Angela

2015 Plans

January 1, 2015 by Angela

I don’t exactly do resolutions. I see their value and *love* to talk about goals, but I’m really more of a planner. Resolutions are a little vague for me. They’re generally about very important mental and physical changes like being more positive or becoming more healthy. I agree and those are things I am continually working on and do have goals about. But, and I think to hold myself more accountable in a way, I like to write down my plans for the year like an extended to-do. I know, it sounds so boring. Maybe it’s more like a bucket list. Plus, with plans, it’s okay if they change and evolve over time. Some things things don’t go as planned and I feel much better about changing a small plan than abandoning a resolution. Hopefully these little plans add up to those resolutions over time and lead me to be more positive and more healthy and more x and more y. Only time will tell! Here’s my list:

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2014 in review

December 31, 2014 by Angela

I wasn’t going to write about 2014 at first but I finally saw that it was because I felt like I didn’t have that much to write about. 2013 was the year of change: moving to Los Angeles, getting our apartment, becoming an editor. 2014 was much more rocky, but in writing it out, I remember all those things that made it so necessary. In all its messiness and uncertainty, 2014 is what will make 2015 so wonderful.

I started the year optimistic but January was difficult. It led to me quitting a position and pursuing freelance a little by chance. I did a lot of DIY. I had a lot of time to myself. I am probably responsible for the fact that my two cats do not like being alone. I wrote a lot. I ghost-wrote. I helped my writer friends who had too much writing to do. I wrote for a blog (The Interior Project) that took lots of time + energy for less than minimum wage and they didn’t even pay me my last invoice (similarly with Karmic Fit). I found that the blogging I did for free either as a contributor or for myself was more fulfilling than what people would pay for. All in just a few months.

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Explore: San Francisco

December 27, 2014 by Angela

If you haven’t taken a trip up or down the coast of California in your life time, you need to put it on your list. While you’re there Oregon + Washington will only make your trip more beautiful. I’ve been along the West Coast a couple times in my life, and each time it’s captivated me to the point that whenever I have a chance to plan a trip, it’s somewhere toward the Pacific. There’s so much to see, and on our most recent four-day adventure, we traveled from Santa Barbara to Big Sur, then to Monterey, Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay, and San Francisco. It’s a short stretch of coastline that’s new and vibrant at every stop. I’ve had a love affair with San Francisco ever since I was little and my twenty four hours there was one of the best moments of 2014. Time to finally share…

We drove in after a relaxing, but so so stormy, night in Half Moon Bay. The sun was shining and I jumped out of the car, ready to climb the hills of the city!

The entire trip, Kevin and I experimented with my new iPhone, meaning lots of shoddy panoramas. But at least it let me capture the length of some buildings.

We stayed near Fisherman’s Wharf and walked around cold and a little tired from exploring. Then the next day it was all about sightseeing. I’ve done touristy things in SF before, and for me the must-do is taking all of the city’s beautiful Victorians in.

I know you never really know a place until you live there and it’s a dream of mine to get a little closer one day. Maybe by way of a house as pretty as the Painted Ladies. I bet they never open the windows because their facades are photographed so much…

Here’s to hoping there’s another San Francisco trip in 2015!

Have you been? Please share!

Etsy craft supply haul

December 22, 2014 by Angela

I’ve wanted to start a craft supply series on if found, make. for awhile now. Beauty bloggers have their makeup hauls, shouldn’t DIY bloggers show off their embellishments and ribbons and stickers I say yes. I went on a little shopping spree at Thatch & Thistle‘s Etsy shop last month, and it was all so pretty I had to snap some photos.

I was so excited to get all these festive goodies in the mail…

T&T is a lovely shop for finding little bits and pieces to put in Etsy packages or thank you notes. I added a little tinsel for good measure, too.

Thatch & Thistle also includes a few little samples with each purchase, like these two velvet ribbons. Can’t wait to create some projects around these pieces.

DIY felt Christmas ornaments

December 21, 2014 by Angela

Time (and energy and my sanity) have gotten away from me this month. I’ve had so many things simultaneously in the works, like all these DIYs (did you see my pom pom garland?) and a new blogging endeavor at The Blog Market, that it’s been difficult to put the finishing touches on this blog. But anyway, I had this idea for DIY party hat Christmas tree ornaments in my head for quite some time, and tried them a few different ways (including paper, which was just as cute but not as durable).

I’ve mentioned before that I went on a pom pom buying spree this month. I came across these felt ones at Paper Source and knew I had to edit my original idea. I’d love to make a garland version of these hats for a birthday, but these particular ones are for my little Christmas tree. They’re a wonderful solution for those of you with pets who like to pick off your glass ornaments from the tree and create a mess. I’ve only had one casualty with these so far… The kitties don’t find them as intriguing as the curling ribbon on our gifts, I guess.

Note: Making these ornaments with felted poms instead does make for a more difficult time threading the string through, so try to go with as small a hook + thread as possible while still creating a strong hanger.

YOU’LL NEED

·Felted pom poms
·Needle, thread, & scissors
·Felt, cut into small circles
·Hot glue & gun

DIY FELT CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS

1. Cut small circles from your sheets of felt and cut a triangle out of each circle. Fold them into the party hat shape like you would a paper cone. You’ll actually not need entire circles, as they’re so small they start to overlap. Cut off the excess and tweak until you have the look you want.

2. Using a hot glue gun, glue the felt pieces together into a cone.

3. Thread your string through each felt ball to create a loop for them to hang from the tree. You can also try simply threading your hook through the top of the felt (behind the ball) but I found it didn’t hang as nicely from the tree.

4. Glue the ball to the top of the hat, with the loop centered at the top.

5. Wait for them to dry + hang!

Some were more like santa hats and some where not so Christmasy. I love when people do away with red + green for the holidays so I thought I’d just choose whichever color poms would go nicely with my sheets of felt. I think next time I’ll add glitter.

Did you make any of your holiday decorations this year?

DIY Pom Pom Garland

December 16, 2014 by Angela

I’ve been on a major pom pom kick lately, and it all started with a little DIY. I wanted to create Christmas ornaments with pom poms (sharing this later), and at first all I could find were those basic green + red ones. Cute but not cute enough! Luckily, everywhere I went, I kept finding better and better poms. So I ended up with these sparkly wintry bits to string along my living room.

I don’t know why I’ve never made one before. DIY pom pom garlands are among the easiest DIYs you can do. All you need are the balls, string, and a sewing needle. I used one of my larger needles and had no trouble. Simply pull the thread through the pom, string it along, and tie each end.

I love all the different sizes.

Instead of stringing them along the wall, I draped them from the artwork above my tiny Christmas tree. I didn’t even have to put a hole in the wall (dream decor for renters, then?).

Happy decorating!

Pom poms: Michael’s | Art prints: Alphonnsine