under those neon lights

Valentine's Surprise

2012-02-14T03:59:00.002-05:00

Zach and I are not dancing people.

We aren't party people.

We are quiet, read books, watch movies, ride bikes, crochet and sleep late kind of people.

Wild nights for us are watching the antics on Jersey Shore....

I've never been to a club,

and have only been to a bar once.

So it's no surprise that Zach and I had never really danced.

I mean we have joked around and pranced around

in the security of our home,

but we had never really shared a dance...

until our wedding reception.

I told Zach I didn't want to dance,

we didn't have a DJ or a band,

we just had a sound dock, an iPod and our favorite songs from our "reception" playlist.

Most people don't understand how crazily nervous I get in social situations,

so when Zach asked me to dance in front of everyone...

I thought I was going to faint.

He had one of our friends play "our" song

and we danced for two minutes, clumsily and with me sobbing like a baby.

I dreaded this moment for so long,

but looking back it was the best moment of our whole wedding experience.

Zach and I had already exchanged Valentine's Day gifts

(we always give gifts way too early because we are too excited)

so this was a total surprise.

Zach told me where he had hidden it while he was at work (I thought)

but he was actually watching from the window as I opened it :)

While my new necklace is amazing,

the best part was the card.

The line "nobody baby but you and me"

came straight from the song we danced to at our reception.

Penny and The Quarters

You and Me

If the stars don’t shine, if the moon won’t rise, if I never see the setting sun again,
You won’t hear me cry, this I testify; please believe me, boy, you know I wouldn’t lie.
As long as there is

You and me,
You and me,
Nobody baby but you and me.

If you love a soul more than fame and gold, and that soul feels the same about you,
It’s a natural fact, there’s no turning back, and here’s some advice to you:
You’ve got to say it’s,

You and me,
You and me,
Nobody baby but you and me.

When love is real, you don’t have to show it.
When it is true, then everyone will know.
‘Cause there’ll be no one but

You and me,
You and me,
Nobody baby but you and me.

She's Here!

2012-02-06T16:49:00.002-05:00

My simply vanilla Blythe

arrived in the mail today all the way from Hong Kong!

I love her already!

I can't wait to customize her :D

I do need help naming her though!

Here are the names I love,

will you help me choose?

Rue

2012-02-04T17:11:00.004-05:00

I think its pretty lame that Zach can take such an awesome picture of Rue,

but when I ask him to take a picture of me I always end up looking like I'm 3ft tall... hmmph!

There is nothing more important to Rue

than his squeaky toys.

This picture is so perfect :)

Handmade Gosling

2012-02-04T04:12:00.004-05:00

If you don't know what Handmade Ryan Gosling is

YOU ARE MISSING OUT!

CHECK IT OUT...NOW!

the best!!!

A wonderful gift

2012-02-02T18:23:00.005-05:00

STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING!!!

How freaking cute is this journal?

It's the perfect fabric and it's so soft!

I'm so in love with floral right now!

(because of my desire for spring time!)

I think the best part about the package

was that she used some of my stamps!

so sweet!

However! I don't think it's fair that you

flaunt your pretty handwriting ;)

Mine is awful!

I can't wait to start writing in my new journal!

I'm actually very mean to journals.

I know a lot of people start from the first page,

and put really cute and memorable things,

and pretty little doodles all in the pages... not me

I start on random pages and scribble nonsense everywhere!

I write ideas that never get read,

and recipes that never get used,

to do lists that never get done....

but I still write it all down any way :)

Thanks Marysza! This is so lovely and I can't wait to send you something :D

Check out her amazing blog and etsy!

She is such a talented lady!

Macbook for Sale

2012-01-27T03:07:00.003-05:00

I don't want to spam you but...

I have a MacBook for sale.

If you are interested check it out here.

The sale of this Macbook will go

toward funding brakes for Zach's new mtn bike

and maybe my Blythe

(if I can talk Zach into it)

OMGS

2012-01-26T20:49:00.002-05:00

Zach is taking me to Disney World!

Both of my sisters and my nieces and my nephew are coming too...

Excited is THE BIGGEST understatement in history!

Obsessed

2012-01-23T01:36:00.005-05:00

Lately I can't stop researching Blythes!

I want a Blythe so badly!

I'm going to buy one soon,

but I need help customizing her.

If anyone can lead me in the right direction

I would love it sooooo much!

I've contacted a few customizers on Etsy

and no one wants to message me back!

Grrrr!

PS I don't want to do it myself,

I'm scared I'll mess her up :(

Bummed

2012-01-19T02:20:00.004-05:00

I can't be too bummed.

Zach and I had a pretty awesome day

aside from this:

This is my beaded bracelet.

I sell it in my etsy shop.

If you are a long time reader,

you will remember it from this post.

If you are a Free People catalog receiver,

you will recognize it from the January 2012 issue...

I don't really know what to do or say,

or if there is anything I can do.

I know that using an eagle in a beaded design

isn't exactly revolutionary...

But this is beyond a let down for me.

the least athletic

2012-01-12T18:26:00.005-05:00

So I am forcing myself to blog!

I have to!

If I don't blog, people start to lose interest,

so when I have something seriously important to say,

no one will be standing around to hear it.

At the gym today,

Zach came to the realization that he is allergic to exercise.

I am not joking.

He literally broke out in hives and his lips even swelled.

If anyone was found to be allergic to exercise, it would certainly be me.

But guess what!

