Ugly Sweater Party

I personally really enjoy Ugly Sweater Parties...mostly because I like to dress up and second, I love to look ridiculous. Gian's work threw a great party last week with delicious food from Good Wood BBQ, and we had a great time. Please enjoy the heinous outfits we wore to join the festivities.

 MY HUSBAND... and the faces he makes. Isn't his sweater a Christmas wonderland? If you can't tell, it is actually a woman's sweater {which gives it a nice touch} and the turtle neck I am wearing is the matching set. 

 And this... this is how the turtle neck made me feel! I mean, if your going to wear something from 1991, then might as well do your hair too. I guess you're still suppose to look somewhat normal at these things... I GUUUUUUUUUUEEEEESS. 

My friend brought me this set to borrow and since we only had one, we decided to split it up between the two of us. Gian told me I looked too normal, like "What everyone would wear..." uhhhh I disagree!! No one wears snowflake turtle necks for a fashionable statement these days, or do they? PS I have no idea why I am posing like Spiderman... aaaaawkwaaaaaard! 

Last but not least, our little Haolepino's outfit for the night... no ugly sweater for him. A little secret about this outfit, it really isn't overalls. It is a sweatshirt onsie that has overalls printed on to it. It says, "I'm ready to play, but I like to cuddle!" 

Merry Ugly Sweater Month!! 

Share your favorite ugly sweater photos by emailing them to me. 

Apologize

Obviously I have been MIA and would like to apologize for leaving you to fend for your self in this cruel and cold world ahahhaha Just kidding! But it isn't you, it's me... I haven't been blogging, looking at other peoples blogs, or commenting on other blogs. I have been dead to the virtual world.

All I have been wanting to do is spend time with my family, and due to the late and glorious Steve Jobs, I have been able to use my phone for Twitter and Facebook to keep me somewhat in the loop of things which has given me reason to not touch my computer in over a week {not to mention our internet flipping sucks which repels me from my computer}. I have been sooo lazy, but guess what I haven't been too lazy or dead to do... CHRIS-To the freaking-MAS!!! Unlike last year, I had everything up and decorated on November 2nd, except for the tree... that was put up earlier this week! What a magical time of year this is!!!

 Banner made with Christmas scrapbook paper and Christmas ribbon

 Gian, mine, and Ekemona's stockings... Ohh I love them!!!

 Remember the wreath I made 3 years ago... well I decided to make a new one. SHE IS GLORIOUS, no!! 

 Don't judge my phone photography skills!!! Here are the lights that lead to our apartment... ohhh and the Diaper Genie! 

 My mom's nativity set from the 1990's.... I call it "vintage" hahaha

Ohh Christmas tree, ohh Christmas tree!!! Do you like how she is in our kitchen? The rocking chair has taken her most beloved spot, so this is what works. She makes a great night light for those midnight snacks! 

 Our friends opened this awesome store where you can make decorations like this!! 

{I miss judged my colors when picking out paint... I.ROCK!!!}

My Nativity set, hand carved from olive wood, straight from Jerusalem! It maybe my most valued decoration of all. My sister brought it back for me from her trip a while back. 

I saved the best for last.... the ever oh so beautiful mistletoe, finished with a glamorous giant crystal! Once a day I will stand here waiting for Gian to whisk me in his arms and dip me for a kiss ahhaah I am serious... I make him dip me! 

I'm dreaming of a whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiite Chriiiiiistmaaaas... or what I just like to call, "Christmas" {is anyone else obsessed with New Girl and Zooey Deschanel?}. I hope your holiday season has been MERRY & BRIGHT!

Modest is Hawtest

Due to the recent and most talked about dress code for BYU-Idaho my sister Brittany and I had an awesome discussion about modesty and what it really means to us. After putting into words our feelings and beliefs, I felt very strongly to share it with you - what my personal thoughts and feelings are around this topic.

