Safe and Sound

GUESS WHAT!?!  

I made my first garden!  I decided to call it Panem.  Hmmm, I wonder why.  Lately, I've been on a Hunger Game roll with the movie coming out and everything.  Today's song and blog title go to show that as well!

Anywho!  Today I went out into Columbus and bought Panem's necessities: 1. a large glass "penny jar" with a lid from, World Market  2. white fish tank pebbles from Petsmart  3. activated charcoal also from Petsmart  4. and finally, peat moss from Lowe's!  Everything I needed!  My plans were to build Panem tonight, but Dancing with the Stars came on...  I got bored with DWTS and made my Panem instead.  So here's Panem!  Enjoy!  OH, and I almost forgot...the bird's name is Mockingjay.  Tehe!

Select the photo to see a larger version!

Panem!

top view

Mockingjay!

from bottom to top: pebbles, charcoal, peat moss, forest

...and a very excited, pleased me =)

Today's song:  Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift & The Civil Wars

XO, AJ

Glad You Came

Well hello!

It's been a little bit and there are reasons for that.  Reason #1: work. Reason #2: lazy. Reason #3: lack of inspiration.  But now I'm back and ready to share my projects with you!  Yay!

About a month ago, I became obsessed with terrariums.  I always saw them on craftgawker, but didn't seem to interest me enough.  THEN, I visited a young lady's blog from the Columbus vicinity, which I met at an alternative craft show downtown in Decmeber '11.  She and her husband had gone to a terrarium making class at a flower shop.  She posted pictures of her terrarium with a cute, mini, porcelain polar bear figurine placed in the center of the greenery.  I think they even named it "terrarium polarium!"  I LOVED it.  It was so simple and beautiful in a round glass bowl.  I was dead set on adding these earthy creations to my list of must-do projects!

My aunts just recently went on vacation to Asheville, North Carolina, and I couldn't believe it, but they brought me back moss and a few pretty rocks for my to-be terrarium!  They went out and dug it all up with a spoon!  I really couldn't believe it!  It was one of the best surprises...the kind you would never expect! They also brought me back a mini terrarium from a stand full of terrariums made by a young couple.  SO!  With all of this being said, I'm makin' me a terrarium tomorrow after I purchase a few necessities needed.  Look out for my next post to see how everything turns out!

Mini terrarium from stand in Asheville, NC

Asheville, NC moss & rocks dug up by my Aunties, given to me!

Today's song:  Glad You Came by The Wanted


XO, AJ

The Morning

Good day, sweeties!

As long as I can remember, I've never liked plain, white walls.  Anywhere.

Upon moving to Ohio about 4-5 months ago, I moved into a larger bedroom (with off-gray, white-ish colored walls).  I had a similar sized room when I was living in our Arkansas dream house about 3 years ago.  Both of my AR and CO rooms had the same colored walls called Lime Lollipop by Behr.  AMAZING color.  It was almost too lime-y looking on the paint chip, BUT looked amazing on the wall so I had to use it again on my CO room.  I decided to leave the gray/white color in my OH room just to try it out because it matched with my IKEA white curtains and my IKEA white and gray duvet...but of course I got bored with it and went on a search for wall color candidates.

You know how they say love happens when you least expect it?  Yes.  I was standing in ULTA looking at nail polish and it happened.  I fell in love with a shade of green called Trendsetter by China Glaze.  I had to have it.  The weird part, however, was that it was the most god-awful shade of baby-poop green to everyone else, but to me, it was like staring at pure inspiration.  I bought the nail polish and later in the week used it on my nails.  It turned out to be sooo beautiful and eye-catching.  So eye-catching, in fact, that while ringing people up at work and giving back change & receipt, they would comment on my nails.  "Wow!  Nice nails."  "What a color!"  "I LOVE your nails!"  "What do you call that color?  Avocado?"  I got at least 15 different comments and compliments.  This made me love the color even more.  I thought.  What else can I do with this color?  OMG!  WALLS.

I went to Home Depot and found two shades similar to Trendsetter, and bought two $3 samples to try out on my wall.  LOVED them!  My aunties however, did not.  But I wasn't giving up.  I am dead-set on making this oddball color work!  The day before yesterday, my Aunt Chrissy and I went to Lowe's to look at possible kitchen colors.  I gathered up about 18 other chips both in yellows and greens.  I can't wait to see whats gonna happen to my room!

(1) Gourd by American Tradition (2) Limoncello by Valspar (3) Olive Grove by Valspar (4) Apple 3 by Valspar (5) Bee's Wax by Valspar (6) Palm by Valspar (7) Spritz of Lime by Valspar (8) Olive by Valspar (9) Gentle Pasture by Valspar (10) Prairie Brush by Valspar (11) Jungle Thicket by Valspar (12) Spanish Green by Valspar (13) Daffodil by Valspar (14) Garden Sprout by Behr (15) Feather Gold by Behr (16) California Dreaming by Behr (17) Leapfrog by Behr (18)Wild Grass by Behr (19) Dog Park by Valspar (20) Olive Tree by Valspar

My favorite out of all of these...#14, Garden Sprout.  Opinions?  =)

My paint samples.  left to right: Garden Sprout and Wild Grass

Arkansas room!

Long story short, I'M REDOING MY ROOM!  We'll see what happens!  Keep checking in!

Today's song:  The Morning by The Weekend

Ps...Here's the inspirational nail polish, Trendsetter by China Glaze

XO, AJ

The Original

Hello peepers!

I do not regret to admit that my obsession as of late has been...yes you guessed it:  The Hunger Games trilogy.  I cannot stop talking, thinking, and dreaming about it.  Better than Twilight and better than Harry Potter in my opinion.  Maybe because it's still new and fresh to me unlike HP and Edward/Bella.  What makes HG even more amazing is the fact that my FAVORITE fella, Josh Hutcherson, plays my FAVORITE character in the history of books.  Peeta. Mellark.  If you have not read this series, I highly recommend it as it will take you into a world of extreme differences than anything you've ever imagined.  I became sooo completely drowned in HG that it inspired me to translate it my own way!

Hunger Games inspired nail polish!  And I had to show off my new bracelet that I'm LOVING a ton right now...

 forged gold and hot coal orange

Hunger Games movie trailer
< color similarities

PS...I'm gonna do a song of the day section at the end of each post, which will also be the title of my post.  Enjoy!

Today's song:  The Original by Incubus

XO, AJ

the beginning..

First post!  Woohoo!


I'm hoping to show you guys what I'm all about.  With that being said, enjoy everything to come and feel free to thrive off of my inspiration!  Here's a little something that's been making me smile lately: