DIYs

Hello friends!

To anyone who reads this, I hope your summers been going well so far! I can't believe how fast time is flying by! It's almost the end of July!

This summer has been a pretty productive one for me - I have set a new goal! I am saving money to buy my very own car by next year! Or well, a little bit over a year - for my 21st birthday :) I thought I'd be a little nicer to myself and give myself an extra few months - so hopefully by next October!

I have been pretty been pretty busy the last couple weeks just with design stuff - such a blast!

This has also been awesome! http://www.helenhamiltondesign.com/site/Associates.html

I thought now that I have some down time, I should TRY and get back to blogging - attempt #100.
Lately, I've been spending too much lots of time on pinterest when I have some down time - like right before bed - and that usually makes me feel either really (p)inspired, artsy, motivated OR just downright hungry from all the pictures of the food.

I have embarked on a few artsy projects, one of them being a key holder frame - and I really loved how that turned out! I have been meaning to put it up on my blog - so here it is!

 It hangs right by my bedroom door - so I don't lose my keys in my room - which was starting to become a real habit! I would always frantically be hunting for my keys on my way out the door - so this was the perfect solution (for under $10!) and since my all my bedroom furniture is white wood - this frame from Ikea was perfect ! Cute and Practical!

Since then, I have pinned other ideas, but have had NO time. Today, I had some free time and felt like finally doing something about my ripped capris! I bought jeans/ capris from Zara in the summer and they were VERY cute. Light capris that were faded, and had SLIGHT rips down the legs. However, as time went on, the rips just got bigger and bigger and people were giving me questioning looks about my exposed knee. Oops!

I saw this idea on pinterest and loved it! (Sometimes, I am doubtful of the things I see on pinterest because I often think, "there is no way I could do that!")
In the beginning, I always figured that once the holes got too big, I'd patch them up. I hadn't found a good solution that I really loved though, that's why the hole just kept getting bigger and bigger - I didn't want to put something cheesy as a patch. SO when I saw the idea of lace behind the hole - I knew I found my solution!! Cute, and practical but sophisticated - in my opinion! I wish I took a picture of how big the hole was before - but here is the finished product!

Some liquid glue and then lace from Value Village - and voila!

But I didn't stop there!
I was once pretty notorious for buying things even when I wasn't entirely sold on it - just because it was a good deal and fit "alright." - I have since learned that paying more is worth something fitting GREAT! :)
I bought some lucky brand jeans maybe a couple years ago - that's how long it's been sitting in my closet for! And I got home and finally accepted that they didn't fit me the greatest. I believe that was in the fall. That summer, I dug out the jeans again and tried to turn that dark, boot cut jeans into some dark shorts that folded. However, another year or two came and went and they still sat in my closet. TONIGHT, I finally decided to do something about it. Surprise, surprise though, Although this is seen a lot on pinterest - my mom actually taught me how to do this years ago - when I was younger, we upcycled one of my jeans from the gap and turned them into shorts with frayed edges - then we bought fabric gels and my mom drew butterflies and flowers all over them - they were the coolest!) These are a little different from those - but another finished product of mine!

Really happy with how these turned out! Three styles later, I am finally happy with the finished product and will ACTUALLY wear it! :)

I also went thrifting today and bought a few things! Such a fun day!

So my new and improved blog concept : interior designer moonlighting as a pinterest project undertaker!

Stayed tuned for more projects!:)

First Day Back

Happy 1st day of May! I don't know about you, but I love the first day of the month. To me, it's just like a fresh start and I love it. I guess for this month especially, it is extra fitting - I start school again today! An although I ended that sentence with an exclamation point I'm not really THAT excited. Anxious/ nervous, maybe. But not excited. (We get our big project on the first day, yikes.)

I've also been working a bit, which is exciting and fun. Currently, I'm also at a job site for my dad - it's day two of excavation and they're delivering sand today.

The thing I struggle with the most when school rolls around is stress. If you know me, you know I stress out very easily. I don't like ongoing things. I like being able to cross things off my list, so when I have multiple ongoing things, I write billions and billions of lists. And honestly, I don't know if that's helpful or more overwhelming.

All that to say that I think that's definitely something I have to work on - my perspective on things. As I was getting ready this morning, I was starting to get overwhelmed with my upcoming weeks and I just sat on my bed and opened up my devo book and it was on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. More specifically on how there is a time to love and a time to hate. As I read the passage, it reminded me of two things, 1. There is a perfect time for everything , which led me to the conclusion that worrying gets you nowhere. 2. The passage talks about things like love, hate, mourning, weeping, crying, war, peace, etc. - it just reminded me that in the big scheme of things, school is just school. Life is still beautiful and I am blessed. That is why I included a picture of the sky and the clouds. Sometimes, or often, I get so caught up in my routine and stuff I have to do that I let it overwhelm me. I just have to sit and take a breath and remind myself that it's just life - and like the sky, sometimes it's grey or cloudy, but somewhere underneath all that, the sun is still shining and life is still beautiful.

Hope you all have a good day,
Joanne

Oh, how things have changed.

As promised, I changed up my blog a little bit. Still white though, with GREEN though, hooray!

So, today was a pretty productive day. I won't recap it all, but it involved spending around 6 hours on sketch up modelling up a 3d house, so my shoulders kill once again. I topped the night off by reading some old blog posts that I stumbled upon as I redid the layout for my blog.

It's honestly so weird reading old blogs. I regret not blogging more this last year because it's so nice reading what life was like, and seeing how much you've changed/grown in the last year, two years, etc. It's so funny reading old posts of when I went to SFU and I'm rambling about papers and readings, etc. I was pretty proud at my ability to bang out that 8-10 paper in 2 days though - I forgot about that. I guess, like I mentioned in those posts, the grass is always greener on the other side. Reading those posts now, I'm thinking, honestly...how hard was it to do a few readings and a few papers when the stuff I'm doing now is so much more intense. But you know, to someone who looks at my work, they're probably like, interior design is so easy! But of course, the grass is always greener. Too funny.

In my opinion though, this was a very nice night. No better way to end it than to read old blogs. :)

I am REALLY going to blog more, goodnight!

Romance

One week left until school starts again. I can't believe how fast time flies.

Just stumbled upon this quote again, thought I'd share.
Also, feel like changing up my blog layout. Keep an eye out for that. Tired of this white white.


“We mistake sex for romance. Guys are taught that pushing a girl up against a wall is romance. Sex is easy; you can do it with anyone, yourself, with batteries. Romance is when someone walks into a room and they take your breath away. Romance is when two people are dancing and they fit together perfectly. Romance is when two people are walking next to each other and all of a sudden they find themselves holding hands, and they don’t know how that happened.”
— John C. Moffi

Smell ya later, alligator.

April

Hello, Hello

It's been ages seen I last blogged again. Sometimes, right before bed, I get this huge urge to blog and then I crawl into bed and it's just so comfortable that I can't find the willpower to get up and whip up a post...and then time goes by and here we are. Months and months down the road!

Since I last blogged..I feel like a lot has happened.

I FINALLY finished my winter semester, which I must say might have been the worst semester of my whole educational career so far. Dramatic, I know - but so true. It was my first time taking 5 classes, not to mention 2 of those 5 classes were night classes, which just ate away at a lot of my homework time. But I finally finished on thursday, which felt amazing. April is all about Spring Cleaning, getting stuff in order and getting ahead. Big plans, big plans.

Unfortunately, I also took my Class 5 road test this morning, which did not go too well. Missed a school zone, and no, I don't know how I managed to do that. I was so cloooose, but next time, next time. And this is just a little speed bump in my plans, I still intend to get that before school starts up again in May.

Speaking of school, I currently have one more semester before I complete my certificate in June, YAY! However, I might be biting my tongue about "the hardest semester of my educational career" by May.Yikes! On the other hand, I have decided to continue on with my Interior Design Diploma in the fall, and I'm really at peace with that decision. I think at this point in time, it's the right thing to do. I went to the IDIBC student event at the Symmetry Lighting showroom the other night, and I'm glad I went. It gave me really good insight on what to expect in the industry and where I should be headed, etc. Going really reaffirmed my decision to continue on with my education.

In terms of getting ahead, I've been job hunting lately and been making some progress (hopefully), but will keep you posted on that.

In terms of getting stuff in order, I mean that in a literal way but I also meant it in terms of my life. I was so busy with school that I really got sidetracked. Lately, I've just really been reminded that I need to give back more to the community, etc. I think I get to comfortable in my own life that I forget to do that. It's so easy to get caught up in my everyday that I just let time pass me by. I had different non-profit organizations open a couple weeks ago, but procrastination got the better of me and I put it on the backburner. At the event the other night, they really stressed the importance of community involvement, and it just really hit home because it reminded me that I should actually commit to something.

However, as I sat in church yesterday, there were some baby dedications and I just LOVE those Sundays because I get to see not only the baby but also their little brothers and sisters. I sit in my seat grinning because I just love the kids. It's funny because I decided to open my bulletin a little later on in the service and noticed that the children's ministry needed some volunteers. As if all of that wasn't a big enough sign from God, as I read that, I looked up and (the service was about the parable of the sower) the pastor was talking about the thorny plants that don't really take root. They're excited about their faith in the beginning but die when the times get hard, etc. He was talking about how often, we get so busy with our own lives that we put other things on hold. Talking about God's message being LOUD and CLEAR. Such a God-thing. So I decided that instead of looking elsewhere, I should volunteer at church for the time-being and once school starts up again, if I find that I have extra time, I will commit to something else.

