Happy 1st Birthday, BeautyFrosting!

Posted on March 12, 2013 by BeautyFrosting

I would be posting my High-Low of the week but I can’t think of a low to report because…

It’s BeautyFrosting’s 1st birthday!!!

Happy Birthday, BF!

No need to blow out the candles though, today!
I’ve already got everything I could have wished for with readers like you!

We’ll have a big celebratory giveaway later this month – when we announce the winners of our 1st annual BeautyFrosting BFF Awards! So stay tuned…

But, for now, here are some of my favorite moments in this first year of BeautyFrosting!

The beauty…

A year of beauty & pampering...THANK YOU!!!

The baking…

A year of sweetness...THANK YOU!!!!

The being…

A year of "being", a.k.a. lifestyle...THANK YOU!

The celebrations…

A year of celebrations...THANK YOU!!!

And the friends who make this journey oh-so-sweet!

A year of friends...THANK YOU!!!!

I am so grateful for each and every one of you who has read the blog daily, written questions to “Dear Dawn”, watched our videos, entered ourcontests, told your friends about BeautyFrosting, sent us a product to try for BeautyFrosting, followed BF on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram, on YouTube and for all of the praise, suggestions and support you have offered over this past year to me.

And I have LOTS more coming for you in this, our second year! Like what, you ask? How about Foodie Friday with food & restaurant reviews and A Southern Girl’s Guide to LA with spa & business recommendations.

How about that? It all starts THIS weekend! It’s just my way of saying -

THANK YOU for a SUPER SWEET 1st year!!!

THANK YOU!!!!!

Thank you from my heart to yours! xoxo, Dawn (BF)

xoxo,
BF

***Special note: Why March 12th? I chose to debut BeautyFrosting last year on what would have been my beloved Nanny, Clara Margaret Hayes’s, 99th birthday. Every year that I celebrate a birthday, I am celebrating her and all of the lovely, ladylike things she stood for and taught my mom, my aunt, my cousins and me!

I miss you every day, Nanny…

BF Asks: What was your favorite BeautyFrosting moment this year?

High-Low: A WEEK OF WONDERFUL WOMEN IN MY WORLD!

Posted on March 4, 2013 by BeautyFrosting

Wow, wow, wow!!! What an amazing week filled with oodles of fun with friends and wonderful women in my world!

The week started off with…The Oscars! I had a strange feeling that this might be my last opportunity to sit at home and watch (party invites, etc.) so I decided to take advantage of it. I had brunch and bottomless mimosas with my best friend, Suzanne Karotkin, who was visiting from Dallas and then came home, slipped on my favorite Jessie Steele cupcake pajamas and settled in for the evening with some Village Pizza and vino.

Super indulgent - Oscars Sunday in pjs with pizza!

On Monday, my amazing Mom celebrated her birthday so I did what I could from afar. I prettily packaged her favorite coconut cupcakes from Joan’s on 3rd, shipped them to her in Dallas and then posted a few collages on Facebook so she knew I was thinking of her on her special day! I have the most beautiful mother in the world and I’m lucky that I get to consider her my very best friend and talk to her usually twice a day.

My beautiful Mom!

Mom - the center of our universe.

I was thrilled to welcome my new intern, Maddi – a student at UCLA, to my BeautyFrosting team! I was so excited that I organized one of my favorite Martha Stewart notebooks for her replete with a nametag. Yep, I’m kind of a nerd! I am so excited for the energy, organization, talents, ideas and creativity she is already bringing to the BF team!

Welcome Maddi!!

I was super excited to get to be one of the first to try the all new Dermalogica UltraSmoothing Eye Serum at their flagship store in Santa Monica. It was a lovely evening of pampering, cocktails & eats and treats! Stay tuned for more details on this awesome new eye treatment!

Experiencing the Dermalogica difference in Santa Monica

And this past weekend was a weekend filled with wonderful women that I adore!! Between dinner at Frida in Beverly Hills, wine & tapas at Covell in Silverlake and brunch at Duplex on 3rd, my weekend was packed with fabulous friends!

A wonderful weekend with some of my favorite women!

Then last night, I had the pleasure of trying out the fabulous Flemings SteakHouse in Beverly Hills. As a Texan-turned-Angeleno, I had been craving a steak like nobody’s business, so when the offer to try out this sensational steakhouse presented itself, I felt like the steak gods were in my corner! More on this deliciousness later!

With fun friends At Fleming's Steakhouse in Beverly Hills

After all this, I need a vacation from my weekend!!!! While there was much delicious food this weekend and even more delicious cups of laughter and dishing than glasses of wine, I am in need of a break from all of the social activity.

However, that won’t be happening this week! Too much going on to even mention!

LOWS

My sweet Mom’s birthday was a little tainted by someone being selfish. That made me a little angry, shall we say, as her #1 biggest fan!

And unfortunately, there was a second low. And ohhhhhh-was it low! My beloved, sweet pup Miss Ellie has developed a barking problem since we moved into the place we live now. It has come to a head because she’s barking for hours on end when I leave. I am meeting with a dog trainer who told me that I need to crate-train and stop letting her sleep with me. That hurt. She’s 8 1/2, y’all. I actually cried when she told me that so the trainer probably thinks I need a therapist myself! But I started doing what she told me to do and I’m hoping to see gradual results soon.

I’m really feeling for all of you parents out there. I mean, if this is hard for me, I can only imagine how difficult saying no as a parent will be for me one day! Wish me luck with this little challenge!

Miss Ellie's new "house" -

xoxo,

BF
BF Asks: What was your High-Low this week?

High-Low 7

Posted on July 23, 2012 by BeautyFrosting

If it seems like I’ve been a little off this week, you’ll have to forgive me!

My family has been in town (from Texas) for the past week, I had a show at Hotel Cafe to prepare for and it has just been a crazy few weeks.

Any of you lovely things feel like that too?

I will say I was thrilled to get 3 emails from readers saying that they now are playing their own versions of my Daily High-Low game with their families each night.

Love that! That’s a high for me, itself! Such a fun way to get the communication going – whether you’re 3 or 103. Try it for yourself with your loved ones!

Here is this week’s High-Low.

HIGHS

1) I was on Cloud 9 with my mom, from Dallas, in town. She drove out with her friend, Ron, and Miss Ellie’s brother Reagan, along with 30 boxes from her garage! Can anyone say Yard Sale next weekend?

The smiles that make my world go 'round: My brother & mom in LA

And with my brother living out here for the summer, it has been a family-filled, lovely summer. I’m gonna hate to see it end.

Brother & me

2) Strawberry Cupcakes with my signature Buttercream Filling for my Hotel Cafe show

BeautyFrosting's Texas Strawberry Cupcakes

I’ll be including the recipe for these cuties on Friday!

3) Being blown away by Blow Angels.

The angels of Blow Angels: Ziggy and Libni

I’ll have the full write-up for this L.A. primping palace on Thursday. Seriously, I was sooooo impressed and left there singing “I Feel Pretty” to myself – which was just what I needed to feel in time for my show on Saturday night.

They gave me Charlie’s Angels winged hair, lashes and the most glamorous makeup application I’ve had in years. And it fits within my budget! My new favorite place!

4) My show at Hotel Cafe! All of my friends and family were there and it was a night to remember. Gosh, I love my band! And I got to invite my friends, Jeremy Little and Tournament of Hearts to play with me. A friend-filled night!

Yours truly at Hotel Cafe

5) Impromptu dance party

I looooove impromptu dance parties and after a stressful week, a post-show midnight dance party, with friends, at The Room was just what the doctor of fun ordered!

: Impromptu midnight dance party at The Room

6) Piggy cupcakes for Hope’s Baby-Q Shower! It was a pig theme and they turned out perfect! More on that fun day later.

Piggy Cupcakes for a pig-themed Baby-Q shower

*I’ll feature the recipe next Friday 8/3.

LOW

There’s only one low. But it’s not just mine to bear. That’s why it feels so trivial to even mention “the highs” this week. It doesn’t get lower than this.

It’s a low I, unfortunately, share with our grieving nation. Like most of you, I cannot stop grieving for the victims of the horrific massacre that happened in Aurora, Colorado on Friday during The Dark Night Rises midnight showing.

It breaks my heart. Not only did people needlessly die but the innocent enjoyment that movie theaters have always provided us has been tarnished forever. This hateful, terrifying incident will forever live in the darkest corner of our subconscious when we see a film in a dark theater with our backs to the door.

I refuse to utter the killer’s name because I don’t want to give him the pleasure of feeling “famous”. He’ll get enough of that thanks to the press.

But I think there’s a special place in hell for a person who murders and maims people and shatters a nation’s innocence forever.

My heart and prayers go out to all of the victims (living and those who passed) and their families and friends as they try to see past the pain and through their tears.

Contrary to what the press says, there is no making sense of this. None at all.

Mailbox Monday: Dear Dawn

Posted on June 25, 2012 by BeautyFrosting

Dear Dawn,

Please tell me where you get the charm necklaces we see you wear on BeautyFrosting. I’m particularly in love with the heart necklace (in a pic I saw), the sideways cross (in a FREEday Friday post) and the cupcake!! I’m thinking they would be the perfect Graduation/Rush gifts! Please share asap. Thank you!

xoxo,

Molly T.

Dear Molly T.,

I’m so flattered you noticed my necklaces.

Have I got a tip for you!! You’re gonna love me for this one, Molly.

And I agree! These are the PERRRFECT gifts for graduation, rush or even just a friend’s birthday. At under $20 (!!!!!), they are friendly to any beauty’s budget!

I found this beautiful and budget-friendly private line of jewelery, Flea Market Girl, at a Schecky’s Girls Night Out in Santa Monica in April. I had an extreeeeemely limited budget but ended up buying 4 necklaces for gifts for under $40. Wowza!! I’d been looking for dainty charm necklaces for a while and they were all too rich for me at over $200. Yikes!

So when I found Flea Market Girl, I was a happy, happy girl!!

For those who may be a little less observant than you, here are a few photos of the charms you’re asking about:

The Sideways Cross Necklace

Flea Market Girl Cross (seen in bottom right picture)

Sideways Small Bronze Cross Necklace from Flea Market Girl ($15)

The Cupcake

Flea Market Girl Cupcake

Gold plated Brass Cupcake Charm Necklace from Flea Market Girl ($7.50)

Heart Necklace

Brass Heart Necklace from Flea Market Girl ($12)

Brass Heart Necklace from Flea Market Girl ($12)

Texas (& other state charms)

Texas Gold-plated Brass Charm from Flea Market Girl ($7.50)

And I got this lovely sideways cross bracelet from FMG too!

Sideways Cross Bracelet from Flea Market Girl ($15)

To get your dainty, stylish jewelry, visit www.FleaMarketGirl.com

Hope that answers all your questions (and more!), Molly T!
Please let me know what fun Flea Market Girl jewelry you end up with!

xoxo,

BF Asks: What jewelry have you been hunting for? Let me know and I’ll keep my expert shopper’s eye out for it!

High-Low 3

Posted on June 17, 2012 by BeautyFrosting

I love summer in Los Angeles!
And this past week was a lovely example of that.

Here is my 3rd weekly installment of High-Low!

HIGHS

1) Spotting peonies in my niehgborhood Ralph’s Market. My floral fave!

Peony power!

2) My big brother, David, arrived in LA last Monday and he’ll be here for the next 6-8 weeks. Yeehaw!

BF's brother, David, a Texan in L.A.

3) My favorite show of all-time, Dallas, had its revamped premiere on TNT last Wednesday. Did I celebrate? You betcha!

Ready for Dallas on TNT!

Making my RanchHouse Beer Queso:

Making RanchHouse Beer Queso

RanchHouse Beer Queso and friends time:

RanchHouse Beer Queso

Jose & David post-Dallas

4) I had the pretty pleasure of being Kerastase’s guest at the Young Hollywood Awards last Wednesday at the Hollywood Athletic Club.

Getting to hang with the lovely Megan of Meg’s Makeup and Kirbie Johnson of BellaSugar made for a super-fun evening!

BF, Kirbie and Megan

And meeting these handsome young gents, Nolan Gould and Rico Rodriguez from ABC’s Modern Family was the cherry on top:

Nolan Gould, BeautyFrosting and Rico Rodriguez at the Young Hollywood Awards

5) A lovely dinner with friends at Vinoteque on Melrose

Dinner & wine with Brother & friends at Vinoteque

Dinner & wine with friends at Vinoteque

LOWS

Coming home after fun times and Vinoteque and becoming violently ill for the whole weekend. The culprit? A grocery store salad at lunch. Ugh.

