So, I like a lot of things...

Apparently, I like a lot of things. I should just start a series of posts chronicling them all. Maybe this will become a once-a-week thing (except I need to come up with new stuff to say in between...). We'll see. For now:

Evernote. I love Evernote. I use it for absolutely everything. Seriously.

• Class notes
• Blog posts that I like (via ifttt--another handy online tool)
• Recipes
• Blog post ideas (everything you see here begins there)
• Random ideas that come to mind
• DIY stuff
• Clips of interior design inspiration
• Graphic design inspiration
• Important information to remember
• Random stupid stuff I have nowhere else to store
• PDFs--that way, they take up zero space on my computer

It's awesome. I have a couple of folders that I share with people (very useful when you've already taken a class and a friend is missing some notes), and of course, being me, I have everything organized as much as humanly possibly, making it all super easy to find. Best part: it syncs everything between your computer, phone, and online. If you make a change on one, it changes it on all of them. Basically, you can access all of your information from literally anywhere. Love. It.*

Fireflies. One of my new favorite things to do: sit on my back patio in the evening and watch HUNDREDS of fireflies light up the yard. So, so amazing. One of the many reasons to love summertime.

Ridiculous real-life quotes. Guys. My life is so ridiculous sometimes. Oh, the things I hear and see… I finally started keeping a list (in Evernote, of course). I can't share all of them**, but here's a few anonymous mentionables (I promise all of these are real and said in all seriousness. The people weren't trying to be funny):

"If you come in my house and shoot me, I'm gonna be real mad. If you shoot me and kill me, though, I'm gonna be real, REAL mad."

* * *

In my Environmental Science class...  
Professor: "So what about the California ecosystem, around LA? What do think of?"
Student: "The Hollywood sign?"

* * * 

While watching a video in class of a guy free diving:
Student: "How do we see him if he's underwater? Does he have a camera?"

* * *

Overhearing a waitress at IHOP...
"I was out in New Mexico, working with that Mayan calendar. It was jumping around and I was trying to get it under control and before, I knew it, I'd eaten a whole bag of Doritos."

* * * 

Hence why I both love and hate people simultaneously. 

Iced coffee. Cannot get enough. I like hot coffee, too, but if ever given the choice (midwinter or not), I will almost always go for iced. So wonderful. I found some iced latte mix packets from International Delight that are pretty good--just mix it into your milk, add ice (if you want) and go. They're fairly cheap, too. I'm a fan.

Apartment Therapy. Best design blog ever. (Okay, I'd probably say that about a lot of blogs…but for real, this one is awesome.) Lots of advice and lots and lots of inspiration. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

via Apartment Therapy

via Apartment Therapy

via Apartment Therapy

via Apartment Therapy

via Apartment Therapy

Yes? Yes.

So, what things have you been liking lately? Please share--I need entertainment this summer!

*I am aware that I sound like an Evernote commercial. Unintentional. I really do just love it that much.
**This includes some of the best, unfortunately. If you're really interested, talk to me--I might be willing to share outside the public blogosphere ;)

(More) Things I Like

I am long overdue for a "Things I Like" post. Here's some things that I've been liking a lot lately!

• "In Christ, urgent means slow…" Some good things to remember here. I've made a bad habit of getting caught up in the busyness of life that I forget what's most important. It's cliche to say, I know, but to really live it is difficult--and more necessary than we know.  

• Pure Home.  OH MY GOSH, this site is amazing! One of the coolest home decor sites ever. You pick your style, your mood, and your room, and it helps you choose your colors and accessories. Seriously, go check it out. 

• Kohl's frames. Kohl's has been having some crazy good sales on their home decor and such. I got a $40 set of 6 (really nice) frames for $13, a $50 6-frame photo ledge set for $10 (and used Kohl's cash so essentially got it for free), and this wonderful (and oh-so-me!) bird-and-branches frame for $7:

I might have a slight obsession with frames.
And pictures. The more, the merrier (until you
can't see your walls--then it might be a problem)!

• This print. So cute.

via Handz Etsy shop

• This fun workspace. 

(via Lovely Undergrad)

• Cubicle shelving. Currently wanting one of these in black.

(via Lovely Undergrad)

• Log planter! How cool would it be to DIY one of these with a real log?

(via Pure Home)

• A photo book of Instagrams. Love this idea.

(via That's Happy)

• "Vergangenheit (Loss)" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I love this poem. I can relate to it so very well, and can attest that this is true:

"That which is past will return to you again
as your life's most living strain,
through thanks and repentance.
Lay hold on God's forgiveness in the past,
pray that He will care for you this day and to the last."

Redesign!

Quick update: As I'm sure you can see, I did a little redesigning of the blog. Considering I'm graduating college in about 2.5 weeks, the last header I had wasn't exactly going to be relevant for much longer...

