Monday, May 26, 2014

diy decomposition style notebook


Inspired by the decomposition notebooks I've been seeing in stores and online, I decided to make my very own unique and personalized notebook. I loved the idea of added a personal flare to a boring and extremely common notebook. Starting with a blank composition notebook, I created my own collage of photos and magazine cut outs, as well as added a touch of lace tape along the bottom edge. I added a layer of Mod-Podge to ensure that all of the photos remain in tact throughout the school year.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

cute and simple mother's day gift (plus gift wrapping tip!)



I wasn't quite sure what to get my mom for mother's day this year, especially since her birthday falls within the same week. My mom tends to appreciate gifts that are hand-made and come from the heart over a generic store bought gift. However, the creative juices just weren't flowing and as of yesterday I still could not figure out what the main part of her gift would be. I went to Goodwill in hopes that something there would spark an idea and that's exactly what happened. I found a stack of old coasters with peeling edges and a rather ugly floral pattern for around $2. I bought them with the thought of renovating them into cute and personalized coasters my mom can use while she drinks her morning coffee (after all, I need to make sure she thinks of me every morning while I'm away at college). The process is fairly simple:

Cut out different magazine clippings or even some old family photos of you and your mom. Taking a foam brush, coat the base of your object (since this process can be used to make more than just coasters!) and begin to glue down your photos. wait for everything to dry before coating the entire thing in a few layers of Mod-Podge. This will create a hard, almost laminated surface to ensure that any remnants of drinks won't bleed through and ruin your photos! 


I tied the stack of coasters together with a ribbon and placed them into a cardboard box with the rest of her gifts. After wrapping the gift up, I glued down a heart doily to the edge of the box to add a cute and personalized touch. 



Sunday, April 27, 2014

crafty way to store your letters︱diy letter book



Originally finding this diy from Pinterest, I decided to try it out and recreate my own version. I had a box full of old birthday cards, letters from friends and family, postcards, etc. and figured that this would be such a cute and crafty way to save space and keep all my special notes in one place (this will be especially convenient for when I move into my dorm room). The actual diy is very basic. Simply begin by hole punching the end of each envelope opposite of the flap. Using two (or three depending on how large the envelopes are), loop each letter through and secure. I think it would also be cool to collect postcards from your travels or ones that have been sent to you and attach them all together in time order. This is about as easy as any diy gets, but it's such an efficient way to preserve memories without the clutter. Place the letter book among other books on a bookshelf and your memories will always be accessible. 

Thursday, April 17, 2014

the only four photo editing apps you need



The amount of photo editing apps available in the app store is steadily increasing, and it seems as though most apps serve the same purpose with varying efficiency. It's vital to minimize the amount of apps downloaded to your device in order to maximize storage space. Due to my slight Instagram addiction, I have tried out a number of apps and have reduced my photography apps to the only four photo editing apps I find useful:


1. Squaready
Squaready is particularly useful for uploading a full sized photo without having to crop to the standard Instagram square size. Simply upload your photo and adjust to fit the entire thing by adding borders (this allows you to create those white borders). 
Free in the App Store




2. Latte Camera
My favorite part about Latte Camera is the ability to adjust the intensity of the filters. I find that a lot of apps have really great filters but most of the time they are too powerful, and I like to layer subtle filters to achieve a perfect photo. Another feature I love is the light leaks with intensities that are adjustable as well!
Free in the App Store




3. PhotoCat
I use PhotoCat in combination with Latte Camera, using the adjustable filters feature to mix and layer different filters until I achieve the look I'm going for. 
Free in the App Store





4. Afterlight
Since this app costs money, its feature tend to outshine the free apps that are available in the app store. AfterLight has the more filters than the previous two apps and possesses a similar adjustable intensity feature in combination with different light leaks and effects as well. 
99cents in the App Store





Sunday, April 6, 2014

a bucket list


As my 18th birthday approaches and I'm making some very momentous decisions in my life, everything is seeming to come into focus recently. For the past year many aspects of my future were up in the air, and although nothing is certain at the moment, I'm finally content with not knowing the details of what lies ahead. This new found shift in perspective alongside the sudden realization that adulthood is just around the corner has forced me to think about where I see myself in the upcoming years. Although like most others I would like skip ahead 5 years and find myself happy and carefree, fully supported by a well paying job doing something I love and fulfilling my passions in life, I know that this is neither possible nor likely. While I may not be able to control such general aspects of my life, I want to be sure to fulfill the smaller tasks that make me happy on my way to that perfect fulfilled life. This is my bucket list that will hopefully guide me throughout my upcoming years and remind me to find happiness in the small things in life, regardless of how blurred or frightening the future may seem at times. 


  1. Go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
  2. Bake a successful batch of macaroons
  3. Learn to cook
  4. Learn Arabic
  5. Jump off of a diving board
  6. Go to a drive-in movie theater
  7. Learn to drive a truck 
  8. Travel (Greece, France, England, Italy, Egypt, Spain, Germany, etc)
  9. Meet someone named Holden
  10. Spend an entire day at the library reading (from opening to closing)
  11. Write a short story
  12. Compose a book of poems
  13. Be published in a magazine, book, etc
  14. Learn to play guitar
  15. Go on a road trip
  16. Be a tourist in my own town
  17. Get to know my parents as people rather than parents
  18. Create my own business
  19. Go to high tea
  20. Start selling my jewelry
  21. Reread the entire Harry Potter series
  22. Movie hop 
  23. Go on a spontaneous trip to the beach
  24. Go night swimming
  25. Rewatch the entire series of Gilmore Girls
  26. Take a class at the Rec Center I know nothing about
  27. Go on a legitimate hike
  28. Take a yoga/Pilates class
  29. Attend a wedding
  30. Be a bridesmaid
  31. Be a maid of honor
  32. Smile at strangers
  33. Meet someone at a coffee shop (shout out to Taylor Swift's "Begin Again")
  34. Wear a mascot uniform of some sort
  35. Make my own sushi
  36. Finally watch the Titanic
  37. Learn all the states and their locations (Sadly, I don't know an embarrassing amount)
  38. Learn to shoot a gun
  39. Go out for chocolate fondue
  40. Beat my boyfriend at a video game (Has only ever occurred twice)
  41. Go Ice Skating in Downtown San Francisco
  42. Go to an amusement park
  43. Road trip to Disney Land
  44. Meet Peter Pan, Mickey Mouse and Princess Ariel 
  45. Adopt a puppy
  46. Get over my fear of cats
  47. Go to the snow
  48. Learn to ski and/or snowboard
  49. Build a snow man
  50. Run in a color run or charity marathon