I ran a 10:20 mile!

That may not seem impressive, but my childhood self would be ecstatic at that!

As a kid I was the short, scrawny kid that ran 20 minute miles.

Huffing and puffing and walking as all the bigger kids

(even the overweight ones) lapped me.

Running was always a miserable time for me,

and I have never been athletic.

I always dreaded the physical fitness tests,

it was beyond torture for me.

Imagine me,

scrawny armed and hanging from the pull up bar,

not being able to do a single one...

and I probably only weighed 50 pounds!

Humiliation!

I would struggle and sway and sweat,

and the most I could ever muster was to bend one elbow slightly

whilst kicking the air with rage!

All the kids at my school were named Tyler.

I always imagined how awesome life would be if they only

tested us on things I was good at.

Like:

who can get this stray cat to come to them first?

winner: me!

who can recite all the states in alphabetical order the fastest?

uh... ME!

who can follow the lite brite pattern without making any stray holes?

THIS GIRL!

or who can produce crocodile tears at the drop of a hat?

DO YOU EVEN HAVE TO ASK?!

I don't think physical fitness tests measure what's really important!

These are dire skills!

I should have been the one getting all the ribbons and medals...

What amazing things were you good at?

Tumblr

2012-01-12T03:35:00.007-05:00

Who has a tumblr?

Send me a link to yours!

find mine here

Why I haven't

2012-01-12T00:52:00.002-05:00

Blogged.

I always get perturbed when I read a blog

and every other post is "sorry I haven't written in so long"

because honestly I don't care why,

I just want to read something new.

Also because it's your blog,

who are you apologizing to?

No one is crying every night because

you haven't posted a bunch of pinterest pictures in a couple weeks.

But seriously, if you are interested

this is why I haven't blogged....

because I hate New Years resolutions.

Zach and I have started a New Years plan to be healthier.

Which means eating right and getting fit.

It's pure torture and very time consuming.

We have been going to the gym daily,

cooking our own food,

and working.

With that kind of schedule,

some things get pushed aside.

I don't like to share about losing weight

or getting fit, because I usually always get ridiculed.

I'm naturally thin and technically don't need to 'get fit'

but I am getting older and softer and I don't like it.

I want to recommit myself to my blog again.

So that's my January 12th resolution.

My tattoo is almost healed now...

yays

New Tattoo

2011-12-22T19:44:00.003-05:00

here is a peek at my tattoo...

it's on my inner arm.

It's so tender.

My arm is swollen twice it's normal size and I am starting to bruise...

not the best opportunity to take a photo of it.

I'll show you the whole thing when it's healed...

speaking of healed,

Zach's tattoo is already healed!

No swelling, no peeling, and mine is a mess! I'm jealous!

eeeep and owww

2011-12-21T08:07:00.004-05:00

Hello YOU!

I'm a little late on this,

but the random generator,

in it's infinite wisdom has chosen Rai :)

you know... for the tights.

So,

I woke up way too early today....

like I had four hours of sleep kind of early.

We went to sign our papers for our home loan

(that should be approved by Thurs.. YAYS)

and then headed to the tattoo shop to you know

get tattooed.

I picked a spot that I shouldn't have picked!

It hurt like the worst out of every spot I've ever had done!

It made me nauseous pretty much for the rest of the day.

So we went to a movie and of course I fell asleep,

which really sucked because the movie was pretty good.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

I had plans on sleeping in,

but I had a headache, nausea and neck pain

(no I didn't get a neck tattoo)

so I'm up early again... today.

and today is going to be a busy one :(

I'll show you my tattoo a little later,

right now it is covered in gooey body oozes and plastic wrap... gross

oh BTW

Zach's tattoo came out pretty amazing!

Upside down deer tights

2011-12-17T04:02:00.003-05:00

I bought these tights on ebay and was sooooooo excited about them.

When I got them I realized that the deer were UPSIDE DOWN!

DEER DO NOT WALK AROUND UPSIDE DOWN!

At least not any I have seen!

Well, this totally ruined them for me :(

so if you want them, you can have them!

They supposedly fit sizes small and medium,

but they were a little loose on me, so maybe just a medium.

If you are interested leave a comment below

with one good reason why deer should walk upside down,

and your email address or blog URL,

and I'll pick someone at random on Monday.

Our next step...

2011-12-15T23:44:00.004-05:00

like I've said,

Zach and I are in the process of building our very own home,

and let me tell you it is stressful!

We filled out all our forms on our debts and income

and waited for about two weeks to hear from the bank!

When we finally did hear from them,

they said "everything looks good,

we highly recommend you apply for a home loan"

and they emailed us MORE FORMS!

While this is far from bad news,

we didn't think we were waiting for approval to fill out more forms!

It makes me feel like we are running in circles!

Yesterday,

we went up to our property,

and cut down lots and lots of small trees.

It was a lot of work, but kinda fun too!

Then we celebrated clearing about 10% of our land

with ice cream.

We still have a long way to go!

I did a guest post...

2011-12-15T02:18:00.001-05:00

and you can find it here!

and that is all!

Pretty Presents!

2011-12-08T17:37:00.001-05:00

The wrapping has begun :)

I still have a lot more to buy :(

but at least they are fun to decorate!!!

Trader BEWARE

2011-12-08T02:11:00.008-05:00

A long long time ago....

ok more like several months.

I was really into "trading handmade".

I met some really awesome bloggers while doing this,

and scored a lot of amazingly cute and well made things.

