I Have an Itch

I don't know if it's all the hgtv I watched this weekend, or maybe all the pretty posts by Erin lately, but I've had a serious itch to decorate. And what am I itching to decorate? My non-existent living room. Hey, a girl can dream!

This is my inspiration: mint, coral, grey, geometric patterns, quatrefoils, and glitter- because duh. I've always loved coral, and I think mint compliments it really well. It just so happens that they're are really "in" right now, so I guess I need a space to decorate before they go out of style! I think this scheme can really transfer well from bachelorette pad to adulthood (unlike all the hot pink stuff I have from college), so my decor will last me awhile. Quatrefoils are also really in right now, but to me they're timeless (right, sisters?). I will definitely squeeze them in wherever I can.

Via

I love throw pillows on couches, and this picture matches my couch vision pretty well, minus the gold. I want grey couches filled with fun mint and coral pillows.

Via

And I obviously want this to be one of the pillows.

I also believe that blankets are essential in every living room. This would be perfect in my dream living room, although I already purchased the materials to sew a coral/mint blanket. What? Someday I'll have a living room!

Via

A sparkly silver monogram is a must!

I am obsessed with bookshelves. Obsessed. I love when they hold books as well as pictures, trinkets, and those little figurines with the feet that hang off. I love those little guys.

And I'm definitely gonna need these frames for my bookshelf.

Via

I saw this quatrefoil mirror the other day, and I have every intention of going back for it. I'm not even sure why I left it there in the first place. I love the gold, but I think I'm going to paint it a matte silver instead. And then maybe buy another gold one for someplace else in my house ;)

I'm still dying for my own space, but all this brainstorming helped my decorating itch a little bit. How would you style your dream living room? If you've done a blog post about it before (real or dream) feel free to leave it below!

Let's Get Crafty: Hair Ties

We've all seen them, right? Those weird, flat hair ties with the knot on them. When they first became a thing I was so not into it. Like, why do they have a knot in them? Then I tried them and I was hooked! They have a tight hold and really keep your ponytail in place, yet they don't tug on your hair and hurt your head the way some hair ties do. 

But what don't I like about them? They're expensive! I've seen 3-packs selling for 7 bucks. Ummm, that's $2.33 per hair tie. Say whaaaat? And that's when I decided it's way more logical to make them yourself.

Step One: Pick some cute fold-over elastic (that's what it's called. I just googled it). I chose a nice set of neons, mostly because I got enough to make ten ties for a dolla- holla! You can find lots of options on Etsy and it's typically >$1 per yard, or check your local Michaels/Hobby Lobby/ Jo-Ann's. And remember, you should never shop at craft stores without a coupon. Seriously.

Step Two: Cut them. I just measured mine to fit around my wrist, plus some extra length for knotting. If you want some technical measurements, well, I can't really help you.  Probably about 8 inches.

This gives you an idea of what size mine were. It's really

more personal preference than anything, though.

Step Three: Seal the edges. This step is actually pretty simple; you just take the edge of your elastic and put it on something hot until the edges melt a bit. I imagine you could use a candle or a lighter or something like that, but I used my stove. I'm just really high class like that.

Step Four: Tie knots. This is kind of self explanatory.

Step Five: Cut a rectangle of cardstock the same width as your hair ties. Decorate with a witty saying. Slide on your pretty DIY hair ties.

Voila! You have a set of hair ties made with love and ready to gift to your gym-going friend for a little encouragement. Get it girl!

And don't forget to make a set for yourself, too- it can get pretty sweaty backin' that azz up!

Men are Hard to Shop For

Happy birthday to the love of my life! No, I'm not talking about Elsa- her birthday is in December. I mean the other love of my life.

Today is Sam's birthday- something I dread every year. Why? Because men are hard to shop for. So stinkin' hard. This year was especially difficult because ever since he got a grown-up job he started just buying everything and wanting for nothing. It's not like he has a diamond ring to be saving for or anything... SO ANYWAYS, I decided to just buy a bunch of random crap, throw it in a box, and call it a birthday care package. That works, right?

A bluetooth shower speaker. Sam will absolutely love this. It's perfect because he always listens to music in the shower, and he loves anything to do with technology. Bonus: since the speaker will be in the shower with him he won't have to turn it up so loud, and I won't be bothered while I'm sleeping in. Win-win!

