18 June 2014

Hello.. Again & What's on My Radar

Hello, long time no talk! I've been so busy these past couple of weeks and have been adjusting to working two jobs (aka, basically a full time job) while trying to keep up a social life. Blogging has been on the back-burner, but it's definitely still there.

So, here's a quick re-cap of my life:

I finished my cooler in time for the concert! It started to peel... already!! So I'm going to be adding about a million layers of modge podge before vacation. Regardless, it was a hit. All the people I went to the concert with loved it and it got some attention from passersby, too.

The actual concert was amazing! I've been working.. a lot.. and so a night off with friends was much needed. The group I went with was perfect, but I was re-united with so many high school acquaintances that night as well as Purdue friends! I saw a couple of girls I hadn't seen since rush!!

As expected, Tim was great and it got me in such a summer mood! I'm actually going to concert #3 of the summer this weekend- Bruno Mars in Chicago! It'll be a fun weekend trip with a trip to the Vineyard Vines store, I'm positive.

Beyond that, I've been spending most of my days by the pool or working. My time in the car has given me ample opportunity to listen to new music, so there's definitely some new music on my radar. Last weekend the Backstreet Boys were in town- I didn't get to go, but it got me into a boy-band mood. iTunes Radio has conveniently created a Boy Bands radio that is perfection. 98 Degrees, BBMac, Backstreet Boys and N*Sync combine with One Direction, MKTO, and the Wanted. It's the best of the new and old! I've mainly been using it as my workout playlist, but it's fun for just hanging out too.



I love my country music, too. And Jana Kramer has come out with yet another girly song that is just so catchy that I can't help but love it! I've linked the video so you can watch it. Another new and catchy song? Maps by Maroon 5- the first single from their newest album!

What else is on my radar? Well, if you've been reading for any amount of time you know that I've been wanting a personalized stationery set for a while now. Carly from the College Prepster posted this picture to her instagram so I instantly looked up where it was from: A Thing Created. It's so cute and fun! Probably not something that I'll invest in anytime soon, but it's seriously to die for! It would stress me out to pick which photograph I'd want her to make a watercolor of... because it'd be representing me for a while (lol). But this is so to die for.

Lastly, I'm loving Tumblr right now. It's something that I can use to stay in contact with other likeminded people even with a busy schedule. I tend to check it during breaks and when I wake up... and I'm trying to post more of my own pictures :) You can follow me there, just search PurduePrep!

I'll talk to you soon, have a great day!





06 June 2014

Top 100 songs of the '00s... and a Running Bit

I happened to catch VH1's Top 100 songs of the 00's last night and it was great! The first full decade that I really have good memories of was summed up in a good hour; a true walk down memory lane. I'd forgotten about great songs like Since You Been Gone, Lose Yourself, and Hey Ya.

So much good music in one decade, and I couldn't help but think "wow, these would make a fantastic running playlist!" I started to write down the songs that really hit me (which was hard considering I loved every song on the list). The best part was that my family was able to watch it together. We could all relate to the songs differently which got me thinking.... I'm sure anyone who reads this might enjoy the list that I wrote down. 


Empire State of Mind
We Belong Together
Umbrella
Since You've Been Gone
Sexyback
Yeah!
This Love
Bye, Bye, Bye!
Drops of Jupiter
Californication
I Don't Wanna Be
Live Your Life
Stacy's Mom
Before He Cheats
I Gotta Feeling
Clocks
Daughters
Hollaback Girl
Party in the USA
Drops of Jupiter
Gold Digger
Crazy

So whether you need a good run or a good dance sesh, throw these on for a serious Flashback Friday! 

04 June 2014

Summer Crafting: My First Cooler

I have so many crafts and projects planned for this summer.
Most likely due to the fact that I spent all year at school admiring the cute canvases that my friends had and gathering ideas on pinterest and tumblr. My first week of summer, I went to Michaels and Wal Mart and bought everything I'd think I'd need- paints, modge podge, brushes, etc. Everything sat nicely packaged up as my summer schedule came into full effect... 

I've been working here and there, but I'm proud to say that my first project will be completed this week...
a cooler!

I've been wanting one for so long and have been saving different idea into a crafting file on my computer all year. I figured making one for myself is a perfect trial for any future gifts that I may make. I got to work collecting ideas on how to no screw up this initial attempt- the Cooler Connection Facebook page and blogs were heaven-sent as they basically laid it all out for me. I can't thank y'all enough if you have a tutorial made. But, I also came to realize that I couldn't have this picture-perfect image in my head because it was just unattainable. I'm no artist and never will be, so going with the flow has been the key for me. 

anyways, here's some of the process:


I read that tracing onto tissue paper and then transferring that onto the cooler was the best way to get everything to look nice and clean. I ran with this idea and traced Lilly patterns, quotes, images, everything! It worked out so perfectly. 

The only problem was, when I used a sharpie to trace it onto the cooler, the black was sometimes tough to cover with light colors. This is a minor problem though, since multiple layers or paint and modge podge make these lines invisible after a while. 

By the second layer of paint, the black was covering no problem. It was a little annoying at first, but really no issue as soon as I got to layer number two. Unless I hear of a better way to do this, I think I'll stick with this method in the future
(because there's no way I'll ever be able to free-hand something like this... I can barely draw a stick figure!)


While I was tracing the images, I had filled any holes/ crevices in the cooler with spackle and let it dry. I then sanded down the spackle as well as the entire cooler and primed it using an indoor/outdoor multisurface white primer. 
(sorry, I didn't take any pictures of the initial layer of paint)


And, here's where I am right now! 
All five surfaces are painted with two coats. I'll get a final coat on probably thursday after I get off work, and a couple more (like maybe 5) coats of modge podge. I'll definitely get it finished by this weekend, where my brand new cooler will make it's debut at the Tim McGraw pre-concert tailgate :)

I'll post the final pictures once I'm finished! 





03 June 2014

Top 5: May 2014

How is it June already?! 

Summer is what I have been dreaming of since the awful winter we had, and it's finally here! Okay not officially but sunny and 75 this past weekend was a pretty good start :) As always, here are my Top 5 things from this past month...

5. Tea Tree Oil
Thanks to this stuff, I have clear skin again! I've talked, blogged, and tweeted about it so it's kindof a big deal. I'll leave it at that.

4. Pillows
I'm completely unpacked from school, and one of my favorite things is that I was able to add my school pillows to my bed at home. I now have no less than 6 pillows on my bed and it's fantastic. I surround myself with them and sleep on what seems like a cloud. As if coming back to my queen sized bed wasn't great enough, I've added pillows!

3. Getting back to Work
This past weekend, I got my first paycheck of the summer. Working two jobs is going to be tiring, but my schedule has still allowed me to relax and have somewhat of a social life so far. It feels so great to be putting money into my account instead of always taking it out... I've got a savings plan that I hope to everything that I'll be able to stick to as well as a few trips that I can't wait to go shopping for :)

2. Crafting
So I had been planning for a few crafts that I wanted to try out this summer, and I've actually started on them rather than procrastinate! I have a couple canvases as well as a... cooler (!!!!!) that I'm working on. As soon as I finish those up, I'll be posting a little step-by-step of what I did. This is my first time taking on anything like this, so I'll surely have a list of successes and failures.

1. Reading! 
I love to read- that's nothing new. Now that I don't have to read much for school this summer I am taking full advantage of my to-read list! I'm on book #3 of the summer and it's great. I'm currently reading a Kennedy family biography, and I have no idea what I'll do next. I have Z and The Beautiful and Damned as well as Ronald Reagan's autobiography that I'd like to get to. I'm also very curious about the Goldfinch, which I don't own right now but probably will in the near future.

So, there's what I've been loving this past month! I've definitely been on a spending lockdown until I start making money, so it's less products and more of just what I've been doing. But these are all certainly hilights of the past month... hopefully June will have more "fun" things to share :)

02 June 2014

Those Pearly Whites

If there's one compliment that I consistently get it's 
"You have the whitest teeth! How do you keep them so white?"

In high school, I could honestly say that I credited it to my lack of drinking dark, staining liquids like coffee or soda. That's definitely changed though, and I've still managed to counter the staining for the most part. I don't spend a ridiculous amount of money on teeth whitening, but I do take protective measures to keep my teeth nice and white.



then again, maybe my teeth are just really
big so they look whiter? 


Of course, I keep up a hygienic regimen of brushing my teeth regularly, and flossing as regularly as possible. But, any time I drink or eat anything that might stain my teeth I brush soon after. I use Crest whitening toothpaste as well as the White Strips (although I haven't used the strips in a while and have maintained the whiteness). I'm not a huge user of mouthwash and I don't really believe in the "straw" method... you know, always drinking out of a straw. It's just not something that I really worry about.

I really credit the whiteness to making sure no staining substances stay on my teeth. If I don't have a toothbrush, etc. with me, just swishing with water to "flush" anything away is helpful... I think. I'm no dentist and I don't have any backup besides my own experience, but I have had only 2 small cavities in my life, so I like to think I know how to take care of my teeth by brushing at least twice daily- usually more like 3 or 4 times though- using a whitening toothpaste, as well as removing staining substances before they have the chance to really stain the teeth is really what I rely on.

As with everything else in life, I find what works and go with it. I can't guarantee that just brushing with great toothpaste, etc. works for everyone... but I'd say it's a good start!