This is my RIOT. [Part 2]

October 28, 2016October 27, 2016michelleleighwrites 1 Comment

****LETTERS OF LOVE & FRUSTRATION-The Walking Dead Edition****

Dear Glenn,

You were a leader, a loyal man of honor. You took whatever came your way and handled your business like a boss, but with an odd heir of grace in a rather grace-less world. You were our heart, our family. And the thought that you will never crack a joke, kiss Maggie, or meet your baby, well it just breaks my heart to pieces.

Glenn- from your first words, “Hey Dumbass” to your last “Maggie…I’ll find you.”- I have never not loved you, believed in you, or trusted you. Unfortunately you were the heart and moral compass of the show that got taken away from us this season and in the very first episode of the season, none the less. You will be greatly missed, there aren’t words to explain just how much. Maggie will never be the same without you, and The Walking Dead will never be the same without you.

You truly were one of my favorites and this to date (and forever) will be one of the most felt Walking Dead deaths ever. I think you deserved better, I think you had more story to tell. I think you would have made an amazing dad. Forever and always, your loyalty, heart, fearlessness, bravery, friendship, love and kindness, will be with us. We love you, we’ll miss you, and….we’ll find you. This isn’t goodbye it’s see you later.

RIP GLENN Love you, forever. ❤ #Family

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Dear Steven Yeun,

I hope you know how much we love you. How deeply your portrayal of Glenn as impacted millions of us. I already miss seeing you on my tv screen every Sunday night. And I wish you the best of luck on future projects. Can’t wait to follow your career. But to me, you’ll always be my Glenn.

Dear Abraham,

Thank you for rocking the trendiest mustache ever, for being a sassy ginger, for having the best southern accent, and for- my favorite of all- thank you for the countless hysterical zingers. You brought a little laughter to a very dark world, and we will miss your leadership, and your safe soul.

Dear Michael Cudlitz,

Thank you for being your bad-ass self and for honoring your fans to the very end of your Abraham journey. The next show or film to get you, is very lucky. I’ll be watching for you. 😀

Dear Maggie/Lauren Cohan,

You got this. We got you. Hand in hand we walk.

Dear Scott Gimple and Robert Kirkman,

A little something comes to mind…oh yea that’s right…

Dear Daryl,

I love you, I love your southern slang & twang, your ability to own any situation, your worldly training and variety of skills, your fashion sense ;), your tough guy exterior and most of all your big ole heart of gold. The guilt of causing Glenn’s death will probably get you killed this season, but I hope you kick some serious ass before you go. (Please don’t go!)

Dear Norman Reedus,

<33333333333….

Hearts, hearts for days.

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

Here are some images from my Walking Dead Season 7 premiere party…you know before my heart was ripped out of my chest.

This table scape is also perfect for Halloween!

This is a chocolate two layered cake with butter cream frosting and crushed Oreos in the center, surrounded by crumbled Oreos again and gummy worms, topped with a raspberry/jello/cool whip concoction as the “brain.” It looks kinda like a heart. #SorryNotSorry Lol.

I used red “fruit punch” flavored Gatorade for the Walker Blood and Lollipops for the Walker Claws. (my brother found them at the dollar tree they are originally called zombie fingers!)

Death Predictions :*/

Seconds before watching the premiere…

DISCLAIMER:

I’m going to be posting quite a few things about The Walking Dead this weekend, my usually scheduled Monday post, was a no go. It was just too soon for me to fully write up and process all that I had to say. I tried, but it wasn’t ready. I will fill out the rest of this week with new posts. I need to get them all written and ready and then I will post accordingly. I need to get it all out, by week’s end, because then I can hopefully start to heal and move on. This is my venting. I hope you understand, fan to fan. 😀 If you aren’t a Walking Dead fan or you disagree with my thoughts, come back soon for a different vibe. Right now this is my RIOT time. xoxo

*I do not take credit for any images/gifs used is the first portion of the post.*

*All premiere party photos are my own.*

-<3-

DIY Dress-Up Trunk Gift Idea

June 23, 2016June 23, 2016michelleleighwrites Leave a comment

As promised…here we go.

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So every time my God daughter’s birthday rolls around, I always strive to come up with a gift idea that’s really special. Special to her likes and special to what she’s currently into. Because let’s face it kids go through their phases.

