Friday, Friday, everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend

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Remember that classic song by Rebecca Black? Well, forget what ya heard, this is better!

My favorite part is probably “my hand is a dolphin”.

Anyways, what a crazy busy week, I forgot it was Friday.

Usually having at least 4 Thanksgivings, this year was surprisingly tame with just 3.

Thanksgiving at work.

I work at a call center with about 30 other people (luckily I am not a caller). We decided to set up a potluck for Thanksgiving and I was in charge of making the list for everyone to choose a dish. I was somewhat worried about whether or not everyone would bring food, or if someone would bring 2 of the same dish, so being the foodie/ OCD list maker that I am, I had no problem compiling about 20 different food items for people to bring. Thank(sgiving)fully, everyone brought food and everything was great! There were some very random things brought, though. Can you say deer sausage gravy? I brought dressing and pumpkin pie, and Jeff brought baked beans.

Thanksgiving at Aunt & Uncle’s House.

About 3 or 4 years ago, my grandmother suffered a really bad stroke. Since then, she’s had to live in a nursing home to get the care that stroke victims require. All of the family takes turns seeing her as often as we can, but it’s still not the same as it used to be. Luckily, we were able to break her out of the home and bring her to my aunt and uncle’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. Let me tell you, this side of the family is crazy, but in all of the right ways. We are all so different, yet so similar. We have a slightly derranged sense of humor, but we all think each other is funny. I love them. 

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A role model to children everywhere, I’m teaching Ava the art of sticking your tongue out. She might have outdone me!

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Group shot of my mom’s side of the family for Thanksgiving.  Sorry about the quality. My grandmother absolutely adores Jeffrey and calls him a “teddy bear” and says he belongs with the family and to never let him go. I must get my wisdom from her ;) .

 

Thanksgiving in Pensacola

Having only been to Florida a handful of times, (I know, hard to believe), I’ve never been to Pensacola, but I have met the people that I stayed with at Jeff’s sister’s (Micki) wedding. In fact, their grandfather, a chaplain in the navy, is actually the one who married Micki and her husband, Tim. We took their grandfather to the Florida State/Florida game, which sadly the team we were rooting for (FSU) lost. But, it was still a good time. We ate more Thanksgiving food and the best banana pudding I have ever had, and I have had a lot of banana pudding throughout my life. It was fun to be there with their family and hear stories of their childhoods and funny memories. I love being around others’ families and feeling the love they have for one another and the comfort of being with the ones you love.

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 We all got hoodies for the game, and boy did we need them!

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Group shot of Jeff & Micki’s family. I’m holding their grandparent’s dog, Biscuit, who did not like cute little Chloe. That’s a first!chloe in car

Me and Chloe had fun on the way home singing some of Tim’s favorite songs: “MMMBop”, “Livin’ La Vida Loca” and “Call Me Maybe”.

 

So, overall Thanksgiving was seemingly a week-long event. A blur of turkey and dressing and cranberry sauce, (I finally got Jeff to love the dressing/cranberry sauce combo after our third and final Thanksgiving meal) Thanksgiving is all about family.  The older I  get, the more I realize how important family is. Family is such a beautiful thing. Staying in touch and loving one another despite your differences or your history or your views is truly special. It’s also wonderful to watch a family grow and expand. Just a few years ago on my mom’s side, none of the grandkids had boyfriends or girlfriends or children. Now the family has nearly doubled with us bringing our significant others, or husbands/wives, and some of us bringing our own children (Kelly’s daughter, Ava and Kristen’s son, Kyle). My father’s side of the family is even larger, and always growing it seems like. It still aches to have my dad missing from our get togethers, but I can still feel him right there with us, and I also can’t wait to have kiddos of my own and see my father in them.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, and although I didn’t get to have sweet potato souffle the entire time, mine was probably one of the best I’ve had.

 

Giving Thanks

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Showing gratitude to even the smallest of things is something that should happen on a daily basis, but unfortunately it is not. Thanksgiving is a day when everyone should express their appreciation to the people and things they love in life, but sadly, like most holidays, the meaning is forgotten and hidden behind delicious green bean casserole and corn bread dressing. I’m not trying to play the holier than thou card here, because, let’s face it, I do love partaking in eating heaps of deep fried, covered-in-butter, caramelized Thanksgiving goodies (this year, I’ll have 3 Thanksgivings: with my family, with Jeff’s family, and a potluck at work), but when I stop to think about Thanksgiving, I get disappointed that I have fallen into the role of being one of many that just gets excited about eating.

For this Thanksgiving I would like to show my thanks.

I am thankful for the wonderful people in my life, especially the ones who have passed. I have been shaped into the person I am today because of these people, and I must say, I haven’t turned out half bad, I think.

