the "Hottie Wall"

So there is this wall in my room that has been really bare for, well, many moons. So last week I was online looking for inspiration when I found these über hot pictures of celebs on Pinterest (if you don't have a Pinterest you are waaaay behind the times). I've been printing them out and sticking them to my "Hottie Wall" one by one ever since. You're welcome ;]

Johnny Depp

Alex O'Loughlin 

Orlando Bloom

Gerard Butler

Matt Bomer

Ryan Reynolds

Alex Pettyfer

Jake Gyllenhaal

Anyways... these are just a few of my favorites. What can I say? I'm a nerd who digs brunettes.

If you have any suggestions of hotties I need to add to my "Hottie Wall", please speak up!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Top o' the mornin' to ya!

I hope you all have a fantastic Saint Patrick's Day!

Maybe it's just the Irish in me, but I have always loved St. Patrick's Day. I love seeing everyone in green and pinching people who aren't, I love tiny little ginger men, and I love putting green food coloring in everything I eat.

Happy Groundhog Day!

Us Americans love our quirky holidays, and Groundhog Day is probably the strangest out of them all. Whether or not a groundhog can predict when Spring will arrive by seeing his shadow or not seeing his shadow, this morning Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow so it looks like Spring is coming early this year! And that is good news to my ears because it hasn't even broken into the 20's this week here in Utah. On a downside, Phil did not predict who will win the Super Bowl this weekend. So we'll just have to make those predictions ourselves.

My Princess Jasmine Costume

I'm a little late on finally posting this, but better late than never, right? 

Last summer I decided that I wanted to be Princess Jasmine for Halloween. So I went online to find a costume to buy. Problem was, all the Jasmine costumes online didn't look anything like her actual outfit!

   That... doesn't look like... This.

So I decided that if I really wanted to look like Jasmine, I need to make my own outfit! 

Here's what happened...

(Oh look! Brody found his way into my picture!)

It took me a while, mainly because I had no pattern, but I think it turned out pretty well!

I went to Joann's fabric store and found a variety of different Jasmine-blue fabrics, I liked a shiny fabric best, so I bought 2 yards of it, elastic, some thread, and then I went to work!

Like I said before, I didn't use a pattern, so I just used an old pair of pajama bottoms as a reference and just went from there. The fabric I chose was a bit sheer, so I lined the inside with some white cotton fabric that I had lying around. For the waistband, I cut out a thick rectangle about 8 inches thick and about 6 inches longer than my actual waist-measurement. To give it that tapered look near the belly-button, I just cut out the rectangle with a triangular taper in the middle on both sides. Then I folded that in half, making sure the triangular tapered parts met perfectly, and sewed it shut. To attach it to the bottoms, I first sewed an elastic band (that I measured to fit around my hips) into the top so that it would have a nice, uniformed gathering all the way around. Then I just pinned the waistband on, and sewed it onto the pants (making sure not to sew into the elastic). Once I finished, I cut out the elastic and got rid of any extra fabric. I added velcro strips to the back of the waistband and placed them where I needed to in order to make it snug around my hips. To finish, I sewed elastics that fit around my ankles into the bottom of each leg to give it that pouffy look. (Brody somehow found his way into this shot too, lol!)

Then came the top...

The top was a nightmare to make. And I can honestly say that I have no idea how I managed to figure out how to make it without a pattern. It's a miracle I suppose. The easy part was making the band that goes beneath the bust. It was very similar to the way I made the waistband for the pants, but without the tapered point. For the bust part, I also cut out a rectangular shape (a few inches wider than I needed it to be so that I could gather it like the picture above), and then figured out where to start tapering it so that it went down into the band under the armpits. Before sewing the bust part to the band part, I cut out a small strip of fabric (pictured above) and used it to gather the fabric so that it came together in the middle. Then I sewed the bust to the band, attached a skin colored bra underneath, and then added velcro in the back. For the sleeve-things, I figured the easiest way to do it was to just make them separate from the top itself so that I could move my arms around. To make them, I just cut out strips of fabric, sewed them into circles, pinched the part where I sewed them into circles and hand-sewed them pinched so that it made a gathered look around the arm. Then I added some elastic to the inside, only sewing it to the pinched part and not to the entire armband! I did this so that it made the sleeves appear like they were hanging loosely on my arms, but actually they were on snug and fit because of the elastic.

The Accessories!

It took me FOREVER to find these shoes! And when I say forever, I mean a month or two. But I ended up finding these "genie shoes" on this website. The dance company I bought them through only had my size in silver, so I just bought a can of gold spray paint and sprayed them gold.

I found the necklace and earrings at Kohl's. The earrings were more of a bronze color, so I spray painted them gold and then rubbed gold glitter glue all over them to make them sparkly. The best advice I can give for you is to just shop around and try to find jewelry that resembles Jasmine's. Even if it's not the right color, you can always spray paint it to make it work.

For the headband, I used a strip of left over fabric and wrapped it around an old headband and then hot glued it into place. I found the big jewel at a craft store, and then used the same gold glitter glue that I put on the earrings around the edge of the jewel.

I bought the wig on ebay, and then I styled it to look like Jasmine's hair. For the pony tail, I ratted the hair into two balls and then wrapped some ribbon that matched the color of my outfit in-between them.

This costume is NOT for sale, so please don't email asking me to sell it. Thanks!

*Clicking on each picture sends you to a separate window where you can enlarge it in order to get a better look at the details.*

It's a love/hate sort of thing...

A lot of things have been making me angry lately and I feel like listing them for others to read will make me feel better, so here it goes! (These are in no particular order)

#1 Slow drivers. Especially drivers who cut me off and then decide to drive way under the speed limit. Worst. Pet. Peeve. EVER!

#2 Close-minded people. Living in Utah, it happens a lot. People here just don't realize that they don't have to live their lives like robots, they can choose to live morally and still be interesting at the same time. The majority of them don't though unfortunately.

#3 Health food. Now don't get me wrong, health food is great. But not for every single meal. My mom has been on this new health food kick and I honestly haven't eaten a home cooked meal for weeks. Everything she buys takes a million hours to cook and doesn't taste good anyways. So I've been eating out almost every day and it's definitely starting to show :/

#4 Men. Honestly, do men these days date anymore? "Hanging out" is not a date. If a guy is worth the time, he will ask me out either in person, or over the phone, otherwise he doesn't have a date. ESPECIALLY not by text!!! And he will pay for my meal and open every door I intend on stepping through or else he can kiss his sorry butt goodbye.

#5 Snow. I miss green grass and the feeling of hot pavement under my bare feet. I especially don't like snow when it transforms my car into an ice cave and turns my steering wheel into ice. 

#6 People who think they know everything and make sure everyone knows it. All I have to say to this one is, SHUT YOUR FAT FACE! No one, and I mean no one, likes a know-it-all. 

#7 People who hold grudges. So I dumped chocolate syrup on your driveway 4 years ago. Get over it. I was over it the moment I did it.

#8 People who hate. So I dumped chocolate syrup on your friend's driveway 4 years ago and dated your boyfriend when I was FIFTEEN freaking years old and haven't said a word to you in my life. Get. Over. Yourself.

#9 People who do everyone else's jobs but neglect to do their own. (This means you boy-scout-man.)

#10 Having to grow up. I have Peter Pan syndrome. I want to be a kid forever.

Thanks for listening to me rant. I feel much better. Here are some things I do like so you all don't think I'm a total Grinch.

#1 My puppy. Brody is my little buddy. He always listens and never gives me opinions or lectures. He wakes me up right on time every morning and loves to snuggle. He likes to wear sweaters and sit on the back of the couch like a cat. I love him with all my heart :]

#2 My heated blanket. It's the only thing that gets me through the winter. I have it cranked up on high as we speak.

#3 My friends. I have amazing friends. I honestly couldn't imagine a better bunch of rascals to hang out with all the time.

#4 Crushes. They are thrilling to have, but at the same time kind of heart breaking. 

#5 Disney movies/Disneyland. This goes right along with my Peter Pan syndrome. There is nothing better than curling up in a cozy blanket, sipping hot cocoa and watching a Disney movie.

#6 My family. We may not get along 100% of the time, but boy to we have good times. There's a whole lot of OCD, misnamed places, whining and complaining, poncho hating, repeated question asking and jokes that aren't funny which makes them funny, going around.

#7 Awesome sound systems. I'm a big fan of loud music. The best sound system ever made was in RayCray's old car Unreliable. It had a bass so BA it would blow your lungs out. I sure do miss that car :[

#8 Free stuff. Free food, free music, free t-shirts, free bags, free shades... some of the many reasons why college is so awesome. 

#9 Feeling important. Like when someone comes straight to you because they know you can help them. Or when you get a special assignment because your boss knows you'll do a slamming job. Just knowing people appreciate you is really nice :]

#10 Writing. I wish I had time to do more of it. Especially when it comes to my blog. I'll try to keep up on it a bit more. Maybe reinstate my favorite things?

Greetings from soggy California...

Instead of having a white Christmas in Utah, I'm having a wet one in California. Right now it is 55 degrees with 94% humidity. Needless to say, I have poodle hair. We're staying at a cute little inn right on the beach. What a week to be on the West Coast! The weather man says this is the worst storm California has seen for 10 years. And it's only going to get worse before letting up Thursday. We went to Disneyland this morning with cloudy skies and hardly any crowds, it was every Disney lover's dream. And then after riding Pirates of the Caribbean the rain started pouring, and pouring, and pouring. I honestly haven't EVER seen rain like this before. Normally back home it will rain for a few minutes and then stops, and then it rains again for a little while before going away. Not here, it rains CONSTANTLY. Even in our rain coats and ponchos we were soaked to the bone in no time at all. I have never been so miserable at my favorite place on earth. The next two days are going to be just as rainy but with gail force winds, so we are going to hang out in the hotel and maybe go see 'Tron' or 'True Grit' at Fashion Island. Let's just pray that the weather man was right about the rain going away Thursday because I am SO excited to have a normal experience at Disneyland and a totally rain free Christmas :]

The Travel Bug

I have the travel bug... quite possibly because I've been at home all weekend with a cold so naturally I've been living on my couch watching travel shows on Netflix. One of those shows was Destination Truth. They basically go to all sorts of places all over the world searching for myths. Like leprechauns in Ireland, lake monsters in Turkey, ghosts at Chernobyle, mermaids in the Caribbean, lizard men in South Carolina... you get the picture. I want a job like that. Best. Job. EVER!

Somewhere in-between watching these shows, crocheting scarves, and playing Pocket Frogs on my iTouch (highly entertaining), I made a list of the Top 5 places I want to see in the (hopefully) near future.

1. Egypt

Going to Egypt is my absolute DREAM. Egyptian history has always been my absolute favorite: if I were to pick any time and place to live, it would be Ancient Egypt. When I go, I want to ride a camel beside the pyramids, and explore tombs in the Valley of the Kings, and sail down the Nile, and see everything in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Zahi Hawass is basically my hero.

2. Europe

I decided to group all of Europe into this category because it would fill up the rest of my Top 10 if I didn't. I want start out in the UK, considering that's where my ancestor's are from. I want to see the rolling Irish fields, the hustle and bustle of London, and reenact the battle in Braveheart in Scotland. Then I'll head to the mainland and see Paris, the Alps, visit my friends in Germany, eats loads of European chocolate, and then I'll end the visit in Italy. My second favorite history is the Roman's history. I want to take one of those cheesy thumbs up/down pictures in the Colleseum, ride on the back of some hot Italian man's Vespa, try every flavor of gelato, find the Pope at the Vatican, and throw a coin in every fountain I see. 

3. India

I think the Indian culture is quite possibly the most beautiful culture in the world. I love the bright colors and the intricate designs... I just love everything about it. After going to the Holi Festival here in Utah last Spring, going to an actual Holi Festival in India was added to my bucket list. Another thing on my list is riding an elephant through the jungle. 

4. Africa

When I was in the 9th grade, my fellow classmates and I had the daunting task of having to memorize every country of the world in our geography class. At the end of the year we had to draw and label the entire world. As frightening as that may sounds, it was one of my favorite classes. The best part was the 'Africa Song', which put all 53 countries in Africa to a catchy tune... It's basically the 'Small World' song of geography classes, you'll never be able to forget it. It's been years since 9th grade, but I can guarantee you that everyone who ever learned the 'Africa Song' can still sing every line of it today. Even though I can list every country in Africa, I couldn't tell you exactly where I want to go there. Just as long as there are adorable African children to hug, giraffes and zebras on a jeep safari, and loads of kaki attire, I'm there.

5. New York City

The Big Apple! It's one of those places that you have to experience at least once (if not more than once) in your life. My need to see the city only intensified after I started watching Gossip Girl. Now all I want is to stroll around the Upper East Side in designer clothes. Eating New York famous pizza and seeing a show on Broadway are a must as well.

These are just a few of the places I want to see before I die. All I know is that my goal is to see as many places in this breathtaking world we live in as I can. All I need now is a boat-load of cash and a passport... the passport part will be easy, finding a boat filled with cash? Not so much.

Halloween

*UPDATE* 
I have pictures and instructions for how I made my costume on this link!  

Halloween is by far one of my favorite holidays. It's the one day a of the year that you get to be whoever (or whatever) you want and go crazy! The over abundance of candy is also a big bonus.

I have been playing this year's Halloween for a few months now. And guess who I'm going to be?....

Princess Jasmine of course!! 

I spent hours online trying to find the perfect costume, but nothing looked exactly like her outfit in Aladdin. So I decided to make my own! So far I have the curly toe shoes, the wig, the jeweled headband, the earrings and necklace, and I finished sewing the pants a couple days ago. All I need to do now is sew the top, which I'm pretty nervous about since I'm not using a pattern so I can tell you right now it's definitely going to be tricky. I'll post the finished product in a few days once I have everything done. So excited!!! This Halloween is going to be the best ever!

To view my costume and get the links for the websites where I bought some of the accessories, please click the link below. Thanks!
My Princess Jasmine Costume

Since it's a bye week...

... I thought that I would post a highlight video of last weeks game with San Jose State.

This is what domination looks like...

GO UTES!

Guy Walks Across America

This video is really cool! It was a Levi's ad... go figure... but wasn't made in a studio! They combined stop motion and time lapse photography and took a 2 week RV trip across America!



If you're curious as to how they made it, here you go!...



If you'd like to see a map of all the places they stopped at along the way, click here!

PSYCH!

  

The season premiere of Psych was tonight! Needless to say, it was AMAZING! It's one of those shows where you can't help but rewind it dozens of times to re-watch funny parts, possibly peeing your pants in the process. I didn't pee my pants tonight, just in case you were wondering, but it was still awesome. And I may or may not have watched it sitting beside a pineapple. No big deal. It just felt right, okay?

I'm kind of obsessed with this show, in case you didn't already pick up on that little fact. I even won the Spot the Pineapple Sweepstakes last season! That was pretty much the best day of my life... as sad as that may seem.

          

Now all I need to do is a find a man just like Shawn... mmm love him!

Watch it every Wednesday at 10/9c on USA, or watch full episodes here or on Hulu! You're very welcome :]

Wow

Sorry about all these random videos, but I was so excited about this one that I had to share it with someone!

These kids are amazing! I wish I could have gone to this elementary school!

And is it just me, or is the teacher extremely attractive?

United State of Pop 2009 (Blame It on the Pop)

I heard this remix on the radio a while ago and thought it was amazing! Then I just happened to stumble upon the music video and had to share. Enjoy! 

So you want to be a writer?

