Announcement!

Hey everyone! I've started a new blog called Élan. There I'll write about my life + style as well as my photography, graphic design, and other random things that come into my brain. I hope you check it out and stay awhile! I won't be posting on here any longer..

xx

Awkward/Awesome Thursday

This picture.. AWKWARD

Awkward:

1.) Attempting to hold a sheet of paper still so the kid I babysit could show off his "karate" skills and slice the paper. Instead I drop it three times before holding it steady.

2.) Having the four year old boy you babysit ask if my shirt is new. "Yeah it is." I told him while thinking, "Awh how cute he noticed." He pointed to my shirt and said "Thought so." I looked down and realize that the itty bitty size sticker is still on it.

3.) The fact that number two has happened before. With the same kid last year.

4.) Realizing that I wore the same (men's) sweater four days in a row because it was so comfy. pictured above

5.) Having my physical therapist tell me that she had a seventy year old patient who has better neck mobility then me.

6.) Having my mom read portions of her journal from around the time she met my dad to me.

7.) Spending Saturday night with a bunch of strangers and not knowing what to say or do.

8.) Awkward mumbled conversations with my massage therapist during my massage.

Awesome:

1.) Calling my aunt spur of the moment and singing some old song to her way off key with my mom.

2.) Finally finished cleaning up my sewing room and setting it up.

3.) Finishing my first official refashioning project.

4.) Getting massages three times a week at the chiropractor.

5.) The fall colors are at the perfect stage right now.

6.) Being told that at the end of this week ill be a fourth a way done with school for the year.

7.) Getting my herpts appliance off. One more step towards freedom from braces.

What's "Being Yourself"?

We all say we want to be different.
We want to be outside the mainstream.
Original.
Unique.
Everyone says we don't want to change ourselves for the world.
We all want to be different.
But we're all being different the same way.
That's not unique.
That's not original.
It's almost as if "original" and "being yourself" is the new trend.
We all look the same as we're being "ourselves".

I think the reason why we do this is because we don't know who we are yet.
We don't know what our style is.
We see a style we like, we try it out.
We like a trend, we imitate it.
We admire and look up to someone so we copy them.
But I think this is a good thing.
To a certain degree of course.

We're experimenting, we're creating our own style.
As we dabble in different trends, and hobbies we'll soon create our own balance.
And everyone will end up a little different.
We find out what we like, what feels right, what fits right for us.

But be careful as you dabble in the trends of today.
Because it will be thrown into the collaboration you become.
Maybe a lot, or perhaps just a little bit, hardly noticeable.
But it'll still be there.

So go dabble, go experiment.
All the while you're becoming your own original person,
A collaboration of everything you love and are and tried.

Much love.
Natalia

Graphic Designing

Today

life at best is a struggle
life at best can be trouble
store up on love, stay humble
its all a guess baby, life at best
life at best - eli young band

No words for today. Today was just today. Babysat, did school, and cleaned for K's family. Here are a few pictures I took of my youngest sister and K blowing bubbles.

Much love.

this thursday a week ago

Every Thursdays we babysit a little boy "K" I've been babysitting him since I was 11, two weeks shy of 12, and he was 1, three weeks shy of 2. I love the little guy like a brother, he's so adorable. Anywho, on Thursdays when he's over here I like to have some sort of arts/craft thing for my younger two siblings and K. 

This Thursday a week ago we made tissue paper lanterns..

This craft is fairly simple.

Supplies: Paint brushes. Tissue Paper. Elmers Glue. Brown Paper -Newspaper will do. Scissors. Glass jars -I used canning jars.

Prep: First I put down the brown paper just to lessen the clean up time for me.

Then I cut up tissue paper in triangles and squares and put them in bowls sorted by color.

Next I cut paper cups in half so they were a good size for dipping the brushes into.

I filled the little cups half way with glue.  

Then I set up the tissue paper filled bowls, paint brushes, and glue to look appealing to the littles -K will usually say no he doesnt want to do a craft, that is until he sees the setup then he changes his mind and wants to do it.

Process: Then they applied a small amount of glue to a section of the jar, chose the tissue paper of their choice and stuck it to the glued area. 

They did that until the entire thing was covered in tissue paper. 

Lastly we applied one more coat of glue over the entirety of the jar to seal it. 

And thats that.

You can put a tea light in it and it makes a pretty lantern. 

The glue and paper is only on the outside so it is fireproof!

The kiddos really enjoyed making them and its really simple. Hope ya'll have fun trying them out!

Much love.

Natalia

Lately.

oh man we were livin', sittin' there reminiscin'

yeah, we sang and talked and traveled back in time

we laughed until we cried

we laughed until we cried - jason aldean

On Sunday I got back from a short vacation to Southern Indiana. We went to Holiday World for most of Friday to celebrate my brother's 13th birthday. Then for supper we drove an hour to go visit some old friends of ours. We've known them since I was 2-ish, so for about 12-ish years or so. We always have a lot of fun together. Always a bunch of "-remember when..", a lot've laughing and singing going on. Anyways on Saturday we were sorta bored, ok we were a lot bored so out of desperation we came up with a crazy idea. Although, it didnt turn out crazy, it turned out amazing (in my opinion) I'll let ya'll be the judge..

That right there was created in like 2ish hours? We quickly decided a song, recorded Brooke. Bethany and I chose her outfits and did her hair and makeup and off we went to record. We did it all on my iPod touch. I was surprised at how good it turned out. I mean the recording, I wasnt surprised with her singing skills, my bestie has talent ;) 

Her and her sister both have amazing voices but Bethany didn't sing this time. Anyways I hope ya'll like it. We had a blast making it! 

But, now that I've gotten a small taste of videography, Im hooked. So we'll see how long this little interest lasts..

Much love.