DIY: Bridal Shower Cake

"Eat, Pink & Be Married"

Tonight was my best-friend's bridal shower, all pink & girly.

I wanted to do something different than the usual Victoria's Secret gift bag or wrapped gift & bow, and so with some baby shower diaper cake + Pinterest + my OWN creativity

I made a "Bridal Shower" cake/gift:

It was very easy to do and probably could've taken me less than an hour if my daughter didn't keep ripping things apart, or that I'm a perfectionist. 

1. I cut a cereal box into two different sizes & length to make the outer & inner towel circles. There isn't a specific length and size. It depends on your preference and size of your hand towels.

2. I then rounded them into circles and taped them together. 

Other tutorials like {CLICK HERE} hot glued them to a cake plate. I didn't have one, but it became sturdy after I wrapped the hand towels around each circle.

I just worked with what I had.

3. I laid everything out

Cheap = hitting up your local Ross.

$4 bucks- Set of hand towels

$3 bucks- Huge net of kitchen ware spatulas

$5 bucks- Photo clips

I'm a makeup hoarder/addict (ask my husband), so I added in the "unused" MAC lipglasses and Victoria's Secret Spray because I love my friend that much!

I also had an unopened set of heart shaped cookie cutters from a past wedding favor. 

Ribbons from my Mom. The large ribbon is actually from a Victoria's Secret shopping bag handle.

BRIDE letters from Mom's Cricket machine. 

Lastly, I had a pie crust platter that I never used.

BACK VIEW

*Yup, I stuffed "Honeymoon Essentials" within

Only for the Bride's eyes

There you go! It was a hit at the Bridal Shower, so go ahead and impress EVERYONE!

Simple, practical & something to be proud of.

To warm your heart

"It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80′s arrived at the hospital to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am. The nurse took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would be able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor’s appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer’s Disease. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he
 was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. I was surprised, and asked him, ‘And you still go every morning, even though she doesn’t know who you are?’ He smiled as he patted my hand and said, ‘She doesn’t know me, but I still know who she is.’"

"Hunger Games Hangover" Book Challenge

This summer I'm taking the "Hunger Games Hangover" book challenge.

*FYI I have, am and will always be a book worm...and I read the Hunger Games wayyyyy before the bandwagon came rolling into town (but who cares if you jump on it right?), you can even ask James when I said, "It would be cool if they did a movie on this". However, I'm still half & half about books turned into movies. Most of the time movies end up killing it for the movie goer who didn't even read the book prior to watching. ANYWAYS....a friend of mine mentioned the list above, and since the end of May, I've finished two and am almost ending a third. 

I loooooove reading. Anything & everything. 

Sometimes I read a book just to form my own opinion about it. And even if I'm bored halfway, I'll still finish it, just to finish it, but then I'll appreciate the storyline anyways. It's hard to explain. I'm book weird.

If you ever go to the Kahuku Public Library, there's a "Classics" shelf in the Young Adult section. You know, the books your English teachers pick and force you to read at every grade level, like The Great Gatsby and The Good Earth. Anyways, I challenged myself to read that entire classics shelf one of my years in high school. I enjoyed it so much (Yes I did! Loved Les Miserables! And excited about the upcoming movie remake) that I would check out almost four novels at one time and take turns reading them every other night. hahaha. And so when the books were assigned to us to read in English, I was already one step ahead of my class & was able to procrastinate a lot of my hw/ or even turn hw in early because of already reading the book.

Aside from classics, high school was where I was introduced to 'dystopian literature' when an English teacher of mine suggested I read, The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood. A really BIG must read. It'll get your mind thinking, and is probably why I fell in love with the Hunger Games series and now the Divergent/Insurgent series (thx Leise).

I also came across another suggested dystopian book list, with some series also mentioned in the first picture above. However, this blogger actually read all the books she suggests and reviews them. I'm actually a little more interested in her list and other suggestions on her blog. CLICK HERE!

That'll be what I'm doing this summer, well actually in that direction but I'm always looking for good reads at Barnes & Nobles since I've become an official member! lol. And Mahie too in the children's book club. Let me know what other reads you've found. I also finally finished "Little Bee" by Chris Cleave, suggested by my sister-in-law Rose.

Time to get reading & fall asleep for work tomorrow!

wanting for the sun

summer is almost here.....a few fun things :)


cute layered roxy tankini

love the floral print

BRIGHT summer nails

the smell of "tahiti, sweetie" my favorite bath & body works lotion

a friend of mine surfed on the billabong girl's team & was sponsored by shiseido. i love this sunscreen!

& my NEW vz's

ASH-LYN!!!

I don't think my name is hard or any way difficult to pronounce. There's just "ash" and then there's "lyn". Unless you're like an innocent two or three year old, then maybe you'd call me "adin" with a lisp....but if you're an adult, there's no excuse. NO EXCUSE. I think this vent post was triggered by a certain tutu in the building I work at, who has been introduced to me, has heard me introduce myself to her/remind her what my name was, and sees my BOLD name printed on my employee tag pinned onto my chest many times....and yet still calls me ASHLEY. Hello! You're not THAT old!

I've encountered this Ashlyn/Ashley situation throughout my life. When I was younger, I'd think to myself, "Am I not pronouncing my name clearly?" I  mean I'd greet someone, tell them my name, and yet they'd still refer to me as Ashley. But as I grew older I categorized these annoying name-messer-upper people as either 1. Deaf, 2. Lazy, 3. Dumb. I know it may sound harsh, but hear me out....or just get off my blog.

1. Deaf
So the deaf ones, obviously just didn't hear me the first time (I guess). They paid attention to me introducing myself, but somehow they'll make an honest mistake which usually happens once. I'm forgiving to these types of people because they really didn't mean to mess up my name and truly apologize or make you feel that they WANT to learn your correct name, lol. It's no biggy, we're all deaf at times. (Sometimes I'm purposefully deaf, haha)

2. Lazy
Lazy, is more like stubborn because they actually hear you say ash-LYN, but yet keep referencing back to it sounding like ash-LEY, and "Oops sorry, it's because I know an Ashley". Has no one heard my name before? Because it was pretty common in elementary. In 1st, 4th and 5th grade I was referred to as 'AshlynK' or 'Ashlyn1' in classes with other Ashlyn's. These people are super annoying, and yet they always seem to think it's funny that they call me the wrong name.

3. Dumb
And the Dumb, make no courteous effort to notice that they consistently call me the wrong name. They see it on my name tag, the emails I send them, they hear it when I constantly correct them or hear other  coworkers call me ASHLYN. They are always small in number, so I know for sure that they just have a personal problem, lol. So guess what "Dummies"? Two can play that game! (And mind you this is only when I'm pretty ticked off) ......when I keep walking out of the room, it's because my name is not ash-LEY.....it's ASHLYN. Get it right, or I'm not turning around! I mean, it's not like I make up a name to call you!

In the words of Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30 DVD, "let's bring things back to center & cool down." lol. You may think I'm crazy, but I'm just stating a point. It's my name and I love my name. In fact I'm very proud of name. My Dad named me after his mother, my Grandma Ashlyn Ululani Ka'onohi Ka'ahanui, who passed away when he was a little boy from a severe case of asthma. My Dad loved his Mom, and it was through the childhood stories he told that caused me to love her just as much. She was a remarkable woman and had a beautiful history. She was born to a wealthy Hawaiian family with a huge house up in Alewa Heights. Her Father (my Great-Grandfather) was Alexander Kaonohi, one of the first 'official' Hawaiian doctors, having come from a long line of kahuna la'au lapa'au, or natural Hawaiian healing. He classified more than 240 herbs and plants to be documented as ways to heal, paving the way for modern medicine in Hawaii. He truly served the Hawaiian community, usually never taking any payment but was always left fruit, sugarcane as a thank you from patients.

