#might do something more with this idea at some point? like a print? charm? sticker sheet? idk

[koobiie]

hotpot!

[screentones-webcomicresources]

Preparing for Conventions

What events are best to go to?

Whether it’s a huge celebrity-studded multi-day weekend or a small gathering at a local library, in-person events are an exciting way to reach all kinds of comic fans that may not be in any of your circles online. There’s opportunities to be had at almost every type of event, but a few things that might narrow your focus:

Events that don’t cost more than you think you can make. Convention costs can add up extremely quickly. You can expect to pay at least $100/day for an artist table at mid-sized or large conventions. If you’re just starting out, prioritize conventions that are close enough to your home (or friends/family who will host you) that you won’t have to pay for a hotel or spend a lot in transportation costs.  Splitting the table with another artist is another option!

Events that other artists in your area/genre recommend. A great way to learn about events in your area is to attend one and ask others what conventions they like in the area. Some regular artists even maintain online groups to discuss application deadlines and share experiences.  Depending on the genre of your art or comic, you might also find adjacent things like horror shows, anime shows, or zine fests worth exploring too!

Events that you can actually get into. Conventions can be very competitive to get into, and have very small application windows months in advance. Once you’ve identified which conventions are in your area, follow their Twitter, mailing lists or websites to catch their sign up deadlines. Juried shows may also ask for a link to your portfolio, author bio or store to get an idea of who you are and what you’d be selling, so be sure to put something together and be ready!

What kinds of products should I prepare?

Our Masterlist of Printers is a great place to start for recommendations about places to make your products and inspiration! But to cut down on costs and keep yourself flexible while you figure things out, it’s a good idea to focus on:

Products that suit a specific style and taste.  Do you make big intricate illustrations that would look good as 11x17 printed art? Are you good with quippy one-liners that would make fun stickers? Is there a popular fandom that you like that has a similar genre to your other work?  Popular products are prints, stickers, charms, pins, and comics. But don’t be afraid to handcraft figures or something else.

Products that work together. Be deliberate about the vibe you’re setting, whether that’s a genre (horror, humor, superheroes, etc.), an age range (all ages, adult), a specific type of product (mostly t-shirts, mostly prints, accessories), a theme (eg, all things coffee!).  There’s a lot of approaches to making a cohesive product line and organizing your table to keep like things together, but having cute plushies AND saucy pinups AND anime figurines AND coffee mugs can be confusing to customers who are trying to figure out what your table is all about.

Products with low price points that won’t be too expensive to make. Products priced $15 or lower are generally an easy buy for new customers, and offering a range of small inexpensive things is great for folks who are on a budget but still want to support you. When you’re just starting, look for things that don’t require a high amount of money to produce for you or can print in low quantities with a printer.  Printed-at-home or handcrafted things are also possibilities for a more zine-style table presence and can save you a little money.

Products with a low minimum order quantity. Try not to order more than 10 or so copies of any one thing (especially anything that a stranger wouldn’t recognize like OC) until you’re confident it will sell. You can always order more after the show if you run out.  If you DO have leftover stock (and 99% of the time you will), you definitely can sell it at a future convention, a crowdfunding campaign, include it as Patreon rewards, or list it in an online store. But being stuck with a closet full of 500 postcard prints that you can’t sell is not a fun time, even if you DID get a bulk discount.

Products that have a general appeal. Even if you have a massive social media following, 99% of your customers will have never heard of your comic or your original characters. Comic enthusiasts will often be open to giving a new story from a local artist a chance if you chat them up a little and tell them about it. But also having general interest products (animals, fanart, nerd humor, mythology) on the table that don’t require as much explanation to enjoy is a very good idea.

What do I need other than merch?

A good convention setup looks clean, organized, and easy to engage with.  Once you’re accepted, look carefully at the details of the convention and what’s included with your space.  Many conventions will give you a table and chair, but you’ll probably also need:

Backdrop - Backdrops display your best art and help people see it from across a crowded room, and partition your space if you’re very close to other tables.  A photo backdrop stand with a bunch of 11x17/A3 prints taped together that you’re selling, a wire cube grid construction you can set on your table and stick smaller merch pieces to, or a professionally-printed banner with your name, URL/social handle, and your best art and are all solid options for this.

Where to get them: Google “photo backdrop” or look for photography supply stores. Google “wire cube grids” or look around hardware stores or Walmart/Target.  For banners, you can find printers that can make retractable banners or vinyl banners to hang from a photo backdrop.

8-foot Tablecloth - Many conventions assign you a very weathered 6-foot table, so always plan on having something to cover it (optionally for multi-day shows, a second to cover your setup for security purposes when you leave your table.)

Where to get them: Fabric stores, bedsheets, party stores.

Displays - Flat items on a table are invisible to anyone who isn’t directly in front of you, so look for a way to make your stuff stand up and be seen! Easel stands to highlight featured books or art, cork boards and pins you can prop up, boxes or porfolio books to flip through, wire/wooden racks to hold lots of books are all great ideas to consider, depending on your products.

Where to get them: For heavy-duty stuff, you’ll probably want to Google around order displays online. Art supply stores will often have easels and portfolios. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money yet, dollar stores can be a gold mine of quick solutions too!

Price Signage - Having clear pricing on your table helps people decide what to buy without having to ask you about every product. Print your own signs at home, bring colorful post-its, or some stiff paper, markers, and tape. You can also use a white board or chalk board to make a “menu” style price list.

Where to get them: Office supply stores, Target/Walmart.

The ability to take money from people - A secure place that’s accessible to you to keep money for making change. Cashbox theft can unfortunately be an issue sometimes, so wearable pouches or discreet envelopes that don’t immediately look like money are better in this context. If you have a cellphone or tablet, you can also get an app where you can list your products and connect an attachment to swipe or tap credit cards for a small fee.  (Note wi-fi and power are not dependable in many venues, so be sure to have a charger and a good data plan for your phone)

Where to get them:  For cash, go to your bank in person and ask for $50-$100 in 1s and 5s. For credit card payments, Square, Paypal, and SumUp all have apps that you can put on a phone or tablet and have attachments to swipe or tap credit cards.

Business cards - Customers will often want to follow you on social media, read your comic, or shop online after the show, so be sure to have lots of business cards! Use your most memorable art so they’ll be able to remember where they got it from! If you’re looking to offer commissions or talk to agents/comic professionals, you might also include your email address, but otherwise leave it off.

Where to get them: Many printers offer business cards for cheap. In a pinch, you can also print your own at home or have one sign with your info and ask people to take a picture.

What to Expect

Lots of talking! You don’t have to have a carnival sideshow “step right up” persona, but be ready to give a friendly hello to folks who look interested in your work, and confidently answer questions about all of your products when asked. If you have a comic, practice a quick elevator pitch to explain it.

Not many breaks! While you can technically step away from your table whenever you want (if you’re alone, you can usually ask a neighboring table to watch your stuff for you), every hour you spend away from your table getting food or going to see cool panels are sales opportunities missed.  Keep snacks and water at your table to minimize your time away, look for slow traffic times to step away and explore a bit, or bring a friend who can watch your table and sell things for you if you need longer breaks to recharge. 

People who have never read a comic on the internet! For those of us who live and breathe our webcomics, this can come as a shock, but many people are still only readers of printed comics and will want to buy your physical book rather than read it free on the internet or buy a digital copy. Even if it’s just a small chapter book, having a print version is a great idea to get readers!

Fun and profit! This can also be surprising if you only have experience with online stores, but people come to convention floors with very open wallets. Things that don’t sell at all online can do gangbusters at conventions when presented right! Experiment with your setup to highlight your favorite things, take careful records of what attracts peoples’ attention and what sells, and keep notes for the next day and next convention, and have fun learning about this new market!

[inky-thoughts]

How to Organize a Zine 101

Hey guys!

Since I'm almost through with my very first zine that I organised myself, I just realised how many mistakes you can make without even knowing, and I learned so much within the last few months where a lot was kind of trial and error. So I thought, you guys might like to learn more about this, and I could share my experiences and newly gained knowledge! Maybe this helps if you are looking into organising your own first zine.

If you have any tips and tricks yourself you'd like to share, let me know, I’m excited to hear about them!

I am going to go through the different steps and phases that you should take into consideration, so this might get a small series of some sort? I hope you're up for this.

Also a small disclaimer:

I'm mostly talking about fanzines that have multiple contributors, and it will focus more on artists/illustrators and writers as that is where my experience lies. I have contributed on several free e-zines as well as a printed charity zine, and now have organised my first printed for-profit zine as well.

Phase 1: The Planning

This might sound really obvious and maybe silly, but there are quite a few things that you should take into consideration before just starting a project that might overwhelm you easily. Don't already head off and create a twitter account before you haven't sat down and thought about these questions first!

First of all, you should think about the zine itself:

What topic/theme should it have?

If it is a fanzine: What ships/characters/... should be the focus?

What format does your zine have (printed/e-zine/both)?

What should be included in the zine? (Illustrations, comics, writing, photographs, ... all of them?)

How many contributors/pieces do you want in your finished zine? (especially important for printed zines)

Do you want to have additional merch, e.g. bookmarks, stickers, charms, postcards, ... , that people can purchase with your zine in a bundle?

How are the specs (how many pieces per creator/how long is one piece especially for writers)?

Is it a for-profit, charity, or free zine?

After you now have a vague idea of what you want, you need to think about competition as well if you're not having a free online zine.

How big is the fandom/target group of the specific zine you want to make?

How old are they and how likely are they to spend money on your zine?

Are there only a few, but very dedicated fans?

How many contributors can you gather from the fandom? How is the general quality of fanworks?

Are there other zines that are similar or maybe with the same topic/theme/focus and what sets your zine apart from them?

Are there other zines going around at roughly the same time with the same target group, and should you perhaps wait a little so people can afford your zine again?

Is it a thriving fandom on the rise or has activity already peaked? If no fanzine: Is your theme at the pulse of time, or has some accute relevance to a lot of people?

Especially on tumblr, there are a few blogs entirely dedicated to zines and specifically fanzines. If tagged accordingly, they'll reblog all kinds of posts about a zine, but mostly Call for Submission, Zine Schedules, and Preorder Announcements (we will talk about these later on.) It is really helpful to check those out, sometimes there are even blogs solely about one fandom's projects, so it gets watered down even more. You can also test waters through polls etc. if you have a loyal followership that might just buy your stuff because it has you in or on it. However, I don't really find those very reliable.

The next questions are mainly about the doablity of the zine for you:

If there is any kind of production costs, do you have funds to cover them if the zine doesn't sell well enough?

Do you have anyone you can trust/are friends with who is also enthusiastic about your topic that they can help you?

How do you want to split work? How much do you want to contribute to the zine yourself?

Are you ready to make the commitment to dedicate basically every free minute of your life for the next 6+ month on this project? Are you in a relatively steady environment where you don't need to handle moving, changing jobs, schools, whatever at any point during your zine work?

I highly recommend you to at least have one other person to do the organisation with you, preferrably are two or even more.

Please do not underestimate the workload you'll get, even if it doesn't seem much at first, you will write so many e-mails because you need to get back to your contributors for one thing or another, you need to make sure the files are all correct, if you have writers you need beta-reading while also putting the zine together and finding a good printing service and making sure everyone is on time. For the last 6 months, this zine was basically my job, because it is just that, just without a clear salary, or none at all.

The next thing is kind of working out a schedule, with the rough stages/phases zine creations usually have.

Application/Gathering Contributors You have the option between public applications where people just send in portfolios and you pick from those, or you invite contributors you think are interested in the zine and you would like to have in it. Sometimes, there are zines that do both, but it's rather rare. There are some zines (usually free e-zines) that accept literally everyone who applies, and while it creates an opportunity for lesser known creators and beginners to gain a little exposure and experience, it doesn't necessarily mean that the overall quality of content is consistent and what you want to hold in your hands. I had applications open for a bit more than a month since I was very eager and didn't establish any kind of excitement or build-up thereof until finally applications open, but generally it's very common to have a full month to gather applications. The minimum should be 2 weeks, though. Also, don't let yourself be blinded by the sheer amount of applicants, especially in smaller fandoms, top tier creators are rather rare and everyone tries to get into a zine about something they love.

Curating Contributors If you don't have an Invite Only zine, you'll have a very busy time ahead now: You need to look through hundred or more applications and filter who is a fit for your zine, and who is not. Bear in mind that you aren't only looking for quality of work, but also which creator's style fits your zine best. Especially if you have several disciplines in your zine (e.g. illustrations and writing), I only can recommend to split the work load according to your speciality. That way you work faster and more efficient. Give yourself at least 2 weeks, the bigger/more popular the fandom, the longer it probably will take.

Sending Acceptance/Refusal E-Mails After you chose your pick, you'll need to let people know who's in, and who is not. I would advise to send out acceptance letters first, since there will be first dropouts immediately after you finally agreed on them. As soon as you got everyone to confirm their participation, take those who barely didn't make it and put them in for pinch-hitters. You will be surprised how many you'll probably need along the way. After they confirmed that yes, they'll be pinch-hitters, send out the rejection e-mails. I consider it curtesy to send them because as applicant, you really want to know where you're standing. Calculate roughly 1-2 weeks for the e-mails because things just tend to drag along and people need a long time to respond.

Confirmations This usually only applies if you offer people to make collaborations. They need to be able to check out who else is in the zine, who is up for collaboration, whose style suits them best to collab with, test the waters with each other, and usually should come up with an idea, so again 1-2 weeks would be needed for that. However, if you have got your contributors confirmed and just need the backup and refusal mails, just set those deadlines parallel.

1st Draft Depending on how much you're already asking for, you might want them 1-2 weeks after the rejection mails went out (if you really just want to know what kind of ideas people got), or up to a month if you want first sketches/summaries. The first draft is also helpful to see if two people got the same idea, and you can steer people a little bit into the "right direction."

2nd Draft Usually this is where at least 50-75% of the work should be done if you don't take a 3rd draft. Most common are 2 Drafts and the endproduct. Give people at least a month between 1st and 2nd Draft.

Final Draft This is when the finished pieces should be due. Depending on the time of the year, the contributors might be under a lot of stress, so set this deadline roughly 1 month after the 2nd Draft. You will be stressed, everyone else will be stressed, so give yourself the time you need. Also listen to your contributors and observe if there are a lot not cutting a deadline, then maybe push them back for another 1-2 weeks. It will make everyone more relaxed.

Touch-up Phase Especially with writers, you'll need at least 2 weeks to touch up the final draft they submitted.

Buffer Time (don't write that into the official schedule but definitely calculate with it) There will always be unexpected events that will require buffer times. You also will need time to put the zine together if you didn't work on designing the file beforehand while everyone else was creating. Still, you'll need to fix some things and polish the whole thing. Minimum buffer should be 1-2 weeks.

Contributor Preorders With printed zines, it is curtesy to give every contributor a printed copy of the zine for free with them only paying for shipping & handling. This kind of established itself as compensation for their work that usually ends up to be for free as most zines are either for charity or barely cover their production costs. To know who of your contributors even wants a copy, you should give them roughly 2-3 weeks to preorder. Having those exclusive orders helps you to divide between contributors and the regular costumer if you hold both at the same storefront.

Previews (+ Proofs) Before you're launching public preorders, dedicate at least 1 week to previews to get everyone hyped up. Contributors and the "official" zine site post excerps of zine pieces so people get an idea of what the feel of the zine is. If you already got proofs/samples printed until then, post pictures of those, too! If you don't post the link to the shop yet, there definitely wouldn't be a problem to have the previews start at the same time as the contributor preorders. That way, contributors also have the chance to get a glimpse at their peer's works.

Public Preorders Depending on how eager people are for your zine, you can leave preorders relatively short, but no less than 2 weeks if you don't get an insane amount of orders within the first couple of days. People must be able to check out prices and get their paycheck before preorders close again. Some zines have a stacked preorder system where the first X orders are cheaper, and then there will be leftovers or a second phase of preorders after the first bulk has been shipped. However, this doesn't happen very often. If you don't have a hugely popular zine or are cutting way too close to any important deadlines, consider having 3-4 weeks of preorders.

Production As soon as you got your numbers from the preorders, RUN AND PURCHASE EVERYTHING. Depending on where you get your zines printed (also don't forget the optional merch on this!), you can be ready to go within a week or even more than a month. Calculating with roughly 3 weeks if you're getting your stuff from mostly national level is a good rule of thumb, however shit happens all the time anyway, so to be safe use 4-8 weeks. Let your customers know immediately if there are any delays that weren't planned.

Shipping Depending on how many orders you've got, shipping can be a hassle and most likely will take up one week or longer. Since domestic shipping is fastest, ship international orders first, that way customers don't have the feeling that they're forgotten.

E-Zine Currently, a common trend is to first get the physical copies sold, and then sell e-zines to gather more money and cover leftover production costs of the printed zine. Especially international customers and college students prefer e-zines because of the incredibly high shipping rates around the globe. E-zines aren't linked to any production at all after you got the file put together, so if you set up your storefront with the download, everyone simply downloads it. You can have those open as you like, common is anything between 1-3 month and even a whole year. If no money is involved at all, a lot of zines just exist as a permanent free download in a dropbox or other cloud, so this is the least complicated process.

Conventions Really, it's not necessary to put this up in the schedule, but thinking about it might be helpful. If you have a physical zine, you and some contributors might want to sell it on conventions, so offering them to buy a bulk to a smaller rate can be helpful to spread the zine's exposure. We handled this with "buying on commission" - mainly the contributor only pays for the printing costs + shipping, and later will pay part of the profit back to you. Especially with international contributors, be aware of the longer shipping time. Also reprints might take their time. I personally made it a rule to order the reprints 3 months before the con, and reprints can be made up until one year, but really, you don't need to do this.

After you've got your rough schedule, I would advise you to already gather information on how to produce and spread the finished zine. This also helps to know how much you should have in your backup fund for the zine.

For physical zines/merch

Check out printing services! compare prices and quality as well as product range, and find out how long production takes

Find an online storefront where you want to sell it if you don't have one yet

Research on conventions and fairs where you might sell the zine

Learn about shipping rates and which company is suited best for your purpose

For e-zines

Research on your options:

If it's free, what cloud-service are you most comfortable with?

Find a dowload hosting platform you're comfortable with that also lets you charge per download

Is a round-mailing an option? if yes, do your research on online storefronts as well.

Advertising + Web Presence

This is basically finding your social media where you want to spread the word and store all the information of your zine. It is common for a zine with multiple contributors and mods to have its own web presence.

Tumblr and twitter are very popular for this as tumblr basically is a quick-for-setup homepage where you can spread information incredibly fast if you get to the right people, you have the option to answer questions people have regarding your zine, and twitter is nice and handy to keep applicants and potential customers updated. Also think about where you've got a large following and can advertise the zine yourself. Twitter/tumblr is not required, but most definitely helpful.

If you yourself aren't very known or popular, try to get more influencial people interested in participating, or simply promoting your zine. It definitely helps to have a larger audience. Also find out about the tags used by largely popular zines, and what you can learn from them. Learn how the fanproject blogs filter content they might reblog.

Things you also shouldn't underestimate is affiliations! If there is a zine/project with a largely similar forcus and theme, try to get on their better side, and help each other out. They might be your competition, but if you schedule your zine in a clever way, you won't need to worry about this at all since preorder phase won't overlap at all. They might help you advertise your zine while you do the same for them.

There are also forums on zines and fanzines, but I think nowadays it's rare that you'll go viral through those. I personally don't have any experience with those, so if anyone has, I'm happy to hear about it!

next >>

Masterpost

[kidslovetoys]

Easy Christmas Crafts

“Every child is an artist. The problem is to remain one when we grow up.”

Pablo Picasso

Do you cheat when you do craft activities with your child?

Do you 'fix' mistakes and tidy up the messy bits?

How does your child feel about that?

When we embark on a festive, creative activity with our children, we are often consumed with producing something that is universally recognisable, accurate, aesthetically pleasing or that mirrors an example made by us. We set up the activities with carefully selected resources and we hold those little hands to ensure the prints and marks go in just the right places. We adorn their marks with our own, to really make sure the end product looks as it was intended to. Then, perhaps, we photograph and display the work on our social media platforms and in our homes, to show the world what those little hands can do. But was it truly those little hands? Or was it really our grown-up hands, that have lost the art of, well, art?

What about the children? Where do their own thoughts, skills, ideas and wonderings come into the process? At what point during the carefully planned and prepped activity, does the child become passive and disinterested? When they are visiting home in 30 years and they see the immaculate handprint Christmas wreath displayed proudly on the mantlepiece of their family home, are they looking at anything more than a physical indicator of how small their hands were when they were 4? Whilst there is a place for the odd hand or foot print picture, there are so many other wonderful crafts and activities that we can arrange for our children during the festive period, that allow them to play more freely, create more honestly and produce things that they are truly proud of.

The post ‘Down with Pinterest-friendly craft ideas!’ reminds us of the importance of open-ended resources and how this freedom to explore and create can really support children’s development in ways that recreating Pinterest products simply cannot. Activities that value the process over the end product, ensure that children are engaged, enthralled, immersed and excited throughout the task. By celebrating these creations, we are actively showing our children how much we love and are proud of their ideas and abilities, by investing in their unedited, honest art and sharing this openly with the most special people in their lives. After all, ‘Art has the role of helping children become like themselves instead of more like everyone else’ (Sydney Gurewitz Clemens).

Here are some simple, cost-effective and easy Christmas craft activities that you could carry out with your children:

Making Paper chains

You can buy pre-cut paper-chain strips - and for the youngest children this might be OK - but best of all is to make them from scratch. It's hard to overstate how important cutting, sticking and glueing are for your child's development. Using both hands together, or bilateral co-ordination, is an essential skill. One hand to hold the paper steady while the other uses the scissors or glue. There are other learning opportunities, too. You could count the chains as you go, measure the length needed or length achieved, therefore developing skills in maths and problem solving. And, best of all, have lots of fun.

Tip: Using those squares of shiny, gummed paper that we are all familiar with from school is an easy way to make paper chains, but you can get by equally well with plain white paper. Just rub the side of a crayon across the entire sheet on both sides and you have a unique material packed with home-made charm.

