This Weekend: DIY Pebble Mat

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Ooooh!

This picture just makes me wanna rip off my socks and shoes and walk all over this mat!

How awesome would it be to step out on this thing right after a nice shower? Totally awesome!!

I found this tutorial on Curbly.com. 

I just wish that I had the time to make one.

To dye or not to dye

I've recently come to the conclusion that my two best features are my smile, and my hair. I try to have an energetic personality and make everyone around me smile...sometimes at my pride's expense. But I've also gotten many complements on my hair. 

I try very hard to take care of it. I only use Herbal Essence and Aussie products and blow dry on cool. I try not to take hot showers and rise with the coldest water that I can stand (this gives your hair an extra boost in shine). I hardly ever use a flat or curling iron on it, and use leave in moisturizer frequently. I've very proud of the fact that the hairdresser complements on how healthy my hair is every time I get a trim.

But, I have a hidden desire. Way way down...at the bottom of my heart (where all of my other cray ideas are), I have the urge to do something crazy, and dye my hair some bright, unnatural color!

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I know that many of you have seen this picture from last year, and it has inspired a few of the bloggers that I know of to dye their own locks.

I don't want to dye all of my hair blue or pink. I just wanna give a few strands of my head a "pop" of color.

But with every great dream worth having, there are mountains to climb.

Mountain Number One:

My parents would absolutely kill me if they even saw one strand of hair an unnatural color.

Different shades of brown, red, or even blonde don't bother them a bit. But colors created by Crayola are off limits.I can just see my mother bursting into tears and my father reaching for the scissors ready to chop off all my hair. 

Mountain Number Two:

I have a wedding coming up. So having streaks of pink in my hair might be pretty cool now, but when I'm 40 or even 50 I don't want to look through my wedding scrapbook and ask "why did you do that you stupid girl!?". I think that the natural look is best for weddings. 

Mountain Number Three: 

I want to keep my happy, healthy hair that I've worked so hard to get! I have diligently gotten it trimmed every 8 weeks and babied it like you wouldn't believe. I'm scared that bleaching and dyeing it would kill all of the work that I've put into it. If any of you know anything from experience please share in the comments below.

So what am I left with?

This full head of long brown hair I guess. 

Mike loves it, so I think I'll be ok with the same old same old.

(for a little while that is... look at what I found!!!!)

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What I've been up to...

Good afternoon dear readers,

I trust that you had an acceptable Monday. Mine was a little weary and grey but I did get to sport my polka dot umbrella all day! So I'm just popping by to show off and inspire you with some of the things I've made recently. I've also included some fun pictures that I'm proud to have err...authored? photographed?...whatever.

First on the list, these cute headbands that I finally got up for sale in my shop!

Thank you Mary (roommate) for taking these photos. 

I cut out a bagillion hearts to decorate my dorm room door. Check it out here on Pintrest and see the simple tutorial post here.

I crocheted my second cowl while hanging out with Mike this past Saturday. I can't tell you what a stress reliever it is to sit on the couch listening to the sound of his voice as I crochet away. 

P.S. The bow has a clip on the back so I can stick it anywhere I want...even my hair!

I heart heart HEART this granny square mug cozie/sweater!

The color combos were inspired by All That Nonsense who happened to be a craft swap buddy of mine last Christmas.

And now for a few shots from campus...

Aww, my poor poor brother. I'm glad he puts up with me.

Check me out on...

Pintrest

and

Facebook 

This Weekend: Twine Wrapped Jars

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Yes, I do have wedding decoration ideas floating around in my mind. Can't you tell?

The Hey Gorgeous Blog posted this tutorial a year or so ago and I'm so glad to have stumbled upon it!

I actually have some of these decorating my window right now. I used yarn and ribbon along with the twine for a variety of textures.

Have a happy Sunday!

The door I live behind...

Ok, so this honestly took me about 15 minutes to do, so no excuses people! Creativity doesn't have to take forever and a day! Anyone can knock this one out.

First I took an old book that I knew I would never ever read again and cut up a bunch paper hearts in every shape and size from the pages. I folded the pages in half in every direction (that way the words would be going in all directions) before cutting out the hearts. 

Then I had some fun taking pictures of my little hearts. This one is my favorite from the bunch. These would also look wicked cute in a mason jar. 

After playtime with my camera, I turned on some Disney music and sat in front of my boring dorm door. Armed with stick tape and inspiration, I began to work. First I stuck some hearts in a curvy row. This was the "skeleton" that I would build off of. I added the bigger hearts to the bottom and slowly worked my way up "fattening" up the curve.

There are so many variations you can do with this. Try using newspaper, magazines, pictures, tissue...anything! Even different shapes would work. Dots or bird silhouettes would be so striking!

Stay crafty people and to all a good night!

Why?

" They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel."

-Unknown

As begin this last semester of college, I want to reflect back on why I've worked so hard these past 4 years. Why have I worked so hard at restaurants and odd jobs for college money? Why have I spent sleepless nights staring at my notes? Why have I sacrificed time with friends to research just a little more for that project? 

I had the best kindergarten teacher in the entire world! I was a little English girl thrown into a French school without understanding a single word anyone spoke to me. She was terribly patient and had a closet full of stuff she would whip out to teach me the language. Someone would talk about a bear, she would hand me a little teddy bear. Another kid would share a story about baking cookies with Mommy, and she would pull out a cook book for me to flip through. 

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I was lucky enough to have her as my 1st grade teacher too...but everything changed after that. Instead of my 2nd grade teacher making me feel loved, or special, or like I could accomplish anything I set my mind to, she put me down. I don't remember many smiles from her, and I remember crying at my desk because I just didn't understand what she was saying. She didn't take that extra step to explain the new vocabulary to me, she just frowned. 

My 3rd grade teacher wasn't any better. I was student who often struggled with simple math just because I couldn't keep my french numbers straight. She always sat me in the back of the classroom, even though my eyesight was poor, and called me out whenever I wasn't looking her in the eye. She criticized my pictures that I gave her as gifts, and would even go as far as announcing my horrible math grade to the entire class. I spent several recesses sitting at my desk doing her extra homework.

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I felt like a worthless and dumb little girl. To this day, I struggle will putting myself down because of them.

I never, ever want another child to feel how I did. 

That's why I work so hard in school. I want to learn and develop my skills as much as possible. I feel like if I'm there, then that just keeps one more bad teacher out of the classroom. And that keeps one more bad teacher away from those kids.

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I'm gonna graduate this May, and I'm going to go on to have the coolest preschool classroom this town has ever seen. Wearing a messy bun in my hair, bright shoes on my feet, and a genuine smile on my face, I'm going to accomplish what my 2nd and 3rd grade teacher should have. 

I'm going to make a difference in those little lives...for the better.

This Weekend: Tie Re-styled

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Amy calls herself a thrifter, crafter, and sandwich maker. She also said... "I have an online boutique where i sell my goodies so i don't become a hoarder." She is also the designer of this sweet t-shirt embellishment! Check out the tutorial and leave her a comment. 

p.s. 

sORRY THIS POST WAS A LITTLE LATE! 

and my caps aren't working today...oops

Hedgehogged

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I don't really know why, but I've always loved animals that were a little different. Others girls wanted cats as pets, and I wanted an elephant! Wouldn't that be the sweetest thing? To ride to school on the back of an elephant named Edna?!

Now it's hedgehogs that have grabbed my attention. I think that it would be the coolest thing to have a little hedgehog as a pet. This calls for research!

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"The name 'hedgehog' came into use around the year 1450, derived from the Middle English 'heyghoge', from 'heyg', 'hegge' = hedge, because it frequent shedgerows, and 'hoge', 'hogge' = hog, from its piglike snout."

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- 16.00 dollars on Etsy 

"Hedgehogs are easily recognized by their spines, which are hollow hairs made stiff with keratin. Their spines are not poisonous or barbed and, unlike the quills of a porcupine, cannot easily be removed from the hedgehog. However, spines normally come out when a hedgehog sheds baby spines and replaces them with adult spines. This is called "quilling." "

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"Hedgehogs are popular pets all over the world, ranging from the United States, where they are kept as indoor pets, to Britain, where pet hedgehogs have the run of the garden to help with pest control."

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"Hedgehogs prefer roomy cages to live in, and should not be allowed to roam the house without supervision. You can use bedding designed for small mammals, and add a litter box for the hedgehog... Hedgehogs also appreciate having a secure place to hide, so provide a small nesting box to curl up in."

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So according to the rest of my web surfing, hedgehogs can me cute little pets. 

With a price range of 250-400 dollars though...it might not be in my budget.

Oh well...I guess a pet goldfish could be cool.

What's your dream pet?

Crochet the day away

Just wanted to share some photo's that are inspiring me to pick up my crochet hook again...

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See my post on owls from a few weeks ago.

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The End

This Weekend: Tote Bag

I've been feeling like we're in need of a new series. After much brainstorming I've come up with...

(drum roll please)

(triumphant trumpet sounds)

Like my Logo? My goal is to find creative and inspiring tutorials that you can make over a weekend.

So let's start off with an easy tote bag by Elsie! Oh, and did I mention that it's reversible?

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Ever been bored out of your mind?

When the internet is down, your brother is hogging the tv remote, and there are not more books on your self to read...take pictures of your feet.

Couple of announcements: 

One- I am now officially on Pintrest

Two- There's a button on the right side of this blog that will lead you to a Valentine freebie

Wedding: His Ring

Goooooooood Morning readers!

I am one happy blogger because today I get to blog about Mike's wedding band!

I feel so gidish and excited to have finally purchased it.

Mom keeps finding me looking and smiling at it, and I think that's just fine. I'm very excited about getting married.

So, referencing my own personal experience, I have written a little "Tips and Tricks" for buying a wedding band.

1. Shop Shop Shop

 Take your time. I shopped around for almost a year because picking out something I thought he would like. 

Picking out a ring that he'll wear for the rest of his life is slightly stressful, so don't rush yourself.

2. Talk

Be sure to tell the clerk exactly what you're looking for. They tend to pull out the shiniest, most pricey rings to draw your attention away from the more affordable ones. Don't let them dazzle you with a glittery show. Let them know your budget and general style of ring you're interested in.

3. On the doted line

Don't put yourself in a corner so you feel the enormous pressure to buy "today". Let the clerk know that you're "looking around" or "window shopping". This takes off some of the pressure and lets you see the ring for what it is...not all the sparkles and commercials. 

4. Stand your ground

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a very hard time saying "no" to people. But when it comes to a big purchase like this then you need to stick to your guns. If you don't feel 100% comfortable or are not totally in love with the ring in every way, then don't buy it! Don't let that gorgeous girl behind the counter talk you into how you'll never find another ring like this one is the world, or how she'll give you a special deal because you're just so nice. They see you as a big o'l bag of money and will say anything to get a sale.

Okay so I guess that about sums is all up.

Oh what did you say?

You wanna see this little ring I got here?

Well....this is one of my little secrets. You'll just have to wait until July like everyone else.

Book Review: The Help

Well I was certainly a lucky lucky girl come this Christmas, because I got not just one but two copies of  The Help by Kathryn Stockett. 

I had been dying, I tell you, DYING to read this book.

This book has received several awards and honors, you may read about them here, and has won my admiration as well. 

The story is about a small town girl with big ambitions and humble maids who display strength and endurance. The year it around 1960 and we find our heroins in Jackson, Mississippi. 

They set out together on a seemingly impossible friendship and journey for change. If they are found out, who knows what harm will come to their reputation, job security, and lives.

I read this book book while traveling and it had me captivated by the very first page. If you enjoy reading books like To Kill a Mocking Bird, then this will become a favorite too.

Stockett makes me laugh, cry, and even cringe in some chapters. She holds me in suspense down to the very last page.  I couldn't put this book now. I drank in every word and often sat back to reflect on the characters and their sides of the story. 

I won't give anything away, but the ending was bittersweet. A lovely chapter that made me face reality...life isn't a fairy tale.

I would recommend this book to all of my readers. I'm not much of a writer, it's not hard to see, but I love to read well written stories.

No, I haven't seen the movie yet. I wanted to read the book for myself first, and then proceed to judging the movie on it's accuracy. I like to develop the characters in my own mind first. I love figuring out what I think they look like, what I think their house looks like. I don't need a movie screen to do it for me. My brain is creative enough.

So, Kathryn Stockett, congratulations on your best seller! I will be looking forward to more wonderful novels written by you. 

P.S. Have any of you read it? What did you think? Leave me a comment!