Her 1950 graduation from St. Andrew's Priory

Great-Grandfather Doctor Ka'onohi, that's a pure Hawaiian right there!

Grandma Ashlyn, Grandpa B, my uncles and the smallest with the red hat is my Dad "Kent" Kaahanui.

My Grandma Ashlyn attended St. Andrew's Priory (reason why I wish one day I can afford to send Mahie there), was well educated, musically talented on the ukulele, had a strong testimony of the gospel and was a wonderful mother to five young children. So maybe I am making a big deal about my name, but I have good reason to.

Lastly, it has caused me to always, yes always, listen carefully to what another person's name is. I am very sensitive to making sure I pronounce a name correctly. Plus, it's embarrassing if you're calling the other person the WRONG name. We should all make the effort!

So Hi Guys, my name is Ashlyn Aspinall.

One episode after the other!

I had the entire Saturday to myself & Mahie. Parts of our home have been separated into toss, sell, pack. It doesn't help that when you make piles, your little 10month baby crawls over and starts to make her own pile...or decides to take a nap in the middle of everything. Anyways, I always clean better with Pandora or a movie playing in the background. I went with an online tv show suggestion by my friend Marissa called "Dance Moms"....I'm addicted. After 2 minutes into Season 1, Episode 1, I realized I couldn't leave my laptop, so I barricaded the living room to keep Mahie from roaming the apartment and decided to plant myself next to all the laundry needed to be separated and folded. I ended up watching more episodes than folding laundry (which wasn't a lot at all, lol). I think us women love our online movie shows....one episode after another really makes the time fly. James came back from work, looked around and said, "What did you do with your life today?"...I told him to order pizza for dinner. lol.

The Coach is pretty intense, but I don't know why the moms complain because at the end of the day, their daughters are very talented and win every competition. Although I do agree that the Coach can be over the top at times, like for one performance she dressed the girls (6-10yrs) in sequined bras and booty shorts, and taught them some pretty inappropriate moves. The judges didn't even place them.

I've also been reading up on a lot of "Mommy Blogs". Don't you think that a lot of them on blogspot seem repetitive or have a cookie cutter presentation. As in they all share the same characteristics: skilled in photography, skilled in baking, shop-a-holics, eating-healthy-aholics, lol, exercise-aholics....not hating, ANYways...I came across Kourtney Kardashian's blog videos too. I wonder if she really does DO ("does DO" does that make sense?) everything for her son or if she has a nanny on hand. But then again, I too have nanny help when I'm at work, lol...TWO on-call infact. Nanny #1: My sister Hillary (she's #1 because she's more available and doesn't get stressed like), Nanny #2: My Mom.....who after 5 kids and a million years later I guess forgot how demanding crawling/teething infants can be. (love you mom).

If you got a favorite tv show or mommy blog, hook a sistah up!

Still Alive!

I've neglected my ONCE TOTALLY OBSESSED personal blog. It'll make a reappearance soon. Ok? To all my 11 fans, haha, and random passerby's.....I guess the only thing that's been on my mind lately is work, graduation in April, and out with the move to my Parent's temporarily and then off to the Land Down Under! James first, then me & Mahie. It's like one in the morning and my neighbors are belching karaoke! errrr! House is messy, but I'm just flipping the light off on it all. Good night, Sleep Tight....I'll soon be sewing a dress for my baby girl, hopefully the final project LOOKS like a dress!

"Collect the Things You Love"

mummy is DEFINITELY addicted to

PINTEREST

love my mahie.

 to read. & read.

