Elephants and Seals and Beaches, Oh My!

This adorable view is straight from Elephant Seal Beach in central California. These oversized lumps of fluff (aka elephant seals) simply dozed on the warm sand while dozens of tourists watched from the pier. 

They could have cared less that we were there. It was a comfortable, sunny day and darn it, they were going to nap! 

Now, when they finally did move, it was highly amusing. It's difficult to describe, but I'll try. They would lift up their head and flop forward a bit. Their lower half would follow. This entire motion would be done verrrry slowly, creating a ripple effect through their blubber. Then they would pause, as if to catch their breath, and slap their body forward once more. And again. 
And again. 

It took ages for them to reach the water, but we were captivated enough to watch the arduous journey!

There was a baby seal on the rocks, but it's not clearly visible in this picture. Still, the view is lovely and it's a fantastic spot to visit. I highly recommend it, if you're ever in the area. 

Paradise Lost (and suddenly found)

Even near the tail end of summer, there are gorgeous, lush flowers everywhere. I've been holed up indoors due to the heat, but I finally wandered out today. As I played around with a camera, I couldn't help but be drawn to these flowers. Here are some of my favorite photos. 


This one was just as vibrant, if not more so, in person. No fancy photo editing, nothing.

This picture was pure luck. I saw a bee in the bushes and leaned in to try and capture it in mid-motion. But I was too nervous and kept backing away. In the end, I was left with several pictures of the flowers in the bush (which I hadn't even noticed earlier) and none of the bee. But I came away pleasantly surprised at the chiaroscuro in this picture.

 I tried to find an angle that would block the cement from view, but ultimately couldn't. I ended up blurring out the background and focusing in on the flower. 

I had a similar problem with this picture, because I didn't want the dirt to be visible. But the flowers were in clumps that were sparsely located, so I was forced to simply blur the background. Still, I found these flowers stunning, both in shape and in color! 

This final photo gave me some trouble as well. The white flowers surrounding the "star" kept coming up too white and undefined. Eventually I just shrugged and went with it.



And that's it! So hopefully you leave feeling inspired to go outside and enjoy nature yourself. (:

Wall Decor

                                                                                         Patience, perseverance, and a ton of glue: the very core of this project. It took a few weeks to complete, but I'm happy with the end result. I can always readjust the crooked bottom loop and spray it into place with hairspray, but the overall design is what I had in mind. 

Considering how nice the design looks, you'll be surprised at how simple the actual materials are. I worked with paint (brown was my color of choice, although you are, of course, free to pick your own color), toilet paper rolls, and glue.  

I worked with these 3 basic shapes. The first was made by cutting off an end of the TP roll and pressing down on it (to make it an oval). The second was made by cutting open one end of the first. And the third was made by curling one end of the second.

To make the large design, I repeated 2 basic formations. The first was this one. The splitting line in the middle was created by halfway glueing two straight pieces. Everything was glued onto each other. This entire shape was created 4 times.

This is the second major formation that I used. I used one full circle from the roll, and then 2 straight lines. Those were glued together at both ends. I created this shape 4 times, as well.

Nearly finished in this photo!  I began putting the smaller shapes together, starting with the ones created in the previous step. Then, I branched out and added the shapes created in the 2nd step.

And we're all done! The longest part was waiting for the glue to dry, but at long last, the piece is complete. 

Drawer Flowers

 Look at this lovely little addition to drawer knobs!  My flowers are a bit crumpled for texture, and I happened to use old paper with writing on it. However, you're free to style them as you please. Construction or scrapbooking paper would work just as nicely, and they could add a pop of color to your drawers.

  

This was really a fairly straight-forward project. It took 15 minutes, at most, and that's only because I kept redrawing my basic flower shape. 

Well, you begin with 3 flowers: large, medium, and small. It's easiest to first draw the small one and then to trace around it to make the 2 bigger ones.

Then, you'll want to place them on top of each other, but tilted, so that the petals of each layer are visible. 

The knobs of my drawer were easily unscrewable, so I simply took off the head. I put the flower stack onto the protruding nail, then screwed the head back on. Ta-dah!

 And there's the finished product. It's a rather lovely look when you step back and see the flowers on all of the drawers.

Vacay at Hearst Castle

First of all, wow. And second of all, WOW. The sheer opulence of Hearst Castle is stunning. I've never been to a castle or mansion before, which may explain the awe. But still, the place is absolutely gor-ge-ous. The crown molding is exquisite, and it's done in such detail that it simply isn't matched in modern homes. The ceiling frescos are quite intricate, but also old and fading (photos weren't allowed), which adds a depth of character. When I see fabulous architecture, I reach the level of glee of a child eating ice cream. As such, this castle tour was a dream come true. 

In the end, I spent the most time at the outdoors pool (I have to specify since there's an indoors one as well!), because I adored the Greek imitation architecture. The white stone statues, Corinthian columns, and lush shrubbery has such an old-world vibe that I couldn't get enough of the place. I'm amazed that Hearst's children were able to part with the gorgeous castle in order to share it with the public. But I'm quite glad they were!

This is the view from inside the Pantheon-esque structure. What a way it would be to pass the evening there, sitting on that bench and looking out at the pool. 

And just one last view from opposite the quasi-Pantheon. Sigh, just look at those blue skies and even bluer waters.  

What else can I say. I could have cried from envy the home was so lovely. From the interior decorating to the outdoors view, the whole place was magical. If I ever manage to accumulate a fortune like William Randolph Hearst, which was about $30 billion I believe, the first thing I'll do is start building a palace. After all, it took him decades to perfect his. 

So Much Crafting

Plenty of paint 

I'm a huge fan of crafting, but I'm often frustrated by the fact that most websites (ahem, Pinterest!) force you to go out and buy things in order to complete the activity. I like kitschy little projects that don't require expensive or foreign materials. I'm more of the "scavenge around the house" type, so I've had to alter some crafts to fit what items I have available. I tend to make the most of construction paper, paint, beads, etc. 

More crafting materials

After finding some simple and easy projects, I thought I'd compile my favorite ones and share them with you. I'll do mini-tutorials, with step by step photos detailing each action. Videos are generally more time consuming than reading straight-forward instructions, so I'll stick with the latter. I hope you have as much fun doing them as I did! 

Getting Started

Might as well aim high!

It is a truth somewhat universally acknowledged, that a young adult in possession of great writing energy must be in want of a blog. Well, perhaps not. Those aren't precisely the words of Jane Austen, although she was quite the sharp lady.

I was inspired to begin blogging on a whim. I've been writing short stories and essays for years, but this is a new medium for me. Looking at others' blogs, I've realized that there is truly an art to it. It's an intriguing blend of aesthetics and writing skill, content and appearance. I recall reading somewhere that blogs have an average of 10 seconds to create an impression on a viewer. Within that time frame, a viewer will decide if they wish to leave or stay and explore more. In such a narrow period, it becomes a challenge to ensnare the audience's attention and convince them that they would like to see more. I'm rather excited to begin my own site now, and to blunder my way through the art of blogging.

Through the process, I hope to share plenty of laughs and interesting information with you all. I will start out with book reviews or discussions, although plans for expansion are already in the works. I'd like to soon add other sections, maybe some small-scale DIY projects. I'd be open to feedback or any other suggestions for improvement. After all, this is a work-in-progress, and not likely to be "finished" any time soon!