Tonie Irish

Tips on Staying Motivated…And Other Helpful Information

I am going to assume you’re here for one of two main reasons: you follow my blog and have picked up that I post every Monday OR you are looking for ways to stay motivated. I know this is outside the scope of this blog, however I’m going to share anyway. This is something I have struggled with over the years, causing me to miss out on a lot of opportunities. In the last year with Emerald Lily I have had my ups and downs with staying motivated. I don’t even know if I should be posting this being that the struggle is still very real, but hey, I made a commitment to post weekly blogs and bi-weekly videos so here it goes. lol These are a few things that have helped me stay on track.

Continue reading “Tips on Staying Motivated…And Other Helpful Information”

More Than This

So I post a lot of DIYs and recipes on this here blog every Monday with the occasional random in between posts, but I would also like to open it up to possibly more topics. Maybe something to which you all could relate. I don’t really have a scope in mind for this post other than to roll around ideas. For this coming Monday I’ve got a recipe in mind, but I’m not totally sold on it. For a while now I’ve been wanting to do a motivation blog, or possibly even a video. I kinda feel like I’m no authority on the subject considering I haven’t been consistent with any of the techniques I would showcase. Perhaps I should hold off on that.

Anywho, I guess what I really want to know is what would you all want to see from me? Keep going with the DIYs and recipes? What DIYs and recipes? Or do you want more? All these questions! lol I hope you have some answers for me.

DIY: High-Low Dress Two-Toned

First I would like to say, one of these days my projects will go as planned from start to finish. In the meantime, this is my high low dress (this was supposed to be a whole different dress, but I’ll get back to it later).

Honey Pecan Crusted Chicken

Lately I’ve been hooked on pecans with plain Greek yogurt mixed with honey. I have also recently found a place that gives awesome chicken deals. So I decided to mix it all together. Well, not the yogurt.

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
2 cups pecans, finely chopped
4 tablespoons honey
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

DIY: Message Board or Wall Décor – No Cork Needed

I had two pieces of canvas art lying around that weren’t being used and couldn’t be returned so I decided to repurpose them. This is what I did with the first one.

What you’ll need:

Canvas in your choice of size (Mine is 16″x20″)
Fabric (I used two, but you can use less or more.)
Quilt batting
Ribbon
Staple gun
Hanging fixtures
Scissors
Hot glue gun (optional)
Scotch guard (optional)

Justin’s

This is a super quick post done at….about 1:30…am. I was out grocery shopping the other day and was looking at new foods to try (because that’s something I just love to do) and I came across this. I’m not a fan of peanut butter, but in trying to eat healthier things (on occasion, lol) I decided to give it a try. At first I was going to venture out and buy a whole jar of one flavor, but just as I decided not to I saw the sample packets. What other excuse did I have not to try? Not one.

DIY: Add a Spout to a Mason Jar

Easy project for your kitchen décor! Decorate it however you want and put whatever you want in it! Super FAST, I promise.

You don’t need much:

mason jar with removable lid
container of salt
pen/pencil
x-acto knife

DIY: The BEST Way to Store Your Ribbon

Back when I first started my crafting venture I made hair bows. And of course with making hair bows comes ribbon…lots of it. And then there’s the storage of this ribbon. I’ve seen several techniques, but this way seems best to me so I’ll share with you how I do it.

What you’ll need:

some type of cardboard or matte board (I use matte board)
cutting blade
metal ruler DON’T USE A PLASTIC RULER.
pencil
cutting mat
rubber bands
sticky notes or small pieces of paper
storage container (I use one of my dresser drawers)

A Skirt That Can Be a Shirt

I think empire waist dresses are my favorite, but if you’re like me you have…trouble fitting into them at times. lol So since I know how to sew I decided to take matters into my own hands. This is how I did it.

What you’ll need is simple:

fabric
elastic (in the tutorial I used 1 1/4 inch, but you can use whatever you want)
ruler
scissors
pins
safety-pin
fabric pencil for marking or a pen if you’re marking on your interfacing
interfacing (optional)

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