Linking Around

um, so where exactly did summer go? kids are back in school already. say what? i feel like i blinked and woke up in fall. and with labor day weekend coming up, there's just no denying that the cool weather has already started to settle in. as for me, i'm spending time with family and planning to hit up some bbqs in the city. nothing lets you hold onto the last rays of summer like a grill and a cold beer. congrats to the lucky ones with a 3-day weekend, and for those ready to kick-start the weekend, check out some fun and interesting links from around the web below. i promise, it'll help the time go by!

what it's like to audition for snl

the women behind google glass

how victoria beckham went from spice girl to fashion mogul

a green power ranger in japan helps people in the subways

50 ways to make money

maya angelou appears in new cole haan campaign

12 great comedian quotes for when your job makes you want to cry

great tumblr of awesome people reading

don't wash your raw chicken before you cook it

you've been using these 18 everyday products wrong

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Alabama Slammers

i was never a big fan of jello shots. not only did they look a mess sitting in those little white dixie cups, but the kool-aid plus too much vodka was just blech. but a while back, i came across a book called the jelly shot test kitchen. the author basically took cocktails (think long island iced teas, cosomos, manhattans and lemon drop martinis) and turned them into jello shots! so far everyone who's had some of the batches i've made have really liked them, so on friday, i decided to bring some to my friend's' bbq.

getting the bottles ready

the orange juice base mixed with gelatin

the final product

i went with alabama slammers, which consists of orange juice, vodka, sloe gin and southern comfort. these shots took about 15 minutes to make and were a big hit. you can check out the full recipe below!

recommended pan: 1-pound loaf pan (approx. 8"x4"/ 20x10cm)

orange layer
3/4 cup/ 180 ml orange juice
1 1/2 envelopes knox gelatin
1/4 cup/ 60 ml southern comfort
1/4 cup/ 60 ml vodka
1/4 cup/ 60 m slow gin

grenadine layer
1/2 cup/ 120 ml pomegranate syrup
1/2 envelope knox gelatin

create orange layer: pour orange juice into a small saucepan and spring with the 1 1/2 cup envelope portion of gelatin. allow the gelatin to soak for a minute or two. heat over very low heat until gelatin is dissolved, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. stir in the southern comfort, vodka, and sloe gin. pour mixture into loaf pan. place in refrigerator to cool while preparing grenadine layer.

create grenadine layer: pour the pomegranate syrup into a small saucepan and sprinkle with the 1/2 envelope of gelatin; allow to soak for a minute or two. heat over very low heat until gelatin is dissolved, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes. remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. remove the orange juice mixture from the refrigerator (mixture will still be liquid). droop spoonfuls of the grenadine mixture at regular intervals into the orange mixture. repeat until all the grenadine mixture has been used. do not stir. carefully return pan to refrigerator and chill until fully set, several hours or overnight.

to serve, cut into desired shapes. makes about 18 to 24 jelly shots.

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Gorilla

i'm becoming more of a bruno mars fan every day. and i loved his performance last night on the vma's of "gorilla." and this is major because i'm not a fan of monkeys, apes, gorillas - you get the picture. but for now, i have this song on repeat for today. it's my afternoon jam. enjoy!

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Motivation Monday

how was everyone's weekend? mine was extremely low-key. it started with a bbq in brooklyn, catching up on some sleep and hanging with friends. it was just the right mix of feeling productive without feeling like i was a total bum. i especially wanted to have some downtime as work is really picking back up again, and a challenge i have working for myself is trying not to spend every minute of my time working. i have to remember that it's important to have some downtime, and not over exert myself. and more than anything, make sure i'm not feeling guilty 24/7 for not working 24/7. in my case, since i don't have any employees, it's a scenario where if i don't do the work, then it doesn't get done. it's a fine line to walk when you're carrying your whole business on your shoulders.

so on weekends, unless the work or emails are extremely urgent, i make an effort to handle what needs to get done on monday. because honestly, in most cases, it can wait until monday. since launching my pr agency in early 2012, there have only been a handful of cases when something needed to be handled asap on the weekend. and so now that it's monday, it's time to hunker down because it's looking like a really busy week. hope you all make your weekly goals, whether it's securing new business, having a kick-ass client meeting, asking (and securing) a raise or even move forward with your own dreams of entrepreneurism. happy monday!

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Linking Around

i refuse to let these last days of summer slip through my fingers, so i'm trying to soak in as much sun as possible - especially from rooftop bars! this week i was at the refinery hotel, and i mean, come on. just look that view. it even has the empire state building in it. you gotta love it. hope you all have some awesome plans for the weekend. i'm kicking mine off with a bbq in brooklyn, and i'm bringing some alabama slammer jell-o shots. i'll share a post next week on how to make them. as for today, check out some awesome links below from around the web. have a great weekend kandids!

the story of cinderella told through beyonce songs

meet sunny, the newest addition to the obama family

off-beat cartoon heroines

boy bands we love

prince's new single cover is amazing

new york city hall weddings

take a guess: are they hot dogs or legs?

a 4th grader's documentary about his school's lunches

yahoo's beating google in traffic!

95 reasons why the vma's need britney spears

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Weekend In Pics

where i toasted my friend meghan farewell as she heads off to texas

summer's going by so quickly, i'm really trying to soak in as much weekend fun as possible. here are a few pics that pretty much sum up what was involved in my weekend - mainly good food, good drinks and good people!

tom and jerry's (as in the cat and mouse!)

bonchon chicken wings - double fried, yum

drinks at the new yorker hotel

the skyscraper burger at cooper's tavern

brunch at le bistro d'a cote

chilling at the belfrey in union square

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Motivation Monday

happy monday kandids! hoping you all had a great weekend, and will have an even better start to the week. i can't believe that we're already gearing up for this year's 4th quarter. it came out of nowhere. so far this year, i've already surpassed my self-employment income compared to last year. pretty impressive i think since i've been in business about 18 months, woo hoo! can't wait to see what the next few months will bring!

i saw the above quote from keira knightly this morning and i couldn't agree more with her. how do you determine your own level of success?

image credit: marie claire

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Linking Around

what week it's been! i went to a friend's book launch party about rv's earlier in the week (her event was sponsored by sailor jerry per the pic above), and then i toasted another friend farewell as she's off to texas on her own entrepreneurial journey. it's amazing how every time i turn around someone else i know is starting to working for him or herself. such an exciting time.

and guess what i'm doing today? my friend rachel, founder of guesterly (for all you brides-to-be, you have to check it out), is hosting a co-working day in her upper west side apartment. such a great idea, right? it's the perfect way to be productive, brainstorm and meet other local entrepreneurs. i love co-working, but unfortunately don't have the opportunity to do it very often, so i was super psyched about the invite.

do any of you co-work? if so, is it at local offices, coffee shops or at your apartment? i'd love to hear how you spend your days working.

on that note, take a breather and check out cool links from around the web below!

bridal search engine loverly considered a game changer

pop-up bridge parties

a histomap outlining the entirety of human history

wigs made out of bottle caps

a beautiful craigslist missed connection post

saying "i do" costs a lot (a lot!) of money

5 female ceos who reinvented their brands

an elaborate bar mitzvah you've got to see to believe

dating tips - game of throne style

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Setbacks

sorry for not having a monday motivation post yesterday. i spilled water on my laptop thursday evening, which left me without a computer until monday morning when i finally bought a new macbook. so now i'm back up and running. but since i lost a day of work and wasn't able to prep my blog posts over the weekend, just wanted to let you know that posts will be few this week. but i'll be back on my normal blog schedule by next week.

on that note, wanted to share the above picture from artist de la vega. he often leaves these drawings and notes on random items or even with sidewalk chalk messages in my neighborhood. seeing them always makes my day a little brighter. hope you all had a lovely weekend and your week is off to a great start!

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Friend(ly) Friday: Linda Kim

welcome to another edition of friend(ly) friday, where i talk up awesome people that i know. my first post was about my gorgeous model friend amanda, and today i'm introducing you to linda kim, founder of pulse roasted chickpeas.

i first met linda in october 2012. we had signed up for a free entrepreneur course called fastrac newventure. the class was filled with about 20 people who were planning to launch a new business or currently in the midst of a launch. i was planning a launch and linda was very close to starting her business.

she explained that she had the idea of selling roasted chickpeas for several years, but had just recently decided to finally take the leap and make it happen. and within a matter of months after the class ended, she started selling her first batch of products at farmer's markets and trade shows. she also started doing demos at local health food stores. and of course, she launched her online shop where consumers can buy her product directly.

i can't say enough how proud i am of my friend. she's done several successful sales with fab.com and her product can be found in local nyc stores like organic avenue. plus she also recently become a top 10 finalist for a specialty food ad campaign contest.

i have the feeling you'll see more about linda and her pulse brand more in the next few months, but for the time being, you can say that you heard about her here first!

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Special Guest: Shelby of ClarkeStudio Photography

On Santa Maria Island in the Galapagos with the Giant Tortoise, 2009

On Santa Maria Island in the Galapagos with the Giant Tortoise, 2009

Hi there! I am Shelby Clarke of ClarkeStudio Photography, based in Colorado Springs! Kendra and I were paired up for this month's Operation E Blog Swap! Today I am sharing my top 5 travel tips. Over the past 6 years, my hubby has been slowly taking me around the world...and I would love to share some tips I have learned along the way.

Mar102011_Israel 2011_4059

Bet She'an, Israel, 2011

1- if your flying and checking your baggage be sure to pack an extra set of clothes and emergency essentials in your carry on. When traveling to Israel in 2011, our luggage never made the plane from New York to Tel Aviv. {really} Our entire group of 30-ish people didn't have luggage. Now, they did give us a great little drop kit with pretty much everything you could need but there is something weird about wearing an unwashed tee and shorts to bed. Thankfully, I brought an extra tee and a jacket with me on the plane. So I at least had something cleaner on the next day. Our luggage arrived at dinner time when we arrived back at our hotel the next day.

Monastery Varlaam in Greece, 2012

Monastery Varlaam in Greece, 2012

2- Safety. keep your passport and wallet close to your body at all times. My 1st trip out of the country was to Ecuador and to the Galapagos with my In Laws. {there was no way we could have ever afforded to go on our own, especially with my husbands profession as a chaplain} While meeting everyone on the boat, one gal only a few years older than we and with a lot more travel experience had her wallet and passport stolen out of her back pack while on a bus. She had packed them both in the very front pocket of the backpack. The thief cut out the bottom of the pocket and took the contents. Keep both of these items in a small crossbody purse and very close to you. Yes, you will look like a tourist. But your identity will be safe. Consider a jacket on top for added security.

Athens0004

Getting Lost in Athens, 2012

3- Flexibility. Something will go wrong despite all the pre planning one can do. Sit back enjoy and work around it. In the photo above we decided to visit a Museum in Athens that wasn't on our list of sites we were going to see. So on our afternoon off we took an adventure walking around Athens to find it...we got a little lost but eventually made it back to the hotel for dinner. While your out, eat local cuisine...there is nothing quiet like eating Shawarma in Greece, or hummus in Israel.

4- Be Prepared. After a visit to the Dead Sea, our tour guide stopped on the side of the road for us to ride camels. It was exciting but since it was towards the end of the day, some folks had used up all their camera batteries. Make sure you charge and pack extras! We also bought an Extreme weather camera for our travels that can go underwater, I highly suggest one if you plan to go on extreme vacations! As a photographer, I tend to take too many photos anyways but make sure you always take the time to have YOUR photo taken at various locations! But not necessarily like the one below, thanks hubby. :)

IMG_0567

Carhenge in Alliance Nebraska, 2013

5- Layers. This year hubby and I stayed in the US for our vaca. Road tripping through Kansas, Nebraska, the Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming. This was the 2nd day of our trip, we drove up from Kansas and it was near hot there but as we went north a massive snow storm was blowing in and we woke up to 6-8 inches of snow the next morning. Thankfully I packed my snow boots and more layers. {layers are key} By adding layers you don't need a snow jackets just more shirts and long sleeves from your suitcase! {PS always pack a wind and rain jacket...prefect for blocking out the cold!}

Kendra, thanks so much for having me. I hope these tips help out anyone who maybe doing some last minute travels before Summer 2013 is over! Thanks and stop by the ClarkeStudio Blog to read Kendra's Guest Post!

Shelby Lyn Clarke
ClarkeStudio Photography: modern + fine art pet photography for the contemporary companion and their family
Twitter: @clarkestudio
Instagram: @clarkestudio

Linking Around

it's not friday yet, but it doesn't hurt to get mentally prepared, right? and with this week flying by, i'm sure you've missed some awesomeness on the web, so i gathered the best of the best for you. check them out below!

where the cast of "buffy the vampire slayer" is now (one of my favorite shows!)

a friendly reminder to use condoms

miley cyrus is on fire

vanity fair's photos of sean parker's wedding

jason sudeikis & ed helms parody mumford & sons video

can men and women be friends at work?

genius idea for olive oil-herb cubes for cooking

disney's fallen princesses

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Matchmaker Cafe

i've lived in nyc for 8 years, and i'm not surprised by much in this city. but it still happens from time to time. the latest interesting foray gracing the city landscape is a little pop-up shop in the financial district called the matchmaker cafe.

the premise: you go to their pop-up cafe where you not only get a tasty beverage, and then they'll also take your photo, upload to their iPad and then find you other singles to be matched up with. the cafe's goal is to get people offline (and by the way, this topic is a story i secured with cnn.com earlier this year called "the lost art of offline dating.") and face-to-face. so far, they've had 5,000 people sign up. sounds like a lot of singles in manhattan are looking for love!

would you ever try finding love through a matchmaking cafe? what are some other interesting ways you've tried to find love? comment below or shoot me an email at kandidkendra@gmail.com!

image credit: glamour

Kids with Swag

have you heard the latest trend about parents taking pics of their style-setting tykes and posting them online? these kids have major style, wearing looks that you'd likely find in ads and magazine fashion spreads. some popular sites includee planet awesome kid and my imaginary well-dressed toddler daughter.

check out some of the viral pics below. for those of you with kids, do you dress them up for photo shoots? do they have better style than you? these kids - they grow up so fast these days!

image credit: planet awesome kid and my imaginary well-dressed toddler daughter

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Motivational Monday

wow, this summer has really flown by. i can't believe it's already august. even though i've made a lot of career and entrepreneurial advancements this year, it's still tough knowing i haven't achieved everything i wanted to by this time. for example, with my drinkware, i've had a few set backs, and thought i'd be close to launching a crowdfunding campaign by now. but at the same time, i can't complain too much because during this time, i've actually found easier ways to produce and package my drinkware, which means it now seems more feasible that i had originally thought. and not to mention, with these new changes, could possibly be even more cost-effective.

it's times like this that i have to remember the most important fact is that i don't give up. even if it takes me longer that i thought it would, as long as i keep my eye on the prize, and keep moving forward one day at a time, that's something to be proud of.

hope you all start your august off productive and motivated. to help you get started, check out this huffington post piece about 8 success secrets from female leaders. carpe diem!

image credit: quotes pictures

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Linking Around

woohoo, it's Friday! So let's get right to business. I've gathered some awesome links from around the web to make your day even better. So sit back, click around, and enjoy!

brooklyn's debuting a ramen noodle burger this weekend!

check out the trailer for the tv movie "crazy sexy cool" about girl group tlc

starting tomorrow, NYC will shut down a park avenue tunnel to traffic and make it an interactive art show!

this cali couple was born on the same day, married for 75 years and died on day apart. what a love story!

loving the cup of jo's series about american mothers raising their children in other countries

now this is how you eat oreos!

jay-z was right, he does have 99 problems. see what they are!

read about stephen king's trick with his kids growing up that got them into the literary business

this woman went from building homes to baking biscottis - and made a business from it!

the 10 worst people at supermarket

animals twerking, nuff said

what your food cravings really mean

image credit: probs99.tumblr.com

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Can You Take The Heat?

when i did public relations for victoria's secret back in 2011, i was mainly working with the models, booking their interviews. as such, i got to work with one of their top talents candice swanepoel. sorry to disappoint, but this woman is gorgeous in person. and so tiny, it was hard to believe that anyone could have such a little waist.

well, she's currently gracing the latest cover of harper's bazaar, and the images are amazing. the magazine's photo and booking editor emily rosser recently told levo league that candice's shoot is one of her favorites.

and it's not hard to understand why. just look at the pictures. they really are stunning. and i'm loving the 60s-style look she's sporting in some of the shots.

image credit: fashion gone rogue

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