I am thankful for the people who have been in my life for any given period of time, but are no longer. Whether I have lost touch with some people, or have wanted certain people far, far away from me, the truth of the matter is that from EVERY person that comes in your life, you are forever changed. You give that person a piece of yourself, and in return, you take a piece from them, and that’s something that you carry with you forever. Maybe I’m someone who thinks or analyzes thinks far more than the average person, but there are moments that go by that allow me to reminisce about certain feelings or thoughts or events that I experienced with people in my life, even those who were there for the briefest of times, an impact still remains.  It only makes me  curious to think if someone thinks of me.

I am thankful for having the courage to try new things in life. From a very early age, I was taught that most people regret the things they don’t do, rather than the things they have done. Therefore, if ever I have any desire to try something new or unexpected, you better believe I will! In high school, I thought taking pictures were cool and I ended up on the yearbook staff. I always loved drums and percussion and ended up being on the drumline (although I was never in band, nor could I read music–still can’t!). I tried out for recreational cheerleading and ended up doing that for a few years. It’s just so important to me to try everything that piques any interest, because I promise that you have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

I am thankful for unconditional love. I am thankful that I have a family that does just that. I am thankful that I have found a special boy to do just that. It’s so rare to find people that will love you no matter what, even if they do make up choreographed dances for both people to partake in, or if they’re not at all a morning person. Once you find that love, hold onto it, take care of it, cultivate it, and be thankful for it. If you have this, you’re one of the lucky ones.

I am thankful for the opportunity that tomorrow is another day. Quoting Scarlett O’Hara (twice), she says it best as: “tomorrow is another day” and “I’ll think about that tomorrow”. It’s easily taken for granted that we have another day to right our wrongs, or another day to spend time with family or friends, or another day to just exist, and truth be told, that day may never come. So fit in as much as you can in any given day. Yes, you’ll get tired, or you’ll want time to yourself, and that’s fine, you can do that. But for the most part, share your time and your love and even your money with the people you care about most, and do it today.

I am thankful for the people/things that make me happy: loved ones, cats, coffee, music, driving, my tv shows, crafting, shopping, laughter, driving, living.

To tie it all in, I am thankful for the memories that have been created for the past 22 years. I am thankful to hold the memory of my dad, my grandma, and my granddad in my heart, and carry with me the things they have taught me and the love they gave me. I’m thankful for the memories given to me by my loved ones, that will last a lifetime.

I am thankful for the episode of Friends where Rachel makes the trifle:

And I’d definitely be thankful to get my hands on some stylish “Thanksgiving pants”:

T is for Tuesday and Television

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Tuesday night television is by far my favorite. I love watching all of my girl power sitcoms on FOX (Ben & Kate, New Girl, and The Mindy Project) for several reasons:

1) BE YOURSELF: Any girl who can embrace her quirky, adorkable, silly self with great confidence is a true, rare gem in my book! Kate with her nervous tics and perfusive sweating, Jess with her ability to find the cute and girly in everything, and Mindy with her unwaivering ideals of being the epitome of a hopeless romantic. They’re not your average sitcom stars that are always sexy or hilarious or rich. They possess so many relatable attributes and personal peculiarities that don’t seem peculiar at all, but rather they seem very similar. They are just so true to life that you feel like this hour and a half of entertainment is a look into the lives of your friends.

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2) THEY HAVE JOBS (OR ARE TRYING TO FIND THEMSELVES):These lovely ladies have humbling jobs. Again, unlike shows that dominate the airwaves like Real Housewives or any celebrity reality TV show, these girls work. Yes, I am well aware it’s just a show, but at least the producers want to make it known that sometimes ends don’t meet or that time needs to be prioritized between work and fun. But for the girls who don’t have careers or jobs, it’s okay to not have your dream job, or even to have the beginning of a dream. Like finding true love, sometimes career opportunities appear from out of the blue. So it’s okay to work at a bar, or as a zombie Woody Allen at a haunted house, or even to live out your dreams of being an OBGYN. It’ll come to you, just hang in there and believe.

Image3) THEY HAVE SHINE: TV shows usually showcase men who are funny, and I dig that because I love funny people, but us girls can be funny, too! Some shows make women out to be secondary characters, or eye candy material. These shows, however, make the girls the funny ones. Yes, the guys are funny, too, but the girls take the cake on this one. It’s refreshing to see the girls crack crude jokes or be blatantly sarcastic.

4) ATTENTION TO DETAIL: We can’t help it, we are a very detail oriented species, meaning we notice everything! We know that Jess has those adorable bunny ears on her Iphone (I’ve seen this on so many cell phones since the show) and she has impeccable vintage style. We know that Kate wears a dress in every episode and has several framed band posters throughout her house. We know that Mindy has both a kick-ass office and apartment. In fact, they all have amazing places! Unfortunately I could only find the New Girl set, but still better than nothing:

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I am all for vintage and ecletic and bohemian and just filling personal spaces with all the things I love. My mom and I go on house tours every Christmas (which fulfills our nosey needs) and my favorite homes are not the ones that follow a particular motif or theme., but the homes that  look as if someone made a list of all of their favorite things and crammed it (in a somewhat neat or organized fashion) all into one room. I love kitschy knick-knacks and truly loved tchockes lining bookshelves or littering tabletops throughout rooms. One of my favorite things to do is just to get in a stationary position and just scan over the entire room and get close up views of the personal belongings and wonder about the stories behind their existence.

In Jess’s bedroom I love that she just has a wide array of items throughout the room. I love that her night tables are mismatched. I love her bright blue accent wall against the exposed brick and the industrial concrete window sill. The floral framed pictures and bedspread add a fun feminine touch, making the overall feel of the room cozy.

The screenshot of the living area in the New Girl apartment also is a very eclectic and bohemian feel. Since 3 of the 4 tenants in that apartment are men, it’s no wonder that the room exudes a rich and masculine vibe with the dark colored furniture and speakers throughout.

My family moved to a new house earlier this year, and what with all of the life changes that have been going on and working a full time job, I have either not had the time or the energy (or both) to take the time and customize the space to make it feel like “my own”. I’m so jealous seeing others’ places where they describe it as their “haven” or their “corner of the world”. I want that! Seeing some of these places have just provided me with endless inspiration, and I hope I can use these sources to motivate myself to get started on the place that truly reflects who I am.

Friday Favorites

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Last weekend (10/11-10/13) Jeffrey and I went to the A3C Hip Hop Festival in Atlanta. We had an amazing time. We saw legendary hip hip performers (Raekwon, GZA, Slum Village) and we discovered our new favorite hip hop band, Clear Soul Forces. They were just such a breath of fresh air for us and such an invigorating, entertaining, and above all else, a fun loving group. They were so different because they weren’t too hard to smile, or too cool to dance, or too serious to laugh. They were truly inspirational and we both agreed they were our favorite of the weekend. The song I chose to showcase their talents is a song from their latest album, Detroit Revolution(s), called “Keep It Movin’”. I really enjoy the meaning behind the song, about how just no matter your situation, you just have to keep your head high and keep living life. It also serves as a warning that anybody who tries to hold you back or keep you down or doesn’t believe in who you are or in your dreams, they should just keep walking on. The video posted below doesn’t even begin to capture what we were fortunate enough to witness, not once, but twice that weekend.

Another favorite moment was on Saturday (the last day of the festival) we went to Little Five Points early (that’s where to festival was taking place). We went to Chow Baby, which is THE BEST Stir Fry Buffet ever. Normally I can’t even finish one bowl, but I actually managed to eat two! Hopefully I danced it off that night at the festival!

While we were waiting for WitchDoctor to take the stage in the crowded Star Bar, we happened to catch Rico Wade, of Organized Noize, speaking about the importance of being an individual. It wasn’t necessarily ingrained within me growing up to always be true to myself, but maybe it is coming from a very funny and loving and accepting family that has made me realize that it is okay to be yourself, even if you are quirky and silly and happen to enjoy books more than you enjoy most people, and love cats and obsess over Britney Spears. Each member of my family is just 100% true to themselves and we are some of the happiest people I have ever met, so Rico Wade knew just what he was talking about when he said “nothing is cooler than being an outcast” because what makes you different makes you special, and what makes you special makes you an individual. His words were inspiring and it felt more like a church sermon in that moment than a hype man introducing a hip hop performer, and those moments will resonate in my mind for a long time to come.

Another favorite moment of the weekend was eating with my mom, brother and Jeffrey at this amazing Southern-inspired buffet just down the street from us called Journey’s End. Fried green tomatoes count as a vegetable, right? If so, I surely got enough veggie intake from them and enough fruit intake from banana pudding. Let’s not forget pecan pie, fried chicken, hush puppies, creamed corn, collared greens, and dressing and cranberry sauce. So good!

Last, but certainly not least, the Falcons are 6-0, and it was a VERY close game! It’s too bad that the Dawgs lost last weekend, but they were able to recoup during their off-day on Saturday. I’m looking forward to them annihilating their rivals on the 20th!

The Near & Dear Project

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It’s almost been 1 year since my dad had passed away. As the cooler months start to float in with their chilly, foggy mornings and cute peacoats and tall boots, I can’t help but have my favorite season tarnished by the fact that this is when I lost my cherished father. He was the best guy in theworld and he was so funny and kind and hardworking. It’s undeniable that I have been living half a life since he is no longer around. My once full life has been shadowed and like this fall weather, I’ve been living in a fog of sadness. Experiencing a loss as great as an immediate family member brings about the strangest series of feelings. While completely devestated, something in my brain has been numbed so I won’t spend all of my time crying and feeling miserable. It is truly amazing that the mind can function this way. But along with it, I have been much more forgetful and preoccupied and lonely. So I guess the numbness has its trade-offs.

Some more information from this past year is that my boyfriend, Jeffrey, had only met my dad twice. I believe it was both Saturday and Sunday of one weekend when they met, and then on Monday my dad was rushed to the Emergency Room. My mom believes it to be a “passing of the torch” so to speak, and I believe it, too, if only for comforting reasons.

Anyways, November 7th is the day of his passing and it is quickly approaching. Our small remaining immediate family (just me, my mom and my brother) mourn his loss on a daily basis. We even moved from our old home (the one I was born and raised in and lived for 22 years in) because it was much too hard and filled with way too many memories. Since the dreaded day is approaching, though, I always hear about people saying that instead of mourning the loss of a loved one, you should instead celebrate their life. Now, I don’t think we’ll be much for celebrating on that day, but I definitely think we’ll be thinking of him throughout the day.

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My mom has been so strong throughout all of this, taking over both roles of a nurturing mother and a providing father. I think of all people she deserves something special on that day to remind herself of all of the wonderful traits and attributes my father possessed (as if she’s forgotten, she’s constantly thinking of him). This is why I have created what I like to call the Near & Dear project. On Pinterest, you very often see those 8 4×6 collages being used as chore charts or calendars as seen below:

Instead of those 4×6′s being days of the week or menial tasks to be completed by various family members, I want the 4×6′s to be beautiful pieces of scrapbook papers sent out to my father’s friends and family members. It is my hope that these papers will be filled with some sort of memory or story or thing that is near and dear to the individual. My dad truly was an inspiring and life-changing person. He was always described as “the guy you are happy to see coming”.

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Below is the letter that I plan to send to friends and family asking for their participation in this project:

Dear friends & family,

 

November 7th is just another day to most, but to my family, it is the darkest of days, for it is the day that my father passed away. This past year has been a year of many firsts—the first Christmas without my dad, the first Thanksgiving without my dad, and November 7th, 2012 will mark the first year since his passing.

 I’ve always thought the expression of celebrating the life of a lost loved one was beautiful, but unrealistic. It’s taken a long time to stop having tears spring to my eyes at any given moment and to not be reminded of him with every little thing, but every day has been an improvement. Remembering my dad is no longer something that makes us quiet and sad (as much as it used to, at least). Instead we occasionally laugh and feel better after talking about him and reminiscing about the fun times we’ve had. It’s hard to smile when all you want to do is cry, but I think enough time has passed to call for a form of celebration.

In the envelope, I have provided a square of scrapbook paper per family member. The goal of this project is to create a personalized message on the paper and to send it back. I know that people have so many fond and happy memories of my father, so if you could take a moment to share them on these pieces, I would be so grateful. The pieces can include a favorite memory, descriptive words, etc. The pieces have been cut to 4×6 pieces to be framed in 4×6 collage frames.  Since I want this to be a surprise, I ask that you send the finished pieces to the address of Jeffrey, my boyfriend.

My mom has had the hardest time of all of us, taking on the role of both nurturing mother and that of a father who bears the weight of the world providing for a family. She has been my inspiration for this project the moment it came to me. So, I’d like this to be a surprise gift to her on November 7th, so we can truly celebrate the life of a wonderful guy, my dad.

 

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No Shop September

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Wow! It’s been awhile since I have updated. I’ve been super busy with various things (one year anniversary with Jeffrey, being sick, concerts, house issues, etc.)
 
September has been a crazy month for me. At the very end of August, I decided that for the month of September I would place a shopping ban on myself. Tired of looking at a double digit number on my bank statements, I realized that my money was going to places like Target and Forever 21, etc. Therefore, I decided I would not buy ANYTHING clothing related during the month of September. PERIOD. It was a struggle at first, because most days of the week I head to Target during my lunch break to browse and I was falling in love left and right with the new multi-colored courdoroys and long sleeved, empire waisted dresses. I know, I know, be still my beating heart, right?! After a couple of Fridays, though, when my money started stacking up, my passion for fashion fell by the wayside and I didn’t drool over clothes like I used to! I’m so proud of myself!
 
I am declaring that I will do my best to uphold my “No Shop September”, the female equivalent to the male’s “No Shave November”.
 
This experience has also made me realize just how MUCH clothing I already own and how little I wear most of it. An interesting quote that has stuck with me is “Women wear 20% of their clothing 80% of the time”. Therefore, I began doing something that I found interesting and useful from Pinterest (imagine that!). I started to put whatever tops I had worn on the hanger and turn the hanger the opposite way. The purpose of this is to do this for one year (or until you run out of tops) and see what hangers are left facing the correct way. At this point, the clothes that are left the original way are clothes that you no longer wear and should be gotten rid of.
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This project also inspired me to place a no shopping ban on myself for one month, per season.
 
WINTER – January. I feel like this is the perfect time for Winter to not shop. My birthday and Christmas are both in December, so by this time I should have gotten whatever Winter clothing items I wanted/needed as gifts or just from shopping.
 
SPRING – April. This is the month that holds Jeffrey’s and David’s (my brother) birthdays. I should focus on gift-giving for others rather than myself. And, by the time April is over, there’s May and since that’s one of the final spring months, there should be a sale!
 
SUMMER – July. By this time I should be fully stocked with Summer clothes (bathing suits, shorts, tanks) that I won’t need anything else. Besides, it’s too hot to shop.
 
FALL – September. This is my anniversary month, so I’m spending my money on that. Also, while it is tempting to stock up on all of the new fall clothing, this is when it is the most expensive (think back to school). No, thank you!
 
But onto happier news. October is right around the corner, can you believe it? I certainly cannot. I have a bit of a shopping wishlist, but it’s actually not too long! For this post, here are some of the jeans/pants that I am excited to get my hands on and my legs in:
 
Corduroys
 
 - American Eagle used to be THE brand to wear back when I was in middle school (circa 2001-2003) but back then it was all about wearing graphic t’s and bootcut jeans. You were cool if your shirt said American Eagle or Hollister or Abercrombie. Luckily, I never really was into graphic t’s and I usually shopped at Forever 21 or thrift stores. However, within this last year, American Eagle has really transformed into a brand that I am proud to wear. I am a petite girl (I’m just 5 feet) and finding jeans is always a challenge because they’re way too big (both in the waist and the leg). Always searching for a great fitting pair of jeans, Jeffrey finally pointed out that I should try American Eagle. I was hesitant, but saw all of the reviews from users who had the same predicament when it came to finding jeans for short girls. I am used to paying very cheap prices for clothing, like my middle school self I still shop at Forever 21 and thrift stores, so when dropping $50 on a pair of jeans, I thought they had better be worth it. Let me tell you, I love the jeggings! They fit me so well and are not too long at all! The regular American Eagle Skinny Jeans have a slightly looser and longer fit, but the jeggings fit me to a T. I. Love. Them. So now that fall is here and I’ve just been browsing online at clothes that I am not buying (due to my No Shop September rule) I stumbled upon these bad boys and I am in love and want all of them. I think for the time being, though, my heart belongs to the grey and “purple” (I think they’re burgundy) pairs.
 
 
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I already own the yellow pair thanks to Jeffrey and our anniversary! I love them!
 
Boyfriend Jeans
 
 
 
Really, the only place I’ve seen having Boyfriend Jeans is American Eagle, but I’d love to have some that look like the ones in the picture:
 
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Also, I found a site where it has some tips for wearing bf jeans.
 
 
Colored Jeans:
Earth Tones, Jewel Tones, Muted Primary Colors, Pastels, it goes on and on
 
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Patterned Jeans:
 
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Working Girl / Five Favorites on Friday

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Let’s just face it, work is boring. 9 to 5 rules my life. I look in the “Home & Office” section at comfier computer chairs, because having a chair with both neck/back support and a plush cushion is a priority when 8 hours are involved. Don’t get me wrong, I have a decent job, my boyfriend works down the hall, and some of the people I work with are very entertaining characters, but really, it’s not glamorous or exciting.

This is where the phrases “carpe diem” and “YOLO” come into play. It’s very hard to seize the day when I’m busy seizing the last cube of ice from the community ice tray. The closest I get to only living once is when I grab two donuts from the break room instead of one (while nobody is looking, of course). I can’t help but ask, is it normal to feel like you’re not getting the most out of life when you’re working all day every day?

I work 40 hour work weeks, pretty standard for the average American. Well that equals 2,080 hours a year. That doesn’t sound too bad, right? Well the average year (24 x 365) is 8,760 hours. Okay, so we work only 1/4 of the year, so what? But let’s be realistic, please. If we get the reccomended amount of sleep each night, that’s another 8 hours, that splits the 24 hour day into thirds. We work 8 hours, sleep 8 hours and have 8 free hours. But if we’re being even more realistic, it takes me about an hour to get ready each day, and a two hour total commute (1 hour there and 1 hour back), thus shaving my 8 free hours down to a measly 5. But, I obviously digress.

The importance of this post is that it really is so essential to enjoy and appreciate the little things in life. I try to make each day have something a little wonderful in it. Therefore, I felt inspired to compile a list of some of my favorite, yet very simple treats to break up the monotiny of 9-5 duldroms. I want to try to make a list every Friday, since Friday is obviously the best day of the week.

1) On my 15 minute morning break, I go get coffee. I really enjoy having something to look forward to. Also, I enjoy seeing the friends I’ve made from my embarrassingly-all-too-frequent trips. I talk to them about music and photography and usually come away from the trip with iced coffee in hand, some pop culture knowledge in my noggin and, most importantly, a smile on my face.

2) As soon as I come home, I head (more like charge) to my bedroom and set my stuff down and kick my shoes off. Luckily, I’ve got my life together enough to make my bed each morning, therefore making the room look cleaner and feel homier. I put on some music and I change into the sweats/t-shirt combo immediately and light a couple of candles (I am a HUGE fan of all things smelling good all the time). I just cannot help but feel so at peace.

3) My computer is my best friend. Remember me talking about how the day is split into thirds? Well, one of those thirds is split again into thirds and it is as follows: 1 part blog-reading, 1 part online shopping, 1 part Pinterest. I read a blog, add it to my favorites, and then somehow stumble upon another enjoyable blog, and add that to my favorites, and eventually reading blogs takes about 3 hours of my day. Online shopping is so much fun. I look at all of the things I can’t afford, but adore. I go to my affordable go-to clothing sites (Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, Pacsun & H&M) and put all of my favorite things into the Shopping Cart to save it for a future, non-existent date. Lastly, on Pinterest, I am probably hated by those who follow me, because I pin about 8000 things at once. From pictures of baby animals to yet another dessert recipe, I go pin crazy. I don’t simply “like” pins, I repin them immediately and then furiously write the projects down into a “To-Do” notebook. The notebook, is ironically made from a D.I.Y. project, of course.

4) Eat dessert. I cannot stress this formula enough STRESSED? = DESSERTS! I’m actually somewhat serious. I am a sweets person. I don’t really ever crave salts, nor do I care for meats, and fruits/vegetables…HAHAHA. I loooove me some sugar. I’m not saying for every meal I shovel down chocolate cake like that kid on Matlida, but I do indulge in treats almost every day. Just today I had a piece of red velvet cheesecake and it was absolutely divine! I kid you not, that cheesecake helped to make my day.

5) Jeffrey. My boyfriend. I talk to him about every problem on my mind, each feeling in my heart and I do so with food (dessert) in my mouth. Obviously I am very open and comfortable with talking to him. But first, let’s get a few things straight, shall we? I am a total and complete dork. I laugh all the time, I like characters in books more than I like most people, I am destined to become a crazy cat lady, I mean, really, do I need to go on? Bottom line: Jeff knows I’m 50 shades of lame. He thinks I’m funny and calls me pretty and he loves my cats. He is always willing to lend me a hand (usually holding a candy bar) when I need him most, and that’s every day. He’s my four leaf clover.

So I’m sitting on my worn out computer chair, listening to the constant and consistent chit-chat of the telemarketers that I work with, and I’m thinking about all of the glamorous and exciting jobs out there — fashion consultants, employees at Pixar, and food critics are the few that come to mind, and it momentarily gets me down. But then I look around me on my desk, and there sits my half-full coffee cup, my leftover red velvet cheesecake and a just-refreshed Home Decor Pinterest page, and my mood lifts. And while I’m not barefoot at home in my sweats, candles ablaze and music filling the air, I am about to go on break with my boyfriend and I’ll let him seize my leftover cheesecake because you only live once, so let’s not consume too many calories or you’ll break that computer chair, Jenna.

 

Pillows, Pints & Pretty Little Liars

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Hello world! Or should I say “Hi Mom!” because only 4 people in this world read this? I don’t know, I won’t think about it very much.

It’s been a minute since I last posted something, but I am back to being crafty again, or at least trying to be!

It had been a particularly rainy week during my choice to transform a cushioned, canvas-covered, cotton-filled square into a piece of quotable art. Let me be clear when I say that I love when it rains. Sometimes it gives me a terrible sinus headache, and it isn’t very fun to have to be out in the rain, whether driving or walking, but hearing the drumrolls of thunder and the “chhh” sound of the rain makes me feel so peaceful. What better creation could be inspired from the rain than a pillow? Aside from a blanket and homemade chocolate chip cookies, the answer is nothing.

Being stuck at work next to a rather large window, watching the sheets of rain wash the sidewalk clean, I made a “Rain, Rain, Come My Way” playlist. Compiled of mellow, cozy music, the playlist was comprised of songs by The Boxer Rebellion, Coldplay (form their Parachutes days), The Avett Brothers, Ryan Adams, and Mumford & Sons. In this playlist was one of my favorite songs from Mumford & Sons that I felt was the perfect choice for my project. My song of choice has  beautiful and inspiring lyrics with a soundtrack of simple strums flowing behind the message. This moving masterpiece is “After the Storm”*.  From this song I extracted my absolute favorite lines:

“There will come a time, you’ll see, with no more tears. And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears. Get over your hill and see what you find there, with grace in your heart and flowers in your hair”.

