Month: April 2012

GIVEAWAY: It’s Bargain Carousel Time

ArtBelles 17 Comments

**This giveaway ended 4.26.2012 at 1PM CST.**

The time is upon us when the ladies of the Junior League of Birmingham (JLB) will have Bargain Carousel. The 1,000 family garage sale will have gently used clothing, household appliances, kids items, antiques and more all under one roof. Talk about a belle being giddy with excitement. It doesn’t get much better than shopping for a great cause and saving money.

The thrift sale is a huge event for the JLB, and helps raise thousands of dollars for over 30 community agencies.

If waiting isn’t your fancy, buy your tickets for the preview party, Bargain Bash on Thursday, April 26th. Tickets are $40/$30 and you can shop early (you will pay double the sticker price but first dibs come at a cost). Food, drink, a silent auction, and live music will be on hand–along with Style Network’s Amanda LeBlanc who will share organizing tips.

Bargain Carousel takes place Saturday, April 28 from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday, April 29 from 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm at the old Mazer’s space located at 816 Green Springs Highway in Homewood. Admission is $5.00 on Saturday and tickets are available for purchase Friday, April 27 from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. at Mazer’s. Admission is FREE on Sunday and items will be discounted at 50% off!

Want to win 2 tickets to Bargain Carousel on Saturday? Check out the details below. Contest ends at 1 p.m. CST on Thursday, April 26th. Good luck!

Rules:

1. Giveaway begins April 20, 2012 and ends April 26, 2012–You’ll have 24 hours to claim your tickets before moving on to the next random person. :)

(You have up to 3 chances to WIN)

1. Like ArtBLT on Facebook AND leave a comment on this post (top right–white bubble) telling us what you’re going to shop for. (Required)

Bonus Entries:
 1. Follow ArtBLT on Twitter and tweet: “#AL I entered the @ArtBLT @JLBirmingham Bargain Carousel contest & I can’t wait to shop! #Bham.”
2. Subscribe to ArtBLT’s newsletter here.
Leave a comment for each bonus entry. You may leave a total of 3 comments.

Tête-à-tête Thursdays: Spring Fashion Trends with Arlene Goldstein

Shermika 9 Comments
A fashion ring is the perfect way to add color to your outfits.

 

Isn’t spring such a fun time of the year? Bold colors, statement pieces and all the fun in the cool breeze makes the season right. We had the opportunity to interview Arlene Goldstein, Vice President of Trend Merchandising and Fashion Direction at Belk, Inc.

With over 25 years in the fashion industry, we had to ask her about you guessed it…spring fashion and trends. The gist of what was shared with us is that a belle should use jewelry, makeup, purses, etc. to add color to your spring wardrobe. Read on, so you can get your spring wardrobe ready. Read More

OPI Holland Collection: Kiss Me on My Tulips

Tamika 4 Comments

As promised several posts ago, here’s another lovely color from OPI’s spring/summer Holland Collection. If you liked my first color, then you will love this one. A belle has always loved pink polishes. I like them light to bright. They all are fab in my book.

“Kiss me on my tulips” is the perfect pink for the spring. It’s bold without being too bright. Y’all know by now that I adore playing with different nail polish colors. Check out the two different designs I created on my nails. I got a little color crazy on one, but it instantly became the cutest nail, don’t you think?! What are your favorite nail polish colors?

Indie Love: Derby, Baby!

Shermika 2 Comments

Women with interesting aliases in roller skates and cute uniforms convene for roller derby, one of the most popular and fastest growing sports in the country. A belle was fortunate to watch Derby, Baby!, a film about you guessed it, roller derby, that was screened at Atlanta Film Festival. The film is more than women in fishnets beating each other up on roller skates. It is about respect, camaraderie and sportsmanship. The film features interviews with players, promoters, and so on, while going into the history of roller derby, which started in the 1930s. Tamika and I saw how players are fighting to get roller derby its credit as a legitimate sport, although they face roadblocks because music and derby names are prominent in the sport and many think that roller derby is just entertainment. Derby, Baby! is full of feel good feminism y’all. It’s so amazing to see women of all ages, body types and professions unite for the love of roller derby. Best thing is that all of the women are volunteers. The women in the film put in work (12+ hours of more) to become good at their craft and do not receive any pay. Players try out for teams and progress according to their skills. Derby, Baby! allows viewers an inside look into the world of roller derby–such as teams and leagues that are formed, the way it unites women and how the sport attracts players and fans from various backgrounds. Derby, Baby! explores the conflict between the love of the roller derby sport and trying to make it bigger without losing its very essence, which is omen having fun because they enjoy it. The film also explores the legacy of roller derby and the culture that goes along with it. If you’ve never been to a roller derby, then check out this wonderful film to see what goes on behind the scenes! Check out this trailer: For more information visit this website. Image courtesy of www.derbybabyfilm.com Disclosure: Though we were sent this film to review, our opinions are a belle’s own.

Homemade Eats & Treats: Red Velvet Cupcakes

Tamika 6 Comments

If you asked a belle to tell you one of our fave desserts it would most def have to be red velvet cake. Even our dog knows that the only thing better than red velvet cake is red velvet cupcakes! I know some of us have already talked about this in detail, but there are some red velvet cake imposters around trying to say that their recipe tastes like this sweet creation above. You see, friends, this red velvet cupcake makes you feel like you’re tasting a small piece of moist heaven!

Yumminess to the 10th degree!

If your red velvet cake isn’t bright red, doesn’t have a cream cheese icing and pecans, then you are just committing fraud. The sis made these a few weeks ago when we were testing out some new pans that we will be making mini cheesecakes in. Don’t worry, you know we will share with you!

These large cupcakes came out quite nicely, but to be honest there’s enough to share. Some of our lucky friends received one and were delighted to receive them. We’ve been extremely busy the past few weeks, but will try our hand at making some homemade cinnamon rolls. Yum!

Southern or not: What’s your fave dessert?