Slider Archives - Unicorns in my Coffee

November 17, 2019 by Tami Leave a Comment

Long Time, No See

It has been at least a year since I have even looked at my blog, let alone posted on it. Some things have been going on and now that life is settling down a bit, I am ready to get back to sharing with you all. The like 5 of you left who might see this 😉

In the last few years I have graduated one child, and another will graduate this coming spring. I have divorced, moved into my own place (with Penny and the kids) and really stayed exploring who I am and who I want to be.

My new house is super tiny, but also super cute. I have made it home in a few short months and I am excited to be there for a bit! Right now I am renting, but I might buy again some day. I also kind of like just texting the landlord when something breaks instead of me fixing it.

We will talk more about fashion, and knitting, and I am sure divorce. I have lots of thoughts about relationships and divorce and such right now so I am sure that will come up in my writing.

I still bullet journal, and love drawing on my iPad instead of real paper. I

I am ready to get back to blogging in a serious manner, once upon a time I had a blog for knitting that I loved and I loved writing, now I can do that again with a renewed focus.

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April 7, 2018 by Tami Leave a Comment

Loft Plus Size Jacket

One of the amazing things about the intersectionality of the feminist movement including body positivity is the increase in designers making clothing for every body. I am so excited every time a new Facebook or Instagram ad pops up in my feed with a brand name designer offering a new plus size line. I am even more excited when I love what they are selling and even more excited with the sizing actually fits my body correctly!! What! So, I am crazy crazy excited about Loft’s new Plus Size Line. And I really like the free shipping and returns on their plus size clothing. Let’s talk about the piece I got and what else I am excited to try from the Loft Plus Size clothing line!!

I have some hard love for green military jackets… I might own a few;) And I love other colors too, but the olive green of the original really adds some hardness to my outfit that makes me happy. I love the blending of feminine and masculine styles in a way that looks amazing on a curvy body. You can see this in the way I dress and the way I decorate my house. I love mixing styles and concepts and looks and all those things. I think I am a mixer of everything… I do this with food and my teaching style and so on. Anyway, back to the Loft Plus Size Clothing.

Since Loft is new to plus size clothing, I started with one piece. A piece I was 99% sure I would love — a military style jacket. But it has this lovely feminine flair in the peplum and some other details. And boy, do I love this jacket… I love how it fits, I love how it goes with EVERYTHING. I love how it washes. I love how to buttons, but there is not too much fabric to leave it open. I love all the things about it.

I purchased a size 22 of the jacket — I can wear anywhere from a 20-24 depending on whatever the companies sizing is. I really should measure my body for the best fit, but I like to live dangerously and know that my chest is about 51in… their sizing chart listed 20/22 and 22 as the size that fit the 51″ bust so I ran with it. It is nice to know that the 2x/22 sizing I know is generally the size I wear is the best size for Loft according to their sizing chart. I was incredibly surprised at how well the jacket fit. Honestly I expected Loft to really mess up the plus size sizing… Some plus size stores who have been in business for years have no idea what they are doing with a plus size body (we all do not get wider shoulders and longer legs as our sizes go up FYI clothing manufacturers). But, they did an amazing job! This jacket fits me perfectly! I love everything about it and I think you will too!

What else do they have that I am intrigued by? Well, lots of things actually! They have their spring line and just launched their summer stuff. Here are my top 5 things I plan on grabbing for summer from the Loft Plus Size Line!

1. This Loft Flutter Sleeve Top!
Doesn’t this look delicious for summer?? Light and airy. I would pair this with jean shorts, or maybe some cute printed capris!

2. This Loft Eyelet Flounce Dress
I love this dress for the fun flounce on the bottom, the eyelet detail and the color! It also comes in Navy, but the red speaks to me! It could easily be dressed up for work with a black blazer and then remove the blazer for some fun after work drinks!

3. These Loft Tie Cuff Skinny Crops!

I am loving the crop jean craze happening right now! And these tie cuffs are so super fun. And who doesn’t need some black jeans??

4. This Loft Ruffle Collar Bomber Jacket

Yeah… this would look so cute with all of my black and update it for spring and summer! I also love how they paired with with a white tee and jean shorts! And ruffles are obviously my weakness… unless they are on my chest, then no.

5. Finally, These Loft Plus Size Bermuda Roll Shorts

These come in 4 different colors — but I would grab this grey color… and they would look super cute with that bomber jacket too.. or the flutter sleeve top… or just about anything already in my closet!

I hope you enjoyed this Loft Round up — head on over to my Pinterest of course to see more of my style!!!

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February 22, 2018 by Tami Leave a Comment

January 2018 Plus Size Stitch Fix

So… I filmed this 2 months ago and posted it on You Tube, but I forgot to bring it over here to the blog. I am still loving my Stitch Fix boxes… maybe a little too much! The January 2018 Plus Size Stitch Fix did not disappoint! I found some amazing outfits and added a few great pieces to my closet. Have you tried Stitch Fix yet?? If not, check out my link for a free styling fee!!

At the end of the video I show you what I kept, how everything looks on and how much it all cost! Thank you for watching, and make sure to subscribe to my You Tube Channel to know when I post the video of the Stitch Fix I just received!!

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January 7, 2018 by Tami Leave a Comment

2018 Bullet Journal Walk Through

I did a video walk through of my 2018 Bullet Journal System!! Come check it out!! I am super excited to share my Bullet Journal walk through video with you!! I will be posting more videos of my bullet journal and some fun fashion videos too!! If you head on over to my YouTube Channel you can find my most recent Stitch Fix unboxing!!

If you liked this video, subscribe to my YouTube Channel!!

Find out more about my favorite Bullet Journal Supplies!

Check out the amazing Levenger Disc Bound Punch!

Come Join my Bullet Journal Group!!

And Finally;)

Thank you so much for watching and joining me on my 2018 Bullet Journal Journey!!

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December 28, 2017 by Tami Leave a Comment

OOTD: eShakti Wrap Dress

It has been awhile since I talked fashion. Leaving LuLaRoe threw me for a loop and I wasn’t sure what to talk about. So I focused on bullet journals and unicorns… Anyway. It is time to get back on the fashion train!! And what better dress to do it with than this fabulous eShakti Wrap Dress!! I love this dress so much, and I love even more that I found it at a plus size consignment shop!!

I wore the eShakti Wrap Dress with plum purple leggings and some snow boots… Because winter: / I love these snow boots! They keep my feet warm and look kind of stylish. Can snow boots be stylish? Or is that the cabin fever setting in???

Wrap dresses tend to look fabulous on my apple shaped body! They highlight the boobs and give me some waist shaping that most things don’t give me;) I loved the elbow length sleeves of this dress and the v-neck!! And my husband loved the v-neck too;) I am now sold on ordering all of my clothing from eShakti… it fits so fabulously, and I would love to do some of the adjustments they offer on sizing to make it perfect!

I added a little floral headband that matched my leggings perfectly!! Funny story about this headband… my poor son has been going to white elephant gift exchanges this year and EVERY one he ends up with a feminine gift. The first was fuzzy socks, a bath bomb and pretty candle. Being the person he is, he used every one of those items and said he actually really likes fuzzy socks (who doesn’t??). The second gift was this headband and a bracelet, he gave me the headband since it is my colors after all and I don’t think he wanted to wear it at all!

Why was I all dressed up in the snow you ask… well… because I needed to get his adorable shot of my family! Aren’t they the cutest??? Maybe I will get some Happy Winter cards out this year…we all know the Christmas Cards didn’t happen!

And, last, but not least — a little shout out to my favorite local consignment shot for plus size ladies — Curvy Girl Kates!! She has all my old clothing and so much more that is amazing too! This fabulous dress was a total bargain there for $10! Yep… $10 for the fabulous black staple piece now in my wardrobe. The store not only has amazing clothing at fabulous pricing, it is a body positive space to shop! She also hosts the Boise Rad Fat Collective Book Club, which I will get to some day!

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December 27, 2017 by Tami Leave a Comment

Germs and Unicorns

Have you ever spent a holiday sick? Well, a lot of people I know spent Christmas a little, or a lot, under the weather. I have been battling a cold, and totally lost my voice for several days much to the delight of my children, but I am getting better! What does this have to do with Unicorns you might ask… Well, germs and unicorns do go together, I think! Unicorns can brighten up any day — sick day or not — and I found a few fun things to help with the sick days!!

First up we have this amazing Unicorn Diffuser… that shoots the mist out of the horn of the unicorn. You read right. The mist from the diffused oils to help make you feel better shoots out of the Unicorn horn. That would have been much more enjoyable to look at than my boring diffuser when I was standing over it breathing in the mist of pepermint oil to help open up my lungs today!! So, it will make you smile, and help you feel better!

