Curly Girl Part One: 8 Tips for Loving Your Natural Curls

There is a definite amount of truth to the saying “the grass is always greener on the other side.” And when it comes to physical appearance, it’s so easy to want what you can’t have. Personally, my curly hair used to be one of those “brown grass” areas in my life, while straight, shiny, perfect hair was practically a technicolor green. I always wanted that shiny perfection that you just can’t achieve with a frizzy head of curls, because natural curls won’t ever quite look like the shiny, perfect do’s of celebrities. (Although they all wear wigs anyway, don’t they?) My natural curls have weird kinks, constant fly-aways, and at the sight of sweat, form a lovely little halo around my face no matter how much I try and slick back my ponytail. For years I straightened my locks for formal events, only to realize that after 20 minutes in a stifling gym my hair looked exactly like it always had, curls, curls, curls and a matted hairbrush to match.

Like with most things in life though, I grew up to realize that I am so blessed with the hair I have! (Guys. Hair is a metaphor for life.) And now I love my curls and wouldn’t really ever want to be without them. It’s like they are messy and fun and free just like I can be at times. (Guys, GUYS! Hair is a metaphor for myself too apparently.) So, I’ve been in the lovely practice of embracing my curls 100% for the past few years, even to the point where I go mostly natural for even the fanciest of events. And therefore, I wanted to write a little series of posts about making crazy, curly hair work for me.

To kick it off, I have a few tips and tricks that I put to work to make my curls super lovable, even though they are wild! I’m not anywhere near an expert, but trial and error with my own head of curls has resulted in the guide I am making for you now!

1) Don’t you dare brush

As I’m sure many curly girls know, do NOT brush your hair. Not only does it increase your risk of knotting and breakage, but it also takes those curled strands that are all wound up together and pulls then apart—talk about volume! (Think Hermione from movie 1. That was me all the way through elementary school…)

Instead, I run a very wide tooth comb through my hair after I shower, and if I do dry comb, I dampen my hair first and finger-comb only. I find that this helps keep those gathered curls together to make everything a whole lot less poofy! That said, when those pretty locks do get separated, such as while French-braiding or re-parting my hair, a few spritzes of water tends to recurl that chunk of hair nicely!

2) Spritz spritz

And on that note, if I look in the mirror and see a kinky, unclassy mess, adding more water is usually my first go-to. For example, sometimes I’ll have a piece or two oh hair that got pulled is straighter than the others. When this happens, I just spritz and scrunch that section to achieve a uniform (still crazy) mess. Hair oil mist and sea salt spray are also helpful for me to tame the curly beast, but I'll discuss that further in the next installment of this series!

3) Be gentle

Curly hair can be pretty brittle, which isn’t exactly compatible with the fact that it likes to wrap itself around and anything and everything in its way! (I’ve gotten so many pencils stuck in my hair….) Wearing your hair tied back, especially with traditional hair ties, can also cause extra breakage at about chin-level. To fight this, apart from not brushing and combing my hair while dry, I often wear my hair down during the day. When it needs to be tied up or pulled back, I use soft elastic hair ties or clear elastics that can be cut when you want to remove them.

I also sleep with my hair either in a loose high pony with a wide elastic or short ribbon (like, about to fall out loose) or with my curls confined to two braids without hair ties at the ends. (Yes, my curls will still hold the braids.) I find these are good compromises between keeping my slept-on hair nice and avoiding the pulling and breakage that a normal hair tie would cause in my sleep.

4) Shampoo Less

Another tip you have probably heard many a time if you are a curly-girl is to shampoo less, and honestly this makes a huge difference for me. I wash my hair with shampoo every 5-6 days at the absolute most. Personally, my hair is pretty dry, so my roots do not experience much oiliness. Depending on your hair though, you might feel the need to wash more often at first! Just keep in mind that your scalp will start producing less oil as you wash it less.

Another tip here is to pull your hair away from your face if oil i a concern. I typically side-part my hair, meaning that the fuller side from the part can pick up oils from my forehead more easily and look kind of gross. I take care of that with some bobby pins, a half-pony, or by embracing the center part for a change!

5) Hydrate

And on that note, hydration is key to curls! Some helpful tips I have there are washing the hair less, drinking your fluids like you should, and using a serum, hair mask, or leave in conditioner on the ends! I’ll detail my favorite products soon, but there are a lot of good products out there that you can take a gander at! (And a lot of good reviews to compare them!)

An alternative (or addition) to leave-in conditioner would also be to rinse the conditioner from your hair with cool water. I think this has something to do with the cuticle sealing or something to produce shine, but I also feel like it washes out a little less of the conditioner so that it can keep working to increase the softness of my hair.

6) Avoid Chemicals and Heat

Just generally be nice to your hair. It is no surprise that reducing chemical dyes and heat exposure on your hair makes it healthier, and healthier curls are prettier! (Unless you are going for the 80’s/Hermoine look. I mean, you do you.) For example, I will be dyeing my ends blue later this month (for a summer camp thing... for now at least), so I am looking into conditioners that slowly build up the color over time. I’m hoping that a product like Overtone, which is actually made to preserve bright hair color, will dye my hair enough while also conditioning it! Henna hair colors by Lush are also very interesting to me, and would be great for dying curls in a natural shade. (Super cool, but super permanent, so you decide.)

7) Trim the Mess

I love having long hair, but keeping it short can keep your curls much healthier day-to-day. If you still want long locks though, (like me) then pay attention to when your ends start getting extra split and tangley. (I can usually tell if they knot up constantly, no matter how much conditioner I use!) Then, when my hair goes knotty, I go for a trim! For me, waiting to cut split-ends gives no extra length benefit because the ends don’t curl as prettily, and will break off regardless! Oh, and no one can tell anyway, so it's not like it makes a big difference. Curly hair is an illusion like that as it springs up a couple inches regardless of its length.

8) Embrace Them Gorgeous Locks

Over the next couple installments of this series I plan on talking about products I like and life-saving hairstyles, but until then I can say that the best way to love your curls is to just embrace them! Accept that your grass is pretty damn green all on its own, and when your hair seems to be getting big, spray on some saltwater and embrace the wild, hippie-child feels.

Curls are fun and gorgeous in a messy and natural way that many straight-haired girls will work hard to achieve. I joke that my hair is a mess that I pretend is intentional, but that is completely accurate. My hair isn’t gonna look like it was curled by an iron because it wasn’t. (It was curled my genetics and science and stuff…eww no, school.) And besides, natural hair is totally in style and confidence is the best accessory.

Are there any fellow curly girls out there? Any vital tips I missed?

Stay lovely,

Some of My Favorite Free Watercolor Textures

Howdy guys! I'm working on a little design project as a kickoff to summer, and in the process of that have been stocking up on downloadable watercolor textures! I figured I'd pass on a list of 'em today so that you can get designing for yourself! You can also make your own watercolor textures fairly easily, but I tend to have issues with the colors looking correct and saturated appropriately. (Basically, I need to invest in a good scanner or camera or lighting setup...yay college.) And besides, these are all ready to go, are actually easy to download, haven't given me any pop-ups or tried to install things on my computer, and live on cute blogs with minimal ads, unlike many "free graphics" websites! I hope this is helpful for any projects you might have, or just for some fresh computer backdrops!

Free for personal use:

Design Love Fest (Don't forget to get free graphics on this site every week!)
Craftberry Bush
Angie Makes
Pixejoo

Free for commercial use:

Gold and Berry (make sure to download the .zip file!)
Hello Geri
Lost and Taken (so many free textures guys)

Not sure how to use these? Try the techniques in my Gold-Foil and Watercolor Text Art Tutorial, including some free painted textures of my own!

What are your favorite free resources for making cute graphics and text art?

Stay lovely,

Disclaimers: Like all things on the internet, you click links at your own risk. I would never intentionally publish content containing bad links. Also, follow the copyright policies listed on each artist's individual site. They are clear and easy to find, and if you aren't sure, be respectful to the artist above all else. PS I use this copyright policy.

DIY "Stamped" Digital Wallpaper w/o Photoshop + Free Citrus Wallpapers

Left click to download

While I was busy revamping an old Monday in Wonderland as a printable for my email subscribers, I discovered an easy technique for making a fun, patterned digital wallpaper! And then, upon adding a little color, I ended up with a ton of fun wallpapers and wanted to share them with you and show you how it's done. Now, as you may know, I’m trying to make it by without Photoshop for the time being, so this easy technique will only use PicMonkey and Paint! Also, you can click to download all the wallpapers throughout this post so yay for you getting free things!

And I don’t have much else to say for this intro so let’s just get into it!

For a 2-color pattern (above):

Step 1

Draw a simple, repeatable, silhouette design with black pen onto white paper. You can also use online clipart images, but I kind of liked the messy, imperfect vibe I got from my own drawing!

Then make your image digital! You can either take a photo of your drawing in bright light (without shadows) or scan it in. Either way, you will want to decrease shadows, increase highlights, and ramp up exposure and brightness until the image is completely black with a blank, white background. If you notice any uneven or patchy lines in the image, the simple brush and eraser tools in Paint can be used to carefully clean up the lines. I like using “oil brush” because it is wide and has soft edges. As you clean the image up, also utilize the zoom feature to make things easier.

When you are happy with the solidity of the image, crop as closely to the edges of the silhouette as you can, and save as a JPEG or PNG.

Step 2

You now want to create a small sample of your total pattern that you can later replicate onto a bigger scale. I found this easiest to do in PicMonkey, although it can be accomplished with Paint as well.

Go to the PicMonkey website and select “design”, choosing whatever “canvas” size you like. Then, click on Overlay > Your Own, and insert your black and white silhouette onto the canvas. Decrease the size to your liking, so that you can fit 5-10 copies of the image on the canvas. Once it’s the right size, right click, and select “duplicate image.” From there, you move and rotate the “overlays” to create a sample of the pattern. Once again, save this image as a jpeg.

You can make this sample randomized or grid-like, depending on the image being used. The easiest way I found to make a standardized, gridded pattern was to actually insert a grid as an overlay first, then delete it once all the silhouette overlays were in place.

Left click to download

Step 3

Repeat step 2, this time starting with a canvas to the dimensions of the wallpaper you want. There are cropping options for an iPhone, iPhone 6, and the dimensions of your computer screen within PicMonkey to simplify this process. Don’t forget that if you want to make multiple sizes, work from biggest to smallest to speed up the process (by taking the big image and cropping it down to smaller sizes).

Also, this time you will be inserting the sample of the pattern again and again the create a fully stamped background. You can either keep each sample block the same, or utilize the flip and rotate options to keep the background random. Fill the entire canvas with pattern!

If need be, insert the original, single silhouette as an overlay, shrink it to match the rest of the pattern. and use these individual shapes to fix any awkward white spaces.

Left click to download

Step 4

To make the background 2 colors, you first need to “combine all image elements” with the button next to the settings gear in the tool bar above your canvas. This will flatten everything into one image for your next step. Then, go to Effects > Warhol, and pick the two colors you think best work together for your background! Save and you’re are done.

You can also download the black and white version of this citrus print and use the Warhol effect to play with colors yourself!

Left click to download

For a multi-color pattern:

In Step 2, just change the color of the individual overlays! This should be easy to do if the images are completely black and white. Additionally, it is easy to use the eyedropper thingy to match repeated colors throughout your sample. Then just create repetitions of those colors throughout your total image. To color the background, I combined all image elements, then adjusted the temperature of the image down slightly, although you could also use the "texture" tool, like I did in my Gold-Foil and Watercolor Text Art Tutorial.

Left click to download

For a pattern around text:

Either draw and digitize, or digitally create your text, and save it in black and white with minimal white space around it. You will insert this text as an overlay onto a blank canvas of your desired dimensions, just like you did with the pattern. (You could also skip saving the text separately, and just combine image elements after the text is in place, but I liked being able to move it easily as a unit and use it in wallpapers of multiple dimensions.)

Repeat steps 1-3, with or without multi-color, getting each pattern sample as close as you can to the central text. (Don’t’ forget that you can right click and “send to front”, etc to change the order of the overlays on the canvas.) Then, use the individual overlay of the image to fill awkward white spaces as you did in step 3. Following this, you would combine the image elements, and use the Warhol effect if you are going with 2 colors like the image above!

And because I do this out of love, I did a little cropping so that you can get any of the designs above for your cell phone too!

Click here for the lemonade phone wallpaper

Click here for the multi-colored citrus phone wallpaper

Click here for "When life gives you lemons" phone wallpaper

I hope you enjoy these fun, citrusy wallpapers, and I look forward to seeing your own versions, for any season or fruit! I've loved designing these guys honestly, and am so so happy to share!

UPDATE: Some people have been having trouble with a couple links so try this!
Multi-colored citrus wallpaper
Lemons quote computer wallpaper

Stay lovely,

PS: Sign up for my email list for a printable, 4x6 version of the "When life gives you lemons" quote that you can color and hang up yourself! And other free goodies, and very sparse emails, I promise! Okay, bye!

How to: Gold-Foil and Watercolor Text Art Without Photoshop (+ Freebies!)

Not only have I spent an excess of time lately designing my blog, I have also been playing with graphic design a little more. Much like my blog layout, I felt as if my Monday in Wonderlands have been lacking a little in love and care, and so I resolved to right that horrendous wrong! Oh, and I have more free things for you because I love you! (If that’s all you want, it’s near the bottom of the post!)

I found this watercolor text art tutorial on one of my favorite blogs, We Lived Happily Ever After, but it uses Photoshop, which I am currently saving up for/comparison shopping with Elements! So instead, I wondered if I could throw something together with similar masking techniques using things already had on my computer and/or free internet tools, And ended up with the images you see above! Wanna know how I did it?

I used Microsoft Word 2013, Paint, PicMonkey and this Free Online Photo Editor, which I found in a Google search. I know that sounds a little sketchy, but for my purposes it worked amazingly! You also should be able to use an earlier version of Word, I just can’t direct you to exactly where all the buttons will be, but they shouldn’t be too hard to find!

Ready to make somethin’ pretty?

Step 1

Do a quick google search find a gold gradient and texture that you like (this was my source). It doesn’t even have to be your ideal color, because you can always adjust the cast, saturation, and even tint. Save this image in a name and place where you will be able to find it, and make any edits you want to in the editing program of your choice.

You will also need to pick a background image! I suggest something relatively light and not too busy for this. You can download some free painted backgrounds I made for ya, or make your own with craft supplies, creativity, and a cell phone camera! (#collegestudentprobs #dreamingofDSLR)

Step 2

The next step is to find a font for your art. You can use one you already have, or use a free online service such as Font Squirrel to download something you love. (Again, I have never had issues with this site downloading or installing anything I didn’t want, but I can't speak for any other sites.) To use a font from online, download it, open the folder, and double click on the file that has the font name, which should open up a new window. Click install in the upper left corner, and you’re in business!

I actually used almost all Font Squirrel fonts, including Edo, Porcelain, Windsong, and Amatic!

Step 3

Open and new word document and select insert > word art (top right). I would suggest picking the third icon if you are in Office ‘13, because it doesn’t have any shadowing. Type your desired text in the font of your choosing and make it as large as it will fit on one page. Change the fill and outline colors to black under “Drawing Tools>Format.”

Step 4

Right-click on the edge of the box around your text and select copy from the drop down menu. Then open Paint and select paste in the upper right hand corner.

Step 5

The white background in Paint will likely be bigger than the text you pasted in. You can either click "crop" right after pasting, so that your text will fill up the page, or create white space around the text. To do this, click on the small box in the lower right hand corner of the white background, and drag it out to create a larger white space. Then press select in the toolbar, click and drag create a box around your text, and click within that box to slide the text around and center it. When you like the centering of your text, save the image.

If you choose to incorporate multiple fonts, you can either copy and paste each Word Art box separately into Paint, or you can arrange it within word, make it as big as possible (including collapsing the tool bars and everything!), and screenshot your computer screen. You then paste that into Paint and crop from there.

Step 6

Go to PicMonkey, and pick the edit function. Open the image with black text that you just saved in Paint. From the icons in the far left, select texture (second from the bottom). Click “your own” at the top of the list, then “open my texture.” Select your gold image that you saved earlier, and change the “blend mode” to “screen.” I usually adjust the “fade” slider to 0% at this stage, but I wouldn’t suggest changing the saturation just yet! You can adjust the coloring of the whole image in just a second!

 

Step 7

Still within textures, click “your own” and “open my texture” once again. This time, import your background image, and leave the blend mode on “multiply.” You will see your pretty background with that gorgeous gold text sitting right on top! At this point, I typically move the “fade” slider up a little bit (to around 35%), and then click “apply.” After this, I would go back to the “basic edits” menu, and do a few more tweaks with exposure and colors, since the texture feature dulls the background image a little.

Step 8

Save that gorgeous masterpiece you made! And show it off to your friends who spent all that money on Photoshop! (Honestly, I’m just jealously bitter, don’t mind me.)

Now remember that other site I linked at the beginning of this post? That one is really useful if you want to get rid of the little bit of background color that shows through the letters with the “texture” function on PicMonkey, because this free editor allows you to add transparency! (Ooooooh… Ahhhhh.) The downside of this is that you will probably need to use a font with solid lines rather than a paintbrush style for it to work really well. You will also notice a a very very slight border around the edge of your letters, which for my purposes was a-okay! (Free is free after all!)

To use it, repeat steps 1-6, then upload your file with the gold text to this other editor. From there, you can select the “wizard” tab, and select the “transparency” function. Click anywhere there is white in the image, including the centers of letters, and that area will become transparent. Then save in the upper left corner. I use the “save local” option, and it downloads right to my computer.

Open your textured image in PicMonkey, and add it on top of your background with “Overlay > Your Own” in PicMonkey. It basically works as a sticker that you can move around and change the size of, which is super fun.

These fun methods of overlay are super customizable, and you can switch up textures, fonts, and fills however it suits you, like I did in the watercolor ones you see above! You can even use it on quotes you drew up yourself, and maybe for a blog header or something?! Just a thought…

Okay so what about the free stuff, right?:

Well, you can download the textures I used as backgrounds here including a couple bonus ones, to make your own art! (Which you should definitely show me should you choose to make it!!!)

You can also get all the text art you see in the first collage image by signing up for my email list! (I mean, I know I basically just told you how to make it, but then again I’m really lazy so this bribery makes sense to me.) I promise not to be that clingy girl that won’t stop talking to you (did I mention that I’m lazy?) AND I’ll send you special goodies every once in a while, just for being the babe that you are ;)

Shameless self-promotion aside, what’s your favorite way to add a little spice to your photos?

Stay lovely,

Texture sources: gold backdrop, purple watercolor, pink watercolor, gold glitter

Other painted textures and all designs created by me!

Blogging on a Budget: Awesome, Free HTML Design Tools for Blogger and How I Used Them

If you’ve stopped by my wonderland before this previous weekend, you may notice that things look a little different ‘round here now!

Recently, I’ve been really frustrated with the overall design of my blog. I was going for cute when I first put it all together, but that left a lot of messiness. Blogger is a little hard to customize, and so I was feeling really stuck. I’ve been investigating new templates and even been considering switching to WordPress for a couple weeks now, but my lack of spending money (ya know, college student) was making any sort of investment rather daunting. So with a LOT of my weekend, I took to sprucing up the place a little! (Let’s be honest, I was also procrastinating.) I wanted to make everything cleaner without sacrificing the little bit of whimsy that I like to keep around here, and I have to say, I am really pleased with what I accomplished!

Of course, I couldn’t do it alone. I had to do a lot of tweaking to my HTML, and HTML is scary, guys! And unless you were a website designer in another life, you may not be able to figure it all out on your own either! So with much googling, I came across some seriously amazing and free resources for blogger CSS and wanted to share them with you all, in case you are looking to give your blog a face lift too, all without spending a dime. I also did a little tinkering with the some of the codes I found to further customize, so I included that below as well!

Learn How To:

Beautify the Popular Posts Widget In Your Sidebar (this post has beautiful free CSS layouts for the widget too)

Tip: You can change the font and size of the text as well. Where the code reads

font: 10px verdana;

replace “verdana” with your font name and change the number in front of “px” until it is readable. You can also remove

                text-transform: uppercase

if you want the titles below the thumbnails to not be in all caps.

Make Homepage Images Link to your Post

Remove Those Repetitive Titles in Your Blogs “Pages” (I mean, it’s already stated just above!)

Center the Tabs Above/Below Your Header

Install a Search Bar That Actually Matches Your Blog Design

                Again, you can change the font and size within her code. You will see

font-family: verdana;

                                font-size: 11px;

                Change both “verdana” and the number of pixels if desired

Add a Custom “Pin It” Button That Hovers Over Images (This tutorial is also helpful for removing the button from some Images, or if you would just like to use one of the official buttons!)

Hide Lengthy, Pinnable Collages Within a Post (Yes, they will come up as an option when someone tries to pin)

Add a Stylish Link to Your Blog in a Comment on a Friend’s Blog

Create Links that Initiate Free Downloads Using Google Drive (I use this at least once a week!)

Create More Space Between the Sidebar and Post (Increase Margins)

                This code from the post:

                                .blog-posts {margin-right:-30px}

Can be customized by changing “right” to “left”, if your sidebar is left oriented, and by making the px size positive. Also make sure to change your total blog width (a feature found in your “Template Designer”) by the same number of pixels to realign the text and images.

Decrease the Blank Space Above Your Header

This is similar to the previous source, but you may want to do this if you remove the nav bar at the top of the page. Again, you can set the negative px value to less than the specified amount, so that the space will be decreased, rather than completely eliminated, as the tutorial instructs.

                               

As you might find out if you click through, many of the changes I made originated from this list of posts by Bloomin’ Rouge! One of the best ones was how to easily remove the automatic borders on Blogger images, which finally solved alignment issues that I couldn’t find a cause for! Another game-changer was adding text spacing and/or capitalization to my tabs, body text, and gadget titles, which you can see all over—fancy right?! She has so much free, beautiful information, and her gorgeous blog design is proof she knows what she is doing.

Additionally, the Blogger Help Forum is a surprisingly great resource if you can’t find a good a Blogger tutorial by googling. I had a very specific issue with a Watermark on the “Ethereal” Template I was using, and was able to find a CSS code to remove it within minutes! (Here is that post, in case you are having a problem that sounds similar.)

Additional Tricks:
 

ALWAYS Backup Your Template Before Making HTML Changes

As many of the links above will also tell you, you can save a complete backup of the Blogger Template you use, including all your changes, in case something goes horribly wrong. In the dashboard, select “Template” (the same place you will be able to edit HTML). In the upper right hand corner, there is a “Backup/Restore” button. Click that, then “Download full Template,” just to be safe. Even if you aren’t making any big changes soon because you love the layout of your blog, it is probably a good plan to save all your work.

Create Your Own HTML Widgets Within Blogger

To do this, select “New Post” in your Blogger Dashboard, and put together all images and text, including links, in compose mode. Be mindful of the width of your sidebar as you do this (you can find and change it through “Template Designer” on the “Layout Page.”) Then switch over to HTML, and copy everything. (Save and close this post—do not publish!) Go to “Layout” and “Add a Gadget” to your sidebar. You will select “HTML/JavaScript” as your widget, then paste into the “Content” box. (If I’m not making sense, this post may clarify. It was where I got the idea!) I used this method to create my “About” information at the top of the sidebar, because I didn’t like Blogger’s layouts, and wanted to add easy links to my social media. I did get my icons free here, but I’m considering personalizing them further, because the black majorly sticks out now. (There are so many different colors of icons there though!!) You can also quickly center all the widgets you made with this simple trick.

Get Your Posts Read Back to You

This isn’t really coding or a visual switch, but another fantastic trick I read recently on Beka Ellen was to get your computer to read posts back to you in order to edit them! You can find how to do this in Microsoft Office here.

I also want to add customized share links to the end of every post, but I am having a hard time finding a tutorial I can completely personalize, so if you know of one, pass it on! Other than that, it’ll just be little design touches in the coming months to make this little place all my own!

Regardless, after the past weekend, I’m not too disappointed with Blogger after all! It’s a format I’m familiar with, so I am relieved for the time being to not feel forced into switching to WordPress due to Blogger’s weird limits. Thanks to all these little tutorials, and all the others out there, I think I’ll be sticking with it, and can even save money on a template for now! If you have any questions about what I did specifically, I’d be happy to answer them! I am nowhere near an expert, but this stuff is super fun for me to play around with, and I might be able to give you a hand!

What kind of blog design have you done in the past? Feel free to share a link so that I can see your beautiful blog, and guide me to any other helpful posts you know of regarding blog design!

Stay Lovely,

Stress Less: Tackling the Semester Without Anxiety

Hey guys! I talked a little while ago about my favorite ways to unwind, but I think I still have the problem of what to do when I don’t have exorbitant amounts of time to relax. As my lack of a blog post may have indicated, my school schedule blindsided me this past week and I wasn’t handling the stress well. But with that in mind, I was tired of freaking out and feeling overwhelmed, and so I formulated some attack strategies! These are all ideas that I have already implemented or will implement very soon to fight the little anxiety monster that rears its head in new situations.

Map Out Your Events

I have this tendency to start a list in my head of all the things I need to do, now and in the distant future, all the due dates and meetings and even social events, and I let them pile up and cause panic. Instead, putting everything on a calendar lets me visually take in the busyness of each week and come up with a better plan. I actually made two separate calendars from this easy template, one for extracurriculars and one for strictly schoolwork. Although I was worried this would make me feel even more overwhelmed, it actually made everything seem more manageable. Yes there are going to be some crazy weeks, but there will also be some weeks with big long breaks, and that is reassuring.

And just in case my calendar isn’t pretty enough for you, Alisa Burke, one of my all-time favorite bloggers, has a beautiful, free download one here!

Make a Daily List               

Another helpful thing for me to manage my events is to sit down every evening and make a list of the things I plan to accomplish the following day. I begin this chronologically, with bookends such as waking up, lunch, class, and bedtime. I then fill in each block with the assignments I must do and club meetings or socials, separated with small breaks of non-school activities such as blogging, cooking, or even doing a little picking up around the house. It is important to keep this list as realistic as possible or it may be frustrating. I do occasionally put more things on the list than I can easily manage in an “if I have time section”, but I have to do so with the mindset that I won’t accomplish everything, and that is okay. I also will shuffle things around within a block, and that is also completely acceptable. The list is not supposed to stress you out more, and if it does, you might need to find something different to do!

Get Better Sleep

Now the only problem with the listing above is that I get to 11:00 at night and want to start doing more things! Instead, I need to start winding down at this time, do a little reading or watch a little Netflix (and a do mean A LITTLE), or even take a nice bath. (Side note: I’ve been coveting Lush bath bombs lately and need your recommendations!) I’ll even allow myself to blog or journal a little, as writing is a very relaxing activity for me. Regardless though, keeping my evenings in check and my sleep more regular is bound to make me feel better and less stressed. (For the record though, I am still working on this one.)

Get Going in the Morning

On the completely other hand, I find I feel better and less stressed if I get my mornings going! Cooking up something a little fancy and putting together something sassy to wear stimulates those happy, creative parts of my brain and starts my day off right. Additionally, doing an activity that has me on my feet, like washing dishes or picking up, helps me fight the morning sleepies.

Get More Involved

This may seem counterintuitive, but having a little more on my plate helps me be less stressed! There is a balance that you have to find, and I’m working towards that myself, but things like meetings for organizations help keep me on track and keep me busy, which makes me feel more productive and therefore less stressed. If you are experiencing early-semester anxiety, it might be because you have too little to do rather than too much!

Have a Hustle Day!

This term, coined by my older sister Samantha, is actually one of the best courses for stress management, in my humble opinion. Having one day over the weekend, or even a few hours each day, where you sit down and get things done makes for a much less stressful week. The difference from a weekday is that your schedule isn’t as rigid. I like to accomplish equal parts creativity, schoolwork, and “adulting” (getting groceries, doing laundry, etc) on these days so that they are both enjoyable and productive.

Have Some Fun

When it comes down to it, don’t let your week pass by without something that is just plain fun. Sometimes that is a date night out with boy, or a movie night in with my sister, but planning something that will make me laugh and smile gets me reinvigorated to deal with all the less-fun school stuff. I don’t really “party hard” per say, but sometimes an evening jamming out to Panic! At the Disco in the kitchen is all you need!

How do you guys fight stress during a busy school semester? Also, what about those Lush recommendations?

Stay lovely,

Stress Less: Favorite Ways to Unwind

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a major worrier. I have a definite tendency to stress unnecessarily, and sometimes life just demands I take a break. So when I slow down, which is far less often than I should, here are some of my favorite ways to relax, unwind, and just get to feeling calmer.

Writing

Whether it is drafting blog posts, journaling, or frantically typing ideas in the notes app on my phone (my texting speed is strong for this reason, y’all), writing things down is one of the best ways I know to process all the nonsense going on in my head. It’s kind of a catharsis for me, and basically allows me to expel all that crazy tension into a beautiful mess of words. Honestly, whether it’s a fancy sounding project tutorial, or some stream of consciousness nonsense, writing is such a release for life’s stressors, at least for me personally.

Big Girl Coloring Books

I received a couple adult coloring books for Christmas, and using these is a great way to unwind! I enjoy this activity as it involves focusing a good deal of creative energy to something small, detailed, and methodical, but all the while colorful and beautiful! I prefer the complex patterns, but any type of coloring, or even grown up connect the dots, make a great creative escape. Not to mention that you can copy the pages (for personal use ONLY), use various mediums to add color (including watercolor paints!), and use those pages for something else creative after you are done. It is seriously great stuff, my friends.

Getting Pretty

This probably sounds a little odd, but finding something cute to wear and doing my hair and makeup is another calming outlet for me! In fact, it combines creating with as much color as you desire and the physical act of taking care of yourself, which is lovely all on its own. And to make it even better, demand that your sister go on a spontaneous Target shopping trip with you now that you are looking all dapper ;)

Exercise?… okay yes, exercise

When I allow myself to overcome my relentless laziness, I honestly find that moving my body a little is a great tool to release anxiety. And that doesn’t have to mean jogging a mile! (Although on occasion that does do the trick!) Taking a 20 minute walk with the family dog, enjoying a quick “hike” in a nearby park, or tuning into a half hour yoga video (here is my favorite yoga channel on YouTube) all do good stuff for my mental state. And probably my physical health too, so that’s great for a lazy gal like me!

Be the Iron Chef

Find some edible supplies from your kitchen and pantry, do a little Pinterest research if necessary, and then make something a little fancy for your good self to eat! For me, this is something as small as adding a creative seasoning to a baked potato, putting veggies in some scrambled eggs, or combining common cultural flavors in a “bowl of nonsense,” as I have termed it. (I originally called it a bowl of crap but no one wants to eat that. That just sounds gross. Good job, Corin.) The point isn’t to be a culinary master, but rather to feel like the Iron Chef with a little creative cooking. And you can even get all healthy if you want to! The scientists say that good food makes for a rockin’ brain with less anxiety, and cooking for myself helps me embrace that.

Chillin’ with the Pup

While being home for break, hanging out with our family pet has been an awesome source of relaxation for me. I have a soft (non-allergic) spot for dogs, but even if your animal pal is a lizard or parrot, spending some time with a different-species friend always makes you feel so loved and depended on. No matter how life is going, feeling a little more loved makes me feel a little more alright! Going on walks or even just sitting outside, petting, and talking to my ol’ dog makes me soooo badly want a puppy of my own (when my wallet and responsibility quotient allows for it)! You know, only for stress release. Not the cuteness of a puppy or anything like that.

Shopping (I mean, usually window shopping…)

This is another weird thing for me, but I really enjoy a few hours traipsing around looking at pretty clothes, home décor, or even endless shelves of craft supplies. Stores like the ones I mentioned are fun for imagining up outfits, room styling and new DIY projects, giving my brain a little creative break all whilst walking around a little bit! See, I’m gettin’ that exercise in! Even if I walk out without spending any money (which is usually my goal), I find that this can also be a creative, relaxing activity for me!

When It Comes Down to It, It’s Okay to Veg

Sometimes the very best thing when I need to unwind is a good nap or an episode or two of a Netflix series. (I highly recommend Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Parks and Rec, and Jane the Virgin. But hey, that’s just me!) That said, I find if a couple episodes turns into a full day wasted, I honestly do feel worse. Vegging breaks are good only to a point, as much as my baby sister and our Criminal Minds marathons refute that theory. (When I say baby, I mean already-has-her-driver’s-permit. So no, I’m not terrifying children with murder mysteries. In fact, I get more scared than she does!)

Although I put off setting New Year’s resolutions this year, I do believe that reducing my stress levels would be an extremely beneficial thing for me and my occasional tension headaches. And so I intend to implement all these unwinding methods just a little more. And you know, not worrying about things out of my control, procrastinating less, and logical stuff like that. Anywayyy…

How do you unwind? Maybe through a Netflix marathon with me?! (Jk, we shouldn’t do that. Seriously so tempting though!)

Stay lovely,

Blogging Diary: 4 Months and Counting

Helloooooo internet!

I wanted to write a post today about my experience with blogging thus far, because I think it is going to be really important for me to chronicle as the blog grows, and may serve as a good source of information for those who may want to start a blog in the future. I have been actively posting here in Wonderland for about 4 1/2 months now, and also survived one whole semester of blogging as a college student, so I want to share what I’ve learned already! December has been my toughest month in terms of blogging so far, but I am prepared to learn from my experiences, and maybe help you out too. Here goes!

1) Do spend time planning your brand, but don’t stay rigidly within it.

Before posting, I took almost 2 months to doodle in a journal, compile projects and inspiration, and establish my version of a brand for my blog. I spent weeks tweaking the website layout and trying to decide exactly what my blog was going to be like, and this was both good and bad. If I had just up and started blogging with no planning period, I most likely would have quickly become frustrated and given up.

That said, I was really mentally rigid in my plans for this blog when I first began, and that in itself was a source of frustration and confinement for me. Like any other new experience, I didn’t totally know what blogging was going to be like until I started actually doing it. My vision has already changed a little, and I think that is a really really good thing. I am confident that my blog will continue to evolve and adapt the longer it is up and running, but I’m also sure that some of the original stuff will stick around. It’s healthy and necessary to have a balance of both, and I like that.

2) Your content reservoir will run out!

In that month or so before my posts started running, I also photographed, wrote, and completed a ton of posts to get ahead of the game. It made blogging really easy at first and was extremely helpful to have that reservoir as I initially adapted to college. However, I wasn’t creating anything new, just posting things I already had completed, which kind of went against why I began blogging in the first place. I would suggest stockpiling posts, sure, but also continually creating content as you go, so that you have backup content for those crazy weeks and a creative outlet during all the other ones.

3) Don’t be scared of the learning curve.

Even after what seemed like endless prep before beginning my blog (I’ve wanted one for years!), I still had so much to learn once posts actually started going through. Things from downloadable links and music playlists, to photo taking and editing, to my style of writing itself all had to develop in a classic case of “you don’t know what you don’t know!” My earliest posts don’t have great photos, and the first time I published a music playlist it was 5 songs long and all separate links to YouTube, which made it impossible for someone to listen to it easily! But I have taken hints from other blogs, have been learning, and will continue to learn as my blog keeps going.

4) They aren’t lying—this is just like a job!

The thing about blogging is that if you choose to, you are constantly producing content. Every couple days or so there is a new post, new editing, new Instagramming and Pinteresting to do. And to be honest, I’ve never really experienced that before. As a high school student, my life cycled between semesters of work and pre-determined break periods, whereas my blog is a constant thing. But just because my college semester ended doesn’t mean my blog semester has. Like any job, you can allot some vacation days, but I think it’s important for me to keep going and keep creating content! Another note here is that blogging takes a lot more time than you think it will. So yes, it is a big commitment.

5) Flexibility is your friend.

On the other hand, all the things I have previously discussed are in reference to my own blogging schedule, in which I currently try to post up to 4 times per week. I know of excellent blogs that both post more and less, so it really is up to you! I have weeks where I post less or post more, depending on what’s going on in my life, and I think that is one of the perks of blogging! There are definitely perks to posting more often in terms of followers (or so the articles I’ve read say), but I make a point to refocus myself if I’m stressing majorly over getting a post done in time. I have to remind myself that I love blogging because it is a creative outlet and escape for me. I want to post often and post well because I care about this, but I know that if I put unnecessary pressure on myself to perform, I will probably burn out. That is the last thing I want for this blog—for it to fizzle out because of my own stubbornness!

6) Your posting plans may fall through, but make them anyway.

After my first month of blogging, I started making a calendar for my posts at the beginning of the month as per the suggestion by this post. It really did help me gain a sense of direction for the month in terms of posting, but there were tutorials I didn’t complete, posts I put together instead, and the always scheduled but never planned Mondays in Wonderland! It is important to make a schedule as a general plan, but also be really flexible to new ideas that come along and old ideas that just aren’t good.

7) Blogging is truly a labor of love, especially at first.

I am finally at the point where I get a few page views every day and occasional comments, but in all honesty, my bog is still very small. It is very easy for me to let this get me down. As I discussed in this post, I am proud of what I am doing and I want the world to see it. That is why I must remember that I am not blogging for pride or recognition.

I am blogging because I love writing and making things and being positive, and I wanted an outlet for those things as I go through the grind of a college education. If you start a blog with the objective to quickly gain a following and make money, it probably won’t go as you think. I’ve read this again and again from successful bloggers, and the slow growth of my corner of the internet is certainly a testament to that.

But hey, I am happy. Although I needed a little break in the midst of finals and holiday madness, I’m ready to get going again! I have some fun tutorials coming up, some really pretty dresses, and a few weeks’ break from school to regenerate the good vibes! I hope if you stumble upon this or anything else on my blog that maybe it brightens your day or gets your creative juices going! Those are the kind of objectives that I think are important to stay true to!

What’s your blog journey been like, new or old or about to begin? Any advice for me as I trek along?

Stay lovely,

Tips for Hanging String Lights

One décor trend that I’ve been pretty hooked on for a while is string lights! I love how soft and romantic they look lit up, and how they can either fill up a whole wall as the focus of interest or act as a detail to frame other art and décor. I had a strand hung in my bedroom throughout high school, and now, here in my new college home, I have been going a little crazy using them to accent décor everywhere. That also means that I’ve had a good deal of practice hanging them, and I gotta tell you, it’s way easier than you probably think!

I thought it might be handy to share a few of my tips and methods for hanging these babies. Because let’s face it, twinkling lights obviously make the season more magical.

Safety First, Babe

Sorry that I gotta mom you right off the bat, but before you make a purchase make sure that if your lights will be hung outdoors, you buy them for outdoors. Also, if you’re your lights will be near anything flammable, or resting on a wall while lit for long periods of time unattended, go for LED. No matter how pretty your new string lights are, if they start a fire or short circuit your power, you won’t be enjoying them much.

DIY Lighted Floral Garland here

Get the Right Lights for the Space

Also consider the colors you’re going for, and whether white or green wire will better fade into the background, assuming you prefer that look. Look at your space and see if you want a small accent or a big statement. The color of the light—warm white, slightly-blue LED, or even colored bulbs--can totally change to the look of a space.

And in case all that freaked you out, a warm white LED on white wire is neutral enough for just about anywhere. But oh my goodness, fairy lights are so darling too! (Just a little pricier… yay college.)

 Map It Out

Having a good idea of what you want your lights to look like when hung up is a great place to start with design. For a full wall, first decide if you want scallops, a big swag, or a straight upper border, etc, and how evenly-spaced you want the lights to be. For example, in my current room, I have 2 kinds of lights—one in even scallops and the other in a big swag. However, the same lights in my room before were in a row of scallops decreasing in size to give a completely different effect as I worked around a cabinet hung on the wall.

A great way to get a picture of this is to use a piece of yarn the same length as your light strand and tape to map out the spacing and placement of your lights, especially when using a continuous strand of small lights. When working with large bulbs, you can also be a nerd do this mathematically (like third grade math though) by dividing up the number of bulbs into scallops in your head. The strand on the pink wall above has 24 bulbs, so every sixth bulb was hung on a hook to make it even the easy way.

Mini Cinderella Pumpkins and DIY Metallic Ombre Wall Art

Work with What You Have (AKA embrace the lazy)

A while ago, my sister had loft bed, so she hung lights underneath it in her study space by weaving the strands through the rungs on the underside of the bed. Here in C-Stat, there were already 2 hooks attached under the fireplace when we moved in, so we simply draped a strand of lights over those.

Hang Em’ Right (here’s a few methods I’ve used)

Loops of String

Crown molding at my old home made it difficult to hang lights right near the wall, so I had to improvise a little. Simply tie a loop at each end of a very short piece of sting or fishing line. One loop will connect to your light strand, whether hooked on or tied around it, and the other can go over the point of a clear pushpin. Just stick the pin into the ceiling or wall, and your lights will hang down from that. This was perfect for the particular room it was in, and is also a safer option if you have non-LED lights that will be left on for a really long time—less heat transfer to the wall.

Command hooks

This is the only method of used here at the new house because it really is as simple and easy as following the directions on the package. That said, different strengths of hooks do play a big part in how your lights will hang (and not fall on you while you sleep. I recommend larger hooks, like these medium wire hooks, at the corners of your light strands or any place that will have a lot of weight on it. For small sections of lights and to position cords down the wall, decorating clips or mini hooks work well. Just remember to safe rather than sorry, especially when hanging large glass bulbs over hard floors. I also have found it’s easier to anchor the strand with the bigger hooks in the corners, then position the middle of the strand instead of trying to work horizontally across a wall. (I’m not sponsored, I just know that this is what worked for me!)

Cup hooks

This is ideal for spaces that will get more wear or be more permanent, such as anywhere outdoors. Make sure to size your hooks for the size lights you’re going to use, and plan them out well before hanging, because they will leave holes. Sometimes these guys are little finicky to get screwed in, but I’ve found the screwing in regular screw of about the same size a few turns before trying to put the cup hook makes the process a bit easier. This is definitely the most labor intensive and permanent option for hanging, but for outdoor spaces or discreet locations, it is the sturdiest.

Get Creative

Last but not least, have fun putting lights up in an unconventional area, or hang them in different ways! Vary the type of strands you use, and don’t let the seasonal trends confine you! (Kinda like clothes, am I right?)

This has to be the season for string lights, because outdoor summer lights like these are bound to be on sale soon, and more basic holiday ones are filling shelves! (I’m definitely stockpiling those at the moment.) Plus nothing says winter wonderland to me quite like chilly weather, big sweaters, and oodles of glowing lights!

I hope some of these tips were helpful as you add a little lighted fantasy to your life! I’m not sure if this counts as holiday decorating, but it’s sure reminiscent of the holidays if you ask me! How are you sneaking in your stash of holiday décor?

Oh, and comment with any questions you may have!

Stay lovely,