let birds fly: October 2011

Sunday, October 30, 2011

halloween hair

my church had a halloween dance this weekend called the lazarus ball. we were invited to dress up as "dead" but not gory. all i knew was that i wanted my hair to be crazy. especially after seeing this halloween hair tutorial from the beauty department.

here is how mine turned out:

crazy, huh? people at the party didn't think it was my real hair!

now i was trying to go for a dead look, but i just ended up looking like a crazy woman. i'm thinking of doing it again tomorrow (trick-or-treating with my niece and nephew), but i don't know what i should be. i've thought of being a gypsy or a lion. what do you think? any creative ideas?

if you would like to do this as well, just go follow this amazing tutorial!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

exodus 35 creativity party #9

thanks to everyone who linked up last week! keep the fall projects coming; they've been so great!

here are the most-clicked-on creative wonders from last week:

1. these paper flower balls are so cute! from life with the ellwoods.

2. need tips on organizing your closet? (i do!) get them from life with both hands full.

3. i love this idea for kids. these scripture dots will make any kid feel accomplished! from babblings and more.

4. find out how to make your own mod podge (much cheaper than buying in store)! from babblings and more.

and here are MY faves from last week:

1. follow this tutorial for DIY grid panelling. so prettyyyy. from beach house in the city.

2. snaz up your front porch for fall for only $29! from the turquoise piano.

grab a button if you were featured!

now, let's party!

why exodus 35, you ask? find out here.

guidelines:
- follow, subscribe to, or become a fan of let birds fly.
- link up your talent. crafts, paintings, tutorials, fashion, inspirational posts, etc. i want it!
- please don't link giveaways, shops, contests, reviews, or another link party.
- you must link back somewhere on your blog. grab my button or simply add a link.
- check out other links and leave comments.
- check back next week to party again and to see if you were featured!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

how to make t-shirt yarn

once again, my family will be celebrating a handmade christmas this year. i plan to do many things with t-shirt yarn.

you could make all sorts of things with t-shirt yarn! maybe make a scarf, or knit a blanket, or oh, i don't know, maybe a crazy awesome t-shirt yarn necklace? it's up to you of course.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

exodus 35 creativity party #8

thanks to everyone who linked up last week! we had 58 link up. wow!! so many great and creative fall projects; i'm sure you have more. come on and link 'em up!

here are the most-clicked-on creative wonders from last week:

1. what halloween party would be complete without a scientist's lab?! from polish the stars.

2. i love this shelf makeover from lil pink pocket.

3. want some fall art? go download these free fall printables from the crafty scientist.

4. polish the stars shows us another awesome prop we can use for a halloween party.

so many awesome projects. here are my favorites:

1. learn how to give a room a little more privacy with this door makeover at how do u like them apples.

2. i love what paint can do! check out this bed frame makeover at i heart my glue gun.

3. learn how to be festive with lunch! so cute. from rindy mae.

4. give the gift of room service! follow this simple tutorial at style baggage.

grab a button if you were featured!

now, let's party!

why exodus 35, you ask? find out here.

Monday, October 17, 2011

blog tip #4: disable word verification

blog tip number four: disable word verification

i know this might sound like it isn't a big deal, but it is. i do NOT like word verification, and i know of mannny other bloggers out there who dislike it as well.

this is me when i come across word verification: "oh, just looking at a cool new blog....omg that statue of an elephant made out of post-it notes is the BEST. i wanna tell this girl that she's awesome for making it....gonna comment, yeah yeah.....wait, what?! word verification?! is that an 'o' or an 'a'? i can't tell! ....bah! forget it. she don't get no comment no mo."

see? it's a bad thing.

but seriously. if you blog with blogger, they screen your comments anyway, and they won't post what they think is spam. and blogger is usually right on the money. so you don't have to worry about that.

every time i am urged to verify a word, i groan. literally. i mean look at the screenshot above. usually, i comment anyway, but (i'm sorry to say) i make a mental note not to come back to that particular blog because word verification is so annoying. am i being too picky? maybe. but, like i said, i know of other bloggers that feel this way as well. and if there are a few of us who voice our opinions, there's bound to be more who don't pipe up but think the same.

now, do us all a favor. disable word verification. here's how: blogger dashboard > settings > comments > click "no" after the question "show word verification for comments?" > click "save settings" button. and if you need a visual, i've got one for ya:

check back later for more blog tips!
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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

exodus 35 creativity party #7

thanks to everyone who linked up last week! so many great and creative fall projects! i'm sure you have more. come on and link 'em up!

here are the most-clicked-on creative wonders from last week:

1. isn't this so cute?! and the rug isn't so bad, either! ;) check out this rag rug from sew sweet tv.

2. go find out about this fool-proof way to clean your shower, and have it STAY clean for weeks! from kissed by a frog.

3. wow, what a cute and antique-looking kitchen organizer! from too much time on my hands.

4. with all the mail scattered all around my kitchen and living room, i need to make this mail/key holder for myself! from the lung family.

there were just so many good projects that i had to feature MY favorites as well. check them out:

1. i LOVE this spray-painted vintage phone from doodle craft.

2. okay, so i don't swoon over many things, and i don't particularly like the word "swoon," but that is all i can think of when i see this spray-painted piano. from (who else?!) the turquoise piano.

3. this is SUCH a great idea (and i adore the jars). i'm going to have to figure out how to make this apple-pie-in-a-jar gluten-free. from just simply live.

4. i get so much inspiration from posts like these. these cute pumpkin name place tags from sunny vanilla were upcycled from an old sweater! amazing idea.

grab a button if you were featured!

now, let's party!

why exodus 35, you ask? find out here.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

peanut butter and chocolate overnight oats

have you ever tried overnight oats? they're a huge hit for me. i've had them for breakfast almost every day for the past two months.

now, you might be thinking, "what are overnight oats?" well, i'll tell you. basically, they are oats that you don't have to cook. yay! no boiling water, no mushy oatmeal, no waiting for 30 minutes before the oats are ready. and all that is good for me! i'm not that big of an oatmeal fan. i don't like the consistency, i don't like the smell, and the taste is usually off for me.

but overnight oats are WAY different (and better in my opinion). think of them as a different dish altogether. you wanna try it? okay! just remember some things: preparation takes place before you go to bed, and the oats sit in the fridge all night. so this is a COLD breakfast. yup. cold oats. most people have to juggle that in their mind before they will like a dish such as this.

peanut butter and chocolate overnight oats

ingredients:

3/4 cup rolled oats

1 tsp cocoa powder

2 (or 3) tbsp peanut butter

1 1/2 (or 2) tbsp honey (maple syrup or agave nectar for vegan)

3/4 cup water (or milk of your choice...tastes just as good with water, though)

directions:

1. get ready for bed, but do not brush teeth yet. (mhmm...i'm bein for realz.)

2. (go to kitchen and) combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

3. lick the spoon, your fingers, etc. if not sweet enough to your liking, add more honey. if too sweet, add more oats/pb/cocoa powder. (aren't you glad i told you not to brush your teeth yet?!)

4. place bowl with oat mixture in fridge overnight...at least 6 hours.

5. wake up and enjoy breakfast without having to cook it!

tips:

- be creative! what do you usually like to do with oatmeal? do it with overnight oats!

- it IS different looking, but that's okay! it is also YUMMY!

just try it!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

washington, dc: the museums

remember that one time that my husband and i went on a trip to d.c.? yeah, back in march? for our anniversary? yeah, i don't remember either. but look, i have proof that we went!

the museums we went to were awesome! of course we didn't get to go to allll of them, but we went to several. of the smithsonians: the museum of natural history, air and space museum, american art museum, and the american indian museum. we also went to the international spy museum and the national building museum.

i loved the architecture in the museum of natural history. and there was sooo much to see and sooo much information. you could spend a full day in here. but my favorite part was everything about geology. i love all the pretty rocks!

the air and space museum was definitely my favorite of all the museums we went to. we saw an amazing imax movie (hubble 3D, with leo dicaprio hosting), bought astronaut ice cream, and went back later in the week to see more! my favorite part was the photography of the planets, stars, galaxies, and everything about space. amazing! (i didn't get any photos of those, though. too dark in the room.)

we also visited the american art museum. lots of amazing artwork. our favorite piece was a video of a man and a woman slapping each other for 20 minutes, starting with very soft slaps at first and ending with hard, full-on, full-swing slaps. i'm serious. this was actually a piece in the museum. it was awesome.

we also visited the national building museum (not part of the smithsonian institutions). the architecture was amazing and they had an exhibit consisting of some of the most famous structures made out of legos. there was also a place where you could build your own building with legos! fun! :)

we also went to the international spy museum (also not part of the smithsonian). there was no photography allowed inside (duh...it's a SPY museum), but it was totally worth it to go there. so much fun information and tiny cameras! :)

we also visited the american indian museum. it was recommended to us that we eat at their cafe, and i am SO glad we did. they had SO much food, and it was all labeled based on allergies and preferences (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, etc)! the food was authentic (as far as i know) native american food and super yummy. if you go to DC, you must eat at the american indian museum.