What's a Dame to Do?!

During my time here in sunny California, I’ve been so fortunate to meet a great group of girlfriends that I can hang out with and just be silly. Friday night I hosted a board game night where I got to try out a new board gave called What’s a Dame to Do?!

Think of the game Apples to Apples but with a feminine twist. Each player (2-8 players can participate) takes a turn and reads a dilemma card out loud (“I’m doing yoga and my pants split. What’s a dame to do?!”) The other players each contribute a reaction card that can range from practical response (“Hide in the bathroom.) to silly (“Blame it on shrinkage.”). The person who drew the dilemma card awards points for her favorite answer, whether it’s the most realistic or it makes her laugh the most.

We were laughing so hard the whole time, and we played much longer than we intended to (board game night turned into this board game only night). The printed directions were a little confusing, but you can see a quick video on GamesforDames.com that explains the game play in less than 5 minutes. You can pick up the game at GamesforDames.com OR visit The Bean again next week to enter a giveaway to win a copy of your own!

InStyle.com's Virtual Makeover Studio

Hey, it's Friday. Let's just be ridiculously silly and conclude this hellish workweek by playing with InStyle.com's Virtual Makeover Studio. I only discovered it last night, and instead of using it as it probably is intended, I made myself into a 1980s chic/drag queen. Oh, and Eva Longoria Parker (below).

This post concludes The Bean's Go Glam Week. Join us on Monday for the SwitchFlops giveaway wrapup and the start of Geek Week! Have a great weekend.

Hot Rock - would you like some volcano to go with your steak?

Yesterday was our second wedding anniversary! Mr. Bean snuck out of class a bit early and we went to dinner at a place called Rok Bistro (near San Jose, CA for you locals). It was so much fun! Think of a fondue restaurant but with a twist. You get a salad to start with and then a cheese fondue to share. But then your main entree comes out on a square volcanic rock that has been heated to 700 degrees. You cut your meat into small pieces and let it cook to your liking on the rock, then move it to your plate and enjoy. Mr. Bean had lamb and I had a buffalo steak (I'd only ever had a buffalo burger). Both were delicious!

Today I found out that you can get a consumer/at-home version of these rocks to use on your own! They are made a company called Hot Rock (Rok Bistro gets the commercial version of these from there, too). As the website says:

Discover the speed, ease, sensational taste, uniqueness and healthy aspects of Hot Rock meals. Any meat tastes better when cooked on a Hot Rock. Cater to the health conscious by creating low-fat, low-carb meals with “sizzle.“ Amaze your family and guests with fun, festive, and delicious meals they will never forget. Preparation time is minimal. Simply heat a rock for several minutes on the stove and take it to the table where the diner grills their own meat on a volcanic rock—an unbelievable experience. Side dishes can be prepared in advance or simply purchased ready-made from your local delicatessen. Preparing and enjoying meals has never been easier or more fun. Hot Rock gets hotter and retains its heat longer than other products and does not require messy or dangerous heating sources at the table. The rock maintains effective cooking temperature for approximately 25 minutes.

Hot Rock is the perfect solution for …..

• Health conscious diners who don’t want to sacrifice time, taste or quality


• People who entertain but don’t have time to prepare fancy meals


• People on the go who don’t have time to cook


• Children who complain about dinner—they won’t complain about Hot Rock!


• Year round dining—Hot Rock can be served in the dining room or on the patio The home, office or dormitory—all you need is a Hot Rock cooking set and portable stovetop

Hot Rocks for the home come in two price levels: the $49.99 rock and the $79.99 rock. You'd need one for each person eating, so Mr. Bean and I would have to get two. This is actually a pretty good idea for us to buy (if it weren't for that pesky recession) because he likes his steak one way and I like mine a totally different way.

Not related to the volcanic rock components, but I love chocolate and have to share: we concluded the meal with a to-die-for dark chocolate coconut almond dessert fondue with lots of little treats to dip. It was spectacular! We had a great time, and hadn't eaten outside of the house for 10 days to save money, so this was a real treat!

The Bean's Pick: Doodle 4 Google, a contest for the world's budding artists

If you use Google (or are obsessed with it like me), maybe you've noticed that its logo sometimes changes depending on the current holiday or time of year. Doodle 4 Google is a competition that invites K-12 students to play around with the Google logo to create new variations on it. This year's theme if "What I Wish for the World."

Registration closes at 11:59:59 PM Pacific time on March 17, 2009 and entries are due by 11:59:59 PM Pacific time on March 31, 2009. Only teachers or school employees should register. Parents or students who are interested should contact their teacher to register them.Teachers, you'll find everything you need to get started on the Registration page.

The Doodle 4 Google competition is open to all U.S. residents between the ages of 5 and 18 who attend elementary and secondary schools (i.e. grades K-12) in the U.S. Doodles will be judged in the following brackets:

Kindergarten - Grade 3
Grade 4 - Grade 6
Grade 7 - Grade 9
Grade 10 - Grade 12

The entries from all 50 states will then be cut into 10 different regions for judging purposes. There will be up to 400 state finalists, 40 regional winners, 4 national finalists, and 1 "National Winner of Doodle 4 Google." The National Winner's doodle will 'go live' on the Google homepage for 24 hours. The National Winner will win a $15,000 college scholarship to be used at the school of their choice, a trip to the Google New York Office, a laptop computer, and a t-shirt printed with their doodle. The winner's school will also be given a $25,000 technology grant towards the establishment/improvement of a computer lab.

