hard to feel as it goes to the soul of our being.  

Friends are the family we choose and between us we have a pretty vast and awesome family of friends.  Thank you for being part of lives and for letting us be part of your lives.
 

 

Cheers!
K&H