ADULTHOOD SURVIVAL KIT

Adulthood entails voting, smoking, paying bills, eating healthy/veggies, paying taxes, worrying, leaving zits alone, parallel parking properly, tattoos, getting excited about vacuum cleaners and remembering to take your vitamins. And nothing says "Welcome to adulthood, you'll be fine!" like a survival kit.

Though very sarcastic in nature, this kit was well intended. And while I know I'm just a few seconds into my adulthood adventure, an adulthood survival kit (one with real money instead of fake money, preferably) would have been very helpful. But for a friends 18th birthday (and a desperately needed outlet for my creative energy), the not-so-helpful adulthood survival kit was essential.

BAND-AIDS...

used best for cuts, scratches and broken hearts.

SOME MEDS...

as in candy, because it's not that kind of box.

ADULTHOOD IS PRICELESS...

jk its rly expensive, so we included some fake money to

 help and also coupons for a free profile photo.

EMERGENCY SOCK STASH... 

Because socks always go missing and that's a 

fact of life all adults must accept.

PRESCRIPTION FOR HOW TO WIN A GIRL...

don't worry, talking to her dad first is a part of the treatment plan.

A LIGHTER...

strictly for lighting birthday candles and roman candles, 

even though legal lung cancer is now an option.

So if you ever find yourself with an abundant supply of tick tacks, red paper and red stickers, one fabulous white gel pen, fake money, a lighter, socks, bandages, candy and great life advice (Eat your veggies, pay your bills, and call your mom once a month.), and a friend entering adulthood, maybe you should make an adulthood-survival kit too.

And make me one while you're at it. Because I need all the help I can get.

Unlikely duo

Last year I was positive I was the most crafty person around. I made these little rosettes and at the time, they were the bomb. I made them out of a -get this-  a VINTAGE cookbook! How fantastically hip is that? And naturally, I selected recipes about sausage to be front and center. Sausage and Valentines Day - OH THE ROMANCE!

PS: Say happy birthday to my friend okay?

Hey, I'm all artsy.

Welcome to a post where I hope you don't notice all the photos are blurry and I try to convince you my art is not horrific.

For the record, I'm really not a very good liar.

 Last week I started art. And FYI,  It's WAAAAAYYYY better than track. First of all, it involves sitting. Not on a couch, but I can handle chairs. Second, it involves watercolor, which is basically just coloring for grown ups (and dorky teenagers).  You see, track and art really don't mix which is exactly why (hey mom!)
I should stick with just ONE.

I'm gonna let you guess which one I'd pick.

(hint......the one that involves sitting.)

2013 (and ten million goals)

I seem to be a little bit in shock that uh, 2012 has ended? Writing 2013 in my journal today made me absolutely giddy (dork alert!) 2012 was good to me, but that certainly does not mean it came without challenges. I feel like I've grown up a ton....

Yet somehow I still feel like I'm two years old. (??)

I guess one thing is that two year old don't make goals. I, unlike them, have about 50 million for this year. And no, lip gloss is NOT on the list. (last year was a bit of an embarrassment, but I accomplished ALL of them!!! So, of course the natural response it to make 15 million more. Let's not get in the way of nature, okay kids?)

Anyway... without further ado, let me introduce you to 2013's slew of goals! (I've even categorized them! Woo hoo! Not alphabetically though, you have to remember I'm related to sloths. Which just means I'm lazy. We don't really have much in common other than that. So never mind.)

_____________________________________________________

General:

Be diligent with school and music

Complete a photo a day challenge

CONQUER ALGEBRA!

Read one classic a month

Continue reading through the bible

Pursue my gifts

Wear more (modest!) skirts

Master the register

Give meaningful gifts

Do more random acts of kindness

Be in shape(ish)

Grow out my hair/bangs

Give the pups baths once a month

Expand my vocabulary

Be thrifty

Write 100 Letters

SEND BIRTHDAY CARDS (!!)

 

Creative:

Make homemade beauty products

Send a party in a box

Use my handwriting for a graphic

Sew 3 dresses

Sew 3 skirts

grow flowers

Try outfit remix

Learn A LOT in photoshop

Learn more about coding

Make a gif

Hone in on my style

Go six months without buying anything from B&BW

Own a velvet dress

_____________________________________________________

                                                               

Yep, that's not definitely not overkill. I've added almost 20 just since writing this post. I'm a dreamer, what can I say? 

And so, do YOU have any goals for 2013? Surely your list is more reasonable! Hopefully....

xoxo, 

Let's hope I don't add anymore.

The Cure

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say, you're bored today.

I totally read your mind right? RIGHT?

Okay, so before I get my reality show on TLC, I'm going to show you how to make these (totally exciting, cure for boredom) washi tape wall stickers.

Because genius is my middle name. And so is the internet.

ONE: Lay 4 strips of washi tape on wax paper. TWO: Trace a circle on the tape. THREE: cut out your circle. 4: Peel off the tape and stick all over your walls.

Plus, these are removable! So if you just so happen to get bored...AGAIN, you can move these all around.

It's pretty entertaining, I'm sure!

PS: I got my washi tape at target. On aisle 27.

It's here.

You guys, heaven is here. On earth. On isle 27 at Target.

 It's called Washi tape. And you can get some too! That is, if I haven't already taken it all.

Adventures with Origami

 I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've tried origami. Seriously, without an Asian within 5 feet reach - it's nearly impossible. But I discovered something amazing...The Internet! Who knew there was so much origami info online? Well, everyone else. Now, it's like having your own Asian on hand! Woot!

I used this video for the instructions for these little fun little frocks. I was surprised how easy they were to make - my first one looked great! I can't wait to try other origami shapes....

(in other words, expect me to be mildly obsessed. Except, nothing is really mild for me, so you could just say wildly obsessed.)

Make your own: Ombre Shirt

 When I first saw a neon ombre shirt, I knew I had to make one. I can take neon in small doses, and ombre is just the way to do it! I wanted to do it relatively cheaply, so I picked up this shirt on sale at Target for $6 (Although, regular price is only $8!) And I will say that normally I don't wear v-necks, but I thought it worked for this. It made me feel a little weird, but hey. Let's call it expanding my horizons. An expansion of about 2 inches.

Anyhow, let's get on with it!

First gather these things, along with one cup of water. You also might want to use a different bottle than the one the Tumble Dye comes with - I found it didn't work so well. (And yes, Angela Merkel is really excited, Germany loves neon too!)

ONE: Spread out your shirt on the newspaper (you may want to layer a plastic bag under it, just in case there are any drips) 2: Begin spraying the shirt. You can start at the top or bottom. THREE: Add 1/2 - 1 tablespoon water to the dye. Shake it so it mixes. 4: Spray a little further down, about 3 inches. 5: Repeat steps 3 & 4 (as many times as you like). Let the shirt dry COMPLETELY. 6: Set the dye by drying the shirt in the dryer (you needed me to tell you this) for 20 minutes!

Oh, and if you happen to photograph your obmre adventure, maybe take a look at what's on the newspaper before hand. Just in case you happen to not notice the lady in a bikini cheering on your ombre adventures.

But, I really don't speak from personal experience.  Those hearts are really just there to show my love for neon. And my un-love for other things....(See above.)

Happy Neoning....if that is such a thing!
XOXO, Kryn

Inspiration Board

 I'm not talking virtual.

I actually made this back in January. Sheesh! So here I am, 7 months later telling you about it! Makes you wonder all the other stuff I've missed....

When we started getting The Wall Street Journal, I was pleased as punch to see that they had fashion and style articles, and they were actually good! I think those style columns might even be better than all the gossip in USA today. Maybe. Anyway, I began hoarding all the articles with pictures and informative articles so I could make my inspiration board.

To make this, I used poster board, modge podge, clear spray paint and a little scrap paper for the little birdie. I layered all the pictures with a coat of modge podge and slapped them on there. A few months later, I applied the spray paint to give it an even shine.

