All snuggie-d up, cause there is nowhere to go

Yep, that’s me in my snuggie.

Just a little glimps into my thrilling life of evening studying

Paper Flowers

This weekend has been full of paper flower crafting for Brittney’s wedding. The centerpieces for her reception, are based off of this

Gorgeous right?

So we went for the artsy book look and decided to make flowers for the tables as well. One of the types…is this!

Just a little something I put together. Anyway, lets begin on this simple tutorial

Supplies:

Wire- I’ve used paperclips and green floral wire…anything will do!

Paper- I tore pages out of a book for these

Scissors, and a glue gun!

Oh, and some buttons or something cute for the center

Cut strips out about 4 inches long. I played with a couple lengths, but I really love this size the best. I stack 8 pages or so together and go at it. They DO NOT have to be perfect, trust me!

Grab your wire and make a loop/swirl/not at one end to stop the paper from going off.

First you will make the top of the flower, and move down to the bottom. You can get really creative here!

To make the smaller middle section, take a strip and punch the wire through one side, then the middle, then the opposite side. So 1 strip actually makes 2 petals. Got it?

I do that about 3 times for the top part

Then the bottom takes about 15-ish pieces. Simply poke your wire through one side, then the other (in other words skip the middle). Don’t crease the paper, it makes it “springy”

And once you are done, dab a bit of hot glue on the end to keep it in place!

Then glue a button, or something cute for the center of the flower to cover up your wire

If you want to get really creative, I later took strips on some of these and mod podged around the stem to make it a little artsy-er!

And you’re done!

(these are still missing the middle part!)



Left or Right?

My internal struggle of how I should spend my time:

The left brain knows I should be studying

But the right….well it would rather be crafting.

So every other hour, I’ve switched between making flowers for a wedding, to contracts, to sewing, then on to criminal law.

It is exhausting.

As of now, my right side has taken over. I’ve decided to put up an easy t-shirt bag tutorial

T-shirt Hobo Bag

(sorry for not taking actual photos in the process)

Perfect for a reusable grocery sack, or tote for a sack lunch.

1 shirt

1 stitch

3 cuts

1 knot

And you’re done!

Easy peasy lemon squeezy

I like any writing on the inside…but if you’ve got a cool shirt, go ahead and turn it inside out to start with.

Sew the bottom shut.

Flip it inside out (or outside-in if you’ve already turned it inside-out)

Cut off the sleeves and cut a square out of the neck

Now ties the two straps together

And you’re done!



What Goes Up...

Yep, that’s me. I’ve got the bruise and the dented sled to prove it.

This week I’ve learned, I just can’t do everything. I can’t craft everything I want to and still write a paper on time. I can’t do my homework and call friends to catch up for a few hours. I can’t start my finals outlines, and still run errands after school. I can’t find a seamstress to alter a bridesmaids dress and still apply for summer clerkships read rejection letters for summer clerkships. I’m in law school now, and that must take priority.
There are only so many useable hours in every day

24 to be exact

So what have I learned?

Prioritize.

Etsy isn't a job, the wedding isn’t until May, and errands will be there.

And friends understand. So thanks friends for understanding

Your paper, however, has a draft due at midnight tomorrow.

And the jobs…well the deadlines are fast approaching.

Oh and the GMAT…that is in 3 weeks.

So honestly, its been a tough week. Break was great, and the snow days, but like I said...

What goes Up...



MOH

Have I mentioned I’ve never been in a wedding? I could probably count the number of weddings I’ve been to….on one hand.

So this whole MOH thing is new.

I’ve learned: the best part is you get to talk about weddings all the time and not have the actual stress of it being YOUR wedding! Plus, you can throw out ideas, and YOU never have to make the decision! And you get to craft, like crazy…and have a REAL excuse for it.

This is Brittney. We’ve known each other since elementary school and even though we haven’t lived in the same state for almost 6 years…

we are still tiz-ight :)

Gorgeous engagement photos right?! She is going very artsy with this wedding! Which is why I got super excited when she showed us pictures of the sorts of things she wants us bridesmaids to wear, I just had to craft!

She showed me the gray headband on the right, and I decided…I’m totally doing that!

Ta-dah! I made it so I can pin it into my hair instead (explains why it is the wrong direction in the first photo!) headbands give me headaches sometimes...so I figured this could work much better!

So I’m pretty excited! It’s a May wedding, and it’s in Nashville (Apparently once you go to Freed, you never want to leave Tennessee!) The wedding is in a quaint chapel, and the reception at a plantation…should be a blast!

Starbucks trick

Ever go through the drive-thru at starbucks (or another coffee shop) and forget to get a stopper/spill stick (or they run out!) Don’t try to keep driving and hope it won’t spill. Everyone knows cleaning cupholders is terribly difficult, and holding it still just burns your hand.

Anywho, I was surprised by the number of people at work who would freak out if we ran out…so we taught them this!

Grab a small piece of paper.

