Music Necklace

I love jewelry!  Big, clunky, gaudy jewelry and even delicate, little pieces of jewelry tend to go with a particular top or dress depending on the "mood."  It's just like wine!

I made this necklace for the music lovers out there and for one of my friends who is very talented at the french horn. :)

This necklace can be made with an instrument charm along with assorted beads.  Or, with any charm that suits your fancy.

First, chose a sparkly, delicate 18" inch chain.  Make sure the charm will be able to fit around the link that will be placed on the chain.

Then, take your time picking out the beads or other charms you'd like to add to the necklace.  It's all about your personality and what you'd like to wear with the piece.

P.S. I can't wait for Les Mis to come out!  I just saw the play this past spring and it was an experience I'll never forget.  Re:  I think I bonded with all of of the other folks sniffling around me.  Make sure to bring tissues to the movie because the story is a tear jerker!

Supplies:

 Jewelry Tool Kit

18" inch linked chain with closure (medium to small links)

1 music or hobby of interest charm

3 different round beads

3 eye pins

3 jump rings

1 link

1.  First, take the link and place it through the necklace.

2.  Next, place a jump ring around the charm's ring (using pliers to open the jump ring) and attach it to the link on the necklace.

3.  Take one of the round beads and place the eye pin through the bead.  Use round nose pliers to grasp the end of the pin and curve the pin by using a rolling motion to fold it over a single round prong.

4.  Repeat two times with the other two round beads.

5.  Place each bead (set on the jump ring) on the link to your liking around the charm.

This is by far the easiest and most enjoyable necklace to make because the end result looks STUNNING.  I like to pick shiny and sparkly beads/pearls because they look sharp.

Stay tuned for the music bracelet also pictured below!

I can't wait!  Only about five more months, LOL.

Les Miserables Film

   





Perfectly Pear Sangria

I don't know about you, but I love having fruity wine in the summer! I've been introduced to cranberry, pomegranate, cherry, apple, raspberry, and strawberry wines and they all are quite delicious.  I have to get my one serving of fruit a day, right?

  One particular fruit wine that stands out this summer is pear wine.  The last and first time I tried pear wine was on my trip to Michigan at Black Star Farms and it blew me away.  Can pear wine really be that good?

Yes, it can.

  

However, it's terribly hard to find.  After I came back to VA, I looked EVERYWHERE for pear wine and couldn't find it.  Why didn't I just bring it home with me?  What was I thinking?

Therefore, I decided then and there that if I can't find pear wine, then I shall make it.  Or, even better, make a pear sangria.

The best possible way to get the most natural flavor is by adding Bartlett Pears and adding none other than Absolut Pear Vodka.  The good thing about Abolut vodka is that it's made by all natural ingredients: no fat, no carbs, and no sugar.  Sounds great to me! 



Servings:  8

Serving size- 1 cup of wine 
Calories:  236.5
Fat:  .05 g   

Carbs:  15.71
Fiber:  10.2   g 

Protein:  .27 g 

Points:  1 

Recipe:

2 bottles of Riesling
1 cup of Absolut Pear Vodka

1/4 Triple Sec
2 Bartlett Pears
Club Soda (splash for each glass)

*Please make this the night before.

1.  Place the two bottles of Riesling in a large pitcher.
2.  Add the Absolute Pear Vodka and Triple Sec and mix accordingly.
3.  Refrigerate the wine and have it sit for at least 8 hours.  Once it's ready to serve, cut up the two pears and place them in the pitcher. Pour it in a large wine goblet with a few cubes of ice.  Add just a splash of club soda on top.

Happy Friday and enjoy your weekend! 

Seascape Necklace

This seascape necklace is fun because its color and sparkle can make any top look glam!  I like that it's long, too, because it's very slimming.  I made the necklace according to the instructions via Michaels, but decided I didn't like how it looked so I changed it around.

I was also lucky in picking up the beads and charms and grabbing most them at half the price. I had to do a little hunting at various stores, but it was well worth the trip!

Suggestion:  Try to buy beads when they're on sale or it will ADD up.  Also, Etsy has multiple charms available at your heart's delight for a fairly reasonable price!     

Supplies:

 Jewelry Tool Kit

36" inch Linked chain (big links)

20" inch Linked chain (medium links)

2 Pendants

3 Charms

1 Necklace connector

Glass beads- 2 sets of 7 (in 2 colors- 14 total)

Metal/sparkly 6 mm beads- 13 each

Jump ring

Head pins

Lobster claw clasp

Stringing wire

Crimp beads

Seed beads

1.  Cut about 15" inches of the beading wire.  Feed one end up and back down through a crimp bead, leaving a small loop at the end.  Trim excess wire with wire cutters.

