Glee-wind "Born this Way"

For the epic 90 minute episode, Glee did not disappoint. From the storyline, to the music, and even the camera work the whole episode was entertaining.

It was one of those episodes where all the music intertwined perfectly into the story. I especially loved the I feel pretty/Unpretty mash-up. The way it was filmed was fantastic. Although it was a pretty song, it had such a gritty feel when they paired it up with the plastic surgery tone. The push and pull of the scene was very interesting

I mean really all the songs were great. I loved Finn's song, it was just fun. Although it wasn't very focused on, the idea of being right with yourself before being in a relationship is such a great sentiment.

Aside from the musical numbers, the storyline was really good. When Finn told Rachel she was beautiful my heart like jumped in my chest. He even paused a moment to glance at Quinn cause he knew she wasn't gonna be happy and he did it anyways, cause to him Rachel is more important. I loved that scene. Towards the end when Finn was talking to Quinn I was waiting for him to tell her she was beautiful....and he NEVER did. I think that was such an important point. Yes, he was supportive that she came clean about who she was but never did he say she was beautiful, because even though they are dating, Rachel is still the one for him. When he thinks of someone who is beautiful he thinks of Rachel.  Also when they were in the doctors office and he asked if Finn was Rachel's boyfriend the pained look on his face seriously said so much.

Speaking of the Rachel-Finn-Quinn triangle, really the only thing I hated about the episode was the Quinn storyline. For so many reasons too. First her back story was just ridiculous. I mean come on- a season and a half with no noticeable allusions to it?! Then for someone who felt so bad about herself that she got a nose job, its a little hypocritical for her to then become the person who makes people feel bad about their looks. You would think it would make her more understanding and accepting, but no because Quinn never learns. She never learns that cheating is bad and she never learns that making people feel bad doesn't make you feel better. I just can't feel for her anymore, and I'm pretty sure that storyline was meant to make people sympathize with her.

The Barbravention was superb. I'm kinda obsessed with that song lately and I loved that Kurt and Puck organized it all for Rachel.

I also really loved Mike and Tina, they are so wonderful together and supportive of one another. So cute!

On to next week though-I am beyond pumped for Fleetwood Mac. The songs already came out and I seriously love them. I can't wait. I hope I'm not getting too excited.....

xoxo,
Amanda

Oh soo excited!

So these set pictures from Glee filming in NYC came out this week. I was seriously flailing. I'm trying really hard not to get my hopes up cause with Glee ya never know. But regardless how freaking adorable are these two people?!

It was seriously hard just picking a few pictures to post here, cause I love all of them.

xoxo,
Amanda

T-shirt Quilt!

I finished my T-shirt quilt and I am so happy with it. Definitely on the list of my favorite DIY's.  Its not perfect. The squares aren't all straight and you can see my quilting stitches in a few places, but for my first quilting project I couldn't be happier. It's so cool. I showed my pap and he kept saying how cool it was, like he was super wow-ed by it.

It's one of those projects where once its finished you just feel so good about yourself and your skills.

xoxo,
Amanda

T-shirt Quilt-part two

Well the shirts are all sewn together. Connecting them was so much faster than cutting all the squares, I couldn't believe it!

Not all the squares are exactly lined up but for my first quilt I honestly can't complain. I'm getting ready to do the border (that's the blue lump of fabric in the back) but I need Zach's help on the math part to make sure I don't screw up the measurements.

I'm seriously so excited about this project!

xoxo,
Amanda

"...they're a metaphor..."

I saw these gold star sprinkles and I knew Rachel Berry cupcakes were a must.

It worked perfectly with Glee coming back from hiatus so I was really excited. I even used gold cupcake liners to make it more fancy.

I think they are so cute and I can totally picture Rachel baking these. lol.

xoxo,
Amanda

Glee-wind "Night of Neglect"

Oh Glee, how you disappointed me last night. I have been waiting for a month for it to come back and then it comes back with this episode. It was just so unexciting. Yeah there were funny parts but by and large it was super dull.

I think Rachel just shined this episode. The entire episode just showcased how much she has grown, every time we saw her she was working to make everyone else and everything run smoothly for the benefit. She was doing all that in spite of how much she wanted the closing spot.

It's because of this that I'm so disappointed in how much she is portrayed as being completely dumped on by the rest of the Glee club. Yes in "Original Song" it seemed like everyone kinda cooled it on being mean to Rachel but this episode- not so much. Oh and that ending scene of her watching Finn and Quinn from the wings just broke my heart. I just want her to get something that makes her happy again. She didn't get the closing spot and while everyone else is coupled up in the audience she stands alone, heartbroken over Finn.

While it makes me heartbroken, I'm really starting to wonder if the writers are gonna bring them back together by the end of the season or not. From the spoilers I have read nothing major has brought them closer yet so I'm starting to wonder. I just don't see how they are gonna be able to win in New York with them not together. Rachel's song was amazing at Regionals but they need something epic to win Nationals and I don't see anyone else able to pull something epic enough off to win besides Finn and Rachel. I'm worried.

Aside from my broken Finchel heart, Mike was also superb this episode. His dance was unreal, and his speech at the beginning was great. Overall though the episode was pretty blah.

I'm excited for next week though, the possibility for good Finchel is pretty big. Yay!

xoxo,
Amanda

T-shirt Quilt-part one

I guess it was time I start another mega-project. I finished my Paris wall map so my life was missing a huge project looming over my head.

For the longest time I have wanted to make a t-shirt quilt. I have tons of t-shirts from high school, all which hold tons of memories for me. Instead of being stored away now I can use them and enjoy them.

I'm following a seriously awesome tutorial I found over at Good times never seem sew good. It's seriously one of the best tutorials I found. It's so easy to follow!

I found all my shirts and they're cut and ready to be sewn. I need to finish interfacing them and then I can start sewing. It's gonna be a major undertaking, but I'm really excited since it's my first quilting project.

I'll post more the farther along I get.


xoxo,
Amanda

Hello Spring....sorta

I kind of have a thing for beds and comforters. I think it comes from seeing all those amazing bedrooms in home decor magazines. Some part of me is always striving to make my bedroom as amazing. Although I doubt my bedroom will ever be that nice, I did buy some really pretty new bedroom things.

I also bought some matching throw pillows. This quilt is gonna be great for the summer. I saw this at Target a while ago but today I found out it went on clearance. I was able to get the quilt, and the pillows for the original price of the quilt.  It's so pretty.

xoxo,
Amanda

Rachel's outfit-A Glee DIY

I'm currently in the midst of DIY'ing this outfit Lea Michele was seen wearing during the filming of Glee. I really like both the skirt and the shirt and they seem pretty DIY'able so I figured I still have some time before Glee comes back so why not?!

The skirt part is finished and I'm gonna start work on the top later today. I'll post everything once it's all done.

A few weeks ago I went to Forever 21 in search on Quinn's hat from "Original Song". While looking around I saw this adorable dress.

Cute right?! Well of course they were gonna use it on Glee! It looks like Rachel wears this in the upcoming "Born this Way" episode.

I swear I'm on the same brainwave as the stylist Glee uses. Some part of me is like connected to Rachel Berry. lol.

I just can't wait till Glee comes back.

xoxo,
Amanda




Image Credit-TOP Leamicheleweb, BOTTOM-uhh around the interwebs-I forget.

Baby Bouquet for a friend.

I know absolutely nothing about baby shower gifts.

So when I found out my closest friend from high school was going to be having a baby I had a mini panic attack over what I would make for her shower gift. You know me-I didn't just want to buy stuff, I wanted to make something pretty and heartfelt. As soon as she left I began scouring the internet for ideas. I found tons of ideas for baby bouquets, even Martha had a version of this, but I liked this version here best.  I thought they were so pretty and she can leave it together and admire it before the baby arrives.

I used about 20 different baby items. This made for a very full bouquet, you can use less if you want more space, but I liked how full it looked.

5 onesies
7 washcloths
8 pairs of socks

I also interspersed a few silk flowers to fill in the spaces the baby items didn't quite cover. It's a really simple DIY- just roll up the baby things, tie them with some clear beading string and insert them into a styrofoam base with sturdy floral wire.

I also think this is great for someone like me. I have no idea what an appropriate baby shower gift is, but I'm crafty so I was able to make something pretty and useful. I can't wait for my friend to see this!!!

xoxo,
Amanda

Glee "Hello Goodbye" dress Part Deux

Remember a while ago when I DIY'ed the dress the Glee girls wore during the "Hello Goodbye" number?

At first I thought I really liked it. Then after looking at pictures and at the dress I realized I hated the way the ribbon shined. The bow on the actual dress is matte and mine just didn't work.

So a few days ago on a Jo-ann's trip I picked up some cheap white fabric to make a bow out of. I decided against ribbon cause I couldn't find anything simple enough to replicate the bow with. Making the bow was pretty simple. I sewed tubes for all the parts and then just constructed them like I did with the ribbon.

I think it looks so much better now.  The fabric bow looks 10x better than the shiny ribbon.

xoxo,
Amanda

Rachel's Pinafore- A Glee DIY

I didn't actually plan on DIY-ing this pinafore. Rachel hasn't even wore it in an episode, it was a costume from a photo shoot the Glee cast did a while back. I saw a tutorial on how to make one and then I saw this picture so I figured why not?! The hiatus still isn't over so I can always use another project to distract me.

For this project I did a fitted waistband and then a gathered skirt. I had never tried this technique before and I had a little trouble making the waist fit cause when I first cut it, the fabric didn't want to lay nice around my waist. I always worry about cutting too small so I guess I add too much to the seam allowances.  I just have troubles with seams and fitting ease, its just confusing. After I fixed the sizing issues it was a pretty easy project. Definitely a little more detailed than usual but I was able to grasp the directions and execute them well.

my chest looks funny cause i had to photoshop cover it cause my bra was showing.

I think this pinafore is adorable. It's cute and girly, and it's gonna be so fun to wear when the weather gets warm. Being able to complete this project without any major disasters is just so exciting and extremely rewarding.

xoxo,
Amanda