Personalize Your Tech Gear with Washi Tape - Personalized External Hard Drive

I like an eclectic desk. I tend to use items to store things like note cards or pens that weren't necessarily designed for that purpose. I also want the items that sit on my desk for any length of time to be aesthetically pleasing to my eye. As a writer I have to sit at my desk a lot. Having cool things to look at I find helps to boost the creative in me. I also discovered when I get creative in other ways like crafting my overall creativity is given a boost (as if I needed a reason to craft.)My external hard drive was smooth and sleek but pretty boring until I decided to give it a makeover with some washi tape.Washi tape is a great way to personalize your tech gear or even to remake home decor accessories or every day items like candles (see photo below), jars, boxes etc.This of course isn't the fist time I've spruced up my tech gear. I gave my MacBook a boost using a lap top cover and some decoupage, because I didn't want to do anything physically to my actual laptop. You check out my DIY Decoupage Laptop Cover post to find out how.To create this personalized external hard drive I simply grabbed three types of coordinating washi tape and lined them up. I didn't even use scissors as I knew I'd cover the torn edges - though it looked pretty cool that way too. How intricate your design is will be totally up to you. The sky is the limit.

DIY Decoupage Dress Form & Homemade Modpodge Recipe

Last Friday morning I awoke with a mission. To paint a shelf and spruce up my office. The sprucing up of my office involved rearranging some books and tackling a dress form I had leaning against a wall because it was somehow broken in our move.It wasn't bothering me as you really couldn't tell it was "leaning" because the skirt of the Book Fairy costume I had on it kept it up right. However it was taking up serious real estate and I knew I either had to fix it. Give it away, or find some new purpose for it. I chose the latter and I got to recycle my costume as well.One handmade Book Fairy costume and one beat up dress form... Combined to become this lovely decorative addition that I love so much more.It was super easy to do.Here's how you can create your own DIY Decoupage Dress Form.If you have a beat up dress form like I did, simply remove the soft fabric cover and foam. Scrape away as much if not all of the foam you can. I used a sharp knife for the areas that were glued on and wouldn't just pull away. Once you've cleared away as much as the foam as possible you're ready to begin decoupaging.I didn't have enough Modpodge left to complete this project, and waiting the 10-12 days for Amazon to deliver it to me just wasn't an option. So I turned to Pinterest and discovered a ton of recipes for Modpodge, the one I used was so simple.  I can't believe I'd not made some sooner.  I found the recipe on this delightful blog called Lulatastic.To make your own decoupage glue you'll need:PVA Glue AKA Elmers Glue and water. That's it. Nothing else.I used 1 cup of Elmer's Glue All and 1/3 cup of water. Mix them together in a jar via a vigorous shaking and voila! You've got your very own Modpodge glue to decoupage to your heart's content! This formula produces a matte decoupage which is just how I prefer it.Once you've got your glue you're ready to begin to decoupage your dress form.In addtion to the glue, you'll need paper or fabric of your choosing to decoupage with, a brush and something to "smush" out the bubbles.When decoupaging I prefer to use a sponge-brush but you can use whatever sort of brush you like and something to flatten out the air-bubbles. On this particular occasion I used my fingers but a silicone spatula works great too. If you don't mind glue all over your fingers do it my way. If you'd rather not be taken back to elementary school, use gloves.To decoupage:Grab your paper dab the back with glue. Brush some glue onto your dress form, place the paper glue side down and brush the air bubbles away, any that don't come out smooth with your fingers or what-ever device you choose. Continue in this manner until you've completed your project. Overlapping as you go.Don't have a dress form? You can make your own. Grab and friend and some duct tape and head over to this page for the instructions on how to make your own DIY Dress Form.

Chocolate Espresso Brownies

Often times here in Italy when you order a caffè you get a lovely shot of espresso. I usually order a caffè doppio (double shot) and always enjoy the piece of dark chocolate that is sometimes accompanied with the coffee. This recipe combines the two to create a brownie any dark chocolate lover would enjoy.Ingredients:3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for the pan1/2 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled1/4 cup natural cocoa powder1 teaspoon fine salt1/2 teaspoon baking powder3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped1 cup granulated sugar1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar3 large eggs2 tablespoons brewed espresso or extra-strong brewed coffee, at room temperature1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, choppedDirections:Heat oven to 350° F.Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line with 2 crisscrossed pieces of parchment, buttering in between the pieces to help them stick and leaving an overhang on all sides. Butter the top of the parchment.Whisk together the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl; set aside.Combine the butter and unsweetened chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until melted. Let cool slightly.Whisk in the sugars, eggs, espresso, and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Fold in the bittersweet chocolate.  Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes.Let cool completely in the pan.Holding the paper overhang, lift the brownies out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 16 squares. Recipe via Real Simple Magazine, September 2014

Libreria Acqua Alta: Quirky Venice, Italy Bookshop

Living in Italy certainly has its perks... A short train ride to Venice is unquestionably one. Last week, while meandering over canals and waxing poetic, I remembered this book shop I'd read about when I knew I'd be moving to Italy. Prior to researching the area we were to live in, or anything of significant importance, I Googled, "bookstores in Italy" or something equivalent because visiting every single "must see" bookstore or library in Europe is on my bucket list. Yes, friends, I know where my priorities are.On previous excursions to Venice, my husband and I had no plan, except to "get lost". In the excitement of being in Venice, I forgot about this shop. I don't know if it was the just bloomed wisteria which dappled balconies, the murky turquoise water sparkling in the afternoon sun, the memory of a novel that took me to Venice long before I set foot on its cobbled streets; which contributed to my remembering. Or my desire to walk into a bookshop and find a treasure... Preferably in English, because despite my six-year study of the Italian language, when I read in Italian, it is slow going.A not-so-quick Google + map search provided me the address to la "Libreria Acqua Alta"  which means "Library of High Water", and my husband a mission: to get me to this book shop. A few hours and ninety percent of my iPhone's battery life later, I was there.The Liberia Aqua Alta, calls itself the "most beautiful bookshop in the world". I wouldn't vote it "most beautiful", but it is a welcoming, eccentric, dusty store which makes it's guests feel as though they've stumbled into a place that could only be found in a story. Upon entering, visitors are cocooned in a cacophony of books, welcomed by feline guards who are remarkably tame and take no notice of all the store's patrons. You will find a motley crew of genres ranging from new publications to old second-hand books. I like to imagine how the books came to be at La Libreria "Acqua Alta" were they left behind by tourists in gondolas, found underneath hotel room beds, or left by distracted café goers? Oh, the stories they could tell...You will find books in many languages, mostly in Italian of course, but don't let that stop you. A book from this shop is a perfect memento of your visit to Venice. Pick a book that speaks to you and take it home as a special treasure. I discovered two books. The first was The Allegory of Love by C.S. Lewis. It is a yellowed, 1958 copy, with notes by a former owner who was called Brigitte Rü-something. I can't really read her handwriting, but she wrote Friuli, 1961 on the inside title page. The second treasure I took home was Henry James' The Portrait of a Lady, published by Penguin in 1074. It too is delightfully yellowed but in otherwise excellent condition. I couldn't help but wonder where these books have been, or how long they sat piled on the shelf waiting for me to find it.There are books on Venice, stacked high front and center in a gondola that takes up much of the floor in the center of the shop Yes. You read and see correct. Who needs a shelf when you can store your books in waterproof bins like a bathtub or gondola?On each side of the gondola that monopolizes much of the main room's floor space, are narrow aisles. You'll have to squeeze by other bibliophiles in rapture to get to the back of the store where you'll discover a staircase made of old encyclopedias.You know the ones rendered useless by the Internet... They've been given a new purpose. I can think of far worse walls and much sadder ends to a book's life than that of delighting people from all over the world. It is exciting climbing the steps, wondering what you'll discover...Which as it turns out is just a canal. But it is a canal in Venice.Magic.If bookshops and libraries are on your "must see" list when traveling, you can find La Libreria "Acqua Alta" on Calle Longa S.M. Formosa 5176, Castello 30122.

Star light, star bright. Stay positive.

 This week on more than one occasion I was given wonderful compliments regarding my positive attitude. Having people tell you they appreciate your positivity, is awesome! It makes me feel like I'm doing life right.Let's face it, life his hard, complicated, and messy and being your own personal sun, isn't always the easiest thing to do; even for someone such as myself, who has a natural inclination to beliving her glass is always half-full. Do I get sad? Yes of course. I've even suffered from depression, but knowing this about myself is another reason why each day I must make a choice... I choose to be positive.I do believe that having a positive outlook is a choice we all can make. I choose to be positive on purpose, because the alternative is unacceptable to me. Though my life is far from perfect, I am blessed. We, each of us has a light in us, that was meant to shine, so if I must be my own personal sun, then I'll be the brightest star in the sky. 

The Girl on the Train: A Novel - Book Review

I wanted to hate this book. I certainly disliked the characters, but in their absolute dysfunction, I found I had to keep reading. I guess I became the "rubbernecker" fascinated, even rooting for a good outcome for the main character Rachel, who all at once I disliked, felt sorry for, and wanted good things to happen to. She is a victim of circumstance, of life, and her own poor decisions. I wanted her to find her own redemption, and in the end, I think she did.The story weaves itself in and out of three essential characters, where the reader gets glimpses into the days, and nights of what you think are random events. You're taken on a train ride, each chapter like a stop on the line. The author takes its reader for a ride, stoping in the present and in  the past. It is this mixed up chronology that in the end, gets you to your destination in a way you wouldn't have expected.I don't usually lean toward this genre and often choose to read books like these because I want to study how they were written, for plot purposes, for character studies and so forth.The Girl on the Train: A Novel by Paula Hawkins is very much in the wheelhouse of a Gillian Flynn where the story is character driven and often the outcome is tragic and morose.

Aria of Words

 I have an ariamade up of wordslike cells replicating within me.My hands at the ready,fingers tapping against the keys,searching for the stringof perfect words, nouns, phrases,to make up a sentencethat says it all.My own perfect concertoflaton to a blank page.