Rachel's Red Bow Intarsia shirt-A Glee DIY

I'm gonna preface this by saying this was one of the most intensive DIY's I have ever attempted.

I really liked this shirt Rachel's worn on Glee. I think it's so cute and dainty.

I attempted to DIY this shirt because I didn't think it was going to be that difficult. I was kinda wrong. It wasn't a complete bust but I did have some issues. I decided to try doing applique and ultimately it worked but my machine really didn't like sewing knit and I had to draft my own collar which took some work. I ended up having to start over because my machine really mangled my first shirt. Although it's not perfect, you can only really see the skipped stitches up close so I'm not gonna look like a mess walking around. From a normal distant it looks perfect, and that makes me happy.

In the end though I like it. I think it's cute and looks pretty similar.  I'm having a lot of fun doing these Glee DIY's! It's definitely getting me through the hiatus, which I found out is a week longer than I thought.

xoxo,
Amanda

Shopping redux

I really wanted to go shopping this weekend. I didn't have a million things I was looking for but I just really wanted to spend money I guess. It was a pretty good trip despite the incredibly rude attitudes from just about everyone I dealt with. Oyi!

As soon as I saw this hat on the last episode of Glee I was dying for it. Thing is I'm not a big hat person, but this is just so cute I had to have it. Plus it was from Forever 21 so I really didn't spend that much money on it.

I also picked up a cute floral bow headband. I'm in such a spring/summer mood.

I have been searching for the O.P.I. Glee nail polish since I found out about it. Finally last weekend I literally bumped into the stand for it. I grabbed this shade so fast and wouldn't put it down. I was that excited. I decided to get Miss Bossy Pants, the shade inspired by Rachel Berry. Of course.

I also picked up some new lotion and body washes at Victoria Secret. They have their Secret Moments brand which I have other scents from and love, and they came out with a new scent called Kissing in Paris and I love the smell. I got a coupon in the mail for $10.00 off so I got lotion, body wash and body scrub for about $6.00. It's a really awesome deal.

Then I stopped by Joann to pick up fabric for the bright skirts I wanted to make. I ended up getting supplies for so many projects, so I'm gonna have a ton of craft posts coming up. Aren't the colors great?! They are so bright and are gonna make fabulous skirts.

Despite the attitudes of everyone I had a pretty successful shopping trip.

xoxo,
Amanda

DIY Sneak Peak

I wanna DIY this top Rachel has worn in a couple episodes of Glee. I think its super cute and I can try out applique.

I'm gonna start working on it later today, so we'll see how it goes! I'll be sure and post the finished product.

xoxo,
Amanda

Rachel's Plaid tank top dress-A Glee DIY

A few days ago I posted that I really wanted to re-create this dress Rachel wore in an episode of Glee.

I got the fabric last week and I just finished the dress, and I have to say it was a fairly simple DIY. Before I started I realized instead of making a dress I could just wear the skirt over the black tank top without attaching them to one another but I figured I should just go along with the original.

It was a really simple DIY. First I started by making a simple elastic waist skirt. I make these all the time so it was a breeze. Then I pinned it to the tank and sewed through the elastic stretching the waist as it went through my sewing machine. A lot simpler than it sounds. I'm gonna try and make a matching belt like the original has but I'm having trouble finding the buckle.

While it's not exactly the same because I couldn't find the exact same plaid, it's pretty close. I really like it, and its super comfortable. I cant wait to wear it out, once the weather warms up a bit.

xoxo,
Amanda

I made Finchels!!!

Last year around this time the cast of Glee hosted a discussion panel for the media. During one of the interviews Cory Monteith, the actor who plays Finn, described the nickname "Finchel", the combination of Finn and Rachel, as an almond pastry. Ever since then I have been looking for a delicious almond recipe to make for the Finchel. A few weeks ago I found a delicious recipe in Taste of Home that sounded easy and also tasty. I made it last night and OMG-sooo good.

Finchels
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup strawberry jam
3 egg whites
6 tbsp sugar
1 cup sliced almonds, divided

In large bowl, cream butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour, mix well. Press into the bottom of a greased 13 x 9 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 min or until lightly browned.

