Just 'Fur' Fun, A DIY Project

Hi beauties!

I hope you're all getting in the Christmas spirit, because I'm tellin' you...I am SO READY.  It's gotten to be pretty cold here in Nashville, and being a Northern girl, the cold just puts me in the Christmas spirit. Now if we could just get it to SNOW here...

Anyways, while Caleb and I were in Missouri celebrating Thanksgiving with his family...the boys watched football and the girls crafted our lives away.  Caleb's mom Darla is extremely creative and she's always saying, "Honey don't buy that, we can MAKE that!"...so she, myself and my sister-in-law Charis, set out to make our own fur scarves.  I've been seeing them everywhere online, especially Pinterest and honestly, I haven't seen many places that actually sell them.  So with Darla's crafty expertise, and Charis and I's help, we kinda nailed these, and I'm pretty sure you'll be as obsessed as we are!  Charis and I modeled two of our finished products and two of the different fur patterns.  Also, she's a good sport because I made her stand out in the rain for this shot :)

My sister is stunning.

I also made Caleb drive to one of my favorite neighborhoods here in Nashville and shoot a couple of myself in the other scarf design...

And the best part is, it cost under $10 to make, and I'm going to teach you how.  These make incredible Christmas gifts for friends or family, and this year I'm really into handmade gifts so....here goes nothin!

Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 yard of fur fabric - 60" wide
• scissors
• measuring tape
• thread
• sewing machine
• straight pins

Here's how:

Step 1 - Measure out the length you desire for your scarf, bearing in mind it must be able to pull over your head.  Our measured 36 1/2" long.  Cut the fabric to desired length.

Step 2 - Fold inside out, length-wise and pin the edges together.  Next, sew the edges together.  Important:  Begin sewing 4" from the top of the fabric and leave 4" at the bottom as well. 

Step 3 - Now that the edges are sewn together, turn the scarf right side out once again.  

Step 4 - Now, the tricky part. Match up the ends of the scarf, and carefully sew them together on the inside part of the fabric, leaving a small opening to be able to turn the scarf right side out.

Step 5 - Turn the part that you just sewed right side out.  Now you have only a small opening left that isn't stitched together.  Using a need and thread, turn the open ends in about an inch, and hand stitch the opening shut.

And that's literally it!! You're done! And you have yourself a beautiful fur scarf that people will be swooning over!  Again, these make fantastic Christmas presents AND you get to brag that you made it yourself!  Happy sewing and happy gifting!  And don't forget to let me know if you try this out!  

Merry Christmas season everybody!

Xx,

Kelsey

10 Best Cyber Monday {Fashion} Deals!

Hi everybody!!

I hope you each had an amazing Thanksgiving holiday with your family and friends!  I had a great time spending Thanksgiving with my husband and his family this year...it was chock full of food, crafts, Farkle (a ridiculous dice game) and football. This is the first year in probably the last 4 or 5 that I actually didn't go brave the mall on Black Friday...BUT.  The best part is that I can pretty much get the same (maybe even better) deals on Cyber Monday and shop from my couch with hot tea in hand.  And, that might be...MIGHT, be better than going out in the middle of the night on Thanksgiving night...although it'll never beat the experience of getting plowed over by other human beings that all want the same pair of slippers from Macy's at 3am. 

Anyways, I've done a bit of research on some of my favorite Cyber Monday fashion finds that I think you ladies will want to know about!!

1.  Free People is having a giant Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale with deals up to 50% off their "most loved styles"! It includes dresses, shoes, tops and sweaters that I'm swooning over!

2. Lizard Thicket's Cyber Monday sales will begin Sunday night at 6:00pm.  The first 100 people in line at any location will score a LT Swag Bag, full of surprise gifts and coupons to shop with!  Select gift bags will include Yeti Ramblers, and gift cards valuing $25, $50, and $100!! 

3.  TopShop is one of my favorite places to shop when I visit other cities that have one (we don't here in Nashville!).  Their Black Friday sale is 5 DAYS long and you will get up to 50% off selected styles.  There's tons to choose from and it's always free shipping and free returns.  Amazing deal!!

4.  ALDO is one of my most visited shoe stores...it's usually pretty affordable anyways, but WAIT until you hear about their Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales! They are having a HUGE sale that includes 50% of ALL original styles, and there's over 1,000 to choose from!! If you're a boot lover like me and can never have enough pairs, then hustle to ALDO to pick up a pair at 50% off!

5.  Target is having a storewide sale on Cyber Monday that includes 15% off of everything...there are certain restrictions, so make sure the read the fine print, but 15% off the majority of the store is a pretty amazing deal!  You can find almost everything you could need or want at Target!

6.  Forever 21 is one of my absolute favorite stores and I'm not even ashamed to admit that.  They always have SO much stuff, sometimes an overwhelming amount of stuff, but the prices...you just absolutely can't beat.  I can't walk into Forever 21 and come out empty handed.  This Cyber Monday, all outwear and sweaters will be 50% off PLUS free shipping on any orders over $30.  Go get em!!

7.  LuLu's ...so, I've never actually ordered anything from this site myself, BUT I've shopped on their website and gotten inspiration on so many cute outfits.  This might be one of the best Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals I've seen yet.  Lulu's is extending up to 90% OFF...yes, I typed that right, up to 90 PERCENT off site-wide through Monday!! Shop away, my little shopaholics.

8.  Nordstrom is having quite the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale...they're offering an ADDITIONAL 25% off selected sale items...so you're basically getting these items on clearance!! Their online store is chock full of deals you won't want to miss!  Great for Christmas gifts for the family too!

9.  H&M has to be one of my favorite places on earth.  They ALWAYS have amazing deals, whether it's a holiday or not.  Their deals right now though, are absolutely ridiculous! They have select items that start at $4.99 and the best part, you can get ALL the deals from your house, and you don't even have to pay shipping on orders over $50...just use the code 3247.

10.  American Apparel is having a huge Cyber Monday party! They're offering 35% off of EVERYTHING!! Amazingggggg.

So for those of you that didn't get out into the craziness and chaos of Black Friday, don't worry!! There are endless Cyber Monday deals to check out for all the best fashion steals!  Again, these are just a few of MY favorites, and some of my most frequented stores both in person and online. I hope this helps take some of the pressure of Christmas shopping off too! Happy shopping!!

Xx,

Kelsey

Happiest of all Thanksgivings!!

Hi there people I love!

Happy Thanksgiving!!! I hope you all have a wonderful day today filled with family, friends, ALL the food, and some serious relaxation.  So, to be honest, I want to be spending the most of this time today with our family.  Yesterday, Caleb and I drove 10 hours to a tiny town in Missouri where his family lives and it's so good to spend Thanksgiving with family!

Last night, we got to celebrate Christmas with Caleb's mom and dad, sister and her husband and now the holiday season is officially in full swing!! (Yay!)  We've been baking and cooking up a storm all morning, but I took a second to sit down and write to all of you to wish you a really special day today, whether you get to spend it with family or not.  Maybe today is just a day for you to relax and have some alone time...or maybe you come from an extremely loud and obnoxious family like I do (I love them don't worry). Either way, I hope today you at least have some time to reflect on everything we have to be grateful for. I am so thankful today for so many things, and sometimes I think that if we took the time to be as thankful everyday as we are on this day, we would be different people and a different nation.  I encourage us all to try and reflect on how blessed we are every single day, beyond this special day of Thanksgiving. 

If you do happen to be celebrating with your friends or family, or both, I encourage you to do ONE more thing today.  I saw a friend post something like this on Facebook and I thought it was absolutely BRILLIANT.  Our generation especially, is so addicted to technology and social media that I really feel we miss out on just being present with the people we are actually IN the room with. So, today, of all days, let's be PRESENT, friends.  I think doing something like this might cultivate more actual conversations, and special interactions with the people you're with today...

We literally decided that we were going to do this for this day...(after I post this blog entry of course) in hopes to learn to be more present and in the moment. And just for good measure, and because it's Thanksgiving, I want to list 10 things I'm especially thankful for this year...

1.  I'm thankful for my wonderful husband, and our special relationship. 

2.  I'm thankful for my wonderful friends and family that are always encouraging me, cheering me on and helping me to be better.

3.  I'm thankful for #NoSo and its launch {finally} and how it will hopefully encourage and motivate you!!

4.  I'm thankful to be spending Thanksgiving with my extended family on Caleb's side and for all the amazing food that's currently in the oven.

5.  I'm thankful for my little puppy, Romo which at this time last year, was the only thing I wanted to Christmas :)

6.  I'm thankful for Christmas decorations at our cute, little apartment back at home in Nashville. 

7.  I'm thankful for a free country that I can create and live my dreams in.

8.  I'm thankful for music and the impact it's had on my life, and the continuous legacy that I hope our music (Caleb + Kelsey) leaves someday too.

9.  I'm thankful for my new found love for tea.

10.  I'm thankful to blessed by the people that surround me in my life everyday.

Happy Thanksgiving to you friends! Be present today and let's all try to reflect on everything we have to be so thankful for. Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Xx,

Kelsey 

Thanksgiving + The World's Greatest PumPkin Roll Recipe

Well...it's almost Thanksgiving and I'm so in love with this time of year. I love being with family, eating until our pants don't fit, and then taking family group naps after the giant feast. There are so many things I love about celebrating Thanksgiving, but I'm not going to lie, I LOVE to eat, and Thanksgiving dinner might be the best part about it all. 

So since you'll learn that I love to eat more than most things in life, I get so excited when I find a recipe that I'm obsessed with and can't wait to share. So, we have a couple friends who live in North Carolina named Philip and Autumn that have become some of our greatest friends in the last couple years. They have not only been mentors to us, but they have spoiled us rotten by road tripping to Nashville to spend weekends with us, taking us out to dinner and planning adventures for us all to take while they're here. We love when they blow into town because it means game nights, loud music and living room dancing, and the occasional baking fest (yeah, I know I should really try to get this fall baking thing under control...I'm working on it).  So, about a month ago, Autumn came to town and met up with Fallon (my bestie from Nashie) and I, and we decided to be domestic and bake something together.  

It was just starting to get a bit chilly outside, and Autumn lit up like a Christmas tree when we started to talk about baking something. She squealed that she has a famous "pumpkin roll" recipe that she bakes for her family for various gatherings.  So the three of us, put our blonde heads together and baked this beautiful thing that we later feasted on, and I'm fairly certain we didn't even share it with our husbands...(sorry guys).

Anyways, Fallon was generous enough to let us turn her kitchen into a mass pumpkin chaos, and Autumn walked us through each step.  Fall is nearing its end (unfortunately), but winter is coming and it brings its exciting elements as well...but for now, MORE PUMPKIN PLEASE.  So, we spent the afternoon that day baking the most beautifully, delicious pumpkin roll ever.  It really wasn't quite as difficult as I was anticipating (thank you Jesus), and we kind of nailed it. I just wanted to share this incredible recipe with you all, in case you need a last minute dessert option to top off your Thanksgiving dinner. Check this out y'all...

The {World's Greatest} Pumpkin Roll Recipe

The Cake:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 cup flour
• Small amount of powdered sugar for dusting (on the outside)
• Kitchen towel

The Icing:

• 8oz. cream cheese, softened
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

And here's how - (Courtesy of Fallon and Autumn's hands)

World's Greatest Pumpkin Roll Recipe Ingredients

Step 1 - Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs, and sugar into a medium mixing bowl on low/medium until they're combined.

Step 2 - Slowly add other ingredients and mix well.

Step 3 - Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper, sift some powdered sugar onto the waxed paper, and pour the batter over the cookie sheet.

Go, Fal, go!!!

Step 4 - Bake the cake batter at 350 degrees, until the toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Should be around a half an hour. 

Step 5 - While the cake is baking, make your cream cheese filling.  [Guys, I know it's going to be impossible, but try not to lick the bowl clean before you finish the cake...it's JUST THAT GOOD.] Combine all of the cream cheese filling ingredients in a bowl and mix well until smooth. 

Step 6 - Take your kitchen towel, and lay it flat on the counter. Using your sifter again, sift some powdered sugar all over the towel.  When the cake is done, let it cool for a few minutes and then carefully flip it onto the towel. 

Step 7 - Remove wax paper from cake.  Carefully roll cake into towel and set aside to cool for another few minutes.  

Step 8 - After giving the cake a few minutes to mold, unwrap it.  Spread cream cheese filling on entire cake evenly and re-roll. 

Step 9 - Chill for another couple hours, slice and serve with your favorite coffee, tea or hot chocolate!

Give this recipe a try if you're a pumpkin lover like I am.  It's so yummy and the perfect afternoon treat to boost your spirit and energy. What do you think?? Let me know if you try it :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Xx,
Kelsey

P.S. - If you have already, click here to subscribe to my newsletter. After Thanksgiving, I'll be sharing an awesome way to burn off some calories!

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