Home Sweet Apartment

Attention all apartment/homeowners!

The only thing worse than having to stare at bare apartment walls is the nauseating feeling of shelling out the cash for cool wall decor. It always seems like the paintings and knick knacks you like the most also cost the most.

These do it yourself shadow boxes allow you to fill your walls with your most memorable times. You are also in control of the exact colors and sizes that fit your rooms!

Heres what you need:

• 1 Vintage picture frame
• Tape measure
• 1 inch common finishing nails 
• 1/4 inch utility plywood 
• Saw 
• Wood glue
• Paint in the color(s) of your choice 

Step One

      Measure the inside of the picture frame along the long side. Cut two pieces of wood to this length.

Step Two

      Place the cut boards inside the the frame and measure the distance between them. This distance is how long the remaining two boards should be. 

Step Three

       Glue the wood boards to the inside of the frame and to each other.

Hint: wipe off all of any extra glue

Step Four

      Once all of the glue has dried nail the boards together. For extra security nail the boards the the picture frame itself.

Step Five

        Paint your new shadow boxes as you please!

Note: I painted mine to match my bed comforter.

Step Six

         Fill the boxes with memories that will last a life time!

 'Take care of all your memories. For you cannot relive them.' - Bob Dylan 
Andie 

Its All About That Font!

Welcome welcome!

Being a blogger is a blast! There is a world of possibilities when it comes to background designs, picture placement, text color and font styles and all of these choices are up to you!

One of the most important but underrated decisions in creating a blog is the font style. It would be so easy to utilize the default font but that wouldn't allow the readers to see your personality. Choosing a font that represents you but is also easily readable is huge!

For my Pinterest DIY blog I selected Times New Roman because it isn't drastically over whelming. If too funky of a font is chosen the reader can get lost or even nauseous. Making your readers sick isn't something that is going to make them want to come back for more! An over loopy or detailed  font can distract from the information trying to be conveyed because the reader is trying to make sense of the lettering, if its too difficult they may give up trying all together.

I have encountered fonts that have taken me several minutes to decipher. This didn't really keep me interested in what the company had to say I was just annoyed and my eyes hurt a little. Some font styles can make it hard to distinguish similar letters misleading your followers.

A good example of bad font choice

Text color is just as important as text style! I decided upon a grey color for my text because it can be read for a longer period of time when compared to a harsh black. The softer color wont hurt the readers eyes and  will still stand out well on a light background.

I styled my headings with a larger text size and eye catching color. This helps order the post and display where the step by step instructions begin. Important words and phrases should be a different color to help readers navigate through your posts quickly and pain free!

Though all of these decisions are yours to make you should ALWAYS have the reader in mind!

Stick around for more blogging tips!
Andie

Be A Barista!!

Hey college groupies!

Since the snow fall has begun here in Western PA you're going to need a cozy drink to sip on while snuggling up with a good text book!

The PERFECT Starbucks replication recipe is finally here! Turn your self into a caramel apple spice making machine!

The ingredients:

• 1 cup water 
• 1 cup granulated sugar  
• 1/2 TBSP ground cinnamon
• 4 cup apple juice (any brand)

This recipe yields about 4 cups.

Step One

         Boil the water mixed with granulated sugar and cinnamon. Make sure all of the sugar is melted. Once the sugar has melted remove from the heat and place in a regular sized bowl.

Step Two

       Heat the apple juice. Do not bring to a boil. 

Step Three

         Pour the hot apple juice evenly into four individual mugs.

Step Four

          Add 1 and 1/2 TBSP of the sugar mixture into each mug and stir well.

Optional steps:

     

          Top off each mug with whipped cream and caramel drizzle.

It will be so easy to wow all of your friends with this soul warming drink or melt the cold days away when snuggle partners are hard to find!

Stay warm and beautiful!

Andie