The Napkin Skirt

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Napkin Skirt
The Napkin Skirt… now doesn’t that sound classy :) It is called the napkin skirt, because that’s just what it is- a skirt made from napkins. I picked up these four napkins at World Market last week. I love World Market dish towels and napkins. And they are cheap. The floral napkins are $3 a piece. The red napkins are $2. I actually only used three of the four napkins, making this an $8 skirt. I like that price tag :)
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This is the easiest skirt to make, because everything is basically precut and hemmed for you.
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After I had sewn it all together, I realized that it was a little big. Instead of just taking it in, I decided to add a few pleats to the back of the skirt.
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For the tutorial click HERE


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Still Here and Ready to Win it!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Still here! Whitney is dealing with tornadoes in Kansas and I(Angela) have been so busy crafting this week, blogging completely escaped my mind. Maybe Lauren will save the week and get a post for you tomorrow.

Why have I been so busy crafting? Well I've got some competing to do in season 4 of One Month to Win it! You can check me out over there. Voting starts Monday. I'll make sure to remind you :) So wish me luck as I'm off to finish my entry for round one!


Photobucket


Angela

Circuit Training

Thursday, May 19, 2011

A KEY aspect to your weight loss success is to give your workouts a variety by a combination of weight and cardio training. You want to lose fat but not lean muscle tissue, so it is essential that weight training is a part of your weight loss program.

Here is a sample work out to help with your weight loss needs:

5 minutes- 5.5 jog pace on the treadmill

2 sets of 8 reps - bosu ball pushups



2 sets of 10 reps - side dumbbell lateral raises



2 sets of 10 reps - ball squats



2 sets of 30 secs - bicycles



2 minutes - cycling cardio burst

Repeat these sets of exercises twice to see even greater results!

5 minute - cool down with stretching

Give it a try to give your muscles variety to reach your weight loss goals!


Our New Look!

You may have noticed, or maybe not, but we have been updating the look of the blog this week. We are excited to finally introduce you to the new and improved Better Together! To the left you can find easy access to some of our most popular posts. We have a few other changes as well. Feel free to take a look around. AND Feel free to grab our button… yea we have one of those now!

Better Together

Love,

The Wray Sist3rs

Strawberry Cake

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

This fresh strawberry is to die for! My mom started making it when I went away to college so I never really learned to make it and actually forgot about it until I went home in March and she made it for Angela's birthday. I knew I would be adding this to my favorite go to desserts. It is actually very simple to make and will definitely be a big hit!



Cake
1 box white cake mix (with no pudding)
1 small box strawberry gelatin
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup mashed strawberries (about 1 carton full)

Icing
1/2 cup butter
3 cups powered sugar
1/4 cup mashed strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. combine box of cake mix and strawberry gelatin in a large mixing bowl. Beat in oil, eggs and water. When all mixed gently fold in mashed strawberries. Pour into 2 9-inch greased cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool completely and cover with icing.

For the icing, beat together butter and powered sugar. Fold in mashed strawberries. Ice between the layers, top and sides.


FRESCHETTA® Simply Inspired Pizza Giveaway winner!

Monday, May 16, 2011


Congrats to our winner for the FRESCHETTA® Simply Inspired Pizza Giveaway:

Ashley (hewella1)


You have until 5/18 to respond. Thanks to all who entered and read our blog! We will have many more giveways for you to win!!

The Garden Apron

A few weeks ago we finally got out to plant our vegetable garden. I am so excited to see what comes of it!

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We even put the babe to work. It’s never too early to learn :)

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Before we could garden, I needed to make myself something… a gardening apron!

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I like to have all of my stuff with me and accessible. Plus, I am very forgetful and I loose things all of the time. I hate having to search my yard for where I left the shovel or my gloves or whatever it is that I am needing at the moment. So when I found this cute vintage looking fabric, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. I was going to make an apron to solve all of my gardening woes.

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I made sure to cover the fabric with a plastic lining (I forget what the exact name for the plastic is. Just something you can get by the yard at JoAnns.) I wanted the apron to be a little more heavy duty, something that was cute but could still hold up well to me crawling around in the dirt. I am sure a cute oil cloth print would work too.

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I used a red bias tape for the edges around the apron and for the pockets.

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I finished it off with a big pink bow.

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I love it!

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While my husband was on a run to home depot to pick up more gardening soil, I had a few minutes to make some vegetable tags. I just used paper and stickers. I thought that these wouldn’t stand a chance to the elements. I am shocked at how well they have held up. I guess it shows that with the power of plastic wrap and clear duck tape anything is possible ;)

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Now if only it would stop raining and Summer would show up here in Colorado. I can’t wait to tackle the rest of my yard and other outdoor projects!

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How much are you REALLY eating when you are eating out?

Friday, May 13, 2011

I love eating out. I enjoy places such as Costa Vida, Chick-fil-A, and my all-time favorite: Chipotle. If I could eat at Chipotle everyday I would. But even though I enjoy eating out, like most things in life I have to do it in moderation. Without even realizing it we can end up eating more than 1,500 calories in one sitting by going out to eat. That is how many calories most women should be eating during one day, not one meal. I thought today I might post on how many calories I am eating at some of my favorite places, and then talk about healthier, lower- calorie options that you can find at the same restaurant.

1st Stop: Chipotle (my all-time favorite):

Let's look at the steak burrito, with cheese, sour cream, guacamole, black beans, corn salsa and rice.

