Christmas Wrapping for College Students

This is just going to be a small post about wrapping Christmas presents on a college-student budget :)

So last year I bought a roll of wrapping paper at Target in the dollar bin.  It was darling, black background with colored lights in the foreground.  I figured I would use it to wrap a few presents, but I also figured it wouldn't be that high of quality and that it wouldn't wrap that many presents.  I used it for a few small presents last year, and pulled it out again this year to finish it up.

Well, I still haven't finished that roll.  And today, I bought 3 more.  As a college student just buying small presents for my family and friends, I don't need a huge roll of wrapping paper because most of the things that I am wrapping aren't much bigger than a shoebox.

New rolls on left, old roll on right

Regular roll vs. my $1 rolls

Wrapped presents

These small rolls are adorable and they have the cutest designs.  They only cost $1, so if you need a little bit of wrapping paper but not a ton - I would highly recommend these tiny rolls!  I love them!!

New rolls patterns

They also have very cute bags and tissue paper for a dollar too!  Go check it out! :)

Much love,

Jen

Finals Week Madness!

It's Finals Week here in Northern Kentucky and everyone is going crazy.

Excuse me while I will be absent from blogging for another week while I study and turn in assignments!

I shall be back next week with some great posts!

Have a great Monday and good luck to anyone taking finals soon!

Much love,
Jen

Thanksgiving Re-Cap!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  I love the food, spending time with family, and the fact that it means that it is almost time for Christmas!

This year was the first year that I really enjoyed my Black Friday shopping experience.   

Jules and I headed to Target to check some stuff out at about 8:30 pm for it's 9:00 pm opening time.  We stood in a long line but were in the store within 15 minutes.  We found some great deals on DVDs and picked out some stuff for Christmas.  After that, we headed to Walmart just to look - and immediately left because the lines were too long and we weren't really looking for anything in particular.  We headed home after that. 

Around 11:15, Mom, Jules, and I headed out to Old Navy and Bath and Body Works.  They both opened at midnight, so we waited in line for Old Navy for a little bit.  We got some great deals at Old Navy (including my favorite v-necks and baseball tees for only $5), and then headed to B&BW where we got some great deals too.  Then we went home to get our beauty rest. 

We woke up around 9:00 am and decided that we wanted to go to Kohl's.  So we went out to breakfast and then hit up Kohl's.  We saved so much money at Kohl's it was ridiculous.  It was definitely a success for the whole family.

After all that madness, it was the weekend.  I was looking forward to it because it was that time of year for our annual trip to the Embassy Suites to celebrate my dad's birthday.  We had a great time and it was relaxing to not do any homework and just read and relax together.

It was hard to get out of bed today and get back to school, especially since I have a cold, but what is keeping me going in the fact that I only have 9 more days of class after today.  I am so ready for this semester to be over and I am ready to have a full month off for Christmas Break.

Here's to helping that you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving and remember to keep your head in the game for these final classes, projects, and exams that you have coming up!

Much love,
Jen

QOTD 11/6/12

"Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

I basically live by this quote.  I'm the kind of person that when someone makes a joke about a waiter or someone else that we don't know - I feel terrible and I tell everyone to stop because they don't know what has made that person the way they are.  I always think about this.  I think about how when I'm having a hard day, I wouldn't want anyone to be anything but kind to me, and I wouldn't want anyone to think they know me when they don't.

I think it is important to remember this quote daily because of how many strangers we run into on a daily basis.  I know that I am not perfect (nor will I ever be), but I try my best to give everyone the respect they deserve.  I really do try to treat everyone like I would like to be treated.

Have a great Tuesday & get out there and vote!

Much love,

Jen

A Video You Should Check Out :)

Just a little fun for today - check out this adorable video that I made last semester for my final project in EMB 140! :)

Special thanks go out to Kaylyn, Claire, Hannah, and Brooke who were the stars of this and I couldn't have done it without them!!

Much love,

Jen

Julie's Fall Ball Prep!

So, on Friday I got to help my baby sister get ready for her final Fall Ball at MND (PS I can't believe she is a senior :/).  ANYWHO - I did her hair and (shoutout to) Kaylyn did her make-up.  And basically, I think we did a kick-ass job.  My family is the kind of family where, if you can do something yourself and it will suffice - you don't spend the money to get it done by someone else.  And obviously for this occasion, Julie wasn't about to run out to the nearest salon and drop a bunch of money on a hairstyle for a night, when I could do something that was still very pretty and it was fo free :)  So, on Friday afternoon - Kaylyn and I began to get Jules ready.  We started with her hair - which I first ran a straightener through to make it easier to handle. (If you don't know Julie - her hair is over 2 feet long from root to end and it is normally very curly and frizzy).  

We started by sectioning off a piece in the front to use for the french fishtail braid.  We french fishtail braided it to her ear, and then just fishtailed the rest of that section and secured it with a hairtie.

After that, I pulled the rest of her hair (not including the fishtail braid) into a ponytail where I wanted the center of the masterpiece to be - which happened to the the lower left side of her head.  Then I sectioned it into 4 pieces and braided each one and secured them each with a hairtie.

The next step was taking the braids and making them a little looser and messier.  We did this by pulling the pieces of the braid up and out.  We repeated this process up and down the braid a few times to get it how we wanted it.

BEFORE

 AFTER

After that, I just started picking the braids up and pinning them down.  I pinned them in a circle, but not a perfect one.  Basically just wherever they looked good, I pinned them.  After I had pinned two braids, I added in the fishtail braid, and did the same thing (pinned it where it was hidden and looked good).

And that was basically it!  I gave it some hairspray and called it done!

Onto the make-up.

The make-up wasn't anything too intricate, and it wasn't too bold.  Kaylyn used Urban Decay Primer Potion to prime the eyelids, and then an ELF palette where she used a few silvers/grays to shadow the eyelid.  After that, she applied fake eyelashes and some liquid eyeliner, and finished off with some mascara to blend the natural lashes into the fake lashes.

AND THEN SHE WAS DONE :) AND BEAUTIFUL AND LOOKED LIKE CINDERELLA!

Much love,

Jen

My Life in Photos: 1

I took this photo when I was walking out to my car from my night class one day last week.  I absolutely love the colors of the sky, and this photo just makes me smile.

Much love,

Jen

QOTD 10/31/12

"You were given this life because you are strong enough to handle it."

This quote really summarizes what I think about all the time.  Every week I encounter struggles and hardships - but nothing is ever that bad.  I started seeing this quote around last Christmas and it has been helping me to clear my head ever since.

I was given this life, this opportunity, these challenges, these highs, these lows, these people, these things, these thoughts - all because I am strong enough to handle it - ALL OF IT.  Now when I think that something is too much, or I won't be able to finish a project, or someone I know passes away - I know that I will get through it because I am that strong.  I wouldn't have been given this life if I couldn't handle it - and I am stronger because of everything I have been through.

Much love,
Jen

Top 5 Favorite Songs Right Now

Well, I basically listen to music everywhere I go.

So... here are my five favorite songs right now!!

 Kaleidoscope - Honor Society

 Die Young - Ke$ha

22 - Taylor Swift

I Knew You Were Trouble - Taylor Swift

She's So Mean - Matchbox Twenty

Much love, 
Jen

Dresser Top Organization

Since I re-did my bedroom in July, I have finally gotten to the point where I have a specific place for everything on top of my dresser.  The top of my dresser is basically what I use to get ready.  Since my room is pretty small, I do not have room for a vanity or anything of that nature (though I really wish I did).  I typically stand at my dresser and use my vanity mirror to apply my make-up and do my hair.  I keep all my make-up and hair things on top the dresser, or in the top drawer.  Along with my make-up and brushes, I also keep my favorite perfumes and my miniature jewelry armoire on top of my dresser.

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The first piece on top of my dresser is my make-up.  I have three main pieces to my make-up collection on my dresser.  First I have the pink drawers, then the brush holder, and my everyday make-up bag.

1. The pink drawer system is just a simple way that I keep my not-so-everyday make-up together but organized.  I keep make-up in here that I use probably just twice a week or so, separated out into the drawers.

2. The brush holder is a simple container that I got in the Target dollar bin, filled with colorfill (those little plastic pieces).  The colorfill allows the brushes to stay standing up and I can easily see each brush.

3. The everyday make-up bag holds just that: my everyday make-up.  It is a cosmetic bag from Victoria's Secret PINK that I got a while ago, but it is nice and large enough to be home to my everyday make-up, and keeps what I use everyday together in one place so I can take it with me quickly if I need to.

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The second part of my dresser is the middle part, which is home to my perfumes, hair care products, and candles.  Basically, this part of the dresser is just as it looks.  I keep my John Frieda Curl Reviving Styling Mousse, John Frieda Dream Curls^® Curl-Perfecting Spray, and my favorite hairspray, John Frieda Moisture Barrier Firm-Hold Hair Spray right there on my dresser because I frequently use them when I get out of the shower.  The other thing I keep in the middle of my dresser is my perfumes. I love perfumes.  I could spend all my money on perfume and be happy.  Really there is no specific organization to my perfumes, I just put the taller ones in the back and the shorter ones in the front.  The perfume that I keep on my dresser is not all of my perfumes, but they are my favorites.  I also normally keep some type of a candle (or candles) here as well.

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The last piece on my dresser is my miniature jewelry armoire.  I just got this piece when I re-did my bedroom, and I am in love with it.  I keep all my jewelry in it, including rings, earrings, pins, necklaces, and bracelets.

So this is just a look at what is on top of my dresser, and I hope it can maybe help you with organizing a space similar to this! :)

Much love,

Jen

Planner Organization

Being an organized college student working two jobs and being a member of a sorority, my planner is my life.  I write everything that goes on in my world in that planner and I rely on it to keep track of everything going on in my life.  At the beginning of this semester, I purchased a new Vera Bradley student planner in Paisley Meets Plaid.  I previously had a Lilly Pulitzer planner for 2011-2012, but I did not repurchase because I didn't like how the month tabs were just paper and not laminated.  So far, I have been very happy with the Vera Bradley planner - and I finally reached my happy place with my organization methods for it.  This will just be a look at how I organize my planner and what I have found that works for me!

^MONTH AT A GLANCE ORGANIZATION^

To easily organize my monthly calendar, I somewhat keep it to a minimum.  I only write important events, appointments, meetings, work schedule changes, or birthdays here.  I do not write homework assignments here, because I just want this monthly overview to allow me to see if something would conflict with plans that I already have in place.  Basically, I want to have the ability to look at this calendar and say "Hm, no I can't go to the dinner with so-and-so on Sunday the 9th because I have Recruitment from 9 am to 11 pm."  I use highlighters only for certain events on this calendar.  The yellow highlighter is used for extremely important all-day events, such as a day when classes are cancelled, holidays, midterm, or paydays.  I use the blue highlighter for sorority events that aren't our normal meetings, such as retreat, recruitment, or our dodgeball tournament.  The last thing that I do on my monthly calendar is write the number of the week of class in the margin on the right hand side of the page.  I also do cross off the days as I go in this calendar because it helps me pinpoint where I am in the month without having to search.

^WEEK AT A GLANCE ORGANIZATION^

I use my weekly calendar to write everything else in.  This is where I write all my assignments or studying that I need to do for that day's classes, along with using stickers to mark important appointments, exams, or project due dates.  So, as far as stickers go - I use the rectangular ones and the circular ones.  The rectangular stickers are for events and appointments: PINK are for social events, GREEN are for appointments, and YELLOW are for paydays.  The circular stickers are for school work related dates: PINK are for projects due dates, and ORANGE are for exams, tests, and quizzes.  Aside from the stickers, I write important events or reminders in the top or bottom of the box, and sometimes highlight them using the same highlighting system from the monthly calendar.  I also occasionally use post-it notes for reminders or lists of things that I need to do during that week - for which I have many different sizes and colors of post-its.

I hope that this was helpful or insightful to someone, seeing as it is my passion to be organized and find ways to become even more organized.  If you want anything explained in more detail, I am more than happy to go more in depth if asked to!  Hope you enjoyed this first organizational post, there are many more to come!!

Much love, 

Jen

QOTD 10/20/12

I'm occasionally going to do a "Quote Of The Day" (QOTD) where I share a quote that I have found, and how it applies to my day, or my life in general.  Without further ado, here is the first QOTD!

"Worrying will never change the outcome."

If you know me well, you probably know I'm a huge worrier.  I worry about everyone and everything that I know of.  I worry about my friends when they're having a hard day, I worry if the dinner I'm making will be done at the right time, I worry about what people think of me, I worry about bugs in the house, I worry about the fact that I don't have enough hangers to hang my clothes up, I worry about my mom and sister when I leave the house... the list is endless.

But I've never really thought about how all my worrying is not going to change what happens in the end.  And it is so true.  If I am worrying all day about how I did on a midterm, yeah I have the right to worry, but it is not going to change what has already been done.

So if you're reading this, come to realize that the more you worry, the more you're just driving yourself crazy.  Nothing is going to change because of your worrying.  I only say this because I am the biggest worrier I know, I feel like I need to cool it on the worrying :)


Much love,
Jen

Favorite Summer Pictures 2012

Here are just a few pictures from the summer that were my favorites!  Some may turn into DIYs or tutorials, but this is just an overview! :)

Giant Jenga

Alex Noyes from the band Honor Society

Julie's Senior Capstone Project - Mini Dance Marathon: Dance Your Heart Out

Outer Banks, NC

All the female cousins - OBX, NC

DIY Monogram Canvas

DIY Pin Board Earring Holder

DIY Vera Bradley painted wooden letters

DIY hair bows

DIY Dinner: Bacon Wrapped Chicken

Sunset in Vevay, IN

DIY Dresser Re-Do

T-Shirt Organization

Finally meeting Scruff the Hedgehog!

Much love,

Jen