Making Time | To Celebrate the Holidays

As a student paying my own way through college, I've been forced to learn a thing or two about time management. It's always a struggle to balance work, classes, homework, activities, and time for friends & family. Even with a busy schedule though, I have found that I must always make time for certain things - things like eating well, exercising, and relaxing. Though I've learned a few things that work well for me, I know that my advice might not work for everyone and so, over the next few weeks, on Saturdays, I will be hosting a series called "Making Time". With holiday season approaching (quickly!), balancing a busy schedule is bound to become even more difficult and so, I thought now would be the perfect time for a few friends of mine to tell you about their own balancing acts. If you have a topic that you think would fit into the series, please let me know - I'd love to feature your contributions!



It's hard to believe that today already marks the first of December. We've gotten a head start on Christmas, though. The stockings are hung. Christmas ornaments decorate Trevor's cactus. There are pinecones on the mantle. And our tree is even put up (without decorations, that is).

I know that I promised a post on exercising this week but as things would have it, Trevor and I couldn't find the time for taking pictures. There's something strange about walking around the gym with a camera when it's terribly crowded. And, I refused to photograph him working out in his pajamas.

Money isn't plentiful for this year's Christmas budget, though, so I've been trying to find creative ways to celebrate the season with Trevor. One of my ideas was to do a fun Christmas or winter activity together every day. Not only is this an affordable way to celebrate but it also gives us a reason to spend time together, despite my growing pile of homework and Trevor's love of Facebook. (Just kidding, babe. Sort of.) For busy families and students, finding time to do the little holiday things can be a challenge. This countdown provides quick activities and also didn't take much time to make. It also keeps us accountable - it would seem awfully silly to flip each card other and then spend the day ignoring it.

I'm also hoping that this might bring many posts your way as I plan to share most of our activities here as the month goes along.

While there are many different options around Pinterest and the blog world for Advent Calendars (I personally have my eyes on this one for next year), today is the first of December and you don't have much time to spare. So, this DIY is one made with materials we already had in the house and chances are, you do too. (Though the links in this post will provide you with some other more in-depth options if you'd like to store treats for each day.)

Unfortunately, I was up making our countdown at midnight and so I didn't grab photos of each step. That being said, it's fairly easy to follow along. While this isn't the most in depth advent calendar tutorial, it provided some fun winter color to our house without needing to leave the house or purchase any materials.


You'll need:

• 3 patterned sheets of 8x10 paper - you can use scrapbooking paper of your choice or you can print some from an online source. For mine, I chose three printed papers from this DIY from Oh Happy Day
• 3 sheets of colored card stock (8 x 10, as well) 
• optionally, you could print the patterned paper onto white card stock and skip the step of gluing
• printable address labels
• these printed numbered flags, once again found through Oh Happy Day
• 6 feet of twine, ribbon, or thin garland
• 24 mini clothes-pins (if you don't have this, festive colored paper clips or mini binder clips will do)
• scissors and a paper cutter, if you have one
• glue
• optional: a corner rounder

The Steps:

1. Glue your patterned paper to the card stock, let dry for a few minutes.

2. While the glue is drying, cut out the numbered flags. You won't need the "twenty five" flag.

3. If using the patterned paper from Oh Happy Day, cut off the white edges and black bar.

4. Cut each page into 8 equally sized cards - I approximated and they turned out just fine. If you have a paper cutter, I suggest using it for this step

5. Round the corners of each card if you'd like.

6. Arrange the cards in order by alternating the patterns.

7. Glue the paper flags onto the cards.

8. While the glue dries, print a list of 24 Christmas activities onto printable address labels. If you need help thinking of ideas, start with a search for local activities. For instance, one of our neighboring towns is having a Christmas stroll, parade and tree lighting tonight. You may also find local productions of the nutcracker or free movie showings. Other activities on our list include multiple christmas movie favorites, driving around town to see the Christmas lights, and baking cookies together. While I'd love to share our list with you - Trevor reads this and I don't want to ruin the surprise for him. 

9. Attach the activities to the back of each card. I highly suggest writing down the dates you want to do each event. For example, baking cookies shouldn't be a Wednesday night activity if you work during the week. Plus, some activities - like a Christmas parade - only happen on a certain date. You'll want to make sure to label them in order with flag twenty-four aligning with December 1st. This allows you to countdown how many days are left until Christmas.

10. Using the mini-clothespins, hang the cards on the twine from twenty-four to one. Then, hang your finished garland in a spot where it can easily be accessed. 

So tell me, do you use an advent calendar to get ready for Christmas? a countdown? or perhaps you celebrate the twelve days of Christmas with little gifts? I'd love to find some new holiday traditions.

Making Time | To Be Creative

The Making Time series began last week with a post about making time for yourself. This is a weekly series dedicated to time management. As a busy college student, I've had to learn a few things about this subject, the hard way. With the busy holiday season approaching, the daily balancing act is about to get even more difficult and so I asked a few friends to share their advice on managing a busy schedule.

This week's post is brought to you by a school friend of mine, Liatra, and focuses on staying creative and motivated. If you're looking for some motivation of your own, check out Liatra's blog or instagram feed! (Her artwork is drool worthy, people.)

As a working college student with many activities to juggle and events always happening, staying creative and working to consistently improve my art isn’t always at the top of my to do list. But as anyone even just sort of interested in art will tell you, it is very, very important to always strive to improve your skill and stay motivated. I, for one, have found that I even become more vulnerable to becoming depressed or moody whenever I’m not working on a project of any sort!

First things first, music is one of the main factors in my sanity. Some days I find myself halfway through the day without listening to any music yet due to business, phone calls, etc. But if you want to be in the best mood possible, you have got to listen to some good jams. (Can I add an "amen sista" in here..?) We also alter our state by the selection of artist, so keep that in mind if you’re looking to accomplish a large task.. For instance, trying to finish that essay while listening to Bon Iver is NOT going to fly.

Environment is everything. It also helps me to concentrate on tasks by giving myself a reward system. For example, go to your work shift and then you get to come home and practice embroidery, or do two hours worth of homework and then you get to finish that illustration! Time intervals (along with coffee and chocolate) are the best self-bribery systems available.

Being creative is sometimes challenging when you’re having a dry spell on ideas. I, for one, have a few specific things that always keep my thinking fresh and innovative - holidays, birthdays, blogs, and current events. Halloween consumed all of my creative thoughts throughout October and now I’m already coming up with ideas for December - including throwing a ‘Reindeer Rapture’ on December 21st. (I should totally copyright that. -- yes you should. I'm already convincing Trevor to let me throw my own!)

If you’re someone who wants to be creative or craft but has no idea where to start, don’t feel bad by going off of other people’s ideas! People publish blogs with the intent of spreading their ideas and projects, not to make you feel inferior for not thinking up that marshmallow reindeer pop yourself. We’re all in this together, and I certainly would have been lost this Halloween without Martha Stewart’s annual Halloween publication. The lady is a domesticated genius. Rookiemag.com and designsponge.com are also two of my favorite places to go when I’m feeling artistically uninspired. The ladies that run those websites are extraordinary and know their way around the craft store and kitchen.

Besides holidays, I usually draw influence from some of my favorite books and movies to base projects off of. I’ve been very into making collages and trying to learn embroidery lately, and every time I see a good movie I think to myself, “that quote is totally going into my next project.”

So always draw inspiration from your surroundings and never limit yourself to one media to work in. My favorite form of art has morphed from graphite, to ink, to 3D works, to needlepoint and back again. Learning multiple forms of art is also important to expand your artistic vocabulary and appreciation. I NEVER thought much of embroidery until I started myself, and now I have the upmost respect for any lady brave enough to pick up a needle.

Another thing I always try to do is create little nothing presents for friends and family. Care packages are the cutest things in the world, and lift your spirits as well as the recipients. A handwritten letter with personalized illustrations also goes a long way!

All in all, creativity is a choice and requires dedication to always be producing your best work. Switching things up never hurts anyone and allows yourself to develop more than you ever thought possible. (Me, enjoying watercolors? Never. Until I gave them a try and now we’re BFF status.) Always keep an open mind, never get discouraged over that portrait you’ve been trying to finish for over a year, and never stop exploring. (And make sure you check the Sunday newspaper for Michael’s coupons. So worthwhile.)

A lot of this advice was exactly what I needed to hear! With a busy schedule, I sometimes even struggle finding content to blog about. Staying creative can be difficult but Liatra's advice provides a lot of tips and tricks for continuing to work on your art.

Do you enjoy painting? Embroidery? Drawing? Photography? Do you find more inspiration during the changing autumn months or near the holidays?
Personally, I can't wait to start crafting for Christmas but, that kind of inspiration doesn't last all year for me. Rather than being a "spring cleaner", I've noticed that most of my motivation for decorating our home and designing new art for it comes during the start of fall. Hopefully we'll see  here again to share some of her other work!

Making Time | For Yourself

As a student paying my own way through college, I've been forced to learn a thing or two about time management. It's always a struggle to balance work, classes, homework, activities, and time for friends & family. Even with a busy schedule though, I have found that I must always make time for certain things - things like eating well, exercising, and relaxing. Though I've learned a few things that work well for me, I know that my advice might not work for everyone and so, over the next few weeks, on Saturdays, I will be hosting a series called "Making Time". With holiday season approaching (quickly!), balancing a busy schedule is bound to become even more difficult and so, I thought now would be the perfect time for a few friends of mine to tell you about their own balancing acts. If you have a topic that you think would fit into the series, please let me know - I'd love to feature your contributions! 

This week's post is all about making time for yourself - perhaps the topic that I struggle with most! 

[clock via urban outfitters]

Hello sweet Live Beautifully readers! I’m Sam from Samantha J. Bird and I’m so happy Jen asked me to guest post for her (it’s my first time). I’m going to talk about how I make time for ‘me time’ - those little moments where I get to be with myself and recharge. Most people benefit from spending some time alone or at the very least doing something that is just for ourselves rather than considering what others may want to do. It’s so important that I was actually ‘prescribed’ it by a therapist earlier this year as a way of managing anxiety and depression. It’s been incredibly helpful for treating those issues and it helps keep me in a good place mentally and emotionally. Time for ourselves can give us a sense of calm, relaxation, joy, bliss. It can help us to feel cared for, pampered and lucky, among other things. These positive effects are ones that we could all do with and are worth making time for. I can be pretty busy though, so finding time to fit in this me-time can be challenging. Today I’m going to share what I do, in four steps, and I hope it can be useful for you, too!


Firstly, letting go of any guilt you might have over taking time for yourself is really important. I don’t know about you, but I get terribly influenced by things I think I have to or should be doing, like studying, housework or doing things for others. Those activities seem to have found their way to the top of my priority list and me-time can seem like a ‘waste’. That’s ridiculous though, because if we don’t look after ourselves then we can get burned out (see: me, earlier this year). If that happens, it becomes really difficult to do anything at all, for ourselves or others. When guilt and worrying about other tasks are present during me-time, you can be sure they will put a downer on the whole experience. So, kiss your guilt goodbye. Or kick it in the pants, whatever works for you!


Secondly, work out what me-time looks like for you. What activities would you like to do? Very occasionally, when my bank account permits, I like to get a 30 minute massage or my nails done (especially the latter because I absolutely hate doing my own). If I don’t have much money to play with but want to get out of the house, I like window shopping with a giant cup of something delicious. Other favourite things include reading, practising relaxation techniques, watching a favourite show snuggled in bed and sometimes just sitting doing absolutely nothing at all. The possibilities are endless, really, as long as whatever you are doing - or not doing as the case may be - is something you find enjoyment in and doesn’t really involve other people. The point is to be with yourself and focus on what you want in those moments, but if you have a friend gabbing to you then you will probably get distracted. Another thing I find really nice sometimes is to make the activity a really special one, like those massages, because it feels a lot less ordinary and that can amplify the positive effects of me-time.


Thirdly, work out how long your activity will take. I let whatever I want to do dictate how long me-time is going to take. So, for a 30-minute massage, it’s about 30 minutes; reading might be an hour. I try to fit me-time in every day, but most of the time the activities are really basic like drinking a cup of tea while catching up on blogs for 20 minutes, or blogging. If you have a really busy schedule then you might like to aim for 1-2 times a week instead, or do something daily that doesn’t take lots of time, like a 10-15 minute meditation. If you won’t being engaging in me-time as often (say, a couple of times a month), then take longer. If you need to, set a timer or an alarm to remind yourself when the time it up and you need to get back to ‘reality’. It’s really easy for 20 minutes of blog reading to turn into 3 hours of Pinterest which isn’t very helpful for my to-do list!


Finally, figure out when you’re going to be having time to yourself. The key here is that you have to the make time. I have to consciously decide that I’m going to have some me-time and then find a way to make that time available, like I would when hanging out with a friend. Other activities might need to be sacrificed or cut short. I’m not a very strict schedule person and prefer to have general windows of time when I tend to do certain things, but which can be easily shuffled around if necessary. I often find myself with unexpected plans or things to do, so flexibility is key. I schedule all my classes, appointments and regular things I have to do in my Google calendar and everything else goes on to-do lists. That way I know what I have to do on any given day and I can create a mental outline of how much time I’ll need for each item. The most useful thing for me is to schedule in me-time like I do with appointments and classes - it becomes more of a non-negotiable activity. Then, I prioritise the to-do list items from most to least important. If I end up cutting a least-important task some days then it’s not the end of the world.


So, there you have it, my four-step guide to creating time for myself. I hope it helps you to see how you might be able to fit time for yourself into your busy life. I would absolutely love to hear about any other ideas you might have, too. I am by no means an expert at fitting in time for myself, so tips are always welcome! xo

Thank you Sam for taking the time to share your advice with my readers! 
Like Sam, I find that using a calendar and lists to record all of my activities and to-do's helps me to stay on task. This way, I can get all of the things I need done so that I can have some much needed time for myself.

How do you find time for yourself? What are your favorite activities that make up "me-time"? 
For my busy week days, "me-time" usually consists of staying snuggled in bed for an extra fifteen minutes in the morning. I use the time to check my e-mail, catch up on my favorite blogs and if I'm lucky, to snuggle my boys.