Around here...

Around here...

Saturday, January 25, 2014

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It's been cold, so I've been going back to some of my old favorites to keep my soul cozy and warm.

I've been reading Tongue Tied, a great fanfiction by QueensPuppet. 

Yeah, Harry Potter fan fiction is a not-so-secret love of mine.

I've been playing Portal. 

I don't know why I played Portal 2 first, but so far I like the second one better.

I've been listening to a Sugarcult station on Pandora. 

It's like going back in time to my high school years.

And I've been re-watching Doctor Who on Netflix.

It's like going back in time with a really good looking British dude.

Mainly while I do art or scrapbooking or whatever. 

I know the plots well enough to know when to look up.

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ten [I'm not getting out of bed today] things

ten [I'm not getting out of bed today] things

Thursday, January 23, 2014

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Sometimes I'm hit with an incurable case of wanderlust. I would do anything to roam around the streets of some far off town, to climb cliffs that lead to secret civilizations, to browse the curiosities of some bizarre bazaar... whenever I get this feeling (given that I haven't won the lottery that day) you can find me in my bed fort, with a much more affordable solution than a spontaneous plane ticket.

So here is a list of ten things that are for having adventures... without ever leaving your bed.

Gotta start out with the perfect pajamas. For me it's this (Bioshock) Splicer Mask Shirt from Human [1] and these Eyelet Silky Boxers from Aerie [3].

Next thing you need (and this is CRUCIAL) is a great book about far off adventures. My absolute favorites are the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor [2].

And if you're going to travel you're going to need suitcases.  Try these cushions from Mod Cloth [4].

When it's all said and done you're going to want to keep track of where you've visited, even if its just in your mind. Maybe you should try this beautiful Scratch Map from Uncommon Goods [5].

This haircut makes for the perfect bed head. How gorgeous is that, seriously?

Make sure you make the perfect bed fort. 

This one was found on pinterest.

If you're not in the mood for reading, maybe watching a movie about adventures is a better plan. I suggest the Lord of the Rings movies. Extended edition, if you want an excuse to stay in bed for a loooong time. It's totally worth it. (Also, there's a drinking game, if you want a different LotR experience.)

And of course you need the perfect sheets. I personally love this floral set from Urban Outfitters. Or maybe you'd like their map set. There's also this world map set. Or maybe you'd rather have a set with a map of Paris, or the London Underground. Looking at all of these beds is making me sleepy...

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ten things

ten things

Friday, January 17, 2014

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1. meet me at the library tshirt from svpply

2. lowrise skinny jeans from balmain

3. quilted book clutch tutorial from made in home

Pottermore has more chapters. Basically, if you are a Harry Potter fan, you have to try Pottermore. Have to. There's no getting out of it. If for nothing more than the sorting quiz. (Hufflepuff pride!)

Drink this adult Butterbeer while you play on Pottermore!

I love this apartment in Chicago. Beautifully curated collections and design elements make me smile.

This tutorial from A Beautiful Mess for a galaxy face print is a lovely but easy art piece. I want to try it, but maybe with someone else's face.

I'm really into this time capsule idea. It would look so cool after a few year's worth collected on your shelf.

Star Wars planet mobile tutorial from Mad In Crafts. I don't really need to explain why this is awesome, do I?

This house is glorious, but my favorite part, by far, is the library.

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ten things

ten things

Friday, January 10, 2014

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Have you ever had a day where it felt like you just kept finding things that worked perfectly for how you felt? That was my day today. These four images are from four different blogs, but they are blowing my mind with how well they work together. 

Like, seriously. For this collage I just pulled out the images, 

didn't change a thing, 

and they work together like peanut butter and jelly... yum.

left: from the Sister Style's post on A Beautiful Mess

top middle: from @elsielarson on instagram

bottom middle: from @mademoisellemaurice on instagram

right: from @drummertomhane on instagram

I'm really into this necklace right now.

I love the colors in this wax resist flag. I want to try this so bad.

I made my own font today with InstaFontMaker, and I have to say I'm addicted. A Beautiful Mess did a post on an iPhone version a looong time ago, and I came across it today on pinterest and decided to search for an Android version. Yay for fruitful searches and pinterest.

This person made an installation of origami koi fish, and shared her process on instructables. I've been wanting to do something like this in my home for a long time, so this is really inspirational to me. It's just so playful.

Love this painted jug. It's art, not branding, but if it were a product I would totally buy it.

Okay, so, if you're a fan of Percy Jackson, and have also read the Kane Chronicles (Rick Riordan's other series, dealing with Egyptian legends rather than Greek), then this short story by Riordan is a must read. A quote, to give you a taste of that wonderful humor that this author has mastered:

"If nothing else, we would die knowing that 

we'd confused this monster many, many times."

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New Year's [Plumbob inspired] Pinata

New Year's [Plumbob inspired] Pinata

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

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I like to have fun on my new years, so I try to do new projects to celebrate. Last year I made some cupcakes which turned out... unique. This year I did something much less time consuming, and made a pinata! And not just any old pinata. This pinata doubles as a plumbob!

Things you need: 

Toilet paper rolls, or old wrapping paper rolls // confetti // candy

tissue paper // masking tape // scotch tape // graph paper

pencil or marker // scissors

1. Make a very long triangle for your pattern. Keep in mind the eventual shape while drawing this out. Using graph paper makes this super easy, but I suppose with a ruler you could also use just regular line paper.
2. Trace it onto your cardboard. I found that the wrapping paper tube will rip a bit, but its not really going to effect your project much in the end. The great thing about triangles is you can nestle them in with each other.
3. Cut your triangles out. The great thing about this project is that your cuts don’t have to be razor precise. As long as you’ve got the basic angles, everything should be all right. You can see in my example that one of my corners is cut off. No big deal. Tape fixes everything. And then you’ll have an army of triangles. (In this case, for the shape we’re making, our army is 12 strong).
4. Now its time to construct our shape. We’re going to use 6 pieces for the top, and 6 for the bottom, taping them together on the long side first. Lay the tape underneath and place the triangles a few millimeters apart. If it helps, try drawing out a picture first to help yourself know what goes where.
5. Once you’ve gotten everything together and reinforced, show off your beautiful creations. Congratulations, you’ve created a Madonna bra. Or some mountains.
6. Add some tape to the side you think is the strongest, to connect the two pieces. I guess not everyone wants to be Madonna. That’s cool, neither did I.
7.  Fill up one side with your goodies! This is the messiest step. It might be best to do it over a trash can or a tray or something. Also, if you’re putting in some candy, make sure to sample it. Wouldn’t want to poison anyone.
8. Time to tape around the edges, connecting the two. The last step was the messiest, and this is the most annoying. If you’re anything like me, eventually the thing will collapse a little. Don’t worry, it will all be hidden by fringe in the end.
9. Add your string. I taped it down with the end hanging an inch out, and then flipped it up and taped it again. That seemed to work decently well. Also, you could do this step anytime after step 5… though I wouldn’t suggest doing it right after step 8. Could be problematic.
10. Tape on the fringe. I feel like this should have more pictures. I covered the bottom tip first, by winding around a strip of the paper I was using. Then I wound my way up to the top, adding a piece of scotch tape to every side of the shape. When I got to the middle, I had to add another piece of whole paper to the bottom of the top cone, so I could preserve the geometric-ness of the shape.
11. Enjoy! I actually bought a dollar Lego set to put in with the confetti, so when we busted it open we had to go on a hunt for pieces, and then construct the vehicle without instructions. Totally worth it.

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ten [it's 2014] things

ten [it's 2014] things

Friday, January 3, 2014

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10 things I want to do in 2014:

Get married.
Because there's a man that was crazy enough to propose, so I better get this done with before he changes his mind. :]
Draw every day.
Tried this last year, it worked... okay. Round two!
Pay more attention to my health.
How can something so simple be the hardest goal?
Sell some art.
It's time my degree started working for a living.
Take more pictures of important things.
Like my cat... or my family.
Get some fresh flowers.
Get one BIG project done.
Lots of projects floating around.
Eat more Mexican food.
Because... yum.
Finish some video games.
Cause I have an addiction to video games you can't win.
Laugh more.
Laugh lines be damned.

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Sketchy Outfit Twenty Eight

Sketchy Outfit Twenty Eight

Thursday, January 2, 2014

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New Years

What I wore:

What we did:

What we watched:

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