I'm baaaaaaackkkk

27 July 2014

I'm back! However, this post is not a "real" post. Just a hi! post. Anyways, give me a few days to go through my photos and get some developed and I'll share with y'all my entire trip from start to finish (okay...maybe not in a one post, but definitely an overview!). Hope you guys had a good week and you'll be hearing from me sometime this week. Pardon my little break...

xoxoxo,
Randell

And we're off.....

19 July 2014

So my attempt to watch all the Disney movies I wanted before the trip failed so bad, but I did get to re-watch some of my favorites including The Jungle Book and Lilo & Stitch! But anyways...today is the day we leave for Disney and I am so excited! I won't post at all until next Saturday, but if you want to keep up with my trip and experience follow me on my personal Instagram @randellscism. There will be many many many many photos...

Until next time, musketeers!
Randell

P.S. - any last minute tips would be appreciated! E-mail me @ scismr@yahoo.com


DIY Embroidered Canvas

15 July 2014

Awhile ago George and I went to an art festival in Virginia Highlands, and a photographer had taken a photo of graffiti on the wall that said "Be the person your dog thinks you are," and I instantly fell in love with that quote. Since then I wanted something that said that, so I looked all around for a canvas idea (pinsperation), and came up with this!


I think it came out pretty adorable! Here's how I did it - 


Materials:
- Needle
- Canvas
- Sharpie/Pencil
- Embroidery Floss
- I used twine for the border, but you can use anything!

1. I traced my stencil onto my canvas. I did this using a pencil and an old slide projector thing that I have laying around my house - the light bulb helped my stencil shine onto the canvas - but you can do the same thing by holding it up to a light/window. Or just free hand it! Whatever works for you. Mine came out like this:


2. I used my needle and poked holes about 1/4 inch apart (or something......? LOL) from each other on each of the letters. When you're doing this make sure you send your needle all the way through your canvas. Some people may not even need to do this step and just skip onto actually embroidering, but I like guidelines and it makes it easier (for me) later, but does take a little time. Here's me actually working on mine while being lazy on the couch...


3. After punching all my holes, I started embroidering. Use the back stitch and just work through your pre-made holes. This should take a little while, use your floss wisely (depending on how much you have), and make sure your stitches look good. Don't spend your time doing something halfway...




4. The last thing I did was add a little bit of twine around the edges and tightened it in the back so that it would look more like a border. This is just optional and you can really do anything cute around the border, like ribbon or something.

I hope these steps were easy enough to follow and I hope some of y'all try it out!

Happy Tuesday!
Randell

Brain-dead, Everyday Washcloths

13 July 2014

So many, many months ago, I made these wash cloths for my grandma. I love to make little "brain-dead" projects, and these washcloths fit that definition perfect. They make a perfect gift and are so, super easy (if you know the basic purl and knit stitch). My grandmother uses them for all of her dishes and sends them through the washer all the time, and they have worn through it all! Definitely worth your (very little) time and effort!


Materials:
Size 7 Needles
Any worsted weight yarn - I used just some scraps left over from other projects!

Pattern: 
The double seed stitch -
Cast on 31 stitches
Row 1-4: Knit
Row 5: Knit 3, Purl 1, Knit 1, Purl 1 repeat until last 3 stitches - knit.
Row 6: Same as Row 5
Row 7: Knit 3, Knit 1, Purl 1, Knit 1 repeat until last 3 stitches - knit.
Row 8: Same as Row 7
Continue this pattern until your washcloth measures about 8 inches long
Knit 4 rows after you have reached about 8 inches and cast off!

Voila! Let me know if you try them...
Randell

What's sweet, old, and cute all over?

09 July 2014

Sorry for the horrible title, but can you guys guess? A puppy, yes. Vintage clothes, yes. But what I'm talking about is a grandmother. I actually googled the definition of a grandmother, and this is what popped up.

Grandmother / noun / ˈgran(d)ˌməT͟Hər / : any kindly, sweet old woman who will happily boost your self-esteem and write you letters and love you. Tends to know lots of neat old songs and obscure, off-color jokes. Generally much cooler and less scary than one's actual mother.

How much more accurate could that definition be? Literally describes my grandma...perfectly. However, despite being so much less scary than my mother (sorry mom), she is so much more than that to me. My grandma is literally somebody who I consider a best friend. Nobody understands the things I say better than her, and I am so unbelievable grateful for the time I get with her, I only wish we could have a hundred years more together.

My grandma just recently got remarried (at like, age 77, go her!) and moved like, 45 minutes away. I never realized how much I saw of her until she left, and now I love the days I have with her where I just go to her house and we sit and we talk and we knit together for hours. These are memories I will cherish for the rest of my life. It breaks my heart to hear about people who never knew their grandmas because some of the greatest advice I have received has came from her. She has taught me things I will remember for the rest of my life.


My grandma has the biggest heart of anybody I know. She loves the Lord and is grateful for all that she has been blessed with in her life, even the bad that got her where she is today. There are literally hundreds of reasons I could say about why I love her. I actually made her one of those cliché Pinterest projects (a lot like this one) with 365 reasons why I love her for Mother's Day. She loves them.
 
Anyway, the point of this post is to tell you all not take your grandparents for granted. They love you unconditionally and deserve that same love back. I hope my grandma knows how much I appreciate her love and advice, and how much I love our little days together. They mean more to me than probably anybody will ever know. My grandma was telling me today that she wished I had known her mother, and I'm sure I am going to be telling my kids the same thing about her one day. The thought that they may never know her breaks my heart. But one day they will meet in Heaven, and for that I am thankful. 

Don't forget about old people, they need love too!
Randell

And here's an adorable pic of my smiling puppy because who doesn't love puppy pics!

The Little Things

05 July 2014

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I hope everybody had a very happy 4th of July filled with family, friends, fun, and fireworks! The 4th of July is all about patriotism and being thankful that we are able to live in the (in our opinion) greatest country in the whole entire world. So, because I had a whole day full of thinking about things that I love with people that I love, I decided to make a list (with a little help from my friends) of the little, often overlooked, things that make life worth living:

1. The happiness of swirling around and playing with sparklers
2. Ice cream trucks
3. That "good ice" - you know the kind!
4. When a stranger compliments you
5. How happy your dog is when you walk through the door
6. When somebody tells you they're proud of you
7. Hearing a really old, good song on the radio
8. Sleeping in
9. A warm blanket straight from the dryer
10. Pretty sunsets
11. Your favorite food
12. A day filled with Netflix
13. Wearing new clothes
14. A good movie
15. A hug right when you need one
16. Photo booths
17. Clean sheets
18. A good book
19. Finishing something you worked really hard on
20. The sound of rain
21. Pretty flowers
22. Being in your bed after a long day
23. Just a really good day with people you love

Are any of my favorite things similar to yours? Let me know what little things make your days just that much happier. Always find time for the things that make you feel happy to be alive...


Smile!
Randell

Sha la la la la la My oh My...

02 July 2014

Looks like the boys too shy, he ain't gonna kiss the girl... If none of you have watched The Little Mermaid recently, you need to, if not just for the soundtrack because it is amazing. Anyways, here's one of my Disney movie posts in preparation for my trip in just 20 short days (read about it here). Y'all should definitely join me in re-watching some of these classic, amazing and heartwarming movies!

First off, let me just tell y'all my favorite part about The Little Mermaid. How cute is it that Ariel goes to Scuttle to tell her about these human objects that he really has no idea what they are. She uses a fork to fix her hair at dinner...enough said.



Here's some things I learned from watching The Little Mermaid as an adult, rather than seeing just the glitz of her clothes, the cuteness of the fishies, and the love story (although, I did see all that too...)

Do mermaids expect to be hidden with a huge kingdom under water?
How do these mermaids expect to be hidden while they basically have a gigantic castle and kingdom under water? Basically the worst hide and seekers ever...

For somebody who hates human things, King Triton sure does use them a lot. 
Mirrors, clothes, paper........................................................

Beds are the best thing ever. Period. 

but on a serious note:

Don't let anybody tell you who to love.
King Triton thinks he knows ultimately what is best for Ariel, and he shows this by forcing her to stay underwater and go nowhere near the humans, even though she has fallen in love with one (she does it anyways). Right on sista! Do what you want if it's what you want.  

Surround yourself with people who support you and will help you.
Ariel has Flounder, Scuttle, and Sebastian (who doesn't want to all of the time but still does). These three are the reason she finds and keeps her true love, and they would do anything to help her.

Your voice is the most important thing in the world.
Never let anybody take that from you. Always cherish the fact that you are able and have the freedom to voice your opinion and say what you want. This is the most sacred thing you can have, and we take it for granted too often. 

If you can't appreciate Ariel for the life lessons and the comedy all tied into one heartwarming and incredibly cute movie, at least appreciate it for the music! It's too amazing.


Next up: Mulan, so stay tuned!

Until next time,
Randell