Birthday Celebration

Yesterday was my mom's birthday.

We've celebrated a little bit yesterday and little bit today.

Yesterday I made her supper. 

And even helped wash dishes.

Usually if I make the meal, I don't have to do dishes.

But I was feeling generous and offered my skills.

We enjoy open-faced sandwiches and this is a classic one that I make.

Take a slice of french bread, spread on some poppyseed dressing, slice some onions, add some deli meat, and spinach leaves, and top it off with some mozzarella cheese and BAM! you have a really good sandwich. 

No to mention fresh strawberries with a dipping sauce composed of cool whip and mayo.  May sound weird, but it's good. 

Lately I've been on a cinnamon & sugar dessert kick

and last night was no different.

I took the cresent roll dough and spread some butter on it, then sprinkled a mixture of cinnamon and sugar on it, rolled it up and let it bake for 12 minutes.  All of that combined = gooey goodness. 

Let's just say that when the night was through, there were none left. 

We love our veggies too, but I cannot take credit for making the dish because it comes pre-packaged and frozen from Schwans. 

Today for lunch we (mom, dad, Aunt Doris, Uncle Gordon, and myself) went to Salina to eat at Hong Kong Buffet.  Whenever we make trips to Salina we always eat here because it's a good variety of Asian cuisine.  Plus it's close to all the good shopping places on Ninth Street. 

Then we walked off our meal at the mall and Target. 

And since this blog is a blend of fashion, DIY, and life, here's pictures of the clothes I bought.

The dress is from Target and the smock is from Old Navy. 

The bottom two tank tops are also from Old Navy. 

I'm ready for spring and summer!

The good weather has started today and I hope it's here to stay!

 

My New Best Friend

So, I have a new best friend.

This friendship started a long time ago,

but it's recently become something more.

It's none other than my hot glue gun. 

How else would I make crafts without it?

Today I made two new versions of the jersey necklaces. 

 

I wanted to add something to these necklaces, but I just wasn't sure what.  That was until I found an old ring that I don't wear anymore.

So, I threaded the ribbons through the ring one by one and glued the ends together.  I can either wear it loose or twisted.  Either way, I think the "bling" adds a little bit of sophistication to an otherwise very casual necklace. 

I also added some flare to a dull grey necklace.  And voile! (The "e" needs an accent mark.) 

 

I had been trying to figure out how to improve this grey necklace when I started wrapped some white ribbon around it.  I thought it looked cool and made it more sturdy by gluing the white ribbon to the grey ribbons at different spots.  The necklace is very versatile because I can wear it long and I can also wear it short by doubling it up.  I'm wearing it now because I like it so much. 

And so my friendship continues with my glue gun. 

I hope it's one that lasts for a very long time. 

P.s. I hope that Casey Abrams from American Idol is safe tonight! 

Way Back Wednesday: Simple Pleasures

I wanted to find a picture from my past that would make me laugh. 

Ah yes.  Simple Pleasure detergent. 

This was sophomore year at Tabor. 

If I recall correctly, Ginger, Linzy and I were incredibly bored and decided to go on a random adventure trip to Newton.  We made many stops including Sonic, Mokas (which was closed), Drubers (which was closed), Walmart, and Arby's.  Oh, and a park with playground.  I remember falling down on the half pipe because it was cold and icy.   

Those were some great times. 

Wandering around aimlessly. 

Gratifying our impulsive nature. 

Totally oblivous to anything around us. 

Enjoying every moment. 

I miss those days when responsibility didn't dictate your schedule for the day.

When you could watch The Lord of the Rings Trilogy all day.

When you could go to the caf and eat a waffle for all three meals of the day. 

Simple pleasures that we take for granted. 

Balance in life is crucial.

I realize this more each day.

I just wish I was better at it.

Here's my office.  And my outfit.

Luckily I stood in front of the piles that I have scattered across the counter. 

It's a little scary in there sometimes.

Tomorrow, I'm sleeping in.

And I will enjoy the simple pleasure of hitting the snooze. 

The Sun Will Come Out...Tomorrow?

Dear Sun,
Please come out.  Soon.  I have spring fever.  I wanted to wear capris and sandals yesterday but you wouldn't let me.  If you could take care of all the piles of papers I have on my desk at work, it would be greatly appreciated.  That is all. 
Sincerely, Ashley

I would really love the sun to peak through the clouds and shine its face.  Things have just seemed to be creeping along and I'm ready for the weather to give me a boost.  Friday's temperatures and lack of cloud cover appear to be promising, which is good because the family and I plan to go to Salina for some fun!  Other than that, I've enjoyed my evening by watching Biggest Loser and getting a head start on a project.

Here's the outfit of the day with one of my jersey necklaces.



   Graphic Shirt: Target.  Biege Cardigan: Old Navy.  Belt: Forever21.  Black Jersey Necklace: Hand-made!

Jersey Necklace Tutorial

This crafty "upcycling" project is so much fun! I have found myself going through my closet several, several times to find shirts that I don't wear very much in attempts to reincarnate them as a necklace.  I have found that the ideal jersey necklace will be created with shirts that have no side hems.  Otherwise, all other shirts will have hems on both sides.  This is still okay.  I will later explain how this "hem factor" will play out in the final product. 

1. PICK YOUR SHIRT.  You must pick some sort of t-shirt/jersey blend shirt because the material must be able to stretch.  I picked this green t-shirt that I used to wear during the summers at Prairie View.  These types of shirts don't have side hems and work the best when creating a necklace. 

2. LINE UP THE BOTTOM HEM.  You will need to line up the bottom hem so that both layers lay flat on top of each other.  Cut off the hem.  You wont' need it.

3. CUT "RIBBONS."  Proceed to cut the shirt into "ribbons" that are 1 inch to 1.5 inches wide. 

4. STRETCH THE "RIBBONS."  Once the shirt is cut into "ribbons," stretch the "ribbons" as far as they material will let you.  The "ribbons" will curl and look like this.  (This shirt had side hems.)

5. ASSEMBLE YOUR NECKLACE.  This is where you use your creativity.  When you assemble your necklace or necklaces, you can choose whatever colors or designs of "ribbons" you want to use.  I will show you some different options that I've made. 

This is the necklace I created out of my green tshirt. 

You can see that it is seemless. 

This necklace is made from a black tank top that I had.  This tank top had seems on the side.  I cut the fabric where the seems and as a result, you get a shorter necklace.  Originally, I tied the two ends of the "ribbons" together but then it got bulky.  So, I grabbed my hot glue gun and glued the two ends together like this:

Add some hot glue to the end of the "ribbon." 



Then place the other end of the "ribbon" on top of the glue and close. 

Be careful! The glue is hot!

You will need to hide the part of the "ribbon" that you have glued together, so pick another ribbon and wrap it around all the "ribbons."  Tie it and hide the excess underneath the "ribbons" around it.

As I've been making these, I've also thought about adding some larger beads to the "ribbons" to add some more dimension and glitz.  I hope to go to Hobby Lobby sometime this week (because it's half price jewelry week) and find some beads that would work so I can take pictures of the ideas in my brains. 

Hope all of these instructions make sense! 

Sunday. Snow. Super Savings.

Yesterday I was in the mood to go hunting for garage sales, but it's still a bit early for that season.  So, I found a happy medium and made my way to Goodwill in hopes of some cheap finds.  And yes, I was successful. 

I found about 10 different sized picture frames that I plan on using to decorate the Drama Workshop room at church.  When the weather gets nicer, I will set up shop on the back patio, sand these frames down and paint them black.  Here's some pictures I found online that inspired me.

I also found a bunch of skirts for $3 each.  That means that I have a lot of fabric to make a lot of cute accessories with.  I was so excited about all the possibilities that I gave into my impulses to cut and sew and glue.  I went to bed way after midnight still with ideas floating around my head of things that I want to create. 

At the top of my list of things to create: jersey t-shirt necklaces!  I've been wondering how to accessorize outfits in the summer without scarves, so I believe that this will be a much "cooler" alternative.  I will be happily cutting and snipping away at old t-shirts this afternoon in an attempt to stay awake while I simultaneously watch NASCAR and KU Basketball.  Here's an example of one of these fabulous necklaces.  

And, to close out the post, here's another Target outfit.  However, the scarf was given to me as a gift.  The scarf was given to me anonymously from someone in church.  There was a note attached saying that they had noticed how often I wear scarves and that this one would be a great addition to my collection.  Very sweet. 

 

Hand-dipped White Chocolate Pretzels Tutorial

These delicious little guys are one of my favorite things to make and to eat.  I love the combination of salty and sweet together.  Sometimes I find myself unconsciously eating a whole bunch while watching tv.  Yikes. 

Now believe me when I say that ANYONE can make these, even husbands and kiddos.  From start to finish it took me 30 minutes to make these.  Clean up is easy and there is no oven involved!  Here's what you'll need to get started:

1. PRETZELS. I personally think that the "snaps" work best.  You can find this in the chip aisle at Walmart.  (If that's where your Walmart puts the pretzels.)

2. ALMOND BARK.  Buy the white chocolate flavored kind.  I've experimented with the milk chocolate flavored kind and did not enjoy it as much.  White chocolate is a must.  You can find this at Walmart in the cooking notions aisle where all the cake mixes and muffin mixes and jello and baking supplies are.

3. GLASS BOWL.  Since an oven is not involved, you will be melting the almond bark in the microwave. 

4. WAX PAPER.  One time I put the dipped pretzels on a cookie sheet and I had so many casualties when I scraped them off the sheet.  Wax paper works the best because the pretzels pop right off when the chocolate has hardened. 

5. SPOON.  You'll need a spoon to stir the lumps out of the melted chocolate.

6. KNIFE.  You'll need a knife to cut the almond bark into smaller pieces. (Picture below)

I learned the hard way how tempermental almond bark is.  I had never used it before until just a couple months ago and really had no clue what to do.  I first decided to melt in a nonstick pan on the stove on low heat, but I scorched the melted goop so bad that I had to throw it out.  So, just melt it in the microwave.  It's much easier to control the consistency better. 

On the back of the package it will tell you how long to microwave the almond bark.  It's 90 seconds the first time.  Stir.  Then microwave for 15 second intervals and stir in between until you get the consistency that you want.  The amount of almond bark you use (I only used half a package) will determine how many times you nuc it. 

While the almond bark was melting away, I set up my table with the pretzels and wax paper.  Once I had the right consistency, I just started dipping away.  I only covered half of the pretzel because I didn't want too much chocolate to overpower the pretzel.  Here's what the finished product looks like:

And there's your hand-dipped white chocolate pretzels!  Happy dipping!