Upcycle - Repurpose - Make - Do!

If you are a faithful reader, you know I like to upcycle whatever I can find.  I'm not over the top, but reasonable.  I've made my own gigantic chalboard, I like crafts, painted crappy old dressers, and so on.  I like to make something old look beautiful, something broken like new, and make something out of nothing.

About a month ago, I went to a "maker fair" called Re:Make with a friend here in Austin.  It was hosted by Brit + Co from San Fran.  They're all about making and doing.  Getting your hands on to projects, and trying to grow your creative brain.  They had a few hands-on projects and I even got to MAKE A NECKLACE!

 



I've gotten several compliments and it's pretty fantastic to say "Thanks, I made it!". 

{PS Ladies, Don't Be Afraid To Take Compliments!}

I definitely stuggle a bit with "creativity" but doing little crafts like this helps me to expand my mind.  My friend Lisa, is definitely helping me along with opening up my eyes, she is so fun and creative!  Maybe I need to start doodling again?  Anywho...

While at the fair, we got to meet tons of local artisans who love the idea of making things.  This was not a flea market, but a very curated event with dedicated makers who make quality products from the heart.  It ranged from jewelry, to food, to paper and clothing goods, and more.  It was fantastic to see passionate people following their dreams!

I have since been keeping my eye on Brit + Co's website and came across this article:  100 Ways to Repurpose.  Some of the projects are a bit out there, but lots of them are totally do-able, like making your own jewelry and decor! 

And I am TOTALLY going to do #62 (USB Message in a Bottle)...yeah I might be married to a tech genius ;) 

Take a look at this list.  TRY SOMETHING.  Don't let your creative juices run out! We need to embrace our younger years of finger painting and infinite imagination. 

I encourage you to check out the list and look around her site.  It has everything from makeup ideas, to workouts, to projects.  I'm sure you could kill some time learning a little something outside the gossip of social media.  Report back with a project you'd like to try, OR something you've completed!

Oh, the Places You'll Go??

As much as you might not believe it, I have an incredible lust for travel.  Sadly, my stingy and responsible nature prevails and I'm often left still yearning to leave wherever I'm at.  It's not that I want to go live in Thailand by myself, I just want to travel and see things that are much more interesting than the very "new-world" United States.  I often let my ideas of my far-off future dictate my plans for right now.  AKA - making money at a steady job to eventually buy a house...  Instead of being jobless and travelling abroad.

My mind is fueled by inspiration of people who did just that.  I want to share three of my favorite movies with you.  It all started with Into The Wild.  A brilliant student who gives up everything to go live in the Alaskan Wilderness.  Then came The Way.  A story about a father travelling the Camino de Santiago.  This really sparked my interested in long journeys, pilgramages, and getting out of the city and on to the ground.  And most recently, although in a bit of a different category, The Way Back, where prisoners escape from impossible conditions in Siberia and walk 4,000 miles to safety in India. 

The first and last stories are based on true events.  I would also highly recommend reading Into the Wild, as the author has a passion for people who choose the same path of deserting their lives for severe simplicity.  And another life changing book, The Alchemist, is a must read for every one.  It is a very quick read, but potent and powerful.  It talks about following "your personal legend".  Essentially, doing exactly what I'm not {ouch}.  Following your heart to the maximum and not settling for anything less. 

I have a friend from my hometown who is the perfect example.  Most recently, he has climbed Kilimanjaro, adventured in Ireland, and reached the base camp of Everest.  He's in his mid-twenties and completely driven by adventure and success in the manner of achieving his personal legend.  He has an amazingly positive attitude and without knowing it, motivates me (and I'm sure others) to follow their hearts and accomplish what you thought might be impossible.  He is the epitome of "work hard, play hard". 

Not everyone can go climb a mountain, but we can each take a lesson in dreaming, being open minded, and not limiting ourselves to the norm.  Plenty of people out there have accomplished feats they never imagined.  Give yourself the chance to cross another line off of your bucket list.  Whether you're twenty or sixty, make sure you leave behind a story worth sharing.  I know I'm trying.

Where Do You Sleep?

For the first five years of our relationship, we slept in a full-sized bed.  FULL SIZED.  Like, smaller than a queen size.  My husband is six-foot-three.  Picture THAT! 

It started in the fraternity house, where the bed was affixed to the wall and hung up with chains.  Classy, right?  It was better than my twin sized dorm bed, though.  I had to crawl up there from the top of the little refridgerator.  Or jump up there from a coffee table.  Fun stuff, when you're just over five feet tall! 

Then we moved in together and gratefully took a hand-me-down bed and frame from my family.  It had a headboard with little cupboards for storage and was easy to take apart for our several moves over the next few years.  It is slowly deteriorating from all of our moves, but it's still holding up!  The frame was originally my uncle's from who-knows-when. 

Enter:  Tax Return in 2013.  We found out that we were getting a nice amount back and decided to make our first "big kid" purchase (besides cars) and buy ourselves a new bed.  We never thought we would want a king size bed.  We always thought it would feel much too big.  But after a few test runs in stores, we decided, if we're going to spend the money, just GO BIG. 

And we'll never go back!  We ordered online (which saved some cash) and came away with a nice Sealy pillowtop and mattress protector delivered straight to our bedroom.  And in turn, our old bed became a nice addition to our guest bedroom, instead of my {very comfortable} futon from college. 

We missed the boat on becoming *real* grownups though...  We didn't purchase a bed frame because it was on backorder (and still haven't).  So our fancy king sized bed rests comfortably on our bedroom floor!  It doesn't bother us and it takes up less space, so until we buy a house, it will probably continue to reside on our carpeting :) 

We love having room to stretch out, have extra pillows, watch movies with snacks, etc. in our big bed.  And eventually, I know we'll love having space for pets and kids to snuggle up with in the future.

What about you?  Where do you sleep?