DIY cards

Went to a crafting weekend with my family and made a ton of cards. Got on Pinterest before to get inspiration and plan what supplies I would need. I used mostly scrap paper and pieces of maps and was given a box of cards to work with! My friend was getting rid of old work stationary and it was perfect for upcycling into these cards! I also repurposed an old frame into a gift for my boyfriend. Still have more cards to ad but here are a few of my favorites...as you can tell I have a bit of a map obsession! After posting my pics on Twitter Michaels contacted me to see if they could use them for a digital billboard in Times Square! Obv I said yes and they posted a few of my cards. 

Homemade Peach Sangria

Summer drinks are all over Pinterest right now and I wanted to make somthing fruity for a poolside day. I searched for some recipes but ended up just making my own. 

Peach Sangria: 

Peaches

Apples

Oranges

White wine

Vodka

Peach Bacardi mixer

Large bowl

Large pitcher

It took 2 days to let everything soak and sit but other than cutting the fruit it was realty easy to make! 

First I cut all the fruit and put in a large bowl to soak. I added about half the bottle of vodka and 1/4 of the Peach Bacardi mix to the bowl and put in the fridge to soak and chill. Then I took the wine and poured into a big pitcher and put the rest of the Peach Bacardi mix in with it. I stirred it for a little while and put it in the fridge to cool.

The next day I checked on the fruit and it had soaked up most of the vodka. I dumped it into the pitcher and let the entire mix sit for one more day. 

It turned out tasty but ran out fast!

Airbnb for beginners

During SXSW I become one of those girls tricked by Jimmy Fallon except instead of fake band names I wanted to know all the cool apps/startups/companies that are being talked about. I must confess I had never heard of Airbnb till SXSW! I saw a lot of ads for them throughout the week and after a quick Google I realized this was where dreams lived. I could rent a treehouse or stay on a farm and have pet pigs for a weekend...it sounded prefect.

While planning my trip to NYC I had no idea how Airbnb actually worked other than it sounded like VRBO but with prettier pictures. So here are a few things I learned from using the site vs the app.

1. Some things are visable only on the app and don't show on the website. While talking with my bf on the phone we realized that while looking at the same listing via app and desktop some of the amenities didn't show on both ends particularly when it mentioned pets. I have bad allergies and cat hair is a hell no for me. Through the app it was easier to tell if they listed a pet on property and if the pet would be staying during your visit. The place we picked had a dog who was there for a few hours our first day then the owner took him on vacation! Also reading reviews from previous guests helps when narrowing down places. I'm pretty sure you have to book a place in order to review it to cut down on fakes. We were given the option to review the next day via email.

2. Some places you are renting the entire place others you are renting a section on a place and some you are just renting a room. Get to know the verbiage on the site. It could look like you are renting the whole place because the pictures make it look like you are but unless it says full apartment or full home you will probably end up sharing the place with the owner or "host" 

3. Having a "host" to talk to helps you become familiar with the town, bars, transportation and more! When you rent through Airbnb the owner or host will meet you to give you the keys and go over house rules. This is the perfect way to learn about your vacation town. Our host gave us advice on using the subway and where to go for food/drinks. She stayed in communication and was there to answer any questions. It was great and she pointed us to the BEST bakery I have ever been to. 

4. Message hosts before booking to make sure dates are available...and messaging multiple hosts at once isn't bad! Some hosts take longer to get back with you than others. Some people are renting their home and not a vacation home so they will need to make arrangements. All of this takes a while so the more people you message the faster you can find a place to stay.

5. Remember you are staying in someone's home. Clean up after yourself and follow the house rules! You can also be reviewd by the host. Just got an email saying we were reviewed by our host and that she was happy how clean we kept her home! 

Airbnb has some really cool listings these are a few of my dream stays...and one is on an elephant camp!

My NYC trip in apps

Working in social media is pretty great. It also makes me an anal online investigator. When planning a trip I read lots of blogs, plan my wardrobe on Pinterest, and Instgram everything. I can't help it it's just who I am. So when my bf got me tickets for Governors Ball for my birthday I immediately started my research for NYC! Here are a few apps we used along the way and blogs I researched for planning the best NYC trip.

Airbnb

Yelp

Uber

Southwest

TKTS

GovBallNYC

Pinterest 

NYC Subway Map

Flavorpill

We started with booking a place to stay then our flight. Airbnb was pretty hyped during SXSW so I did a little research and found a few things about the site...you have to read the full details of places to figure out if you will have the whole place or if the owner will stay there as well. So a "room" is just that but a "full home" is the whole the place to yourself. After mapping the neighborhood and narrowing down we also noticed that some places listed pets. With my allergies all cat places were bye bye. Reading reviews from past guests helped and after being in contact with a few people we found a place available during our visit. They suggest you contact multiple owners because some will be busy or take a while to get back with you. Using the app you can message the owners and email to get quick responses and you can get notifications when the owners answer you. Really helpful and a great experience.

I personally hate yelp for anything other than searching nearby food/bars. We used yelp a lot when deciding where to eat. You can search for places close to you and get reviews/menus/suggestions on what is good. It also can map and show the websites. We found some good food and bars through this.

The first time I tried to use uber it was busy but the second time I got a car in 5 minutes. Uber is a car service that is cheaper than a taxi and better. They get paid through the app and don't accept tips. You can also get ride codes and save $ on your first ride. The perks are you open the app request a ride and if someone is near by the will accept and pick you up. Loved it super easy ride back to the airport and they picked me up at our doorstep.

I always use my Southwest app while traveling. You can check in, get a digital boarding pass, and get text notifications if your flight info changes. Love the app and it keeps track of my points! Also people always ask how I afford to travel...well my flight cost $10 for HOU to NYC because I got a Southwest credit card! Have gotten several flights out of my points to LA a few times. Read this blog for details on the best credit cards for travel: www.thepointsguy.com

TKTS is the place to get all info on half price Broadway tickets. They have 3 locations where you can purchase but in the app you get updates on available tickets, times, and shows. We went to the Times Square location but didn't end up buying any tickets. 

I am on Pinterest a lot and use my Oh The Pinteresting Places You'll Go board to collect places to eat, travel and packing tips, and my fav blogs. Below is my Pinterest and links to a few of my favorite posts. I pack everything into one carry on for every trip. Weekend or week long I make it fit by rolling everything and using my birchbox samples instead of packing heavy stuff. Only essentials make the bag! 

http://www.pinterest.com/jb1996/oh-the-pinteresting-places-you-will-go/

http://lemonstripes.com/travel/carry-on/?t=50089#_a5y_p=763894
http://themamasgirls.com/smart-packing-in-just-one-carry-on/
http://www.babble.com/travel/25-free-things-to-do-in-new-york-city/
http://prettyprovidence.com/how-to-experience-new-york-city-on-a-budget/

At any festival you have to get the apps. The GovBallNYC app had set lists, maps, updates, and vendor info. Through the app you can favorite all shows you plan to go to and they will send you push notifications 15 minutes before the show. 

We rode the subway and walked almost everywhere but found out the last day there was a Subway Map app! This would have helped because navigating the subway was hard to figure out and pulling up the map in a browser took forever.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/new-york-subway-map/id369691844?mt=8

Flavorpill NYC show you what's happening in arts, music, food, events, and more. One of the cool things we found was a music store where you buy an album and get a ticket to an in studio performance/autograph signing with the band. It sounded like a lot of fun. http://flavorpill.com/newyork