The bright side of today:
I had my current favorite food for lunch; Pizza Hut pizza rolls.
I finally had time to meditate to music for a while.
I worked out for the first time in ages and it felt great.
I sorted the massive pile of laundry in our bedroom and put most of it up.
I cleaned the bathroom and installed two shelves so now it looks adorable.
I only work for five hours tonight. (Thank God because last night was sincerely awful.)
I’m off for the next three days after tonight.
And even though I’m getting a root canal in less than two days, I would have to say things are pretty great.
Well, look at the bright side..
Life hasn’t been too kind lately; financially, emotionally, or physically. I’ve caught myself in a rut over and over again and the last few months have been a certain kind of hell. But I’m slowly getting back on track and one way I read to create a more productive and positive life is to create a daily list of all of the good things about your day.
I work almost full time and go to school part time. Every day is spent worrying and running around and frantically trying to complete everything by a billion different deadlines, while dealing with the woes of working food service.
I’m twenty going on forty-five. I’m tired of being so serious about everything and biting off more than I can chew just because I’m afraid of disappointing someone. So while I’m working on fixing that, I might as well work on fixing other areas of my life. And this is my first step.
Hopefully soon I can begin to create and write again. I miss music and crafting.
The Bright Side of Today:
I paid the cable and internet bill for this month, which is the last bill due for April.
I picked up both of my prescriptions and simultaneously purchased a new mascara, glitter nail polish, rose blush, and a peach green tea.
I made awesome tips last night and I’ve got the chance to make the same tonight at my job as a waitress.
Greg is off today and although he’s spending most of his time on Halo, it’s nice to have him around the house.
We’re going to get polish sausage dogs soon from Five Guys.
AND, there are eighteen days until I turn twenty-one and embark on another adventure 1,500 miles to the middle of the country for my brother’s graduation. There are only ten days until I get to mark my two year anniversary with Greg, too.
I already feel better. <3
This scarf is so easy that once you make your first one, your mind is going to spin with ideas of how to make even cooler scarves. First, you need one skein, or ball, of yarn. You’re going to want a thick, colorful yarn. You can buy different skeins and mix and match the strands as well, but for your first scarf you should probably just stick with one type of yarn.
Next, click the picture of my scarf and read the tutorial on how to twist the yarn. I’m bad at measurements and explaining steps coherently, and I got the idea from this website so learn the technique from them. (Greenweddingshoes.com is fantastic, btw.)
If you’re a hermit like me and don’t have a friend to twist the yarn with you, you can do what I did and loop it around a cabinet door handle. You’re going to need room to stretch the yarn out so try using a kitchen cabinet. Also, I used eight strands of yarn that were really, really long. The thicker you want your scarf, the more strands you should use and the more times you want it doubled around your neck, the longer you should make it. When it comes to scarves, too long is better than not long enough.
After you follow the tutorial and you have your awesome, twisted strand, tie off the ends of it and then loop the end that you cut all of the threads off of through the other end of the strand. You can secure it but if you just loop it and leave it, it’ll stay and you can take it apart to use for something else later, such as the decorative garland pictured in the tutorial.
I know it sounds like a bunch of hooblah, but once you try it and see the magic of it twisting up on it’s own, you’re going to feel like you created a miracle. Trust me.
Enjoy!
I kind of came up with this iPod pouch when I discovered pieces of felt I had stashed. I should’ve done a tutorial but I didn’t think about that until after I was nearly finished. This was my first so I’m sure there will be more and the next one I do, I will create a how-to with it.
It’s a cute way to protect your beloved technology, isn’t it?
This is just something I came up with while going through some scrapbook paper I had laying around. Basically, it’s decoupage. It’s really easy and for the most part, cheap.
You’ll need:
A pair of heels, preferably wedges
Mod Podge Clear Gloss
A variety of scrapbook paper (You can also use magazines or newspapers. Pages from your favorite book would be unique and meaningful.)
Scissors
A medium sized paint brush
Basically all you do is just cut up all of your paper into different sized squares. It doesn’t really matter what size because you can layer them over each other to create the patchwork look. Paint the back of each piece with the Mod Podge, place it where you want it, then paint another layer of Mod Podge over it. Once you’ve done the entire heel, go over all of it once more with another layer and then let it dry for at least two hours.
There are so many things you can do with this idea. Enjoy!
(Also, I apologize for the yellowish tint to my pictures. The lighting in my apartment looks much different on camera.)
Brown Sugar Body Scrub
This is the perfect gift for all of your lady friends because the scrub makes your skin feel smooth for days, it’s very simple to make, and the jar can be used for anything once she’s used all of the sugar scrub. What you’ll need is…
A glass jar
Ribbons
Flowers (or anything else sparkly and pretty that you can put on the side)
Hot glue
Buttons (Here you can use absolutely anything. I used a plastic cameo on one)
Scrapbooking paper (or any fancy paper you may have lying around)
You’re welcome to do this in whatever order you choose, but I chose to put the ribbon on first. I started with one dot on the lid and as I wrapped the ribbon around the rim of it, I put small dots in intervals. I did the same around the rim of the jar as well.
Then, I hot glued the fancy paper onto the lid and glued the buttons on top of that. Finish with a glittery flower on one side of the jar.
And now the easiest part… What you’ll need for the sugar scrub is…
Brown sugar
Olive oil
Scented oil (You can find this at any craft store in the soap making aisle. Lavender, vanilla, and Japanese cherry blossom are just a few good ones)
Fill the jar halfway with sugar, then fill it about two inches from the top with the oil. Make sure you stir as you add the oil because you don’t want the scrub to be too oily or thick. You’ll pretty much have to judge it by eye, but for the most part the scrub is just half sugar, half oil. Once you’ve achieved the consistency you’re satisfied with, add a few drops of the oil and stir.
A few tips I learned from using this awesome mixture is that you should be dry when you use it. Scrub your whole body with it and then take a shower or a hot bath to rinse it off. Also, if you shave right after using it, you don’t need shaving cream, your legs feel baby-smooth, and you’ll stay smooth for days.
I came across this beautiful piece of autumn on Craft Gawker. The fact that she uses real leaves only adds to the novelty of this piece. Check out the rest of her work by clicking the picture.
I posted an entry about re-vamping items you already own a few days ago and upon finishing my leather purse and then going to school with it, I found out that hot glue isn’t the best adhesive for leather. (I’m sure plenty of crafters already knew that.) Needless to say, buttons were just scattering around me as I was trying to walk to class.
BUT, there is hope. There’s an industrial craft glue at Hobby Lobby called E-6000. When I say industrial I mean that it’s pretty much made out of Superman’s blood or something. You can always use any form of super glue as well, but the craft glue is quick drying and works on any material, and it doesn’t dry all crusty.
Crafty Earring Organizer
I made this out of two corner shelves I picked up for about a dollar each at Target. They’re a little difficult to put on the wall so I just glued them together and added some wire and buttons and TA DA … An earring organizer that stands on its own.
You can do this with nearly anything. I used a piece of a cardboard and yarn in an older post to put my stud earrings on and it turned out awesome.