On the other hand...

I scored a lot of.. um questionable items.

People sent me things that were hot glued together

that had fallen apart in the mail,

and other things that may have had good intentions but severely poor execution.

Most of these people have etsy shops,

and I couldn't imagine them telling their customers

"you can glue it back together"

like they had told me.

I take a lot of pride in the things I create,

and spend a lot of time making them.

I often sell things underpriced just because

I love to make things and I love that people enjoy the things that I make.

It was always disappointing when I spent hours

making something for someone

only to receive a 5 minute hot glued mess in return.

I've often felt taken advantage of

and cheated when this happens.

Today I was reading through blogs

and I was reminded of a situation.

I was contacted by someone I didn't know,

someone who read my blog.

They had an etsy store with a few cute things,

and they wanted to trade.

They asked me if I would make a few dreamcatcher charms for them

and in exchange I could pick something from their store.

a few dreamcatcher charms = about 2 hours of work.

I agreed and picked a necklace that was pretty cute

and the deal was made.

I sent off the dreamcatchers and waited and waited and waited.

I finally received a package.

I opened it up and inside was a totally hideous plastic something (not handmade obviously)

that had been hot glued together and folded inside a greeting card that read

"sorry it took so long".

It looked like something you would find in a 25 cent machine.

It was something that was made to be worn,

but didn't fit me... by a long shot.

I was crushed.

Not because I didn't get something that I liked,

but because I had been taken advantage of.

In a sense, I had been lied to.

Would you have felt the same way?

I sent the item back to her,

and told her she could keep the dreamcatchers

and didn't have to send me anything in return.

I apologized to her and told her that I felt taken advantage of,

she never sent the necklace (that we originally agreed on)

or anything else to me in return.

However she did send the ***** she originally sent me

to another blogger.

That has to be the ultimate regifter...

hey *****

I got your **** today. I'm not too happy with it. It is really big, doesn't fit me, and isn't my style. I thought we agreed on two dreamcatchers for the river rock necklace. I don't think this trade was fair. Im gonna go ahead and send this ***** back. If you don't want to send anything else back to me that's fine, but I don't want this ****. Sorry :(

Have a great day
Ashley

I apologize, I sent the wrong item. (I don't believe this...) I will be glad to send you the river rock necklace tomorrow. A simple "did you mean to send this?" would have sufficed.
Kindness is free,
******

Also, I need that *** back! Thanks.

I sent it today. I wasn't try to be mean, just honest. I felt like you were taking advantage of our trade situation.

Sorry
Have a great day!
Ashley

You dont have to send me anything. I honestly didn't mean anything by the message I sent you. Only that I didn't want the *** and that it didn't fit me. It takes quite a while to make dreamcatchers, and I put a lot of effort in our trade and I just didn't feel like you did the same. If you took my message to be unkind or hurtful, I'm sorry. That wasn't my intention.

Ashley

and she was never heard from again o_O

bahaha Zach pointed out that it looks like my ***** are me being irate!

I just didn't want to reveal the item in case someone recognized what it was

from another blog.

I NEED you! Printed tights.

2011-12-02T21:03:00.003-05:00

I saw these tights on pinterest.

As you can see they are absolutely amazing and I needed them ASAP!

BUT the universe hates me and they were sold out.

After two days of scouring ebay, google, amazon, polyvore, and shopstyle....

I found a lot of other cute printed tights,

and yes I have bought a couple and will probably buy more...

found here

Found here

found here

but haven't found the ones that I really REALLY wanted :(

I think my obsession with printed tights started when Miki

sent me these amazing cat tights last year!

Sorta Obsessed...

2011-12-01T01:50:00.002-05:00

If you've read my blog for awhile,

you know that I am completely enamored by the band Lucero.

It's pretty much all I listen to as of late...

really I'm addicted.

Zach and I watch their tour schedule constantly

and anytime they get even remotely close to us

we take a trip in their direction!

My ultimate goal is to talk to Ben Nichols.

This guy right here...

but I sorta suck at

all social interactions :(

failed attempt #1

failed attempt #2

and semi-success attempt #3 (the closest I've ever gotten) :)

meeting Brian!

Thanks drunk guy for taking this picture of us,

but no amount of editing will unblur my face into a semi-recognizable image :(

This is what I said to Brian...

"Fuck it"

yes fuck it.

I was holding a water when we started to pose for the picture,

so OF COURSE I just threw it on the ground.

He looked down at it and I said "fuck it"

because clearly the importance of drinking water

after a sweltering, nearly 4 hour concert is of

no importance to me because I was

meeting (standing directly next to) Brian!

I probably should of said that... but I think it was implied.

Right?

Well anyway, I've got another chance!

I'll let you know how it goes!

When people put up videos,

I usually never watch them aside from vlogs,

you couldn't even pay me to watch a music related video

that someone else has posted....

so I'm not going to pressure you to watch these BUT

Lucero is awesome.

Gift Wrap DIY

2011-11-29T18:52:00.003-05:00

Hey guys!

I know, I know

I said I hate Xmas BUT I do think it has one redeeming aspect...

WRAPPING PRESENTS!

I love wrapping presents and making them one of a kind!

Here are some fun DIY wrapping projects!

sources: 123 4 5 6

I've already picked out a few different wrapping papers I want to use this year!

I love these!

The New Year

2011-11-29T16:08:00.002-05:00

It's no secret that I hate Xmas.