After finding about this contest, my favorite thing was exploring the regional winners from last year. Some of them are truly amazing! Click here to visit them, or click here to learn more about the contest.

Spa treatment recipes

Recently I featured a few ideas for thrifty DIY spa-at-home treatments that I thought you might like to try out. Since then I've found a list of spa treatment recipes at Spa Index for face, body, lips, hair, hands and feet. Choices include everything from a Chocolate Facial Mask (I think I might try to eat this) to Champagne Bubble Bath to a Bay Rum Aftershave for men. There are 100 recipes on here, so there's bound to be one that suits your needs and that you can make using normal everyday ingredients you probably already have in your household.


Last night I found that I had all of the ingredients to make the Honey Oatmeal Facial, which includes buttermilk, ground oatmeal, and honey. I decided to make 1/2 of the recipe and then followed the instructions and found that I had made a paste that resembled...well, oatmeal. Yet I bravely smeared the mixture across my face and neck, thereby earning the name "Oatmeal Face" from Mr. Bean. I left it on for 15 minutes, then rinsed it off using a warm washcloth. The results? Nothing spectacular so far. I'm not sure if this is supposed to be moisturizing or help your skin look brighter, etc. but it was kind of fun to do something at home using things I already keep around. Let me know if any of you decide to try any of these recipes. I'd really like to try the Bath Cookies recipe sometime soon!

Sampler Boxes

As I previously mentioned, my new obsession is sampler boxes. After getting three of them (Out of the Box Sampler, Get Eurofied Sampler, and Pets Jubilee Sampler), I decided to go digging through Google to see if I could find more and...jackpot! Here are some that I'm dying to try out!

Lemming Central Sampler Boxes, $20 for USA with free shipping, includes beauty and candle products

The Little Black Box, $20 with free shipping, US only, includes jewelry, bath and body, candles, bookmarks, keychains, buttons, magnets, luggage handle wraps, silk scarves, pet treats, stationery, photography, tissue cozies and more

Snowberry Creek, $22.95 for USA with free shipping (also ships internationally), includes soaps, candles, ornaments, woodcrafts, coffees, teas, bath and body items

The Sampler, $8 and up plus shipping, various themed sampler boxes

Crafty Cubes/Aroma Cubes, $19.99 with free shipping, soaps, toiletries, candles, some jewelry and stationery

Pink Ribbon Sampler, $22.50 and up with free shipping, you get to CHOOSE your samples, 25% of proceeds go to fighting breast cancer

So the question now is, "Which one should I try first?"

7 DIY Spa-at-Home Treatments that won't break the bank

In today's economy, it's a little luxury that we may have to learn to do without: those quiet moments that we used to steal away for ourselves whether for a nap, a workout, or a luxurious treatment at the spa. I've never really had the means to go all out at the spa, but I'm always on the lookout for DIY home versions of many of the more expensive treatments that you hear about celebrities getting. After zipping through Redbook and Glamour's websites, here are my picks:

From Redbook.com…

Take 10 minutes - Buy small river-rock stones at a florist (I found mine at a dollar store) and a silky synthetic paintbrush at a craft stores. Apply a serum to your face and use the brush to work it into your skin, making circular, upward motions. Then take a cool stone and place it under your eye at the inner corner; slowly push toward the outer corner. Repeat on the upper eye area and, with another stone, on the other eye.

Take 15 minutes – Create an energizing scrub to use in your shower. Crush a sprig of rosemary and sage into 4 ounces of Epsom salts and 1 oz of unscented body oil. Shower off, then apply a rosemary-enhanced body lotion.

Take 30 minutes - Run the water in your bathtub at about 82 degrees (think comfortable heated-pool temperature) to stimulate microcirculation. Then add 1 cup of Dead Sea salts and soak for 15 minutes. Rest afterwards for 15 minutes.

Take 30 minutes – Whip up your own body mask by mixing jojoba cream and shea butter with grapefruit and jasmine essential oils. Apply after a shower, then “cocoon” your body in plastic wrap and snuggle under a blanket for 20 minutes.

From Glamour.com…

Instead of a $500 oxygen facial…Use a cleanser with 2% salicylic acid; leave on for 30 seconds before rinsing so the ingredient can do its job. Then apply a pore mask (such as Biore). Remove it like a pro by pressing and rolling a warm, damp washcloth from your chin up.

Instead of a $700 peel…Empty a bag of green tea and a bag of chamomile into a bowl. Mix in two tablespoons of flaxseed, a teaspoon of white vinegar, and two tablespoons of honey. Massage into skin for two minutes and rinse. Then apply a moisturizer with Vitamin C.

Instead of spending $3,000 for body microdermabrasion…In the shower, rub an exfoliator all over and rinse. Once out of the shower, knead cellulite cream into thighs (new kinds have caffeine for tightening). Wrap thighs in plastic wrap for 10 minutes to intensify the effect.

Enjoy...ooohhhmmm

Ugly Dolls

Mr. Bean was in New York City last week on business. Every day he would call me and say he was going to bring me a special treat, but that he couldn't decide what to get me (he didn't really go for my idea, which was, "If you can't decide, why not buy me lots of things?" Har har). After he arrived back in California, Mr. Bean handed me an FAO Schwarz bag with a soft, odd-shaped noggin poking out of it. I reached inside the bag and out popped...before I continue, Ladies, you may think your man has spoiled you with stuffed teddy bears and Chia Pets, but I am here to let you know that you haven't been truly loved until he has given you an Ugly Doll!

Anyway, in the bag was my very own Abima, an Ugly Doll whose tag reads, "Abima is out of control! He's got his hand in the cookie jar, and his mind on the next adventure, which is probably going to involve bouncing off the walls and knocking over expensive stuff. He only knocks over the expensive stuff. Not to worry though. Abima is very protective and would always watch out for you. Are you scared of the dark? So is Abima! Oh. Anyway, Abima loves to visit his favorite cousin Wage. They look like they could be related, right? Maybe he's your cousin too."

(photo: Abima watching TV and drinking all of my Diet 7-Up) Ugly Dolls were born from the minds of two artists in love, David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim, as a drawing of a playful orange character known as Wage. In 2001, when David's soon-to-be wife and creative partner Sun-Min had to return to Korea, he sent her many "I miss you" letters with his little Wage character drawn at the bottom. Sun-Min sewed Wage into a plush doll and sent him to David as a surprise gift. David asked Sun-Min to sew a couple more for the Giant Robot store in Los Angeles and they sold out in one day! A very excited Sun-Min sewed many more and those sold just as fast! Sun-Min and David then began to pull more characters from the Uglyverse, and today these award-winning characters are available in a variety of sizes and styles!

I am not the only one taken with Ugly Dolls. One of America's First Daughters, Sasha Obama, also likes her Uglies! To learn more about these lovelies, visit their website.

Shopping Pick: FredFlare.com

If you are looking for a single store that carries several trinkets you never knew you wanted until now, visit Fred Flare, a New York-based store that started in 1998 when the creators started selling a single product off the back of a bike in SoHo. Their products have been featured in magazines like Elle, Marie Claire, and People, and include everything from accessories to clothing to things that are...well, kind of out there. A few things that caught my eye:

Who doesn't need a toast shaped wallet? $15

Frozen Smiles Ice Cube Tray, $10 - My question: Whose teeth did they use as a model?

Pickle Bandages, $9 - also available in steak, pirate flags, and more!

Pet's Eye View Camera, $50 - I am a total pet nut and am actually intrigued by this gizmo! You attach it to your pet's collar when you leave for work and it will take pictures every 1, 5, or 15 minutes for up to 40 images. So you can stalk your pet! Excellent!

Bacon Floss, $9 - YUM?

They also have a few pseudo-normal items that are worth taking a look at, including an extensively quirky gift selection. This weekend Fred Flare is having a free shipping sale on any size purchase (normally $7.95 unless you're spending $75+), so stop by their store and check it out!

Chocolate with an Attitude

C-h-o-c-o-l-a-t-e. Sugar, fat, and decadent goodness. Who doesn't love it? Add in a little attitude and witty packaging and you've got Bloomsbery and Co., a chocolatier originally based in New Zealand that specializes in 1) fantastic chocolate and 2) tongue-in-cheek packaging. Visit their interactive website to check out all of their designs - some of my favorites are below - and find a store that carries Bloomsbery near you!

Mamarazzi’s Favorite Things Swap

I love free stuff, mystery boxes, and sampler boxes, and I love getting stuff in the mail (actual junk mail need not apply). So when I heard about Mamarazzi’s Favorite Things Swap, I knew that I would have to participate! The basics: gather a box of your favorite goodies and send them out to another girly. Someone will do the same for you! Interested in playing? Here are some rules and info:

1. Visit Dandelion Wishes by Friday, February 13 and grab the Swap Button to add it to your blog in a post about the event. Use the post to this link to RSVP via Mr. Linky (explained in greater detail at Dandelion Wishes).

2. Once you’ve posted on your blog about the Favorite Things Swap, send Mamarazzi an email (her email is on the website) with your name and address, blog address, email address, any food/product allergies, and if you’re willing to ship internationally. She’ll pass this on to your swap-mate, the girl you’re sending to and receiving from!

3. Assemble a great package of things you would love to receive. That is, think of your favorite things you’ve tried or own and go buy new versions of them (example: your favorite mascara, favorite book, etc). Spend $20-$30 on your package PLUS shipping.

4. Send your complete package on Monday, March 2 to your swap-mate. Wait anxiously by the mailbox each day until you receive yours!

You must be able to communicate with Mamarazzi via email on a regular basis. There’s already nearly 40 people playing so she needs to know you’re still going to come through and not let another girl down!

I cannot wait! I hope you’ll play, too!