2012 in redux.

This is definitely the longest blogging break I've taken since I started blogging almost 5 years ago. As 2012 is slowly coming to a close, I'm just going to do a semi-short (but I do tend to ramble) recap of my year.

In 2012 I..

..stood up in a wedding for the first time

..moved out on my own for the first time

..started a Masters program for the first time

..planned a bridal shower for the first time

..got to be an extra on a popular television show for the first time

..was involved in a natural disaster for the first time

2012 has turned out to be a year of firsts for me, and if you'd told me a year ago that this is where I would be - I'd think you were crazy. It's been a crazy ride so far and I look forward to many more adventures.

I also really want to incorporate blogging back into my schedule, but Grad School is taking up a ridiculous amount of time so we'll see how that goes.

Coaster Crafts & Photo Editing

well hello there! It's been a while, how ya doing? I've become so addicted to Pinterest lately that my blogging has taken a real backseat. I have so many updates on my life to do but right now I'm taking the time ti finally post about some recent craft-successes.

Also - I'm probably the last one onto this particular bandwagon since it's closing soon - but I discovered Picnik. Seriously, where has this site been all my blogging-life? Suddenly I have such easy access to cute filters, fonts and editing software without needing to proper knowledge of Photoshop.

The bestest and I have started a weekly craft/Pilates night in order for us to finally do some of our Pinterest pins, stay in shape and have some much-needed girl time. There's some major changes going on in both our lives so this is definitely a much needed night!

These coasters were last week's craft - and our first success. We've done 3 crafts now, 2 failures (her picks) and 1 success (my pick) - not that I'm keeping track or anything. *smiles*

These are the easiest, cheapest and cutest coasters in the world. The cost per coaster is something ridiculous like $0.75 and you can use any image you want. We used scrapbook paper, but monograms or images would work just as well.

Materials Needed:

• The tiles are 4x4 ceramics from Home Depot - purchased for the low cost of $0.38 a piece. 
• Regular Mod Podge (mine is matte but a glossy finish would work too) - on hand
• Acrylic Sealer - on hand
• Sponge brushes - 6/$1 at Dollarama 
• Self-Adhesive felt pads - 12/$1 at Dollarama 
• Scrapbook paper - on hand 

Steps:

• Cut your scrapbook paper just a little bit smaller than the tile shape 
• Coat each tile with a coat of Mod Podge
• Carefully lay on the paper, I'd do it slowly because the Mod Podge begins to stick automatically
• Smooth out any bumps or wrinkles - this will really bother you in the final product if you don't 
• Coat the coaster with a second coat of Mod Podge. Don't worry if it goes on white, I promise you that it will dry clear
• Let your coasters dry - about 10 minutes 
• Use 4 self-adhesive felt pads for the bottom - one on each corner 
• Take your coasters outside or into a well ventilated area and spray with a thin coat of Acrylic Sealer - this will keep the paper from peeling if it gets wet 
• Enjoy your adorable new coasters! 

The best thing about these coasters is that they are so versatile - I see everyone I know getting these for Christmas/Birthday/Mother's Day/any random gift occasion 

Hope you're all having a great Easter/Passover/Weekend! 

Thoughts on Thursday

- weekly girls nights really are good for the soul

- some crafts will undoubtedly fail. Others will be successful and turn out really cute

- there are all of a sudden so many new things I have to figure out on my own and it's overwhelming

- summer temperatures and sunshine in mid-March are my cup of tea

- I think I'm finally on track to becoming the person I'm supposed to be, but I keep fearing that something will happen to make it all come crashing down

- I love the Dollar Store. You can literally find everything there.

What are your Thoughts on Thursday?

[Posted from my iPod Touch]

Crafty Gal - Glitter DIY

Okay so it's probably one of the worst post titles ever but it was all I could come up with.

Lately I've become somewhat of a crafts person. You can blame Pinterest for this particular hobby. I was never particularly creatively gifted as a child, I liked to paint and color (and still do) but that's pretty much where my talent ended - until recently. This glitter DIY jar was my first major project - and the idea was courtesy of Tiffany over at I am Style-ish 


It was supremely simple to create, and didn't cause anywhere near the amount of mess that I expected.