It's not the idea of Xmas that I hate, but more of the execution.

I don't like how commercial it is

and how we are REQUIRED to get certain people gifts.

(especially the ones that I have no idea what they would want,

because I usually only see them on Xmas!)

ANYWAY...

I am so super duper excited about the NEW YEAR!

The new year is going to bring so many wonderful things!!!

At the top of my "I can't wait" list is the house

that Zach and I will be building!

How exciting is that!

I can't believe this is going to be our view!

See that little lake?!

AH!

I'm so overjoyed by the thought of decorating a new home

that is our very own :D

Reception Pictures

2011-11-08T02:42:00.002-05:00

Hey guys!

I just thought I would finally share some reception pictures with you!

Halloween: Hermione Granger and my Zombie Pumpkin

2011-11-02T10:42:00.004-04:00

How was your Halloween?

Mine was fun!

even though I had to work.

We had a Halloween party thing at work,

and a pumpkin painting contest.

I won 1st place...

out of two entries,

the other entry being Zach!

Haha!

Oh well,

I will enjoy my cash prize regardless :)

As you can tell,

I dressed as Hermione Granger.

The only lame thing about my outfit,

was that I bought the white shirt online.

I didn't realize how thick and rigid it was

until I tried to layer it under a thin cardigan.

Definitely not great for layering.

I eventually had to switch out my cardigan

for a heavier sweater,

it made me look less lumpy and feel less like I was wearing cardboard.

Also, everyone thought I was Britney Spears or Avril Lavigne...

NERD RAGE ensued!

What is this world coming to?

No one knew who Hermione was!

Why would I want to dress as Britney?

It is not 1999!

Geeeeeez!

I hope everyone else had a wonderful Halloween!!!!

Officially a second class citizen.

2011-10-27T13:41:00.005-04:00

Officially I am a second class citizen.

Yes.

I am now an 02.

I know a lot of you have no idea what I am talking about,

so I'll explain.

I live in Cherokee (an indian reservation).

When you live in Cherokee,

Indians have preference.

This means if there were a job opening or

something of that nature,

preference would go to the indian applying for that position.

I'm not saying this is a bad thing,

but just a little strange and not what I am used to in the

"real world" (life outside of the reservation).

They actually have their own way of categorizing

people based on their ethnicity, where they are born,

and in my case who they are married to.

They refer to it as your "status".

Before I married Zach (who of course is an 01)

I was like way down on the list,

probably like an 04 or 05 or something.

I was white and born outside of the state.

If you are born within the state you are a little better off,

if you are a member of another tribe you are an 03,

and if you are from Cherokee but not indian that scores you a few points too.

BUT

I am officially an 02 now!

(oh two, not zero two or two)

Time to celebrate?

Roll out the red carpet!

I wonder if they would take my status away

if they found out I walked around

a nike store with three feet of toilet paper hanging out

of the back of my pants?

Yes I did this.

Good thing I like to look at myself in mirrors

or I would have never noticed!

I feel like I should explain myself a little bit.

I wasn't trying to pretend I was a cat

with a toilet paper tail or anything weird.

I just layered the public toilet with lots of paper

in order to protect myself from all those awful

things that like to live on toilet seats.

So freaking excited! Wedding Pictures!!!

2011-10-18T14:56:00.004-04:00

Hey guys!

It's so hard to get readjusted and to get into the swing of things

after taking such a long break.

I got pictures back from our wedding day

(not the reception... yet)

and I want to share them ALL with you!

BUT

There are like 100 of them!

and I think you would get very bored with looking at me for so long!

So here are a few that I really love!

Ok here are like the top twenty I really love

(still way too many!)

They were taken at a local mill and an old abandoned church

by Colleen Goff Hannah of

Colleen Hannah Photography

MEooow! :)

Pictures of the reception coming soon ;)

Wedding Sneak Peek

2011-10-10T18:19:00.003-04:00

It's all official and Zach is now my husband! :D

Zach and I are anxiously waiting for our pictures!

I'm so excited to see them!

Here are a few that we shot ourselves...

If you follow me on instagram,

then you've probably already seen them.

Hey Guys!

2011-10-04T12:45:00.002-04:00

Guess what?!

I'm still alive!

I've been super busy lately!

I'll be back when things calm down a bit!

3 more days!!!!!

Ellie's Revenge!!!

2011-09-25T15:16:00.006-04:00

12 days... I think I'm going to have a panic attack!!!

Am I the only one?

2011-09-22T04:55:00.004-04:00

Am I the only one who gets super weird requests via etsy?

I am so confused by this message.

Whaaa? I don't sell hats in my shop!

Wanna read other etsy craziness?

click here

two and a half weeks...

2011-09-21T14:36:00.001-04:00

Bummed...

2011-09-19T18:26:00.002-04:00

So...

I went to order a few pairs of WE LOVE COLORS tights,

because everyone is always raving about them.

(probably because they get them for free)

a few pairs = $50

BUT

what is the worst?

They may love colors, but they hate paypal!

I don't have REAL money!

I have imaginary internet money!

Internet money that should be used to order internet things,

like tights from the WE LOVE COLORS website.

Uh!

Why would they do this to me?

Well you know what WE LOVE COLORS?!

There are plenty of other companies who do want my imaginary internet money!

You're lame!

A day I may regret ;)

2011-09-19T00:23:00.002-04:00

What did you do today?

oh me?

I just got my boyfriend's face tattooed on me.

for reals.

