Wednesday Style {fall top}

This print is exactly what I think the season of fall looks like.

Here's how I wore this shirt from Delias:

Encouraging Word {Joshua}

I could hear God telling me this yesterday morning while at a youth group retreat: I will never leave you. My child, I love you, I will never leave you.
We are the ones that turn away from God. God never leaves us. He walks beside us, ready to pick us up when we fall and cradle us in his arms.

No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Joshua 1:5

Fall Rain {Photography}

It's been raining here the past couple days so I took some pictures from my window and in my backyard.

 The view from my window.

 Trying to catch the rain drops in action.

Wednesday Style {diy maxi + blazer}

As promised, here's my DIY maxi skirt I made awhile back. If you missed the tutorial look here.

I just love how flowy it is!

Maybe I was inspired by Taylor Swift's new album, Red,  which I is way different from her usual sound. I'm still deciding if I like it :) Anyways, I went with red lips.

Encouraging Word {deuteronomy}

Wednesday Style {sweater and skirt}

Comfy cute:

Fun skirt to twirl in from H&M

Boots from payless. Belt from Kohls.

Scarf from H&M

Sweater is from my moms closet

Hair was done in a sock bun.

My artistic photo :)

Linking up:

DIY smashed leaf & flower prints

Fall leaves are everywhere (at least in the midwest) and you probably have a hammer sitting around so this is a free and easy DIY.

 Supplies: Watercolor paper (or non-absorbent paper), a piece of wood or hard surface, hammers (different types create different textures), paper towels and freshly "picked" leaves.

 Lay the leaves out how you may like them and then flip them upside down. I found that fresh leaves work the best. If you keep them in your house overnight they become too dry.

Now place 2-3 paper towels over the leaf.  

You may want to use painters tape to keep it in place. Using your large headed hammer, gently pound so the outline of the leaf becomes apparent. Then, using the hammer of your choice, pound harder until the color comes through the paper towels (as pictures). Continue to pound until the whole leaf shows through. Lift the paper towel to check if the leaf showed up.

This is the finished product of one of my prints.

 I then experimented with flowers using the same technique.

 The colors are remarkably more vibrant.  Here's two more:

A lot of this is just experimenting and figuring out what works!

Encouraging Word {revelations}

source

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

What brings me joy

I sometimes need a reminder of how God brings joy into my life. So I made a list of things that bring me joy.

Singing. One of the most joy filled moments I can remember with singing is when I got the chance to sing on stage at the house of blues in Chicago. I was singing along in the audience and then was invited to come sing on stage! I literally jumped out of my seat before I could get nervous. I sang "How Great is Our God" and really meant it. I didn't notice the hundreds of people in the audience or compare myself to any of the other wonderful singers who've sung on that stage. I just sang to glorify God.

Creating and crafting. I will just get a great idea, mostly from pinterest, or need a solution to something and will just create. I love sewing and hot gluing and anything else crafty. Like in this picture, it's a tshirt I bleach painted for a friend as a gift. Sometimes I will post tutorials on her or else it's just for me.

Art and design. My passions. I'm in AP Art and just finished this abstract watercolor painting (the picture is only of the painting partially done). This week, I'm going to start a self-portrait with photoshop effects added. As of right now, this is what I want to pursue for a career art and design. I love photography as well :)

Helping others. This was what I did the past summer and I loved it. I especially love interacting with the kids in Montana (left) and Guatemala (right). They have so much joy and that brings me joy.

 view from the project I stayed at in Guatemala

 View from Flores, Guatemala on the vacation part of my trip.

Fall colors in my backyard.

Sunsets, sunrises and outdoors.  I love the natural colors in the sunrises I see when driving to school and the sunsets I can enjoy later at night. The fall colors changing right now are spectacular and make me want to sit outside with my camera all day. I know God is telling me he loves me especially when the water sparkles. God loves sparkles too :) This summer I was outside pretty much all the time. In the boundary waters, I lived outside for four days straight and it was marvelous.

Laughter. I don't nearly laugh as much as I used to. I love laughter especially when its contagious. It's joyous sound ringing out. This is a picture from when 3 of my best friends and I took group pictures. The friend to the left of me has the most contagious laugh ever, it's great.

Meaningful Conversations and close friendships. I love when I can get into a deep conversation. I have just a few close friends from school and youth group. They're so awesome :)

Note: The weekend after I wrote this, my days were filled with tons of joy. I think that realizing what brings me joy, I sought that out and it made my days so much more enjoyable. I met with my small group choir for the first time and loved it :) I made a leaf print (DIY to come). I went outside and enjoyed the sunshine and the rain. I laughed and laughed. I saw spent time with friends and had some great conversations. I am happy. I smiled at God for blessing me with this joy in my life. I hope and pray this continues.

Wednesday Style {blazer and boots}

Fall is really here and it's chilly!

My blazer's from F21.

Scarf is from my trip to Guatemala this past summer.

I love these boots. They just go with anything! from DSW.

Jeans from American Eagle.

Linking up:

http://twothirtyfivedesigns.blogspot.com/
and
http://thepleatedpoppy.com/2012/10/what-i-wore-wednesday-87/

DIY {maxi skirt tutorial}

I'm super excited to show you this tutorial!
The end product is a elastic/tie waist maxi skirt.
Supplies:
~About 2 yards of light to medium weight fabric (I found this great silk fabric at Joann Fabrics for only $5/yd!)
~Elastic (I used 3/8" but you could use 1")
~Fabric for the tie (I used an old cotton belt but ribbon could also work)
~Sewing supplies (thread, machine, pins ect)

First step: 
Cut the fabric to your desired length (mine was high waist to floor) then add a few inches so you have enough fabric to hem. Measure the width by wrapping the fabric at least two times around the smallest part of your waist. I just used the whole 2 yards so I didn't have to cut.

Second Step:

Fold your fabric in half, right side out. Sew the length of the skirt so you have a tube.

Step 3:
Hem the top of the waist, leaving enough room for your elastic to be able to slide through.

Step 4:

Take your elastic and measure it tight around your waist. Mark on the elastic where that is.

Step 5:

Now take one side of the elastic and sew about 3 inches onto the tie fabric.

Step 6: 

Take the other side of the elastic, attach a large safety pin to the end and thread through the hemmed waist. 

Step 7:

Sew about 3 inches onto the tie fabric on the other side.

This is how the back will look when tied. 

Step 8:

Try on your skirt to see how much you need to hem the bottom. Keep in mind the shoes you'll possibly wear with the skirt. I'm going to wear high heels with mine, so I only needed to hem in an inch or so.

Hem the bottom and you are done!

Here's my finished skirt. You'll see it in an outfit in a couple weeks :)

And with the extra fabric, I made a hair scarf!

Super simple:

Sew the 2 long sides together right side out. Sew one of the short sides. Turn it right side out and sew the other short side.

Linking up with:

and