Why do Women love these popular trends?

I found an interesting article today through grosgrainfabulous entitled: Why do men hate these popular trends that women love? After reading it, I though, "Why do women love these popular trends that men hate?" I guess it's just all relative. I'll admit that some of my fashion sense isn't always the greatest--yes, I actually do love wearing warm boots ALL the time, but in my defense I have had/have frost bite and I am always so darn cold!--but it does make me feel better to know that I'm not the only one that hates the following trends... I may be the only woman who does, but at least the men out there seem to have some taste.

1. Ugg boots

The on-set footwear of choice for celebrities (how many times have we seen photos of the “Gossip Girl” crew in gowns and Uggs?) is admittedly hard on the eyes. But in the right situation and when worn with jeans (NOT jean shorts), they’re worth it. If more guys tried on a pair, they’d understand. It's the shoe equivalent of comfort food.

2. Oversized sunglasses

Guys think they make us look like bugs. I think they add glamour and drama. But, I’ll concede one point: It’s important to find a size and shape that actually fits your face.

3. Jumpsuits

Even stylish and svelte women like Blake Lively and Kourtney Kardashian can barely pull them off. I understand the retro appeal, but they’re awfully hard to look good in. Guys win this one.

4. Red lipstick

This one was a surprise. Apparently, some guys find the un-kissability factor a turnoff. I think there's nothing sexier than red lips, gold eyeshadow and extra long lashes.

5. Harem pants

Celebrities like Julianne Moore and Jessica Alba have tried their best to make them look halfway decent, but there’s no way anyone can honestly say there isn’t a more flattering option then a pair of pants that look like they come with a built-in diaper. Guys win this one, too.

6. Socks with sandals

Respected indie fashionistas like Chloe Sevigny and Alexa Chung valiantly tested the trend but I say the sexiness of a strappy sandal is undercut by a wooly underlayer.

Two Months of Pure Adorable

Okay, so I know that every baby is supposedly cute--and especially those babies that are associated with oneself (your own, nieces, nephews, cousins, etc)--and yeah, I probably am extremely biased as her aunt, but come on--IS THIS NOT THE MOST ADORABLE PICTURE YOU HAVE EVER SEEN?! I'm sorry, but this is the most beautiful baby girl on the planet--hands down! I still don't know how my sister was able to capture this on camera--that pose is just precious. I think she should break into the baby modeling business--she could make a fortune!

Yes, I love this girl. <3

P.S. Not to brag, but as the very biased and loving aunt, I made that flower she's wearing on her head. ;)

Hoo Are You?

Another week of getting to know you, from Night Owl Crafting!

1. What is your favorite magazine? I like having a good dose of fashion every now and again (Vogue), but my favorite would have to be Better Homes and Gardens--I love looking at all the beautiful, fun things to make every month!

2. What color are your eyes? Some people say blue, some say green.

3. Do you go to the dentist on a regular 6 month schedule, or do you put it off? I totally go--gotta take care of those pearly whites. ;)

4. Do you use anything to make your house smell good? (ex: candles, spray,etc...) I have four dogs, so Febreze is my best friend.

5. Do you have any pets? Haha, YES! :) Four wonderful little furry friends--my sweet cocker spaniel and three yorkie puppies!

Talent

Does anyone else out there enjoy blowing straws? Like when you go out for fast food, and the straws are all individually wrapped--tear off one end and shoot the thing at your siblings? Well, we totally do--but you know who is absolutely pro at this game? My little brother Sean, he kicks butt. He can shoot any straw, any distance, and almost always hit his target... personally, I think it takes some seriously talent to get the straw wrapper all the way to the ceiling--and to make it stick! :)

Kanzashi Daisy Necklaces

Since making my Polka Dot Posie Skirt was just so much fun, I decided to make more daisies (I'm pretending that it's Spring and the sun finally decided to come back)--I just love flowers, and Spring, and the sun.... sigh, they'll be here soon enough I hope. Until then, some new necklaces for Spring--check out my Etsy shop! :)

Cheery Polka Dot Pink and Brown Kanzashi Daisy Necklace (with matching earrings):

Cheery Polka Dot Yellow / Green / Brown Kanzashi Daisy Necklace (with matching earrings):

Cheery Polka Dot Cream / Pink / Brown Kanzashi Daisy Necklace (with matching earrings):

Something New: Polka Dot Posies Skirt

I decided it was high time that I learned how to do repairs and altering. People are always asking me to FIX their clothes, and I just laugh--have you ever seen my clothes? They are safety pinned all over the place! If it doesn't fit, I just take a pin and a tuck and voila! My jeans area always way too long for me (drawbacks of being short) and so instead of hemming them up I roll them up over my shoes, and if I'm feeling really ambitious I might even throw in a safety pin here and there. Yes, I can design and sew just about anything in the world, but when it comes to repairs, I am sadly quite lazy.

So, the past few weeks repairs and refashioning have been my life--that is one thing that I absolutely love, refashioning. Who ever needs to shop these days? Just find something you never wear anymore and give it a makeover--new clothes! I love it. Here is one example--I made this skirt back in the dark ages, and it is much too big for me now and has been sitting in a bag for a few years. Last week I pulled it out, washed and ironed it, and took in the waistband--and now it fits! :) But I couldn't stop there--this was a rather plain skirt, at least for me it was (it was just a simple circle skirt, not much too it)--so I decided to add a little fun to it:

But a little fun didn't come easy--my ideas are always bigger than the time I have in a day--I had to cut strips and hem ALL OF THEM--that took hours...

and hours...

and a few more hours...

but I did eventually finish. And after adding a few fun flowers to the center, it was complete!

And there you have it--a brand new, custom-couture skirt--without spending a penny!

Sewing is amazing. <3

P.S. Thank you to Heather at Me Making Do for featuring this project! :)

This project also featured by the following!

Sister Sister Sunday

This project is also linked up to CSI Project!

One Tough Puppy

My poor little Vera... is home from the hospital again! That poor dear spends more time at the vet than any other pet I've ever owned--put together! But she's a fighter, that's for sure, and this time (fingers crossed) she is good to go. Last week she visited the doctor to be spayed and have surgery on her hip. When we came home from Washington Vera was limping horribly and having a really hard time doing much with her back leg--I called the vet the next day because I was worried she had fractured her foot. Vera had to stay overnight for an x-ray and observation, and the next day I received a call explaining that my little Vera had a genetic disorder involving her hip joint. Apparently the ball and socket didn't form quite right in the womb, and so the growth plate isn't developing correctly and is essentially disintegrating! I couldn't believe it--my poor little girl! But fortunately the vet assured me that with an extremely simple surgery her hip would be absolutely fine--what a relief! So now Vera has a naked back end (shaved from surgery) and a very funny walk, but she definitely is feeling better--she continually attacks her mother and has now discovered that she can run very fast without that hip problem weighing her down.

Nice little Franken-Butt there. ;)

Although she is doing fantastic, like any surgery, she is still in recovery--so, laugh all you want, but I'm quite pleased with my latest sewing project:

Yes, Vera is my baby. <3

Minty Green Goodness

Happy St. Patty's Day!!!! This year we were surprisingly busy on St. Patrick's Day, but I did squeeze in some time for these delicious Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies--thank goodness for Betty Crocker! ;)

These cookies taste so good! Who knew that mint and chocolate could work so well in cookie form?

I'm not a big fan of mixes, but after some doctoring from the Betty Crocker website, they certainly can be mighty tasty!

1	pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2	cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4	to 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
6	to 8 drops green food color
1	egg
1	cup creme de menthe baking chips
1	cup semisweet chocolate chunks 1 Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, extract, food color and egg until soft dough forms. Stir in creme de menthe baking chips and chocolate chunks. 2 Using small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. 3 Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Serve warm or cool completely. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

Sewing and Stitchery Expo, 2011

This year I FINALLY had the opportunity to attend the Sewing and Stitchery Expo in Washington! My mother goes every year, but alas, I am usually in school--yay for graduating! :) So this year I got to tag along and check out all the awesomeness.

First up--SUEDE! Suede is a designer from Project Runway. We attended the Simplicity fashion show and saw some of his latest designs ("Suede Says"), and I even got to meet him. Oh, and he liked my earrings--that was pretty awesome. :)

One of my favorite games at the expo was spotting the best outfits--best meaning horrendous. Some of these ladies really go to town when it comes to the "wearable art." It's hilarious! As we were heading to lunch my mom says to me, "Look, that lady is wearing drapes!" Apparently we had just passed someone who looked like she was wearing drapes... but we also happened to be next to this lady, who really was wearing drapes--literally! See the curtain rod across the shoulders and the giant tassel she's playing with? Yup, fashion...

Although all of the classes were wonderful, my favorite was Zipper Couture--partially because this stuff is just so dang cool, but also because it was a hands on class and we actually got to make zipper necklaces! I haven't finished mine yet (slow and steady wins the race, right?), but eventually it will look something like this:

Of course, my mother actually did finish her necklace--check it out! Beautiful, right?! I just love it!

But the best part of the trip actually didn't even involve the Expo itself, although that really was amazing and honestly changed my life in many ways (surprisingly enough, at least it surprised my).... the best part of the trip was spending an entire week at the Willis abode! Aunt Buffy picked us up from the airport the first day and took us straight to the Cheesecake factory and H&M (LOVE!). She knows how to treat you right. :)

Little Eva Jean never ceased to amaze me--she's 7 years old but acts like she's 30. She gets up around 6am, let's the dogs out (one of which has a cast on her leg, but Eva is an excellent little mother), feeds the dogs, and gets her reading done. On Saturday she slept in later than she ever had--all the way until 7:40am! ;) She helped us keep things in order (she even cleaned our bathroom before we arrived), and even helped pack our lunches every day--awesome sack lunches complete with veggies, fruits, dessert, and names written on the front. Eating lunch became one of the best parts of the day. I love that girl! Here's an example of her amazingness:

Saturday night Eva's friends came over: we ate pizza, my mom taught them how to burn/make fabric sunflowers, and then we all sat down to watch the Sound of Music (which was very entertaining because the girls knew and sang along to every song).

And we can't forget little Ian--what a sweetheart! I can't tell you how much I miss him. He's such a good egg--he even let me sleep in his Buzz Lightyear bed! I felt very privileged. While the girls were partying it up doing girl things, Ian was counting down to blast off. However, he did take a break now and again to join us girls (he even played dress up--what a great kid!).

Ian loves the movie UP! (of course, who doesn't?) Every day I found a new representation of UP! somewhere in the house--sometimes it was a drawing....

Or a Polly Pocket playhouse...

Or my personal favorite, my pony-tail holders and bobby pins--now that was creative. :)

We even got to see Ron one day we were there, which was a real treat because he opened up his new gun safe for me!

Yes, I was very much enjoying myself, not gonna lie. ;) Of course, so was little Eva Jean--can you say Kill Bill?

That is a real Marine sword by the way--pretty dang cool!

It was quite a party--we were all pretty tuckered out by the end of the week.

Dear Willis family:

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We can't wait to see you in a few weeks!

Get It Right

I'm a Gleek--who isn't? Anyway... I always love Glee music, of course, but this last episode really hit home for me: I absolutely adore this song. I'll be totally honest, it really got to me:

Featured at the Tattered Tag!

One of my items was featured at the Tattered Tag--now this really made my day!

http://thetatteredtag.blogspot.com/2011/03/homespun-market-day-simply-white.html

Stunning White Bridal Peony

[Tinkeranniebelle]

Thanks Christina!

P.S. After our sewing conference last week we are hard at work creating and making lots and lots of wonderful things--check out our Etsy shop soon to see! :)

Cupcake Rage

This pretty much made my day--for the full article, click the link below. Enjoy. :)

http://bakingbites.com/2011/03/woman-trashes-bakery-in-cupcake-rage/

“The woman went absolutely ballistic when she was told we didn’t have the cupcake flavour she wanted… She didn’t even wait for us to tell her that if she waited we could bake some fresh cupcakes for her. She threw herself on the floor ranting and raving while her children screamed and shouted.

“Then she came round to my side of the counter and grabbed me by the hair before I could get out of her way. I managed to tear myself free before the woman started smashing glass display units and spilling cakes all over the floor. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

The Honor Code and Compassion

Great article--I know that not everyone is pleased with what happened, but you know what? It happened, and personally I think that BYU (NOT the media, but the school itself) is handling it very well. I am proud to have gone to BYU:

The Honor Code and Compassion

Interesting

Interesting Article--not that I believe that ALL guys are like this of course, but there does seem to be a growing trend these days:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704409004576146321725889448.html

"Not so long ago, the average American man in his 20s had achieved most of the milestones of adulthood: a high-school diploma, financial independence, marriage and children. Today, most men in their 20s hang out in a novel sort of limbo, a hybrid state of semi-hormonal adolescence and responsible self-reliance..."