Did you guys know I'm crafty as F?

SO. All of a sudden we're in the midst of fashion seaz! I blogged about Golden Globes dresses last week, and although I shoulddddd do the SAGs today, I'm going to hold off.

The list is sitting on my desktop! [Spolier alert: Sarah Hyland and blonde Downton Abbey chick, YOU GUYS WIN!]

But um, I'm ashamed to admit I've had a little something on my "to blog about" list -- and it's been more than a month. Let's knock this one out before it's March, shall we?

MUGS, guys. And holiday projects!

Also known as, the entry where I show you how incredibly lame/crafty I got this Christmas seaz. And I'll use the word "crafty" with and without a hint of sarcasm -- because well, I am NOT a crafty person. I'm basically the opposite. And I'm not artsy, either. I can't draw. I can't make DIY shit for the house. Even as a child, my mom got a kick out of the absolute crap I created in art class. I'll sketch you a person. You'll die.

I'm good at words! Just not science-math-art-anything else.

But yeah, I'm not going to deny I did go a little cray this December on the crafting.

Ta daaaaaaaaaaaa

I guess something came over me this Christmas. I don't know, maybe it's that I didn't go home, I didn't hang with family -- maybe I just wanted to keep busy with happy-ish activities to distract myself. So, I went HAM when it came to baking and such.

First things first (I'm the rillest), I picked a few different kinds of cookies I wanted to make. All from scratch! And to be clear, this is because I'm a fatty at heart and wanted to keep most of them around my own kitchen. But yeah, I figured I'd have some leftovers I could hand out at work. So, after much internal debate, I settled on M&M cookies (my personal fav, with red and green M&Ms of course), chocolate chip (can't go wrong, plus I wanted to test a new recipe), cream cheese sugar cookies (because I found a cute tree cut-out at Crate&Barrel!) and cake batter bark. Not a cookie. Whatever. Oh, and I made Christmas cupcakes too, mostly because I found the cutest liners, sprinkles and toppers at Target. 

WHO AM I? I should shotgun a beer real quick to combat all this housewifey garbage.

So, one Saturday I made like, all my doughs. Then on a Tuesday morning I believe? I baked everything and brought most of it to work for presents/trays. I wanted it to be fresh, you know? Gah everything was so good. Am I allowed to say that? K well, I just did.

Thennnnnnnnn, I made a bunch of mugs, too. For like, my 10-ish favorite people at work. Hope you got one! Haha.

I got this mugzy idea from a blogger I read pretty regularly/went to MSU with, Rachel. She works for BuzzFeed now -- and recently did a story on how she lived according to the Pinterest most-popular page for a week (great read, bt-dubs). I saw the mugs there and decided to copy. Looked easy enough. And it was, for the most part. (I also stole the chocolate chip cookie recipe from the Pinterest story. If you want to read it, click here).

So, my mugs.

Here's the dill: You buy a bunch (or like, one, like a normal person) of mugs/or a mug from the dollar store. Or Walmart because if you're me, it's a week before Christmas and there's a run on EVERYTHING at the dollar store. Then you buy oil-based paint pens, like Sharpies. I didn't end up with Sharpies, but you can.

Here's where I differed from the tutorial -- it said to buy alphabet stickers from a craft store. I couldn't find any. Well, couldn't find any that were large enough. So I ended up buying a set of thicker, stencil-type letters. They worked really well; I recommend.

So, I got some double-sided tape and stuck the letter on the white mug. I made Shawn an S mug and Claire a C mug, etc. I was thinking about using more than one letter, like, spelling out several initials -- which wouldn't have been impossible -- but I liked how just the one letter looked. So that was that.

You're looking soooo basic. Where are your Uggs, girl?

You can play around with the letter's positioning a million times with the double-sided tape, and get it justtttt right.

Then you start making dots! I liked the look of a million small ones. I used mostly Christmas colors. It helped to go around the stencil a few times, then fill in the rest. I just eyeballed everything. It's pretty fail-proof. If I can do it? Truly anyone can. People love to say shit like that, but I really mean it.

Dotsin'

Then when you're done dotsin', remove the stencil, peel off the tape, and you're good. 

