All Posts By

Amber Renee

Diary

Why Can’t Everyday Be Like My Birthday?

02/14/2011
jamber tea party

We’re often told to do what we want to do on our birthday. We’re able to enjoy sweets without guilt and to celebrate with friends and family. It’s a relaxing day and I want to take time out though today to enjoy every single thing with my family. I want to remember this day.

Why can’t I do that everyday? Why can’t I just take time out to do what I want and enjoy every moment? That’s my new goal this week, for everyday to feel like a special day. To take time out during the day to do things that I want and to make sure to enjoy them.

1. Eat and really enjoy sweets and coffee.
2. Sit outside on the balcony all snuggled in a fluffy blanket and have cocoa toped in marshmallows.
3. Paint colorful deericorns on tiny canvases.
4. Have tea and dessert at a local coffee shop.
5. Read in the bathtub.
6. Have champagne with friends.
7. Dip strawberries in chocolate.
8. Make and decorate cupcakes.
9. Have a tea party.
10. Have a movie marathon.

Write down a list of things you enjoy doing. Write down things that cheer you up even when you’re feeling blue. This is a great list to refer to when you’re feeling bored, unmotivated or a little overworked. You’ll be surprised how much better just doing a few things on your list will make you feel.

Soon I’m going to create little printable journal pages for you to use when reading these posts — I’m hoping it will encourage you to take part in the lessons that have helped me when in need. What sorts of journal pages would you prefer?

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Crafts DIY

Let’s Make Permanent Daisy Chains

02/11/2011

Please excuse Miseducated again for looking a little curious lately, there will be lots of changes occurring over the next few weeks!

I’d love to sit outside along the water and braid delicate clover blossoms and smiling daisies.
Don’t you love daisy chains?
My daisies are gone, they’re under about a foot of snow and ice.
How will we have a relaxing and flowery day in the sunshine?
My best friend suggested we go to the craft store recently and purchase the tiny craft roses for just that purpose!
Why hadn’t I thought of it before?
A permanent daisy chain?
It’s simple!

Pick out a couple of the metal-stemmed flowers at your local craft shop.
(At our craft shop they’re in the wedding section~)
I got two bouquets of contrasting candy colors.

It’s quite easy, just twist them together similarly to the knotting you do on a real daisy chain..
When you have a chain large enough to sit atop your head twist the ends together.




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Visual Splendor

Come and Soak Up The Eye-Candy

02/10/2011

I’m tired. I want to lay in the sun. If you experience a snowy and icy winter then you’ll understand.. It gets a little dreary.

To pick myself up I’ve decided to look at inspiring photos on tumblr, isn’t that site a bit addicting? Sometimes I start posting inspiring photos to the Miseducated tumblr and can’t stop! You’ll find a link below each photo to where they’re from.

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Diary

Do You Have the Winter Blues?

02/08/2011
Pink, yellow and green oh my!

Please excuse Miseducated for being a little wonky lately.. I’ve been making changes that I feel are best for our growth (no more ugly ads!).
I’m only allowing your ads from now on.
I’m really overly anal about how things look around here, you might not pick that up at first from the rainbow headache you endure upon visiting but it’s true!

We talk about motivation a lot. What KEEPS you motivated? I continually go back to the same old thing, exercise and coffee. It never fails that when I put exercising off I begin to feel lethargic and unmotivated. Exercising produces endorphins which are especially important to those of us with depression and seasonal affective disorder! Let’s also not forget about those of us who are just tired. The winter makes us want to be more dormant, we’re stuck inside (we keep getting snowed in here!) and cozy. It’s cold outside. However if we could just push ourselves to reach a small goal we set for ourselves each day? And slowly raise it?

I haven’t been exercising since I had Colette so I’ve been forcing myself to start. It’s really invigorating… on top of all of the damn coffee and tea I drink everyday.

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Design Your Life

Work Keeps the Light Coming In

02/04/2011
Deericorn adoption papers~ haha ;) Remember to take your pills~

I was watching ’16 and Pregnant’ recently because I can’t seem to get enough young mom drama. It makes me feel like my crazy working and being a mommy life is much less stressful when I see these girls juggling school, work and their families at such a young age.

One of the girls on the show (Kailyn) said something that rang true to me and now every time I start to slack a little I hear her words.. that I just have to keep working because work will keep the light coming in. At such a young age, she understands. When it all seems so overwhelming, so impossible, work will keep the light coming in. Never stop working to meet your goals. Work towards them everyday.

Sometimes I have a tough time being present with all of the things rolling through my mind, as we discussed in Learning to Live in the Moment, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Join me again next week in my mission to live a happy, healthy and inspired life.

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Diary

Where Do You Find Inspiration?

02/02/2011

I really wanted to make a big, cheesy collage for this post like I did when I started Miseducated.. remember those days?
I miss those.

Where do you find inspiration when you’re feeling overwhelmed?
I always ask the artists we feature here but I’ve never gotten to ask you!

When I’m feeling overwhelmed and can’t focus I like to flip through my inspiration drawers filled with old photos, papers and all sorts of useless things I’ve collected through the years. Useless to the onlooker that is but quite important to me! My favorite place for my brain to play is old magazines.. I love soaking up the eye-candy in 60s women’s zines most of all. I can’t get enough!

What can you not get enough of? What inspires you?

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Design Your Life

Start Advertising Your Products Online

02/01/2011

Those of you that are interested in promoting yourselves or your creative endeavors online will find everything you need to get started here.

Why is it important to promote your brand online? In the very vast marketplace of today it’s important to brand and differentiate yourself to your competitors and fellow crafters, this will tell you how to get started.

After having visited Everything Etsy I was absolutely flabbergasted about the amount of care and a display of the wonderful and sharing community. The Etsy community itself is a very giving community and as you can see there’s a lot to be learned from the many seasoned sellers that sell there.

It all brings me back around to blogs being the best bang for the advertising dollar.

From Use Advertising To Promote Your Etsy Shop at EverythingEtsy.com.

Do you want to promote your Etsy shop without a marketing budget? No problem.

From A Creative Approach to Promoting Your Shop at Etsy Community.

Your own business: will it be a dream come true — or a nightmare?

From Realities of Running an Indie Biz at MICA.

Also don’t forget to read The Etsy Seller Handbook if you haven’t gotten a chance to yet! If you’re looking for great information as a newcomer or as a seasoned seller it’s great to brush up and see how others are finding success.

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Day With a Camera Diary

Day With a Camera: Let Them Eat Cake

01/27/2011
Making chocolate and cherry iced mini cupcakes for after dinner~ In the kitschen

So here I am after group therapy finding nothing of sustenance to eat for lunch.
(Ok.. I’m being a little picky.)

I’m playing with the idea of calling my husband to bring home food when he gets back.. I want to ask him what I should make, he always has ideas when I’m uninspired.. I look around the kitchen and see it.

There’s nothing to eat … but cake.
I just had to go to the grocery and buy all the ingredients for delicious cherry and chocolate cupcakes last night because I wanted cake.
Now all I have is cake and I can’t seem to eat it.
Let me eat cake.

I eat WAY too many sweets.
How about you?

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Self Decoration

In the Closet With Kera Magazine

01/26/2011

As I was reading Kera recently I came across a new photoshoot that I adore.
Finding things in the closet and wearing them all together.
Now that’s something I do way too often… I never match and I always wear too many layers.

Just go take a look through your closet and dresser drawers to find items you’ve forgotten about, items that you can wear together to give them a new life.
Don’t limit yourself, go crazy.
It feels like 90s grunge is mixing with gothic lolita and decora to create a cake made especially for us.
Layer yourself in your favorite fashions and see what new outfits you can unearth.

.. and I also loved this POP accessory feature that has a necklace I own from 6% DokiDoki.


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Design Your Life

Learning to Live in the Moment

01/24/2011
This cherry frosting is the best~ Oh hai. Here's looking at you, kitten.

I like to pinpoint areas in my life I’d like to change and then work on them..
If you can retrain your brain you can begin to let go of those issues.
I feel that I have never been able to live in the moment.
I’m always thinking about the past or waiting for the future.. never living in the here and now.
My new goal is to change this.
Want to come along for the ride?

In order to live a happier and healthier life, we need to slow down and learn to live in the moment.

We’re often so worried about our health, what we’re eating, doing, wearing, seeing that we sometimes forget how to enjoy living right now. Today. I seem to always be focused on my schedule and what I need to do next that I don’t enjoy the moment. This is one of the reasons I have started therapy, I want to live in the moment. I don’t want to be concerned with the past.

Just because we’re learning to live in the moment does not mean that we ignore tomorrow. Still concern yourself with tomorrow but involve yourself more in today. Tomorrow will come. Yesterday has gone. There is nothing you can change about the past, let go of your sadness or regret.

Living in the moment is easy when you’re having an exciting time.
Think back to vivid memories you have about fun times in the past.
You had no problem living in the moment then, why can’t everyday be that sunny vacation?
Why can’t every cup of coffee fill your mouth with a warming aroma of energy that warms you to the bone?
For some periods of time you are living in the moment.
Now how can we do this all the time?

One mistake that I and many others make is focusing too much on the future.
Weighing your happiness over something taking place, a raise, a lover or a bigger apartment.
Every time we achieve the “if only” we find we need something else to maintain this false facade of happiness.

Living in the moment means seeing the blessings you have today.
This is another one of those “take gratitude” tips from me.
Realize what you DO have and be thankful.
Try to quit focusing on what you DON’T have.
Allow yourself to leave your worrying behind to become a thing of the past.

Just as you guessed there are skills you can use to help yourself live in the moment, here are a few of them:

1.

Make a list of everything you have that makes you happy. Don’t try to be picky, just be thankful. These things, people, places may not be perfect but they are a part of your life. Make sure all of the people in your love understand how much they mean to you.

2.

Take time out of the day to do something special for yourself. Try having a square of chocolate in a bubble bath surrounded by calming lavender candles! Why not? No chocolate? Savor some tea.

3.

Do something special for someone you love.
Don’t expect anything in return, including a thank you.
Just watch their expression and see their enjoyment and know that it is because of you.

4.

Learn to laugh at everything.
Find humor everywhere and don’t take yourself so seriously.

5.

Keep a gratitude journal of everything you are thankful for. Try 5 things a day for a few weeks. Soon you will take notice of all of these wonderful things naturally.

Remember that for many of us, living in the moment is tough, it’s is a skill to be learned.
Start small and take each day as it comes.
Stop trying to change the past or live for the future and live in the right now.
I’m going to make a drastic change in my daily life to ensure that I experience each moment to it’s fullest and I know you can too.
This is your life, these are your years, let’s enjoy them.

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