My Christmas Playlist (Songs to get you Into the Christmas Spirit)

I don't know about you all, but personally I love Christmas music. It's makes me happy. :) And I thought I'd share with you all my favorite Christmas songs and albums, ones that never fail to get me into the Christmas Spirit.

• Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection (album)

I remember getting this several years ago. My older sister and brother in law surprised us with a Christmas Tree and this album, and it's become a sort of tradition to listen to it (multiple times) during the Christmas season.

• Christmas by Rebecca St. James (album)

My family and I listened to this a lot as a child, and it's still a family favorite.

• Christmas by Micheal Buble (album)

Because you can't really go wrong with Micheal Buble.

• Last Christmas by Wham

Something about this song.... It's so perfectly cheesy and never fails to make me happy.

• Step Into Christmas by Elton John

I'm not exactly sure why I like this song so much, but it's super light and fun, which is good.

• All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey

My siblings and I find this song super fun to screech sing along with.

What are your favorite Christmas songs? Please let me know, I'd love to listen to them!

What I Wore // Flannel Button Down

Hey guys! How was your week? Mine has been super busy; we had some close friends over for a few days, I went to a local Christmas pageant with my family (it's sort of become a tradition), my siblings and I hosted our annual Christmas dance, and I joined my family in setting up our Christmas tree. 

I got this blue flannel button down at Target on Black Friday for 40% off. I was really happy because I was in much need of a good flannel button-down. I've been experimenting with different ways to wear it and these two outfits are a couple that I liked.

t-shirt -- Walmart // cardigan & button down -- Target // necklace -- hand-me-down

I think this second one is my favorite; it's a bit more put-together. 

t-shirt & button down -- Target // necklace -- hand-me-down

What are some of your favorite ways to wear a button down, flannel or otherwise? I would love to hear your ideas! 

DIY: Tiny Tassel Necklace

Hello my friends! With the Christmas season here at last I've been in quite a crafty mood and wanted to make some little Christmas gifts for my friends, and I thought I would share this one with you!

You will need:

• Embroidery thread of choice color
• Chain
• Jump ring
• Hot glue/hot glue gun
• Straight and skinny stick (You can probably find one around the house somewhere. I used a DumDum lollipop.)
• Paper plate, or newspapers, or something to protect your surface from hot glue
• Scissors 

Step 1: Choose your color of thread and start wrapping it around your fingers. For a tassel of approximately 1 1/3 inches long wrap it around three fingers- that's what I did. The more fingers you have the bigger the tassel.

I wrapped it around my fingers around 20 times, give or take a few. Just do it until it looks good to you!

Make sure both of your ends are on the bottom, like so:

Step 2: Slide your stick thing into the loops.

Step 3: Tie a piece of thread of the same color around the top of your tassel, right by the stick, and loop it around a few times. Tie it again. Cut it off, but leave several inches on it.

Step 4: Stick a thread of the same color through the loops at the top.

5. Next your going to put a thin strip of hot glue on about 3/4 an inch of the exsess that you left in step 3. Wrap it around your tassel to glue it into place. Continue wrapping to cover up any exposed hot glue.

Step 6: Cut the bottom of your loop to get tassels!

Step 7: Trim the ends so that they're even.

Step 6: Tie the two ends coming out of the top of your tassel together and trim the ends. Add a jump ring to it and put it on your chain.

And you're done!

I really hoped you enjoyed this! Sorry if it was a bit confusing- It was my first tutorial evah! Of course, there are a lot more tutorials on how to make tassels. I got my inspiration from here. I did mine a bit differently though.

Extra tip: If you're doing a two-finger tassel, it might be difficult to do step 4. To solve this problem, before sliding your loops off of your stick, hot glue the thread you are threading your tassel onto to the end of the stick.

And THEN slide it off.

Easy peasy! Please, let me know what you thought of this tutorial. :)

Disclaimer- I do not necessarily condone everything on the website(s) I linked to.

Thanksgiving Weekend Outfits + Thankful for the Trials

Hello everyone! I hope everyone has had a wonderful thanksgiving so far. This weekend my family and I are going to visit some family out of town- I'm really looking forward to it! I decided to share with you the outfits I picked out for our little trip. Both of them are fairly casual, but I decided to go with wearing a dress one day and jeans the other. 

Scarf -- Gift

Mustard cardi -- Target

Sweater dress -- Rue 21 via thrift store

Tights -- Target

Shoes -- second hand store

Oversized cardi -- borrowed from my big bro

Shirt -- hand-me-down
Undershirt -- Target

Necklace -- hand-me-down

Jeans -- Express via Plato's Closet

Shoes -- Walmart

This year I've been thankful for sooo much. The Lord has blessed me unimaginably- It would take me much too long to say everything I'm thankful for, but I want to say something about my siblings.

I love them more than words can express. They have taught me so much through their Godly influence.

But sometimes we argue. I get annoyed with them or I don't agree with something they are doing. But I'm thankful for that too. Because even then, God is teaching me through them. 
He is teaching me to love and be loving even when it's not easy; to have patience; to have a servant's heart. He's teaching me that everyone has their own opinions and that that's okay, and that I don't always need to be right- I can just let things go sometimes. This year I've learned to be thankful for the trials (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Well, I'm still learning. It's hard, and everyday I fail, and am discontented. But everything that happens, good or bad, is making me who I am today. I just have to control how I respond to things. I can learn from my mistakes and just trust that the Lord has a plan for me and that He is in control (Jeremiah 29:11). 

James 1:2-4(ESV):

2 Count it all joy, my brothers,[a] when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Have a blessed day! 

-Ashley xx

Three Outfits

 Hey guys!
Typically I use my Mum's camera for my outfit photos, and for the last several days the uploading cord for the camera was not to be found. Mum just recently discovered it wedged between the wall and our entertainment center! So, as I couldn't upload them to the computer before, today I have three different outfits for you all.

The first is from when we went ice skating with some home school chums. It was a lot of fun... I fell three times though. I am not the most graceful ice skater.
.

My sister and brother. 

Sweater -- Banana Republic via thrift store ($5 bag sale)

Jacket -- Hand me down

Scarf -- Gift 

Jeans -- Express via Plato's Closet ($16.00)

Boots -- Plato's Closet ($10.00)

I didn't want to wear a large coat if I could help it (I typically don't enjoy wearing heavy coats, I think mine make me look frumpy at times), but I brought one along just in case. I didn't end up wearing it even though it was quite chilly.

And then this next one is an outfit I wore to church.

Chambray button down -- Gift 

Shirt -- Gift 

Jeans -- Express via Plato's Closet ($16.00)

Shoes -- Plato's Closet ($10.00)

And then I wore this one to bible study.

Sweater -- Plato's Closet ($10.00)

Grey shirt -- Hand me down

Jeans -- Express via Plato's Closet ($16.00)

Shoes -- Unknown ($12.00))

My sister recently had the good idea of starting a bible study with a few of our friends. It turned out really well- we met in a cute coffee shop and discussed which bible study books we should do. Altogether there were seven of us, including a dear friend I hadn't seen in awhile and one acquaintance with whom I could see myself becoming good friends with.  Altogether I had a lot of fun.

That darling little boy in the background is my nephew. (I don't know what he is doing in this picture.)

He was very fascinated by that tree and he seriously just stared at it for practically the entire time. I think maybe he was posing... ?

So yeah, I'm sure you've seen adorable little people before but... Isn't he cute? ;)

So what did you do this weekend? Which outfit was your favorite?

p.s. I just want to show you how I look while ice skating- (the faces are drawn on for privacy reasons.)






Majephtic. I am pho majephtic. Hahaha it will never not be funny...






(To be fair I think I was flailing around on purpose, as I tend to make funny faces whenever mum points the camera at me. Still funny though.)

What I Wore // Parisian Chic

 Hat -- Hand me down

Sweater -- Banana Republic via thrift store [$5 bag sale]

Skirt -- Target [don't remember]

Shoes -- Famous Footwear [around $25] 

Today I didn't know what I was going to wear, but I went to get dressed and somehow this outfit made its way onto my body and before I new it I was curling my (totally grown out) bangs. It sort of reminds me of a stereotypical French dude- like this fashionable man, oh-hoh-hoh.

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I bought this skirt like, maybe two years ago, at Target. And let me just tell you, I love this skirt. It's like the best thing I've ever owned and it has never failed me (it's very, er... loyal.) Do you guys have a favorite skirt? Where is it from?
Disclaimer- I do not necessarily condone everything on the website(s) I linked to.

Trendy Tuesday // Palazzo Pants

Hello lovelies! How are you all doing on this fine Tuesday? I have deemed today Trendy Tuesday, because, I mean, it's Tuesday and 'Trendy Tuesday' is rather catchy, you've got to admit. So I thought I would pick out a trend and post my thoughts on it! If any of ya'll want to join in and do a 'Trendy Tuesday' post on your own blog, leave me a link below in the comments- I would love to see it!

So today I'm doing...

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Palazzo Pants!

I've seen this trend around lately and I must say, I'm loving it. I think it's so cute and comfortable.

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Some, like the pair above, almost look like a skirt at first glance.

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Others have a bit more of a defined pant leg. 

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However I must say I do think these are actually more for the summer time.

I also really like palazzo pants because they're already so pizzazz-y that you don't need to add a lot of accessories and things to look fabulous. 

What do you think about Palazzo Pants?

Disclaimer- I do not necessarily condone everything on the website(s) I linked to.