Sunday, December 23, 2012

life recently; Christmas edition


I got the idea here: Julie Nolan Jewelry.



Just a few things I've been working on... Presents for a few family members (my mom loves pigs).

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Sharpie mug

Today is my friend Ashley's birthday. I wanted to get her a present but I wanted it to be personal, so I decided to jump on the Sharpie mug craze (I've been wanting to since first spotting the tutorial on A Beautiful Mess) and design a mug for her.

Here is the design I came up with:

I first planned on putting her initial centered a little bit over the swirly stuff, but after a suggestion from The Boy decided to incorporate the initial into the swirled design, so the As at the top are my first ideas. 


I love it how the mug turned out! To transfer the design I poked holes in it, taped the paper to the mug, and used a fine tip Sharpie to color through each hole onto the mug. Then I played connect the dots! I used a black Sharpie oil paint pen, which was sometimes quite frustrating because it didn't always draw evenly. But I think it turned out great. I filled it with Lindt truffles and made a tag to attach to it. I also put the date on the inside of the handle for an additional little personal touch.

I haven't tried washing it yet, but I have scratched at the design with my thumbnail and it's holding up. I decided on the Sharpie paint pen after reading many comments that regular Sharpies don't always hold up, so I'm hoping this will last. The tutorial I actually followed is from Scribbles from Emily, who recommended the Sharpie paint pen. She says hers is dishwasher safe, but I'm going to recommend that Ashley hand washes her mug.

This was a fun project, and I was able to complete it really quickly. I would definitely suggest it as a Christmas or birthday present project. I'm actually thinking of making a lot more, and maybe a couples set for me and The Boy :)

Monday, November 19, 2012

autumn.


A few weekends ago the boy and I went on a quick adventure to the gorge. It's located behind his apartment building, and has a gorgeous waterfall and river which leads to the Hudson. We took some time exploring the ruins of the old water power plant, which we've always been curious about but have never checked out on our previous trips. It was a nice way to enjoy the dwindling days of autumn. 



Wednesday, October 10, 2012

farm things


I wonder if I will ever make this blogging thing part of my routine. I am horridly sporadic in my postings and I've been wanting to renovate the blog and make it all pretty for about three months... Ah well. Life gets in the way.

Life, though, is pretty good, so I don't mind that it keeps me too busy to write on here regularly. My family visited me this past weekend, which was great. My sister was back in the states for a conference (she's been studying in Ireland) so she was able to come visit as well. We looked around campus to show my brother what it's like - he'll be graduating high school in May - and then headed an hour south to my boyfriend's house. His family is incredible, and I adore spending time with them on their little farm, and it was a great weekend.



We mostly relaxed, but then on Sunday we took a trip to the nearby State Park and took a hike, which was great. I finished two rolls of film that I've been working on for over a month. I also got to see our chickens, and my mom saw them in person for the first time. She's been wanting to get chickens for a few years now, but the area my family lives in is too suburban for that.



Thursday, September 20, 2012

life recently

Yikes! It has been ages and ages since I've written here. ROTC camp went pretty well - it was actually a lot more fun, and a lot less stressful than I was expecting. After camp I went to Ft Riley, KS for three weeks. I'd rather not revisit that trip - it was awful. When I finally returned home I was able to relax and recuperate for a couple weeks before returning to school. I bought a car, the boy visited, and we road-tripped back to NY to spend a week with his family. The last few weeks of summer were wonderful.

Now school has begun again (I'm almost done with my fourth week) and I'm loving the cooler weather. ROTC is hectic and demanding, but I'm in a great position and overall I'm having a great time. This weekend the boy and I are heading to his home to catch a much-needed break from school. I can't wait to spend time on their little farm. I'm hoping to use up a few rolls of film so I can get them developed. And then perhaps I'll share a few here.

Trip to Clear Creek with my brothers.
(click to go to my Flickr)

It's almost the weekend!

xxKatie

Thursday, June 14, 2012

farewell for now.

Well, tomorrow I am off to ROTC summer camp. I'm sure it will be great fun, and incredibly exhausting. I didn't get anything done on here that I wanted to - I was too busy projecting. Oh well. Perhaps next month.

Although I know for sure that I am completely prepared for camp, I find myself incredibly nervous. There are many other things I would rather be doing than training in the woods for a month. Nevertheless, I shall soldier on - get it?! - and complete my training to the best of my ability. I just really want to perform well. So much hinges on this, but not only that, I want to prove - mostly to myself - what I've learned, and how far I've come. I want to show how good of an officer I'm going to make one day. And this is my chance.

No pressure, or anything.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

we have a rooster (or two!)

Photo by Colton

The chicks are getting so big! I don't even know if we can call them chicks still, but I suspect I always will, even when they are full-grown chickens. These are two of our bantams. We have at least one rooster, but we think another might be one. We can't tell yet. These little guys are so much fun, and I really miss them. Luckily, Colton can keep me updated with photos throughout the summer.

Friday, June 1, 2012

outfit; one.

I find myself fascinated with fashion blogs. I love looking at all the ways people have of mixing outfits. They give me wonderful inspiration for how to use my own wardrobe. I don't have any intention of becoming a style blogger, but I thought I'd post the outfit I wore today, since I really liked it.

tank; Target || shirt; Wal-mart || skirt; Forever 21

recently; photos.











Monday, May 28, 2012

home again.

I have arrived home in good ol' Ohio. The weather is humid and sticky. I will be here for two weeks before heading to summer training. On the way home we stopped at Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Rochester, and my grandfather's old house. Photos to come soon.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

the past couple weeks.

I had such great plans for this blog, and look. Fallen by the wayside like all the others. While normally I would say that summer is coming up, and with it lots of time to personalize and develop this blog, I unfortunately won't have the time, because I will be so busy with summer training and work. Perhaps I will find some time to work on it, however, before my summer plans get underway. Until then, here are some updated pictures of the chicks.


We ended up getting a second batch, this time six bantams.


And here they all are! They're growing up so quickly! Right now they are living at my boyfriend's parents' house, as per the original plan. They will stay there, making delicious eggs, while I visit as often as possible.


Wednesday, April 4, 2012

bringing the farm to college.

Last Friday I bought six chicks from Tractor Supply Co. I adore them. I really only wanted two or three, but the minimum required was six, so I went for it. One didn't make it (the dark striped one), he was so tiny that the others trampled him and he was just too weak to recover. However, the rest are doing wonderfully and they are incredibly cute and cuddly.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Constellations

The freckles on your back
are much more than that.

They are unnamed constellations,
worlds unexplored,
a beautiful collection of stars
scattered along and across the galaxy
of you, for me to explore.

Fingertips like shooting stars,
soaring along the milky way that is your spine,
circling rings like Saturn.

Time flies, lightyears,
but we don't notice.
Let me travel the worlds in you.

Samantha F. Gill ]

Monday, March 26, 2012

Hello, there.

I have made yet another blog - I always end up forgetting to update one, or getting tired of the content, or whatever else. The fact is that I am terrible at keeping up with these things. Nevertheless, I shall try again! I'm not sure yet what this will be about. Life, I guess. Some time later I will make an introductory post, because that seems to be the things to do.

Farewell until then!

xx Katie