Thanksgiving 2014 To Do List

November 26, 2014November 26, 2014michelleleighwrites 2 Comments

We are just a day away from one of my favorite holidays. Sure, we all love Christmas, but I think at times it can definitely get over blown and you lose the true sprit of it in the first place. We stress over what to buy people, who to visit, how to squeeze in Christmas movies and music and decorating. And it all ends up being more stressful then enjoyable. That’s why I love Thanksgiving. It’s quieter, it’s happy, it’s homey. And the food is OUT OF THIS WORLD. Any holiday that surrounds a food feast, is my kind of holiday. I usually split Thanksgiving with visiting my grandparents and then my aunt. And at my Aunt’s it’s usually a bunch of cousins and kids running all around. It’s a total blast. I just love it. To me Thanksgiving is such a beautiful time, it’s a time for you to reflect and be thankful for all you have. The family, the food, the love that surrounds you not just today but every day. I just think Thanksgiving is way less pressure than Christmas, and yet even better food. 😉 But before you crazy Christmas lovers yell at me, understand I Love Christmas too, and I intend to enjoy all it’s magic this year, but Thanksgiving comes first. And for those who don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, I’m sorry, eat some turkey anyway. 😉

Check out my Thanksgiving post from last year

Thanksgiving exists to ya know…

*******************

This Year’s Thanksgiving “To Do” List

*Decorate*

Once Halloween was over, out went the spiders, ghosts and witches….

Normally we don’t decorate too much for Halloween or Thanksgiving in my house. We just throw a few things on our door and call it a day. But This year we’ve been trying to decorate inside a little more, because we have my god daughter here often, and she gets a kick out of all of it. So this year we filled our house with turkeys, fall leaves, pumpkins, Indians, cornucopias, and scarecrows. I even found her a Happy Thanksgiving Balloon and some Turkey Stickers!

*Here are a few personal photos…of my decorations.*

My god daughter loves her balloons!

This is my favorite decoration…I named her Sage “Sunflower” Meadow 😉

*Decide on what to make for Thanksgiving Dinner*

Like I mentioned before, I visit people for the holidays. So I always like to bring something to wherever I go. Last year I made an Apple Crisp that went over really well. (My brother yelled at me because I’m not making it again this year, haha.) But this year I wanted to do something a little different. I’m going to keep it in the Pie family, but step it up a notch. After researching a few ideas I decided I would make a Peach Cobbler, Turkey Cookies, Pilgrim Hat Cookies, and Apple Pie Punch. I’m super excited and can’t wait to see the little kiddies reactions to the cookies. Fingers crossed, hope everything comes out good! ***FYI there are tons of versions of those turkey cookies and pilgrim hats I didn’t really follow any one specific recipe, I just googled a bunch.***

My Shopping List…all checked off!

*Be Festive*

Ever since my god daughter was born I’ve started a little tradition with her where I buy her and I some kind of fun holiday headband and we take pictures wearing them. And last year I didn’t come across any cute Thanksgiving headbands, so I ended up making her a flower crown with fall flowers. She looked super cute! Anyway this year I found the CUTEST turkey headbands and some Indian headbands for the other kiddies. I can’t wait to wear them and take some fun pictures!

Seriously how cute are those headbands I found???

*Paint Your Nails*

Usually I go all out for nail art on the holidays, last Halloween I did a funky Halloween inspired swirl design, and last Christmas I did each nail a different Christmas inspired design. But I never came up with a cute Thanksgiving design to do. Or I just simply didn’t have the time. This year for Halloween I was [Mrs.] Daryl Dixon, zombie ass kicker from The Walking Dead, so I didn’t want to break character and make my nails all beautiful. Because let’s face it girls can’t get mani/pedis in the zombie apocalypse. So this year I decided to do my nails festively for Turkey day. Here’s the designs I found on Google…I ~~attempted~~ the turkey and the tribal print. images2VYB4XIG

oranges, browns, yellows… oh my!

here’s my attempt…it’s intricate work, so I think it’s not too shabby 😉

*The Fashion*

Ok so I was still deciding on an outfit up until yesterday, it took me forever to come up with something that I liked! I like to be comfortable on a daily basis and I’d say my personal style is definitely a reflection of that. I hate being constricted which is why I rarely wear dresses or skirts with tights. And besides I live in New York so it’s not exactly bright and sun shiny here, it’s actually rainy and cold and gross today. The winter is coming and it’s coming fast! BUT at the same time once I get where I’m going, it’s usually pretty warm. My aunt’s house has always got an oven on heating up delicious Thanksgiving foods and there’s a bunch of people so, you get hot. So I like to dress light and comfortable. Usually I layer, because they are easy to manipulate and take off or put on depending on temperature. I love fall colors too, the burgundys and oranges, even green is fun to tie in. Besides it’s thanksgiving, the foodiest of food feasts and I want room to eat, no tight fitting clothes for me! haha. Am I right ladies?

*Here’s my outfit choice for Tomorrow!*

a thin long sleeved black crop top

a tribal print cream and beige colored vest/cardigan

brown snake skin thin belt

knit jeans

brown leg warmers

brown snake skin boots

a statement necklace and matching earrings

gold alex & ani bracelets

some rings

*since my outfit is kind of generic in the color department I figured the burgundy jewelry and my festive nails will pep it up and I’ll add a bold lip color to tie it all together!

*And for more inspiration…check out one of my favorite YouTube fashionistas!

*March of the Wooden Soldiers vs. The Macy’s Day Parade*

So if you read my post from last year, then you know that watching March of the Wooden Soldiers every year has been a tradition in my family for years. But as I get older and want to contribute more to the Thanksgiving dinner I find it harder and harder to find the time to watch that or the Macy’s Day Parade. So here’s my plan for this year. My dad has the movie on dvd so I’m hoping to watch it later today. And that way on Thanksgiving I can have the Parade on in the background while I bake and prepare my fun little treats. Yay for turkey cookies!

*TV Show Thanksgiving Episodes*

Ok so for me I always feel like Thanksgiving isn’t represented well enough in movies and in decorations. It’s like every store has thrown up Christmas cheer, and you can’t escape it. Where are the Turkey songs, movies and the cheer. So I turn to tv. Because tv knows how to do Thanksgiving. What’s up Charlie Brown?

Some of my favorite shows have done Thanksgiving episodes and I am here to bring them to your attention!

The OC

Season 1 Episode 11 “The Homecoming”

Sandy and the boys won’t let Kirsten cook ANYTHING

Seth has Summer in the pool house and Anna in his bedroom

Ryan brings Marissa to Chino to steal a car for his prison ridden brother

And Caleb and Julie invite themselves over intruding on a blind date Kirsten and Sandy have set up for Jimmy (Julie’s ex) & Rachel.

* It’s a good time…Seth Cohen really just has to speak words and you’ll be laughing.

Season 4 Episode 3 “The Cold Turkey”

Taylor is hiding under Seth’s bed

Ryan is hunting after Vulchuck

Julie is banned from the Cohen house for Thanksgiving Dinner

Summer invites some homeless people over

Kirsten actually cooks

Missing Marissa seems to be the center of this episode

One Tree Hill

Season 8 Episode 9 “Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace”

Haley cooks

Brooke attempts to but burns her Turkey

Mia and Alex cat fight over chase

Victoria returns from prison

Julian’s mom butts in where she’s not wanted

Skills orders a farm fresh Turkey but doesn’t realize that means it’s alive

Mouth and Millie flirt again

And everyone ends up a Haley and Nathan’s for dinner and brings jello salad

Dawson’s Creek

Season 3 Episode 8 “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”

Pacey and Jen are experimenting with a possible friends with benefits relationship

Joey and her sister remember their mom in a fond light

Dawson is confused by his separated parents suddenly acting all buddy buddy like everything is just fine

Jen’s mom shows up and drops a bomb on her that she has a long lost sister floating around

Pacey and Andy deal with being around each other after a painful breakup

Joey is the voice of reason for many

And everyone ends up at Grams for dinner…they call themselves the misfits

Friends

Friends is the holy grail of Thanksgivings, they had some form of a Thanksgiving episode EVERY season….so props to them for being on point and so festive!

These are two of my favorites…

Season 5 Episode 8 “The One With All The Thanksgivings”

Monica cooks thanksgiving dinner

Chandler bums everyone out with his usual “I hate Thanksgiving” story 6f19e88584ae0b8d_8c.xxxlarge[1]

Joey is thankful for thongs

The gang shares each of their worst Thanksgiving stories…

which leads to incredibly hilarious flashbacks which prove Chandler and Monica were always in the stars

*Oh and multiple people wear turkeys on their heads so there’s that.

Season 6 Episode 9 “The One Where Ross Got High”

Monica’s parents hate Chandler

Poor Rachel messes up her triffle

But Joey seemed to like it

Phoebe has a dirty dream about Monica’s dad

Joey and Ross try to rush through dinner to leave early to join Joey’s roommate and her dancer friends in what seems to be a whole mess of desperate drunk girls

*Check out this article on buzzfeed…ranking every Friends thanksgiving episode

And last but not least…a show who’s Thanksgiving episode defines Thanksgiving for me…it is my absolute favorite on this list…

Gilmore Girls

Season 3 Episode 9 “A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving”

4 invitations
tofu at the kim’s

deep fried turkey and lots of alcohol consumption at Sookie’s

squeeze in some time for dinner at Luke’s (hold the rolls) and pause while Rory and Jess awkward kiss

And last but not least sit back and enjoy the usual awkward suffocating dinner with Emily and Richard Gilmore

*FOUR Thanksgivings and the girls still have room for those rolls at the end of the night.

*How jealous are you of their abilities to eat like pigs and NOT gain weight???

P.S. A Drunk Sookie is all you need in life, really…

So there you have it, what has been my Thanksgiving Week “To Do” List of sorts and fun activities included.

I have been in swift gear this week and am proud to say I am making checking things off this list…a fun filled bowl of happiness! 😉

So Happy Thanksgiving Folks!!!!!!!!!!

Take a look around you and be grateful for all that you have!

Enjoy and may your tummies be full of delicious foods and your heart be full of happiness.

*I do not take any credit for any images or gifs used that aren’t specified as my own*

-<3-

Rosie the Riveter

November 22, 2014michelleleighwrites Leave a comment

I definitely think of myself as a feminist. It isn’t a dirty word. I believe in women’s dating-fails-feminism empowerment. I believe a woman has the right to speak her mind and stand up for what she believes in, without a man putting her down, or questioning her. I believe women can run empires, build bridges, race cars, play sports. I believe women are more than the clothes they wear, or the whether or not they choose to wear makeup. I believe women are more than their bodies, more than what meets the eye.

It’s 2014, women can be house wives, and care takers, just as much as they can be working moms, run for office or serve in wars. To each her own, is how it should be. And yet there is still an heir of sexism out there. The age old tale that a woman’s place is in the kitchen or at home with the kids is a load of crap. And any man who actually thinks that, should be ashamed and clearly doesn’t value the women in his life, ie: his own mother, sister, grandmother, aunt, cousin, etc. If you can disrespect one woman’s values, you disrespect us all.

Rosie the Riveter…

A “cultural icon of the United States, representing the American women who worked in factories during World War II, many of whom produced munitions and war supplies.These women sometimes took entirely new jobs replacing the male workers who were in the military. “Rosie the Riveter” is commonly used as a symbol of feminism and women’s economic power,” (Wikipedia).

I’ve always been intrigued by this iconic poster, but I never fully knew what it stood for. So I thought I’d check in on it, and rally in it’s true support of feminism. We are girls, young ladies, young women. We are strong. Our bodies are designed to endure things that the male species couldn’t even comprehend; we give birth to new life. We are fighters. We are women. And we will be heard.

[Source]

*I do not own any images used.*

-<3-

Writer’s Corner

November 13, 2014michelleleighwrites Leave a comment

I’ve decided to start a new little ongoing topic. You can find all future entries in it’s own category on the panel to the right; under “Writer’s Corner.” The purpose for this category is for me to share some things I’ve learned as I continue to write and develop my own voice and style. I do want to make a disclaimer and say that by NO means am I a professional writer nor am I claiming I am qualified in giving advice on writing, but this is just my personal writing experience thus far and things I’ve learned. I’ve fought myself to understand that if you write, if you like to write, you ARE a writer. And you should embrace it. I do hope you can relate. Enjoy! 😀

“The truth about writers”

You wanna know the truth. Writers have no freakin’ clue what they’re doing. Sometimes a blue room is just a blue room. And sometimes it’s a metaphor for a calming skyline. And sometimes the things we’re writing are not what we think we’re writing about, but something entirely different. We are just as confused as the rest of the world. We are just trying to find out who we are, and what we want to do with our lives. As cliché as that sounds, that’s the hidden (well not so hidden) truth. We just put pen to paper to try and figure ~~shit~~ out. Pardon my French.

-<3-

My TV Nerd Dream Came True

November 6, 2014November 6, 2014michelleleighwrites 2 Comments

So there are two things in life that I truly fan girl over. I fan girl over a lot of stuff but I’m talking full on next level fan girl shit. And that is for Justin Timberlake/*NSYNC, and the TV show “Friends.” During late August an announcement was made that made my fan girl radar kick into high gear. In honor of “Friends” celebrating the 20th anniversary of the day the pilot episode premiered and made fans fall in love with Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, and Ross, New York City would be host to a “Central Perk” Pop Up shop. A replica of the gang’s daily coffee hangout. I NEARLY LOST MYSELF! I did. I have been saying how they needed to do something like this FOR YEARS. I remember reading awhile back that the only Central Perk that existed was somewhere in London and well let’s face it being a New York girl, London isn’t really around the corner. So when I heard this news I was ecstatic. If you doubt my dedication to the show or my love of Central Perk…I say click HERE…and all will be understood. Yup that’s right July 2013, I hosted my very on Central Perk themed party….and it was a blast.

My friends and I had been planning to go for weeks. But things kept coming up and we kept having to put it off. The shop opened up September 17, 2014 and closed October 18, 2013. ONLY A MONTH! A MONTH! The more I read about it, the more I knew I had to make time to get there. I am a huge TV nerd, and I love behind the scenes footage, I love props and getting to learn things about what goes on behind the camera of my favorite shows. Set secrets are my weakness. I love them! So when I heard we would be able to take a picture on the famous orange couch, I was super stoked! I can’t even explain to you how much of a tv nerd dream that has been for me. And even hosting my own party to try and make it happen couldn’t lessen the joy I felt when I actually got to do it! I sat where Jennifer Anniston sat!

Here’s my journey…(in pictures)

Walking toward it…noticing the massive line we were in store for…[4 blocks long just to give you an idea]

Finally waiting in line!

My friend and I got there around 2 in the afternoon we went on Columbus day. And I don’t think any other day would have made a difference….there was going to be a line either way and I have to say we were really lucky with the weather. It wasn’t too cold, not hot, and the rain held up until we were all said and done and on our way home…then we got soaked sans my brilliant idea not to bring along an umbrella. Throughout our wait we got a few time updates as we moved along the line. From a wait of nearly 4 hours from when we got on line, we finally made it to the front of the shop at around 5. What I found so interesting was how considerate the host at the door was. She briefed us on how the shop worked and where we had to go for our picture with the couch and where the gift shop line was and urged us to take pictures. She also shooed away passing people who were stopping and taking pictures through the door, stating that all of us waiting online deserve to take as many pictures as we want, that people just walking by do not just get to waltz in and steal photos. I thought that was really cool of her. 3 & 1/2 hours later and we are in! We are greeted by Pat the Dog and an array of other Friends memorabilia and specific character wardrobe.

Next we move on to a glass case showcasing props used in many different episodes, all enveloped in episode stills of the show and cast photos surrounding us.

Next we move onto the coffee station…where we not only got our choice of FREE coffee but also got blessed with some very signature set props

The worker’s shirts said “How you brewin’?” haha genius!

After we got our free coffees we explored at bit more before waiting on the line to take our picture on THE famous orange couch. How cool are those signed scripts, did you know the show was almost called “Six of One” or “Friends Like Us.”

They had a big flat screen playing friends clips and there was a definite 90’s soundtrack playing over the sound system…pretty sure I remember singing along to “I believe I can fly.” On the wall behind us were some sketches of the signature sets. Also notice the umbrella holder from the show was there as well!

***Heading to the COUCH!***

They had someone taking pictures for you…but you were allowed to have someone take a picture for you using one other personal device.

Then you were given a card with a website and photo code to obtain your FREE picture.

