My NEW Room!

Okay...so I haven't posted anything in a REALLY long time, almost a year.

Sorry about that.

But on the bright side...this is my first post of 2014!

So, for my first post this year, I would like to talk about something that makes me super excited:

If you've read my blog before, you might remember one of my first and most popular posts, My Room. In the post, I talked about my room that I shared with my sister and the difficulty that I was having making the room nice and organized.  I also offered a few home decor and organization ideas.

Did yoou notice that I just used the past tense-shared? Well, that's because 10 days ago, my family moved to a new house. And everyone gets their own room! It has been a process, but I have been unpacking and settig up my room a little bit at a time, and it's finally coming together.

I really like the way it turned out. In fact, I liked it so much that it inspired me to write this post. I found some great deals on furniture and decor and I thought that I should let my readers know about it.

At the bottom of this page is a slideshow featuring pictures of my new room. Below are descriptions for each picture, a well as links to the websites of the stores from which they came from (just click the titles).

I hope that you find this post helpful. Happy decorating!

Photo 1: Luca 5 pc. Reversible Comforter Set - Full/Queen

I love the floral print on this comforter! It is listed as coral, but the colors on the fabric are orange, gray, white, light pink, and dark pink. The fabric is not too hard and insulates well. The original price of this comforter is $179.99 at kohls.com, but I caught it on sale for $81 + tax (shipping was free), so you might want to consider watching this item to get the best deal.

Photo 2:  Bombay(R) Kensington Ottoman

I wanted a window seat in my new room after seeing a really cute one in a model home. This storage ottoman worked perfectly! The fabric is dark gray and very soft. There is plenty of storage on the inside, including pockets. This ottoman was on sale at bedbathandbeyond.com for $69.99 when I bought it. (TIP: I also had a 20% off coupon. If you have one, make sure that you go to the store and ask to make an online purchase with your coupon; an employee will help you. The website will not allow customers to use coupons online from home.)

Photo 3: MALM Chest with 2 drawers

This is the top of my nightstand. It is a white with two drawers, no knobs and a sheet of glas on top to protect it (sold separately by IKEA). I love how it is simple, yet clean and modern. I got both this nighstand and my dresser in-store at IKEA. There are many different options for furniture in this collection, including different colors. I recommend visiting IKEA's website for details. 

 

Photo 4: RENATE lamp

This lamp is also from IKEA. It was a neat find for me (my mom is actually the one who spotted it) because the floral design goes nicely with the one on my comforter. Although the lamp shade looks tinted in the picture, it is actually white. The base of the lamp is silver. See IKEA's website for details.

Photo 5: MALM Chest with 4 drawers

This dresser is part of the same collection that my nightstand came from. See the link above (Photo 3) for  more details about this furniture collection from IKEA.

Photo 6: MICKE desk with integrated storage

My desk is one of the many in the MICKE collection at IKEA. I recommend browsing the options offered to select the style that is right for you. The desks also come in many different colors; I chose white. The style that I chose has a large workspace, plenty of shelving, and a spacious drawer.

Too Cute! Puppies

I don't watch Animal Planet a lot, but a few days ago, I tuned in to the channel just in time to see one of the cutest shows on television. Too Cute! Puppies was on.

Too Cute! Puppies follows the daily activities of puppies as they explore the world and get into mischief.

My favorite part of the episode was when all of the puppies in a litter, except for the runt, huddled together to stay warm during nap time. A little girl, who looked to be about two or three, saw that the puppy laying by itself and gathered her stuffed animals around it so that it was part of a cozy huddle, too. It was, well, too cute.

To see adorable videos and photos of puppies, visit the Too Cute! Puppies website.
Or, if your a cat lover, visit the Too Cute! Kittens website.

California Pizza Kitchen

Summer is coming to an end, and my family decided to enjoy one last  vacation before it's time for school to start. After unpacking our van, feeling tired and hot, we decided that it was time for lunch. Deciding where to eat wasn't much of a debate. My whole family loves pizza, and we have been to one of the pizzerias in the area before. So, we got back into the van and headed to California Pizza Kitchen.

There are many pizza restaurants to choose from, so what makes California Pizza Kitchen different from the rest? The pizza that they serve is delicious. The crust is thin, but still soft and airy. We ordered a large half pepperoni, half pepperoni mushroom pizza. I was impressed by the fact that our server gave my parents three choices of mushrooms. The pizza was brought to our table in a timely manner, and it was piping hot. After tasting this restaurant's pizza for a second time, I still loved it.

