crafty sunday

taking a break from the whirlwind of life with some sewing.




i'm all about owlies lately. ciao darlings.

the big kid bracelet

Friendship bracelets have been a summer staple since I was five. But, they don't always have to be made of colored string and hemp. I am SO making these. They're fun, easy, and scream summer in every way. Just like iced coffee... ooo iced coffee... If you want to make some, here's the link:

http://honestlywtf.com/diy/diy-wrap-bracelet/

the beauty of true friendship

i'm in LA for the weekend visiting some of my lovelies and catching up in the sunshine. i've been thinking about how true friendship just works. there's this effortless, unspoken connection between two people that provides a foundation for a solid relationship.

you don't have to worry how you look, smell, talk, or act because they love you all the same. you don't have to work at being friends, you just are. even if you haven't seen each other in months, it's like you never left and you're laughing at the same jokes and enjoying each other all the same. conversation is effortless and you don't have to make an effort to listen, you just do. sure, when you come across trials and arguments you have to work to repair the damage. but, you both still appreciate the unspoken link between yourselves and understand its incredible value.

there's some people i've grown apart from because as we change, our needs change. i think we're friends with who we need, and depending on where we are in our lives we need different people. after years of change, sometimes friendships just don't work anymore and it just becomes difficult. It's no one's fault or intention, but somehow it happens....

i think this same idea translates into intimate relationships as well. if you're meant to be with someone, you will. they will appreciate the things you think you have to hide to be desirable. they will love you when you're moody, angry, fussy, bitchy, and just downright crazy. sure, relationships can be difficult, but you should be able to be yourself and it just works.

maybe that's asking too much, but i look forward to meeting that person someday.

....or maybe i've already met them and i'm just overlooking the obvious.

harry potter

even though the movies are over, i will continue to reread the books indefinitely.

j.k. rowling created a story that encourages bravery, friendship, determination in the face of adversity, and the triumph of good over evil. j.k. herself triumphed in the face of adversity in writing such a lucrative and creative series of books in a small scottish coffee shop (and yes, i did go there. it was glorious). her stories are magical and i am slightly sad the movies are over. i'm going to miss dan radcliffe fighting evil...sighhhh....

anyway, i'm off to read sorcerer's stone :) ciao darlings

“Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” -Albus Dumbledore

after two jack and cokes...

this little gem of a thought popped into my head:

when explaining a difficult decision we often compare it to a hypothetical. Like, "I did it to avoid 'thus and such." We rationalize our decisions based on a comparison to a hypothetical situation which is worse than the situation our decision created. For example, breaking up with someone is a rough, painful business but we can rationalize it by saying that it was done to avoid greater emotional pain down the road. We try to convince ourselves and others that we made a good decision when we compare it to a worse hypothetical.

A touch of insight during happy hour.

let the rain

"I want to let the rain come down, make a brand new ground, let the rain come down"

I have always been a huge fan of Sara Bareilles and her heartfelt music. Not only is she a first-class pianist, but she has an amazing voice and writes moving lyrics. A song off her latest album, "Let the Rain," is about rebirth and standing through the hard times.

Sara talks about how we have to stand in the rain to see the sunshine, go though trials to reap the benefits. I think, personally, I'm coming out of the rainstorm of my parent's divorce and I'm starting to feel the warm sunshine. The issues in their marriage illuminated a controlling and combative side to my personality. I still have my moments when I want to control every little detail of my relationships, but I've managed to minimize them and express those tendencies in a better forum: baking. I can control every measurement, every stroke of the beaters, how many chocolate chips are in the batter, even how many calories I make each scrumptious little morsel. I can be as "crazy" and "OCD" (i put those in "" because that's what other people call me. i refuse to affirm them. hence, the parentheses. anyway...) as I want without negative consequences in my relationships. Without the rain of my parent's relational issues, I probably wouldn't have seen this in myself.

With a bit of introspection, I see that I have become better by enduring the worst. I have become stronger by being broken. Every bad relationship, every time that I felt used, lonely, ignored, inadequate, and fat, every mistake and failed attempt, every storm... has made me... well, Me.

I feel as though we are in a constant cycle of rebirth, a cycle of rain and sunshine. Sara says (dontcha like how I refer to her like we're on a first-name basis. i wish we were):
"I wrote a song about rebirth. It's a theme in my life that keeps coming up and I hold this ideal near and dear to my heart. We all face different challenges and obstacles and it's up to us to decide how to approach them. I'd like to think I'm someone that has the capacity to be brave, but honestly, it's something I work really hard at. This song is about my most profound fears and was ultimately the tool that helped me move past them. Sometimes we have to brave the rain to get to the sun."

I agree with Sara on this one. It's hard to be brave and endure the rain, but it's worth it. And that, is something to smile about.