My tawdry love affair with the Kobo eReader

It’s official. I am in love with the Kobo eReader. I never thought it would happen. I’ve always said I love real books. I love the feel; I love the smell; I love the pretty covers; I love browsing the library to pick them up. But I now have a new love and it’s a little magical tablet that holds all my favorite books in a pretty little case that I can read anywhere.

The funny thing is I don’t even have one of my own. My mom lent me hers and I can’t get enough of it. It’s so easy to read it anywhere! While you walk, at the gym, lying in bed. I don’t get dizzy or lose my place or have my fingers cramp up. And I don’t even feel like I’m looking at a screen. It’s madness! If you have yet to experience its glory – you simply must – whether you have to beg, borrow or steal!

New cardigan & a pattern review

I just completed the finishing touches on a new cardigan. I used McCall’s M5978.

The pattern was quite easy to follow and it offers some cute alternatives such as hand-made flowers and 3/4 length sleeves. I had some slight challenges on the button holes as it was my first time doing them with this machine but they turned out great in the end. The sweater is actually purple but it looks blue in the picture. In any case, I’m really happy with the result and you should definitely give the pattern a try if you are in need of a new cardigan!

My Very First Blogging Award!

I am extremely excited and truly honored to have been nominated for a Versatile Blogger Award. As an actor my friends and family (as well as random acquaintances and the occasional passer-by) have joked about the fact that they wish to be mentioned in my future Oscar/Golden Globe/Emmy speeches. And perhaps one day I will in fact be cramming an over-read, crumpled cue card into the cleavage of my multi-thousand dollar Vera Wang dress so that I don’t make a public spectacle of myself as I accept an award. But that isn’t a goal that I have realistically set for myself. A goal I have set for myself, however, is to entertain and inspire people with my blog. And this award means I have done just that.

To start off, I really have to thank The Rubbe for nominating my little old blog for such a lovely award. It really means a lot! I must also thank my family and friends for constantly allowing me to pause the serving of appetizers and sparkling beverages so that I can snap pictures of my creations. I also owe them many thanks for always inspiring me with a new post when I feel like I have hit a writer’s block. And finally, I send a huge thank you out to each and every reader who has stumbled across my blog. Whether you came for a witty comment or healthy recipe, or even if you typed “nudist at work and at play” and wound up coming across little old me (yes my friends, wordpress does let us know that) I send you a big thank you for your many visits and wonderful comments.

The award involves 4 simple steps:

1.  Thank the award-giver and link back to them in your post.
2.  Share 7 things about yourself.
3.  Pass this award along to seven others.
4.  Contact your chosen bloggers to let them know about the award.

Well, item #1 has already been accomplished so let’s move on to item #2, 7 things about me.

1. It would be an absolute dream to me to make my living entirely off acting, writing and any other creative endeavors.

2. I LOVE buffets more than it is natural for any human to love. I mean – why would I want to scan a menu for a quarter of an hour trying to pick out the thing I want the most when I can just try EVERYTHING!!??

3. I want to travel to every continent and as many countries as humanly possible.

4. When someone introduces me to a new TV show that I like, I have a tendency to fall off the face of the earth as I attempt to watch the whole series in as little time as I can.

5. I will eat absolutely anything with sugar in it. Some of my favorite places in the world are Sugar Mountain and the candy section of the bulk food store. Chocolate makes everything better. One time I even ate an entire Betty Crocker cake mix raw, directly from the bowl – it was quite the accomplishment – not advisable – but an accomplishment none the less.

6. I have been admitted to the hospital twice. Once to get my appendix removed and once because my grandmother put rat poison in my easy bake oven dish and I thought it was candy. It wasn’t. This revelation was disappointing on many levels.

7. I love exercising with friends and family. It is so much fun to stay active and get to know people at the same time.

 

And now for my chosen nominations! Here they are in no particular order:

• Brunch For Every Meal – So witty and clever that I will in fact be baffled if she hasn’t already been nominated several times.
• The Pursuit of Hippieness – Great recipes, wonderful inspirational advice and even some creative DIYs. There really is something for everyone!
• Check My Pulse – A really honest and fun blog about a talented writer’s thoughts on fitness and nutrition.
• The Confidence Chronicles – Such an honest portrayal of one girl’s journey to becoming a more confident and self assured woman. Always entertaining and inspirational.
• Being Zhenya – A great exploration of fashion, style and DIYs. Lots of great tips and tricks!
• Frugal Feeding – So many great recipes that are delicious and affordable!
• Candicepeak – Lots of great advice on staying active and leading a healthy and happy life.

Thanks again to The Rubbe and all y’all. This award really has made my day!

Doing New Things – Item #1: Highland Dancing

I mentioned a few days ago that I was going to finally put some well earned money aside and sign up for highland dancing classes. Well tonight was my first day and it was awesome! The teacher is so helpful, the other students are absolutely lovely and it’s so nice to feel like you’re learning something totally new. And if all that isn’t enough awesomeness for one day – I paid for my 5 month enrollment with my tips from the restaurant so as far as my bank account is concerned – that money never even existed! And I haven’t even mentioned the best part yet…There’s a recital! Yes that’s right folks, a recital. You know that thing you got forced into doing at the end of months of choir practice in the 3rd grade? That’s what I’m going to be doing! It will be slightly nerve wracking but I’m sure my skills will have greatly advanced by then (fingers crossed).

I hope your new years resolutions (or even just general motivation) lead you to some cool new activities this year! And if you have any pass-times to recommend – please let me know as I am always in the market for something cool to do!

