This semester I learned about a website that has changed the way I do online designs.

Canva.com is a wonderful source to use when creating anything from wedding invitations, to Facebook cover photos, to fliers, you name it. You can personalize each design and change anything you want on there for free. You can find different illustrations to help figure out your perfect design.

There are endless amounts of templates you can choose from as well. If you are someone who needs guidance or ideas, Canva can help you. I decided for my first Canva creation to do a rough draft of my best friend’s wedding invitations.  I remember after our last conversation she was worried about how much they cost, and she’s trying to find ways to reduce costs for her wedding. I told her about Canva, and she loves it just as much as I do.

The best thing about Canva is you can literally create exactly what you want without having to use Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator which can be very difficult to understand.

Canva.com is easy to navigate through and it’s amazing that a website this helpful is available free to anybody.

I hope you choose to use Canva.com for future digital designs to push your creativity.

College isn’t just about studying and passing finals. It’s about finding yourself, having experiences, and growing as a young adult.

I did not have a traditional college journey. After graduating high school, I took many classes to complete my Associates degree. In doing so, I also took many classes in order to really find what interested me.  It was hard to do because when I was 18, I had no idea what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I think it’s somewhat unfair to ask so much of young adults. We have a timeline in our minds that we normally have envisioned for our futures. High school, college, job, marriage, kids, then what?

My journey I thought was different than others, but after my life experiences I realized I was just on my own timeline.  When I first went into college, I decided to take classes on teaching. After job shadowing for many semesters, I decided that wasn’t where my passion was. I then decided to take classes on graphics. I decided that graphic communication was something I was more interested in. After completing the certificate, I took a year off school to focus on work and getting my life together outside of the academic world. I felt that so much money was wasted on classes that didn’t bring joy or passion to my life. I felt confused and lost and always wondered to myself, “What am I going to do with my life?”

It was a year later after taking a few more semesters off school that I met my best friend Shae for a simple glass of wine. We never even touched the wine and began talking more in depth about the future. She encourage me to pursue a degree at SIUE and spent an hour in her phone naming different Bachelor’s degrees. I then went home and did some research and decided a degree in communications was the best route for me.

As a person who loves connecting with people, this really was the best decision I have made in a long time.   After every single class I’ve taken I feel like I am closer in having the future I envisioned for myself.  Being creative on social media and learning about digital design has really sparked the passion I have for design. And having communications as a main source of work I think I will find a job one day that I love.

My advice to any college student who is concerned or weary about their current degree, find passion in yourself and if you have doubt, take another class! You never know what class will spark that interest in you, and in order to have a great life and future you have to love what you’re doing. Work can bring stress and negativity to your life, so always make sure you love what you’re studying.

Last weekend entailed of my best friend’s surprise engagement party. Decorations were completely homemade by her maid of honor, Amanda.  The bride-to-be, Shae, was completely surprised and overwhelmed by the love around her that Saturday night.

The decorations were simple and elegant, showing the truth that less is more.  The tables were each covered in white table clothes with baby’s breath flowers and roses.  The highlights of the decor came from Amanda’s cricut machine, where she created glittery, gold rings and a “She Said Yes” banner hanging across the wall.

The dessert table became my interest in doing this blog because it is a perfect way to add creativity in an engagement party.  Shae’s aunt, Donita, found this idea on Pinterest.

She made cupcakes with neutral colored icing which were sprinkled with glitter. The cupcakes were organized into an engagement ring, and the newly engaged couple’s names were written inside the circle.

I think this is such a sweet addition to an engagement party and I’ve seen it done on Pinterest in many other parties.

Though the cricut machine is expensive, it can create any shape, design, or idea you want.  It’s very easy to do and you can find an unlimited amount of creative ideas on Pinterest.

I hope you guys enjoyed this blog! Best wishes to my best friend’s wedding planning!

This is a wonderful Thanksgiving treat idea for anyone who loves to be creative! I know that holiday is months away, but by looking at this dessert idea you could recreate something for any holiday that’s coming up!

This dessert idea was something I found on Pinterest! It was fairly easy, but be prepared for a messy kitchen and some clean-up time.

For the ingredients, you’ll need:

-One bag of pretzel sticks
-One bag of white chocolate chips
-One box of rice cereal
-One bag of marshmallows
-One stick of butter

First, make the rice crispy treat content by melting the butter and mixing it with marshmallows over stove top and pour the rice cereal in until it’s all mixed evenly.

Next, melt the white chocolate chips in a bowl and set it to the side.

Use the pretzel sticks as the base and create large oval (egg) shaped treats so it’s sticks to the stick without falling apart.

After you’ve made as many as you can using all the rice crispy treat mix, drizzle the white chocolate syrup over the pretzel sticks to create the “bone like” color.

Let it set in the fridge for a while until you’re ready to enjoy!

This dessert is a fun, creative treat that your loved ones will enjoy.

If you are anything like me, you have an obsession with decor of all kinds.  When I first moved into my new house, I hated the bare walls that were around me.  I had bought so many pieces of wall decor that I had no idea how to piece it all together.

After researching on Pinterest for hours, I still had no idea how to create a design on the wall where each piece fit nicely.  I had decor of all different shapes and sizes. I sat there for hours because I just didn’t know how to arrange it all. I know, I know…Why is it that difficult? Well, it’s really not. As a person who has anxiety when things are out of order, this wall just kept nagging at me to make it pretty. I finally had to snap out of it!

I decided to lay all of my decor out on my living room floor. I chose the biggest piece to put in the center, then designed around it.  I decided to give the collage balance and turn other pieces of decor around to create the perfect design! I loved it so much and was so proud.  The one thing I will give advice on is MAKE SURE YOU BUY SPACKLE!

I know, how funny is that? But after all of the holes I create at first before giving myself some time to figure out my collage, I had already nailed quite a few nails into my wall.

My advice is to create the collage first on the floor, with enough space to see what it will look like in the end result.  Once you do that, then create the holes in your wall after covering the old holes with Spackle and letting it dry.  You can see any of my old holes!

I hope my advice helped anyone who is currently facing a collage crisis! Good luck!

If you are a female with very brittle nails, I found the best nail therapy for it!

I used to bite my nails growing up.  I bit them everyday, and I never realized how detrimental it was to my nails.  Not to mention, GROSS! There’s so much bacteria under the nails, and after many purchases of nail polish and therapies, I found something that really works for me.

I apply this polish to my nails twice a week.  You probably don’t have to apply it that often, but as a bar tender I put my hands in water constantly doing dishes and washing glassware.  This polish helped add strength to my nails and helped them grow better.

It goes on clear, and after just a month of using it, my nails are stronger, longer, and don’t break or bend as much as they used to.

For years I always used acrylic nails because I loved having my nails long.   I loved having polish on them because having polish on my regular nails brought attention to how short and brittle they were.

Acrylic isn’t necessarily the best thing for your nails since the beauticians file your natural nails down so thin, but this polish really helped me get my nails back to the way I wanted them.

I also take biotin daily, but using this polish along with the supplements has made a huge difference.

If there’s any one else out there who wants to have longer, thicker, and stronger nails, you can purchase this bottle of polish from Target for less than $4.

I use it constantly and will always continue to use it in the future!

Growing up I was a very scatterbrained person.  I remember being in 6th grade and my teacher, Mrs. Kasson, telling me my grades were slipping.  I remember coming home from school and my parents being very disappointed.  It was this year during my Parent/Teacher conference when I realized that I had no idea what was going on in my classes.  School never came easy to me, but it wasn’t because the material I was learning was hard.  I just had no interest in getting my work done.  I would go home from school, watch television, and talk on the phone with my friends.

Finally after the quarter was coming to an end, I realized I had three C’s, and two D’s on my report card.  My parents would always ask me how school was going and I would reply with typical vague response of, “Fine.”  But I was too embarrassed to say that I just didn’t pay attention in class.

After the Parent/Teach conference ended, my teacher said to me, “Your Quarter grades aren’t definite, you have the rest of the semester to raise them.” I felt some confidence, but not much.  When my parents and I got home, my mother told me Mrs. Kasson sent home a planner.  I knew what a planner was, but I had no interest in keeping one.

My mother and Mrs. Kasson made a deal with me that I were to write down all of my assignments every single day and put a check-mark next to ones I finished. This didn’t sound fun, but I didn’t have a choice.  Mrs. Kasson was to sign my planner before school ended, and my parents had to sign it every evening that same day.  Their plan was to keep track of my planner, and have them monitor my actions to ensure I was utilizing it.

One month later, I became obsessed with my planner.  I wrote everything down and I never wanted to go to bed without every single assignment with a check-mark next to it. I became so organized that I would start organizing my locker, my room, and my closet.

My first planner became a key resource in my everyday life up to this day.  I’ve never gone one single day without a planner since 6th grade.  I remember classmates and friends making fun of me for writing in my planner all the time, but I just loved feeling organized and ahead of my days.  It became more than raising my grades and more about being a person who simply loved being put-together and organized.

This is a story I tell so many people because it was because of my amazing teacher and both of my parents caring about my education and wanting to make a difference. It totally made a HUGE difference in my life. I have even rubbed off onto my best friends who thank me for turning them on to buying a planner. Being organized feels awesome!

My advice to anyone who struggles with school, or anyone with a job that had many deadlines, you can use your phone or a planner to log all of your important assignments to help you being in control of your life.

This is my 2018 planner that I have by my side everyday with my entire schedule inside it. It’s something that may seem small, but it’s a huge life lesson that has made me a better person.

Any girl I know spends multiple hours on Pinterest. It’s a fun app that you can literally research anything and everything on! People share tips on decorations, birthday gifts, recipes, clothing ideas, you name it! For my nephews birthday this last year, he turned 3. But the previous year, on his second birthday, we did a Minion theme.

I wanted to share this decor idea with you all because you can turn it into anything you wanted to.  The supplies weren’t too pricey, and the results were amazing!

I first went to Hobby Lobby to purchase the letters to spell out his name.  Each letter was $9.99. That’s where it got sort of pricey. However, blue, yellow, and black paint were not expensive at all.  I simply used construction paper to create the belts and the glasses straps.  The eyeballs were easy because I purchased a package of googly eyes that you can get at any local party or decor store. They were easy to glue on and not messy!

I chose to purchase a “2” so I could also use it as a prop for this picture.  He loved seeing his name in letters designed like Minions! My sister and I then decided to keep the letters for his bedroom.  She bought a shelf, and his name is hanging above his bed. Such a cute idea to not let it go to waste!

I hope this picture inspires you to come up with some ideas if you have children or nephews and nieces. It is a fun way to bring more creativity to the party.

Okay, when was the last time you played a game? No, not on your phone. No, not a video game. A board game, perhaps? My family and I get together once a month to play games.  We bring out the old games, Monopoly, Cranium, Apples to Apples, and our favorite, Scattegories.

It’s so easy to get wrapped up your phone for hours, trust me I do it all the time. But how awesome would it be to have a night dedicated to your friends or family and play a board game once in awhile? It’s so fun, and there’s no one ignoring conversation with their faces down staring at a screen for hours.  It’s easy to get lost in the media world, but I challenge you to bring out the dusty board games and play with your friends.

Communication is something that has changed over time.  I remember as a kid in grade school that phones were not yet a phenomenon.  You didn’t have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Myspace to talk with people or have good times.  I had a few customers come into my bar the other day and they brought the card game, Cards Against Humanity.  We got the entire bar to play! They had so much fun, and they laughed so loud that other tables were interested in the game.

I decided to pitch it to my boss that for a promotional night, we could have a game night, featuring old style games that people long forgot about.  My boss told me it was a good idea and gave me the go ahead! In time after getting my ducks in a row I will host a board game night at our bar sometime in the future.

Upon researching old games that probably have gone un-played for years, I found ones that I completely forgot about! I created a list and I want to see if any of you remember these games! Hopefully you have at least one and you can play soon!

I am not expert in romance or relationships, but one thing I do want to say is everyone grows and changes everyday.  It could be your personality, your hair style, or your group of friends that change.  It could be you interest or opinions about a celebrity or musical style you used to hate but grew to love.  I’m your basic 29-year old woman who just wants three things in life: Happiness, Security, and Family.

-Happiness in my everyday life, even with occasional bad days that can be patched up with ice cream and wine.  Happiness knowing I have a great home, a great partner, and a great job that I love.

-Security in my relationship or marriage, and career.  I don’t necessarily mean having money grow on trees for my financial life, but be secure in my life in more of a mental, emotional, and futuristic way.

-Family is everything to me. I’m still not sure if I want kids in my future, but having my nephews here adds so much more to my life.  My siblings are my best friends, and my parents are people I call daily.

I remember my first boyfriend. It was 2nd grade, and we were going to get married. (Everyone has a similar story probably :]) Into my teenage years and early twenties, I dated off and on because that’s just what you did at that age.  You tested who you could connect with, and get your heart broken time and time again to learn more about yourself and what you want out of a relationship.

I began writing this blog because I wanted to say one thing that I wish I listened to when I was in my early twenties. Stay patient. Break-ups SUCK. But they happen, to all of us.  Whether you’re a girl who thought he “was the one” or a guy who is still looking for his future wife.  Everyone has a different timeline, and you must experience hardships to appreciate the good times.

It occurred to me, working with younger girls at my job, that some people are okay with settling for what they have, because they don’t want to “start over with someone else.”
This is something I disagree with 100%. Everyone deserves happiness. People change throughout their lives and it pains me to see friends of mine stay in relationships because they are afraid of being alone.

I suffered from the hardest break-up in December 2015. I was kicked out, without warning, and left by myself to pick up the pieces. But, I was patient. Being alone for all of 2016 was ultimately the best year I experienced for myself.  I moved into my first home, alone.  It was not an apartment where I shared it with someone, but a whole house to myself.  I bought all new furniture, decorated everything they way I wanted it, and felt so proud of myself for the first time in a long time. I worked more, saved money, and forced myself to be more adult-like and get bills and finances in order. That year result in the biggest growth of change I’ve ever experienced, and it led me to become more independent and confident. I met a new love-interest, and became more of a happy person in general. (The picture below is of my love and me, taken Jan. 21, 2018)

My advice to anyone suffering from a break-up, or who is not with someone who adds happiness to your life, Change it. Be by yourself. It’s rewarding, exhilarating, and you’ll thank yourself for devoting your time to JUST YOU! Even if it’s a few months, a year, or more, time to yourself helps you reflect on the past, and on yourself and your wants and needs.

I hope you enjoyed reading this, and if you’ve got a great partner, keep them close! Spread joy and love to everyone and especially to yourself. 🙂