Curly Craft Circle: Wall Tiles

I decided that a little crafty creativity was long overdue and would help me unwind from the stress that is life.

I've been meaning to do this craft for about a year now. I mean I have literally had 75% of the supplies for over a year, I just kept putting it off.

The bigger panels were not made by me. I purchased them at Wal-Mart, but they could probably be re-created with the same process I use for the tiles, just with a bigger base

I bought a four-piece coaster set from my local craft store near the end of 2010. My plan was to modge podge pictures onto them and hang them on my wall as tiles.

I then tried to decide what pictures I wanted to put on the coasters. I love classic films (as you can see). I love the spectacle, the romance, the song-and-dance numbers. So, I got some snapshots from some of my favorite classic films, did a little photoshop magic, and voila! I was ready to get out my jar of modge podge.

Price wise, this is about $10. I can't remember how much the coasters were because I bought them on sale, but the price tag on the container said they were usually $6. I spent a little over $1 to print off the photos, but I get a pretty good deal at my school's copy spot.

Time-wise, photoshopping the pictures took the longest. All I did was take the photo, make a black-and-white layer, and then erase part of that layer to bring back the color.

The modge podge part took about 15 minutes total.

I'm pleased with the finished product, but I think I need to do a few more so that it looks a little better. And I think I want to glue them into some sort of frame. Right now, they are just sticky-tacked onto my wall.

And I do love how they go with my Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe panels.

Photos (left to right): "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," "White Christmas," "Singing in the Rain," and "Easter Parade."

Curly Girl Update: Weeks #5-6

Surprise! I'm finally blogging again. The last couple weeks have been crazy busy for me as next week is mid-term. I've had a massive paper due last week and this week have had tests and such. This weekend most of my roommates will be gone, and I have already claimed our living room to lay out all of my remaining assignments and finish them.

I was thinking the other day about how much I complain about school and college life. But then I remember that this is all self inflicted. Unlike public K-12 school, I have chosen the stress and agony of 15 page papers, grocery shopping on a budget, waiting until the last possible moment to do laundry and lousy housing complexes that are out to get you. So I better just suck it up and deal--which should be easy-peasy since I'm graduating in December.

Anyway, I digress, that is why I haven't posted in two weeks. But I have a nice little update for you today.

As you can see, still no haircut. I'm thinking by the end of next week it will be done. But I have to think of what I want to do for sure, and I need to decide if I can trust any hair stylists in town to not give me triangle haircut. Part of me wants to keep growing my hair out. I haven't had my hair longer than my shoulders since I was about nine-years-old. But since then, I can't ever get it past the stupid awkward length it's at right now. And I know that my curls won't be the tight and sassy curls I get with short hair. Oh, decisions, decisions.

The method is still going well. I'm already through my second bottle of conditioner. It's so dry up here that my hair just sucks up any moisture it can get. I also purchased my second bottle of gel. Stuck with the got2b stuff because everything else either had the nasty chemicals in it, or was way way way out of my price range.

All of the websites I have read say that by week 6 your hair should really be showing the curls and not be so frizzy. But I don't think those websites take into account the dry windy air of Eastern Idaho and the need for shorter hair.

Song of the Week: No 'bout a doubt it--Marion Hutton

Over the past two years I have started to get into older, jazzy vocalists. There's just something unique about listening to singers who can actually sing without big production managers like music today. These people have raw voices and it's just beautiful. This song not only shows that raw talent, but also is super cute. 

Having a Good Hair Day...

and thought I would show you all.

Enlisted the help of my roommate to get a back shot.

Curly Girl Method: Week #4

I meant to post this yesterday, but I had about four hours of education homework and didn't have time. I had my roommate take my picture yesterday morning, that way you can see what my hair looks like before I step outside and it is accosted by the frigid weather.

I forgot to get a side shot, and also you can see that I still haven't gotten my hair cut. I did, however, have to buy my second bottle of conditioner. I stuck with the Burt's Bees conditioner because it's working and it smells fantastic; the scent resembles those chocolate oranges you can get at Christmas time. It makes my shower even more enjoyable.

I hope that I can get my haircut next week. Then maybe my curls will spring into action.

Song of the week: Would You Go With Me - Josh Turner

I used to hate country, but going to school in a little Idaho town has made me like it a little more. This is one of my favorite country songs. Josh Turner's voice makes me melt like a Popsicle on the fourth of July.