Captain America (part 2)

Sometimes I do nerdy things.

After choosing Captain America for this week's Monday movie, I told you guys to check back on Thursday for part 2.

Photo courtesy of TOMS.

I know I'm a little late on the bandwagon, but I finally got myself a pair of TOMS at the encouragement of a few of my friends. I like the fact that they support a good cause, and they really are comfy. I know that everyone and their mother has been wearing TOMS for ages now, so I bought a pair of plain white ones with the intentions of decorating them to make them stand out a little. You know I hate being just like everyone else. With some of the left over acrylic paint used for my canvas box, I came up with a brilliant idea of a fun and patriotic design I wanted for my new white canvas classics.

Batman is my favorite comic book superhero, and at first I wanted a cool dark knight symbol to showcase my nerdiness, but after the events in Boston last week I decided to go a different route.

This is my dedication to the the amazing people of Massachusetts after everything that's happened in Boston. Even though those events were tragic and lives were lost, it reunited this country once more. If even for a little while we forgot about north and south, conservatives versus liberals, gay people and straight people and were all just AMERICANS. The quote says "This nation was founded on one principle above all else: the requirement that we stand up for what we believe in no matter the circumstances."

I think we could stand to channel our inner Captain America every once in a while.

We Develop from the Negatives

My apartment is literally one of the girliest places ever. It's filled with pinks, purples and pastel colors. I've got pretty post-it notes on the wall and my room is decked out in Hello Kitty. What can you say?

I just love for my living space to be happy and inspirational, a true reflection of who I am. And for someone living on a budget creating my own decoration pieces has been a fun and unique way to spice up my home and make it stand out from anyone else I know.

Photography is one of passions in life, and I recently painted this canvas to remind me to do what I love and pursue my dreams. I hung this in my room to remind me to never forget what makes me happy.

First I started out by taking my ruler and penciling in some stripes for my canvas creation.

Next I used scrapbook paper to draw and cut out a vintage Pentax camera.



Then I used simple acrylic paint to color the stripes and glued the camera to the canvas.



Then to cap it off I added one of my favorite quotes.



What do you think? I love how it turned out! Now I've got an a pretty reminder hanging in my bedroom encouraging me to go after my goals. What's your ultimate dream, and how do you incorporate it into your everyday life?

Candy Cane Mice

You're probably not aware, but Martha Stewart is one of my absolute favorite people ever! The woman can do anything and everything. She wears many hats: chef, interior designer, wedding planner, and have you seen the woman's collection for pets at PetSmart? She's an absolute genius.

So when I found this candy cane mice craft on her website, I knew I just had to try it out. It's super simple and only requires a few things to make. You can even make one for every member of your family!

Tools:
a few sheets of felt fabric
scissors
pen or sharpie
photocopier/printer
candy canes

How-To:
1. On a photocopier enlarge mouse template by 150%. Print.
2. With a pen or sharpie trace body and ears onto felt; cut out.
3. Cut inner ears and a dot for a nose from felt in a contrasting color. You can also cut eyes from black felt. I  didn't have black felt, so I just used Sharpie.
4. Glue the face and inner ears in place. 
5. Make slits in body for ears and candy-cane tail where marked; to make cutting easier, fold felt across center of slits, and snip.
6. Slip ears through slits at front; then slide wrapped candy cane through body slits, tucking the end underneath the ear piece at the back.

Wilfred's is the blue one (because he's blue), and mine is the cute little pink one with the backwards ears.