self portrait saturday!

It's been a while since I took any photos with my hair up. I used to live with my hair up. I hated the feeling of it down. I don't know what changed, but leaving it down is now my norm.

If you're just joining us for Self Portrait Saturday, this is a little series I started about a month or so ago to encourage you ladies to take the reigns and step in front of your cameras. Sometimes there is an optional theme that I announce during the week on my blog or Facebook page, and sometimes it's just a free-for-all, like today. I think it's important that we celebrate ourselves and become self aware.  These photos are a learning experience, in a way. How can you improve from one photo to the next... from one week to the next? Become aware of your features and body through the lens and learn to embrace them. Don't be shy, be proud. You are unique and the only you.

Instead of doing these every week, I decided to do them every second weekend. All you need is a camera and yourself. Take the shots, pick the best ones, and put them into a blog post along with this button below so others can join in. Link up your blog post below!

What I'm still learning:

How to work my face in front of the camera. So often my mouth does such wonky things. My lip naturally curves up on one side so it's hard to pull off some straight-faced moments with everything being symmetrical. I'm also still learning how to take full body shots. I find it extremely difficult given the lack of open areas I have to work with here. Maybe when the weather warms up again. Show me what you've got!

<a href="http://www.thewonderforest.com/search/label/self portrait saturdays" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k-kHFDxwcSk/TzV24cefVnI/AAAAAAAACgM/St8PkRcUlSY/s1600/selfsats.jpg" /></a>

Beauty From Nature... A Magical Cream?

A little while ago, Katie contacted me and introduced me to her mom's company Arabella's Beauty From Nature and suggested I give it a try.  I had previously mentioned on here that I was having some annoying skin issues so I decided to take her up on the offer.

The products are all handmade from organic and natural materials. Katie has since taken over the company from her mom and opened up a second shop which includes photos of the actual products in case the first shop doesn't float your boat.

I received a package including the Age Deny Daily Replenisher, Age Deny Night Repair, and Marigold Eye Cream. I am usually pretty hesitant to try new products due to my skin being so wacky but at that moment I was at my wits end and thought that it couldn't get much worse. In terms of my skin condition at that time, it was pretty much the worst it's ever been in my entire life.  I'm talking hormonal acne popping up all over the place... (the things they don't tell you when you stop your birth control). I was never one to get bad acne... I was more of a random single breakout type girl, so this was super frustrating for me. 

I started applying the day cream and eye cream in the morning, and the night cream before bed with no clue on what it would do for my skin.  I did this for about a week before I noticed that those super annoying under-the-skin breakouts had totally stopped happening and my skin looked noticeably less irritated. I didn't want to get my hopes up of course, so I just kept up with the routine for a couple more weeks to make sure it was working.  I always like to give my skin a while to adapt to products and I would never say "Oh wow this product totally works" after only using it for a week.  After those couple weeks were over, I emailed Katie to let her know my thoughts:

Hey Katie!

I've been using your mom's moisturizers for about 2 weeks now and I have to say that I'm pretty sure I love them.

I was actually going through a huge hormonal skin dilemma over the past 2 months or so... I mentioned it a little on my blog... basically my face decided to go nuts and break out like crazy after going off my birth control pills. Seriously, worse than my skin has ever been in my life.  Anyways, I tried everything to get it back to normal... my regular face wash used to be incredible and I swore by it, but all of a sudden it was just not doing anything for me since these breakouts were hormonal.

I switched to a basic drugstore Neutrogena (Oil Free Acne) face wash since my other one was drying me out pretty bad, and decided to try your moms stuff afterwards. I seriously think it's done some magic because I haven’t had a breakout since and my face is looking so good. I normally have issues with moisturizers because my skin is so sensitive that it just makes things 10x worse. So far, no issues at all and my skin feels great! I'm going to continue using it for another week... I like to give products a decent amount of time to adapt before completely being excited about it haha... but if it keeps doing what it's doing I'll be a happy girl!
Xox Dana

The textures of the creams are smooth and thick. They remind me almost of a cold cream.  They absorb wonderfully and are easy to wear under makeup without feeling greasy. As for anti-aging miracles, I'm not quite sure yet because I really didn't have too many aging skin areas to combat, but on the areas I have used the creams my skin is definitely brighter, less irritated, and soft. I wouldn't say my skin is 100% perfect yet as I am still battling with my hormones but it's absolutely (maybe 80%) better than it was and I believe these moisturizers definitely helped.

I wanted to share this review with you because I was happy with the results after using this cream. Know that I would never falsely review something that I didn't actually try or personally like. If you're interested in finding out more about Arabella's Beauty From Nature, check out the store here or here (it's still a work in progress).

What are some of your favourite skin products??? Have you battled hormonal breakouts before? (annoying!)

By the way, tomorrow I'm going to do another Self Portrait Saturday linkup and I want to see you there! No theme this time, just grab your camera and use your imagination! Remember what this project is all about... becoming comfortable with your camera, body, and being self aware! 

I also still have some sponsor spots available for the start of April! Go grab one if you want to advertise here :)

The Hunger Games ...Opinions from a non-fan.

I saw The Hunger Games last night and wanted to give my honest thoughts without trying to spoil it for those that haven't seen it yet. I actually had no idea what this movie even was, and had never read the book.  I became curious after seeing so many fellow bloggers going nuts over the fact that this movie was being made, all the way up to its release.

Honestly, it was a decent movie. Was it great? In my opinion, it was nothing spectacular. I felt like it was very much made for those who had read the book and kind of left the rest of us out in the dark a bit.  It was all very fast paced, which I actually tend to like in a movie because that leaves little overly drawn out scenes. However, at times it did feel rushed. I understand that they had to fit a whole book into a 2.5 hour movie, but I wish there was some more emphasis on certain things.  For example, the deaths all happened so quickly. We're left to wonder what happened to half of the cast. I guess if you read the book you're supposed to already know what happened, but that's an easy example of leaving us non-Hunger Games fans out in the dark.

Secondly, the whole idea of "The Hunger Games" in general is obviously a weird and unrealistic concept, but in a way I guess it just seemed kind of flawed to me. Why were these communities of people simply going along with it all? How did the Capital come to power and have such an insane amount of control over the people? Why were they interfering with the game and essentially killing off people on their own when the whole point was to see how long the tributes could last on their own (that part just didn't seem fair to me, especially if people are supposedly bidding on each district)? This stuff I thought could have been explained a bit better. I'm sure it all made sense for people who had read the book, but for everyone else that hadn't, it seemed like we were just thrown into the story.

I think I just expected to see a lot more things that seemed to be missing from the story.... more story building I guess. The sponsors and bidding on the tributes was something that I thought was going to make it more interesting, but aside from a few instances, this didn't seem help build the story at all. I also found much of it very predictable, even having not read the book. Dustin and I were actually calling what would happen next throughout the film, and it would happen just as we envisioned. I like some element of surprise to my movies, and this one didn't really give me any of that.

One major thing I needed to point out was something that I am SO confused about after reading other fan's reviews of the movie.  They were so enamored with the whole relationship between Katniss and Peeta, and I honestly just don't understand it. I didnt feel the love between the two at ALL. I didn't even know that they were supposed to be in love until reading other fan reviews.

The history of the two was rushed, and from what I gathered they didn't even know each other well. Sure there were flashbacks of one scene from their past when They looked at each other after he did a nice deed for her but I felt absolutely no love from that... In fact I thought that she and the other dude from her district were more into each other than her and Peeta. It kind of surprised me when they suddenly had brief emotions for one another, but even then I didn't consider it a love thing, I just thought that they were sticking together because they were team mates.  I felt as though the whole "couple" thing, if anything, was forced so that the sponsors would fall for this "young love" story. Am I the only one who felt this way!?  Even near the end she was almost hesitant to show the world that they were a "couple".

Being that everything happened so quickly, at the end we were left thinking "oh, that's it? What was the fuss about?"

As I said though, it wasn't a terrible movie, it was still a pretty decent movie, I just don't really understand the obsessiveness with it, and it wouldn't be something that I'd watch again.

