DIY

DIY

Miley Cyrus Wrecking Ornament DIY

Congratulations to the winner of my Natural Delights Medjool Dates Giveaway: Victoria F!
Be sure to check your email so your prize can be shipped!

winner
So this post has nothing to do with healthy recipes, but hopefully you will get a laugh out of it!

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you probably saw my epic Miley Cyrus Christmas tree ornament that I wrecked Brett & Michael’s tree with!
When they weren’t paying attention, I snuck it on their tree and they noticed a few hours later that Miley was swinging around in their living room!
“I came in like a wrecking ornamentttttttttttt.”

Miley-Cyrus-Wrecking-Ball-Christmas-Ornament-DIY-Printable
For anyone who is interested in making their own Miley ornament to wreck their Christmas tree with, all you need is an ornament, printer/paper, glue gun, scissors, and some string!

1. Printout the miley cutout to about 4 inches
2. Cut along dotted line
3. Hang ornament with string
4. Glue gun Miley to the string

miley-cyrus-wrecking-ball-ornament-2
This would make an EPIC surprise for an ornament exchange or white elephant party!
Happy crafting & Happy Mileydays! xo

Don’t forget, you still have until Thursday night to enter for your chance to win some Natural Delights Medjool dates!

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DIY, Fashion

My Halloween Costumes

Happy Halloween Week!

Pumpkin Patch Halloween is one of my fav holidays because I LOVE making costumes. I used to be your typical high school girl that bought all of those itty bitty mini dress costumes from Leg Avenue, but when I went away to college I got obsessed with making my own costumes. During this time of year, glue guns and spandex are my best friends! Since deciding on a halloween costume is always a toughie I thought it would be fun to show you some of my costumes from throughout the years! There are about 5 or 6 years worth of costumes/photos that I found, so enjoy this trip down memory lane haha. I have quite the collection of DIY costumes if I do say so myself!

 

DIY Pinata Halloween Costume
DIY Pinata Halloween Costume1 You may have seen the first two photos before because my piñata costume was featured in Seventeen Magazine last year and is still on their website! Multiple friends have told me it’s all over Pinterest! Now you guys get the behind the scenes on how to actually make it!

This is my all time favorite costume! I’ve had a serious obsession with Piñatas ever since I moved to Downtown LA and discovered what I like to call “The Piñata District” aka Piñata Row, otherwise known as 9th Street (where Central meets Olympic). There are dozens of stores covered ceiling to floor in brightly colored piñata from animals to One Direction themed!

DIY Piñata Costume: I started this costume with a nude Americal Apparel Tank Dress, and bought royal blue, medium blue, hot pink, orange, and yellow streamers which I cut into 4 inch long strips. I actually constructed this costume while the dress was on me. I didn’t want the dress to stretch and rip the pieces off, so I made sure it was stretched to my size as I hot glued the strips of streamers on. Using a small dot of glue on each strip, I started from the very bottom row of yellow (three rows of each color) and worked my way to the top like a flapper dress, turning the dress around as I went. I gathered a bunch of long pieced and tied one end into a knot and then safety pinned it to the back of my dress as the “donkey tail.” I made matching “donkey ears” out of folded paper – think old school tri-folded name place cards that you made in elementary school for your desk. Then wrapped pink streamers around them to cover them up and stuck bobby pins through them and into my hair.

 

DIY Cute Pikachu CostumeMy Pikachu costume is also featured on Seventeen’s website!
DIY Girly Pikachu: I made this cute little Pikachu costume while I was still in school at FIDM in 2008. I actually made the yellow tube dress out of a piece of stretchy yellow fabric, and the tutu out of a single piece of elastic and lots of tulle. I covered some old bunny ears with matching yellow fabric – they could easily be made of construction paper and glued to a headband! Super easy to put together, plus the makeup is cute : )

 

DIY Loofah CostumeAnother popular costume of mine is the loofah (also featured on Seventeen.com)! Not to toot my own horn, but I was one of the very first loofahs out there! This is from 2009! Pretty sure I’ve also re-worn this costume the most out of all of mine.
DIY Loofah Costume: I started with a black thin strap tank dress (similar to this one) and bought about 8 yards of the roughest stuffiest tulle I could find at Joann’s. I put the dress on and started bunching the tulle and safety pinning the bunches as I went around and around until the dress was completely covered. I grabbed some white curtain cord  from the interior section of Joann’s and safety pinned it on the side. Easy Peasy.

 

DIY Sims Costume
Sims CostumeI think my Sims costume wins for easiest costume accessory. This one is featured on Seventeen.com too! You don’t have to dress up if you don’t feel like it, because in the computer game The Sims they are just normal people… with plumbobs floating over their heads! It’s nerdy but awesome!
DIY Sims Costume: I actually made my own template for this a few years ago, but there are tons of awesome ones that you can print, cut, fold, and glue together! I would recommend this template and instructions. The best part about this costume is that it’s 100% office appropriate! Also recommended for that friend that occasionally gets separated from the group at events. As you can see it makes you really easy to find in large crowds!

 

DIY Gumball CostumeThere was also that one time I decided to dress up as a gum ball machine and glue thousands of pom poms all over my dress. I won’t elaborate on this one. IT’S SO FLUFFAYYYYYY!

 

DIY Cute Cookie Monster Costume
Back CameraAnd of course, I love making costumes for my friends! I made Lauren this adorable Cookie Monster costume (similar style as the Pikachu one).
DIY Cookie Monster: I sewed her a simple blue velour tube dress and made a matching tutu out of elastic and tulle. The eyes are made of two ping pong balls glue gunned onto a comb (the kind that veils are sewn onto) with black Sharpie pupils. I finished the costume with some chic cookie accessories made of beige and brown polymer clay!

 

DIY Risky Business CostumeIf your costume idea falls apart or you need something last minute, I suggest stealing your boyfriend’s white button down and going with Risky Business! High white socks and Raybans are a must! Going out but don’t want to walk around in socks? Put on a pair of comfy flats and then put the white socks over them! It will appear as if you’re just wearing socks, but then you won’t have to worry about wet floors or sharp objects, problem solved!

 

Corgi-Bunny-Halloween-CostumeTeddy just LOVES dressing up for Halloween. Can’t you tell? Cutest RFFMBT mascot ever!

 

What are you going to be for Halloween this year?
Andddd Tell me your best and/or worst costume you’ve ever worn!

I’m constructing this years costume today! Ahhhh! I hope it turns out as awesome as it looks in my head! Otherwise… Risky Business it is!

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Desserts, Recipes, Vegetarian

Coconut Mug Cake

Ohhh my gosh, I am so excited to share this recipe with you! On Tuesday, I went to a Kappa Alpha Theta Alumni Group social and came home with the BEST recipe! My fellow sister, Carter (sorority sister for those of you who may be confused) told me all about her new healthy dessert creation, and I was all over it! Only 6 ingredients and takes 2 minutes to make, what’s not to love?! Carter has a Tumblr with tons of delish healthy recipes so make sure visit choisis la joie!

Choisis la joie

Coconut Mug Cake
When I asked her how she came up with the recipe, she explained, “I am not Paleo, because I love cheese and sourdough bread too much, but Paleo recipes are a great place to start, because they are focused on veggies, fruits, healthy fats and proteins. This makes it so that overall, the foods I make for myself are healthier and more nutritious. Then I can indulge without guilt when I’m out for happy hour or food-truck day!” I love her philosophy on using Paleo guidelines as a starting point or base for her recipes. It’s a great way to explore different healthy foods and experiment with new recipes!

I like to emphasize that all types of foodies are welcome here whether you are vegan, vegetarian, carnivore, candy lover, paleo, gluten-free or if you follow Weight Watchers, or a low carb diet like Atkins. I want my blog to be a place where anyone can come to find inspiration and motivation to try new healthy recipes. There is no foodie judgement here! Plus most of my recipes can be easily adjusted to fit your dietary needs.