Fold it length wise

Then in half.

Shove the creased part into the little hole.

Ta-dah! Make shift spill stick/stopper

It works great for the short time it takes to get home…but paper obviously isn’t a long term fix (let me remind you what the paper part of a sucker looks like by the end. No one wants paper in their drink)

However, if you’re at starbucks, ask for a sample straw or a sticker. They always have those lying around, and it makes a more water proof stopper. Just fold the straw in half, and you are good to go!

Umbra = Love

Not talking the umbrO athletic shorts you used to wear as a kid (maybe it was just me?) but umbrA the amazing producer of all kinds of goodies!

If you ever buy me something Umbra…it is a guaranteed hit!

This is just a small collection of my favorite things!

My house will be filled with these floating book shelves and photo frames! (kevin already got my collection started by giving me one this Christmas!)

Oh and maybe ill even get a fish just so I can have this!

One of the highlights of my life was actually finding an umbra store with Alyssa in Toronto. (That is, ignoring the fact that I fell ill at the hostel the night before and could barely make it a few blocks to see Britney Spears…but that’s another story!)

On another note- thanks to this kid...

...for making this for my new layout!

V-day Wreath

I had no idea I loved Valentine’s day so much! Actually, I’m not so certain I do…but I love the crafts for it! Why? Well because I can make a heart…and that’s about all you need!!

So I gave a wreath a try!

Grandma gave me an old one that she didn’t want. So I took it apart (it used to have fake flowers all over it) After she saw that I took it apart, she just said “Oh, you took the flowers off!” Whoops, maybe her idea of crafts and mine are a little different.

So I’ve never made a wreath, but I tried wrapping it up in some red fabric.Which I hated.

Then a fellow blogger suggested I use some t-shirt yarn to make a wreath. Great idea! So I snazed it up a little.

I thought I would try making some pom poms for it...but hates that as well

Basic Pom Pom instructions- grab two pieces of cardboard, lay a string in the middle. Then wrap the string/yarn/ribbon around the carboard a bunch!Cut one side of the string wrap, and use the string the middle to tie it all together!

Since that was a bust...now comes the best part. I knew this thing was going in the trash on February 15^th (I don’t have a house…where am I supposed to keep decorations??) So I didn’t want to waste materials, or spend money on it. So, I decide to add all my hair clips, and tshirt pins, and anything I’ve made lately to it!

That way, I can take it all apart (and unwrap the tshirt yarn) and reuse it all over again for something new!

Trash the Dress

Yes, I know I’m not married/engaged…but I LOVE the idea of trash the dress pictures. This will totally be me (lets just hope I wait to trash it until after it has had its glory day)

I’m not talking intense like this

OR this

But how much fun does paintballing sound in your dress?

SUPER FUN…that’s how much

From water

To sand

And, mud paint, and everything else…skip the engagement photos…my money is going to be spent on these pictures!

Rainbow Cupcakes (featuring my “new” kitchenaid)

Let’s be honest with each other...I really did this so I could talk about by wonderful new find from goodwill.

This lovely lady

The best money I’ve ever spent at a thrift store.

Anyway, I wanted to give rainbow cupcakes a try!

Pretty simple: pick any white cake recipe. I would suggest only using egg whites though…my color didn’t turn out as bright as I had hoped (which also means add WAY more dye then you think you will need)

Mix it all up, and then separate it unto as many colors as you want and mix in the dye.

I went with 5.

Its much more fun with a helper!

When you pour them in, you can even it out so it makes layers, or glop them for more of a tie dye effect. I even swirled some (not much or else you get ugly brown) with a toothpick in a few to try out different designs.

Then I made a little frosting eyeballing the powdered sugar, butter, milk, and almond. I always use LOTS of almond, just like my grandma told me!

And ta-dah! Pretty cupcakes!

Update

What a great weekend! Spent the weekend at home...

I'd say she loves me...but really she loves food

And had a great MLK day sledding!

Did I mention Chelsea flew in from Portland just to sled with me?

Noticed I haven’t talked about school much? Quite honestly, that’s because it isn’t all that fun. We have another big paper, and oral debates coming up. Interviews start soon, and all I can hope for is that someone will want me for the summer.  (and pay me!)

I’m still studying for that silly GMAT…and taking the test next month *gulp*

Oh, and did I mention I just had an order for 13 personalized hangers?! Yep, that’s 11 bridesmaids, the bride, and her mother. I’m starting to wonder what I got myself into!

Two down! (btw these look better in person...I promise!)

And then we have my new class this semester (which puts me at 18 hours…bleck).

Criminal law.  It begins to look at things that although I had thought of before, I’d never formed an opinion about.

• The idea that it is far worse to convict an innocent man, then to allow a guilty man to go free
• As a Christian, I believe the true and real final justice is held in God’s control. How then does it affect my opinion of the outcomes of a case.
• How does one weigh the acts against the motives? ie- man slaughter.