Sharma Designs

I've Moved!

2006-08-30T23:05:00.000-07:00

..blog addresses that is.

My new blog is at www.sharmadesigns.typepad.com

Please update your links and subscriptions!

A-ha the Assymetrical Necklace is Getting Lots of Press!

2006-08-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

I get a lot of mixed reactions with my assymetrical necklaces. Most of the necklaces I have made for myself lately have been assymetrical and when people stop to admire I either get an "Ooooohhh!" or a "Well, that's interesting (as they squint their eyes and kinda tilt their head)".

As I have said before, my sister groans and rolls her eyes when she sees the assymetrical ones (She needs things to be neat and tidy) and even my husband has given me an "Another assymetrical one?".

That's okay though because there is apparently people like me who appreciate things that are a little different. I just found out that I was a Daily Pick at AZ Central. What did they feature?

An assymetrical necklace.

Posted in Celebrate_

My Latest Custom Bridal Jewelry Project

2006-08-28T22:25:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned yesterday, I am working on some wedding jewelry for a friend of mine. Actually she is my favorite hair stylist. Definitely someone you want to please. I want my hair looking fabulous right?

When I start a custom bridal jewelry project I like to meet with the person if all possible. I really like to get a feel of what they are envisioning so that I can create the perfect jewelry for them. The fewer times I have to revise something - the better for both of us.

This wedding is going to have a vintage feel to it. I got involved when my friend was..suprise suprise..doing my hair and was complaining that she couldn't find exactly what she was looking for. It always feels like you see something in every store..until you actually need it right?

At first it was just going to be the bridesmaids I was making jewelry for. She wasn't sure whether or not she wanted earrings or a necklace for the dress.

After talking it over, we decided to just do earrings. She wanted to use dark metal and I felt that with the silver of the flower brooch, a dark necklace wouldn't look right (although the company that makes the dress obviously disagrees). We chose to do earrings. She basically told me that she trusted me and to do whatever I thought would look good. This is what I came up with.

The girls are wearing their hair up and I think the earrings will look great. They have a vintage feel to them without being totally unwearable for everyday.

She also asked me to make her earrings. She told me to think "Beyonce" That cracked me up. One thing I love about doing custom projects is that I get to make different styles of jewelry. I have my own style for the jewelry for my site. Obviously I can make other styles but I don't want my jewelry to be all over the place design-wise. So when I get a project like this where I get an opportunity to make "Diva" jewelry I love it.

Her dress is strapless and has a lot of sparkly beading all over it. It's gorgeous. In this situation there really is no choice besides the obvious...swarovski crystals. The pictures really don't do them justice as they sparkle like CRAZY. They look like mini chandeliers. I almost want a pair for myself. I have no idea where I would wear them (besides around the house..admiring them in every mirror)

See that the bridesmaid's jewelry complements the bride's jewelry without competing with it. Really? How do you compete with those?

The bride hasn't seen them yet. I hope she is as pleased with them as I am. I really think they will look gorgeous with her dress.

Posted in Custom Projects_

New Pendants to Play With

2006-08-28T00:12:00.000-07:00

Last week I had to slow the production at Sharma Designs a bit in order to spend some time with my family. Not to worry, although I was not making a lot of jewelry I was ordering some much needed jewelry supplies. Above are a few new pendants.

The black teardrops are onyx. I always like to have some basic black pendants on hand. Everyone needs a good black necklace right? There is also a Flower Sugilite Pendant (purple), a Pink Sunstone Pendant, and a Bronzite pendant. The Sunstone has a touch of shimmery sparkliness to it. It's so pretty in the light. The Bronzite has amazing shiny little flecks in it.

I can't wait to get creating again. I need too! Again...my website is bare! I am also working on some wedding earrings which I am really excited about so I will get pictures of those up too.

Have a great Monday!

Posted in Website News_

A Custom Necklace with a Charming Story

2006-08-22T22:23:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, a customer contacted me about creating a necklace for a pendant she had. The pendant was a present to her Grandmother from her Grandfather. He bought it for her in Japan when he was in WWII. When her grandmother passed away my customer inherited it.

My customer loved the pendant but it had been sitting in her jewelry box because she didn't have a necklace for it. She felt a simple gold chain just didn't do it justice.

Of course I was up for the challenge. I went with black and green beads to keep the Asian flair. I purposely chose beads that were a green that was a shade darker because I really wanted the pendant to be the focal point of the necklace.

