Outfit: Afternoon at the... Paperie?

This dress is called "Afternoon at the Paperie" Come to find out, paperie isn't even a word! I thought it was a French word for something, but I couldn't find it in any dictionary. I've also seen it looking at wedding stuff, particularly stationary. So I've concluded that it's just a fancy word and it doesn't really mean anything.

 Outfit Details:

Dress: ModCloth

Belt: Thrifted

Bobby pin: c/o ModCloth

Shoes: Journey's

I ordered this dress during an amazing sale and have sadly never worn it until now. It's not something I would normally buy (...it's not black) but since it was at such a great price I couldn't turn it down. I kind of have a problem with buying things just because they're cheap. But now I'm glad that I own it and can't wait to wear it more often!
  

I have a little post scheduled for tomorrow, but I'll be fairly busy during the coming week. I'll try to get some posts in before I leave for our road trip. If not, I'll be posting with updates and pictures along the way! Have a good weekend!

   

Recipe: Clean Chocolate & Peanut Butter Oat Clusters

** I seem to be getting a ton of page views from Pinterest for this recipe. I just wanted to put it out there that I also post other healthy, simple recipes on my blog, along with my adventures in thrifting, crafting, and style! If you're interested in seeing this, just follow my blog by clicking "Join this site" on the right hand side of the page or clicking the "f" button under my picture to see my posts on your Facebook feed! :) **


 Last Friday was National Peanut Cluster Day (as if you didn't already know!) so I thought it would be a good excuse to break into the baking world. I wanted to keep it simple and healthy, and the one recipe I found and altered to my liking didn't even require baking! Lucky me!

 

All you need is:

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup almond milk (I used unsweetened vanilla Almond Breeze)

1/4 cup natural peanut butter (I used chunky for more texture)

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

That's my kind of recipe! Four ingredients!

Start by boiling an inch of water in a double boiler, then place the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and milk into the bowl and stir until everything is melted.

Remove from heat, and add your oats. Stir well until the oats are fully coated.

Line a baking sheet and use a tablespoon to drop the oat mixture into clusters.

Refrigerate! I waited 35 minutes.

If you know me, I am NOT a baker or chocolate maker of any kind. This has always kind of bothered me though, and I'd like to start changing it up in the kitchen. I eat "clean" almost all of the time, but my biggest downfall is dessert. I'll eat boring plain chicken and veggies every night of the week and be okay with it, but if someone puts ice cream in front of me, you'd better believe I am going to eat it! With chocolate syrup! So it's nice to know that I am capable of making a healthy dessert. :)

This recipe makes 14 clusters. Each cluster contains 75 calories.

Engagement Pictures

A couple weeks ago, Corey and I met with a photographer to take some engagement pictures. I was pretty nervous because I am really awkward around strangers. I have a lot of photoshoot ideas in my head but none that I have ever acted out, and some of them revolve around old barns. I thought this would be a great opportunity, but when it came down to it, I chickened out and just kinda went with whatever he directed us to do. Oops! I still like the way they turned out, and our families especially like them.

I can't believe I'm about to be MARRIED! Sometimes when I'm falling asleep at night, I can't stop thinking about how much my life has changed for the better.

 

Gotta Get Down On....

 Friday, I'm pleased to meet you once again! It's a really great day for me because I can finally say that both of my shops are now open on Etsy. Last week I opened my long awaited vintage shop, and this week I punched Procrastination in the face. Now I've opened just the beginning of my handmade shop.

Right now I only have a handful of simple things, but there is going to be so much more headed that way once our great American road trip is over! I have so many ideas built up in my brain and I can't wait to make them a reality. I don't plan on spamming my blog with tons of business-y stuff, but I love that this is a place that I can reflect on later and a place where the rest of the internet world can watch me grow into a more creative soul.

I also love that this blog can be a place for me to inspire others into becoming more creative and sustainable. I've thought a lot about the content of my blog and I'd like to improve it A TON. I am so super into being crafty, but I'm also super into being healthy and having less environmental impact.

I would like to combine the two. I don't know what that makes me, or what my so-called "niche" is, but all I think is that it must be a really good one. If anything, all I want is to inspire other people the way that people constantly inspire me.

 That reminds me, I need to e-mail a few words of love to some of the bloggers that I adore the most. Have a good weekend!

  

A Simple Self Portrait

I'm working on getting a new layout, and for the one I have in mind I need a photo of myself. I looked through pictures but decided to just take a fresh one. The first time I tried, I got all dressed up, then my camera died.

I took these a couple days ago, in a four dollar tank top and some plain ass hair.

I think I'll end up using the second photo, or maybe the first, you tell me! I actually had fun doing this and I think it's something I'd like to make a habit of. It would be cool to do these a couple times a year and see all of the changes (like my hair and tattoos and possibly wrinkles or other awesome things) that happen as you grow. Saweeet.

DIY Ideas

Fabric Wall Map // Being Brook

In my 24 before 24 goal list, one of my goals is creating a travel map so I can pin all the fun places Corey and I have been together. This tutorial looks easy enough, and it looks so cute when finished! Although I would probably use solid fabric for my own.

Beginner's Skirt // Shrimp Salad Circus

I'd really like to sew my own clothes one day, and this is a great introductory tutorial on an elastic skirt. I will definitely be doing this!!

Natural Exfoliating Scrub // Making Nice in the Midwest

I'm all about some natural skin care, and this exfoliating scrub is so simple to make and doesn't have any harsh ingredients to mess with my sensitive skin!

Cat Toe Shoes // Kittenhood

Kate from Scathingly Brilliant did a guest post on Kittenhood that I am so tempted to try! I have a pair of black flats that I wear all the time, and this would be such a cute way to make even the most boring outfit a little bit more fun.

Simple Scarf // A Beautiful Mess

I love the DIY ideas I'm constantly getting from A Beautiful Mess. Their blog is probably my favorite thing to read on a daily basis and always gets me full of inspiration!

Have you seen any awesome DIY tutorials online recently? I'd love to see!

  

Sick-Sweet Vintage

Oh my god! I finally finished listing, stared at the "Open Shop" button for a good five minutes and finally clicked it. My heart is jumping up and down right now! Anyone who knows me knows that I've been aiming at this for a while now so I'm feeling very accomplished.

I haven't even begun listing my clothing collection yet, but I wanted to get the other sections started, work on opening my handmade shop, and then get to the clothing. I'm sure I'll be adding pieces over the next couple days while I get the handmade shop started.

Lately I've just been in a slump. Like, all this stuff seems to be going on in my life but where is the actual progress? Well here it is. I talked with an academic adviser on the phone today and will be enrolling in school once I'm back from my cross country road trip.

I'll be back with more details and ideas about our road trip, but for now please feel free to check out my brand new shop! Sick-Sweet Vintage

Have a great weekend, everyone!