December 2011/January 2012

HappyHolidays!from the Silhouette Gazette

The Power of NicePrinciple 2: You Never Know

By: Emily Mishler

Irene WangJessica Schwigendorf,

Sarah Marshall

Last fall I chose to get involved with Purdue Alumni Student Experience. Being involved in the largest orga-nization on campus had its benefits -- little commitment and little cost -- but this organization also does so much for the community. In an effort to contribute, I volun-teered to assist with homecoming. I am typically not a morning person but volunteering required an eight o’clock attendance, and I was more than happy to oblige. Though I initially knew no one else there, I knew it was a great networking opportunity and ended up learn-ing about the PASE Board of Directors (the student led head of the organization), from a current member. Just by being kind and showing interest in the program and opportunities, I got a fantastic recommendation from this person I had just met. The week after volunteering, I applied, interviewed, and got a position on the board. This just goes to show that you never know who you’re being introduced to, talking to, or how you may be able to impact each other’s lives.

-- Emily Mishler

This is actually a story from one of my friends. It was a Friday night two years ago. She was talking with her friends while walking into a local bar. Suddenly, some-one passed her and she felt something drop by her foot. She bent her head and found a purse. My friend looked around and found that there was one young lady walk-ing quickly towards the exit. “It must be hers.” She thought. She chased after her and returned the purse to that young lady. The young lady was very surprised and really thankful to my friend. So, she gave my friend her business card. Well, that young lady turned out to be Lauren Bush, fashion model and designer. In the fol-lowing summer, my friend interned for Lauren Bush as a Social Media Director for FEED, an organization that provides food for underfed children in third world coun-tries.

– Irene Wang

For my 9th birthday, I planned a spectacular bowling party. During lunch at school, I was passing out my hand drawn invitations when a friend of mine, Cheyenne, eagerly asked “Where’s Lydia’s invitation?” Lydia was a girl in my grade who I had never talked to, but she was sitting right at the table, so as not to be rude I quickly fibbed that I had simply forgotten it. The next day I returned with Lydia’s invitation, not expecting that she would even attend my party. 10 years later, the random girl I had politely invited to go bowling became the best friend I have ever had and a person I could never imag-ine my life without.

-- Jessica Schwigendorf

My uncle was diagnosed with terminal cancer. As such, he was putting all of his affairs in order; a considerable task when you take into account that he was a small business owner with a lucrative working livestock farm. I had spent every summer working on his farm in Mis-souri. This summer would be no different, except that I would be meeting with lawyers and legal aids on the weekend to finalize the transfer of ownership of the farm to myself. This was the summer that I was looking for-ward to: working for a frantic father figure who was des-perately trying to hold onto life long enough to see his legacy into the future. I was frustrated with the intense workload I had to endure, my lack of agriculture busi-ness knowledge, and how everyone was attempting to take control or manipulate me. As a result I was grumpy and sullen with our young farm hands. After a long night of venting to my mom on the phone, she presented me with the “Golden Rule” and told me to begin putting out positive energy. I rolled my eyes as I grudgingly hung up. I decided to put my mother’s advice to the test. I made a conscious effort to be nice to the boys working for me by asking for their advice. I was wonderfully surprised with the comprehensive knowledge they imparted. Later, I found out that one of the boys working for me had been so impressed with the way that I shaped up my work that he had actually appealed to his father, a lawyer, who con-vinced one of the landowners I was facing to make a deal with me. My mother’s advice turned out not only to be lucrative, but also intensely rewarding. I am so thankful to be able to say that I now have a solid support system in Missouri.

-- Sara Marshall

“I made a conscious effort to be nice to the boys working for me by asking for their advice. I was wonderfully surprised with the comprehensive

knowledge they imparted.”

“Just by being kind and showing interest in the program and

opportunities, I got a fantastic recommendation from this

person I had just met.”

