Dandelions

Shoes from papaya clothing

The Dandelions are out! As much as we try to get rid of them I cannot help but think they are beautiful!

There were also some beautiful red tulips blooming in front of my dorm.










After some unnaturally warm weather for Michigan things have gone back to normal, making it feel really cold! Looks like tights and sweaters for a little while longer, good thing I don't mind! <3

Off to continue studying for finals next week. One week and a day until I am completely finished with my undergrad!

Have a moment? Take a moment to look at the flowers.

XOXO ~Jackie

Swirl Ring

Happy Tuesday!!

 

I was bored at work the other day and lucky for me I had brought some arts and craft supplies with me. It seems that when I am most bored I create the neatest pieces. Of course the first one right below was the best. When I attempted to create the second one it didn't turn out as well, but still just as adorable! Take a look!

 

Want to make one? 

Here is what you do:

Supplies: Wire, a nail polish bottle to size your ring on, wire cutters and wire pliers.

Step 1: Determine the size you want your ring to be and wrap it around your nail polish bottle twice for a thicker band. (To size I placed a ring of mine on the bottle, marked where the band hit, then placed the wire in that spot)

Step 2: When the two ends meet, wrap them around each other tightly and slowly continue to wrap it to create the swirl around like shown.

Step 3. Take the ring off of the nail polish bottle once you reach the desired swirl size. I placed the ring upside down and pushed on the swirl to flatten it out. 

Step 4: Take the two ends and fold them back into the ring between the two wire bands. 

Step 5: Cut the axcess wire off with the wire cutters and using the wire pliers bend the ends into the ring so that they don't poke you!

Viola! A homemade ring personalized every time!

Bored? Pull out some art supplies, you would be amazed at what you can do.

XOXO ~Jackie

Butterfly Lace

Outfit Details: Sweater, heels, purse: Target. Butterfly shirt: F21. Earrings: gift

Happy Sunday!

I finally got to see Hunger Games today. It was good! However I cannot wait for the Avengers to come out. The preview looked very good!


  It was a beautiful sunny day so decided to dress up a bit!

I love the lace in the butterfly! It is so delicate and sweet When I saw the purse at Target I just had to purchase it!



Off to write a response paper for class. I cannot believe that I have less then two weeks in undergrad!

Have a wonderful start to the week!

XOXO ~Jackie

Spring Trolly

Happy Friday!!

Today was our new school president's inauguration so there was a lot of cool stuff on campus. One of my favorite things were the Trollies!

They were here to shuttle some of the families from the church downtown to Campus. They are just so elegant!

 Never mind my goofy face, but I loved my outfit today! It was perfect for a spring day that was a little more chilly. I got my heart cardigan and black shirt from forever 21and the purple skirt from Target. I wore some cute pale pink flats!

I cannot believe that it is Friday! Only two weeks of school left then it is off to my mission trip in El Salvador!

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Find of the Week!

 There is no doubt about it, Neon is in this spring. I have never been a fan of neon but when I saw this adorable skirt on sale at Target for just $8 bucks I just couldn't resist!

 

I saw the skirt on the racks two weeks before for $25 and just couldn't bring myself to spend the money on something that may be in fashion just for the season. However I waited it out and they were soon on sale! I found that it was because they are see through. Lucky for me I keep a slip laying around for all my thinner skirts and dresses! 

 

 I loved that it came with the bright belt too! I can easily match it to other outfits that I own. 

I found the turquoise sandals at Target and the pink ones at Forever 21. I just love the block color on the pink ones! Both of them I found for a mere $10 dollars!

 I cannot wait to mix and match these brights once it gets a little warmer here in Michigan!

 Have a GREAT weekend!

 XOXO ~Jackie

15 Days!

15 Days until Summer!

I am already starting to study for my final exams. Physiology might be the death of me!
My Easter candy is almost all gone.

Yesterdog

I cannot wait for summer. Dress Weather, Tigers Games, heading home to GR and lounging on the beach of Lake Michigan, nannying my brothers, eating Yesterdog, and coaching swim team!

Comerica. Summer Please

XOXO ~Jackie

Leather Crochet Bracelet

The Boho style is in this season and one accessory that adds to any outfit are these adorable leather bracelets! They are very simple to make and make great gifts! Here is what you do:

Supplies needed: All you need are some leather cord and a crochet hook that you can find at any craft store. I got mine at michaels and my hook was a size 10.

Step 1: Begin with a simple slip not. For those who do not know how to:
A. Wrap the cord around the hook like shown. You want the small end in front and the long part behind.
B. Wrap the long part over the small, and being the hook like shown, there are now two loops on the hook.
C. Scoot the loop up so that the long cord is stuck in the hook. Pull the second loop over it and off the hook.
D. Tighten the knot that formed.
Step 2. Loop the long string behind and over the hook and bring it under the hook.
Step 3. Pull the loop over the string and hook, leaving one loop on the hook.
Step 4. Repeat step two and three until desired length is reached.
Step 5. Carefully take the bracelet off of the hook.
Step 6. If you pull the leftover cord, the bracelet will become completely undone. To prevent this take the end piece and pull it through the last loop made.
Step 7. Tighten this knot to finish off your bracelet!


If my steps are confusing there is a very good tutorial. All this bracelet is is a slip knot and a basic chain crochet, you could easily find it on google!

Fashion Advice: Bright yellow neon polos never look good. Could you tell that I was bored at work?!
Enjoy!

XOXO ~Jackie

My Long Weekend

 We made some homemade jam and oreo cheesecake balls!

I had a great long weekend at my grandmothers! I got to see a lot of my extended family and spend some time with the adorable Pixie up top. I also got to bring some homemade jam back with me to school. I will be having toast for breakfast quite a bit with this stuff!


I even got to see my dear cousin Rachel. Her poor foot was in a boot! For Easter Sunday I wore a dress that I found off of Ebay and I splurged on some Seychelles heels! I am in love <3

 Now it is back to school and studying. I cannot believe that there are only three more weeks left of school before summer! I am gonna have to start working on a summer to do list!

Have a moment! Make some homemade goodies, they will never fail to bring a smile!

 XOXO ~Jackie

Stylish Easter

Happy Saturday! Easter is tomorrow so I thought I would do a quick post on  some Easter styles that LOVE! What is even better about these cute styles is that they are adorable all spring and summer long! I cannot wait to wear my Easter day outfit tomorrow and head to church with the family! Below are some of my favorite styles for the season!

The Three Dresses above and the the left are perfect for Easter Sunday! They are cute yet modest for church and if the day ends up being chilly they can be easily covered with a cute pink or lace cardigan! I found the middle dress and the dress to the left at Forever 21 and found the dress on the left and right at modcloth. What is nice about the dresses is that they can easily be worn throughout the spring and summer!

 

No outfit is complete without shoes and accessories! Above are some adorable shoe options that I found at modcloth. I wish that I wasn't a poor college student so that I could afford these stylish pumps! To the right are some adorable accessories that I also found on modcloth! The bunny ring is my favorite! IT is just perfect for Easter! 

I just love dressing up for Easter but of course that is not the most important thing happening that day! Don't forget to to remember why we celebrate Easter and take time to hang out with your family (of course look adorable doing it!)

Have a moment? Decorate some Easter Eggs with your family!

XOXO ~Jackie

Way down to Kokomo

I love traveling and visiting relatives and yesterday I spent most of my day driving down to Kokomo to visit my Grandmother for the weekend!

The drive through Michigan was absolutely beautiful. Many of the trees were in full bloom and covered in leaves! The sun was shining and the windows were down, a perfect drive!

However as soon as I hit Indiana it was nothing but corn fields! Once I got of the main highway I drove down a little country road for a good half an hour. The drive was very pretty and relaxing, I was the only one on the road!
A lot of the farmers were out with their big tractors working on the fields.  It was a lovely drive!

Shirt, forever 21. Skirt, Shoes, sunglasses, necklace Target.

When it comes to long car rides picking the right clothes to wear can be hard. You want your outfit to be cute yet comfortable! 
For my car ride I chose a simple cotton skirt and top. I try to avoid jeans because they are tight and hot! I also pick a pair of comfy easy to slip off shoes because I prefer to drive bare foot!
I never forget my ipod on long car trips and sunglasses, especially on the sunny day that I drove, are a must!

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Friday Find!

I got lucky this week and found a whole adorable outfit for under $20!

I found this adorable black polka dot dress at Wet Seal, you cant see it in this picture but that back is open and is shaped like a heart. It is absolutely precious!

I found the belt at wet seal as well. It was on the sale rack for buy one get one free for $3! I got another adorable belt as well.

I found the shoes at target for $5.75 bringing the total outfit cost to just $18.75!
 I just love pairing red with black and white polka dots. They add a little pop and make the outfit even more adorable! I cannot wait for some warmer weather to wear this around!

Driving somewhere today? Take a moment to look out your window and appreciate the scenery!  

XOXO ~Jackie

Love Letters

There is nothing that I love more than looking in my mail box and finding a letter for me from a friend or relative.  As easy as it is to keep in touch via phone or email, there is something special about a handwritten letter sent via snail mail.

My wonderful aunt Cheeri writes letter so to me all the time. I love writing her back and one way that I make the letters more personal is by making homemade envelopes!

To make one yourself you will need:
Glue, scissors, a writing utensil, the sized envelope that you want to make, and some pretty paper (I got mine at Michael's, I would use scrap booking paper because it is thicker, making your envelope more sturdy, and it is large enough to make the envelope).


Step one. Take the old envelope and carefully peal it open. Using a letter opener also helps prevent you from tearing the envelope up!

Step Two: Place the envelope on your paper so that the design is how you want it (I wanted my stripes to go right down the middle so had to adjust the placement a bit), and trace along the old envelope

Step 3. Cut your tracing out.

Step 4. Fold the sides in so that they line up along the edges  like shown.

Step 5. Glue the two side flaps on top of the bottom flap. To make sure I only got glue where I needed it, I traced along the edges of the side flaps so that when I opened them I could see where glue was needed. Then fold the sides and stick them tight: Viola! Your very own homemade envelopes!





I love getting letters in homemade envelopes in the mail. They are so colorful and pretty!

Have some spare time? Write someone you love a letter.

XOXO ~Jackie

Home Away From Home

  

Home Away From Home
      Making your dorm room feel like home

Chemistry Department

I know that it is almost the end of the semester and people will soon be going back home for the summer, but I thought I would give a little tour of my home away from home and throw out a few tips on making your space more you!

Contemplation

One of my favorite places on campus is the rocking chair on the second floor of the library. The view of the mall area is breathtaking and offers good distraction when I want to avoid studying or want to get away to think!

My dorm hall is the oldest building on campus, and the prettiest building of all! I love my hall and my room and I have had all year to make it uniquely me.

One thing that I did to make my dorm room a little more unique was decorate my door. I am an RA and all of the RAs of my hall made tags for each other, making the door special and easy for residents to find if they have any quesitons!

I make my room more me by placing some of my accessories as decorations, and it doubles as storage! I place my more colorful shoes under my table and some of my hats around my room to make a pile of books or the top of my microwave a little cuter!

Lighting is an easy and cute way to personalize any room. I personally love the soft pink glow of multicolor Christmas lights so made sure to place them around the ceiling of my room and along a few shelves to give my room a nice soft glow!

Posters are a must in making a room more personable. I have a lot of my favorite paintings and photographs up around my room including "Kiss the War goodbye," "Starry Starry night," "First Kiss," and some printed paintings of my favorite artist Leonid Afremov. I use them to fill any blank walls that I may have. I also fill blank walls with some of my favorite quotes or own artwork. This is much cheaper then buying a bunch of posters!

Remember, every space has potential. All you need to do is bring a little you into it!

Outside my Window

One of my favorite parts of my room is the view outside my window. On warmer days there are students sitting at the tables and on the grass doing homework and it is even more lovely with leaves on the trees!

Have a wonderful Tuesday! Have a moment? Take a look outside your window.