A whole bunch of their favorite candy. Sam adores Sour Patch Kids, so I get them for him for every holiday and/or occasion. Hopefully he never gets sick of them! This year I got him the regular kids, the Extreme kids, and the new Sour Patch Kids gum.

A polar bear rug for their iPhone. Sam loves his iPhone more than he loves, well, me. When I saw this adorable incredibly masculine charging rug on Etsy I knew he had to have it. It keeps the charger on their night stand instead of lost on their floor, and the faux fur muffles any vibrations from the phone for a disturbance free slumber!

A manly print for their wall. Sam and his roommate are both big Top Gear fans, so I made him this print to hang in his apartment. I'm also sending a gift card to buy a frame- I don't really want to risk putting one in the mail!

Some stuff that smells good. There's nothing wrong with getting a little something for yourself on his birthday!

I hope he likes it! Feel free to use my gift ideas for your boyfriend, and let me know if you have any brilliant ideas of your own; I need to start planning for next year!

A Little Sparkle

I recently came across this quote, and it really stood out to me. When I read it I thought to myself: this is how I want the world to see me. I want to be viewed as someone who leaves the world a little brighter, and who leaves an impression on everyone she meets. I want every aspect of myself and my life to sparkle.

I want my appearance to sparkle. When I leave a room, I still want people to be talking about how nice I always look. Even if that's light years from the truth, I strive to exude a confidence that makes people believe it. I want to slap a smile on my far-from-perfectly made up face, stand up straight in the outfit that is really just okay, and make everyone believe that I look put together even though I woke up an hour late.

I want my passion to sparkle. When I speak I want everyone to know exactly where I stand in my beliefs. I want my actions to be done with my whole heart, in a way that leaves no one doubting how passionate I am about my career, my beliefs, and my life. And most importantly, I want my words to ignite a passion in others, and to inspire them in their beliefs and their choices.

Lastly, I want my personality to sparkle. I want every place I leave to be a little brighter because I was there. I try everyday to be kinder, happier, and better than I was the day before. I want to strive every day to be a better person than I was yesterday, and to sparkle a little brighter than I ever have before.

And remember...

Another Holiday Gone

Nothing like a spontaneous week long blog hiatus, right? Seriously, I don't even know what happened, I just never posted last week. Oops! I think I was just too focused on making it through the week and onto my long weekend with my family! I really wanted to take Thursday off of work and extend my weekend a little longer, butttt that didn't happen. Regardless, I still had a wonderful holiday!

Since I had to work Thursday I got to my mom's that night and we all watched Frozen together. My little brother was SO excited when he found out I brought it with me, he even turned down an offer for a sleepover with his friend! My other brother is not as fun, and I barely saw him all weekend. Stinker.

On Friday my mom was babysitting my little cousin, Mallory, who's four. She wore me out! We played with the cats, we jumped on the trampoline, we played hopscotch, we colored eggs... and she still didn't think we played enough! She is such a hoot, and I had a blast spending the day with her.

And because that apparently wasn't enough for me, I headed over to my dad's in the afternoon to visit with them and give my sisters their Easter baskets. In case you just arrived at this party, my sisters are 4 and 6, and they always wear me out. I put together baskets for them this year, and it was so much fun. I can't wait to have my own babies to shop for! I got them each an outfit and then filled their baskets with toys and treats from the dollar store. I absolutely love the baskets I found for them!

On Saturday we had our family Easter dinner. Every year it seems like less and less people come over, so this year Mom decided to do it on Saturday so everyone could go visit the other side of their families without missing ours. Last year it rained on Easter, and I was really glad the weather was nice this year so we could do the egg hunt outside. It's so fun to see all my little cousins running around the yard hunting for eggs :)

Nellie found the most eggs

Both for my cousins and for my sister's baskets, I made bunny shaped crayons! It was so easy and I absolutely love the way they turned out. The kids loved them, too!

Sunday was just a lazy day. Since we'd already celebrated Easter we didn't do a lot on the actual holiday, which was fine by me. I needed the relaxation. Mom and I went for a walk to enjoy the weather, and we watched an entire season of Melissa & Joey in our PJ's. #NoShame

How was your holiday weekend?

