Brandy Saldana – Page 11 – Will Bake for Shoes

October Instagram Recap

Posted on November 4, 2015by Brandy Saldana

October is already over, which means the holidays are just around the corner! Here are some of the things I did last month.

I was invited to Pinterest HQ for some DIY fun lead by Pinterest Ambassadors at the Pinterest Ambassador Summit. Armando and I enjoyed some bites as we created a copper plant holder, fruit and mint infused tequila, and cheesy pull-apart bread to name a few of the stations we visited. We also made bath salts and I decorated my own candle. I have all the DIY projects in a board that you find on Pinterest here so you can see the other projects and make them as well!

Continuing on the DIY train, I attended a fun get-together at Brit + Co. early in October. The projects of the night included decorating a white serving platter and learning how to make spiders using apple slices, almond butter, mini chocolate chips and fruit leather snack strips. The DIY tutorial can be found here.

Florence and the Machine performed at the Greek Theater. Her performance was simply amazing and was even better than I anticipated.

Ashley Pitt of A Lady Goes West invited me and a group of bloggers in the area to meet some new faces in the Bay Area and work up a sweat at Orangetheory in Walnut Creek. We exercised for half a typical Orangetheory class, but it was still an intense workout. I was sore the next day, but I am glad I pushed myself and was able to meet more bloggers in the area. We enjoyed Luna Bars, Naked Juices and Nutmilks and Doughbies cookies after our workout. For a closer look at the workout, you can check Ashley’s blog post on it here. If you are interested in attending the next Bay Area Blogger Meet and Sweat session let me know! (Just anticipate waking up sore the next day.)

Vivian invited me to attend a Murder Mystery Party hosted by Yelp for Yelp Elite at the Octopus Literary Salon. I channeled Mrs. White into my outfit and used some of my costume accessories I purchased for my Audrey Hepburn look. At the end of the nite, I actually solved the murder mystery along with a few others at the event. My name was drawn out of a hat and I won a classic edition of Clue.

And of course, October could not be complete without visiting a pumpkin patch with the family and dressing up in a fun costume. I shared what Armando and I wore separate posts, but we managed to at least get one photo together.
Thanks October, you were great but now on to November (and real Fall weather!)
Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER |

Where’s Waldo?

Posted on November 3, 2015by Brandy Saldana

Where’s Waldo Adult Costume Kit (Beanie, Shirt & Glasses) elope via Amazon (here) | Light Wash Straight Jeans Buffalo David Bitton | Victor Two-Tone Light Brown Leather Chukka Boots Ben Sherman (here) | Camera iPhone Case and Leather Carrying Case and Strap Gizmon CA (here/here) | Armando finally makes an appearance in a dedicated post from the other side of the lens!
Since I had decided to be Carmen Sandiego for Halloween, I suggested that Armando dress up as Waldo since he is also constantly hiding. Waldo is more of a wanderer, but that makes him a great match for Carmen (and I really wanted to dress up as a couple!)
The costume kit he found on Amazon came with most of the costume and he was able to use a gift card to cover the cost. He picked out a light wash pair of jeans and his brown Ben Sherman two-tone boots. As an extra prop, I let him use my Gizmon CA iPhone Camera case and leather strap to complete the look. He had a backpack on at work, but forgot to bring it along for our photoshoot!
Being behind the camera was fun for a change, and I am glad I finally get to feature Armando and items from his closet! He made a lot of people smile with his costume at work and I think standing next to him helped other’s understand my costume.

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Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

Posted on November 1, 2015by Brandy Saldana

Red Princess Coat Steve Madden via Modcloth (here) | Black Dress Diane von Furstenberg (similar here) | Red Wool Hat c/o BYER California | Newspaper Clutch Kate Spade New York (similar) | Black Leather Gloves Express | Black Patent Pigalle Heels Christian Louboutin (here)| This year I decided to do something a little different for my Halloween costume. I decided I wasn’t going to spend any money (even for sewing supplies) and use items I already had in my closet. I wanted to save money for the holidays and for a vacation and was inspired to dress up as the elusive and mysterious Carmen Sandiego.
When I was browsing Pinterest for costume inspiration, Carmen Sandiego popped up. I watched a couple of episodes on Youtube of the TV series from the 90’s and I realized I already had most of the costume in my closet. I had received the hat at BYER California in June during the Grand Opening in Livermore and purchased my coat from Modcloth at the end of the season last year when it was on sale. I borrowed the leather gloves from my mom and I picked a black dress and heels to complete the look. The newspaper clutch felt like something Carmen would carry to relive her amazing theft and escape from the night before.
Armando came up with the planet earth prop, which we made by filling a round ball (originally filled with candy) with tissue green, blue and white paper. I think it came out great. This is definitely a costume I would repeat since it was pretty easy and stylish. I will be on the hunt for a metal briefcase or magnifying glass as a prop for next time.
Of course, Armando dressed up too and I will also be sharing his costume. (Hint: It’s another person famous for their hide-and-seek skills.)
Hope you had a fun and safe Halloween gumshoes!
Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER |

Food

20th Annual Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival

Posted on October 28, 2015by Brandy Saldana

It is National Chocolate Day, and what chocolate could be better than Ghirardelli? Last month I attended the 20th Annual Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival in San Francisco with Armando and even though I shared a few photos of the event on Instagram, I felt it deserved its own blog post. I was really excited about attending the festival this year because I was invited to attend as Media for the event! Armando and I arrived about an hour before the festival started to see how a chocolatier makes a chocolate ghost, to learn about the story behind Ghirardelli and their partnership with Project Open Hand. Proceeds of the ticket sales for the festival go to Project Open Hand, a non-profit that delivers nutritious meals to seniors and those that are ill.

