Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Side and Shoulder Tied Shirt

 Here is another super easy top you can make in 5 minutes, completely adjustable and the best part is that it is another no sew.   I made a video for this one so all of you out there who hate to read instructions ( Like Me),can just sit there and watch it all unfold. HERE
Sick of them yet? Sorry My mind just can't stop.
I am currently packing for a  fun filled, girls weekend in  O-Town and I am so excited I could POP.  I haven had a weekend with just girls in a really long time and I can not wait to sit around  and  laugh uncontrollably, talk and maybe cry a little. All I need is two outfits and I am struggling. I mean who just packs two outfits. What if I change my mind and feel like wearing something completely different? Which I usually do. I really want to find a cute Maxi dress with sleeves and peep toe booties. I think I will wander off tonight and go look for one.    I am not really sure what the weekend will entail but I know  just being around these women will be magnificent and revitalizing. Don't you just love making  memory's like that?  Life has been a little stressful lately and I think this will be a great way to just take a deep breath and separate myself from all of the crazy. The one thing I am so thankful for such a wonderful, supportive family. They are crazy, unpredictable, funny, surprising, but always the first people there when you need help.  I am so very lucky to have a Mom and Dad who are so supportive and love so unconditionally. I Thank God everyday for them..
I hope you all have a beautiful, relaxing, fun Weekend too.
Oh,! and for those  peeps who like written instructions, Full, easy tutorial below.
<3
Anne

Saturday, August 13, 2016

Side Tied Shirt. DIY




      I am trying to squeeze in a few more no sew t-shirts before I go into full on fall mode. I have a couple of designs left that I would like to share with all of you before September gets here.  I  am not sure exactly why  I have always been  so fascinated by no sew t-shirts. I think my goal is to see how many different styles I can make out of one simple Tee. * And My quest continues.* 
     Here are a couple of things  about living in Florida.
 #1. Fall does not really happen here until November.
 #2. We seem to be able to wear summer stuff all year long.
 #3   We crave for those one or two really cold days so that we can pull out all of the cute winter outfits that we spent way too much money on, and never seem to be able to wear.
      This little tied shirt took me about 5 minutes to make. (Well 5 minutes after I had worked out all of the measurements and dimensions.)
 I think this shirt in black with some jeans and heels would make a great date night shirt. Grab a statement necklace and you dress it up even more.

Want to see how easy it is to make this shirt?  Full instructions are below.

Video HERE



Thursday, August 4, 2016

Low Carb Update.


Ok, LOW CARB Update:
Body and weight is  not always easy for me to talk about, but I feel I have had such a significant change that I really wanted to say something about it. I didn't even know I had such a change until today when I was editing photos for a post. 
A little over a year ago I started an adventure with myself.  I wanted to get healthier and feel better about myself.  Don't we all?. I did not go into this adventure easily.  I went into this kicking and screaming and not really wanting to do it,  but knowing I had to because I wanted to be supportive of K  My Awesome Husband.  K  needed to cut back on sugar and carbs to lower his cholesterol so he would not have to be put on medicine. This was a Doctors suggestion.  (Yes it did work amazingly his cholesterol is down to a great level and he is feeling superb).   I,  on the other hand, did not have blood pressure or cholesterol issues,  I had Weight, feeling lazy and out of shape issues.  Not something I wanted to have going into my 50's.
Timing is everything. A beach trip was coming up and I though easy, peasy, no carbs, no problem.  I will looses 20 pounds in no time, it will be easy and  I wont have to exercise.  HA, HA HA,...,  California dreaming at its finest.
What started as a simple easy, adventure turned into a very difficult  Lifestyle,  Metamorphosis.  This was not just a physical change but a super duper reboot to my computer brain change.  Imagine taking out all of the parts to your computer, reprogramming the motherboard, the video card hard-drive, memory and  then putting it all back in,  but doing it one item at a time, which will take you over a year.  Yeah, Grueling to think about.. Cutting carbs alone is pure murder.  It is going to effect you like if you were going through a drug or alcohol  withdrawal,  so I am told.  Let's clear a few things up.. I have never done any kind of drug.  I can't even take pain medicine or NyQuil. super sensitive to any of that and just recently I stopped taking Advil unless I am on a pain scale of 10.
Once you Start this Low Carb/ No Sugar adventure you will hate everything, you will have a headache, stomach ache, moody, sweating. You will not like your Husband/Wife. You will not like your job, your house, your animals.  Basically you will be wondering about your basic existence, and WHY you are here doing this stupid, stupid low carb thing and not eating a big candy bar.. Your brain will try and convince you that it's stupid and will also try and make you eat anything with sugar and carbs.
You will feel like this for an entire week, maybe longer.
My withdrawal symptoms took about 1 week and a half.  Maybe plan on starting this at time you are off of work or when your husband and kids are away.    But, if you can't do that,  like I couldn't,  than they will all have to suffer through with you crying, yelling, screaming into your pillow: which is really healthy for your soul, I heard.: and they will be wondering why and how  you got so addicted to sugar/carbs... You might even think you need a Therapist. That's  ok  because your brain is getting ready for bigger and better things.
What you gain from this after the two weeks of misery.

