COLORS :: A Trip to the Zoo
The week before Christmas my brother, a couple friends and I went to the local zoo. It had been a while since I'd been there and this was by far the best experience I've ever had there. We got to feed the giraffes and watch the otters play but my favorite part about the day was all the incredible colors. These animals that can be found out in the wild, that are not fed altered foods or vitamins, that are just chillin in the zoo - have the most beautiful colors! I found a lot of inspiration in these colors and patterns and I plan to use them in future projects. Here are a few pictures:
P.S. Click on each picture to get a close look at these amazing creatures.
It took me about 15 tries to get this picture! I love that he had RED eyes and the blotch of white on his wing....and he had speckled feet!
I think these two are the same peacock but I took them at different times so I can't be sure. I love how the colors change throughout the bird's body and the mixture of texture.
How amazing is this giraffe?!?! This was right after I fed him :)
This is the best picture I could get of a zebra:
*Special thanks to Beanie for making an appearance in my blog haha
5 Things::My Future Home
I've been perusing blogs about home decor for the last hour or so and I'm becoming infatuated with home style. OK maybe that's a little dramatic but I am seriously jonesin' to decorate now. I can't afford my own home just yet, but in the spirit of dreaming I thought I'd create a 5 Things post of some of my favorite home ideas and/or items. Hope you enjoy!
1. A Dramatic Chair
I would love to get a unique/fun/elegant chair for my room. These make me want to curl up by a window with a good book:
Antwerp Chair, Bloom from Anthropologie (above)
Parker Chair, Crate & Barrel (above)
Armchair, Target (above)2. Dark Wood Bookshelves
I love dark wood and have always loved these bookshelves from Target that come in three different sizes so you can mix and match them:
3. Color Accessories With White Furniture
I saw this in a blog post for Design*Sponge (which is a fantastic blog that you can check out HERE) and I absolutely love the way the color pops out against the white furniture in this kitchen. Take a look at the rest of the blog entry and this adorable house HERE
Personally I'm afraid of having white furniture and how quickly I would probably get it dirty, but this makes me want to try it out!
4. A Spacious Kitchen
The only thing I love more than cooking is a big kitchen with tons of counter space to cook on! My mouth literally FELL OPEN when I saw these amazing kitchens from IKEA:
5. A Unique Headboard
I have a giant painting that just happens to be hideous which was given to me by a family I nanny for. They suggested I paint over it and I've decided to do just that and then use it as a headboard. These headboards are pretty cool:
Dwell Studio for Target (above)
I LOVE this one!!
Forest Canopy Bed, Anthropologie (above)
So those are my 5 Things for home decor. What are yours?
New Year's Resolutions
Christmas was great and I have a lot to say about it in a later post but I wanted to skip a few spaces and hit on New Year's. I'm not usually the type of person to have New Year's resolutions but I thought that it might be fun this year and it's good to have goals, so I'll give it a try. This time last year I had a strong feeling that the next year would be a year of change and it definitely was. A lot has changed in my life and I have changed a lot in the past 12 months. It was a great year! This year I'm feeling like the next 12 months are going to be when things start to fit together....not so much a settling of things but more like a time when all of last year's changes come together and things are finally set into motion. This is going to be the year when things start to happen that will set the tone for the future. I'm excited to see what will happen! So with all that being said, here are my New Year's Resolutions:
1. Be More Creative, without holding back
- I have tons of ideas for projects that I want to finally put into motion.
- The first two I want to start with are repainting this ugly painting I have and sanding and repainting a dresser that I have in my room. Updates to come!
2. Be More Adventurous
- I'm a big scaredy-cat when it comes to sports and any sort of thing on wheels (besides a car) and I'd like to get over that. I tried and failed miserably last year but I'm going to try again this year ha.
- I also just want to be more bold in general and try harder to speak up and show who I am
3. Be A CLOSER
- My dad likes to read those self-help books and I usually think they're silly but he was telling me about a concept the other day that really hit home. Basically it said that there are 3 kinds of people when it comes to getting things done:
- Starters: Great at starting projects but awful at finishing them (totally me!)
- Finishers: Good at finishing projects but not at starting them
- Closers: Can start and complete a project
- I want to stop being a starter and be a closer.... stick to my word and stick to my goals
4. Be Healthier
- I'm generally a healthy person. I eat pretty well because I love to cook but I don't drink much water and I drink way too much coffee. I'd like to find a balance
5. Read!
- I shocked myself by reading 10 books last year and I'd like to do read at least that much if not more this year. I'm on my first book so let the tally begin!
Those are my goals for this next year. What are yours?
Time...
Oh Christmas, why do you taunt me so?
I have a lot of blog ideas swimming in my head and I promise to get to them once finals are over.
Don't give up on me yet!
All I Want for Christmas Is...
So I just finished up my five day blog for extra credit in my close relationships class and now I want to add a little extra fun....
Since Christmas is coming soon I thought I'd post 5 things from my wishlist. What do you want for Christmas?
1. These awesome boots from Target! (preferably in gray)
3. Set of note cards from Etsy.com. I have an ongoing collection of cards I use for all occasions, as needed, and I thought these were so cute! I absolutely love whales so these are perfect!
4. A day to chill with a cup of coffee, a crossword and a book
5. A new hat. I'm starting to love hats and I'd like to add to my collection. I thought this one, also from Target, was fun.
Day 5 - Final Entry of Extra Credit Blog
Wow 5 days go by quickly. This extra credit assignment has been fun and made me think a lot about my priorities. I have a lot to mull over.
Goal Recap for the day:
- Complete my homework
I think when you're in college there's no such thing as "completing" one's homework but I did get some things done today.
- Do something creative
This is going to sound so girlie......I was creative with my outfit today. I tried to wear an outfit that was a little different from what I normally wear and do my hair differently. The weather helped with that and gave me inspiration to dress warm and fun....AND it gave me a reason to wear my favorite boots that I've been staring at all summer.
-Clean the house
Ha, yeah right. Living at home with 3 other family members who are just as busy as I am can leave the house looking a little, um, untidy. I did a lot of straightening up and the kitchen is clean like usual, but the floor could still use a vacuum.
- Clear my room
I spent the majority of the evening doing homework so I didn't get a chance to clear out my room but I'm using a lot of those boxes as make-shift tables so it's not a bad thing that I didn't accomplish this goal today. Otherwise I wouldn't have anywhere to put my things.
-Love on someone
I made a point to show some extra love to my dad today. I helped him shop for some clothes and took him out for coffee. We had a good time and he got some nice clothes.
I was surprised by contact from an old friend today. It was a small and almost insignificant form of contact but I appreciated it and it made me hopeful that this person and I have a chance of reconnecting in the future.
I surprised myself today by being spontaneous and agreeing to go on a trip that I hadn't planned on attending. I'm not surprised so much at my willingness to go but more about the fact that I did it after I had told myself I wasn't going to go. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally excited for it, I just hope everything works out like it's supposed to. Either way I love spontaneity and I hope to be able to practice it more in the future.
I guess that concludes the assignment. All of these blog entries and more can be found at my regular blog: www.amoniquemeza.blogspot.com
Thanks for reading :)