The other thing I do when I have a cold is drink hot toddies… lots of them. Hot toddies are tea, honey, lemon and whiskey. I drink them at night before bed. The honey and lemon help soothe the throat, the steam from the tea helps clear your nose up and the whiskey helps you sleep… and relaxes your muscles so maybe you don’t cough as much? I don’t know. I am not a Doctor. These are just things that work for me. So, please don’t take this as medical advice!! Anyway — these hot toddies are already pretty enjoyable, but they would be EVEN BETTER with this Unicorn Tea Set. WHAT?!?!?!?! Yes, a Unicorn Tea Set to match my new Unicorn Diffuser. It’s a good thing I have Christmas money to spend.

And finally… There is a matching Ramen Bowl. WHAT??? How did they know I need a Unicorn Ramen Bowl to hold my ramen, which always makes me feel better when I am sick. Not the 19 cent ramen from the store. Good ramen, with a miso soup base and lots of things in it like mushrooms, and eggs and spicy things. The good ramen. Which, I pin over on Pinterest… so come find me over there. And now the good ramen can go in my Unicorn Ramen Bowl and work with the Unicorn Diffuser and the Unicorn Tea Set to help me feel better.

I am hoping you spent your holidays healthy, but if not, hopefully these Unicorns can help you beat the crud! I am sure they will help me once they arrive!! Come check me out over on Instagram to find out!!

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December 20, 2017 by Tami Leave a Comment

Pinterest Tips and Tricks!!

Hey guys!! Did you know that I LOOOOOVVVVEEE Pinterest?? Like, 11,000 pins love Pinterest. I remember waiting to receive my invite when it first launched and hoping that I would like it! And boy, do I ever!! And I used it for YEARS as a user, but then I started a business, and a blog and I had to learn how to use it as a business user! I went through a BUNCH of trial and error and learned lots of cool things through that trial and error and a training or two. Let’s talk about those Pinterest Tips and Tricks I have for you!

Before we get started — come join me over on Pinterest! I pin all the fun things like fashion, bullet journals, coffee meme’s and unicorn things!!

Ok, you have followed me and are getting some amazing content! Let’s get into the nitty gritty of some Pinterest Tips and Tricks!

Pinnable images!

Yes, pinnable is a word… I say so even though my editing app says no. Moving on.. Pinterest users love LONG images! I really have not looked into why — maybe it is because they look better in the feed?? I am not sure! But, I use 735 x 1104 pixels. Those images can junk up your blog post, so I learned how to hide them! When you put the image into your blog post put <div style=”display:none;”> before the image code… then after put </div>. So, now I have one image at the top of my blog post and a few more hidden in the post for people to choose from when they pin! You can check out this post and pin it to see the hidden images!!

Board Covers

Did you know you can pick a pin to be a board cover??? On my boards I have board covers that show what you can find in the board! Pinterest recently changed how this works so you have to do it a specific way to make sure they show up correctly and not zoomed in or all wonky!

I use a 1080×1080 pixel size image for my board covers, then you pin in by uploading it. Then, from your front page where you can see all your boards – hover over the board, click on the “pencil” in the lower right hand corner and change the cover photo. If you do this anywhere else the image gets all messed up… I don’t know why. Pinterest has a lot of secret ways I can’t even begin to crack!

Where did the Re-Pins go??

If you are like me, you track your pins to see how they are doing and who is re-pinning what and where it is getting re-pinned from and to and everything you need to know to be more effective for your business on Pinterest. And then, the repin counter disappeared from the pins!!! WHAT?!?!?!? Where did it go?? Well, if you have a business account on Pinterest, you can see the analytics for each of the pins YOU pin. So, click on the pin and click the bar graph and you see something like this! I found this last night (I WAS SO EXCITED I HAD TO TELL YOU RIGHT AWAY) and you had to click to see anything. The this morning my pins changed again and I can see more directly on the pin. Now hovering over the pin I can click the bar graph and see the analytics and without hovering I can see the total engagements on a pin. This is not your total repin number. It is the total engagements and you can only see it after it has been on Pinterest for at least 36 hours. What are engagements on Pinterest?? Well, they include re-pins, clicks and the number of times people click through to the website!

Tools that Help with Pinterest

Pinning for business can be a full time job! You have to be re-pinning and looping and doing all sorts of crazy things with your pins. But, There are quite a few tools I use to make it all easier!!

First, I use Tailwind to get my pins scheduled and going out on a consistent basis! Gotta keep your Pinterest presence fresh! There are free to paid plans, so you can pick what works the best for you! Tailwind has the added bonus of Tribes where you can get your pins in front of new people that can pin them and some additional analytics you can’t get through Pinterest!

Then, I use BoardBooster to help with the looping! It brings old pins from my website to the front of my boards for more top of mind awareness and to get those pins in front of new eyes that might not have seen them the first time!

Then, if you use CinchShare for your Instagram & Facebook, which really you should if you aren’t yet, you can look at your history and pin those posts to Pinterest! This is a great way to get new posts in front of more people. You NEVER KNOW what people will respond to the most, in fact, my most pinned pin is one I made quickly when I first started making graphics for my business and it has been re-pinned SO MANY TIMES and I think it is a horrible graphic!

Grab some of those tools — they all offer a free trial, and I cannot do any of it without them!!

Pinterest Training

Finally, I cannot recommend the Pinterest Training from The Socialite Suite enough! It is was initially got me to move my Pinterest account to a business account and learning about all sorts of things like how to pin to gain followers and funnel them to my sales portal… now with #hashtags!!!

Well… There you go! Tips and Tricks for Pinterest with some bonus apps and trainings I have loved through my Pinterest journey! Remeber to go find me over on Pinterest!! I do follow back:)

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December 19, 2017 by Tami 1 Comment

Bullet Journal Paper

Well… it is time to talk Paper. Specifically, paper for your Bullet Journal. Do you sit looking at all of the options for your bullet journal and get totally OVERWHELMED?? A lot of people do! Let’s break it down a little bit and look at some of the paper options! So, let’s dig into Bullet Journal Paper!!

First, you have to decide what binding option you are going with. There are really two options — spiral bound or book bound. People who prefer a flat book need to go spiral bound (which are more difficult to find) and everyone else can just jump on the book bound bandwagon. The secret third option is disc bound — you cannot find disc bound BuJo’s, but you can put together one with some parts and a punch! But, that is a post for another time!

Once you pick your binding option you can decide what the paper print you want is. The most common choice is dot grid. The dot grid gives you some guides for drawing in your bullet journal without being too obtrusive. You can also go the full

grid route, or blank paper.

Have you made a few choices?? Or are you still trying to decide? While you think on it, let’s talk the weight of the paper! This is the MOST important to me and many other people. I prefer a heavy weight paper in my bullet journal to avoid pen ink bleeding. Even the pens that say they don’t bleed will bleed through thin paper! (We talked pens last week — check it out!)

Paper is kind of sorted by weight. The most common way you will see paper in bullet journals marked is with GSM, or the “Grams per Square Meter.” The higher the GSM, the heavier the paper. Usually the more expensive bullet journals will have a heavier weight paper — but not always, so it is important to read the description if the weight of the paper matters to you! You might also see weight mentioned in lb. This is different that GSM. For example a 60gsm paper is around 16lb. But, a 60lb paper is around 89gsm.

First up we have the bullet journals many people in our group buy. These bullet journals are 60lb, or around 89gsm and do have quite a bit of bleeding with sharpies and a lot of show through with other “non-bleeding” pens. These are great as a beginner’s bullet journal, at only $9 it is not that expensive if you mess up, decide it is not for you and so on!

Next up is the Moleskine books — these have a lighter weight paper, but they cost more than the Get Shit Done books! At 70lbs/47gsm there is more bleeding with the Moleskine than the above book! Which I will say was honestly surprising to me when I figured this out… I have always loved Moleskine books — I had just never used them with “markers” until I started dabbling in BuJo.

Ok, another popular bullet journal book is Leuchtturm1917. The Leuchtturm1917 is 80 gsm/55lb, so right around the top journal and they are super nice! When you look around the bullet journal community, many people use the Leuchtturm (I have not tried one yet).

My new personal favorite are the Rhodia books! They have a 90gsm/61lbs, so the highest so far! I love how little the ink shows through on them and they come in notepads too — which I take apart to use in a disc bound bullet journal!

We keep going up and up in the GSM. This blackwing book is 100gsm/68lbs. The paper in this will be NICE and probably not bleed at all, no matter what you use I think!

And finally we have this gorgeous Nuuna Voyager book… which is on it’s way to my house right this minute. The 120gsm/81lb paper sounds like it would be a dream to write on. And the soft cover. I have dreams about notebooks like this. I will probably dream about it tonight knowing it will soon be in my hands. So pretty.

Well… that is all I have for the blog today. But, if you want to see all of this paper in action — come on over to my group! We are talking pen bleed and I will be going live to show you how much certain papers bleed when used with a sharpie and some other pens!

Do you have more questions on bullet journal supplies?? Check out the handy bullet journal toolbox!!

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December 18, 2017 by Tami Leave a Comment

Last Minute Gifts for the Unicorn Lover

Amazon Prime was made for the last minute shopper who hates the mall! Right now, you can still get some items on Amazon through Amazon Prime Shipping. Don’t have prime yet?? You can Try Amazon Prime with a 30-Day Free Trial Here!! So, we are going to have a short series on the Last Minute Holiday Gifts! I will be telling you all the things I would love to receive;) So, the first one up is Last Minute Gifts for the Unicorn Lover in your life. Me… or someone else you might know who loves unicorns!!

Do you have a friend who loves a little silly with her Unicorn?? Well, the Unicorn Squirrel Feeder is for her!

Not only is this gift functional, it is fun! A Unicorn Power Bank for those days when chasing dreams take a little more of your battery power!

Does your Unicorn Friend LOVE makeup?? Well, I am sure they need a set of these makeup brushes!!

Is she crafty?? Well… you can’t beat this adorable paint your own unicorn!!

Does she love jewlery? Or do you love to give her jewlery? Well… This necklace is amazing! I would love it:)

I did actually receive this coloring book in a secret santa exchange and I LOVE IT!!! Such a fun way to express my unicorn love!

I also received this scary unicorn for my birthday! Still one of my most favorite gifts!!!

THIS is what I REALLY WANT. A friend sent me this a few days ago and I am buying this… Every Unicorns lover NEEDS this light…

And, if that is too big… they make a little one too;)

All of these gifts (at the time of publish) will get to you by Christmas with an Amazon Prime membership… and now is a great time to join with an Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial!!!

I hope you enjoyed this little Unicorn Gifts Round Up! I know I had fun making it. Stay tuned this week for more round ups… like gifts for Coffee Lovers, Pen & Paper Collectors and more!

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December 15, 2017 by Tami 1 Comment

Pens for your Bullet Journal

This week in our Bullet Journal group we have been talking a bit about pens! Which, we all know we love pens and that I might have a pen problem! The good thing about my pen problem is that I can try out tons, see how they all work and let you know if something is amazing or something sucks!! So, let’s talk a bit about pens for your bullet journal and see where it leads us!

We are going to start with these pens, they are fun and most are pretty good depending on your level of tolerance for bleeding and such! From Left to right we have a Fine Point Sharpie, a dual tip Brush Pen, a Zebra Midliner, a Staedtler Fineliner, a Crayloa Dual Tip Pen — they call it a “super tip” and, a regular purple sharpie.

Tell me about the pen bleed!

The Sharpies bleed the most, so if you want to use sharpies as your pen options for your planner or bullet journal, you will want to make sure you have the VERY heavy weight paper! The Brush tips bleed to most after the sharpies and the Zebra Midliners and Staedtler Finliners bleed the least.

What do you use all of these pens for??

Well, the fine point pens, like the ultra fine point sharpie and Staedtler Fineliner are for writing and detail work. When you see those cute little icon drawings in Bullet Journals, they probably used a fine line pen to make it!

The Zebra Midliners are great for highlighting on thin pages and for drawing light designs, I love them for color coordinating schedules!!!

The brush tip and super tip pens are awesome for Hand Lettering and Calligraphy. I seem to prefer the firmer tips on the brush pens. The softer tips I push too much on and they get really weak really quickly!

What do I use??

So, it comes down to what I think is the most important pens to have for your bullet journal — Staedtler Fineliners, Zebra Midliners and some good brush pens! That is all:) If you have thicker paper — stick with the sharpies! They are still some of my most favorite pens.

Coming Up

Stay tuned for review posts on pens I have been trying out! Some of the pens out there are amazing and easy to work with, making it easier to do the hand lettering, and some of them make you just want to give up!

Next week we will be talking paper and looking more at what pens bleed through what paper and what to look for to find the right pen and paper for your needs! Come over and join us in our awesome group!!!

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Long Time, No See

Like this:

Loft Plus Size Jacket

Like this:

January 2018 Plus Size Stitch Fix

Like this:

2018 Bullet Journal Walk Through

Like this:

OOTD: eShakti Wrap Dress

Like this:

Germs and Unicorns

Like this: