Copy Cat

Yesterday morning I decided to wear jeans and a t-shirt to school for the first time in a long time. After I had gotten ready I was surprised with all the extra time I had because I was just plain and simple that day. So with this new free time I decided I would blog a little and proceeded to my tumblr to look at some one my favorite fashion bloggers. At the moment, my favorite is Kendi Everyday. She is incredible and takes the most simple pieces into some of the most beautiful outfits I've ever seen. While I was searching for her on tumblr I found this really cute skirt combo that made me think, "hey I could do that!" With the little ten minutes that I had left I tore open my closet and got to work. I felt cute at school that day while knowing that my outfit almost made me late for my first class. Ironically at lunch yesterday my best friend called me a copy cat. In fashion, if the weather is at the strange transition from winter to spring go with the skirt. However, my only rule is until spring tights must accompany the skirt. The best part of Kendi Everyday is that she pairs eye popping colored tights with skirts.  I guess I really am a copy cat and the tshirts&jeans will just have to wait for another day.

Outfit Breakdown: Tights-Walmart Heels- Charottele Russe Skirt- Ross

A few of my favorite things

1. Going off Campus As seniors we receive the special privilege of going off campus for lunch. During my fall semester, I hardly ever took advantage of this. Now I try to make it off campus everyday. This and going to spouts for the sandwich special has become one of my new favorites.

2. Popsicles I totally forgot how much I love Popsicles till one of the editors brought a box to yearbook one day. The coolness of a yummy Popsicle is truly unbeatable. It was the best part of my day when the staffers compared the change of color on their tongues.

3. When other people fall I have been known to fall, trip, and stumble from time to time so it's refreshing when my follow clumsy friends take the big fall to the ground. It's nice not to be the only one who trips over nothing while simply walking.

4. Church camp "This one time at church camp.." now that that's out of the way. I love church camp, I compare it to family vacations. This year was my last one and it was one of the best. It was most likely the most calm weekend I've ever had at camp and it was also the perfect get away from the craziness in my life at the moment. It was also strange to think that just four short years ago I was afraid to get into the van to go to my very, first camp. As camp came to a close, it made me more and more sad to know it was my last camp ever. Hopefully, I will be running one of those camps sometime soon.

5. Mini me Meet one of my best friend's little sister, Kendall. I swear this cool kid is trying to be the next Melanie. When I went over to Kaylie's house for our usual Gossip Girl night her sister only did something if I did, had soda if I had soda, and desperately wanted to sit next to me during diner. She actually only put on her PJ's when she saw I had mine on as well. Yes, it's always nice to be admired and copied.

6. Best friend time My best friend Dahlya has a history of being kinda busy. Whether it's travel, school, or auditions Dahlya has a full load. For this reason, when she has a free moment for best friend time I take it. She makes my days better and brighter so spending time with her is a must. Honestly, these past couple weeks she has been the best possible friend ever and every time I spend even a ounce of time with her I become more thankful for her presence in my daily life.

7. Dance parties Every year at church camp we throw a dance party. Last year, it was 80s themed and this year was neon. It got a little crazy and the best part was at the end when all the seniors got into a huge huddle to spend the last song together. My youth group is cool.

Looking back I'm not sure where the past two weeks have gone. I was thinking about it earlier today and I had a lot of fun but my business has consumed me to the point where I don't remember falling asleep. But, I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I was reading my journal the other night and I came across a paragraph I wrote on December 19, 2010, "I feel so lucky sometimes. Even when I'm really stressed I am still loved by God, I still love others, and I am still loved by others. Even when I have a lot of problems going on I am still forgiven. I have faith." This still rings true in my life today. As my best friend once said to me, "Life is too short to be sad about anything."