Flour shell (burrito-sized): 290 calories
4 oz black beans: 120 calories
4 oz steak: 190 calories
3.5 oz corn salsa: 80 calories
1 oz cheese: 100 calories
2 oz sour cream: 120 calories
3.5 oz guacamole: 150 calories
3.5 oz rice: 130 calories

This steak burrito comes to a grand total of 1,180 calories! Woah! For Michael Phelps, that's like breakfast, but for the rest of us average Joe's who don't work out five hours a day, that could almost be close to the total amount of calories we should be eating in one day.

Now, like I said before, I love Chipotle — but let's just try a little healthier of an option from the same restaurant.

This time we will do a chicken burrito bowl (no shell) with cheese, lettuce, corn salsa, black beans, and rice.
4 oz chicken: 190 calories
1 oz cheese: 100 calories
4 oz black beans: 120 calories
3.5 oz corn salsa: 80 calories
2.5 oz lettuce: 10 calories
3.5 oz rice: 130 calories

Grand Total: 630 calories

Just by getting rid of a few things you can still get to eat at a great place and only consume half the calories.

2nd Stop: Chick-fil-A

Original Chicken Sandwich: 430 calories
Medium Waffle Fry: 360 calories
One medium Coke: 170 calories

Grand Total: 960 calories — ouch!

Give this delicious meal a try at the same restaurant:

Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich: 290 calories
Side Salad: 70 calories
Fruit Cup: 70 calories
Medium Light Lemonade: 20 calories

Grand Total: 450 calories

Trust me that the grilled chicken sandwich is to DIE for. The chicken is super moist and it even comes on a wheat bun, which is super heart-healthy. I recommend you give it a try.

3rd and Final Stop: Applebee's

The reason I chose this restaurant is because it is more of a sit-down restaurant and there are locations nationally. So any one reading this can benefit.

Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo: 1,440 calories

Try this pasta dish instead — you will be able to save yourself some calories for dessert :)

Shrimp Teriyaki Pasta: 440 calories

That is a 1,000 calorie difference! That is huge! You are still getting shrimp, you are still getting pasta, but for a 1/4 of the calories. Give it a try!


Most, if not all restaurants have all the nutrition information on their websites for each of their food options. Pop on over to their restaurant website if you have time before going out to eat so you don' t reach that calorie DANGER zone. Another great resource on nutrition information at restaurants is the book titled "Stop and Go" by Steven Aldana. It is possible to watch your weight and eat out at the same time — you just need make sure you are doing it right!


FRESCHETTA® Simply Inspired Pizza Giveaway!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of FRESCHETTA® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

FRESCHETTA® Simply…Inspired™

We are so excited to be doing a giveaway for FRESCHETTA® Simply Inspired Pizza.

I(Whitney) have to be honest here and say that I usually hate frozen pizza. It tastes like cardboard. Plus the cook and couponer in me can make my own better tasting pizza for a fraction of the cost of a frozen pizza. So when FRESCHETTA® Simply Inspired mailed me a free coupon to try out their new line of pizzas, I was very skeptical. When I got to the store to pick out the pizza I was amazed at all of the awesome varieties they have. There are 8 different flavors! I choose the rustic pepperoni pomodoro.

FRESCHETTA® Simply Inspired Rustic Pepperoni Pomodoro

I was blown away at the flavor. Seriously one of the best frozen pizzas that I have ever had. I am not just saying that. My favorite part was the super thin crust.

Another great feature about this product is the packaging. It doesn't come in the bulky square cardboard box. It comes in a package that uses 30% less material while still offering a FRESH-TASTE SEAL that locks in the vibrant flavors.

You can check out FRESCHETTA® Simply Inspired on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FreschettaSimplyInspired They are offering a $2 off coupon! Score!

 

FRESCHETTA® Simply Inspired was not only generous enough to offer me a coupon, but as a special treat they gave me a coupon AND a bamboo cutting board for you! (cutting board pictured above)

 

***Here is how you could win a free pizza and a free bamboo cutting board-

To enter giveaway (you have up to 3 opportunities to win): 

1. Leave a comment telling us which of the 8 new flavors you would like to try.

2. Like FRESCHETTA® Simply Inspired on facebook.

3. Become a Better Together follower.

(Make sure that you provide your email address or that your email address is visible in your profile.)

 Giveaway ends Saturday, May 14!

Visit Sponsor's Site

Fall Into Spring Top

Monday, May 9, 2011

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I bought the fabric for this top last October at JoAnns. I knew the second that I saw it, that I wanted to make myself a top with it. I couldn’t decide how I wanted that top to look. Finally last Thursday, I just went for it. I sewed until I was done. I didn't use a pattern for this. I’m not a huge fan of patterns. I basically just patterned this after a shirt that I already own.

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I call it my Fall into Spring top, because of it’s Fall colors. I know that I have said it before, but Fall colors are my favorite colors no matter what time of the year. Plus, I am sucker for anything mustard yellow. I love this fabric!

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This top is very versatile. (Ignore my lame modeling poses and weird faces. There is one thing that I know for sure, I did not miss my calling in life as a model.)

You can wear it with a belt.  

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Or on a breezy evening, you can wear it with a cute sweater and another belt.

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Or you can dress it up with a cute skirt. And wouldn’t this look cute with a chunky belt? I am getting back into belts these days :)

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A few things about the top. I added a pleated sleeve. I also added 1/2 inch bias tape around the edge of the sleeves and neck.

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And since it is Spring Top month over at Made by Rae. I figure I will enter this one.

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