Now it sits in my room next to a stack of pillows, perfect for reading or journaling. One would think anyway, but I've never done it. During the school year, I put all my homework on there. It actually kept stuff in place! (duh! here I am again, arriving late at parties.)

(this board also keeps guests entertained. All 2 people that have been in my bedroom since January have been intrigued by The Tyranny of The Belt.)

What does your inspiration board look like? 

Xoxo, Kryn

Thumb people painting

I'm calling this the thumb people paiting. But promise me this : You wont laugh at my awkward looking thumb people? If you promise then keep reading.

Now, I do NOT claim to be an artist. While I would love to be one, there is not one artistic gene in my body. Its just not my thing. I sort of have to be content with looking at other peoples art and enjoying it. When I saw this painting in some peoples house, I thought for sure this was something I could do. It didn't require too much. I can draw weird little faces okay (or so I thought.) I had a canvas so I was set.

 All in all, its actually quite cute. I am hoping everyone else I draw turns out much better. Here's how you do this: you need a canvas, paint and a thin sharpie. Simply paint your thumbs (and a few other fingers) and make prints all over. Try to fill as much up as possible. I am noticing now that some one my people are sitting on on soon to be people. Then when its dry, start drawing funny little people.

I think I used a 1/2 inch canvas.

I went with a bunch of bright colors, but I think this would be really sweet with more monochromatic colors. Like violet. Or pink. or aqua!

Let me know if you make this!

Last Minute Valentines

When I say Last Minute, I mean it. Today, I decided to stop procrastinating for and get my AHG Valentines done. Unfortunately, I was lacking any idea's. I just started going and working, re-doing and testing. Finally I got what I wanted.Yes, they are simple. Yes, my hand looks awkward. But seriously, aren't they a tad cute. Here's what I did: 1. )Used card stock and stamped all over then with a heart and pink ink. 2.) Printed happy valentines day on the paper, I got six per sheet. 3.) Cut out all (these are super original valentines, no 2 are alike. I didn't cut any of them evenly. That's what I like about them, they are all unique and different.) 4.) Spray painted the edges and back a metallic gold.


Painting the edges really helps this. I was not super careful about it getting on a little of the card, so some gold is on the front. It looks vintage and I like it. (the back is like the envelope flap, which you'll see in just a sec.)

I was not planning on doing envelopes, but by the time I finished all my valentines, I was in love with the metallic spray paint and so I decided to try a few envelopes.
First, I used the heart bookmark shape to paint the hearts across it. Then I decided to spray the flap too.

And those are my valentines. I rather like how they turned out. Really simple, but sweet. What are your valentines like?

Heart Bookmark

Like I said, I've been busy making my room all lovely for Valentines day. I was cutting out hearts, and it was then that I realized I could use the scraps to make something cute. I decided on a bookmark. Not very original, but they are fairly practical.

This is so simple! You also get 5 hearts per bookmark, so you can use those for another project.
You'll need: Scissors, book pages (I am using a page from an old cookbook.) Patterned paper (for the back.) and a pen.
First, cut out a heart the size you want your other hearts to be. Then fold it in half. This will be your template. I made a bunch of these bookmarks and used the same template, so let it hang around till you are totally finished.
Next, take your strip of paper, fold it in half and begin to trace the hearts on. Make sure you trace on the fold. Then cut them all out.
The last thing is to glue it on to your pattered paper and cut it out.

I told you that was easy, but so cute! I already have on in my big honkin' economics book. Makes it a little sweeter.

I take that back. Nothing can make economics sweet. EVER.

Have fun crafting!

It's Thursday

This blog is getting pretty embarrassing. No posts - not cool. It's just that whenever I feel like writing a post, all I want to do is write all about the wonderful projects I've been doing. And as much as you love me, do you really want to know? So I'm having trouble deciding weather to suck it up and find something else (Which clearly has not been working) or break down and go crafts galore.

I usually end up breaking down. I'm not really one for self persecution.

I am so excited! Valentines day is almost here! Valentines day is super cool, because you have an excuse to wear red and pink and eat sugary things and just have a delightful day. I am busy planning and making decor for my room so it stays festive and all. Scratch that, I'm making decorations. Decor is such a stupid word. I hope I didn't offend anyone by that. It just sounds stuffy.

I was about to start writing about how sad I am that I am thwarted at every turn Vera Bradley wise, but I just found a lip gloss under my keyboard, so I'm happy again. Yes, apparently I keep lip gloss under the keyboard for just such times.

I am weird.

Weekender

It's the weekend and I am prepared for weekend awesomeness. Weekends usually involve church, watching news out the wazoo, homework and bike rides. Nothing over the top, but still fun. I'm going to go to Joannes tonight so I can have plenty of craft supplies to last me all through Sunday.

You wanted to see pictures of Punk all shaved and groomed?

I personally think Sophie looks adorable shaved. But this time they cut her tail really short. I'm not a fan of that.And now, Bubby looks like a huge monster compared to Sophie. Bubbles is taller than Sophie, but with all that fur, she looks even bigger. (And see how much she loves wind!)

That's the weekender. Have a great day! xoxo

Bacon....Chocolate?

Have you ever tried Bacon Chocolate? I have, and it does taste like bacon. It also smells like a dog treat. I usually never venture from my norm of milk chocolate, but I had to try bacon chocolate. After all, I'm a pig predator! While I'm not sure I'll get it again, it was fun to try. Bacon bits can go on salad and baked potato's, but chocolate? I'm still not convinced.



Here's a peek at the next tutorial for you all. I never thought I'd be smitten on bow ties, but then again, I never thought love and navy blue would ever be said in the same sentence.

And, With my big girl camera, I've been able to get some really cute shots of the neighborhood squirrels.
Okay, this is pushing it. I wouldn't say this is cute.

More like odd and abnormal.

Felt Flowers

I'm slowing down on the tutorials, but this is too cute not to share. I am thinking of posting a tutorial every 3 or 4 weeks.
To start off, you'll need 6 petals and a circle about the size of a quarter. For my petals, I just drew a flower on a piece of paper, cut it out and used that as my template.
Fold it in half, then glue halfway up one side, then fold. You should have one little petal. Do this with all six flower cut outs.
To assemble the flower, cut of the tip of the petal, add hot glue and press onto the circle. Put 4 Petals on the circle, then glue the other 2 in the center.

These are super easy and so fun to make. I have already worn several as hair accessories and I am thinking of adding pins so I can wear them on cardigans and scarfs.

Happy Thursday!

Christmas 2011

Here are a few pictures from Christmas this year...
Weird angle, but I've wanted this shirt for so long! And some pretty bokeh too!

Christmas Eve cocoa.
My new little piggie.
Isn't this cool? If you can't tell, that is supposed to be me. I got a magazine in my stocking that had tons of really easy little DIYs. I totally messed up on this (As you can see, my nose is pretty much not there.) But I'm going to give it another try.

Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope you had a wonderful day celebrating JESUS!

Yarn Pops

This is my favorite - because it is all my own! All the other crafts I have made I have used other projects as the base, and then added some of my own to it. But this was created by my own genius! (Or lack of genius.)

I saw some clay lollipops that were adorable, and I really wanted to make them. But I didn't have clay, and buying clay when I only have one project in mind is not the most appealing idea. And considering I've got sweater fever, I decided to cancel that project.

But I still wanted some lollipops. And I came up with these.

In order to cut down on the amount of photos I use (See the pom pom post if you want an overload.) I made sort of a tutorial photo. Sorry about the pink, I see now it is not so easy to read.
I will give you a bit more detail about this. You want to start wrapping it, and leave the ends on the backside, don't wrap those. Also, twist and wrap, then glue. If your "rope" has unwind-ed, twisting before you glue it will help keep the shape and look of the lollipop. What I do when I get to the end is pull the end to the back and glue it on, and then add the stick. To keep the lollipop from loosing its shape, put some hot glue all over the back. You could also add a circle of fabric too.

Here are some other options, other than using these as a tree decoration or gift topper....
Have fun with it!