As far as drinks go, my dad and I had lemonade, my mom had sweet tea, and my brother had a pineapple coconut smoothie. When our waiter brought our drinks to the table, he explained to my brother that the employee who usually makes the smoothies was not there and that the manager had made his smoothie. None the less, my brother thought that his smoothie was fantastic. My brother's smoothie was in  a regular plastic cup, but my mom, dad, and I were given sturdy plastic cups that we got to keep. I was happy to have a souvenir to take home.

To try California Pizza Kitchen for yourself, visit their website to find a location near you. 

How to Create Your Own Theme in Microsoft PowerPoint 2010

When you are working in Microsoft PowerPoint 2010, there are several themes to choose from when you press the "Design" tab.  However, don't you think it would be fun to create your own unique theme? Well, today I am going to show you how.

Step 1: Open a new PowerPoint Presentation.

Step 2: Click the "View" tab. Then, click "Slide Master."

Step 3: Edit the background.  

- Click on the "Slide Master" tab, then click the "Background Styles" drop down menu. 

- Choose from any of the gradients that appear or create your own background by clicking the "Format Background" button. You now have the option of adding a solid, gradient, picture/texture, or pattern fill to use as a background and have more control over the colors.

Step 4: Choose the fonts. 

- On the "Slide Master" tab, click on the "Fonts" drop down menu. You can choose one of the pre-made font sets, or you can click the "Create New Theme Fonts" to chose the heading and body fonts that you would like to use in your theme.

Step 5: Edit the color scheme.

- Click on the "Colors" drop down menu (it is above the "Fonts" drop down menu on the "Slide Master" tab). You can choose from a variety of built-in color schemes or create your own by clicking the "Create New Theme Colors" button.

Step 6: Save your theme!

- To save your custom theme, click the "View" tab. Then, click the "Normal" option.

- Click the "Design" tab. Then, click on the drop down arrow beside the themes to get more options. At the very bottom, click the "Save Current Theme" button and name your theme. Finally, click "Save."

Your theme should automatically be saved as an Office Theme inside the Templates>Document Themes folder. Next time you open PowerPoint, it should show up with the other themes under the design tab.

Step 7: Show it off!

Won't it feel great to create a PowerPoint using a theme that you created? Next time someone compliments you on how good your PowerPoint looks, you can say: "I designed it myself!"

Here is the theme that I created:

TIP: If you would like your title slide to have a different background than the others like mine, just change the background on the title slide layout without clicking the "Apply to All" button. 

TIP: Play around with Word Art and text effects. I added a dark blue outline to my title and heading text and added a shadow by clicking the "Shadow" button in the "Font" box under the "Home" tab.

American Eagle Project Live Your Life

American Eagle recently launched a contest called Project Live Your Life. It allows people to compete for a chance to become a model for the clothing company.
One of the many contestants for Project Live Your Life is writer, dancer, photographer, and artist Jade P. I got a chance to interview Jade today.

 Why do you want to win American Eagle's Project Live Your Life?
 JADE: "I want to win American Eagle's Project Live Your Life because I love American Eagle clothing, and I love the brand and the lifestyle associated with it, and I love the fact that they are using their customers and their followers to market their clothing. I just think that's really ingenious, and as a marketing enthusiast, I really appreciate that. And I want to win because it would give me tons of exposure and since I want to pursue modeling professionally, this could be a way that I could get noticed and get discovered, not only as a model, but as a singer, or a writer, or any of the other things that I do because it will put me out there for other people to see."

Your profile mentions that you went to a playwrights festival. What was that like?
JADE: "It was AMAZING! It was a week full of work, and bonding, and creativity, and kind of creative brainstorming with other people that I'd never met before, but we all had similar interests. And a lot of them knew more about theater, and more about writing than me, but it was really cool to learn from them, and also just to share my creativity with them, and have our ideas bounce off of each other. And we became so close so quickly  because we're all exposing our hearts through our writing to one another, so pretty much any barriers and walls got broken down the first day."

What do you enjoy most about photography?
JADE: "I don't consider myself a photographer, because I'm not into the whole technical part, I'm really not into a lot of technical things. I don't like to be behind the camera necessarily, I don't like to be the one who has to learn all of the specific technical things that goes along with photography, like lens types, and exposure, and how to handle different settings during different parts of the day, all of that stuff. But, I have always liked photography as like just a fun thing to do with my friends, because my friends in college loved to take pictures, and so I grew in my passion for taking pictures. And we took pictures of EVERYTHING. We took pictures of ourselves doing everything, and so it felt like you know, photography is a way for you to be with your friends and always keep your Facebook status updated with your latest doings, and it's a way to not forget a moment, because you're capturing every moment. And I like photography because I like modeling, so photography is very important to modeling, because it captures the pictures. I love taking pictures of my friends and taking pictures of clothing, especially since I'm a dancer, too. Dancers care a lot about photography and about videography. So, I guess, well as far as photography goes, this contest has really challenged me to become a better photographer because I had to photograph myself as a model. So, I had to learn a little bit more, but I prefer not to be behind the camera."

According to your profile, you categorized yourself as a "Denim Jeanius." In your opinion, what is a "Denim Jeanius?"
JADE: "American Eagle's definition of a Denim Jeanuis is someone who knows how to style their jeans for any occasion. And as Americans, I think a lot of us automatically fall into that category, because we wear jeans everyday. We wear jeans with just about everything, it's like our staple article of clothing that we put with everything. Some people wear jeans to work, you have your dressy jeans, you have your casual jeans, you have your work jeans. So, I would say as far as a Denim Jeanius, I love experimenting with different types of jeans and I love wearing jeans with different types of looks, to show how flexible the clothing is."


What advice do you have for other aspiring models?
JADE: "For other aspiring models, I suggest just taking pictures of yourself. I'm learning how to become a better model, and it's just from all the stuff I've looked at online and advice I've gotten from other models. Model for free, I've modeled for hair shows for Aveda, and in a Southern Weddings Magazine shoot, and those were just opportunities to be around professional models and see how they work, and just, you know, being in front of the  camera, but you really have to practice on your own. And you have to practice your expressions, and practice figuring out how to angle your body towards the camera, and that's where you get your creativity, it's just like dancing, you practice on your own and you refine your skills around others, and then you get out there and you perform in front of the camera, and then you're set."



Here are a few fantastic photos from Jade's profile:

Good luck with the contest, Jade!
To show your support and vote for Jade, click here.
She'd really appreciate it!




Pictures courtesy of Jade Palmer

Chevron

I had no idea what a chevron pattern was until my friends told me earlier this year. This summer on Pinterest, chevron clothes, nails, furniture, and more have been popular pins. I repined a picture of a chevron lamp a few days ago, and it already has four likes and 32 repins! I only have six followers on Pinterest, so that is a lot for me. I was amazed by how popular that single picture became.

A screen shot of the picture I repinned on Pinterest that quickly became very popular. According to Pinterest, it was originally pinned from myhabit.com.

Here are a few chevron products that I found on Walmart.com
(click on product names to go to their product pages on Walmart.com)

 
your zone chevron nylon rug, 3' x 4'8"


Kinsley Chevron Futon with Optional Pieces, Gray




Eclipse Kids Chevron Energy-Efficient Blackout Curtain, Bright Multi



Set of 2 Purple & Blue Chevron Corded Outdoor Patio Square Throw Pillows 18.5"


* All product pictures came from www.walmart.com. I do not claim ownership of any of these pictures and I did not create or take them myself. 

Pets and Furniture

My family's dog, a blond American Cocker Spaniel, is the sweetest pet that anyone could ever ask for. However, Chelsea loves to lay on the couch with us, and her fur gets all over the furniture.

At first, my siblings and I didn't see anything wrong with letting Chelsea lay on the couch with us. Then, my parents pointed out how hard her fur is to remove from the cushions. Cleaning the furniture before guests come over is a hassle. We have used lint rollers and brushes designed specifically for pet hair removal, but nothing seems to work on the fabric. 

Many pet owners buy their dogs doggy beds. We've tried this before, but Chelsea just chews on them until the stuffing comes out and the bed is no good. I thought I had found the solution when I noticed that Chelsea had taken a liking to my favorite blanket. Letting her lay on the blanket solves the problem most of the time, but Chelsea still lays on the couch often.

That's when I decided to research what fabrics are good for pet owners. I found a really great article called What is the Best Sofa Fabric for Pets? on eBay. (Just click the link to go straight to the full article.)

Here's a summary of the article:

- On furniture that a pet uses often, lint rollers don't work very well

- Pet owners shouldn't have light-colored carpeting (Like my carpet in the picture above; Oops.)

- The benefits of certain fabrics

•  Leather: Fur and dirt are easily removed, resistant to odor
•  Distressed Leather: Fur and dirt are easily removed, resistant to odor, patterns help hide blemishes
• Synthetic Fibers: Fur and dirt are easily removed, withstands claw holes and scratches, tightly woven to resist damage
•  Crypton: Fur and dirt are easily removed, withstands claw holes and scratches, resistant to odor, tightly woven to resist damage

- Pet owners should not purchase sofas with these fabrics: chenille, velvet, silk, tweed, wool, and linen

* I credit all of these facts to the buying guide titled, "What is the Best Sofa Fabric for Pets?" written by eBay.