I do however want to talk about the pressure to follow a certain “diet.”
My most requested recipe adjustments are usually to make meals gluten-free, but recently I have been asked about Paleo options. I don’t follow the Paleo diet, but I love the way that Carter explained it! It makes Paleo seem less cult-like and more approachable! If you are an avid healthy living blog reader, you probably know what I mean by “cult-like” haha but if not, let me explain. CrossFit has recently turned into a phenomenon. Not only for fitness, but for it’s own “language” (box, WOD, AMRAP, etc.) and even adopting it’s own diet; Paleo. It seems like any blogger that I follow (or even Facebook friend) that goes to CrossFit, gets sucked into this crazy CrossFit cult! Suddenly they give up their vegetarian lifestyle to become full-blown carnivores and LIVE to plaster their new weight lifting PR all over the internet. It seems more like people are quick to jump into the Paleo world for the trendy CrossFit reasons than for their health. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, I’m proud of all of my friends who do CrossFit. I know it’s something that I A) would never enjoy B) would probably suck at, and C) would most likely get hurt doing, so props to the CrossFitters in the world! But why has CrossFit gone from a trendy new exercise to intimidating hardcore lifestyle? Honestly, I would be so scared to set foot into a “box” because I wouldn’t be able to lift more than 10 lbs, would feel guilty that I ate whole-wheat, and think that Fran is my instructor, not my workout! As you can tell, CrossFit is probably not for me, but it’s a great match for so many others! Long story short, I like Carter’s approach for creating healthy recipes by starting with paleo guidelines. To me, that’s how special diets should be used. You shouldn’t feel obligated or pressured into eating a certain way to sit at the cool table haha. Not every diet or lifestyle works for everyone, and most of the time it takes a little while to find out what works for you and makes you feel your best. I don’t want anyone to think that because I eat a certain way, that they have to as well I also want everyone to know that no matter what their diet is, they are very welcome here and I respect their choices. The important thing is to eat clean whole foods as much as possible and have a healthy balance and relationship with food. Healthy eating should be fun, not intimidating!

choisis la joieAlso love that Carter made my DIY Workout Shirt before meeting me or knowing that this was my blog! So awesome!

Coconut Mug CakeI had some very curious kitchen assistants today. Elin (Labrador Retriever) & Teddy (Corgi) had tons of fun as the cleanup crew.

Coconut Mug Cake

Coconut Mug CakeSince this recipe requires a heaping tablespoon, I thought I would show you what that looks like. If you are unsure of anything in my recipes, always feel free to ask! I had no idea what a heaping or scant Tbsp was a while ago haha yay for learning new things!

Coconut Mug CakeThe batter before microwaving.

Coconut Mug CakeCoconut mug cake cooked!

Coconut Mug CakeMy favorite way to eat it, with one tablespoon of all-natural peanut butter!

Coconut Mug Cake
Serves 1

1 heaping Tbsp coconut flour
1 heaping Tbsp cocoa powder
1 Tbsp almond milk (or coconut)
1/2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 egg

Combine all all ingredients together in a microwave safe mug and mix well. Microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds to 2 minutes until cooked.
Carter’s notes: Enjoy with a big dollop of peanut butter if you’re as obsessed with the pb/choc mix as I am! You can also add some dark chocolate chips in the cake for a little extra flavor.

| 38 Comments
DIY

DIY Recycled Gift Bow

A couple of weeks ago I posted a picture of my famous newspaper gift wrapping and bow on Instagram and a few of you wanted a tutorial, so here is it! Although this isn’t a Fashion Friday DIY, and it has nothing to do with health or fitness… I did use Fitness Magazine as my bow material and the Sports section of the Los Angeles Times for my Wrapping! Plus, I just love DIYs and it’s still something fun and easy to make! I cannot tell you how many times I was wrapping paper-less in college. It seemed like every week was someone’s birthday, and I needed a makeshift gift wrap that didn’t look like it was thrown in a Trader Joe’s grocery bag, although I have done some sweet wrapping with those bags! The possibilities of recycled gift bows and wrapping are endless from magazines, newspaper, maps, photos, and posters. Whatever you decide to use, you can make some gorgeous eco-friendly custom wrapping!


DIY Recycled Gift Bow
Makes 1 cute bow

1 magazine page
1 ruler
1 pen
1 pair of scissors
1 stapler
1 roll of tape
10 minutes


1. Select one magazine page for your bow. It can be random or based on color, pattern, etc.
2. Carefully remove your selected page from the magazine.
3. With a ruler and pen, measure and mark the magazine page into 9 strips that are 3/4 inch each. The last “leftover” strip will be a little wider than 3/4 inch, this is ok.
4. Cut each strip in a straight line.
5. Leave the first 3 strips full size. Remove 1 inch off of the top of the next 3 strips. Remove 2 inches off of the top of the next three strips. Cut the remaining strip so that it is 3 1/2 inches in height.
6. Take one strip (with the color you want to show on the outside) and loop one end to the center, at a diagonal so a “ribbon” shape is formed.
7. Loop the remaining end so that the strip resembles a figure eight and secure it with a staple.
8. Follow steps 6 and 7 with each of the strips and keep them in size order. Take the 3 1/2 inch single strip and form it into a loop and staple or tape the ends together.
9. Take the first set of same sized figure eights and arrange them into a flower shape and secure them together with a  staple.
10.  Follow step 9 with the next 2 sets of figure eights.
11. Place each flower on top of each other and secure with a rolled piece of tape; largest on the bottom and smallest on the top.
12. Finish your bow by filling the center in with the remaining loop. Secure the loop with a rolled piece of tape.

Optional: Wrap your gift in newspaper or matching magazine pages, enjoy!
Custom Cards: I love making cards out of Crossword Puzzles from newspaper and magazines. You can try to fill the spaces with a note to your gift recipient! 

| 15 Comments
DIY, Fashion, Fashion Friday

DIY Workout Headband

Happy Fashion Friday, and welcome to my third Workout DIY!
If you’ve already made my DIY Workout Shirt and DIY Multi-Strand Scarf you can now complete your look with a DIY Workout Headband! Keep your bangs or little whispy hairs out of your face during an intense sweat session, or hit the yoga studio in style with this super cute five strand braided headband!

Who doesn’t’ want to be decked out from head to toe in homemade RFFMBT no-sew workout clothes?!
DIY Workout Headband
Makes one chic headband
You could make up to 3 headbands depending on the size of your shirt & amount of fabric left! 

Ingredients:
1 old T-shirt
1 pair of scissors
1 piece of tape
30 minutes

1. Start with a large T-shirt. Any old shirt will do! Seamless is a plus!

2. Cut off the bottom hem of the shirt. Then cut five 1in wide strips horizontally across the shirt starting from the bottom. You can use a ruler to guide a straight line across the shirt, but don’t worry if they aren’t perfect.

3. Set the bottom hem aside. Stretch all of the remaining strips until they become long, and the raw edges start to roll inwards.

4. Cut the five strands in half so they become long strands (instead of circles).

5. Gather the five strands, and secure them onto a hard surface with tape. This will make it easier for you to braid. Take the outside left strand and place it one over to the right.

6. Take the middle strand and place it one over to the left.

7.  Take the outside right strand and place it one over to the left.

8. Take the middle strand and place it one over to the right.

9.  Have you noticed the pattern? outside over one to the right, middle over one to the left, outside over one to the left, middle over one to the right … work from the left three strands, to the right 3 strands. Keep repeating these steps (9-12 are the same as 5-8)! Take the outside left strand and place it one over to the right.

10. Take the middle strand and place it one over to the left.

11.  Take the outside right strand and place it one over to the left.

12. Take the middle strand and place it one over to the right.

13. Once you have finished braiding, trim the headband to fit your head, leaving about an inch on each end for knotting.

14. Start by double knotting one strand from each end of the braid together.

15. Match each end with another strand from the opposite end and double knot.

16. Trim the ends off of the double knots, and you’re done!

Tadaaaa! A chic headband for your next workout! You could even make 2 or 3 headbands out of one shirt, woo!
Post or email your photos if you make a headband! I can’t wait to see your creations! 

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