The Fair!

2011-09-15T13:14:00.002-04:00

It's that time of year again!

Zach and I have gone to the fair twice this week!

It's sooooo much fun!

We got to see a 500lb pumpkin and piggies and cows!

We also got to ride a bunch of rides,

unfortunately we witnessed one of my favorite rides get thrown up on...

I couldn't stomach to ride it after that.

They just hosed it off and expected us to hop on!

um, no thanks.

According to Meg! Pregnancy and Children.

2011-09-09T13:01:00.003-04:00

I don't know much about the subject,

but I can still call bullshit when I hear it :/

Wanna read the very first According to Meg?

Find it HERE!

Not for the faint of heart

2011-09-08T16:36:00.004-04:00

It was 8 oclock in the morning and I was asleep.

I usually sleep until around noon since I work till 5am,

but not this morning.

I woke up to one of the most terrifying situations

I could have possibly woken up to.

The only thing more terrifying would be

someone with a chainsaw and a ski mask or

that creepy lady from Insidious.

One minute I'm asleep and the next minute I'm sitting up in bed.

Ellie is running around frantically hissing, howling, crying

and making awful noises I've never heard her make before.

She runs by the bed and into my craft room at lightening speed.

She's knocking things over and I see it.

There is a big black thing attached to her.

It's biting her and won't let go or

is attacking or attached to her in some way.

Is it a huge fucking rat, a possum, another cat, a raccoon?

It's still dark, I can't tell.

I don't care what it is or if it has rabies!

I don't care if it is half vampire, half zombie,

I'm going to kill the damn thing!

They take off down the hallway.

I chase after them, my heart pounding.

I reach Ellie.

She is just standing there,

at the end of the hallway,

staring down her attacker.

Her fur is all on end, she is puffy and shaking,

and terrified, like I've never seen before!

I turn on the lights.

Guess what it was?!

Zach's shoe.

YES! A SHOE!

Apparently she was playing with the lace.

It got caught in her claws and she dragged it around the house...

FRANTICALLY!

FML

It's Here!

2011-09-07T00:07:00.002-04:00

The mail is so much fun lately!

All our wedding pieces are arriving!

A little peek...

2011-09-06T13:23:00.002-04:00

Hey guys!

Crunch time is among us!!

I'm hurrying to make tissue paper pom poms,

purchase our cupcakes, hunt down the best DIY projects

and collect adorable details for Zach and my big day!

Here is a little peek!

Zach and I are into mountain biking,

and we even added a little bike on our invitations.

So I just had to have one of these cake toppers!

It's going to say Goings... my new name.

So weird right?

I've been me all of my life and suddenly one random day in October,

I'm going to be somebody else...

I've been getting a lot of questions about how Zach proposed.

Zach and I agreed a million years ago

(we've been together for almost 7 years)

that we didn't want to get married.

So when Zach started asking me if I would marry him,

I just brushed him off, laughed, or quickly changed the subject.

I didn't want a wedding.

Absolutely positively DID NOT want to bother with that bs.

Well, things change and so does your prospective on life.

I think we both realized we aren't going to live forever

and we also don't ever want to be without each other.

So we were riding in the car one day about 6 months ago,

Zach: Do you want to get married in October?

Me: Okay which day?

We both pulled out our phones and picked a day.

It was that easy!

I think Zach was really surprised that I said yes.

I think I was too...

We came to a compromise.

We would go to the courthouse and get married

and then have a reception for our friends and family!

This was the perfect idea for us and we couldn't be happier!

I think the reason why I hated the idea of getting married so much before

was because of the actual wedding part.

Now that we are skipping it,

I am so excited!

I don't want to give away all the little details about our day,

but it involves cupcakes and boxes and boxes and boxes of twinkle lights,

an outdoor pavilion, caramel apples and 50+ jack o lanterns and pumpkins!

It's going to be at dusk (my favorite time of day) in the parkway in Tennessee.

(about 40 min from our home)

Even more exciting, after our wedding,

we are going to start the process of building our very own house!

I'm beyond happy!

movies...

2011-09-04T15:43:00.005-04:00

The only thing I've been doing lately

is watching movies, working and shopping online for the wedding stuffs

we still need...BECAUSE WE HAVE ONE MONTH!

So crazy right?

Well here are my time wasters for the week!

Spooky and stunning!

*SPOILER ALERT*

Apollo 18 is not about aliens.

Unless you consider killer moon rocks aliens!

This poster is so misleading.

Summer is winding down...

2011-09-01T12:40:00.003-04:00

I'm thinking we should start a petition.

Let's not allow winter to come this year.

Spring, summer, fall, back to spring!

Agreed?!

I hate to say goodbye to summer,

but autumn is my favorite season!

This one will be especially wonderful,

because I'm going to marry the guy that I can't live without!

Things have been hard lately.

My mom was in the hospital earlier this week,

and I am reminded just how fragile she is.

PS I grew my first ever pumpkin!

only 39 more to go!

I was featured on...

2011-08-26T14:05:00.002-04:00

eat. live shop.

wedding receptions are freaking expensive...

2011-08-25T13:17:00.003-04:00

but I'm so excited!

Here is another sneak peek!

New Blog Design For Miki!

2011-08-24T00:23:00.002-04:00

I just finished Miki's blog makeover...

go check it out :)

New Bracelets

2011-08-23T03:32:00.002-04:00

I don't have much to update on.