Are you thinking of becoming an author? Well, here is some advice that you may find a bit helpful from someone who works with books all day...

1. Don't make your name bigger than the title. Nobody cares what your name is, in all honestly, they just want to read your book. It makes you look desperate for fame. It's like guys who drive huge trucks, you know their trying to compensate for something else ;] There are some books where you literally have to squint to read the title. Nobody likes squinting, and no one will read your book.

2. Put your full name on the binding. Especially if you have a common name like Smith, or Brown. It will not only be easier for shelvers to find the right spot for each book, but it will be beneficial to you because all you're books will be together instead of crammed in with all the other Browns'.

3. While we're on the topic of names, use the same font for your name on each of your books (DON'T use tight cursive or weird fonts that are hard to read). It also wouldn't hurt to keep your books all the same size and with the same sort of layouts and/or color schemes. That way whoever is scanning the shelves looking for a book can tell that your books all belong together. It'll make your books stand out from all the others.

4. If your book is in a series... INCLUDE THE STINKIN' NUMBER! Put it on the spine, the cover, and on the cover page in the inside! There are so many series out there that aren't numbered and people get frustrated when they go home with a book and realize they picked the wrong one in the series. AND if you end up writing other books not included in a series, they will all get mixed in together. Take the Twilight series for example; Stephanie Meyer didn't include the numbers on her books so they are all out of order on the shelf, and her other book 'The Host' is right in there with them.

5. If you are wanting to write a mystery book, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE... don't include any of these words in the title: Dead, death, dying, bones, case, murder, blood or bloody. I would bet you $20 bucks right now that almost half, if not more, of the mystery titles have these words in the title. Come on people! You can be a bit more creative than that.


Anywho, these are some of the things that have been driving me nuts the past few weeks. I know that some of these things are all up to your publisher, but at least let them know what you want and work with what you're given. You will sell more books, and the people who work with them all day won't have a deep seeded resentment for you.

Givaways!

I have been wanting to do giveaways for a while now, but I also want to wait until I reach  

50 followers!

So help a sister out and spread the word my friends! Once I hit 50 I'll start giving out some of my favorite books, jewelry, and other awesomnesses (new word, woohoo!)!

Thanks buds! I love you all!

PS- If you have an etsy shop, or any other kind of crafty business, we can pull a switcheroo and swap! Provide something to giveaway and I'll give you free adverting for your shop! Just let me know if you would be interested, I'm sure we could work something out :] julia.pearce@utah.edu

PSS- If you could re-post this picture on your blog, that would be GREAT! Thanks!

Create

I love this video. It has a great message and the music is beautiful too. 

It really doesn't matter what you believe in, but I think this video rings true for us all. And I think it's really neat to know that the things we create will live on far after we ourselves have left this world. When we create, we will never be forgotten.

I know where you live...

You know times are tough when you can't muster the willpower to make a new blog post. This has been me for the past few weeks. They have been a weird few weeks, let me just say that. I think it's due to the fact that 1) I now have a job that leaves me pretty worn out every day 2) The weather is starting to warm up and I'm inside on the laptop less and less, or 3) I have come the the realization that "Holy *expletive*, I've been out of high school for a year now and I'm half way done with college!" I'm practically a legit adult now... how the crap did that happen?

Despite the lack of blogger contact, a lot has happened since I last posted...

So I met this guy from school in January and we started hanging out and going on dates quite a bit. This went on for a couple of months until one day in March he gave me a call to tell me that he had met another girl and they were together so "we could only be friends now". This news kind of shocked me because 1) we had spent a lot of time together, and 2) he was always talking about how he didn't like commitment and liked to take things slow. Luckily the shock wore off after a day or two when I realized he really wasn't worth my time. The reason I'm bringing this up now is because I found out last Sunday that, drumroll please... him and his girlfriend are now engaged. Yeah I said it, engaged! After knowing each other for less than 2 months. GAG! Can I just say that I dodged the freakin' bullet on this one?? It's just weird to think that two months ago this guy was my cuddle buddy and now he's practically a married man. Gross.

Speaking of crazy people, on Monday I had some random dude I've never met in my entire life show up at my work with a bouquet of flowers and a box of candy with a note that read, and I quote,


"Hi Jay-
I was passing through and thought that you could use a pick me up! So enjoy the treats and have a great evening at work. It was nice to meet you :)
-Gary*
P.S. Yes, I did just go through all of this just to meet you :) Cheers!"


*Name has been changed so this dude doesn't find me and kill me in my sleep.


Umm... talk about CREEPER!!!! Luckily he just gave them to one of the librarians and I didn't have to see this weirdo face to face. I was thoroughly creeped out the entire day. I was looking over my shoulder every two seconds just waiting for someone's face to appear between the rows of books.

Now that school is out, it's time for finals... aka "Freak, I Never Actually Learned this Shiz" (I was going to use the real words but remembered that family reads this, hehe.) Not that I've studied much... it's just a wonderful excuse to attribute my mood to. My last final is Thursday... have I studied for it yet? Nope! Will I study anytime between now and then? Maybe... if I'm lucky.

Beauty on the Cheapo

Being pretty can be expensive. I was at Rite Aid the other day, walking down the cosmetic aisle and stumbled upon a tube of mascara that was sixteen dollars! What? Definitely not cool. 

I'm all for the cheapo, so I thought I would share some inexpensive beauty tips I have learned and love. 

1. Egg White Mask

Simply crack open an egg (but leave out the yolk!) into a bowl, and then wipe it on your face. Simple as that. Don't put it on your lips or eyelids because when the egg white dries, it gets really hard and you won't be able to talk or open your eyes. Leave it on for 10-30 minutes (the longer the better!) and then wash off with cool water. Wala! You have super tight, flawless looking skin! It is also great for helping get rid of acne, redness and scarring. 

To make things more interesting, you can add a bit of honey, oats, lemon juice, or milk. Personally, I just like using the egg white. When you're done, cover up the bowl and put it in the fridge. You can use for 3-4 days after, but I would get rid of anything left over after that.

2. Redness Reducer!

I think this has happened to all of us... you wake up one morning to find an huge unsightly red blemish in the most obvious place it could possibly be on your face. And no matter how much foundation or concealer you use, you can't seem to cover it up. Solution? Eye drops for red eyes! Weird I know, but all you do is put a drop on your finger and then dab it on the blemish. Let it set for a few minutes and before you know it, the redness will go away and the pimple will be MUCH less noticeable. You can buy a little bottle at your local drug store for under $2! Just make sure you buy the kind for REDNESS, not allergies or dryness or anything else.

3. Shiny Hair is Sweet!

Warm up about 1/3 to 1/2 a cup (depending on hair length and thickness) of honey in the microwave until its runny and hot. Not too hot though, because you'll be putting it in your hair and you won't want to scald your scalp. Take it with you to the shower and just let it sit for a minute while you wash your hair with shampoo. Then towel dry your hair until its not dripping anymore and pour the honey over your hair, working it through the ends and making sure you cover every strand. Since this can get a bit sticky, I like to get a plastic grocery bag and wrap it around my hair (don't cover your face... obviously) and then use the handles to tie it. Then go do whatever for 10-15 minutes while the honey soaks your hair. When the time is up, get back in the shower and wash out the honey with lukewarm or cool water. Make sure you wash it all out or else it will dry in your hair and then it will be really hard to get out. You can follow with conditioner if your hair tends to be on the dryer side. It leaves your hair super soft and super shiny! 

 You can also do this on dry hair, I tried it once and it was a bit more difficult to work the honey through, but works just the same.

3. Mayo Hair Mask

No, I'm not kidding. Mayonnaise is great for dry hair. Just take about 1 cup and work it into your dry hair and scalp. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes and then follow with shampoo and conditioner. This tends to be a bit smelly, so use a strong shampoo flavor after. The fat in the mayo restores moisture to your hair and makes it super soft as well.

What are some of your beauty secrets?