diy hand painted travel mug

his DIY has been on my mind for over a year and recently, when I was cleaning out my studio, I found my porcelain paint pen and days later found a blank travel mug at the thrift store.  It seemed like it was meant to be.  I don't know about you guys but I see these little faux-paper cup travel mugs at thrift stores all the time.  Well, I see lots of travel mugs at thrift stores (maybe it's just us up here in coffeetown central, USA, aka the Pacific Northwest with our coffee addiction resulting in a surplus of travel mugs), but these seem relatively easy to come by at the thrift store.  So if you're a cheap-o like me, I'd check a local thrift shop first before dropping some bones for a new one.  I've noticed that people like to leave their empty paper coffee cups on random shelves at thrift stores too, though, so make sure you're not picking up the dregs of someone's old caramel macchiato.  Has anyone else noticed this?  I swear every time I thrift I find at least one old, empty Starbucks paper cup left on a shelf of knick knacks.  Us thrifters are well-caffeinated folks, I guess.  Also, forgetful?  Or lazy?  I'm not sure which.

What you'll need:

Porcelain Travel Mug

Pencil (optional)

Pebeo Porcelaine paint pen

If you're making a more complex pattern, like the herringbone pattern I did, you can sketch it on there with a pencil first, to have some light lines to follow.  Something more simple, like polka dots, probably wouldn't require this, but I wanted to make sure everything fit right.  If you want to just jump right into painting, though, go ahead!  I used a straw to help guide my vertical pencil lines so they were parallel and straight.  Then I drew in the angled lines.  

Next, just follow your pencil template with the paint pen.  You'll have to push down on the pen tip to get the ink flowing.  I had to push down on mine pretty frequently to make sure the paint flowed freely.  Have a scrap piece of paper on hand to prime the pen when you need to.  Be careful not to smudge the wet paint.  

Set the mug aside and let it air dry for 72 hours.  If you want to make your design dishwasher safe, put the mug in the oven at 300ºF for 30 minutes to bake the paint on permanently.  Voila!  Fancy, custom, reusable travel mug!  Drink your hot beverages in style!

I used a white mug, but I know that they sell them in many different colors, so if you wanted a more colorful version, just buy a plain, colored mug instead of a white one and draw on your pattern.  At the bottom of the post I included some more fun pattern ideas if you're not into the herringbone.  The sky's the limit!

bold minimalist

ately I've been all about brights.  I'm sure it has something to do with the bright and sunny skies.  I used to heavily tend towards maximalist, more vintage 70's colors and patterns, and over the years I've come to appreciate and love a more modern, clean look.  In my home decor I've found that I really am liking that look simply because it feels cleaner.  Just the other day we took a bunch of older vintage furniture with that maximalist color/pattern to donate to the thrift store and the clean slate has me so excited to redo one of the rooms in our house that's been relatively untouched since we bought it.  Just having the space nearly empty has my brain working overtime with new ideas.  
When we bought the house we brought over all our existing furniture, but we were coming from a tiny house with just one living space that functioned as our living/dining/office space, so we only had enough furniture to fill a 12x12 room, plus our bed.  I frantically sought out the cheapest thrift store furniture so we could have stuff to sit on and eat at, but in the months/year since, I've had time (and money) to invest in the furniture that I really would like.  I think this thrift store donation purged the last of the desperation furniture and I'm excited at the prospect of creating a couple spaces that really fulfill our needs and aesthetic wants.

 

dress/courtesy of isla :: bra/free people :: necklace/courtesy of adorn by sarah lewis bag/courtesy of fossil :: shoes/courtesy of lulu's :: shades/courtesy of bonlook
Yesterday morning when I woke up it was chilly.  I threw on some jeans and a sweater and headed out to run errands and brought Dusty in the car with me.  She loves car rides, but I haven't brought her with me lately because she'd probably overheat just driving around in the car since I don't have A/C at the moment.  By 1pm the weather had started clearing up and with the sun coming out came the heat, but luckily my morning errands included picking up a package which had this dress inside.  It's so light and airy and I immediately threw it on and it was the perfect outfit for the summer weather.
This black bra was a gift to myself (along with another similar bra and a necklace) and I'd been searching for the perfect outfit to highlight it's awesome straps.  As soon as I pulled the dress out of the envelope I knew that bra would go perfectly with it.  I think that this dress' silhouette would definitely be something I'd shy away from a few years ago.  I knew that the fit-and-flare style worked well with my body shape and I was pretty into that vintage 50's style, so something like this would've been well outside of my personal style (and comfort zone).  I love feeling more free to try out new shapes and silhouettes these days.  Back then, just wearing dresses was still a bit outside of the comfort zone I'd established over many years of wearing jeans and little boys' tees, so I wasn't really ready to start messing around with silhouettes yet.  I'm not sure if this shape is called "flattering" by others, but it makes me feel awesome, so that means it's flattering in my book!