Spread jam over crust. In large bowl beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Begin adding in sugar 1 tbsp at a time, until stiff peaks form. Fold in half of the almonds. Spread on top of jam. Sprinkle remaining almonds on top and bake at 350 for another 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.

These are soo good. They're sweet but not too sweet and seriously its such a funny little joke. Since Glee is on hiatus until mid-April, I figured this would be a fun thing to do to get through the hiatus.

Blogging about these makes me want a piece, and also makes me want to watch Glee.

xoxo,
Amanda

Spring 2011 Inspiration DIY idea

One of the biggest trends this season was bright, bold color. Another really popular trend was minimalism. Both of these trends work well together because a simple bold pop of color can make a big impact.

This season I'm gonna be following the brights trend by making some really simple bold skirts. All you need is some bright cotton, some elastic and with only a few hours you can create a really trendy skirt perfect for spring.

Many designers included bright skirts this season. These are just a few of the ones I liked.

I really like the way the bright coral skirt is styled. With the white shirt, the coral really stands out.

For those on a budget, like myself, this is a great way to make your spring wardrobe spending money stretch. A yard of cloth and some elastic is a great, thrifty option to make some new clothes right on trend for spring. I think I'm gonna make a coral, bright green and maybe an orange version.

Now I just need the weather to get nice so I can actually wear skirts.

xoxo,
Amanda

Spring 2011 Inspiration

I gotta say I am not loving most of the trends for this Spring/Summer. The 70's are super on trend now and I cannot pull off that style of clothes. I can't pull them off and I just don't like them. However there are some trends I really am excited to try so here's my inspiration!

These is just my inspiration, I also have tons of DIY ideas that go along with this that I will post in a bit.

xoxo,
Amanda



Image Credit- net-a-porter.com, forever21.com

Love letter canvas

Letter canvases are pretty much everywhere now. Even so, I still think they are cool. Around Valentine's last year I bought these plates from Target. I like them so much I use them year-round not just at Valentine's Day.

I figured I could easily re-create something similar for my house like the plates but it took up until last weekend for me to actually pick up a canvas to finish the projects.

I got to use those cool clear stamps for this project. They are so easy to use! I was able to line up my letters just right and they are so much easier to clean and store than wood backed stamps. These are the ones I used, I also got them on sale so I really like them! Oh and the brand's name is Scrappy Cat which I just think is super funny!

I have a bunch of other ideas for canvases like this, so stay tuned!

xoxo,
Amanda

I wanna DIY this!

This dress is from the scene in "Mattress" where Finn and Rachel sing Smile by Lily Allen.  I absolutely love this scene, they are so flirty and cute during this song. The dress was originally from Forever 21 but this is from the beginning of season 1 so it's long gone by now. It's one of those tank top dresses and there are tons of tutorials around the net on how to make them. So yesterday I started looking for brown and green plaid fabric to try and make a similar dress. I ordered a similar plaid cause I really couldn't find anything that matched perfectly, so now I just have to wait till it gets here.

I'll post more once the fabric gets here and I get the dress finished. I'm really excited!

xoxo,
Amanda

Glee-wind "Original Song"

I really tried to not get super excited about last night's episode. For so long I have been dying for some revelations in the Finn and Rachel storyline and most times I just end up feeling disappointed after each episode. Then last week we got the scene of Finn and Quinn in her bed and I was beyond disappointed so I tried really hard to lower my expectations. That said I did end up really enjoying last night's episode. I think I didn't love it because I was wanting some giant Finn/Rachel scene like we had at last year's Regionals and also because of the"Get it Right" scene, instead we got a more subtle moment so it was just a different vibe I guess.

I could go on and on about how much I hate Quinn. She consistently gets more and more unlikeable each week. I really liked how the most popular girl in school felt jealous of Rachel, someone who clearly ranks much lower on the social register. This week was really the tipping point of Finn finally starting to forgive Rachel. Even before her song, he didn't want to go public with his relationship with Quinn. He was worried about Rachel's feelings.  If he was really over her, if he really wanted to be with Quinn, and if he really wanted to get over Rachel he would have went public with Quinn. I think this was a huge change for Finn, I also think it was important when Quinn went all forceful with Finn-it snapped him back into somewhat realizing what kinda of person was she is. In so many ways I feel like they are preparing for their end, once and for all. Cause when this whole thing is over, I think the Finn and Quinn storyline will be over for good.

The scene with Rachel and Quinn was so pivotal and gave more insight into their whole love triangle. Seeing Finn and Quinn really pushed Rachel into writing "Get it Right" but from Quinn's standpoint it was even more telling. She put what she envisioned for her future out there. Instead of wanting and hoping to get out of Lima, she's settled for the fact that that is what her life is gonna be, and with that she's thinking she is gonna take him down with her. Instead of hoping the best for him, she is perfectly content with him getting stuck in Lima as well. Thing is though, if she wasn't crying I would have believed she was serious. During that whole speech she realized just how wrong she was. Of course Rachel is gonna get out of Lima but she's not gonna be the only one. Finn will go with her, leaving Quinn in Lima alone. This right here set off her role in the coming episodes. She's gonna be the one trying to hold onto Finn while she knows he and Rachel are working their way back to one another. After that scene and throughout the rest of the episode, every time Finn and Rachel shared a moment, Quinn was either forcing her way in the center of it or she was hovering close by watching it all transpire.

"Get it Right" was just perfect. Right before she goes on stage Finn's approaches her and utters the same words Rachel did last year. I'm still mulling over the idea that he was hoping she would respond with she loved him, just like he did last year. Even though she didn't,  I think her song said it all.  It was incredibly moving and every glimpse we got of Finn's face showed how much this song meant to him. Finn and Rachel's connection started through music, that's one of the ways they connect to one another. Despite all of Rachel's apologizes this is the one that resonated with Finn and made major strides in breaking down that barrier he put around his heart trying to keep Rachel out. It was really just wonderful. I also loved that at the end Finn was the one who initiated the hug with Rachel. Despite the obstacles Quinn is gonna create, Finn and Rachel made enormous strides back to each other this episode which will eventually bring them back together.

Also wonderful was Kurt and Blaine. I seriously fell for these two in this episode. Blaine's speech to Kurt about finally seeing Kurt as the one he needed all along was beyond heart-warming. I loved it. The long awaited kiss was so romantic, it really was perfect. I also loved their rendition of Candles, seriously fantastic.

I knew I missed probably a ton of stuff from the episode but these were the things that were most important to me. Now we have four weeks until the next new episode. That means I need to stock up on craft and sewing projects, hunker down and wait this hiatus out.

xoxo,
Amanda

Stuff I bought.

I scored two seriously awesome items on my last shopping trip.

I'll admit sometimes I go on "Glee shopping trips" searching for things I saw in the episodes. Other times things just find me I guess. Like this yellow dress I found at Ross Saturday. As I was flipping through the other dresses this just kinda popped out and immediately Rachel's dress from the Halo/Walking on Sunshine scene in "Vitamin D" flashed in my mind.

It's not the exact same dress but I think it pretty darn close; cap sleeves, ruffled detail on the bodice/neckline, cinched waist and the a-line shape. I can't believe I found something so similar. These dresses were always a favorite of mine cause I love that they are all the same color but they are all so different at the same time. It's so exciting that I found Rachel's version!

I also found these patent oxfords that I have been wanting for so long. When oxfords started getting really popular, I wanted a pair but I could never find them. I scored these Saturday for $9.99! I can't wait to pair these with some skinny jeans, its gonna look so good together!

Yay! for a good spur of the moment shopping haul!

xoxo,
Amanda

Mardi Gras fun!

Celebrating Mardi Gras is something I always look forward to. With all the cold weather it's always nice to have a little party to make things seem nicer. That's why I was so excited for this weekend, cause I really needed a break from the cold weather doldrums.

As usual I decided to make cupcakes and instead of using a mix, I made them from scratch. It really wasn't hard and these are so good I wanna make more from scratch. I decided to go with a vanilla cinnamon flavor to play off of the traditional King Cake, and omg these are delicious. I want to eat wayyy more than I should.

Behind my mask is my new hair cut-I LOVE IT!

It was really just a fun night.

xoxo,
Amanda

Bathtime Bunny

Technically I'm 23. In most instances however I feel more like I'm substantially younger. I love stuffed animals, Disney princesses, coloring, and so many more things that are more suited for the younger set. I say this to prep for my latest craft reveal, because it is clearly not meant for someone my age.

This adorable bunny is my new bathmitt. When I saw this project I knew I had to try it. It's seriously too freaking cute, and my love for bunnies, like my love for elephants knows no bounds.

Although I love it, I have to say that sewing terry cloth was one of the most irritating things I have ever done. My machine just couldn't handle it and it kept unraveling and ugh it was just a mess. I don't think I'll try a project like this for a very long time. Regardless though I love my new bunny friend. I also gave him a cute fluffy bunny tail!

It just makes me smile.

xoxo,
Amanda

Hey, that drink's mine!

I'm picky about using coasters. Even though none of my furniture is necessarily fancy, cleaning up water rings sucks, so I always make sure to use coasters. When I got my first apartment my mom got me a set of really nice glass coasters with a space to put a photo in it. They are really nice but in the summer when cold drinks sweat, this strange suction forms between the glass and coaster. Then when you lift your drink the coaster comes along unless the suction is broken and it falls onto the table, makes a loud clang, and scares me. So when I saw this project over at Cut Out and Keep I really wanted to try it.

Yep, those are chalkboard coasters. I had never tried chalkboard paint before and I want to chalkboard everything now. It was surprisingly easy and chalkboards are so fun. I think when I have guests over they are gonna have fun with it. Really easy project too. I used cork mats that are found in the garden section of Michael's. They come in packages of four for $1.97. Then I found a medium sized bottle of chalkboard paint at Wal-mart for $3.97. I have a decent amount of chalkboard paint left over and I already had all the brushes and regular paint I needed.

Zach did the robot and circles and I did the stars and flower. We both had fun picking out designs and painting. It was fun getting Zach involved since I'm using the one crafting alone.



Also, my orchid bloomed! I'm so happy, I woke up one morning and the bud had finally bloomed!

It's so pretty, I just love staring at it. Also in the picture is my awesome solar powered dancing penguin. It's overcast today but when there is some sun has dances back and forth its the best thing ever.

xoxo,
Amanda

Glee-wind "Sexy"

Ugh...so many issues with last night's episode. Where to start?

I guess I'll go with what I liked. I really enjoyed Santana finally coming to terms with her feelings for Brittany. It was good finally seeing a vulnerable side of her. My issue with it though is that I felt it was rushed. In the course of one episode she acknowledged her feelings, talked through them, and then confessed them to the person she loved. That's a little much for one episode. Drawing out that story arc would have been much more rewarding I feel.

I also liked Burt sitting Kurt down for "the talk." Yes it was awkward, but I imagine for a father who isn't super comfortable with his son's homosexuality it must have been way more awkward for him. I just think it was such a great message for him to go out of his way to do that for Kurt, when he really has no idea about it. It was such a great scene.

I also really liked the musical numbers this episode-they were all really entertaining. I loved Animal, the song is great and Blaine was dreamy..

Now on to the overwhelming amount of bad.

I didn't like that so much of the episode was focused on the adults. That's personal because I usually don't like episodes where so much of the screen time is devoted to the adults. I also thought it was a bit ridiculous for Emma to still be a virgin-I mean really?! I am really interested to see how this is going to play into the whole Will/Emma storyline though.

Now on to my biggest issue with this episode. Finn and Quinn. It was such a sucker punch I felt like. That scene was so unneeded. It really was thrown in there just to make people upset. They are making both characters so unlikeable. Quinn is using Finn for her own agenda to gain more popularity and Finn is becoming this really disgusting character. He's giving her hickey's and is so skeevy about it all.

I can't even think about whether or not the writers were trying to imply they had sex or not. Regardless, both characters are loosing whatever shred of respectability and likability they previously had. I like to think of myself as a viewer that straddles the line between casual viewer and also online viewer. I like looking for spoilers and yes I do these weekly reviews but aside from my blog I don't really go around posting things about Glee. Because of that I kinda feel like my feelings are on par with the general public. I have to say that I am really starting to not feel it. That's not saying I don't love watching Glee, I do, but another big reason was that I enjoyed the characters along with the storyline. I'm starting to feel like when and if Finn and Rachel get back together it's not gonna be the same. Their journey has been broken down too much to recover it enough to have people support it.

Part of me really wants Rachel to cut him down. Yes she screwed up kissing Puck but that never would have happened if Finn would have been honest with her. Then for him to go back to Quinn who easily treated and deceived him worse is ridiculous. I want Rachel to move on for good and have him fully realize what a huge mess he's made of everything. -I'm done rambling about Finn/Rachel now.

Looking to next week I'm much more hopeful for the episode. I think it's going to be good. I'm excited to see the original songs performed. From the preview I'm excited to see the conversation Finn and Rachel have when she says "listen carefully.." I kinda of want it to be her saying this is my final apology-I'm moving on for good-we're done. The whole "I wish I could have gotten it right but that's over now" I'm so Team Rachel now.

I really can't wait for next week so I can see how things unfold because I really feel like things are at their tipping point.

xoxo,
Amanda

Cupcake Bouquets

I know I am kinda late to the party, but I'm seriously obsessed with cupcake bouquets lately. I saw them on an episode of DC cupcakes (I was bored so I watched an episode, but this show is so irritating, it seems completely scripted.) After baking so many cupcakes lately I think this is a great new idea to try out. I can't believe I just found out about them-seriously, where have I been?!

So until my bouquet is finished, here are some pretty pictures from around the internet. These are all from google images but there are tons more around the internet.

My cupcakes are cooling but when they are done and assembled I'll be sure and post a picture of them!

xoxo,
Amanda



Image credit-These were all from a Google image search, if they are yours' and you want me to remove them just let me know.

Rachel's black heart printed skirt- A Glee DIY

Were I forced to choose "Duets" would definitely be in my top 5 favorite Glee episodes. The music was good, the storyline was funny, and everyone got a good amount of screen time. Another reason it's one of my favorites is because the Finn/Rachel storyline is fantastic. They're cute, they're funny and both songs they perform are fantastic.

One other part of "Duets" I love is Rachel's clothes.  I especially love her black heart printed skirt from Delia's.

I totally would have went and just bought the skirt but it was $34.50 full priced and by the time it went on sale it was off my radar. I don't mind spending money for clothing that I know is gonna last a while but Delia's isn't a store I associate with long lasting clothing. So instead of shelling out the money for the skirt I decided I could make a similar one just as easily. I ran into an issue trying to find the fabric though, I guess black fabric with white hearts is kind of a hot commodity. I finally found the fabric from England on Ebay, and I made the skirt as soon as the package hit my mailbox.

Mine's a little different cause I didn't want to add the solid black waistband. I wanted to utilize as much of the fabric as possible. Also, my fabric has smaller hearts and faint little polka dots. 

It's adorable and for a skirt I made as a copy of something else, I think its really close. I can't wait to wear it.

By the way, is it Tuesday yet? I seriously need my Glee fix-maybe I'll pop in the DVD tonight...

xoxo,
Amanda

Super easy necklace holder

Confession, I love accessory DIY's. That in turn translates to me having a ton of really long necklaces with no place to put them. I have my precious necklaces in their boxes and properly stored but up until recently my DIY's had no home.

Finally I got irritated and began rummaging through my craft supplies in search of something to use for a suitable necklace holder. I ended up finding one of those cheap plain wooden frames from Michael's which I think I paid $1.00 for. I got so excited, stopped what I was doing, and made this.

Supplies
Plain wooden frame-I bought mine from Michaels for $1.00
Cup hooks
Paint
Cute picture to fill the center with.

All I did was paint the frame a bright pink. Then I took some white paint and rubbed it over the pink to tone it down. After that I had Zach screw in the cup hooks, I cut an old calendar picture for the frame opening and voila, it's done. Seriously simple right?!

I really like it. All my fun necklaces are in one place and not scattered about my apartment any more. I love organization, it just makes me feel so calm.

I have so many ideas in my head right now, so look out for lots more posts shortly.

xoxo,
Amanda