Lifestyle

Review: Keurig 2.0 Brewing System

Keurig 2.0 Title

Say hello to my new best friend, especially in the AM - the Keurig 2.0 K550.   I (actually we- as in my husband and I) have been huge Keurig fans because of the K-Cup System (pods of coffee that you insert into the machine for an individual cup).  I like my coffee more on the light side but for me him he prefer more of a medium roast.  K-Cups are great because you can select your personal preference since they deliver a single cup ..... but not for long! The new Keurig 2.0 brewer allows you to brew a 4-cup carafe just as you would with a single cup.  I'll show you all of that with pictures below.  

The K550 came in a hug box and was nicely wrapped and secured inside.  The instruction booklet is placed right on top for easy access to set up your lovely new machine. When you start to pull our your machine you will see a starter pack of 6 single  K-Cups and 4 K-Carafe (including the 4-cup starter carafe)  to get your coffee fix on right away! 

Here's a look at the overall machine- nice little appliance isn't it?  It's sleek, very futuristic-like design looks great sitting on your kitchen counter top.  The middle picture shows the carafe and how nicely it sits right under the drip without the little stand. I didn't test out the carafe because I didn't want to waste so much coffee but will definitely try it out when we have company over.  When brewing a single cup you will need to place the stand back for your favorite cup to sit directly under the drip.  Let me show you the main features of the Keurig 2.0

Here is a look at the extra 80 ounce water reservoir- it's huge! This system also has water filter to make it convenient to fill up the tank straight out of the kitchen faucet, if you prefer.  My first Keurig when I was back in college didn't have the water filter option and I was always filling it with my bottled water I had in my little mini fridge. One of the things that I love about this machine is the night light reservoir which is towards the front.  You see that beam of light? Cool, right? You can change the color from blue, red, green and white color.  I personally like the white, makes it look so trendy.  

You will find the touchscreen display right in the center of the brewer instead of the right hand side.  I like the display in the center it gives it more of a focal point.   The navigation through the menu is easy and very direct with an option to change the wallpaper to fit your style.  There are 4 different cup sizes (mine is usually at 8oz. it's perfect for me) and a separate setting for hot cocoa and other beverages like lattes and mochas. NEAT! I forgot to mention there is also a button for hot water if you need some right away for cooking, baking or really anything!  The only thing I wish was that you can decide how much hot water you need.  It will only dispense 6oz. of water and if you need more you need to open it and close and do it all over.  Wish you could just press the button in hot water mode to release more.  

I want to go over the size different of the K-cups and something that both my husband and I noticed with the older versions.  As you can see from the picture the K-Carafe is significantly bigger than the regular K-Cup.  

New K-Cups

I wanted to show you the difference between the NEW K-Cups that will work with the newer brewers compared to the older K-Cups.  My husband and I were so excited to purchase some of our favorite K-Cups from the past that we didn't pay attention to the newer versions.  You can see from the picture that there is a big difference- the new one has a ring around it and a black circle with Keurig in the middle located on the lower center of the K-Cup seal.  When we were shopping at Bed Bath and Beyond for some new flavors it didn't dawn on us that not all of them have the new design.  The Tim Horton's K-Cup said on the box "used with all Keurig machines." Well, it didn't work for ours.  I told my husband to contact Keurig after I was on their Facebook page to see if other customer's had the same problem- yes there were a few.  He called the customer service # that was displayed on the touchscreen letting us know that our K-Cup wasn't compatible with with the new Keurig 2.0 Brewing Technology.  After 10 min. our new machine was registered and a coupon for a  free replacement box to order from their website.  EASY and great customer service!  I think next time we purchase from Bed Bath and Beyond I'll keep the receipt just in case we encounter another pack without with the white rim.  

Overall we have been super happy with the Keurig 2.0 brewer! What are some of our favorite K-Cups?  Please share below so I can use my coupons from Keurig.com :) 

 

 

Disclaimer: I received  the Keurig 2.0 for testing/review for free from Influenster.com.  All opinions are my own. 




Lover.ly Dream Day Style Challenge

lover.ly dream day style

What's your dream day style? I remember asking myself this question a little over 1.5 years ago (ok maybe it's like 5) when I was planning my wedding.  It's a tough process and you want to make sure your style reflects YOU and your future mate.  What helped me determine my overall style (theme) of the wedding was my venue.  A Hamptons like vintage wedding placed in the Northwest was something that I wanted to capture especially since our venue was at country club setting (Seattle Tennis Club) located on Lake Washington.  Everything turned out prefect! To take a peek at my wedding click  TIFFCODYWEDDING818 (clicking the link will bring up a page with all the wedding related posts.  The professional photos are a must!).

Not lets focus on right now ... it's been over a year and couple of days since our wedding day and we recently celebrated our 1 year anniversary (Aug. 18th) and I still think about our wedding.  I was approached by lover.ly to create a styleboard featuring one of their dresses in their shop that would be appropriate (and of course fit my style) to a selected venue.  

