Around the World Blog Hop

Hey Everyone! I got invited by my dear friend Rach to join in the Around the World Blog Hop. So today I get to share a little bit about me and my story by answering 4 questions! 

So here goes...

1. What are you working on? 

Hmmm... The question should probably be "What am I not working on?"- because I am working on about 5 projects right now! I usually work on one or two projects and commit myself to finishing one before starting another, but I just couldn't help myself!

-At this moment, I am working on a new tutorial using some gorgeous new Acorn Trail Fabric from Fabricworm. 

I'm not gonna say what it is just quite yet, but here is a little sneak peek:

Stay tuned for the new tutorial coming soon on the blog... 

-I am also working on (binding one and quilting the other) a couple of mini quilts for the wall in my studio. More to come on these projects soon!

  ....But since I know one person is bound to ask- the pattern I used for the lettering on the quilt above is called My First Alphabet by Diane Bohn. And the pattern for the Swedish Bloom quilt block below is by the very talented Ayumi in her book called Patchwork Please.

-I am ever working on my Grandmother's Garden Quilt... Just hit the two year mark with this project! You can read more about it here. 

And lastly...

-I just finished up my kids halloween costumes... Hallelujah! One is being Sheriff Callie and the other is being Little Red Riding Hood... Stay tuned for those on the blog soon too!! 

2. How does my work differ from others?

That's a hard one!

My First Quilted Weekender

I would have to say that one of the biggest compliments that anyone has ever given me, when it comes to sewing, was back when I taught my very first sewing class at Sew to Speak...

One of my students had been scrolling through the collection of Weekender Bags on Flickr for inspiration and she told me "I can always pick out which weekenders are yours before I even click on them because of the way they look."

Funky Weekender Bag

 That was huge for me! Two of the people that inspire me most when it comes to sewing are  Amy of nanaCompany and Mary of Molly Flanders Makerie. I can pick their projects out a mile away because of their style, fabric choice, and workmanship. Anytime I scroll through Pinterest and see a project by either of them, I know it before I even click to follow the link! 

So when I heard someone say that of me, I was so flattered! 

 Nautical Weekender Bag

Though I can't quite pinpoint what makes me different than anyone else, I do know this:

-I am a HUGE perfectionist! If I am going to take the time to create something, I want to do it right. I like to be very neat in my sewing. I love my seams to be straight, my corners to match up, and my points to be pointy- But every once in a blue moon- I toss caution to the wind and let myself get sloppy. ;)   

Sewing Themed Weekender Bag

-I try to stay true to me and only use fabrics that I love (unless I am sewing for someone else with a different taste).  I love stripes, polkadots, nautical, primary colors, and usually work with bright fabrics... But I have a very big scale as far as my taste goes, so sometimes you'll see me using funky, boho prints and other times you'll see me using delicate florals! I'm flexible that way. I definitely know what I like and what I don't like but it seems to be ever evolving! ha ha

The Kitchen Sink Weekender Bag

3. Why do I create?

I guess that's an easier one for me to answer. I create because it's my passion. From the time I was a little girl, I was always "creating". I loved to cross stitch, tried my hand at crochet, and was constantly transforming junk into "treasure" as a kid. 

Scrappy Makeup Bag

As I got older, I focused my creativity on scrapbooking. Once I had kids and motherhood set in, my creative flow had an abrupt halt due to the new found craziness of feeding babies, changing diapers, and lack of sleep that was my life now. It wasn't until 3 years ago that I decided to try out a new hobby: Sewing. 

Scrappy Trip Along

Holy cow... If someone would have told me, even 5 minutes before I turned that machine on for the first time, where I would be now- I would have laughed in their face! I would have never pegged myself for someone who loved to sew, quilt, and work with fabric! I always rolled my eyes at the people who sewed their own clothes and thought what a waste of time it all was. Well, I am eating crow now, because I have officially turned into my Grandma and you can find me in front of my sewing machine most nights! 

Evie our Elf on a Shelf

Sewing is my happy place! I feel totally at home with a fresh blade on my rotary cutter and a stack of fabric to cut for a project! And if you ever see me day dreaming- you can bet that I have some crazy project on the brain! I love love love to sew! 

Briar Rose Baby Quilt

4. How does my creative process work?
I would have to say that the fabric I use is the driving force behind everything I make. Sometimes I have a project in mind for the fabric I buy, and sometimes I just buy things that I love on a whim- knowing it will be put to good use. I just love to shop for fabric! 

My Sewing Storage

I love it when I find a fun pattern to make or quilt along to follow, but a lot of times, I create my own patterns.

Marcelle Medallion Pillow

 Since I myself, learned to sew following tutorials online, I love to create tutorials to help others out.

Quilted Ukelele Case Tutorial
So if I am making my own pattern, I roughly sketch my project (and by roughly, I mean roughly... I am not an artist!) and write down some preliminary measurements. Most of the time, the sketch and measurements change along the way. I am not one to cut all my fabric out in the beginning and then start to sew- I like to cut a little, sew a little, and then cut a little and sew a little more. 

Little House Needle Book Tutorial

I would say 9 times out of 10- in the end, my project works like I hoped it would, but that 1 out of 10 project is a royal disaster, but I just toss it in the scrap pile and live to sew another day!! Such is life, right?;)

Colored Pencil Roll

Well, I hope you have enjoyed getting to know a little bit about me and what makes me tick with this post! Be sure to check out the talented gal that I have tagged to join in on the fun next week: Meredith of Olivia Jane Handcrafted.  She is constantly inspiring me with the things she makes!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo, Ashley

P.S.- I don't say this often enough, but I have to say thank you to anyone that reads my blog- especially those select few of you that read and have been with me from the beginning! Y'all are so sweet with your encouraging comments on my blog or on Facebook or Instagram. Nothing makes my day more than a nice comment from one of you.  So thank you for that! Mwah!

Pro Guide to Quilting

So I am a little late to the party with sharing this now, but with our big move, I forgot to share it with you all earlier. 

This summer, I had the opportunity to be published in a bookazine called Pro Guide to Quilting. (It's kinda a cross between a book and a magazine- so it is aptly named a Bookazine ;) It's full of lots of quilty projects, tips, and ideas. Perfect for anyone who loves, or is interested in beginning quilting. 

They featured the pattern to my Isosceles Triangle Quilt. (remember the quilt along that I did a couple year ago??) It was cool to see the diagram and pattern template that they designed since they weren't able to show each of my step by step pictures featured in the tutorial on my blog! It looks so official! Love it!

 I feel so honored to be featured in the book along side two of my sewing/quilty idols: Amy of nanaCompany and Amy of Diary of a Quilter, along with a whole other slew of talented quilters! And the title- Pro Guide to Quilting- makes me smile and laugh inside, because as someone who just started quilting, let alone sewing, a few years ago- "pro" is not a word I would associate myself with... but when opportunity comes knocking at your door- you answer it, right?! ;)

The book is a publication based out of the UK and is available for purchase here. Or you may still find a copy at Joann- I saw it there over the summer but haven't checked recently.

Hope you are all having a great start to your week! Be sure to pop by my instagram to see what sewing projects I've been up to lately! 

xoxo, Ashley

Ode to Ohio

Four years ago, my little family moved across the country to Columbus, Ohio so my husband could attend The Ohio State University. Being a Utah girl, having never lived more than 5 minutes away from my family, it was quite a change for me. I tried my very best to acclimate to the new home, town, people, etc, but it was a struggle at first.

Over time, little by little, Ohio started to feel like home to me. I experienced new things, took up some new hobbies (blogging and sewing), and met new people.

Looking back over these last 4 years, I can't believe how much the time in Ohio changed me. I grew stronger as a person, a mother, and a wife. I realized just how important my faith is to me. I met people that have changed my life forever and that I now count as some of my very best friends. I could not have asked for a better experience, than I had in Ohio... Columbus is a great place!

As our time in Ohio was coming to an end, I found myself trying to soak in every last minute in Columbus. Savor every last bite of Graeter's and Jeni's Ice Cream. ;) 

Wishing time could stop, or that somehow I could bring every last person that I have come to love like family, with me, to my next adventure. 

So as we packed the moving truck, and pulled out of town, I couldn't help but feel like I was leaving behind a piece of my heart. Such is life, I guess. 

Right now, I am out in Utah visiting family for the summer, before we move across the country again, while my husband does some training for his new job. It's good to be back in this beautiful state... I love being able to look out over my parents backyard and seeing the gorgeous mountains I grew up looking at, the smell of summer in the garden, and watching my two beautiful children run around in the backyard- so carefree and happy to be with family for the summer.

