DIY Canvas Quote

This project reminded me a lot of that rainbow scratch paper I used to draw on as a kid. Like this one on Amazon. It starts off as a black sheet of paper, but as you scratch away at it with a little wooden dowel, all the rainbow colors start peeking through. This project is basically the grown-up version of rainbow scratch paper. It was inspired by this post on Elise Joy's blog. And I must say that I love how it turned out! Also, it felt like a fitting project to do after the end of my 100 Day Project, which was all about quotes and lettering.

I Finished the 100 Day Project!

I did it!!!! I have completed one hundred days of hand-lettering! Wow wow wow! To celebrate the completion of my 100 Day Project, I made another one of my hand-lettered quotes into a free printable! You can download it here.

Isn't this quote so true? As I get older and accumulate more years to look back on, I only relate to this quote more and more. For one of the first times in my life, I am finally old enough to be able to look back and reflect on how I've changed over the years, and I can even guess at the things in my life that have caused those changes. I don't really know how to describe this, but it feels like I've finally been "conscious" long enough to do so. I know I was technically conscious as a kid, but it was a different sort of consciousness. The first entire decade of my life provides no "scope for reflection", as Anne Shirley might say.

Elise Joy (a blogger that I totally love!) recently inspired me to sit down and make a five-year plan. Who do I want to be in five years? What do I want to do? It was actually quite exciting to think about it. I mean, five years ago, I was only fourteen years old!! And five years from now, I'll be twenty-four!! I'll be done with college! Just think of all the things that are going to happen between now and then. What kind of twenty-four-year-old will I be? What kind of twenty-four-year-old do I want to be? What kind of life do I want to have? What kind of friends? What kind of job?

See? It's fascinating to dream about the future. And analyze the past. Looking at the person you were and dreaming about the person you want to be. Those are things only the years can tell you.

The Perfect Summer Smoothie

 
I have discovered a new favorite smoothie ingredient: grated ginger! I know it may sound strange, but trust me, it tastes amazing in smoothies!! In addition to freshly grated ginger, this smoothie also has strawberries, mangoes, and peaches, making it the ultimate summer smoothie. It's also got chia seeds and flaxseed meal in it, both of which are super healthy -- and, even better, you can't even taste them!

Protip: if you're worried about using up fresh ginger before it goes bad, just freeze it! If you need to grate some for a recipe, set it out on the counter for 5-10 minutes, grate however much you need, pop it back in the freezer, and you're good to go!

Recent Reads

I love an excuse to talk about books, and this blog is the perfect excuse! As you probably know, I'm trying to read 52 books this year -- one for every week of the year -- and somehow, I'm still on track with my goal! Week 27 is ending today, and I've read 28 books so far. I am currently reading The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan. I've been reading Riordan's books since I was in 6th grade. His Percy Jackson series will always be one of my favorites. That series is largely responsible for helping me develop my love of reading, which, believe it or not, was nonexistent until around 9th grade. So, even though Riordan's books are below my reading level now, I still faithfully try to read his new books (which he cranks out like crazy!).

Now onto books I've already read!

Bullet Journal Update

 

Is it really July 2nd? I can't believe we're halfway through 2017, but since we are, I thought it'd be fitting to share an update on my bullet journal! I started it in January (check out this post!) using the Leuchtturm 1917 notebook I got for Christmas. This is my very first bullet journal, but it definitely won't be my last, because I am loving it so far! I was worried that I wouldn't be able to keep up with it, but I've made it halfway through the year with no problems! It is so fun! You can make it as fancy or as simple as you want, depending on how much time you have to spend on it. I just love how its 100% customizable.