{drawer party}

I mustache you a question...

What in the world is going on here?

Well, two things. I wanted to share a fun way to spice up your drawers and also a few other new items I've added to my drawer!

A week or so ago, my sweetheart noticed how much makeup residue and overall wear my makeup drawer was accumulating. Well, since we rent, that's a really bad combination. So, I decided I was going to put in a few drawer liners.
Only one problem: I don't have any drawer liners.

But I do have scrap book paper! So I took a few sheets from my college thesis {woops} and cut them down to size. Some people use modge podge to permanently fix the paper into the drawer. I didn't want something permanent, so I used double sided tape.

I also use a lot of bobby pins. {we often find them in the vacuum cleaner..} So in order to keep them all together, I took a free magnet that the bobby pins would stick to and used double sided tape to stick it to the side of my drawer. Plus, I want to keep the drawer clean so I can see the sparkly teal liner.

Two easy fixes, and one great result!

Now, to buy more pretty scrapbook paper or re-use my college thesis?

{Happy Turkey Day!}

I hope all of you get to spend time with the ones you love, and get to relax today! We'll be watching football, eating lots of food, and hanging out with friends and family. We couldn't ask for anything more!

So from our family to yours, 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

xx

{Flying to Texas}

{sweetheart's birthday flowers}

I love this time of year. Everyone talks about what they're grateful for. I'm glad that my list of things to be thankful for is pretty long. Most importantly I have my health, family, true love, career, and desire for knowledge.

Today, my sweetheart & I are flying to Texas today to visit my Mom & Dad. The four of us have only spent a few hours together during undergrad Graduation a year and a half ago. Needless to say, we've all been looking forward to this trip to hang out and eat some delicious food. 

My Mom has been cooking for days, my Dad has built a fire pit in their back yard, and we packed days ago! There's been a lot of excitement for the trip, but I think we're all looking forward to focusing on what really matters. Not school, not work, and nothing stressful. 

If every week was like Thanksgiving week, the world would be a much better place. 

{indoor apartment garden}

fresh celery!

That's right! I have found a way to keep a garden going, even during the winter. Gardening is one of my favorite stress relievers. Plucking Tom Mater {the 7 foot tall infamous tomato plant} and my two cucumber plants out of their pots this past weekend was so sad. I even left them there for a week or so {or two} after the frost had come, hoping that maybe they would spring back to life.

Believe it or not, Tom Mater had a giant 1/2-3/4 inch root that snuck through the drain holes my sweetheart and I had drilled. The root went deep into the ground, and I struggled to pull it out! It's incredible how resourceful plants can be. & sometimes I feel like I have to sit there and breathe one them just to get them to sprout. I can't wait until next spring!

In the meantime, I'm growing my own celery. It's really easy! Cut the celery so that an inch or so is left at the bottom of your celery stalk, and place it in water with the cut side up. Be sure to not cut the celery too short; you should be able to see some leaves in the middle. After a few days, leaves will start to sprout up. Like in the picture, except placed in water.

After the leaves have sprouted, place the whole thing in the dirt. Cover up the cut pieces, so that only the leaves show. {The picture was taken before I covered up the cut pieces. Also, the dirt was recycled, so there is a leaf in there. Woops!} The celery should grow, and I've read that I should be able to repeat the process with the same plant!

Inside apartment garden, here I come!!

{catch up & natural decorating}

candle light leaf display

I can't believe I haven't even been here since October. Time is just flying. School projects are wrapping up, a chill is in the air, and it's time for the holidays.
& best of all, happy birthday to my sweetheart! We celebrated quietly. We had a typical dinner of grilled chicken salad, I made some cupcakes, and we watched a movie {during which he fell asleep}. Perfecto.

I realized the other day that soon enough, all of the leaves will be brow instead of their gorgeous fall colors. Just like with the pine cones, I wandered around the nature trails at work during lunch and started to gather leaves. The trees were brilliant, so my pockets were pretty full. My intention? To create a gorgeous candle holder!

To press my leaves, I used an old accounting book. {thank you education!} I added some scraps of paper to place the leaves on to absorb any leaf moisture, so I wouldn't ruin our book. I left them for about a day, and they were ready to use.

drying after the glue

ingredients.
mason jar, or another glass jar
pressed leaves {light color leaves let light shine through, darker leaves are good for contrast}
modge podge {the liquid glue}
paint brush, or sponge brush
modge podge {the acrylic sealer, probably optional}

I

Coat the cleaned outside of the jar with the liquid glue. A thin layer. 

II

Press the leaves on, and start to coat with glue. This was the tricky part of me. The leaves have to get a little moist, so it takes a little time for them to really start to stick. Once they were mostly on, I just moved on and came back to re-visit a few times.

III

Let the jars start to dry. Re-visit the edges of the leaves, pushing them down as the glue dries and is still sticky. I took my sponge brush and just dabbed all over the glass to give it a more frosted look, and added glitter to a few of the leaves for a little glam.

IV

After the jars have fully dried, spray them with the acrylic sealer and let them dry again. 

V

Add a candle, and enjoy!

perfect evening ambiance!

{home & making scented wax}

It's so nice to be home. But I always feel a little sad when a much awaited trip is over. Thank goodness my sweetheart & I will be traveling to see my parents in Texas for Thanksgiving! I was even planning out our meals and day trips on the plane with my Mum, so it is a good thing it is only three weeks away.

I haven't even started to go through all of my pictures from New York. There are probably hundreds. The trees were gorgeous, and with the castle like walls of West Point, I felt like I was back in Europe. So I will have to share soon!

Anyway, the other day I was frustrated with a candle that would not light. The wick was buried in the wax. What are you supposed to do about that? Well, here's what I did to create some more wax for my scented wax burner.

Most tutorials try to use the stove to melt the wax and do this instead of buying the scented wax, but I think that's too complicated and buying the wax is sometimes best because the smell is stronger. But in this case, I just didn't want to waste. Who likes waste, anyway?? & it didn't seem like the wax could damage my wax burner.

ingredients.
a scented wax burner {flameless}
unused wax
container

I

First, scrape out the wax of the candle that you want to make into the wax bar.The blue wax in the lid of the container below is what I wanted to melt. I also emptied a container into a plastic bag {see next picture}, so that I could use the mold for the cooling wax. 

II

Put the wax into the burner. Let it melt all the way. {Patience...}

III

After the wax is completely melted, slowly pour it into the mold. Be sure the wax isn't ridiculously hot, or it might melt through the bottom of the container and leak everywhere. {nope, never happened to me...} I usually wait a few seconds before I start to slowly pour.

Tada!!

Please notice I'm not saying any specific brands. My favorite is Scentsy, though. They have some pretty bases. I have two, and love them! I'm hoping to buy more holiday scents, and maybe even lavender wax.This post is not meant to be a copy right infringement.

All thoughts & prayers to those in Hurricane Sandy's path! Please stay safe.

{pre-chaos sunday}

I absolutely love a productive Sunday. 
Chapters read, chapters re-read for tests, notes typed, projects started, notes written, plants pruned and loved...

I also love my teapot. A good friend of mine {the same one that found The Little Green Book of Health, 250 Tips for an ECO Lifestyle} gave it to me a few years ago for Christmas. The cuppa is on the bottom, and the cute little pot on top. Genius, I tell you. No excuses while studying, just pour another cup and I'm good to go. 

I can't wait to share all of my new ideas! But first, my family is headed to New York to celebrate my Dad's reunion at West Point, so I won't be able to share them soon. In the next few weeks, a bunch of school projects will be wrapped up, and I'll already be signing up for my next two classes next year. 

There's only a few months left of 2012! Better make the most of it! & just in time for the holiday season.