Here's to wishing you all a beautiful summer!! 

xoxo, Ashley

PS:  Columbus is such a fun area! If you are ever in the Columbus area- You have to visit some of my very favorite places...

#1: SEW TO SPEAK

(Images via Sew to Speak)

It was so hard leaving this darling brick and mortar fabric shoppe. I love the staff, the fabric selections they offer, and that I was constantly inspired every time I walked in. I even taught my very first sewing class here and had such an amazing experience. 

I will definitely miss being able to visit Sew to Speak whenever my heart desired- which was sometimes more than once in a week!! ha ha

So if you are ever passing through Columbus, (or get lucky enough to move there) be sure to swing by and say hi for me! ;)

#2: The ice cream in Columbus is unreal...

Graeters and Jeni's are both so amazing!  I love the Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip at Graeters. The Brown Butter Almond Brittle and and Dark Chocolate at Jeni's (pictured above) is probably the best thing I have ever eaten. Lucky for me- I can actually buy both out here in Utah so I am slowly easing off my ice cream addiction- (Graeters available at Smith's and Jeni's at Harmons and Whole foods). But really- there is nothing like visiting either place! Definitely recommend it!

Last but not least, 

#3: Amish Country

I love the Amish people. They are so sweet and it is so interesting to see how they live. Our family loved going to Amish Country! We went probably 6 times in the 4 years we lived there. Our favorite place was Hershberger Farm in Millersberg, OH. It is a farm that has a free petting zoo, they sell furniture, do buggy and wagon rides (in the fall you can ride the wagon out to the pumpkin field and pick your own pumpkins), and they have a bakery- my husband is addicted to their peach fry pies (kinda like a krispy creme donut filled with fruit filling)- and I am addicted to their fresh kettle corn that they make over an open fire with a kettle (of course). It is definitely one of my kids favorite places to go and is worth the drive (just under 2 hours from C-BUS- but one of the prettiest drives I have ever been on). And if you are in the area, Heini's Cheese Chalet is a great place to sample amish made cheese and see how they make it! So fun!

Go visit Ohio!!

My Sad Serger Saga

I am not usually one for posting stories without a project involved, but I had quite the serger escapade today and just for my sanity and venting I thought I would share! 

About 2 years ago I decided that I needed a serger. I was making clothes for my kiddos and myself and zig zagging my seam allowances just wasn't looking as professional as I dreamed my garments could look.

So I went on the search for the perfect serger for me... Affordable and easy to use.

I decided on the Brother 1034d. 

I mentioned to my husband that I would like a serger. Being the supportive hubby that he always is, he said he was on board- BUT, I had to wait until my birthday... 6 months away.

I was kinda feeling melancholy about it. I was excited that he was ok with me putting more money into my hobby, but kinda bummed that I had to wait. If you know me, you know that when I come up with an idea I usually act on it within hours. That is how most of my sewing projects occur. I think it up and run to my sewing shelf and grab some fabric and get to working. So with about 20 projects in mind, that needed a serger mind you, I felt kinda defeated. (ok...ok... I know I am sounding like a spoiled brat at this point, but I am just being totally honest with this story....)

Ok... fast forward 6 months. The long awaited time had come. Except... I spent my birthday in Utah at my little brothers funeral. My serger sat on my front porch, left by the UPS man. Thoughts of sergers were no where in my mind at that point. 

When I came home from the funeral, my cute hubby presented the serger to me- excited to see my reaction. I tried to act excited and be graceous about it but life (and everything I had just gone through) was feeling overwhelming and the thought of trying to be adventurous and brave to learn something new was just too much for me. The next day while my hubby was at school, I shoved it in the closet and shut the door without a second glance.

The sad little serger stayed in the closet untouched and unopened for a year and a half. I thought of it often but it was like it was a monster in the closet that I tried to avoid. For some reason I couldn't bring myself to get it out and figure out how to work the stupid thing. 

This last year and a half since my brother's suicide have been interesting. I have learned a lot about myself and how I really can do hard things with the Lord's help, but at the exact same time it has changed me so much that I look in the mirror and feel like the "old me" is long gone and things will never be the same. 

So I think the serger just kinda represented the past and happier times in my life. I have been too busy dwelling on what used to be that I couldn't focus on what was now and here and move forward.

Today I woke up and decided I needed to change something. I opened the closet door and dug out the serger determined to figure it out. 

I opened the box.. all the while, my two little cuties were fascinated, trying to figure out what had been in the closet all this time.

 There it was... Scaring the crap out of me!

Like I said... I think it represented more than just a serger to me...

But I put it up on the kitchen table and opened the instructions. I found an awesome video on YouTube that made threading my machine a breeze. I took a few practice runs on some scraps of fabric to get my tension right and to make sure I had threaded it correctly and then I felt good enough to try it out on the project I was working on. 

First seam... Perfect... What in the world was everyone talking about? This serger thing was a lot easier than I had expected. I was conquering the "Serger Monster" from my closet!

And then.... my confidence got the best of me.... I was serging along... picking up speed... and then all heck broke loose...

I had been using some straight pins.
Now- I know anyone that has used a serger is totally cringing right now- because when you sew with a serger you can't sew over pins like you can get away with when you use a regular machine. A serger has a cutting blade that trims your fabric as you go and pins are not allowed through the blades! 

Now, I am not a total dimwit! I was being a responsible "sergist" (totally making that word up) and I was just using my pins to slightly control the knit fabric I was working with, but I was taking the pins out with plenty of time before the fabric entered the cutter... the pins were just my security blanket to make sure I lining up my seams as it went through.

But- as I have learned today... You CANNOT do two things at once while using a serger... I was looking at my freshly finished seam to make sure the tension was still looking good and "CRACK"... next thing I know, the upper blade of the serger is flying straight up in the air just as I look down to see that I had missed a pin. 

I could not believe it! I was so mad at myself! Seriously... busting my serger within 10 minutes of using it!?! What the heck? Why couldn't the stupid pin have just broken in half? Was this a bad omen on my serger? 

Feeling defeated and pretty dumb, I called around to some local repair shops and tried to find the replacement blade- totally hoping (with my "I need to finish this project now" mentality) that I could zip across town and find a part to fix it! But to no avail! I headed online and ordered the replacement part... $24 smackaroos this little incident cost me and my machine will be on bed rest for at least a week (depending on how long that part takes to get here).

Moral to the story and lessons learned:

1. Don't use pins ever again when using my serger!

2. Stay humble. Just when you think you have it all figured out... you go busting your upper blade on your serger and see that you have no idea what in the heck you are doing!

3. Sometimes ya hit a road bump and it knocks ya outta whack, but that doesn't mean you can't dust yourself off and keep truckin' along.

4. Be patient.

Thanks for letting me vent. I feel better.... well kinda. ;)

Stay tuned for the continuing Serger Saga... 

Happy Weekend!  

A Year Full of Firsts

Do you ever have years that seem to be good years and years that seem to be not so good?? I do. So far this year seems to be shaping up to be a pretty good year so far... I feel like it as been packed full of a bunch of "firsts" for me... I thought I would share some of the fun firsts with y'all today...

Without fail, each and every year, I make a new years resolution to write in my journal everyday.... and wouldn't you know it- I have never succeeded! Until this year (so far). I got the idea from the darling Camille Roskelley to get this lovely one line a day... 5 year memory book- she is almost done with 5 years of memories! Amazing!

(another first for me this year (some of my fellow fabric junkies may have picked up on it in the picture): I splurged and bought some of my favorite Liberty Lifestyle Bloomsbury Garden fabric... Oh. My. YUMMY!! I found mine here. I bought a fat quarters of a handful of my favorite prints and I am not sure what I am going to do with it yet, but for now I am content drooling over them on my sewing table... ;)

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While I was home visiting over Christmas and New Years, I had the chance to meet one of my favorite bloggers in the world: Amy from Diary of a Quilter... To say I have a blog crush would be an understatement... more like official blog stalker! ha ha 

I have learned all of my quilting basics from this lovely lady... She is soo soo talented! And as if that wasn't enough- she is one of the nicest people I have ever met. We had such a fun time browsing a darling fabric shop called Material Girls Quilt Shop that I was visiting for the first time (I told you this post was all about "firsts") and chatting over lunch at one of my all time favorite places to eat: Cafe Rio (definitely not a "first"). It was so much fun! Thanks for taking the time to meet up with me Amy!! xoxo

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On Valentine's Day this year... I had a fun thing happen that I would have never dreamed of... I was featured in a magazine. A very lovely, inspiring, and quilty magazine based in the UK called Love Quilting and Patchwork. For those of you that are a big fan of the CrossStitcher magazine, this is made by the same company.

