halloween pumpkin carving stencils for college students [ok, and little kids too ;)]

When you get to be in college, you start to feel a little more creative when it is coming to pumpkin carving. Last year my pumpkin was Bettie Page:


and I haven't picked out a stencil for this year. I'm going to share some links with you guys on the best places to find stencils on the net for that last minute pumpkin carving needs.

- SprayPaintStencils.com carries free printable stencils with letters, unicorns, President Bush, cassette tape, sports, transportation, even DINOSAURS, you name it, they have it. All kinds of unconventional stencils that are for spray painting, but would be even better for pumpkin carving.

- About.com has free stencils of a ghost, spider, claw hand, raven, headless ghost, wand, skeleton, and the devil.

- About.com also has these stencils which contain a bat, a swarm of bats, jack o lantern faces, a witch on a broom, cat, lightning bolt, and a moon face.

- Stencil Punks has band stencils and awesome punk stencils that would make some really unique pumpkins.

- And here you can find pumpkin stencils for Barack Obama, Joe Biden, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Hilary Clinton, Oprah, David Letterman, Steven Colbert, Jon Stewart, and Michael Phelps celebrity pumpkin stencils... and also they carry some basics such as an owl, bat, and a garden scene.

- For those of you who are REALLY trying to get into pumpkin carving this year, MarthaStewart.com has 36 pumpkin ideas for you. Some of them are a lot of work, but for the most part, they are going to be way above and beyond what your friends are trying to do with their pumpkins. If you're looking to be a superstar at the pumpkin carving contest this year, check out Martha, she will take good care of you.

Hopefully I've given you some ideas on great pumpkins for this Halloween. Please, whatever you do, be careful with those sharp objects when you are carving your pumpkins! Trips to the hospital are no fun and think of how many drunk people will be in that waiting room with you.

tilt

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- Zenobia Hikes... gone but never forgotten. She was one amazing person.

- Tegan and Sara - They remind me of my trip to Washington DC back in May with some amazing friends.




- Halloween. This has always been my favorite holiday. Tomorrow, tomorrow, holy crap, it couldn't possibly be tomorrow. I'm as excited about tomorrow as kids get on Christmas morning. Since I already posted a couple of YouTube videos, I'll throw one in there from our Halloween party last year. Do you know who he is supposed to be?


- Charlie The Unicorn. Now I'm just getting insane with this whole YouTube thing, but really, I can't quit with just one. I just saw Part 2 for the first time a couple of days ago and it was just as rediculous as the original. They remind me of the stories that I used to write back in high school when my brain would go numb in math class.




- JPG Photo Contests... And I love even more than that when people vote for me so please spare a minute or two of your time:

...more to come :)

random musings

I love playing on Polyvore so much. Sometimes I put together some really random things such as:


blue moon

and


code pink

Really, I'm not sure where I was going with either one of those.

And some inspiration via Flickr:

1. Farmer's Market Raspberries, 2. WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME, 3. the south pole as it should be, 4. TINNA, 5. Again & again, 6. Goethes poem, 7. hansel and gretel, 8. Untitled, 9. alice's pumpkin.

linkin logs

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Okay, a few days ago I promised you great things in the form of links. I seemed to have so many in mind then and I should have wrote them down because it didn't end up looking like a very impressive list... But I did promise you folks a list and I'll share all the ones I can remember for today.

Been Booed rocks my world. You print out these pages and attach a sweet treat and give it to someone, but it's a secret who did it. They are supposed to turn around and do it to two more people and so on and so on. Great activity to bring you and your neighbors and friends closer together this Halloween.

Pinup Girl Clothing Blog has amazing pinup outfits and now that it's close to Halloween they have adorable costumes. Their photography is pretty good also.

Creature Comforts - "designs for all creatures great and small"

Design Freebies is a great blog that posts links to where you can download some pretty amazing graphic design stuff for free.

Debauchette... okay I really stole this one from Gala Darling, but it was so amazing I decided to mention it. Extremely poronographic so don't check it out when you are at work or school.

Girl Savage is the Etsy shop where you can buy the feltidermy that I mentioned on my last post.

Spratters and Jayne sells these really amazing "Chunky 'n' Cozy, Cowl/NeckWarmer/Scarflette/Scarf". I want one so bad, but I'd like to learn to make them myself. It's given me more motivation to craft.

And how could I ever fortget fd's Flickr Toys which is what I used to make the Flickr favorites mosaic at the beginning of this post.

tilt

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Sorry, but my list is going to be a bit short this week because it is getting late and I have a lot of homework left to do... but what is more important than homework? Being grateful for what I've got going on in my life so I felt like I really needed to bust out a TILT list this week because I've been feeling a little down in the dumps.

-Obama. I'm not a super political person and usually I keep that stuff to myself, but it is hard to avoid politics and what I feel is right. In this situation it was a real no brainer for me. No more McSame. And on that political note, while I'm on my tangent here I want to share this photo that I saw today that really cracked me up [check out the scarf if you didn't get where I was going with this]

photo from MediaBistro

-Climbing trees... It's highly likely that this will be on my list next week too as I plan on doing a lot of tree climbing over the next week. I got off the bus after work today and there was my old roommate outside of Rite Aid. I told him I had been sad and all I wanted to do that would make me feel better would be to climb a tree. So we found a tree and by god we climbed it and it was amazing. I professed my undying love for him accordingly.

-Field trips with my photography club. Last week we went to Cascades in Pembroke, VA. Sunday we are going to Pandapas Pond. I love being the president of something :) A couple pictures from the trip:










see more here

-Martha Stewart. I'm not sure why I always assumed that Martha was for old folks. I guess that's why they say assuming makes an ass out of you and me huh? Her Halloween crafts are to die for. Like I really want that stuff around my house 24/7.

-Feltidermy. I love Etsy and boy do I love feltidermy. You really have to check it out. I want a huge deer mounted on wood to put up on my wall because I've always wanted a deer head mounted, but I am positive that I would cry every time I saw it.


-Friends who will do laundry with you. I always have to do my laundry and my boyfriends laundry. This task frequently falls on Thursdays and leaves me without the opportunity to watch my favorite show, The Office. This week it happened to be worth it because my dear friend came out to the laundry mat with me to gossip and it was AMAZING. I will never look at laundry the same way again.

-The Internet. I have a million links to share, so I'm just going to save them till later on, but be prepared because on Monday, there will be a great list of amazing shops, blogs, crafts, and more.

-My mom. Not that she isn't always the most amazing person in my life, but today she created a Facebook account. My friends couldn't believe that I was excited about it because they would die if their parents had Facebook. Not I. My mom is my best friend. There are things that I don't tell her because I respect her and I don't want her to worry about me, but if it is something that I would post on the Internet, it isn't something that I would keep from her.

That's all for now folks ;)

freelance writing and republishing your blog articles

I know that earning income from you blog can be a difficult task (at least it has been for me) so I want to share with you how I do try to turn a profit for the pieces that I wrote for my blog and sometimes even papers that I have written for my college classes. I have been a member of Associated Content since December of 2006. I have written everything from reviews on CDs and movies to publishing papers that I wrote for my college classes, from advice to Top 10 lists and made a pretty hefty chunk of change doing so.

I want to let you bloggers (and any other freelance writers) know about this program to help you earn more for articles that you have already written for your blogs. Keep in mind that you can write new content for their site; I love to do Calls for Content because they give me an idea of what to write and I know I will be making usually $4 for that piece. You should submit your article to Associated Content before you publish it on your blog so they do not find the content online and think that you are trying to steal it from someone else. Once your article has been published on their site, you will then be able to use that article for your blog… Here are is what the first submission page should look like (very important that you get this right to maximize your profit):


After about a week you will get a response back from them that will either offer money or ask that you publish it without an upfront payment. Publishing without payment could still end up being a profitable choice for you because there is a Performance Payment also where x amount of hits are supposed to equal out to $x (I have observed this amount to be 1 cent for every 5 or so views). Plus you can now use that content on your blog as well and it could help you get more recognition for you, your writing, and your blog.