Taking a Class

I think it’s so important to keep learning new things and picking up different skills. And even though my jobs allow me to be constantly learning, sometimes I feel work-related learning isn’t quite enough. Sometimes I want to do something totally random and challenging in a completely different way. So here is a list of all the classes I want to try and take over the next year:

- Art classes (painting, pottery)

- Cooking classes (specialty baking…maybe how to make fancy cupcakes!?, cultural cooking – I would love to learn how to make really authentic Indian food)

- Dance classes (of every style imaginable!)

- Language classes (Start with Spanish and knock the rest down one by one)

If you’ve taken any other good kinds of classes that you’d recommend please let me know! I am always in search of new ways to broaden my horizons!

Makeup Organizer

Every since I was a little girl I have always wanted to have my own vanity desk. At first is what just based on the fact that it seemed entirely princess like but then as I grew older I was drawn to the concept of having somewhere to sit and do my makeup instead of having to stand over the bathroom sink. Though my room isn’t really big enough for a desk dedicated to makeup and hair – my mom found an old shelf that would at least give me somewhere to keep all my beauty tools and once I added a mirror to it I had my very own makeup station. Still no chair or princess feel to it but it served its purpose quite nicely. That was until I discovered that such a small space could not house my makeup collection. Eyeshadows would roll off the side and shatter, finding the right blush would require a time consuming unstacking and restacking and many things would just plain go missing. But then when I was in dollarama yesterday I came across a wooden container that was originally designed for desk use. After spending a grand total of 4.50$ I had all the paints, brushes and tools I needed to finally organize my makeup. Within a few hours I had created this:

Which then turned this disaster:

Into this:

My creation is the perfect size to house lipsticks on one side, lip liners and glosses on the other and then eyeshadows underneath. Plus my major blushes and bronzers sit perfectly on top. Now I can find everything easily and not have to worry about things rolling off and breaking. So if you’re in need of a good organizer just hit up your local dollar store and get crafting!

Learning a new language

I would say that I’m one of those people that constantly needs to be learning – and I think a lot of people are like that. If you’re like me and don’t like to ever be bored, I have a new way for you to get your brain going: learn a new language. It’s nice because it’s a hobby that you can do alone or with people. If you want to do it on your own during your down time – that’s great! Or if you want to pick up a class or start a language learning group with your friends – that’s wonderful too!

Right now I’m using an old Spanish textbook I had kicking around to rekindle my linguistic skills. If you aren’t fortunate enough to have a beginner’s language book lying around your home, you can easily find one at your local library. There are also lots of great free podcasts on itunes so you can listen to the language on top of just reading it. If in addition to all that you can find a friend who you can practice speaking with – you will be absolutely golden.

It’s such a rewarding endeavor because at the end of it you’ll be able to communicate with people you might otherwise never have been able to. And there’s always more to learn and more practicing to be done so you never stop being stimulated. It may seem daunting at first but I really hope you get a chance to try learning a new language. I promise it’s worth it!

What about you? Do you have any hobbies you would recommend? I’m always in search of new ways to enjoy my down time!

DIY Headband

Super Quick and Easy DIY Headband

No joke, this will take you less than an hour and doesn’t require that much focus so you can even get other stuff done at the same time. All you need is:

- A piece of leather braiding (you can find this at any fabric store – or if you can’t find any you can just braid together long strips of fabric)

- A piece of flat black elastic

- 2 small squares of black fabric

And then it’s as simple as:

1. Hold leather braiding on your head where you would wear a headband. Cut it to the length of the bony parts just behind your ears.

2. Cut the piece of elastic the length of the gap between where the braided leather pieces don’t touch.

3. With black thread sew the elastic to 1-2 centimeters of the braided leather.

4. Take your squares of black fabric. I used a sewing machine to fold the edges under in order to achieve a cleaner look but this isn’t mandatory. Then you place a drop of hot glue on the inside of the leather braid and press down one side of the fabric immediately. When this is dry, wrap the remaining fabric around the braiding and elastic and glue gun in place. Repeat on the other side. If you don’t have a glue gun this can also be done with a needle and thread.

5. There you have it! A brand new headband for a couple bucks!

My first sewn outfit

So, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I recently received a sewing machine for my birthday. And it brings me great joy to report that today I completed my first outfit on my new machine. Here is my new business/casual dress:

I have wanted an elastic waist dress for so long but didn’t want to spend a lot of money or get one that was really bad quality. I was inspired by the instructions provided here and made the dress for a grand total of 10 bucks! And I had a ton of fun doing it! Wins all around!

Doing yoga in a new place

I definitely believe in the benefits of yoga – the lessons it provides on the value of breathing, stretching and strength are wonderful. But sometimes when I’m 45 minutes into an hour and a half long class I can’t help but stare at the clock and pray it will be over soon. Which lets face it, is the opposite of what you want to feel in a yoga class.
Then when I was away recently and didn’t have access to a gym I decided to do my own personally devised series of yoga moves outside by the water and it was without doubt the most beneficial yoga experience I have had. I was able to gear the whole routine to what I was feeling, target the muscles that needed it and go at it for exactly as long as I wanted to. And doing it in a new place meant there were so many new sights and sounds washing over me.
If you already have experience with yoga I strongly recommend finding a new spot (a park, your back yard, or anywhere else you think might be fun) and go do your own thing. You don’t even have to go with any set time or set moves in mind – just go and listen to your body. If you are new to yoga either take a quick drop in class to get acquainted or even just look up some moves on the Internet and give them a whirl.
It took me a while to get into yoga because sometimes you can get a teacher that isn’t very good and then you feel like you’ve wasted and hour. But if you stick with it long enough you can find the poses you really connect with and create your own routine you can do anywhere! And when there’s no timeline or rules it really gets to be all about you – and that’s relaxing!