New job, new office, new designs

I just got my first job as an art therapist working at the in-patient psychiatric wing of the hospital. I'm excited about working there, esp since i interned there, so it feels like i already know the ropes.
New job
     New paychecks!
            New office
                  New space to decorate
My office is a teeny tiny hole-in-the-wall.
I could paint it, but that's not worth the money or effort. the color isn't hideous. So, instead i'm just finding art and little things that are my style to make it feel like me.

I colored some pictures during a class (the torn book courtesy of Bailey)

And i hand-sewed this pillow (sadly, I copied the idea)

And the chair was a Goodwill find (on student-discount Wednesdays). I didn't take a "before" picture, but imagine a tired-out chair that needed a little sanding and some fresh polish...

And this little table was found on Craigslist 

After sanding and a little paint...

And the final product:

All done for about $30

For all my friends getting married... or having a party

I found this post on a friend's Facebook page:

http://www.downloadandprint.com/page/3/

It is a bunch of free invitation templates (mostly wedding, but you could change them around).

How much fun, esp for the crafty person, like myself.

Some examples- my personal favorites:

LOVE this one

and this one:

and last but not least

A little self-therapy

I am finishing up my academic career (for now, at least), and i recently got a job as the art therapist at the in-patient psychiatric wing at the hospital. so i'm working almost full-time with breaks for classes, and then fitting in homework, boyfriend, dog, friends, and occasionally sleep in between.
Needless to say, i'm busy.
However, i don't really take time for myself to unwind and relieve stress. how about a little art therapy? isn't is odd that while i'm an art therapist i don't actually practice what i preach?
A little musings in-between writing a research paper and in an 8 hour class on a saturday

My new face wash

I read on a friend's blog about her new face cleaning treatment. It's called the Oil Cleansing Method. At first it sounded crazy. Here, I'm going to smear oil over my face in the Florida humidity, and see what happens...
However, once i read the website on how to use oil to clean your face, it kind of made sense. My skin produces natural oil. So, why strip oil from my face with a face wash, only to re-apply fake "oil" through lotions? So i went to the drug store and bought my castor oil and my sunflower seed oil (read the article- it tells you everything).
My face isn't usually a problem, but I've been using this method for about two weeks and love it. My face feels so clean, and it doesn't end up oily at the end of the day like it used to. I recommend giving it a try. Your face will feel oh-so-clean, and it's a lot cheaper then constantly buying face wash!

Spring time gardening

Our neighbors across the street recently decorated their porch. Maggie (my roommate) and I declared Cute-Porch-War against them and have been working on making our porch cute, too. We did have a wreath on the porch, and had made a recent addition with a hanging fern. However, this adorable across-the-street-porch with its little potted flowers and hanging colored lanterns upped the competition.

Maggie is in charge of looking for cute lights or a new summer-y wreath for us, and i planted the flowers. I went to Home Depot and looked for pretty, hard-to-kill flowers that needed lots of sun. We ended up with four pots, and I'll highlight a few before they inevitably die!

I also took spoons I found at a garage sale and hammered them flat to make little decorations. 

And the finishing touch is one happy dog!

Rainy Day equals craft day

A blessed day free from any duties..... and it is pouring down rain

And a bored puppy who really wants a walk

So the best thing to do on a rainy day is something crafty- or several crafty things. I had a lot of little charms and pendants from old necklaces that i never wear anymore, and i've been wanting to combine them and make a new necklace for some time. So, today was the day. 

I went to Joann's and got some cheap silver chains and clasps (on sale!). 

And made this:

But i also had gold charms and finding a cheap gold chain was harder. 

So, i found a great alternative: a gold glasses chain (yes, like the one a grandma would wear). The charms were an old watch, a little gold locket and a four leaf clover pin that had all belonged to my grandmother. The chain was perfect!

The other rainy-day project was an old powder case i "borrowed" from my grandmother. It's gorgeous red leather with gold flowers and leaves on the cover. I found it in her attic and loved it, but had no idea how i could use it.

Until I thought about a picture frame. All i had to do was remove the pad and filter (and clean the make up out), cut a picture of me and Ben...

And now I have a new frame with old memories!

And, yes, Bailey did get her run- in the rain

How to not dehydrate your dog at the beach...

Monitor how much sand she eats,

Keep an eye on her in the ocean,

Make sure she finds a buddy (or two) to play with,

Force her to drink non-salty water

Once she stops throwing up, she'll have the time of her life!