Sitting on that couch was surreal, I did my best to take it all in. I have to admit though I was a bit skeptical of whether they were telling the truth that the couch was the real couch used on the show. But once I saw it in person and saw how dingy and dirty and flat the cushions were, I knew it was the real deal! haha. And I was cool with it! The only thing missing were our big coffee mugs; they made us put our coffee down when sitting on the couch #nospillzone. But other than that it was super awesome to live out a tv nerd fantasy of mine. I even sat in the green chair on the side [I hope that was the real chair too] and had a little fan girl moment for myself just before heading to the gift shop area.

The gift shop area was right at the center and across from the coffee station. When we got to it, there wasn’t much left. I really wanted a mug or a bracelet but they were sold out of the mugs and they had a few bracelets left but they wanted like $40 for one bracelet. So I settled on a central Perk frame to put my picture in, a magnet and a bunch of buttons.

You couldn’t use cash; only debit or credit cards, which was kind of annoying but I guess with all the craziness they didn’t want to be responsible for managing money too. They had like an iPad type credit card swiper. But thankfully I had read up beforehand and knew to have the money on my card and also they give you an option of being sent a receipt through email or text. Which is good.

After the gift shop, I remember turning to my friend and asking where the gold frame around the peephole was…that I remembered reading it was supposed to be there and that I hadn’t come across it and low and behold it was cleverly discussed right near the gift shop exit.

It was encased in a peephole esque tv box playing a few Friends clips and it was see through so when you looked close you saw the frame but from the side you can see clearly. This was a replica of the original.

All in all it was an amazing experience. The 3 and a half hours weren’t as bad as I thought and once we got the first block down we moved quicker to the front. The only downside was I had to pee! We were so close that I thought I’d make it, but when we hit the block of the entrance they said we’d have to wait about another half hour (which didn’t end up being true) but I ran into the deli/café next door to use their rest room anyway. I wasn’t about to take any chances of having to rush through my once in a life time chance of seeing all of this amazing tv stuff. When I came back I was trying to get back on my place in line and I was stopped by a security guy. I was like “I just went to the bathroom. I’ve been here the whole time.” [Mind you this guy saw my face like 10 times throughout the waiting period.] My friend was screaming over saying “she’s with me, she’s with me” and he almost didn’t let me in. I just stopped talking and looked at him with a face. Then all the girls that were waiting behind us in line that whole time were screaming out “she was here, she was here, let her in.” And he was like “Oh ok, they say you were here…I’m sorry, if you weren’t I wouldn’t be able to let you in, but they say you were, so go ahead.” And I was let in. I was like yea I was getting in here no matter what….you would have seen me flip out, there would have been tears…it would have been a scene.

But never the less I went, I saw, I conquered and I actually did manage to put my camera down here and there and actually take it all in. What a cool experience and worth the wait!

I think Eight O’clock coffee did a damn good job. The staff was nice, the atmosphere was that of a coffee shop, and looked like Central Perk! Despite the crowds of people and the amount of things to look at, everything moved rather smoothly and it was a cozy comforting experience. The different stations made it all easier and organized and I never felt pressed for time or rushed. It was so cool to see all the set pieces and stage props and everything. I’m such a huge Friends fan, it is my absolute favorite show, and this was such an amazing thing to experience and it was free! My favorite thing! haha. Take a picture sitting on the orange couch from Friends…check. #bucketlist It did so well, they really should open up a real coffee shop here in NYC for good!

And for my fellow Friends fans who do not own the box set…BIG NEWS…

It’s coming to Netflix January 1, 2015!

Could you BE any more excited???

-<3-

Becoming Mrs. Daryl Dixon

November 2, 2014November 2, 2014michelleleighwrites 2 Comments

In my last post I showed you how I DIY’d my leather vest to look like Daryl Dixon’s from The Walking Dead. Click HERE to view that.

But now I’m going to show you how I pulled the whole look together to become MRS. Daryl Dixon.

Create a bloody/dirty/worn out shirt…

to make it look like you’ve been slaying zombies left and right.

What you will need…A light colored shirt, paper bags, fake blood, cotton balls, a bowl, some bronzer, red food coloring, and a paintbrush.

First lay your plastic bags down before working.

Spread out your shirt.

Pour some of the bronzer powder into a bowl (I used bare minerals warmth).

Take your cotton ball and dip it into the bronzer and sparingly make your “dirt” marks all over your shirt.

My shirt was very sheer and actually had a shredded back to it so it looked really warn as is, and because it was sheer the markings went through to the back as well, which saved me some time.

Focus on the armpit areas and the neck to convey a worn sweaty/dirty affect. You’ve been traveling through a zombie apocalypse. This is not the time to be a fashionista.

Next… bloody it up.

I didn’t go too crazy. I’m not the zombie…

#BeenThereDoneThat

I’m the slayer.

So I was going for a more splattered blood #IJustKilledAFewWalkers look.

The fake blood I bought was a bit too thick to create a splattered affect so I used red food color and dipped a paint brush into it and shook it onto the shirt sparingly.

The more noticeable blood drips were achieved with the fake blood, and a paintbrush.

My brother took care of that part.

So once you get the right bloody/dirty look you hang the shirt up to dry over night. The thinner your shirt the quicker the dry time.

Now that you’ve made both your angel wings vest and your bloody shirt…you can pull from your own wardrobe for the rest of this look.

Including:

Vest

Leather Jacket

Sleeveless plaid button down

Bloody Shirt

Black jeggings

Black combat boots

The Full Look:

(A closer look at ) The Make Up & Hair:

I went for a really natural (grungy) look.

[Because let’s be real ain’t nobody got time for smokey eyes and bold red lips in the apocalypse.]

I did a basic face

bb cream

under eye concealer

curled lashes

very small amount of mascara

pinkish blush (flushed cheeks…run girl run save your ammo)

Fill in the eyebrows (no time for tweezing either haha)

Using bronzer to deepen all your features…basically highlight every crease in your face, cheek bones, nose, under eyes, etc. Basically darkening your features to make yourself look like you’ve been on the go weathering the struggle just trying to survive. Imperfections are okay.

For the lips I used a combination of a concealer stick and some darker burgundy lipstick, to create a flushed look.

For my hair (worked best on second day hair)

[ain’t nobody got time to wash their hair luxuriously when your tryna stay alive]

First I curled lightly with a straightener/curler

Then I went over with a curling iron

Hairspray in between as usual

Adding products as you see fit

Then once you get a wavy curl flip your head over shake it out

Comb out to loosen and give a more messy natural wave.

I ended up tying it into a side pony tail and leaving some pieces out

I look pissed…haha #stayingincharacter

Accessories:

Handkerchief (I tied it to my belt hoop)

Some leather rope bracelets

A silver chain with a saint on it (because you still need to keep your faith in the zombie apocalypse)

fake tattoos (Daryl has a few)

I did start the night with a pair of lace “biker” gloves but eventually those came off, (Daryl wears leather ones sometimes and I had the lace pair so I made it work)

I chose to put this one on my fore arm…

Daryl’s tattoo

And if you really wanna commit to the role of Mrs. Daryl Dixon…throw in some fake bling 😉

Hey if Maggie got a ring…Daryl’s girl can have one too…didn’t cost a thing 😉 P.S. I didn’t actually wear these out! haha

I stuck to clear nail polish because I wanted to stay as close to character as possible.

And can’t forget… a weapon of choice #fakeofcourse

I went with a fake bloody knife

Oh well I guess she was bitten…

So there you have it…how to transform into Daryl Dixon’s wife.

It was fun playing the part, after all that’s what Halloween is about right….immersing yourself into a new character for a night and owning it.

AMC give me a call…Daryl deserves some love too!

Who’s ready for tonight’s episode…we finally get to see what happened to Beth!

Happy Watching!

-<3-

So now that I’ve been a zombie and a zombie killer…who’s next…maybe I’ll take on Michonne next year… What do you think?

DIY Daryl Dixon Angel Wings Vest

November 1, 2014November 2, 2014michelleleighwrites 12 Comments

It’s no secret that I’m a Walking Dead fan, and it’s even less of a secret that I love Daryl Dixon. So when Halloween costumes began rolling around in my brain I was considering being either Michonne or Daryl. However I didn’t like the quality of the Michonne wig they were selling and I knew I wouldn’t keep it on the whole night so I opted for Daryl. But Michelle you’re a girl….yes I’m well aware of that. But it’s Halloween and I can do and be what or whomever I want. You make your own rules. So I am [Female] Daryl Dixon….or Mrs. Daryl Dixon if you will. I even have the vest to prove. I’ll show you how I transformed into character…come along!

Phase 1: Materials & Creating the Wings

What you will need…A leather vest (not too cheap in quality), some light colored fabric (preferably a beige color) that can be easily manipulated and cut, some white computer paper, and some tracing paper.

The fabric I bought was actually flexible/easier to cut and durable and glued nicely because it had a felt type back…keep that in mind when choosing your fabric.

The faux leather vest I used was from spirit Halloween…I found it in the “biker” section.

CLICK HERE for link.

Here is the evolution of Daryl’s signature wings…

First I found a printable template of his wings online. CLICK HERE for link.

Then I had my brother draw them out to scale.

***BE SUPER CAREFUL CUTTING THESE WINGS OUT, it’s a pain in the ass because it’s so intricate.***

Then I traced them onto the tracing paper and was able to rub that out onto the fabric giving me an outline to work with.

Don’t mind my cookie monster shirt/my niece’s book haha

Next the bro came in and traced over the stencil markings with a fine tip black sharpie marker and free handed the shading and details….thanks dude,

Should look a little something like this…our tip for the opposite wing…turn over and trace the opposite side of wing and repeat process.

Phase 2: Gluing the Wings to the Vest

What you will need…Hot glue gun, glue sticks, ruler, white crayon, and cardboard to put between the vest, to protect the other side when gluing.

First place the cardboard between the vest.

Lay your wings onto the back of the vest and center them…using a ruler you can measure the distances from the sides, the top, the bottom, to make sure it’s all even.

When you’re all set, mark key points of where the wings go with the white crayon, this will help guide you if the wings shift during the gluing process.

Last but not least start gluing!

I recommend putting a dot of glue in the middle of each wing somewhere as to keep them in place while you glue the edges down and remember to be quick and careful. The clue dries quick and it’s hot as hell! [you will burn yourself about 5,000 times but it’s the price of wanting to look like a badass zombie killing genius]

Glue and stick, Glue and stick. Don’t try and glue too much at once, because the glue will dry before you get to do so. Seems like common sense but I just wanna cover my bases here.

And when it’s all said and done it should look a little like this…

Phase 3: Distressing the vest…

to ya know make it look like you’ve been through the zombie apocalypse

I got some of my ideas from HERE

You will need…A wire brush, sand paper, and that cardboard again.

Start will the sandpaper first making sure to scrape gently…too much will create more damage then you are looking for

Next use the wire brush…when using both tools focus more so on the seems…by the neck, the armpits the bottom…this is where it would be most worn out

There’s really no precise method I went back and forth between using these two tools and I was pretty satisfied with my distressed look…

It’s a little bit difficult to tell in these photos…but the vest did get distressed and the texture is rather nice now…and there’s definitely less shine. ALSO I left he wings alone….too much effort went into those suckers!

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QUICK PRICE COMPARISON:

The Daryl Vest in Spirit Halloween (too big on me anyway, it just looked silly) is cheaply made, and the wings aren’t that detailed and it’s $29.99

The Spirit Halloween biker vest was $16.99 and the fabric I used for the wings was $7 in a local fabric store (for a yard of material) putting me at around $24…so I saved a few bucks and even though it was more work, I still think mine looks better and a hell of a lot more realistic I enjoyed doing it and creating something I can use and be proud of … 😀

So there you have it…my Daryl Dixon Vest DIY tutorial.

Shout out to my bro for helping me with the wings….it was definitely a team effort! 😀

What do you think?

I will be rocking this on Sundays!

Stay Tuned for my FULL outfit as I transform into Mrs. Daryl Dixon for Halloween.

Got my Cross Bow…

Mom…I’m married for the night! 😉

-<3-

Michelle Leigh Writes

A safe place for the written word <3 New Posts Two Days A Week

Month: November 2014

Thanksgiving 2014 To Do List

Rosie the Riveter

Writer’s Corner

My TV Nerd Dream Came True

Becoming Mrs. Daryl Dixon

DIY Daryl Dixon Angel Wings Vest