How to plan a tea party

Even though the day of love has come and gone, celebrating is from over. This past weekend I hosted a Valentine's day tea party for all the staffers on Yearbook. Like most situations in my life this came about because someone else mentioned the idea. For example, when I made my first dry ice bomb it was only because someone else mentioned I should buy dry ice for my 18th birthday. So, when a couple of girls in my yearbook class said they have never been to a tea party I thought, "I've thrown tea parties before why not have a Valentine's day themed one." Thoughts became words, words became actions, and actions turned into one of the best parties I've hosted. Throwing a tea party is really simple and fun at the same time. Each time I host a tea party I follow I couple easy steps to ensure the party turns out lovely. This is the first in my "How to" series.

Always hand make the invitations. Every time I have a party I make sure each invite is different. Also, everytime I make my invites I seem to forget to leave all the proper information on the paper. So don't forget address, date, when, and where. Without fail I forget something each time.

Find special  items to serve or showcase at the party

Always, I mean always, go shopping after a big holiday. For instance, if you were to host a Easter tea party set the date for the party after the actual holiday. That way you will save big on decorations and supplies. I got these adorable heart napkins for only 50 cent.

Add small touches when decorating the party room. Believe it or not when adding hidden pieces I've found at least one of the guests will notice and remember.

At each of my parities I love hanging pieces from the ceiling. I actually do this when I decorate my house for holidays as well. Using different ribbons and lengths is important.

Make sure the table flows. It's key when you have an entire staff of more than 20 yearbookers coming over. Flow is esstinal for any party.

I love flowers as a certain piece. It's fresh and beautiful at the same time. Luckily, easy flowers like daisies are cheap. I found these for only five dollars and they just happen to be my favorite flower.

When having a tea party don't forget the tea cups. It's as simple as that. Also, having many different types of cups makes it more fun.

Planning a menu can be tough. I've learned to trust turkey sandwiches, fruit, and veggies. No one can go wrong with universal taste buds likes. Also, if for some odd reason if a guest doesn't like tea I serve a sherbet and 7up punch and that's my biggest crowd pleaser.

Cupcakes are important; in life in general but also in tea party menus. Cakes are for birthdays, pies are for picnics, and cupcakes are for tea parties. This year one of the female staffers brought pink colored cupcakes for the valentines themes. They were really cute and yummy.

At each of my tea parties I have one requirement, must wear dresses. It's so fun to see how excited the girls get to pick out their cutest dresses and show out their love for skirts at the party. The fashion is truly the best part of the party.

Have back up activities planned. This is not a sign of a  Jr. high party when there's games, it's a sign the hostess thought ahead.  This year my friends and I came up with many funny questions about each others love life. Such as, "Who was your worst kiss," or "Who do you think is the cutest boy in yearbook," Every girl got a different question and whoever had the best story won a box of candy. Everyone loved this game and the best part was it was themed. Whatever the party you're throwing make the games themed. Also having the Wii handy works as well.

Ladies, boys are not the emeny at tea parties. It's actually an opportunity to have them dress up as well. For this party, I set the first part of the party just for the girls then the second part for both. I'm sure a group of boys would not pass up a opportunity for free food.

Continue to have music playing in the background no matter what stage the party is at. In my past tea parties I rely on Matt Nathanson, Jose Gonzales, and Joseph Arthur to set the mood. However, for my love party I did my research and found a lot of songs that helped keep the love in the air.

"Everybody" by Ingrid Michaelson

"Hey Na Na" by Katie Herzig

"The Girl" by City and Colour

"U+ Me=" by Dan Black

and tons of Sara Bareilles

All the staffers seemed to have a lot of and it was great playing hostess for the night. My last bit of advice when throwing a party is to write all the guests thank you notes. Don't miss this; writing thank you notes is so important. It's not a big gesture, it costs nothing, and it's feels good to write and receive them. Also all classy women write thank you notes.

I vote this being the best valentines day/ tea party ever.