The materials:

Mod Podge, Dollar Store glitter, Dollar Store jar

The procedure: 

• First, line a bowl with tin foil (it makes the clean-up a thousand times easier)
  
• Next, add the glitter and mod podge to the bowl. I used a rough 2:1 ratio (meaning twice the glitter for the mod podge). I used a sponge brush (bought at the Dollar Store) to combine the mixture.
  
• Lastly, pour the glitter-mod podge mix into the container and swirl it around slowly so that the entire jar is evenly coated.You'll see a lot of white peeking through, don't worry the mod podge will dry clear.

After coating the jar, still wet 

Finished product! 

I took these pictures on my BlackBerry which has a crappy camera, but the finished jar has a nice blue sparkle to it and makes a perfect pen holder.

Planning a Bridal Shower - Part 1

You don't know how long I've been itching to blog about this particular subject. This is one of the drawbacks to having IRL friends read your blog - you can't post anything that they aren't supposed to know about.

You've heard me talk about the Bestest before and how her wedding is coming up in May, well I've spent the better part of the last 2 months planning her semi-surprise Bridal Shower with her mom, sister and the rest of the Bridesmaids.

I honestly never knew exactly how much work a shower for 40+ people actually is. Once we had the general things covered I thought we were basically done. In hindsight I don't know what I was thinking. Even though I spent the majority of last week being exhausted and drowning in Shower details, she's my best friend and deserves an amazing shower - so in the end it was all worth it. It was my first time organizing and planning such a huge party, but the general consensus seemed to turn out pretty well.

Up first in the planning process was the invitations. I spent an evening playing around with Photoshop, and the result were the invitations above. Then came the process of addressing close to 50 invitations - by hand. Luckily I had another Bridesmaid to help me out with this particular task.

Since I don't want to turn this post into a novel, I'm going to break it up into a few different entries. Up Next:   Games & Prizes

Cleaning up Blogger

I've only recently jumped back onto the blogging-bandwagon as they say. I spent a bit of time playing around with Photoshop yesterday and I'm really happy with the way the new layout and banner turned out. It's amazing what a girl can accomplish with a little bit of time.

I just spent the better part of the last hour cleaning up my "dashboard" on blogger. I know a lot of bloggers that have switched over to wordpress, tumblr and other hosting sites; but I've always been satisfied with blogger so I don't plan to move anytime soon.

What did do was clean up my reading list. If you are a fellow blogger, you probably also love reading blogs as much as you do writing them - but what do you do when some of your favorite bloggers stop posting? The blogging community is just that, a community. I have made many great friendships in the years that I've been blogging, but I'm noticing now that more and more of my "old standby's" haven't posted in the last 9+ months.

At which point do you accept that they have started a different chapter of their lives and remove them from your reading list? It seems harsh and cruel to do so, but if they have not posted in over a year is there really a chance that they will be returning?

Leap Year

It feels so strange that today is a day that only comes around once every 4 years. So crazy. I feel slightly hopeful today, as if we have collectively been given an "extra day" - or at the very least I've been given an extra day to squeeze in one last February-blog post.

I'm still busy with the job hunt and try to send out at least a few resumes everyday. I've had a few responses, but nothing that has turned into a position as of yet. Here's me crossing my fingers and still hoping!

Tomorrow is March 1st, I've been waiting slightly anxiously for this day to arrive for some time now - because I think this means I'll have an answer about my future one way or the other in the coming days/weeks. Then I can really start planning out where I'm going to be next year, both metaphorically and physically.

I'm going to get my Bridesmaids dress fitted for the Bestests wedding in May - and I'm excited to see it finally all come together!

Thoughts on Thursday

This whole not-knowing-about-the-future-desperate-to-find-a-job thing is really starting to take its toll on me. Applying for jobs, constantly updating my resume and customizing cover letters is the most depressing thing in the world. So naturally it puts me into a foul mood, but then whenever I try to cheer myself up by putting on a movie - I feel a constant stabbing of guilt that I'm not putting 100% of my daily energy towards finding a job. Not to mention the crazy-guilt when I spend even the smallest amount on anything materialistic. 

I've started painting again in an effort to take my mind off of other things, but the colors associated with my long-term NYC skyline project are drying out so now I either have to scour Michael's for similar colours (which won't match and will bother me) or ask my Grandmother to write to the company in Germany and see if they sell replacement colors. Either way I've had to put that project on hold so I'm now in the process of painting a cute colorful kitchen-sketch instead. 

I've also become quite the crafts person lately, my glitter candle holder craft turned out pretty well but could still use another coat. I also have 2 tin cans cleaned out and ready to be used for either storage or cute garden lanterns for summer.

I do what I can to keep myself occupied during the day, but I know that ultimately I won't be totally at ease until I know what I'll be doing next year.

Sort of on the same vain, I am now officially a licensed teacher. I received the approved notification via email this morning and just have to wait for my actual card to be sent in the mail. 

The bestests wedding - and wedding preparations - are well under way. With a little over 3 months to go it's crazy how time is flying, and I'm not even the bride! I have many things to blog about involving Bridal Shower Planning, but since I know the lovely bride-to-be reads this blog, they will stay hidden until an undisclosed time.  She is going for her first dress-fitting tonight and I can't wait to see her in her wedding dress.

Are you a turtle, shark, teddy bear, fox or owl?

I know, strangest post title ever right? I had a conversation with my dad last week in Virginia about this very topic and it got me thinking. Last fall one of my professors had us each fill out a quiz about conflict resolution. We each had the same 40 or so questions and had to rate each scenario based on a scale of "very much like me" to "not like me at all"

The result was a numbered range of where our personalities naturally fall. The options are a turtle, shark, teddy bear, fox or owl. Courtesy of Google here are brief descriptions of each characteristic. Read them over, any idea where you might fit into this scale? 

The Turtle immediately backs away from conflict. Unfortunately, if people get the idea that you are a Turtle they know that you will step back, or fold, when conflict hits. Eventually, Turtles feel like doormats.

The Shark immediately steps towards the conflict. Some Sharks have a "tear it up" attitude about conflict. This works in some situations, but if you are a Shark you'd better be careful; sooner or later you'll run into a bigger Shark.

The Teddy Bear wants harmony. "We'll do it your way," should be their mantra. Somewhat like the Turtle they are often overwhelmed. But, the good thing about Teddy Bears is that they will usually stand up for the few things that really matter to them.

The Fox is the compromiser. The Fox will give up a little, if you will give up a little. The Fox is often a manipulator.

The Owl is the win-win person. The Owl is always trying to think through the conflict and find a way for everyone to win.

Now I should point out that most people fall into at least 2 categories, with one being the dominant. At first i was very surprised by my dominant characteristic, but after examining it and taking a step back I realized that it's completely accurate.

I'm a complete Teddy Bear. 

Without even realizing it, I don't make decisions on my own very well and almost always wait for someone else to decide for me. "It doesn't matter, you decide" is one of my most common phrases. I'm such a people-pleaser that I can't stand the idea of someone around me doing something they don't want to do just because I want to do it. Make sense? Something as simple as shopping with a friend and deciding which stores to go into, I will work it so that they ultimately make the decision and I can just go along with it. I don't necessarily shy away from conflict, but I will try to smooth it over with both parties involved as much as I can.

It was such an eye-opener for me. I couldn't find the actual test online, but try Googling it yourself - it's seriously fascinating. 

10 Day Challenge - Day 2: Songs

Hello hello! So I'm only like 4 days behind, BUT I have a very good reason. I spent all of last week in the good ol' South (Virginia to be exact) and left this little laptop of mine at home. So here is me playing a little game of catch-up.

I'm supposed to pick 2 songs. Just 2 - really? I listen to a lot of music, particularly when I'm doing housework or driving, and songs always seem to affect my mood. All it takes is the first few chords of a song to either lift my spirits or bring back painful memories. That being said, I also don't really have a "favorite song" because it really depends on how I'm feeling at the time. Here are my current favorite songs:

1. "Empire State of Mind Pt. 2" by Alicia Keys - Sort of speaks for itself and my never-ending love affair with New York City. I'll have lots more to write about my whirlwind 12-hour vacay in NYC in an upcoming post.

2. "September" by Daughtry - I've been in a sort of Memory Lane-ish mood the last few days, and I feel like the lyrics really speak to how I sometimes feel.