 

street corn

y first experience with corn made in the Mexican Street Corn style was last summer when our local bar/restaurant extraordinaire, Hilltop Kitchen, offered Street Corn on their debut menu.  I've always been a fan of corn on the cob, but I was blown away by how much flavor it had and planned on trying to make something similar at home, but then forgot until I was at the farmer's market last week and one of the produce stands had a huge pile of corn that was calling my name.  I had some Cotija, lime, and cilantro leftover at home, so the moment I saw the ears of corn I knew that it was time to get my street corn on.  Not gonna lie, I basically inhaled this corn.  Oh, you thought one of those two cobs was for Dan?  Nope.  I ate both of them before Dan got home.  I justified it by reminding myself that Dan doesn't really like corn on the cob anyway.  So you know, it's cool.  I was performing a corn-removal service.
Despite the sweltering heat (which I swear is releasing my neighbors' inner crazy, we've had cops called on our block like 4 out of 6 days this week), I'm feeling inspired.  It's been a while since I had the idea mill rolling.  For a long time the idea factory in my mind felt like the workers were on strike and there were tumbleweeds blowing through the uninhabited assembly lines.  I think I was approaching it as if it owed me ideas.  Like, why isn't it doing it's job?  But like any factory, it needed work put in to get ideas out.  By sitting around and feeling uninspired I was only perpetuating more lack of inspiration.  Once I started deciding to just do things for the heck of it, just do them, do anything, I felt like someone flipped a switch and the factory lights started coming on and the machines started firing up.  Anyway, all that analogy was to say that I'm not hoping the feeling sticks around, because hoping is feeding into the idea that it's a force I can't control, when really I'm the one in charge of my own actions and feelings.  So, if you're feeling uninspired, throw off the shackles of hoping for inspiration and just do something.  Even if it doesn't turn out, it'll start to spark new ideas and get the engine going again.  
But first, corn.  Or, corn later.  In whatever order.  But corn.


Ingredients: 1 ear of corn, cooked (boiled, barbecued, etc) 1 tbsp butter 1/4 tsp smoked salt 1/4 jalapeno, minced 1 tbsp cilantro, chopped 2 tbsp onion, chopped 1/8 tsp paprika 1/8-1/4 c Cotija cheese, crumbled 1 wedge lime
Just spread the butter on the hot corn and then sprinkle all the other ingredients on top!  Ingredients above are for one ear of corn, so depending on how many people and how much corn you are going to be making, just multiply!  And I'd have extra toppings on hand, just in case people want to load up again halfway through.  I think it'd be fun as a barbecue buffet where people get to top their corn with all the different ingredients laid out.  

natural eyebrow routine

So, eyebrow backstory, eh?  I remember being in 8th grade and first coming to that realization as a young woman that you're "supposed to" consistently shave and pluck "unwanted" hair.  I remember someone saying something about my bushy eyebrows and, mortified, I went home after school and immediately did something about it.  Of course I had never plucked hairs before and was intimidated by that (and thought it sounded painful), so I decided to go for a method I was more familiar with: shaving.  It sounds like it's going to be a horror story, but it actually turned out just fine and the next day at school the same person asked me if I'd plucked my brows, to which I replied, nonchalantly, "no."  Which wasn't a lie, because I had actually shaved the stray hairs.  Anyway, eventually I got over my fear of plucking.  
I'm pretty low maintenance when it comes to my brows (okay, and in general).  I typically just pluck the little stray hairs.  I've always had more bold brows, mostly because I have dark, thick hair and having light brows didn't make visual sense for me and I also want the least upkeep possible.  When I pluck I maintain the natural shape of my brows, but a good general rule for brow shape is the following method.
  
Take a thin pencil or brush and hold it to the side of your nostril.  Line it up with the inside of your eye and that's where the brow starts.  Leave the pencil on the nostril and line it up with the pupil and where it falls on the brow is where the peak of the arch is.  Now rotate the pencil to the outside corner of the eye and the pencil will be at the end of the brow.  Just a general guideline if you're not sure how you want to shape your brow.  Obviously there are tons of different ways to shape brows, so just figure out what look you want to go for.  I like going off of my natural brow shape and just refining it so I don't have to do a lot of maintenance.  


Only recently did I discover that I could enhance my brows with make up.  I always figured brow pencils were for people with super light or thin brows, but having gotten my makeup done professionally a couple times in the last year, I really enjoyed how they did my brows and started to experiment with that on my own.
Some people like brow pencils, but I find that pencils look a bit too drawn-on and bold for me, so I usually just use a small angle brush, like MAC's 208 angled brow brush, and eyeshadow which matches the color of my brows.  I lightly fill in my brows with the brush, following the shape and direction of my brows.  If I'm wanting my brows to stay put more I can brush on some clear or brown mascara to fix them in place so hairs don't move, but that's typically only for special occasions or if I'm performing on stage.
I like doing my brows because it seriously takes like 5 seconds and can just refine my makeup to look cleaner and more polished.  I'm all about quick make-up fixes.  I don't do this everyday, but when I want to feel more put together it's an easy way to do it.

You can also use eyebrow pencils to do more fun shapes and colors with your brows if you want to adjust your natural shape and color for a more fun and funky look.  For my Adventures in Oz performance I made my brows red, for a bolder look that matched my costume and would read into the audience.  

25 ways to feel less lonely

eeling alone is something that everyone goes through.  Whether it's because you just moved to a new place and don't know anyone, or if you're going through changes in life and feel like you're in a different place than all your friends, feeling alone is a common experience we've all had.  Being or feeling alone doesn't have to define you or keep you from enjoying life, though.  There are periods of time where life dictates a situation where you might be lonely but you don't have to stay there wallowing in the sadness, and sometimes loneliness can actually be enjoyed and capitalized on.  You can take advantage of the time alone by creating and working on projects, or going out and finding new passions.  Here are a few things you can do when you're feeling lonely to keep from getting stuck in the feelings of sadness that can stem from ruminating on your loneliness.

1. Go for a walk in the woods.

Being in nature can be grounding and refreshing.  Breathe in fresh air, listen to the sounds of plants and animals rustling around.   Reconnect with the earth.

2. Give yourself a facial

Replace stress with sweetness and try a natural face mask. Honey is a natural skin moisturizer, antibiotic, and also has compounds that reduce inflammation in the brain, meaning it fights depression and anxiety.

3. Meditate

Daily silent meditation per day can relieve stress and depression. Find a comfortable spot in a quiet place, concentrate on your breath, and feel your anxieties fade.  If you need some help (meditation can be hard!) try downloading Headspace, which will teach you how to meditate in small 10 minute daily sessions!

4. Binge on Netflix TV shows.

Sometimes it can be great to just hang out with fictional characters for a while to make yourself feel a bit less lonely.

5. Go to a new coffee shop and hang out for a couple hours.

Bring a book and park it for a while.  Just being around other people will make you feel less lonely and more inspired.  Chat with your barista and maybe try a new drink you wouldn't normally get!

6. Plan a vacation.

Maybe it's just a weekend getaway, or maybe it's the trip of a lifetime.  Sitting down and planning a trip can get your mind inspired and thinking about your hopes and dreams and bucket lists!

7. Skype with friends and family.

If you're far away from loved ones and missing their company, set up skype dates to chat and spend time with them.

8. Create a Zen Space

Make or find a space where you can go to relax. Get cozy in a big chair, put on some calming music, or light some incense and disappear for a while.

9. Find the Sun

Stock up on the vitamin D!  If it’s a sunny day, head outside to lift your spirits. Bright light can be an effective treatment for people who suffer from depression, and can cheer up pretty much anyone!

