time to get my pinterest on.

happy sunday afternoon, folks.  i hope it's been a good weekend for you all.  next weekend i'm heading to the beach with the fam to ring in the first of the wonderful red-white-and-blue holidays of the summer months: memorial day.  while the 4th of july remains my favorite holiday (naturally), i celebrate any excuse to deck out in some patriotic gear.

in order to catch as many rays as possible over the weekend, the 'rents are stopping by my apartment to pick up macy so that i don't have to double back once i'm already at work on the day we're leaving.  coming back to pick up the fluffy puppy would put me about an hour behind so they're really helping me save time (and gas!).  sweet of them, right?  right.  

HOWEVER, this means i had to do some major cleaning and organizing this weekend.  i was running beyond empty on friday, but after some much needed sleep, i was ready to tackle my mess.  by saturday evening, the layer of procrastination that was covering my furniture was gone, the bathrooms smelled like bleach once again, and the clutter was organized.  for the most part.

[side note: this organization does not include the second bedroom which i have dubbed as my extra closet. a girl needs a lot of closet space, okay?  and i need a solid week to make a dent in that room.  it can wait for now.]

anyways, one organizational headache that has been waiting since february is that of my jewelry.  i have the select pieces that i wear on a routine basis in accessible piles, but everything else was in a hot tangled mess.  after brainstorming what i could do (besides toss it all out), i decided it was time ... it was time to get my pinterest on.

and get my pinterest on i did.

just some of the tangled mess.

after photographing the hideous proof, i got to work.  not only did i separate everything so i could see what i was dealing with (and of course, take a few trips down memory lane as i came across the sentimental pieces), i hit the stores to gather materials.

supplies

i had seen a DIY jewelry organizer on pinterest using a bulletin board and i thought with some paint to match my bedroom decor, this could be an inexpensive solution.  i bought the paint (color: espresso), foam brushes, and board.  i have about a bazillion pins leftover from college so i was all set in that department.

who doesn't love a magnetic chalkboard?

while i was gathering these things, i found a magnetic chalkboard that i thought would be perfect for another pinterest project i had seen: the magnetic makeup organizer.  after buying magnets, some glittery ribbon (i couldn't resist ... i'm just not that mature yet), and the magnetic board, i was set.

step one: tape the inside

i made sure to put tape down inside the wooden part of the bulletin board in case my paint ran (which i was sure it would due to my lack of painting skillz) and then i slathered that thing, espresso style!  

chalkboard with glitter ribbon

while my paint was drying, i glued my ribbon to the outside edges of my magnetic chalkboard and attached the magnets to the makeup i use most often (ie: mascar, powder, lip gloss, blush, brushes, etc.).  

organized makeup!

once i was done gluing the magnets, i attached the chalkboard to a wall in my bathroom with only minimal holes in the wall (i'll deal with those holes another day) ... and then i stuck all my magnetic makeup on the board in an organized, easy-to-access fashion!

once that unnecessary-but-oh-so-fun! project was done, i returned to my jewelry bulletin board and touched up the paint with a few extra coats.  after everything was dry and i was satisfied with the color, i attached the board to the wall with much improvement (and fewer holes!).  when everything was secured, i pinned my sorted necklaces up on the board.  and while it only organizes the necklaces i'd actually wear and it doesn't even make a dent in the rest of my accessories, it's a start, right?

organized necklaces!

in conclusion, i hope you have a very happy, pinterest-style-organized, patriotic memorial day!  xoxo.

the life of a camp counselor: exposed

while it is true that i am no longer a camp counselor, i still think of myself as one.  maybe that feeling never goes away for those of us that grew up on the mountain (or at the beach ... or in the woods ... or wherever your particular camp is located), but when i hear things about camp, i immediately think people are talking about my camp.

the best camp.  the only true camp in my book.  and no, i'm not being cocky.  if you disagree, you clearly haven't spent a summer up on the cheerio mountaintop.

that place grabs hold of you and you'd do anything you can come august not to let go.  the sincerely caring spirit and truly optimistic attitude gets in your system and you really think it's strange when you come back to civilization and strangers aren't waving at you as you walk by.  we always used to think 'camp is so weird' ... but maybe it's not.  maybe the real world is weird and we were just blessed to be in a place where people genuinely like one another and there's no such thing as a bad day ... just great days, and even better days.

anyways, getting to the point of the post.  my sweet cousin (also a veteran camper and counselor) shared this website with me today and i almost fell out of my chair.  the accuracy with which it portrays the life of a camp counselor is spot on, while the things that are pinpointed are so hysterical you can't help but crack up.  i don't know about you, but i'm bookmarking this website to bring out the next time i need a quality dose of camp.

http://allidoiscampcampcamp.tumblr.com/

here are some of my favorites from the website:  

making a difference: librarian style

sometimes the smallest things make the largest difference. i've heard that so many times, but over the past year or so this is something that i have truly come to believe.  without this belief, i don't think i'd be able to really be happy at any job.

i might not know the difference i'm making each day and i guess to be fair, i might never know if i really did make a difference ... but in my occasional moment of optimism, i like to believe it's happening.

if you ever get to the point where you also question the difference you might be making (when my point happens, my mother always reminds me ... hence the blogpost), remind yourself of the starfish story (youtube video below - thanks mama gill for the link!).

it's a story i'd heard before at camp cheerio as a camper and counselor, but thinking about it as an adult was a different experience altogether. it transformed from being a sweet tale of doing good things for others (side note: i didn't always get the meaning of motivational stories when i was younger) to being something that really inspired me.

as a teen librarian, will i find the cure for cancer? no. will i sign bills into law that will give equal rights to all? no. will i figure out a way to make republicans, democrats, penguins, and llamas all get along? to borrow an expression from my dear friend cher horowitz from clueless, as if.

but i'm still making a difference. i don't exactly know what difference it is and i'll probably never see it, but just like the wind, i know it's there. (too much sap? apologies.)

[excuse the semi-strange photos of the short shorts and old people.]

also, just for the record, i won't cure cancer, make laws, or figure out how to make political world peace. but you can bet your bottom dollar that i can find you a book about it. 

enough reading my ramblings. go find your starfish and give it a toss.

get your funny on.

sometimes we have bad days, right?  right.

unless of course you're one of those overly sunshine and rainbows type of people ... i guess those types don't have bad days.  but we (and by we, i mean the rest of us normal people) collectively look upon those people with a suspicious eye.

for the rest of us who sometimes get into a grumpy funk and need some cheering up, here's something i find works for me:  http://www.uselesshumor.com/

after a few thorough guffaws, my mood is usually much improved.  and if whatever random posts i stumble upon don't do the trick, i can always count on the gems below, all from the useless humor website (click on the pictures for the specific posts).  enjoy!

also, if for some reason these don't make you laugh or at the very least crack a smirk (not even a smile people ... just a smirk), i highly recommend not coming to me when your day is full of gloom. i can promise you that my awkward attempts at humor are guaranteed to fail.