Tissue Pom Pom's how to

Hello friends! A week ago a few friends & I threw a baby shower for my dear friend Allison and her baby girl Lila Ann. The theme was pink & green Lilly Pulitzer. I love the tissue pom poms but wanted to make them myself. Well thanks to Pinterest I found the directions!
I made them today for another friend's nursery!
Supplies--will make one pom pom:
- 1 pack of tissue paper, 20X20 preferred size and a pack of at least 10 pieces makes it very full
- ribbon, or fishing line
- pipe cleaner, can be any color you wont see it
- scissors

 Start with one pack of tissue. Unwrap and lay flat on the counter.

 Then accordion fold the entire sheet about an inch and half wide. If you end halfway through a fold no problem.

 Take your pipe cleaner and tie around the center of the tissue paper.

 

Tie your ribbon under the pipe cleaner. Make whatever length you wish. If you are making several, I like to make them different lengths so they hang at different heights and looks more interesting.

 Cut each end into a point.

Then separate each layer of tissue carefully. You want to create a ball so move towards the center of the Pom Pom.

And TA-DA! You created a tissue pom pom ball! What is one of your favorite party crafts?? Leave a comment below.

Oufit Of The Day #ootd

I am going to try to post this more (when I can remember...) but I always love seeing fashion bloggers outfit of the day or look of the day. While some bloggers looks are gorg but aren't really for my real life (we can all dream that we will need to wear a sequin sheath dress in the middle of the day). So here is my outfit of the day!
Please bear with my pictures...I am learning how to take pictures of myself.  My dress is from www.thebluedoorboutique.com its not available anymore but they always have great stuff! This one is similar: http://www.reddressboutique.com/index.php/dresses/glam-most-valuable-fan-dress.html     

I adore this necklace so much I wear it as often as possible--best way to dress up jeans and a t-shirt. The Pegasus is an investment I promise it is well worth it.

Riding Boots are a classic and a must have for fall. Mine are from Target, last year yes Target. They are holding up great but I am feeling like its time for a new pair. Similar pair found here













And of course, I am usually sporting an arm party. From top to bottom it was the foundation bracelet, renegade bracelet, prosper bracelet, and masie bracelet. All found on my stella & dot site. 
Please excuse the enevlope boxes in the background #messyofficeproblems











My fave fall look is a great dress and boots.  What's your favorite fall look? Anything particular you want to see on OOTD? Leave a comment!

Animal Instincts

I am having a total love affair with animal print. I think it is so chic, classic, and an instant way to glam up any look. Today I bought my first animal print items!! Yes, my first. I always want to buy them but then convince myself I can't pull it off, or some other reason to put it back. Thanks to LOFT's great sale today--I bought this adorable top:

I think they will look great with jeans, colored skinnies, tucked into a black skirt....what else would you put this top with?

I also bought this scarf from my Stella & Dot website. Yes, we have scarfs now & they are so soft & yummy!

It was love at first sight when I saw this baby & I knew she had to be mine. It will look great over jeans & a tee to elevate the look & make me look less lazy or with a LBD as a wrap. Check out this video on 10 ways to tie a scarf--love some of these ideas!

What's your fave animal print item? Leave a comment.

xoxo,
Ashley

Need an outfit to wear with new shoes!

Hello lovelies!
So about 2 weeks ago I went to our town's Fashion Night Out with a girlfriend. We drank bubbly, had some snacks and shopped! It was so fun. Thanks to a little booze I purchased these beauties!

Tres chic I know but what to wear them with? These DV by Dolce Vita booties can be found here.  I am eager to break them out but have had wardrobe dilemma as to what to pair them with. So far this is about all I can think of to wear them with. A chambray shirt is never out of style and is oh-so effortless plus I love to add a pop of color with a jean--bonus these are on sale from old navy right now(I own them in three colors).

I, of course, would jazz this up with some jewels like....

So I want to know, what would you wear with these shoes? Leave a comment below!

xoxo,
Ashley

Yum-o!

Hello Friends--Tonight's post is not a style post but I promise it won't disappoint! My friend Lauren writes a great blog called Lauren's Latest. This week she posted a recipe I was eager to try. Personally, I love to cook but I like few ingredients and easy--this one gets even better, you cook it in the croc-pot! I followed Lauren's recipe but I used frozen chicken, topped my off with a little Parmesan cheese & like her I used 1 can of creamed chicken soup. This recipe will be an all time go to in the menu plan. As a side I made my favorite salad of all time--Apple chopped blue cheese salad. It's a big hit in our house and makes a ton! The recipe comes from another fave blog of mine Let's Eat Tonight. This would be the perfect menu for (anything) a dinner party--easy, you wouldn't be in the kitchen the whole time, and makes enough to feed a small army.

 Here are the recipes:

Italian Croc-Pot Chicken:
4 chicken breasts, frozen works too
1 can of cream of chicken soup(recipe says 1-2, I used 1 which was perfect)
1 package of Zesty Italian Dressing Mix
1 8oz package of softened cream cheese(i used 1/3 less fat)

Dump chicken into croc-pot. Pour in italian dressing mix. Seperately, mix soup and softened cream cheese. Then pour onto chicken. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. I used frozen and cooked mine for 6.
I served it over egg noddles but you could use any noodle, rice or even on a baked potato. I also topped mine with a little parm cheese--YUM!!

Let's Eat Tonight's Apple Chopped Blue Cheese Salad & Poppy Dressing. A few hints about this salad: You can really add what veggies you like but I will say what makes it is the red onion, blue cheese, apple and dressing. Sometimes I add in tomatoes or whatever pepper I have around--top with some chicken for a heartier meal. I like to use a water bottle to mix up the dressing--great if you pack this up for a picnic. I know you will all love this one--My sis & BIL actually made it tonight too!
Apple-Blue Cheese Chopped Salad
1 head green leaf lettuce, chopped
1/4 red or sweet onion, finely chopped
1 green apple, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 oz. crumbled blue cheese
1/2 (9-oz.) bag bagel or pita chips, crushed
Poppy Seed Dressing

1. Combine lettuce and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Toss to combine. Gently toss in dressing just before serving.

Poppy Seed Dressing

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. dried mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. poppy seeds

1. Combine sugar and next 3 ingredients in a jar. Cover and shake until sugar dissolves a bit and mixture combines. Pour in oil; shake to combine. Stir in poppy seeds.

Until next time xoxo,
Ashley

San Fran--you are only 2 days away!

Hello All!
I am prepping for my big trip to San Francisco for our National Stella & Dot Convention. As I am in 105 degree weather, the sound of a breezy 62F sounds just lovely! This Alabama girl will be quite happy come Thursday. I have of course been excited for a while about my trip but today my excitement went to a whole new level. S&D released some sneak peek images of what's to come with our Fall 2012 collection and it looks AMAZING! I must say I was getting ready for some new bracelets in my life and the preview of these makes me smile (I am already planning outfits around them). Check out the sneak peak collection video for some behind the scenes fun HERE

It looks like color is here to stay for fall--woo hoo!! What trend are you looking forward to trying this fall? When I get back I will be sure to fill you in on all the upcoming trends and style tips we learn. The collection is available Saturday for you to shop so be sure to visit my site to see the full collection--click HERE and if you can't wait that long for some good shopping check out the SALE tab for great finds with an extra 20% off through 7.4.
Happy 4th!
xoxo
Ashley

Wanted: Vacation

I NEED A VACATION!

I don't know about you but this girl needs a vaca. Visions of tropical lands, drinks with umbrellas and sitting pool side dance in my head! Well, Stella & Dot is paying my way towards a beautiful trip to Atlantis Paradise Island!

If you have never been check it out this little video about the resort. http://youtu.be/YEbVZF4XwDI

The best part is the top prize is a trip for 2 to the resort all expenses paid so I will be able to say to my husband "no worries it's on me!" HOW COOL!? He has been so supportive of this journey and I want to treat him too.

So you might be wondering why I am telling you this--well its because if you need a vacation you can be earning it too! We JUST started the contest period so literally from your day 1 of being a stylist you will be earning your way to Atlantis along with earning amazing exclusive jewelry designs just for us stylists. Basically while you are at trunk shows styling away you are not only earning commissions but taking steps towards going to the Bahamas for FREE!

I definitely want to at least earn the trip for 1 and push for the trip for 2--if you see me ask how I am doing!

Stella & Dot is close to reaching $100 million dollars paid out commissions to stylists, plus we have created 12,000 jobs all over the globe. WE ARE HIRING! Whether you are looking for a part-time income to supplment monthly expenses, some extra cash you can spend however you want, or a new full time career I encourage you to explore Stella & Dot. It is an easy, inexpensive start up in which you will profitable quickly(I was profitable in about 3 weeks), and we provide you with all the training and resources to be successful. As your business coach I will be there every step of the way guiding you on your business plan path. Again, all the while you will be earning a free vacation--can you say pina colada? :)

Read more on my website www.stelladot.com/astork and then let's talk! I can help answer questions, address concerns you may have and then we can create your plan so we are on that beach together!!