It's funny because this again, ties in with my last post about how everything we do is for the Glory of God. So I should really be focusing on this, first and foremost - how I can serve and bring Glory to God, instead of the little mundane things of this world.

What else, what else.

I decided to take my parents up on the offer to spend Christmas in the Philippines this December and I'm glad I did. Thinking about Philippines just gets me excited and gives me this feeling of nostalgia. Granted, I only spent a few years of my childhood there, but still. It's so nice being able to go somewhere where the majority of your family lives. I love Canada and everyone here, but I just love visiting Philippines, especially for the holidays. It's just different there, cause Philippines is predominantly Catholic and Christmas just has a totally different meaning for the people there, which is cool to see.

Anyways,

that's my life in a nutshell these days...most of it.

Will try and keep this up to date more....PROMISE.

It's been a while, friends.

It really has been a while since I've blogged. I feel like I never allow myself the luxury of just sitting down and just thinking. I think I'm always in such a rush to go, go, go and finish, finish, finish all the stuff I have to do for school. It really takes a toll on me after a while. Like today for instance, I've done someee homework, but in the big scheme of things, I really havent accomplished much at all, which is kinda of a downer, but I'm justifying it as my lazy Joanne day. After a while, I feel like I just run out of gusto for a project after thinking about it so much. I just need to walk away from it and take a break for a little while.

I really like this Calvin and Hobbes comic that I read a few weeks ago. I feel like this comic just really resonated with me because it just relates so well to me and how I stress out so easily. Last night, J sent me a youtube video on a Francis Chan sermon. It was about marriage and having a Christ centered relationship. It was really good. Granted, I`m not married, but I feel like it anyone can really relate to it, and have it relate to life as a whole. I think it`s true that in our society, having a happy, ``good`` marriage can be portrayed as the `good` Christian thing to do. Yet, it`s not. That`s not our main purpose in a marriage. Our main purpose is to glorify God. Not just in marriages, relationships, but in everything we do. I don`t know if that makes much sense, Francis Chan and his wife Lisa definitely put it better. (Listen to it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihRmM0aVADU&feature=related&fb_source=message)

But anyways, I feel like I`ve just really been reminded of this a lot lately. I`ve been boggled down a lot with school plans, etc. and I just need to step back and realize that ultimately, no, it`s not about what we do, etc. It`s not who we are, and it`s not what we`re meant to do. There`s a bigger picture, and that`s to love God, serve God, glorify God. It`s not about me, or this life. It`s about what comes after this.

On Sunday, Pastor John mentioned Phillipians 3:10. I`ve read it again, and I think that the verses which come before and after verse 10 are also very relevant.

Phillipians 3:7-14 reads,

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

I think it`s funny how God works. He really chooses the most interesting ways to reveal himself to us, at the most unexpected times. I`ll get to this later. Paul says in these verses that he considers everything worthless except for knowing Christ. He considers them garbage, his accomplishments, etc. compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ. That`s amazing to me. Paul`s life is pretty amazing in itself. I think I`ll save that for another blog.

That part of Paul`s letter is titled `No Confidence in the Flesh` in my Bible, and I think that there`s no better way to put it.

I feel like that`s what Paul`s life is all about, and that`s what I aspire to be like.

Anyways, I feel like God has just really been revealing this to me lately. No confidence in the flesh, putting my hope in things above, and not getting boggled down my earthly things. Again, it`s about Him.

Like I said, God has a funny way of revealing Himself. In a time when I`ve most needed to be reminded that my earthly purpose is to serve Him, and not myself, he chooses Philippians 3 to really hit it home.

The very same verse that I related to a couple years ago as I was writing my grad write up. I referred to these verses as I encouraged my fellow grads to `press on towards the goal` - just like Paul is encouraging the Philippians in his letter - and in this case, encouraging me as well.

Not to mention, the very same verse that this blog is titled after. I titled this blog that title because I knew that ultimately, that is my purpose in life - to press on towards the goal. Yet I don`t think I`ve really fully grasped it til now.

I feel like that`s what life is all about though. Running the race, and maybe stumbling and falling - we might trip over the same things over and again, yet God picks us up again and again - and again. It`s about looking ahead - looking up - and continuing the race that God has set for us.

And here I am, back at this blog, continuing what I started a few years ago.

And I don`t promise I`ll be here everyday, but I intend to be here as much as I can be - to keep track of what God is teaching me and chronicling those struggles and challenges. And if you happen to be reading this, welcome back.

Joanne