Photo Contest: 2nd Place Winner!

Thank you to everyone who voted for my photo, it won 2nd place! I am really happy that it did and a bit speechless at the same time. I look forward to taking more pictures this Fall and adding to my collection!

2nd Place

Photo Title:  Surreal Scene of Fall Description of Photo:  This photo was captured on ... First Name:  Jessi Last Name:  Velasco Public Name:  JessiV

Fall-inspired nail art

I wanted to do my nails this week with Fall colors so I chose orange and gray.
I also created a leaf decal to put on my accent nail. To create a decal, you can paint whatever you like free hand onto a plastic baggie. Make sure it's the right size for your nail. You should probably do at least 3 coats of polish to make sure it will peel off when it dries. Let it dry overnight and gently peel off :) You can then place it on your nail and gently press it down. Cover with top coat and that's it!

Gift Wrap Idea

I wanted to be creative when wrapping a gift so I decided to use fabric instead of ribbon for the bow.
You can find fabric fragments for fairly cheap at stores that carry fabric--that's where I got mine. Cut two strips that will go around the box in both directions like a "t". Then, cut another shorter strip for the bow. If you want to make one like I did, all you need is another small strip that can go around the center of the bow and secure it in the back. You could also simply tie a bow with that strip too. I just used clear tape to keep everything in place so that nothing shows. You can also cut the tails of the bow like I did for a kind of ribbon effect.

Nail of the Week: Newspaper Letters

My sister sent me a link to this one, but I changed it up a little bit on how to do it.

What you need:

• base color polish of your choice (something light to contrast the letters)
• cotton rounds
• rubbing alcohol
• newspaper
• top coat

First, paint your nails the base color you would like (1-2 coats to cover it evenly). Feel free to try an accent nail too!

Secondly, take a cotton round and place a bit of alcohol on it. (I folded mine in half after I dabbed it so it wouldn't be too saturated). Place aside.

Thirdly, cut out pieces of newspaper that will cover your whole nails (you can spot words you would like to use as well).

Fourthly, place the piece of newspaper, letters side down, on your nail aligned how you wish. While holding it there, place the cotton round on top and squeeze a bit to get the newspaper slightly wet.

Fifthly, after you have pressed down over all parts of the nail, slowly peel the cotton and paper off. Then, seal with top coat.

I really enjoyed this project and it didn't take very long at all to do. If you find that you don't like one nail, simply take the cotton round and rub it off. It takes a little practice to get the look you want, but it's worth it.

Give it a try!

Abbey Dawn by Avril Lavigne purses and wallets *NEW*

I just got in some great pieces from Abbey Dawn in my ebay store. Check them out!

Friday Night Lights

I went to a high school football game last night and was glad that the rain subsided fairly quickly. It made for an amazing view with the setting sun. Just thought I'd share :)

Photo Contest

I just entered a photo contest today and I would really appreciate some votes! Thank you :)

No Sugar Added Banana Oatmeal Cookies

I felt like baking the other day so I found a recipe on Taste for Home for banana oatmeal cookies. I just made it a little healthier by using whole wheat flour and Splenda instead of sugar. They came out really well so I thought I would share.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose wheat flour
• 24 packets of Splenda (or less if you don't like it too sweet)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2)
• 1-3/4 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

• In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients; beat in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg, bananas and oats; mix well. Stir in nuts.
• Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets (I used a small scoop I have for cookie dough to make them uniform). Bake at 375° for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

--All I had was Old Fashioned Oats so, I pulsed them in the food processor a few times and added a couple of tbsp of milk with the wet ingredients to soften them and it worked out fine. If that's all you have, it can still come out well.

Greek Yogurt Chicken Recipe

I was looking for something to make for dinner the other night and stumbled upon this recipe from dashingdish.com.

http://dashingdish.com/recipe/the-worlds-best-baked-chicken/

This is all you need:
1 lb Boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 4 medium size chicken breasts)
1/2 cup Plain low fat or fat free Greek yogurt
3 tbs Grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp Garlic, chopped (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
1 tsp Dried minced onions (or 1/2 tsp onion powder)
Pinch Salt and Pepper
1 tsp Dried herb mix (such as Mrs. Dash) or dried parsley

 --I used 1 tsp dried parsley and 1 tsp dried rosemary I also added some chopped green chile (if you like green chile, it's a nice addition)

 1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a large baking pan with cooking spray, (no exact size needed, just big enough to fit four chicken breasts). Set aside.

2.)Place chicken breasts in a large ziplock bag, and lightly pound them with a meat mallet or rolling pin, (this tenderizes the chicken breasts and makes them all even thickness, which helps for even cooking and tender chicken!)

3.) Meanwhile, In a small bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients, (everything except for the chicken breast). Place chicken breasts in baking pan and brush yogurt mixture evenly over chicken breasts, covering the tops and the sides evenly.

4.) Bake chicken for 30-35 minutes, (or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.) Remove from the oven and enjoy with salad or veggie of choice!

 --I thinly sliced some yellow squash, drizzled with olive oil and salt, and sprinkled it around the chicken and baked it along with it. It was great because it absorbed the juices from the chicken. Also, mine didn't brown too well, but I think if you add a little extra cheese to the top of the greek yogurt topping after you put it on the chicken it may brown better.

It's very easy to make and the flavor is really good. You may have to add extra salt to taste if you like more.

Enjoy!