The Power of Nice 3 My Favorite Things 4

Spread Holiday Cheer 6

How to... Chanukah! 8

Christmas Light Nails 10

DIY Holiday Wreath 12

Treat Time: Holiday 14

In This Issue:

My Favorite Things:New Year’s Eve Edition

Sweet, sparkly cocktail dress

Delias @ $54.50

Fun, flirty

party dress

$54.50 @ Delias.com

Plunging, open-back dress $79 @ lulus.com

Stylish, one-strap

glitter dress

$24.80 @ Forever21.com

By Carly Desrocher

By: Carly Desrocher

Fashion WorldMy Favorite Things:

Holiday Edition

Curve hugging

wrap dress

$62.00 @ Adabelles.com

Cute casual dress $38 @ lulus.com

Slinky beaded

dress

$51 @ lulus.com

Adorable A-line dress $49.99 @ modcloth.com

Christmas Caroling: As Buddy the Elf once said, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear”. Gather a group of friends together for an evening of wandering around your neighborhood singing loudly (and off-key) for your neighbors. Make up a routine, wear silly outfits—use your imagination! It’s one activity that sadly no one seems to do anymore, and you might even get some hot chocolate for your trouble!

Create your own holiday cards: Obviously, you could send real cards to your friends and family that have the Hallmark stamp of approval on the back, but where’s the fun in that? Break out the craft paper, glue, scissors and glitter. Lots and LOTS of glitter. Your loved ones will appreciate the effort, no matter how terrible the card might actually look, and you’ll get to chan-nel your inner Martha Stewart!

Written by Molly Harris

Right before the holidays, students have to worry about silly little things like “finals” and “term papers” that take some of the joy out of the season. But that is no reason to turn into Scrooge! Here are some

suggestions for spreading holiday cheer that are guaranteed to make even the tiniest Grinch-heart grow three sizes in one day.

About... Molly HarrisI’m currently a senior in English and Creative Writing, with a minor in everything else. I have passion for fash-ion blogs, so I’m thrilled to be writing for the Silhouette Gazette! I also have an intense love for history, travel-ing, science fiction and Muppets (not necessarily in that order.)

How to Spread

(Whether it’s wanted or not…)

Write a new holiday song: Listening to the radio between the months of November to De-cember is very likely to drive one to insanity. The same Christmas songs are played over and over again, and listening to the lyrics of some of these songs are mind-numbingly terrible (like the stalker anthem, “Baby it’s Cold Outside”.) Instead, why not create your own holiday song? For instance, where is the Kwanza melody that we have all been waiting for? Or a Hanukkah tune even catchier than “The Dreidel Song”? Write out the lyrics and perform it for your loved ones this holiday season—it’s sure to be a bigger hit than “Grandma got run over by a reindeer”.

Winter Solstice Party: This year, why not party like the Druids? Gather some friends and drink to the changing of the season and the longest night of the year. If you’re particularly crafty, you could even re-create a paper mâché model of Stonehenge to dance around (just not a life-sized version, as that would be bigger than an actual house and somewhat impractical.)

“Your loved ones will appreciate the effort, no matter how terrible

the card might actually look.”

Background “Pink Christmas” from wallpaper4me.com

Holiday Cheer

How To... Chanukah!The holidays in my household were always a little different growing up. I’ve never had a Christmas tree, nor have I ever had twinkling lights up on my house. That’s because I am Jewish. While Christmas decorations are a dime

a dozen and can be found at any store, finding sophisticated Chanukah decorations is nearly impossible. I was in high school when I realized this

and decided to improvise and make creative decorations myself. Here are a couple ideas to spruce up your holiday, Chanukah style!

By Courtney Gilford

Directions:1. Hold dreidel by its handle and brush all but 1 side with clear drying white glue. Regu-lar Elmer’s glue works great!2. Sprinkle with one shade of glitter and lay it on the side with no glitter. Let dry.3. After the three glittered sides of the dreidel dry, paint glue on the plain side of dreidel and handle and cover in glitter. Let dry.4. Arrange sparkling dreidels in your favorite glass vase!

What you will need:-At least 20 wooden dreidels-Different shades of loose glitter (Three blue colors, and gold or silver)-Glue that dries clear-A glass vase

Glitter Dreidels

Source: www.wallpaperpimper.com/wallpaper/Art_&_3D/Jewelry/Blue-Glitter-1-1280x1024.jpg

Homemade Menorah

What you will need:-Eight small boxes and one slightly larger box-Wrapping paper (two colors)-Ribbon (two colors)-Nine tea-lights with glass holders-Hot glue gun and refill glue sticks

Directions:

1. Wrap boxes in wrapping paper and secure a ribbon around each one with the hot glue gun. On the larger box, tie a bow instead. 2. Use the hot glue gun to attach each glass tea-light holder to a wrapped box.3. Arrange in a row and enjoy!

Happy Chanukah from all of us here at SG!

