I am not a Robot

I mentioned this song in one of my first posts, but here's the music video. I am obsessed with this song, I've been listening to it for months now and it never gets old. I have to hear it at least once a day to feel alright.

It's kind of a weird song when you listen to it at first, but I love the lyrics. It talks about how it is ok to have emotions and feel things and be vulnerable. Sometimes I let myself put up a guard when dealing with friends or in relationships because I don't want to get hurt or give up control of the situation. But that's no way to live!

"Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go." -- Herman Hesse

The power went out at my house the other day and since I couldn't see enough to read, I decided to paint! I'm no artist, but I enjoy experimenting on cheap canvases.

Isn't he cute?? Also, ironic :) Love that.

More Pictures from San Diego

This is the twin sister to my last post. Also, It's dedicated to my BFF Heather and her cute animal blog! :)

I love animals so much! When I went to the San Diego zoo a few years ago, I wanted to take all the pictures I could get of my favorite animals. It was really hard with those dumb cages in the way. However, I did get some decent ones and looking at them now makes me want to play with a baby panda. Seriously, they are so cute!

Does anyone else get the urge to just let all the animals out of the cages so they can roam free?? :(

Old Photos

I have been wanting a Polaroid camera for a long time, like seriously since I was a kid. I thought they were so cool, you could see how a picture looked almost instantly! haha Even now in the age of digital cameras, I still think Polaroids are awesome. They are so unique and have a sort of dusty, old feel to them, which I love. Maybe I'll save up and get one this summer...

Anyway, even though their style is unrepeatable in my opinion, I was inspired by looking at old Polaroids to edit some of my old pictures to have a "dusty, old feel." These are some pictures I took a few years ago on a beach in San Diego. Looking at these makes me want to go to the beach this instant!

Happy Birthday to ME!

I'm 21 today! I can't believe it. I still feel 16... who am I kidding I feel 12!

Well, to honor today, I have a tutorial for you all! It's my very first one, I made it up all by myself. Impressed? You should be! Just kidding, it is super easy and lots of fun!

This tutorial is for a bubble skirt. I love bubble skirts! They are fun, flirty and perfect for hot summer weather. I reconstructed a long skirt to make mine, but you can make your own from scratch as well.

Step 1: Find an ugly long skirt at a thrift store.

I like this pattern but boy does it look hideous on me as is. Don't worry, there is potential in everything! This skirt is actually perfect to transform into a bubble skirt because it has pleating in the front and is gathered at the waist in the back. This translates to nice and flowy!

Step 2: Sew an old slip on the inside of the skirt, right against the hem of the waistband.

You don't have to use a slip, you can use any old skirt, or even sew a simple round tube that fits around your waist. It's not going to show so the color and pattern doesn't even matter.

Step 3: Cut the slip so it hits about mid-thigh. Yeah, it's short, but your bubble skirt will be much longer, don't worry!

Step 4: Cut your skirt however short you want it. To measure that, put the skirt on and fold it up till it hits where you want it to fall. Measure how much extra fabric you need to cut off (The edge of the skirt will be sewn to the bottom of the slip, creating a "bubble." Just trim off enough of the skirt so that it hits where you want, but still has enough length to create the bubble).

Step 5: Turn the skirt inside out and tack the skirt to the slip. Start with one in the front, one on each side, and one in the back. Then tack in between each of those points. Then tack between each point again. Then do it again and again and again till basically there are no more open hole between the skirt and the slip. Or, close enough to no holes. :) Tacking is a little tricky because there is more skirt fabric than slip fabric, but that's ok, that's what makes the skirt bubble! It'll look a little messy, but it all turns out sweet.

Step 6: You're finished! Wear it around and be hot stuff this summer. Bubble skirts look awesome with tights, too, so it's perfect year-round.

Thanks to my little bro for taking these pics! They are on our roof. It was kinda scary the wind was blowing so hard and the sun was really bright. But I like the look, and the view was awesome.

 This is what summer makes me feel like.

Moving On

I have been working the past week or so on these silly white jeans. Bleaching them worked awesome, and I was excited to take them in and make them fit. However, after hours and hours of working on them, I think it's time to count them as a loss and move on.

