Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Growing Pains: Rise Up!

Growing up is scary. That's the truth of it - growing is painful. You know how teen boys get growing pains from growing so tall so fast? Or how mothers get stretch marks from growing big enough to hold new life?

Growing pains are a thing for physical and emotional life. 

458e8-img_1214

Growing emotionally can be painful. Sometimes, like a snake, it means shedding your past and baggage. Sometimes, growing into an opportunity can be a challenge of quick growth and movement. Often, it's not going to be without risk. When you are facing a big life decision, the option that allows you to grow isn't going to be painless.

Right now I'm caught up in many painful choices. Oh! Thinking about them makes my head an my heart hurt.

  • What will I do when I graduate? Work? Graduate School?



  • Where will I live? Close to college friends? Go back home?



  • Will I engage with my past? How much?


All of these are big scary questions. And really, they're all question about growth - personal, financial, emotional. Here's the good thing about growth - you don't really go backwards. I got a call from a high school student from my hometown. It was very brief, small talk. I'd be recommended for a small summer job - one that I couldn't take because I'm in Boston rather than Virginia. Brief as it was, I realized something from it. Little things were thrown in stark relief; all the big changes I take for granted were surprising to her. 

When I was considering these changes that are now so small, back then they were big and scary. Thinking about them caused me a lot of worry and confusion. Ultimately, they were opportunities I grew into. Now that growth I take for granted - it's just how big I am.

When you do commit to a growth, it becomes easier. Yes, it's hard at first but at the end, you're standing tall with a whole new view of the world. Grow up! You can do it!

Growing Pains: Rise Up!

Growing up is scary. That's the truth of it - growing is painful. You know how teen boys get growing pains from growing so tall so fast? Or how mothers get stretch marks from growing big enough to hold new life?

Growing pains are a thing for physical and emotional life. 

Growing emotionally can be painful. Sometimes, like a snake, it means shedding your past and baggage. Sometimes, growing into an opportunity can be a challenge of quick growth and movement. Often, it's not going to be without risk. When you are facing a big life decision, the option that allows you to grow isn't going to be painless.

Right now I'm caught up in many painful choices. Oh! Thinking about them makes my head an my heart hurt.


  • What will I do when I graduate? Work? Graduate School?
  • Where will I live? Close to college friends? Go back home?
  • Will I engage with my past? How much?


All of these are big scary questions. And really, they're all question about growth - personal, financial, emotional. Here's the good thing about growth - you don't really go backwards. I got a call from a high school student from my hometown. It was very brief, small talk. I'd be recommended for a small summer job - one that I couldn't take because I'm in Boston rather than Virginia. Brief as it was, I realized something from it. Little things were thrown in stark relief; all the big changes I take for granted were surprising to her. 

When I was considering these changes that are now so small, back then they were big and scary. Thinking about them caused me a lot of worry and confusion. Ultimately, they were opportunities I grew into. Now that growth I take for granted - it's just how big I am.

When you do commit to a growth, it becomes easier. Yes, it's hard at first but at the end, you're standing tall with a whole new view of the world. Grow up! You can do it!

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Decorating a Cat Friendly Apartment: Litter Boxes, Scratching and Climbing

I have a cat. And when first getting an apartment, I found it was really hard to decorate with her in mind. At the dorm, there were a few community cat things, but most of them were tacky or improvised. Like, a student put a stationary bike in a community area and it turned into a cat perch!



Obviously my cat doesn't care what her scratching post looks like. She doesn't care about the aesthetic of her path to the highest point in the apartment, but she'll always find a path up there.

But I care. Especially now that I've been decorating an apartment with my flatmate, I've realized how hard it is to decorate around ugly cat furniture. Ugly cat furniture can take up a lot of space and, worst of all, by trying to hide the eye sore from human eyes you may make it more difficult for you cat to use her atrocious looking perch. Don't make the mistake I did and waste your money on something ugly you wish you could throw away!

Read more for recommendations and a ton of easy links!




Litter Box


Since your litter box needs to be in a central location, why not have it undercover? 
Or even functional! Searching for Litter Enclosure will give you some amazing results; Amazon linked.

If you cat has 'aiming issues,' line these furniture options with plastic before you encourage the kitty to use it.




This is the litter box that I have. I've had it for about 6 months now and I recommend it highly.  It's a lovely cherry wood or mahogany color, very warm, which I really like. Best of all, it has a drawer inside that I use for plastic bags and the scooper. If you have a medium sized litter box, you can also fit a box of cat litter inside. Everything goes in one perfect location that looks like regular furniture. I would also suggest a short lidded trashcan to put next to this cabinet for easy disposal.