I had been inactive on the site until about a month ago when I started to FINALLY have some down time from school. I have written 20 pieces in about a month. I was paid $59.14 total just for these pieces being published and some of them I did not receive payment for. My
Performance Payment for this month so far is $13.39. Even when I wasn't actively writing I would still get around $5 per month deposited into my PayPal account. I just wanted to throw this out there to other bloggers and freelance writers in general because you can really make a lot of extra money for not a lot of work. So if you do decide to join Associated Content, please let me know and I'll keep an eye on you. I'll read your articles and critique you if you would like.

Here are some of my recent articles and how much I earned for each (upfront, not including Performance Payment):

Fun Adult Halloween Party Ideas $2.00
Sexy Bunny Halloween Costume $3.00
How to Become Lauren or Audrina from The Hills for Halloween $4.00
Top 10 Wedding Photography Blogs $4.82
Where to Buy EcoFriendly Christmas Cards $2.50
Tips for Starting a Pregnancy Blog $1.00
Mr. Incredible Halloween Costume $3.50
Tips for Painting Your Own Christmas Cards $3.50
Tips for Creating Corporate Christmas Cards $3.00

nerdy chic

Gala Darling recently posted I Want to Be a Lingerie Designer on her blog. At the end of the entry there is a contest to enter based on a line of bows so I created this outfit for just that purpose.


nerdy chic

tim gunn's 10 essentials

I watched a few episodes of Tim Gunn's Guide to Style the other day and in every episode they mention Tim Gunn's 10 Essentials and I realized that I have almost none of those items. So naturally I decided to make a Polyvore collage of what I would buy if Tim Gunn made over my closet.

1. Basic black dress
2. Trench coat
3. Classic dress pants
4. White shirt
5. Jeans
6. Cashmere sweater
7. Skirt
8. Day dress
9. Blazer
10. Sweat suit alternative

this weeks loves

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I have been so sick lately. I almost even forgot that I should be doing Things I Love Thursday this week, but that is even more of a reason for me to do it... So without further ado, this weeks "TILT" list:

-My Friends. A lot of times I am really hard on myself for all kinds of little things. It's been a long time since I had friends that I truly love and to have them tell me that I'm not this horrible person that I feel like I am makes me feel so much better. To have them put up with me no matter how stupid I'm being or no matter how much they don't agree with some of the things that I do is amazing and I want them to be in my life forever.

-Getting complemented for my photography. I showed a coworker my photography blog earlier this week, she loved the photos and forwarded it on to even more people who also told me how much they loved the photos. Most of the complements were on this photograph:


-Forgetting Sarah Marshall - Who doesn't love an excessive amount of male, full frontal nudity? I loved it, really loved it. It's going on the wish list for sure.

-B'Sue Boutiques has these really amazing pendants that I've been pining over and finally ordered some. So not only was she super understanding when I had a freak out huge problem with my PayPal, she also threw in a bag of candy with my pendants. Such a sweetheart and they have a great selection if you are looking for a place to buy jewelry making supplies.

-fd's Flickr Toys. This site is where I put together the little mosaics of my favorite photos from Flickr. I love it because it allows me to share my favorite photos with everybody.

-Neopets. I know that I'm 23 years old and that Neopets is a children's game, but I don't care. I play the games, I even ate an excessive amount of kids meals to get Neopets toys. This is Sir Pants of Chalot:

-Meeting a new smurf friend while out at the bar with a couple of girlfriends. I was a bit tipsy so I'm not sure exactly what it was we were talking about, but apparently I made an impression because I had a friend request from my smurfy friend today.

cotton candy decor

I can't wait till I have my own house one day. I think that I will have a room like this one. It reminds me of eating cotton candy.

breakdown

I love Tom Petty's music so much. I've been listening to it a lot lately. I really love the song Breakdown.

