becoming vintage

... i will graduate from college with honors

... i will be a light to others

... i will decorate a house

... i will write 1000's of more songs for Him

... i will learn how to play more instruments {bass, piano, & bango are just a few on my list}
... i might find that someone
 ... i will write a book
... i will travel {Venice, Ireland, and London}
... i will have a family {even if it's just me + dog}
... i will be inspired & constantly create
... i will find quiet times to sit & reflect
... i will dance in the rain
... i will laughing, a lot
... i will make a difference
... i will live for God
& SO MUCH MORE


i have accomplished a lot in my last twenty years
so i think it's safe to say that i have big expectations for the next 2 decades!!

happy friday everyone!!

p.s. it's my birthday today!! yay!

DIY: no-sew one-shoulder team spirit shirt

THE STORY
so about a week ago, a local TV station was giving away free t-shirts at a local car dealership in honor of the start of the NCAA tourny play {if you haven't noticed, KY basketball is kind of a big deal}.  so after work, i decided to mozy on down to the dealership and get me some t-shirts!!  i didn't expect it to be a big deal, but boy was i wrong!! i ended up waiting 35 minutes to get the shirts, but it was worth it!  the shirts were cute & my car was on television for like 5 seconds! lol

but i got an xtra-large & large shirt.  neither my roommate or i could where these shirts, so i decided it was DIY time!!

THE PROCESS
1}  try the shirt on & take note of how much you need to cut off in order to get the right fit.  note: you need to leave about 1 in. or an 1.5 inches of extra material to do the "no-sew" part on each side of the shirt.
2} flip the shirt inside out & cut off the extra material from the bottom.
3} with the shirt still flipped inside out, cut the sides of the shirt.  if you would like a more feminine fit cut the left side of the shirt in a ")" curved shape and the right side in a "(" curved shape.  this allows for a curved fit.
4} be cautious of the sleeves.  if they are huge then you will need to cut off some of the material from bottom of the sleeve.
5} while the sides of the shirt are still aligned cut the strips for the "no-sew" portion of the shirt about 1 - 1.5" long and as thin or as thick as you want, all the way up both sides.
6} tie up each pair of "frillies"   (you don't necessarily need to tie up the sleeve that you intend to cut off but you may want to tie up the curve of that sleeve little a bit)
7} after you tie up the sides flip the shirt right side out and try it on.  make a decision on how you want to cut one of the shoulders off.  i cut along the collar and then did a slight curve to the armpit of the opposite sleeve.
8} cut off the the sleeve
9} try on the shirt again.  if the side where you cut the sleeve off is too loose, then make the top "no-sew" stitch tighter by cutting the "frillies" longer for that stitch and re-tie the knot.

voila! a refurbished team spirit shirt! that is stylish and functional!  enjoy & as always comment with any questions and let me know how i did!!

have fun!

while watching the hunger games i...

{  i've always wanted to make one of these!! enjoy and share but link me up!!  thanks :)  }

thoughts about this weekend

{hello my name is katniss and this is my sister prim and we are here to serve all of your church consignment sale needs!}

 - weekend, where did you go?
- consignment sales are fun... but i couldn't seem to shake the Chick-fil-a voice,"I can serve the next guest down here!!"  "And it's my pleasure!"  it's just so engrained at this point!!
- i cried {poor Rue}, i laughed {silly Effie}, i fell in love {call me Peeta}, i fought {pretending to be Katniss}, and i screamed in the theater {stupid genetically engineered dogs!!... THAT was embarrasing}
- i'm left with my mind on a movie like the Hunger Games & then am expected to be ready for 3 exams??
- saw the first breaking dawn teaser trailer, can you say EPIC?
- props to my dad for getting back on the horse after training... he hovered his baby at home yesterday!!  baby steps, baby steps.  {confused click here!}

my weekend was pretty much AMAZING, how was yours??

awkward & awesome thursday

{getting ready for saturday!!!}

awkward:
- asking your friend a question on the bus only to receive the answer silently {by a head nod} from another passenger who was clearly eavesdropping
- trying to open the door to a building when the doors are locked {doubly awkward if you know the store isn't open yet; i was going to get my movie tickets for this weekend and was very anxious}
- playing my guitar & singing when i know it's possible that the walls are beyond paper thin and probably all my neighbors can here me
- concert seating: i was sitting and eating and the guy in front of me stands up with his friends and starts butt twitching in front of me, it wouldn't have been as bad if his butt wasn't quite so close to my face at eye level lol
- getting whistled at by shenanigans in moving vehicles when you are at the bus stop {i mean really your in college grow up}
- asking for a specific mcdonald's toy {really i'm in college and i need to grow up, but the had transformers & i wanted bumblebee lol}
- being very disappointed that they didn't have the toy you wanted at mcdonald's haha
- getting called sweetheart by those who are the same age as me, possibly younger
- avoiding conversations that could lead to discussions of dates with someone you don't know that well and don't really want to go out with
- laying on your stomach face down {i'm doing this right now lol}

awesome:
- the show New Girl... zooey deschanel, need i say more!
- making new friends!
- only working one day this week
- blue ice-cream at chick-fil-a in order to celebrate the NCAA tourny play {GO CATS!!}
- craft night with the roomy in order to DIY modify school spirit shirts that were free!!
- spring, no, SUMMER weather
- light backpack loads {whoop whoop!}
- writing my first duet!!!
- my birthday is 1 week and 1 day away; what in the world is happening right now!!
- the hunger games!  OMG! one more day after today until i get to watch & be completely speechless!

i know that was a lot but a lot has happened since my last A&A!

happy awkward and awesome thursday folks!

it's official

today i bought my tickets for saturday's 3 o'clock showing!

i can't even express to you how excited i am!

if you are going to the midnight showing tomorrow, please, NO SPOILERS ARE ALOUD to be posted here.    :)    that includes opinions about how the movie was made!!  i want to go in fresh {although i'm pretty sure the media will do a good job about spilling the beans lol}

anyways, when are you going to see the movie that will overcome twilight status?!?

{i know it's a bold statement, but i have faith & confidence in this movie considering how AMAZING the books were!!}

hopefully i'll see you in a few hours for awkward & awesome thursday!
but until then feast your eyes on my newest fictional crush, 

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isn't he just heavenly!

truth is

... i look like a monster when i wake up in the morning
... but i love taming the beastly mess of my hair {lol}
... that i'm sick and tired of getting weird looks when i decide to dress up & go to class, back in the day women had to get corsetted up and draped in layers of fine clothing just to take a walk outside, so leave me alone!
... there are seriously about 6 girls wearing coral jeans today in my Econ class, i wanted them before kate the duchess of cambridge ever walked outside in them!!
... i wore heels today as a part of the "dressed up" theme, and while thinking about all the people staring i almost went down like sandra bullock in Miss Congeniality... i recovered but i'm hoping no one saw me LOL
... instagram is my best friend
... i successfully watched my first red box rental {In Time was actually pretty good!}
... i actually cooked last night
... i got a compliment on my phone cover of mr. Peeta Mallark this morning{warm & fuzzies}
... & died a little inside when i looked at his face & realized it's only 3 more days until the Hunger Games is on the big screen!!

sincerely,

a spring weekend

i haven't posted in awhile.  and for that i apologize.  see i had this funny thought that i would actually have time to get a hold of myself and post every single day this week, get ahead on homework, and still have time to relax.  to tell you the truth, i don't know where last week went to.  the only things i remember doing is getting frustrated with homework, spending time with my Nana, getting to work 8 and 10 hour shifts on my feet all day long {i salute those who have to do that every single day for a living. i was feeling it, in my knees and my feet, and i almost got to my breaking point where i almost couldn't smile at anymore faces at my register, which is NOT how i like to be}, and finally getting to go shopping!

the shopping was SO much fun.  even though i didn't get to relax much, it was much more relaxing than homework!!  anyways i made some more additions to my closet.  i know this is the only 2012 list item that i can successfully cross off but i am uber excited about getting new clothes that have functionality & style!  so here's the story through instagram {if you follow me on instagram you probably already know the jist of it lol}.

coming into Indiana from Louisville

after successfully clearing out the outlets!

before & after.... and another after!  i love shoes!

the view from our hotel room... perfection

this is how you roll when you have over 600 booths to go through!!

the two items i walked away with: a vintage clip on bow tie & another owl for my collection

my family and i had so much fun!  i think everyone benefited from the trip.  my sis got some shorts, my mom some jeans & an easter outfit, and even my father found some odd tools that entertained him!!  :)

i'm not looking forward to today {school}, so be praying, i'll need it because i'll be wishing i was back in Indiana with more money to spend!

have a lovely monday!

p.s. the Hunger Games comes out this friday & this is me freaking out!!!

spring break: day 3

today i've decided...

- i am SO ready for spring to stay

- my birthday gifts so far are going to be AMAZING!  i know because i was there when they were purchased.  pictures on the 30th!

- life is good.

- slightly melting ice cream is the best

- the best way to do homework is sitting outside with your laptop on a tv tray all curled up in a comfy chair

- the feeling of living grass between my toes is priceless

- the colors of spring look awesome on my fingernails

- flowers blooming are hints that the future will soon brighten

- that the mid of the semester is almost over and the end of school is coming soon... let the countdown begin!

- the Hunger Games will blow Twilight out of the water!!

a day of random

DAY 1 OF SPRING BREAK 2012

Nana'a House in the A.M. : we had great fun catching up, we spontaneously were productive and got ALL of her christmas decorations tucked away in the basement {she usually leaves her tree up all year round but i guess 2012 is gonna be different :) }.  we had a home-cooked meal: chicken with gravy, bread, & spinach salad {which i've found we both dislike regular ice-burg lettuce! coolness, i'm not alone!!}.  and some new vintage lovelies came home with me from nana's basement!  today was great nana!!

Broke Out the Blog Make-Up : you might have noticed some changes around here!  i needed a change up & worked a big part of the day on the new design, i hope you like!!

Family Meal Time : mom cooked meatloaf {i won't eat anybody else's, mom's is AMAZING!}, corn pudding {had it for the first time, DELISH}, peas, mashed potatoes, & butter rolls.

Demolition : i started taking apart a projector that came from nana's with dad.  we are determined to get thing up and running!  after the running is accomplished, the next step is to purchase some 16mm film & 16mm camera, silent family home movies are going to be involved!

The Bachelor : what in the world just happened?  oh well! lol.  i'm looking forward to Emily's bachelorette season!!

my monday was awesome, i hope yours was too!!

a proud moment

meet my father's third child:  N162KT.  unfortunately this child couldn't follow the "M" trend. lol.

ok, the first thing my peers ask when they find out that their is a helicopter in the family is: "what are you rich?"  and i reply, "absolutely not.  us Phillips's just have a way of making our dreams come true!"

i heard stories of my dad covering his room in aluminum foil, build functional things out of nothing, and he has always enjoyed flying.  he was never able to become an astronaut or pilot, he needed to take over the family business.  but if you know my family, we are not easily stunted.  my dad bought this helicopter in pieces and built it from the ground up.  i don't know how long he spent saving up for it.  i was about 11 or 12 when the big crates arrived at our door step.  the first months were taking inventory of all the parts.  and the following months were watching videos on what to do and what not to do when putting it together.  months turned into years because my dad could only spend his "spare" time on it.  2 hours here, 1 hour and 30 minutes there.  he said it took him 5 years to complete it after he started the building process.  i tell you all this because it's a big part of my dad's {and his family's, including my, life}.

 

 

so after years of hard working, writing everything down, checking & rechecking, inspections, and tests he finally is getting trained to fly the beauty!!  he was out in missouri getting trained this passed week but now that he is on his way back home i just keep thinking how proud i am of him and how lucky i am to have him as a daddy!

dear dad,

i love you.  you can do everything and anything you want.  you are the one i go to when i'm in the middle of a project for help.  and you tell me how to rethink problems and how to build things.  you would always let me help on home improvement tasks even though it took you twice as long that way.  you get frustrated but never give up!  i'm proud of you!  have fun and be safe and live the dream!!

love,

your older little girl

awkward & awesome thursday

finally! i have found the time to let you in on some more awkward & awesome!!

awkward:
- the waiter at longhorn calling me batman because i was wearing a batman shirt... yes i'm wearing the batman shirt but i'm not 4 years old & i don't actually think i'm batman!
- wind + up do = down do  {yes, my hair... it started out good & then it just wasn't}
- posting instagram photos of yourself waiting to "Draw Something"  :)
- realizing you are driving a lime green beetle with happy little flowers in the vase on your dash while listing to some hard core rock music blasting out the windows {looks were given & received by my fellow drivers}
- helping someone with their exam (the teacher said it was ok, i hope): he gets a 53 you get a 67 {seriously? way to bring your A game Mackenzie}
- scheduling classes for this summer and next fall with a different adviser {prayer request for my real adviser- she's sick and on medical leave :/ }
- trying to cook with the big thing of morton's salt because we don't own a shaker... i always pour way too much and things way to salty!

awesome:
- green beans, corn, fajita seasoned chicken, and biscuits
- while we are on the subject of food:  the chocolate stampede at longhorn & my roommates famous honey bun cake!!
- a C on my statistics exam!! YES!! mediocracy is SO underrated!
- "Draw Something" for iphone and android... play me... now!
- instagram march-photo-a-day-challenge
- 10 followers!! YES!  i love each & every one of you!!
- 1 day until SPRING BREAK {i'm going nowhere but NO SCHOOL!!!}

have an awkward & awesome day!!

 

wordy wednesday: entry #4

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

"So God raised him to the highest place.  God made his name greater than every other name so that every knee will bow to the name of Jesus-- everyone in heaven, on earth, and UNDER the earth.  And everyone will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and bring glory to God the Father."

- Philippians 2:9-11

have you ever been so overcome with satan, that you wondered if there was any hope at all?

i have.  this verse is so cool.  it's talking about the power of Jesus's name.  did you catch that part that i fell in love with?  not only does the Bible say that every one in heaven {which is very cool because all the spiritual big wigs are up there :) } and on earth will bow down at the sound of his name BUT all the people UNDER the earth will bow down as well {which is cool because they are ruled by the enemy of God, which means even our adversary has no choice in the matter on whether or not he wants to bow down}!  BAZINGA!  that's amazing!  we have nothing to fear because if the power of Jesus's name is can make satan bow down then think about what he or God can do with their hands in action!  it's awesome!

the battle is one already, so find peace in that!

  

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{one of my favorite songs!}

snow day

{follow me on instagram}

dear kentucky weather,

i love snow, but why couldn't you have sent it before you teased me with spring?  i was so ready for bright colors and no longer having to wear my heavy coat covering up my clothes, but instead i am suffering from whip lash.  first, cold, then hot, leading to tornadoes, only then to be followed by 6 inches of snow, then 50 degree weather making that fluffy white stuff turn to melting heavy chunks of precipitation falling on my head from the trees above?  i don't know what to make of this but will you please make up your mind so i can know what to expect?!

thank you for your consideration,

diy: custom iphone case

{onestep polaroid iphone case}

so i have to tell you the story...  i wanted to make a "team jasper" iphone case for my mother.  however all the design websites online won't let you use celebrity faces in your designs because they would be essentially selling the image without the rights to it.  this made perfect sense but put a damper on what i truly wanted to surprise my mom with.  so my dad and i made a project out of the gift.  we found away around this minor obstacle & in the process made custom cases WAY more affordable!  today, i'm letting you in on the secret.

you will need:

 

{a computer & printer}

{some shears or other cutting device}

{the griffin "reveal" iphone case}

step 1.  measure the case.

i used the measurements 4.54 inches tall and 2.28 inches wide.  but when we cut the image out it was a tad too big.  so i would try 4.5 inches tall and 2.26 inches wide.  make the judgement call when you measure your case but just keep in mind that it needs to be small enough to fit inside the case but big enough to not be bumped off center when you carry it around.

 

step 2.  select & trim the image.

use your computer to select an image from the web.  you can just print the image after you find one that suits your fancy BUT it is much easier to trim & crop your image to the right size in an image editing program.  it doesn't have to be anything fancy i use the "mask image" feature in "pages" on my mac but i'm sure you can use "word" or "photoshop" {if you're fancy,  trust me i'm broke & jealous}.  after you find the image then crop it, print the image.

step 3.  cut the image to fit in your case.

you will need to round the edges and cut out the camera whole {cutting the camera whole works best with an exacto knife}.  it's probably easiest to place the case  down and trace through the camera whole onto the back of your image after you cut the excess paper off of your picture.  your image should look something like the image above after you are finished cutting it down.

step 4.  finishing touches.

put your freshly trimmed image inside the case.  if the picture overhangs the camera whole take some time to trim it again.  after that... voila, you're done!!  enjoy your new awesome custom case!!!

just a few notes.  you can find the griffin "reveal" case in black at target however there is one silmilar in white at walmart, both should work.  you may find some other cases that may work as well but just make sure they have a piece of clear plastic on the back to hold your image in place.

if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!!

have fun & good luck!

closet addition wishes: the spring line up

i want to start blogging about style more.  i think jessica paired with this spring weather that we've been having in the horse capital of the world has really excited me about all the spring styles that are just around the corner.  so my closet additions for this spring will definitely include:

- denim -

{from a beautiful mess}

- colored shoes -

{from eat  sleep  cuddle  }

- stripes & pleats -

{from Beata K.}

- floral print -

{from jessica chronicled}

as you can see, i have some work to do!!  but once i go shopping i'll be keeping my promise to myself to re-style my closet & to add functional pieces to my fashion selections!  i mean that's a valid reason to spend my pay-check right? lol

happy spring wishes!