Only thing was, it took foreverrrrrrrrrrr. I was averaging two mugs per one episode of Sons of Anarchy, and G was going crazy by the end of the weekend. "Did I lose you to crafts? Come baaaack! I miss old Michelle." Ha.

They turned out super cute though! At the end of the weekend, I baked the entire batch in the oven for like, 30 minutes at 350? Then I turned the oven off and let them temper completely. Which took forevz. Be patient. Don't burn your hand off. (Oh that was just me?)

But, the baking means people can wash them in the dishwasher and the marker won't smudge!

The finished product!

So, I ended up stuffing the mugs with cookies/Christmas treats and doing a cute little wrap job.

Who am I again? I sense fun Michelle is sitting in the corner, shaking her head at me. Staaahp judging.

6 of my favorite looks from the 2015 Critics Choice Awards

I feel way more excited about all these looks than I did watching the Golden Globes.

Get itttttttttt:

Marion Cotillard (Dior Haute Couture) -- OBSESSED.
Michelle Monaghan (Elie Saab)
Reese Witherspoon (Lanvin)
Emily Blunt (Emilio Pucci)
Diane Kruger (Naeem Khan)
Jamie Chung (Yanina Couture)

My Photoshop game is weak, so you can have a lookski HERE.

I'm sick. Want to blog more but it might be Ebola. I'll keep you posted.

Serial.

Let's talk about SERIAL.

I'M OBSESSED. I just finished last Friday, actually, and I can't stop talking about it. Like, with anyone else who will listen/or especially those who tuned in.

Here's the dill:

About a month or so ago, everyone around me started to get all, "you have to listen to Serial! It's by the 'This American Life' people (NPR) and it's AMAZ."

You know how I feel about pop culture. When it comes to books/movies/TV shows/fashion/apparently now podcasts, I can't stand to be left out. (Except for Walking Dead. You can leave me out of that shit all day).

So, I finally bit the bullet and did what everyone told me, and I downloaded the Podcasts app on my iPhone. I figured, I have a 25ish-minute commute to work, I'll knock out a bunch then.

... And thennnnnnnn I spent (what felt like) every waking hour listening, till I binge-heard it all.

Last Friday, I knocked out the final six in one sitting. Cray.

Anyway, I had never really listened to a podcast before, regularly I mean. Sure, I've heard a podcast or two throughout the years, but I always thought it wasn't really my thing.

Yeah, so if you're in the same boat? Don't let that be your excuse. The podcast is so easy to access -- and you don't even have to wait for the episodes to download. You tap play and they're there.

G was all, "We're living in an era of HD TV! This feels like taking a step back to the '50s, crowding around our radio, waiting for our favorite program to start!"

Hush hush.

Serial is a true story (also something that drew me in), about a murder case from the '90s. Adnan Syed was convicted in the killing of his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, in Baltimore County. So, I can't give too much away. But the question is like, did he do it? Did he kill Hae? Why would he have killed Hae? How the Fffffffff did the jury possibly come up with the unanimous decision that he was guilty based on the court case alone? Was the case flubbed? What were the attorney's intentions?

Sarah Koenig is the reporter/narrator and she does excellent work. She doesn't just speak conversationally, she really talks to you like you're BFFs sitting in a room side by side, and she pieces the case together with you.

It's fascinating. She recreates it wonderfully, even returning to the scene to examine if the state's timeline was feasible.

Some of it is like, WHAT?!?!? I realize how ditzy that sentence sounds, but I can't even say more. Don't want to give away all the surprises. It's pretty unbelievable.

To anyone about to listen, my main advice is this: Don't get too TOO caught up in the details. Follow along closely and as best you can but ... you could rewind and rewind and take notes and drive yourself crazy following the cellphone records and everyone's stories, but you're just going to get even more confused. (And I'm a visual person. I just wanted to look at a flow chart!)

Just keep in mind: None of the case adds up. Anywhere. That's really what Koenig is trying to point out by weeding through the details. Nothing makes sense. This whole case is a ginormous cluster-F.