I've been working a lot lately and trying to finish up

as much wedding details as possible.

I've started working with hex beads,

and I love them so much!

Here is a sneak peek of some new things

you will find in my shop soon.

I found a DINOSAUR!

2011-08-19T18:54:00.003-04:00

Okay okay,

he is probably just a lizard,

but isn't he so cute?!

Movies!

2011-08-18T12:15:00.003-04:00

I love Aziz Ansari!!!!

You need to watch some of his stand up!

I'm giving Final Destination 5 such a low score because

of one scene in particular, that really made me mad.

It went sorta like this...

A guy dies in front of like 50+ people

because he gets hooked in the face by an industrial hook.

Then a few scenes later they are like

"the autopsy report found a blood vessel in his brain

that could have burst at any moment"

THE DUDE DIED FROM A HOOK IN THE FACE!

They are not going to autopsy the body.

It's pretty obvious that this guy has a hook going through his entire head,

let's do an autopsy just to make sure?

Yep it was a hook to the face!

UH! Lame!

i fucked it all up

2011-08-17T01:02:00.002-04:00

It's hard.

It's hard to start a blog post.

Not the kind that are like "Hey this is what I did, found, saw or wore today!" but more of the type where you have something you want to say that is really important to you and you just want to spit it out all perfectly and quickly so everyone understands and you get your point across without causing people to quit reading in the middle of a very long sentence.

Still here?

Thanks!

I don't know exactly where to start this post, so maybe I'll start by dropping a little bit of knowledge that most of you already know.

We all (some of us more consciously than others) shape how we look.

We diet, color our hair, dress a certain way, wear makeup, get tattooed...

All of this boils down to personal choices, preferences and our environment around us and inevitably this is a reflection of who we are on the inside.

So when a friend said to me "You are such a pretty girl, I don't know why you want to fuck it all up!"

I was crushed.

This happened at work last week. The conversation started very civil, until she noticed.

"Did your earrings get bigger?"

I didn't expect anyone to notice.

I don't remember exactly when I decided to stretch my ears. It was probably around 8 years ago. I thought about it a lot, and considered all the possible bad aspects and then finally started to stretch about 7 years ago. I'm a very slow stretcher and my ears are only 00g right now, but going into it, I was never in the mindset that I wanted really big plugs.

At first, I just wanted cute little plugs, like a 6g or 8g, but every size I went up I felt the need to go bigger. It's usually not easy for me to stretch my ears. It is often painful and takes a good deal of patience. When I do go up a size I'm pretty proud. I feel like I've accomplished a goal or overcome an obstacle.

So when I was asked if my "earrings had gotten bigger" I was excited.

I didn't really know what to say after this incident. So I didn't say much, just that I liked my ears this way and intended to go bigger.

She even had the nerve to tell me "Let Zach stretch his ears, but don't do that to yourself."

It really made me think.

Why exactly do I feel the need to stretch my ears?

Maybe for the same reason that other girls want to be thinner, or blonder, or taller, or smarter, or paint their nails, or wear jewelry, or tan, or even get tattooed.

Why do we need to shape ourselves into anything other than what we are naturally?

Honestly I can't exactly pinpoint why I have this desire to stretch my ears, but I do and it's my choice. It makes me happy.

Stretching my ears makes me feel pretty, interesting, different. It makes me feel like ME. It's just one of those many things that makes me proud to be me. Like my green eyes, or lousy temper, or my passion to make things, or my rooster tattoo, or my love for cats and lucero.... these are just some of the little pixels that make up the ASHLEY picture. Right?!

This post is not about whether or not you think stretched ears are gross or awesome, so please don't leave THOSE comments.

This post is about doing what makes you happy, what makes you feel good, what makes you, YOU!

So whatever those things may be... let me know :D

Oh and btw I'm totally entertaining the idea of going brunette,

what do you think?!

According to Meg... my first "based on a true story" comic!

2011-08-16T00:19:00.002-04:00

Don't watch this movie!!!

2011-08-12T13:24:00.004-04:00

Don't watch this movie if you like animals!

All I thought about all week was animal testing!

Zach - "it's just a movie"

Ashley -"NO IT'S NOT!!! ANIMAL TESTING HAPPENS EVERYDAY FOR JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING!"

Did you know they put chemicals, cosmetics and the like

in little bunnies' eyes?

FUCK don't watch that movie!

Etsy request and awesome results!

2011-08-11T18:31:00.004-04:00

I received a somewhat strange request via etsy the other day.

A guy wanted me to make a beaded bracelet for him

that was more masculine than bracelets I presently make.

Zach already wears my bracelets,

he likes the original blue tainted love bracelet.

He is such a girly man :)

But this new request seemed like a fun challenge!

I want to show you the end result...

I just love it so much!

I have to make one for myself now!

200 sales!

2011-08-11T18:04:00.001-04:00

200 etsy sales!

YAY!

Disastrous DIY!!

2011-08-10T18:36:00.006-04:00

Hello

I'm sure you've all seen the beautiful Rag Roll Curls DIY

on abeautifulmess...

well because, who doesn't read Elsie's blog...

In this particular DIY,

you are shown how to effortlessly get amazingly beautiful curls overnight.

They show you pretty little pictures of perfect little curls,

so of course I wanted to try it.

They tell you to roll little scraps of fabric

and loosely tie them in your hair.

I followed the directions and

eagerly went to sleep.

I woke up excited!