Holiday Light Nails!

Step 1: Apply a base coat to clean nails. let dry.

Step 2: use any pale color for a background

Step 3: using a toothpick draw the black cord

Step 5: apply a top coat!

Step 4: use any color(s) you’d like to draw little lights on the cord with a toothpick

By Bree McVean and Taylor Elms

Purdue LaLa’s

For us, the holidays are an excuse to decorate in our favorite hues of silver and gold (insert singing clay-mation figures from Rudolph here). One of our fa-vorite things to do to get us into the holiday spirit is craft of course! So over break we decided to pick a therapeutic DIY wreath to help us relax a little be-

fore the stress of finals kicked in.

The best thing about this classic wreath is that it leaves room for personal style. You can think of wreathes like snowflakes, each one has their own de-sign and unique beauty. We went for a natural look with a twig base wreathe,

and silver, gold, and white trimmings. So prepare your crafting station in front of a warm cozy fire, pop on an old Christmas classic and transform your home

into your own personal winter wonderland.

Katherine Crowley & Molly Longestwww.purduelala.com Holiday Wreath

Supplies: * Green Wire* Scissors

* Tape*1 medium sized twig base wreathe

* 3 strands of leaves *5 garland packages * 1-2 accent fowers

Wrap garland around wreath, securing it with wire or

wrapping tape

Intertwine gold leaves with gar-landto balance the wreath out

Step One:

Step Two:

Attach accent flower, making it the center point of the wreathe

Step Three:

Voila! You have made yourself a perfect holiday piece to winter-ize your home

Finished Product

Treat Time: Holiday EditionHoliday treats to make the season tasty and delightful!

Mistletoe Mojito

1 oz lime juice 1 tbsp. superfine sug

ar 8 fresh mint leaves 2 oz. white rum (ah ah ah…

skip this ingredient under-agers!)

2 tsp. pomegranate seeds

4 oz. Pomegranate 7UP

1 mint sprig 1 lime wedge

Emily Seymour

In your most festive glass, muddle

lime juice, sugar and mint leaves

until the sugar dissolves. Next, add

rum and pomegranate seeds. Fill your

glass with ice and top with Pome-

granate 7UP. Garnish with mint sprig

and lime wedge. Cheers and enjoy!

1 1/4 cups stone ground cornmeal3/4 cup all-purpose flour2 1/2 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp kosher salt1 cup + 2 tablespoons lowfat butter-milk1 large egg2 tbsp honey1/4 cup chopped green onions1 cup corn (canned or frozen)1 tablespoon minced jalapeno (more or less to taste)1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles (if there’s liquid in the can, drain it)1 cup shredded low-fat sharp cheddar cheese

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 8x8” baking pan with cooking spray. (Can also use 12-cup muffin pan if you want!)2) Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Whisk together.3) In separate bowl, whisk the egg, buttermilk, and honey to-gether. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients. Stir until just mixed--don’t over mix!4) Add onion, corn, jalapeno, green chiles, and cheese; fold into batter until mixed.5) Pour into baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes.6) Serve with butter for a delicious side or appetizer!

Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread

Erika Adamonis

2 eggs1/2 cup white sugar1/2 cup all-purpose flour1/2 cup packed brown sugar1 cup melted butter, melted and cooled1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts1 9-in pie crust

Toll House Pie

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).2) In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Add the flour, white sugar and brown sugar; beat until well blended. Blend in the melted butter. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour batter into one un-baked 9 inch pie shell.3) Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 1 hour. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream, if de-sired (which it obviously will be!)

Laura Stanley

1 box Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake6 T butter2 eggs1 tsp peppermint extract1/2 C crushed peppermint or candy canes1 C powdered sugar1 tsp cornstarch

Red Velvet Perrermint Crunch Cookies

1) Preheat the oven to 375. Melt the butter and set aside

to cool.2) In a large bowl, mix together the cooled butter, cake

mix, eggs and peppermint extract. Add in the crushed pep-

permint and stir.3) In a shallow dish, mix together the powdered sugar and

cornstarch with a fork. 4) Take two spoons and drop a blob

of dough in the pow-

dered sugar mix and roll it around until totally covered

5) Place the balls on a baking sheet spread out (they get

big!) and bake for 9-10 minutes. They may appear not

done, but they’ll continue to cook to perfection once taken

out of the oven!

Carly Deschrocher