That time I woke up at 3:30am...

Our Atlanta early morning news show (11Alive Atlanta) had a special episode this week where they came to Decatur, GA and showed all the awesome things that we have to offer.

Like me!

One of the boutiques that I sell at (Homegrown) was asked to be featured on the show so myself, the owners and three other artists showed up to promote the crap out of our store's goods to anyone watching TV at 5:20am.

Let me just tell you.....the day started eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeearrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrlyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

3:30am is an ungodly hour and when the alarm went off, in my sleepy haze, I apparently squeezed my husband's butt repeatedly until he got out of bed to shut the alarm off.

A girl's got to get her kicks in somehow :)

Anywho, at 4:40am we arrive on the set looking all fine and ready for our big TV debut.

BTW...please excuse the quality of these first few photos. It was 4:40am for goodness sakes and we don't operate well at that time.

There was plenty of lights, cameras and random groups abound. We had gymnasts, a taekwondo group, plenty of little girls dancing, a finalist from this season's of America's Got Talent, bacon donuts and some creature/mascot called 'Bookzilla.'

Our little segment aired around 5:20am and I got to model some of my jewelry for all the television viewers and even though I was on air for about a minute.....

I nailed it.

When deciding what to wear yesterday, I am glad I made the strategic decision to wear the brightest clothes I own. You can't miss me in any of the photos or videos online. I am that one girl who is constantly smiling and wearing a neon yellow top. Genius on my part.

I then spent the next two hours being 'that girl in the back of every shot who is holding two stuffed animals.'

Again....nailed it.

All in all, it was a really fun morning and I loved getting to see all the behind the scenes action that went into the morning show.

Also, we got to take our photos with some of the hosts who were as nice as could be.

Aren't the two owners of Homegrown just adorable (they are the two short ladies in front)!?!

I am trying to find a video of when one of the owners talked on the air and I grinned like a goon behind her, but alas no luck. Hopefully in a few days I can find one.

Since I was dressed and out of the house, we decided to snap some shots of me not wearing yoga pants for once.

And hell yeah, I totally tied my shirt like my mom did when I was in second grade.
#bringingsexyback

My husband directed me to pretend to pick his nose.

Call me Vogue!!

Dress - Old Navy / Shirt - Old Navy 

Earrings - My Sweet Nomsa / Bracelets - My Sweet Nomsa

So that was what I did all before 7:15am today. We promptly came home, took ourselves a nap at 8:00am and I squeezed my husband's butt until he woke up.

~ With Love, Ashlee ~

Around the Studio...

 Worked outside over the weekend at my in-laws, making some bracelets for 'The Frayed Knot' in Savannah.

Packaged up some of the weekend's orders

 Created some jewelry for a few of the local boutiques.

Made some more labels for all the new jewelry.

Got restocked on knitting needles for bracelets and had a late night crafting session 

(sorry duplex neighbor!)

Worked on a new bracelet design :)

Drank some coffee (complete with my new love - vegan hot fudge sauce) and got some reading done. 

What did you do this week at work?

~ With Love, Ashlee ~

Currently....

 
Reading: I just finished reading Lauren Oliver's 'Before I Fall' this past weekend and really enjoyed it. It's kinda like a version of Groundhog Dog minus Bill Murray but with 'the popular' kids, plenty of teenage angst, some self-awareness and growth for the characters, and a little bit of puppy love. I am currently on the waiting list at the library to start Lauren Oliver's Delirium trilogy. I have heard so many good things about this series and I am trying to use the power of my mind to will everyone in line before me at the library to read faster.

Listening: I have been using spotify more and more and started using their radio stations on it. I have actually discovered a lot of new music this way and have had these three songs on repeat for the past week.







I am the type of person that can listen to one song over a hundred times in a row (hello Lana Del Ray!) when I become obsessed with it. These three songs have been on a constant loop and I don't see it stopping anytime soon. 

Working On: I have been trying out a new jewelry medium the past few weeks and have been getting a lot of great response.

I use knitting needles as the base and then hammer, stamp and mold them into bracelets. I got a whole bunch of needles yesterday and plan on working on them for a few hours today and will have them available in my etsy store on Thursday. 

It's always so satisfying creating something new. This project has been a great burst of creativity and self assurance for me. 

Feeling Thankful For: I have been mentioned it a few times around here lately, but I just need to say it again. My husband's family is really awesome. Here I am, a mountain girl at heart, transplanted to the South and they have been nothing but warm and inviting to me and all have opened up their homes to us whenever we need one. They have taught me to enjoy collard greens and sweet tea, that you should definitely have ice cream and wine every night and that nothing is better than talking and laughing while in recliners.

We lived with his grandmother for eight months when we first arrived in Georgia and now his parents for two months and I have nothing but lots of love for them all. 

Thanks for making me a part of your family.

Loving: We are pet sitting this week for some friends and this dog just so happens to be Cooper's girlfriend, so he is happy to have her around. 

She also is a little cuddle bug so last night I sneaked her on the bed even though we have a new 'only one dog on the bed policy.' 

Shhhh....don't tell John.

Watching: We just started watching the HBO series 'Six Feet Under.' 

John has already seen it, but enjoyed it so we are watching it together.

I am really loving the character development already and can Michael C. Hall be any better of an actor??

Eating: I am about to head out to the grocery store and I have a big kale salad with this vegan cilantro lime dressing planned for lunch today.

Training: So I have commited myself to running another marathon this year. After the one in March, I thought that I wouldn't do it again. I checked it off the list and was not at all wanting to do it ever again.

But as time passed, I found myself thinking about doing another one this fall. After some talking with John, we both decided to do another marathon in late October here in Atlanta. I don't know if training for a marathon during the summer in Georgia is one of my better ideas, but I am sure to lose a little bit of water weight.

 John took this photo two weeks ago after my first run in almost four months. I look pissed off, but I was just exhausted. Promise.

So that's what I have been up to. What about you??

~ With Love, Ashlee ~

Home Again...

After spending the past two months on an island, we are back in the city and I have FINALLY unpacked and hung all my clothes back up.

And I have to say....I am missing my island.

Yep, it's mine now.

I got married there, I lived there for a few months so I think I can claim it as my own. 

I really can't believe how quickly eight weeks passed by. Seems like just yesterday I was trying to figure out how many tank tops one needs for island living and how much of a tan I could achieve. I was going for Snooki, but left looking more slightly 'sun-kissed.' 

In my last week on the island, I hit up a thrift store and scored this little Banana Republic number for $5.00.

What I love most about this dress is that the bottom of it actually has a built in slip, so the jersey fabric doesn't cling and I don't have to worry about showing off too much of my goodies.  

(Sidenote: In the above photo, I had to edit out a massive boner on my parent's-in-law pup Bruno. He was  a bit excited for his first photo shoot).

Dress: Banana Republic 

Shoes: Blowfish Shoes

Silver Locket Necklace: My Sweet Nomsa

Sterling Silver Infinity Bracelet: My Sweet Nomsa

Here are some close ups of the jewelry that I am wearing in the above photos 

(click on the photo to be taken directly to the item).

It's good to be back home, but I know that I am not the only one missing island living...

 

Be prepared for a lot of island living recaps over the next week or so because I have a whole smorgosbord of photos to share. 

Crabbing adventures, family visits, beach time, farmer's markets and fort exploring. 

Have you guys been enjoying your summer so far?

~ With Love, Ashlee ~

Week 6 Update: Fysiko Lash Growth Serum

So back near the end of May, I started using Fysiko eyelash growing serum thanks to being chosen by Influenster as a reviewer. 

I received a free tube of the product ($139 value. Woohoo!) and I agreed to do four blog reviews on the product in return (which sounded like a pretty sweet deal to me).

After using the serum for one week, I blogged about my initial thoughts in full here...  

Week One. 

To recap my initial thoughts - I loved the easy application of the product (swipe on your lid like you were putting on eyeliner), I was noticing a subtle side effect of having my eyelids darken, I experienced no pain or discomfort from using the product, and after one week I was noticing some new hairs growing in. 

So I have now been using the product for six weeks and I am actually incredibly impressed by the results so far. My eyelashes are sooooo much longer. I literally trimmed a few hairs right after I took the photos below because they were just too long. I haven't noticed a lot of new lashes growing in quite yet, but my eyelashes do look a little bit thicker.

My eyeliner line is still darkened as a side effect but I don't mind it all. It makes it look like I have just a tiny bit of eyeliner on. 

I am getting a few stray hairs growing in a few millimeters above my eyelash line, which I am going to pluck out because they look weird.

On their website they say that the all natural serum makes lashes fuller and longer in 6-8 weeks. And that you can double length and thickness of eyelashes in 8-16 weeks. Since I just hit the six week mark, I apparently am entering into the doubling of length and thickness stage. 

I don't know if I can take any more growth with these darn things. They are so long! I actually have been using my husband's comb to declump them after I put on my mascara (I seem to have lost my eyelash comb).

If you look closely at the photo you will notice that the mascara that is pictured has a 'lash growing complex' in it. I only used this mascara today as I didn't want to intermix the two during my 16 week trial period. I have about five mascaras and all of them are making my eyelashes look like tarantula legs right now. I was hoping that this one would be the miracle mascara, but it wasn't.

So enough talking....how about some photos?!?!

Doubles length and thickness of eyelashes in 8-16 weeks. - See more at: http://fysikolashes.com/#sthash.cHLxy6nY.dpuf

Doubles length and thickness of eyelashes in 8-16 weeks. - See more at: http://fysikolashes.com/#sthash.cHLxy6nY.dpuf

 

I feel like you can see the length growth really well in the photo with my eyes closed and the one with mascara. 

I have to say, after taking such close up photos of my face, I am going to be implementing a new skin care regime. 

Wrinkles, blackheads and dark spots...oh my!

~ With Love, Ashlee ~ 

PS...If the look of this post is all crazy, I apologize. Blogger is having a mind of its own today.

"I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes."