No autographs, please.

Today, two guys came by our classroom (which happens to be in the child care center). It turned out they were filming video for a commercial and a new promotional video for our community college. So they filmed part of our class (I tried to hide behind the girl sitting next to me). A few hours later, they came back to film the children in their classes. A few volunteers went back to the classrooms, but I was glad that I had to go to an advisement appointment, so I wouldn't have to worry about being in the video. Me and Mom were sitting in my teacher's office, when all of a sudden the camera crew burst in and started filming us during our appointment. I sat there, clutching my bag (aka, The Suitcase) in my lap, smiling nervously, and awkwardly trying to pretend there wasn't a guy with a camera two feet away. After the commercial airs and the video releases, I'm fully expecting the television and movie producers to start calling. I'm already thinking about changing my phone number. No autographs, please. ;)

Me and Mom stopped by the bargain store that has amazing book prices today. I found some great stuff!

"Winnie-the-Pooh" and "When We Were Very Young," by A.A. Milne, and "Mary Poppins," by P.L. Travers

You see, I am already collecting books for my future children. Go ahead and laugh or call me sentimental, but I want my kids to be surrounded by beautiful, old-fashioned, amazing books. Also, I am obsessed with children's books. I never grew out of loving them, which means I'm drawn to the children's sections at bookstores. Which can be slightly awkward at times. :) But now that I'm a child care provider/preschool teacher in training, I have a perfect excuse for being there! It occured to me recently that I seem to have a strange fascination with English (as in British) children's books...or books in general. Really, almost all of my favorite old-fashioned authors, for adults and children, are English: C.S. Lewis, Jane Austen, J.K. Rowling, Roald Dahl, Beatrix Potter, etc. I almost had a fit when I saw this:

The first time I ever saw this book was at the UK Pavilion at Epcot in Disney World in 2006. Honestly, before then, I never knew that the movie was based on books. And I fell in love with these reprintings with covers like the original books. They are beautiful. But of course, in Disney World, most things are ridiculously overpriced. So I didn't get any of the books there. And for one reason or another (the fact that they're between $9 and $13 each), I hadn't bought them yet. Then I found this beautiful hardcover copy for $2.99 today. It made me incredibly happy! :)

Until next time,

New fabric (wallets).

I just wanted to post the two wallets that I made over the weekend. I've had both of these fabrics for a while, but this is the first time I've used them. I'm supposed to be doing homework right now.

But I'm actually wasting time until 7:00, because that's when the new Harry Potter movie trailer is being released on Mugglenet. Note: If you watch the trailer, beware of the comments at the bottom of the page. Some of them contain very offensive language.

I had a perfect lighter green that I should have used instead of the duller green. Too late now.

Sorry for the weird angle of this picture. I forgot to flip it...

Until next time,

Major excitement here!

I am super excited right now. Look what came in the mail today:

It's a book. My book. The novel that I wrote during NaNoWriMo last November. It's my free proof copy from Createspace. And the picture of the orange flower on the front? I took it. :)

The story is pitiful and the writing almost cringe-worthy in certain places (despite-or maybe because of-the fact that I edited...in about a week). But who cares? :)

The only problems are with some of my formatting. The page numbers at the bottom aren't centered. Some of my flourishes overlap words. And some of my chapters don't start on new pages. They just continue after a block of space where the last one finished. Oops.

I wonder if authors who have written dozens and dozens of books still get this feeling when they receive a copy of their latest book. :) I can't wait to write another "novel" this November, and I hope they offer this freebie again!

And in other exciting news...I may possibly be getting a dress form! Or at least the frame of a really nice one that only needs to be repadded and covered...

Until next time,

Moments like these.

I was trying to do write an essay (but being terribly distracted), when I noticed the sunset through my back window. Yes, this happens quite often. I went and opened my window to watch it. I took several pictures, trying to capture how perfectly beautiful it was, but they're all pitiful compared to what I saw. The colors and shadows were in layers above the mountain outlines, and they seemed to create a world of their own. The colors made a whole mountain range, and I even thought I caught a glimpse of a lake. For some reason, it bought to mind the very end of C.S. Lewis' "The Last Battle." The cooler air touched my face and everything was so still that it looked like a fresh, wet painting. I tried to reach out and touch it, and if I could have, I think it would have felt like the thick, smeary paint the children at the child care center use. There were dozens of lightning bugs flickering down in the back yard, and one hovered right in front of my face. Then I noticed movement on the ground, and I looked to see a large rabbit bouncing across the yard. He stopped when I made a move and stood like a statue for a few minutes. Then he hopped off in the direction of the garden. Don't tell Mom and Dad. :) I thought of Peter Rabbit.

Thank you, God, for moments like these.

Until next time,

Beauty.

I seem to spend all of my time searching for beauty. Beauty in God, words, stories, music, sunsets, etc. I'm always looking for new books that will touch my heart. I'm always looking for new songs that will make me laugh or cry or just give me that happy, peaceful feeling. I'm always wanting to visit new places that will take my breath away. And sometimes, when I find beauty, it's one of those perfect little moments, you know? But the point is that I'm always searching. C.S. Lewis said:

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."

Makes perfect sense to me. On the days when I can't find any beauty at all, I know that there has to be more than this life.

I found two videos last night that I thought were really beautiful. They are of Jon Foreman playing a sort of "aftershow" after a Switchfoot concert. Just Jon, his guitar, and some people who love his music. Can I just say that these videos almost make Jon Foreman my hero? Every time I see him like this or hear his lyrics, he just seems so genuine and honest. And it seems that, like me, he's searching for beauty. Not to mention, his voice sounds just as lovely alone with his guitar as it does on a record. Here is Southbound Train/Only Hope and here is 24. Enjoy!

Until next time,

A sweet award.

Guys, the first trailer for the new Narnia movie ("The Voyage of the Dawn Treader") was released yesterday! I took a break from the web yesterday, so I didn't know until this morning. It's so lovely and exciting. Go here to watch it!

A few days ago, Michelle over at Heart Search gave me this award. Thanks, Michelle!

The Rules:

1. Post about the tag.
2. Pick 10 bloggers who deserve this award.
3. Leave a comment on the blogs of the people you tagged letting them know they were awarded.
4. Answer the questions along with your post.

Questions:
1: Apples, Oranges or Bananas? Apples.

2: How many siblings do you have? One- a brother.

3: How old are you? Nineteen.

4: Do you live on/in a prairie, woodland, swamp, city or other? I guess maybe a woodland? Definitely not a prairie, swamp, or city. =)

5: Scissors or glue? Scissors.

6: Describe your dream house. Wow, that's a whole post in itself. It's a beautiful old two-story farm house. There is a huge wrap-around porch, with rocking chairs and a swing. There is a driveway leading up to it that is lined with trees or hedges. There are several huge trees in the front yard, and one of them has a tire swing hanging from it. There are orchard trees around the house, too. Inside, it's decorated in a quirky vintage style. The walls are painted beautiful colors. There is a library. The kitchen is yellow and white and red. And that's only the beginning. =)

7: Is your room clean? Pretty much. It's a little dusty, but it's pretty orderly.

8: If you could be a movie character for a day, who would you be? Hmm...well, it would depend on what day I would be that character. I would like to be Lizzie Bennet, but not on the day Mr. Collins proposed. =) If it were going to be a good day, I would say Lizzie Bennet or Penelope (minus the pig snout) or Lucy Pevensie.

9: Italy, Greece, France, Spain or England? All of the above. =) I would choose England over the others, though.

10: What denomination are you? Well, I've always gone to a Pentecostal Holiness church, but I'm not a member.

11: Do you sleep with a stuffed toy? Not really. There's one on my bed, though. I used to sleep with one, and I also used to keep every stuffed animal I owned on my bed (which was no easy task).

12: Gum, chocolate, or jelly beans? Chocolate! I chew gum constantly, but I would choose chocolate. I hate jelly beans. Ugh.

13: What is your favorite book? Single book: "Pride and Prejudice," by Jane Austen. Book series: "The Chronicles of Narnia," by C.S. Lewis.

14: Favorite ice cream flavour? Mint chocolate chip.

15: If you had to eat one type of food for two weeks, what would that food be? And not gain weight? Chocolate. =) And gain weight? Peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwiches.

16: What is your favorite Olympic sport? I don't watch the Olympics. I'm not into sports.

17: If you woke up and discovered that you had turned into Miley Cyrus for the day, what would you do? Ugh. Go back to bed and hope that I would wake up the next morning as myself again.

18: Describe yourself in three words. Quirky. Introvert. Vintage.

19: What chore do you hate? Maybe mopping? It's not a chore I have to do around the house, but I've had to do it at work some and I'm not fond of it.

20: If Elmo came into your room with a gun, what would you do? Take it away from him and dispose of it. After all, he can't be very strong or threatening. Then maybe give him a hug, because it sounds like he's having a bad day.

I award this to:
Anyone who'd like it! I would award to individual bloggers, but I've seen this award around and I'm not sure who has already received it and who hasn't. So go ahead and take it if you don't have it! =)

By the way, guys, don't forget that I now have Formspring. If there's anything you'd like to know, go ahead and ask me some questions!