10 Day Challenge - Day 3: Films

Eeek, the smaller the numbers get the bigger the categories are.

3. Fast 5 -  I know it's a very bizarre choice, but something draws me to that movie. It's the 5th and final (I think) installment of the "Fast and Furious" franchise. This movie has everything - action, romance, family, fast cars and things blowing up. I have it on DVD and I've honestly probably seen it about 10 times.

2. Dirty Dancing - The ultimate chick flick. Enough Said.

1. The Holiday - I love this movie, it has everything.

I know there are probably hundreds of other movies that I love that I'm completely forgetting about at this moment, but here you have 3!

10 Day Challenge - Day 4: Books

You really want me to *just* pick 4 books?? I make no promises on this one, I could probably go on forever.

4. The Harry Potter series - I'm cheating since there's technically 7 books here alone, but I don't care. I've been reading this series since I was in middle school and it was the first "big book" that I read on my own. I was proud.

3. The Something Borrowed, Something Blue series - total chick lit, but books that I go back to every now and then if I want something easy to read

2. Water for Elephants - One of the best books. Ever. Go read it right now if you haven't already. Then go watch the movie!

1. Breaking Dawn - skip the rest of the Twilight series if you wish, but read this one. In my opinion it's hands down the best one.

10 Day Challenge - Day 5: Foods

mmmmm food. I was waiting for the Day 5 challenge to arrive

5. Pizza - my ultimate comfort food, I could eat it day or night

4. Pasta - again, I'm ALL about the carbs. Only problem is that I'm always hungry about an hour after a giant pasta meal. Not good.

3. Veggies - but raw. I eat cooked veggies like your average toddler (speak: barely any) but will eat almost any vegetable raw with dip. A good example: The smell of cooked cauliflower makes me gag, but I love eating it raw.

2. Schnitzel - Oh I loves me some good ol' German food. It's like a pork chop, but a thousand times better. Usually served with roasted potatoes.

1. Cheesecake - The only sweet that made it onto my list. I've become less and less of a sweet eater the older I get, but I have a serious weakness for a good cheesecake. 

10 Day Challenge - Day 6: Places You Want To Go

This one's easy!

The hardest part is narrowing it down to 6 places that I haven't been to yet. Wow I sound spoiled don't I.

In no particular order

6. Morocco - It was supposed to happen last March but the Arab World had to go and revolt and ruin my trip.  No sarcasm there or anything.

Source

    

Source

 5. Singapore 

Source

4. South Africa - Lions and Tigers and.. Zebras oh my!

Source

3. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Ever since I saw "Fast 5" I've been a bit obsessed with Rio. So beautiful. 

Source

 2. Copenhagen, Denmark - So close to Germany and so very picturesque. 

Source

1. Russia - I've always had a bit of an obsession for Russia. A childhood friend and I have tentative plans to take the Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Beijing one day. Such an amazing adventure. 

Source

Source

10 Day Challenge - Day 7: Wants

Happy February! I googled the phrase "Happy February" but aside from cupid and hearts, this is the only other picture that came up. Frankly, I try to avoid a lot of the sappy Valentine's stuff that is associated with February (blame that on my being perpetually alone - no bitterness or anything) so I went with a nice beach scene instead.

source

It's actually somewhat appropriate since we are currently having one of the warmest winters on record. Mind you, it's not beach weather by any means - but no snow and a light jacket this time of the year is very impressive.

Day 7 of the 10 Day challenge is "Wants". This one seems a bit superficial to me. Just saying.

7. I want my future to work out the way I picture it in my head. Probably not going to happen exactly like that, but a girl can dream

6. I really really want a money tree. Yup. That would solve a heck of a lot of problems.

5. Since we're a little on the superficial side, I also really really want a Burberry raincoat. Anyone have a spare $1,500 that they don't need?

4. I want to find Prince Charming.

3. I want health and happiness for my family and friends. There, this one makes me feel better about wanting the raincoat and Prince Charming.

2. I want to find a job.

1. I'm going to leave this one blank, I know exactly what I want most of all right now - but it's not open for public viewing just yet.