Inside My Camera Roll

Last week Kay wrote the most awesome post called "36 of the Best Blog Post Ideas... EVER!" It full of great ideas, and more than a few caught my eye. One that I really loved suggested that you post the last pictures from your phone without deleting anything. So fun! Here are my most recent:

On Monday after a work training I had in Pittsburgh, me and some of the girls I work with went to DSW. As soon I saw these shoes I knew I had to try them on! We were absolutely cracking up and making a huge spectacle as I walked around the store in these. The scary part, though, was that this was the only pair left! Yikes.

Sometimes when I'm trying to Snap Chat I accidentally take it with my regular camera. I was trying to show Sam how much this koozie brightens my work days!

This is actually a zoomed in screenshot of a picture of Sam and his friends that he posted on facebook. I texted him and said "Want to see something hilarious?" and then I sent him this picture with the caption "It's your face. Bahahahaha!" What a sweetheart I am...

Parallel parking like a champ! Of course it needed documented.

I caught Keeper drinking out of the fish tank! Silly cat.

In case you were wondering what it's like to get a drunk selfie from me, here you have it. I sent this to my bff Scott last weekend. We always exchange selfies when we drink, duh.

So there you have it: my life in pictures! In case you can't tell, my life is pretty weird. What's the weirdest picture you've taken recently?

In the Limelight

Guess what, guess what?! He Calls Me Grace is featuring me on her blog today! I answered all sorts of fascinating questions, so if you've ever wondered what my dream job is or wanted to know more about my blog name,  or if you just like to hear read me talking about myself (and we all know you do or you wouldn't be reading my blog) then you should probably click over to Katie's blog RIGHT MEOW!

Oh, and here's a picture of Elsa. Both for your viewing pleasure, and just because she's my favorite thing on the planet. I'm so glad you all enjoy seeing pictures of her just as much as I do ;)

Nom nom nom. Daddy's walkie is so delicious

I Didn't Want to Tell You, But...

I recently found a link-up I've never done before, and I love a good link-up! Along with the link-up, I also discovered a fabulous blog which I am now mildly obsessed with, and will probably binge read in the very near future. So today, I am linking Kathy for Hump Day Confessions!

-I failed at day #1 of my third April goal

-I miss my boyfriend way more than I thought I would

-I'm absolutely dreading bikini season this year

-I complain about my job way too much, even though I know that I should just be grateful to have one

-I cannot stop buying things I don't need... but at least my chubby cat S&P shakers are cute!

-I have too many clothes, and somehow I still never have anything I want to wear

-I am still not over the most recent iOS update; I get annoyed every time someone calls me and their picture doesn't pop up

-I still haven't filed my taxes

-I think about getting married way more than I should

What is your hump day confession?

Goals Schmoals

It's pretty popular around the blogisphere to make a monthly goal post. I've never participating in this goal-making thing, but this month seemed like a good month to start. I didn't decide this until Sunday, though, so it's not the first of the month like most people tend to do. Whatever, I like to blog outside the box.

Paint my nails every week. I've been telling myself I need to start painting my nails again. They used to always be perfect, but then college happened and I didn't have the time for it anymore so I got out of the routine. I'm hoping to maybe get engaged someday soon and I really want my nails to be un-chipped when that day comes.  I probably have a long while before this happens, but I should make it a habit now.

So far so good with this goal! Mani of the week inspired by this

Check out at least one apartment. My friend Chelsae and I want to get an apartment together, and we really need to get to looking. Because of my plans this weekend and then Easter the next there's not a lot of time in April to look. Her lease runs out at the end of next month, though, and it would be nice to find something now and not be scrambling at the last minute.

Werk. I really need to start working out more. I feel like I get more chub by the day, and my on-again off-again relationship with the gym is doing nothing for my beach bod. I'm going to go to zumba/bokwa Monday-Thursday (or just do an hour of cardio if I miss class), and I'm going to start the Malibooty routine that I saw on Tyler's page along with my normal ab stuff. I'd also like to throw in some weights, but I'm not gonna make that a goal just yet.

Pre-schedule all my blog posts on the weekends. I did this one time and swore I was gonna do it from then on out, but I was a straight failure at that plan. It's so much easier and less stressful, so for the rest of the month I am going to schedule on the weekends.

Learn to do something new with my hair. I like wearing my hair up, especially for work, but I'm not so talented in the hair department. I want to master at least one new hairstyle this month. I'd like to learn something like this below, but I would love your suggestions on easy up-dos for work! (Pretty please- post them in the comments!)