New Chapter

So I've been gone for a while. Obviously.

Alas, I am at a new chapter of my life. Sophomore year of college has begun. I'm living in the sorority house this year and so far, we've been busier than ever. Therefore, I'm completely exhausted.

It's weird being back at school after being at home for the summer. I can already tell that this year will be a lot better than last year, though. And that's very good.

Mainly my main problem at school is that I lose sight of who I am, like, at the core. I get caught up in trying to be really social and such, and I forget who I am on the inside. So, I'm trying really hard to work on that this year.

My plans for this year are to throw myself into my art and writing. Those are the two things that make me feel like the Real Liz.

No pictures for this post, my bad. Just a short update.

Hope your week is a good one!  

The Saturday Squeeze

1. This dance is way too fierce to be shown on television. [ Just kidding, I want to see more. ]

2. Woah, more dancing! Except now we leave it up to Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff. [ I can't help but laugh whenever I see this. ]

3. Let's all hug and stay alive!

4. A happy video of animals stealing things.

5. Loving the use of negative space! Especially the second one, with the deer.

6. Adding a pop of color to your day.

7. This has got to be one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

8. Part of me wants to buy one of these, keep it secret, and then run around in it and nobody will ever know it was me.

9. Oh, yes he is.

10. I wonder how long it took them to make this...

Happy Saturday! Have a good one!

New Etsy Item! And Listening To: Rising Gael

Hi hi hi hi!

I'm in a super good mood right now!

I have yet another new item in my Etsy shop!

[ Ch-ch-check it out! ]

It would be greatly appreciated!

And since it's Wednesday [well, it was a few minutes ago...], it's "Listening To" time!

Today we've got Rising Gael.

They're a great band that does Irish music!

[ Youtube didn't have my favorite song by them, called "He Moved Through the Fair". Sad day. ]

[ "Stretched on Your Grave" ]

Once when my mom, my grandma, and I went on a roadtrip, we stopped at a pub and this band was playing there. I had never heard of them before, but I instantly fell in love. They're so much fun to watch and they even include the audience in things. They had a contest to see who could write the dirtiest lyrics and whoever won, they would sing the song with the new lyrics, and the winners got a free CD. 

[ Being the gutter-minded women that we are, we won the contest and got their CD. ]

Also, I don't listen to Irish music all that much. But this is a definite exception. I seriously recommend that you look them up and listen to a variety of their music. It's definitely worth it.

New Etsy Item!...and Transformers 3...

First of all:

I have yet another new item on Etsy!

[ Check it out here! ]

I might be changing it, though, to only be available as a 4x6 or 5x7 print. The 8x10 is a little iffy. But maybe I can change a few things and make it work. 

[ Tim Gunn is love. ]

Second of all:

Last night I saw the third and final Transformers movie.

And to be honest, I'm glad it's the final one.

I was a big fan of the first two Transformers movies. Explosions, action, Shia, humor, it was all pretty good. 

[ Except for Megan Fox. I'm glad she left. She makes me uncomfortable. ]

So, I was pretty excited to see this movie. 

But I was sadly let down, and here's why:

1. The movie was 3 hours long. No movie should be that long. Ever.

2. Since Fox decided not to be a part of this movie, they felt the need to throw in a new love interest [ Rosie Huntington-Whiteley ]. I'm not quite sure why, out of all the actresses in the world, that they had to pick her. She's pretty, I guess, but she really can't act, in my opinion. 

3. There was so much obvious sexual humor. In the first two movies, there was some sexual humor, but it was placed in certain scenes and not overdone, which made them funny and sort of clever. But in this film, it was just thrown all over the place. My guy and I found ourselves laughing, not because it was funny, but because it was so stupid. There wasn't an air of maturity in this movie. It was tasteless and most of the time, really lame. 

I will say that there was some good action scenes, some great special effects, and a few twists.

But all in all, I give this movie a thumbs down and wait until you can rent it to see it.

Have you seen this movie? What'd you think?

New Item on Etsy!

Oh gosh, I've been gone for what seems like forever.

Life's been hectic and such, but now I'm getting back on track. [ Or at least I am for now...ugh... ]

But I started something new in my life. 

Have you heard of the website called Etsy?!

I hope you have, because it's glorious.

When I'm bored, I'll just search through tons of the amazing creations that people are selling. It's a great place to get your work out in the world and it's also quite useful for getting some inspiration for when you find yourself in a slump. [ It happens to me...often. ]

Today I created my very own shop and I'm super psyched about it.

I'm only selling one thing at the moment, but after a while there will be more. 

I just have to get my creative juices flowing and come up with ideas.

I would be so ecstatic if you visited!

[ Visit my shop here! ]

Critiques are always appreciated. Tell me what you think!

Do you have an Etsy shop? 

