Sustainable Holiday Gift Ideas Featuring Woolly Clothing

I received pieces from Woolly clothing in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. I may collect a share of sales from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them.

           As a fan of comfortable garments, I was delighted to receive sustainable active wear  from Woolly Clothing. All of their products are made from 100% Australian Merino wool. The wool is recyclable and it comes from 100 years of sustainable farming in Australia. Typically, I do not like wearing wool fabrics because they are itchy and stiff. However,  I found these wool pieces from Woolly clothing to be very soft and breathable.  Also, I recommend these items  for outdoor activities, when it might be a bit chilly. I paired the black cropped tank top with the pro-knit skort in stone to shop at an outdoor winter market. I think you could also go to a farmer's market or walk along the beach when it is windy in this outfit.

https://twitter.com/harryworewhat/status/547262946251120640?lang=en

         One of my hobbies is repurposing clothes in my free time and recreating Harry Style's outfits. Since I was planning on going to Harry's Pleasing holiday popup in LA, I thought it would be fun to style and decorate an old shirt of my mom's. My goal was to make it look similar to the reclaimed Christmas Tree sweatshirt Harry Styles wore on the Jimmy Fallon Tonight Show. I painted baubles from old costume jewelry I had made and added a scrap of elastic. I had plenty of left over rhinestones from bedazzling an Elton John Dodger's shirt so, this was surprisingly only my second  time using a hot tool. I own all of the nail polish's. I wore the shade Harry's Chair, from the Hot Holiday collection. This was the only Harry Styles pop up that I did not go to, as it was super hot out. These polishes are also extremely sustainable.  For example, the beautiful caps are partially made from recycled materials.

          The Woolly clothing pro-knit cropped  hoodie in stone and the marigold joggers were a perfect sustainable outfit to match the renewable theme of Your (Un)natural Garden exhibit at the Descanso Gardens. Adam Schwerner's pieces can be categorized in the style of art known as Found Object.  The Big Arch is the name of the sculpture that is seen in the photo I am modeling the Woolly clothing hoodie and joggers. The entire exhibit had similar tree like structures. They are comprised  entirely of reclaimed wood from a recycling center, that would have become mulch if the artist had not used it to create these sculptures. However, he mentions that  they will recycle these particular pieces when the art is no longer on display. I was able to take a long walk around the huge hilled garden space and not feel overheated from wearing my Woolly clothing. Thus,  I definitely will wear these on another a long walk or hike.

Shirt: ALNK.TO/2UDGHRV

Skort: http://ALNK.TO/9BQTYVV

Hoodie: https://alnk.to/caZnMT8

Joggers: https://alnk.to/goXzksp

If you still need a last minute present then shop Woolly's 20% holiday sale or get a gift cards: https://alnk.to/1C3XpPv

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The Wok Way to Quick & Easy Stir Frying Using a Gold Dragon Wok

I was gifted some of these items, in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. I may collect a share of sales from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them.

                One of my favorite types of foods are vegetable stir fried dishes. I am especially fond of home cooked Asian meals, that remind me of my mom's family dishes. Her Chinese grandpa taught her how to cook and stir fry with chicken,  shrimp and  lots of veggies. She adapted to my vegetarian diet. My mom handed down grandpa's veggie adapted recipe to me and taught me how to properly use and care for a wok. So, I was very happy to try out the Gold Dragon Wok.

                I like that so much is included in this cooking set to make using the wok really accessible. The box contains a wooden lid, the wok itself, a spatula, and a recipe book. I thought it would be fun to try out the Buffet green bean recipe. I also added a special ingredient to make it my own style. At first I thought to add tofu, but I found the Yasai Tempura Yamasa fishcake at the local Asian Market. I thought that it would give it a nice additional flavor, unlike tofu since it would take on the flavor of the dish itself. The only time I will eat fish is in cake form, and this is my favorite version.

                First I prepared all the ingredients. I  washed the green beans, then I dried them thoroughly using a paper towel to absorb the excess water. Otherwise the wetness makes the hot oil splash. I used a KitchenAid Food Chopper to mince the garlic cloves, and sliced the fish cake into 1/4 inch wide segments.