Along with the chocolate demonstration, we were introduced to some new products and were able to take them home with us! The day was off to a great start with the chocolate we received, and before heading down to taste all the chocolate treats, I stopped by Les Mechantes in Ghirardelli Square to pick up a San Fran Cisco hoodie since it was a lot chiller than I anticipated after experiencing a hot week in the Bay Area. The hooded sweater is lined with fleece and figure flattering, so I definitely recommend picking one up for yourself! After that short shopping trip, Armando and I were ready to taste all of the chocolate.

We went through a lot of the stands early on in the day since I had plans on participating and winning the ice cream eating contest. I was selected to participate, but unfortunately I did not win. I made a lot more progress last time, even though I went in with a better strategy. It was fun, but next time I am more likely to watch or spend more time in the Wine Tasting area because I forgot just how much ice cream you have to eat along with the bananas (yuck!) Armando did record the contest, but I have not had a chance to look at it since I have been trying to forget the loss. Maybe I’ll watch next time the festival rolls around to remind myself not to compete!

Armando and I had a blast at this year’s festival, and it was great seeing a lot of different booths. I missed the tent that the wine pavilion had last year, and it felt like there were less vendors in the wine area but it also felt less crowded. We spent the whole day there, so there was plenty to do. For a recap of last year’s festival, you can check out that post here. The raspberry chocolate tarts were my favorites, but so were the mini cupcakes. Of course, picking up the Sea Salt Brownie Ghirardelli Squares were not bad either.
In case this post has you craving chocolate, you can enjoy 20% off your order at Ghirardelli with code CHOCO20. Enjoy!
Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER |

Outfit
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- Work

Navy and Bordeaux

Posted on October 27, 2015by Brandy Saldana

Navy and Black Coat Marc Jacobs (here) | Black Scarf Marc Jacobs Neiman Marcus x Target | Black Sweater Forever 21 | Burgundy Ponte Pants Calvin Klein (similar) | Black Suede Metra Booties Nine West | Cedar Street Small Elissa Black Bag Kate Spade (here) | Black Felt Hat Express (here) | Be Legendary Long-Wear Lip Lacquer in Bordeaux Smashbox (here) |I am excited to announce that since my last blog post featuring items I had on Poshmark, I am able to share that I’ve sold one out of the five items! (Yay!) I spent last week uploading some new listings and attending a few events. I have been getting home pretty tired after work and I feel the time-changing is starting to affect me. I love blogging and it makes me a little sad to think I didn’t devote to some time to it last week aside from going through photos, but on the other hand I am glad I took a short break and to give myself time to catch up on some things I’ve neglected.
My weekend was pretty eventful and I’ll be covering that in my monthly recap, but if you follow me on Instagram you’ll know I was working out at Orange Theory in Walnut Creek on Saturday and solving a Murder Mystery at a Yelp Event on Sunday. I had a lot of fun both days, but I will admit I was still really sore from Saturday’s workout today. That’s when a nice pair of soft pants make the day better.
I love these Calvin Klein pants and they are a Costco find from earlier this year. I bought these in black and olive and they are the perfect pants to wear to work for Fall. They feel almost like leggings but this red, bordeaux shade is one I’ll be wearing a lot this season. I paired the Marc Jacobs coat I scored at Crossroads Trading Co. that I currently have listed on Poshmark. It fits me a little too big, which is why it needs a new home, but I picked it to wear with these pants because of the slight burgundy stripe detail inside the sleeve. The navy color just pops against the pants, so I am glad to have picked this coat out.
Hope you are having a great week so far! I am excited for Halloween and can’t wait to share my costume with you in an upcoming post!

Outfit

Poshmark Listings: Fall Favorites

Posted on October 18, 2015by Brandy Saldana

The cold weather is finally hitting the Bay Area, so I decided to share 5 of my designer pieces perfect for Fall that are currently for sale on my +Poshmark closet! I am constantly editing my wardrobe since I live in a small space and can only fit so many hangers in my closet. Take advantage of these designer pieces at a fraction of what they would cost at retail. Enjoy $5 towards your purchase when you use my referral code HAEWR when you download the app.
1. Marc Jacobs Navy Coat

2. Armani Exchange Gray Knit Sweater

3. Alice + Olivia Blue and Black Sweater Dress

4. Alexander McQueen Red Asymmetrical Sweater

5. Chloe Teal Drop Waist Sweater Dress

I’ve linked up all the items to my closet! Let me know if you are on the app and what your favorite listings are.