3 Things

So it's December, which means it's the countdown to the end of this year! It's really gone by quickly, hasn't it? Personally I love December, even if it signifies the end of my favorite season, Fall. This December feels a bit strange though. Perhaps it's the fact that it was almost 60 degrees today, or perhaps it's the lack of snow? Either way, I've figured out Christmas gifts for everyone I know, and all I have to do is make them... and also take finals.

I went to Whole Foods the other day, and I found this little surprise there! This bakery is in my hometown. I always  meant to stop by, especially since Liz worked there over the summer, but I never got around to it! Liz told me earlier this semester that Cafe Indigo had just signed a contract with Whole Foods, which would mean that we could buy their sugary goodness. I wasn't expecting it so soon!  So this was definitely a very pleasant surprise, that I couldn't help but buy. I ended up getting this brand's chocolate chip cookie bar the other day as well. I can't tell which one I liked more. Next on the list: Carrot Cake? (AKA After finals treat?) 

I finally saw Skyfall on Friday night! It was the really late showing at 10:50 PM, but it was so fun! Personally not my favorite Bond movie, but I could go on about James Bond for a very long time. (Which I just might!) Either way, I loved the theme song, I loved all the callbacks to prior James Bond movies, I loved the cinematography. One thing I would change? Daniel Craig runs really weird. It somewhat ruined the serious scenes for me because he was running and looking silly. (His elbows form perfect right angles!) Also-- since Friday, I've listened to nothing but James Bond themes. I really regret nothing. 

Finally my favorite part of this past week: Penny Wars! Penny Wars is this building wide contest my dorm does, where we collect as many pennies as we can to win! Each floor is pitted against the other. The rules are: any penny or gold dollar coin counts as a positive for your floor, and silver change and dollar bills counts as a negative. When I first moved in, my RA described this contest, and my suities (girls who live in my suite) and I decided we wanted to win it. That first year, our suite alone was able to make more than 42 dollars worth of pennies! Last year, we had a similar shenanigan, as with this year! Our floor has always finished ahead of all the other floors in a drastic sweeping victory. Can't wait for next year's contest! :) 

All in all, it was a very good weekend! Now for finals and projects... I hope everyone had a good weekend! -- Sheilly 

Milestones!

As of yesterday, Iced Peppermint Mocha has gotten over 300 hits, with a high of 49 visits in one day alone! For a blog that has only been up for a little over two weeks, I can not be any more grateful.   Thank you to anyone and everyone who has read, commented, and visited! I never expected this blog to be as incredible as it is today, and I'm so grateful for all of you readers.

I have a couple of special things planned for December, that I'm really excited to share with you all. Here's a sneak peak!

I'll be posting a recipe for the best Ramen noodles you will possibly eat. (You won't believe it was this stuff. I guarantee it!) A music post for December, like last month's! My favorite pictures from this year that I've taken. And a post dedicated to how much I love sandwiches! 

Stay tuned folks, December will be a grand month! :) 

-- Sheilly 

Celebrating December with The Decemberists

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It's a shame I only got into the Decemberists this year. They are the perfect band for December, and winter in general. I've really been a big fan of folk-rock music, but only this year did I really  start venturing more into the genre. I'm so happy I did, because during finals, I'll be blasting the Decemberists, rather than Christmas music. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not!
Here are a couple of my favorite songs, in case you want to start listening to them too! (Or if you just want to see which ones I liked!)

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1. Here I Dreamt I was an Architect-- The first song of theirs I heard. It's one of those songs that doesn't get old no matter how often you've heard it on repeat. 
2. Engine Driver-- My favorite lyric of theirs comes from this one: "I am a writer, writer of fictions, I am the heart that you call home." 
3. This is Why We Fight-- I constantly hear this at Starbucks, but I still don't mind it. This is from their latest album, and it's really different to a lot of their prior songs. Personally, I love when bands evolve as they grow older, but I feel a lot of people don't share the same sentiment. 
4. Angel, Won't You Call Me?-- This is from their really early stuff, but it's so drastically different! I think this one is just a really cute song, and whenever this song comes on shuffle I just want to smile. 
5. One Engine-- From the Hunger Games soundtrack. I loved this song. It fits perfectly with the tone of the movie, and is filled with fantastic lyrics. 
6. Leslie Anne Levine-- To be perfectly honest, I think Castaways and Cut-Outs is a beautiful album. If I had to start with anything by this band, I would start with this one for sure. 
7. The Crane Wife 3-- This song took me a while to love, but now it's definitely one of my favorites.
8. Billy Liar-- It's such a good walking song! It's such a bouncy song, and I think it was inspired by the movie Billy Liar. 

So what are your favorite December bands? Or are you more of a Christmas music fan? Sound off in the comments! :) 

Crafting Tips: Earrings

Earrings look a whole lot harder to make than they really are. For most earrings, you'll probably need 4 to 5 minutes to make them. What I find harder is to plan and make something unique, that doesn't look ridiculous. Here's what I've found works best!

Find beads that you think are cool! Nothing's harder than working with stuff that you don't find inspiration in. This said, don't automatically go to the nearest Michael's, Jo Anne's Fabrics, or any other bead place, look around your house! I love using buttons and confetti for festive earrings. If you do run out of beads or a supply, check the clearance aisles of bead stores. You might find some silly stuff, like fish beads.

If you have left over beads that you can't easily use for a necklace or bracelet, consider putting them in a pair of cluster earrings! These types of earrings are easier to make then would seem and you don't necessarily have to worry about them being perfectly even. The more mismatched they are, the better! The above earrings are ones I made for Amanda, my roommate this year.

 

The best thing about making your own earrings is that you can decide what you kind of colors you want to mix! If you want to make sure your colors will complement each other and look good, consider using a color wheel. I personally find combining beads in a tray, helps me visualize what kinds of colors I want to play around with. 

Templates are amazing, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. They really help to get you used to working with the materials and most templates are one of a kind! Things I like to do with templates, is to focus on one part, and keep the rest empty. If it bothers you, you can cut off parts as you wish!

 

One of my favorite things to do is reinvent old ideas-- that is work with classic pairings and turn them into something new! If you know of a classic pairing, like gold and pearls, why not put a twist on them? (Pun completely intended!) 

All of the earrings shown above are ones I've made. I haven't had to buy a pair of earrings since.. well May. :) How many of you would be interested in tutorials for some of the earrings show above? And what are your tips for creating something entirely unique?

-- Sheilly