Month: September 2024

Today I Tried Something New

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Hey Sunny Siders, today I was in a super crafting mode and spontaneously headed to Michael’s to buy supplies for my new project. I wanted to make shrink plastic keychains and potentially start selling them if they turned out well.

Spoiler, I have a lot to learn so I won’t be selling anything yet, but I’m really excited to keep practicing and see where this journey takes me!

I started off drawing out what I wanted to make for the keychains. Since I’m not really great at drawing, I wanted to get all my mistakes out on paper and have a template that I could trace using the shrink plastic.

I wanted to make some cute ghosts since October is right around the corner, and I also had an idea for some animal themed parfaits.

Once my designs were sketched, I headed to the craft store to pick up some of the extra supplies I needed to make keychains.

Then, I got to drawing on the shrink plastic. I had a a lot of fun picking colors and coming up with cute items for the ghosts to hold. I also found some solid white shrink plastic which I tested a second version of ghost on.

Once I’d finished making some designs I baked them in the oven at 325°F until then completely finished shrinking. A tip for anyone crafting with shrink plastic is to be patient, they’ll curl up on themselves but eventually with enough time in the oven they will lay completely flat.

Once they were shrunk I tried using UV resin to add a nice shine and secure the drawing in place. This is definitely the step I need more practice with, but I also may opt for using a different product. For the ghosts I made with sharpie, the UV resin caused all three to bleed which made me very sad. I also ended up with a lot of bubbles even though I spent a long time trying to clear them away. I think I’m going to opt for dimensional magic next if I can’t figure this resin thing out.

The one thing that’s great about the resin is that they cured in just 2 minutes under my UV lamp that I use for doing gel manicures! Once they were cured I made keychains out of the two of them that I liked most and also felt I could give as gifts.

A ghost holding a pillsbury cookie and a ghost grape parfait
Three ghosts using white shrink plastic, the sharpie bled 😦
My other two hand colored ghosts, I think I like the already white shrink plastic for these guys

My next step is to keep practicing with the UV resin and figure out how to make the sharpie not bleed. I think with some more practice I might be able to craft some cute gifts/sell some kawaii keychains 😊

Fall Decor In My Home

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Hey Sunny Siders and happy first official day of fall! As you know I’ve been in fall mode since August, but to celebrate the start of my favorite season of the year, I wanted to share some photos of how I’ve decorated for fall and Halloween this year!

I hope these photos of my home can serve as inspiration for how you can decorate your home for the fall season! Looking forward to a great few months of fall flavors and fun!

My Daily Routines

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Hey Sunny Siders, I thought it’d be fun today to walk you through some of my daily routines that help me feel my best!

I try to start my day off waking up naturally instead of to an alarm. Fortunately I’m more of an early bird than a night owl so waking up around 7 am does happen naturally for me. Of course, I set an alarm for the last possible moment I can wake up and still get to work on time just in case I do have a day where I sleep in.

Once I’m up I try my best to not look at any screens while I’m getting ready. I try my best to limit my screen time and expose myself to more natural lighting to help me wake up.

For breakfast I like making something relatively simple and fast so I can spend more time sleeping. Some of my go to breakfasts are a bagel with peanut butter or cream cheese, a protein shake, or oatmeal with fruit. While my breakfast is heating up, I drink a glass of EmergenC for an immunity boost while I walk around the kitchen to get a little movement.

After I eat, it’s time to get dressed and ready for work. I brush my teeth, put on my outfit, do my skincare, put on sunscreen, and brush out my hair.

Then it’s time to head to work. I have a 30 minute drive on average to work and during my drive I alternate between listening to a podcast or listening to music. Some of my favorite podcasts include the Skinny Confidential and Anything Goes, and for music I’ve been loving listening to the Stardew Valley soundtrack.

Once I get to work it’s time to get on that grind. I do my best to get up and away from my desk every out to stand and get in some steps. On days I don’t eat lunch with others, I spend half of my lunch walking and getting some sunlight outside. I find my focus improves immensely with mini breaks up and away from my desk.

At lunch I almost always bring my own lunch unless I’m meeting with a colleague for a lunch meeting. Some of my favorite lunches include Mediterranean chicken salad, sheet pan gnocchi, and harvest salad.

After lunch it’s back to work until the day is done.

Leaving work, my commute tends to increase to 45 minutes because of traffic so once again I’m passing the time listening to music and podcasts. I also like to use the drive home to catch up with friends on the phone.

When I get home I’m usually starving so it’s time for dinner. I am big on meal prep during the weekend so dinners are simple and fast during the work week when I’m exhausted! Some of my favorite meals include literally any kind of pasta and chicken and rice with veggies.

While I eat dinner I tend to do my daily Duolingo session if I didn’t do them in the morning before work as well as my daily connection and wordle.

After I’m nourished, it’s time for a workout. I usually do a home workout during the work week since it’s simple and easy. Lately I’ve been following along to workout programs using Chloe Tings app. While I follow along to a workout, I’ve been putting on Totally Spies on the TV. It’s fun to watch an episode or two of a show I enjoy while I workout because it makes the time go faster. In non work days I usually go to my apartments gym and use the spin bicycle to design my own cycle workout or using the equipment for a full body strength training session.

When I finish working out, I get cleaned up and ready to wind down for the night. I take a shower, put on my PJ’s, and do my skincare again.

Then the rest of the evening is relaxing time. I usually love to have a sweet treat and a cup of tea while I read or watch some YouTube. Sometimes I’ll do a craft if it’s not too late by the time I finish my workout and night routine. And many nights I chat with my family or game with my friends.

The last part of my typical day includes bushing my teeth and ending my night on video chat with my boyfriend while we watch a few episodes of our favorite anime’s. Then I’m off to sleep to do it all again!

Fall is Here…In My Mind Anyway

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Hello Sunny Siders! We’ve finally made it to my favorite part of the year, Fall! I have always loved fall so much and I figured why not share some of the things I love most about fall!

The Weather

I love fall weather, even though I barely ever get to experience it where I live. However, I grew up where fall was always amazing. The temperature is perfect, the humidity goes away and best of all the leaves turn a gorgeous orange and red as they fall off the tree. I just adore everything about the weather this time of year!

The Clothing

Complimentary to the weather is fall fashion. It’s the perfect time of year where layering actually can be cute. In summer, you’ll practically sweat to death if you layer, and in winter you need so many layers you can’t even see the outfit you’re wearing. This is not a problem in fall though. It’s the perfect time to wear a turtleneck with a sweater vest, or a collared shirt underneath a crewneck. Better yet, through some fleece tights under a skirt and you’ve got some amazing fall outfits. The same could technically be said for spring, but what allows fall to take the cake is the next category.

The Colors

Fall has the best color palette of any season in my opinion. The beautiful browns, greens, oranges, and reds are just stunning this time of year. As someone who love brown, this is exactly why fall beats spring on the fashion front. I can layer so many gorgeous shades of brown into one outfit and my soul is happy.

The Flavors

The seasonal flavors of fall hands down are my favorite. I love the flavors of pumpkin, apple, squash, sage and cinnamon at this time of year. I’m getting giddy thinking about some of my favorite recipes I’ll get to make soon now that it’s fall. Butternut squash Alfredo and sheet pan gnocchi are on the docket in the next few weeks and I couldn’t be more excited! Also, have you ever had an apple cider donut? They’re literally the best donuts ever!

The Ambience

I love all the little additions to my home during the fall season. Cute little pumpkins and ghosts are scattered all about my apartment. Decorative towels and potion bottles galore really add a layer of warmth to my home this time of year. Beyond the decor, I love the fall ambience playlists on YouTube this time of year. I get to bring out my favorites like Cozy Autumn Nintendo Music and Lofi for Witches Only both of which bring so much joy to my life.

Halloween

Finally, arguably the best holiday happens during fall. Halloween is so much fun. I love decorating and dressing up for this holiday. Not to mention there are so many wonderful films to watch this time of year. I always loved Trick or Treating as a kid and now as an adult I just love seeing what clever costumes people can come up with, it’s a blast!