10 Day Challenge - Day 8: Fears

8 fears seems like a bit much, but we'll see how far I get

1. My biggest fear is definitely fire. House fires to be exact. The sight of a camp fire or fireplace doesn't send me into hysterics - but the one and only time I've actually seen a house fire, it wasn't pretty.

2. I suppose this explains number 1 a bit better, I'm terrified of losing material things that are important to me.

3. Flying. I've gotten much better the older I get, but there was a time not too long ago when even a month before a scheduled trip I would have nightmares and the smallest thing would send me into hyperventilating panic attacks. Not to mention the actual flying experience itself. I can't even count the amount of times that I hysterically sobbed my way through take-off.

4. Cancer, feel like this disease has touched so many people and ruined so many lives.

5. Open water. This one definitely needs some explanation. It's not the open water exactly that freaks me out, it's seeing things in the horizon. Still not clear? For example in movies when they show those giant oil rigs in the middle of the ocean (think the beginning of Armageddon) it scares the hell out of me. Giant shipping containers also do it. I think it's some deep-routed fear of falling off something large into water. That being said, I also find nothing more terrifying than an empty swimming pool - so perhaps it is the water..

6. Sunflowers. Anyone reading this is probably frowning in confusion right about now. What can I say, I have weird fears. Snakes and spiders I can handle - but sunflowers freak me out. There's something about the giant black spot in the middle, it's not right.

7. In recent years I've developed a bit of a fear of heights, but I think it's the initial leaving of solid ground. Observation decks for example, I'm perfectly fine once I'm up there, and even the ride back down is fine - but going up such a high elevator scares me.

8. Death. In that typical I-know-it-will-happen-one-day kind of way. There's no stopping it, and sometimes I picture myself in my late 80's or 90's and it's scary.

Job Hunt frustrations

2 posts in one day, almost seems like a record. The truth is, I feel incredibly frustrated at the moment and blogging always helps me work through my problems.

Now that I have completed my teaching degree, the next challenge is finding a job. I've spent the better part of the last week scouring job posting websites and applying for positions that even remotely interest me. At the moment I am more concerned with finding something to tide me over until I either get a teaching position or figure out my next step.

It's taken me many years to figure out what I want to do with my life, and in many ways I'm still not 100% sure - but I do know that I'm narrowing it down bit by bit. My frustration is this - I keep finding postings for positions that I know I would be perfect for and that I would love to do, but right now I lack the necessary experience. It's incredibly frustrating. I am fully aware that one of the best ways to gain experience is to intern or volunteer, which I'm completely fine with, except that the lack of money will eventually catch up to me. And then what?

Can someone please invent a money tree?

10 Day - You - Challenge - Day 9 (delayed)

10 days of pre-planned posts - this was supposed to be so simple, and yet I still failed. My pride is feeling a bit bruised, so I'm just going to carry on a if today were day 9 and I hadn't missed an entire weekend.

9 Things I Love (in no particular order)

9. Family - I wouldn't be where I am today without the love and support of my family 

8. Friends - I feel truly blessed to have the wonderful friends that I do, and the knowledge that I could go to any one of them with a problem at any time and they would be there for me 

7. Sunshine - I'm definitely a Vitamin D type of girl, whenever it's sunny I instantly feel happier 

6. My cat - I feel like I love her more and more each day, she's my baby 

5. Avi - I've been quite open about my love for my little blue car

4. Travelling - It's been a recurring theme in my life, and this may sound quite spoiled, but every few months I get an itch to go somewhere new. I love that slightly uncomfortable feeling of a completely new place 

3. Painting - I don't get to do it as often as I'd like, but it's soothing and mindless

2. Clothes - A little on the superficial side, but a good outfit can make or break your confidence

1. Libraries - I practically grew up in one, and of course the mountains of books are an added bonus 

10 day - You - Challenge - Day 10

Hello Bloggers! I found this little activity on a random corner of the blogosphere and figured it would be a fun activity to try!  Also, I'm busy applying for jobs, and constantly writing cover letters is the most depressing thing ever so I'm allowing myself a little break.

