Not Your Average Gal

Copywriter. Content Creator. Constant Sassypants.

Archives for January 2015

How to: Valentine’s Day Wreath

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Apparently a Valentine’s Day wreath I made and uploaded on Pinterest over 2 years ago is making quite the rounds this year. Over 1,750 repins so far! So, as I put in my goals for 2015, I’m going utilize Pinterest more on my blog.

Hello, Pinteresters!

Thanks for stopping by! My name is Caroline. I’m a rad gal without much of a filter. (Lucky you.) You can find out more about me here. I’d love to have you stick around as a reader. We’re fun people ’round these parts. Plus, we drink good beer!

You can also follow me here:

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Now, since I uploaded this picture over 2 years ago and didn’t have the intention of writing step-by-step instructions, I only have a picture of the final product, rather than each step.

Valentine's Day Wreath by Caroline Made This -- www.carolinemadethis.com

But, never fear! This is so easy that even my cat, who lacks opposable thumbs and often coordination, could still whip this pretty thang together.

You’ll need:

  • Wreath foam of any size that you’re feelin’ (get at any craft store)
  • Grey Yarn
  • Red & Pink Felt
  • Big spankin’ Ribbon of any color you desire (you’ll hang the wreath from this)
  • Hot Glue Gun

Instructions:

  1. Place a small dab of hot glue anywhere on the wreath foam.
  2. Take the end of the grey yarn and place it on the hot glue to secure the yarn.
  3. Start wrapping the yarn, line-by-line so there are no gaps, around the wreath until you’re back where you started.
  4. Cut the yarn and dab hot glue on top of that piece to secure it.
  5. Cut an equal amount of hearts from the red and pink felt (I needed 7 and traced each heart from the original heart I cut from the felt.)
  6. Place hearts equal distance from each other in alternating directions around the wreath.
  7. Secure each heart into position with hot glue.
  8. Use the same gray yarn and wrap it around the wreath across each heart, going clockwise, and then hot glue the end once you’ve made it fully around.
  9. Next, go counterclockwise with the yarn, and make sure you make an “X” over each heart around the wreath one last time. Hot glue the end again.
  10. Grab that big spankin’ bow and hang it for all to see!

‘Das it!

Again, I wish I had step-by-step pics, but I never thought this little guy would take off like it did. Tip of the hat to Remodelaholic who inspired this wreath. You can find her wreath here.

Any questions or want to shower me with compliments? (Is it fishing for compliments if you just ask?)  Give me a shout in the comments. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Filed Under: DIY

Lean, Mean 2015

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They say if you don’t write down your goals, they are merely just dreams that will never be achieved. Or something hokey and bullshitty like that.

I’m not a big New Years Resolution gal. Probably because by day 3 I’ve already broken one of them and by day 30 I’m right back in the comfort zone I was in the previous year. So I don’t like saying, “This is it. This is the year. This is the new me!”

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I sort of like me and stuff anyway.

That said, there are things I’d like to achieve in 2015 beyond the typical “lose weight” goals.

2015 Goals

Blog

  • Join a blog network and start expanding readers. I wanted to wait 6 months after re-vamping my blog to do this, in order to have readers and an accumulation of posts. Now is the time.
  • Gain more followers on Twitter and Facebook. While I’ve mainly focused on Facebook, I want to include Twitter more. #hashtagsareyourfriend
  • Choose one medium for all my social networks, that can push blog posts to all of them. Any suggestions, friends?
  • Include more videos. You all can’t WAIT to see my pretty face. I’m looking for a good WordPress widget for videos. Any suggestions, friends?
  • Write more about “travel hacking.” Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? It is.
  • Gain more freelance writing work. I make a living as a copywriter and want to put those skills to more use with freelance writing gigs beyond my blog.
  • Feature sponsored posts, guest writers and perhaps open up advertisements. I go back and forth with advertising on my blog, but it’s something to at least explore. I don’t want to take away from the authenticity of this site. It has to be a good fit.

Life

  • Travel somewhere new in July. The hubster has the month of July off. I gave him a deadline of mid-January to choose where we should go and I’ll plan it all. I’M SO EXCITED!
  • Read a damn book. I write for a living, so obviously, reading is a huge part of that. Sometimes the last thing I want to do is read a book when I get home after I’ve proofed presentation after presentation for Art Directors. Last year, I only read travel books.  Lame-o.
  • Give up TV for one month. AHH! Even writing that makes me sad. I want to test it out and see how much or little it affects my life. I’m a huge boob tube fan. This is going to suck.
  • Learn more Spanish. I live in South Florida. I work with some amazing Latinos who are always testing my Spanish. I bought Rosetta Stone and will pick it back up in no time. Wish me buena suerte!

Health

  • Lose 15 pounds. It’s doable for me. Baby steps. I don’t want to put out a high number into the universe and then beat myself up when I don’t achieve it. When I hit 15 and want to lose more, I’ll decide that number then.
  • Incorporate more lifting in my workouts. Right now it’s all running while training for the half-marathon. I need to strength train more, I feel so much better and my clothes fit so much better when I lift.
  • Allow myself to buy pre-packaged meals. I’m a stickler for making things from scratch, but if I need to throw in a bag of pre-packaged brown rice into the microwave in order to save time and not just “give in” and order out, I’ll allow it. Same with pre-cut veggies. Notice pre-packaged doesn’t necessarily mean pumped with preservatives and awful for you. Guys, I don’t allow microwave popcorn in our household (because it’s AWFUL for you) so this is a big step. Balance, my friends. Balance.
  • Run 2 half-marathons. Yup. I’m putting it out in the universe. TWO. Last year after I completed my goal of running my first half marathon, I just stopped running long distances for months. Not good. I’m finding another one after my half in February.
  • Get up each morning at 6am. That used to be my norm. But lately it’s definitely taken a back seat to staying up late and “sleeping in” until 7:30. I want to start my day off right. Chill, eat breakfast, workout, read emails, update blogs, etc. etc.
  • Eat less meat. I used to be vegan, believe it or not. Sadly, I found it nearly impossible to maintain when we moved to Florida. I loved how I felt and want to capture that again by aiming to eat less animals.
  • Letting go of guilt. This may be a post for another time, but I’m a glutton for making myself feel awful about making a decision I know is in my or my family’s best interest but may hurt/offend/upset others. I have to move past it better.

That should do it. Not too shabby.

What do you think—any words of advice? What are some of your goals for 2015?