Update!

Bonjour, darling friends! How was your long weekend? Mine was fantastic. I had a whirlwind 4 days in D.C., and it was the time of my life. I hope to post an entry about my trip (avec pictures!) tonight or tomorrow. In the meantime, I wish you all a HAPPY TUESDAY and leave you with this adorable pic of Lola in her Snuggie for Dogs. (P.S. Tomorrow is Lola's birthday - she's turning 2!!!)


(Pardon her dirtiness... she was romping around with her cousin Sofie in the snow!)

Things I'm Loving: Office Supplies

The New Year often brings about resolutions of being more organized, and so I thought it appropo to select "office supplies" as the next installment in my "Things I Love" series. Enjoy!

1. PaPaYa Legal Pad

Seeing as I am a lawyer, it's only appropriate that I have a cute legal pad at my disposal, n'est-ce pas? When I stumbled across these gorgeous legal pads from PaPaYa, I died (RZ - style). Far too beautiful for any actual legal work, I keep them on my desktop at home to jot to do's, grocery lists, packing lists, etc. I have one in Simple PK and Lotus Yellow and can't wait to get my hands on more!

PaPaYa legal pad - $4

2. Pink Hanging File Folders
I admit that my record-keeping is far from perfect (I have a stack of papers marked "to be filed"), but I do have some sort of system in place at home to ensure that I don't lose really important stuff. Seeing as your typical file folder is a hideous shade of beigey yellow grossness, I highly suggest the lovely PINK alternative found at The Container Store (and if you're not a pink person, they have other fab colors & patterns as well!). Yay pink!!!

Pink Hanging File Folders - $6.99 for package of six

3. Gelly Roll Pens

One thing I love about my firm is that we don't just have black and blue ink pens (per your typical stuffy, boring law firm), we have fun colors like bright green and purple. You will rarely, if ever, find me writing in a black pen (unless it's a fun calligraphy pen or Sharpie) because... well... it's boring! And thanks to the Japanese, there are TONS of fabulous colored pens at our disposal. I love the Gelly Roll pens by Sakura. They come in a multitude of colors and types, and you can get them pretty much anywhere. My recommendation, however, is to find an art supply store. They have the best selection, you can test them out, AND you can buy them individually. (In other words, you can buy all the different varieties of pink and ignore the rest!)

4. Cavallini & Co Sticky Notes

If you're a fan of Papersource and other fab paper shops, then I'm sure you've seen all the gorgeous products made by Cavallini & Co. One of my fave products of theirs are the Sticky Notes. They are freaking adorable and come in several variations (including a fun baking one that I MUST find!). I have the Paris set (le duh!) and love it. It's perfect for adding petit reminders on my Planner Pad. I think they retail for about $15, but don't quote me! You can also buy all 4 sets from amazon for $49.99... tempting.

5. Stockholm Office Storage Boxes

When I get around to doing my apartment tour vlog (which I WILL do, I promise!), you will see that nestled in my pink bookshelves in the living room, I have loads of white boxes with cute pink labels. Most of them are the Stockholm boxes from The Container Store - fantastic for storing papers, labels, magazine clippings, letters, journals, stickers, etc. I love these boxes (esp. the white and orange) because they keep all the clutter at bay, and you can label them for quick finding. Now, they are a bit on the expensive side, and I'm going to let you in on a little secret - I've found an alternative! They are photo storage boxes!! I get them in white (as I do the Container Store ones), and I get them for 50% off at Hobby Lobby (Hobby Lobby always has a sale). You can find them there or at places like Tarjay and Michael's. They are SO much cheaper and blend right in. The only downside, of course, is that they only come in one size. Still, they are the perfect size for storing rubber stamps & stamp pads, glitter glue, stationary, small electronic gadgets and chargers, etc. The possibilities are endless... :)

Hope you enjoyed! Happy organizing!!!

Things I'm Loving: Beauty Edition

Hello, my beautiful friends!! I've decided to start a fun new series on Hang On Little Tomato entitled "Things I'm Loving." As the title would suggest, these posts will focus on items, products, etc. that I'm particularly enjoying, and there will be different "editions," including but not limited to, beauty, food, books, home, music, etc. As I've been uber into beauty & makeup lately, it only made sense that it'd be the first edition! Hope you enjoy. :)

1. Bobbi Brown Corrector & Concealer

Odd that I'd start with a not-so-glamorous product, but I figure many of you gals wear concealer (or maybe not... honestly I JUST started myself), and finding the perfect concealer is tantamount to finding the perfect hairdresser. It involves beaucoup de trial and error. I never used to wear concealer, but have noticed these lovely blue-grey half moons appearing under my eyes as of late. These beauties are only accentuated when I wear my glasses, which btw is at least 5 days out of the week. So I've been on the hunt for the perfect concealer.

