little by little

apartment tour

2012-02-05T21:14:00.000-08:00

From top left:

Our lovely, spacious kitchen. The view of the kitchen from the living room.

Erin's colorful side of our room. My side of the room.

I love the prints my roomie found from this etsy shop.

My desk area. The adorable prints in our living room from the etsy shop poppy & pinecone, representing the different places the three of us studied abroad last semester, and one of Minnesota just for fun.

The living room pre-artwork. Our pretty (just kidding) plaid couch and newly hung canvases.

This is by far my favorite place I have lived on campus so far. The dorm rooms had their charm too, but I still cannot get over how much space we have now. I'm already sort of bummed we'll be moving out at the end of the semester!

chevron wall art project

2012-02-05T20:59:00.000-08:00

The area above the couch in our living room was in desperate need of some wall art. I looked at some prints and posters online, but in the end decided to do it myself! It was a very simple project and I'm happy with how it turned out.

Materials:

3 16x20 white canvases (bought a 5-pack at Michael's for $11 using a coupon)

blue painters tape

acrylic paint

sponge brushes

I began by taping the pattern I wanted to appear in white. This part took the longest and was the most difficult part. I didn't have a very specific method, I just taped one the way I wanted it and then tried to match up the tape on the other canvases.

Next I painted two coats of paint over the entire canvas.

When the paint was dry, I carefully removed the tape and that was that! Super easy.

It's hard to tell in these photos, but the far left canvas is a nice grey color. Also, after they were hung on the wall I realized the right-most canvas was actually upside down to how it wanted it, so I switched it around.

Inspired by this idea, I coated one of the extra canvases in white paint and painted a quote I like on it. This is now leaning against the wall above my dresser and I like having it in a prominent place so I see it often.

the past week (in iphone photos)

2012-01-29T16:39:00.000-08:00

The past week was a busy one! It was full of meetings and classes, but some fun things too. Including some projects like my knit scarf and homemade wall art (more on that to come later). There were snowy days, sunny days, piano practicing (I'm so happy I decided to take lessons again), a visit from my dad, my first article in the school newspaper (Erin hung it up like a proud mom to embarrass me), and Sunday morning waffle making. And now an evening full of homework...

music thursday

2012-01-26T06:26:00.000-08:00

One of my absolute favorite songs ever. Have a good Thursday!

like I never stopped

2012-01-23T20:55:00.000-08:00

Today I had my first piano lesson in over six years. It made me so happy to be doing one of

my favorite things in the world again. Having to practice is going to be the greatest

distraction from my other classes.

Photo by Shelbie Dimond: flickr.com

good to be back

2012-01-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

This semester has been off to a wonderful start so far. I absolutely love our new apartment, and it feels so different than living in the dorms. It's been a busy week of starting classes, getting organized, reconnecting with friends, surviving the frigid temps, and readjusting to non-study-abroad life. There have been moments when I wish I was back in Ireland where I had fewer obligations, but for now it is so good to be back.

quote of the week

2012-01-15T19:51:00.000-08:00

"Don't ask what the world needs.

Ask what makes you come alive,

and go do it.

Because what the world needs is people

who have come alive."

-Howard Thurman

calendar craving

2012-01-11T13:56:00.000-08:00

I had an extra 11x17 frame left over from a project that I was looking for something to do with, and when I saw the Seasons calendar from the new Our Paper Shop, I knew it would be the perfect thing to fill it. It came in the mail today, and I cannot wait to hang it in my new apartment this weekend.

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north shore getaway

2012-01-11T13:38:00.000-08:00

With just a few days left of break, I was able to get away for a few nights for a trip up north with my Mom. We decided against skiing and opted for some crafting and scrapbooking instead. I made a lot of progress on my high school album, a project I really want to finish soon so I can move on to some more exciting things. We also did a little shopping in Grand Marais and I got a great pair of boots and a little artwork for my room :)

Now I'm back home for two more nights. I have a ton of packing and organizing to do, but I'm so looking forward to being back at school in just a couple of days.

quote of the week

2012-01-08T15:45:00.000-08:00

"Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy."

-Anne Frank

cabin "weekend"

2012-01-06T18:33:00.000-08:00

I spent the past few days up north my friend's beautiful cabin. We spent our time lounging around, going for walks, eating delicious meals, reading a little, watching movies, playing games, having some very good chats, and enjoying the pretty drive there and back.

Just about one week left of break. It's been a good one!

the sights of sounds

2012-01-03T13:59:00.000-08:00

The Sights of Sounds video channel is one of my current obsessions. Cinematographers and producers Ben Fee and Colin Shane create the most beautiful music videos for groups like The Head and the Heart and the Lumineers. The settings of the videos often look like cozy, fantastic gatherings of friends that I totally wish I was a part of. Here is one of my favorites:

Check out more amazing videos on their Vimeo channel.

a new year

2012-01-01T10:39:00.000-08:00

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself."~Neil Gaiman

2011

2011-12-30T13:18:00.000-08:00

December 31st and January 1st are two of my favorite days out of the year. I love thinking about everything that happened in the past year, and I love the fresh start of a new year even more. And in looking back, it's clear that 2011 was a seriously incredible year for me.

It started out with a ten day trip to Peru in January, where I met some amazing people, learned so many things that have affected my outlook on life, and found beauty in unexpected places.

The beginning of the semester brought new friends, new responsibilities, and new activities.

March brought a wonderfully relaxing spring break vacation in Mexico with one of my best friends and our moms.

The end of the school year was full of many fun events, and I found myself more than a little sad that college was half-way over already.

Summer began and I found myself living at a cabin on a lake with one of my dearest friends and her Grandmother. It was the beginning to a perfect summer, full of new friends, adventures in cooking, bike rides, scrapbooking, bonfires, and many breathtaking sunsets. All the while, I was also working at a job on campus I am fortunate to love (most of the time).

June brought a fun weekend in Omaha for a beautiful family wedding.

July brought birthday parties, baseball games, wonderful outdoor concerts, and an incredibly fun "Amazing Race" that my team finished second in!

In August I had my last day of work for awhile, spent many hours stressing about packing, and said goodbye to my family and friends.

The rest of the month was pretty much bliss, traveling for two and a half weeks with one of my best friends. We marveled at Prague, people-watched (and unexpectedly ran into friends) in Munich, fulfilled childhood dreams in Austria, got "lost" in a cliff-top vineyard in Cinque Terre, and wrapped up our trip in Rome.

In September I moved into a small cottage on the west coast of Ireland, quickly growing to love living in that place with my four hilarious and wonderful cottagemates.

That month and the one following were full of excursions, history lessons, dinner parties, long walks, music classes, many dance parties, and quickly becoming close friends with the 28 others on my study abroad program.

The end of October and early November brought adventure as five of us traveled to Belgium, where we fell in love with the architecture and ate way too much chocolate.

From there it was on to Switzerland, where we were in awe of the mountains, lakes, and vivid fall leaves. The day of our moped adventure stands out as one of my most favorite days of the whole year.

After this wonderful break we were happy to return to Ireland, which already felt like our home. November consisted of an ocean-side bonfire, some paper writing, more adventures in cooking, trips to coral beaches, a very muddy football game, much more dancing, and the sweetest Thanksgiving celebration.

We started off December by taking a chilly swim in Galway Bay on a beautiful afternoon. After many sad goodbyes, our program came to an end and I moved out of the cottage. My parents arrived and the three of us spent a week driving around and revisiting some of my favorite places and seeing some new spots too.

Before I knew it I was home again. I busied myself with Christmas preparations as I waited for my friends to come home from school or their own adventures abroad. I spent a very relaxing Christmas with my family, appreciating their company more than ever after my time away from home.

In reflecting on the past year, it almost seems too good to have really all happened. I'm a little sad to say farewell to 2011, but I know 2012 will be full of adventure and beauty in different and maybe just less in-my-face ways. It may take a little more awareness to appreciate them, but I trust these moments will abound in the new year ahead.

a new beginning

2011-12-29T14:28:00.001-08:00

Over the past four months, I blogged about my adventures in Europe as part of my semester studying abroad. In the final blog post I wrote, "Maybe if I'm lucky there will be another long-term adventure in my future and I will blog again." It didn't take me long to miss blogging, and I soon realized that everyday life is a big enough long-term adventure. It is worth capturing these moments, events, and thoughts the same way I did when I was traveling. So here it goes!