On a positive note, I thought the acting was great, the set design was awesome, and I was kind of excited to see my first musical love and past client Lenny Kravitz appear, with his glamorous gold eyeliner and all (lol).

I know my opinions probably greatly differ from those who were fans of the book which is totally understandable. I know how it feels to be completely in love with a story and see it translated to the big screen. When I was a kid my favourite book was Tuck Everlasting and when that was finally made into a movie I was stoked! Barely anybody had heard of it before but I was completely in awe with it. It brought back so many childhood memories just thinking about the short novel. The movie turned out to be exactly as I had pictured everything in my head, from the set design to the characters... Everything. So I can completely understand how something like this can excite the fans.

So there you have it. Now try not to hate me, Hunger Games friends..? ;)

Discuss your thoughts with us in the comments!

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photos: google images & etsy

new designs and pretty pennies!

Hey friends! I have another blog post that I'll be posting later today about my opinions on The Hunger Games movie... (as someone who didn't read the book)... but but but I wanted to share with you a couple of my latest blog designs first! There are a few others I haven't posted before but have put on my design services page so check it out.

I literally JUST finished publishing this one for the lovely Zoe of Zoella. I'm a fan of her blog and am so thrilled she trusted me to make her site pretty :)

Next was this header design for Suzels Says.  She had a previous blog design that needed some fixing (bad coding needed a tuneup) and wanted a new look for her header:

Posh Purses Boutique was another recent one I completed for Yolanda. I am happy I was able to pull off her vision and create something pretty with a bit of vintage wear:

Anna is a doll and was thrilled with her new design for Wild With Wanderlust. She wanted something simple that still made an impact. Her initial idea came from some band type posters so I recreated the same feel throughout her design:

So there you have it! Just a select few of the recent work I've been busy with lately.  Now onto some other news...

Our shop Fawn & Flora started these awesome flash sales, called Pretty Pennies Popup Sales. Basically, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday we will be bringing you some new sales that will only last for the day.  These sales will be totally random and based on current inventory.  We'll have everything from a certain % off a select section, buy one get one free, free shipping... They will always be different!  Today, you can take 15% off all FABRIC until 2am EST.  The discounts are automatically applied at checkout for you.

Be sure to subscribe to our Facebook page, Twitter, or blog for all of the latest sale announcements!

taking time to refresh

When you work from home, it is so easy to get stuck in the same routine. Believe me, my entire days consist of doing the same things over and over again. I've always got plenty to do, and my list of projects is currently a mile long (I'm currently working on 12 blog designs at once). While it's great to feel accomplished while working your little butt off, I've found it can actually be a bit detrimental to your success.

As the above image reads, "sometimes a break from your routine is the very thing you need."  It cannot be more true. I've always found that taking a break from what I'm doing to focus on something else, or even taking a break to do absolutely nothing at all, is so necessary. I call it my "refresh" mode. If too many things are going on at once, my mind is too crammed to concentrate properly, which in turn results in lousy work. Lousy work isn't exactly something that I can be proud of.  I need those refresh moments.

I'm currently working on an e-book (that will be available here), among everything else I have going on. This project has been in my mind for quite some time now and it feels so good to finally put my plan into action. While it may seem like I have absolutely no time to even tackle this idea, I do. I separate my projects effectively so that there is always time to work on each one. I suppose writing this e-book IS a part of my "refresh time" since it's a different type of process. It's calming in a way, and takes me away from the routine I'm so used to.

If you ever feel overwhelmed, or if your work just isn't measuring up to your own expectations, I assure you that you probably just need a break. There is ALWAYS time to finish something, and taking as much time as you need to refresh and clear your mind will be so worth it and can only result in good things. 

How do you break away from your routine?

p.s. I've chosen the winners for the big birthday giveaway... go here and scroll down to see if you won!

Little Cosmetics Haul

On my birthday Dustin took me to the drugstore to pick out some cosmetics. I normally only purchase my mascara and eyeliner at the drugstore because I had never been a fan of the quality of products they offered for other things.  To my surprise though, drugstore cosmetics have improved so much! The brands are plentiful and there is a great variety for everyone. They also stock different price points which is fantastic... i.e. if you are looking for something a little better in quality they have it!

I am probably the worst at picking out cosmetics. It takes me SO long.  There are just too many pretty things to look at, and I always have to compare brands to see which one is better for the price. Thankfully, he didn't complain (probably because it was my birthday!) and I walked out with some new finds.

I really didn't get too much, but I was satisfied for the day. I was even more satisfied because everything was on sale for like half off. I'm kind of a sale hunting queen.

The first thing I grabbed was a perfectly pink lipstick by Rimmel. As you probably know, I swear by their mascara (and kohl eyeliner) so I wanted to try something else out.  I grabbed the last of this colour called "Airy Fairy" Lasting Finish Lipstick and let me just say that it is the most perfect shade of light pink. It's pretty much a natural shade when it's on my lips, but it just adds a bit more life to my face.

The other things I grabbed were from Gosh Cosmetics, which I had never tried, but always walked by their displays and thought how colourful and pretty they looked.  My drugstore had a box of these "final sale/clearance" colours so I spent the majority of my time digging through it all.

First I got a golden waterproof Velvet Touch Eye Liner in Rising Sun, which I planned on using as an all-over eye colour too. The other two things I snagged were both Extreme Art Eyeliners, which are "extremely waterproof"... and I can attest to the fact that they definitely are. I just loved the colours and vibrancy of them both. I got #09 Blue Art Eyeliner and #04 Yellow Art Eyeliner.  The tip is a thin brush tip and it really goes on smoothly.

See how vibrant those liquid liners are? Fabulous!  You can apparently also use them on your nails (weird, right?!):

INSIDER TIP: Apply a little on the outer layer of the eyelashes – this gives a super funky look. Use it for body art or to decorate your nails. Beautiful lines and flowers can be drawn on the nails and then sealed with a clear nail lacquer such as GOSH TOP COAT.

Overall very  happy with my purchases... well, Dustin's purchases haha. I think these shades will be great for summer too.  What colours do you like to wear in the summer? What are your fav cosmetic brands?

i found my dress!

Well, I've done it. I bought the dress I will be married in! I randomly found it at a popup sale and it is perfect, not to mention I scored it for like 90% off. It's definitely not a traditional gown, but absolutely perfect for what we had in mind. Well, what we sort of had in mind. Plans... we do not have them in stone yet though we are still talking about getting married on our anniversary which is August 1st.  Either way though, it will be outside, either on the beach, a lake, a or forest perhaps.  The style I'm going for is fairy-like... a woodland/beachy goddess if you will, haha.  I'm enlisting the services of my partner in crime to create a lovely floral halo to finish off the look.

We still haven't decided exactly where it will be, and if we'll just do our own private little thing or invite our families.  We don't want a traditional wedding, but more like a quiet ceremony and hang outs afterwards. Not to mention we don't want to spend a lot of money on this thing. Maybe I should start a new feature on my blog as we plan it? Thoughts?

I wish I could post a photo here but Dustin might see it!  So unfortunately you will have to wait.  This experience has actually made me really excited and ready to start making some definite plans!  Is that what normally happens when you find a dress??!  Eeps!!

I've even started a new Pinterest board full of wedding inspiration if you want to take a peek!  I'll surely be adding to this one.

How did you feel after you found your dress? Or if you're not yet married, what does your perfect wedding look like?

I'll leave you with some of my fav photos from my board: 

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slacker sunday: would you rather....

 Would you rather...
Be able to speak every language on earth
OR
Be able to talk to animals?

Meet Jamie...

Today I'm letting Jamie take over and share a little bit about herself with you all! She is my top sponsor this month and a fellow blogger who owns a sweet little jewelry shop! If you're interested in sponsoring Wonder Forest, head on over to my sponsorship page now! 

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Hey there lovely Wonder Foresters! I'm Jamie. I blog at a little place called Awesomely-Awkward.  Who are you and why am I reading this you ask? Well, I'm Jamie but I think we already covered that. I am the girl who got braces when she was 23... I dance around the kitchen singing to my cat with a wooden spoon and a mic. Me and my hubs laugh at each other all the time. (he's a college student... we ran away when we were 18 and got married). I could eat french fries with every meal... sometimes I do.

