Headphones, Speakers and Crocheting

I've made a couple of things of interest in the past couple days.

On Monday I finished covering the cord for my headphones with crochet thread...and yes, actually I did crochet it! If anyone is interested, maybe I can make a tutorial video sometime.

Something I have seen and have really liked is where people have crocheted around their headphone cords.
Now, some of you may wonder, why on earth would someone do that? haha
Well, I personally did it because, while giving your headphones a unique flair, it also gives just enough bit of slight weight to your headphone cord that they don't knot up (I hate that, don't you?) and they wind up rather nicely.
I didn't actually have directions or now how to do it, so I just figured it out as I went, and I really do like the results!

These are Altec Lansing Muzx® Core - MZX206 Headphones Which, while it took me a while to get used to (seeing as I usually prefer SkullCandy's Lowrider headphones which sit on my ears and don't do in) these are excellant headphones that for their small size, give off great sound.

Its one of the reasons why I do love Altec Lansing speakers, I had a speaker dock for my Zune that I got from Altec Lansing and the true proportion of the sound that came out of those speakers was a wow. Little speakers, big sound.

When I ordered the speaker dock I have now (for my iPod Touch), not only was the speaker dock on sale, but I also received the headphones for free. ^_^ A deal? I think yes.

At this point, I would like to note, I have not been payed or endorsed in any way to review nor promote Altec Lansing, SkullCandy, or any of their products. This is merely my opinion on the merchandise.

I ordered the inMotion® Compact - IMT320 and wasn't let down.

Not only had I received free headphones, but the true portability of these speakers is fantastic, perfect for my use considering I take my music everywhere I go.




You see, the little stand the speakers are propped up with, is actually a flap that covers the speakers and the dock for portable awesomeness.

And did I mention the BIG sound little speakers thing?

The only downside to this speaker dock, no remote.
Of course if I had wanted a remote, that would've been much more money...which I didn't quite have and didn't quite wish to spend at that time.

One more quick creation of interest before I go, I also crocheted a rather versatile necklace with some semi-precious stone beads my grandma send me for Christmas.

I really like how it turned out...its long so I can wear it SO many different ways!

And now I shall leave you all to your evenings...
blessings~

P.S.
Have you checked out my Etsy Shop? Theres some really cool stuff up, (though not all made by me, some by my family) and hopefully more coming soon!

Feminine Fashion Week: Day 4 {catch up}

Well, well, well...

Winter vacation has come to a close.

Its rather sad really...I liked the "break"...even if it wasn't so much of a break for me!

Because I've been behind on Spanish I still had to do that throughout break, but it was still rather less stress than normally!

Now its back to school...which has been less stressful than previously because I've been working on really scheduling exactly what and how much I'm doing everyday...so far, so good.

Today is Yesterday wasthe fourth day in Natasha's Feminine Fashion Week!

So here are some more examples of my shoddy living-being picture skillz ;-)

 And yes...you can't see my head nor the top of my shirt *facedesk* utter fail. 

What I'm Wearing:

NOTW Midrise Relaxed Jeans

Shoes: Keen Clogs[given to me]

Black and Blue Bracelet: TWLOHA

 I did however get this...a rather good detail shot of the top of my shirt and jewelry. 

I've always liked this shirt, because its a nice material that I enjoy wearing year-round, and it has the perfect hood its comfy, its big and it frames my face fantastically.

Over the years of course, this shirt has worn out, stretched out and been altered. Because it was too big and stretching to even larger sizes that it was awkward to wear, I cut the sides,and knotted them back together. Also, it was longsleeved at one time, but due to holes and the fact that the sleeves weren't quite long enough ripped up and I was wearing it more in summer, they got cut off. Not to mention the lovely button v-neck that just makes the hood work. 

Necklaces:

Disciple Horseshoes & Hand Grenades Pendant

Green and White Jade Rings Necklace [made by me]

Orange Wire Wrapped Cross [gift]

Earrings:

my Pirates of the Caribbean inspired earrings!

These are some of my all-time favorite earring creations!
Here are some slightly better previous pics:

And I do know I'm behind...this post is for yesterday, but I have been wearing the things I am going to enter on the days...I just have to get pictures taken before Friday!
My biggest problem is that I start to run out of light and I like the majority of my lighting to be natural.

And that concludes my entry for Feminine Fashion Week Day 4!

Feminine Fashion Week: Day 2

Yesterday, I was not only swamped with Spanish but I totally forgot to post about Feminine Fashion Week over at Natasha's blog!

So here, is my day 2 post.



Yes...I do realize that my head is cut off in all of them...that happened due to the fact that I took these myself and thats really the best I can do...yes...once again more proof of my shoddy living-person photography skillz. [yes, skillz ;-) ]

What I'm Wearing:

NOTW Midrise Relaxed Jeans

Shoes: Keen Clogs[given to me]

Blue Layering tank: Target

Purple Self-Esteem Long Sleeve Layering Shirt [given to me]

Ripped Tan Shirt [given to me]

Black and Blue Bracelet: TWLOHA

The tan shirt, was once a polo, but I don't like polo's so I er...altered it so that I liked it and it was more interesting...thus its thrashed appearance...

Not pictured:

My pink flower earrings that I got from GoodWill. Originally, they were on the the end of a pair of REALLY long earrings that consisted of a few silver hoops with the large pink flowers on the ends. Totally vintage, I loved. And for $0.25 who wouldn't? And since they were so long, I made the flowers and the hoops into separate pairs.

Necklaces:

Disciple Horseshoes & Hand Grenades Pendant

Green and White Jade Rings Necklace [made by me]

2011

Well, believe it or not, 2010 is coming to a close.

Which is something kind of hard for me to believe...

I mean, where did 2010 go???

*sigh*

Well, no going back now...

2010 was an epic year.

Had the best summer ever.

Got a new best friend and grew closer to old friends.

Started a blog...a personal blog open to the public. (Why, this one in fact!)

Read the least I think I ever have in one year (darn this lack of good literature!).

Learned and grew all the way around.

Figured out my sense of style...always bounced around with what I really like, but I think I've got it down now ^_^ totally unique and nothing classifiable. oh yeah.

I've been reading about how, instead of resolutions (which never really work out do they?) having aspirations. Love it (total credit to Hannah!)

I aspire to step out of my comfort zone more.
--for me, that really means just not caring about what everyone thinks...for real and especially not just brush off all of the kids I know from when I was in public school. (You know...the ones that are well...the reason I left in the first place)

I aspire to not look at reading my bible and spending time with God everyday as a chore, but as something I long to do, and do wholeheartedly. To grow in my walk with Christ and see Him do great things with His church this next year (things are changing, can you feel it?).

In short;

I aspire to live.

a blessed new year to you all, at this time for endings, and new beginnings

SteamPunk Fever

I don't know if any of you are familiar at all with steampunk, but its one of my all-time favorite styles!

Steampunk (aka Victorian Punk) is a cross between the fantastical, the fictional, and the historical with a hint of gothic (but not the death kind).
According to Dictionary.com:

n; a genre of science fiction set in Victorian times when steam was the main source of machine power

Some of you may be familiar with the epic novel Leviathan by Scott Westerfield?

Well, thats steampunk.
Another good example is the not-too-well-known Sean Connery movie, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.



I've liked it for a long time, the whole style in general...clothes, jewelry, books, movies...but I never knew what it was called 'til earlier this summer when I ran across this dress...

NOTE: this is NOT my picture, however due to content deemed [by me] offensive to most of my readers, I have not included a link to where this picture/item is sold at

...which was described as "steampunk".
Now, I'm not typically one for dresses, but this is definitely an exception! (However, let it be noted I, would in all likeliness wear it with a t-shirt and possibly leggings)
And so it was, that I finally had a name, for the style.

Though I have an Etsy shop I have never quite browsed the site before.
I, being the fan of leather journals that I am (see post here) decided yesterday to peruse the potential that Etsy had to offer.
And boy was I surprised, because not only were there some fantastic items but I officially and totally LOVE Etsy!!!

Here are some of the fantabulous journals I found!








These, while not leather, are definitely worth mention because this is some cool sewing going on with the first one, and the second one not only has a TON of space for drawing and writing but its eco-friendly.



While on my epic journal hunt, I stumbled upon this cool piece of writing material:




And of course, that got me set on a steampunk well...frenzy!
And Etsy is an epic source in itself!

I thought this was just SO cool! Its Kat's pin from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins! 

And I LOVE these! The first is a ring, and the second a locket. Steampunk style!


This butterfly necklace is SO cute! And the antiqued copper mask is a nice, and truly steampunk touch. The copper flower though, L-O-V-E it! My mom used to work with copper quite a bit and I've always loved it.

This choker is fantastic. I love layering lots of necklaces, and a choker makes a great top layer.

Now this, is a cool necklace. Not only does one side have a cool dragonfly motif but its also reversible!!!

And being that I love hats and scarves, I of course couldn't pass up mentioning this brooch with steampunk flair!

Finally, since I'm sure you're all tiring of this, my final two installments of discovered steampunk awesomeness...shoes!

These beauties are yummy! With their lace up appearance, easy access side zipper and not-too-high kitten heel, not to mention the fantastic dark caramel color! Unfortunately, the fact that their WAY above my price range (at $115) combined with the fact that they don't come in my size (sad day), these boots and I just aren't meant to be.

These, on the other hand...while not vintage and having a higher heel, are still fantastic! And they come in my size *squeal with delight*. Did I mention they're a fraction of a price of the others? (Coming in at a slashed $69.48...which is still rather too much for my budget!)

Though there was much, much more steampunk epicness to be seen, I didn't want to include it all and overload!

Hoping you're all having an epic week!
I myself am off tomorrow to see my best friend, who I haven't seen since July and usually only see once a year! Awesome times to be expected!

blessings~

Capturing Creation Photo Challenge Day 7

Day 7: Let There Be Rest

"And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. The God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made." --Genesis 2:2-3

Today is Day 7 of the Capturing Creation Photo Challenge, that nzkiwigirl is hosting at her blog Yours Truly.

For me, taking a nice walk with the camera, now that is peaceful and restful...at least to me.

On that note, here are a couple peaceful pics!

I captured that one of the first days we had our new 9mp Kodak. I'm not particularly fond of Kodak, but I'm able to get better pictures, especially scenic more distance pictures with the 9mp Kodak than the 7mp Canon. However, I like some of the Canon's features better...though the Kodak has some macro settings that I love (I love taking macro shots) that the Canon doesn't...but off with this rant about cameras.

I wanted to point out, that none of my pictures have been enhanced or edited in any way beyond the little bit of words for my logo. All my pictures are of the original shots.

This picture, I took with a Sony 3.2mp Camera. Yes, I'm not kidding. And technically, it almost didn't qualify as a digital camera per-say, due to the fact that it took 3" cd's for memory...which did cause quite a few problems...but, I'm not complaining! It was the first camera (well...only camera...) thats been mine. And at the time it was given to me, it was a HUGE step up from the family 2mp Kodak. But this spring/early summer we invested in a couple really well priced, higher mp cameras; the Kodak and the Canon.

blessings to you all this Wednesday!

Quotes and Design

I write
NOT for the sake of glory
NOT for the sake of fame
NOT for the sake of success
but for the sake of my soul
--rachel joy scott
{from the cover of her last journal}

Hello lovely readers, it being the day after Christmas, the new blog design is up as I promised.

I wanted to feature one of my favorite quotes in my header this time around, and so I chose a quote from Rachel Joy Scott.




For those of you who don't know who Rachel is, she was the first casualty of the April 1999 Columbine school shootings.

After the shootings, Rachel's parents released a book entitled Rachel's Tears that was Rachel's spiritual journey in a compilation of her journals.


Last year, being the 10 year memorial of the columbine shootings there was a re-release of a slightly different, expanded book that I have yet to read.

Rachel's story and spiritual journey greatly impacted my life and my walk with Christ, and many of my all-time favorite quotes are ones that she has penned.

I am NOT a beer chuggin', pot trippin', drug dealin' Christian
I AM a God lovin', satan slammin', Jesus freakin', world changin', Christian.
I AM A WARRIOR FOR CHRIST
--Rachel Joy Scott

What if you were to die today? What would happen to you? Where would you go? Tomorrow is not a promise, but a chance. It may not be there for you. After death, then what? Where will you spend your eternity? Will you have eternal life with your loving Father? Or will you be ripped from the arms of your Savior. Eternity is in your hands; change it! written by Rachel Joy Scott

“And as Christians, we need to remember to walk our talk.”--rachel joy scott

“Go after God. Whatever it takes, do it. And don’t give the excuse, “I am just a teenager” or “I’ll do that when I grow up,” because it doesn’t work that way. God wants you NOW.” --Rachel Joy Scott {from a book she was writing}

“I am not going to apologize for speaking the Name of Jesus, I am not going to justify my faith to them, and I am not going to hide the light that God has put into me. If I have to sacrifice everything…I will.” --Rachel Joy Scott {1 year before her death}

More information and some cool stuff to get involved in, you can check out RachelJoyScott.com and Rachel's Challenge.

Christmas Factoids

Some little Christmas facts about me...

When I was little, I would spend the whole year leading up to Christmas, learning all the squeaks in the floor so that I could get from my room to the living room without being noticed...if you get my drift ;-)

Most Christmases I would be so caught up in my new toys I would completely forget about eating...sometimes skipping both breakfast and lunch.

I'm the best present wrapper in my house...somehow my mom never quite had a knack for it, judging by the fact that packages would spontaneously pop open while under the tree...and I'm talking when they hadn't even been tampered with! Not that my brother and I really minded...

One year, my little brother received a big, blow-up robot that you could kick around and box with and it would pop right back up because it had sand in the bottom.
It was a lot of fun, and the Christmas morning he got it, I was wearing a long, floor length skirt that I didn't particularly have a lot of mobility in as far as how I could stretch out my legs. Of course, being the klutz that I am, I didn't take that into consideration as I spontaneously, full-on kicked the robot...literally pulling my feet out from under me!

I never had a chimney growing up and always worried about how Santa would get in...my mom continually assured me he preferred to use the door anyway.

I give gifts to quite a few people on Christmas...the thing is, they don't always get them on time...I prefer to make people gifts that are inspired for them...that way they mean more ^_^

I am the best person at guessing what gifts are through the wrapping.
And I happen to be correct about 80% of the time...
My powers of deduction are astute to say the least. ;-) haha

The only present that has truly stumped me, was my friend Caitlin's large-and I mean this thing was an arm-full of a box-Christmas present that was so heavy, we carefully lugged it to a scale to discover it was little over 20lbs (it was 3rd grade, back then, 20lbs was heavy haha). We never did figure out what it was before Christmas...

We always have to make sure that all the Nativity pieces are where they should me...we have a cat who likes to steal the donkey.

My family's Christmas tree is barely 4ft tall and as old as I am. It always makes things interesting when you have to improvise new ways to hold it all together every year.

Our cats have a thing for our tree...they seem to enjoy climbing into it and perching...as well as a particular fancy they've acquired for some ornaments we no longer put out...for that very reason.

Hoping you're all having a blessed Christmas!

Blessed Birth of our Savior

Flyleaf's Christmas Song

A frightened, virgin, teenage girl
Receives a message that defies the laws of this world
All she can do is weep and nod
She's to bring into this world
the Son of God

God's angels sound their trumpets
And blow their horns
Tonight the long awaited Savior is to be born
The goodness bound by satan it has been torn
With this baby's precious brow ready for thorns

A star appears fufilling ancient prophecy
There's an ounce of fear as wise men follow faithfully
The virgin Mary brings forth the human savior
And this future king sleeps soundly in the manger
Soundly in the manger

God's angels sound their trumpets
And blow their horns
Tonight the long awaited Savior is to be born
The goodness bound by satan it has been torn
With this baby's precious brow ready for thorns

Tonight He is born so one day He can die
To heal hearts that are torn and live the perfect life
So He hang upon a cross and we can take His life
So we can live as sinners
And He can pay the price
Tonight He is born so one day He can die
But He will rise again

God's angels sound their trumpets
And blow their horns
Tonight the long awaited Savior is to be born
The goodness bound by satan it has been torn
With this baby's precious brow ready for thorns

Merry Christmas

Well peoples, its hard to believe but Christmas is upon us.

2010 almost up.

I don't know where this past year went, but 2011 is nigh upon us.

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us

Tomorrow Wait, scratch that...
Today is Christmas, the day on which we celebrate the birth of our Savior.

Despite the glamor, superficiality and all around commercialized scene that has become Christmas, JESUS is the reason for the season.

"Unto us a Savior is born, unto us a Son is given..."
-Isaiah 9:6

After all, it is CHRISTmas, right?

After tomorrow, Concrete & Grace will be sporting a new design courtesy of myself...of course, the one which I will be putting up will probably be replaced shortly after that with the one I am currently working on and hope to maybe even have it up first anyways.

I seem to be dreadfully fickle when it comes to the look of my blog...

Well...I am off!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good...er...morning ;D