No matter how hard you try...

Like a normal human being my New Year's Resolution of blogging everyday didn't last long... However, I will be starting it up again! Even though I haven't been writing about what I've been up to I have been working on my DIY projects! Ugh! Do you ever have one of those days where try as hard as you may, you still can't make any cute projects out of all your efforts? This is precisely what happened to me at knitting club on Wednesday. I had just finished my first hat and was eager to keep working on projects in the round. My sister had told me about a friend of hers that wanted me to knit her a hat. I set to work creating my own pattern for a hat and it turned out adorable! With this confidence I decided to tackle my first sock. I have been looking at lots of knitting magazines and websites lately to try and branch out into other articles of clothing besides scarfs. I was very encouraged that I could make a hat so I set out to make a pair of socks. The pattern that I was knitting off of however was absolutely horrendous! I got about an inch done and the next part of the pattern didn't match up with the number of stitches it had told me I needed. I decided to try a different pattern in the same magazine, this time for a cowl. Same problem. The notation that the magazine used was extremely confusing and I'm pretty sure they don't double check their patterns before they print them. :( So frustrating! I didn't want to rip out the progress I had made on the cowl. I had ripped so many things out that evening already! I just couldn't bear to ruin anymore projects. So, I knit it into a garter instead! I made Nick model for the pictures since he had a nice white suit from when he went to prom in high school. So, if you know anybody that needs a non-traditional garter for prom, I DO know how to make them! The one thing I was able to knit out of that whole evening of knitting club. But I thought it was pretty cute! :) For those of you who are curious about me making my own shampoo, wait no longer! I bought the soap I need to make the shampoo and the bottle stoppers are in the mail to my house! I even did my dishes today so now I can work on this project tonight! Check back tomorrow to see how it went! Until tomorrow, ~Elise

The "Pack Rat" Gene

Creative people tend to collect stuff. And by stuff, I mean junk. We collect stuff that normal people throw away, we collect stuff that we would normally throw away, we collect old stuff, new stuff, anything with the word stuff in it... We collect! If inspiration hits us, or even if we have the slightest inclination that inspiration could hit us, it goes in our stash. My family and I have always been pack rats, which was fine when I was living in my parents house and I could borrow stuff from my Mom and Sisters' collections. However, now I have to be careful. Nick and I live in a two bedroom apartment that seems to grow smaller by the minute! Between his fishing and hunting hobbies and my crafting-everything-imaginable hobby, we don't get the luxury of extra closets, an attic, or a basement. I have found that being a pack rat is good for the Do-It-Yourself projects I do. It can be very easy to find inspiration by walking into our spare bedroom/office/laundry room/ craft room and digging through my collection of everything crafty. Like for example, today I sorted my 12x12 scrapbooking paper by color. It was super fun to look at all of the different sheets I have accumulated through the last couple years and think of future projects for them. I came up with all kinds of card ideas, origami ideas, and a multitude of other craft ideas just by looking through the stacks of paper. (More on this to come soon!) I also had the added bonus of feeling more organized when I got done which also helps with positive anti-lazy feelings and promotes Do-It-Yourself projects, ideas, and productivity in general! Yay! Another way I like to get inspired is by window shopping. (Yes this is also very dangerous. A good idea is to not bring any money when window shopping!) I was at Nick's grandparents house on Sunday and his grandma had a catalog from Acacia out and was showing us girls some stuff from it. I saw this picture and immediately decided that I could definitely make that myself. Isn't it cute! I will be organizing my spare bedroom/office/laundry room/ craft room on Friday to try and make some kind of space for the sewing machine that I inherited from Nick's mom. It is currently in Nick's grandma's basement. SO, as soon as I make a spot for it, Nick will drag it out for me and I will have a brand new Ruched Wrap to wear!

http://acacialifestyle.com/ruched-wrap/p/52857/

SO, if you are looking for inspiration for some fun winter projects or some new additions to your wardrobe, I highly recommend looking for inspiration in your own home in your own craft-stash, or window shopping for things that you can make yourself. Good luck! Until Tomorrow, ~Elise

Good bye Hair... Hello Inspiration!

So, I ran out of shampoo the other day. This is one of the most annoying things ever! Once you are in the shower there is nothing you can do about the lack of shampoo. I had to put some water in the bottle and shake it around to make enough suds to squeeze one last serving out. There is no replacement for shampoo. The only choice you have is to go to the store. You always know you are about to run out of shampoo, but sometimes you just don't make it to the store before it actually happens. I was going to be getting my hair cut the next day so I really needed to get to the store soon! Shopping for shampoo is not my favorite thing to do. I do not like spending much money on something that I will be washing down the drain and it can't be too girly since Nick uses the same shampoo as I do. But beyond that, I really don't care what kind of shampoo I get as long as it works. All commercial shampoo is pretty much the same. I'm sick of it. I'm trying to avoid Walmart and there aren't many other places to get shampoo here in town. So... I have decided to make my own shampoo! I watch this show on WE tv called Downsized and it really got me thinking. They had an episode where the family made their own cleaning chemicals from recipes they found on the internet. So I looked on the internet for recipes for shampoo and I think I am going to give it a try! If it works out well maybe I will even sell some shampoo on Etsy! http://www.etsy.com/shop/skellybelly11 I have some really cute ideas for bottling my shampoo. But, for now I better get to ordering some ingredients! In the meantime, here are some pictures I know a few people have been interested in seeing! This was quite the "opposite" haircut. Recently I have been highlighting my hair very blonde but for this hair cut I went back to my natural hair color. I got at least 6 inches cut off, which was very short compared to my long hair. And... I got bangs! I haven't had bangs since the 4th grade! I'm still getting used to styling my hair but I do like the change. Let me know what you think!

Knitting Club

I love to knit like an old married woman! :) Wednesdays are my knitting club days. I taught my mother-in-law, Nick's Grandma, and my brother-in-law's wife all how to knit and now we get together every Wednesday evening for a ladies night. See told ya! I am an old married woman! Today in knitting club I was helping my mother-in-law out with a scarf pattern that she had found a free pattern for at Michaels, see picture above. https://www.michaels.com/Loops-Threads%E2%84%A2-Country-Loom%E2%84%A2-Cables-and-Pom-Poms-Scarf/25864,default,pd.html She is knitting it with the same yarn they recommend in the pattern. I am working on one as well because I think it is a super cute pattern. However, I'm just using some black scrap yarn I had lying around. This goes with my resolve not to buy anymore yarn until I have knit all of the yarn in my stash... which is a lot! So, unless I knit everyday I won't be getting any new yarn until I'm 30. The only problem is, I don't really want to wear everything I make. I LOVE to knit, but I just don't accessorize much with knit scarves. They are growing on me, but at the rate I knit there is no way I could find outfits for all of these scarves. So, if you are interested in having any cozy warm scarves during these frigid months I suggest you check out my Etsy page! http://www.etsy.com/shop/skellybelly11 I will have more things up soon! I also do commissions, so if you like anything you see but want it in a different color, just ask! :) I have WAY too many scarves in this little apartment. NOW, I know you are probably curious how my bread turned out! And the good news is... it was a success!! I love the recipe and will definitely use it again. The only thing I will do different is I will not leave it in the fridge overnight. I had to go to work and then Nick and I went to a friends house to watch the Ohio State Bowl Game. (Go Buckeyes! Only cause Nick is sick of me not being a fan of any football team besides the Broncos...) The bread turned out well, just a little dense but it tastes good. Even though the recipe told me to wait to cut it until it was cool, I just couldn't!! But with my handy-dandy CUTCO bread knife, cutting it wasn't a problem! Gotta love wedding presents! :) Thanks again Sis! http://www.cutco.com/home.jsp Until Tomorrow, ~Elise

Lazy Days

Oh boy am I in trouble! These past two days I have been a very lazy girl. I find that on days when I have nothing pressing to do, it's really hard to find the motivation to do anything... This is probably why I have always kept a very busy schedule so that I would have to get up and do things and I would have to make time for the things that I needed to get done. Not so at the moment. I have always been a night owl and college didn't do much to reverse this. 8 am classes have never been my friend. But, when I sleep in, I end up feeling awful all day because I let myself down. I've missed out on half the day when I could have been running errands, researching, cleaning, baking... my to-do list goes on and on. Needless to say, I've been feeling awful for two days now. This worries me. I want to be an entrepreneur. I want to own my own business and possibly run it from home. I can't have lazy days! I have to be self motivated and be my own boss. This January is supposed to be my test to myself to see if I can stay on top of my to-do list and my schedule while having a lax schedule. Day 2 of my J-Term Independent Study is not going well. I will not settle for this, however. I will not spend the entire day on the couch watching tv (even if WE tv has wedding shows on all day). I will get up and do something, ANYTHING, to be productive and get my brain up and awake. So I got up off the couch, brushed my teeth, washed my face, played with my two puppies for a bit, and started baking. I love to bake and I find this is a great way to get myself up and moving. It doesn't feel like work and I get to eat when I am done. Perfect! I have been wanting to try out a recipe for bread for about a week now. I do not have a mixer or a bread machine so that makes things a little harder. I found this recipe though, and I hope it will do the trick. http://www.essortment.com/all/bakingbreadrec_omj.htm (If you want to give this recipe a try I would suggest reading through it and taking only the parts that you will use first. She is very long-winded and there is way too much information to be reading through as you are baking) The last time I tried to make homemade rolls was a disaster. It was a recipe from my childhood that I have long been dying to try out. But, because I don't have a mixer they turned out terrible! The dough didn't rise and the finished rolls looked like rocks instead of fresh buns. Nick was a trooper and he ate a few anyways. But this time I actually want to use the bread for sandwiches and not for skipping stones. I just peeked at the dough and ITS RISING! Yay! I will have to put the dough in the fridge while I go to work tonight. Lets hope that doesn't hurt it! Just another reason I should have gotten started being productive with my day earlier! The lesson for today folks is... don't sell yourself short. Don't let yourself have lazy days. Get up, take care of yourself, and do something you want to do to let your body know that you are ready for business and you will not take tired for an excuse! As my apartment fills with the smell of baking bread and as I do the dishes before I head off to work I am letting my body know that I am in charge! No more lazy days! Big dreams do not happen by sitting on the couch! Get up and get moving! Until Tomorrow, ~Elise

Wedding Sunday!

Sunday, January 2, 2010 Today is Wedding Sunday on WE tv! It is a brand new year, which means a brand new season of David Tutera's My Fair Wedding. I have been watching re-runs of his show all day waiting in anticipation for the new episode coming on at 9/8c. When real life falls short, due to money, bad location, or poor taste.... David Tutera comes to the rescue! This, and all the other wedding shows WE tv shows, are my guilty pleasure. Ever since my wedding, I have become fascinated with everything wedding! My Fair Wedding is super fun to watch. He transforms their ENTIRE wedding! He takes these crazy wedding concepts and makes them glamorous, tasteful, and sophisticated. The next show that premiered today was on a completely different plane. Rich Bride, Poor Bride is about the wedding planning process and how couples have to compromise and adjust based on budget, family expectations, and location factors. It is scary to see how much real people spend on their weddings! I consider my wedding magazine and my overall wedding inspiration to be somewhere in between these two shows. I believe in having a realistic wedding budget and living within your means, but I also think that weddings need to be exactly what the bride wants. Sophistication and glamour need to be maintained. This, I deem to be, the basis of my Do It Yourself wedding magazine. Watching WE tv is very inspiring and also very entertaining. I do consider it to be research and inspiration for my future wedding business. However, that would be silly of me to think that was good enough. I have checked out quite a few books from the library to get more information about developing, creating, and publishing my own magazine. I want to do this correctly. I'm not one to go into projects without proper researching and planning. It's not as easy, though, to read all these books as it is to watch tv. This is the pile of books that I have read.... This is the pile of books I have yet to read... As you can see, I have a lot of research to do. Luckily this is my passion, and just like my wedding, I love every minute of the planning process! Until Tomorrow, ~Elise~

1.1.2011: The Beginning

Happy New Year! Today is the first day of my new blog. Bring on 2011 and all the creativity and inspiration that will follow! A little bit about me... My name is Elise and I am a college senior. I am a management major with a communications studies minor. This past year I added even more to my plate and set out to plan my wedding. I got married on July 31st, 2010 to the love of my life, Nick, surrounded by our friends, family and all my handmade trinkets. It was a whirlwind wedding and because of it I now consider myself bitten by the wedding bug. I think I watch more wedding shows and read more wedding related articles now than I did when I was engaged. I LOVE weddings! Because I am a broke college student and I come from a middle-class family, I had a small wedding budget. To compensate, I had a Do It Yourself wedding. It was a lot of work, but I had tons of fun. Now that the pressure of my wedding is off I want to make this my business. I want to publish a DIY wedding magazine so brides like me can have the wedding they desire, no matter what their budget is. I am so excited about 2011! I have BIG plans and BIG dreams for this year! This is the year that I graduate college, turn 21, and make all the preparations to launch my wedding magazine in 2012! See told ya! Big Dreams! Some of my dreams will be achieved with a little help from the inspiration that comes from this time of year with all the New Year's resolutions. Here are the two of mine related to this blog. New Year's Resolutions: #4 Blog EVERYDAY #7 Do something everyday to further my career I have started approximately 5 blogs now and this will be the first one that I actually go through with. The act of blogging everyday will help me out with both of my New Year's resolutions stated above. As I blog everyday I will get practice with my writing skills for my future magazine and I will be able to track my progress on my goals. Finding something to blog about will help me further my career as I will have to research things to include in my blog for the day. I am very optimistic about this blog and I can't wait to come back a year from today and read all about my adventures! I hope you will join me on this journey of blogging, crafting, knitting, writing, cooking, and learning about what it really means to be married.