Gift Wrapping Tips

Gift Wrapping
 

Hey guys, so it's Christmas eve, and for those of you who are doing some last minute preparation, I'm here with some gift wrapping tips to help smooth things over.

If you're anything like me, you'll have your presents bought within plenty of time and leave the wrapping to the very last minute. If that's the case, don't worry, I've got you covered. Even if the shops are closed there are plenty of things you can use to make your present look special with minimal cost, and using things you have lying around the house.

My number #1 tip for Christmas wrapping (or any gift wrapping for that matter) is Recycle, Recycle, Recycle. It's pretty easy to re-use gift bags. On your birthday, you can save the bags you get given and re-use them on Christmas and other gift giving occasions.

Another neat trick is using old boxes and re-vamping them. All you need is an old box, some brown paper, sticky tape and ribbon.

Wrap the box in brown paper, making sure to pull it tight before sticky-taping it. Finish it off with a bow, and voila!

 
Other things you could use to wrap your box or present are:

* Newspaper
* Plain white paper
* Funky, wrapping paper
* Ripped out pages from a book

Feel free to get creative and think outside the box (Get it???)

Happy wrapping everyone, and Merry Christmas xxx

AB

Europe Adventure's Teaser

Hey guys, here's the teaser for my Europe Videos

Check out the rest on my YouTube page here, or in the link on the side-bar. More videos to come...

DIY Feather Wall Hanging - Celeste

 

Hey guys, I'm Celeste from the blog Celestralite! I love to blog about my fashionable, adventurous, and creative endeavors in college.  A.B. was kind enough to invite me to do a little post for you guys here :)

See, here's one of my problems:

Do you ever see something in an Urban Outfitters tumblr post or instagram photo and see a background object unnamed and think...oh man I want that? But then you can't, because it'll cost way too much and your wallet will be crying for days.

I'm a big fan of bohemian style, whether it be used to describe fashion or interior decor. Urban Outfitters is definitely one of my favorite inspirations in both of these aspects. Speaking of, I peruse their instagram quite a bit and saw something similar to this! 

What You Need:

This project is very, very cheap. It only cost about $10 USD ($14 AUD). You have the option to add on more to it as you please, and I'll tell you about that later, but for the basic version that I made, you need:

• Two sticks - preferably straight. Mine are about 2 feet (61 cm) and 1 1/2 feet (46 cm) long and are cypress. It's possible to do this with bamboo, driftwood, pretty much any type of wood!
• Feathers - I have four packs in the picture, but in reality I only used one of the big feathers and one of the 
• Twine/String - I used a very thin twine, however if your sticks are heavier, you may want to go with something a little thicker. However, twine works well for tying to feathers. Other strings may slip off easier.
• Scissors - To cut the twine!
• Hot Glue - I didn't use this, but you may need to, if your feathers do not want to stay tied.

How to Do it:

1. Tie the twine to the sticks how you want them to hang. I found the best way to reinforce it was to wrap it around a few times, knot it, double knot it, then perhaps wrap again. And knot as you see fit. 

2. Lay out your design in feathers. Below is how I first pictured the design, however I ended up adding more feathers as I went along. That's completely fine! You may notice that yourself.

3. The most tedious step after which is tying the feathers off. Depending on the number of feathers, this could take one to two hours. To tie the feathers, measure out how far you want the feather to hang from the stick. Remember it's better to cut longer than shorter. You can always cut off the excess twine. 

4. Last step is tying off the hanging strip. To do this, you want to measure out how low you want your wall hanging to hang. Then, you tie both side of the twine you cut to the top stick. Be careful not to make the string too long however. Also, be wary of the weight of your hanging. In my case, my right side was heavier than the left, so at first it hung crooked. A simple adjustment and it hung perfectly!

5. Viola, hang it up and you are finished! But here are some extra options:

• Paint the sticks: You may choose to spray paint the sticks entirely or paint designs on certain parts to give the sticks some more flair.
• Add fabric scraps: Fabric scraps such as ribbons, yarn, and lace would add to the bohemian appeal of the wall hanging. You could wrap or tie the pieces to sections with feathers to add another layer to the overall design.
• Beads - When using thicker string, it is possible to bead the string a bit and then tie or glue off the ends to the feathers. 

The possibilities are endless with a simple, but eye-catching project. 

I would love for you guys to try it out!

Peace and Love,

Celeste

P.S. Come check me out at Celestralite for more posts like this!

And thanks again to A.B. for this guest post opportunity :)

What to bring on a long flight

What to Bring on a Long Flight

Are you about to head off on a long flight? Looking for a way to maximize comfort on a small budget? Here are a few ways you can increase your comfort levels without taking up much space or spending crazy amounts of money.

#1. A headrest - It doesn't matter if it's not a plush, expensive one. The inflatable ones are comfortable, cheap and easy to pack.

#2. A book - It's always good to bring something to keep yourself occupied. Long flights can get boring very quickly, and endless movies can get a bit monotonous and hurt your eyes. An Audio book is also a great way to save on space.

#3. Comfortable clothes - It's much more important for you to be comfortable than for you to look good. So trackie pants and a T-shirt all the way. 

#4. Music - Most planes have music to listen to on board, QANTAS has their on radio station. But if your airline doesn't provide music, it's a good idea to make a playlist for yourself. They often come in handy in the airport if your flight is delayed. (And don't worry about your device running out of charge, airports have charging stations for that)

#5. Snacks - Now airlines do provide food, and QANTAS does pretty good food, but it's only served at certain times. So it's bringing your own snacks means you can eat what you want, whenever you're feeling peckish

These are all pretty basic and inexpensive, but they make ALL the difference to your flight. 

Safe Travels all :)

The Easiest Gluten free Apple Crisp

Bonjour! I'm Sophia from the blog someplaceinthemidst.blogspot.com. You can come check it out if you really like awesome stuff. Anyhow, today I'm going to share a super easy recipe that my friend and I designed.

My friend is gluten free, and she and her family were staying at my house for a week, so we thought we needed to figure out a dessert recipe, because dessert is obviously the most important part of any friendship. Conveniently, my friend brought a package of gf (gluten free) mix so we threw stuff together and made the most. delicious. apple. crisp. everrrrrrrrr. So here you go: the best and easiest recipe.

Ingredients:

1 Box of Betty Crocker's Gluten Free Chocolate Cookie Mix

Ingredients to make the cookies according to recipe (butter, eggs, vanilla)

(Note: Any gluten free cookie recipe will work)

5  cups (700g) of sliced and peeled apples

1/2 cup  (100g) Brown Sugar

1 tsp (2.5g) of Cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).

2. Grease 13in x 9in pan with butter or preferred greaser

3. Toss sugar and cinnamon with the apples.

4. Make cookie dough according to recipe directions.

5. Place apple mixture in the bottom of pan, sprinkle cookie dough on top.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

7. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream!

AB's guide to surviving a European Summer

AB's Guide to Surviving a European Summer

 

As most of you know, I've recently arrived home from my Europe trip! It was incredible. I learnt so much about travel, culture, food, and about myself... it was just such an amazing experience. My sister and I visited London, Prague, Venice, Rome and Paris! We spent a week in each city and there aren't words for how wonderful it was. I wasn't able to blog as much as I would have liked (due to internet and iPad issues) but I did have a great time. :)

Here are a few tips, based on my adventures, about how to experience your European adventure to the MAX!

#1. When in Italy eat GELATO at least 3 times a day! -When you're in the bigger cities, like Rome and Venice, gelato is never very far away. It's delicious, it's inexpensive, and it will cool you down on a hot summer's day. There's really no down-side (as long as you're willing to accept a bit of a holiday belly). There are also heaps of lactose free options (luckily for me).

#2. Buy yourself some suitable SANDALS - They may not be extremely fashionable, but if you can sacrifice a little pride, it will change your whole experience. You'll most probably be doing a lot of walking, and Europe in the summer can get HOT! When we were in Prague the lowest it got was 32 degrees C (and that was at 2am in the morning!). So a pair of good quality, open walking shoes will save you and make your trip so much more comfortable.

#3. Make the most of every moment - Don't rush! Try to enjoy every little thing, (even the getting lost and the language barriers). Take your time and savor every meal, every building, every experience. Don't spend your time rushing around trying to fit in as many tourist attractions as possible, because they'll just become a blur. Quality over Quantity (IMHO)

#4. Use AirBnB - This is a traveling tip for anywhere in the world, not just exclusively Europe. AirBnB is a website where people rent out their rooms/apartments/houses, for travelers. Kia and I used it for almost all of our trip, and there were some great apartments. Alot of the apartments were equally as expensive as hotels (but often cheaper), but have the added benefit of a kitchen, bathroom, living room etc. We would pay just as much as you would pay for a single room and a shared bathroom in a Hostel, but we got a whole apartment. I'm definitely a BIG fan of AirBnB!!

#5. Explore - It's a good idea to reserve some "unorganized time", where you can just explore. You don't need every moment planned down to a T. Eat adventurously too, even if you have a food intolerance. I'm lactose and gluten intolerant, but I found that there were plenty of options if you keep and open mind and are willing to try new things. 

Be adventurous, wander, discover! Be safe, but be bold.


I hope you got something out of this and that these tips are helpful to you in your future travels.
Until next time...

AB :)

London

EUROPE - Part 4

I arrived in London, tired but very happy. Reunited, finally, with my sister. We got a coffee from Cafe Neros, and Skyped the family. 

On my first day we went on the London Eye. But nobody told me that the thing doesn't stop for people to get on. It just keeps going slowly around, and they usher as many people as they can into the bubble as it goes past. It's very exciting, and the view is well worth the kirfuffle. 

The next day was Kia's birthday, and after a breakfast of pancakes and granola we headed out to meet Kia's friend Olga for a boat ride down the Thames. For dinner we eat at Sarastros, which was a funky, gypsy-like resteraunt. 

We went to Bar Salsa on Friday, which was fantastic, there was a free dancing class, Mexican food, great music and so many deliciously creative cocktails. All in all, a great night!

I loved London, it was full of exotic food, interesting people, and more methods of public transport than I have ever experienced before! Next up is Prague...

You can find my video for London on my google plus page. :)