First of all, the word modest... what does that even mean? Most people associated it with not showing too much skin or the way you dress, but we actually use the word modest in our daily vocabulary... "Ohhh she is just being modest. She is the best pianist I have ever heard!!" So what does modesty really define? According to Merriam-Webster, "freedom from conceit or vanity" or "placing a moderate estimate on one's abilities or worth" {I would also like you to see the link for moderate... amazing!!!}


In our culture, modesty has been solely focused on sex and sexiness. In our religion, most understand modesty to not draw sexual attention to yourself, or make men feel uncomfortable about the clothes you wear, or needing to protect yourself from predators. I strongly disagree with that view. The guilt of a woman's beauty and body should never be placed on her as a burden, nor should it make her feel less of a person because of it. God does not teach in fear, shame, or anger; therefor, we should not teach others in that manner. Plus, I feel like those tactics would force a young adult to not have a full understanding of why it is so important to be modest.


My personal take on modesty is that it is to respect yourself and God... that automatically includes your body, but not only your body. I believe that trying to out do others or being competitive for materialistic or ego gains takes you away from being modest. If you want a brand new Porche and buy one... that is awesome!!! But first think, are you buying it because it has always been a dream of yours to own, or are you trying to keep up with the Jones'? Neither one of those are wrong, I am simply giving an example of what I believe to be modest. In my book, I would sum up modesty like this - the things we do, say or dress/purchase should not be coming from a place of competition, but from a place of passion and desire - a place that we know will make us feel better or happy with no expectations or strings attached, that by doing this we can sustain humility and veer us away from our egos and vanity.


Now to tie this all into apparel; the reason I choose to be modest is because I believe it to be a physical reminder of being modest everyday in all things, so in that sense I do take modesty literally. I do my hair and make-up because it makes me feel feminine and attractive, I wear the clothes I do because I believe it is my talent and passion. I find sure joy in putting together an outfit, shopping , or working on sketches and sewing. I believe this is my calling in life! I dress and present myself the way that will make me proud, and my standards are high because I too want to respect my Heavenly Father and of course my husband. Like I said before, I believe in taking the word "modest" literally in the way I dress because I believe it to serve a purpose as a reminder of the actual word modest and what it stands for and defines.


As far as skinny jeans go, they are the only thing I own and wear. I believe that a woman needs to express herself the way she longs and desires to. It is a form of creativity and identity - what we will be known for. My heart goes out to John Dexter, the manager of the testing center at BYU-Idaho. He had good intentions, but unfortunately it came across wrong and I too will admit I had my mouthful of verbal complaints with his reasoning and purpose by making the rule. He is a man, a honest worthy man who sees women in a rare and beautiful way... that I can respect and support. I just want to make it clear that it does not represent the LDS culture nor the LDS church and that skinny jeans are not banned from BYU-I but just from the testing center, which he, John Dexter manages.


I, personally, am grateful it has received so much publicity because it has allowed me to articulate in words why I choose to be modest. What are your views and takes? Do you choose to be modest, and why?

Best Salesman

.::Viral Friday::.

Hello hello again!! I know that A) I have skipped one too many .::Viral Fridays::. and B) I have disappeared and maybe even possibly fallen off the face of the earth, BUT I AM BAAAAAACK... well as long as the internet will allow me, along with my writer's block/laziness {I think they go hand in hand... well, in this case they do}.

I know that this clip is longer then most of us care for, but this guy IS AMAZING!!! I want to buy his products, not necessarily because I want it {because I do}, but because I think he is a rockstar and I want to support him! He is so witty, smart, creative, and a go getter!



My favorite part is his spiel about the sharpie on the towel!!! Hahahahahahah "...OJ stab it out..." I want to meet him.

THANK YOU, COME AGAIN

Wishing we were all at the beach!

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

The only thing that Gian and I are polar opposite about is chocolate. I absolutely despise it in almost every form {exception for Snickers, Twix, and Kit Kats, and well, if it is milk chocolate and mixed in as a secondary ingredient and isn't overwhelming in flavor.... I am also in love with white chocolate, but it doesn't have the cocoa bean in it soooooooooooo that explains a lot}. I will try it almost every single time in hopes that that time I will actually enjoy it, but then I remember how much I hate it and try to find something to flush the bitter taste out of my mouth. Gian, on the other hand, craves bitter sweet, semi sweet and dark chocolate like it should be sold in bulk.... SICK!!! The smell of it just crinkles my nose. Actually, last night he just ate bitter sweet chocolate with 60% cacao while we watched a movie. I think he might be related to Willy Wonka. We seriously couldn't be more on opposite sides of the spectrum if we tried.

I found this recipe of Chocolate Pumpkin Pie knowing that Gian would most likely love it. I made it, and according to Gian it was the best pumpkin pie he had ever tasted.... I am ok with that!!! Guess what I did... yeah I tried it, didn't like it, it was far too chocolatey for my liking, but as stated above, that is apparently abnormal. I thought this would be a nice twist on a holiday favorite. Especially if you are wanting to try something new without losing your tradition. Here is how it is done.

What you will need:
3oz Bitter Sweet Chocolate {chopped}
6oz Semi Sweet Chocolate {chopped}
4tbsp Unsalted Butter {cut into small pieces}

Directions:
-Make your pumpkin pie filling as directed and set aside.

-In a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter. Stir frequently until smooth and remove from heat.

-Fold in melted chocolate mixture into prepared pie filling, then pour into pie crust.

-Bake as directed to original recipe.

If you are a chocolate fan then you must try this! It is so simple and doesn't add on too much time to your baking. My chocolate melted in about 5-10 mins. I think milk chocolate might make the pie filling too sweet, but if you try it let me know how that turns out.

Hope you have a happy holiday this week!! Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year: it brings families together, it reminds us what to be grateful for, and it is the most anticipated meal of the year... who could ask for more?!?!

Happy Thanksgiving

Gobble Gobble 

Epic Photos

.::Viral Friday::.

TGIF, TGIF, TGIF!!! Do you remember being a kid and thinking Fridays were the best day ever!! I personally was sooooooooooooo excited to watch SNICK with my packet of gushers... for the record, Are You Afraid of the Dark scared the poop out of me and I still watched it ever time!!

Today I am just going to show you photos because these photos are awesome and deserve to be featured on .::Viral Friday::. I hope you enjoy them as well. Have a wonderful and fabulous weekend!

Double Smiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiile!!

Seriously.... this really did blow my mind!!! 

 How many of us play Words with Friends? I literally went back to this 7x in one night. He/She used all 7 tiles, 2 triple words, 2 triple letters, and made 8 words!!! INSANE. Look at the total score and the points they made from this one word. This person will always be known as my WWF idol!!! BRILLIANT!!! Absolutely brilliant! 

This photo is glorious!!! I never even knew a bubble popped like that! Can you see the reflection... I JUST LOVE IT!

Diaper Ninja hahahahahahaha 

 Uuuummmmmmm....

 What a lovely family!!! But where is their Aunty?

{This one literally made me scream out loud with shock and laughter!!!}

We have an awkward "Situation" on our hands.... Yep that is a famous Jersey Shore member in the middle, wearing a silly turtle neck.

The last 4 picture sources

THANK YOU, COME AGAIN

Happy 11/11/11 don't forget to make your wish at 11:11

Crown Tutorial

Would you like to learn how I made our crowns {look at the images at the bottom of this post}? It is really simple and I will show you how. I love geometry and I think it makes these kinds of things easy and accurately even. If you aren't a huge fan of geometry, then feel free to ask someone for extra help because I am not sure if my notes will be enough for you.... I don't know if these directions are good enough for anyone ahahahha.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

-Empty oatmeal container 

-Scissors

-Pencil/pen/marker {whichever you prefer} 

-Measuring tape

-Spray paint

-Hair piece or elastic thread

-Hot glue gun and glue

OPTIONAL

-Gems

-Faux fur trim

-Metallic rope trim

-Scrapbook letters

-Felt

{These are all the things I used to decorate our crowns. See images at bottom of this post}

Step 1: Foundation of the Crown

*First, you will need an oatmeal container - I used the smallest size. Empty and dust it out. I used the top of the cylinder {the side that did not have the bottom closed seal} to be the placement of what would go directly onto the head since it is already a perfect, smooth, even shape. 

*Pop off the bottom closed seal of the container. This is where you will cut down away the pieces. Now that your cylinder is ready, begin your measurements. 

*Take your measuring tape and get the full circumference, divide that number into 4, i.e. if the total circumference is 12" divide it by 4 and you have 3". With the measuring tape, mark a small dot every "3 inches" {or whatever your measurements are} close to the base of the cylinder. 

*Depending on how tall you want your crown, the peaks will vary to your ideal size. On the new dots you just made, measure from the base up to the desired hight of your peak {my measurements were 3.5" from the base to the highest peak for the birthday crown. Note, if you are adding fur trim, it can add height to the crown} and mark that with a small dot. You can do a different color if it helps you stay organized. You have just made the peaks of your crown. 

*Now you will need to make the valleys of the crown. If your peaks were 3" apart you will now need to divide that number in half which would be 1.5". Go in between each peak and place a dot with that distance on the base of the cylinder. Again measuring from the base up, you will now need to decide how thick the overall crown will be {the birthday crown is 1 5/16" from the base to the valley}. Mark that new height. 

*You should now have 8 dots total for the valleys and the peaks and 8 dots on the base. With a ruler or measuring tape, connect the two dots to create V like shapes. Are you seeing it yet? Now with the best pair of scissors you have go ahead and cut out along the line.

This is what your container should look like before cutting

Step 2: Painting

*You have completed the foundation of your crown and the decorating can begin. Spray paint whatever color you want and let it dry completely for about 15 min. I used prongs to hold the crown while spray painting to help get the whole thing sprayed. Be sure you spray paint the inside as well. People will be able to see that too. Continue decorating as you imagined!

Step 3: Adding Attachments

Now to make the the crown stick to the head, I did two different attachments, one with an elastic thread and one with a comb/hair piece. Both will require the hot glue gun. 

*Elastic Thread; Measure the length you want for your crown and on the side exactly 90 degrees from the center front, hot glue the end of the thread to the inside of the crown. Hot glue a nice size bead of glue and either wait and hold that elastic there until the glue dries completely or you can add a decretive piece of scrapbook-ness {I had little golden hearts that were made of a really thick cardboard} to hide the bead of glue. I also think that adds a more secure finish. Do the same to the other end of the thread directly across {180 degrees}. 

This is the elastic thread with decretive finish to hide the glue beads.

I am not proud of how the faux fur trim looks on the inside... don't judge!!! 

*Hair Piece; If you would like to do a hair piece, it is a little more difficult because the two are not the same shape. I used felt to help with the different curves. At center front of the crown, I hot glued a piece of felt the same length as the hair piece. I then hot glued felt on to the hair piece. Once they were both done drying, I hot glued the two felts together. With a lot of pressure, I secured the two together. Be sure you are not placing the hair piece too high in the crown, otherwise it will not be able to grip onto the hair. 

This is what my hair piece attachment looked like

If you want to keep your crown for a long time I recommend finding a box to keep it in. I used an old shoe box from Ekemona's pair and it worked out perfectly!!! I decided to decorate it as well.

Now you are done and ready to go!!! Please take pictures and send them to me!!! I would love to see all the different kinds of crowns people make! 

 Princess Peach Crown and the Birthday Crown {our family tradition}

Wordless Wednesday

I have seen many blogs do Wordless Wednesday, and I thought today would be a perfect day to copy cat these bloggers and do one of my own.

I feel like this is his head shot for a talent agency ahhah

Hope you have a wonderful and beautiful Wednesday...

Princess Peach Tutorial

I am so glad to hear that everyone liked the Princess Peach costume!!! I thought I would do a break down for you in case you were wanting to make something of your own. It really isn't all that hard!

I was originally going to make my costume from scratch.... but then realized I didn't have the matterials for making a pattern and then realized I haven't made a pattern since I was at FIDM in 2006, so when I pulled out my book I said, "Noooooooooooooooope, not happening," I then began to search for an 80's prom dress and came across this beauty....

She was 6-8 sizes too big, so I had to take her in. She was the perfect length, with the most perfect sleeves and I was in love. However, she has a keyhole in the back, which was absolutely glamorous, but it did not meet my standards of modesty, so I added fabric to the back. I know, lame huh, but I had to take in the key hole anyways because it was too big through the shoulders, so it naturally changed the beauty of the keyhole and it was no longer as beautiful as it used to be. Pretty dang good transformation huh!!! 

Here is what made it blah to taaaaaaaaaaadaaah...

1). The crown is made from an oat meal container {tutorial... click here}

2). Earrings are small glass Christmas ornaments that were dipped in paint. I reincarnated an old pair of earrings by taking off the clasps and adding them to the ornament to hang from my ears.

3). The turquoise on the dress was also a Christmas ornament, however, this one is a clear plastic one made for crafts and was already in half. I wrapped a metallic rope trim around it {the same trim as on the crown}. FYI, the paint I used was my friend Kelli. It was paint from here salon, so that is all the information I can give you. It was wall paint - I do think acrylic would do the job. Oil paint leaves too  many streak marks, so I wouldn't recommend that. 

4). For the fullness of the dress, I used my slip from my wedding dress. 

5). There are pick ups in the skirt to give the scallop design. 

1). The bow was really easy. I sewed two rectangular pieces of fabric together, just like a pillow case, then turned it right side out and in the center I hand threaded a few stitches to bring in the center of the bow to make the "knot". I then hot glued a strip of the same fabric in the center to hide the stitching and to continue the knot look.

What shoes does a princess wear you ask.... well Steve Madden sparkly flats of course.
Hands down my favorite pair in my closet right now! 

Viola!!! An easy and cheap way to make your Princes Peach accessories, or you can do it for anything else you want.

In case you were wondering where to buy the Yoshi hat, this is where I got Ekemona's. PS we are totally using it as his winter hat so we can get multiple uses out of it... half the reason we even did this whole Halloween theme ahahhaha!

Random

.::Viral Friday::.

Aloha Friday everybody!!! I hope you are having a better day then I am because I will tell you I am not a morning person and I have not enjoyed being awake this morning.... so I hope this changes soon ahahahah.

Today's .::Viral Friday::. is going to be really random. Both Gian and I have found videos that we both loved and wanted to share. They couldn't be more random if we tried and I am pretty sure the one I will show you, you have already seen.

Gian's Pick...

Gian likes to call this "Asian OK Go" hahaha. Do you remember that awesome music video? Ohhh it is still so magical!! It is pretty awesome. Towards the end there are even more spectacular! Thank you Michelle for showing this to us.

My Pick...


Have you already seen this video? Ahhahahahaha I love how serious the last kid is, with his arms up by his head with his hands tucked behind saying, "Ohhh good for you, now you're probably going to get a tummy ache!!!" Yet he is so sweet to his brother while trying to encourage his math skills. Then the little brother gasps with a huge gulp of air, "Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! You sneaky moooooooooooooooom!!!" Hahahaha ohhh it is soooooooooooo so so so cute!! I love children and every single thing they do!

Just one more...


This is hilarious!!! I never knew jumping jacks could be so hard!!! I have been doing them since the 1st grade in PE so it was like second nature to me, as I'm sure it was to everyone else. Ahhahahahahahaah I just hit replay for the 3x. Ahhahaha AMAZING!!!

Ohhh there we go, this just made my Friday better!!! This has officially shaken off my crankyness ahhaha. Have a happy weekend!

THANK YOU, COME AGAIN

"I had like one piece.... Are you serious?"