  • You think clearer
  • You sleep better
  • You have less mood swings
  • You have less cramping during your period
  • You Start Burning Fat
  • You Feel Less Hungry
  • Your Belly Gets Flatter
  • You Slash Your Risk of Diabetes
  • Your Muscles Get Stronger
  • You Feel More Energized
  • You Reduce your risk of illness 
  • You Slow down the aging process 
  • My Hair started growing in healthier and more of it.  
  • *not sure if that is a normal thing with Low sugar, low carb diets.
 
 
 
 

I mean WOW, that is not even all of them.

I took it slow.   I also still eat lots of fresh fruit and all vegetables.
I never really exercised  at all until one year in and I never thought I would be saying this but I really look forward to my little exercise  thing I have going. Oh, and that was the last step for me.  If you follow this blog, I have talked about how I hate to exercise, I mean like routine, daily stuff, or a set plan - 50 of these 40 of those..   I love being active but a daily routine of exercise Ohhh no.  Well maybe that was the last piece of my computer parts that I needed to put in.
Some sort of weekly routine did make a huge difference in my shape and strength. (Your thinking, "Umm, Yeah,  your not too smart to think it wouldn't!")  Well yeah I know that now.  I work out with one of those Rubber-band things, at least 4 times a week, nothing real crazy about 20-30 min when I do it. Mostly I am working out my bumm, stomach and arms because those are  things that go most after the age of  45. I still have a pretty good ways  to go before I am as fit as I want..  But I can't quit now. I have too much invested to quit.  I have worked super hard at not going crazy and trying to get into shape, so quitting now or anytime is not an option. I won't bore you all with all the details unless you really want me too.
In that case leave a comment about what you would like to hear about or any questions you have.

I do a form of this diet that fits me.  I do not eat red meat  but maybe once in a blue moon and it is usually organic.

Mostly I eat
  • Organic fruits and veggies
  • Chicken
  •  Fish
  •  Nuts
  • Cheese
  • Eggs
  • Organic dark chocolate
  • Vegetable Pasta *not  a lot but at least once a week.
  • Water
  • Unsweetened tea
  • Coffee

 I am about 5'7"
I started at 158 lbs
6 month mark  148
1 year mark 138
1 year 3 months mark 133.
A few links for low Carb Info
HERE
HERE
Low Carb Recipes 
HERE

Anyone thinking about changing to this lifestyle, just know you can do it. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. I have never felt better.
 Take baby steps
Don't take everything away at once.
Add something weekly to your do not eat list.
That way you can minimize the withdrawal symptoms.

 Have a Beautiful Day.
Lots of <3!
Anne


Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Tied Back Tee, DIY


Tied back tees are all the rage this summer. I mean I  don't think I have walked passed a window of a clothing store that was not displaying at least ten of them.
What I liked best about this shirt was  how easy it was to create.  This one is similar to the cut out shoulder tee,  HERE,  and my brain was spinning with ideas on how to expand on it.  I was originally  going to make this a little differently but I really liked how it turned out.
Happy Accidents are my favorite.
Another plus... this shirt  is totally adjustable. You can tie it tight or loose, which makes it fit YOUR body shape.
 Oh,... and can we talk about this bag?  This bag was something I found at Target while shopping with my Mom. It is suppose to be a Beach bag but I am seriously thinking about making it my Late summer, all around bag. I mean look at it, I could fit one of those tiny houses from HGTV in it. Anyway That bag is a whole other blog post. If you want to know how easy it is to make this shirt just click below.