Wease on Life

Monthly Cleaning and Christmas and Promises

2014-12-26T14:09:00.000-08:00

Trying to mark the beginning of the new year with hope and new possibilities. Wanting to start planning things more seriously, and making more manageable goals. This year will be the year I do better! I WILL BE BETTER!!!

And with that start I suggest to anyone wanting to new cleaning schedule to check Strawberry Mommycakes website for maintaining a clean home. LINK
She has a nice pretty FREE printable for anyone that wants to print it out. But for me.. I lack pretty colors in my printer so I wrote all the tasks down in my planner, it also ran off into my next year's planner. I'm going to try my hardest to keep to it! I'm going to try my hardest to not get distracted and not procrastinate! And not be lazy and unmotivated! I'm serious when I say I will try my best, this new year I will be better then this year. And I'm going to try my hardest to stick to that promise.

My planner is falling apart! Can't wait to use my new one! :)

Christmas was lots of fun this year, but of course there were the ups and downs of the day.

Favorite part which is probably silly, but my Grandma gave my boyfriend his own present. It was a silly magnet thing with nuts and bots, just something fun to put on the desk. But in the 6 year's we've been dating he's never been seen as anything other then a attachment to me. Which isn't bad, but it bothered him. My grandma had her reasons, she has loads of girls as grandkids. So boyfriends tended to come and go, I totally get my grandma's logic. But this really made him happy, and in turn made me happy as well.

Least favorite part of the day, dad jabbing jokes at me for being a vegan (again). It wouldn't have bothered me as much, as it usually doesn't bother me. But it was while I was trying to make breakfast and then he decided to cook his bacon right at that time right next to my pan. I shielded my scrambled tofu of course, but getting spattered by bacon grease all on my arms and chest and then being joked with. Well.... lets just say it's could of gone way smoother.
(FYI : I've been vegan for 3-4 years now and the jokes never stop. If someone says it will get better, chances are they are right. But please understand the jokes NEVER stop and sometimes things only get a little better)

Now for some pictures! :D

Me, Tom (the boyfriend), and my lovely sister

My sister explaining the the Mitten Crate is to my dad

This was actually a really cool gift! So if you are anyone that loves your own state, I'm sure there is a box out there of you. BUT this is just for people that love Michigan or just want to support products made in the USA. It's like any other monthly box thing, except everything in it supports and comes from the makers in Michigan. Dad got popcorn and jerky, marshmallows and hot cocoa, spicy mustard and a couple other things. Check out there website --> Here

This is my crazy extended family! :P I love them all sooooo much!

There was lots of fun to by had with my extended family. I don't know how my cousin Jen can host christmas every year, but she does a really good job of it. The Lauren (in the picture) had her engagement picture put on a blanket. Super sweet idea and as you can see, she literally danced with joy! Little kids running around in super cute dresses and Jen's been trying to make me vegan options for all the family get togethers this year. Which really means a lot to me! Her husband even helped out and we learned Rachael Ray brand veggie broth has cheese in it. What the heck!??!?!

Tom and I watching all the excitement (also my sister got me this sweater! Super cute!)

Now I get to relax and tidy up a bit and then get all crazy again for NEW YEARS!!! I still have no idea what I'm taking to my friends party! GGGAAAHHHHHH!!! But I'll figure it out soon!

Hope you all had a Happy Festive Holiday! And HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

The Tin Project #6

2014-12-16T17:15:00.002-08:00

So this post is gonna be pretty short, I had planned for it to be longer and greater and all around better. But things aren't working out that way. I have big plans coming up for the blog, new challenges to look forward to, then there's the holidays and keeping up with everything. So with that being said. This task was really easy, and I'm probably a month late on the update.

It was to vacuum.... and I had my boyfriend do it. It was a while ago so I don't remember why, but I probably asked him to do it. Knowing me I probably planned a full day and then something stupid popped up.

Hi boyfriend

I have already picked my next project, but due to the holidays and all my income going to that. I haven't been able to work on it. It's been a while now... and I'm getting antsy wanting to pick another project from the all mighty TIN. But I know the rules, this must be completed first.

Look at our cute little tree!

In the mean time we've been decorating and getting all the gifts wrapped up.

I hope you all are having a great holiday and a happy new year!

The Tin Project #5 Run for 10 Minutes

2014-11-10T19:59:00.001-08:00

Yes I want to work out! Yes I want to be fit! BUT!! I'm lazy... and winter is coming.. and the blankets and netflicks are calling my name. And so I put workout outs in my tin to make sure I stay active and don't turn into a totally potato.

I haven't ran in so long. I donated my old running shoes (needed new one anyway) and all my workout clothes are for summer. So I just used the elliptical that we have in the house.

10 minutes on that and a nice shower afterward, and I was feeling pretty good.

Also I'm a bit of a podcast nut, so I was listening to Freakonomics Radio.

I learned about how pin ball machines where outlawed in New York till 1977! Pretty interesting stuff!

So since today's task was pretty lax. I'm going to recommend you my current obsessions.

I'm a big lover of interesting history. And sex and violence are great selling point in this historical drama. But if I had my way, all the ladies would have hairy legs and armpits. Because I highly doubt shaving was a big thing back then. *grumble grumble grumble* Other then some historical inaccuracies I really liked The Tudors. (on the last season!)

Now I love podcast apps. LOVE THEM! I'll listen to them all day at work. I was very sad when my past one ended. But I found a new one and it is amazing and full of so many podcasts that update everyday I use it. So I never have a shortage of things to listen to. It's called Podcasts and you can get it free at the App Store on iTunes.

That's all I have for today! Today was a great day for me, and I hope it was a great day for you!

The Tin Project #4 Illustrate From a Paragraph in a Book

2014-11-09T16:31:00.002-08:00

I pulled this one in August....and finished it last month (October). I was excited to start, mostly because I had the perfect idea and image AND I was reading Bram Stoker's Dracula (which I still have to finish). But this one paragraph stood out far more then any other parts I had read already. It was dark and deep and disturbing, giving me beautiful visuals and ideas.

Well it's a little more then a paragraph.
" "You ourself never loved; you never love!"
On this the other women joined, and such a mirthless, hard, soulless laughter ran through the room that it almost made me faint to hear; it seemed like the pleasure of fiends. Then the Count turned,
after looking at my face attentively, and said in a soft whisper:
"Yes, I too can love; you yourselves can tell it from the past. Is it not so? Well, now I promise you that when done with him you shall kiss him at your will. Now go! go! I must awaken him, for there is work to do done."
"Are we to have nothing tonight?" said one of them, with a low laugh, as she pointed to the bag which he had thrown upon the floor, and which moved as thought there were some living thing within it. For answer he nodded his head. One of the women jumped forward and opened it. If my ears did not deceive me there was a gasp and a low wail, as of a half-smothered child. The women close round, whilst I was aghast with horror; but as I looked they disappeared, and with them the dreadful bag. "

So if anyone has read the book or knows basic information on Dracula you know he has 3 wives (well at least in this book). One is mentioned to be fair of skin and have blonde hair, while the other two I assume to have the standard Romanian traits. Which google has showed me to be dark hair, dark eyes and a olive to tannish skin color. I tried to look up time period clothing for the 18th century for Romanian women, also what there beauty standards were back then. Sadly Google took that and showed me lots of sexy ladies that were NOT from the 18th century. So thanks Google...

So this picture took me 3 months to complete. I was excited, scared, worried, but mostly I waited so long to start because I didn't want to give myself even the slightest chance to make a crappy picture. And not giving myself a chance meant not starting to begin with. For one whole month I did nothing but worry about how it would look or HOW it should look or where to start. I was scared about drawing a whole room and then filling that room with people and objects. I know I'm not very good with persecutive or angles, and how would I draw a person that was pretending to be asleep? Or get the right angle to show the baby bag on the floor or ever show Dracula's face? It all just made me even more scared and paralyzed to start. After a while, I gave myself a break and decided it was okay to do a concept type drawing.

I wanted to show the control Dracula had over his brides, as well has showing the burlap bag and the craving these vampires had to feed. It's sad to think that 3 grown lady vamps had to share one infant and then to think how hungry they must really be.

So after I gave myself a mental break, I started my process.

Step one: Sketch it out. I decided the less detail the less overwhelming it would be.

Step two: Adding a little more detail and fixing some things. Like the hands where to close in the last one. Added blood for effects.

Step three: Search Google for some pictures to collage into your concept of what you want your drawing to be. Be prepared to search for hours for the right angles.

Step four: My friend Helen (Atlanta Artist) told me when you sketch to always start out with blue. Used mostly for scanning purposes, but I use it for digital to. It also helps for when you put darker lines over.

Step five: Ink the darker final type lines over the messy blue sketch. I'm still working on digital stuff, so I'm not amazing but I'm not the worst. I had to keep reminding myself that I'm not good enough yet to be disappointed, and just reminding myself of that helped me push forward.

Step six: Adding the dark background and filling in the hands and worked on the floor.

Step seven: Filled in the dresses and hair and bodies.

Step eight: Finished up the baby bag and added more of a lighting effect. And then I was DONE!!! YAY!

I would say for not drawing digitally in a while, I did pretty good. I'm really proud of myself for finishing this and not leaving another project in the project graveyard.

So let me know what you think! Please don't rip me apart, that's not what I'm asking for. But if you got any great tips, tricks, or tutorials, please leave them in the comments! I would love to hear them.

The Tin Project #3 Napkin Rings

2014-11-05T18:17:00.000-08:00

I've always dreamed of having a nice home one day, one where I can throw fancy parties. One where maybe napkin rings and place cards will be involved! OH THE FANCINESS!!! A girl can dream right?

Well after being online and seeing COUNTLESS tutorials on how to make your own napkin rings. I decided to put it in the tin and behold I randomly got it!

I didn't follow any tutorial in particular, just because there is soooo many out there. I kinda just looked about and puzzled together a way in my head. Now on a side note... I have noooo need for napkin rings. I live in my parents basement and we aren't known for throwing fancy parties, but I wanted to feel fancy in my little basement space. SO KELLEY MAKES WHAT KELLEY WANTS!
Here is a quick tutorial your's truly has sketched up for you.

This is my final product! Why is there only 3 you ask!?!?!? Well I got super pissed at one and threw it away! Needless to say I wanted these to be perfect and amazing and awesome, but that didn't happen. They are rough and uneven and bumpy in some parts, but they are still useful and the project was still a great learning experience. I'll never get better at crafts or anything else if I don't make some bad attempts first.

Have you even failed at a project but happy you did it anyway?

The Tin Project #2 Volunteer at a Animal Shelter

2014-10-24T19:02:00.001-07:00

I would just like to say I love animals, and I was really looking forward to this task! But... things did not go as planned. I had never volunteered at an animal shelter before, so I was nervous. Didn't know where to look, didn't know how to proceed, didn't know where to start. Didn't help that the more I looked... the more confused I got. Why can't I just walk into an animal place and help out and then that be that! Good deed done in all!

Needless to say all the anxiety and nervousness was not helping my procrastination. AND my 6year anniversary was around the corner at this time AND the holidays to.

Like most dogs, my baby boy (aka parents dog) Buster gets very nervous and shaky when it comes to the 4th of July, which also so happens to be my anniversary.

My baby boy

He would have panic attacks in the middle of the night, or sometimes while we weren't home and claw at our bedroom door in the basement. He's actually clawed out a pretty big piece, and at one point had started bleeding.

So at this point I just couldn't stand to be around animals. Not that I didn't love them anymore, but that I had been made into a nervous wreak by my dog. He had panic attacks before and weeks and weeks after the 4th of July. I'm talking crying super loud at the door, clawing the door, trying to jump on the bed at multiple times of the night. Didn't help that Tom and I have to be up by 6AM for work. And he gets kinda snappy when he's nervous to so the whole cuddling thing didn't work. So that didn't help.... and I was at my wits end.

So I thought I would help my dog, that was as good as I could get. We started letting him in our room, and we got him a calming collar . The collar actually helped a little bit and at some point he did stop all together. So I would highly recommend it!

I would have loved to get him some meds or a thunder coat or something more helpful but I'm a poor art graduate living in my parents basement. So this was the best I could do, and after the month and some of anxiety and nerves I had decided this experience counted. It would have to, because I physical would not be able to deal with another whining, crying, nervous animal. I would of probably balled up in a corner and cried till I pasted out. Because like my dog, I to am prone to panic attacks.

The Tin Project #1 Taking it Slow

2014-10-22T17:42:00.002-07:00

So the first thing I actually got trying the Tin Project out was –Taking it slow-

Which I thought was funny, but you have to think of it in a way that works. My life and I’m sure many of your lives are busy. Constantly working, chores, kids, and then life in general fly’s down and slaps you around just when you think you’re getting it all together. So this was something I put in my tin. Relaxing is important and even though life can get a bit busy and stressful, it’s always good to plan some relax time. But who in their right mind would PLAN relax time?.....I would…

Many people can just relax and then go about their day like nothing happened. I wish I could be that person, relaxing would be so much easier. Thing is I relax when everything tasked for the day in my planner is complete. That means I work, even after I leave my job. Whether it be on the blog, my crafts, or cleaning and learning something new. Though I do enjoy all those things, it’s still work. I’ve been trying to leave my weekends open for relaxing, but work still tends to find its way there. So when I got this tasks from my tin, I did one tiny chore and then relaxed.

I grabbed some root beer and I played minecraft all night. Now that is relaxing, I don’t get days like that enough.

Task Complete!

How are some ways you relax? Do you have to plan relax time to?

Procrastination Hibernation

2014-10-21T18:14:00.000-07:00

I hope to be coming out of my procrastination hibernation, and getting more motivated and back on track (again). I am really sorry I’ve been gone for so long, many things have happened! And so my life was a bit out of hand for a bit. BUT! I come back with stories!

I guess it's time to get up now.

One thing for certain is that that Tin idea is working out perfectly. Although some progress has been slow…. Like months slow. But with each little tasks complete I feel a little bit better and less afraid to jump into a project I may have no skill at. And slowing learning that it’s okay to not be perfect at everything. Which for me is really hard and scary. Anyway! So far I have completed 6 tasks from my Tin, with probably at this point hundreds to go.. since I’m always writing down new things…

-Take it Slow

-Find a couples versions of “would you rather”

-volunteer at an animal shelter

-Make Napkin Rings

-Illustrate from a paragraph in a book

I’m going to try to make a blog post for every tasks I do, and hopefully from sharing how I feel about it and how I struggle at some things will help someone else to. If not, then I hope it’s just lots of fun and full of silliness for you!

The Tin and ADHD

2014-08-03T12:04:00.002-07:00

So I’ve been really busy lately or… not busy at all just lazy. I’ve actually been trying to work on a new system for me and all my projects and things that I want to do. Not many people know, but I have ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). I was supposed to grow out of it but I don’t think I did. And for a while I went through the whole “there’s no such thing, ADHD isn’t a real, it’s just hyper kids with no outlet”. From High School till my last year of college that’s how I felt about it. I simply thought my parents hadn’t put me in enough activities, or that none of my teachers really put in the time to help me understand things. I placed a lot of blame where it didn’t belong, and now 2 years out of college, with no homework or college life to keep me distracted and in line, I find myself bouncing around blindly from task to task.

I do believe I grew out of the hyper part of ADHD, I’m actually super mellow. Now I just think I have normal ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), which is the same thing but no large amounts of random energy. Though I still have a problem with restlessness and impulse actions, must of the time this becomes an issue if I become highly frustrated or annoyed. But I digress, what I’m trying to say is people with this disorder have a very hard time staying organized and on track. The ironic part about all this, is that I love organization… or the idea of it anyway.

I know myself well enough to know when I’m fooling myself, and because of this I “mom” myself a lot.

“No Kelley you can’t do that”

“Kelley why haven’t you started on that project yet”

“Kelley get up and stop watching TV, you don’t even like this show”

“Why are you still on Facebook, it’s nothing but complaining anyway, what are you looking for?”

It’s goes on and on, but you get the idea. I’ve been working really hard to try and find a plan that works for me, something to keep me on track and focused. Because I know how bad my life can be if I didn’t care, I know how unorganized and how unhappy I would be if I didn’t do anything. And to me, that’s the scariest thing there is. That’s my version of a nightmarish hell. I watch shows like Hoarders or Buried Alive to remind myself of this fact. I’ve tried a lot of different strategies to keep myself focused, most have derailed… and it doesn’t take much for me to get derailed. I could say my boyfriend moving in or my grandma giving me 12 mini canvases to paint or the kitchen being to messy derailed me from my blog and whatever scheduled lifestyle I had then, but it could have been something else entirely.

If I’ve learned anything about myself, it’s that I like things to be planned ahead of time and scheduled. If some event jumps out of nowhere, I have a hard time dealing with it. I’ll have days where nothing is planned and days where my day is booked and if something comes up out of the blue on a booked day, two things will happen.

A. I will try my hardest not to go to said event, if it’s not extremely important that I be there or…

B. I will go, but be annoyed at first. Do whatever the event is and then there’s a 75% chance my scheduled life will slowly decline to laziness nothing or I will rush to finish the things I was supposed to do that day. 50/50 chance if that works and doesn’t all fall apart.

And with saying all that, I should add I’m surround by spontaneous people whether it be friends or family. My life would make a wonderful comedy sitcom. I do love them all dearly, but sometimes it does make having a concrete schedule a little difficult. I imagine things might be easier in the future but until then the experiments will continue.

So currently I had an idea to organize everything! It was an amazing idea! I would just write down what I wanted to do, put it in a Tin/Jar and then pick at random! This was my great idea, and honestly it sounds silly. But honestly I think it might work. The whole concept behind it was to free my mind of thinking about all the thousands of other things I wanted to do, and the guilt of picking a crafty idea over an organizing one, or a workout idea. I would literally feel bad for taking some relaxed activity over a blog related one. It drove me crazy and in turn I did nothing. I couldn’t even enjoy a video game, because there were to many games to pick from. So I started writing everything down, I didn’t even know what to do at that time. But writing down all my ideas whether it was as simple as doing the dishes or as complex as saving $500, it just made me feel way more in control and less overwhelmed. Then without thinking, I started to cut them into strips and folding them, I had a random tin near me and started throwing them in there. I didn’t want to throw away my thoughts and plans, I wanted to save them. I wanted my life to be planned but not planned. The tin holds all the things I want to do, but in what order I do them is a mystery. And the fun thing is, I can’t pick a new task until the one I picked is completed. I figure this forces me to do one thing at a time, while leaving room for random life events.

Here’s to hoping I’ve found my balance!

Do you have ADHD or know someone who has it? Do they have a hard time staying focused or is life more laid back for them? And what are some strategies you use to stay focused and on task?

Learning about Oil Treatments

2013-11-01T23:33:00.000-07:00

So recently I looked some things up on oiling your hair! I never really tired it because my hair can get really oily all by its self. But that was a different problem all together! So I got this oil packet from my cousins wife's baby shower and didn't really know what to do with it....

I honestly never considered a white girl with naturally oily hair could use a oil treatment. I figured why would I oil my hair when I have to much as it is! I had always figured African America's, or girls with thick dry hair used oil on there hair. And if they did I still didn't know much of anything about it, because I still didn't have any friends that used oil treatments.

So I figured why not! I'll give this a shot, worst I'll have to do is wash my hair twice. It was an interesting experience. It did help my hair feel softer, and my scalp wasn't as itchy as it usually was. So after that experience I decided to look some things up.

Oils can smoothen your hair, detangle it and nourish the roots depending on the composition of the oil.

Oiling hair has “a multi-dimensional effect”, says Dr. Rohini Wadhwani of Skin Essentials, “It helps by increasing the tensile strength of the hair, reducing the frizziness and preventing breakage.”

Beyond the product itself, the massaging technique used when applying oil also has a litany of benefits. “It increases or stimulates of the circulation of blood to the scalp, helps to bring the nutrients to the scalp, which then works by nourishing the hair,” she explains. “And it also acts like a stress buster which is also one of the causes of hair fall.”

Once a Week is all you Need!

With regular conditioner, you use it every time you wash your hair. When you use olive oil as a treatment, you will find that you will likely only need to condition your hair once a week. Damaged or course hair might do best with two treatments a week but you will not have to do it daily. Typically, once a week for about half an hour, always before you wash your hair, will usually be enough.

How to Apply Olive Oil as a Treatment

You will need to start off with your hair unwashed but brushed. Wear an old t-shirt and you might want to stand on an old towel or sheet because it will probably drip. Do NOT do this in your shower; it will turn the floor of your shower into a slippery mess.

In a microwave safe bowl, pour about ½ cup of olive oil and microwave for just about thirty seconds. You want it to be warm but not hot.

Use your fingertips to massage olive oil into your scalp so that your entire scalp is covered and then use a comb dipped in the olive oil to coat the rest of your hair. Tuck your hair into a plastic shower cap or wrap your head in a towel. Leave the olive oil on for half an hour and then wash your hair in the sink. After you shampoo your hair, rinse with cold water but there will be no need to use a separate conditioner.

* I actually did this and my hair was so soft in the morning! Definitely something I will continue to do. :)

So what's your experience using oil treatments? Do you find them helpful for your hair type?

DIY Honeycomb Shelves

2013-10-19T16:20:00.002-07:00

I'm sure you've seen these shelves online, ALL OVER THE WEB! Well maybe not anymore... it's been sometime since these shelves have been online. But I really wanted to make these shelves for my living room area. And luckily for me! My dad is a cabinet maker! Link to the instructions on how to make these wonderful cabinets will be at the end of the post. For this we used wood from school bleachers, my dad got from a school when they were remodeling the gym.

TA-DA!!! I love them. I'm still working on things to put on it.

And as promised! Here is the link to the How To ---> Link

Pretty Serious

2013-10-05T23:48:00.002-07:00

So Tom and I like to bake...

I prefer to drink and bake.

But needless to say, we're pretty serious about it.

This are our serious faces, that's how you know we're serious!

P.S. It's 3AM here, and I thought this would be funny to share. :P

I've been away!

2013-10-01T04:39:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I won't be able to make this post very interesting, I've been super busy. But I am trying to very hard to fit all dreams into the works. So let me give you a quick update on my life!

I got a new desk! So I've been reorganizing, throwing stuff away and trying not to be the artist that hoards all the garbage so that she can "one day" make art from it.

I'll be getting a part-time job, on top of my full time one. It sucks and it's not really what I want. But I'm really not making enough to.

I GOT A CAR!! another reason why I need a second job. I was okay just paying loans, but with insurance and gas. Not working out.

I'm challenging myself to only live off $20.00 a week. I live with my parents, so take into the fact that I mooch off them and don't have to pay rent.

I started trying to fit yoga into my life! CAUSE I NEED CALM!! lol my life is a bit crazy at the moment.

I want to start illustrating my pictures on my blog instead of just showing pictures. Another reason why posts may take a little bit longer. I got my degree in Illustration, might as well put it to good use! lol

Painting my room...... for the past 3 months.... yea it's gonna take me forever.

And driving around to see my boyfriend who doesn't live as close as he used to.

That my friends is my crazy life at the moment. I'm going to try my hardest to get back into the swing of things!

Love you all and thank you for the support!

Office Life : Pros and Cons

2013-08-31T12:24:00.002-07:00

I've been working in an office for almost a year now. This is my first ever office job. I remember times when I was working at the movie theater or that fast food place, thinking…

How awesome would it be to work at an office right now? How awesome would it be to NOT wear a fricken uniform?! How awesome would it be to finally have a sense of fashion? Or getting to sit down?

And of course the final question.

How awesome would it be to sit at a desk and just work with a computer / pick up phones?!?!

So after about a year, I've gathered some pro's and con's. As well as picked some up from other sources.

--PROS--

You get to sit all day! So your feet never get sore! And ladies, you can actually wear heels, won't be on your feet most of the day anyway.

On that note, you also get to dress up. Want to look like James Bond? or some cutie from Mad Men? Well now you can! No one will think twice about it, they'll just think you were born with style.

You can drink and eat pretty much all day. Not sure about you, but people at my job love their Monsters and soda/pop. And candy is a big thing to.

Getting to gossip about unique customer calls with other agents. It's really easy to make new friends when you all have something in common.

A/C: heating and cooling. Never again having to deal with the cold or super hot drive thru window! YAY!

Getting advice from the people around you. "How would you handle this situation, this guy is being kinda difficult?" Working with others in a office setting allows you to grab ideas from people around you.

It's easier to keep your friends once you've made them. Just think! It's like school, you see them everyday. Your friendship can only get stronger. And you might become friends with someone you might have never thought about.

Work outings! I'm not saying all office places do this. BUT! Mine does and it makes me very happy. Every month or so our whole department plains to go to places. Examples baseball games, laser tag, beach. We all vote and plan for that weekend of fun.

--CONS--

Not being active, sometimes seating at a desk for 8-10 hours a day can suck.

Being stressed/ lots of snacking/ high sugary drinks/ sitting around = Getting Fat, it happens.

Getting yelled at and cursed at by people.

Being to cold, A/C not always a good thing.

Can not wear PJ's to work, or jeans or your favorite band t-shirt. Suits and ties, and slack, skirts, and blouses everyday. Even on the days, you don't feel like dressing up.

-Sources-

http://www.happygrownup.com/office/

http://personalconciergeinfo.com/home-versus-an-office-pros-and-cons/

My own experience

Things I Eat

2013-08-19T19:23:00.000-07:00

As a vegan, I look up lots of tasty recipes to make and eat. Most vegan food pictures look amazing! Which is awesome! Makes me want to make amazing food like that even more. But what do you do when your just a normal person? Not a fancy food guru, not a master chef, not some stay at home Betty Crocker.

Just a normal everyday person.

Since I still live at home, and pretty much act like a locust when dad buys fresh produce. And I usually just concentrate on lunches and snacks. Work is where I am more then half of my day.

So here are some things I eat!

Rice with some sautéed veggies

Spiced rice, veggies, tortillas

Veggies, soup, fruit

Oatmeal with brown sugar and apples, with coffee

Nachos with anything I can find and salsa

And sometimes when I'm lucky, I get men to cook for me!

And there you have it! Just a slice in the food life of this vegan. Maybe once I get my own place I'll be able to plan a little bit more with my menu.

But for now, I am content.

So how do you eat?

Some Easy Sketches

2013-08-14T20:44:00.003-07:00

Here is some easy work I've done. I have been a little to busy to do any actual drawing lately. But here's a glimpse of what I've been up to.

How do you wrap it?

2013-08-09T20:09:00.000-07:00

I love gifting!

But I'm pretty sure I love wrapping the gift more then giving the gift. I don't usually buy bags and wrapping paper and tags. I don't have the money, I don't want 20 rolls of different paper, I don't want all these different little things that I'll drown in.

I don't have the time, money or energy to deal with all that.

So I usually make it all myself! I'm really into reusing newspaper and ad papers. FREE PAPER!!! Come on guys what could be better then that? Sometimes I will paint or draw something on the paper to make it more festive.

Gift wrap I used for my friends Valentine's Day gift.

I make all my tags from old christmas/b-day/whatever cards. I do love getting cards, but I can't keep them all and I feel so bad throwing them away. Check out my tutorial for tags!

TAG TUTORIAL!

Wrapped a bottle of Grey Goose for my friend Jackie's B-Day. :D

I also use boxes from noodles and cereal, along with any paint or knick knacks I have. I love to make it personal, you can't find that in a store! I also keep any tissue paper I get. Usually from Victoria Secret. *Snicker*

All the gifts I made for my friends for Valentine's Day

So how do you wrap it?

Art: Pokemon: Eevee

2013-08-05T19:42:00.003-07:00

YAY!!! finally second piece up! Goodness I take forever to get these things done! But done it is! I'm now excited to announce EEVEE!!!

SSSoooooooo...

I pretty much started the same process with Eevee that I did with JigglyPuff. Starting with a sketch of coarse.

A lot of people seem to think Eevee is stoned out of his/her mind. I laugh at this all the time! For real everyone! It's just my style. But hey if your into it because my pokemon looked stoned, I'm not gonna fight you on it. Just saying.

The background for Eevee was a little difficult, because this pokemon is a common type (I believe). I try to make the background the color of what they are weak against, key word try. Depending if I remember or not. HAHA

Pretty much the same process. Nothing truly different in this technique.

BUT!! you can purchase this lovely eevee on my etsy shop!

Buttons!

Bookmarks!!

So what you're saying is: we aren't gonna live together anymore?

2013-08-04T08:51:00.000-07:00

Have you ever dated someone for so long you ended up living together? I'm sure many of you have, but what if you moved or something came up and in the end…

you weren't living together anymore…

Now I'm not saying bad things happen or whatever, I'm just saying your not living together anymore. Well if it hasn't happened or if you think it may in the future, let me introduce you.

This is Tom and I (Kelley), we are a couple and we don't live together anymore. Tom is 25 and I am 23, we have been dating 5 years and have lived together for 3 of those years. But currently we are not living together and still dating. You may be asking yourself "why is that?", and since I don't mind talking about myself I'll give you a little insight.

After I graduated college in Atlanta, we got in a situation where we had to move back to our home state of Michigan. Now since either of us had a car, or any real amount of savings. We had to do what most 20 something's hate to do, move back in with mom and dad…

Needless to say neither of us were happy about that, but we were happy to be home. Now we had talked for about this for a month or so, on how we were going to live. Was I going to move in with him? Him with me? What were we going to do? His parents had moved into a new home, so he would no longer be walking distance from me.

So… we asked ourselves how are we going to do this?

We equally decided to move into our separate houses, alone. Now instead of being walking distance, he would now be a 25-30 minute drive away. I liked to look at this like reliving the early years of dating! (exciting I know)

But it's been almost a year since then, and I figure there has to be more like us! Or could be more like us, and I know something like this could have the potential to break a relationship apart. Well Tom and I have come up with some tips and advice to coup with this rocky path.

So lets start!

*KELLEY*

Visit/Stay over when you can, and don't feel guilty if you can't. Things will come up, it may be work, school, family event thingy. Just try to understand your both working on different schedules now.

Plan a date night once a month! And make it special! Go to a fancy place, dress up! It'll be fun and may rekindle some flames that have gone out due to the stress.

I usually work on things I had forgotten that I wanted to do. I've noticed my goals where no longer there. We now had our goals. So now that I have space and time to think, I work on my goals. And work on ways that when we have living back together not to forget about my goals, but to make my goals work with our goals.

Sadly I've noticed how I let my looks go. This didn't make me happy. So now I get to work on that again. :P

I also like to plan things for when I visit. Cooking together? Maybe go for a walk? Watch a movie? And it also tends to make those small things feel a little more special, now that they are not easily done anymore.

Remembering all the things you took for granted, little and big. And then when your back living together, don't forget them.

*TOM*

Contact everyday. text. letters. emails. sticky notes. social media. We pretty much text all day! And remember to send cute pictures! Like this!

Grabbed of internet

Try to see each other when you can and try to make time for the other person.

Don't stress out over not living together, just a minor set back. Things will get better.

Stress = problems/ stress/ fights/ needy-ness.

Do things that make you happy, that don't involve your partner. So you don't dwell on the fact that your not living together.

Just remember this is a temporary set back. As long as you continue to plan things should work out.

And that is all the advise we have! If there is a will, there is way! We plan on moving back together and are taking those steps.

Just remember you are young and this is not forever.

Art: Pokemon: Jigglypuff

2013-07-27T01:41:00.002-07:00

So I got bored and decided to draw/paint some pokemons. My style is a little different from the cheery, cutesy stuff. No they are not high (a lot of people seem to think so), this is just the style I naturally go with. Though I'm not going to tell you how you should think about art, even mine. So lets begin, I'll show you how I got started.

It all started with a sketch.

Jigglypuff was the first pokemon I started working on. It's not even my favorite one, but I was in love with the feelings going into the drawing. A pokemon that is generally super happy and cheery now in a opposite side of emotions. It was beautiful and haunting and I loved it.

Next thing I had to do was trace and transfer my drawing to some paintable paper.

The paper I used wasn't even painting paper, it was just thicker drawing paper. I have so many pads of paper and NONE of them are for painting! HAHA

After the transfer I masked the sketch and worked on the background.

I used Winsor & Newton Water Color Colourless Art Masking Fluid. I like to say I am a very uncontrolled painter, so when I paint there is lots of messes. Like lots of water and dripping paint and spray bottles filled with water. If I'm not careful, I might as well just throw my painting into a pool; that's how wet it gets.

Next lets get that rubber stuff off!

So the background was done in water color? I think… Honestly I'm not sure but it was in a small tube. (Little factoid-I rarely buy art supplies, family members buy it for me.)

The fill in for Jigglypuff was definitely acrylic though.

Now lets add some highlights!

I used water color on the eyes for the watery effect.

Finishing Touches!

And now the finished product!!

And they are now up for sale on my etsy shop!

- Bookmarks!

Also in Button Version!!

- Buttons!!!

Hope you all enjoyed this post and have a wonderful weekend!

Project: Coat Hanger Wall

2013-07-17T19:04:00.002-07:00

As most of you know I live in the basement of my parents house. My old "stomping grounds" if you will. Trying to update this space is a little challenging. For one it's not my house, and for two I'm still learning how to organize this space.

Small step! But it's an improvement!

Here we have the before

Plain plywood wall covering the furnace. Looks pretty drab and blah. I was also was hoping to configure a spot to hang my coats. Just so that I wouldn't have to walk all the way up the stairs to hang my things in the hall closet.

So I painted the wood the same color as the walls (off white?) and found some old wall hooks that I have hung about here and there when I was 16. I just took them off the wall and relocated them to my coat wall. It is a bit plain and boring, but I really don't know what else to do. The door opens up right against it, so any shelving or seating wouldn't work.

Got any ideas?

Gamer Girl Favs

2013-06-17T19:08:00.001-07:00

Games I LOVE to play!

Any Harvest Moon games!

Any Sims games! I even have the Sims app for my phone! lol

Black and White

Don't Starve

Chibi Robo

Animal Crossing ( I'm so jealous of everyone that could afford the new one!)

Marvel vs. Capcom

Dead or Alive

Tetris

Galaga

NEW WALLET!!!!...from a couple months ago.

2013-06-09T19:51:00.003-07:00

My sister bought me my last wallet while I was away in school. I loved it, but after a while the snap wouldn't snap shut (zebra print). Even having 3 cards on top of each other wouldn't let my wallet close.

But lucky me, the house across the street had been condemned when I moved back home. 4 large dumpsters were brought to the house, and the whole house was emptied out. The lady that lived in the house before was a hoarder, and seeing those dumpsters filled with treasure (not all of it was trash), I couldn't help myself. My scavenging habit kicked in and I had to snoop! While doing so I found my new wallet! But not just mine, my sisters as well. I had found 2 matching wallets! Coral is really popular at the moment and I was surprised to find this wonderful find! Still had the price tag on it and everything!

Now it's been a couple months, and the wallet is still holding up. But I've already had to rip the ID card holder a little just so that I can take my ID out faster without hurting myself!

Have you ever scavenged and found something perfectly fine?

Things to do #12, Post something funny!

2013-06-05T23:54:00.001-07:00

Found a couple lists online of things to do with your blog. So I'm slowly working though it. Thought it would be a fun thing to do when I hit a snag or whatever.

I thought about doing something disgusting but that was to broad for me. I like to talk and look at alot of disgusting things. SOOOOooooo I'll just leave it to funny!

So lately I've been rewatching Naruto. Never really watched a whole lot in school, so I decided to FINALLY watch it. And so far I can say Rock Lee is my absolute favorite! But while watching an episode I saw this....

I put the red circles in.

WHAT IS THAT!!!!????!!! lol Goodness! He goes off for training and comes back with a neck as thick as his head! Silly artists, not sure what they were thinking or why this was missed (it's sooo bad!). But it was really a WTF moment for me and made me laugh so hard!

Has there been anything in a animated show your watching where the artist totally skipped over something?

Pro's and Con's of a Keurig Coffee Maker

2013-06-05T20:09:00.002-07:00

I'm going to start this off saying I'm not hating on Keurigs in any way. This is just my opinion with my experiences.

And with that here we go!

Now I'm a novice coffee snob and I'm pride to say that! WOOT!! So I love specialty coffee machines, as well as old school French Presses. Currently I own a Keurig and a Nestle Pixie, used to have a French Press before it broke ( I was really sad). So with that being said how does this work with my environmentally side? Well it's actually a balanced in it's own way. But that's for me, not for everyone and I'll tell you why.

Cup I designed!

Pro's

-Quick and fresh
Some days I don't want a whole pot of coffee, some days it's just me and me wants just one perfect cup.

-Great for trying out different kinds of coffee! Buying a big bag of gourmet coffee can be scary! Especially if you have no idea if you like it or not. Keurig offers lots of different coffees and teas! And that's exciting for someone like me, who wants to constantly tastes new flavors.

-Great for hosting! Say you have a friend or two over and say they are not as adventurous as you with coffee. Well you can still have them feel nice and comfortable with there own special cup! Great way to let them know you care.

-Easy clean up!

Con's

-Expensive! Those K-cups can really put a dent in your wallet if you drink a lot of coffee. I would actually recommend using a multiple cup coffee machine if you have a large group of people over, or if you feel an all nighter coming on.

-Wasteful! I've seen a lot of articles pretty much saying that K-cups are filling up landfills like crazy and I can believe it! And that's why the the My K-Cup was invented! (well I believe anyway) It's a reusable K-Cup, so use the normal K-Cups to find out the things you like and then I would suggest buying a bag of it for your My K-Cup. Might even be cheaper in the end.

Well I was going to think of more Con's to make it even but I really can't. I love my Keurig, even if some would find it wasteful. But really, I do my "hippie" part, I try to look into USDA coffee's and support Fair Trade to the best of my wallets ability. I can't afford to drink my fancy coffee everyday, but when I do I try my best to make it count. Making my dollars count and my Keurig helps me do just that.

Now that the table's open, what's your option on the Keurig? Do you like it? Hate it? Experiences?