Craft Time: Icing the Frosting Containers

I saved the two containers the frosting from my 22nd birthday cake came in awhile back to make decorative little boxes with. Here's how they turned out:

For the taller, lidded container I used pink stretch corduroy fabric to line the outside and embellished with gold ribbon. I also added golden music-themed ribbon in the center and a doily at the base of the lid. For the second container (the short one I don't have a lid for yet), I used green satin ribbon near the crown and a fancy gold border cutout at the rim. I wanted it to have a "secret garden" sort of vibe what with the gated look, so I added small light pink fabric flowers around the center.

Side by side. I've been using the shorter one to hold my camera and its accessories.

I'm pretty pleased with how these turned out. I've definitely been long overdue for a craft project anyway XD

I went to an estate sale today!

Sort of like a yard-sale, but more pretentious. I bought a new old box for my collection of heirloom trinkets (which was overflowing its present container):

It has glitter covering the surface, so that's why it looks "dusty" in the picture. I put it near my window to watch it in the sunlight.

Isn't she lovely? I was hoping to find something with a either a hint of Victorian paper-craft or of something whimsical like faeries, so this discovery made me super happy. I paid $8, and it's a pretty good size too. I didn't find a whole lot (it was a two-day sale and I went the second day), but I managed to pick up a lovely vintage picnic basket along with a rose-patterned picnic blanket and a set of 4 glass plates and 4 wine glasses. Don't have pics of those yet..

I took a picture with the flash to show how she sparkles.

So I'm very very happy today! Maybe I'll get to go on a nice fourth of July picnic with my new stuff :-)

tata,
beatrix

Father's Day: What a Girl Wants

"Every time we do these weddings,mom, I see the father-daughter dances, and...I just..I can't help but think I'm never going to get to do that."

Daphne (Amanda Bynes) comes to know her distant father (Colin Firth) in the movie What a Girl Wants.

I was watching a dear friend dance the traditional father-daughter at her wedding when this quote from the character Daphne in the film What a Girl Wants raced through my mind. I know I'm not alone when I say I don't have a father--don't get me wrong, someone contributed some DNA to me, but that does not a father make. My mother has been my only parent for much of my life because that someone cared only about himself. Sadly, I don't get a fairytale ending like Daphne--I got to know the person I would call "father," and I want nothing to do with him nor anything from him. Sometimes life happens that way, and you have to move on. The only father I would be celebrating today passed away a year or so ago--my grandpa. He was a kind-hearted human being who always made me smile and who I loved to dance with as he sang some old show-tune. I miss him still. May he rest in peace.
Day-to-day, the absence doesn't hurt so much. But when I'm at a family event or it's my birthday or when I used to have school functions--anytime I see images of functionalist "normalcy" paraded in front of me to remind me my family life isn't perfect, it hurts. On father's day, it hurts a lot. And even though I don't plan on getting married--even though I'm happy for my friend--it hurts to watch that father-daughter dance. But I know I'm not the only girl today who feels that way, so if anyone else happens to cry into their pillow at times like this, just know you aren't alone. And that "father" (like "mother") is a status you assign someone who has performed the duties of a parent, not a status instantly achieved biologically. Families come in all different shapes and sizes and so do father figures.

So to those people in our lives who have earned the title "father," and whom we are happy to celebrate with (and dance with), Happy Father's Day.

Update and Reading Free!

Recently, I've taken a couple weeks off posting to attend my graduation and also my best friend's wedding, in that order.

Girl Reading by Frederico Zandomeneghi

It went one right after another, so I was away from home and my computer for quite some time. Additionally, I've had some serious issues come up with my bipolar disorder which have kept my away from blogging. (I don't know how many of my subscribers/readers are bipolar or have friends/family who are, but I feel safe enough to admit that when I feel severely imbalanced, I simply cut out any online commenting/blogging/vlogging altogether. It's just easier than saying something stupid and then having to backpeddle with "But I'm manic!")
I'm back now and feeling better :-)
The next couple of days, I plan on posting more (about getting my degree, the wedding experience, and some general inspirational posts) to make up for the lag. In the meantime, I'd love to share a small list of books I'm reading right now. This may sound strange coming from an English major, but I'm really excited about getting to sit down and read a book. For the past four years or so, I've read amazing works of literature. However--nearly every single time--I've ended up slaving over a 20+ page analytical paper in addition to the reading. School consumed so much of my reading time that I ceased to read for fun anymore. Now that it's all said and done, I'm getting back to reading for fun! Here's what's on my reading list atm:

• The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (I'm a sucker for historical vampire novels like this, reminds me a bit of the Blood Countess by Andrei Codrescu)
  
• Avalon High by Meg Cabot (High school meets Arthurian legend--haven't started it yet, but Cabot's one of my faves since I read the Princess Diaries series when I was younger. I like Arthurian legend, I like Meg Cabot--well, we'll see how it goes.)
• The Casteel Family Series by VC Andrews (1980s gothic family saga, more info here. I've finished the first book and fell in love with the characters. Andrews' series tend to be especially dark, fyi, even for your standard gothic reader. Many say the five book Casteel series is the best.)

And I don't have to write a paper on any of them! Woohoo! >D
Anyone else enjoying a book in their free time this summer?