Baby, it's cold outside

 Actually it wasn't that cold. Last weekend, my church family and I took a trip to Prescott. In years past when I went on those retreats it was freezing. Expect, this year, it was beautiful, cool and bearable. Thankfully, I didn't need to pull out the snow coat for my last winter camp. Although, the long sleeved shirt and wearing socked with my toms came in handy. When dressing for colder weather keep the colors simple while adding pieces with patterns. Take note of how the pink shirt goes with all the other colors; blue, grey, yellow. A simple color like this one can pull all sorts of other colors into a outfit and be helpful when adding floral sunglasses. By the way I got the shirt for only five dollars! Who knew winter clothes could be so cheap? Well winter in Arizona.

Outfit breakdown: Jeans-Kohl's Shirt-Old Navy Gloves-Target Scarf-Target Shoes- Toms Coat-Forever 21 Shades- Target

When you forsake the lives of others you only forsake your own

In Matthew 5:46-47, Jesus speaks on a message that's really been on my heart lately. The bible reads, "⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?" To me, that's powerful. What more are am I doing? I can go to church, read my Bible, and check Jesus off my list but how is God's mercy influencing me? For the past three years, I've had a idea to create my own clothing line to help eliminate violence against women. It is truly my biggest dream to be a founder of a non-profit organization and personally, it would be my way of doing more with life and serving others.  Even though, this passion festers in my heart I've found other non-profit organizations that I fully support.

1. Trade as one "Fair trade seeks to transform the lives of poor producers in the developing world by enabling them to use their skills and resources to work their way out of poverty. "

2. Love 146 "The abolition of child sex slavery and exploitation."

3. The I-Heart Revolution  "The purpose  is insirpation, awareness and connection."

4. Charity: water "bringing clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations."

Taking simple steps, such as visiting a couple sites, can be major in the big picture. Buy a t-shirt, get educated, and raise awareness is just the beginning.  I don't claim to know all the answers or be a expect. However, there a lot more I could be doing from my hometown to helping others around the world. So can everyone else. We are all in this together and nothing changes when nothing changes.

The fashion tradition that almost wasn't a tradition

Every year my church holds a winter camp that I've always looked forward to. The cold weather, spending the entire weekend with church family, and the amazing memories have made winter camp one of my favorites. But, in the past four years, I've had a tradition that's set winter camp aside from any other church event. Since freshman year, I've bought a special fashion piece that no one else has and I wear it just to camp. My first year I got a cherry red rain coat while during my sophomore year I brought Victorian black and white patterned boots. Last year my church decided to have a day dedicated to skiing so I wore a yellow snow hat. Yes, every camp I had my fashion tradition and each year other students and leaders tell me how cute they think my pieces are. However, the unthinkable happened. While I started packing for my last winter camp I forgot to find my unforgettable fashion piece. In years past either I've stumbled upon, saw in a issue of teen vogue, or found in a store my wearable item. With senior year craziness and not having any money I completely forgot to keep my eyes open for my last chance to show off my fashion addiction. To add to my trouble I realized my dilemma the day I was suppose to leave for camp.

For this reason, thirty minutes before I had to be at church I went shopping. Thankfully, my speedy shopper skills kicked in and I shopped at four different stores within twenty minutes. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything that was good enough to be the last item I would ever bring to camp. As I was about to give up and tears were swelling up in my eyes I looked over at a row of crazy ribbons at Micheal's. There it was; a bright polka dotted bow. Ironically, at camp this year we were having a neon dance party and this ribbon would be the perfect addition to my crazy outfit. As fast as I could, I may have pushed some old ladies aside, I bought the ribbon, ran to Target and got a hot pink headband to attach. At camp I assembled the two together and like magic I had the perfect headband. The last minute piece ended up being a huge success and the neon dance party was so much fun. Even though it was my last winter camp I look back and think how those camps whether I was wearing boots or a red rain coast was some of the best times of my life. My trips to camp may be over but hopefully one day I will be running those events.

Coat: Walmart

Rain boots: Online

Hat: Target

Headband: Micheal's and Target

A few of my favorite things: Valentines day edition

1. Giant Cards Last week my best friend Kaylie and I found a giant valentines card at the gas station. To her it was Christmas and it was a great way to kick off valentines day mode.
2. Not so secret admirers On the special day of love I went to my first class a little early to talk with my physics teacher. I left all of my stuff at my desk and went up to the front of the room to make up a quiz. When I came back a boy from another class came in just leave me a candy sucker. It truly made my day and it made physics a little bit more bearable.
3. Candy It was hard to even walk through the high school hallway without friends handing me candy left and right. I didn't mind one bit, can we make this an official part of my day?
4. Marriage Proposal I was asked for my hand in marriage and by totally accident. Kaylie hand made her valentine cards and randomly gave me the "Marry Me" one. It's always lovely to know someone wants to marry you.
5. Tradition My best friend Dahlya and I have a traditional gift for valentines day. Dark chocolate covered fortune cookies. yum. It is a must eat and inside each cookie there is a quote about friendship. Two years ago she gave me a box and this year I gave her one. I'm positive we will be mailing our cookies to each other next year.
6. Yearbook Parties I knew that I would be having tons of treats on v-day, especially in yearbook. For this reason, I skipped breakfast, lunch and all real type of food to save room for my massacre of sugar. This was a great plan till I left school early sick.
7. Cheesy Valentines I recall in elementary school making a home made mail box and patiently sitting at my desk as I watched classmates place valentines in my box. I miss this. So when my friend AJ gave me a cheesy valentine it was the icing to the perfect valentines day cupcake.


Even though Valentines day has come and gone I must say this year was the best yet.

A few of my favorite things

1.Ihop I think Ihop tastes better in the late hours of the night. I would never pass up an opportunity to go have a plate of fries at midnight. I partly feel like I'm cheating on Village Inn but sometimes those chocolate chip pancakes are too hard to ignore.
2. Strange Obsessions I feel a little less crazy when I meet others who have strange obsessions. I mean the whole infatuation with frozen yogurt comes to a smaller extent when I see people talk about their "can't live withouts." A very good friend of mine in yearbook is in love with orange soda and not just any brand but Crush. So when we went to Walmart and we saw that a four pack was on sale for an dollar he flipped. It was the same reaction I would have when discovering a new frozen yogurt place and I don't feel alone anymore.
3. Aprons I believe aprons are one of the best parts of baking, besides eating yummy treats of course. I once found a apron in an antique store that had a soft color of pink, little Eiffel Tower pattern, and two big, black bows. This apron screamed Melanie and when my mom bought it for me for my sixteenth birthday, my collection began. However, my best friend Jenelle has a beautiful hand made one that I've had my eye since Jr high. Every time we bake at her house that apron is first and foremost.
4. Fun people There's a girl in my youth ministry with the same name as me. At first, I hated the thought of another Melanie walking around on my turf. So when this younger version of me walked into my life I couldn't bear the thought of a second Mel. However, Melanie is such a positive force of energy, my life would be dark without her. She is such a fun, open women of God and I'm so thankful for her and her willingness to try new things. Such as, my Zumba class, that she was so open to try with me. She makes experiences and situations better.
5. Quality time this past Sunday after church a couple of the females leaders and I sat outside one of their homes and talked. Talked about past camps, funny stories, and life lessons. It's refreshing to spend time with the women whose words, lives, and actions impact my relationship with Jesus and myself on a weekly bases.
6. Surprises I love, love surprises so much. Well I don't like them so much when I know when they're coming but a good surprise is the best. I always subconsciously feel as if a surprise is around the corner that's how much I love them. Once again my good friend Kavita surprised me with a tiny box with a cupcake inside. It's awesome to have such great friends who have good taste in cupcakes.




It's been such a fabulous week full of fun, laughter, and growth. Lately, I've been working extra hard on improving myself and working on my 2011 goals. I've learned a lot about myself and I really love where my life is heading. I know for a fact that things are about to get crazy but if I've gained anything from this past week is the knowledge that no matter I go in life God is moving in all directions.