Making a House into a Home: DIY Wreath

Since I am still renting an apartment, it makes it hard sometimes to feel like i am are coming home to...well my "home". Nothing matches, were using hand-me-down silverware, sitting on a couch that has been in Brent's parents basement since 1992 and we're def not wasting money on painting the walls because we'd have to paint it back white when we move out. To break it down even more, we are planning on moving out of here as soon as we can. BUT until that is possible, I am on a mission to make this place "homier".. is that even a word? Oh well.

This past Saturday was kinda dull so I decided to run to Michael's and see what I could pick up and throw together. As I was walking through the isles I saw styrafoam rings and I thought WREATH! I have seen them on pinterest and thought it would be fun and probably easy. I went and got 2 different colored yarn rolls, one tan and one cream/gold.. who woulda thought, right? I wasnt sure what else I wanted to add to it so I just browsed each row to see if something stuck out. I saw these mini branch wreaths and figured I could make it work. Last but not least I picked up a hot glue gun and some glue sticks and I went on my way.

Here is what I purchased along with an old grey shirt:

I started by hot gluing the tan strand to the ring and proceed to wrap it...

10 min later I was half way done...

Once I was finally done (took a lot longer than I thought because I wanted to make it perfect) I hot glued it to the same area as I started. Then I glued the cream/gold yarn to the same spot and wrapped it around.

yes... wearing the pj's again. I need a second pair

I am using the same start/end point for everything so I only have one place to cover up with my add-ons. I added another strand of the cream/gold but going in the opposite direction to create a crisscross effect.

I thought it would be cute to take the cream/gold yarn and roll it into different size balls and place them around the wreath however I pleased. All I did was make a bunch of knots and then just start rolling the yarn around it and glued the end when I got it to the size I wanted.

I played around with different layouts for the smaller wreaths and really liked how it looked when I placed them in the same area with a slight overlap effect. I made sure to place them in the same area as my start/end area so it would cover up the imperfections.

I thought the yarn balls would look cool inside the smaller wreaths so I made two small yarn balls and one larger one.

 Then I sat there and pondered what I was going to do to make it more interesting. I rummaged through some old t-shirts to see if there was anything I could use to make it look better. I found an old cotton/spandex shirt that I really never wore and decided to cut the sleeves off and make small roses. I have done this "rose" technique on scarves before and thought I could make it work for this.

Pardon my nails- Sunday is usually my mani day- I have terrible nails.. they are so thin and nail polish only lasts me like 2 days before they start to chip so they are usually completely bare by the end of the week.

As you can see, I cut the end part of the sleeve first. Then i cut a thin piece and cut it in half to make it long. I then just rolled it and glued it to stay together. I also put some glue on the bottom and rolled the material towards the bottom center to make it flat in order for it to be able to be glued to the wreath.

I then just randomly placed the flowers on and viola!! A masterpiece is created!!

I have done crafts here and there but this is my all-time favorite. I still can't believe how it turned out! I normally follow a pinterest idea or google an idea but this was all my own design and I love coming home and seeing it on the door.. it just makes me happy knowing I made it :)

This is just the beginning of my mission to make my small one bedroom apartment a home. What to make next???? hmmmmm 

Lets Pin Shall We

Sometimes I find myself getting lost in pinterest and just browsing for hours (hope my work doesn't monitor their computers) After picking and choosing, here are my Favorite pins of the week... so far.

This is so motivating. You gotta be willing to put in the effort to see results

 In love with the tan and pink... my two favorite colors to wear

I have done this so many times to people haha

I need to learn how to curl my hair, I have been searching Youtube for some tips

I always try to hide eating little treats but who am I hurting? ME!

I will do this DIY project asap!

So cute! Such a good snack at a Holiday party

Really like the colors in the picture.. it says fall all over it

She looks sophisticated and sexy at the same time. I love the outfit and hair

Love her hair and makeup

 

Need to learn new makeup tricks!

Happy Halloween Everyone!! If you are like me you decided to be "Pajama Girl" at work because frankly you just want to be comfy so hey! PJs it is! haha (Pardon the stiff smile, I took this on my way to work.. at a red light of course...)

I will leave you all with an awesome picture of a pumpkin that one of the artists at my work carved. He does this ever year and I swear they get better and better. The datail is amazing and he doesn't use a template. Enjoy!

How to Nail an Interview

Are you sitting at your desk at home or at your current job that you are unhappy with? Do you count the minutes until you get to go home? Do you dream of bettering yourself and finding a career? Did you graduate and still work at the place you did during the time you were in school??  If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you have come to the right spot!! Trust me you are not alone. I graduated in May of 2011 and I am still working for the same company I did when I was going to school. There is no room for me to grow here and if there was, I am not sure if I would want to.

Another question. Do you hateeeee when people ask what do you want to be when you grow up??? ME TOO. I am still so young and trying to figure out my purpose in life. I want to learn and experience and find what I want to be, I don't want to have to choose just yet. Yes, there are people who knew they were going to be a nurse since the age of 2, but there are also many of us who still to this day have no idea. Well, i've decided i'm going to get my shhhheat together and do something with my life. So if you are just like me, pay attention to the following tips about how to nail an interview and get your dream job.

1. You MUST be confident not cocky. Even if you are sweating from head to toe, you need to act cool and calm and let your interviewer know that 'you got dis'. Tell yourself over and over that you are the perfect fit for this job and you are the candidate they are looking for.
2. Do your research!!! You need to look up everything about the company and the position, take notes and understand their mission statement
3. Write good questions to ask. ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS. An interview is a two way interview. The company wants to know you did your research and are actually interested in them and not just getting paid. Make a list of 10-15 questions and ask as you are going along. It is okay to bring a notepad with the questions, no need to memorize and make yourself freak out even more.
4. Spruce up your resume. Make sure you get just the right amount of information out there but do not give too much detail, that is what an interview is for. Ask for help! If you want your resume to look/ sound better, ask someone with more experience to help give you tips for your layout. Be simple. Keep it to one page. Use key words.
5. Keep good eye-contact and really listen to what they are saying. You don't want to not pay attention and ask a question that was already answered.
6. Always speak positively. Even if you loath your current job, dont bring that up in the interview. Do not get too personal, focus more on the job you are interviewing for.
7. Make sure to eat and drink before. You don't want to be in the middle of the interview and have your stomach start growling. Also, in case you are super nervous its good to eat something before so you don't pass out.
8. Make sure you know how to get to the building and know how long it will take you. It is TERRIBLE to show up to an interview late. DO NOT DO IT! Always show up early if you can.
9. Sell yourself. You know why you are great for the company, tell them! Be comfortable, let them see your personality. 
10. Do a follow up email right when you get home. Thank them for meeting with you and restate why you believe you are the best candidate for the job. Let them know you are available if they have any questions that were left unanswered.
11. Lastly, dress for the part! Wear neutral colors and nothing revealing. Take it easy on the makeup and jewelry. Pearl earrings and watch are perfect.

BE YOURSELF!

Now go out there and kill em!! Good luck :)

Oh how pinteresting!

Happy Wednesday/ Hump day everyone!This is my first time linking up with Michelle at The Vintage Apple to show you some of the recent things i've pinned!

I love finding motivation stuff on Pinterest!

In love with these H&M shoes, I wish I could find them

Def making this for Thanksgiving but using marshmallow fluff

This image makes me happy

I wish I had organizing things like this! I love white/neutrals with a pop of color

I.Want.Now

My dream kitchen

Such a cute DIY project to make for the kitchen or front walkway

Reminds me of Lilly, how can you say no to the face!

This color combination is really in the season. 

So perfect for a little boys room!

Salivation in 3...2...1.. mmmm stuffed cabbage

I could wear this outfit all day everyday if i had to...

...and this...

...and this.

Link up with Michelle and share your Pinterest favorites!
Have a great day!