Create Your Own Background

Another How About Orange Recommended Site

This site is incredibly fun for those requiring an art project that doesn't require enormous amounts of time or supplies but still provides instant gratification. They have a million backgrounds and graphics to choose from. On top of that they have editing tools to customize the images provided to your liking.

New Blog Love

How About Orange is one of my new favorite "go to" blogs. They have excellent DIY ideas, time wasters, and really cool free downloads.

Check out this post. I can not wait to start implementing those ideas in my own environment. Unfortunately, my life is in limbo right now so those ideas are a little far away. Oh well, gives me time to plan.

Grow Baby, Grow!

Baby Countdown

How I Spent My Friday Night...

Oh Yes.

Will post pictures soon. Still perfecting the finished product.

This little project-o makes great "just because" or minor holiday gifts for friends (v-day, m-day, f-day, presidents day, canadian boxing day...).

Spruce Up Your Workspace

Digital workspace. Allow me to introduce you to Pixel Girl Presents. It is a fun, flirty, extremely girly (ok that is a lie. There is boy stuff too.) site that specializes in hundreds of free (FREE, F-R-E-E, $free.99) desktop wallpaper, icon sets, and even iPhone wallpapers. If you're one to dabble in graphic design you can even submit your work for computer users around the globe. 

Too.Damn.Cute.

If you're too damn lazy to follow the link (I only say this because sometimes I am. I mean come on! Show me some goods before I delve further in to this business). Take a look at what's offered, I promise it will be worth the click.

Wallpapers:

Icons:

Are you sold yet? I am!

Love this Idea

DIY at its best.

Wallpaper Isn't Just for Granny Anymore

Today I stumbled across this designer wallpaper. The company is called Cavern. 

I love this for a child's bathroom. How cute would it be?!

I'm not sure how I would pull this one off, but in the right setting, it would be killer. 

With everything going wireless and paperless these days, this would be a perfect illusion for your library. Just curl up with your Kindle on a Sundee afternoon and get ta readin'! 

Because I'm a city girl at heart, I had to include this one. 

Most (ok all) of my favs are from the "Artist Editions" and "Cavern Kids" sections. They are gorg and totally revamp my concept of wallpaper. One problem, they're pricey ($8 per square foot!). 

Until I hit the lotto, my career as a creator takes off, or I get my college finished I'm thinking of settling for a couple small segments here and there and then framing them in a cool wall design. Maybe something like this, or this, or this.  (Side note: I'm fully aware that the first two of those look painfully obvsly DIY, however if I go with either of those, it will look cleaner. You can take that check to the bank and cash it.) 

Alright. I'm off. Be good and fight the good fight. 

Just Right

One of my biggest complaints about Blogger was the simplicity of the layout available. Of course I wanted it bigger, tackier, and snazzier than can be but I had (have) no idea how to write HTML. At the time this left me with two options: hire a designer or use a pre-made template.

Designers were not an option because my coins go into a diaper bank these days (and believe me when I tell you coins is about all I've got. Turns out pregnant ladies aren't at the top of hiring lists).

Pre-made templates did not make me jump for joy as they felt very plain or overused.

Those being the options momentarily led me to wander over to Tumblr which provided a much more appealing look. However, after giving it a go I wasn't sold on the format of posting. Love the audio file option, love the video and link option. Don't love the fact that I can't include multiple videos or pictures in one post in the "correct" formats. I'll admit that I'm probably more ADD than the next gal but dayum Tumblr!

Anyway, onward and upward. Tonight I stumbled across my perfect solution, www.deluxetemplates.net. It offers templates that are snazzier and professional put together at ZERO cost. Poy-fect-o! In addition to offering wonderful templates they offer premium services and simple step by step instructions on how to format the templates to your blog (see blogger.com example below. They can be found under the "FAQ's" tab on the site). They offer 1, 2, and 3 column layouts.

Now, go forth my lovers and blog us to a more beautiful world!

Follow Most Simple Guide to Install your Favorite Blogger Template.

1. Click in Download button and save file in PC [hard drive].

2. File that you have downloaded is .ZIP file so need to be extracted. Extract / Unzip it.

3. Log in Blogger dashboard

4. Click Layout link in dashboard panel.

5. Now click in Edit HTML link in tab bar.

6. Click Browse button and look for folder that is created after extracted file that you have downloaded.

7. Folder has a XML file and TXT file or Internet shortcut, you select only XML file.

8. Click Upload button.

9. Confirm and Save.

Awkward

Allow me to share with you one of my favorite boredom busters. The site is called awkwardfamilyphotos.com and it specializes in ... (give you three guess, guarantee you won't need two of them) AWKWARD FAMILY PHOTOS!!!! (This is why I love you beautiful genius people).

Please have a-look-see below. These are some of my personal favs.

Cindy: "Take that Dallas Cowboy cheerleading coaches!" Turns out you CAN have your cake and eat it too... (in this case, brightly colored leotards)

The classiest family this side o' Fresno. 

They're so proud of their baby (at least that's what she tells them they are right before she takes their lunch money and gives them a swirly). 

Mhmmm get you some girl! There ain't no ring on your haaa... oh wait. 

Finally, a man with a side equally as sensitive as his skin. 

Classically trained folks, classically trained. 

Chuck thought that by doing the photography pro-bono he was lending the family a hand. Turns out they needed three. 

Oh. Hell. No. Not in a million trillion thousand kadrillion effload years. 

Rock a Baby

The hipster starts here...

One for Daddy.

One for Mommy. 

One for the road. 

Owl Be...

The nursery theme for baby!

So far I am loving the idea of a vintage owl themed nursery for baby. It's perfect and not gender specific. Of course once we find out (March 16th!!!!!!!!!!) if the baby is a boy or girl we can amp up the colors to fit.

Color palette for girl:

  

Color palette for boy:

 

And we can't of course forget....THE OWLS!!!

 

Of course the colors aren't exactly right on these but I love the vintage style. Now for a quilt... 

This sounds like a job for my lovely, beautiful, charismatic, genius, talented seamstress of a sister. Oh sister K, have I told you how much I love you lately : D

Updates to come...

Because I Still Haven't Figured Out What to be When I Grow Up...

I've been researching salaries for various positions. Here is some of the interesting salary info I've dug up.

Medical Examiners: The median salary is $87,000.

*Thoughts: Im going to have to nix this one off of the list. I had a brief moment of consideration after watching "Dr. G Medical Examiner" on Discovery Health but the idea left as quickly as it came.

Pro: The people are already dead! No malpractice insurance!

Con: You see some really gross shit EVERY day. Ick.

Forensic Psychologist: Around $60,000-$70,000 with 5 years experience and depending on workplace.

*Thoughts: It's still in the running. I absolutely loved the book "My Life Among the Serial Killers: Inside the Minds of the World's Most Notorious Murderers" by Helen Morrison M.D.

Pro: Getting to analyze the worlds most effed up minds. Endless satisfaction to morbid curiosity not to mention job security. As long as there are people, there will be crimes.

Con: Looking cold blooded killers in the eye and having to hold your own. Can you imagine one of them threatening you or someone in your life and having to talk them down? Yikes *insert t-shirt neck pull here*

Chef: Between $34,000-$58,000 with 5 years experience.

*Thoughts: This would completely satisfy my need for a creative position and retain some sort of "artist" title. I wouldn't have sold myself out as a desk jockey.

Pro: I can be an artist and literally never starve!

Con: My career could plateau and I could end up being Olive Garden's finest line cook. Not to
mention all of the nights and weekends I would miss out on in raising my child.

That's all I have thus far. Best believe there will be more to come.

Closing thought: I'm 23, pregnant, my relationship is circling the big white bowl and I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. This looks pretty shitty on paper but thank god life isn't reduced to the sum of its parts. Life is grand and I'm riding out this tide.
Eleanor Roosevelt, take us to tomorrow: "As for accomplishments, I just did what I had to do as things came along." -E.R. 


(Please Lord, let what "I have to do" be as grand as Ellie!)

*If only things were as simple as they used to be

Who Knew Blending Could Be So Fun?!

To Tumble or Not to Tumble

Help me Rhonda, help help me Rhonda! Lately, I've been toying with the idea of switching my blogging platform over to tumblr. I'm stumped. What do you think? Check out Tumblr version of this blog and share your thoughts! 




http://travelingnarrative.tumblr.com/ 

How to Spend a Friday Night at Home

Listening to music.

Chatting with zee man I am “associated” with. (we’re having a baby but he is more than a baby daddy. Our relationship still has a lot of maturing to do before we are able to co-exist in a relationship due to our mutual pride and stubbornness. I suppose this leaves us preggo and title-less and I’m ok with that).

Going through my bookmarked websites buying long over due presents for friends as little surprises.