I have no idea why they picked little old me to be included in such a lovely magazine, but I feel lucky to be along side the talent featured within. I haven't gotten my hands on a copy yet since it hasn't made its way to the US yet, but I am told that it should be on sale here shortly (around the end of March) so keep your eyes out for meand be sure to let me know if you happen to spot it here because you know I am going to be buying one (or ten) copies when it hits the stores! ;) For anyone that is itching to get a copy sooner than the end of March, it is available on iTunes. If you download the free CrossStitcher app in your newsstand, you can buy the Love Quilting and Patchwork magazine within that app. 

Until then, I thought I would give you a sneak peek of my page in the magazine... They featured my Sewing Storage.

Of course I had to give a shout out in my article (orange box that says "blog hop") to the lovely Maggie of Smashed Peas and Carrots who inspired my mini fabric bolts. Thanks again for such an awesome trick Maggie!

I have big plans for that beautiful quilt featured on the front of the magazine by Alexia Abegg ! Maybe I will use up some of my Bloomsbury Garden stash to make it! The pattern is included in the magazine. I can't wait to get started on it! It has sparked an impromptu quilt along on Instagram- look up the hashtags #medallionalong and #marcellemedallion for some yummy pictures on Insta. Anyone else in on the Medallion Along train? 

I am quite taken with these impromptu quilt alongs on Instagram... At the beginning of the year I jumped on board with the Scrappy Trip Along and seriously considered the xplus along too! This is the first quilt along that I have personally followed along with and it is so addicting! I have had so much fun watching all of the pictures pop up all over Instagram... It is so inspiring and fun to see the different fabric combinations people are coming up with! I went with mostly Field Study fabric by Anna Maria Horner, but threw in a couple randoms too.

I am all done with all 72 of my blocks... That's right ladies and gents... I went for the long haul and made an over sized queen for my bed. I am piecing all of the blocks this week and then I will be onto quilting it... I will be sure to post pictures when I am all done!

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A couple weeks ago, I decided to try making an Oliver + S pattern for the first time. I decided to make a little Ice Cream Dress for a friend who had just had a baby. I used some darling fabric from Sarah Jane for the first time too. It is from her Children at Play line and I am in love! 

I couldn't stop with just one project in Sarah Jane fabric so I started a quilt for my oldest out of some Out to Sea fabric inspired by a quilt and tutorial by Rita from Red Pepper Quilts... here is a sneak peek from my Instagram.... I am slightly obsessed with these mermaids, girly pirates, whales, and ships- you know I have a flair for anything nautical! I have the quilt top finished and am working on the quilting today... Stay tuned!

I hope you are all having a great week!! xoxo, Ashley


P.S. For anyone that loves to sew- I am a judge of the awesome SEWVIVIOR sewing competition over at Family Ever After! The auditions started yesterday so head over and audition to be in the competition and win some awesome prizes! I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!!

Happy 2013!!

1- Little Miss Priss Skirt, 2- 14 Days of Valentines, 3- Tied with a Bow Carseat Canopy, 4- Mini Messenger Bag, 5- Salt Air Lattice Quilt, 6- Vintage Lace Pillowcase, 7- Zig Zag Quilt Along, 8- Vintage Modern Baby Quilt, 9- Kitschy Kids Apron, 10- Sweet Life Quilt, 11- Circus Quilt, 12- Bedroom Makeover, 13- Dolly Quilt, 14- Sewing Storage, 15- Quilted Weekender Bag, 16- Ahoy Matey Quilt, 17- Kindle Case, 18- Little House Zipper Pouch, 19- Isosceles Triangle Quilt Along

Happy New Year everyone! I know that I am a week or so late, but I thought I would do the famous "last year round up" anyways! 

Last year was a really crazy year for my family. I lost my brother at the end of February and the rest of the year was spent in a whirlwind of grieving and just trying to take things one day at a time. It is so cray how one person missing in your life can change everything.

One thing that did help me stay grounded was this blog. Having a creative outlet is so important to me. Sewing was so soothing and healing when times got rough or emotions were high. And having you readers help to brighten my day with a sweet comment, a "like" on Facebook, or a pin on Pinterest meant the world to me! So thank you to everyone that has helped me through this last year- friends, family, readers, bloggers, etc. I love you all and am so grateful to "know you"!

Here is to an awesome year!

What I know about sewing...

This weekend I got to guest post for one of my favorite blogs- Southern Lovely... Lindsay has bloggers over to share something on the topic of "What I know..." once a week.