Paper snowflakes

I think we all remember making these at some point or another! Folding a paper circle into eighths (maths) and cutting small shapes into the sides (cutting, fine motor skills and hand/eye coordination) before opening it up to discover what pattern we have made. Children love the anticipation of finding out how their snowflake will look and will likely make adaptations to their cuts and snips each time they produce another one, therefore applying new knowledge to existing ideas and stretching them beyond their capabilities.

Tree decorations

Children can draw and design their decorations on card before cutting them out and decorating them with paints, environmentally friendly glitter, stickers, buttons or any other decorative items you may have to hand. Then, using PVA glue to stick them together, punch a hole and use a ribbon to hang them on the tree. There are so many skills involved with such a simple and easy activity such as applying the right amount of glue, positioning a hole in the right place, threading the ribbon through, selecting and using different decorations. Children love to let their creativity run wild with their choices in shape, design and decoration, and then they get to see their beautiful decoration on the family Christmas tree, which is a huge confidence booster because it is 100% their creation.

Salt dough decorations

Salt dough is a cheap and more readily available option than clay. It is easy to make, dries hard enough to paint/decorate and will last many years in the Christmas decorations storage box in the loft!

Using the salt dough recipe here, you can allow children to create their decoration shape, or use cutters and objects to make prints and patterns in circles or balls. Children can create the shape and then after baking the items with help from their adults, they can be painted and adorned with all manner of festive decorations. Conversations during modelling with dough or clay are wonderful! Lots of talk around texture and shape, ideas and stories. Children often change their ideas as they progress and talk you through what they are thinking.

Potato print wrapping paper

Buy a roll of drawing paper if possible as this works well with wrapping gifts as opposed to A4 (although that will work just as well for smaller gifts). Cut a potato in half and carve some shapes into the ends. The children can use these potato stampers to create patterns. They will naturally explore tessellation, pattern, grouping shapes, counting and concepts of space and measurement.

Pine cone decorating

There have been a lot of opportunities for being outdoors lately during walks and you may have stumbled upon some pine cones. Collect some pine cones and, using PVA glue, adorn these with splendid Christmassy things like environmentally friendly glitter, any craft items you may have in the home such as pom poms or stickers. Tie a ribbon or string to the top and make decorations to hang on the tree, or just for placing around the home.

Christmas card collage

Using old or unused cards and wrapping, alongside some safety scissors and glue, allow children to cut out shapes and pictures and create their own Christmas collage! They may wish to tell a story, catalogue things they like or simply create something decorative. This offers children the chance to cut around shapes and pictures, developing cutting skills.

Snowglobes

Using old jars, biodegradable glitter, glycerin and water (or baby oil if you do not have this) and some objects to stick inside the lid of the jar, children can make an effective snowglobe. This activity is very scientific in nature and there are opportunities for conversations about how and why things work the way they do such as how the water/oil stays in the jar, why the glitter moves more slowly or how the light reflects. Then, at the end, watch their eyes as the glittery snow falls down through the liquid.

Making Christmas stockings/sacks

Using an old bag for life, old clothing or fabric, socks, or some cardboard cut into the shape of a stocking, children can decorate with anything to hand (buttons, stickers, shapes, pom poms, photos). You could introduce sewing or fabric glue with older children and allow them to really let their hands get busy with new skills and thought processes. 

Wrapping presents

At this time of year, we tend to have a lot of excess boxes from online deliveries and purchases. Children always seem to gravitate towards the good old fashioned cardboard box as it represents freedom to be anything they wish! They could wrap them, tie bows on them, make up presents for others, or just decorate them as Christmas props. Perhaps they want to turn one into a present costume or hat. The options are endless, but the process of creating the end result is going to involve a lot of different skills and ideas along the way.

Icing Christmas biscuits

This could can be as basic as taking an existing cookie or biscuit and simply icing it with a variety of sprinkles, or baking them together and then decorating in any way they choose. Mixing icing to the desired consistency, using it with different utensils (piping bag, spatula, spoon etc) and then waiting for it to set and be ready for eating, will support development in science, understanding of the world and the properties of various liquids and mixtures, patience, resourcefulness and consequence.

Christmas cards

Folding (maths, fine motor skills, hand/eye coordination), decorating (creativity, colours, confidence, expression), writing, sealing, sending. An oldie but a goodie! Children enjoy all of the stages of making cards and they can really feel a sense of pride when the card they took so much care in making, is sent to someone they love and care for.

Stained glass windows

These are fabulous! Using tissue paper and sugar paper or card, cut the frames out by folding and cutting shapes into whatever patterns the children choose. Stick the tissue paper over the spaces created and then stick to the window. Children can really play with colours, shapes and experience the illusions shadows and silhouettes can make. Children may need a sample to help them with the initial concept, however this shouldn’t be something they are expected to copy, but rather an example to inspire and guide them. Christmas is a great time to do these activities because shapes such as stars, Christmas trees and snowflakes are familiar, recognisable and easy for children to cut out, if they choose to. 

Junk modelling

Christmas often accumulates a lot of waste packaging. You could provide your children with a crate or bag of boxes, wrapping paper, cardboard inserts, plastic pots/bottles, tags, sweet wrappers, packaging fillers such as shredded cardboard or polystyrene. Along with some glue, scissors, decorative papers, pens/crayons to construct and decorate, let the children model something. Junk modelling is a wonderful way of supporting children’s problem solving skills by posing different opportunities to solve problems (why wont the cylindrical tub stick to the cardboard box? Could I do anything differently to make that work?). It also supports their gross motor skills such as lifting, reaching and stretching, as the objects are bigger and more difficult to manoeuvre than small, tabletop items. 

In all of these suggested activities you will find opportunity to explore every area of development. There are chances to introduce new vocabulary, extend existing ideas by asking questions, model your own thinking by talking out loud about what you are doing or how you could approach something differently. There are opportunities to develop maths by using mathematical language (is this big enough? How many will we need? Are there more or less here?), counting, measuring and estimating. Science is introduced with mixing, experimenting, hypothesising (I think I will be able to do this because…). You can encourage children to express how they feel, articulate their thoughts and ideas. You can help them to develop physical skills from both large scale movements to small fingertip work. Children will engage in highly focused, deep play, that is powered by their own ideas and motivation, thus empowering them and their ideas. The end product may not be a perfectly replicated Pinterest reindeer, but it will be something your child has enjoyed making and is pleased as punch with in the end.

from One Hundred Toys - The Blog https://ift.tt/2JLhWiu

[frogsandfries]

We're busy today

So I only have a couple minutes for now.

I just wanted to express how excited I am. My partner is on his way, training with the new job and it finally feels like I might finally be able to save some money and hopefully invest in some packaging, backing cards, sealing stickers, and in due time, I'll eventually begin to invest in product. I'm definitely starting with basic vinyl stickers, wooden pins and acrylic charms and keychains.

I hope at some point, I can upgrade my tablet and upgrade my printing situation (I currently don't have a printer at all, never mind anywhere to put it). I would love to get a modest shelf and figure out how to create a kitten-friendly work zone that doesn't involve me shooing them from chewing on stuff. Maybe some bins with secure lids.

Speaking of bins, my sister finally got my thread back from our parents, and finally, finally shipped that back to me. She spends sooooo much money shipping all these things to me. Unfortunately, with the addition of kittens to our home, our home is no longer a safe place to be careless with yards and yards, skeins and skeins, of embroidery thread. So I might actually want to get an opaque container to protect and store my threads, keep them organized. It'd probably be best if I could keep the organizers organized. It'd be really cool to make some time where the kittens are in the bedroom or maybe I take my thread out of the apartment somewhere, maybe a library, and get the rest of this thread organized. Another thing that'll be really gratifying to work on is completing my DMC color palette, and maybe moving on to Anchor lol

As much as I really enjoy cross-stitching, I really hope I can make something with my keychains and stickers. I hope there's reason, even, to upgrade from regular vinyl stickers to coatings with glitter and holo effect. I also look forward to the excuse to get out and hype up my work and my portfolio. I really love stickers, myself, and I also love pins and buttons, and I love the idea of making work that is accessible to the "common" consumer and art fan. I also hope by taking some of my fan art to the streets, if you will, maybe I can access a different kind of audience than I might just waiting around.

I think another action I might take is to buy out some ads on Instagram and Etsy or whatnot.

I was telling my partner the other day, I'd love if it was worth my time and effort to put more of a human touch into my work, and while I would, I think for now, I'll just outsource the production and of course, I'll do my own packaging. That'll be fun! Plus, I don't think I'll ever have the resources, never mind the desire, to produce my own wooden anything. I love the idea of selling my work as pins, and I think wooden pins are a great way to keep my work as it is. I'd love to figure out how to optimize creating my work at home at shrink pins. I think it'd be really fun to create a large board of a variety of pins--I think it'd be cool to have enough designs to create a large board--and have visitors pull their favorite pin to purchase. It'd probably also be fun to make a bunch of limited edition or even OOAK hand colored pins and offer those on a large board as a specific collection. I'd love to have a following that would make that worth my while.

Another thing I need to tackle is scheduling my social media.

[makeuptips10-blog]

18 Gift Ideas for Friends at Every Price Point

New Post has been published on https://www.claritymakeupartistry.com/18-gift-ideas-for-friends-at-every-price-point/

18 Gift Ideas for Friends at Every Price Point

Weddings, baby showers — these are relatively easy gifting occasions because, miraculously, your friends just tell you what they want. Much harder are those more random gifting occasions. Like what do you give to the friend who just got a promotion? Or how about a birthday present for the friend who’s about to turn 30 (and doesn’t seem thrilled about it TBH)? Or the true-blue friend you just want to thank for seeing you through, well, pretty much every bit of drama and joy you’ve experienced since college?

Since wish lists for literally every gifting situation are sadly not a thing, we’re helping you come up with 18 sweet ideas for pretty much everyone you know. From the boss babe to the Netflix queen to the Crossfit-obsessed buddy to the one who lingers with you over brunch for hours, their perfect gift awaits.

$1,000+: An off-the-beaten-path tour of Colombia

Woman-owned travel company El Camino’s motto is “Be a traveler, not a tourist.” And thanks to the owners’ inside knowledge of the destinations (one is Colombian), you’ll get a cool, intimate glimpse at the best restaurants, beaches and cultural attractions in a country that’s quickly becoming a must-hit spot.

Small Group Colombia Trips, starting at $1000 at El Camino Travel.

Photo: El Camino

Under $900: The chicest, coziest chair for your new roomie

So, you signed the lease (yay!) and now you need some furniture. This overstuffed chair covered in cozy boucle is so cute — you won’t know whether you want to sit in it, or sit on the couch so you can look at it. Which is perfect, because your girl’s probably going to steal it for her Sunday novel-reading marathons anyway.

Gwyneth Boucle Chair, $899 at CB2

Under $650: The ultimate understated-fancy tote

The older art-school friend you always thought was a little too cool for school? Okay, so maybe she isn’t the warmest person ever, but she just gave you a major recommendation that landed you a cherry job. Feels like you owe her better than a beer, right? This structured leather tote by woman-owned brand Building Block will delight her with its understated whimsy.

Wave Tote, $650 at Building Block

Photo: Building Block

Under $350: A wear-everyday, lab-grown diamond for your ride-or-die

She helped you celebrate every promotion, shake off every heartbreak and helped you move three times. She’s there for you every day, kind of like how this gift will be. Lightbox’s rose-gold pendant necklace holds a lab-grown diamond and is special enough to become the anchor of her wardrobe. That should definitely make up for the time you made her totally redo your Hinge profile.

Solitaire Pendant in Pink, $300 at Lightbox.

Photo: Lightbox

Under $350: A portable iPhone printer for your official photographer

You can always rely on her to snap a group pic when you all get together — and yet, like all of us, she has not actually printed a photo since 2007. Luckily, this ingenious little gadget makes it easy. It attaches directly to your iPhone and prints photos or even video stills, and lets you add cute designs and stickers, too.

Prynt Pocket iPhone Printer Set, $249 at MoMA Design Store

Photo: MoMA

Under $200: Truly stylish maternity jeans

She doesn’t have to give up her cool cred when she’s expecting. Madewell’s ingeniously designed skinny jeans are cut low in front for comfort, high in the back for coverage, and they have stretchy panels at the sides to grow with her expanding belly. But technical stuff aside, when she pulls them on, they just feel like a rad pair of jeans.

Maternity Skinny Jeans in Annabelle Wash, $138 at Madewell.

Photo: Madewell

Under $100: Next-level loungewear for the binge-watcher

Yes, she probably already owns a robe. But does she own one that’s super-soft, cozy and comes in an extremely aesthetic palm-on-pink print? Probably not. Treat her to this, and she won’t even have to change before venturing out to restock on snacks.

The Kimono, $65 at Lively.

Photo: Lively

Under $100: A indestructible French press for the writer

Hemingway said, “Write drunk, edit sober.” But forget booze — what writers actually run on is copious amounts of coffee. And if, like this writer, you’ve ever smashed through your third glass carafe and thought “there must be a better way,” there is. This isn’t cheap, but it is tough-as-nails and double-walled to keep your coffee hot.

Frieling 36-ounce French Press, $79.95 at Frieling.

Photo: Frieling

Under $100 A playful shag bathmat

Do you need an aesthetic bathmat that costs $60 and features abstract, organic shapes? Nah, but it’s definitely a fun addition to any bathroom (or even an entryway) that beats anything on offer at big-box home stores. Way cuter than something so useful has a right to be

Cold Picnic Islands Bath Mat, $60 at Coming Soon.

Photo: Coming Soon

Under $100: An at-home wine-tasting

Your buddy deserves better than Budweiser. To help prove it to her, gift her a Winc gift card. She goes online, fills out a quiz, and a wine expert chooses a couple bottles to send her by mail. It’s like a wine-tasting, but better, because it’s on your couch.

Wine Tasting, starting at $60 at Winc.

Photo: Winc

Under $50: A real food-based protein supplement

Sure, you got a little sick of hearing how amazing she felt on Whole 30, but you have to admit, those kettle-bell swings look badass. Help your newly obsessed buddy maintain that hard-won muscle with this collagen protein supplement made from five different types of collagen — all from food sources you’ll actually recognize on the label.

Multi-Collagen Protein, $44 at Ancient Nutrition.

Photo: Dr. Axe

Under $50: The world’s best dry shampoo

We know what you’re thinking: Dry shampoo as a gift? But trust us, this one’s different. It doesn’t just do the ho-hum job of sopping up oil, it actually makes your hair voluminous and sexy — dare we say Bardot-esque? A gym-bag essential that’ll help you get to Bellinis faster.

Hairstory Powder Dry Shampoo, $36 at Hairstory.

