Scentsy at the Wedding!

So hard to believe that we've already been married for two months (well, two months tomorrow).  What a wonderful two months it has been!!  I got all my thank you cards written (except for 2 more gifts we got this week) and most of the gifts put away or exchanged.  We were so blessed with so many wonderful goodies!!  Maybe I'll do a post on some of our fab gifts.  We used our Crock Pot for the first time Sunday - I am hooked!  Where has that been all my life?!  Going to try another recipe tomorrow.  I'll post the creamy chicken one we made from the weekend at some point too.  SO good and SO easy!  Win win!

To continue on with my wedding blogs about our wedding, I thought today I'd share how I combined my love of Scentsy with things in the wedding!  Since I'm a Scentsy consultant and also LOVE the product, I thought they would be the perfect items to add in our welcome bags and give as wedding favors.  I already posted about the welcome bags here -- I included various scent circles in each bag -- so here's a little about our wedding favors!

I used Scentsy Travel Tins and tied them with pink satin bows.  The tins are silver so they matched the color scheme perfectly!  I thought the tins looked adorable and smelled fabulous!  They must have been a hit with our guests too because they were all gone in no time!!  

I made a sign with the Cricut and the Cricut Craft Room software that said "We hope you had a scent-sational time!" to go with the tins.  

Interested in some Scentsy?? Send me a message or leave a comment below!  You'll never go back to candles!

Christmas Gifts for Co-Workers & Neighbors

So each holiday I try to make something special for my co-workers.  I work in an all female HR group and really enjoy all the ladies I work with ( so rare for an all female office I know!!).  For Thanksgiving, I made the cute little turkey goodies bags so I knew I had to go even cuter for Christmas!  Here's what I came up with -- Scentsy hand soaps with a Santa face tag: 

 

Here's how I made them:

I ordered my soaps from my personal Scentsy store :-)

Aren't they cute?  They look like gumballs

I used the Cricut Craft Room Software to lay out the different layers I needed to cut.  These Santa faces are 4" I believe and from the Doodlecharms cartridge -- one of my first cartridges. 

Mr. Cricut got to work cutting layer after layer.  4 years later and this thing still amazes me!! 

I ended up with 3 pages of Santa faces in order to get 18 at the size I needed

Then I moved on to cutting the other layers, you get the idea.

As Mr. Cricut was cutting the layers I started assembling Santa.  I picked this particular Santa because there weren't too many pieces and they weren't teeny tiny. However, I didn't take into account adding all the little dashes to the 18 faces!!  That took quite a while. 



Here all 18 Santa's are ready to be attached to the soap. 

I played around with where to punch the hole and settled with on the tassel.  In hindsight, I probably would have made the face a little smaller.

I gave these to my friends/co-workers Wednesday before Christmas and they were a big hit.  I love doing something small to let people know they are thought of and loved!

 

Favorite Things: Day 2 - Around the House

Today’s favorite things are going to be items “around the house” – this was easy because as I walked from room to room I just took pictures of things I have out/am using.

Almost every room in the house has a Scentsy!  I LOVE the scents and that I don’t have to worry my cats are going to catch their fur on fire or burn down the house with their endless jumping from object to object.  I started selling Scentsy last October and I’m pretty sure I’ve put my profit back into buying more for my own personal collection.

Over the last year or so I’ve also developed quite the thirty-one collection.  I have to admit though; I use these totes for EVERYTHING.  I’m not really into their purses but the utility and organizing totes have my name all over them (literally, hah).  Right now I have one holding wedding magazines and my binder, another for items I’ve ordered for the wedding, one has my Scentsy samples, there’s at least 2 in the back of my car with either returns or errands and another stack that’s getting ready to be used to pack for our Christmas trips.  I love getting them monogrammed and have recently started getting them with my future “G” instead of “K”!  I think it’s cute when they say “Games” “Snacks” etc but I feel like it’s too limited for me – I want to be able to use the bags for whatever for a long time to come.

In my quest to re-organize the house, I’ve fallen head over heels in love with the OXO Good Grip Clear Containers.  I picked this set up at Target and can’t wait to fill it up with all our snacks.  Love that their clear and stackable!  I told myself I wasn’t going to buy these and just add them to the wedding registry but I couldn’t resist… I’ll just add another set to the registry... problem solved!  I'll have to do another post about how I used these in my snack cabinet. 

