goals

I'm going to make myself a fancy list of goals for this blog so that I don't keep posting random stuff every few weeks. Since it's that time of year and I'm finally making some money, crafts should be happening (:

No excuses.

{ I'll Do It Myself }

I'm going to make myself some decorative Christmas cones. Big ones! But first I need to go out and find some pretty fabric & other supplies.

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Then, in these little guys:

Sugar Scrub with Coconut Oil

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I'm going to make hand made Christmas cards this year. 

With fun fabrics, paper, glue, sparkles, tea, & no patience. I might post some tutorials if they turn out well. 

Don't get your hopes up. 

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Also, this guy is pretty darn cute. I got him for super free at World Market. I might try my hand at ornaments. 

doh (:

{ Looks }

Since short hair is in & growing it out is a pain, I've found a do that I've been wearing almost every day now, so I'll post a tutorial for that.

I've been trying to get pictures of my red lipstick and winged eyeliner that has become a part of my everyday makeup. You can kind of see it in the picture above, but I really haven't had the best of luck with pictures of that or of my outfits that I've been a little bit proud of. I need a partner or a tripod that actually holds my camera.

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Since I've stopped dancing, I've gotten a little -cough- out of shape. I found this workout a while back on pinterest that I loved a lot, so I'm going to take a spin off that and post it so you can print it out and take a stab at it with me, if you'd like.

{ Projects }

From my last post [on my room] : my wardrobe & both desks need some help, also cleaning up apple crates, finding burlap for my cheapo trashcan, find/fix up old lamps, make little mismatched pillows, find the rest of my knick-knacks & books and then probably clean them up. I also have some little wooden chairs that Joshua has kidnapped that we'll get to eventually. Most of this will probably be done in the spring when the weather is lovely.

{ Tasty }

mint layered fudge! 

marshmallow wreaths!

& so many other of my very holiday favorites.

{ Photography }

Someday someone will ask me to take their picture. Until then, vous avez moi. So, I'll take this time to work on photoshop. & no, that isn't going as well as planned.

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So, I have a few ideas. I'll probably come up with a lot more as I go along as well. But honestly, there's no reason I shouldn't be posting more than I do.

Hello, Fall!

I have a job! & it is my very favorite. I love everyone I work with, I get to eat some tasty food whenever I'd like, and I get to see loads of pretty happy people. It is food service (which I am horribly afraid of), but instead of dealing with uptight people at a fancy restaurant, I get to deal with high college students who are oh so happy and only have the munchies (: well, maybe not all of them. But almost all of them, and the professors, seem to be in really good moods all the time. Plus, I really just work a tiny griddle and microwave, so it isn't the toughest job in the this whole wide world. But I have been working lots, so there's my next excuse. I worked about 70 hours in the last two weeks - but now I have this WHOLE week off to work on baking and photoshop, which I've already taken a bite out of. Oh! & make this blog quite lovely (more on this later). My next post will have the picture I am most proud of over the last few.. well, ever really.

 But for now, my little hand at baking:

Only a few days till Thanksgiving! This year is going to be a rather small bunch since half my siblings are super duper far away. Which means I get to take over my sister's delicious job of baking. I've commandeered pumpkin. So, Sunday night I spent the night baking some tasty pumpkin and butterscotch/white chocolate cookies. They turned out a lot better than expected, especially with all the wee problems we ran into. I had to bring just about every ingredient with my to my friend's house since I knew he wouldn't have any of it, but I forgot vanilla, butter, and eggs. So we skipped to the store and I bought vanilla, butter, and eggs - and we began! But then I realized I lost my butter and vanilla and he already had plenty of eggs and SALTED butter. So, I left the salt out of the recipe and used Kahlua instead of vanilla. The original recipe had twice the amount of baking soda and half the amount of spices (and I added "all spice" just for fun) and I believe they turned out really well.

They are very soft and almost cakey with how chewy they are. The recipe was for 60 cookies, but seeing as I make ginormous cookies, I probably got about 20.

+ + +

I cooked them at 350 for 12 minutes (:
1 cup (two sticks) - butter
1 cup - sugar
1 cup - brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon - vanilla (or kahlua;)
1 cup - pumpkin (I added a few tablespoons extra)
3 cups - flour
1 teaspoons - baking soda (original recipe asked for 2 teaspoons)
half teaspoon - salt (I left this out because of the salted butter)
2 teaspoons - cinnamon
1 teaspoon - ginger
half teaspoon - nutmeg
half teaspoon - cloves
1 teaspoon - allspice

12 ounce bag (two cups) of whatever flavor baking chips - butterscotch was my very favorite. I also used white chocolate for part of the batch, which wasn't as sweet. You could either grease the cookie sheet or use baking sheets(which I did), I only had to use one and there was no clean up at all after :)

Comment with anything you tried differently!
I'll be making these again, but this time with pictures. Promises, promises!

