Here’s some snacks for those girl’s nights that are super easy to make!

Chili Popcorn

Ingredients:

12 cups popped popcorn (just over 1/4 cup of kernels)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

How to:
Combine the ingredients and drizzle over the popcorn. I told you this would be EASY!!!

Pizza Popcorn

Ingredients:

8-10 cups popped popcorn (about 1/4 cup of kernels)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning ( a mix of basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage & thyme if you’re not finding Italian mix in the spice cupboard, or 2 tablespoons of spaghetti sauce dry mix)
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper

How to:
Blend cheese, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, paprika, salt and pepper until seriously mixed. Or you could just mix it by hand like crazy if you don’t have a blender.
Toss it with the popcorn. Waaaay less messy than actual pizza!

Lemon-Dill Popcorn

Ingredients:

8-10 cups popped popcorn (about 1/4 cup of kernels)
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons of dried dill
Margarine or butter

How to:
Pour a little melted margarine or butter on the popcorn, then toss the popcorn with the lemon peel and dill weed. If you let it sit for a bit, the flavor gets even more intense. Yummy!

About Jen

Jen Pimm is a freelance graphic designer and writer who feels blessed to have found a way to turn her love for all things creative into a grown-up career. As a writer and editor for Girls By Design, she wants to encourage self-expression and confidence in young women because, once upon a time, she was not so sure of herself. When she’s not working like a fool, she’s probably taking artsy pictures of stuff, watching Jeopardy, or snuggling with her pug Stella. She appreciates a quick wit and is currently planning her next travel adventure.

5 little tips and tricks to make a new friend.

1. Eye Contact – Take a moment to make eye contact, and then smile with your eyes.

2. Smile and Laugh – Smiling alone not only raises your emotional state but it’s contagious like a yawn, a simple smile can help open the doors to a meaningful friendship.

3. Ask Questions and Listen – Girls love to talk, especially about themselves. Sometimes all you need to do is listen.

4. Engage – while chatting engage with your new potential friend, match her body language and speak at the same pace.

5. Inspire Others by Being Yourself – don’t try and be something you’re not, be yourself and engage in activities that you like, this is where you will find girls that share similar values.

About Kendra

“The things you like about your friends are the things you like about yourself, the same goes for the people you dislike”

Okay so I know it’s kind of funny that here I am talking about friendship and I’ve chosen to start my article off with a picture of two horses side by side but there’s a rhyme to my reason. What comes to mind when you think about friendship? Maybe it’s giggling and talking on the phone till 1a.m or having someone to cry to when your heart gets broken, as it can tend to get in this life. To me, friendship between girls is one of the most beautiful things if you find the right kind of friends.

And it all comes down to one word: “needs”. You might be asking yourself, ”what needs”? When I was growing up, nobody taught me that it was okay to have needs as a girl. All I learned from watching my mom and peers was that as a girl, you have to make sure a boy is happy and pleased. Kind of like the Cinderella-type complex. Just be beautiful and pleasant and he’ll fall under your charms. But Cinderella had needs too!

So this is where the analogy of the horses comes in…which by the way was inspired after a conversation I had with a good friend who’s a horse trainer/healer. If someone asks: Hey HORSIE, what do you need today to feel comfortable? It would neigh back to you in horse language the equivalent of “water”, “hay”, “attention” “grooming” or “exercise”. I know it’s pretty silly that I have to use horses as an example but for some reason it just makes sense to our minds that a horse has needs. Sometimes, I feel like we as girls believe animals are more deserving of having their needs met than we are ourselves. Well, we’re humans and we have the same kinds of needs and even more!

A good friend can be hard to find but once you find one, you hold onto them throughout your life. It’s somebody who encourages you to be your best self by allowing you not only to identify what your needs are but to communicate them as well. Life will not serve you if you go through it as a door mat. Trust me. I (and many of my friends) tried that route and failed. So please learn from my mistakes and get clued in to your needs early.

To be a good friend, get clued in to your friends’ needs too. Does your best friend seem sad today? Ask her what she needs from you. Are you in a relationship with someone who’s disrespected you? Tell him what you need from him in order to feel safe.

It’s perfectly perfect to have needs. Don’t feel guilty for having them! You’re only human

Tips for today!

Keep a “Needs” journal. And share it with a buddy who has one too. Every day, at the end of your day, ask yourself:

1) How you feel and if you feel somebody didn’t give you what you needed.
2) Then, think of a situation where somebody did give you what you needed.
3) Jot down activities or places you went that made you happy.
4) Did you sleep enough that day?
5) Did you eat a balanced diet?
6) Make a list of positives and negatives of the day.

Soon enough, you’ll start to identify what it is exactly that makes you feel good and what makes you feel bad. Have a Journal night where you and your buddy exchange lists every week to keep each other accountable to what each of your needs are and to make sure that you are both confident enough to stick to the belief that you deserve to have your needs met.

Good luck!

About Tamara

Tamara Lelie knows that attaining peace and gaining access to inner guidance begins with having a balanced foundation. Motivated by her mom’s terminal cancer diagnosis, in 2007 she created Time Out Retreat as a one stop source for supplying tools for self-care and balance in a camp-like setting. 7 rotations were all led by experts in their fields and consisted of feng shui, yoga, meditation, guided imagery, fitness and more. Since then, the retreat has been an annual event attracting media attention. A teacher at heart, in 2009, she launched Time Out with Tamara to serve as a human toolkit for teaching balance and has clients ranging from celebrities and corporations to teens and housewives. Tamara Lelie is a certified yoga instructor (specializing in applying the ancient knowledge of the yogis to every day modern problems) and certified relationships coach. She is currently hard at work finishing up a groundbreaking e-guide she developed, 7 DAYS TO BALANCE: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO HAVING IT ALL, which is set to launch in August. For more info on her services and products, check out www.7daystobalance.com.

Here are my picks for a sweet playlist for your next Girl’s Night In:

10. ‘Somebody Told Me’ – The Killers
9. ‘That’s What You Get’ – Paramore
8. ‘I Will Survive’ – Gloria Gaynor
7. ‘Sk8ter Boi’ – Avril Lavigne
6. ‘Just Dance’ – Lady Gaga
5. ‘Girlfriend’ – Avirl Lavigne
4. ‘Dirty Little Secret’ – The All American Rejects
3. ‘Kissed A Girl’ – Katy Perry
2. ‘Lady Marmalade’ – Christina Aguilera, Pink, Lil’ Kim, Mia
1. ‘Hot n’ Cold’ – Katy Perry

Whether there are two of you or ten of you, girl’s nights in are a great way to catch up with your girls and laugh till your cheeks hurt. A girl’s night in to me means spending some quality time with your friends and letting your hair down. Remember to have fun and to take lots of photos! Laugh till the tears start to stream down your face and watch something that will have you sleeping with the lights on for a month.

To make every night in perfect you gotta have the right tracks playing in the background! You should always try and make these songs fast and upbeat so the atmosphere never gets dull. Also having songs playing in the background allows you and your friends to get up and dance!

And why not sing along to your favorite songs no matter how good or bad you sing? Because at least you’re having fun, and that’s really what it’s all about.

One of my favorite songs to have playing while myself and my friends get together is….

‘’Dirty Little Secret’’ by the All American Rejects.
Check it out on the band’s website here

This song is familiar to almost everyone and with its fun and upbeat tempo it will have everyone on their feet dancing around and singing along. This track is a must have for every girls’ iPod too.

The song is generally about confessing to something you’ve never told anyone. Why don’t you and your friends have a game of truth or dare with this track playing in the background and tell one of your most embarrassing secrets! Why not be a little dangerous?

Another song that I love to play for a girl’s night in is….

‘’Sk8ter Boi’’ by Avril Lavigne
Check it here

This song is definitely one of my all-time favorites. Avril Lavigne’s songs are perfect for any night in because they’re guaranteed to have every girl releasing her inner rock chick. This song will definitely make you get the hairbrushes out and have you singing along in no time.

Why not get your friends to bring some of their own music and make your own ‘’Girls Night In” CD? Burn all of your favorite tracks onto a CD, and if you do, be sure to tell us what songs you put on it!

So girls, what are your favorite songs to play for those girly nights in? And how do you listen to them? Sing your heart out? Dance around? Rock out? I’d love to know how you guys spend your nights in.

So reminisce about old memories and talk about the future! Sing your heart out and keep smiling!

Hope you enjoyed it girls! Can’t wait to hear from you!

About Tracey

I’m a young girl with big dreams living in a tiny little corner of Ireland!
As you probably guessed music is my life and means almost everything to me!
I laugh way too much and spend too much time with my guitar!
My nails are always painted black and I have way too many earrings to fit in my room!
I love Paramore and hope someday to be the next Hayley Williams!
I love spending time with my amazing family and friends and making the most out of life!
You can check me out at www.youtube.com/XXxxtraceyfxxXX