"mommy"-hood.

a real movie night.

chignon.

dream mommy's corner

what i love most about my home, is who i share it with <3

Pretty Little Things

For the past couple of days I've been on a quick break as 1st Term transitions to Fall Semester...soon my last school year of college will FINALLY be over!! And to kick the break festivities off, what better way than to get this beauty in the mail:

Urban Decay 15 year Anniversary Palette

Limited Edition. ALL new shades. Very Pigmented. Beautiful, Durable & Reusable Packaging. I LOVE me some Urban Decay. I'm not sure if Sephora or Sephora.com have picked up on it, well, I did order this a while back so maybe they should have it in stock by now. But I know they are going fast. I always buy limited edition lines because they never disappoint. Although they go quickly, you'll own something that another makeup person won't have, haha. Plus they're always new products designed just for that L.E. line, so they're always pretty cool. 

U.D. also came out with a limited edition 24/7 pencils collection, but it was just too much & I already have majority of the colors from other palettes. 

If you've missed out on these L.E. eye shadows, U.D. also just launched their 5th?? Volume of their Book of Shadows....which has similar shades. I'm not getting it, since I have their 3rd Volume & bought their 4th but gave it to my friend Nea cause I wasn't feeling it....that's why its a pass for me....but it seems pretty cool. You get eye shadows + key chain speakers + liquid liner + mascara + ipod plug-in.....pretty awesome. 

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil 

(Matte Bronzing Powder)

Yum Yum YUM!! Chocolate Lovers, this is a makeup MUST HAVE.

Although my 2 FAVORITE FAVORITE BEYOND FAVORITE makeup brands are MAC and Urban Decay....I ventured over to the Too Faced cosmetics area in Sephora. I heard about this bronzer for quite a while & since all I had was a Sephora pencil sharpener in my shopping bag, I decided to give it a sample try. LOVE the smell of chocolate as soon as you open it. Great bronzing shade for my skin tone, and its MATTE!  I already have too many shimmery bronzers. I have been using this everyday so far, & made my husband smell it about a million times, hahaha. I can't get over its delicious smell. 

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Foundation

I wanted to have lighter foundation since all I have are just different types of Mac foundations in liquid, cream & powder....& you'd be crazy to use those as everyday face wear. So in the times that I'll want to wear some coverage, I've been turning to Neutrogena's liquid foundation. It really feels good on my skins & surprisingly has even eliminated some blemishes. I like applying it with my Sigma F80 Flat Top Kabuki brush (which is another must have!!), applies very smoothly without streaks & blends well. It gives you a "fresh-face" kind of look, as if you're not wearing anything at all. 

One weekend my husband treated me to Sally's Beauty Supply after making a stop at Babies R Us. I love looking at everything in there & filling up my hand cart. haha. Obviously after buy diapers, formula...etc, leftover 'kala' goes to Sally's!!

Halloween's coming up, so I was excited to buy these Sally's Girl loose glitters, which are so cheap. They even come with the clear adhesive to help you apply the glitter.

I got them in a couple of colors, I know I'll have fun with them. 

I also picked up some ORLY nail polish in warm shades.....and....
Seche Vite for some high glossy tips

It's like I got my nails done in a salon.
Enjoy, Enjoy!

busy bee tutu

Can I just (excitingly) point out that Halloween is just around the corner.

 Like right there behind September 30th is October!

Ok, I know, I know, its ONLY the 3rd day of this month....but I'm just so happy:

1) Cause the Holidays are a startin'

2) I have a baby to dress up, decorate & hang a stocking for

3) Duh, baby's first EVERYTHING...beginning with:

Her FIRST Halloween Costume:

(New Sneak-Peek Project)

I'm beginning with a DIY tulle baby tutu

Can you GUESS what Mahie will be trick-or-treating as???

I will be busy with school-work-mommying- & costuming ;)

POETICA

Kat Von D is coming out with some new thangs!

here i come sephora

Hunger Games

My Current Summer Read:

THE HUNGER GAMES!

Bought this on a whim from Barnes & Noble (which has always been better than Borders!) and have been glued to its pages whenever a free second in my day opens up. Seriously, it gets you hooked, well as soon as you understand the introduction....but then the author truly gets you wanting to know more & more each page. It kills me that I have a huge paper due tomorrow and I have to take a break from "the girl on fire" :)

Anyways, I'm pretty sure these books/series are or will get popular in no time. That being said, filming has already started for the movie to be release in 2012!

"Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives. In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death - televised for all of Panem to see.

Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love"

Glam Fairy

I came across a post on HOTT MAWMA about the show:

JERSEYLICIOUS

My husband found the entire show for me online, and I've spent the past few days totally obsessed with "Joy"-sey...aka Jersey!

One of the episodes featured a hair & makeup competition among the cast, and I totally loved this hair-do by the Glam Fairies.

Isn't it just so elegant. I like updo's that are loose, have volume...and not pulled tightly back like a typical prom-do. Crispy curls, yuck!

If you haven't watched this show, you're definitely missing out on Jersey Style. The blond on the right is the "Glam Fairy" and supposedly the Queen of Wedding Makeup, especially the smokey eye. Alexa is pretty cocky & a witch, but her work is flawless. I got curious & wanted to check out her GLAM FAIRY WEBSITE, lol her company actually breaks down the question of What the F is a Glam Fairy?

 Thanks Nea, I'm a Jerseylicious Addict :)

Where to START?

My husband took me out for the entire day & spoiled me like crazy. So many things to show, even MORE things waiting in the store for my return.

TARGET

First off I found these on the clearance shelf:

Sooo Cute! Boys had those denim diapers & girls got these pretty prints. Yes I stocked up & my husband thought I was crazy. My little wiggle worm already wears size 2!

Target has some really nifty things for babies, Walmart needs to step up their game. I bought my daughter a whole bunch of cool things, but of course they aren't as cool as these (lol):

It's A TEN

I've always wanted to try this & finally got my opportunity when I had my hair trimmed a few weeks ago. So while scanning the hair department I found the product line & had to get it. It smells so good, plus I remembered how soft it made my hair feel after I left the salon.

why a ten???

1. repairs dry, damaged hair

2. adds shine

3. detangles

4. controls frizz

5. seals and protects hair color

6. prevents split ends

7. stops hair breakage

8. creates silkiness

9. enhances natural body

10. heat protectant (for use with flat irons)

Yummy Yummy Yummy, it smells so good, salon good! lol. I can't wait to use it after I wash my hair. The only thing that irritated me, was that since we live in Hawaii, it's pretty pricey. Like this is my first and last bottle until I take a trip to the mainland :)

Sinful Colors

The toes-ies have been needing a change of color, and I love bright shades all over them.

It seems like a bubblegum pink on here, but its actually almost a close toss up between coral and neon pink, if that makes sense. I just got finished with my paint job :)

There were a few more hair products I needed to restock on, but nothing that great.

But that's when we headed to Alamoana and made a stop at Aldo's. 

First the Aldo Accessory store

I walked into this fabulous store & was totally reminded of shopping memories in New Zealand. My husband is from Auckland, so I was able to take a trip with him back home. The stores there are way more awesome than here. The little girl in me jumped for joy as I scanned the walls and shelves of Aldo's accessories. Mahie was looking too. She enjoyed the feather earrings.

Then we made our way to Aldo's the shoe store:

They were having a yellow tag clearance sale PLUS an ADDITIONAL 30% off

There were shoes galore! I'm beginning to invest in quality shoes, which do come with a price. But, I'm just tired of paying for cheap shoes that hurt my feet or wear down easily. I'm starting with heels that can go with anything. Picked up some black Nine West's the other week (Also on Sale, love a bargain). These are comfy, still need to break them in though. They seem kind of dark, but they're actually lighter. Next pay check, I'm heading back. Can you believe a lady complimented me on these shoes as I tried them on. Yet as soon as I put them down to get ready to purchase, she almost tried to take them from me. How dare you mid-life crisis woman, but thanks for the compliments :)

No h.w. for this Student-Mommy tonight. Tomorrow feels like a "email-teacher-sick-not-coming-class-but-really-i-just-wanna-play-with-my-baby" kind of day :)

Sleepy Wrap

This past week I was super busy, but I was able to try out my Sleepy Wrap:

Honestly, I thought people who bought these were weird, but now they've risen to COOL status because I've joined the baby carrier group with my own green Sleepy Wrap. haha.

