Calling All Crafters

Is it sad that the only time I ever blog is when I'm putting off school work? Which I spend most of my time doing, so I should blog more. But I don't. Anyway, today I'm back with thoughts about crafting. Which is kind of the reason I started this blog, so I could showcase all of my crafts that I've made and am so proud of and to have a record of them. School has kicked my tush this semester so the crafting juices haven't been flowing as much as usual but I am itching to get my hands on a hot glue gun!

Anyway, lately, I've been reading a lot of inspiring blog posts by a lot of inspiring bloggers like Jessica, Christin and Katy, who just started a blog that I found and now are some of my daily reads. So I want to take a shot at it. I never used to be crafty. Like, never. I would always volunteer to write the paper or to type or to do ANYTHING ELSE besides the creative part of a group project, I always hated to draw, hated art class because I wasn't good at it. And I'm still not. I can't draw/paint/sculpt/do pottery. Heck, I can hardly use my iPhone camera to take pictures with. But I can craft my friends. Just like the lovely ladies above shared their running/fitness stories and said anyone can do it, anyone can be an athlete, anyone can craft. It might not be as beneficial to your health as running, but it is beneficial to your soul. And who doesn't like starting a project, finishing it and then being able to enjoy it every day in your home? Like in the form of a tray:

Or a piece of wall art that you ALWAYS get complimented on.

Ya, I made these. The girl that can't draw a straight line with a ruler. Granted I had some help from my crafty/artsy BFF, but I promise I've done stuff on my own. Just don't have the pics. 

So go spend WAY TO MUCH money at Hobby Lobby (srsly, if you guys think Target is bad, wait till Hob Lob takes hold of you) and craft it up. The possibilities of crafts are endless, and the payoff is awesome. And if you need some inspiration, pinterest is never too far away :) Then come back and thank me for this inspirational speech and show me your crafts! I love a good craft swap!

Planner Paranoia

I don't think it's a secret to anyone that knows me that I'm a planner. I want to know when we're leaving, how long it will take to get there, whose car are we taking, do we have everything we need, etc. I just want to know that everything is taken care of so something doesn't turn out to be a disaster because we didn't plan properly. So, spontaneity, not my thing. Anyway, I'm about to start my last year of college (collective sigh) and I've been thinking more and more about life after graduation. Where I'm going to have to have a big girl job, yuck, and maintain a home and finances and meals and all that grown up stuff, I'm still confused as to when this happened, but it's fine.

The more and more Mr.P and I talk about the "future" and all that good stuff that makes me giddy, it also makes me think about the scary grown up stuff that goes along with it. So I'm trying to decide, should I go ahead and try to implement some sort of home management system, so that when I'm suddenly thrust into the real world it doesn't seem so scary? Am I jumping the gun? I want to start keeping track of the things that go on in my daily life and start good habits now, but is it logical for me to start now when my schedule is ever-changing? I don't know. All I know is the home management kit sold by IHeart Organizing's Etsy shop is really cute and that may or may not have been my kick in the pants for this project. But hey, who said a little cuteness ever hurt anyone? Because I don't think it does.

{via}

And just for a random side note, how hard is meal planning for one, sometimes 2, people you ask? Super hard. I need a better strategy for this as well. Maybe crock pot meals would be the solution for this. Pinterest to the rescue. So now that I've put this out there maybe it'll hold me accountable to cook more and start to be more organized. Who knows. All I know is that I went to a BEAUTIFUL wedding last night and now my head hurts. Wish I had a picture of how handsome my boo looked, I was so proud to be on his arm :)

I'm off to scour pinterest for crock pot recipes and organization for one tips. O wait, did I mention none of these things ideally should cost money? Is that unrealistic? Humph.

Art Partying

Man I need to get a grip on this ditching my blog biz-nass. I will try to be better. I want to get in the swing of things, and blog like errday. I love blogs and love blogging and writing down my randomness so other people (ahem, my boyfriend) doesn't have to hear about the awesome deal I got on ribbons at Hobby Lobby today. 