The idea is that you post once a day for 10 days and answer specific questions The Day 10 Challenge goes a little something like this:

Day 10: secrets
Day 9: loves
Day 8: fears
Day 7: wants
Day 6: places you want to go
Day 5: foods
Day 4: books
Day 3: films
Day 2: songs
Day 1: picture of yourself

So here goes, 10 secrets about me

10. Sometimes I wish there was a soundtrack in everyday life like there is in movies

9. Similarly, I sometimes wish I had a stylist/hair&makeup artist waiting at all times

8. I have too many visions of the type of person I would like to be. They get mixed up and confused.

7. I still sleep with my teddy bear almost every night. He's been around the world.

6. If it wasn't for the actual flying part, I would love to be a flight attendant

5. I keep a journal, and will occasionally dig out old journals and read through them

4. I'm not good at letting things go

3. I have no concept of what it's like to have siblings. It's a bond I can't even begin to understand

2. I like days where I wake up early on my own, the days just seem longer

1. I wish I was better at crafts. You can blame Pinterest for this one.

The Circus

Something that many people don't know about me is that I've always been kind of obsessed with the Circus. I say "the circus" loosely because any circus will do. What gets me is the animals, acrobats and entertainers.

It probably goes back to my childhood in Germany when small circuses used to come to my town. My friends and I would spend countless hours wandering through the menagerie and watching the show with a childlike awe. When my mom and I were grocery shopping in a neighboring town that happened to have a circus, I was known to throw fits until I was promptly taken to said circus. I was an only child, can you tell?

One of my all-time favorite toys growing up was this Playmobile circus set - I had the center ring, animal trailers  and little acrobat people.
                                        
I just finished reading "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern, and while the chronology of the book was a bit confusing, the plot was amazing. It brought back all sorts of memories for me of circuses I went to as a child.

When most 4 year olds are asked what they want to be when they "grow up" you tend to get typical answers of "princess" , "teacher" , "fireman" or "a transformer" - well this former 4 year old proudly proclaimed she wanted to be a trapeze artist. And to be honest, that ambition hasn't exactly faded. To this day one of my top "bucket list" things is to take trapeze lessons or go to circus school. 

Graduation

Yeaterday was the day I officially graduated for the 6th time.

Although not all of these have been University calibre degrees, I see each one as a stepping stone to the next. Sure, my middle school graduation did not involve a cap or gown or even a diploma, but without it I would not have made it to high school which in turn would not have ultimately lead me to where I currently stand.

this may sound incredibly cliche, but I feel that I'm standing on a bit of a precipice if you will with a " big 'ol world" in front of me. I really don't know exactly where the coming year will take me, but I look forward to the challenge nonetheless.

hope you all have a good weekend around the world

[Posted from my iPod Touch]

Thoughts on Thursday

It's a dreary type of day today (weather wise) so I'm taking this opportune moment to blog a little. I also may or may-not have "HP and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2" on in the background (don't judge).

My thoughts:

- I've realized lately that I tend to live my life in a "Plan A" sort of pattern. What I mean by that is that when I have plans for something (be it the future or a trip or something simple like dinner) I generally don't have a back-up "Plan B" to help me out. It isn't a matter of recklessness on my part, it's just that I tend to believe so firmly in Plan A that I don't think of what would happen if it doesn't work.

- I'm slowly rediscovering my love of blogging, so expect plenty more posts in 2012

- I don't believe in New Year's resolutions, partially because I never keep them, but I do know that this will be a year of major changes for all of us.

- Resume writing has to be the most tedious process in the world, no wonder people pay big bucks to have resumes created for them. I totally would.

- Now that I finally finished off my "Gilmore Girls" set, I've been so immersed in Rory's world since Christmas that I'm seeing more and more similarities between her life and mine. Very strange. Here I thought our Grandmothers were the only similarity.

- Now that school is done and I have the luxury of temporary free-time, I've started painting again and added crafts to my activities.

- Pinterest always makes me think I should be better at the aforementioned crafts, but it's a start. I've made coasters, a facial scrub and dry-erase calendar. Baby steps.

That's it for now.

2012.

I took a necessary vacation from blogging the last 4 months, and I come back to blogger to find a "new" version that seems very foreign to me at the moment.

Now that a new year is upon us and one chapter of my life is closed, I am finding it high time to return to my little corner of the blogosphere.

Stay tuned for more posts coming up!