I don't think I'm even close to being qualified to be sharing business tips as I'm fresh into the industry, but I've learned enough from personal experience and from watching friends and coworkers to know what to do and what not to do at this point in my life. And I wanted to pass it onto all y'all that are in a similar position.

01. Take criticism. Everyone has opinions and many people are not afraid to express their opinions. Putting yourself out there (especially on the internet), you're going to get critiqued, be it good or bad. No matter what, you can learn from what people say, and you should never take it personally. Criticism is everywhere you go. Try to look at it as a way to grow; that mindset will take you far.

02. Communication is key. When you take on a job, communicate. Be it freelance or even full time, make sure everything is discussed fully up front. If you're confused, don't be afraid to ask questions and make everything clear. You'll feel more dumb producing a wrong end result than asking too many questions too avoid that wrong end result. Talk it out.

03. Don't be afraid to contact anyone. Write down who you know or who you'd like to know. Even if you have big dreams, go for it. It's amazing that we live in a time where we can contact people from across the world. People share their emails for a reason - to set up contact. Take advantage of that! It never hurts to reach out and ask questions.

04. Best time to send out that e-mail? This is one of those weird things that I'm still testing out, but apparently the best time to send out emails for job opportunities or general inquiries is Tuesday through Thursday. Sending an email over the weekend can lead you to get lost in the middle of the crowd as soon as people check their messages first thing Monday morning. Towards the end of the week, your email may not even be checked until the week after. The best time to send something is in the middle of the week. It's something to keep in mind taking into consideration business days.

05. What do you have to lose? This has been becoming my motto. It helped me move across country. Then again, everyone is in a different position, so I understand not everyone can up and move. But it's the little things that count too. Going back to a previous point, if there's someone you want to contact about a question, new job opportunities, etc., send that email. You have to start looking at the world as a place with endless opportunities. So much is accessible, you just have to reach for it. Seek out those opportunities. What's the worst that can happen, you're denied or ignored? I think life can be much worse. Do as NIKE says.

06. Don't burn bridges. Something didn't turn out the way you planned? Disagree with someone? Job experience went sour? Don't lash out! I personally believe you should move on and keep your mouth closed. You never know when you're going to run into someone you don't like - sometimes avoiding is not as easy. The really crummy people also seem to have the best contacts, and you never know if you'll need to contact said crummy person to ask for help. Even a reference letter may be something you need. You never know. The world works in funny ways and it's never a good idea to burn bridges.

07. Don't always rely on others. Oh, I could go on for days about this one topic. Just the past few months alone I can tell you how horrible it can be relying on others. Keep in mind that everyone has their own life they're taking care of first. But at the end of the day, everything is always a waiting game because you're always interacting with other people; it's unavoidable. Have you been waiting on someone else to help you out with something? Don't wait. Find a way to make something work for yourself. If you held your breath waiting on others, you'd be dead. Take action yourself.

08. Don't be afraid to dive in, but be prepared with a backup plan. I don't think being impulsive is a bad things. Sometimes you just have to go for something whether you're prepared or not. But I have learned the hard way that a backup plan may be good to have. Things don't always work out the way you want and it's not so bad to have something to fall back on.

09. Underselling yourself can sometimes do more damage than good. If you take on a freelance job, charging too little may make you come off as a person who doesn't know what they're doing, or the work you produce isn't great. It can be uncomfortable talking numbers. Just remember, aim high because you can always work your way down. Most of the time there are negotiations, and it's better you worked together to reach a reasonable number than something you can't go back on from the beginning.
But there are exceptions, like in the next point...

10. Don't be afraid to compromise and satisfy others. Sometimes you have to work within peoples budgets, and small businesses have small budgets. If you're doing work for local companies, it's okay to work under your price range every so often to help the locals. In this cut throat world full of competition, small businesses are putting up such a fight to make it out alive. Every so often, it doesn't hurt to help out.

11. Follow your gut. I like to think of your gut as your sixth sense. It's an internal feeling that can help guide you when you're feeling indifferent. Following my gut helped me take on a lot and I feel comfortable saying it hasn't failed me yet. Who knows how many horrible decisions you've dodged by following your internal feelings. It's important to listen to yourself.

12. Always thank people for their time. To ask for someone to stop and put their attention on you, it's always respectful to thank them. It's just as easy stand out as a polite person as it is to stand out as a rude person. Between the two, I think we can all agree, be the polite person.

And one more bonus: a tweet from Tina Roth Eisenberg from Swiss Miss.

These are all points I have learned over the past year alone. With the new year coming, it's good to keep these in mind to apply them to future scenarios you find yourself in. I know I'm excited for the new year to start fresh and dive more into the business aspect of the freelance industry.
I'm sure this list will change and for sure grow, but I'll just have to wait and see!