I even had dreams of how beautiful my hair

would be as a gently unleashed it

from the tangles of scrap fabric.

So when I woke up this morning,

I sat in front of the mirror and began to untie my tight curls.

I COULD HAVE SCREAMED!

I looked like I had been transported to the 80's and given a bad perm.

It was all kinds of awful.

Looking into the mirror all I saw was richard simmons

staring back at me :(

I ran to the bathroom and washed it out.

I was too embarrassed to take a picture,

so this illustration will have to do.

What I imagined...

What actually happened...

give it a try and tell me if it works for you.

please make sure you have time to wash your hair

just in case you end up getting results similar to mine.

Q&A What do you want to be when you grow up?

2011-08-09T08:46:00.009-04:00

As a kid, I always dreamed of becoming a Bunny Ballerina.

Yes I thought I could be a bunny. This is the kind of thing that happens when you are told you can be whatever you want to be.

I imagined that one day when I had reached adult level, someone would ask "so what do you want to be?" and I would reply "BUNNY BALLERINA!" and poof! I would magically change into Lisa Frank's floppy eared, tutu wearing dancer.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that.

When I was young, I was pretty much obsessed with Lisa Frank. Every little bit of money I had went straight to padding the pockets of that rainbow consumed designer.

I guess what I didn't realize when I was little was I couldn't be a ballerina bunny, but I could be a graphic designer just like Lisa Frank!

I used to think that working for Sanrio or Lisa Frank would be a dream come true!

But why would I want to design things that other people will inevitably get credit for?!

That's why I started designing my own stamps! Lisa Frank & Yuko Shimizu (the designer of Hello Kitty) both had to start somewhere!

I've heard some really interesting things about what it's like to work for Lisa Frank...

Yes.

I went to Western Carolina University

I have a BFA in Art, with a concentration in Graphic Design. I studied Graphic Design, Motion Graphics, Web Design, Painting, Photography, Print Making, Drawing, etc.

Yes

Not as much as I would like to though.

I currently use PS3, all photoshops are pretty much the same. I also use Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Flash, etc...

Cherokee, I'm inspired by native design.

Ellie, I draw her all the time!

Blogging and other bloggers.

Traditional tattoo designs.

Fafi

Jeremy Fish

Sanrio

Kawaii designs

My dreams... I always wake up with great ideas!

Google+

2011-08-05T13:51:00.000-04:00

Find me on google+ :)

Just Before Dark: OOTD & FAQ Answered!

2011-08-05T00:28:00.001-04:00

I have some more answers to your questions

and an outfit post!

I wore this dress all day,

and I felt really pretty till

I looked at these pictures.

This dress just looks too big.

It sorta eats me up.

I have runt rage!

Sometimes I just get so sick of being short!

No being able to reach things or open doors,

or find clothes to fit...

It can be such a pain.

Don't even get me started on trying to find JEANS!

This dress is an XS and it's just so frustrating!

I need someone to move in with me and shorten all my hems! :D

While taking these pictures,

I stumbled on this pretty little egg!

I don't know how long it's been there,

but I left it there....

I just couldn't disturb it,

it looked so peaceful.

Anyways...

Here's the Q&A!

North Carolina.
I'm originally from Northern Virginia, right outside of DC.

Lorena
not pro-nounced Lauren-a, but Lore-E-na

I'm 26.
I will be 27 in November, on the 7th.
I still get asked what grade I'm in... WTF?!

I have been a vegetarian since I was 14.
That is 13 years?

I was NEVER a big meat eater. One night I went to a friend's house for dinner. Their mom made hamburgers. I thought it would be rude not to eat it, even though I hated hamburgers. It was pink inside and I nearly puked. I vowed right then I would never eat meat again. I never wanted to be in that situation again. It just seemed easier to become a vegetarian. I've never had a relapse, it's not something I am ever tempted to go back on because it is so ingrained in who I am. At the time I had never met another vegetarian before. I felt like a total outcast. I'm so glad that it is a more accepted way to live now, even though I still get ridiculed often.

I uh... don't want to admit this.
I have Magic the Gathering cards from when I use to play...
If you don't know what Magic is, I win that dork contest!

Uh CATS... DUH ;)

Tons!
My mom calls me Rena, my Dad and Layla call me Swee Swee. Old friends call me Ash. Zach calls me Goobersmooch. I get called scrawny and tiny and little bit and little girl... too often.

In high school I was called Kunta and my sister was called Kinte. We were made fun of for having big lips.

I also got called Ashtray because my mom smokes and I guess I smelled like smoke.

Probably the reason why I think smoking is such a disgusting habit!

Come back tomorrow for more answers.

If you have another question feel free to ask!

FAQ Answered: Pets

2011-08-04T10:17:00.003-04:00

It's going to be hard work answering all these questions!

If you get bored,

it's your fault!

you asked ;)

Do you have any pets?

What are their stories?

I currently have four pets.

3 cats and 1 ru dog!

Ellie is my number one!

She is my partner in crime.

We nap together,

craft together....

She is fat and lazy

and my best friend!

You can find her personal story of how she came to us here.

Ru is the happiest dog you will ever meet.

You can meet Ru here

or read about him here, here or here.

He loves everything!

Especially this dirty old stray cat beaner

Beaner is the porch kitty.

He lives on the porch.

Uh...

he is a bad kitty.

He gets into fights a lot.

I have to take him to the vet like twice a month.

I would send him off to the pound

but I don't think anyone would want him.

