Brandy Saldana – Page 48 – Will Bake for Shoes

Cupcakes

Chinese Takeout Cupcakes

Posted on August 17, 2013by Brandy Saldana

I was enlisted to make some cupcakes for a going away party held in honor of a colleague leaving to China for 3 years to complete his MBA. I thought to myself, what better way to celebrate the party than with Chinese takeout?

The cupcake idea and instructions came from the What’s New, Cupcake? book. The Chow Mein is made out of vanilla ice cream tinted with cocoa powder. The broccoli is a green tootsie roll cut halfway with scissors. I added frosting to the two branches and dipped them into a bowl with green sprinkles. The fried rice is made using Rice Krispies. All of the toppings are candies reshaped to be the ingredients for each dish.

The book had instructions on how to make fortune cookies out of melting caramel candies, but I didn’t have the time to make this many the night before. Instead, I ordered food from a Chinese Restaurant right below my apartment and ordered 2 dozen fortune cookies. I asked for extra takeout boxes and chopsticks to complete the look.

Everyone complimented my work and mentioned the cake itself tasted very good. While you can’t taste them for yourself from the screen, enjoy some of my outfit picks inspired by my colleague’s trip to China!

My Runway

Posted on August 14, 2013by Brandy Saldana

On Saturday I attended a Meetup with other Bay Area Fashion Bloggers in San Francisco. We wore stilettos and drank amazing cocktails at the Sen’s Restaurant in the Embarcadero Center.
One of the perks of attending these types of events, and living near the Silicon Valley, is learning about new ways Fashion and Technology merge with new websites and apps. At this Meetup I met the Sr. Product Marketing Manager of SAP Layla Sabourian and was introduced to SAP’s app called My Runway.
My Page:

My Runway is a new, free social shopping app that allows fashion lovers to follow the brands they love and get personalized updates on what’s new, what is trending, and what is on sale. It’s like your best friend working at your favorite store and giving you a heads up when the jeans you tried on and loved will be on sale next week or letting you know some new stuff came in that you’ll absolutely love!
I’ve had a couple of days playing with the app and I’ve found it to be a good way to keep a wishlist of brands you covet. I am following stores like Chanel, Chloe, Burberry and Celine and while I am not in the financial situation to shop “What’s New?” for these brands, I like being able to see what is trending in stores and know what to keep an eye out for when I go shopping.
View by Brands:

View by Product:

Add items to your wishlist and see what is on sale:

All the Deals in One Place (my favorite part of the app!):

One of the features that is really cool about the app is the social experience it brings with online shopping. I grew up in a mall, and that was the place to go with friends when you wanted their opinion before spending your allowance money on anything. My Runway allows for you to add friends and comment on items they’ve added to their wishlist. It brings back the good ol’ days of shopping with your girlfriends, except now you can shop at more stores in less time.
I have not tried out all the features of the app yet, but I look forward to becoming more familiar with it. There are points awarded and a gift box you can shake to win a prize and I have yet to earn enough points or learned how to earn points in order to win. I am used to apps providing a short tutorial in order to introduce you to it, and while the concept of the app seems simple, I would like to know more about the box and how adding friends, aside from your close ones, can help with your personal shopping experience.
Aside from being introduced to the new app, our group was also invited to attend a workshop this Thursday titled “What are the secret ingredients to a Successful Fashion App?” The panel will include America’s Next Top Model, Naima Mora, Paul Friedland, senior director of marketing at Levi Strauss & Co, Stephanie Rahlfs, the owner of Stiletto Jungles Enterprises and Gong, Vice President of Product & Head of My Runway, at the software company SAP. This event sounds fun and if you are in SF and can attend, here are the details:
Date: Thursday, August 15, 2013 from 5:30 – 8:00 PM
Location: The Art University of California, San Francisco10 UN Building, 1130 Market Street, San Francisco, 94192 CA
RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/First-Thursday-Silicon-Valley/events/124096522/
You’ll have to register within the Meetup group to attend, so make sure to do that and RSVP to attend. Not in the Bay Area or have a prior commitment No problem! You can still join in on the action by participating in the Twitter Contest they’ll be hosting that night. To participate, send a Tweet to @MyRunwayapp answering the question “What Do You Want to See in a Fashion App?” and include the #SAPContest hashtag. At the end of the contest, Layla Sabourian and the panelists will select the best tweet based upon originality of the idea, buzz, and ease of implementation in a fashion app! More information can be found here. The winner will receive a Tory Burch bag or a signed copy of Naima Mora’s book “Model Behavior.” Don’t miss out on winning any of these awesome goodies.
Good luck with the contest and hopefully I’ll see you at the Panel Discussion this Thursday!
Also, let me know if you have used My Runaway and what your thoughts are of the app?
Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER |

Outfit
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- Weekend

Army Cargo Pants

Posted on August 10, 2013by Brandy Saldana

Cream Bomber Forever 21 | Brown Peplum Top via LE TOTE | Olive Cargo Pants 7 For All Mankind | Jasmine Patchwork Flats Coach | Brown Leather Hobo Bag Vince Camuto
TGIF!
I should be relieved it’s Friday, but I have a lot of work ahead of me this weekend. I’ll be focused on baking and decorating a two-tier cake! I was asked to make one for Monday to celebrate a co-workers upcoming wedding. I’ve been browsing through Pinterest trying to get some inspiration for a beach theme wedding cake. I’ve narrowed down what I want to add to the cake and I am excited to get started. This will be my first tiered cake, so keep your fingers crossed and wish me luck!
My outfit was inspired by my brown peplum top. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll notice that this top came in my first LE TOTE box. Le Tote is monthly subscription clothing rental service. They provide 3 pieces of clothing and 2 pieces of jewelry for you to try. When you register, you fill out a style profile and afterwards, you can select items you want to try and put in your “closet” or queue. The best part is there is no limit to how many boxes you can get in one month. You’ll get your next box right after you return the one you are currently on. This is especially useful if nothing in your box speaks to you.
I am really in love with this top. I don’t have anything like it and I received a ton of compliments at work. I opted to go with an army camo color palette with the pants and cream jacket. I especially love my Coach patchwork flats and Vince Camuto bag. This top allowed me to bring these items out to play because I am very matchy-matchy. I’ve had these flats since the end of high school, so almost 5 years! They still look great so I attribute this to my skills with taking care of shoes and their overall quality and not just because I avoid wearing them to avoid messing them up.
Have a great weekend and look out for my beach wedding cake photos on Instagram @willbakeforshoes.
Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER |

Outfit

Couture Sqd: Inside my Box

Posted on August 7, 2013by Brandy Saldana

Outfit 1 here | Outfit 2 here | Outfit 3 here | Outfit 4 here
My last post concluded the outfit series from my rental box c/o Couture Sqd.
I returned all my items on Friday and surprisingly I was not too sad after I left my package at the post office. Usually I am trying to give items another chance to prove that hey belongs in my wardrobe, but I was able to let go of these items pretty easily. I guess it must be because when I go shopping, I buy what I love and that makes the relationship with my clothes deep and complicated.
Having the items picked out for me, even if I did indicate my preferences, was like being set up on a blind date. Sure, your friend knows your type and wants what is best for you, but its not the same as discovering and falling in love with someone, or an piece of clothing, on your own. With all that being said, magic does/can happen on a blind date.
I would say that the two tops from the Mixed Print option were not exactly my cup of tea, but I was able to create some amazing outfits because it forced me to think outside of the box – no pun intended. I really liked the two dresses from the Work Ready option. The orange and black color block dress had just enough class for work and an equal part of sass for a night out. It was also a dress that helped me venture into the world of exotic skins with its faux python skin belt. I tend to avoid this trend, but it looked great in this small amount. The little white Tahari dress was the crowning jewel of the box. Not just because it is by a classic designer, but also because of the shape and fit. It made me feel like a million bucks and would have made a great addition to my wardrobe. Unfortunately I don’t have the available closet space and I wasn’t completely in love with it.
Overall, my experience with Couture Sqd’s service was great. It was easy to sign-up and pick out the types of clothes I wanted to try out. The return process was really simple to because they provide the return shipping label and take care of the dry-cleaning. Along with my box came the price break down of each item. It would indicate if you were the first to be wearing an item and how much an item would cost at its discount price. So in the end, all you have to do is enjoy what comes your way and keep something if it really spoke to you. It’s a great way to experiment with trendy items and with no monthly subscription fee. You pay by the box, so rejoice fellow fashionistas – there is a way to always wear something different without breaking the bank!
I hope you enjoyed my outfit posts featuring items from Couture Sqd and my personal opinion of their service. If you order a box let me know! I’d love to see what’s inside your box and/or how you style the items. And of course, if you fall in love with something.
Until next time,Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER |

Outfit
...
- Work

Tahari White

Posted on August 5, 2013by Brandy Saldana

White Dress Tahari Arthur S. Levine c/o Couture Sqd | Gold Bangles Forever 21 | Gold Glitter Wedges Jimmy ChooMy fourth, and final, outfit post from my fashion box c/o Couture Sqd: a crisp, white dress by Tahari.
This dress was part of my Work Ready outfits, and this is perfect for a day at the office, or even for a fancy brunch over the weekend. The white color is very classy. Once again, I think this is something Charlotte York from Sex and the City would wear. I love how formfitting it is, and I especially love the texture of the dress. The gold and bamboo rings in the front give the dress just enough detail to keep it from looking too simple. This helped me pair the dress with gold tone accessories, but with white anything goes.
So there you have it, four different outfits from one box. I will be writing a post featuring all of the outfits and sharing my overall experience with the service Couture Sqd provided so I hope you will check it out once it is up.
Hope you had a great weekend and thank you for reading!
Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER |

Date
...
- Outfit
  - Weekend
  - Work

Day and Night

Posted on August 1, 2013by Brandy Saldana

Another night staying up late to decorate cupcakes. If you are following me on Instagram you’ll have seen a sneak peak of the Chinese Take-Out Cupcakes I decorated inspired by What’s New, Cupcake? While they were enjoyed at a colleague’s farewell party, I returned home to a messy kitchen. It looks like a battle ensued with frosting and dishes everywhere! So I’ve spent most of my evening cleaning up the kitchen, but since it has been so long since I’ve done an outfit post, I am sharing 2 looks using a printed top c/o Couture Sqd’s Rental service. This post will show how to wear the same outfit for day and night by changing a few key pieces.

Day Outfit:

The base of both my looks for the outfits is the skirt, belt, and top. Changing the jacket, bag, and shoes helps transition the look from Day to Night. My Day Outfit was for work, but it could also be a nice way to dress to run errands, go shopping, or meet friends at a coffee shop. My Night look has more of an edge with the leather jacket and spiked heels. (This might also have to do with the attitude that came out of nowhere!) This outfit is perfect for going to a bar for happy hour or maybe even for a date. Armando actually liked my outfit without the jacket because of how flattering the top and skirt were.
This top was not my favorite item from my box from Couture Sqd, but wearing it changed my mind about it. The print of the top isn’t too much which is why I decided to share it a piece that can transition from day to night. (It had nothing to do with the sun-like yellow and night-black colors of the print.) Sometimes a first impression on an item is misleading: I loved how these heels looked (and bought them in two colors) but wearing them for longer than an hour can be a painful mistake. It’s an abusive relationship, but I can handle it for a photo shoot!
Hope you enjoyed my two-in-one post. I’m excited to share my final item from Couture Sqd in my next post so make sure and follow my blog so you don’t miss it.
Until next time,Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER |