Mirror Mirror On The Wall...

...or leaning against the wall rather....

For my next tutorial I was looking for something fun, inexpensive, and kinda kitschy...
So I went over to my friend, Brooke's, new place (soooo much closer to me!) and her roommate (who has also become a good friend of mine) was putting these really neat buttons on the HUGE mirror they have over the fire place in their living room.. well I thought...What a super cute idea!! But of course, buttons are always so expensive and hers were all vintage-y looking and pretty so I just assumed they were going to be an arm and a leg... but I asked her where she got them anyway and she said Michaels, and that they weren't that expensive... ummm...I almost had a stroke...
So of COURSE I go to Michaels and sure enough..in the sewing section on the bottom shelf are these bags of buttons:

 

In case you can't read it, it says "Vintage Buttons" and then gives a full explanation of where the buttons come from!

Just GUESS how much they were!!! $4.99 a bag!!! I was super stoked! I was expecting them to be $8-10 a bag, considering there's about 150+ buttons per bag and they're vintage.   PLUS, I used my handy dandy smart phone and looked up a 15% off coupon online and got BOTH bags for $9.20 including tax!!
So I take my lovely buttons home, very pleased with my purchase and I take a final look at my full length mirror in my room.... stickers all around it...looking pretty high-school-ish....

And since we don't need to see my room, just the mirror, here it is on the floor.. see all the stickers?

Yeah...some of those are the plastic-y ones which are a BREEZE to get off....the others, as you might be able to see, are the more paper-y ones, which are a pain in the you-know-what to get off...

Before I go any further...here is what you will need for this project...

Mirror (duh), Buttons (double duh), 409 (or some type of cleaner), paper towels, nail polish remover if the sticker is particularly difficult, hot glue gun, hot glue sticks, and of course the handy dandy phone with Pandora on it!!

SO...I sat there in frustration trying to peel off these paper stickers and pretty much getting no where (if you've ever done this, you know what I'm talking about, the sticky part of the sticker just stays there and you curse to yourself repeatedly and wonder why on gods green earth you thought it was a good idea in the first place to put the stickers on this mirror)....alright...I needed a plan...I decided that a soggy sticker was easier to get off than a dry one, so I would use my AMAZING 409 (seriously, best cleaning product ever) to soggy up the stickers and presto they would come off....well...all that did was get my hands wet, sticky, and 409-y....ok...new plan....
I thought and thought of a way to scrape off the nasty sticker-y goop... AHA!! A razor blade!!! Just the other day I bought a variety pack of razor blades for my x-acto knife because I couldn't find a pack of just the regular replacements...which included the circled blade below..

Now, when I bought this variety pack, I thought Who would use THAT blade for anything?!?!
Oh my, how naive of me...

It worked PERFECTLY, I didn't even have any residue left over!!!  So I got all of the stickers off and squeaky-cleaned it!

Ready to go!

Oh! I forgot! You're also going to need some kind of wire snipers or something like these to cut off the back of most of the buttons since you want them to lie flat on your mirror.

So I heated up my lovely new zebra striped hot glue gun and started going to town.  Make sure if you decide to do this project and want the buttons to all fit together snugly that you lay out your buttons at least a few at a time before you glue them down.

 And keep going until you get an area covered that you like.

Now the other side.

Alright, Time to do the bottom, make sure everything is reasonably proportionate (but you want it to be a little off-kilter...)

Here's the finished product!!!

What do you think!?! A complete mirror makeover for only $9.20!!!
You could also do picture frames, cork boards, whatever you want like this! I think they would all be extremely cute!!

I hope you enjoyed this and happy buttoning!!!
loves

A Bag of Rocks

When something traumatic happens in your life, whatever that may be, you always wonder when it will feel better, when that hole-in-your-stomach-aching-craptastic feeling will go away.  Gradually it does, of course, for whatever reason; you get a new job, a new hobby, immerse yourself in friends/family/school, whatever works for you.  And  you may do pretty well for a while, you may even stop thinking about whatever happened altogether.

Then it happens.

A big whammy.

Something; a smell, a phrase someone says, an event; something reminds you of what happened, what was lost, and it feels like a bag of rocks has dropped on your head.  Or a very large man has punched you in the gut.  Or you thought there was one more step at the top of the stairs when there wasn't. 

Your breath catches for a moment and you kind of freeze.

It's probably one of the Top 10 Worst Feelings in the World.

And it makes you think, it makes you doubt yourself, it makes you wonder. 

What's my point here?  My point is that it's alright, you're not the only one and it happens.  It doesn't mean you're not healing,  it just means that whatever happened has had an impact on your life that is impermeable.  But that, my friends, is what builds us.  Having a loved one lost, a love gone, an accident of some kind, these things show us to appreciate the good, appreciate what we have right now, and to be something different than we were yesterday. 
And each time one of these whammies hits you, you get just a tiny fraction of a bit stronger.  So next time that gorilla-sumo-wrestling-dude pounds your stomach, it doesn't knock the wind out of you quite so bad.

Here's hoping.
loves

To Purchase..or Not to Purchase...

...THAT is the question, my friends.
 I've had my eye on several Fossil bags since forever (I know I know "girly" to the max) and I finally have some money to splurge on new clothes for school and just for life...and of course I once again have the thought of this bag running around in my head...well...I just can't bring myself to spend $70 on a purse...call me paranoid, but I can't help thinking about if I'll need that money in the near future. AND $70 is equal to 2-ish pairs of jeans or 3-4 shirts....so I'm going to spend it on ONE purse?
I'm just not sure...my thoughts are that if I'm not sure about it I'll just pass for now and if I still feel strongly I'll ask for it for Christmas or something..
If you folks haven't gathered this by now, here's a fact about me...I'm extremely frugal.  If there is any way at all I can save some money, I do it.  That doesn't mean I don't have fun, I do, and often, but when it comes to spending money recklessly, I worry too much about it, which means I don't do it a lot.
So yes, I've basically talked myself out of this buy...
Stay tuned for my clothes shopping update...

Oh and p.s. it's raining tonight!! That always ALWAYS means a good night's sleep for this girl!!  Trust me it's much needed...it's been a rough few days!

I hope everything in your neck of the woods is fine-n-dandy!
loves.

A Day Off...Sort Of

Today (my only day off this week) I finally got some things accomplished.
For starters our internet finally works properly (thanks a ton Time Warner). The only competent person they have working there came and fixed it early this morning. Now I'm just crossing my fingers it stays fixed!
I got my financial aid requirements turned in, my school health insurance waived, and my parking pass bought (no searching for parking/moving/re-moving my car this year!!).
Additionally, I got to spend some time with my mom and sister, I made dinner and we watched No Strings Attached (truly hilarious, if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it!).
I also got laundry done, folded/hung up, and put away!
Oh AND I got the new jeans I've been waiting for in the mail. Although, only one pair fit, so it's off to the post office for me in the morning since I'm not letting that $55 on the 2nd pair go to waste.  But at least I have some new pants for work tomorrow (thank God).

I feel pretty good about everything I got done today!  Check, check, and quadruple check on all of that!!
Just wishing I had a glass of wine to celebrate..but that's alright.

I hope you all were equally productive today (but if not, that's perfectly fine too!).

loves!

Pillows Pillows Everywhere!

I finished 2 pillows today, the last of my accent pillows!  I'm super stoked about both of them and I PROMISE I will post pictures soon!!! I just want to finish the bottom of my duvet and get some new shams since the ones I have currently are plum colored to go with the sheets that I got from Ikea when I got my new bed...I love the more luxurious feel of them but they don't really match the cream-black-teal motif I have going.... my gray jersey sheets however go a little better but aren't as awesome feeling...

But anyways... I still need new shams..and after that I'll post before and after photos... :D I'm soooooo exited!!!!

Besides that, I have a little rant for you tonight...
I can't stand it when people break plans...now of course I understand when stuff comes up (you don't feel good, something happened, whatever) I get it.  But I just hate it....I think it's rude...I guess that's just me being anal or whatever..but it's kinda like...I put other plans on hold for you today and then you blow me off?  It's just a little aggravating...and again, I understand if something comes up, but it's just a pet peeve of mine...haha I only have a few but the ones I have drive me up the wall.
Just something I have to live with like everyone else! *sigh* the world is silly...

Here's hoping everything around you is fluffy tonight!!
loves!

Random

The other day I was bored out of my mind (uh oh) and on my way to work I decided to ask for some random facts. So on my Facebook status I posted, "Did you know............. (leave me a random fact)"
and here's what some of my dear friends and family came up with:

Aimee: Redheads require more anesthesia to get numb.

John: unless food is mixed with saliva you can't taste it

John again: or...lemons contain more sugar than strawberries

Lindsey: ...pigs don't have sweat glands? So the phrase "sweating like a pig" is inaccurate unless you're not sweating at all!

Kierstan: You have eye brows to A) Divert sweat (and rain) away from your eyes, and to help show an emotion that you are trying to convey.  

John again again: That in Greek Allie Skye translates roughly into Super Cool One. (HAHA)

Trey (my little brother): allie is a troll

Emily (my roommate): When large Target bags are left on the living room couch, Jack doesn't know how to control himself. 

Wendy (my awesome aunt): hmmmmmmm...Trey is a troll...hee hee!!!!!

Amanda: English bulldogs cannot swim and will sink because they can't keep themselves up.

So here's hoping none of you is a red head or an english bull dog.....oh wait.... :) 
  loves!

180 On Those Plans

Well the dress shopping didn't happen today, but that's alright. Another time.

What I DID end up doing was getting all the stuff I needed to make some throw pillows for my new bedding.
So I got:
Fabric (and more fabric)
Pipping
Pillow forms
Fiber fill
Fabric paint
a Painter's drop cloth (which I'm going to use instead of burlap [muuuuch cheaper, and softer])
and some odds and ends I needed

I made my BIG Bow Pillow that I found the tutorial on over at E Tells Tales!! It makes me happy. I used a different jersey knit pattern than what she used, mine is a little more busy, but my other throws are going to be pretty solid, so I think it's going to look neat! (fingers crossed)

I'll post pictures soon!

In other news: I passed a homeless man on my way to Home Depot and Hobby Lobby today and I got this gut feeling so I stopped and gave him a dollar, which I NEVER do (for some reason, Mom's "don't talk to strangers" rants really stuck with me), but it felt right, so there ya go. That was my good deed of the day.  What was yours?

Sister Date with Cass tomorrow! yay!
loves!

A Little Here, A Little There

Well, my duvet cover is done...except for the bottom...I haven't gotten the pep in my step to take it off my bed and sew on the ties yet...which you're probably saying "REALLY Allie?!? The easiest part and it's not done yet?!?"  Yeahhhhh....I know....don't judge me.

Tomorrow I'm going with my good friend Heidi to look at wedding dresses (hers not mine!) and I'm just super stoked about it!  I love doing girly things like that!  So we'll probably be-bop around the 'Boro and grab some lunch as well!  Maybe I can even talk her into doing some craft shopping with me... :D
For some reason I've got it in my head that I NEED to buy some crappy furniture at a thrift store and repurpose it...but I have no clue on earth why...what I DO need is a little dish on my night stand to put my rings and things...but I want to get something cute and kitschy..I guess I'll look around...

I really need to clean/organize my room before the school year begins. I can't have it messy when I start my 17 hour work load...it just won't be acceptable.

Anyway...this weekend was just work work work.  That place exhausts me. And we had some 'guest managers' there since one of our managers left us for Florida and our general manager is on vacation AGAIN...lucky...but it was even more work because although the guest managers were cool, they were in our way the whole weekend...and we're all used to our managers stepping in when needed but more or less letting us do our own thing. :P Oh well...

My cozy comfy bed is calling my name.......gnight all!
loves!

Du-blah

Backstory: I've been wanting new bedding for about a year now....I've been looking at duvets and duvet covers and pillows and all that stuff since before Christmas last year.  Alright, so I found one on Anthropologie that I loved...but let's face it, Anthropologie's prices are a bit steep...and by a bit I mean like straight up a cliff steep ($208 just for the duvet cover)....alright, well I'm a poor college kid who needs to pay her bills...moving on to Plan B...I'll MAKE my bedding and save some money while still getting the look I want.

So I found a tutorial on the one I wanted to make....alright, cool...well the tutorial, as it turns out, isn't quite as explanatory as someone like me needs, it was more of an outline...which is helpful, but not really...so after trial and error and HOURS of math, measuring, cutting, pinning and sewing....it's still not done...I've literally put about 14 hours into this thing so far.   The front is about 2/3 done... but sewing it onto the back will be a breeze compared to the rest (there's lots of gathering involved which, if you didn't know, gathering means you have to sew the same side TWICE...once to gather it and once to actually attach it....who knew...).  Granted, I was watching 2 Gerard Butler movies yesterday while I worked on it...so that might have something to do with a couple of those hours I mentioned...just maybe....Good lord that man is yummy! *drool*

ANYWAYS....I have to work the next 4 days in a row...so hopefully I'll get a little done here and there and HOPEFULLY (fingers crossed) have it done by Sunday.  I thought I would have it done yesterday....ha!

Did I mention I only got 5 hours of sleep last night because of this freakin' thing? You're lucky any of this is coherent (if it even is).

Until next time!
loves!

Size Me Up, Baby

Since I kinda-sorta-in-a-way did a tutorial yesterday by showing you where/what I'm doing for my business cards and stickers, I thought I would just tell you a little bit about my day...

Well last night, I was helping my friend Rachel over at Peep Toes and Pacifiers get her blog all set up and looking pretty...then of COURSE I had to make a new layout for STLC too.... wellllll that had me up at the grand hour of 4 am....alright so then my mother wakes me up at 9:45am (thanks Mom) and I did a bunch of running around with her,  then we came home and I went to lunch with my sister and her boyfriend.

Well, it turns out that my sister got invited to go to dinner with her boyfriend and his parents, at first thinking that they were going to their country club for dinner...well of course my incredibly hilarious 16-year-old sister FLIPS out, so I told her of course I would help her chose an outfit for said outing (because what kind of sister would I be if I didn't, I ask you??)  Little did I know this would turn into an hour-and-a-half ordeal....trying on shirt after shirt and dress after dress...

This one's too big!
That one's too hot!
I CAN'T WEAR JEANS!!!!

Let me tell you, holy cow....I've never been a terribly dressy person...I mean...I'll wear a dress if it's an absolute MUST (wedding, funeral, etc)...but besides that, jeans are my BEST friend!!!  And high heels, FORGET IT. You're truly a blessed person if you have seen me in heels (and especially so if you've lived to tell the tale...clumsy is an understatement for me..). 
ANYWAYS...it was truly hilarious and I don't think I've ever heard so many sighs before as I did from her boyfriend.  xD    ....they ended up going to a Thai restaurant, so it was all in vain, but still...I don't think I'll forget that any time soon!

Later, I rode along with my mom to get my little brother from a friend's house in Greensboro so that I could get some of my laundry and check my mail...well the package I've been waiting for for a couple of days arrived!!!!

It's a ring sizing set so I can finally add the totally rad rings I've been working on to STLC!!!!  I needed this so someone could (for instance) ask for a size 6 ring and I could make them the size they want in the ring they chose! 

Alright...so after I was done geeking out about that...oh who am I kidding? I'm STILL geeking out about it!!  I've made about 15 rings tonight (in varying sizes of course)!  haha

Finally back to work tomorrow after being off since Sunday!  I don't know if I can deal...eesh!

Hope everything in your neck of the woods is crafty as always!
Loves!

Business Cards / Stickers!

Soooo I found this awesome site where you can make your business cards and stickers and of COURSE being the visionary that I am (cough cough) I HAD to make some 'mini-cards' to attach to my creations when I send them out!! And the stickers were too tempting to pass up...so I made my own design for both on Picnik (because I'm addicted) and I shall be ordering them on Monday!! :D

The way it works is you get 100 mini cards in the pack that I chose and you can add as many pictures as you want (up to 100) to make the business cards different on the front! Then on the back you can put standard business card info (business, name, address, number, etc) or, like I did, I just put this....

 These are a couple of the pictures I chose to put on the fronts.... :)  I think they're going to be SUPER cute!!!

Here are the stickers I made!!! These come in a pack of 52, 104, etc.  I'm choosing the pack of 104! and again, you can make a few different ones in the pack for the same price!  I think they're freaking adorable!!! yahooooo!!! I can't wait to get them!

What do you think? Opinions?!?! Suggestions!?
'til next time!
Loves!

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

 Alright...so for my first tutorial I decided to play it simple and show you how to make these adorable little paper stars!! You can use them to decorate or, as I recently did, to send a message (or 300 messages) to someone special in your life!   So here we go... 

What you need:

Pretty scrapbooking paper in assorted patterns (whatever you like)

Paper cutter (or scissors if you must)

A pen/marker (only if you wish to write something on the inside)

Something to put them in (such as a mason jar, pretty painted box, etc)

 

Ok...first off, you want to cut some pretty scrapbooking paper (or any kind of paper really) into approximately 3/8 inch strips. If you do 1/4 inch the strips are too thin and 1/2 inch they are too thick to work with..so 3/8 inch works best...
It REALLY helps to have a paper cutter for this part....you could use scissors, but it would make cutting these strips pretty tedious!  A paper cutter is the way to go!

I picked all of these patterns at my local craft store. I thought they were all really neat looking... ALSO...do not pick paper that is card stock or similar to it, it's too thick to work with.  And if you want to write a message on the inside, make sure your paper is blank on the back.  So... if you want to write a message on the inside, now would be the time.
(my cat, Jack, was eyeing the strips....then decided it was play time) :P

Okay...so make a little loop like so at one end of your paper, try not to have too much excess on your "tail".

Now take the tail and put it through the loop.

VERY carefully pull the knot tight enough so it makes a little pentagon.  Pinch it slightly so it's more flat.

Fold the little tail over to make the side flat.

Now turn your pentagon over so that the blank side of the rest of your strip is facing you.

Now fold the strip over your pentagon to the opposite side.

Flip the pentagon and fold it over the opposite side again...it should flip back and forth as you fold.

Keep folding until you get your pentagon to look like this....

Now carefully tuck in the end to both sides of the little pocket in your hexagon.  If your end is too long you can fold it over and then tuck it, or cut it.

Push in the end to both sides until it forms a flush 5th side.

It should look like this.

Now take your fingernail (or a bone folder) and push in one side of your hexagon.  (it really helps to put one or two fingers on the opposite side).  This should "pop out" the side you push in.

Continue to "pop out" the rest of the 4 sides.

Once you've done all 5 sides it should look like this!  A pretty little puffy star!

Once you get the hang of it, the process goes pretty quickly...I did these 14 in about 10 minutes. 

I hope this all makes sense!!! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment and I'll get to it ASAP!!
Thanks for reading!!
Loves!

Uno Momento...

I JUST got back from an impromptu trip to SC with some friends to get fireworks for the 4th...becaaaaaaause....It turns out I will not be going to FL after all to see my lovely friend. Some circumstances arose and it's just not feasible.  I'm smad (sad/mad) and not in the best of moods about not going to Jacksonville...but hey, stuff happens...

SO... my first tutorial will be up around midnight-ish...we'll see how quickly I can make this presentable for you..... patience please!!

Loves for now!

UPDATE: my internet is crappy and won't let me upload pictures....it's coming ASAP!!

I'm Baaaack

Hello Again!!

My adventure to WA didn't exactly go as planned. I ended up flying there and back by myself. I  missed not having the adventure of driving there, but I still LOVED seeing my family.  The wedding was absolutely beautiful. Here are a few shots I took...

My cousin and her dad walking her down the "aisle".

Mr. and Mrs. Berg!

The gorgeous dress!

Newlyweds (awwww)

He threatened to throw the cake at her (and wisely decided against it) :P

 

My cousin, Kelsey, and I

The next day and for a couple of days after I got to hang out with my cousin, Tessa, and her 6 month old, Daven...so of COURSE I had to take some photos of them!!

Daven

Mommy and "Butters" as she calls him <3

Sooo sweet!

I loved every second of my trip, it was all incredible!! I can't wait to go back (next summer hopefully!!!!). Now I'm saving up (semi-unsuccessfully) to go to Florida for the 4th of July to visit my friend and have a little Jacksonville fun and some craft time with her!!!  Cross your fingers for me that I get to go! In the mean time, my best friend will be here next week with her baby girl!!! Can't wait!

I'll be doing my first tutorial soon!

'Til next time...
Loves!