I spoil her on the regular, BUT her birthday is cause for some extra special spoilage. 😉

I was toying around with the idea of buying her a Dress Up trunk. But the more I researched, the more I became discouraged with the quality of these so called “trunks.” They were simple flimsy cardboard, and well that just wasn’t going to cut it for my little Soph.

So I decided to create my own Dress Up Trunk; personalized with costumes that would fit her little personality.

Here is the finished wrapping:

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I used these decorative keepsake boxes to act as my trunk(s). They are sturdy, have a lid, are perfect for storage and can just be left out in a playroom on their own. And they are cute as a button.

I ended up having to pick up a smaller one to hold all the accessories because the big one just wasn’t enough. Yes I splurged a bit. Once I get an idea, it kinda spirals. I just can’t stop myself. 😉

The top gift wrapped box is actually her Disney Princess Birthday Train “3” Doll. 3 is Aurora a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty. It’s a tradition I’ve started with her, I get her one every year. My God mother did it with me and now I get to pass along the tradition.

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Here are the outfits I chose to include:

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How freakin’ cute is this! (I love the tutu!)

Some pretty dresses (because every little girl wants some fluffy princess dresses), A chef set (she loves to pretend to cook), and A Wonder Woman costume (her favorite superhero.)

A tea party hat, purse, and white glove set with feather boa and pearl set; because we play tea party sometimes.

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A purple tutu and an assortment of shoes.

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Accessories included:

Left to Right: Feather Boa, Beaded Necklaces (she loves her beads! she uses them for everything! Even pretend spaghetti dinner #multipurpose) A princess crown, Chap sticks in fun flavors, headbands, rings, coin purse, sunglasses, bracelets, princess wands, light up princess wand, and a brush.

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Purple was a bit of a color theme, because it’s her FAVORITE COLOR! (And she will tell anyone who will listen all about it…at that decimal!) Since the outfits didn’t really have purple in them, I went all purple on the accessories and accent pieces.

Her little shocked smile when I brought out her gift at her Birthday party was the best. I got a bunch of videos and pictures from her mom recently of her playing with everything. They are the best photos ever. I am obsessed. That was my ultimate thank you, to see her having a fun night playing dress up with her mommy. She even sent me a video of her putting on the chap stick I got her and smacking her lips together like any grown girl putting on lipstick would. It was the cutest thing ever. I had to include them because she watches me put my makeup on and always wants to take it and put it on herself, especially the lipstick. She puts it on and goes “Kissy!” Lol. So cute. It’s adorable.

*Extra Fun Tips:

When gifting any kind of purse or coin purse you should always put some money in them for good luck. So I placed a dollar in her little purple purse and some coins in her personalized coin purse.

Where I found these products:

Her accessories were found in Dollar Tree-Deals; Jewelry, wands, sunglasses and headbands.

The pretty purple crown was ordered from Party City when we had a little “Purple Party” for her on her actual birthday.

The princess pretty dresses and shoe set was found in Christmas Tree Shop, along with the coin purse, chap stick, and brush.

The Tea Party Set was found on Amazon as was the Wonder Woman Costume and Chef Set.

The decorative boxes were found at Telco; a discount store.

*Hope this was helpful!

******

This gift was really fun to create for my God daughter. She’s only three and she likes to play pretend, and I don’t see that going away any time soon. If you ask me dress up trunks are a perfect idea for little girl birthday gifts, because playing dress up never goes out of style. Even I still feel like I do that when I get all dressed up to go out with friends or to a special event. Putting on the makeup and deciding on an outfit and how to accessorize it perfectly. It’s fun!

So if you have a special little girl in your life, and you’ve been wracking your brain for a gift just as special, look no further.

Let me know how it turns out. Or if you want any other ideas! I’m all ears. Comment down below!

-<3-

*All photos are my own.*

#crappycellphonepics

Sleep Hacks & Relaxation Basket- Gift Idea

June 16, 2016June 12, 2016michelleleighwrites 2 Comments

I love giving gifts. Sure it’s fun to get them, but I enjoy coming up with an idea for someone based on their likes, personality, interests, lifestyle, etc. Gaining inspiration and putting together something you know they will enjoy, and get use out of.