I decided that writing a post about "What I know" was kinda a daunting subject for me to think about blogging about, so I stuck to one topic... 

What I know about sewing...

Here is what I shared:

Let me preface this post with letting you all know that I am super new to sewing... totally a beginner in fact. I just started sewing in May of last year. Before I started, I had been following the Made blog for about a year and was so impressed by the things that Dana makes for her kids! I am not even sure how I found her blog or why I was following a sewing blog since I couldn't sew, but I couldn't help it. She is just amazing! 

For a year I told myself that there was no way in HECK that I could sew anything at all... let alone something I would let my kids wear out in public... After a year of telling myself that "I couldn't...", I went out on a limb and decided that maybe I COULD.

 I bought my sewing machine last May with the intent on trying to teach myself (with the help of the MADE blog) to make little skirts for my girls to wear to church. Before that, I hadn't touched a sewing machine since 7th grade (I made a rainbow windsock in home ec- ha ha). I was a little nervous, and I think my husband was too... Who knew if I was going to even like sewing- and here I was ordering a sewing machine... I hit the "buy" button before I got chicken so I didn't back out.

When my sewing machine showed up, I left it in the box unopened for at least a week. I was so freaked out and didn't even know where to start. I finally got up the nerve to open the box and dig out the instruction manual. Umm... I don't know if that helped or made it worse, but I got the contraption set up and threaded and resolved to sew a skirt! 

This is what I came up with! (after spending almost as many minutes picking out seams as I did sewing them, mind you)

It wasn't perfect, but it was a confidence booster that I could, in fact, sew!

With a little more courage, I decided to sew a dress using the Made Shirt Tutorial- and something that was supposed to fit my 2 year old could have fit her build-a-bear! eeekkk! I was a little stressed but figured out what I did wrong with my pattern making and started over a second time and it turned out super cute!! Again, not perfect, but I was improving...

My reason for sharing this story is because it ties into what I know about sewing.... It's doable. Obviously- since people blog about it- but something that started off as a craft that was untouchable has turned into my favorite past time, favorite hobby, and has given me so much fulfillment since I started it. 

So my advise to anyone that is on the fence about starting a new talent like sewing or whatever it is that interests you, 

JUST DO IT!

I spent the better part of my life talking myself out of things, telling myself that I couldn't do it or that I wasn't talented- but that was one of the things that I wanted to overcome in 2011... It's also on my list for 2012. I wanna keep learning new things and become better at sewing. I have always heard people say "Try something new... You never know if you will fail or succeed unless you try it." and I never really took that advise until now- but it's totally true...

So- if you are interested in learning to sew... Blogland makes things so easy to learn! Two of my favorite sewing blogs: Made and Make It and Love It are such great blogs to check out if you need to learn the basics of sewing. I have learned a lot of what I know from Dana and Ashley! :) 

Give yourself a couple projects under your belt before you decide whether you like it or not... During my second project I almost gave up sewing all together and even still, there are times that I feel like I have no idea what I am doing, but I am so glad that I didn't give up! I honestly love sewing!

Don't be afraid to ask questions! I love getting comments or emails asking about how I made something... and I know from experience that most bloggers are more than happy to help ya out when you need a little sewing advise! 

My last piece of advice is to share what you create with others... whether it is making something for your family, throwing a picture of a project up on facebook, or blogging about your projects! It has been one of the funnest things for me- to share my ideas and projects on my blog. It gives me intensive to get my projects done. I definitely recommend it! :)

So there ya go! It's what I know about sewing... Not much, so just take it for what is worth ;)

xoxo, Ashley

Confessions of a Beauty School Dropout

My only claim to fame in high school is that my senior year I got voted "Best Hair". Somehow that year the "Senior Personalities" didn't make it to the year book so you are just going to have to take my word for it. ;)

Growing up with 2 younger sisters, I developed a passion for styling hair. I taught my self to french braid when I was in elementary school and I was constantly begging my sisters to let me practice on their hair. I started doing updo's for friends and neighbors for school dances and took every opportunity I got to style someone's hair. When I got to high school it just made sense for me to go to beauty school. I went part time for 2 years while I was a junior and senior in high school. 

Now for the confession... I am a beauty school drop out.

I know you all just started singing "Beauty School Drop Out" from the movie Grease in your head now- sorry.. ha ha ;) but- that's pretty much me, except that I did graduated from high school so I guess it's not all bad. I dropped out because I wanted to become a dental assistant. I had plans of going back and finishing beauty school later in life and just never have. People ask me if I ever will and honestly I can't say yes. It taught me a lot and I had a lot of fun with the girls at school, but I don't think doing hair professionally is for everyone. I love doing hair, but somehow when I was training and gearing up to do it as a job it started to loose it's appeal. 

I try to finish all the things I start in life. So obviously the fact that I never finished beauty school goes against the grain on that one, but I guess I justify it because I at least learned a skill that I can apply in my life and the lives of my family. (I cut my husbands and my kids hair and have saved our family hundreds of dollars over the years because of it.)

There have been ups and downs as far as my hair styles go over the past 7 years since dropping out of beauty school... And I would have to say right now is kind of a down time for my hair. For those of you that are moms can probably understand why- when you have kids, sometimes styling your hair and taking care of yourself are the last things that get done! So most days you can find me with my hair in a pony tail.

I have 2 friends , Mallory and Meryn, that just happen to be sisters (not mine) that do hair blogs. They have inspired me to step it up a little as far as hair goes. They are each doing a challenge of wearing their hair different everyday for 30 days and they are blogging about it. Check them out. They are amazing!

I've decided that I have about 5 hairstyles that are my "go to" hairstyles... And I do them each in about 10 minutes or less. Each of us can take 10 minutes a day for ourselves right? 

The first thing you need to know is that these days I am all about easy. So I let my hair air dry pretty much everyday except Sunday since I have church at 9:00am. Some would probably call it laziness, which in reality it probably is, but I like to call it taking care of my hair... Ok who I am kidding here- I am just lazy! I wash my hair either the night before and sleep on it wet (sometimes not a pretty sight when I get up in the morning) or I spend half my day letting my hair air dry while I take care of the kiddos or do things around the house. After it is all dry then I tackle it. With that said- here are my 5 ten minute hairdo's. 

1. The frizzy curl

To do this style I use a 1/2 inch curling iron and I wrap my hair around the outside the barrel and hold it there until it's ready and then unwrap it. It takes only ten minutes because I only do the top layer of my hair. The underneath is just crazy hair that dried on it's own while I slept. Sometimes you just gotta embrace the crazy, right? After I do the top layer of curls I rake my hand through it to get the frizz. and voila you have frizzy curls! These last for days in my hair and I think it looks even better after I sleep on it a time or two because the curls get looser. I can get 2 maybe 3 days out of this hair before I wash it out... If you take the time to style your hair and it looks fine the next day just roll with it! 

2. Little Bit of Body Curl

When I let my hair air dry it gets a lot of body. It is wavy and has parts that are weird curliness and other parts that dry straight. So for this hair style I pretty much just go with what my hair is doing that day and throw in a handful of curls using my flat iron to make it look like I styled it. 

3. Tip it under

Sometimes it's nice to just have your hair flat ironed and not really do more than that- I just tip my flat iron as a go to slightly curl it under but not too much. This is one of my favorites because it's just soft and sleek and I can tuck it behind an ear and go. If you want it to look a little more finished you can back comb it a little to make it fuller and get more of a "styled" look.
P.S. That is my super duper hottie of a husband in the picture with me:)

4. Diffuse it

I mentioned that my hair is kinda funky- some of it is a little curly and other parts are stick straight. So when I want a 5 minute hairdo I put some gel or mousse in it and put my diffuser on my blow dryer and flip my head down and dry it using my hand and diffuser to scrunch my hair as it dries. Sometimes it turns out curly enough to just wear it down and if it turned out kinda weird I just throw it in a pony tail and it looks like I put a little more effort into my hair than just putting it in a pony.

Now for the hairdo my hair is sporting most these days... Drumroll please....

5. The Lazy Hair

With the heat of the summer and all the play dates at the park I do with my kids, this is how my hair looks most days. Pretty isn't it?? JUST KIDDING! This hairdo takes approximately 1.2 minutes depending on how many kiddos are hanging on my leg. I braid the front part to keep the shorter pieces out of my face and also for my peace of mind that I didn't just pull it all into a ponytail without putting any effort in- But who am I kidding?? ha ha It's just plain lazy hair...  but with the help of my friends blogs, I am freshly motivated and inspired to put a little more effort into my hair these days. Who knows- I might go crazy and go a week without a ponytail. :)

Linked up here.