My Finger Lizard

I love my rings. Plain and simple. I I feel a little naked without them because I have a certain set that I wear almost everyday. I don't have a huge collection, but I have a select few all out of real silver because I prefer to spend a little more and wear them all the time. I find that cheep rings turn my fingers green and don't look good very long. This little critter joined my collection yesterday and I think he was worth every penny. 

Most of my rings (not including the few costume rings) are quite simple. Although I was really looking for a ring with a little piece of green amber, when I found this one, I thought it had a certain delicate elegance and a degree of regal grace. I fell in love so quickly, I simply had to share my find with you. 

August In Review

My August started out pretty lazy with my trying to really enjoy my last bit of summer vacation, because I knew that I would have things to do when I got to Germany. Then I started taking apart my room to pack everything up either to take with me or pack into my closet since my brother would be taking over my room. Afterwards, a pretty straightforward flight with a slight hiccup upon arrival when my suitcase did not make it to our destination with me.  They did find it back in Boston, and it was brought to me a few days later. But in that time my dad and I spent about a week informing ourselves and trying to take care of the official business-y side of moving to a new city/country. We then had a little bit of down time to visit some friends and enjoy Dresden before we went to Munich for a few days. We came back to dresden for a little over 36 hours, in which time I got my key to my new room and started getting situated. I'll probably post all about my room as soon as I have finished decorating it and making it worth showing.  For now it is pretty messy and has some of my family's luggage too because we went to Berlin for a few days and so we all took little bags and left the rest in my room for the time being. 

As I realized that August was coming to a close I tried to think about my favorites, and I realized three things.

1. Most of my makeup and cosmetics are still packed upas they were for the flight, so not in a way that's designed for me to get to everything easily. 

2. Although I am looking forward to going to the drugstore as well as some of the german high end stores and trying new things, especially things that weren't readily available in Boston, I have been so busy that I keep pushing it back. The time I have spent in the drugstore since arriving have been to get the essentials. 

And 3. I have been using the same products a lot. And not even rediscovered one. I have one little bag that's got the basics of everything that I have been using. This little bag has been the one to come with me on all of these little trips. So while I love these products, they would look a whole lot like last month's favorites. 

All of these things together made me think that a monthly favorites would just be boring. So I wrote this instead. I hope you forgive me. And I know I still have not done the outfit post I promised. But I'm pretty sure I will post more often when I start to get settled and can work from a real computer with internet, not just from this tablet with speratic Internet access. Also lately this blog has been a lot about my life and a little less about what I thought it would be about, but I'm okay with that and I hope you are too. I would love feedback. Until next time!

On a day like today

Lately I've been so busy getting stuff done, and going to various offices and visiting various friends, that I was looking forward to having the morning free to relax and pamper myself before going to my grandparents' wedding anniversary later tonight. 

On the agenda this morning: 

First shower. Take the time to exfoliate and shave and give myself a hair mask. These are kind of the fundamental things to looking and feeling a little better, because smooth radiant skin and luscious locks just look healthy and well kept. 

After my shower I gave my self a mini facial complete with a gentile scrub, a clay mask and to finish a slightly richer day cream to hydrate because a clay mask can be a little drying. 

I had to do a few little things around the house i.e. laundry and some minor organization to make packing for our trip to Munich easier. 

Finally I put on some music and did my nails out in the garden. I'm off the get dressed in a little bit. I'll try to put up an outfit post in the next couple of days. 

Until next time!

An Update in Craziness

The last week and a half have been so crazy busy. I finally finished packing with a suit case that was exactly at the weight limit, and quite a pile of stuff that I then distributed amongst my family members who are coming here for a short while and still have space in their luggage. I have no idea how I would have managed without them here to carry some of my stuff. Unfortunately my suitcase never made it out of Boston until this morning. It has since been delivered to my grandparents' where I will pick it up. And I have packed most of my everyday clothes in my carryon luggage. So since we got here, my dad and I have been going around trying to set me up here so that I will be ready to go when school starts in two weeks. 

But I am starting to settle in and we will be traveling a little bit and relaxing more as we can cross things off our list. Hopefully I will have some more posts soon! 

July Favorites

July 2013 Favorites by alovelylittlethought-1 featuring maybelline concealer

Moving to College by Airplane

As I am going to college abroad, driving is not an option. This can be pretty stressful. As I am currently in the process of packing up to move to my university in Germany, I thought I might share a few tips for those moving to college by plane.
1. Check your airline's baggage policy 

Although most airlines have similar baggage policies it is best to look online and see what the specifics are for your flight. Since over weight and extra baggage is often quite pricey, it is best to come prepared and to weigh you luggage at home so you don't get a nasty surprise.
2. Prioritize
Decide what you really need to take with you and what can stay behind. In most cases you really don't need to bring your whole life with you. Also think about what you really need versus what you would like to bring. This way you can start by packing the necessities and take the slightly less important things where there is still space. Also remember that shipping is pretty expensive, so it really is best to take what you can in your luggage. If you are going to a different country think about your electronics too; sometimes it is better to plan to buy a new one upon arrival. What comes to my mind is my flat iron, since it needs replacing anyway there is no reason to bring it and get an adapter. 

3. Think long and short term

If you know you are coming home for thanksgiving, you don't need to bring all your winter clothes with you. Instead you can leave them at home and switch out the bulk of your wardrobe when you visit. This is probably most important with winter clothes because they tend to be bulkiest, but the same idea goes for your spring clothes if you know you will be home for spring break. 

If you know you will not be coming home until next summer, you want to remember to pack for all seasons. But as your space will probably be limited, remember to pack versatile pieces and items that layer well. 

Best of luck! Remember that if you do forget something vital there are probably shops around for you to buy them.                                                                                                                                                          

What to do with Old Jeans and "Scraps' from DIY Cut-offs?

If you are like me and you like to make your own denim cut offs because you know how long you want your  shorts to be and the shops never seem to get them quite right, not to mention that your local thrift store has great jeans that are even cheaper than most new clothes and still in great shape. Now, that's all well and good except that every time you cut long pants into shorts, most of the fabric is now "scrap". And I cannot stand to throw that fabric away, mostly be use they are pretty big pieces, which would suggest you could make something out of them. But if you keep cutting shorts and saving jeans you grew out of or that ripped in awkward places etc. you end up with tons if jean in varying shades, and they continue to pile up. I found this blog post (http://pinoyinoz.blogspot.com/2008/07/tutorial-city-backpack.html) last summer and happened to have some light canvass-y material that was great for lining and embellishment. On the left is a potion of what was my collection of old unwearable denim.

I want to give credit where credit is due. So I won't do a tutorial or go through the details because I feel like that is not fair to her. Instead I recommend you go check out the post by Heart of Mary for full instructions. I just wanted to show what I made with just a few alterations, and maybe give some inspiration to those of you out there with leftover denim because in many cases it is strong enough to make a little bag like this one that is not meant to carry anything particularly heavy. Good luck if you decide to try this project too.