Halloween 2014

Yes, I know this is days late. Yes, I know the pictures will not be blogger approved. No, I don’t mind because I had a great weekend!

Halloween in my office is never really a full days work. This year we had snacks, drinks and movies all day long. This was pretty awesome, although, I had to do a good amount of work to get ready for being at a conference this week. After work, we had amazing hubcap margaritas, went to a friends party and then out for an evening of more fun. We had such a fun time, and I really hope dressing up for Halloween never gets old, because it’s one of my favorite days of the year. I love the prepping that goes into a costume, and then finally being able to show off my handy work. This year on Halloween we were Ariel, Eric, and SharkBait was Flounder.

My only complaint about this year costume would be my hair. I dyed it using Garnier Intense Color Styler because it was supposed to wash out in 2-3 washes. Well I have washed my hair over 8 times and it is still in my hair! My hair looks and feels fried, and it is only washed out in some places so it looks terrible. Really makes me sad (and scared) that my once healthy hair is now turned into this. Any suggestions on how to fix it? I have used clarifying shampoo and a deep conditioner.

 

On Saturday, I threw a surprise party for Dave at a local bar. It was so hard setting up, making cupcakes, and getting him there without him knowing a single thing, but it worked! I can’t believe he is already 25, he may be having a slim quarter-life crisis. For Dave’s party we were Dead Eric and Ursula.

Please excuse the blurry iPhone photos, we were having too much fun to take better ones 😦

I will be posting my How-To’s on making these costume’s soon. Also, my hair did not look purple in person, it’s crazy how much it did in photos.

Did you have a fun Halloween weekend?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Halloween!

YAY! One of my favorite holidays is finally here! I love getting dressed up and being something different for a day (or three) and going out with some of my friends. Since I am a huge fan of Halloweekend, I never have just one costume. This year I only have 2 but most years I have three.

Before the big reveal of my two costumes from this year, lets have a look back on a few of my previous costumes. I normally make at least one costume, and buy one other. Last year, I made my Peter Pan costume, Dave’s Hook costume, and SharkBait’s Tink costume.

We were also Spider-Man, Spider-Man and Peter Parker last year.

Two years ago I made my Buzz Lightyear Costume, and Dave was Woody (sorry for the Instagram pictures, wish I had a better one!)

 

Now for this year’s costume! I will eventually have all of the instructions up for how to make these, but for now here are a few sneak peaks. The real photos will be up on Monday. Any idea’s? A hint- they both are from the same movie 😉

Do you still dress-up for Halloween? What are you being this year?

Getting Inspired

How dare WordPress not post my scheduled post for yesterday! Sorry about that loyal fans and A to Z friends 😉

Getting Inspired. Thinking of something that makes me happy with the letter G was a little tough, I thought of lots of things like gifts, glamorous, giving, etc but I just wasn’t truly excited to write a post about them. So here I am kind of taking my idea away from my post meant for tomorrow (guess I’ll need another “I” word), and posting about “Getting Inspired”.

Most of my posts are about life experiences, something that caught my eye or made me think, or what I am currently loving. When I look back at them they all having something in common, I was inspired about a specific topic and chose to share my thoughts with the world. What causes people to be inspired by something?

For me getting inspired can come from many different things, I could be walking to my mailbox and hear the neighbors playing in their yard, looking up prices for my next vacation, or searching Pinterest for my next DIY. Everyone is inspired by something different.

It’s fascinating to me that something that might seem boring to me, like doing sudoku, can get someone else’s creative juices flowing. I normally put it down after about 5 minutes. It also is crazy to me that activities that I enjoy, like walking through a museum, wouldn’t really inspire me in a super creative way. Yes, I would post about my experience, but I wouldn’t be inspired to go out and do something for the art world, or to go paint a masterpiece.

So in regards to how I get inspired, here are my top three favorite ways:

Music. I really love music no matter what emotion I am feeling, and it also helps clear my mind so I am able to be creative. I have a tattoo of a music note on my ankle because as crazy as it sounds there have been times in my life that listening to a certain song was like having a friend around. Whenever I need to be creative, or think of ideas for a project, the first thing I do is turn on the music. Most of the time it’s something to get me in a great mood, which almost always ends up being Katy Perry.

Say Yes To The Dress or Four Weddings. Even if i’m not looking for inspiration with anything wedding related, I love these shows to help get me thinking. SYTTD is more of a way to clear my head while watching the girls try on amazing dresses, and Four Weddings is good for color and theme inspiration.

Going out on the boat. Unfortunately this is a summer thing, but being out on the water with clearly no where else to go and nothing else to do is so calming. I love taking a good book, a float, or a fishing rod and spending hours on the water. I also keep my phone nearby so I can jot down notes while I am out.

As I get into the event planning industry, these three things will help me so much. What helps you to get inspired?

 

 

DIY Friday

Do It Yourself. One of my favorites terms since I moved into my own place. I love being crafty and turning my ideas into projects. Yesterday, I guest posted on A Pinch of Jasmine and shared the latest subscription box I have found, Darby Smart. I finally received my first box, and couldn’t wait to get started!

I ordered Kate Spade inspired champagne flutes, how adorable are these! Glasses are something that my house is not lacking, but I couldn’t help myself. I needed to have these.

The Darby Smart boxes are cute all on their own, but the handwritten note is such a sweet extra that I will order more boxes just because of that little extra step (my box arrived a few days late because of a shipping problem, but they emailed me and gave me a credit for my troubles). So lets get started!

Step 1- Admire the cute box everything comes in

Step 2- Appreciate the handwritten note you receive

Step 3- Jump into the project! I started by cleaning the glasses

 

 

Step 4- Apply the dots, I didn’t really have a pattern in mind, so I played around with placement. Of course with things like this, no two will be the same.

Step 5- Wait about 4 hours for the dots to dry

Step 6- Fill with adult beverage, and enjoy your completed handmade project! (okay this wasn’t listed on the directions, but it works for me!)

 

If you are interested in trying out Darby Smart, let me know and I will send you a link for $10 off! Each box has free shipping, and some will end up being $5 with the code! These champagne flutes were $19, and I only paid $9!

 

 

A Weekend With My Little Pony

This weekend, like all others, went too quickly. At least I was able to see the two cutest little girls on the planet though. They live about 3 hours away in Virginia, and luckily I never mind a mini road trip. During the spring, summer andearly fall months its a really nice drive through the mountains of Harpers Ferry. But when it’s dark even before I begin the drive the biggest adventure becomes finding somewhere to eat along the way.

My niece turned 2 last week and had a My Little Pony themed birthday party on Saturday. I didn’t even know My Little Pony was a thing, I thought they became extinct when the technology age started. I am so happy they are still around, and quite loved by the look on Danica’s face when she opened her presents. We started decorating the house on Friday and it was turning into the cutest party palace. She was so excited when she woke up, it was like Christmas! Since I don’t get to see them often, I really cherish the time we are together. I am so excited for more birthdays!

Cutest ceiling ever!

Her cake was rainbow on the inside 🙂

She finally wore her tu-tu long enough to snap a picture

blow out your candles big girl!

Dani’s little sister, Charli

So excited about her new ponies, she couldn’t stop loving on them

Can I Dress Up Everyday?

Halloween is now over, all costumes are put away, the pumpkins have been chucked, and most goodies have been consumed. I, like most people in their 20’s, love getting dressed up as somebody or something else and going out for a great night with friends. This year my boyfriend and I decided to make a costume and buy a costume.

My first costume was Peter Pan, which is the one I made. It was super easy, which worked out well since I am still starting to be slightly good at sewing. I purchased 2 yards of jersey fabric in hunter green. In all honesty 1 yard would have been enough. I put the fabric on the floor, had my boyfriend trace the outline of my body and added an extra inch to each side for a seam. I cut the top straight across so there would be enough fabric for a collar (unfortunately it can’t be seen in one of the only pictures I took). Once I had the hem sewn I cut a zig-zag on the sleeves and on the bottom. The dress was a little longer than I wanted so i bunched it up a bit underneath of my belt. The only thing I purchased was the green hat. I had grey booties that I hot glued brown felt to and left some sticking up at the tip.

Of course my kitten, SharkBait needed a skirt so she could be Tinkerbell. I used some sheer glittery fabric, cut a zig-zag and sewn it to some ribbon. Hook got his red shirt from the women department of a thrift store, and I put lace around the sleeves. All we had to buy for his was a hat and hook.

My second costume was bought, but I’m not one of the people that can afford a $60 costume. In August I decided what I wanted to be and bought it from Amazon for $18! I also made a mask out of lace and felt. My boyfriend decided to be the “real” version of my costume, and bought a t shirt and used other clothing he already had. To complete his costume he bought a retro camera at a yard sale. My kitten needed to match of course, she wore a shirt I bought for her a few months ago, and I made a tutu.

Well that was my halloween. The total for 4 costumes, and 2 kitten costumes came to about $47. I am already starting to plan next years costumes, hopefully I can get it even lower!

DIYs To Transform House Into Home

I am sure somewhere out there are other gals just moving into their first place, and are ready to finally be able to do whatever they want. I am 22 and have been dreaming of this time forever. But what I didn’t realize was how expensive it would be. I am slowly getting things together by thrifting, couponing, and pinteresting (yes those last two are words…in my dictionary at least).

For me my place is perfect, I live on the top floor of a split level house, which means I get an entry way with a small staircase! That is one of my favorite parts of the place. A few others are the living room and the office type craft center. The best part is my spare bedroom, which I have transformed into a closet! Every girls dream is to have a walk-in closet, and I am lucky enough to have a walk-in, sit-in, sleep-in, lay-in, iron-in, change-in and dress-in closet. I am sure I will have more posts about this one later.

The point off all of this rambling, is I am finally on my own. And I am happy. It is scary and can be expensive but it is worth it. Time to yourself, friends over whenever you please, a glass of wine and a good book. All of that makes these the best years to decide to get out on your own.

Here are a few of the projects I have finished: