NEW BLOG!

Hello!

It's been a rather long time, hasn't it? Yes, yes it has. 

That can all change, though, because I have decided to start fresh. Yes, I have made a new blog. It is called Authentic Adventurers, and its very basis focuses on my desire and love for adventure. This idea is displayed through photography, stories, projects, recipes, and an assortment of other things. I sincerely hope you check it out. I am very excited to begin writing and creating again through the wonderful medium of blogging.

So, alas, I must bid Adieu to this little blog. Its time was fun while it lasted, but sadly all good things must come to an end.

Thankfully, though, the ending of this blog creates way for the brighter life of a new online journal.

I do hope you will meet me at Authentic Adventurers. The link is: http://authenticadventurers.blogspot.com

And for the last time....

Sincerely,
Melanie

How to: Braid without ANY Hair Products!

Many of you know I have long hair. I pretty much have my whole life, because I do not pull of short well at all. Anyways, anyone with hair like mine, or hair at all, definitely has days where they feel as though they might explode from the annoyance it brings and are a half a step away from a hasty decision to grab craft scissors and chop it off. Whether this be because you feel gross, don't want to deal with it, or even are just having a bad hair day, I have the solution.

Here is the answer to your nightmares. How to braid without ANY hair products.

Yes, you read that right. It is possible and I will prove it to you. Dun, dun, dun, dunnnnnn... prepare for a life saver coming your way, because that is exactly what this cute hairstyle is. (click "hairstyle" to see video)

Well, I hope you enjoyed. Check out my YouTube channel as well :)

Au revoir!


Sincerely,
Melanie

Bleached & Distressed Vans

( Rank of Difficulty: Easy )

the transformation

Hello loves! Time for another DIY. This is incredibly easy and very fashionable. Since it is Summer, that means happy colors! I have always been a fan of Vans shoes. If you aren't familiar with them they are the navy shoes in the picture above.

They are on the pricey side though, so I obviously found a knock off! Target has $14 shoes that look the exact same just not quite as great quality, and I am pretty sure you can get them at Wal-Mart too. They are still great though and if this DIY messes up then you aren't screaming because you wasted so much money. 

Now, back to fun colors. I absolutely love the navy vans and anything navy but we are going to change them and make them even better. 

Here is a video I made to explain how to make your delightful Vans even... Delightfuler.

Sorry if it is slightly repetitive, this video was originally solely made for YouTube.

DIY Distressed Vans

 

Well, I hoped you enjoyed this DIY! More to come soon :)

Sincerely,

Melanie

Cheese Cake Stuffed Strawberries!

(Rank of Difficulty: Easy)

yum yum yum yum yum

So I recently got together with my friend Kanika, and we decided we wanted to do something creative, whether it be a craft or bake something. Well, if you haven't guessed we settled on being little chefs for the evening and found the recipe for strawberries filled with cream cheese via the delightful, and very resourceful Pinterest (I do have to confess though I do not use it quite as much as I should...). Anyways, the treat came out beautifully and quite tasty too, but we of course had to modify it a little to make it even better ;). So... here we go! Warning: the deliciousness is quite unbearable and brothers may try to steal the divine food for their own prosperity and taste buds.

Ingredients

(Keep in mind you can always double, triple, etc the recipe for more deliciousness)

--1 pound of strawberries

-- 4 ounces of cream cheese, softened 

--1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons of sugar (the original recipe recommended powdered sugar but we used granulated)

--1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

-- optional: graham cracker crumbs, blueberries, chocolate chips, etc

Directions

1. Rinse strawberries. Cut the top leaf part off and cut out the center/inside of the strawberries. Set aside for later.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until the mixture is very creamy. 

3. Put the cream cheese filling in a piping bag or ziploc with the corner cut off. 

4. Fill each hollow strawberry with the deliciousness you have now mixed together. 

5. Optional: Dip strawberries into crushed graham cracker or add a chocolate chip or blueberry to the top.

6. Optional: Refrigerate to chill and HIDE (hehehe... jk we aren't that greedy... maybe...).

7. Enjoy the immense tastiness!

I hope you enjoyed my first recipe! Now.. GO! and enjoy the wonderfulness of this creamy fruit.

Sincerely,

Melanie

I miss...

 

As I stare out the window of our car, sadness rolls over me and a slight dread piles over my head. Soon the South Carolina trees will change to the trees of Georgia. The enormous oak trees with mysterious yet beautiful moss hanging from each branch will no longer be out my window. Until next time they will only be a memory or a subject of a small photograph on my iPhone screen. The marsh only 2 miles away will soon be 320 miles away. As far as I know they might as well be 3000.  My family, all the cousins, aunts, uncles, sisters, and in-laws, will no longer be in the same house as me when I wake. Stories of my families past will no longer be a conversation away and games of jokes and rivalry will now have fewer people playing. But the saddest of all, the thing that many people will go through their day not noticing, the air that I breath will no longer have salt in it. That ocean of mine will not be just across the street, only 25 steps away. Now, I will not miss the ocean because of the beach it is on that happens to be an impeccable spot for tanning by most girls standards. I will miss the sight of dolphins in their habitat, the strong, but still soft waves crashing into my face, the laughs that are had when a family plays together as they ride the waves back to shore. I will miss the shells that hurt my feet. I will miss the smell of the sea that seems to always sooth me. I will miss the lullaby of the waves that are enough beauty, no music is needed. I will miss everything about South Carolina.

As we spread my grandparents’ ashes off of the U.S.S. Yorktown (my grandfather was in the navy) yesterday, I realized how much I miss them. I would never wish them back, because I know they are the happiest a person could ever be but I still miss them. My relationship with all my grandparents is different than many of my friends’ relationships to theirs because mine, I believe, was cut short. Three of my grandparents died by my age of 10. (My grandmother, Manda, is happily living in Athens only an hour away and I am so grateful for her part in my life.) I still remember all of them though, whether the memories may be few and far between they are still there. I miss their smile and their laughter, but I just miss them. However, because of having many deaths in a short period of time in my childhood, I have learned not to resent death. I have become unafraid of my death, whenever God makes it time. Now, don’t get me wrong I am definitely not saying I am ready for my time to come or anything of the sort. I have just found the peace in God’s timing. I have learned to trust His plan for me and everyone around me. I have learned death is not to be something scary, for when God says, “Come home.”  I will not fear to be in paradise. I owe that lesson and strength in God to my three wonderful grandparents I guess you could say. Even when they are gone, they are still here teaching me new things.

So, even though I will miss many things of the adventurous life I long for, I know that like my grandparents it will never really be gone. Honestly, many of the sad things I am leaving behind for the time being are only five hours away, some even one. So although sadness takes its place in my heart, something great overcomes it. Something that will make me happy to wait until next time.

HOPE

 

Sincerely,

Melanie

 

 

This is my dad's twin's grave stone, that my family was able to visit and pray by. I never got to meet Michael, but if he was half the man my dad was I know he is fantastic. Can't wait to meet and celebrate with him in Heaven.

 

 

 

 

Plans for the Summer

Oh, Panera. How good you are to me.

Summer 2013 has only just begun, so I decided to share my plans for these hopeful months.

1. GOLDRUSH- probably what I am most looking forward to out of this entire summer... God is so good!

2. Travel- if I could, I would never stop traveling and discovering the world

3. Go to South Carolina- I am spreading my grandparents ashes with my family, and then we are having a small vacation (in the celebration of my grandparents' lives of course)

4. DIYs- I have been superr artsy lately and would love to continue some projects with my sister, friends, and by myself (except for music) in the solitude of my room.

5. Drivers Ed- one of the less exciting plans... (Now that I am updating this- I just finished this last week)

6. Pool and beach time-  you know exactly what that is :)

7. Of course party it up with my friends! I am SO SO SO excited because Carrie Sawyer (one of my best friends who moved to the Netherlands last year) is coming back this summer and I plan on making her sick of me by the time she leaves because I will not leave her alone.... Anyways! She is adorable and so artsy, and she has a blog as well. I am absolutely obsessed with it! Here is the link: http://carrotsnspice.blogspot.com/?m=1

Sorry, this wasn't too interesting, but I plan on posting an easy, awesome DIY tomorrow! So stay tuned ;) 

Sincerely,

Melanie

Arizona "Vintage" Camera

Yay! for my first DIY

( Rank of Difficulty: Medium )

Sorry if the photos are bad quality. 

I was doing this in the bad lighting of my basement with the camera on my iPhone.

I saw this first on YouTube by a girl named Bethany Mota. Her channel is called MacBarbie07 if you want to check it out. I am absolutely obsessed with all her videos. Anyways, I thought I would do a step-by-step guide to making a "camera" out of recycled Arizona cans. I love their tea, and the cans are so bright and colorful they shouldn't be thrown away :) So, let's get started.

MATERIALS
*2 (empty) Arizona cans
*scissors
*hot glue gun (with glue sticks)
*ruler
*6cm x 3cm cardboard piece (may need to modify)

First, you will need two Arizona cans. Make sure to drink all the deliciousness within before proceeding.

Start off by cutting off the top and the bottom of the can so that you have two Arizona "tubes". Warning: it is quite difficult to get the scissors first cut into the can, but once you get the first it is very easy from there.

Now, find the Nutrition Facts on both "tubes" and cut through the middle of them, creating an Arizona "sheet" this time. 

This is where you use the ruler. Taking your scissors out again, cut both "sheets" into 13cm x 6cm smaller sheets.

Hopefully your glue gun is warm by now because you need it to glue the two sheets together to form another tube. 

Now put your piece of cardboard in the tube to make it keep its "camera body" form. If you wish to cover your piece with mustache ducktape... so be it. :{

Taking one of the tops of the can that you previously cut off, cut as much of the remaining blue that you can.

Glue the top to the surface of one of the sides of the "camera body". Make sure to use a LOT of glue and hold while it dries. 

This part is tricky. Grabbing one of your left over pieces from the nutrition facts, cut slits into all sides. Now fold the sheet so that it acts as a top for the "camera body". 

Next, pull off the "tab" thingy from the unused top from the can and glue it upright on the top of the camera to create a "button".

After, grab a scrap of metal and fold it into a triangle shape and glue it to the other side of the top to create a "flash".

Voila! You now have your Arizona "vintage" camera.

This is what it should look like.

I hope you enjoyed this DIY :) More to come soon

Sincerely,

Melanie