When arranging, make sure that you can open your cabinet and that your kitty can easily get in and out of the litter box. You probably don't want to put food or drinks on top of the litter box because of the dust, but a flower pot or something that's safe with nature, as it were.

Climbing


My cat is not a climber. She has one spot that she 'climbs' to. She clambers up my loft bed. In the winter she stops here to cuddle on top of me. But in the spring, she then leaps from the rail of the loft to the top of the wardrobe where her little cat bed is. I was so terrified the first time I saw her wiggle her butt to make the leap, but now I take the jump for granted. 

If your cat doesn't immediate explore things, then you need to engage that cat! My cat used to be terrible about sitting on furniture with people. I know some people would consider that the opposite of a problem, but I wanted a cat that would sit with me while I read a book or type away. More importantly, it seemed like she was scared of people and one of the rooms in the apartment. So I engaged with my cat! I encouraged her to jump on top of things, calling her up and offering treats. I picked her up, pet her, and placed her on comfy couch seating. I called her into the 'scary' room and demonstrated the nice scratching post in there for her. And it took a while for her to get it, probably a month. Now she has a favorite spot on the couch and will keep anyone company. I don't believe that a cat won't go inside of something. 

If your cat loves climbing, check out these stylish cat climbers!


 The Refined Feline Lotus Cat Tower in Espresso$337

See, I know that this is pricey. But keep in mind that the standard ugly ones are about $200. I currently have a $150 Armarkat climber and it doesn't fit anywhere in the apartment. Watch out for those 'easy assemble' column climbers: if the cat sees that a post wobbles when she scratches it, she won't sit on the resting area above it. My flatmate and I have tried to put it everywhere and the climber continues to frustrate us. I might get rid of it when I move out...

Now, this actually looks like a piece of furniture that I'd have in the living room! It's a lovely color and has scratching posts on it too. I love climbers that also have places for the cat to rest at different heights. Most importantly, even the top location is secure.




Are you seeing this! This is amazing! It looks like a little doll house but it's for your cat! More so, it's got waterproof finish on wood. It's great because it provides a place for your cat to climb but also rest away from prying eyes. I think one of the reasons my cat loves to be on top of the wardrobe is because she absolutely can't be bothered there!



Scratchers


PetFusion Cat Scratcher Lounge, Walnut Brown $50

I also have this. I like it and feel that for a cardboard scratcher it's worth the price. I am probably going to make my cat an incline scratcher with all the moving boxes I'll have in August, but I would never make her an infinity sign! It holds up very well. My cat loves to sit on it and scratch it. She also loves to play batter on it: I throw toys at her and she knocks them away. I like to keep track of how often she knocks them into the loops of the scratcher.

My one warning: lots of cardboard shedding. This will be true of any cardboard scratcher and my cat happens to love cardboard scratchers. If you have this in a central location and your cat makes good use of it, as mine does, expect tons of little pieces of cardboard to travel throughout the room!



It's a paw. The cubby and the white makes a paw! You've got to be kitten me right now, that's too cute! I'll stop.

What I love about this is that it's a durable carpeting material and a cute conversation starter. 



Decorating a Cat Friendly Apartment: Litter Boxes, Scratching and Climbing

I have a cat. And when first getting an apartment, I found it was really hard to decorate with her in mind. At the dorm, there were a few community cat things, but most of them were tacky or improvised. Like, a student put a stationary bike in a community area and it turned into a cat perch!



Obviously my cat doesn't care what her scratching post looks like. She doesn't care about the aesthetic of her path to the highest point in the apartment, but she'll always find a path up there.

But I care. Especially now that I've been decorating an apartment with my flatmate, I've realized how hard it is to decorate around ugly cat furniture. Ugly cat furniture can take up a lot of space and, worst of all, by trying to hide the eye sore from human eyes you may make it more difficult for you cat to use her atrocious looking perch. Don't make the mistake I did and waste your money on something ugly you wish you could throw away!

Read more for recommendations and a ton of easy links!


Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Cabinet DIY Spray paint

Before


This is the old set up of my cabinet on my desk. Most importantly, everything in my bedroom is shades of white. I wanted this to match. I also wanted to transform it into a space where I could take photos. 

It started out as a nice posh set up but then I got less organized and knick knacks started piling up in it.

After



And here it is! Doesn't it just look so much better!


The clip you see is for a book light so that I can have excellent lighting. The bottom is space for snacks and other bits that shouldn't have been on the desk top anyway. 

I would rather that the door opened the other way, but I got the cabinet before the current desk layout. I might try moving it to the right side of the desk. 


Atop my dresser, sit my two small Asuka figurines. Hopefully I'll take the time to photograph all of my figurines and share them with you. I am slowly building up my collection! I really want to get the 4.0 figurine; I missed out on the 1.0 figurine. 


Here's another comparison shot. I don't see all of the differences between the lighting but I do understand that white backgrounds make such a difference. I think that I can see it on the gold jewelry box. I'm really working to improve on taking photos. I wouldn't dare to call it photography, but I really want to improve my skills and the only way to do that is practice!


Cabinet DIY Spray paint

Before


This is the old set up of my cabinet on my desk. Most importantly, everything in my bedroom is shades of white. I wanted this to match. I also wanted to transform it into a space where I could take photos. 

It started out as a nice posh set up but then I got less organized and knick knacks started piling up in it.

After



And here it is! Doesn't it just look so much better!


The clip you see is for a book light so that I can have excellent lighting. The bottom is space for snacks and other bits that shouldn't have been on the desk top anyway. 

I would rather that the door opened the other way, but I got the cabinet before the current desk layout. I might try moving it to the right side of the desk. 


Atop my dresser, sit my two small Asuka figurines. Hopefully I'll take the time to photograph all of my figurines and share them with you. I am slowly building up my collection! I really want to get the 4.0 figurine; I missed out on the 1.0 figurine. 


Here's another comparison shot. I don't see all of the differences between the lighting but I do understand that white backgrounds make such a difference. I think that I can see it on the gold jewelry box. I'm really working to improve on taking photos. I wouldn't dare to call it photography, but I really want to improve my skills and the only way to do that is practice!


Saturday, July 19, 2014

Daily Make Up

Here's the make up that I use on a day to day basis. My style is a very natural mori-girl type look. These products are reliable: they create a quick but gorgeous day to day look. Not only that but these products work well with your natural look. They compliment you!

I can't wait to share with you the looks so:
Read more for the run through of items!



I try to make sure that my day to day look is pretty natural. To me, daily make up should easy and quick to do. The purpose isn't to change what you look like: it's to bring out your positive features.


If folk are interested, I can do a full tutorial of these items for my daily look.




Daily Make Up

Here's the make up that I use on a day to day basis. My style is a very natural mori-girl type look. These products are reliable: they create a quick but gorgeous day to day look. Not only that but these products work well with your natural look. They compliment you!

I can't wait to share with you the looks so:
Read more for the run through of items!

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Quiet Routines of Drawing




Drawing is so relaxing to me; it's like carving out your own little world. 

I have my own little routines around drawing. Read more to find out my quirks.



I run a tumblr blog just for collecting images and inspiration which you can see at ichoosetorefuse.tumblr. I browse through the archive, choosing images to warm up on and then finally settling on something to draw, ink and color.

I have all my art supplies in cute little storage spaces: the skin tones together in a little tray and the bright colors displayed on my desk. I even turned a jewelry box into storage for my paint and crafting supplies! Keeping things in view is both colorful and inspiring. Often I used to find it difficult to pull everything out to start a project. But now that everything is in reach, I always feel like I can up and start a project. When things start to collect dust, I know I really need to make something.



Once I have my supplies out and an image chosen, I start drawing. Usually I play music and have a cup of tea at hand. I often do a preparatory sketch - to get a feel for the proportions and shapes - before doing a larger final sketch that will be used for inking.

Starting a project is like entering a dream world. Time is just on total pause and I hyper focus on the minute details. It's a lovely feeling! The feeling of working with your hands and making something tangible is just one of a kind.


Quiet Routines of Drawing




Drawing is so relaxing to me; it's like carving out your own little world. 

I have my own little routines around drawing. Read more to find out my quirks.

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Apartment Inspiration: Blogs and Stories



(via)

Check out this useful book, Small Space Decorating by Better homes and gardens ($17), and read more for blog posts that helped me make the big shift to my very own apartment!




Layout for Studio apartment by Esholee

Big girl, tiny apartment by Rebecca



Studio inspiration by mylittleapartment



Apartment tour by saradujour




Inspiration by DearGolden (I know this is a retail space, but it's so gorgeous!)


Although I'm not looking forward to packing, based on my last experience.

Apartment Inspiration: Blogs and Stories



(via)

Check out this useful book, Small Space Decorating by Better homes and gardens ($17), and read more for blog posts that helped me make the big shift to my very own apartment!