Going Home

All week I've been feeling kind of blah, but things are turning around. Today I get to go back home for the first time in over 3 months, and I couldn't be more happy. I think that's the longest I've ever been away from my family and my house and of course my dog. I just can't wait. It's definitely the little things that have been getting me through this week. Never underestimate those. Try to take a second to remember the little happy things today, and I promise it'll help you out of any blah mood. For starters, weekend is almost here!

"In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed." -Khalil Gibran

Photo Friday

This week has been crazy, fun, and stressful all at the same time. There's a lot of little things I have been worrying about lately, but I know they'll all work out. Exciting stuff has happened too! I finally got a job that I think won't be too stressful, and will still give me time to work on fun things (ahem, blogging). I'm also planning a trip to Annapolis to see my brother in just a couple weeks which I am SO excited about. Anyway, I wish everyone a happy weekend! Here are a few Instagram photos from the last couple weeks.

My college just started football back up this year. We won our first game, and it was so much fun!

I was bored waiting for a meeting to start, so I sat in the back of the classroom... as cool kids do.

Throwing it back. I'd like to have those sunglasses back, please.

Amanda came to visit me, so of course we had to stop by Baskin Robbins. Yum.

I am in love with this picture. We were either dressed up like this for a wedding, or Easter, but I'm pretty sure I would've been dressed like that anyway. I was such a girly girl.

Have a wonderful, amazing, fantastical weekend!

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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!

Photo Friday

Well, another exhausting week has passed! I've just been staring at my calendar the past couple days wondering where summer went. It seems like it's flown by! I do have about 2 weeks left though, so I'll be sure to enjoy it while it lasts. Here are a few snapshots from the past couple weeks for you to feast your eyes upon. I hope you have an absolutely wonderful weekend!

Waiting for Amanda to finish in the dressing room at Urban Outfitters. Fun fact: 10 minutes later we were drenched from head to toe by the rain.

Did a bit of Alpha Gam crafting for my future little!

Anna finally returned from studying abroad all Summer. We went to the Macaroni Grill with her mom & dad and I drew her on the table. 'Twas a lovely time.

I took a moment to stop and smell the Cone Flowers at work. Such pretty little things they are!

Although her stay was short, it was great to be reunited with one of my best friends.

Did a bit of monkeying around at work! Haaaaa. (So sorry.)

My first throwback on Instagram, such a momentous occasion. Many family photos were taken in that Sunflower field. I miss it!

A future DIY project! I was too excited not to go ahead and share it.

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Throwback Thursday

I'm interrupting the normal Thursday Theme schedule to share a fun little video I made last summer. It was my last summer before going away to college, and it was a bit of a bittersweet time for me. I was excited for college, but just not ready to leave home yet. My plan was to film a little bit of each day and put together a couple videos so I could remember it. I ended up just making this one, but I love going back to watch it. It just makes me a very happy girl.

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

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?