Baskets are an easy way to go when deciding to gift give. Baskets can be filled with anything.

Here’s an example of one I recently gave my best friend for her 25th Birthday.

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Let me explain-

My best friend is a teacher and has quite the busy, and at times stressful life. Sometimes she needs to slow things down and relax and get a better night’s sleep.

So keeping that in mind, I did some research on sleep hacks and things that would promote relaxation and put together this Sleep Hacks & Relaxation Basket with a Pamper Pouch.

This Pamper Pouch basically consists of nail care supplies to have herself a little mani/pedi time.

Here are some close ups- so you can see exactly what I put in the basket.

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Below is the note I rolled up and put in to explain what each item presents.

*I included a lot of Lavender/Chamomile items, because they often promote relaxation and easy sleeping.

The Basket includes:

Those aloe vera socks were actually an idea I got from my best friend. She actually gave them to me as a gift for Thanksgiving and I fell in love with how soft and comfy they are. So I decided to return the favor and get her a pair too.

When your basket is complete you can then wrap in a clear cellophane and add some pretty ribbons and bows. I unfortunately forgot to take a picture of that. But it’s simple enough, for you to get an idea of what I mean.

Baskets are so fun, you can make anything into a basket and you can get really creative and really personal with them. However, building them can vary in price. I mean you have to think about your budget and go from there. I tend to keep buying and adding and getting ideas as I go, so although the items I included were mostly reasonably priced, altogether it ends up being a pretty penny, but a well rounded gift. And my best friend’s reaction was golden. I enjoy putting smiles on people’s faces and making them feel special.

So if you are searching for a gift idea. Give basket making a shot. And have fun with it!

And next week I’ll tell you all about how I created a dress up trunk for my God daughter!

*All images are my own.*

-<3-

My Weekend in Outfits-Part 2

June 2, 2016May 30, 2016michelleleighwrites 1 Comment

This past weekend I had my cousin’s 15th birthday party. Every year they host a big memorial day weekend BBQ filled with good food, and good company. It is one of my favorite family traditions.

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The theme was Hawaiian Luau and you know I was all about that theme life. #IfThereIsAThemeIKnowAboutIt

Here’s my look-

OUTFIT & ACCESSORIES:

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*For this Hawaiian inspired look, I based the colors I wore, off of the flower crown (and sunflower ring) I had made a few years ago. Yellow & Orange were my basis. Believe it or not I had all of this in my wardrobe and didn’t need to spend a dime.

I wore this burgundy sun dress with orange design on it. The dress is a bit low cut, so under that I wore a peachy pink tank to match the dress design. Over the dress I wore a orange sleeveless button up and buttoned it half way, tying it at the waist, to create a top and skirt look. #HulaGirlStyle. Then, lastly I paired it with some tan sandals.

I accessorized with my flower crown, sunflower ring, a yellow party lei I had, a white dangly shell bracelet and pineapple earrings. As my sister in law and friend Lauren said “Why wouldn’t YOU have pineapple earrings.” haha It’s true I’m weird, and I actually have strawberry earrings too! 😉

MAKEUP & HAIR:

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*For my hair I basically, again, used the same curling products, however, the night before I had actually braided my hair so that when I took it out the next day, it would leave me with some beachy waves. I kept it in all morning and while I did my makeup and then took it down added my products and some water and scrunched it- and there you go beachy hair. I had it down but swept it up in a messy beachy bun when it got hot out.

For makeup I was basically just going for a bright fresh faced look. Peachy pink blush and lips and a mix of bright white and pink eye shadows. A little bronzer went a long way for some sun kissed skin in this look too and just like that, I was Luau ready.

*All images are my own.*

-<3-

Farm-girl Party Theme Look

July 2, 2015July 1, 2015michelleleighwrites Leave a comment

My goddaughter’s 2nd birthday was in May and since we have two other babies in the family who were also turning two, my family did one big party for all 3 little kiddies. It was a farm themed party! Now if you follow along with my blog regularly, I’m sure you’ve seen me post things about the parties I host. And you also know I love a good theme. I LOVE to dress up to match the themes, so I was all in for this farm themed party.

Here’s how I transformed into a farm-girl/cowgirl. Hair, Makeup, Outfit & Accessories. ❤ (via crappy cellphone pictures as per usual.) 😉

Howdy Partners 😉

HAIR:
I washed my hair the night before, and left it in a bun with some product in it overnight; just some mousse and hairspray. This was just so that I would wake up with some body to my hair. In the morning I just parted my hair to the side in the front, and down the center in the back, and braided my hair into pigtails. I like to use two hair ties per braid, one for the top of the braid and one for the bottom, I just think it was a cleaner look, and held my braids in all day, due to my thin hair. But to each their own. This was super simple, and in my opinion a signature farm girl inspired hair look. To make the look at little sweeter, I just pulled out some pieces like my bangs and curled them to frame my face. Add some hairspray and you are done.

MAKEUP:

For my makeup, I kept things pretty simple. The eyes are just a mixture of golds and browns. I like to use whites to brighten up the under eyes, the inner corners, and the eyebrow bone. Add some mascara, and fill in those eyebrows. My lipstick was just some light pink lipstick and some pink gloss, that I dabbed on with my fingers to make look more natural. To make this look really pop, add some bronzer and some blush. This creates a really pretty glow, and it almost makes you look like you’ve been kissed by the sun as you work hard on your farm related chores. 😉

OUTFIT/ACCESSORIES:

A plaid shirt, I opted for a sleeveless one, since the party was in June. And I went for one with blues and reds. For some reason that’s what comes to mind when I think of a farm girl; milking cows and feeding hens on the farm. I paired that with some knit blue jeans that I cuffed up a few times at the ankles. Now I couldn’t find any cowgirl boots, so I opted for these toms look-a-likes; in a kaki green color. My accessories included a big tan snakeskin belt, a red handkerchief tied to my belt hoop, and of course the key to pulling this look off; a tan cowgirl hat.

As for jewelry I kept it simple, with home wooden hued and turquoise pieces. My earrings were just some wooden oval-shaped hanging earrings. My necklace is just this brown and gold-colored medallion on a brown felt chain. And I had on some simple brown, and black rope friendship-esque bracelets along with some bangles and such.

Whenever a party has a theme, my advice is to embrace the hell out of it. It’s super fun, and gives you a reason to step out of your comfort zone. Play the role. It only adds to your unique personality.

*All images belong to me, please refrain from using elsewhere.*

#whywouldyoustealmycrappyphotosanyway

😉

-<3-

[Modernized] Flapper Fashion.

March 30, 2015March 29, 2015michelleleighwrites 4 Comments

This past weekend, I went out to dinner with some friends to celebrate my 24th Birthday. It was low key, which was nice, but as the dinner got closer it dawned on me. My usual over the top birthday party planning skills weren’t being put to any use. [see my 80’s party blog] The truth is I just had a Valentine’s party and I wasn’t up for planning another so soon after. So I settled on dinner at a nice restaurant with some close friends. But I wanted something to make the night a little more festive, something to make it sparkle. So as I rummaged my closet for the perfect birthday night outfit, I had a fun light bulb idea. I wanted to dress up like I lived in the 1920’s. Me and my themes. I just can’t get enough of them! I always say how I want to be able to dress and pretend to live a day in every major fashion era. So after a little sifting and searching I settled on some key pieces to make my outfit 1920’s flapper inspired.

The base of my outfit was a pair of black skinny dress pants, and a black lace sleeveless shirt. I paired that with a black sequined shrug, for some sparkle. Then added a pair of nude, low heeled pumps, a long pearl necklace, some flashy gold and pearl jewelry, a makeshift headband and the star of the night; a faux fur scarf. In my opinion the fur scarf and headband are what really sold the outfit . And can I just say the scarf came with a hat and the whole set was found in the 99 cents store for like 7 bucks. So… bargain. Yes! And my headband was a headband I found at a clothing store in the accessories section for around 4 dollars and I had a pair of peacock feathered earrings that I don’t wear much anymore so I just repurposed the feather and sewed it onto the headband and viola!

As for makeup I stuck to the traditional 20’s inspired look; dark eyes, and deep red lips. I mixed a lot of browns, blacks, and shimmery white and taupe colors to get that smokey look. And the lipstick was a mixture of first outlining my lips with a bright red lip liner then on one lip bright red and the other dark red, then smooch, and blend, it gives you this nice mix.