Random thoughts? Still just as relevant as ever. Probably more so.
College student, though? Not for much longer. CRAZY.

Besides, it needed a facelift anyway. I've been taking a class in Graphic Design this semester and have learned a little about how to use Adobe Illustrator, so I put my new-found skills to good use and made a new header. I really like how it turned out, especially since I ended up free tracing the letters myself! Simple + nature-y. Just my style. I hope you guys like it, too!

Procrastination (n): This post right here

Photo Credit: Unknown

Listening to: "Element" by Matthew Mayfield
This song is seriously beautiful. I love it. I also love Matthew Mayfield. Get his Now You're Free album--"Element" included--for free on NoiseTrade (of course--seriously, that site is the best)! Good stuff, all of it.

Hey, friends. Seeing that I have a 7-page research paper to write (I currently have a page and a half), two smaller papers, and 50 pages of Frankenstein to read (I've read about 5), all by tomorrow, that obviously means it's time for me to procrastinate even more by writing a blog post. Some things never change.*

Digging Deep, cont.
Remember how I was talking about digging deep and such in my last post? Well, last Sunday after I wrote it, guess what Scripture the sermon was based around? Oh, Psalm 139 (which I ended the post with). And guess what his one comment on the last two verses (the ones I used) was? Oh, just that "search me" in the original Hebrew essentially means to dig deep. Ha! I love it.

Compassion
I started sponsoring a kid through Compassion International last week! His name is Prosenjit and he's 11 and from India. I'm super excited. It's something that I've wanted to do since I was like, 12, but was always afraid to commit to a monthly payment. Ever since the summer, though, I've kinda felt like it's something that God wanted me to do, but still, it took me a couple of months to finally decide that it's a faith thing: if He wants me to do it, He'll provide the money somehow. Besides, I have so much. Most of the world lives on less than a dollar a day. The average income for the area where Prosenjit lives? $15 a month. That's like 50 cents a day. I spend seven times that much--an entire week's worth of pay for them--multiple times a week on a cup of COFFEE. They'd have to save absolutely everything for nearly 4 months just to pay for a tank of gas. How's that for some perspective?

Not only that, but everything that Compassion stands for is exactly what I want to do with my life. For me, this is like taking the first step in actually fulfilling that. I like that they're all about changing lives at the individual level. I like that they recognize that the spiritual aspect is absolutely crucial, which is why they work through local churches. I just like what they do a lot. Their Holistic Child Development model makes perfect sense to me...hence the reason I'm planning to get my masters degree in just that! So even though I technically just started getting involved with them, what they stand for is something that I am really passionate about, so get ready: you're probably about to start hearing a lot more about it!

Thankful
Thankfulness is such a common theme for this time of year, but it's something that's been a recurring theme for me over the past couple of months, and not something I plan to change! I've been keeping a daily list of little things that I'm thankful for, and it's amazing how it has changed my perspective for the better! 

• The sound of rain
• The 11(!) little kids I got to spend my Thanksgiving with (including 3 sweet girls who are convinced I'm a superstar)**
• Good music
• Christmas lights at Inman
• Slowly understanding more & more about what God is up to...and even then, recognizing that I don't have a clue.

Things I Like

• Everything about this room:

  

  1. Photo clothesline, complete with vintage frame and painted knobs
  2. Bird pillow (anything with bird silhouettes automatically means I love it)
  3. Collage painting--I love, love, love the idea of decorating with my own artwork
  4. Painted lampshade (and I like that teal lampshade, too!)

• Tennessee print (love the lettering, love Tennessee):

  

  "Rocky Top, you'll always be home sweet home to me."

  
  
• This "Choose Joy" print. Birds & a reminder I need constantly--perfect:
  

  

  "Choose joy. Because everything is relative."

*Well, by the time I'm actually posting this, my paper has been completed. Only 7 hours of work. You know, no big deal... I just spent a lot of time procrastinating in between.
**Yes, 11 kids. My two cousins, my friend's two little girls, and 7 of her little cousins. If I ever have self-esteem issues, I just need to go hang out with them. I'm pretty sure Lizzie (6), Emma (4), & Mackenzie (8) are convinced that I'm the greatest thing that ever happened to planet Earth. I'm not really sure why, but hey, I'm not complaining!

Life, love, & design.

Listening to: "Waking Up" by Olin & the Moon

(I love websites like NoiseTrade and Brite Revolution. So much great, free music to be discovered. I've found some of my now-favorite songs through them. Definitely something to check out! This song in particular is one of those chill, rainy day-type songs. For whatever reason, songs like that tend to be my favorites. Anyway. Get it on Brite Revolution.)

Hello again! I think it's time for a real update. There are so many things spinning around in my head at the moment, but I think most of them can be classified under one of three things, hence the title of this post.