à la prochaine fois,
Gabrielle

Oh, to travel..

I have a lot of favorite things, one of which is traveling. This includes airports - even the sketchy or boring ones - and airplanes. Most people aren’t fans of layovers, but I love them. I love exploring random airports in places you may never visit, or one day hope to visit - the longer the layover the better! Even at 3 in the morning. Also, flights with layovers are normally cheaper & you can cheat and tell people you’ve been to that country/state/city, even if you didn’t lay foot outside the airport. Now: I’m going to lead you all to believe that I am some amazing world traveler, and as such, give you some phenomenal advice for all your future travels.

Try to check your airline’s website when you’re packing. I’m pretty sure every airplane won’t allow more than one fl oz. on your carry on. Even if it’s a larger container with what could be one ounce of liquid, they won’t like that. Or those gel deodorants. If you do bring carry on, try not to bring more than three small bags - I think that may be the limit anyway. I normally just bring one larger one that’s small enough to put under the seat in front of me instead of the over-head compartments. I found out on my last trip that just because a bag says it’s carry on size doesn’t mean it really is, and then you’ll have to check it last minute. So check that online as well! Sadly, luggage does get lost or misdirected. Make sure you pack a change of clothes for your carry on and a tooth brush, just in case you have to go a few days without your main luggage. Also, if you can check the weather of your destination, then you can plan your travel outfit accordingly. So, if you're running away from lovely weather to miserable cold weather, you don't want to step off that plane unprepared. Sometimes they'll set you straight outside instead of walking through those scary tubes. Actually, it might be silly, but what you wear for flights can be pretty important. I probably spend too much time trying to figure that out. You want to be comfortable. If you meet someone (ahem;) worth talking to, they'll appreciate that you aren't wearing heels. More to follow on airplane attire...

But first:
Make sure you get your ID, ticket, and passport out before you reach security. For national flights, they normally ask for any form of photo ID. International just asks for your passport and boarding pass - as far as I’ve seen. If any of you have the worst wallet in the world like me and it is impossible to get your ID out, give yourself time because they need it out of that plastic trap. Or, you could be like me and use it as an excuse to hand your special pillow to the very attractive guy behind you while you hold up the line.

For security, make sure you wear slip on shoes. It’s always kind of rushed, so you don’t want to hold up the line taking your shoes off and then grabbing all your stuff at the end and trying to find a place to sit to put your shoes back on. You’re going to be busy putting your electronics/toiletries back in your bag, reorganizing yourself, moving out of the way, and trying to make your way to your gate. If you can, find an empty spot away from security, and get yourself back together. That would be easier with shoes on. It would be kind of gross walking more than you already have to barefoot.

Most airplanes have these tiny fans above your seat for a little bit of cool air. From what I’ve experienced (when I can reach the little buggers. Another note: wear deodorant. Please. If you‘re quite small like me, you‘ll have to shove your armpit in your neighbor‘s face while you almost stand on the seat to cool down a little..) they are either very, very effective, or there is no change whatsoever. So: wear layers! Lots of them! But make sure they aren’t impossible to take off or put back on so you aren’t bitch slapping the poor soul sitting next to you. I also like to bring socks along with me for longer flights - they’re cozy and useful for covering up the terrible stench TOMS like to leave as well.

On my way to Germany this year, I had a very long layover in Heathrow Airport (England). Because I had no English pounds and didn't know how much I'd need, my sister had a brilliant idea: I went to the Heathrow website to see what sort of coffee shops/restaurants they had there & they had a Starbucks! So I went out and got myself a giftcard here in the US of A so I wouldn't have to worry about having too many pounds that I wouldn't need, or not enough. Tricksy.

Now, try to be a happy traveler. I promise, things will go wrong. But hell, that's the adventure right? Every single time I've traveled I've had something go horribly wrong or a little wrong many times. Not all food will be delicious, not everyone will speak English, and directions may be muddled or lost. Try to remember all the amazing parts and even the not so amazing - those are the best stories. 

Then you get to see some pretty cool stuffs

White Cliffs of Dover - England 2012