I work at a bank and go to college at night. I blog and make jewelry in my spare time. I like to have a way to stay creative.

I would like to think my blog is funny.

I sometimes say random sometimes inappropriate things.

It's always exciting though, I don't really have a schedule. I write about what I want, when I want. Blogging is my hobby. It's something that I love to do. Sharing stories, making people laugh, maybe even teaching people something. Some style posts... some (not so gourmet) recipes... Mostly it's me sharing my life's awesome and awkward moments.

My life is not always interesting but it sure is fun to write about.

I also have an online jewelry shop. I love making jewelry and if I had the chance, I would spend all day making custom items. It just another great way for me to express myself.  My shop hasn't been open for long but I have already had some great success.

I love working with silver (can you tell?) but work with gold, beads, and other metals as well.

I hope you guys have enjoyed learning a little more about me. Come stop by the blog and say hi anytime!

If you feel like checking out the shop use code "wonder" at checkout for 20% off all orders.

Visit Jamie: Blog | Shop | Facebook | Twitter

another year older

Thank you for all of the birthday love yesterday!  It felt really great to just take the day off and spend it with my man!  My mom surprised me Thursday night with a bike and some accessories (more on that later) so Dustin and I decided it was necessary to take a ride together.  I honestly haven't ridden a bike in like 15 years, but once I got over my butt hurting I was good... and also learned that I'm pretty out of shape.

We later headed up to the beach in hopes of enjoying the sun, but it started to cool off and wasn't really "beach weather".  If only we did this Wednesday instead! We broke a 100 year old record when temps reached 27°C! It was like summer, absolutely amazing!

The beach was empty but there was a nice fog happening just over top of the sand that was pretty cool. We hung out there for a little while together and enjoyed the view.

Soon after these photos were taken I noticed this:

Oops!

So I made friends with a seagull instead...

And then we left.

We did some shopping and I spent way too long in the cosmetics department. I'll share my grabs with you later!

Now back to the bike thing. Seriously, my mom is the best ever. I was talking to her on the phone Wednesday night and then I hung up to take my dog outside. As I step out onto the front porch I see this sitting there:

A brand new bike! And a tire pump. And a birthday bag full of goodies. And pink streamers. Yes, streamers!  At first I thought Dustin did this for me because that very same day he actually went to the store to get me a bike but was told to come back the next day because they weren't put together yet.  He had no idea what I was trying to say as I exclaimed... "what?. omg!.. bike... front.. BIKE!".  Please note that my mom lives over an hour away. I called her back immediately and she laughed! I had NO idea she had this waiting for me.  She apparently drove it all up here after work, dropped it off, and went on her way back home. Somehow without me even knowing!  It was such an awesome surprise!

All in all it was a fabulous day. I loved reading all of your birthday wishes, they made it all that more special :)

P.s. I'm skipping Self Portrait Saturday this weekend. I think I'm going to start doing it every 2nd week instead due to the ups and downs of turnouts. This will give you more time to prepare. So the next one will happen next weekend instead and it will just be an open submission, no theme!

Hey guys, it's Dustin!

Hey friends! Today is my birthday and I'm taking the day off, so my fiance is taking over my blog! Such a sweetheart, isn't he!? ;)

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Hello everyone! You probably don't know me, but I'm Dana's fiance. My name is Dustin and I'm the luckiest guy in the world. Why? Because I just won $10 on this scratch-off lottery ticket. Oh, and I'm also with Dana ;)

Dana and I met on the interweb -- Myspace in particular (remember Myspace? lol) -- and we started off as friends because I never thought I'd be lucky enough to meet her. Actually, I thought she was an e-celebrity because she had like 50,000 friends on Myspace.

I would spam her every day on AIM with links to stories that I wrote on my blog, and she slowly realized how awesome I was. We were both in relationships with other people at the time -- shady, I know. One day, we decided that I should visit her in Toronto, so we broke up with our bfs and gfs and I headed over to Canadia to meet my future wife for the first time in person.