Have you guys heard of the new trend sweeping the nation? (exaggeration much) These painting parties where you bring your own wine. So, you sign up for a party and show up with WINE and then the instructor gives you a step by step of how to re-create the painting chosen for said party. And you get to drink WINE with the peeps of your choice. Did I mention the wine? 

Anyway, P (boyf) was out of town for a bachelor party so some of the other girlfriends of the boys that were gone decided to have a girls night. If they're having (too much) fun, why shouldn't we have some ourselves? So we went and it was awesome. If you're local to Fort Worth, hit up Let's Art Party and um, art party (with wine). 

So I'll leave you with some pics!

Half way there!

All done!

Working hard

Miss. Morgan-- her fiance was the bachelor party all of the fellas were attending. Can't wait to see how gorgeous of a bride she is!

You know we had to get a group shot. Love these ladies-- so glad we got to do this!

Be back soon! Promise!

Thursday lately

I have a week left until spring break, might as well be an eternity. 5 tests and 2 papers stand in my way. Holy cow thats a lot. Just wanted to pop in to distract myself from studying say hi and share this purdy picture of this beloved place I know as TCU :)

My view as I walked into the library at 6AM this morning. 

TCU you're so pretty I can't even be mad atcha for making our spring break a week later than everyone else.

Swim suit-aholic

Hi, I'm Carly and I'm addicted to swim suits. Acceptance is the first step to recovery right? Actually, I don't want to give up my addiction, because I love swimsuits. I am not bikini body ready, probably because I eat a little too much chick-fil-a and don't go to the gym, shame on me. But I'm still anxious for a little pool time. So I'm in the market for a tankini. Found this one from none other than J Crew. I will accept this little number as a gift just because you love me. Thanks. Happy Tuesday!

{via}

Dreaming of...

Excuse my awesome Saturday night of babysitting. Sarcasm you ask? Um no. I'm hanging out in a really nice house, watching TV and getting paid for it and I got to spend some time with one of my favorite babies in the world. That my friends, is awesome. 

Here in the great state of Texas we think its hilarious to switch from summer (hello 85 degrees on March 1st) to winter (49 degrees today). I don't think its that hilarious because I am DYING to break out my spring/summer wardrobe. Mainly I'm dying to buy every pair of pastel pants on the planet. I already have red and blue, but I definitely need some pastels. Enjoy this little creation :)

pastel pants by carly-jack featuring a pouch bag

Jigsaw crew neck top
£45 - jigsaw-online.com

CALYPSO ST BARTH a line top
$145 - calypsostbarth.com

Lamberto Losani cashmere top
£550 - harrods.com

Current/Elliott lime green jeans
$185 - stylebop.com

Dsquared denim skinny jeans
£209 - farfetch.com

Denim skinny jeans
$71 - warehouse.co.uk

Bruuns Bazaar flat heel shoes
599 DKK - musthaves.dk

TOMS ballerina flat shoes
$79 - toms.com

J.Crew ballerina shoes
$138 - jcrew.com

Mulberry pouch bag
£695 - flannelsfashion.com

Rebecca minkoff handbag
$195 - nordstrom.com

Chanel genuine leather handbag
€2.313 - lindestore.com

Cuff jewelry
£55 - josephm.com

Oasis tiger eye jewelry
$19 - oasis-stores.com

VIcenza south sea pearl jewelry
£15 - debenhams.com

Me Ro me ro jewelry
$1,710 - barneys.com

My First Place

No, I wasn't featured on HGTV's My First Place(well in my dreams I was) but I as previously mentioned, I did move into my first place this past weekend and I threw out my last 2 boxes today. Whoa, now that is a record. Not even a week and I'm completely unpacked. This my friends, is a miracle. 

How bout a tour shall we? Now I am no photographer, and all my pictures are taken with my iPhone. I didn't edit them, unless you count cropping in iPhoto editing. So forgive me, but this is as good as it's gonna get. 

First, lets start with these bad boys. My parents bought these tables shortly after I was born (in the 90's people) so I like to call them "vintage" ha! Anyway, my BFF and I got the bright idea to stain them. Did ya'll know staining is really hard? We didn't. So they looked like crap, for a long time. Then my Dad generously helped me sand and re-stain them. Still not the look I was going for. So we just painted them. And now they look like this and are gorgeous for 20+ year old pieces. 

This little guy is a FOLDING table. Yes, a folding table. It looks like a real live wood table no? So it's just this little baby table that I'm going to try really hard to not become a dumping ground for all my crap.  Hold me accountable, mkay?

So this is my little office/dining/craft room :) "Carly's happy place" I like to call it. Desk and awesome folding wooden table both from tarjay, duh.

This is above my desk. How can you not be obsessed with Audrey Hepburn? I totally am. And those 4 pics are some black and whites photos of only the most important peeps to me.

So, I feel like this is getting wordy. I'll continue the tour in a different post. Don't want to bore y'all to tears now :) Kitchen, bedroom and living room to come! Happy Friday, woo hoo!

Blogger Blues

I wish I were a better blogger.

I also wish my internet didn't super suck at my apartment, pretty much making it impossible for me to upload all the pictures I want to put here on this sweet little blog.

Therefore, my blog posts are limited to when I'm multitasking in class.

So, I'll try to be more consistent. If not for my VAST reader base (hey mom) but just to document my little life. 

I know I've talked about my doll face of a boyfriend I've got, but let me just brag on him for a minute. I love valentines day, because it's an excuse to tell everyone I love them, and to wear pink, and to eat way to much candy. Not so much in it for the gifts or fancy dinners, just wanted to hang out with my boo. But he surprised me with some beautiful bangles from James Avery that are just perfect for me. And in Patrick's words "they clang together and make noise", he says my bracelets are my alarm, so he can always find me. Seriously, the cutest kid. 

In other news, this past Saturday I moved into my very first by myself apartment. Feeling like a big kid a little bit. I'm LOVING decorating it and changing up the way I've been using decor in the past. I have a ton of wall space in the new place and I'm taking full advantage of it. Once I take pictures with something other than my iPhone I'll share some pics, just to document my first place :) I also sent out moving announcements, which are adorable, obviously.

Lurve them! Can't wait for my friends and family to get them :)

Okay, back to "listening" in class. I vow to be better at this. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

Lazy Sunday

Bad blogger award right here. I have been battling a sinus infection that turned into a double ear infection that turned into me being so so miserable. Can't even imagine being a little baby and having constant ear infections and not being able to tell anyone about it! I was pitiful to say the least and have spent way too much time in my apartment. Today being no different :) There's something about Sundays that make me really lazy. Today includes Girl Scout cookies and Lifetime Movies. What a day. 

On a high note however, tonight is the SAG awards, one of my favorites because the awards are voted on by the actors themselves. How cool is it to see which movies and other actors the people we see in the spotlight are enjoying? I think its pretty cool. So stay tuned tomorrow for a SAG awards fashion recap. 

I would like to share, however, 2 super cute outfits I picked up at Francesca's yesterday :)

{via}

Love this coral skirt with the button detail and HELLO pockets :) Can't wait for spring so I can wear it with a navy striped top. O happy day.

I also picked up a cute 3/4 sleeve shift dress with a funky design. With a super low back. Kind of my signature outfit. Love a shift dress so much. I even wore it on a date last night with my man with gray tights and brown boots. Pretty cute. I can't find a picture of it thought, but try to imagine it in your head. Cute right? Thought so. 

Well back to The Pregnancy Pact for me. Then a SVU marathon. Wow I am productive. 

Love Chain

Hey hey! I'm back again with another crafty craft-- all this spare time before school starts tomorrow has left me with ample time to create some little goodies! I'm eating up every spare moment before its back to the grind, bleh. 

Anyway, today I'm here with a super easy valentines day craft that will add a little love to any space! Much to my boyfriends dismay, I LOVE Valentines Day. I'm so excited about it, mainly because I get to be gushy and sappy with an excuse, and I dig those little heart candies, oo yum. 

Back to the craft. Another Pinterest find, shocking I know. But it's so great! I call it a love chain. Here ya go:

Love Chain:

Supplies:

Paint samples of any color-- the little cardboard things from Home Depot, I used only valentines colors but feel free to be creative and use any color scheme!

A heart shaped cut-out, mine is  1 1/4 inches

Yarn or string

Hot glue 

1. Cut out hearts from paint samples

2. Arrange hearts in any order you wish; you can make a pattern or just at random. 

3. Take yarn or string of your choice and measure it as long as you want the chain to be; I just laid mine against the line of hearts I already had and left about an inch on each side for good measure

4. Place a small amount of hot glue on the back of the paint sample heart and glue to the piece of yarn or string you have chosen

5. Continue step 4 until you have glued all hearts on to the string

6. Hang wherever your little heart desires! Mine is on a window we have above our mantel :)

Yay so happy! I smile every time I look at it :) 

xoxo

Golden Globes Recap

Confession: I love awards season. Every single part of it. So its no surprise that last night I was glued to the TV during the Golden Globes. I think the Globes is my favorite because it has movie and TV shows honored. Killing two birds with one stone. I wasn't exactly blown away by any of the dresses but it's always fun to look anyway! Here are some of my favies from the night!

I absolutely adore Claire Danes and it doesn't hurt that Homeland is one of my new favorite shows, so happy for her! And she looks STUNNING if you ask me!

I have a MAJOR girl crush on Reese Witherspoon. She is my girl. I'm going to like pretty much anything she wears, but I think the masses would agree this is a stand out. 

And last but not least, Kate Beckinsale could wear a paper bag and look like a goddess. I think she wore the blush color trend perfectly and her jewels are the perfect accessory. 

Via: 1, 2, 3

Next up: SAG Awards! 

Happy Monday :)

2011 Recap

In addition to using this blog as an outlet for my rookie crafting/cooking ways, I also want to use it as a diary of sorts to document my general goings on. 2011 was quite a year for me, so I figured to document it using some assorted pics from my year! I'm just now getting the hang of Picasa so forgive me for the amateur hour going on up in hur 

Heres to 2012 being even better!!

SURPRISE

Have you ever thrown a surprise birthday party? I hadn't either until this past weekend! My sweet boyfriend, Patrick, turned 25 this past Thursday and I wanted to celebrate this occasion with 20 of his closest friends and since I knew he's too humble to plan anything for himself, I simply had to do it for him, gladly. I planned the whole thing for last Friday night. I was super nervous I wouldn't pull it off, but I did and it was so great! We had such a good time celebrating his 25th and it was my pleasure to honor him and give him a night all about him. He's a special guy and I'm so happy I was able to do this for him!

Birthday boy with his Yeti cooler

Gotta instagram it up-- love that guy

His sister and her hubby came all the way from Houston to surprise him! 

xoxo

NAILed it

Is it just me or is painting your nails all the rage right now? Ya, thought so.

OPI "Its Totally Fort Worth It"

 Turns out, I suck at painting my own nails, however, that super creative best friend who also happens to be my roommate is really good at it. So I have a built in manicurist that lives 10 feet away from me.

Essie "Plumberry"

 That's actually why I asked her to move in with me. But, since she isn't compensated for her nail services, I figured I better figure it out by myself, lame. But I did, and now I can't stop painting my nails!

Essie "Lilacism"

I love Essie and OPI brands, I just wish they weren't so dang expensive :( 

Essie "Bobbing for Baubles"

I like to treat myself (too often) to a new nail polish color. Painting my nails a new color every couple of days just adds a little pep in my step. I've listed my four current favorites above, pick these up and you won't regret it, its like a little party on your nails! Enjoy :)

xoxo