 

True story.. I had this post in draft while working on it, and decided to go get a set of these for my mom for Christmas.  I ran by Bed Bath and Beyond last night and grabbed their boxed set (pictured below) and well... let's just say now I need to go get ANOTHER set.  I actually decided this wasn't a good gift set because the containers are tall and skinny vs short and fat and I don't think they hold as much per container as the set from Target.  These are filled up with items from a huge tin of Christmas goodies Adam bought from someone's kid at work that's in Boy Scouts.  We weren't really eating any of it because they were in bags, down in the tin, and well, that was too much work.  Now they are easily accessible and fun to look at!

Another organizing must-have are the Rubbermaid Interlocking Containers.  I first mentioned them on this post.  I’ve since organized another drawer in the kitchen.  I’d love to get some more of these, only issue is that the closest Container Store is a little over 2 hours away.  Bummer.  I did pick up a different but similar product at Target so I’ll try those out and let you know my opinion.

This has to be one of the most random finds of the year but one that’s totally practical for me.  It’s a set of 3 remote control switches for outlets!  One of my pet peeves is when I’m reading in bed, I have to get up to turn out the lamp on my nightstand because it’s just a little too far away to reach without falling out of the bed!  I was in Bed Bath and Beyond a few weeks ago and could hardly believe my eyes when I saw these sweet little remotes.  LOVE them!  I have my 2 nightstand lamps and the bedroom Scentsy on the remote.  Now I can even enjoy my Scentsy right up to the minute I fall asleep.  Genius.

iPad 2.  Adam jokes and says it’s like my shadow because I carry it from room to room with me.  It’s like my little buddy.  I seriously don’t know what I did before I had an iPad!  Lugged my laptop around I guess.  We have both the iPad and the iPad 2 and iPad 2 gets bonus points because not only is it lighter than the original but it has FaceTime!  I love getting to FaceTime with friends and family; technology really is amazing.

Brothers label maker.  Go ahead – laugh but secretly I know you’re jealous if you don’t have one.  My biggest complaint with the label maker is that there’s a lot of wasted label on the side once you go to print it.  Plus, I’m guessing I left mine on the first time I used it and ALL (there’s like 10 batteries!) in it died and I had to replace it the second time I wanted to use it.  I do enjoy seeing my beautiful labels though!  I bought pink tape to use in my scrapbook room when I have time and decide where I want everything to be.

As naughty as they are... the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy.  I actually really liked the story, as predictable as it was at times and all.  I can't wait to see the movie.  Funny story.. this spring I was reading the first book 50 Shades of Grey - at Adam's parent's house.  Adam's dad asked me if I was preparing to be in the Gray family by reading the book.. I just laughed and said if it's going to be anything like the book then I want out now!! ;-)

My next favorite is something I found at Barnes and Noble in Henderson, NV this past January.  I've always been someone that kept a journal but then I would go long periods of time without writing and it seemed like such a hassle to get caught up.  Enter the One Line A Day Give -Year Memory Book.  I've really enjoyed jotting down a line or two night each night about what went on that day... even if most days are like Groundhog Day.  It'll be fun to look back in a few years and see what we were up to - especially since I've always been like "Can you believe a year ago today we were XYZing?!"  

Another 2012 discovery was Tervis!  These are such fun drink containers.  I love that they don't sweat and I don't have to worry about my wood getting water stains!  What's even funnier is that one of my sweet friends gave me an early Christmas present today and it was a pink Tervis with my *new* monogram!  So here's the picture I was going to post and one of my new tumbler...

My Velata Fondue (basically chocolate Scentsy!) also had a lot of use in 2012.  This has been something fun to pull out when we have visitors or take a trip home.  There's also a few of these being given as Christmas gifts this year! 

...and there you have it!  I just looked back through my list and these really are my favorites because I've even given everything on here as a gift to someone this year!  This was so much fun to compile.  Stay tuned for tomorrow's favorite "beauty" items! 


What are your 2012 favorites??  Anything I need?! 

Where did Ashley go???

Disclaimer: I had FINALLY taken the time to catch up my blog, well thru New Year's Eve anyway, and went to post the blog and somehow it was all deleted!!!  So, while it was funny and detailed the first time.. I can't make any guarantees the second time around!!!

So yes, I have been MIA.  I thought after all the crazy travel slowed down in September I would take the time to get back into the swing of blogging, well, then the holidays hit!  I've actually missed blogging.  As a lifelong journal keeper, blogging just makes sense to me.  My journals have always been more of "what I'm doing" vs the deep dark secrets and with blogging, I can add in pictures, which are the key to my heart.  So, it's a win win.

