Backpack Full of Bricks

The other day I was home on Long Island when my friend Ryan texted me. We decided to hang out but as per usual we didn't know what to do. "We have to go on an adventure" I said to him, next thing I know were trying to beat the clock before the sun goes down and Caumsett Park closes, which is at 7:30pm according to Siri. Well, little did I know that the sun begins to set at this time and not completely sets (silly me) giving us time to really explore the park a bit.  And oh did we explore. The park was once an estate owned by Marshall Field III, the creator of the Chicago Tribune originally purchased and created in the 1920's. He had everything from an English estate to a country club, to a horse stable, you name it. Well after his passing the grounds became a national landmark making them untouchable to all the Walmart owners and mini mall seekers. So pretty much is the cutest place in all of the land that I really recommend visiting in the summer time. It's freakin' huge, so bring a bike and a backpack with snacks.

I think my favorite thing we came upon was an old nursery building which we trekked a bit through out of pure inquisition. It was pretty cute, would have been cool to see up and running.
Hopefully I'll visit the park again soon because this park is really a great place to go and relax and forget your worries.

Hope you all get a chance to go yourself!

Any adventures you've gone on lately?

Pick Up & Go - Philly

So this is a little past due, about a week ago or so my friend Ryan and I went on an impromptu trip Philly and a little bit of Jersey thrifting. We started out at Golden Nugget Flea Market, in Lambertville, NJ and then ended our day in Philadelphia. It was seriously so much fun to just get up and go one morning even if it was just for the day. Golden Nugget is my favorite spot to visit in the summer time when they have all of the outdoor vendors, but due to it being a bit chilly they decided to stay home. They're open Saturday, Sunday & Wednesday from 6am to 4pm. I recommend going early to really get the best of the picks. I ended up with a bunch of little jewelry knick-nacks and a ton of lace and doilies. I ended up using them to make a few little pillows for my room as well as little throws for my bed. If any of you are interested in seeing those I'll be happy to share.

The second stop was once we got into Philly. Thanks to a friends recommendation we stopped at El Camino Real to get some real bitchin' buffalo wings (vegetarian may I ad) and enjoyed happy hour in Northern Liberties (an area I recommend perusing around when you get the chance.) Afterwards to try and not get too drunk to drive back we grabbed a god-like cup of coffee at One Shot, spot number two I recommend for a dirty chai and doughnut that will knock your socks off. Yes, I used that phrase.

That's all! See you guys next trip!

Pinterested

So I pretty recently just discovered one of the most beautiful sites in the world for inspiration photos and such. If you're not a user right now I URGE you to go out and try it! Pinterest is a great site to find cool new hairstyles, fun new DIY projects, and just all and all inspiration photos wether it be for your daily outfits, makeup or just words of encouragement. Heres a little peak at my own page, follow me or go on a hunt for the pages that make YOU happy! I mean you really cant go wrong.

www.pinterest.com/alyssanapps

7 Easter Egg Ideas

Who loves Easter?  I know I do! Usually its because not only does it mean Summer is just around the corner (thank freakin' Jesus H Christ) but its a day thats filled with candy, nice outfits, family, tons of great food and last but not least; Easter eggs! Even if you don't celebrate the holiday like myself for religious reasons decorating these little morsels can be a real treat.

Almost all of my family pretty much hates hard boiled eggs so we actually don't boil them all (only about half) before decorating, we just...decorate! I find it easier to do designs and such and then afterwords we just crack them open and make some breakfast with them (cool now I want an omelet.) The ones that are boiled can sit for a bit and cool, or if your feeling really fancy you can try to drain an eggshell out after you decorate it so it can last ~a lifetime~. Totally up to you.

So I scoured the internet for some cool ideas and heres what I came up with! A top seven list for you all to try out with the family this holiday. Enjoy!

1.  Tattooed Eggs

I cant believe I never thought to do this. The amount of things you could do with this idea is crazy. These eggs pictured above look so elegant and beautiful with the images chosen, but if you want to get a little more kid friendly why not add some pictures of spiderman or princesses? Or if you have a love of sailor jerry themed items why not add some to the eggs!


2. Silhouette Eggs

How cute, not too overdone and not too little. You could even do simple shapes like stars and hearts! This is also listed as mid difficulty due to using the exacto blade for cutting out your image, if you find this too difficult grab a pair of scissors and try a smaller image like the ones I mentioned earlier.

3. Easter Egg Terrariums 

 

I'm sorry but this is freakin' cutest and probably my favorite of all. I am definitely trying this one out for this holiday solely due to the creativity! This is also a great option for a vegan family or someone who just doesn't really like to eat many eggs.


4.  Marbled Eggs

Warning: This is a pretty messy one so make sure you have some nail polish remover ready! This looks so beautiful with the right color scheme. My idea is to try this out with a Wes Anderson themed color pallet like so:

5. Mehndi Style Eggs 

These little munchkins are adorable. I pretty much draw like this on a daily basis so I know how easy it would be for myself, but you can do these designs pretty simply or try to take it up a notch and work on them a little more in depth. All you really need is a sharpie.

6. Speckled (hehe) Eggs 

The thing about this project is you have to really pay attention to the last step of letting the wax melt, I could see this whole thing going wrong really fast if you don't keep your eye on that. Otherwise its a pretty cool idea!

7. Fortune Eggs

This idea comes from somewhere foreign in which I could not credit it correctly so I have included the whole tutorial along with it. The one step I don't see explained is the first one which includes puncturing a hole on to both sides of the egg and then blowing into the egg to push the rest of the yolk out. The rest is really design as you wish! How cute, I would love to leave little cute notes for my loved ones.


And thats all! Enjoy the holiday everyone!





All ideas above are not my own personal DIY's but ones chosen from other affiliated sites. All credit can be given to those sites listed in the linked portion of each description. I do not own any of the rights to these images.

Pitter Pattern : Printed Pants

So if you know me in the real world you'll know that I have a rather large obsession with patterned pants. They can make the simplest outfit into something really freakin' awesome no matter what the occasion. From denim to silk, and from ikat to floral, here area few of my favorites (some of which I own myself!) Pair them with flats and a tee for a causal outfit, or some ankle boots and a sweater for a nice lunch date. You really cant go wrong, and it will help you in the future with getting your foot in the door (or pant...yeah bad joke) to becoming more outgoing with your fashion choices.

Any questions on links to these items or anything else feel free to leave a comment below, thanks!

Mantras to Live By

We all may have our troubles, but they do not make us or break us; they help to build us stronger.

Top Tunes: Sea Oleena

So I found this little lady while sifting through tumblr late one night and god can I say I've been obsessed ever since. She creates her songs with a very basic recording procedure and has her brother produce it. Hailing from Canada she creates a whimsical and calming atmosphere where you can enjoy your morning coffee or unwind before bed.




Take a look at her Soundcloud page below where two of her records are available for download!
I hope you enjoy her as much as I do!

http://seaoleena.bandcamp.com

DIY Wall Art

DIY Wall Art : Hanging Plants

So I had a ton of extra eucalyptus from a past project for a friend and wanted to find a nice way to use it. Thus I came across this idea. I love my white walls but felt they looked a little too bare. This really was one of the easiest projects to do. Just turn on some jams and have fun with it!

What You Need:

1. String
2. Any plant you would like (or even flowers!)
3. Scissors
4. Push Pins (not pictured)

STEP ONE

Take your plant and snip it into various lengths, I have high ceilings so I needed some pretty large pieces, but they looked nice mixed with some tiny ones. Do the same with your string. Some of my pieces were about a foot long, while others were about 6".

STEP TWO

Take your string and knot it around the plants end, double knotted! 

And thats it! Once you have the appropriate length for your wall you can use a pin to hang it up and continue on the next one. Just continue these steps until you've got your whole wall covered! 

Ta-da! All it takes is patience and you're good.

Enjoy guys!