My sister wanted to try it out, so in the middle of the grocery store, I was helping her wrap Mahie, and people were staring like crazy. Well I wouldve too, since at first it looks like the longest scarf in the world.

Two thumbs up, COMFORT APPROVED! Mummy definitely LIKES.....seriously, it feels like you're not even carrying your baby. The weight is distributed evenly, so you don't feel any pull on your back or shoulders. You also don't have to hold your baby, the wrap does it all. Hands are totally free to clean, shop, hit a home run...totally kidding, but you get the idea. 

Why not get the Moby Wrap? I just saw that there were far more better reviews with this than the Moby. This wrap has better quality fabric and is more comfortable for baby and Mom. (They also have an organic fabric line of wraps) It goes for about $45, but there are a lot of promo codes you can find online. I did :)

Maybe for Halloween I'll dress up as a Mama Kangaroo & wear this, haha, Mahie can be my baby Roo. And James can be....the candy bag holder :)

Full Time Working Mummy/Student

Back to Mornings as a student and Evenings as an employee

but this time around as a 'Mummy'

Can I just say that I'm not happy about being back in school

MWF

Physical Science 730am-940am

Comm 353 950am-1150am

Already I want to procrastinate

I'm glad I graduate this coming April

To lift my spirits I painted my nails a minty green/light blue

oh & picked up these lovelies

Cooling Mist

My little family & I spent the day at the beach, all day in that blazing sun. Usually I hate sunblocks/sunscreens because most of them smell weird or I feel so gross after covering myself. However no one likes getting burnt and dealing with peeled skin....so the solution to my SPF problems:

Bath & Body Works True Blue Spa line

At Alamoana, its located near the cash registrars. Anyways, the "Cooling Sunscreen Mist" smells good, feels good & protects good!! Even my husband enjoyed using some.

August's Cosmo

Look who's back on Cosmo!

I'm such a "Check-Out Counter" Buyer...meaning anything that catches my eye as I'm waiting to be rung up at the cashier, I'll just toss into my basket...like magazines. ESPECIALLY if there's a hot celebrity beaming back at me!

 Isn't she just GORGEOUS?

I enjoy reading about makeup, fashion, hair and even home decorating tips.

I realized just how many magazines I had stocking up when my sister needed some for a bridal shower game. I think every girl there could've had their own magazine to look at hahaha. It was hard seeing the guests rip them apart for the game, but new issues come out monthly so I got over it. Plus it was funny seeing true magazine addicts like myself READING/LOOKING THROUGH the magazine instead of playing the game.

Birchbox

My 1st Birchbox arrived!

What is Birchbox?

Each month you receive 4-5 samples from skincare, to makeup, to even beauty tools. 

"Birchbox is designed to be a smart, streamlined, and fun way to try and buy high-end beauty products. We sort through the clutter to send you only what works and what’s worth the splurge. We created Birchbox because, like you, we love beauty but we don’t want to have to work too hard for it"

*Past samples included:

I know right?! Nars Illuminator!

THIS MONTHS JULY BOX:

1. Nuxe (multi-usage dry oil)

2. Zoya Nail Polish in Pandora (pretty nudes)

3. Redken Shine Flash, 2.1 oz can

4. Purity Made Simple facial cleanser, sample size

5. Kind Almond & Apricot bar

Pro: You recieve goodies every month!

Con: Some samples can suck! lol