I also can't seem get enough of Polyvore, it's like shopping without spending anymore. I can't wait to use it for something other than just clothing, but today is not that day. I would love to own that outfit.

I also made this one last night:



in honor of my friend Katie. I have been trying to convince her to write me an emo poem about a lesbian lumberjack because she is taking an emo poetry class this semester. Seriously been begging her for almost a month now so if any of you would like to write me an emo poem about a lesbian lumberjack to go with this it would be greatly appreciated! :)

Then I thought about it some more after I created it for guilt trip purposes... this would be such a cute Halloween costume!

build your own boyfriend

If I could build my own boyfriend, these would be some of the clothes he would wear, he would also be a photographer [hence the Lomography Diana], and it wouldn't hurt if he looked a little something like Justin Bobby from The Hills. Oh yeah, he should also love Incubus, Pink Floyd, and Sublime.

And if this is you, feel free to contact me. ;)

top 5 fashion magazines

As a female who is an aspiring photographer/fashion designer/artist/anything aesthetic, I have always been a collector of magazines. I have copies of Vogue sitting around my apartment (in tatters because I collage with all my magazines) from when I was in elementary school. I can't get enough of the glossy pages filled with beautiful images and how reading small chunks of their text makes me feel so much better about not finding the time to sit around and read an actual book. Now I want to share with you my top 5 fashion magazines.

1. Almost a year ago I was extremely surprised when an issue of NYLON appeared in my mailbox. A month later when it came again I was even more surprised. Somehow I managed to end up with a free 6 month subscription to this magazine. I had never read NYLON before my free subscription so I am very grateful that I ended up having a chance to check out this magazine. I love it! The photography in this magazine is beautiful. It isn't what one might usually expect from a magazine, the photography is creative (think Lomography - Holga, unconventional, dreamy images) at times and not the crisp airbrushed images usually seen gracing the pages of mags. The clothing in this magazine is always fun and quirky. I can't seem to get enough of it. The December/January 2008 issue featured Mary Kate Olsen as the cover girl and one of the photos taken of her for this magazine is one of my favorite photographs I have ever seen. If you haven't checked out NYLON, I suggest you do it now, it is a great magazine for the MTV generation. They have their finger right on the pulse and there are always some interesting finds in there. They even have a worthwhile website: NylonMag.com.

2. I have been subscribed to Marie Claire for about a year and a half now. My first impression from looking at the cover before becoming a subscriber was that this magazine was targeted towards an older audience than me, but upon further investigation I discovered what a truly great magazine it really is. They always have great people on the cover (i.e. Tina Faye, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and the month that Sex and the City the Movie came out, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon each had a cover shot) which of course means great interviews with those same people inside. Another thing that I love about Marie Claire was that they were involved with the VH1 show, The Shot which was a reality show about becoming a fashion photographer. I usually do not read sections of magazines where readers write in with questions, but in Marie Claire, there is a section called Cubicle Coach that I actually do read because I work in an office/cubicle setting and the advice is right on. You can get a brief taste of what the magazine is like at MarieClaire.com, but this is one of those magazines that are better as a magazine than they are as a website.

3. BUST Magazine almost didn't make my list because I had to think long and hard about whether or not I believe it even is a "fashion magazine" and I have decided that it is. The confusion for me is because there is so much going on in this magazine that amazes me that the fashion element falls out of focus for me. Issues are packed with "How to..." guides, "Do It Yourself" projects, artsy stuff, crafty stuff, and even recipes. From the exterior, one might write this magazine off for looking too "feminist", but in reality it is a magazine that really sets itself apart from the rest and I haven't seen any man-hating going on. This is a great magazine for creative-minded, intelligent women. Who says you have to be a grandma to be crafty? This magazine will show you how to make your own bikini, jewelry, and all kinds of other edgy things. It will keep your mind busy and shortly thereafter, it will keep your idle hands at play cooking or crafting. There is nothing more rewarding than having something beautiful and unique to wear that you have made yourself. Check out their website: Bust.com, it is in a blog format which I also love!

4. Cosmopolitan has changed the way that women look at sex. When you open the glossy pages of this magazine, it is unlikely that you are looking at it for the fashion, but it is in there (hidden in the volumes of sexual advice). These glossy pages are covered in high quality information and there is no doubt about that. If you are into quizzes that reveal your personality type, there has been one in almost every issue of Cosmo I have bought. If you are a fan of the magazine, you should check out their website Cosmopolitan.com. It is free (which is what the internet is all about anyway right?) and full of blogs (Bedroom Blog, Joe Hottie, Sexy Beauty Secrets, Cosmo Quickie Blogs, The Making of a Cosmo Girl, Secret Celebrity Diaries), columns, quizzes, and a forum so there is hardly any reason to even buy the magazine other than for the photos.

5. Glamour is another must-read fashion magazine. The absolute highlight of Glamour is of course the "Dos and Don'ts" section. I love to go back and look at issues from years ago because the "don'ts" are ten times more hilarious now than they even were back then. Another thing that I love about Glamour is the Health & Fitness section. Health & fitness and fashion should go hand in hand, but a lot of the time they don't. I know that I am out of shape so if I can get a magazine that covers all of the bases like Glamour, then I know I have a winner. This is another magazine that has an astounding website - Glamour.com - that makes you feel like you don't even need to buy the actual magazine.

my american eagle fall wishlist

Now, I know that American Eagle is just your normal tee shirt and jeans type of place to shop, but that is usually what I like to wear. These are some of the items that I'm currently pining for.




Oh so perfect for this nice football weather.

halloween at tiffany's - costume ideas inspired by breakfast at tiffany's

I have been a huge fan of Breakfast at Tiffany's starring Audrey Hepburn for years and years now. Audrey Hepburn and the jewelry store Tiffany's aka Tiffany & Co are the epitome of glamour. So when considering a Halloween costume this year, why not pay homage to the pop culture princess Audrey Hepburn or the jewelry store that made us all remember her name? I am going to give you some tips on how to be Audrey Hepburn for Halloween and tell you how to turn yourself into a Tiffany's gift box for cheap.




How to Be a Gift from Tiffany & Co.

Now I am not literally saying that you need to look like a box here, in fact I am advising against that. You don't want to have to drive around or navigate your way through a crowded room while wearing a box. If you have gotten a gift from Tiffany's before you know it comes in that beautiful box that is Tiffany Blue [yes they really trademarked that name], it has "Tiffany & Co." printed on the top of the box, and it has a white ribbon tied neatly around it.

To create this look, you will need a nicely fitted, longer t-shirt that is robin's egg blue or as close to Tiffany Blue as you can get. Next you will need to carefully write Tiffany & Co. on the front with fabric paint using a photo or one of their actual boxes as a reference for the font. Once the paint is dry, put on the t-shirt and take a long piece of white ribbon and tie it around the small part of your waist. Pin the ribbon to the shirt on the seams on each side and make a few white stitches there once you have taken the shirt off. This will ensure that you're not constantly adjusting your ribbon all night on Halloween night. All you need now is a nice pair of black pants




How to be Holly Golightly

Hair: I've never been the best at doing my own hair let alone trying to explain to someone else how to do their hair. This website does a great job of explaining the whole process of getting the "pineapple" hairdo and it will confuse you much less than my explanation would. You are also going to need a small tiara for your hair, I suggest the ones that are attached to a comb so it sits further back and will stay put all night.

Makeup: This is another thing that I feel could better be explained by someone else... Especially since there is actually this video that does an amazing job explaining it so you would have a really good visual guide. Seeing is better than reading and trying to interpret for makeup because with my instructions you would probably end up looking ridiculous. The video even shows you how to properly shape your eyebrows and is a must-see if you are trying to duplicate Audrey Hepburn's look from Breakfast at Tiffany's.

The Little Black Dress: There is a prepackaged costume of Holly Golightly that comes with a dress, hat, and gloves, but frankly I think it looks cheap and if you are going to be Holly Golightly, you should do it right! There are black dresses at almost every store so you should be able to find something suitable. You should try to find something that is black [of course] with a boat neck and the bottom of the dress should fall just at your knees. Try to find something as close to this criteria as possible, or if you are feeling really adventurous, you can make your own. This blog has a guide to which patterns you could order that are similar to dresses that Audrey Hepburn has worn in Breakfast at Tiffany's and other movies.

Accessories and Props: You should try to find black opera gloves and a long cigarette holder. Layer together a few pearl necklaces and, if you want to look more authentic, attach a broach to duplicate the look of the pendant that Audrey wore on her pearl necklace. Whatever you do, don't forget that tiara that I mentioned before. You are also going to need some medium sized stud earrings that match your broach and tiara as closely as possible. As for your shoes, you will need black heels, I would go with kitten heels with closed toes so they are easy to walk in and no one will be stepping on your toes. You might want to get a hat, but it is really up to you. I would choose either the hat or the tiara and I think the tiara would be prettier and easier for Halloween.

Hopefully I have helped you find a costume that is classy and beautiful for Halloween. Whether you choose to dress up as Holly Golightly or a gift from Tiffany's, you will be sure to stand out in a crowd full of people who bought their costume in a bag!

I also published this piece on AssociatedContent, but the beautiful visuals are not available there so I felt the need to post the whole article here

things i love thursday

Gala Darling and her blog iCiNG is one of my favorite websites. I usually check it out once a day. So I'm adopting her Things I Love Thursday idea and using it for my first post here.

-Etsy... I have had an account on this site for at least a year now, but never really spent much time on it. A few days ago I was in search of some pendants and was completely blown away by the selection. I had no idea that there were so many talented, creative people out there. I can spend hours on there sometimes. One day maybe I will get my act together and sell some paintings or photography prints on there.

-Polyvore... This is another website I just found and totally love. I made this one because I have been noticing that my wardrobe consists mostly of black and white clothes and that there's really not anything wrong with that.

my monochromatic daydream

-Target... I can spend hours shopping in Target. One night even got locked in because I was in there so late. They just have the best clothes and right now I can't get over their Halloween products. I made a collage on Polyvore to express my love of Target as well.

-Photography... I know that mine needs a little bit of work, but taking photos is one of my absolute favorite activities right now. I started a photography club at my school and it is going amazing so far. We have a field trip planned for next weekend.


-Writing... I've been writting a lot of articles for AssociatedContent lately to try to make a little bit of extra money. I love being able to pick up actual assignments that I know they will end up paying me for. Some of my recent ones are
--Halloween Costumes: Executioner, Sexy Bunny, Lauren & Audrina of The Hills
--Top 10 Jewelry Designers
--Top 10 Wedding Photography Blogs

-Office Tailgate Parties... Last Friday was Virginia Tech's homecoming game so we had a tailgate party in my office. We had hotdogs so we decided to turn one of them into an octopus named PePe who we flushed down the toilet at the end of the day so he could return to his home in the ocean with his brother Pedro. Don't fret, I have a video of the flushing [please excuse the fact that it is turned the wrong way, I never claimed I was good with a VIDEO camera].


-School... This semester is my first semester at Virginia Tech and by far the best school experience I have ever had. I am feeling inspired to stop working full time so I can be a full time student for the first time since high school. I'm changing my major to art next fall also which will make school even more enjoyable for me!

That is all for now
<3 Holly Anne