Set Your Scene

Which venue would you have chosen? The beach wedding was my 2nd choice and we actually planned on getting married in Hawaii.  However, I  just wasn't feeling it, it wasn't calling my name or saying PICK ME PICK ME.  The rustic wedding, well it's just not me.  So the city wedding was it!  This venue totally reflected my style and us as a couple.  I'm a city gal and we (Cody and I) actually live in the city so it was natural for me to be drawn to the picture.  

As I was scrolling through the beautiful dresses on Lover.ly to find the "perfect" one for my city soiree I came across a dress from Claire Pettibone.  If you know your wedding dresses- Claire Pettibone is the queen of lace back dresses and I bet you have seen her dresses all over Pinterest.  If my wedding dress wasn't custom made I would have totally gotten one of her dresses.  They are detailed and oh so lovely, elegant and simply stunning.  The dress that I chose was the Eloquence dress with gold scalloped lace with platinum silk sheath overlay. It totally  yelled GATSBY GATSBY with a romantic feel.  OH then it clicked! City venue (art museum, penthouse, rooftop deck, trendy downtown hotel) with a Great Gatsby theme? YES please! If I were to get married again I would totally go for an art deco inspired wedding.  The 1920's were such a glamorous era that was chic and classy at the same time.  Wouldn't this be a great wedding for the fall time around Halloween with the rich golden and deep burgundy hues of the season? Or as a NYE celebration with all your close friends and family to bring in the New Year with a traditional black and gold color scheme and touches of glitter!  As soon as I picked the dress and the venue everything else fell into place with accessories, color scheme, and beauty.  I, of course, had to add some beauty into the styleboard.  A deep red lip with lashes and neutral toned shadows- that is classic 1920's!

Take a peek at my evening city Gatsby wedding! You can find everything on Lover.ly as your one stop wedding BFF to help you plan your wedding! Browse through the thousands of dresses and bridal inspirations right here.

I made the styleboard on Polyvore.com ... I am an addict! Super easy and fun!  I will be creating some beauty styleboards.  Please let me know what you would like to see.  I am thinking of a bridal beauty styleboard, or a fall beauty trends.  Keep an eye for those.  

I hope you guys love my lover.ly Dream Day Challenge styleboard! Share your thoughts about wedding themes or how you incorporated your own style into your wedding.  Can't wait to hear all about them. 

 

Wedding: T&C Engagment Pictures - Picking A Theme

I always get asked about our engagement pictures and how I chose the theme and style for them. To tell you the truth, it kinda just came to US.  Cody hates taking pictures so I really had to make this comfortable for him and in his comfort zone or who knows how our pictures would have turned out. I always tell brides-to-be to pick a theme, or even a location and base your style around that.  This really helped me stay focus and not have my ideas wonder off whenever I found something on Pinterst. You will tell from our two different sets of pictures how the theme is very similar but still different in it's own unique way.

The first set was taken by our wedding photographers Jade and Kaitlin Ehlers at our condo in Downtown Seattle.  We were trying to go for the J.Crew, Hamptons (but with a Seattle) vibe. I love Cody's  jacket we focused our outfit and theme for this shoot around it. We used these pictures for our Save The Dates (click here to view how they turned out, I have to say I am so proud of these!)

Now you can tell the second set was completely different from the first but still has the J.Crew/ Hamptons vibe with a vintage twist. I focused the wedding on a vintage theme (will post pictures of all the details very soon). My navy dress was purchased on Modcloth.com and the vintage truck and suitcase were bought at an antique store in Downtown Tacoma. These pictures were taken by Paul Maranan of  P&M Productions at Discovery Park in Seattle. I actually met Jade and Kaitlin through Paul because they were their photographers for their wedding. So funny how things work out! Paul captured the vibe that I wanted perfectly!

I will be focusing some Friday posts on more personal things such as the wedding (since I didn't even blog about it when it was happening) and other things.  Did you have a theme for your engagement pics?

Wedding: T&C in Asia - honeymoon edition!

Hello loves! I know I haven't been posting for a very long time, I always neglect my blog! Hopefully, I can jump on blogging/reviewing and sharing pictures with all of you on a daily basis again (this will include new YouTube tutorials as well) . Thank you all for being so patient! 

After 6 months of being married my husband and I finally went on our honeymoon to Hong Kong and the Philippines (Manila, Cebu and Boracay). It was such an awesome vacation and happy I was able to share my homeland with my new husband.  I've been to the Philippines 3 times already but for the MR.  It was his first. I was scared to see how he would react especially in the Philippines but to my amazement he LOVES it! He wants us to find a condo as our vacation home. Yay! We had a great time and didn't want to go back home. 

Here are some highlights from our trip 

Our first stop for 3 days was Hong Kong. 

Skyline of Hong Kong - the day was overcast with some scattered showers. Major jet lag here!

Being a beauty junkie my favorite part of Hong Kong was Sasa!!! Oh my goodness. Literally every city block had a Sasa. If you don't know what Sasa is it's best described as an Asian Sephora - different Asian beauty brands (Japanese,  Korean, Chinese) skincare, haircare, makeup, nails, etc. it was so much fun going into each one everywhere we went. The MR. was so amazed how many there were in a short radiance from each other. The picture shows some of the products that I picked up. I wanted more but knew that I had to limit myself since we still have to make it to the Philippines. 

For a week and half we spent the majority of our time in the Philippines

The view from our hotel room at the Sofitel Manila Plaza. Such a beautiful hotel outside of Makati. Can you see the Ferris Wheel? That's Mall of Asia- one of the biggest malls in Asia less than 5 min from our hotel via taxi. The big building in front is the Manila Film Centre. 

The MR. and I like history and culture we spent some time at Corrigdor and Intramueros. 

Time for some fun times on the beach! 

Cebu Movenpick beautiful grounds and hotel! It was nice to lay out on the beach and enjoy the weather. 

The last stop was of course Boracay! 

Boracay Regency Lagoon was our home for 3 days. If you stay here make sure you get the 1st level rooms so you have direct access to the pool from your balcony. It is also a short walk away to the beach. 

Look at the beautiful water and sand! The water was so warm! Spent 2 days just lounging on the beach drinking fresh mango shakes.  

Back to Manila! 

Our last night in the Philippines the Sofitel upgraded us to the top floor with a few overlooking Manila Bay and a beautiful view of the pool. 

That's our trip in a nut shell! So sad it had to end but we enjoyed every second of it. We are already planning our next trip to Europe. Can't wait! 

Wedding: Tiffany and Cody Professional Photos

One of my favorite pictures 

One of my favorite pictures 

I am so excited to share with you our professional photos from our photographers Jade and Kaitlin Ehlers.  They are the same photographers that shot our engagement pictures as well.   They captured our wedding beautifully and I couldn't be happier.  Have fun viewing our photos! 

Just some details:

  • the locket had a picture of my mom and dad when they got married.  I lost my dad to cancer when I was 14 years old and I wanted to make sure I included him in every aspect of my wedding day.  I also included a gardenia which reminded me of him in my bouquet. 
  • I designed the wedding invitations with a friend who is a graphic designer.  The suite includes a vellum envelope with a wax seal that I had custom made with our monogram. 
  • My heels for the night are by Betsy Johnson 
  • The bridesmaid totes were made by me including the tag 
  • My wedding dress was custom made by John John Ditching from the Philippines.  It was super heavy but I love how it just glistened in the sun light. The fabric came from Italy and it was hand beaded with flower embroidery. I also had a reception dress that was custom made as well.  This one was all lace with a detachable skirt that I can take off for dancing later in the night. So happy my mom gave me the idea of a 2nd dress because with the heat and how heavy my 1st dress I don't know if I would survive the rest of the night. The bridesmaid dresses were designed by me and also made from the same designer. I picked out the fabric in LA and had it sent over.  I fell in love with the lace and color even before I set a date.  I just had to have it! 
  • The guy's suites are from J.Crew.  
  • Our wedding bands are from Tiffany & CO. Cody really wanted them to say T&C which fits us perfectly. 
  • The table numbers were all DIY projects by me.  I bought the frames from Dollar Tree, spray painted, added scrapbook book paper and cut us a vinyl number with my Cricut. 
  • The place cards for the guest were also a DIY project which took me forever because I couldn't decide what I wanted to do.  I decided vintage postcards would be cute.  I ordered vintage stamps from Etsy that included some from the US and the Philippines. 
  • Our T&C mailbox for our cards was something that I always wanted to do.  I found the toy mailbox at an antique store, painted it blue and added all the embellishments.  Now it sits in our living room. :)  I can't give it away. 
  • I wanted to have a cute sign that directed the guests to all the rooms and happenings for the night.  The sign was designed by me and put together by my friend who helped me with the invites. I also included a sign near the photobooth as well. 
  • The photobooth/guestbook was one of the biggest DIY projects I decided to take on for the wedding.  It took me 1 full month (doing it almost every day) to put together a 30 page custom scrapbook where our guests can leave little notes and a copy of their photo booth strip.  I am so proud how this turned out.  Every page is different, all with hidden pockets for the guests to leave their mark and a vintage theme all throughout the book. 
  • Our wedding toppers were customized wooden pegs from Etsy.  I then added makeup products and a Playstation controller to represent US. 
  • My mom and I did a mother/daughter surprise number.  Since I lost my father I wanted to do something fun with my mom.  We did a medley of dances from past songs to modern and it was all professionally choreographed by my aunt.  It was so much fun and big hit! 

I always wanted to customize my wedding to reflect me and Cody and I think I did exactly that and more.  I couldn't be happier on how things turned out.  Please let me know if you want to see more pics or if you have questions on some of the projects.