He is a scragglepuss!

Then there is Surgeon!

He is the sweetest old man you will ever meet!

We rescued him from the pound.

The lady that worked there actually doctored

his papers so that she wouldn't have to euthanize him.

He had been there a while,

and his time was up.

I'm glad we found him :D

He has had a lot of adventures!

He actually lived inside our walls for three days!

We thought he ran away,

but he crawled in a hole in the wall

(during some minor construction)

and stayed in there even after it was sealed!

ooops!

Someone asked if Surgeon howled often?

YES!

He is the loudest cat ever!

Q&A giveaway winner!

2011-08-03T14:34:00.003-04:00

The questions are in...

132 of them!

(I counted every single question!)

and the winner is...

CONGRATS Delaney!

Don't Touch MY HAIR!

2011-08-03T13:54:00.007-04:00

I know I'm not the only one who gets nervous,

when I decide I'm going to try a new cut or style.

It just seems like every trip to the salon is a flip of the coin that either lands on

"sure I could get use to this"

"please just cut off my freakin' head!"

Why is there so much lost in translation?

Why are there SO MANY seemingly professional hair stylist

who have no skills or talent whatsoever?!

I've had the worst of the worst

when it comes to salon experiences.

Here is a translation of sorts:

"Please don't cut it too short" =

you're gonna get boy hair!

"I'm trying to grow my hair out,

don't cut off length"=

BYE BYE four inches of hair!

"He's not the best,

but he does a good job" =

He gives me a rat tail regardless of how I ask him to cut it,

and I just get Zach to cut the tail off when we get home.

A good stylist is so hard to find!

I got my hair "did" yesterday,

and while I'm not 100% sold...

Well here I'll show you.

oops wrong picture.

I didn't turn into a fat black cat :(

She went a little 70's mom on me...

She actually said she didn't cut off length,

but it looks a lot shorter to me.

I guess we'll see when I wash out the curl.

At least this didn't happen again!

HOLY FUCKING HELL!

2011-08-02T01:10:00.003-04:00

Really....

REALLY?!

Movies!

2011-08-01T13:14:00.002-04:00

I REALLY loved this movie!

How could you not love a movie with Ryan Gosling though?

Have you seen them?

Want to recommend something?

Let me know!

Lonely Girl

2011-08-01T12:36:00.005-04:00

bleh!

I'm not a happy girl!

Today is this first day of school for Zach,

(he's a PE teacher)

and I woke up to an empty bed.

Lame.

I'm getting so excited about answering some of these questions though!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

blah hle bleh bllaaaaaaah BLAH

it's just been one of those days.

I never did tell you how Warped Tour went.

Well, it was hot.

Like you'll get dizzy if you don't drink 8 bottles of $4 water kinda hot.

Between Zach and I,

we drank about 15 bottles of water at $4 each.

I don't want to do that math!

It was all worth it to see Lucero though.

I've never had a favorite band before.

But seriously, Lucero is just about the only thing I listen to now.

I'm obsessed.

I so badly want to talk to Ben Nichols,

but I puss out every time!

I was actually like 5 feet away from him,

he wasn't doing anything,

he actually looked like

"hey someone should come talk to me".

Zach pulled out his phone

and said let's get our pictures taken...

IT GOT TOO REAL

and I went into a panic...

a shaky knee, sweaty palm,

close to hysteria sort of panic attack.

I felt like I was going to cry!

I'm the worst fan ever.

Lucero - Ain't So Lonely

Giveaway!

2011-07-29T19:49:00.002-04:00

Want $30 to spend on whatever you wish in my little etsy shop?!

That means you can get friendship bracelets, dream catchers,

little amigurumi creatures and even stamps!

I'll even make something custom for you, if you so choose!

Help me & I'll help you ;)

If you didn't notice,

I have a FAQ link up there in my new navi bar.

The only problem is I don't have any frequently asked questions to answer!

So here's the deal...

For every question you ask, you will receive one giveaway entry,

ask as many questions as you want!

I'm not going to answer ALL of them,

but I will answer the interesting and frequently asked ones!

This is going to be fun!

Ask away!

I'll randomly pick a winner with that little random number generator doohickey!

Giveaway ends Wednesday Aug 3rd.

Thanks guys!!!

A Brand New Toy!!!

2011-07-28T23:55:00.001-04:00

The Power of Numbers

2011-07-28T04:58:00.003-04:00

Numbers will always have a place in defining who we are...

always.

From how much money we make a year

to how old we are.

And of course even the not so important things like

how many followers you have,

how many items you've sold on etsy,

how many comments you get on a particular post...

we let numbers define our blogs as well.

When I first started my blog,

It was a challenge to get more than 25 followers.

To be honest, I was ashamed of my little blog.

I didn't even make the 'followers gadget' visible

until I had over 200 followers.

I was really proud to hit the 300 mark...

but when the 400th follower appeared,

I was just waiting for 500, 600, 700...

My numbers were falling short of my expectations

and the numbers of other bloggers that I followed.

Yesterday before I finished my blog redesign I had 426 followers.

Today I have exactly 6426.

This is my blog and I will define it's worth.

I'm not going to be judged by the number of followers anymore,

but solely on the content of my blog.

How's that?

Having 6426 followers feels really great,

even if 6000 of them do not exactly exist... yet :)

Ok,

I'm going back to sleep now.

Warped Tour is tomorrow.

I have to rest up in order to follow Ben Nichols around all day :D