You know how some people meet and there are magical sparks? Well, Dana and I had a cosmic explosion between us. It was like the sun collapsed on itself and then exploded, wiping out the whole galaxy... but in a good way. I didn't want to leave two days later, but we said our temporary goodbyes.

I returned about two weeks later and had a so-so time. Just kidding -- it was even more awesome than the previous time with her. The only crappy part was when I swiped the side of my car against a concrete pillar in a parking garage. That sucked, but that car ended up being a monumental piece of metal poo anyway, so whatever.

After my fourth visit, I went on a four day vacation to Los Angeles because I got plane tickets for $9 each way. Who could turn that down? The day I returned home and went to work, my boss called me into his office and fired me for being on the internet too much at work.

I know you're thinking "that sucks," but it was actually the best thing that's ever happened to me. I had three choices after that:

1) Try to find another job in Michigan.
2) Move to Alabama where my parents live, stay with them, and start over -- but I'd be twenty hours away from Dana.
3) Throw away most of my belongings and pile whatever clothes I could into the trunk of my car, and cross the border into Canada with my cat.

Option 3 seemed like the most logical to me because I had strong feelings for Dana and decided I'd rather be broke and in love in Canada than semi-broke in the U.S. dating girls that weren't Dana.

Dana took me in and supported me like a sugar mama for THREE YEARS while I went through the arduous immigration process. I'll be indebted to her forever, emotionally and financially. Simply put, she saved me. Kinda like Jesus.

Fast forward almost four years and we're still together and make eachother laugh every day. Sometimes we can read each others' minds. I'll be singing a song in my head, and she will somehow start singing it out loud at the exact part that I left off in my mind. Where is William Shatner to say "Is that weird or what?"

I used to be a ladies man, but now I'm a Daney's man. That's my nickname for her... Daney Bizmo. I usually just call her Bizmo. Lately, I've been calling her Pimzbro because it sounds like Bizmo and all my nicknames eventually evolve into something else that's more fun to say.

Dana, thank you for letting me write this blog post, but I am very hungry now and you're making me do the dishes today. Still, I love you and want to wish you the happiest birthday ever!

Love,
Justin Bieber

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I loooooooove you baby! I mean, Justin Bieber! I must say, the man can certainly still make me laugh every single day!

Sponsor Party Giveaway!

Tomorrow is my birthday! To help me celebrate, some of my sponsors decided to get in on a little gift-giving action with over $200 worth of awesome stuff, just for you!  I wanted to do something a little different this time around though... so I am throwing in my own little Wonder Forest prize as well!!! There will be winners for each prize this time around, so you have a whole bunch of chances to win something!  Scroll down to enter!

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I am using this thingie for the first time to collect entries!  Just do what it says below and you'll be golden! All of the bolded entry titles are mandatory, and then there are additional ones that will be unlocked after you complete them! The more entries you earn, the more chances you have to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

death and guilt

I just found out that my grandmother passed away today. The past couple of weeks haven't been so good as far as death and hospitals go. My grandma was a great lady, when I knew her.  I can't say that we've been close the past decade or so... in fact, far from it.  I hadn't talked to her or seen her in many many years, since our families disconnected when my parents split up.

I should be sad, but I don't feel anything and it's making me feel badly. Maybe it's because I haven't been a part of that family for half of my life now. As if she was already gone... because in reality, she was.

I've been asked to the funeral. I've been made to feel guilty if I don't go.

Guilt.  It doesn't make much sense to me. The necessity of funerals don't make much sense to me to be honest.  Especially if you haven't been a part of that person's life for so long. Yes, she was family, but family in my opinion goes deeper than a last name. I'm not bitter, but this wouldn't accomplish anything. We found out about her passing through a posting on Facebook.

Does that make me a bad person?  I don't think it does.

