First Month at UVU!

Wow, I can't believe that I've already completed my first month at UVU. Time really does fly by.

As cliche as this sounds transferring to UVU has seriously been the best decision I've made in my life so far. Since I've transferred I've been so much...happier. I love how welcoming everyone has been at UVU; there are so many resources available and people who genuinely desire for you succeed. While BYU is definitely a great institution, I think that the academic rigor and competitiveness creates a sense of "every man for himself"--something that I found to be overwhelming and kind of unbearable.

Balancing work and school has definitely been a challenge, but I think I'm finally getting the hang of it. After taking that (much needed) year off, adjusting back to a school routine is a little weird but I'm definitely enjoying being back in school. I made a resolution to become more involved with school and so far it's been fun! Being a part of UVUSA by joining the PR committee has been great experience and I love being able to be involved.

This is only the first month in my adventure at UVU and I'm excited to see what else is in store!

DIY Earring Display

Let me just start off by saying that Deseret Industries (DI) is amazing and I'm both ecstatic and a little concerned for my bank account now that I've discovered its wonders. Although it's inexpensive, all the projects in my future will surely add up... Anyways, DI is a derivative of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It's basically a thrift store similar to Goodwill, with locations generally in areas where the LDS church membership is strong. That being said, the closest one to my house in California is about 2 hours away in Sacramento. Because of that, I've only recently experienced the goodness that DI. One of my coworkers was shocked that I've never been to one and we went together after work one day and thus (to quote my mom) another "mormon pinterest person" was born. 

I currently live alone in my apartment and I often find myself rearranging things or redecorating to make myself feel more at home. I scour Pinterest periodically for new projects or inspiration to turn my ideas into a reality. Prior to this project, I used an ugly jewelry stand and a small bowl to hold my jewelry. I knew that I wanted something new and cute to hold my jewelry but I wasn't quite sure of what exactly I wanted. I was inspired by those large picture frame jewelry displays on Pinterest and then I was off to DI to try to find something to fit my needs.

I found that super cute frame at DI for 50 cents, that blue thing for 75 cents, and the black (now) ring holder for 75 cents. I'm not quite sure what that blue thing was before, but it was orange and had an old candle melted into it, so I guess I'm technically using it upside down...? Anyways, I figured it would be perfect for my bracelets! The (now) ring holder was chipped and rusty, and the frame was...well, you can see the previous condition. 

Materials I used during my project:

acrylic paint (walmart)

sandpaper

burlap sheets (walmart)

super glue

foam brush

As you can see, this was a pretty simple project. Several coats of paint and lots of patience later, voila! A cute display set is born. For my next project, I'm working on finding a cute way to display my necklaces...guess this calls for another trip to DI :)

P.S. if you've actually found my blog and looked that this project, thanks for reading :)

"I was hiding under your porch because I love you."

I'm just a little obsessed with the movie Up & it may have a little to do with the fact that Fentons Creamery is featured in the film...and this past week I got to visit this cool house! I don't quite know the whole story behind the creation of this replica, but this gem is located just southwest of Salt Lake City in Herriman Utah! Although the weather wasn't the best, the opportunity to see this in person was just magical. 

Is marriage on my mind right now? Not really. Would engagement pictures at this house be the cutest thing ever? Umm, yes!!

The "UP" house: facebook // website

university mall orem utah

Well, we're already halfway through March! This is so cliche but it's crazy how fast time is flying by. So many things have already happened during 2015. Yesterday was a particularly emotional day for me. Let's just say that I'm a little closer to figuring out what my next step in life is going to be, and that's something I've been trying to figure out for a while now. I try to keep telling myself to stop comparing myself to others based on societal expectations, and that it's really important to remember to not skip stages in life.

“Don’t do that. Don’t skip stages in your life. You’re 19, kiss a few boys and wear your heart on your sleeve. There will come a time when you’re 39 and stuck in a suit, wondering why the hell you were so eager to grow up in the first place.” -- source

This was something I saw on tumblr a while ago and I think about it often (especially since I'm now 19). Anyways, today was just a good day and I wanted to take some time to appreciate it. I've been drooling over admiring the Nikon 3300 recently and I have to keep reminding myself that I'm a broke college student hehe. Buuut my dad (who dabbles in photography) sent me his old Canon Rebel & I love it. I've been playing around with it and am really hoping to improve my (lack of) photography skills.

I will now end this post with one of my favorite photography quotes:

“Amateurs worry about equipment, professionals worry about money, masters worry about light...I just take pictures." -- Vernon Trent  

New Job!

Obviously not the most aesthetically pleasing picture, but it's the only picture I have of Plato's (this taken as I was walking in for my shift). I started a new job, yay! I started at the beginning of February and I work part time--it's a great way to keep myself busy and earn some cash :)

In the 3ish weeks I have worked here I've already learned a lot. I haven't really worked in retail before (lesbihonest, working at Hollister was basically a joke--at least I got a discount during my short time there) and so far I'm loving it. It is fast paced so there is always something to do but I love my coworkers and I get a sweet discount so it's a pretty good setup. 

I've noticed on a lot of social media platforms many of people have complained about the amount of money they receive for selling their clothes. I'm not quite a buyer yet but I do help with buys so I'm at the buy counter a lot, and I just don't think people understand our selling process. First off, we do explain the process to all our customers. But just like how most people don't read all the terms and conditions before they sign things, I think customers kind of tune us out. Second, after we make an offer on what we want to buy the customer does not have to accept it. We always appreciate new inventory. If we make an offer on something that does mean that we want it, but ultimately it is up to the customer to decide if he/she wants to sell it to us. Since we price things at 50-75% off of their original retail price, we offer 30-40% of our retail price to the customer--that way we can still make a profit because it is a business. A lot of people are in love with our low prices but get angry or offended when they are offered what they consider is a low offer on their buy--we can't buy clothing and accessories at high prices and sell them at low prices, it just doesn't work that way. 

Anyways, enough ranting. I have a little ways to go before I become an official buyer so I'll worry about sorting buys and talking to customers about their buys when the time comes. I actually applied for this job on a whim and was (pleasantly) surprised when I got it. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and look forward to learning lots more while getting to know all of my lovely coworkers :)