Pumpkinfest 2015!! ( + Festival Tips)

Tuesday, October 27, 2015



This past Saturday, Candice - one of my best friends from college - came up to spend the whole weekend with me, and we set our sights on my hometown's Fall festival, Pumpkinfest.

I've blogged about Pumpkinfest before, but this year brought a lot of new adventures and parts of Pumpkinfest that I'd hadn't experienced before (and I've been going to this festival for years).

So, to go along with this post, here are some tips for you to try when you attend your next hometown festival or fair. :)

  • Try unexpected food. Had Candice not pointed out the fried rice stand on the corner of the street, I wouldn't have had some of the best fried rice I'd ever had. If you come to a festival hungry, try something new and unexpected if it looks really good. You may find yourself a new favorite.
  • Take ALL the pictures. Though the structure of a festival generally stays the same, there'll sometimes be new and exciting booths and attractions to try. Plus, there may be changes to those old favorites that you might miss if you don't take a closer look. Take pictures of both old favorites and new things that you like, and you'll be glad you did.
  • Actually stop and enjoy things. This goes with the previous tip, but if there's a new attraction that you like or an old favorite, take the time and actually enjoy it. You'll enjoy the festival or fair a lot more if you don't rush through it.
  • Finally, HAVE FUN. Go by yourself, or with people you love. Take pictures, and take it all in.

A Guide to Planner Stickers

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Planner by Ruskerville

As you guys may have seen on my Instagram (and my Pinterest), I've been interested in planner decorating over the past several months. I've always loved using planners, but ever since I got into planner decorating, I've had a lot more fun with the organization aspect of it, because I actually have a lot to organize now that I'm an adult in my mid-twenties working.

If you happened to be wondering why I use certain stickers, and what stickers I'd recommend that you use, you've come to the right post. I'm going to list certain stickers I'd recommend for certain functions, as well as where you can find the most adorable decorative stickers. Also, the majority of these will be Etsy shops, so they're handmade and extra-awesome.

Without further ado, let's get started! :)

Functional Stickers

Examples of functional stickers: Headers, Checklist boxes.
Part of a Ghostbusters kit by Keatown

If you're just stepping into the world of agenda/planner decorating, I definitely recommend that you start with more functional stickers first. They have a purpose, from labelling to listing, and they come in a variety of colors, so you can either create your own color scheme or use them as part of a larger decorating kit.

Here are the functional stickers I use. You can search for any of these on Etsy, plus adding the type of planner that you have if you want (like, checklist flag stickers for Erin Condren):
  • Checklist flags/boxes - to write lists and such
  • Headers - to establish those to-do lists or any other section you can think of.
  • Appointment boxes - blank stickers that are typically smaller to write basic things such as appointments; it sets them apart in your planner.
Then, if you're looking for specifics, you can search for those, too, like movie theater ones to mark off your cinema visits, or tiny stethoscopes for your doctor's appointments. Hey, you can even find clouds with adorable faces on them to mark the weather.

Sticker Kits

Super Mario kit by KG Planner

To take the guesswork out of coordinating colors, I like purchasing kits. You can find these to match the colors of certain planners (like the Erin Condren or Plum Paper Planner), or you can search by theme (such as Doctor Who or ice cream).


Decorative Stickers

Palm trees and other beach-themed decorative goodness by Clicky Chick Creates
(the raccoon is to commemorate me passing by some tiny raccoons in the country)

This is where the fun stuff is. SO many Etsy places have themed stickers, from Pokemon to Unicorns, and it's so easy to find a theme if you want to venture into fun decorating to spice up your agenda. How you decorate is up to you.

Here are the shops I like to purchase from the most for decorative stickers, mainly because they have kits of my favorite things (like Guardians of the Galaxy, any Disney princess you can think of, and so much more!):

If you're looking into sticker-ing your agenda/planner, I hope this was a quick and easy guide for you! Do you use stickers? Do you have favorite sticker stores? Please let me know in the comments! :)

An Instagram Roundup of my 24th Birthday

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Guys. As of this past October 8th, I'm 24 years old. That's crazy

So here are some Instagrams of what went on that day and beyond!



1. We returned to Barista Parlor. Since I had been last year, I had visited the location closer to central Nashville quite a few times, but it had been a year to the day since we'd been the flagship coffee shop. There was a change in the breakfast menu from what I remember (no biscuits and gravy), but the egg, bacon, and white cheddar biscuit I had (I believe it was called the Moto Biscuit) was AWESOME. And, of course, it was the best coffee ever.

The rest of the day was spent in Nashville, gallivanting and doing other such happy things. :)

2. Later that evening, we celebrated at one of my favorite restaurants in Franklin called the Chop House. And while I knew a cookie cake was going to happen, I had NO idea that they were going to have a replica of my car on the cake (I drive a Mini. His name is Herbie.). It was such a happy surprise, and I had a fantastic day.



3. Last, but certainly not least, I did a spread of my birthday week in a new Ruskerville planner that I got for my birthday! I really like the layout and size of this one, AND...it's DOCTOR WHO THEMED. I'm planning (pun TOTALLY intended) on doing a new planner post here on the blog soon, so keep an eye out!
(P.S. If you want to know sticker sources for the spread above, please click here)

Chicago, I Love You.

Monday, October 5, 2015



This time last week, I visited one of my favorite places in the country.

My parents totally surprised me with this trip. Over the weeks prior, it had been, "Block out these days", and "The weather will be pretty normal." When I found out we were all visiting Chicago for a quick getaway, I was totally thrilled.

So, here's what all we did! :)

Sightseeing

As with every time I've been to this city, there's no shortage of things to see in Chicago. We took a river cruise (which Mom and I had done before, but it was Dad's first time on the river) to see the various architecture and learn the history behind it. Also, shopping was involved afterwards. ;)

[edit: this is where they filmed the Choosing Ceremony scene in "Divergent"! I'd be Dauntless, in case y'all were wondering]



A Cubs Game

And then we went to Wrigley Field to see a Cubs game! It took them awhile to score, but it was fun getting to see this field for the first time. Again, so much history here!


Birthday Festivities

Finally, there was no shortage of birthday surprises, from chocolates to cake. It was truly a trip to remember. :)



And that was my quick wrap-up of my birthday trip to the city of Chicago! 

The 1989 World Tour

Friday, October 2, 2015



Last Saturday, I went to an amazing concert with some great friends of mine. And we went to see one of my all-time favorite performers. :)

I guess I'll begin this post with the opening acts. I knew Vance Joy was going to open for Taylor Swift that night, but it completely slipped my mind that Haim was opening for her, too. I've talked about Haim before on this blog, and it was fun getting to hear them perform. Both Vance Joy and Haim were fantastic.



Then...came ALL the fabulous songs from the 1989 album. It's kinda tricky to get concert photos sometimes (especially on a phone), but I managed to get a bunch:



But let's not forget her guest stars. Taylor has been known to bring out epic guest stars in the past; when I've seen her, she's brought out Alan Jackson and Hayley Williams (of Paramore) to the Bridgestone Arena stage. But the 1989 tour had folks I didn't expect to ever grace the Nashville stage, but I'm SO glad they did. First was Leona Lewis (whose single "Bleeding Love" was huge when I was in high school, and yes, I sang along to every word).



And then...let's just say that Taylor introduced this guest as having just been inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame with his band the Rolling Stones.

Yep, I'm talking about Mick Jagger. As in, "Moves like Jagger" Mick Jagger. Needless to say, the crowd went wild.


Long story short, the entire concert was amazing. It's one of the best concerts I've ever been to, and I'm already looking forward to the next time she comes to town, though I can't imagine it being better than that Saturday night.


So I gave my logo [and blog] a fresh coat of paint.

Thursday, October 1, 2015


So, you know how sometimes, the mood to make some changes hits you? Whether it's to your workspace or anywhere else?

Well, I'm excited to unveil something I've been mulling over for awhile now: a logo facelift! And with it, some blog redesigning!

The logo has to be the most drastic change, though. For the past while, [S]iW has always had a vertical logo, like this:

This was the very first [S]iW logo ever, circa January 2014.

But I decided to go with the circle logo, and I'm excited with how it came out. I made it using various elements I found through Pinterest (some I bought online). and I like to think it's got some significance, too: I chose the rope-like circle border as an allusion to my love for nautical things and how they're special to me. Then, of course, there's turquoise and gold glitter, my two favorite colors. Nothing much has changed there. :)

Also, the blog template is by PipDig again, and it's gorgeous. It's nothing too crazy, just turquoise and simple, clean lines, and I can't wait to use it as a platform to share more writing with you, because I've missed blogging and want to get back into it again.

What do you guys think of the new logo/redesign? Please let me know in the comments! :)