Curated Weekly / 11

This week has definitely been one of those that flew by but yet last Friday feels like forever ago! I made an impromptu decision to visit my grandmother (who lives about two hours away) for the weekend. Let me tell you, it was just wonderful. I don't even know how to put my love and respect for that woman into words. I talked a little bit about her here!

We had such a slow weekend together (I can't think of the last time I went a weekend without internet!) that it was a little tough getting back into the groove of school. Funny how just a few relaxing days can make you forget about work! 

I've been working a lot lately on my fitness certification to hopefully teach strength and kickboxing classes. At our gym, I'm being mentored by a current teacher and I'll slowly start taking over her class. This weekend, I'll be leading the warm-up and teaching the basic punches and kicks. I'm so excited that I'm really getting started on it! I can't wait to have my own class. (Side note! PLEASE leave me comments with your favorite workout music! I'm seriously on the hunt for good songs to use.)

• Today is not over yet. [Alex Franzen]
• 12 practices to feel more peaceful and present in the mornings [MindBodyGreen]
• 7 tips for honoring resolutions [Clementine Daily]
• Creating community, the simple way [Savouring Simplicity]
• 24 hours without complaining and 5 lessons learned [positively present]
• Terrariums for your home or office [Gina Alyse]
• 4 favorite brush fonts [Forth & Wild]
• Getting over a funk [The Rachael Way]

And in case you missed them...

• A better way to respond to stress
• 3 apps for beginner meditation
• Entertaining podcasts you should be listening to
• Make a seamless ikat pattern in photoshop
• I'm offering design services

I've been listening to a ton of hip-hop/top 20s type music to use in my fitness classes and so when I get a chance, I hide myself in some folk music to balance it out. Arlo Guthrie recently came to campus for a concert and I couldn't make it, but I've been listening to a lot of his music and similar artists to make up for it. Specifically, I'm loving my Pandora stations for Peter, Paul and Mary and The Mamas & the Papas.

But seriously--leave me fitness music recommendations! Anything from currently popular music to 80s is fair game!!

Recently, I saw that an old blogging friend of mine (Lisa Nagel) has been churning out some beautiful, beautiful art. Lisa has inspired me for a very long time--she's the one who first got me using beads to deal with my anxiety. She really is a beautiful soul and her art so reflects that. And of course, I'm a sucker for all things plant and especially cactus related so of course I love these. If only I could decide on one! I also follow Lisa on Instagram and I love seeing little process shots and her mantra "Trust the process."

Visit her store.

Last week, my main goal was to get to bed on time so that I could be awake for my early morning classes. I didn't do so hot with this one, but it's all good. I didn't fall asleep in class! :) Here are my goals this week:

1. Get ahead of blogging again. I used to be so on top of blogging and had every post planned and written at least a week ahead of time. And here I am writing this last Thursday night for Friday morning. 

2. Come up with tools and plans to deal with funky days. Whenever I hit some sort of anxiety or stress lately, I just been sort of shutting down for the rest of the day. Yesterday, I started worrying about a decision and after that, it was so hard to get anything done because I was in such a bum mood. 

What are your goals for the week? How do you deal with funky days? What music do you listen to when you work out? (We went all over the place today, topic-wise!)

5 Visually Inspiring Pins

Hi loves! Here are five photos and illustrations that I've found that have been inspiring me lately. As always, feel free to follow me on Pinterest if you like my aesthetic (link in sidebar).

(Source)

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(Source, as best I can find)

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Feel free to share your pinterest links and/or favorite pins below!

How to Create Patterned Text in Photoshop

Things have gotten a bit calmer around these parts + I've had some oh-so-appreciated time to sit down + design, just for fun. I'm always a fan of word art + I've been combining that with my major inspiration as of late: patterns. 

I really fell in love with bright, vibrant patterns about a year ago, when I bought this beautiful skirt from the Liberty London line at J.Crew in Boston. Lately, I've been especially inspired by these bright patterns + using photoshop to create patterned text quotes (which I'll teach you how to do below!)

And with one really simple tool in Photoshop, you can make one of those patterns into this:

Isn't that cool? And it's really, really easy. Open up a new Photoshop file, with the dimensions that you want. I set 760 as the width (because that's the width of my blog) and 300 pixels as the height. You can always crop it down later! Press 'T' or the Text Button on the left hand command dock (it's a capital letter T). Click anywhere on your page and type out your quote, fixing the size to look all nice. Then, go to your 'layers' panel, click the little arrow at the top right and click "New Layer". In this layer, insert your pattern and click the little check at the top if it pops up. Then, all you have left to do is right-click on that layer with the pattern in it + click 'create clipping mask'.

That's all there is to it! I hope you have fun with this tutorial! If you make anything using this tutorial, I'd love if you'd send me a link, either in the comments or via email.

What inspires you to make art?

Catching My Eye.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVc-Z8yFYW8]

This week: I finished school (for the year)!♥celebrated the boy's sister's birthday with dinner & cheesecake♥started my half marathon training plan♥started my summer reading for European History♥went on many Roo runs!

Now, for the best of the interwebs.

♥Do cabins make you nostalgic and warm and fuzzy inside? If so, Cabin Porn has pages and pages of beautiful cozy cabins around the world.



♥Slightly profane, this gallery shows pretty much every hilarious post on tumblr.

♥This list of 100 best American movies needs to be somehow incorporated into my summer to-do list. I have to say, I'm quite proud that I have seen 13 of these movies--even if most of them were in my Film Studies class.

♥Carrie at Dream Green DIY make these awesome gold and neon DIY bookends out of rocks. Definitely a project I'd love to do! Only problem--bookends take up room that I need for more books. Tragic. #litworldproblems



♥Fun and semi-useful, this chart for better understanding your haters is both simple and resoundingly true.

♥As a girl who doesn't plan on having kids, this article about the life of childless adults showed me two sides of the issue I thought I knew well.

♥You May Have Missed: moving out: a tribute to a childhood home♥Cover it Up//An Anthropologie Playlist♥3 Awesome Tumblrs You Should Follow♥DIY Patterned Envelopes♥

 

Love, A.

 

3 Awesome Tumblrs

1. vintagewool







2. floatingstyle.







3. te4cup.







Check 'em out!

Love, A.

Room inspiration.

As I'm planning on decorating my room in the new Michigan house, I've been noticing all these beautiful rooms that inspire me...whites with bright accents and quirky touches. And lots of books!



























Love, A.