To DIY for {Jewelry Dish}

This project was beyond easy and completely inexpensive!
All I used was:
-The small dish and tiny candle holder that my mom found while cleaning out my grandmas closet
-Spray Paint
-Hot glue or gorilla glue, whichever you prefer.

All I did was spray paint the two pieces with a couple coats. I used Valspar paint from Farm and Fleet. It was $4.29 and it dried really quickly in between coats. I will definitely be using this color for many more projects.

After the pain was dry I just hot glued them together and wa la! I filled it with bobby pins and some other hair accessories. It looks so cute in our vanity area. (I would say bathroom but living in a dorm means sharing a bathroom with way to many other girls.) So I just put it next to our little sink/ mirror area.
These look really cute in it too!

Week In Photos

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. Here is my week in photos...

I have a wonderful mother that leaves me sweet notes on my hummus :)

Beautiful Gerbera Daisies we had at work this week. Some bride was a happy girl this weekend.

I would consider this a personal invite from Barack and George.Even if it was sent to millions of other people...A girl can wish right?

Ike was a very happy camper. Grandma and Grandpa spoil him too much! He knows who to sit next to at the dinner table

Dalton finally got a new phone so now he can play Draw Something with me! Just another distraction that I can't pass up

I discovered Pic Monkey this week. It is completely free and you don't even need to sign up. It is a picture editing website and they offer a ton of cool free effects and ways to edit your pictures. Its very quick and user friendly. Check it out!

Im linking up with Alli at Life on Leroy fora Week in Photos link up.
Hop over to her blog and check it out.

A little love on a Friday

Need some love on a Friday? I did.
Try here or here.

{Favorite} Pins of the Week

Here's a round up of my favorite pins this week... Enjoy

I've been looking for some dorm inspiration for my room next year. I thought this was a good idea to save space.pinned here

Creamy avocado pasta. My two favorite foods combined into one?!?! Need I say more?
pinned here

I love this bright color combo. Someday I hope to have a sitting room in my home where I can have bright funky colors. A girl can dream right? pinned here

Abigail Ahern designs. Love. pinned here

Sometimes I wish polaroids were more popular. I love looking back at old family polaroids. Instant success.
pinned here

Are you on pinterest yet?
follow me on pinterest

{Just One More Cup}

If we sat down for a cup of coffee today...

I would tell you that I can't get this essay due at 4pm today off my mind. I need to buckle down and work on it.

I would tell you how excited I am to spend the weekend at the Lake House. It just reminds me that summer is just around the corner.

I would tell you that I can't wait to buy 50 Shades of Gray on my kindle. I am going to plunk on the couch and read this weekend. End of story.

I would tell you how good it feels to have an organized desk. It makes my life overall feel much more organized.

I would tell you that there are so many crafts I want to work on and so many recipes to try but I have so little time and a lacking kitchen that comes along with a dorm room.

I would tell you how important it is to set goals and do everything in your power to accomplish them.
Its ok if the only thing you did today was breathe. When accomplished, little goals can be just as important as large goals.


Just one more cup...
What would you say to yourself over a warm cup of coffee?

Grab a button on the side of my blog and come back to link up!

((Organization))

As the end of the semester peeks around the corner, I am feeling more and more anxious that I just won't have enough time to get everything done. I keep telling myself that I will get everything done because I always do. For those of you that have been in college you know how you feel pretty comfortable the whole semester and then all of a sudden all of your professors assign papers due on the same day. Ahhh! I will get it done, I will get it done.
I've found that getting organized has been essential. Having everything on my calendar and having all my papers together may just be my saving grace.

Here is where I file all my papers for each assignment. I made a tab for my 3 big assignments and then an 'other' tab for all of my smaller tasks that I need to get done. I also have due dates on the tabs because I just may be a slight procrastinator.

If you know me, you know how much I love office supplies. These cute little turquoise organizers- notice the one above too are awesome. I found them at Target at the beginning of this year. My cute little pink and green tray is from Hobby Lobby.

Here is my most essential calendar. I write major due dates and birthdays/ events on the calendar and then on the small pieces of post it notes I write smaller readings/assignments.That way I can take them off when I have completed them or move them if the due date changes.
What organizational tips do you follow? What keeps you organized?

Happy Monday.

Week In Photos

We had lots of rainy days this week. That means lots of tea too.

Had dinner on Friday night at our favorite local supper club, Toby's.
(My cousin Jolynn, and my grandma are in the picture with me)

We had a fire at Dalton's moms new house. It is right on the lake and although it is going to be a lot of work, it is going to be such a great place to hangout when it is finished.

Here is Dalton and I at the fire.

I finished the book last night and went and saw the movie today!

Happy Earth Day!
Here's to the start of a new week. And can I say only 4 more weeks of this semester? Yippee!

Simple yet, Extraordinary

I found this quote in a book I was reading yesterday. I found it to be just simple enough for a Friday afternoon. Simplicity on a Friday is usually just what we all need after a long week.
I hope your weekend is simple yet extraordinary.

Relax and enjoy,

Alex

EMBRACE the camera.

I recently found this awesome new blog. It is slowly becoming one of my very favorites.This has 6 kids and is so inspiring. Every thursday she does a post called embrace the camera. Its about sharing your favorite photos, that highlight you and anyone you care about. (Friends,boyfriend, husband, wife, kids...you get the point.)

Happy Thursday<3

{To D.I.Y for} Mod Podge Pots

I found the idea for this project on pinterest. Shocker right?! Well it seemed so easy and cute and I just thought I had to try it. The only thing needed was some fabric, some mod podge, and some clay pots. I bought the smaller terra cotta pots because I wasn't sure how well they were going to turn out and I didn't want to have to buy an outrageous amount of fabric. Our local hobby lobby was having a fabric sale...Yay! So I bought 2 different patterned fabrics. The orange and white pattern was a little more thick and the finished product didn't feel as nice as the brown and green pattern which was a lighter weight fabric.

I just spread Mod Podge around the whole pot and cut a small square of fabric that seemed to be the right size.
I rolled the pot on the fabric and made sure to pull the sides tight. You end up with a sort of cone shape so I cut a significant amount off the top and bottom.

As you see above in picture 2, It helps to cut strips at the top so when you Mod Podge the outside you don't have puckers.

Now you can paste Mod Podge around the outside and make sure to cover every surface. I Mod Podged those strips to the inside of the pot too. The posts look like they are going to have a milky film around them but have no fear! It dries in a sort of clear glossy look. You can see this in picture 3.

Let them dry for 2 or so hours and you are good to go!

I think they are absolutely adorable and right now I have them perched on my shelf serving no particular function but Im thinking maybe some pea gravel and some pens or maybe a cute small indoor flower. So many possibilities :)

Enjoy and happy Tuesday Readers!

Just One More Cup.

Thoughts on Monday:

Im thinking about how the weather today is cold and windy with a slight mist. In other words its simply miserable. The good news is that I am currently perched in my cozy dorm room enjoying a cup of coffee.

Im thinking about how having a sick family member really weighs on you and can fog a clear mind. You realize the compassion that you are capable of is more than you have ever realized. You realize how strong families are and how its been a hard year for our family but we can stay strong through anything.

Im thinking about how a really good book can take you to another place. I was never a big "for fun" reader but this year I have been reading like crazy and finishing a book is such a satisfying feeling. I have to admit its kind of fun to say 'I've read that' when my family members discuss books they are reading or have read.

Im thinking about how lucky I am to have a job. I realized that I complain about having to miss out on things too much and that I should just be thankful that I have a small but steady income. It feels good to have financial independence from my parents.

Im thinking about how many fun craft posts I have coming up. 'Cough Cough' tomorrow.

Im thinking about songs that I can do a teaching demo for in my Music for Educators class. They have to relate music and social studies this week.

Im thinking about how excited that I have just a little more than a month left of this semester. This thought leads me to my excitement of the upcoming summer. The warm carefree days spent in the sun.

Im thinking about how excited I am with the progress this blog is making. I have fallen in love with so many blogs and my "blog journey" is just beginning. I can't wait to see what the summer brings. Thanks to all who come and read. It means so much to me.

As Im learning more about the blog world, I would like to make "Just one more cup" a link up series so we have that to look forward to in the future...

For now, Ill have just one more cup ;)

{High Five For Friday}Link Up!

Im linking up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk for High Five For Friday! Its about sharing what helped you make it through the week because today is finally friday! This week was so busy and its gonna be one of those weekends that I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Here's my High Five For Friday...

When I find myself stressed at school, I lay in bed and my mind races. I can't stand that. So because these few weeks have seem extra stressed for some reason, good sleep has been very important. I also realize that its not a good idea to take Tylenol PM every night, which sometimes I am tempted to do.
Enter Melatonin. If you have not tried this you MUST! Melatonin is a natural hormone that your body produces with Melatonin promoting sleep. It just helps enhance your sleep. It doesn't knock you out like Tylenol PM and you don't wake up groggy. Best part, Its completely natural.

My newest obsession...Draw something. Download it if you have an iPhone. I think it also might be available for other touch screen phones.

My current book of choice. I saw the trailer for the movie while I was seeing 'Mirror, Mirror' and I decided I wanted to read the book before the movie came out. You can never go wrong with a feel good Nicholas Sparks novel.

Maybe I'm a little behind on my music selections but this song is amazing. His voice is so brilliant and the lyrics are great too. Its just one of those pick me up songs. You can find the song here Theres also a really great acoustic version here I think its even better than the original but I always love acoustic versions!

Im really excited about creating a "Link up" series. Just one more cup is my first. Its a coffee talk type of link up where you just share whats on your mind while having a cup of coffee, tea. Whatever floats your boat. Its a great way to look back at what you were thinking on that particular day. Im going to post more about it on Monday.

What helped you make it to Friday?
Link up at from my grey desk
High Five For Friday!

{Inspiration Workshop} My Style

I'm linking up with Gussy Sews Inspiration Workshop! This months inspiration workshop is about our own style. Everyone has a different version of what they love to wear and what they feel great in. This months workshop is all about sharing what you feel great in. As a college student I spend most of my week days in sweats but of course I do have many favorite staple pieces in my wardrobe.((A great pair of Birkenstocks, way to many maxi dresses, great chunky sweaters for winter and a few pairs of trusty go-to jeans.)) Much of my inspiration came from the "No Brainer Wardrobe" written by one of my favorite blog writers from the tiny twig.

Outfit #1: This outfit is perfect for those cool saturday afternoons that we have been having in Wisconsin. A comfy lightweight sweater and a cute washed out pair of jeans. The bag is only $26 and I love satchel bags these days. They are so easy to carry around and I always have a ton of unnecessary junk in my purse.((My boyfriend always asks me why I carry all that crap)) Its admittedly something I need to de-clutter in my life. Who knew revealing fashion could involve such deep self revelations??

Outfit #2: I loved outfit number two because its something that could be worn during the day and then still look adorable with a light cardigan at night! I love multi-use items from my closet. The earrings reminded me of summer and can really add pizzaz to a simple messy ponytail. You can never go wrong with a great camel Fossil bag either!

Outfit #3: This outfit is my absolute favorite. What is not to love about a coral cardigan paired with a mint bag? ((They say coral is all the rage this spring/summer)) The maxi dress is a piece of art on its own. Its absolutely gorg. I thought the necklace added a really classy touch with a great nude tone. I can't wait to pull all of my maxi dresses out for the summer. Yay.

Head over to Gussy Sews to link up with her inspiration workshops. I'm really excited to be on board. You can find the button on the side bar of this blog or head to her website at Gussysews.com to check out all the great ideas she has to offer.

((The Tuesday Trance))

Im not one to complain about a 4 day weekend but it does make it harder to come back to school and get in the swing of things. The upside to starting a week on a Tuesday is that we are 1 day closer to Friday. ((am I pathetic or what??))I had my first day at work last Thursday and it went great! Everyone at Hy-Vee is so nice and I look forward to the opportunities that a new job has to offer. I have another training session on Thursday and then I'm off for the weekend.Im writing this post mainly as a distraction from finishing my 10 page paper about Danish Healthcare thats due tomorrow. I'm 6 pages in and starting to get some serious writers block. It is actually a very interesting topic and for some reason I have always been intrigued by the Danish lifestyle. ((Mainly because I once saw an episode of Oprah where she traveled to the place with the happiest people on earth.)) No not disney land, Denmark. They have such a minimalistic lifestyle and my topic for the paper is universal healthcare which I personally think is a really great idea.But anyways...I have a few really good craft ideas up my sleeve so once this crazy week with long papers due is over with, you can be expecting a few "do D.I.Y. for" segments and a few "favorite things" segments including my new very favorite book that I can't put down! But I'm won't spoil the surprise just yet.
I hope you found your way out of your tuesday trance. I'm going to finish my paper, and curl up with my book and the new episode of desperate housewives...Yep I'm addicted.

Our Weekend in Pictures

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Here You Go!

Went to see mirror, mirror and loved it!I still have yet to see the Hunger Games but it's on my to do list!

I went to my first live auction this weekend and what a cool experience! Lets just say my creative juices were flowing! I loved this old horse trough. I thought of so many cool things that I could use this for...

Here's Daltons new project! He's restoring and old sears boat and it is going to be really cool. I loved the old sears logo. I will be taking an 'after' picture too! Check back to see the progress!

We went out to my Aunt and Uncles house which is way out in the middle of nowhere for Easter. It turned out to be a pretty nice day out so we were able to hangout outside. Here's me and my mom

Here's all the girl cousins. We haven't taken a picture of all of us in awhile so we found this to be a perfect opportunity.

My mom wanted us to draw a hopscotch---she wanted to feel young again! ;)

I have today off of school but I need to start working on a paper...It's nice to be able to write from the couch. I hope everyone had a really nice Easter weekend. Welcome back to reality and enjoy your monday :)