I definitely got them to fit a lot better than before and if you just glanced at them you wouldn't notice anything wrong. But, they just don't feel comfortable and I feel like if I sit down the seams are going to pop right out. That would be a horrible disaster. Also, the button fell off. :(

Well, I did learn a few lessons from this project. The first one was how to take in the waist band of pants/jeans. I followed this tutorial, and let me tell you, I did an AWESOME job on that part. It's really simple and doesn't take too much time and looks very professional. The second lesson I learned is that even though you could refashion and sew everything, does not mean you should. You have to take into account the amount of time and effort you will be putting into the garment, and if you would actually wear it. In this case, I'm thinking I would be better off buying some white skinny jeans from a store, rather than making my own.

All in all, it was a good experience and I learned a lot. I think i will try modifying pants in the future, but just to work on my sewing skills. Also, I think if I wanted to make skinny jeans again, I'd use a pair that I already have and love, then use them as a guide to get the measurements and cut right, sort of how I did this blouse.

Here are some pictures anyway! Recognize the shirt? This whole outfit is bleached! I just cut the sleeves and length where I wanted it, no sewing necessary since it's a knit and won't fray. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.

30 Day Shred

Do you know who Jillian Michaels is? She's a beast... in a good way, of course! She is one of the toughest personal trainers on the show "The Biggest Loser." Now, I've never seen the show, but I have seen pictures of the results, and man are they amazing!

Jillian also has her own work out dvds! I started them this past year at school. I love work out dvds, they are so much nicer than having to go to the gym, although sometimes they are kind of lame and don't really do anything for me. BUT, Jillian's are amazing. I've heard nothing but good reviews from those who have used them and they really make you feel good.

I started doing her '30 Day Shred' and let me tell you, it's kicking my trash... and I love it! No pain, no gain. It's super fast, only about 20-25 minutes a day. It's circuit training, so it's super effective in that short amount of time.

Now, you can buy the dvd (which is well worth the money, actually) or you can cheat like me and just read the instructions online for free :)

There are 3 levels, and I am half way through the first level (I'm going to spend 10 days on each). Maybe I will even weigh myself and see if it makes a difference... but probably not. I'm very anti-weighing-yourself. I think as long as you feel healthy and beautiful, it doesn't matter what you weigh. Usually I feel my best when I am in good shape, so it works out anyway.

So, try this work out some time! It's a great way to get in your daily exercise without having to leave your house... oh and there's barely any equipment needed (I use a blanket for a mat and I have used heavy objects instead of weights before).

What is your favorite work out dvd or training plan?

Nail polish

This past year or so, I've been really good about painting my nails. And by good, I mean I take off my nail polish when it starts getting chipped, instead of leaving it on to just grow out or eventually flake off. I also repaint them promptly. Maybe this isn't so healthy for my nails, but... heck, they look cute!

Here's something I've been doing a lot during my nail polish revolution. I paint my ring finger a different color from the rest of them. It's sort of a color block idea, but for your nails. (Color blocking is totally IN right now) :) I got the idea from Rihanna.

Photo Cred: Google images

Thanks girrrrl! hah.

A lot of people ask me why I do this. My answer is: because it looks awesome. I don't have a reason... well, that is, until I read this post, on a wonderful blog called Moorea-Seal.

Although I love to paint my nails for the beauty and fashion aspect, painting them to remind you of your weekly goals seems like a grand idea to me. Fashion, which in my opinion includes nail polish, can be such a strong statement of what you believe, who you are and how you are feeling. Yeah, sure, you can throw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that you don't think twice about. But, you can also put on your favorite pair of skinny jeans that make you feel beautiful, and a bright yellow shirt to show your inner happiness.

This summer, I'm trying to make all my outfits say something. Nothing profound, if only to say "I am confident. I am beautiful. I am fun-loving." These are three things that I want people to know about me, but more importantly, these are three things I want to believe for myself. Everyday I can be reminded of these ideas and hopefully by the end of the summer, along with a new wardrobe, I will have increased love and belief in myself and my capabilities.

Whew. That is what you call a tangent! Back to nail polish. I like nail polish. A lot. And I'm going to adopt Moorea's idea and every time I paint my nails, have a goal in mind and work on it the whole time my nails are painted.

What do you do as a reminder of your goals? What are some fun nail polish techniques or designs you like to do? Please do share!