Wearing a bow tie is a statement. Almost an act of defiance.

I've been making these for hours today. I love them. They can add a lot to a headband or handbag. Tomorrow I plan to experiment more, maybe bedazzle a bit.

I got the tutorial from Mr. Kate.

Catch you on the flip side

Merry Christmas!

Just popping by to wish you all a Merry Christmas!

It's a low key Christmas over here. Just the immediate family who are still in the states. With an older brother in South Korea and an older sister in England, today is quieter than Christmases past. It's been lovely though, with no outside plans to work around. We've opened gifts (while skypeing with the brother in Korea), skyped with the sister in England, and had our main meal. The rest of the day has been Christmas movies and games. Not overly exciting, but not overly stressful.

I'm just full of ideas

As mentioned before, I’ve learned a few things this semester. More like I have a new understanding of a few things. The most important thing I got out of the past few months is that college is only four years. Only four years of my life. There is so much outside of this small place and that small amount of time. I don’t want to make everything about college; I want this time to be more than that. In high school I figured life started when I went on to college. And now in college I have started to think that life would start when I graduate. But that’s not true. There are a lot of things I want to do with my life and in my life, and why not start now. Why not start doing all the things I want to now.

I have a list (surprise, surprise) of what I want to do before I graduate. Some are bigger items (intern in DC) and some are not so big (learn how to apply eyeliner). This is not a New Year’s resolution or anything, more of a series of tasks. And I am going to tackle those tasks now. I even have a sort of mantra to go along with it. “Pick it. Plan it. Do it.”

My first pick is

“Sell my own things”

I’ve been crafting for years, and I want to see if I can sell some of my creations. I’ve started looking into venues and putting together pieces.

I’ve picked it. I’m planning it. And Next I’ll do it.

"Even the vegetables don't like him"

To me, Christmas is about family and traditions. One of my mother's favorite Christmas traditions is to watch The Muppets Christmas Carol. We wait till after Thanksgiving to watch any Christmas movies, and The Muppets Christmas Carol is usually our first   It's just one of those traditions that is more about indulging our mom. At this point we know all the words to all of the songs, and all of the jokes. It's a Christmas staple.

 

 

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That's a Wrap

My favorite part of Christmas is the gift part. Not getting, but giving. Getting a gift is a momentary excitement, but the giving part is a long process. I love to put thought and time into what I give people. And so watching them open their gifts is by far my favorite.

Here are a few creative and earth friendly wrapping ideas:

 Magazine Bow

 Gift Bag

Yellow Pages Bow

Catch you on the flip side

All I Want For Christmas

Is one of these:

 

 

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The plan was to do an outfit post, but I forgot to take pictures before I changed into my PJs.

So instead here are a few highlights from my semester.

Catch you on the flip side

Sometimes, you just need to get over yourself

However difficult, stressful, and frustrating a situation can be, you can always getting something positive out of it. Instead of going on and on about how this semester has been all those things for me, I decided to look at the positive things. Lessons learned.

What I learned in my worst semester to date

1. Forget your pride

Get over yourself and talk to that professor about your grade, whether it be for a better one or to get help. Or open up to those friends. You have them for a reason, so if you’re unhappy with the relationship then tell them. Or if you’re going through a tough time, then tell them.

2. Let tomorrow worry about itself

Really you can only control the present. Do what you can now, and don’t worry over what might or might not happen in the future.

3. Forget about yesterday

There is no point in obsessing about something that has already happened. Instead learn from whatever that is and move on.

4. Check your priorities

If the most important thing to you right now is not going to matter in four years, then you need to change your focus.

5. Stop comparing yourself

Comparing yourself to others, on any account, is not healthy or helpful.

6. Know when to take a break

Don’t run yourself dry, take a day off once a week and plan in the hour of rest in your schedule.

If you're going to do something, do it with style

I'm so excited! I'm finally going home on Friday for the first time since school started in August. I've missed home more than usual this semester, and the idea of being back in my home state, with my family, and seeing old sights is just making me giddy. 

I was making my list for all of the things I want to bring back to school (I forgot a lot of things), and I almost forgot to put leggings on the list (crazy right?). I love love love leggings. They are my favorite when it comes to dressing for cold weather. not only do they keep my legs nice and warm, but they add a little something to an outfit. For example, yesterday I had to dress "nice" (college student nice is not often the same thing as real world nice), and I wore leggings with my high-waisted skirt. A friend of mine commented on how she knew I wouldn't "just wear" a skirt. And that's true, I enjoy accessorizing and leggings are often a really clever way of doing that.

As much as I love leggings (and I really do), I've never gotten crafty with them. Leggings are not like the wheel, they can be reinvented. Here are some good examples:

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Night Owl

My all time favorite animal is the owl. I love love love owls. It's the eyes mostly, and the fact they always seem startled. I have decided that when I am a big kid and decorating my first place, there will be an owl themed room. Not overly owled, but with owl pictures and jars, and owl-y type colors (falls colors really).

Anyway, in honor of my favorite animal (and because I am on a spending freeze and cannot BUY anything owl related), I have come up with an owl themed post.

Catch you on the flip side