See, gorgeous words, huh? That was enough for me to put on my DIY glittered war paint and get down to business. So after being swept away by the message and meaning of the song, I  wiped the tears from my eyes and made my list of supplies.

- 1 pillow cover (if you can find it, jump on it! If not, no worries, see below)
- 1 large, flat canvas pillow (in case you cannot find a pillow cover, like me!)
- Pencil for outlining the stencilled lyrics
- Stencils for the lyrics
- Fabric marker for printing the lyrics
- Steady hand, an open mind and extra patience

Now, we all know, (and by all, I mean all 4 of you readers) that I am impatient. This is where I ran into my first problem. Right off the bat, I had a component against me — pillow covers were absolutely NOWHERE to be found. I checked the obvious places: Walmart, Target (heaven on Earth), all of the craft stores and dollar stores, and I had no luck. I saw that some of the pinners who attempted to recreate the pillow art themselves were also hardpressed to find these covers and turned to Etsy to get their fix. While I appreciate and adore Etsy, again, I am impatient and cheap. Therefore, I decided to do what I do best, and that is to do it myself, which means I do it my way, even if it’s wrong.

During my search, I discovered that I had to face yet another problem. People enjoy soft pillows made of velvet, satin, plain ol’ cotton, etc. Fabric markers do not enjoy the same textiles. I needed something slightly rougher, something more along the lines of canvas material. Where would one go to find a beatdown, tough pillow for a cheaper than dirt price that nobody would choose to relax with? Goodwill, of course! I ventured to a Goodwill near my work and searched high and low for a suitable pillow. Skimming through their selection, I had to dig through butterfly-patterned pillows, red, velvet heart-shaped pillows, and pillows that were permanently stained yellow and brown. Almost admitting defeat, I spotted what   may have been a couch cushion (not the part you sit on, but the part you rest your back on) and pounced. It wasn’t the most beautiful pillow I’d ever seen or anything, but it felt like shoe material and was a normal enough color. Most importantly at this point, it was big enough to fit the song quote I had in mind! Success!

When I got my pillow home, I immediately washed it in HOT HOT HOT water. My mom warned me of the dangers of sleeping on a pillow from Goodwill. She rattled off statistics about germs and mites and that maybe babies or the elderly had been smothered to death by the previous owner. So after washing my bug-infested murder weapon, I put it in the dryer with several fabric sheets, and although it didn’t dry from the first go around, I didn’t fret and I let it dry over night naturally.

Next, I chose a fancy-shmancy stencil set from Michael’s with one of my many 40% off coupons. I wanted the font to be as graceful as the words in this song. For the marker I used a black, bold-tipped Marvy Uchida fabric marker.

The hard part was that although this pillow was tougher than most, it was still somewhat cushy, and when I’d bear down on it with the stencil and the marker, it would push in, making it harder to have the words align the way I wanted them to. This is when having a pillow cover would have made it so much neater and more convenient to complete. Also, if I happened to make a mistake with the lettering, even in pencil,  it was so hard to erase cleanly and clearly. But, as Michael Bluth from Arrested Development would say, I put my head down and powered through.


So during a nearly 24 hour “Pretty Little Liars” marathon and a very serious binge of Ben & Jerry’s Bonnaroo Buzz (only the best icecream in all of the universe), I decided to use some of the time to be productive and create something so I didn’t feel like a total couch potato. It was my boyfriend’s first time watching the show and he is completely addicted. I only felt the freedom to make something because I had already seen all of the episodes, otherwise I would  have been glued to my seat, wrapped in my snuggie, drooling over the Liar’s cutting edge fashions. Seriously, they have the best clothes, Aria is my favorite, but Hanna is really shining in the current (3rd) season.  But, as always, I digress.

It didn’t necessarily turn out the way I had hoped, but let’s be realistic–I didn’t have some of the materials that previous Pinners had. Overall, though, I am happy with how it turned out, and when it’s not being used as a headrest during our weekend marathons, it is snuggled up in its home on the chaise lounge in my bedroom.

*Sidenote: if you Youtube this song, the comments are so breathtaking and sweet and sad and hopeful, you cannot help but feel a mixture of so many different emotions. Some of the messages that I felt particularly attached to and affected by were: “This means to me that the pain and hurt that I’m going through is only temporary. I want to remember that for the rest of my life.”, and “This song is my inspiration to beat cancer. I see the ‘storm’ as my cancer, and when it says ‘I won’t rot’ I see it as ‘I won’t die’”.

Cuttin’ Up

by

I have not always been a “crafty” person in terms of creating anything beautiful or artsy. The only thing I can be responsible for creating is, well, a mess. I’m impatient and a self-diagnosed sufferer of A.D.D., (unless it’s eating dessert, I can ALWAYS focus on sweets). But lately with this whole Pinterest craze, I cannot help but feel inspired. I look at these photographs of trash being transformed to treasure right before my very eyes, and I can’t help but believe that, I, too, can make masterpieces out of toilet paper rolls!

It all started with an invite to join Pinterest . I’m not a huge follower of  all the latest fads (although, I did jump on the 50 Shades bandwagon in a lightning-fast fashion). I’m rather content with remaining in my sweats, boyfriend by  my side, cat in my lap and hand on the remote. But during one of these veg-out sessions, I was looking through the Women’s Apparel portion of the super-addictive website and I couldn’t help but notice all of these Levi’s cutoffs with captions that read “DIY – SOOO EASY!!!!!!” (pinners are notorious for using all caps and about 8 exclamation points for ANY pin they post). These tiny scraps of fabric that are passed off as shorts were shown in a highly embellished manor: sprinkled with studs, covered with random patches of lace and scattered with splatters of paint (If you think this sounds like an order of hashbrowns from a Waffle House, you are not alone). Initially, what stood out to me were the 3 letters that make up the bossiest acronym around – D.I.Y. The first reaction that comes to mind is “No, YOU do it YOURSELF!” (because I don’t like being told what to do). Then, my next thought is not a thought at all, it’s the feeling of power. That distant memory of being told you can do anything you set your mind to as a 5-year-old child comes into play. You do a double-take at all of those “O”’s in “SOOO EASY!!!!!!”, and all of that enthusiasm behind, what can only be thought of as a glitch in their keyboards allowing not one, but 17 exclamation points to be produced at once, actually becomes infectious. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. Can’t I?

One scorching-hot Saturday, my boyfriend Jeff and I made the arduous trek to Value Village, a super-sized haven of all things not-so-gently-used-but-keep-an-open-mind items that are marked even cheaper than Goodwill. They have not one, but TWOOO!!!!!! (I’m a true pinner) colors of the week, AND the last Wednesday of the month, everything is marked 50% off! That’s enough for me to take a Wednesday a month off, right? Wishful thinking. Anyways, Jeff headed straight for the back to look for records and I went straight for the clothes (as is our usual song and dance routine). Whilst dodging shirts that read “Git ‘Er Done” and skipping over tops with questionable stains, I suddenly remembered those “SOOO EASY!!!!!!” short s that I could do myself! I headed straight for the jeans and impatiently sought out any and all jeans that read “Levi’s”. I found SOOO many! They were about $1.00 – $2.50 a pair and I purchased 3. My plan of action with these jeans was not to turn them into Waffle House hashbrowns (sprinkled, covered and splattered), but to recreate some shorts that I had purchased from Urban Outfitters, one of my favorite stores. I was to cut these jeans and make them look somewhat roughed up: strings hanging, chunks missing, the works!


After I bought about 20 things for $15 total, scored a free purse, and Jeff charmed his way into a dozen free records, I got these bad boys home, only to find that none of them fit me. No worries! I could practice on these and then possibly turn it into a profit by selling them to Rag-O-Rama, an ultra-trendy hipster’s discounted dream store, which reminds me, I still have yet to follow through with this fantastic idea. Impatient as I am, I don’t really read any sort of online manual on how to do this, but since this is a D.I.Y. project and I don’t like reading guidelines or, again, being told what to do, I literally start to do it myself. I try the huge pair on first, making a mark on the mid-thigh with a sharpie. I start the markings at this point because you can ALWAYS do more, but hardly ever can you do less. So I make the lines similar to markings found on a road map, take the pants off and begin cutting. All the while, Jeff is ripping into his new records, discovering that his beloved-not-so-gently-used-but-keep-an-open-mind U2’s “Joshua Tree” is anything but U2, but rather a Roger Waters album. Talk about keeping an open mind!

During my crazed cutting spree, I notice that, although I cut the pants straight across, the backs are shorter than fronts, probably because my butt, as non-existent as it is, still counts for something, making the backs shorter. That’s when we move to phase 2: more cutting. Again, I don’t read rules or guidelines like I should, but instead, I have a little list of guidelines in my head. They are as follows:

1)      Miraculously do it right the first time.

2)      I told you not to screw up.

3)      Now what?

4)      Stop crying, you’re embarrassing yourself!

5)      This never happened – erase all evidence and never speak of it again!

So completing steps 1-3, naturally I was to move on to step 4. Thankfully, no tears here, but rather, I borrowed a piece of the motto I created for Value Village, and that was to keep an open mind. I noticed that the cherished shorts I had were cut in an upward curve. So with I cut just the fronts in that formation and did not touch the backs. Employing the help of Jeff, (he helped me avoid even thinking of going through with step 4) we made a decent pair of cutoffs!