College in a Nutshell

While I was volunteering last Saturday I found this a print in an old frame. It's Richard Stine and it sums up my feelings about college perfectly.

A Healthy Start

I've really been feeling unhealthy lately and instead of just wallowing in self-pity, I decided to really try to change my habits by working out more regularly and eating healthier food. I went to the Aldi's before I left and stocked up on some healthy food options.

Here's what I bought:
Frozen Raspberries and Mixed Berries (for healthy smoothies)
Yogurt
Orange Juice
Raisin Bran Crunch
Skim Milk
Italian Lettuce
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Mushrooms
Trail Mix
Apples
Strawberries
Bananas
Peanut Butter (really wanted to try Almond Butter, but Aldi's didn't have it)
Oatmeal
Raisins
Rice
Beans
Frozen Vegetables

My Menu for Tomorrow
Breakfast: Oatmeal with banana, peanut butter and raisins
Snack: Trail Mix and Apple
Lunch: Veggie Wrap
Dinner: Salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and mushrooms

Wallpaper...you're starting to grow on me

Wallpaper is just one of those things that makes people cringe, myself included. But lately it seems to be making a comeback and I'm actually becoming a fan of it. It really spruces up hallways, entryways, and small rooms, but I think it also looks pretty charming for a living or dining room.
The top photo is from Chloe Sevigny's apartment and the others are from DesignSponge.

Summer Plans

To say that I'm looking forward to graduation would be an understatement, to say that I'm so ready for it that I'm marking down the days, hours, minutes would also be an understatement. I know they always say to not rush your life, but I can't help it I'm ready to move on to the next chapter. Is it scary? Duh, of course it is, but I've always been the type of person who looks forward to the unknown, who remains positive about what the future holds.

So while I am trying to work through this motivation rut that I've been in, I'm trying to focus on the more positive and exciting things like the fact that in a little over and month and a half I will be a college graduate about to start an exciting internship (God willing). I've also been focusing on the things that I'd like to accomplish this summer. As you may know I've taken an interest in revamping furniture and such as well as in interior design in general. Some of the projects I'd like to do this summer are: reupholstering my two living room chairs, stripping my old dresser, staining it, and redoing the hardware, and last but certainly not least starting my own little herb garden and trying to improve my no so green thumb.

I bought this planter from Lowe's and some Basil, Rosemary, and Sage seeds from Wal-Mart. Here's hoping that with the Miracle Grow Seed Starting Potting Mix that I bought, those little seeds with sprout right up and "make Momma proud".

Weaving and Fabric Samples from Textile Design

I finally got around to editing and organizing pictures of the fabrics that I made in Textile Design through Weaving, Dyeing, and Printing. So I decided to post them along with some of my favorite pictures from my portfolio of things that I had already done.

The first set is the Hat Fabric that I designed to simulate plaid, cable knit, and straw basket weave. Next are my weaving samples were I painted the warp threads in stripes, gradation, and in two contrasting colors. Lastly is the set of fabrics that I bound, dyed, and printed with the same basic stamp in positive, negative, and mirror image.

My Owl Pillows

Since my internship this summer will most likely be unpaid, I was contemplating ways to make money this summer. So I think after I finish making my garments for this year's fashion show, I'm going to make lots of new Owl Pillows and start selling them on Etsy. I took this updated photo of two of my owl pillows and some fabric garland that I will be doing a DIY post for later this week.

Fabric Shopping

Since I'm currently without car, I haven't been able to go to Mary Jo's, which is this really incredible fabric store in Gastonia, NC. I thought I would be able to go there over break, but since I live about 40 minutes north of Charlotte and have to borrow my mom's car to get there, it just wasn't worth it. I went to Hancock fabrics instead and found some really neat fabrics there, I deviated from my original plans for garment fabrics quite a bit, but I found some really great fabric. I'm making a t-shirt dress for myself to wear so I bought some jersey cotton in a tiny plum colored houndstooth print, but there was only about 2 and 1/4 yds of that so I also bought a striped jersey as a backup. Also, I'm making a dress for the fashion show which I'm going to wear, the sleeves are puffed at the shoulder, and it has a really cool back. Originally I thought I would use a dark blue cotton with a small print on it, but I found this great colorful linen with a really great abstract pattern on it which I love. I also bought a belt closure for the belt that goes along with that dress and a big wooden button to go on the back of the dress itself. Lastly, I had to get some fabric to make a slip dress that one of my friends is going to wear in the show, so I bought this great floral silky polyester that has a watercolor-y look to it and some yellow lace to do some embellishments/detailing with. All in all I was very happy with my purchases!

Bedroom Inspirations

Lately, I've realized that my decorating style is pretty bohemian and kind of 70s. I always love thinking about how to decorate a living room, dining room, kitchen, even a bathroom, but for some reason when it comes to a bedroom, I'm kind of stumped. I googled bohemian bedroom and the top center picture was in the results. It has quickly become my favorite bedroom inspiration and the color in the background is Benjamin Moore Vintage Wine, the sheets are from Anthropologie and the other rooms are from DesignSponge.

Kitchen Inspiration

These are some of the kitchen/dining room inspirations I've been into lately, the color is Martha Stewart Plumage. I'll cite the other items later.