10. Dance!

Get your body moving and your blood pumping.  Dance in your kitchen to Beyonce, or go take a swing or zumba class from a local dance studio.  You'll meet new people and have fun in the process!

11. Clean up.

Instead of spending time feeling lonely, invest your time into making your space clean and inviting.  Clutter and messiness can often cause feelings of stress and become overwhelming.  Take a couple hours, put on some upbeat music and clean up!

12. Do Some Yoga

Yoga is a great way to get out of the house and interact with others, while also helping your own body and mind to be more healthy.  If you don't have a yoga studio nearby, you can also do yoga in the comfort of your own home!

13. DIY Spa Day

Get a soothing bath soak, new nail polish, or skin/hair treatment and give yourself some love.  Light some candles, put on some relaxing music, and treat yourself.  I recently enjoyed a Lavender and Milk bath soak and Lavender Coconut Scrub from Sam Wish and it was so relaxing.

14. Write a journal

Just putting thoughts and emotions on paper can reduce anxiety and stress.  Get your thoughts out and process how you're feeling.

15. Try Aromatherapy

Drip some lavender, bergamot, sandalwood or another essential oil into your palm and inhale. The soothing scents stimulate smell receptors in the nose that connect to the part of the brain that regulates emotions.

16. Pick up an adult coloring book and start coloring!

I recently got an adult coloring book for christmas and it's so relaxing to just color in all the intricate designs.  There are tons of coloring books out there now geared towards grown ups with beautiful designs ranging from super fancy mandalas to animals, to random patterns.  

17. Join a gym

Before I joined a gym I was sure I wouldn't like a gym.  I preferred exercise at home, by myself (which is still a great way to get some endorphins flowing to help feel less lonely!).  But I found that when I joined my current gym, I really enjoyed the camaraderie of my fellow class members.  The gym I joined was a crossfit-esque type of gym where it had hour long circuit training classes, so I was always in a group with other people, and we were always all doing the same thing, which I think was a much better fit than a standard gym where you're on your own to run on the treadmill or just figure out a circuit/routine all by yourself.

18. Create a goal list

Instead of focusing on feeling lonely, focus on things you'd like to accomplish. Heck, if you don't have anyone to hang out with, that means you have lots of time (time that you might've spent hanging out with people and being social) to hustle and chase some of the goals you really want to achieve.  There was a period of time in my life where I had moved back home after college and didn't have any friends and it was a super productive time because I pretty much just worked and focused on working towards my goals.  I rarely went out or hung out with people, but I felt less lonely because I was constantly working on stuff I was passionate about!

19. Visit animals at the local shelter

Animals can truly improve our lives and help us feel less stressed and lonely.  If you don't have a pet of your own to snuggle with, visit a local shelter and love on some of the animals there (they need it!).  And if you're able, consider adopting one of them!

20. Find new blogs

Go on a rabbit trail search for new blogs!  See which blogs your favorite bloggers have in their blogrolls or sidebar ads and start clicking!  Or, explore the marketplace on Passionfruit or scroll through bloglovin's most followed blogs.

Find new bloggers who inspire you and offer a new perspective and voice.

21. Create a DIY project

You know there are tons of DIY projects you've pinned on Pinterest, so instead of feeling lonely, spend that time creating something fun and beautiful!  Even if your DIY doesn't turn out how you expected it, you spent that time being creative and making something!  If you're feeling even more industrious, invite people over for a pinterest party where you all create DIY's you've been wanting to do.

22. Start a new book.

Sometimes literary friends can feel just as real as our IRL friends.  Dive into a new novel and get caught up in a new world, whether its fantasy, mystery, romantic, or non-fiction.

23. Cook a recipe you've never tried before.

Again, I'm sure you've pinned lots of recipes on Pinterest.  Go pick one you've never tried to make and cook it!

24. Watch Ted Talks.

I always feel more a part of the human race and in touch with humanity after watching Ted Talks.  So much inspiration to treat people better, create a world I want to live in, and be amazed by the things that creative people are making.

25. Get in the car and drive.

Crank up some music and sing along and don't care if you sound good or not.  Roll down the windows and let the wind blow in your hair.  Enjoy the freedom of not having a destination and not worrying about how long it takes to get anywhere and just go.