Life
First: A quick breakdown on what's going on with me. Overall, life is good. However, I've decided that spring semesters just aren't as good as fall semesters (though much less dramatic, which I am perfectly okay with). Oh well. Currently...

• Spring break! Yay! After changing plans 85 times, I decided to come home until Wednesday night. Mike's going to pick me up in Atlanta and after he gets off work on Thursday, we're heading to Kentucky to see his parents for a day. I'm actually kinda excited about that.
• Ridiculous reviews on Amazon. Today, I discovered this gem of a review for Mae's (a)fternoon EP:

"This is music. If you like music, buy this. This is not a box of croutons. If you want croutons you are looking in the wrong place. In Pieces is a good song. Better than Prince, or anything from the 80's. If you are from the 90's you would probably rather listen to croutons shaking around than 80's music. If that's the case, buy this Mae album or a box of croutons, but not 80's songs."

Ummm...what?! Hahaha! People are so ridiculous.

• Advance Class Selection. Oh my gosh. To think that I'm registering for classes for my senior year of college is mind-boggling. How on EARTH am I this old?* 27 hours to go, and only 9 of those consist of required classes. Hello, fun electives!

Love
Two things: 1) relationships are hard and 2) I don't love other people anywhere near as much as I should. Both have been bothering me lately.

First of all, relationships. The give-and-take side of love can be a hard thing, I'm finding, but at the same time, I wouldn't give it up for anything. My biggest problem right now? Dealing with all the petty criticism from other people. I never thought I'd say this, but it's making graduation look sweeter every day.

Photo Cred: Julian Bialowas

Second, I've been reading this book called Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol for my Child Development class, and I can't stop thinking about it. It focuses on the lives of children growing up in the South Bronx district of NYC, and while I do think the book has a bit of a political agenda and possibly overstates a few things, I also think it contains a good deal of truth. And that truth is slightly heartbreaking. I guess I just don't understand why we (myself included) feel that we have the right to treat certain people worse than others, simply based on social standing, be it economic status or popularity. We're all human. We all have hearts that can love and hurt with equal depth. We all have hopes and fears for the future. It's cliché to say, but underneath all of our differences, we're so similar. So some of us make bad decisions. Who doesn't? It's like no one cares to look a little deeper to try and understand the reasons behind the undesirable things we see in others, yet we're so resentful of those who judge us on a surface level. Why do we expect something from others that we aren't even willing to live up to ourselves? The book also has me thinking a lot about what I want to do with my life--and what I'm currently doing. I'm not completely sure what, specifically, I'm planning to do, but I do know that I want to make it a point in both my career and my everyday life to love the people that the rest of the world seems to deem "unlovable," no matter what. That I am sure of.

Design

Anyway, switching gears: I have been so obsessed with design-related stuff lately. Not that this is anything new, really--I'm always up for some good design. But I'll also go through phases where I seriously cannot get enough of it and now is one of those times. Blogs, magazines, anything. I love it.

Pro: It gets me thinking about creative ideas to implement later (i.e. future home, designs for my future freelance design business--or maybe just design classes, but hey, I can dream--or, you know, just whatever).
Con: I have to wait to implement them.

Anyway, here are a few things I've been liking lately:

Julian Bialowas' 365Q Photos
Seriously gorgeous-yet-simple photography/typography, and I like the quotes, too. After seeing these pictures, I kinda want to visit Alberta, Canada. You'll probably be seeing some of these show up in future posts (one of which can be seen above).

Rue Magazine

It's a fairly new online magazine devoted to design of all types (especially interior). There's some really great stuff to be found! I mean, seriously, I even like the ads. Since it's an online magazine, if you see something you like, you can usually click on it for a direct link to buy. Pretty cool! As far as particular favorites, I'm kinda liking the modern-rustic design in the Brooke Giannetti article on page 37 of the latest issue. Seems like a good combination for me.

Random Collaborations of Other Cool Stuff**

I just like things. Like these:

1. Firefly wedding invitations 2. "Me & You" engraved pencils 3. Ventricle vase 4. "Things To Do When Bored" poster 5. Chalkboard paint

So! That's my life lately. Hopefully, I won't go so long between "real" updates next time, but with me, you never can tell. Until then, I hope things are going awesomely for the rest of you!

*No, I don't actually think 20 is "old," but I do think that it's old for me. How can I possibly already be an "adult"?! What the heck, life? Stop going by so fast!
**Ahem. In case you didn't pick up on this, every word in that subtitle is a link to a different design-related blog. Enjoy!

Things I Like

Listening to: "All That I Want" by The Weepies

Merry Christmas Eve! Being the procrastinator (and broke college student) that I am, I did all of my Christmas shopping today between 3 and 5pm. Amazingly enough, I was successful and managed to survive the rest of the last-minute shoppers as well. (Hi, I'm Brittany, and I am awesome.)

Anyway, since home isn't terribly exciting, I've had plenty of time to discover a bunch of random things that I like, so I thought I'd share. Ah, I love the Internet.

• "Thought of You" by Ryan J Woodward. I love this. Gorgeous animation, one of my favorite songs ("World Spins Madly On" by The Weepies)...what more do you want?
• "How I Go" by Yellowcard. This song isn't new or anything, but I somehow just discovered it. Acoustic guitar, epic strings, and awesome guy/girl harmony. Perfection.
• Jason Lee's Photography. For one thing, his daughters are some of the cutest kids on the planet, and I happen to think cute, creative, and funny makes for a good combination.
• Cool logo designs. I love graphic design!
• Creative business cards. If I ever have my own business, I want my cards to be as cool as these.
• "Timescapes" by Tom Lowe. In a word: Mesmerizing.
• Yeondoo Jung's Photography. He took children's drawings and then turned them into actual scenes. I love it!
• "Virginia is for Lovers" by Mat Kearney. He apparently has a new album in the works, and you can get a free song download if you sign up for his email list!
• Lifehacker. Any random information that makes my life easier is definitely my favorite.

That's all I have for right now. Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! :)

Sorry--I can't help myself!

The header was bugging me a lot (I couldn't help it), so I decided to play around with it some more. I like this much better. :)

(Before/After)

I've been looking at a ton of design blogs tonight. I love that stuff so much. It makes me wish I had more time to do artsy stuff (and also that I had a huge house to decorate...and the money to buy all the stuff...). Sigh. Oh well. I found some awesome stuff though, and I feel like I have to share it!

Harmonie intérieure

I. Love. This. Site. Oh my gosh. I'm not sure if I would actually use a lot of it in my own home (though I might), but I love how it looks. Seriously.

Check out the pictures of the designers' house, too. Love it.

Fancy Frills

I really, really like this blog. She finds a bunch of different cool, design-related things (graphic, interior, fashion, etc.) and posts them. Some of my favorites... (The pictures are linked to her posts.)

Good stuff. I like it.

(This is the kind of stuff I like when I'm not doing outdoorsy stuff like hiking, or playing Ultimate Frisbee, or studying psychology, or writing, or finding new music...haha. I like having lots of different interests. Too bad I don't have time for all of them all the time!)

I like this, this, and this. Oh, and this.

I've been discovering lots of things that I like lately, so excuse me if this post is a little bit sporadic.

For starters, Jenny & Tyler did a show on Friday night in the Dixon Center. I had never seen them before, but I'm officially hooked. They are really talented, completely adorable together (seriously--and I don't say that sort of thing often), and really sweet, personable, and friendly overall. Their songs are so well-written (some of my favorites are "One-Eyed Cat," "Deepest Parts of Me," "Muse," and "Love Through Me") and their voices go together perfectly. Also, I love the design of their This Isn't a Dream album cover, especially the back!:

What can I say? I just really like artsy, well-designed things! That being said, I've been looking at lots of design blogs lately. It has come in handy, too, because it has inspired my roommate and I to come up with ideas for our apartment next semester (only 5 months away! I am so excited). One blog I've been reading a lot is design me daily. I was going through some of the archives yesterday and stumbled across a post on there that lead me to Single Stone Studio's Etsy shop that features lots of really cool wall decals. Hello, living room decor! A few favorites:

 

I love the way everything in this picture is designed. I wish we could use paint in our apartment, because I would so do this! I like the two-tone thing for the flowers.

 

Simple, but very cool and classy. You can also get it in your choice of one out of 40 different colors. Love it.

I apparently have a new thing for this whole birds and cherry blossom design thing, because I've found a lot of things like it that I really, really like. Too bad this decal is $75. :( Not quite in my budget.

Anyway, yeah, I'm getting really excited about this whole apartment thing. I love simple, modern things, and these with a nature-y theme are just a plus. Definitely my thing. It makes me wish I was getting my own house so I could go all out with paint and everything. Having an unlimited supply of money would be awesome, too... Sigh.

Something else I love: Photography. All kinds. For real. Favorite thing ever.

  © Mandy Lynne Photography 

This picture makes me really happy for some reason. I don't know if it's the colors, the lighting, the little girl, the fact that it's outside, or all of the above, but I like it a lot.

 © Max Wanger

I have a thing for engagement photos in general. :)

One last favorite thing: Sunny days in the park with friends!

 

Sunday afternoon, a group of about 12 of my favorite people went to Fletcher Park to have a picnic to celebrate Tuna's 20th birthday. It was gorgeous, and I loved getting to spend time with all of them so much! (My nose is still suffering from a run-in with a Frisbee, but other than that, it was a great time.)

Okay, sorry for the overload. Trust me, there could have been way more!