2.  Use a crimp tool to crimp the bead at the end of the wire.

3.  String first with a metal/sparkly bead and follow with the first color of the glass bead.  Add another metal/sparkly bead and follow with the second color of the glass bead.  Continue alternating until you have used 12 of the glass beads and 13 of the metal/sparkly beads and end with the metal/sparkly bead.

4.  Feed the end of the wire up and down back through a crimp bead, leaving another small loop at the end.  Use the crimp tool to crimp the bead at the end of the wire.

5.  Trim excess wire with wire cutters.

6.  Add a jump ring at the end of the beaded wire.

7.  Trim excess wire with wire cutters.

8.  Take the large linked chain and cut two lengths of it about five chains deep (the chains don't necessarily have to be cut.  Just pull the links apart with two pliers).  Attach one end of both of the two linked chains and connect them together with the jump ring.  Then attach the end with the jump ring to the either end of the beaded wire with the loop.

9.  Take one link out of the original large linked chain by opening the link with two pliers.  With the one link, connect the other end of the two chains. 

10.  Take the large linked chain and make another two lengths of it with five chains deep.  Take another link out of the original large linked chain by opening the link with two pliers.  Then attach one end of the second set of two links with another link out of the large linked chain.  Take two more links out of the large linked chain and add attach them to the last link making one chain three links long.

11.  On the second set of two chains, attach the end of the lobster clasp to the three links that are holding the two chains.

12.  Then connect the lobster clasp to the first set of linked chains.    

13.  On the other end of the second set of two chains, add a jump ring on the end of the two chains.

14.  Attach one of the glass connectors to the two jump rings.

15.  Add two more jump rings to the other end of the glass connector and connect them to the second connector.

16.  At the bottom of the second glass connector, add two more jump rings.

17.  Cut another two chains out of the large chains measuring to 24 links each (or 5 1/2" inches each).

18.  Attach each chain to the jump rings at the end of the second connector. 

19.   Take one of the pendants and attach each end of other end of the two chains to the back of the pendant.    

20.  Then, attach a jump ring to the other end of the beaded wire and attach it to the back of the pendant.

21.  Now, taking the medium linked chain, cut two chains equaling 2 1/2" inches each. 

22.  Feed a head pin through a seed bead and a large glass bead. Bend the pin to form a right angle. Cut the pin approximately ¼" beyond the bead. Use the round end of your pliers to grasp the end of the pin and curve the pin by using a rolling motion to fold it over a single round prong. Before closing the loop attach the head pin to one of the 2 1/2" inch chains.  Repeat with the second head pin.
23.  Attach one of the chains with the head pin to back of the pendant.
24.  Then, attach the other chain to the fifth to last link of the first chain with the head pin.
25.  Attach the second pendant to the third to the last link of the first chain with the head pin.
26.  Attach the three charms to the two long chains with jump rings at your placement.

That wasn't so bad; was it?  The key to these projects is patience with yourself and not to rush the process.  And keep in mind that it's not going to turn out "perfect".  But who will notice anyways once you have a fab necklace?  :)

Inspired by Michaels





Seascape Charm Bracelet

This charm bracelet is wonderful for the summer (we still have a month left!), makes a gorgeous statement piece and is not as hard as it looks.

I love seascape themed items, so this piece of jewelry has everything I enjoy:  seashells, turtles, lighthouses, sand dollars, anchors, etc.  However, this bracelet can be tailored to any interest.  Sports, music, fashion, baking/cooking, decorating, art, and more.

Be patient and keep in mind that the bracelet can be changed in a matter of seconds to swap out different charms/styles.  I started out with five or six more charms than what is pictured and ended up taking them off.  It was TOO much and the bracelet turned out to be quite heavy.

Supplies:

Jewelry Tool Kit

36" inch Linked chain

Five types of charms

-3 of one variety

-3 of one variety

-2 of one variety

-5 of one variety

-3 of one variety

Five bead caps

Five beads (assorted colors or the same color that fit the bead cap)

Toggle

Eye Pins

Jump Rings

1.  Cut a length of the linked chain to fit your wrist size, approximately 6-7" inches.

2.  On one end of the chain, attach a link of two jump rings. Before closing the jump rings, place the loop in the bar end of the toggle onto the jump rings.

3.  On the other end of the chain, attach a jump ring. Before closing the jump rings, attach the toggle.

4.  Place one bead and one bead cap onto an eye pin. Use round nose pliers to grasp the end of the pin and curve the pin by using a rolling motion to fold it over a single round prong.

5.  Open a jump ring with bent nose pliers and place a charm on the jump ring. Before closing the jump ring, place it on a link in the chain. Repeat this step with each charm that you place on the bracelet.

Adapted from Michaels

Jewelry design adapted by Michaels







Red Velvet Cake Dip

Oh red velvet cake.  You make me so happy!  Cake, cupcakes, cake balls, bars, cheesecake, pancakes, the list goes on a on.

But dip?

I wanted to make a fun snack for the coworkers since we've been working out almost every day for the past two weeks together.  We do everything:  Zumba, ab class, quick-pace arms & legs strength exercises, squats, jumping jacks, cross training on the elliptical, running, etc!  I'm so lucky that we're all on a quest to get fit and have each other for support.  Thank you, ladies.

As a reward I wanted to make this dip which is really easy.

It requires:

Betty Crocker Super Moist Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix

Yoplait Light Fat Free Red Velvet Cake Yogurt

Fat Free Cool Whip

Servings:  24

Serving size- 1/4 cup of dip
Calories:  80 

Fat:  .83 g   

Carbs:   18 g

Fiber:    .42 g 

Protein:  1.25 g 

Points:  2

Recipe:

1 box of Betty Crocker Super Moist Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix

1 cup of Fat Free Cool Whip

2 Yoplait Light Fat Free Red Velvet Cake Yogurts

1.  In medium size bowl mix together cake mix, cool whip and yogurt.

2.  Place in a Tupperware container and refrigerate before serving.

3.  Serve with honey graham crackers or animal crackers.

Recipe inspired by Eat Yourself Skinny and Little Bitty Bakes

    

  

 



Crispy French Toast

Breakfast for dinner?  Sure, why not.  Breakfast is something that can be eaten all day long.  Re:  Brunch.  It is something that will never go out of style. 

Let me introduce you to an exciting spruced up version of French toast which is right up there with strawberry Belgian waffles.

Crispy French Toast!

Servings:  2

Serving size- 2 slices of French toast

Calories:  540 

Fat:   11.5 g 

Carbs:   76.5 g 

Fiber:   1 g 

Protein:  10.5 g 

Points:  12

Recipe:

3/4 cup Kellogg's Corn Flake

1/2 cup skim milk

2 eggs

4 slices of cinnamon swirl bread

2 tablespoons of butter (optional)

maple syrup (8 Tbsp per serving)

1.  Place Kellogg's corn flake crumbs in a shallow bowl and set aside.

2.  In another medium sized bowl, combine milk and eggs. 

3.  Coat a large pan with cooking spray. 

4.  Dip the bread in the milk/egg mixture and then dip it so both sides are coated with corn flakes. 

5.  Place on the cooking pan on medium heat and cook both sides.

6.  After the bread is cooked, place 1 tbsp of butter among the two pieces of bread (optional).  Drizzle with 8 tbsp of maple syrup and serve with fruit.

I <3 breakfast for dinner...



Recipe adapted from Kelloggs.com

 

Spicy Thai Coconut Chicken Stir Fry

Whew!  Have you ever done an ab work out for 30 minutes!  Yesterday was my first ab work out in quite awhile.  Although I'm sore, it was totally worth it.

Did you know another ingredient that benefits our tummys is coconut milk?  Coconut milk has medium chain-fatty acids (MCFA's) that is processed through the body differently than other saturated fats.  Apparently, it helps prevent weight gain for those that have lost weight and are at a set weight or those that are not overweight.

Does that mean I can get flat abs by drinking Pina Coladas 24/7?  Probably not, LOL.  However, I wish that were the case!

Here is a delicious Thai recipe I modified that has a hint of spice, but is also very rich and creamy without the calories.     

Servings:  6
Serving size- 1/2 cup of rice and a huge scoop of of chicken and vegetables

Calories:  595.5

Fat:  8.5 g 

Carbs:  106.6 g 

Fiber:  2.54 g 

Protein:  24.8 g 

Points:  16

Recipe:

2 cups of jasmine rice (uncooked)

2 cups of water

3/4 cup lite coconut milk

1 tbsp less sodium soy sauce (GF)

3 tbsps rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion (sliced)

1 tbsp ginger (powder)

3 cloves garlic (sliced)

2 lbs boneless chicken breast halves or 4 chicken breast (cut into 1/2 inch strips)

5 mushrooms (sliced to fit about a cup)

5 green onions (chopped)

1 tbps basil

1.  Put rice in rice cooker with water and cook for 15-20 minutes.

2.  In a bowl mix the coconut milk, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and pepper flakes.

3.  In a skillet or wok, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Stir in the onion, ginger, and garlic.

4. Mix in the chicken strips and cook for 3 minutes until browned. 

5.  Stir in the coconut milk sauce.

6.  Continue cooking until sauce is reduced to about 1/2 the original size.

7.  Mix in mushrooms, green onions, and basil and cook until heated through. 

8.  Serve over the cooked rice.

Although I wish coconut milk did all of the work for me, I guess I shall continue my attempts at working out.  

As LMFAO says, "I work out!!!"

 







Banana Bacon Grilled Cheese

Get ready for the best thing ever.

Banana Bacon Grilled Cheese.

I stumbled upon this sandwich after visting one of my favorite wine and cheese bars in Shirlington, VA, and figured, hey... I could make this and a much healthier version.

First off, I used turkey bacon and Jarlsberg part-skim cheese versus using real bacon and a heavier cheese. 

Servings:  1

Calories:  459

Fat:  21.4 g

Carbs:  57 g

Fiber:  5.1 g

Protein:  17.3 g

Points:  13

Recipe:

1 1/2 slices of Jarlsburg deli sliced cheese

2 pieces of Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Swirl bread

1 tablespoon of Balade lite butter

1 banana

2 or 3 slices of turkey bacon

1.  Cook turkey bacon in a medium pan on the stove.  After the bacon is crispy, take it out of the pan and blot it with towels so it's dry.

2. Using the same burner, place another small pan on top of the stove to preheat.  

3. Spread butter on each side of the bread and place one slice with the butter side facing down on the pan.

4.  Place 1 1/2 slices of cheese on top of the bread.

5.  Place turkey bacon and 1/2 of the banana (cut up in 1/2 inch pieces on top of the cheese)

6.  Place second piece of the bread on top of the turkey bacon and banana with the butter side facing up and flip the sandwich.

7.  Cut up the remaining 1/2 of the banana and have it with the sandwich.

Enjoy!

P.S.  The benefit of this sandwich is it will keep you fuller longer and it's a great post workout meal.  The cheese will help your muscles recover and the banana helps with leg cramps (they saved my life because I usually get horrible leg cramps after I work out the legs or run).

First Blog

Wine anyone?  Hello, my name is Emily and I'm a native Michigander who found herself in VA for a new job and opportunities.  This is a picture from my most recent trip home with my BF over the fourth of July at Chateau Chantel in Traverse City, MI.  If you've haven't been to the northern Michigan area, please go!  They have beautiful wineries in Old Mission Peninsula. I also have a huge fondness for wineries in northern VA.  One of my favorites is the Delaplane Winery in Delaplane, VA.   

 

Nonetheless, I am a resident of Northern Virgina and have been here for almost five years!  It's been quite an interesting experience and I'm thankful to have wonderful friends, a loving boyfriend, an interesting job as a gov't contractor, and my many hobbies, LOL.  I love running, baking, wine tastings, traveling, cooking, arts and crafts, shopping, planning and the list continues. 

I also like to be silly from time to time.  Poker Face!

Running is one of my main passions.

 I have been running for the past seven years and it brings so much joy to my life.  It makes me feel strong by helping my mind when I'm stressed and whips my body into shape. I also enjoy yoga and am gradually getting into weight lifting.  I'll be honest; I was never a runner before I went to college. It used to be a struggle to even run a mile. Now I can say I've successively ran a full marathon. I even beat Oprah's time by two minutes!  And she had a trainer (you've heard of Bob Greene, right?). I truly believe that a person can achieve anything.

DC SunTrust National Marathon in March 2010.  This was right before crossing the finish line.  So. Tired.

VA Wine Country Half Marathon in June 2012.  Yes, we drank wine after the race!

 

As well as running, I LOVE baking and that can get me into trouble because I have a huge sweet tooth.  Therefore, I am making it my goal to bake and cook more healthy meals.  I also sort of stumbled into become the fitness guru at work.  I've planned a Step Challenge and am now planning a Bike/Trail day for the company.  Fun baked goods don't have to be a zillion calories.  See my newest creation, Pink Lemonade Cake!  It has only 110 calories a serving!  And three ingredients:  Pillsbury Strawberry Lemonade Cake mix, 1 cup of Sprite Zero, and a full tub of Fat Free Cool Whip!  Oh and pink sprinkles if you have them. 

Yes, that's my desk at work.  And I brought the cake on the metro which is not an easy task. 

Not a healthy recipe, but still a heavenly one- Caramel Apple Pecan Cheesecake (courtesy of Paula Dean from the Food Network). 

Last, I love all sorts of crafts down to decorating, puttings wreaths together and recently creating jewelry.

X-mas wreath

Wine cork wreath

Seascape charm bracelet

I hope that my food and craft creations will inspire you and thank you for visiting my page!

More "healthy" recipes and projects are in the making...