Introducing Makeover Mondays

I've been saying that I had a big surprise coming up for almost the whole month and today it was time to reveal what it was, so let me introduce you to... MAKEOVER MONDAYS!

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What are makeover mondays?

The idea for Makeover Mondays was inspired by this youtube channel, where an interior designer would give one lucky subscriber a free bedroom makeover every week, although in my case, I will be giving one free blog makeover every monday.

How does it work?

It's actually very easy, but a bit difficult to explain, so I'll try to do it the best I can:

1. Every Monday I'll make a new blog post showing a makeover I did.
2. If you want to win a makeover for your blog, you'll have to leave a comment on that post.
3. You have the whole week to leave your comments.
4. The next Monday, I'll choose and message the winner.
5. The winner has 24 hours to answer to my email, or else I will choose a different person.
6. From that day and until the end of the week, I will work on a free custom blog design for the winner, asking him/her what he/she wants so we can create the perfect template.
7. Next Monday I will make a new post showing the makeover and again, you can leave comments to win the next makeover. 
8. It goes on like this until my summer holidays end.

What does the design include?

• Header
• Favicon
• Navigation bar
• Social icons
• Sidebar titles
• About me / welcome graphic
• Posts signature
• Optimized titles for SEO
• Help with the installation 

Optional:

• Back to top button 
• Default avatar for comments (for anonymous users and blogger users with no avatar)
• Apple touch icon
• Grab button
• Contact page
• Custom buttons for older posts/newer posts/home.
• Post dividers

NOTE: This may vary depending on what you need/want. We can add and skip things.
You should also know that I can't draw. AT ALL. So I warn you my headers are not the best, but I hope we will find a way to make something you like.

Blogs I have designed 

In chronological order:

• Daisy Drops (We did it both Lauren and I as a team)
• Em has red nails
• MissCosmeticBlogger
• Suitcase and Sandals
• Katie's Beauty World
• Sophie Ballinger

Rules

• You must be following me on bloglovin'.
• You must be a blogger user. I don't know how to design anything for wordpress or any other blogging platforms... Sorry.
• As I said before, I will contact the winner on Monday, and you have 24 hours to reply to that email.
• All the designs will include a little credit (it will be small, I promise) that you cannot remove.
• I only have one week to work on the design.
• I won't just copy someone's template. When I used tumblr, I remember being asked to make a theme like the one some other user had. Please don't ask me to do this. You can send me blog designs you like for inspiration, or you can tell me you like certain elements in their designs, but please don't ask me to completely copy the whole template.
• Please do not enter if you are going to unfollow me afterwards, or if you won't use the template.

What must the comment include?

• Your blog's name
• Your blog's URL
• A brief description of your blog
• Your e-mail (so I can contact you)
• Why you want to win the makeover

Remember 

• You have until Sunday (included) to leave your comment. 
• I will choose one winner and send him/her an email next Monday. 
• If you don't answer in 24 hours, I will choose someone else.
• We have until next Sunday to work on the design.

If you have any questions, leave a comment below or send me an e-mail to lovefrombe@gmail.com.

I hope you like this idea. Have a nice day and good luck!

My favorite summer nail polishes

I always wear nail polish on my nails. I just feel very uncomfortable without it. However, I always tend to stick to the same colors, so today I wanted to share those few colors I've been loving this summer.

KIKO 284 Dark Peony Pink

This is my favorite color at the moment. It's the perfect shade between red and pink. It may be a bit more pink than red, but I think that's why I love it so much. 

OPI Step Right Up!

My cousin gave me this nail polish for my birthday and I absolutely love it. It's a super light pink, almost white color. I think it's a very elegant shade. OPI nail polishes are a bit too pricey for me so I would have never bought it myself. Even though I love this color, I think I'll stick to kiko nail polishes, though since I need to apply a lot of coats of this nail polish to get an opaque look.

KIKO 217 Antique pink

I was super obsessed with this color last summer. I think I wore it the whole summer. It reminds me of sand, with a touch of pink. It's very subtle and a bit shimmery. I still haven't had the chance to wear it this summer but I can't wait to do it.

KIKO 351 Peony pink *

I think this is one of the first nail polishes I bought from kiko. If you have any nail polish from kiko, you'll see it was a 5-digit number at the bottom, written in ink. This one, however, only has a "51" engraved, which makes me think it was probably one of their first products. It's a super bright pink color that reminds me a bit of coral too. I personally think it's perfect for summer.

* I'm not sure it's actually this number because it doesn't have the sticker with the number, but after comparing it to the colors on their website I decided that this was the shade.

KIKO 344 Light misty green

If you didn't notice, most of my nail polish are different shades of pink. I like to use this nail polish when I want a change. It's a very nice blue color with a slight touch of green. 

Chocolate volcanos

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw a photo of this yesterday, and if you follow me on twitter you probably saw this drove me crazy. I was super tired yesterday that my brain wasn't working, so I had to make this three times until I finally managed to make something edible.

Si me sigues en Instagram, probablemente viste esta foto ayer. Y si me sigues en twitter, probablemente viste que me maté para hacer éstas. Ayer estaba súper cansada y mi cerebro ya no funcionaba, así que tuve que hacer todo tres veces hasta conseguir hacer algo comestible. 

My aunt came to have lunch with my sister and me yesterday so I decided to make these for dessert. I took the photos with my iPhones, so sorry for the bad quality, but it was hard enough trying to explain my aunt she couldn't eat then because I had to take photos for my blog… 

Mi tía vino ayer a comer con mi hermana y conmigo y decidí hacer estas de postre. Las fotos las saqué con mi móvil, así que lo siento por la mala calidad, pero ya fue suficiente difícil explicarle a mi tía que no se las podía comer porque tenía que sacarles fotos para mi blog...

Ingredients 

• 170g dark chocolate
  170g chocolate fondant
• 170g butter
  170g mantequilla
• 60g sugar
  60g azúcar 
• 3 large eggs
  3 huevos
• 3 egg yolks
  3 yemas de huevo
• 50g self-rising flour
  50g harina de repostería

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 460°F or 240°C.
   Precalienta el horno a 240°C o 460°F.
2. Melt the butter and the chocolate over boiling water.
   Funde la mantequilla y el chocolate al baño María. 
3. In a bowl, mix the eggs with the sugar.
   En un bol, mezcla los huevos y el azúcar. 
4. Add the melted chocolate to the bowl with the sugar mixture.
   Añade el chocolate al bol con la mezcla de azúcar. 
5. Add flour and mix everything.
   Añade la harina y mezcla todo. 
6. Fill 12 cupcake cups. I used silicon ones so they couldn't stick to the paper.
   Rellena 12 moldes para magnadenas. Yo usé moldes de silicona para que no se pegasen al papel. 
7. Put them in the oven for 7 minutes.
   Mételos en el horno 7 minutos. 
8. Enjoy!
   ¡Disfrútalos!

The Liebster Award #3

I have already made two Liebster Award posts that you can read here and here but I've been nominated again by Hannah of Suitcase and Sandals and Catherine of Counter Pretty. They're both super sweet girls so make sure you check out their blogs! I noticed most of these questions are blog-related and I actually copypasted some answers from The Secrets of Blogging Tag. I hope you don't mind.

My 11 facts

1. I sometimes just want to quit everything, buy a private island and move there.
2. There's a building in my university in which I always use the handicapped toilet because I once got locked in the toilet and I can't remember in which one it was so... 
3. I love quotes.
4. I love Argentinean shows for kids.
5. I always keep a band-aid in my wallet. You never know when you might need one and it's the only way I can make sure I'll have one with me... 
6. I have a lot of pillows and blankets on my bed and I like everything to be in an exact place and I hate when someone changes something...
7. My closet is the only part of my room I ALWAYS keep tidy. And everyone in my house knows everything follows a perfect order so they don't dare to touch anything.
8. I may sound like I have OCD, but I'm actually a huge mess.
9. I'm an expert on hitting myself and falling down. I fall as I walk, I fall from my bed mostly every week, from the couch... so I always have bruises.
10. When I was younger I used to write fan-fics and I sometimes miss doing that...
11. I love graphic design, but I can't draw. At all. And it frustrates me a lot because I have no future without being able to draw...

Hannah's questions

1. Why did you start blogging?

I'd always wanted to have a blog and I actually started a lot of them before but I'd always give up on them. I think it was because I didn't know what I wanted. But fortunately, last year, I came across For Chic Sake and Agus Yornet (which I have mentioned a million times on this blog) and when I saw those blogs I knew exactly what I wanted, and they inspired me to create this blog.

2. What is your favourite type of blog post?

I really like DIYs, recipes and posts like "what's in my bags", tips, wishlists, hauls... , that kind of posts that are short of personal but easy to read. And I'm starting not to like product reviews that much any more...

3. How often do you blog?

I try to do it three times a week:

• Wednesday: tags
• Friday: DIY/Recipes...
• Sunday: Personal/Lifestyle...

4. Do you prefer summer clothing or winter clothing?

Definitely winter!!!

5. Which celebrity do you admire for their fashion sense?

Lauren Conrad. Her style is flawless!

6. Out of all the places you have visited, which is your favourite?

New York City.

7. Where is a country you have never been to but wish to go to?

Argentina. I'm in love with that country for some reason and I have been for many years. I really have to visit it some day. 

If anyone from Argentina is reading this, please invite me to your house ;)

8. What is your favourite type of Jewellery?

Bracelets.

9. Where is your favourite place in the UK?

Hhmm... this is hard for me because I'm not from the UK. Hhmm... can I say the m&m's world?

10. What are your main plans for the summer?

I may get an internship and I'll also be doing a course on web design and programming. I'm such a nerd, I know. Sorry not sorry,

11. What are your blogging aims?

I hope I don't give up on blogging and continue to enjoy it as much as I do. And I hope some day I will be able to dedicate it more time and blog more frequently.

Catherine's questions

1. What made you start blogging?

I answered this before, but... I'd always wanted to have a blog and I actually started a lot of them before but I'd always give up on them. I think it was because I didn't know what I wanted. But fortunately, last year, I came across For Chic Sake and Agus Yornet (which I have mentioned a million times on this blog) and when I saw those blogs I knew exactly what I wanted, and they inspired me to create this blog.

2. What beauty product could you not live without?

BB creams.

3. Is there anything you dislike about blogging?

It does take a lot of time. And being an engineering student, I don't always have that time.

4. What was your childhood ambition?

I guess I really really really really wanted to be a mom.

5. Do you have a guilty pleasure? What is it?

Chocolate and coke. I should eat and drink healthier but why? Why do chocolate and coke taste so good?

6. What do you wish you'd known when you first began blogging?

Hhmm... this is a hard question. I wish I hadn't underestimated how important talking to other bloggers and using bloglovin could be, or how much posting on a schedule can help.

7. Who are your favourite bloggers? Why are they your favourites?

As I said before, I really like For Chic Sake and Agus Yornet, but since For Chic Sake are more than one girls, I'd say Agus is my favorite. I've had the pleasure to talk to her some times and she's such a lovely person, and her blog is flawless. She's so perfect I want to die. She takes amazing pictures, bakes amazingly, does amazing crafts, has such a good fashion sense, she's so nice and creative and... she's from Argentina! I look up to her so much!

8. How many hours do you procrastinate a day on average?

24 hours? I don't know. A lot!

9. You have 3 wishes, what are they?

I can't tell you or they won't come true ;) To be honest, I know what 2 of them would be, and they're related to two people I care about a lot, but I'm not sure what my third one would.

10. What is your favourite thing to do?

Procrastinate? Just kidding. I don't know. These questions are so hard. I'm going to say ice-skate, because when I ice-skate I forget about all my problems and I just love it.

11. What one piece of advice would you give a blogger just starting out?

To re-read my question number 6 and don't underestimate those things as I did... Other than that:

• Know what you want
• Find a good design. This may sound superficial, but I sometimes don't read blogs just because I don't like their design. People judge, so try to find a nice design and specially, one that's easy to read: white background, large, font...
• Get involved: follow other blogs, leave comments, get accounts in as many social networks as you can...
• Post frequently
• Do what you love, love what you do.
• Disable captcha. I hate those, please disable that. 
• Allow your readers to know you. Try to make them not only love your blog, but you too.

I've done The Liebster Award so many times that I don't know who else to tag any more, so I hope you don't mind but I'm just answering the questions this time.

Her second birthday cake

If you've been following me for some time, you may remember I made a blog post on a cake I made for my cousin's first birthday, and if you don't, you can see it here. She turned 2 on Monday and we celebrated it last weekend, so I made another birthday cake for her. 

Si me sigues desde hace tiempo, puede que recuerdes un post que publiqué de una tarta que hice para el primer cumpleaños de mi prima, y si no, puedes verla aquí. El lunes cumplió 2 años y lo celebramos el fin de semana pasado, así que le hice otra tarta de cumpleaños

You should know that I hadn't made a real cake since her last birthday and my frosting and decorations skills have never been very good.

Deberíais saber que no había hecho una tarta de verdad desde su último cumpleaños y glasear y decorar nunca han sido habilidades mías.

The photos are not the best, because I took them with my phone on her house, but I still hope you like them.

Las fotos tampoco son las mejores, porque las hice con el móvil en su casa, pero aun así espero qeu os gusten.

This is what the cake looked like before taking it to their house:

Así era la carta antes de llevarla a su casa:

I also filled some water balloons with sprinkles and when we arrived at their house I pinned them to the cake.
Además, llené unos globos de agua con fideos de chocolate y cuando llegamos a su casa los puse en la tarta.

I then made my aunt and cousin explode them, so the confetti fell on the cake and "decorated" it.
Luego le hice  a mi tía y a mi prima explotarlos, así que los fideos cayeron encima de la tarta, "decorándola".

Sorry, I covered my aunt's house because it was pretty weird and I don't think she'd like her face on the internet, specially that face.

And the last surprise was this...
Y la última sorpresa fue...

It had different colors in the inside! 

¡Tenía círculos de colores por dentro!

How did I make it?

I first made some cake pops to make the colorful polka dots. To do them I made a regular cake with a cake mix, scrambled it and mixed it with frosting. I separated the dough into different bowls and added different coloring to each bowl. Lastly, I just made a lot of little balls.

I then used this recipe from Sweetapolita to make the vanilla cake and I put the cake balls inside before baking each cake.

¿Cómo la hice?

Primero hice las bolitas de tarta para los circulos de colores. Para eso, hice un bizcocho normal con un preparado para tartas, la desmigajé y la mezclé con glaseado. Luego separé la mezcla en distintos bols y les eché colorante de distintos colores. Por último, hice un montón de bolitas.

Luego usé esta receta de Sweetapolita para hacer el bizcocho de vainilla, y puse las bolitas dentro antes de hornear cada tarta.

Love from Be's first birthday!

Today my blog turns 1 year old! Yay!

Wow! I can't believe it's been a year already!! To be honest, I'm very proud of myself for not giving up on my blog. As I mentioned in different occasions in this blog, I tried blogging before but I'd always give up, so I'm very happy it's all different with this blog.

I've absolutely loved every moment I've dedicated to my blog. I've met very lovely bloggers and I'm so happy I decided to start this blog. I also wanted to say thank you to everyone who's been with me in this journey, to all of you who read my blog, who follow me, and who make my days with nice comments.

I also wanted to tell you, in case my blog header isn't visible enough, that I have a big surprise coming up on June 30th that I hope you will like.

Last but not least (why do I love that expression so much?), I added a poll to my sidebar so you can let me know what you would like to see more in this blog. So please, please, please vote.

And that's it. Thanks again to al of you for making this such an amazing experience and I hope you're enjoyed Love From Be as much as I do.

Secrets of Blogging Tag

I saw this tag on Emmihearts and I loved it! So I had to do it!

1. When did you start blogging and why?

I started last June. I'd always wanted to have a blog and I actually started a lot of them before but I'd always give up on them. I think it was because I didn't know what I wanted. But fortunately, last year, I came across For Chic Sake and Agus Yornet (which I have mentioned a million times on this blog) and when I saw those blogs I knew exactly what I wanted, and they inspired me to create this blog.

2. How many people "in real life" know about your blog?

Actually, a few. I always try to hide my internet life, like my tumblr, my twitter, my blog... But I then realized that since I wanted this blog to become popular, I should probably tell people about it and not be afraid what they thought. I still hide it from some people (like most people from my University) and my family knows I have a blog, but they don't know the url.

3. What are your favourite posts to read?

I really like DIYs, recipes and posts like "what's in my bags", tips, wishlists, hauls... , that kind of posts that are short of personal but easy to read. And I'm starting not to like product reviews that much any more...

4. List a blog you have discovered recently

Counter Pretty

5. Which post are you most proud of?

I can't choose one, but it's probably one of these three:

• Cinnamon Rolls Croissants
• DIY Donut/Sock Bun
• DIY Custom Phone Cases

6. Any advice for future bloggers?

• Know what you want
• Find a good design. This may sound superficial, but I sometimes don't read blogs just because I don't like their design. People judge, so try to find a nice design and specially, one that's easy to read: white background, large, font...
• Get involved: follow other blogs, leave comments, get accounts in as many social networks as you can...
• Post frequently
• Do what you love, love what you do.
• Disable captcha. I hate those, please disable that. 
• Allow your readers to know you. Try to make them not only love your blog, but you too.

I tag everyone reading this!