And then when you're done with the series, let's text about it. And read Reddit! The people on Reddit/r/serialpodcast have so many good theories and interesting nuggets that I missed the first time around. Hop to it!

Golden Globes style!

So, I've never claimed I have any real knowledge of fashion. I just know what I do and don't like. Here are some thoughts on what I was feeling Sunday. I picked my top eight and my worst eight. Who knows, maybe I'm cray. (Felicity Jones? Am I alone in this one? Yes?)

Here are my BESTIES:

--Amy Adams in Versace

Getty Images

So flattering. So perfect. The color is gorgeous. And I love the relaxed hair. I think she's my #1 of the night!

--Sienna Miller in Miu Miu

US Magazine

A really cute, fun and relaxed look. I think she rocks it. Plus, the cleavage looks classy ... I'm not sure it would on everyone.

--Kate Beckinsale in Elie Saab

JustJared photo

Just learned she's 41 and has kids. WHAT. Kate is effortlessly beautiful and often makes my best-dressed list, but this look just blew me away -- right down to the ballerina bun.

--Katherine Heigl in Zac Posen

US Magazine

Tailored to perfection! Gah, I love Zac Poz. Anyway, people say Katherine's a bitch, so I often don't see her as very pretty (is that mean? It's kind of like when a hot guy is a dick, you're like, gross. Or an average-looking bruh is super funny, he gets 10 times hotter. You feel?)  But you can't deny how killer K looked in this gown. Grumble grumble.

--Julia Louis Dreyfus in Narciso Rodriguez

LaineyGossip photo

I'd like to look like this when I'm 53. The sleek hair and all-white urrything looked youthful and elegant.

--Jenna Dewan Tatum in Carolina Herrera

US Magazine

My first thought was like, is she hiding a new baby bump under that layer-y design? But I don't really think so, upon further review. Anyway, she was one of several broads to show up in a nice lemony color. I dig!

And I liked that she didn't really do her hair. She and Channing looked soooooo good togeth. Because duh, right?

--Felicity Jones in Christian Dior

New York Times photo

See, HERE is where I think you're all going to disagree with me. But this look was just so different from what anyone else was wearing, I couldn't help but stop and admire. And yeah, it's pretty buttoned up (literally and figuratively, you should see the back), but like, the boldness and the color just got me.

--Katie Holmes in Marchesa

Ever since she said PEACE to Scientology and Tom Cruise (crazies), she's looked awesome. No exception here. The plum color and the low pony are gorge, the dress was mostly backless, she has the body to rock it -- and her smoky makeup's kinda fun, too.

That was fun. Let's talk about who BOMBED.

You guys were the WORST:

--Kristin Wiig in Delphine Maniret

Yahoo

Love her, but never on the red carpet. This is worse than usual though.

--Jemima Kirke (designer unknown)

US Magazine

I sense real-life Jessa is like the honeybadger, and I doubt she gives a F what I think. But yeah, I'm not crazy about all the material (are these wings?) going on here.

--Keira Knightley in Chanel

Getty Images

IS THAT A BUTTERFLY ON YOUR WRIST? Oh hell no. I mean, I feel like seventh-grade Michelle is super jeally but ... staaaaahp. 

I get that you're pregnant, but that's no excuse for all the frump that's going on here.

--Lena Dunham in Zac Posen

Vogue

Sigh. Everyone (my mom included) was all, "I've never seen Lena look so good!"

But she still looked BAD, you guys. Ya know?

--Rosamund Pike in Vera Wang

Courtesy photo

Ugh, I know that you just had a baby, too. Like, weeks ago. So props for getting out there, and you do look pretty great, all things considered. But all things considered, you're still at the Golden Globes. And your boobs are sagging to your knees and your back looks ... uneven? Lumpy? I just couldn't with this.

--Lana del Ray in Travilla

New York Times

BARF. This looks like you bought it at Sears.

--Ruth Wilson in Prada

US Magazine

I don't even know who she is. But I just ... didn't like it. I really don't have much more explanation than that.

--Cindy Crawford in Versace

US Magazine

As my friend Allison put it on Gchat, "I know you were a model in the '90s, but someone HAS to be willing to lend you a dress from this decade. You're super famous. Just ask."