I made it. She loved it. And now she will think of her Grandparents whenever she wears her necklace. I love a happy ending.

If you have a pendant that needs a necklace please contact me so we can chat.

Posted in Business Babble_

Brown 712 Feature

2006-08-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

Our Scene Jasper Necklace was featured at "Brown 712: A daily publication about the art of handbags, shoes & accessories". You can read the article here.

Yay! Thanks Marsha!

Posted in Celebrate_

Party, Shopping and the Carries

2006-08-21T13:51:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! I left Friday morning and made my way down I-5. Some people hate the 6 hour drive from Northern Cali to SoCal but I honestly have driven it so many times that I don't mind it a bit. I pop in an audio cd and armed with a Starbucks I take off driving.

Friday night I had a great jewelry party. I got to see lots of familiar faces and sold lots of jewelry! The one thing I am bummed about is that I was so busy selling and catching up that I didn't take any pictures. I even set my camera out to make sure that I would!

Saturday I picked up my B.F Carrie and we spent the day shopping in Westwood and wherever else there were stores! Carrie is my favorite person to shop with. We could spend hours in the stores and not be a bit tired. It was also nice to shop without feeling like I had to entertain the little one.

Saturday night we met up with my sister and her boyfriend for more shopping! We went to the Irvine Spectrum. That place is crowded but a ton of fun. There is live music and tons of shops and places to eat. We really closed down the shops too. My sister's boyfriend was quite the trooper. My husband would have been outta there.

Sunday I slept in (You moms know what a rare treat that is!) My husband called at 8:30 and said "Where are you?" (Meaning on the road). I said "Sleeping!" He was not happy. After Carrie (Who will now be known as Shopping Carrie - it's going to get confusing here) and I got our coffee fix we drove up north to the Palos Verdes Farmer's Market to see my other friend Carrie.....Carrie Sommer (We'll call her Handbag Carrie). I honestly just couldn't pass up the chance to see Handbag Carrie even if it was for a few minutes. And of course to see all her beautiful purses and aprons in person! There are even cuter in person. As we were leaving Shopping Carrie said "Wow! Her display is so cute! It feels like you are in a little boutique!" I couldn't agree more.

As you can see from the picture above I did score a few of her fabulous handbags. I think that brings my total to 4. How will I ever decide which one to use? I swear that Handbag Carrie moniters my thoughts as I peruse fabric websites (No I can't sew. I just like to look) because she always picks my very favorite fabrics! Every Sommer Designs handbag I have is soooo me.

So a fun weekend of shopping and friends. Could a girl ask for more? I did miss my bubbi and my husband terribly. My daughter gave me the silent treatment when I got home and almost made me cry. But we are good now. Little twerp! I guess she showed me!

Right now I am going to upload the new jewelry and I might just do a few markdowns too so be sure to check the site a little later and see what's new and newly reduced!

Posted in Business Babble_

Studio Friday: Dessert Island

2006-08-17T23:57:00.000-07:00

Here's today's topic:

So imagine that you are still on the island and are getting hungry. The beautiful thing is that it is a paradise island and you can make your wish for your favorite desserts!!! Yummy!! Which ones will you wish for?

Honestly? They could bring me anything sweet (except fruit. I hate fruit) and I would be happy. I love desserts. If I had my very very favorite it would be Haagen Dazs Caramel Cone ice cream.

I worked at an ice cream shop as a teenager and we could eat whatever we wanted while we were on the clock. Being the ice cream-aholic that I am....I lived on ice cream for months. I tried every flavor with every combination of topping (bubble gum ice cream with marshmallow topping anyone?) Believe it or not, when you eat that much ice cream you really do get sick of it. I know..I know..seems impossible but it's true. I didn't eat any ice cream for about 2 years after that.

Obviously I got over it.

Now..do we gain weight on this crafty island with delicious treats?

"So You Think You Can Dance" Recap

2006-08-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

Okay mock me all you want for feeling the need to do a recap of my favorite show but don't mock me unless you have actually watched the show a few times. Because I assure you it will suck you in and make you a believer.

First of all....Yay Benji!! I was very happy that Benji won. He seems like such a cool guy and he was so entertaining to watch. Ivan was really my favorite but I knew he wasn't as skilled as the top four. So as soon as he got booted I changed my alliance to Benji. But then last night as the two boys were standing there I felt so sad for Travis. I wish they both could have won. If Travis would have just had a little more personality throughout the show(like he started to at the end) I think he may have won.

What I hated about the finale show:

1. The way the girls got offed. How cruel was that? "Oh America voted and you aren't the favorite!" (aka "You're a big loser!"). They should have just waited until the end and then called the winner. Mean mean mean.

2. The judges obviously knew that Benji was going to win. Last week they only said good things about Travis. They told Benji he wasn't up to par technically. This week they were falling all over themselves to say nice things about Benji too.

3. That now the show is over. Boo!

What I loved:

1. All the dances. It was nice to hear what the dancers favorite dances were and why.

2. Seeing Ivan dance again. Since he is my favorite.

3. The Tranji dance again!

4. All the dancers recap videos. Although, of course, they made me cry. What is it about this show making me cry? I don't understand why I am so attached to it! Those producers do an amazing job of sucking you in!

I would love to hear what you guys thought. If you watched. I know you watched Jenn!

A Nice Break

2006-08-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

I have been working non stop the last few days. My poor husband has barely seen me. Mondays and Wednesdays are supposed to be me and Bella's fun day together and we have mostly been running errands as of late.

Well this morning I felt super tired and achy (leaning over beads) so I decided that Bella and I needed to make some time for fun. There is a cute little pond near our house with lots of ducks. Bella LOVES quack quacks. At first I hated that the pond was fenced in but it's actually nice because the ducks all huddle on the bank inside the gate and Bella can get close and see them and they don't freak out and I don't freak out (unless they are the freakishy large white geese. Those things are mean!).

I also love the pond because there are always turtles swimming around and sunning on the banks. I love turtles.

As we walked around and laughed and talked I felt revived. Why do I not always make enough time for this kind of stuff? It is definitely neccessary!

Posted in Getting Personal_

Meet my New Friend

2006-08-14T22:25:00.000-07:00

I'll let you in on a little secret. I've always wanted a mannequin. I don't really know why. I suppose I had fantasies of hanging my perfect outfit on it every night in preparation for the next morning. Well now I finally have one. I doubt that I will be hanging any outfits on it but maybe someday.

I never bought one for Sharma Designs because I honestly just couldn't justify it. A bust sure...but a whole body? When my sister in law found us a great 2 for 1 deal I just couldn't resist. I justified my buy by telling myself I was helping her get a good deal too. I was secretly giddy with excitement!

She does need a little bit of a makeover. (I think she looks less creepy without her "bolt" head showing so I cropped it out. Did you ever see Return to Oz? It reminds me of the creepy Mombi lady that switched her heads). A few different shirts in smaller sizes and different necklines and a nice pretty background and she will be ready to be my new model for my "see worn" pictures!

Bella is a little freaked out by her but she will get used to her and I'm sure she will be dressing her in no time! My husband loves her because I had to do a major cleaning/reorganizing to give her a proper home in the bead room. He can now walk to his computer without being afraid.

And finally, here are some more new jewelry pieces:

3 more days until my getaway...er business trip!!

Posted in Jewelry Previews_

Very Productive Weekend!

2006-08-13T23:33:00.000-07:00

I had such a productive weekend! I have been stressing about not having enough jewelry for my jewelry party in Costa Mesa this weekend. Well, I worked till the wee hours on Friday night and worked a good part of Saturday while Bella was at Grandma's.

I am very happy with the results of my weekend. I was able to make a bunch of new necklaces. The bad news is that I won't be posting them on the site until after my show. I decided to preview the new items at the show this time. In the meantime, I will just tease everyone with a few previews of the new designs.

I tried to make a good amount of Dainty Divas. Seems like lately they disappear the minute I put them up! Of course, I am drawn to the bigger pendants so there is a lot of those too. Old habits die hard.

I noticed that I made a lot of purple necklaces too. That's funny because I don't usually work with a lot of purple but I seem to be drawn to it right now. Maybe purple is my new green.

I am really looking forward to this weekend. I will be staying with my sister (she's hosting the show). We always have a good time together. One of my best friends lives in L.A and she is coming to hang out with me on Saturday. It's been way too long! I will also see alot of faces I haven't seen in awhile at the party.

I lived in Costa Mesa for the summer a few years ago. It's actually where Sharma Designs was born. It was hard to get a job since I was only going to be living there for 3 months. I was making jewelry for myself and people kept asking if they could buy them from me. So I would just sell them right off my neck (Hey I wanted to eat!) I held a few parties during that summer and when I returned home I set up my website. As they say...the rest is history!

Some of the ladies that will be at the show are some of my very first customers. I always love to see them and it's fun to see how their tastes change over the years. I haven't been down there much since Bella was born (6 hr drive).