                I placed my Gold Dragon Wok on the front burner and turned on the heat to high on my gas stove. I added the sesame oil.  Holding the handle, I gently spread the oil around the pan coating the bottom and 1/2 way up the sides. I used a trick my mom taught me to determine if the oil is hot enough. You sprinkle a teaspoon of water in the pan and if it sizzles, then that means it is hot and ready to add the ingredients. The garlic was included first until browned. Next, I added the green beans and stir fried it using my own cooking utensil called a skimmer for 5 minutes, since that is what I am used to using to stir-fry. I added all the sauce ingredients sugar, soy and oyster sauces. Then, I quickly stirred and coated the beans with the sauce. After that, I then placed the fish cakes inside the wok. They take very little time to heat up, as they are precooked. Again I quickly stirred and coated the fishcake and green bean mixture with sauce. Lastly,  the wooden lid was used to steam the beans to be a bit softer of a texture, yet still slightly crisp. It also helped to lock in the flavor of the sauces, making my buffet green bean dish delicious. I served the dish over rice, in individual bowls, for a healthy meal for mom and I.

                Clean up of the wok and wooden lid was pretty easy following the detailed washing and care instructions. Overall, I found the Gold Dragon wok to be a great product and an asset to making my meal preparation swift and simple. It heats up quickly and takes just a few minutes to stir fry. The wooden lid is lightweight, but it really does a great job of keeping the steam from escaping the wok. Thus, the vegetables can soften to your liking. I would be happy to serve this dish to family and friends as a main dish over rice or as a side dish at a holiday buffet style dinner party. Order now to get a set as a gift in time for the holidays.

                        Buffet Green Bean Recipe

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Serving Size: 6

Ingredients:

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 sliced garlic cloves (I used the KitchenAid food chopper)

1 lb fresh green beans

2 tbs soy sauce (I just used a packet)

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp oyster sauce

Instructions

1. Heat oil. Add garlic & cook until there are brown edges

2. Stir green beans for 5 minutes

3. Add sugar, soy & sauces until beans are tender. (I used the wooden top to steam them with some added water)

KitchenAid Food Chopper: https://amzn.to/3uCpc4s

GoldDragon Wok: https://amzn.to/3FdvA72

Additionally, I am wearing my own design. The Queenie4ever kids blue panda cupcake ice cream that was exclusive to CheatDayLand in LA. There are still a few left in stock, so if you are interested in purchasing one of these t-shirts please send us an e-mail at info@queenie4ever.com for pricing and size information.

 

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RIPT APPAREL T-SHIRTS PART 3

Disclosure: I received clothing from Ript Apparel in order to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own. I may collect a share of sales from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them.

            As a Ript Apparel Ambassador, graphic t-shirts and hoodies are one of my favorite go to clothing items to style my outfits around. That's why I love the wide variety of creative designs that Ript Apparel Offers. I have been having a lot of fun picking from Ript Apparels' recent offerings, so I can dress up to match the theme of where I'm going. I chose the following three pieces to use as a base to build cute outfits around food and films.

                                                                       alnk.to/fawN5xY

            The first item I am featuring is the Harry Potter Magical places t-shirt in Kelly green. I wore it to watch an advanced screening of Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore in IMAX, held in a Regal Theatre. Since it is a super long movie with a running time of 2 hours and 23 minutes, I knew that I wanted to wear a more comfortable version of my Hogwart's school uniform. Thus, it was great to just switch out my usual button up shirt to this much softer Harry Potter themed T-shirt. I like that the design displays many different areas of Hogwarts. I chose green because I identify as Slytherin. It surprised me that the shirt became a green screen at the theatre's photo booth.  

https://alnk.to/fHmuu07

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            The Huggable red panda hoodie in Black from the Ript Apparel Daily deal section is the second item that I am showcasing. Since I enjoyed watching the Turning Red movie, I thought it would be fun to order a Red Panda Mei themed donut from California Donuts, who offered it to celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage Month. I really liked the character Mei's style so much that I decided to put a Mei themed outfit together using the hoodie. I even wore a red wig to truly get the full look. I had it on to pick up the donut. Of course, I thought it would be nice to do a little photo shoot in front of the donut shop, holding the themed donut as it looked cute with my new hoodie. What I liked most about this hoodie is that it creatively has references to the Turning Red movie.

                                                                      alnk.to/7flak0M

            The Coffee cat t-shirt in heavy metal is the final item I am featuring today. On the weekends, my parents and I sometimes go see a matinee film and then pick an interesting place to eat lunch afterwards. This time we watched a prequel to one of my favorite anime, called Fruits Baskets: Prelude. The shirt design features cats that are made out of coffee. Since the Fruits Basket character Kyo is the zodiac sign of the cat, I thought I would dress up to match a cat theme. I accessorized my outfit with cat ears. Next, I decided it would be a tasty treat, to incorporate the t-shirt's coffee theme in my lunch choice.  Hence, I decided to order a decadent crepe and gelato that were all coffee flavored. I had a blast wardrobe styling all three items. Stay tuned for another batch of Ript Apparel Clothing items!

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Ript Apparel T-shirts Part 2

Disclosure: I received clothing from Ript Apparel in order to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own. I may collect a share of sales from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them.

     As a Ript Apparel Ambassador, I have been having fun dressing up in some of their new styles. Recently, I have been visiting various places while wearing the Ript Apparel clothing item that matches the theme. Since my favorite color is blue, I chose these three blue garments to show examples of how I style my outfits around my favorite color, while still sticking to the immersive theme of the locations I visited.

https://alnk.to/gzQzec7

     The first item is the Squid Boy Hoodie in navy. I wanted to mimic the environment of the playground setting from the first Squid Game episode. So, I stopped by a local park dressed up like YoungHee. This hoodie was part of the Ript Apparel daily deals section. Note that the daily deal section offers three graphics for a limited time of 24 hours.

          alnk.to/h6Av4Jz

     The Future Needs You Women's premium shirt in Cancun color is the second item I am featuring. I love this graphic for a number of reasons. Prior to receiving it, I had attended a Netflix event where I got to sit in on a panel of speakers who worked on the episode. They explained how they created a bespoke tool called Branch Manager. I found it pretty interesting that this tool was used to aid in the successful production of this particular episode. When I received it, I was preparing to go on an adventure to pick up my new guinea pig Hikaru. While searching online for a place to stay overnight, I noticed the hotel's decor that I booked tied in with the Black Mirror: Bandersnatch episode because it reminded me of the tone of the show. Since the episode is set inside a video game production office in 1984, I thought it would make a great backdrop for a photo op of me modeling the shirt to appear as if I was enveloped by the muted colors of an office in the 80s.To further immerse myself in creating a similar mood inspired by the episode, I tried to dress with a homage to Stefan's outfit that he wore to his first day of work.

alnk.to/1XRxWkT

     Snoophi! in women's premium in Tahiti blue is the final item I am featuring today. In the Snoopy of the Peanuts Comics  meet and greet area at Knott's Berry Farm there is Snoopy's oversized doghouse that I thought would be a great photo backdrop. Since I enjoy spending time at Knotts Berry Farm, I thought it would be a great place to do a fun Snoopy immersive photo shoot. To prepare for this themed photo op, I tried to dress a bit similar to Phineas from Phineas and Ferb, including wearing a tiny orange bow in one of my space buns to match his orange hair. I like this hairstyle for when I am at a theme park, so I don't have to worry about my hair getting caught on something. It's also a wonderful way to show off the cute graphics on my Ript Apparel shirts!

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Easy Room Refresh

 I was gifted some of these items in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. I may collect a share of sales from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them.

          One of the easiest ways to transform a bedroom into a stylish retreat is to simply change the sheets. I thought it would be fun to upgrade my bedding for the New Year. The Tafts' Silk pillowcase is certainly a great way to give my bedroom an upscale look. Mixing in a mulberry silk pillowcase with my usual cotton pillowcases makes my bed feel quite luxurious. I chose the Misty rose pink shade because I wanted a pretty color to match the regal fairytale design of my custom robin's egg blue hued headboard, which has a crown emblem on it. So why not make my bedding fit for a Princess as well. What I like most about the Tafts' pillowcase is that its' sleek and smooth fabric protects my hair from getting knotted or from being pulled out. Also, the silk naturally regulates the temperature. So far, it has been keeping me cool.

          Since I upgraded my pillowcase, I felt like it would be fun to add a new sheet set. The Wild Sage's Purple leopard sheets coordinates perfectly with my new pink pillowcase to create a fun boho princess style. I really like the pattern of these sheets as well as the color, for I have never seen a pastel purple leopard print before. So, It really caught my creative eye. And, it gave me an idea of how to make my room look unique.

          New pajamas are a must to make me feel cozy and comfy lounging in my new bed sheets. I really like the fit and print of Culayii's Long-blue dot pajama set. Now that my bedroom makeover is complete, I am looking forward to a really good dream to start off the new year relaxed and refreshed.

Pillowcase:  https://amzn.to/3FCpts7

Pjs: https://amzn.to/3FxdHz3

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