"Whine" Glasses

two years ago, i made all my girl friends wine glasses for christmas. i visited my family in alabama this past weekend & my mom asked me to make her a few glasses because they would be perfect for two of her friends. i never took pictures of the other ones i made, so i wanted to share these with you. they are easy to make & are perfect for personalization!


you can change the style of dress, colors, patterns, & saying!
cute ideas would be a flower, zebra or leopard print dress


[i hadn't cleaned my finger prints off the glass yet!]
change the saying to relate to the person you are making it for. if the person likes to whine a lot, use my saying. other ideas are:
gameday diva (decorate glass in your favorite team's colors)
put on your big girl panties
it's 5 o'clock somewhere
party, party, party...let's all get wasted
tip me over and pour me out

spinach artichoke chicken

this is a recipe i found searching online for Spinach Artichoke Chicken. at first, i thought it was going to be dry but just be patient & follow the recipe & it will turn out yummmy!

Spinach Artichoke Chicken
ingredients: 1 can fat free chicken broth
3 cloves of garlic
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into chunks
2 cups fresh spinach (chopped)
1 can artichoke hearts (chopped)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1 cup whole wheat penne (uncooked)
directions:
1. in a non stick pan, saute garlic in 1/2 cup of broth
2. add chicken & cook 5 min, or until cooked through
3. add spinach & artichokes, stir for a few seconds, until spinach wilts
4. add the rest of the can of broth and pasta. bring to boil, then reduce heat & simmer until pasta is tender
5. add parmesean & cream cheese, leave on low heat, stirring constantly until mixed well
6. serve immediately & enjoy!

Ana Somnia

Check out this awesome website if you have a webcam! It's crazy how much stuff you can do on the computer now-a-days.
Ana Somnia

what do you see?

what do you see?
i think of...
mario cart racing

yum in my tum

I was searching for a recipe to bake chicken that was very tasty but not time consuming to cook this past week. I came across a recipe called Anniversary Chicken. It was not hard to make at all and ended up tasting juicy && amazing! My boyfriend, Andrew, really enjoyed it...not that guys are hard to please with food, because most of them like almost anything! But, here is the recipe if you would like to try it out:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 cup teriyaki basting sauce
• 1/2 cup Ranch-style salad dressing
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 (3 ounce) can bacon bits
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts, and saute 4 to 5 minutes each side, until lightly browned.
3. Place browned chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush with teriyaki sauce, then spoon on salad dressing. Sprinkle with cheese, green onions and bacon bits.
4. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Garnish with parsley and serve.

...and this is my final product!

twice as nice

i love a vintage striped dress i found at the thrift store but it was too long. i am getting it hemmed this week and pairing it with floral black tights and brown flats. i can't wait to get it back.

Old into New

inspired by a shirt i saw at forever 21, i decided to cut my own plain, boring t-shirts and create something new. the girls at work wanted to know how i did it, so i thought you may like to do it too!

all you need is a t-shirt, scissors, and marker

**the t-shirt size depends on how loose you want the shirt to be around your waist area. to demonstrate, i am using a small white v-neck t-shirt. you can use patterned shirts, graphic tees, solid tees-the options are endless.

begin by marking the middle of the shirt with your marker. draw a curved line starting from the inner most point outside the neck seam line connected to the middle point you previously marked to make the neckline of your shirt.

**decide how low you want your neckline to be by moving the middle point down for a lower cut shirt and up for a higher cut shirt.


next, mark two dots: one 1.5-3 inches across from the shoulder mark & one below the armpit. connect the two dots with a curved line.

**depending on how low you want the shirt to go on the sides, depends on where you mark the other dot.

begin at the strap you've created from the front and continue the lines. one line should connect to the line under the armpit. the other line should make a shape like the picture below.

**to make it symmetrical, only draw half way down the back (like the picture).

starting at the middle point, cut along the line (all the way to the back to the back middle point). let the fabric hang once it is cut.


starting at the top seam of the shirt, cut out the sleeve. it is important to leave the sleeve in one piece because we will use it later!


this is what you should have now:


now, we need to trace the same lines on the opposite side of the shirt so that it will be asymmetrical. get the cut off sleeve and turn it inside out. match the bottom seam to the other seam (like the picture). now line up the seams so match. draw a line along the sleeve to mark where you will need to cut (this will need to be done on the front and back of the shirt).

**some people can free-hand draw this to match what we have previously cut. others, will need to follow these steps to get the same look as the other side.

fold over the front of the shirt that has already been cut. match the shoulder strap to the other side's shoulder strap.


trace the line to mark where you will need to cut to finish the neckline.


turn the shirt so the back is facing up. fold over the part you have already cut.


trace the line on the shirt to create your outline to know where to cut.


finish cutting on the lines and you will have your shirt looking similar to below.


we will need one of the sleeves we have cut off. cut a strip about an inch wide along the U-shaped edge.


now we have a shirt and a long strip of fabric.


match the seams on the straps up and tie the string in a knot in the middle about 5 inches down.

you can tie the strings in different ways. get creative! i have shown you some different ways below.

start by making a C-shape and crossing one strap over the middle two. loop it around and feed up through the hole my fingers are shown in the first picture. pull through and tighten. repeat with the other strap. switch back and forth until you have about 4 to 5 inches done.


you can also hold the two straps together and braid the tree pieces. knot it at the end with the two strings.


this is another shirt i have done. for this look, i twisted the straps.


ta da! you are finished!

Chunky Knits

How can you not get excited over sweaters & jackets that feel like a hug or, even better, instigate one. This fall, chunky knits are in! There is a variety of shapes, colors, necklines, and materials, all guaranteeing a snugly sensation! Make it work for you by wearing an underlayer to insure complete comfort, should it get toasty indoors. It may be a bit much for the workplace, but on the weekends a chunky knit sweater such as Trina Turk's Fenny Poncho Sweater (pictured in the middle) is sure to keep you warm! Pair this sweater with a pair of skinny's or black jeggings, and not only will you be stylin' but you are guaranteed comfort!

stack 'em up

DO. IT. YOURSELF.

this fall is creeping up on us fast. soon will be football season. halloween. thanksgiving. decorating the house can be stressful with everything else going on. here is a cheap && easy way to take up a small area or a lot of space.

1
find some old bricks (that have holes on each side)
[i used 3 bricks.]

2
decorate them with
glitter. paint. chalk. buttons. makeup. ribbon. anything.
[i spray painted two bricks with a metallic spray. the one in the middle i painted using a paintbrush.]



3
stack them so the holes line up in the order you want them to be in

4
add your arrangement pieces into the holes
[i went to hobby lobby && bought flowers, etc.]

5
tah-dah. you are done. now post a picture of yours!

OR


you can use it as a candle stick holder.


it is great way to incorporate color & texture to match any style.

trench coat.dress

The Burberry SS2010 Trench Coat has been worn by many celebrities, including Emma Watson, Victoria Beckham and Rihanna, this past fall and winter. Now, Nanette Lepore has given us the PERFECT trench coat look with her Casino Royale Dress. This modern twist on the classic trench coat is a great way to wear your favorite winter fashions into the summer!

domesticated diva

i cooked dinner last night. kung pao chicken. mmm mmm. it was good :)

this morning i cooked again. sausage && gravy biscuits. i'm going to try & start being more domesticated!



what have you been cooking?

destin

no signs of the oil spill at the beach thankfully. lots of seaweed today but yesterday the water was crystal clear && beautiful. maybe i'll be able to get a prettier picture of the water this week!

this is a picture of my little sister && her best friends. paeton (who has the sand piled in her bathing suite) entertained us && the beach with this.

back in bama

i left spur-of-the-moment today && drove to alabama to visit my family because i've been missing them soo much! tomorrow morning ((really today-i'm just up late as usual)) we are going to destin! hopefully i'll find some fun, interesting photos && stories to share throughout the week.

clemson finds

I've gone on several morning bike rides the past couple of weeks. Here are some pictures I took:

wired confusion.

wasted but useful.

depends on which way.

nested above.

bet you wished you thought of it

having trouble organizing your cables? i found this picture while stumbling & thought it may help you out...

how to find love..in a world full of hookups

a bit of reading...but totally worth it.
i found this article in GLAMOUR June 2010 issue. i really liked it and it felt good to read so i thought i'd share it with you.

"It wasn't easy for my friend, let's call her Sarah, to accept that she had a problem. A gorgeous 32 year-old actress from Los Angeles whose sexual history is the stuff of legends) she'd cemented her status at 16 when she sneaked the singer of a famous band through the bedroom window of her parent's house), Sarah was on her fourth date with Josh. They were getting along, and it seemed about time to sleep together. But as great as he was, Sarah didn't want to have sex with him. "As soon as I realized I was into him, I got super anxious about us doing it," she says. "The worst part is I was having sex with other people, just not the guy I actually liked." She soon realized it was more than nervousness: Sarah had a serious hang-up about intimacy. "After so many casual encounters, I saw sex and relationships as two totally different things," she says.
No one understood Sarah's crisis better than my other friend Kelley. Smart and funny, this nurse from Washington, D.C., never has trouble meeting guys. Yet on the rare nights when she's not at the hospital, Kelley finds herself doing exactly what we did as undergrads: going out with friends, letting loose and hooking up with cute men she meets in bars. But at 29, Kelly wonders: "Am I too old for this? Should I be dating in a more grown-up way?"
Another way to ask that: Is a good old-fashioned dating dead? The "hookup culture" of drunken make-out sessions and casual sex isn't just for college kids anymore; it's everywhere. Why? For starters the average age of a first marriage is rising-it's just shy of 26, up from 23.9 in 1990-giving us all a little more time to play. And no-strings-attached sex isn't something that only bad girls do anymore. "No one dates," says Samantha, 25, from Pittsburgh. "It's simply 'Who are you hooking up with?'" Basically, we're all on an extended spring break.
Arguably, in many ways, this is great for women. ("I'm having fun-lots of it! stresses Kelly.) Aside from the sexual fulfillment, there's more time to focus on careers and other life experiences before making a commitment. "Women today have longer to explore their options than back in the sixties and seventies, when even for many free-lovin' hippies, the goal was to get married and have children before 30," says Laura Sessions Stepp, author of Unhooked: How Young Women Pursue Sex, Delay Love, and Lose at Both.
With the old rules gone- like "nice girls don't" and "sleep with him after the third date"-the good news is that we have the freedom to make our own. But the bad news, according to Sarah and many of the women Glamour spoke to? The longer you stay on spring break, the harder it can be to return to the real world. So how do you go from making out in bars to meeting the love of your life? By living by these three bits of advice, in bed and out:
1. BE CLEAR ON WHERE YOU STAND. Earlier this year, a group of journalism students at St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont, conducted a survey of undergrads and their dating habits. Of the 400 participants, "the majority expressed concern that they were going to have a lot of trouble dating once they left school," says Michelle Chapdelaine, 21, one of the seniors behind the study. "They weren't at all sure how to go about starting real relationships."
Elyse Purcell, a doctoral student in philosophy at Boston College, noticed the same thing when, as part of an assignment, she had her students ask someone they liked out on a date-something that most of them hadn't done before-and write about the experience. For many, says Purcell, "the hookup culture on campus left them unsure about how dating worked: When was it OK to have sex? How do you know if someone is interested in a relationship?" As Chapdelaine points out, "In college, there's a total dependence on texting and Facebook to flirt and communicated. And then we graduate and don't know how to be real people."
And that can go double for guys. Take Alyssa's experience. This confident 30 year-old marketing assistant in New York City found herself involved with one such unevolved man named Ted. "We'd met online and hooked up a few times," she says. "It was nothing serious, but we would hang out, make dinner, go to moves. One night I got a text from him that said, 'Want to come over?'" Alyssa was in the neighborhood, so she dropped by without responding, "When I got there, another girl was on the couch. Turns out he'd sent a mass 'get booty' text! He was seeing tons of women, and I had no idea because I thought it would be too much to have the big exclusivity talk."
That's extreme, but try finding a single person without a name (or two) in their Black Berry that they reach out to when bored or lonely. Which is why, Alyssa says, after Ted, "I now ask point-blank--in a casual way, not as some major sit-down conversation: How many people are you seeing? I don't need a shock like that again." And, she's found, her prospective suitors appreciate the straight-forwardness. "I think they're actually grateful," Alyssa says. "No one likes playing games. And they also want to know what you're up to." Plus, the approach has a built-in jerk detector. "If they're coy about it, they're not people I want to spend time with."
TALK ABOUT WHAT IT MEANT. As much as women today are like Sex and the City's Samantha about asking for exactly what they want in bed, many still can't summon the courage to talk about what they want out of it. "We try to be like, 'I'm strong and independent. I don't need a relationship,'" says Lori Gottlieb, author of Marry Him : The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough. "What's weird is that we confuse wanting a relationship with being needy. Sometimes we do want a relationship--knowing that and saying that is empowering." But the pressure to appear blase is strong. "Women can get afraid," says Gottlieb. "They think, If I put what I want out there, he'll go for some other girl who's happy with things as is." But--news flash--you don't want that guy anyway.
Jennifer, 28, from Boston, didn't know what to do after she hooked up with her longtime work crush, Josh, following a happy hour that stretched into the morning. The next day, he made pancakes and kissed her before leaving, yet she found herself acting cold. "It wasn't how I felt at all," she says. "I was thinking, What does this mean? Does he like me? Is this just a one night stand?" She didn't vocalize any of these questions, though. "I was too scared he didn't feel the same way."
Back at the office, she played it cool. For the next few months, they went out a couple of times for drinks, never discussing the night they'd slept together. "We would joke and flirt and do all of the same things we usually did, but it was stilted, like we were sort of warily circling each other," Jennifer says. "Finally, I got sick of it and wrote him an e-mail that said, 'I'm not going to play games. I have feelings for you. If all you want is a hookup, then you have to go elsewhere." He e-mailed back within three minutes and asked if she could meet him that night for dinner. They're still going strong.
DON'T FORGET YOUR NEEDS/WANTS/DREAMS. If rule number one is talk and number two is, essentially, talk some more, rule number three is talk...to yourself (and then, of course, to him). It all comes down to knowing what you want and then asking for it. "This sounds so hokey," says Laura Sessions Stepp. "But women need to pay attention to their feelings." Young women, she points out, spend so much time working, being busy and burning off steam sexually that they forget to assess their emotional goals. Ask yourself if what you're doing tonight is going to get you what you truly want---in a year, in a month or even simply the next morning.
For Samantha, 26, casual hooking up is fine, for now. "I like to go out, get a few drinks and have fun as much as any other self-respecting girl my age," she says. But she does hope that one day it will lead to something more--like it did for Ellen, 25, from Washington, D.C. Ellen met Carl at a party, they got tipsy and ended up making out on the dance floor. Afterward, he came back to her apartment, where Ellen realized she'd changed her mind about wanting to have sex. Still, he spent the night...spooning her. "Who knew this frat boy was such a gentleman?" she says. Three and half years later, they are very much together and very much in love. "Friends always ask us how the hell we made it work," says Ellen. "Whenever his buddies wonder how they can land a girlfriend at a bar, I tell them this: Hook up with a girl you just met like she's your wife...and hook up with your wife like she's a girl you just met. I swear that's the ticket."

i typed this entire article -so sorry if there are any errors. ((it felt good to type this much & exercise my skills))

store change

today i worked for 13 hours! we close the store && do a store change at McAuley's Boutique once a month to switch everything around. this is my second one i've done. all the girls have to work on this day so we have a fun time.
here are some pictures to give you an idea of what we do:

this is my favorite rack: peacock-orange.aqua.white
i this white french connection dress because it is full with embellishments from top to bottom! beads are everywhere! :)

i love this aqua. yellow. && orange nannette leopore top.

Mixed Emotions

I am moving out of my house in a month to live at my new place for the fall. Sadly, I am going to miss my roommate and the atmosphere of our house. But on the good side, I will be living with my best friend & get to redecorate!!
Here are some ideas of what I'd like to do:

((let me know what you think?!?!))