More teaser previews coming soon!

Posted in Jewelry Previews_

New Tags!

2006-08-09T00:27:00.000-07:00

I am so excited! I just got my new jewelry tags! I had been out of the old ones for awhile and decided it was time for a change. I was pretty green when I ordered the first ones. I just wanted my name on the jewelry so the tag simply said "Sharma". While you can find me if you search for "Sharma Jewelry" I want to make it as easy as possible for people. I guarantee you'll find my site if you enter Sharma Designs.

It may not be the best picture of the tag but you get the idea. It's 12:30am and for all my high hopes of accomplishing a ton of stuff tonight I got very little done. First our tv broke. While my husband tried in vain to fix it I stressed out about how I was going to watch my shows. I have a tv we can use so that's no problem but how the heck do you get rid of a huge bachelor size tv?

After the tv fiasco Bella woke up and insisted that there would be "No Nigh Night!" When that drama was over I settled down to do my work. Everything I touched broke. I was so frustrated.

Alas, tomorrow is another day. I'm sure I will get lots of jewelry made tomorrow. At least I did get a custom piece done. It's something.

Posted in Business Babble_

Omiru Feature

2006-08-08T09:59:00.000-07:00

We have a feature today on Omiru. From their website:

"Pronounced "oh-MEE-roo," our name is derived from the Japanese word meaning "to see" and that is just what we hope Omiru.com does for you. We want to serve as your guide through the world of fashion and style so that you can see everything there is out there and make it your own.

Omiru is a style and shopping website dedicated to the concept of real style for real people. Through Style Intelligence Report, a style weblog, Omiru covers fashion trends, runway reports, street style reports, and an assortment of articles aimed at making style accessible to all."

They featured the Hollow Mother of Pearl necklace...one of my personal favorites!

Posted in Celebrate_

It's Finally Over

2006-08-07T14:18:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you saw my kitty post a few weeks ago but I am very happy to say that they are no longer living in my backyard. The whole thing has been very traumatic for me. I am a huge animal lover and while cats may not be my favorite (I'm a dog lover) I still like cats and can't resist the little kitties (Or mows as Bella calls them)

I contacted a bunch of animal rescue places with no success and finally our friend volunteered to trap them for us and take them to a safe home where they would not be killed. I believed him since he has lots of animals including a rescued feral kitten.

A few days before he came I noticed that my favorite frisky kitty (above) was not very frisky. He was lethargic and getting really skinny. Of course I freaked out...convinced that I somehow had something to do with it. I was a nervous wreck. Checking on him every hour. I did not want him to die. Especially in my backyard. I watched to make sure that the mom was still feeding him. She was but he just wasn't getting bigger like his brother was.

When our friend set the traps he caught the white kitty first. I was drifting off to sleep when I heard meowing and a door slide shut. I jumped out of bed and ran downstairs. The white kitty was in the cage and the brother was meowing at him outside the cage. Of course I burst into tears (This is a strange phenomenon for me. Before I had Bella my friends and family called me Hard as Nails. I was the one dry eye at the saddest of movies. I was the bridesmaid who never stashed kleenex because I knew I didn't need them. After Bella was born all hell broke loose. When she was born I bawled my eyes out and have been crying ever since. Like when Ivan was cut from "So You Think You Can Dance" last week. I sat there bawling hoping my husband wouldn't come downstairs and make fun of me. Anyways..) I felt so bad for the little guy trapped in the cage. I almost let him out. I talked myself out of it knowing that he needed a doctor to look at him and knowing that he would be better off somewhere else.

When my friend came to pick him up early the next morning the poor little guy was almost dead.(He had food and water in the cage) I cried again because I felt like a kitty killer. Turns out the poor guy had an abscess in his mouth that was preventing him from eating. My friend tried to keep him alive but the poor kitty died at the vet. I'm very sad but relieved to know that it was not something that I did. And relieved that Bella and I didn't find him dead in our yard.

The mom cat and the other kitty are happy at a new home. I am glad they got the mom because I saw the little hussy hanging around the daddy cat and I was dreading more kitty drama. My poor little heart just cannot take it!

Now that I am not stalking the kitties every few minutes (and googling what to do about feral cats) I can be much more productive.

I have a home show coming up next week with a huge guest list. I know a lot of these women and I know I will sell a ton of jewelry. I have to get my stock up!

I'm happy that my little kitty friend is not suffering anymore. It broke my heart. I have already begun the campaign for a little dog for Bella. We'll see what happens.

Studio Friday - Creativity Roots

2006-08-03T23:06:00.000-07:00

This week's topic is creativity roots. My sister (above, left) and I both received our crafty goodness from my mom (above, right). I can't say for a fact, but I'm pretty sure that she didn't inherit her creativity from my grandma (although my dad's mom is also creative). Funny thing is that all 3 of her sisters (my aunts) are super creative and crafty too. My mom loves to make handmade cards, knit, crochet, and she always has a crafty project in the works. When we were young she always had a cross stitch she was working on or a costume to sew. Now that she is too busy to make time for all her crafty hobbies she makes sure to bring creativity to her job. When normal people would just finish the task...my mom finishes it with a flair. I always tease her that she puts to much time into the small things but that's what she loves to do. I know the people in her office appreciate her craftiness!

She has always encouraged us to be creative too. She taught us to knit, cross stitch and crochet at a young age. I find it too boring. My sister loves it (the knitting that is). Either way I love that she taught us because they are good skills to have.

We all express our creativity so differently. My mom loves bold bright colors (she was an elementary teacher for years). She tends to lean towards whimsy designs. She also loves things that sparkle. She's not a perfectionist. She likes to go with the flow.

My sister is a neat freak. She makes cards, knits and has dabbled in making purses lately. Everything she designs is very clean and symmetrical. She also likes sparkle but in moderation of course. She usually uses muted colors. Lots of pastels. Especially pinks. All of her designs must be perfect before she is satisfied (The perfectionist is from my dad).

And then there is me. I have dabbled in lots of crafts but my love of jewelry always wins out. Nothing compares in my eyes. I like things to be different. Assymetrical (drives my sister crazy!). I love bold colors but tend to use lots of earthy colors. I love things that have a retro flair to them. I am a perfectionist with my jewelry but not with any other craft. My motto is "Good Enough!"(Oh my scarf is only 10 inches long? Good enough. No one will notice)

I am very excited to see what my daughter's creativity will look like. My husband's mom is also crafty so there is a very good chance that Bella will love to make things too. She is already exhibiting a few anal tendencies (always shutting doors. cleaning. keeping things symmetrical) so she'll probably be more like my sister. We'll make quite the craft team I'm sure!

Thanks mom for encouraging us to use our creativity!

See more Studio Friday entries here!

Date Night!

2006-08-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited. Saturday night Berto and I get to go out by ourselves on a date! As those of you with small children know....it doesn't happen often. Bella's grandparents live close by and are always willing to babysit but we've all been so busy that it's been ages since we went out by ourselves. (Ha ha ages...we've only been married 5 months...well it feels like ages since we went out!)

I have been so busy at night with all my business endeavors that it's been awhile since we spent some quality time together. Usually I am on the laptop half watching my shows (like "So you Think you Can Dance" - I am addicted) and he is either upstairs on his computer or tinkering with his latest hobby. So we both need this!

Now my question is this...what movie should we see? He wants to see Miami Vice. I am open to that. I would rather see Little Miss Sunshine but he does not appreciate indie films like I do. I have heard that Pirates isn't worth seeing. Lady in the Water looks intriguing but I was so dissapointed with his last movie that I may wait for video on that one. Heck I wouldn't mind watching Barnyard. Looks hilarious to me! Hmm maybe Bella would enjoy it too. Hard to tell if she is old enough for movies yet. The Night Listener looks good too. I love Robin Williams. I am always up for a good psychological thriller (but is it good?).

There's also You, Me and Dupree, Ricky Bobby (Berto would love this), Clerks II, The Devil Wears Prada.... How will I decide?? If you guys have any recommendations I would love to hear them. Since I rarely get to see a movie in the theater I want to make sure I chose wisely!

Posted in Getting Personal_

New Jewelry!

2006-08-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

I finally got in my Bead Room since it has cooled down quite a bit. I wanted to make a million necklaces for this update...but of course in the middle of things I realized that I had ran out of one of my essential supplies. I still managed to get quite a few new things made. See all the new items here

Sneak Peak:

(I think I finally found a background for the light jewelry that I am happy with!)

Lots more pretty jewelry to be had (and it has been going very fast lately) so get over there and check it out!!

Posted in Jewelry Previews_

Earrings to Flatter your Face Shape - Part 5 Heart Shaped Face

2006-07-29T10:49:00.000-07:00

Face Shape: Heart

Styles that flatter the face: Earrings that fan out at the bottom or teardrop shaped earrings are your best choice.

Not the best choice: Earrings that have the smallest point at the bottom

Hmm Apparently I need to make more earrings with heart shaped faces in mind!

Other Face Shapes:
Rectangular
Round
Square
Oval

Not Sure What Your Face Shape is?

2006-07-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

I had a request for help with determining face shapes. I think a good visual guide helps. This guide has face drawings as well as celeb examples.

Check out the guide here: Face Shape Guide

Earrings to Flatter your Face Shape - Part 4 Oval Face

2006-07-27T22:45:00.000-07:00

Face Shape: Oval

Styles that flatter the face: Most styles flatter the oval face. You can wear hoops, ovals, or chunky earrings with confidence! Triangular earrings look especially flattering.

Not the best choice: Really long earrings might make your face appear to be too long

Examples of good choices for an oval face:

Mother of Pearl Triangle Handmade Earrings

Hollow Brown Shell Handmade Earrings

Other Face Shapes:

Rectangular

Round

Square

Fun Feature

2006-07-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

I totally overslept this morning. Was running around my house like a madwoman cursing the alarm clock when I decided to check my email really fast (Told you I was an addict).

I got an email notifying me that I was featured in the Indie Quarter today. Hoorah! That made my morning better! Read the article here. It's a great write up.

Thanks Indie Quarter!

Posted in Celebrate_

Earrings to Flatter your Face Shape - Part 3 Square Face

2006-07-26T08:42:00.000-07:00

Face Shape: Square

Styles that flatter the face: Drop earrings are a good choice becase they add length to your face. Earrings that are curved and angular in shape will also flatter.

Not the best choice: Square earrings

Examples of good choices for a square face:

Mother of Pearl and Onyx Handmade Earrings
Freshwater Pearl and Chain Handmade Earrings

Other Face Shapes:
Rectangular
Round

Jewelry Update

2006-07-26T08:09:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to let you know that things have finally cooled off and I have started making jewelry again! Yay!

My Dream Come True

2006-07-24T22:30:00.000-07:00

I don't really enjoy cooking. I want to love it I really do but to me it is something that just sucks up my precious time. If it was still just me I would honestly just live on steamed veggies and rice (with ice cream thrown in for variety) but because I have a child and a hungry husband I cook most nights of the week. I also cook because I love delicious foods.

Tonight I got invited to a trial Dream Dinners night. I thought, "Hey a free meal? Sure!" I have heard of Dream Dinners but I wasn't really sure what it was. I knew you made dinners to eat later but I was picturing having to cook everything at the store. Not my idea of fun.

I don't want to sound like a commercial for them but I was really impressed. It really is as easy as they promise! Here's how it works... You chose the number of meals you want from the menu and then make an appt one night to go in and make all the meals. I think the norm is 12 meals.

There are stations set up with everything you need and a recipe to follow. For example, we made Cider Barbecue Chicken.... There was a freezer bag of 6 frozen chicken breasts. First we made a marinade for the chicken. If the recipe called for a tbs of onion flakes then the scoop in the onion flakes was the size of a tablespoon. No need to think. Love it. I made my meal in less than 5 minutes.

Then you package your meal in freezer bags and put a heating instruction label (that hubby can follow too) on it. It also has side suggestions on the label. They let us try the cooked version of what we made and another dish and they were really good!

I grabbed a menu for August (Here is the July one) and came home to sell the husband on the idea. Because I work 3 days a week and don't get home till around 6:00 I almost always have to make really basic dinners on those nights. If I am super tired we might even have mac and cheese. You know how those days are! If I made 12 dinners at Dream Dinners then on those three days a week either my husband could follow the directions and have it waiting for me when I get home or I could cook it really fast when I got home. Heaven!

The servings are for 6 people. The chicken we made tonight had 6 chicken breasts in it. So my thought is that I will split it with my mom who also works too much to cook (Just have to talk her into it). That would bring our cost down to $125 a month for 12 dinners. Most meals are between $16-24 (so split = $8-12). I think that is very reasonable.

I don't think it's for everyone. If you really enjoy cooking you will feel robbed. If you are a veggie there won't be anything for you to eat. But..if you love to eat good food but don't want to spend time making it or are just too busy then you should try it. You can host a preview night if you have one in your area and you and all your friends can make a meal for free. I'm already thinking about who I will invite!

So there you go. My review of the Dream Dinner experience. Definitely worth trying! And no I am not associated with them. ha ha I just love passing along good finds!

Posted in Getting Personal_