Until next time,

Questions, questions.

Hey, guys. I just wanted to let you know that I now have Formspring. You can ask me questions through the little box on the sidebar or by visiting my Formspring site here. Ask away! =)

Have a lovely Sunday, everyone.

Until next time,

There is a time...

This post will be another random rambling of my thoughts about the past two days...ready? =)

1. Operation Beautiful.
I finally worked up enough courage (and found my Sharpie again). I started my part in Operation Beautiful yesterday. Between these two days, I posted three notes: two in bathrooms, one in a changing room (the one about worth and size), and one yet to be posted. It was so much fun! I couldn't help but smile and feel more positive when I put them up. You guys should totally try this! My mom also put one up that I didn't get a picture of, but it said, "This life was meant to shine! operationbeautiful.com," coming from a line in a new MercyMe song.

Visit Operation Beautiful for more information.

2. Thrift Store Finds.

No, I did not find any amazing vintage clothes while we were thrift store shopping yesterday. Unfortunately, the only clothes people in my town want to get rid of are 1980s-90s styles, and those are definitely not my favorite fashion decades. I mean, I love "Full House," but I can't handle leg warmers, leggings, fuzzy sweaters, and long, shapeless plaid dresses. Maybe I just can't see the potential in less than beautiful clothes. =)

I did, however, find some of my favorite things: Vintage patterns! They're not my exact size, and the envelopes are pretty torn up, but I bought them mostly for the lovely pictures on the front. And my pattern size, by the measurements, is usually a little too large, so I might could fit into these dresses. The aprons would definitely work. They screamed "Lucy Ricardo!" at me, and I had to buy them. I also got a pink 22" zipper for my new dress attempt...29 cents instead of $1.50 at Hobby Lobby. Total: $2.36.

And books! Just what I need, says my poor, stuffed, sagging bookcase. In case you can't tell, it's the second, third, and fourth books of the Anne series (I only had the first book), a 1959 copy of the first Nancy Drew book (I've heard so much about it lately that I want to read some of the books!), and a very old copy of "Jane Eyre," which has a woman's name and the year 1946 written inside the front cover. Total: about $7.50.

3. A New Bathing Suit.

I can't tell you how long I've had my current bathing suit...years. It was a bikini with (immodest) short bottoms, and I felt so uncomfortable in it that I always wore a t-shirt over it. Which is not comfortable. I really wanted to make my own bathing suit this summer, but I don't have time right now, and I would have to order the fabric. So I faced my fear and searched through the Target racks and actually found a pretty modest suit! Here's the top, which is apparently plus-size? Ugh, what a distorted view. If that girl modeling is considered plus-size, then so am I. Here's is a similar skirted bottom, though not the exact one I bought, which is a lot more modest when worn all the way down instead of with the sizes pulled up. I am so happy with it (even though it was expensive for both pieces...me and Mom split the cost)! I was actually planning to be in the pool right now, but we've had a sudden rain storm and a little thunder.

4. Jewelry.

I found a nice, quirky necklace at Target on sale for $10, a long one with dangling pearls, a key, a cameo, and a leaf (I took off the leaf because it was too long and made too much noise), but I don't have a picture. And two of my new jewelry pieces from Etsy came! Here they are:

I adore this one! It has a treble clef charm, a heart, and a pearl. And it was cheap! Here's where I got it.

And this one is so unique. A bird's nest made from wire. Here's where I got it.

5. The Andy Griffith Show.

I am speedily watching through season seven of this show. A few months ago, I got the last season or two that I need to complete the series, and I've been watching through them. Since then, I found a few seasons of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" for a really great price and bought them. I've been trying to rush through TAGS so I can watch "The Dick Van Dyke Show." I'll sometimes just let the episodes play while I'm journaling or online or stuff like that. The other day I watched an episode with the Darling family, which reminded me of this song. I'm not really big on bluegrass. I like the music, but I'm not too fond of the singing. I love this song, though. It's called "There Is a Time." Here's the Darling family's bluegrass version, which I do like:

And Andy's slower, haunting version, which I love:

Until next time,

"The time has come," the Walrus said, "to talk of many things..."

"Of shoes and ships and sealing-wax, of cabbages and kings. And why the sea is boiling hot and whether pigs have wings."

(As mentioned before, I am on a real Alice kick. And I do love that poem. In the 6th grade, I had a teacher who could recite it, and I thought that was amazing.)

Last weekend, my mom found me a DVD of the 1933 version of "Alice in Wonderland." It was just released in March of this year, because of publicity from the new movie. I was really excited about seeing it, and I watched it the other night.

I liked it. It was weird and bizarre, but isn't that what the story is all about? The sets, costumes, and special effects weren't very good (especially when compared to films that came out just years later, like "The Wizard of Oz"). Still, this version includes a lot of obscure bits of the book that other movie versions leave out...even though it doesn't follow the book in order and sort of mixes those parts in. But I was skimming through the book last night (I need to read it again), and some of the lines were word for word.

It has Cary Grant and Gary Cooper. That, in itself, is reason enough to watch. They are covered in makeup/costumes and unrecognizable, but that is beside the point. You see the turtle in the picture below, that has the head of an angry, deranged cow? That is tall, suave, hunky Cary Grant. Gary Cooper is disguised as the sweet, endearing, elderly White Knight. The two are pretty much only recognizable through their voices. Edward Everett Horton (a man who I have seen in countless old movies) plays the Mad Hatter perfectly.

Tomorrow, my mom and I are going shopping. I am incredibly excited about this, because with my work study here lately, the only shopping I've done is a 10 minute run into Hobby Lobby on my lunch break. Also, I'm getting paid for three weeks' worth of work on Monday, and I'm dying to spend some of that money (I'm only partially joking there). Because of some new blogs I've been reading, I have the strong urge to go thrift store shopping. Now, I already shop at thrift stores, but never really for clothing or accessory items. I shop for fun stuff at thrift stores, not fun, practical stuff. I buy records. I looked for a vintage train case to use as a sewing box during the Great Train Case Search (I found one and never posted a picture! I must do that). I have never really thought to look for quirky, vintage clothes or accessories. So tomorrow should be very interesting. =) If I come home best friends with the clearance racks and thrift stores, I will post my finds. If not, there will still probably be a post...maybe involving Andy Griffith and Cary Grant (again)?

You should know that I have a new quest to dress the way I really am. My clothes tend to be a little plain and boring...not quirky and vintage-ish like I am on the inside. I find it hard to step out of my comfort zone and wear something that I think others might find a little strange or unusual, but I'm trying to change that.

Step 1: Order some interesting handmade jewelry from Etsy. Check. I'll post pictures when the packages arrive! =) Burn some more of that paycheck that hasn't arrived yet. Check.

Step 2: Scour the thrift stores and Target clearance racks!

Until next time,

Inspiration, new discoveries, and some projects!

Wow, it has been a long week, guys. And such a short weekend, knowing that I have to go back to work study tomorrow! I don't care what anyone says, working at a child care center is hard work. My knees and ankles are forever hurting from getting up and down or crawling across the floor to capture some nosy little child, because sometimes it's just easier to scoot or crawl than to get up again. I do enjoy it, but it is exhausting!

This morning, I came across three lovely new blogs. They are all so beautiful and inspiring, and I have spent way too much time reading them today, while I'm supposed to be writing an updated/revised fairy tale for College Composition II. Mine is a version of Cinderella set in 1930s/1940s Hollywood. =) Anyway, here are the new blogs I'm following so you can check them out: Bess' Bag, Bramblewood Fashion, and Sewing in the Past. I promise you won't be disappointed. Among other things, these blogs have made me really want to sew, got the song 'Tradition' (from "Fiddler on the Roof") stuck in my head, reminded me of how much I want to see "Anne of Green Gables" again, and given me the strong desire to go thrift store shopping.

Speaking of sewing, here are two orders I made last weekend. This one is a small purse for a little girl whose birthday is next week. Her grandmother asked me to make it for her. It's a small version of the Buttercup Bag.

This clutch is for my cousin's wife's mother, for her birthday. My cousin's wife picked out the fabric-it's printed canvas type fabric from Hobby Lobby-and the large flower pin to put on it.

I lined up the stripes! First time ever. =)

This is my first real embroidery project. I've been on quite an Alice kick lately (the new movie released on DVD Tuesday! I got it and watched it that night. Lovely. My mom found me a copy of the 1933 version yesterday!), and I wanted to do some embroidery. I traced out one of the original drawings from the book onto fabric and started embroidering over it. I just work on it when I have time. Here's where I was at last week:

And here is where I am now:

I'm not too sure about the hair. The color is weird, but I didn't have much to pick from. And it's looking a little Medusa-ish. And the eye and mouth are a little weird. But other than that, I'm really liking it so far! The sleeves are not meant to look filled in. I was just going over the lines on the sleeves. Now it makes it look like I forgot to fill in the bottom of the dress, which I wasn't planning on doing. I haven't decided what to do about it yet.

When it's finished, it's going to be wall art framed in a wooden embroidery hoop. I'll post pictures of the finished project! =)

Until next time,