Photo: Hairstory

Under $30: A planner to plot world domination

Whether she’s a budding girlboss looking to launch her own biz or she’s determined to get that promotion this year, she doesn’t have to wait until 2019 to get down to business. Ban.do’s planner runs from August 2018 through August 2019 — perfect for students or grownups looking to recapture that “back-to-school” energy. It’s the perfect mix of practical and fun, with monthly and weekly calendars, plenty of pages for notes, cool artwork and most importantly, stickers!

Classic 13-Month Planner, $20 at Ban.do.

Photo: Bando

Under $30: A luxe, day-to-night skincare kit

Cult skincare brand Sunday Riley’s products do more than just look good in a #shelfie (although they do that, too). They’re made with clinically proven ingredients that actually work. Under $30 buys your buddy a brightening Vitamin C serum for day and a soothing, retinol-infused night oil to even out skin tone and stave off fine lines, not to mention complaints about her vanishing 20s.

Sunday Riley Multivitamins Set, $28 at Sephora.

Photo: Sephora

Under $30: A hardy plant, delivered

It can be tough to live your plant-mom dreams in the big city, where you can only haul so many pots at a time. Help your bud catch up fast with plants that come delivered to her door. A snake plant like this is great to start with, because it’s trendy and barely needs any light or water (hey, being a good plant mom takes time).

Costa Farms Sansevieria Laurentii Plant, $29 at Home Depot.

Photo: Home Depot

Under $20: A metallic peel-off mask

Skincare junkie alert! If her Insta feed is already full of her in sheet masks, charcoal masks and that pink clay mask too, here’s an even more unexpected one she’s sure to love. Ohii’s vegan peel-off mask brightens and refreshes your skin, and it looks cool doing it.

Ohii The Big Reveal Peel-Off Mask, $16 at Urban Outfitters.

Photo: Urban Outfitters

Under $20: A high-design iPhone case

She might have gone to art school, or she might just subscribe to Kinfolk. Either way, she will definitely appreciate the whimsical cool of this iPhone case, designed to look like terrazzo, the “chipped” effect flooring whose revival took over the design world a year or two back and shows no sign of stopping. Beats an Otterbox for sure.

Terrazzo iPhone Case, $15 at The Wing.

Photo: The Wing

Under $10: The prettiest pink carafe for the hostess

Look, it’s not *your* fault you let your girl throw every party this summer and never returned the favor — that’s what she gets for having a backyard! Still, it’s a lot of work playing hostess all the time. So next time you stop by, bring this pale-pink carafe along with your go-to bottle of rosé. It’s the most charming way to serve wine or spa water (that’s water with herbs), and chic glassware is almost never this cheap. (Psst: The matching glasses are super cute, too — and only $2!)

Intagande Carafe in Light Pink, $8 at Ikea.

Photo: Ikea

Next slideshow starts in 10s

Standout Celeb-Inspired Ways to Accessorize Your Hair

Source: https://stylecaster.com/affordable-gifts-friends/

[girlonfirebitch]

Everything About Nail Layouts as well as Nail Art

Nail designs or nail art is a very straightforward principle - layouts or art that is made use of to embellish the finger or toe nails. They are used predominately to enhance a clothing or lighten up an everyday appearance. Seen nowadays as more a fashion activity and also something that permits imagination and expression of one's own design, the nail designs and art are taken into consideration to be a substantial location of style and charm. Various nail designs as well as nail art can be located on the most up to date bridges of the very best designers, Hollywood celebrities and also celebrities will usually display the most popular brand-new nail trends on the red carpets, and certainly any person from their own home could produce nail art to match their state of mind, outfit or artistic character. History originally saw nail art as being a program of social class, as well as the even more luxurious the higher class you were thought about. Nowadays it is readily available to everybody and also has blown up in appeal, a lot to ensure that a documentary NAILgasm, was launched to explore the growing trend of nail art from subculture to high fashion. In January 2014, Nailpolis: Gallery of Nail Art was started for nail musicians and also enthusiasts to share their styles. Membership on NailpolisMuseum is limited to invitation only to "keep top quality content. How To Do Nail Art? If you want your nails to look their ideal, replicate your favourite star's Nails Zürich , or simply have a fantastic layout idea for them, after that there are a few ways to set about accomplishing the desired appearance. Hair salons: The most convenient however possibly most costly choice is to visit a nail beauty parlor or nail bar. With the boost in nail styles and also nail art popularity nail salons/bars have actually become common-place in lots of communities and also high streets. They will certainly have nail technicians that need to be capable of developing any designs you wish. Sets: Nail art sets work for newbies as they give you whatever you have to begin. They will usually contain the top and also base coats, gloss as well as colours, special brushes or populating tools, various patterns, sticker labels and also pins for the styles, as well as possibly in some cases rocks, gems or shine depending upon the kit. You might also wish to get a kit with nail art pens that enable you to draw straight into the nail, getting an entirely unique design of your own. If you're thinking about entering nail styles, a nail art package could be the excellent starting point. You can buy nail art sets from several of the largest sellers. Tutorials: If you want to prevent the expense of nail hair salons or are just feeling endure there is a huge quantity of tutorials and overviews for all type of nail designs on the net. You could quickly do a quick Google and also YouTube search for a whole host of various other sources. What You Need In order to get the desired layouts or art and you typically aren't going to a nail hair salon, you'll need the most effective tools and also materials. One of the most fundamental devices for any kind of fledgling nail musician are brushes. A collection of brushes can be picked up from many locations like Amazon for extremely inexpensive. Nail files are likewise vital and you will likely need more than one. Your design concepts and also what techniques they will require plays a big part in the tools you might find yourself requiring. Nail stamps and also populating devices might be required to produce details designs. These are simply a few of a wide variety of devices readily available for nail styles and also art. Depending on the kind of layout or pattern you are attempting to accomplish you will certainly call for particular tools that will allow you to create those certain layouts. Nail Styles As soon as you've decided to produce your own nail art, as well as you have actually obtained all the tools you should do so, you'll need to select a style. The range of choices available to you is substantial and also with time you'll become more knowledgeable about different devices that can be utilized to improve or enhance your nail designs. A few of the a lot more usual designs are: Blossoms Glitter Bows Dots/spots Holiday Themed e.g. Easter rabbits. Animal Prints 2 Tones French Manicure Those are simply a few of several designs you can go for. The choices are endless as well as practically any type of picture or pattern can be recreated on your nails. Inspiration There are great deals of resources for discovering nail layout inspiration. Various nail art books on can be found online that will provide for the nail makes you're searching for or degree of skill you presently have. Conversely you might participate in a course at your local nail beauty parlor to get the essentials initially or find inspiration from them, in addition to greatly enhancing your capability. And also certainly the web is a treasure-trove of information as well as concepts. A quick search will certainly locate you an endless supply of layout ideas and also nail art. The important point to remember concerning nail layouts as well as nail nail art is to be innovative, reveal on your own, and most notably - enjoy!

