Target inspired DIY minimalist copper figurine

So I have this moment alot, where I'm walking through a store or looking at something in pinterest and think "I could make that instead of buying it". I get it from my mom. I've been eyeing this beautiful figurine for weeks and finally gathered the tools to make something like it. Of course, this figurine is not exactly the same but I feel you get the same simple, clean and pretty vibe from it. You can find all of these supplies at your local Lowe's or Home Depot

Here's what you need:

two 1/4" X 2' soft copper tubes

tube cutter 

copper wire 

copper wire cutter (I used the one on a multitool)

Take your tube cutter (here's how I learned to use it) and cut your pipe into these measurements:

three pieces 8"

two pieces 5"

one pieces 3"

Feed your copper wire through your cut pipe until you have the desired shape. Above, you can somewhat see the step by step process I did. It's not too complicated. In the end, I took some longer pieces and fed them through each binding point just to make it a little stronger.

Happy crafting!

minimalist light fixture inspiration

So until Casey lost his job in December, we were seriously looking into buying a house here in Asheville when our lease is up in May buuuuut with the other half of our income being a little uncertain we've decided to push off those plans and continue to rent for the next year. Which means I have the itch to change all sorts of things in our house since we're going to be there for a while longer. I think the first stop is going to be changing some lighting situations in our house. Our living room has no overhead lighting and I'd like to simplify our small bedroom to make it look a little less small. Hubs is also going to be building us a new bed frame/platform but it could be a while before that is done. And he's going to build us some simple nightstand tables. And did I mention buying him a table saw for Christmas was the best idea ever? I'm so excited! Here are a few things I've been playing around with and considering for our bedroom:

 

 

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And to install in our living room:

 

 

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All of these require minimal installation and would be easy to take down (since it's not our house) which I love!

 

 

 

 

IF YOU'VE MADE IT THIS FAR:

You'll need to know that I'm selling tons of stuff from my closet on instagram @ashtonzagerscloset and that if you use the hashtag #girlgonewife when claiming an item, I will give you 20% off! Go! Shop now!

 

16 gifts for guys that aren't clothes

Boys are hard when it comes to gift giving...I always struggle to find gifts for my dad, uncles, etc. way more than I do the women in my family. So to help, I've compiled a list of items approved by Casey and some other guys that are worth looking into! Christmas is just around the corner but it's not too late to snag one of these great gifts!

1. Wireless iPhone Boombox Speaker $40
2. REI Flash 18 Pack  34.50 $26.93
3. For the man who loves a good shave $60
4. UGG man slippers  $109.95
5. Leatherman Wingman Multitool $34.95
6. For the guy who's into working out $39.95
7. The best thermos in the world $25.99
8. waterproof flashlight  $14
9. sexy man blankey $178
10. for the man who doesn't ever shave $45
11. for absolutely no reason $24.95
12. for the man who loves camping  $130
13. pocket rocket camping stove  $39.95
14. charge/sync portable cable $25
15. nike+ gps watch 199.95 $165.95
16. beer of the month subscription  $39/month

fall essentials

The leaves are changing! Part of the reason why we fell in Asheville is because of the mountains and being in the mountains means there are actual seasons, rather than the 2 week period in Texas where everything changes and falls so fast. This time of the year the mountains begin to burn with red and orange and my stereotypical white girl tendencies pop up. Hence, our October bucket list and my desire to buy so many new clothes. But I don't even care! Here's a list of fall essentials and wish list items I have or want to add to my closet this year.

1. A killer hat

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2. colored skinnies

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3. stripes

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4. cropped skinnies

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5. army green outerwear

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6. a-line skirts

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7. functional boots

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8. wine colors

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9. ankle boots

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10. a warm vest

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october bucket list

I love love love Fall. It's my favorite season by far. With Marcel being with us now, the idea of making traditions is suddenly much more exciting to me. Kind of like...when people get a kid. I want to show him Asheville and America and introduce him to new things. So to help keep us accountable to this, we've put together an October bucket list and I am so excited to complete it! Some are simple. Some are not. But they're definitely things that I always say we should do and don't do often enough or sometimes at all. So here's the list:

1. Visit a pumpkin patch (so white girl..I know)

2. Pick apples

3. Make a 100% home made pie from scratch

4. Visit a haunted house (I will inevitably cry)

5. Do the zip line at Windy Gap

6. Go through a corn maze

7. Visit Max Patch

8. Ride bikes down the Blue Ridge Parkway

What are some of your traditions? Any bucket list items for the fall? 

fortunates and unfortunates

fortunates:

1. Hubs and I went to the Lobster Trap last week for date night and we DINED. Wine, oysters, lobster...we did it big. And I found out date night is so much more fun the more you need it.

2. Hubs surprised me at work on Friday morning and worked with me for about an hour

3. got my first WG paycheck!

4. not burning myself during the chaos that is pizza meal

5. a clean house. I'm getting so good at it

6. 

unfortunates:

1. I got a speeding ticket...at 5 am on my way to work. Cops love me. 

2. locking my keys in my car on our date night. I used to be the queen of this but I hadn't done it since we got married and I'm so mad my streak has ended!!!

3. being around camp food all day. I'm struggling to draw the line and not munch all day...may need to do another whole 30

4. the 3x1 inch burn on my forearm that is turning yellow...eff you sheet trays

5. a tired body. A combination of three 330 wake up calls in a row and it being close to surfing the crimson wave resulted in an unmotivated lazy Ashton this week

for the love of tassels

Soooo I had a bunch of my YL girls over for a craft night Saturday night and it was ridiculously fun. I don't know why I hadn't done something like that yet. We did some of your typical white girl Pinterest projects with canvases and made headbands and thennnn we made these awesome leather tassle earrings and they were so easy! I love the pop of the gold against the black leather and well...leather and gold are kind of in right now. Here's now to make them:

What you'll need:

2 gold earring hooks

very thin gold wire

black leather

scissors

plyers

Directions:

Cut your leather into a 3/4" X 1.5" piece. Cut several slits in the leather that run about 3/4 of the way up, but keep the top of the strip together like this: 

Roll it up like a burrito and begin to tightly wrap the gold wire over the top of the leather. Feed the last part of the wire through the earring hook and wrap until secure. Use your plyers to squeeze the wire closer.

 

And that's it! 

But seriously...how cute are they?? The Lord blesses and teaches me so much through getting to be even a small part of their world.

our new dining room

I'm so thrilled with how this project turned out! It took a little longer than expected. We bought this table and chairs for 60$ and I sanded, painted and recovered the chairs so it pretty much looks nothing like when we got it. I may or may not have recovered the chairs twice because I didn't like the first fabric once I got it on the chair...poor hubs.

And yes, I am already ready for fall.