Back to School Thoughts

This month's Thursday Theme is all about going back to school. Since I head back tomorrow, I wanted to share a couple thoughts that I've been having with you all... I feel like I haven't done that in a while. It seems like yesterday I was headed to college for the first time, really not knowing what to expect. Although I've made some good friends and I sort of know what to expect from classes now, I have a bit of that same feeling. Sometimes we're just thrown into things and it takes a while to figure them out. You're in high school and all of the sudden you have to pick a college and a major, and once your there you have to think about a job, and money, and your future... and it can be really scary. I'm going into my Sophomore year though, so I do have some time to figure things out even if the thoughts are always in the back of your head. But, despite all the stress about future and all of that confusion, my goal for this year is to not worry too much. To just relax, have fun with my friends, find out where I fit into this crazy world... and of course get good grades. So I'll leave you with that, and with a few snapshots from my Freshman year.

DIY: ♥ Collage

For this Thursday's Theme, I want to share a few back to school tips with you all. This DIY would be perfect to fill up an empty dorm wall, or add a little life to any room. About a month ago I rearranged my room and took down what used to be a big, fluffy, hot pink headboard. Oh, it was glorious, don't get me wrong, but it was definitely time for a change. I've been wanting to do this in my room for a while and finally got around to doing putting it up. Here are the steps I took:

1. Find yourself a nice open wall. I chose the space above my bed, but anywhere will work! (& yes, that is my teddy bear...)

2. Gather a bunch of photos & something to hang them with. I had some painter's tape, which isn't the best option, but it works. I used 19 photos in total-- 5 portrait & 14 landscape.

3. Lay out your photos in the order/arrangment you'd like. Add more or less photos depending on the wall space you are filling.

4. Apply tape to the back of each photo.

5. Recruit a cute puppy to help you hang them up. I'll admit.. I didn't do any proper measurements & just eye-balled it. I had to move the photos around 2 or 3 times before I was happy with it.

6. Voila! A fun, super inexpensive way to decorate your walls.

Be sure to look out for another Back to School post next Thursday! Have a lovely day & happy August!

DIY: Bird Cage Revamp

For this month's Thursday Theme I wanted to share a few easy & inexpensive do it yourself projects that I've been working on. When I say easy, I mean really easy. I bought these two small bird cages at Michaels a few weeks ago and wanted to do something fun with them. The black and orange didn't exactly go with the colors in my room, so I just spray painted them white. Really simple, really easy, and I think they add a nice touch to my room. After reorganizing my room (as seen here), I needed a few more decor pieces to fill some spaces.

It took several coats, but I love how they turned out. The total cost was about 3 dollars I believe. I don't have the Michaels receipt, but the cages were on clearance and BOGO! I also just used spray paint I found (thanks Amanda)... so that didn't cost me anything! Be sure to come back next Thursday for another (slightly more complicated) DIY project!

Sweet Summertime: Dream Vacation

Yesterday was a pretty exhausting day at work, and it got me thinking about vacations. I wanted to run away to some relaxing beach where no one could bother me. Normally if you asked me where I would vacation to, my answer would be Paris. Duh. Lately I've been dreaming of the beach though, and Pinterest has been escape.

If you could hop on a flight and go anywhere right now, where would it be?

all images are from Pinterest

Hello Mr. iPhone

You can follow me here!

The time has finally come, I have an iPhone! That means I now have an Instagram, and I would love for you to check that out. This way I can harass you with random pictures of my life (as if I don't do that on here enough already). More importantly, having this phone is going to make blogging & keeping up with you all a lot easier. That's something I'm very thankful and excited for.  I will be putting up this month's Thursday Theme later this afternoon! I'm very excited about this one, so be sure to come check back later today! Happy Thursday everyone.

Blog Loving

For this month's final Thursday theme, I wanted to talk about my favorite bloggers! I've been reading blogs for about 3 or 4 years now, and there are some old favorites that I've grown to love over time. Just recently, with starting my own blog, I have found some new favorites that I'd love to share with you all as well. Click on their photos to see their blogs, I know you won't be disappointed!

You can also check out the rest of the "favorites" from this month: a few of My Favorites, My Favorite Movies, and Beauty & Fashion Favorites.

What would you like to see in future Thursday themes? And who are some of your favorite bloggers?

Sandals, Sundresses, and Lip Salves

Continuing with the Thursday themes (you can check out my last ones here and here), today I wanted to share my beauty and fashion favorites with you all. I learned one of two things while making this post. 1. The majority of my closet is from Target and 2. I am terrible at posing. With that being said, lets hope I expand my wardrobe and take a few lessons on posing. I'll get there... hopefully.

{Aviators}

I have a huge head, and a big nose, so it's hard to find glasses that look good on me. I've found that aviators suit me well. I got these for $10 at a beach store, but here is a similar pair from UO.

{Wonderstruck & Daisy Perfumes}

I love both of the Wonderstruck perfumes, but I only have a few uses left on the original and I decided to leave it at home. Before I bought this roller ball of Daisy I would douse myself in samples at all the department stores. So good.

{Sundresses}

These are always going to be a staple in my wardrobe. They're so effortless and comfortable; I just can't get enough. The three of these are all from Target, of course. I know for sure that the polka dot one is still available here.

{Rose Salve}

I've tried 3 different kinds of lip salves, and C.O. Bigelow's is by far my favorite. The strawberry one is included in here too because I do like it as well (mostly because it smells like a strawberry smoothie).

{Sandals}

You can never have too many pairs of sandals. The two on the outside are from Target and I got my Rainbows at a random store in the mall. Sorry for their appearance, but they've held up pretty well over the years!

{CG Mascaras} 

CoverGirl mascaras are some of the best that I've ever tried. These two have definitely become my favorites. I do like a more natural makeup look, and these are perfect for that.

{Jeggings}

I apologize for my awkward posing, but I had to share my love for jeggings. They're so comfy! It's like wearing pajamas, but you don't look like a crazy person. I got these from Target, along with a black pair.

{Eyeshadows}

Last but not least, the eyeshadows. I absolutely love these: the Naked palette, the CoverGirl Shimmering Sands trio, and the L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadow in Amber Rush. I feel like these products have gotten a lot of love here on the interwebs, but I can see why.

Let me know what some of your favorites are! I'd really love to try them out.