Moving onto my hair. First I just curled by hair completely with an Infinity Conair curling wand. This look works best on second day hair. Then I made a small pony tail and folded it under at the back of my head and got to bobby pinning away. Bobby Pins are going to be your best friend for this look. I just pinned all along the nape of my neck to secure it and make it look like a bob, like they wore in the 20’s. I left my bangs out along with some other longer curls to frame my face and make the look more full. I also sprayed a lot of hair spray, added a bit of dry shampoo to my hands and work it into the crown of my hair just to fluff it up and add some texture and volume to the look. It’s really just a play around with it until you get your desired length and fullness look. It was easier then I thought.

I’ve always wanted to dress like a flapper for Halloween and I’ve never liked any of the costumes I came across. So this way I still got to dress like a flapper but put my own spin on it, to make it a little more wearable for this generation’s fashion. I’ve always been intrigued by the fashion of The Roaring Twenties. It was a time where women began to take risks with their fashion. It was a time where they were no longer being restricted by corsets. The hem lines got shorter, makeup got heavier and the fabrics got more luxurious. Women were taking a stand and using fashion as a way to tell their stories, a way to express themselves. Sound familiar? Not much has changed. The relationship between women and their fashion is one that remains the same. Constant. No matter what the decade.

1920’s Flapper Fashion

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My Modernized Version

I have to admit I’m pretty reserved and shy. I’m not the type of person to draw attention to myself. So I was a little like “oh crap people are gonna look at me like I’m crazy.” But once I got dressed I got so excited about my outfit and finally getting to dress like I lived in the 20’s for a night that I just ignored anything else and any weird looks. I just owned it and hey if people looked, I smiled and rocked it. Strangers were even saying Happy Birthday to me! I was happy and I was just being my weird unique self. So if you are dying to try on a 1920’s inspired look, you totally should! And don’t let anyone sway your sparkle.

Some pictures from Dinner

The outfit in action. 😉

Red lips on point! And shout out to my girls for throwing in some beads and 20’s touches! 😀

Oh and this happened 😉

Happy Birthday to my fellow March babies!

*I do not take credit for the actual 1920’s fashion pictures.*

Check Out My 80’s Party Fashion HERE!

-<3-

Girls Gala; How To Plan A “Girls Night In”- Valentine’s Day Edition

February 16, 2015February 16, 2015michelleleighwrites 2 Comments

There are a few major categories you need to focus on when deciding to have a party.

*WWWWW&H: Who (the guest list) What (what are you celebrating) When (the time and date) Where (party spot) Why (do we need a reason to throw a party? the answer is really no) & How ($$$- Budget and enlist a party planning partner in crime, mine is always without a doubt mi madre…THANKS MOM!)

*Decorations (this is when your theme comes into play)

*Music (make a party playlist)

*Activities (break out them board games or create some fun games of your own!)

*Food (what are you serving; appetizers? dinner? or both?) *Beverages (alcoholic, soda, water, coffee, tea?) *Dessert (cake, cookies, fruit platter?)

*Favors (something for your guest to take home)

*Attire (do you want your guests to dress in costume, or dress up glamorously or do you wanna keep things casual cool….and hey I’d never knock a pajama party!)

So once you map out your party, now it’s time to get things going. Let me walk you through my Girls Gala, I recently had this past weekend for Valentine’s Day or should I say Gal-entine’s Day.

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*WWWWWH

My Guest List always includes friends that I’ve known for quite some time. They are made up of childhood friends, high school friends, my brother’s girlfriend who has been in my life since college and a best friend who I’ve known basically my entire life. Life gets busy and it’s not like how it used to be that we’d all hang out every Friday night playing rock band or dance dance revolution or spending way too many long hours overstaying our welcome at Starbucks or various local restaurants. So when we do get together it’s really special to all of us.

I’m a big fan of hosting parties so I usually do them in my home, it saves me a fee to rent out a place, and you just have more flexibility with what you can do. For this particular Valentine’s Day party I knew that having it on Valentine’s Day would have just been rude, considering most of my friends have boyfriends, so I opted to have my party the night before. I wanted to have something for just us girls to celebrate our friendships and the bonds we’ve formed over the past years. You don’t need to be in love to celebrate a day based on love. I love all my girls so this was my gift to them.

*Decorations

….are my favorite part! I love having a theme for my parties. I just feel like it gives you more to work with visually. So being that this was a Valentine’s Day party I color schemed a lot of pinks, reds, whites, and purples. Hearts, Cupids, and Roses, all that jazz. I also love a good bargain so most of the stuff I purchased was from the dollar store.

*Music

I love music, I feel like the right playlist can just instantly transfer the mood of a party. For my party I opted to include a lot of the romantic vocal stylings of Justin Timberlake (uh duh?), Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, and a few others. Hey I may be single but I can appreciate a good love song. 😉 But you know it’s never wrong to throw little Tay Swift in the mix, and have a little “shake it off” dance party…which we did. And I have proof.

*Activities

Ok this is an important one… (Aren’t they all?)

-The last party I hosted was my 80’s party for my birthday last year, and although we all had a good time, I felt like I didn’t have any activities to occupy our time. So this time I did a little online researching and came up with some fun valentine inspired games to play. It gets your guests to loosen up and since it was after a long work day for most it was a stress release too. Grab a glass of wine and laugh as your friend tries to act out weird things during charades. Or blindfold them and tell them to “Kiss the Stud”… isn’t Oliver cute? (Where my “How To Get Away With Murder” fans at….Oliver is my favorite!)

-I also had a little “activity box” if you will, full of fun little games that the guest could play in between dinner and dessert. I filled it with games like fortune-teller; Who’s Your Celebrity Valentine?, Marry Kiss or Ditch, M.A.S.H (who remembers MASH?), and labeled them and left the box on the couch for my guests to open at their leisure.

-Build your own Photo booth.

I did this at my 80’s party and it was huge hit! So I had to do one again this time around. Throw up a funky curtain and set up a prop table with funky hats, sunglasses, scarves, accessories and make some saying sticks and Viola homemade photo booth! Seeing as it was Valentine’s Day inspired I opted for conversation heart colors and wrote some funny quotes and sayings on them. You can even make a hashtag, so that when your guests post to social media you can easily find all the images in one place! I love taking pictures, I feel like you are making memories when you take pictures, and although being present in life is important it’s nice to have those images to look back on, because 20 years from now memories may alter or fade but pictures bring you back to that moment.

*Food, *Beverages, *Desserts

It makes me crazy when people ask me if they should eat before coming. Like what? Do you not know me? I’m a foodie, and I will never host a party without FOOD??? With that being said, for my Girls Gala I opted for a healthy meal to balance out a very UN-healthy dessert spread.

-My Menu consisted of:

-Appetizers: A cinnamon dip with pita chips and a salty/sweet popcorn, pretzels, Swedish Fish mix.

-Dinner: Sliced Grilled chicken (marinated overnight in Lemon Pepper marinade) Grilled on a George Foreman Grill. Served on sourdough bread with either a choice of an avocado spread or a roasted pepper.

To go along with that I made a spinach salad topped with feta cheese, walnuts, olive oil & vinegar dressing, and strawberries!

-Dessert: I made heart-shaped sugar cookies and Chocolate chip cookies with m&m’s and mini fruit kabobs. Then my friends each brought something which I didn’t expect and we ended having an entire spread! I mean it is Valentine’s Day….don’t judge us!

-Beverages: All of my friends and I are of age so I set up a little wine tasting station, I had a few bottles of wine in my house and champagne and one of my friends brought sangria and another brought a few other bottles of wine so we had quite a good selection. I also like to have some soda on hand and water for other non-alcoholic options. And tea and coffee in case anyone wants a cup with their desserts.

*Favors

Now this is an optional step, not everyone does it, but I usually like to let my guests leave with a little something. So I decided to do a mini candy bar. Where they could make their own candy bags as they left. I mean in all that dessert where was the chocolate? It isn’t Valentine’s Day without the chocolate! And near the candy bar I placed some handmade paper fortune cookies for my guest to open, they were filled with inspirational, feel good quotes.

You are your own idol.

*Attire

When I sent out my mass text (so fancy….But I do have a way with words…) I initially said to get dressed up. We all settled for a more casual dress up vibe. Nothing too crazy, but I have to say… were my girls working the red lips or what? I’m so proud. I opted for a pink shade lip and stuck to the color that never goes out of style…black, for my outfit. With a few fuchsia pink accents and gold jewelry. Basically I have these fuchsia pink heels that I use any excuse to wear them. And by wear them I mean they come on and off throughout the party. Hence I’m not a heels girl, I love my fuzzy socks more than anything. I’m siting here wearing a Valentine’s Day pair right now as I type!

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So there you have it, my go to party planning tips. When all is said and done and the stress of planning is over with, I can sit back knowing my friends enjoyed themselves and looking at the pictures we took I know that it was one for the books. Check out some photo booth snap shots below!

Thank you ladies for being your amazing selves!

So folks whether you’re single, in a relationship, kinda sort of maybe seeing someone, you are loved by someone (most likely many someones #family #friends.) And what better way to reciprocate that love than by throwing your girlfriends an awesome GNI (girls night in).

I leave you with our version of an Oscar selfie 😉

-<3-

** All images and videos are my own**

(I apologize for the crappy quality vlog camera…

but at least my photo booth pics are on point!)

1980’s Fashion Profile

April 15, 2014michelleleighwrites Leave a comment

Keeping with the theme of my last post, being that I didn’t have time to vlog my whole getting ready process and forgot to do an “outfit of the day” portion. I decided to show you some shots of my full outfit from my 80’s party. I have to admit I shopped and shopped and shopped until I found the perfect outfit, and boy was it frustrating. But thankfully a lot of the 80’s trends are coming back and are very prominent in today’s fashion…which I am super excited about! Basically I had a combination of a bunch of odd pieces that wounded up coming together quite nicely. I drew on the inspiration from ladies like…

So I gathered a checklist from these pics:

Big Hair

Lots of Bright Colored Blush & Eyeshadow

A ton of bracelets/Big Earrings

Denim

Neon

Heels

Legwarmers

Lace gloves

A Headband

Listen while you “get ready” with me!

I set my hair in curlers the night before to have a base curl. Then I alternated curling and crimping my hair, and teazing to get that big 80’s look.

These were the products I used: Dove (anti-frizz), LOTS of hairspray, Not Your Mother’s Volumizing serum and Dry Shampoo. The combination all just added the oompf I needed.

80’s hair tangle is NO joke. *Tip to 80’s hair recovery: Don’t try to brush it out first, just shampoo and condition a few times and then brush out.*

Makeup products. I mainly focused on my eyes. Using many different shades of bright purples and lining them with black for a pop and defining them eyebrows! I used some bright blush and a bright pink lipstick to finish it off!

Close up of mine (& Lauren’s)
Hair & Makeup

Head to Toe:

Headband/Bracelets/Gloves/Legwarmers: Claire’s

Earrings: 99 cent store (hollaaa)

Lace Top: Pretty Girl

Pink Under Tank: Rainbows

Jeans: Mandees

Shoes: Payless

Insta-photos!

Happy “Totally” Tuesday!

-<3-

Twitter: Shellbelle91

Celebrated my 23rd Birthday in the 80’s!

April 14, 2014April 14, 2014michelleleighwrites Leave a comment

The bigger the hair the better

the hairspray

the overdone eyeshadow

the neons, the animal prints, the denim

it’s all part of the illusion.

I always say how I wish I could live a day (or longer) in every major decade. There’s just something so interesting to me about exploring the way other young people used to live, to experience all the difference fashions, foods, music, and other decor. Don’t get me wrong, I was born in the 90’s and I love being a 90’s baby…boy bands and tamagotchi all the wayyyyy… but I love the 80’s too! And being that I grew up with a brother who was born in the late 80’s, a lot of the 80’s spilled over into the early 90’s, so I was able to remember some things. However, being so young I never really got to “Rock the 80’s.” I didn’t get to dress like Madonna, or do test tube shots with my best friends. So when my 23rd birthday started to roll around, I decided what better way to celebrate then by Rocking the 80’s with some of my best friends. I kept it a Girl’s Night because we all seriously deserved one! I shot some vlog footage to better showcase the experience and to help any other future 80’s party throwers out there. Because trust me I had to do a lot of research for this party!

I love to play hostess, I love to plan parties. My mom always tells me event planning is my true calling. But to me, it’s more of a hobby. I love entertaining and putting together something that I think people will enjoy. I like creating a space that feels different then everyday life. However, let me give you the full 411 on my experience planning parties…

5 steps to entertaining (and entertaining well)

1. Decor (helps to have a theme)

*I ordered most of my 80’s decorations from Party City & Oriental Trading*

2. Food/Dessert (Never assume it’s ok to not serve food…food at parties is crucial.)

3. Drinks (account for all guests; which means alcoholic & non.)

4. Music (best to make a playlist…with songs appropriate for the event, my playlist was full of classic 80’s greatness (MJ, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper…) ok ok there may have been a few *NSYNC, Britney, & Spice Girls jams, that snuck their way in, but I mean I had to rep for my 90’s soul.)

*Optional* 5. Photo”booth” (proved to be a huge hit… However if this is not a feasible option for you, other activities like games or karaoke are fun too!)

Bonus: It’s fun to give your friends a little favor as they leave. I gave my friends little goodie bags, with a bunch of novelty candy. The 80’s were all about the candy!

Photo “Booth” Tutorial:

Note: I used VHS/Cassette tapes, a Rubiks cube, and an old Atari game for decorations!

What you’ll need:

A DSLR Camera

A Flash

Tripod

Gaffers tape/or post-its (to mark the tripod stand placement)

*^This helps to keep camera out of the way when not using to avoid any accidents^*

A camera remote

*^Allows people to take pictures themselves and leaves everyone free to mingle,

and not having to play camera man^*

Some colorful or printed curtains

Props:

Sunglasses

Hats

Mustaches

Word bubbles:

Colorful Oaktag

Print out some cool sayings

*^I used just some 80’s inspired catch phrases and words and also some fun 80’s movies quotes^*

*I free handed the word bubbles by just looking some up on google, but I’m sure you can print them out or use them as stencils. Once you attach the quotes to the oaktag then, you attach the word bubble to a wooden skewer. And Voila!*

When my guests first entered the party, they were greeted by this small table. It urged them to “GET YOUR “VALLEY GIRL” ON” accompanied by some double bubble, for that gum poppin’ valley girl accent. Some 80’s inspired pins and glow sticks. And last but not least some 1980’s Slang Sheets (full of fun phrases and words to enhance the 80’s vibe.)

Next the guests will find some lady like essentials in the restroom. Some 80’s Aqua Net hairspray, scrunchies, hair clips, clear nail polish, and lipsticks, all part of the “BEAUTY CORNER.”

*Fun Fact: I actually use Aqua Net Hairspray*

And just some mirror inspiration

Next up is Food & Drinks (very important)

The 80’s were all about junk foods and candy.

So I kept my appetizers simple.

Popcorn

Vegetable platter

Chip and dip platter

Nachos Supreme (with the works)

*Don’t forget the sour cream, salsa & guacamole!*

Click here for the recipe, I followed loosely.

For Dinner nothing says 80’s and simple like a phone call to a good ole Pizzeria;

Pizza choices: Plain, Pepperoni, and Mushroom!

For Dessert: Ice Cream Cupcakes (so good!) Found these at Pathmark. (and fruit salad that we forgot to put out but later my best friend and I ate during the night haha)

For drinks I looked up most popular drinks in the 80’s and I saw cosmos (cosmopolitan drink mixer+vodka+blend in blender with ice til frothy and garnish with a lime) and kamikaze shots (lime juice+ vodka+triple sec, serve in a test tube shot glass!)

wine coolers

coca cola (in the glass bottles)

*Also party tip, have soda, some wine, and water bottles, on hand at all times

for those who aren’t into the signature drinks!*

*And keep some black sharpies handy so guests can write their names on their cups, because I assure you, you will lose track of your cup at some point!*

Cyndi Lauper drank here

Ok so there you have it my recipe for a kick ass 80’s party!

It was so much fun living in the 80’s for a night with my best friends, that I think from now on my events/birthday events are gonna be decade themed! It’ll be my way of living a day in each decade, like I’ve always dreamed.

Next stop…on the decade party train?

Disco 70’s?

Hippie 60’s?

I do love the 40’s!

Who knows!

Happy Monday!

-<3-

Michelle Leigh Writes

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Celebrated my 23rd Birthday in the 80’s!