How many of you thought I disappeared because we didn't survive Thanksgiving at our house with both families?? Just kidding.  We actually had a great time, even though it was exhausting!!  I don't think I've ever spent so much time in the kitchen in my life.  I probably sat a record for the most times the dishwasher was run in a 4-day period.  All joking aside, the meeting of the fams went way better than we could have imagined.  I look forward to many more years of family-togetherness.  Mom and I even managed to sneak away for some shopping!  We hit up Michael's Thursday evening (which is becoming a tradition for us) I wanted to get the new Cricut II which was on an awesome sale.  I'm not sure I really like it though, could have to do with not having the time to really learn all about it yet though.  Then, we caved and went to Wal-Mart for the sale that started at 10pm and ended up not getting home till about 1am!  We had a blast though and I have to say, the shoppers at the Ooltewah Wal-Mart were 100x more pleasant than the shoppers we usually encounter in WV!  I think it has to be because there's a lot more options for people to go shopping here than in WV so the crowd is a lot more spread out.  Here's some pictures from our Thanksgiving weekend:



My pretty new dining room table all ready for Thanksgiving!  (That's my WVU tree in the corner!)

 

Adam with his turkey!  I was so proud of him for taking on the turkey and it turned out so yummy!!



All 14 of us!

In other exciting news, I become a Scentsy consultant in October!  I have always been business minded and love the idea of one day having my own business, so for now, this is the perfect opportunity for me.  I fell in love with the idea of Scentsy (flameless/wickless/sootless warmers that are safe alternatives to candles) before I even smelled the first sample and signed up to be a consultant.  I've REALLY enjoyed my time as a Scentsy consultant so far even if Adam says I'm spending everything that I make in buying more Scentsy for us!  You can check out my Scentsy website here http://www.ashleykidd.scentsy.us/

I had a booth at a show around Christmas at a church in Ooltewah.  The turn out was way low and I ended up with a lot of inventory because I had ordered extra hoping for a big turnout.  Oh well, live and learn!  Wasn't my display cute though?!

   

 That same evening, Adam and I had to go to his work Christmas party in Cleveland.  (Which is yes where I also work but since I'm a division employee and he's plant, the party was only for plant employees but alas I was his date)  It was semi-awkward for a couple reasons (1) everyone by this point pretty much knows we are together (hello-- it's no surprise it's been over 3 years) but they still were gawking when we walked in.  (2)  We were overdressed.  My theory is better to be overdressed than under!  We weren't even that dressed up!  People were there in jeans!  The party was at a nice museum downtown so I was thinking semi-Cocktail but I guess others just donned their best jeans...  Oh well, we were good looking!



Our pretty tree!  Now I can't remember if it was 9 or 10 feet?  I love seeing trees with all the pretty presents around them.  Too bad Mason ate a lot of my bows!



The weekend before Christmas we headed to Michigan for Adam's brother's wedding.  It was on a Friday so we had to leave right after work Wednesday to get there for the rehearsal and whatnot Thursday.  Somewhere along the way I picked up a cold and didn't feel too hot due to that.  The night of the wedding someone dropped my camera after taking the first pic of us all dressed up so I was cameraless all evening.  I felt naked without a camera on my wrist!  My sweetheart took me to get a new one the next day though!  Here we are at the wedding:

   

Adam was staying in Michigan through Christmas so I flew back to TN to pick up the cats and head to WV to be with my family.  I was super sad to leave Adam!  Hopefully that will be our last Christmas apart.  We had to get a picture of Henderson in his new monkey sweater before I flew back, he is such a big boy!

 

Christmas was different this year.  Of course it was the first Christmas without the Grandpas and that was hard on everyone.  I did enjoy my time with my parents and Grandma, and LOVE getting to play with Abbie - she is changing so much/so fast.  We had a little family drama that I really could do without but I guess it's not the holidays without the drama.  I think that's why I enjoyed Thanksgiving so much, no drama!  

We also had a mini-crisis Christmas night.  Mason accidentally got outside (during some drama nonetheless).  I about had a heart attack/panic attack all in one.  It was so dark and cold out and all I could hear were dogs barking in the distance.  He was probably only out 10 minutes but I was a mess.  I couldn't imagine how we were ever going to find him, plus, he was in uncharted water!  He eventually jumped up on the deck and came strolling over like he was the king of the castle. 

Adam and I came back to TN after Christmas and spent New Year's together.  We had a nice dinner at Outback and then watched the ball drop from the comfort of our couch, surrounded by our furbabies, a perfect start to 2012!

Happy New Year!