But wanna know the worst part? David, our friend Jolie and I had been planning on seeing one of my fave musicians, Rhett Miller, in Hermosa Beach on Saturday night. I was so ill I couldn’t go. Boooo. Boooo even more that they said it was the best show he’d ever had. Tear.

Food poisoning and missing Rhett Miller. Yep, that’s about right to get a little bad with such a good week. Luckily, Jolie texted me this picture which did not make me feel better at all:

Rhett Miller in Hermosa Beach

I am on the mend now so no worries! So much so that Brother says he bought us tickets for Rhett’s Monday Troubadour show. Yeehaw, indeed!

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: What was your High-Low this week?

BF QOD: Home is…Robert Frost

Posted on May 17, 2012 by BeautyFrosting

As I board the plane to head back to my hometown of Dallas today, this is what I’m thankful for:

BF QOD: Home is...

“Home is the place where when you have to go there, they have to take you in.”

(Robert Frost)

BF’s BF: Happy.

Posted on April 13, 2012 by BeautyFrosting

I got a voicemail last Friday and it went a little something like this:

“It’s very important you call me. I love you. Bye.”

My best friend, of 23 years, Suzanne was the caller.

OhMyGoodness, OhMyGoodness, OhMyGoodness!
She’s engaged!!!

Gaines popping the question to an unassuming Suz in a field of bluebonnets

I knew it was coming. She met the love of her life almost a year ago and has been blissfully happy.

And that makes me happy.

Suz and I met at the Episcopal School of Dallas when we were in 6th grade.

Suz & Me: ESD Cheerleading days

My mom and Nanny always called us Mutt & Jeff. Some reference to a classic tv show. I don’t know who they are but they called us that because we were polar opposites.

I was a 5’9, brown-haired, brown-eyed, clutzy, makeup-loving, singing social butterfly and entertainer. She was a 5’1 flaxen-haired, petite, blue-eyed, stylish, graceful, spunky fashionista.

I called her Skippy. She called me Evening Shade.

We used to write notes about boys (I’d correct her spelling). We had countless sleepovers (where she helped my fashion-unsavvy self learn about good fashion sense). We were cheerleading tryout partners (I was the base and she was the top, natch). She inspired me to wear wind shorts (note: they didn’t look half as cute on my 5’9 frame as they did on her 5’1 frame). And we shared everything. Oh, and we had spats of course! Good ones! But we always came back to what mattered: being there for each other.

Over the years, we have been there for each other during everything.

As bridesmaids in our friends', Cullen & Allison Dickey's wedding, in Santa Fe

New jobs. Shows. Moves. Successes. Breakups. Deaths. Family Tragedies. Family Drama. New loves. Ah yes, new loves! More on that later.

She visited me in Nashville and Los Angeles. We have worked together on shoots. We have sunned in La Jolla.

Just a couple of girls in La Jolla

And we’d always meet up over the holidays in Dallas to exchange our super thought-out bday gifts for each other (we’re 9 days and 1 sign a part – she a Scorpio and I a Sagittarius). My favorite gifts have been from her.

Car dancing to "Everybody Wants You" in Dallas

And now, after an exciting career in New York and Paris, she had found her Texan man.

Back where it all started.

So I called her back. She was elated. Ecstatic. She told me, “Gaines and I were taking photos in our matching western shirts in a field of bluebonnets. He said there was something wrong with his boot. I had no idea. He knelt down and pulled out a ring. I really just thought something was wrong with his boot!” Always the stylist, that Suz.

I screamed. Naturally. Spoke with that amazing man, Gaines. And couldn’t stop grinning.
Then she sent me these pictures. And every time I look at them, I get the biggest, broadest smile.

Because seeing her so happy makes me SOOO happy!
See for yourself. He literally swept her off her feet.

Suz & Gaines - She said YES!!

So today’s BF QOD is dedicated to Gaines and Suz.

I can’t wait to share yet another milestone with my BF.

Love you guys!

xoxo,

BF Asks: Who is your BF? How did you meet?