[zosogoddess]

All About Nail Styles as well as Nail Art

Nail styles or nail art is a really easy principle - styles or art that is used to enhance the finger or toe nails. They are used predominately to enhance an outfit or lighten up an everyday look. Seen nowadays as more a fashion activity and also something that enables imagination and expression of one's very own design, the nail designs and also art are considered to be a substantial area of style and charm. Various nail styles and nail art can be found on the most recent bridges of the very best designers, Hollywood celebrities and also celebrities will certainly usually showcase the best new nail trends on the red carpets, and also naturally any person from their very own home could create nail art to match their state of mind, clothing or artistic individuality. Background originally saw nail art as being a show of social course, and also the even more luxurious the higher class you were thought about. These days it is available to everyone as well as has actually exploded in appeal, a lot so that a documentary NAILgasm, was released to discover the expanding trend of nail art from subculture to haute couture. In January 2014, Nailpolis: Museum of Nail Art wased established for nail musicians and hobbyists to share their layouts. Subscription on NailpolisMuseum is restricted to invitation only to "keep high quality material. How To Do Nail Art? If you desire your nails to look their ideal, duplicate your favorite star's nails, or just have an excellent design idea for them, then there are a couple of ways to deal with achieving the desired look. Beauty salons: The most convenient however probably most pricey alternative is to see a nail beauty parlor or nail bar. With the rise in nail layouts and nail art appeal nail salons/bars have actually ended up being common-place in lots of towns and high streets. They will have nail specialists that ought to can producing any type of designs you wish. Packages: Nail art kits work for beginners as they give you every little thing you should begin. They will generally consist of the top and also skim coat, polish as well as colours, unique brushes or dotting tools, different patterns, sticker labels and also pins for the styles, and also perhaps often stones, jewels or shine relying on the kit. You might even intend to obtain a set with nail art pens that allow for you to attract directly into the nail, obtaining a totally special design of your personal. If you're thinking of entering nail styles, a nail art kit could be the excellent beginning point. You can get nail art sets from some of the largest stores. Tutorials: If you wish to stay clear of the price of nail salons or are simply really feeling endure there is a huge amount of tutorials as well as overviews for all sorts of nail layouts online. You could easily do a fast Google as well as YouTube look for a whole host of various other sources. What You Need To get the wanted styles or art and you aren't mosting likely to a nail hair salon, you'll need the best devices and also supplies. Among one of the most standard devices for any kind of budding Nagelstudio Zürich musician are brushes. A collection of brushes can be gotten from many locations like Amazon.com for really cheap. Nail files are likewise important as well as you will likely need more than one. Your layout ideas and also what methods they will call for plays a big component in the devices you may find yourself requiring. Nail stamps and dotting devices may be necessary to create details designs. These are just a few of a wide variety of devices readily available for nail designs as well as art. Depending upon the kind of design or pattern you are attempting to accomplish you will need particular tools that will certainly allow you to create those particular styles. Nail Layouts As soon as you've chosen to create your personal nail art, as well as you've obtained all the tools you have to do so, you'll need to select a design. The range of alternatives readily available to you is significant and with time you'll become much more accustomed to different devices that can be utilized to boost or boost your nail styles. Several of the more usual layouts are: Blossoms Glitter Bows Dots/spots Holiday Themed e.g. Easter bunnies. Pet Prints 2 Tones French Manicure Those are simply a few of several designs you could go for. The selections are unlimited as well as virtually any picture or pattern can be recreated on your nails. Inspiration There are lots of sources for finding nail layout motivation. Different nail art books on can be found online that will certainly cater for the nail designs you're seeking or level of skill you presently have. Additionally you might participate in a class at your neighborhood nail hair salon to get the basics first or discover motivation from them, and also vastly enhancing your capacity. As well as certainly the web is a treasure-trove of info as well as suggestions. A quick search will locate you an endless supply of design concepts and nail art. The vital point to keep in mind concerning nail styles and also nail nail art is to be innovative, share on your own, as well as most importantly - enjoy!

[thejourneyblog]

Day 1 in a mental inpatient hospital:

11/25/17

I didn't see this coming. I mean I did a few times but I was usually able

to get back on my feet. But I don't even know what happened, that day,

yesterday. I had cracked. Over something small. I gave up. I realized I

didn't want to do it anymore. Live. Watch funny youtube videos, laugh

with friends, follow my dreams, run adult errands, write poetry. I'm

amazed I'm writing this at all right now. And this was such a deep

bottomless feeling out of no where that I had a panic attack.

I could not stop. I started spinning out. I couldn't stop crying all day or hyperventilating.

I was out to pick up a desk that I never picked up because they were all out.

So I went back to my drive way and tried to figure out how I could come back

to my senses. Maybe I should eat, play a game, walk my dog, rest, go to my

bffs house.. but I was repulsed by every idea. I didn't want to go back to living.

I tried to think about something that could make me happy. But I didn't want anything...

anymore and that is when I couldn't return. I was so scared. I didn't know what

was happpening. Nothing calmed me down. I didnt know what I was supposed to

do. do I run away? What would be the easiest way to die. But I didnt have the energy

to even do those. Then I rememberes, theres a hotline.

I wasn't able to talk much since I was trying to stop hyperventilating. But the responder was smart. She asked questions slowly and paced. We talked for an hour and I told her that I wanted to

donate all of my organs somewhere and that I was done. She helped me get to an ER

to get help. At that point I looked like I had been to 10 funerals and was scaring

everyone. My eyes still hadnt stopped crying. They assigned a nurse to stay at my side

at all times. Probably because I kept saying “IDK” when they asked if I was a danger

to myself. I was in the ER for 4 hours sleeping and crying as they put stickers on

my boobs and took blood and urine samples. I finally decided to answer my sisters

calls and she told me she loved me and that I was perfect. And I was so upset with

the universe at that moment. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I kept trying to make normal decisions, see if there was still some way out of this.

Back to old me. Sane me. But I couldnt. I was done.

Finally they told me about a wonderful place where we do group/art/single therapy sessions and I was admitted.They wheeled me to a room with security gaurds to collect my belongings and scan

me for metal. A nice lady asked me about my thanksgiving while she took me to the

mental health floor. I sat in the hallway while I waited for a nurse to bring me to my

room, with bare feet which didn't bother me. “Shame on INOVA” A nurse yelled giving

me socks and dinner. In the dining room I met some of the other patients right away. Watching tv and having their dinner. Fish with rice and sweet potato and cranberry juice. The fish

was great. I traded my brownie for a raspberry foam thing the other girl wanted. I

didn't care. I hadn't eaten all day. I didn't have a need to. After eating, I was showed to

my room. I didn't see a tv. That was disappointing. I wanted my phone back. But not really.

I thought I'd just sleep and cry some more. But then a girl appeared.

Sibila

“Hi!”

I jumped “hi”

“Are you new here! Let me show you around”

I agreed surprisingly.

“She showed me all the rooms, the game room, the lounge, kitchen, dining, snack room (locked)

Art room (also locked), pay phones, tv room and her room.

She gave me jolly ranchers and seemed super happy. So I did not under stand

why she was here. After that I went back to my room.

But she popped back up.

“My mom brought gyros! Lets eat!”

She dragged me to the kitchen and got me some coffee.

The coffee was perfect. Just what I needed. Which I proceeded to chug black for the next few days,

though it did not increase my energy what so ever.

Her mom was really sweet. Reminded me of my mom:

“sleep helps with depression”

yet I sleep like a baby

I tried to go back to my room but sibila was one step ahead of me

“Art class is starting!”

Art Class

Sibila picked a table in the corner for Victoria and I. A college looking girl with

the same circle as the rest of us, but sweet. But this place was no ordinary art class.

This place looked like a fukin AC Moore. There were lots of templates and wood crafts we could decorate. I didn't feel like doing much so I chose stained glass. I was the quickest

one in the group. The only one to finish a project. It would just give me anxiety to leave

something unfinished. After that we went to the end of the hall and sang pop songs for the rest of

the night. I joined along. Her spirit was so infectious. I tried not to be so low. But when we were alone

eating graham crackers I couldn't help it

“I dont want to live anymore. I cant”

She gave me a pat and scrambled. That was the end of that.