I would love to see it!

Chances are, I'll add you to my circle. Not to sound like I'm bribing you or anything. I just enjoy being connected.

Bathing Suits, Birthdays, and Beautiful Drives

I know, I know, I missed the Saturday Squeeze yesterday.

But I had legitimate reasoning!

One of my best friends, Sam, invited me over to her house to swim in her pool and celebrate her birthday!

[ Check out her blog! ]

It was super hot outside, so the pool was absolutely perfect. 

Happy people in a pool.
Sam & me.

It was so nice to catch up on our lives and everything, since we haven't seen each other in weeks. It's so hard to go from living next door to someone in a dorm to living in two different cities.

Then we went out to dinner with Sam's friend and boyfriend to celebrate Sam's birthday. The food was great, everyone was happy, and it was all-around a good time. 

I slept at Sam's house and we spent the morning talking to her mom and just hanging out. 

Driving to and from Sam's house is always lovely because the ride is so scenic and it takes you over hills and through fields and farms.

The weather was perfection.

I had the windows rolled down and music blasting.

You know how there's some music that's just perfect for driving on a nice day? It was like my iPod knew exactly what I wanted to hear. 

It's the kind of time where you reflect on your life and what you want to do with it. It's inspirational and it's refreshing.

It's perfect.

3 of My Favorite Driving-With-The-Windows-Down Songs:

"I Woke Up in a Car" by Something Corporate

[ So here I am. ]

"If I Die Young" by The Band Perry

[ Just too beautiful to not listen to. ]

"You Can Breathe" by Jack's Mannequin

[ You can breathe now. ]

It was one of those times where you hold your hand out the window and let the wind slip through your fingers.

Just to feel.

Like I said, it was perfect.

Listening To: "Golden Train" by Justin Nozuka

I'm starting a new weekly post kind of thing. Like my Saturday Sqeeze posts, every Wednesday I'll post music that I want to share.

It'll be something that I like, something new, something old, something that's been stuck in my head. 

So here we go!

Here's Justin Nozuka's "Golden Train".

This song has been stuck in my head for days. I've caught myself humming the chorus while I'm at work.

I think he sounds a bit like Jason Mraz. You think so?

Happy Wednesday! And happy listening!

Let Your Colors Burst

Happy Fourth of July!

I'm not patriotic at all, [most of the time, I feel like I would be better suited living in Europe] and so really the only part of today that I like is the fireworks.

When I was a kid, I was scared to death of them. I loathed every Fourth of July and when we watched the fireworks show, I would cower under an umbrella and sob hysterically. I was positive that the burning pieces would fall down on me and light me on fire. 

It annoyed my parents. Quite a bit.

Thankfully, those days are over and I'm now in love with fireworks.

There's just something so magical about them.

Too bad today I had to work, and so I couldn't go with my family to see any. A very sad day, indeed. 

So I'm filling this void in my heart with pictures of fireworks, instead!

This is super cool. When you look away for
a second, it almost looks like the fireworks are moving.
[ source ]

Loving the red to green to pink!
[ source ]

So amazing; a completely new way to see a firework.
[ source ]

Grand finale!
[ source ]

Do you have any Fourth of July traditions?

What's your favorite part of this holiday?

The Saturday Squeeze

I was perusing the internet, and I landed on a picture of a bedspread that I loved. 

So this week's Saturday Squeeze is going to be an array of bedspreads!

Beds are a big part of our lives, for just being a simple piece of furniture. A lot happens there.

Rejuvenating your body by sleeping, sex, thinking, reading, life talks, snuggling, drawing, etc. 

If we spend so much time there, why not make it pretty?!

1. I absolutely love the colors and ruffles.

2. Have a special place in your heart for Alice and Wonderland? Then this one's for you.

3. Always been a fan of plants on bedspreads.

4. Oh hey there, huge orchid. Nice to see you've found a bed.

5. These yellow flowers will definitely wake you up and make you feel instantly refreshed.

And I also apologize that there's only 5 items listed today.
I've been having a really discouraging day and it was a long day at work.

Maybe I should just sleep it off!
If only I had a bedspread like one of these...

Shattered

Newfound love?

Shatter nail polish!

[ I guess it's also called "Crackle". It depends on what brand you buy. ]

My mom recently picked this up for me at the store and I tried it for the first time today.

Here's how mine turned out!

Now I just want to shatter everything.

My toenails, my mom's nails, my brothers' nails, my dog's nails, the walls...

For being so unique, it's super easy to do.

Just paint your nails [white, black, whatever] and then paint over them with the shatter color!

Boom, you're done.

Here are some other cool examples of this new trend:

Use different base colors!
[ source ]

Black and gold, super glam.
[ source ]

Blue on blue, perfect for summer!
[ source ]

You should totally try this new look.

Peace. Love. Shatter.

Days

I've been pretty busy for the past two days.

Yesterday (Sunday), I had to attend a family party for my cousin's 8th grade graduation. 

Ate some food, played some frisbee, was practically interviewed by all of my aunts and uncles...

(I'm not a fan of family parties. At all.)

And then today (Monday), we had to bring my grandma's car back to her. She was away for the weekend and so she let me borrow it so that I could get to work and back without my parents having to drive me. 

Oh, the troubles with not owning your own car.

Later I went on an adventure walk with my good friend Lindsey. 

We made sure to take lots of pictures and act as childish as we possibly could.

Afterwards we stopped at the local beach and had a nice, long serious talk about life and people and such. 

Swinging!
[ Lindsey, me ]

Climbing!
[ me ]

...Sliding?
[ Lindsey ]

Standing on frolfing pins!
[ me ]

So a pretty decent day to follow a not-so-decent one!

The Saturday Squeeze

This Saturday Squeeze will entirely be some pretty great findings from the website dweebist.com.

I found this website on Wednesday and I'm pretty much addicted. Everything's just so funny. 

1. A guy and a bear dancing? Sounds good to me.

2. I'd just like a glass of kitten, thanks.

3. Oh guys, this picture cracks me up.

4. Seriously, when DID this happen?? Well, things have gotten interesting.

5. Am I the only one who really wants to try this, now?

6. This photograph is beautiful.

7. I kind of had the same reaction after watching Inception, too.

8.  This picture seriously made me laugh out loud.

9. This is the best feeling in the world.

10. I've always wanted to do what this girl is doing. 

Actually I did when I was younger, but it was a great dane and I 

fell off right after I had gotten on.

Have a happy Saturday!

Back on Track

I've been really confused lately. 

It's been one of those things where your mind makes something up to be a lot better than it actually would be and you have to fight with it, in a way. 

Here, say you want ice cream. You can pick between chocolate and vanilla. You usually get chocolate ice cream, because vanilla makes you feel a little sick, but the vanilla just looks so refreshing today. As you're trying to figure out which you want, the vanilla ice cream keeps taking over all your thoughts and you start believing that it could actually be better than chocolate. You think about it for a while longer, but then realize that you really don't want vanilla ice cream after all. You were just caught up in the "what if?" of it all. You just like chocolate ice cream better than vanilla, simple as that. It was just a fluke in your thinking. 

Maybe that didn't make any sense at all. Oh well. 

Anyways, I finally figured everything out, and I'm super ecstatic about it. 

As the title says, I'm back on track. 

Things are finally making sense again and I'm a lot let stressed than I was. 

Here's a picture I took while my family and I went on a bike ride that I think kind of

relates to the current situation. 

Light through the darkness! Huzzah!

I hope you had a great Friday as well. 

Have you been dealing with anything confusing lately? I love to hear other people's stories. 

Sketchbook-ings

Here's some old drawings from my sketchbook:

Hello there, Mr. Exaggerated Emaciated Horse.
Pencil

Acrylic

Actually done on the last page of my Crime and Punishment book.
Acrylic

Did a whole series of these in different colors. I  thought I was on to something
but it never actually turned into anything. Oh well.
Acrylic and pen

Pen and highlighter

Colored pencil

I didn't want to draw  her face.
Pen and marker

Enjoy!

Let Me See Your Peacock

Yesterday while I was searching for primary colored items, I came across some items that were decorated with peacock feathers.

And that made me realize how much I love peacock themed things. 

So without further a du, I give you items of the peacock sort:

Glorious, absolutely glorious.
[ source ]

I want a headband like this SO BADLY.
Maybe I'll make my own sometime soon?
[ source ]

I'm kind of obsessed with this dress, now that I've seen it.
So simple but so loud.
[ source ]

As of now, I'm expecting to have these invite cards for when I get married.
[ source ]

Absolutely beautiful dishware.
[ source ]

I see a new obsession in my horizon...
Shake your tail feathers. 

Primary

I'm in a great mood today. Energetic, happy, excited. Like a child.

So what better to reflect my mood than to wear primary colors!

Primary colors, elementary school, children, get it?

So here I am, donning my primary colored shirt.

Sorry about the horrible quality, webcam pictures are never great.
Shirt: Charlotte Russe

Here are some other ways to do primary colors:

Such a fun outfit!
[ source ]

Mmmmm, shoes.
[ source ]

Love the marbling effect.
[ source ]

Ahh, it feels great to feel like a kid. 

Finished Reading: "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"

Just finished reading "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer.

Find the book [ here ]

It was a good read. 

The book's about a 9 year old boy in New York who's dad died in the 9/11 attacks. He finds a key in his father's closet and goes on a search to find what it unlocks. Along the way he meets many engaging and fascinating people. 

The plot was original, and the characters were all very interesting. Some parts were a bit confusing but overall it was a fun time. The main character is unforgettable and there were multiple times where I giggled because of the humor. I wouldn't call it a page-turner, but just a good book and an easy read. 

I'd definitely recommend it. 

Have you read this book? What'd you think?

Father's Day

Today my family and I went to visit with my Grandparents, Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins. 

We had a nice lunch, opened presents, ate cake, and played croquet.

We visited the cemetery where my other Grandpa is buried. This little angel statue was on one of the other tombstones and I thought it was nice. 

We got my dad an open fire popcorn popper for Father's Day. That meant bonfire. And that meant s'mores. Yum!

All in all, it shaped up to be a pretty good day. 

My dad and I have never been very close, but recently we've been spending a lot of quality time together. We've been telling each other stories and learning a lot. 

Do you have any Father's Day traditions? And what's your favorite memory of your dad?

The Saturday Squeeze

1. This video is breathtaking. I love the clouds.

2. Moustaches really do make all the difference.

3. Feeling down? These basset hounds will definitely get you giggling.

4. Take a close look at these bodypaintings. I still can't get over how realistic it looks and how I get goosebumps when they show the painted person surrounded by the real world.

5. A simple meal, this sandwich not only looks delicious, but can be beneficial to your health! I'm starting to get a little hungry...

6. This So You Think You Can Dance dance is so fierce, and so are the dancers!

7. It's my new life dream to date a unicorn.

8. I wish I had this sleep suit. I already take naps everywhere, so this would just make it all easier.

9. I can has necklace?

10. These words, I think, are very true. 

Yellow Mood

Discovered something today.

If you're feeling a little down in the dumps, wear some yellow!

A yellow shirt, some yellow sandals, even a little yellow clip in your hair.

My day started out on a negative note and when I went to go get dressed, I pulled out the only yellow shirt I own. When I put it on, my mood was instantly ten times better. 

Lift your spirits and throw on something in this sunny hue!

Some ideas:

The embroidery on this skirt is to die for.
[ source ]

Yellow polka dot bikini shoes.
[ source ]

Hello there, adorable scarf.
[ source ]

Pretty summer shirt for a pretty summer day.
[ source ]

Polished Nails, Please

I'm painting my nails right now (which makes it a little hard to type...).

I like to keep my nails painted for 3 reasons:

1. I think it just adds some personality and pizazz to hands. There's a fair amount of information you can get about someone just by looking at how they have their nails painted. 

2. I find it relaxing to paint my own nails.

3. I borrowed my friend's green nail polish about two months ago. It was a pretty and springy grass green color. When I took it off, though, I found that the pretty and springy color had left my nails tinted a horrible yellow color. So, now I keep my nails painted so that people don't think I have an awkward fungus or infection.

Usually I just paint my nails one color (black, white, purple, pink). I've tried adding some designs but they never really work out the way I want them to. 

But it's always fun to imagine!

So here's some totally awesome nail art to get you inspired:

Lovin' the zebra print!
[ source ]

What a delicious blue.
[ source ]

Some very feminine bows and hearts.
[ source ]

Shout out to my soda drinkers.
[ source ]

Monsters Inc. nails! So adorable!
[ source ]

Happy painting!

The Glee Project

Let it be known, I'm a total Gleek.

This means that I'm suffering from some serious Glee withdrawals at the moment. 

BUT, it can all be cured by a little show called The Glee Project.

Found [ here ].

12 people were picked out of thousands to be contenders on the show. Whoever wins will get a 7 episode guest role on Glee. 

Cool beans? Very.

Now, there are 2 reasons why I'm super psyched about this show (besides that it's filling the gaping hole in my heart that Glee left when it ended for the summer!):

1. I personally know one of the contestants!

Ellis Wylie actually went to my high school and was in my graduating class! It's so surreal seeing someone on television that I had been going to school with for years. Every time she was on the screen, my mom and I would squeal and shake our fists in the air out of celebration. 

Ellis is such a great singer, a true individual and I think she has a real shot at making it far in the show. 

Like her Facebook page [ here ] and send her some love!

2. One of the contestants has officially made it onto my list of celebrity crushes.

Other members of this list include Robert Pattinson and Enrique Iglesias. But the boys are going to have to make some room for Samuel Larsen (you should like his Facebook page, too).

I've always been a big fan of dreadlocks. I think they're fascinating and very cool looking. 

So mixing dreadlocks with a fiercely attractive face and throw in a great voice and some cool clothes?

Greatness.

I just really appreciate looking at him. And listening to him.

The show is really great. The first episode was a bit awkward, but I think once the season really gets going, it'll surely be a hit.