Funerals in general. I can't do them. I am not someone who can sit in a room full of people and let my emotions out. I prefer to do that in my own privacy, and deal with things in my own way. Pressuring someone into feeling guilty for making the choice not to attend is not right. Looking down on someone for not publicly grieving is absurd.  I believe that everybody should find peace in their own way, whether that be in a church or in their bedroom, alone. I'd already found mine.  Who are you to decide what's right for someone else?

I didn't go to my other grandma's funeral last year. I couldn't. I loved her a lot and I still think about her every day, but the thought of going didn't sit well with me. I had already made my peace with her as she was fading away, alive and in person. And that was good enough for me. I've been looked down on since then for not going. I've been asked if I regretted it. If I thought I would regret it, I would have been there. I don't regret it for one second. I dealt with her death in my own way. I cried my own tears.

Why should seeing my face and my emotions in an unhappy setting be something that proves to others that I cared? Why should I even have to prove this at all?

I won't feel guilty, because guilt has no meaning. It is just a feeling placed upon you to make you feel like less than you are.

RIP Grandma. I wish you could have been a bigger part of my life.

Am I wrong?

updates to advertising (sponsor call)

Hello lovelies! I'm calling out to see if anyone is interested in sponsoring Wonder Forest for April! It's that time again!  I've also changed how my advertising is done (it's much simpler now), so note the changes!

You can now head on over to my Sponsor page any time you like and grab a spot. My ads are sold through Passionfruit Ads now, which is an awesome new ad hosting and management service for people like me!  I've done away with by-the-month sponsorships, so whenever you purchase an ad, no matter the date, it will run for one month starting from the time you place the order and I approve it. 

Ads purchased now, however, will not start until April 1st because the month of March is already full. If a spot is full already, you will see an "Available" date beside the ad package.  Once again, you can still purchase these ads at ANY time, they would just start running on the next "Available" date.  So, if you want to grab an opening for April, do that now!

Is this confusing you? I hope not! It's really rather simple. Just head on over to my sponsor page to see it all in action!

I will be limiting the amount of ad spaces I have available after March is over as well. This is to cut down on sidebar clutter and offer better exposure for the number of sponsors I will have.

Also, I'm doing features with my XL sponsors a little differently. I used to post these in an interview-type format, but from now on any XL sponsors will get to take over my blog for the day with a guest post.

Remember, you don't have to wait for me to do one of these sponsor call posts, you can purchase a spot at ANY time!

Spring DIY Inspiration

Happy Monday, friends!  I hope you all had a safe weekend!  I definitely enjoyed the beautiful weather we're having. Got in some outdoor time and had my mom visit, with intentions to pick up my birthday gift! She had planned to get me a bike (yippeee!) but by the time we had arrived at the store to pick it up they were closed :(. Oh well, I still have a couple more days before I hit the big 2-8 on Thursday, so we'll pop in during operating hours sometime.

A couple of Dustin's family members are coming today, so I don't have much time to post this and get ready and clean this entire house! First time meeting them so it should be fun.

Anyways, with spring just around the corner, I thought it was necessary to pull out some of my fav DIY projects!  I don't know about you, but this amazing weather has me in a crafty mood. (By the way, I heard that the reason for this gorgeous sunshine is due to the horrible earthquake in Japan that happened... Apparently it affected the Earth's rotation and threw it off it's axis by four degrees or something... crazy!).

Turn a spoon or fishing rod rack into a cute little sunglasses holder!  How cute is this? My sunglasses always go missing and pile up in random places so this would be so perfect. Check it out here.

Make your own heating pad! Love this idea, and I would have never thought to use RICE!  Check it out at The Paper Mama here.

Turn an old cookie sheet into a cute spring inspired tray! I can just see some fresh glasses of lemonade being carried outside on this thing.  Check it out here.

Tint your own mason jars! Loving the colours! You could even serve cold drinks in these with a cute straw (update: apparently these are unsafe to drink out of :( darn!)! Check out the tutorial here.

Cute little fabric covered DIY journals!  Perfect for jotting down quick thoughts! Check it out here.

Make some keychains using scraps of fabric!  Awesome little gift idea too! Learn how here.

Make your own adorable picnic blanket! I love this idea, and it can be done super cheap! Check it out here.

Have a lovely day, friends!