Cold weather is creeping up on us. And I'm excited, but I'm not a big fan of my selection of scarves.
I never know how to wear scarves while looking good, which is why I've been all about infinity scarves lately. I've only obtained a few recently that my grandmother knitted for me.

I dug through all my scarves and grabbed two that I wanted to turn into infinities. These two are fabric scarves, not yarn knitted, so it would make it easy to sew them without a problem.

I took one scarf, my favorite one, and pinned them up evenly. After, I just sewed them together. Super easy.

I grabbed the second scarf and cut them straight because they didn't meet up perfectly. I pinned and then sewed them.

Can't really think of an easier DIY project than this, but it makes a whole lot of a difference. I now won't look so derpy wearing scarves. I promise I won't go out looking like this because then I'll be back to square one looking derpy.

Here's an easy-peasy DIY with washi tape.
I've been obsessing over washi tape lately, just like the rest of the world. They're so fun.
I've also been trying to use clothespins more, for decorative purposes. I found a little batch of them in my basement and thought why not decorate them with my washi tape. I've seen this a few other places and I wanted to try it for myself.

All you need is the clothespins, washi tape, and scissors or an X-acto knife. A cutting mat is optional.

Just line up the tape on the clothespin and cut off the excess.

It's as simple as that.

Afterwards, what you do with them is all up to you. They look precious holding up art prints.

Bam.

I bought this pair of pants a few weeks ago. They fit perfect and I was happy.

Then a couple of days ago, the button/rivet popped off!

I tried putting it back together using pliers, but it didn't stay. I was stumped. Then I thought DUH, I can sew another button on. I went through my dandy button collection. I decided to pick a fancy button in which I never find a good opportunity to use.

I found this cute anchor button and sewed it on.

And voila! My pants are fixed. It's a good idea if you want to spice up a pair of pants! Pop off the button and sew a fun one on.

I posted this on Tumblr yesterday. I wanted to share it here as well.
The past few days (since I've been absent from the blogging world for a little while, I needed to catch up) I've been reading posts from bloggers about self image and self love. Two that come to mind are Charlavail and Amy Morby. Along with recent events in my life, the messages they're trying to get across had me thinking.

This snapchat photo was in response to a snap my friend sent me. At the same time, this photo also expresses a self realization that occurred today.

You know how you’re always told that people are flawed? It never really hits you until, who knows when it hits you actually. It can click at any moment, and it did for me today. When you take a step back and look at people as a whole, everyone is flawed; no one is perfect. Some people acknowledge it, but most people don’t which is why everyone talks s*** about eachother.

My whole life I’ve had poor self image; I never liked myself because people always picked apart at my flaws. I was always too nice to do return the favor which is why it tore me apart every time. I believed it all. Recently I felt those old wounds open up when people started picking me apart again. I let those feelings stew a bit until today when it hit me that I just don’t give a f***. I am flawed and so is everyone else in this entire world. The way you handle that shows what kind of person you are. When you accept everyone else as they are, the better off you are, and the better you become. When you pick apart someone else, you are showing the world who you really are: a hypocrite.

This realization made me stop and think about myself. As long as they’re productive and harmless actions, I will do whatever the hell I want. I’ll wear what I want, I’ll cut my hair the way I want, I’ll shave when I want, I’ll keep up with whatever hobbies I want; the list is endless. We are here to look out for ourselves, I mean we are living OUR OWN lives, aren’t we? Do what makes you happy, that should be all that matters. (Yes I know, we should act selflessly and watch out for eachother, but I’d like to think that’s a given. In terms of appearance and state of mental health, that’s a different case.) Our flaws shouldn’t control our lives, and other people’s judgements and criticisms shouldn’t control our lives. WE control our own lives and if other people can’t handle that, they’ll get a slap from reality real soon, won’t they.

All I’m saying is, don’t let other people get you down. Do as you please, and if anyone passes judgements, just remember that there is always something you can judge about them too, because as I said, no one is perfect. Be happy with yourself. Be happy with who you are, and what you look like. You control your life. Don’t let others get away with controlling it for you.

Here’s to self realization.

This mindset is something that is achieved on your own, for you to come to terms with your own self. It may not even make sense now, but it's something that can make sense if you want it to.
We're surrounded by concepts that are considered standards, it's hard to not let words take a toll on you when you don't fit those standards.

I don't want to make this all preachy, but I guess here are some "tips" to help you come to your own terms:
• Try something different today, be it major or minor. Test your confidence. Yesterday, I cut my bangs and parted my hair differently. It's crazy how something little like that can make you feel like a new person.
• If anyone passes judgement at you, feel free to judge them back, in your head. Be the bigger person, keep it to yourself; let them have their moment of hierarchy. As hard as it may be, don't acknowledge their words. Remember, they are in denial of their own flaws.
• Look in the mirror, make funny faces at yourself, stare at yourself, accept your flaws. When you come to terms with the fact that you are not perfect, just like everyone else in the world, others criticisms will be easier to pass and ignore.
• Read something spiritual that gets to the deeper meaning of the self and the soul. I'm currently reading the Tibetan Book Of The Dead. It's always interesting to learn about getting to the root of the soul and things that should matter more than physical appearance. Life should be about who you are inside, not about your exterior.
• Smile at the world. Be happy. You know something most people don't know: how to love yourself.

And that's Self Realization Friday 101 with Maria. I hope you took something from all this rambling.

Happy New Year!

I've been meaning to sign on and do a bunch of new year related posts. I still plan on getting around to them, but for now I wanted to post about this idea I'd like to share. Actually found it as I was browsing Tumblr.

THE JAR OF 2013
This would have been best to start it on the first day of January, but I figured eleven days into the new year isn't bad.
This jar is to help you keep track of all good moments as they happen.
Write your happy moments on pieces of paper and put them in the jar. (It's all about preference, but I am keeping track by writing the date on each piece of paper.) It'll be a collection of blissful experiences that you will reread on the last day of the year.
I wouldn't call this a resolution exactly, but it could be motivation to start experiencing more positive and happy points in time than negative. I surely feel motivated to create more feel good junctures.

I think this is a great way to pay attention to happy moments, even if they're miniscule. Start keeping track of anything that puts a smile on your face.
I wanted to pass this on to all of you. It's not too late to start!

Thrifting is wonderful. The idea of finding something fun, unusual, and vintage - isn't it great? Cheap and awesome, it can't get better than that.

But what if you find the perfect item and the size is way too big? You have three options: (01) leave it, (02) buy it and wear it uncomfortably large (some people can pull that off. I certainly can't), or (03) buy it and resize it. Option three has always been my favorite. There are lots of reasons why this option rocks that I'd like to share.

• I love making something from nothing. You have complete control over everything to make it original and totally yours. Sometimes this power is overwhelming, and there are chances things can go wrong (believe me, it happens). But it's all about trial and error. You start to learn what techniques work and don't work, and it starts to become quite easy.
• You have all options in the world with what you can do. You can add or subtract, mix and match, etc. Plus another benefit of resizing is the fact that you'll most likely be cutting off fabric, so you're bound to have awesome leftover fabric for other exciting projects.
• One of my favorite reasons is that it makes shopping so easy that when you adjust to the idea of sewing up clothes, you tend to stop looking at sizes. How awesome is that? Nothing can stop you from buying what you want.
• Besides all of that, it's a good hobby and time filler. It helps you explore your creative side; you're given the chance to see what you can do with fabric.

This is the story of my life, and I wanted to share new possibilities. I think it's a good challenge to take on for those interested in trying out something new. If you've never challenged yourself this way, maybe it's something for you try sometime.

Have you bought perfume recently and didn't have it in you to throw away the box because of it's lovely packaging? Story of my life. I have problems throwing things out - I'm on my way to becoming a full time hoarder.

Anyway, if you find yourself in the same boat, make a use for that box! Do something with it. Store pens, buttons, paintbrushes, office supplies, etc. The possibilities are endless.

I'm not big into buying perfume; I always receive them as presents. One perfume that I actually make an effort to buy is Harajuku Lovers - that's right, Gwen Stefani's perfume. She has great style and a great sense of what smells wonderful. I love the cute packaging and didn't want to throw away the boxes. One day, I did some hella organizing and decided to use those boxes. Snipped off the top flaps and filled them in with my makeup.

Went to TJ Maxx recently and saw this Harajuku Lovers perfume for sale. Cheap price! Had to buy it. Once again I didn't want to throw the box out. So I organized my desk up a bit by storing my crafty shape punches in there. They all fit, and all was right in the world.

So I guess the moral of the story is don't throw something away if you can find a productive use for it!

Summer's here! The season for ice cream and other cool and refreshing sweets.
I admit, I have a sweet tooth, and although I told myself to start eating healthy, I can't help but sneak some sweet goodness into my meals.

I recently discovered how amazing ice cream tastes with oat clusters. So. Good.
One morning, I couldn't satisfy my sweets craving until I ate some ice cream. So to make it seem more of a breakfast dish, I added some cereal oat clusters and my guilt vanished. Life was all good.

Treat yourself to some ice cream goodness for breakfast. You deserve it.