creative accessories {a guest post by Inna}

Hey everyone, it's Inna from Paper Raindrops! I love making things, so I thought I'd show you some DIY accessories. :)

Acorn Necklace

This is super easy to make. Just take a piece of hemp, string, ribbon or whatever. Find an acorn cap that has a little stem on it. Tie the acorn into the center of your string, and tie necklace clasps onto the ends! (You can buy clasps for really cheap at most craft stores)

Ta-da! :)

Button Bracelet

This is another super easy project. Cut a piece of stretchy beading string about 12" long. String the end through a button, and tie a knot. Then string on your buttons, just like beads! If you slide them nice and tight, the buttons will make two back-to-back rows. It's kinda hard to see in the picture, but underneath the yellow buttons is a row of green ones, which would be the second row. That way your bracelet is reversible!

Keep beading until it's long enough to fit around your wrist. Tie it, and cut of the extra string!

Bottle Cap Charm

Get a small nail and a hammer, along with a cute bottle cap. Use the hammer and nail to pound a small hole on the top of the cap. Then put a split ring (sold at craft stores) into the hole. Then you can slide the new charm onto whatever you want! You can put it on a chain or a ribbon for a necklace. Or you can put it on a key chain ring, or use it as a charm on a bracelet!



Have fun!

 Thank you, Inna! Make sure you check out Inna's lovely blog, Paper Raindrops, to read lots of other fun posts.

far away in the sunshine.

  

(Uh, yeah. Turned out we're a lot busier this month than I thought we'd be! All the pictures in this post are from our week in California. Also, wacky spacing. Ugh.)

   A Bucket List: A list of things one hopes to do before one dies. A list of goals, dreams, and silly little wishes. A list filled with the impossible. A list for people who believe that the unbelievable might just happen.

 This is my bucket list. Not the finished product, by all means, because it will most certainly keep growing and changing til the day I die (You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream - C.S.Lewis.). This is just the beginnings. The rather silly beginnings, I must add. But still a beginning.




  To explore Europe. There are so many places I've only heard about that I'm longing to see. London, Paris, Italy, Geneva, St.Petersburg...and more. But that's another long list. I'd love to see them all someday. I'm sure they're even more heartbreakingly beautiful than they are in the pictures.

 To see an Owl City Concert. This dream just might come true. Tomorrow. Oh my. I feel like screaming in excitement every time I think about it!

 To plant my own garden.


 To have a room in my house just for keeping and reading books.

 To memorize the whole New Testament.

 To do a 365 days project. (A project in which you take at least one photo every single day for a whole year, to improve in photography and capture memories.)

 To visit the Ghibli Museum in Japan with my brothers. 

 To go to New Zealand with my fellow Lord of the Rings-loving siblings.

 To speak fluently in another language.

 To read The Chronicles of Narnia once a year for the rest of my life.

 To bake the perfect batch of oatmeal raisin cookies. 

 To watch 'The Hobbit' the day it comes out to cinema.

 And 'Brave', too. 

 |california sky|

 To never think I'm too "grown-up" to climb trees.

 To adopt a baby.

 To buy two pet fish and name them "Pippin" and "Eustace".

 

 To explore all the islands on my lake. 

 To go to Prince Edward Island and pretend I'm Anne.

 To win a Newberry. 

 

 To see a broadway play.

 

 To go on a real, dangerous, big, beautiful adventure.

  To live by the sea.

  

  So, those are a few of my many many miscellaneous dreams in my castle in the air :)



  Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead. - Louisa May Alcott

  

journeying.

We've been to so many different places since May 9th I can hardly believe it. A week in California, a week in Arizona, a month in Iowa - and now (as of friday) we are in Illinois to stay for a month.

|via weheartit. (I do not endorse everything on their site).|

  I have so many things to write about, so many photos to share, so many lovely books to recommend, and so many thoughts I want to get out before my head bursts. But I've either had no wi-fi or no time to do that yet.

  But now I have internet access galore and hopefully more time then I've had in the last few weeks.

 |totally loving these small-toy-car-on-map things. Also via weheartit.|

 What I'm truly trying to get at is that I'm about to do a bit of catching up. This is a warning to all that there will be quite a lot of posts about our many journeys coming up. And I also wanted to tell you some things.

  1. I hope you all are having a lovely summer so far.

  2. Owatonna is one of the nicest little towns in the world.

  3. Homesickness is not very fun.

 I sincerely hope you enjoy your day. And to those of you in the States, have a good 4th of July tomorrow! :)

bright and beautiful. a music review

Owl City

All Things Bright and Beautiful.

 Owl City has been my favorite music ever since I first heard Of June way back in 2007.

 I was extremely excited about this new album. I knew it would be amazing.

 And, well, it's more amazingly amazing then I ever imagined it would be.


   While still keeping with the Owl City sound that I love, all the songs are new and unique. And filled with as many "da da da da"s, silly puns, and breathtaking lyrics that I could ever ask for. It still amazes me that one guy could make it seem like a whole orchestra is playing. This album is fun. And happy. And wonderful. And....Owl City-ish.

1. The Real World

"Reality is a lovely place,

But I wouldn't wanna live there."

 This song is lovely - it has such a pretty tune, the lyrics are awesome, and the music is perfect. I love it more every time I listen to it.

 |This is Adam Young.|

2. Deer in the Headlights

"Met a girl in the parking lot,

And all I did was say hello.

Her pepper spray made it rather hard,

for me to walk her home.

But I guess that's the way it goes."

 This is the kind of song that you just have to sing along to. It's cute, it's fun, and the lyrics make me laugh.

3. Angels

"I've been sleeping with the nightlight unplugged,

With a note on the rocking chair,

That says 'I'm dreaming of the life I once loved,

So wake me if you're out there'."

  I consider all of the songs as "one of my favorites". But I think this one really is my favorite. It's just...so epic. :)

4. Dreams Don't Turn to Dust

"Cuz I couldn't live without,

The sunsets that dazzle in the dusk,

So I'll drag the anchor up,

And rest assured, cuz dreams don't turn to dust."

 The kind of song that's nonsense and yet makes absolute sense. Brilliantness.

5. Honey and the Bee

"If the green left the grass on the other side,

I would make like a tree and leave.

But if I reached for your hand, would your eyes get wide?

Who knew the other side could be so green."

 Try not to smile while listening to this song. I've tried, it's impossible. This song is just SO cute! Also, it's a duet, so the wonderful Breanne Düren is singing in it, too.

|The previously mentioned wonderful person.|

6. Kamikaze

"Maybe I'll ride,

To save my life.

Maybe I'll fly,

The Eagle Eye."

 This song is weird. But in a wonderfully good way. Could this song be any cooler?

7. Galaxies

"Dear God, I was terribly lost,

When the galaxies crossed,

And the sun went dark.

Dear God, you're my only North Star,

I would follow this far."

 This is a great song. I've never heard a song quite like it.

8. Hospital Flowers

"A high-speed collision gave a new sense of sight to me,

And now my vision can render the scene.

A blurry image of wreckage and road-side debris,

Happiness returned to me, through a grave emergency."

  Oh my goodness, I love this song. It's sort of a sad song, but it's happy at the same time. Another favorite.

9. Alligator Sky

"Where was I when the rockets came to life,

And carried you away into the alligator sky?"

 There are two versions of this song - a regular version, and another version featuring Shawn Chrystopher. And he raps. At first, I didn't know what to think of the rap version. Rapping? In Owl City!? But it grew on me, and now I love it. It makes the song unique and it really works.

10. The Yacht Club

"...Cuz she would rather fall in chocolate,
Than fall in love, especially with me."

 This song is awesome. The lyrics are so funny, and the tune makes me happy. :)

11. Plant Life

"I'd rather waltz then just walk through the forest,

The trees keep the tempo, and they sway in time,

A quartet of crickets join in for the chorus,

If I were to strum on your heartstrings would you strum on mine?"

 This whole song is splendid, but my absolute favorite part of this song is the chorus (the lyrics above). It has such a sweet, happy tune. 

12. How I Became the Sea


"When the sky fell in,
When the hurricanes came for me,
I could finally crash again,
And that's how I became the sea."

 This has more of a Port Blue* sound. Beautiful, wonderful, awesomeness.

13. Shy Violet

"Light up the sky, shy violet angel eyes."

 Beautiful. This isn't one of my favorites, but I still really like it.

*       *         *         *         *         *         *         *         *         *         *

 It might sound like I'm a little obsessed with Owl City. That's because I am. :)

 What do you think of Owl City and this new album?

  Hope you have a lovely day!

*port blue is another music project by Adam Young. "It is the soundtrack to my dreams." - Adam.

what I've read - book reviews

  Even though we've been pretty busy here in America, I've been reading a lot.

  Because there are a lot of books here.

  

  Libraries are huge, bookshops are many, and it's usually not hard to find the book your looking for.

  And I love that. A lot.

|this is my traveling library, that keeps growing. My suitcases are heavy.|

  Here are some of the books I've been reading in my spare time that I've really loved.

 Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
   
  Miri is a mountain girl. The kind of girl that lowlanders look down upon. That's why, when the villagers of Mount Eskel hear the King's message, Miri is sure it cannot be true. Would lowlanders really allow a mountain girl to become princess?

  This is a story of home. It's a story of friendship, of courage, and of kindness. And it's a story that I will not soon forget.

  This book was amazing. It is beautifully written, and the whole thing is just so real. I really recommend this!






 Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

  This book is a masterpiece. It is loosely based on the fairy-tale Cinderella -  but a kind of Cinderella story like never before written.

  This story begins with a girl named Ella. She's a kind, smart girl who has an unusual problem: she has to do what she's told. Always. At first, this doesn't seem like a bad problem at all. But then - what if she's told to do something wrong? What if she is told to do something that puts her loved ones' lives in danger? This of   "gift"obedience, given to her at birth by a foolish fairy, turns out to be more dangerous and more devastating then she ever could have imagined. Isn't there some way to break the curse?

  Ella Enchanted is such a sweet book. Read it, okay? :)

Shadow of His Hand by Wendy Lawton


  Young Anita Dittman's world crumbles as Hitler begins his rise to power in Germany, but because she's a Christian and only half-Jewish, Anita feels sure she and her family are safe from 'the Final Solution'. She could not have been more wrong. - goodread's summary


 I've always been interested in WWII, and so I've read lots of books written about that time. This one might be one of my favorites. Anita's story is amazing - it's amazing how a girl not much older than me could go through all that, never giving up hope, and always trusting that God has a purpose.

 I really recommend this book, and the rest of the "Daughters of the Faith" series.



 Nine Day Queen of England by Faith Cook

  The story of Lady Jane Grey is one of tragedy, cruelty, and danger. A young girl growing up during Tudor England, her life is far from being easy. Often called the  "the Tudor Pawn", Jane is forced to do things her whole life. But there is one thing that no one could ever force her to do - deny her faith in Christ. 

 This is not fiction. This is all facts. This all really happened. It's just history.

  And yet it was one of the most interesting and exciting books I have ever read. I couldn't put it down. This book is amazing.








  I hope all of you are having a lovely summer!

i must be in california.

 
I bought a one way ticket
'Cuz I knew I'd never see the ground
Unless I was aboard a jet plane
And we were going down
When I wiped the tears from my eyes
The warm water took me by surprise
And I woke up beside the ocean
I realized

 I must be in California

- west coast friendship by Owl City

  When we got to California, it was nighttime. All I could see out the car window was blurred lights and darkness as we drove away from the airport. 

 That's why, as soon as I woke up the next morning, I jumped up to look out my bedroom window.  I hadn't the slightest idea what I would see.

|don't ya hate it when blogger makes your photos bad quality? This was good quality before I uploaded it here on blogger. Anyone know how I can fix that?|

 I saw sunshine. And palm trees, and green mountains, and pretty white houses. And blue sky and roses. 

 It was a happy sight.

 And really, that whole first California day was a happy day. 

Because: We saw my sister who we hadn't seen since Christmas. (she was going to college there, but now she graduated) :)

And Because: We went to fun places.

|like Chick-fil-a. <3|

 

 

Dear California,

 You are a very pretty place.

    Sincerely,

                Hannah

   It feels strange writing about that day. It feels like a year ago. It was a month, though. We've just been to a lot of places since then! More on that later :)





I hope you're having a lovely day,

    

and then one day.

   One day, I found myself packing.

   I found myself stacking heavy cardboard boxes, pulling suitcases into my room, and taking everything out of it's place.

 And strangely, I found myself enjoying it. I pushed the thought of leaving Ireland to the back of my mind, and focused on what I was doing. Choosing what to bring, what to put in storage, what to put in my carry-on - that part was fun.

 But the next part? Was not fun. There came a point when I couldn't ignore the fact any longer, no matter how badly it hurt. I had to say goodbye. To my friends, my church, my house, my town, my country. The green fields, the winding roads, the beautiful flowers and hills and valleys, my sparkling lake. My home.

 |And, of course, I said goodbye to Alfred :) But he just purred.|

 On the 9th of May, we were off. On our way to the airport, and from there - America.

 Now, as some of you know, airports are pretty confusing things. But they sell Starbucks, and they sell scones. So it's all good.

|I <3 Air Lingus. Mostly because it has shamrocks on it.|

  Then, with me lugging my book-filled carry-on behind me, we boarded the plane.

 

  The flight, although long, was fun.

 |Ireland is beautiful even when hundreds of feet below.|

 |Sea of Clouds|

|Greenland|

|I watched Tangled and Enchanted. Two awesome movies.|

 |Canada|

 After nine hours of flying, we landed in Chicago to board our next plane. Which wasn't quite as nice. At all. But we made it :)


 And so, after a total of around 23 hours of traveling, we made it to California.




...To be Continued...

p.s If you actually read all of that, you deserve some Oreo ice cream. Because that was a looong post. ;)