I'd heard good things about Bobbi Brown's creamy concealer so during my stay in Dallas, I visited the Northpark Nordstrom to try it out. The concealer alone wasn't doing it for me, but layering the "concealer" over the "corrector" achieves maximum results and a tres noticeably brighter undereye. It's also not thick or cakey, which most concealers can be. I highly recommend! (I know the two products together cost a lot, but I think it's worth it. Then again if your circles aren't bad, I bet you could get away with just one or the other. AND if you purchase at Nordstrom, you can return it if it doesn't work for you.)

PROS: creamy not cakey, works miracles on moi

CONS: pricey

Bobbi Brown Corrector - $22
Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer - $22

2. Tarte Cheek Stain

I have a big face. No need to deny it, I know it to be FACT. But I've come to peace with it and have discovered that wearing blush really helps distract the vast surface area that is my face. The problem is, my blush always comes off after, like, an hour. (My Sephora guru says it's because my skin is so smooth, it literally just falls off. Yay for smoothness?) He told me that I needed something creamy that would stick and also help the powder blush stick. Voila Tarte's cheek stain! I ADORE this stuff. First off, it contains tons of product so will last forever. Second, I can put it on in the morning before work and still have a lovely natural flush by the time I go to bed. Amazing!! Layering powder blush on top only helps.

PROS: Lasts FOREVER, natural

CONS: Tricky to blend at first, pricey

Tarte Cheek Stain - $30

3. NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil

At $3.50 each, this product is a steal! If you are familiar with MAC shadesticks, these jumbo eye pencils essentially do the same thing... except better and for a lot cheaper. (MAC shadesticks retail for $16.50!) Luckily, I got a handful for FREE b/c my Mom carries some NYX products at her beauty supplystore, BUT I've heard you can find them at ULTA or a variety of online retailers. I like to use them as eyeshadow, eyeshadow base, highlighter, and in the corners of my eyes. They are uber creamy and highly pigmented. And tres frugalista! Love!

PROS: cheap, highly pigmented, multi-purpose
CONS: harder to find

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil - $3.50

4. Rosebud Salve

Along with my dry skin, I have uber dry lips. If I don't regularly moisturize and exfoliate, wearing lipstick can be a nightmare (and I love me some lipstick!). I've tried just about every lip balm on the planet, and the only one I've stuck with is Rosebud Perfume Co.'s Rosebud Salve (the original). You can pick this baby up at Sephora, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and a host of other boutiques/beauty stores. I. Love. It. I live for it. I have about 5 scattered about my apartment, my office, and my purses.

PROS: cheap, amazing, perfect, love it

CONS: more $$ than chapstick (but worth it)

Rosebud Perfume Co. Rosebud Salve - $6

5. Sugar

Sugar? Yep you read that correctly! Sugar is the cheapest and best lip exfoliant out there. Combine with honey, jojoba oil, or olive oil, and you've got yourself a natural, do-it-at-home, dirt cheap product that works way better than using a washcloth or toothbrush (trust me). Bonus - it tastes good if you use honey!! I mix mine in a small travel size container and keep it by my bathroom sink. I try to exfoliate my lips before bed (few times a week) and then slather on my rosebud salve. Result: smooth, baby soft, and delicious supple lips.

PROS: cheap, natural, IN YOUR PANTRY

CONS: requires a bit more effort on your part

Guess Who's Back...

Bonjour, mes amies! Oodles of topics to be covered in this post so I've organized it into sections. (Yes, dorky, but I'm trying to be more organized about life in general so bear with moi!)

I. Fear of Monday

It's here, the dreaded dreaded Monday post-weekandahalf vacay. Last night I (of course) cried again, but then my sister said something so simple and yet so profound that it got me a bit cheerier. She said that we (she and I, everyone really) often let ourselves get paralyzed by fear, and that gets in the way of our happiness and success. What? SO true!! That's exactly what's been going on with me at work, and well, it's completely unnecessary. The reality is that there isn't really anything to be afraid of. So I don't understand something... so I try and figure it out. And if I can't, then I go to this partner and say so. What's the worst that could happen? It's not like he's going to fire me, and if he did, well then I wouldn't want to work here anyway. What I'm trying to say is that I have nothing to be afraid of, and I need to be more self-confident in myself and my abilities. Shifting my attitude in this direction will not only help me in the workplace, but also prevent the breakdowns and anxiety attacks from which I've been suffering these last few days...

II. Highlights of 2009

I wasn't very bloggy towards the end of 2009, but I do want to recount some highlights of the year. Below is a petit (and not comprehensive) list I've pulled together in the last... 5 minutes:

1. Celebrated my one-year anniversary with the firm (and of working, in general).

2. Made 2 of the best decisions of my life, and as a result...

3. Created and stuck to the first budget of my LIFE

(oh and it's back and bigger than ever for 2010)

4. Gave up meat (again)

5. Had one of the best birthdays of ma vie (thanks to you guys!)

6. Hopped on the dreamboard bandwagon

7. Lost 17 lbs SANS DIETING (woohoo!!)

8. Determined that I am truly happy being single (for now)

9. Gave up aquariums, zoos, and the like

10. Created my first blog video!

(SO FUN! EVERYONE SHOULD DO IT... LIKE NOW!)

III. 2010 Words

balance & frugality

IV. Future of Hang On Little Tomato

I'm not sure what the future holds. I am not going to stop blogging, but I want to shake things up! I received a great response from my blog video, so if that's something you'd like to see more of, please let me know if you have any suggestions, requests, etc. I'm thinking an "apartment tour" would be fun (I love seeing other people's spaces). What do you think? What else?

Okay I think that's it for now. I MISSED YOU GUYS!!! And Twitter. :) Lots of catching up to do!

Winding Down

Bonjour, dear friends! It's been awhile since I've typed a proper post, and oh how I've missed you. Were your Christmas's fantastic? Ours was kind of nutso, as I experienced my first white Christmas here in Dallas, Texas. Can you believe it?? Unfortunately it meant that I spent 99% of Christmas Eve alone at home (avec Lola, thank G) praying that my sister's flight would get in safely, and that my entire family would make it back from the airport. (It took them hours to get home!) Luckily everyone made it home safe and sound, and we had a late-night dinner and present-opening shindig, and all was well.

Now it's about to be New Year's Eve... crazy! I've been fortunate enough to spend this week with my family. My aunt and uncle from Canada flew in on Monday, and we've all been having a ball. The anxiety is starting to creep up on me, unfortunately, and I'm getting un peu nervous about returning to the real world on Monday. It's not just work in general that I'm dreading, but the specific work in question that I know is waiting for me. It's... well, it's scary. And I don't want to do it. But I have to. And... yeah.

Today I saw Avatar in IMAX 3d, and it was quite possibly the best movie I've ever seen. I didn't expect to love it so much, but I did, and after I left the theater I couldn't help but feel sad. I didn't want to be in the real world, I wanted to escape back into that magical land. Isn't that what movies are all about? Taking you out of the present, even if just for a little while? (Or in Avatar's case, a long while?) I haven't felt that way in a long time, and it's been tres difficult to digest.

But alas, here I am. I'm going to try and make the most of the rest of my trip and stay positive about the future. In any case, I raise my champagne coup to you for a FABULOUS New year!!! It's going to be a good one, I can tell. ;) I hope you spend it with those you love!!

Gift Exchange!

Bonsoir, mes amies! Merci for all your SWEET comments on my last post. I was really nervous about doing a video because well, let's face it, it's reallly putting yourself out there. But of course you were nothing but sweet so MERCI BEAUCOUP!!

Here's another video (I'm hooked!) of my Gift Exchange prezzies. I LOVE THEM! Enjoy... (Oh and pardon my awful hair - didn't have time to do it this morning. Eek.)



Maryam's blog and twitter (YAY THANKS AGAIN, MARYAM!!!)

Nina's blogs: Femme Rationale and Love and Lemonade

Nina's etsy shop

Also: do any of you know how to add that pop-up text to youtube videos?? I am hopeless when it comes to figuring that stuff out. It's a miracle I even figured out how to record and upload videos! So any help would be MUCH appreciated!

My swap buddy got her prezzies today (yay!) so maybe I'll do a follow-up post linking to hers and all the other fabulous women involved. :) So fun! I love you all!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

SURPRISE!!!

DECEMBER DREAMBOARD

Haha hope you guys liked my first video! Apparently I saw "awesome" a lot, too... my bad. LOVE YOU GUYS!! See you in 2010!