I slept with the lights on that night.

I remember

(hours before admission)

As I was trying to calm down about my problems

Inner voice: your sister will be okay, you just have to

Me: shut up ( monotone)

just stop

I dont want you to fix this

I dont want anything anymore

Im done

Voice: thats not true

Me: maybe I just need to run away for a bit. Take a long vacation

V: nothing will be here when you get back

Me: shhhh

I told you

I dont care

Im sure this has been an interesting study in human defeat

that is all

Break fast

was awful. Watery scrambled eggs. Super moist muffin. Potatoes were decent. Atleast I got to talk to vikki. Shes actually a lot more normal than I thought. Just some mild postpartum psychosis. But it seems like a lot of people come here to get back on track.. I don't know what I want... but I still don't want to go back. To anything. So thats not good..

The Characters

There are surprisingly not many people here. So far everyone has been super inviting and made me feel welcomed. There are the nurses who sit at a desk blocking the elevators. The whiteboard with each hall wing class schedule like school.

People I've met so far:

-Frail lady with a blanket shawl

-The angry boy always yelling at his mom on the phone with an ice pack on his head

- the pregnant lady who loves everyone

-The cute guys who thinks hes a celebrity

-the cute guy who doesn't talk

Sibila of course and our trio Vikki <3

and my room mate who sleeps all day, Doris.

I don't blame her

How are you?

A different nurse or doctor asks every 2 hours

I don't mean to be rude but I'm not going to answer that

I will gladly talk to a therapist about it. I could actually

really use that right about now.

But currently the outcome is uncertain

FOR SOME REASONFSJAODNASODSDMKA

Coping mechanism sheet

Take a time out in room – I slept with the lights on

imagine myself at the beach- no

talk with a peer- call Roslyn

write in journal

write a list of my strengths

write a letter

call a family member

have some tea or coffee

exercise

stretch

stress balls

draw

soft music- not helpfuldnjsadsnadjasdomk

play a game- boring/no energy

tv room – too bright/uncomfortable chairs

meditate-makes me angry

talk with your therapist-where?

Read- ummmmm

count to 10-NO

positive thoughts-try again

walk-what else is there to do

write a schedule for week after discharged- already have a schedule?

Comb hair/freshen up- sibila made me shower

My room mate

Doris has become a bit more talkative. She has the sweetest voice.

She invited me to bingo but I was still knocked out by the meds. She seems

worried about me. After I told the nurse I didn't want to live she asked to switch rooms.

Probably a coincidence.

The head poppers

: Nurses or doctors who pop their head from behind your curtain for a split second

to see where you are like a weirdo

every                     fucking                  hour

Bathrooms

are a fucking joke. Island printed yoga mats with Velcro make up for the doors.

Meaning you can smell and hear everything. One time I walked in on a full toilet.

I thought it was rude until I flushed and realized I probably woke up my room mate.

Oh well

The Bands

Wrist bands, we all wear. Get scanned about 15 times a day. For what? There aren't that many of us. They do it every time we go to a class, have a meal, need meds, get our vitals checked. I just ripped

mine off today because it is so uncomfortable and now all they do is ask for my name.

The more you know

How are you: Update

Today I yelled: “BAAAAAAADDDD jesus...”

but atleast he finally asked something different

“Do you have anything to live for”

“Yes, but I don't care”

I should probably stop acting like this. I think its triggering doris

Sibila made me a belated birthday card. It was super random, but also the sweetest

most important thing right now.

Lights

Ive been sleeping with them on every night so far. She likes them off but hasnt

said anything about it. Im just surprised the nurses allow it. I dont know why I do it.

I just sleep better. But maybe for tonight, just for doris, Ill turn them off.

Strengths

Believing in things I can not do

Visits

Mom brought me some fresh clothes and friends brought me candy

I managed to change into a fresh top and leggings and started to feel a bit better.

Might attend group tonight.

Update: group was boring and unhelpful

Doris

Apparently hates me

Fights

Atleast when you fight with someone here, they forget, and you can be friends again

The Suitcase

Today in art class I chose a wooden project. A suitcase. I decorated it like the night sky since stars calm me. Inside I placed a folded piece of fabric and some bead charms that would represent everything I would leave behind if I go:

Sunflowers- My family and friends

Stars and moon- nature

Korean symbols- knowledge

Buddhist hand- my wonders for the universe

teddy bear- my future possibilities

gold bracelet- material loves

Spiral- myself

blue diamond- hope

totem- values

colorful ball- passions

I still could not feel anything about it but I hope this is the old me trying to tell me something

Sibila

Has an eating disorder. She gave me a paper of her schedule and every hour said diet underneath

I notice that she doesn't really eat. Unless her mom brings her something.

Quotes

When you are a child, you have hopes and dreams of everything you want your future to be.

When you get older, you have plans for what you think will make you happy: A home, a job, love. But we all know that the future is unpredictable. We are not supposed to know what is going to happen anyways. Because if we did, that would be boring, or scarier, if possible. But you see, I had a moment, where I could see where my future was heading, and it was horrifying, and I just.. gave up.

Something positive

I decided to read the quotes in the dining hall.

“maybe the biggest opportunity is where you are standing right now”

A letter

Dear world,

I dont know if there is anything you could have done to prevent this outcome.  You didnt do anything that great or that horrible to me. None that I can think of at this moment

that I care to blame anything on. You just did, you just are. And we just live. And we just die.

But to my understandning,

ive enjoyed the beauties

and the perfect uglies

and im good

so lets wrap this up. Some might think I should be stronger

but nope. Its my choice.

Everyone here

says the same things

“when can I leave”

“gimme my stuff back”

Nurse james

is really fucking cute

I think he likes me because

he took my vitals even though mine was already taken today

did not object

Update: Never mind. All the nurses do this.

Doris

Likes old british rock music

Look up “the smiths”

Limbo

This morning I woke up and did not know anything. I did not know who I was or where I was

I had not a single thought. I felt like a newborn baby. I had forgotten that I was alive, ever alive,

or that there was even a life to live.

This did not break my heart as much as it should have.

And you want to know what happened next?

I got out of bed and used the bathroom when a nurse walked in and saw my face

and seemed annoyed at my unwelcoming presence

“Are you ever happy! Smile! You are beautiful and will be out of here in no time!”

My room mate applauded and agreed.

Hello

My name is priscilla and I am suicidal. I still can not imagine myself outside of this place. Even though I do not want to be here for long. Every time I try to tell myself that I owe my mom and sis, that I need to work harder, itll be okay, try to find love, I have to stop. Those things usually motivate me. But everyting short circuits me right now, and I do not know why.

I said good bye

On the last day, I decided to go to group

There was a young teacher asking ice breaker questions and only a few people this time. The old man who hears voices, Doris, Indian girl with translator, Taiwanese man with translator and me. I talked about my dad. That out of anything, the only thing that hurt or really mattered, was him not being there. I was the only one who cried that session. I left on good terms though. I wanted to talk and I finally got to. I thanked her genuinely. I left a note for nurse james. I said goodbye to cute billy, the one who talks to celebrities. Sibila, vikki and I got discharged together and we are now friends. The last days have felt like months and I can still taste the watery eggs, which I only tried once. But at least the worst is over.  

[charlineoctoman-blog]

5 Reasons event Is Common In U.S.A.

Remove Your Fears And also Uncertainties Regarding party.

Frank Owens Limited supplies a wide range of expert financial recommendations to business owners and manager with respect to the most proper steps in acquisition, disposition and funds sourcing, based on the here and now market problems. That's it. That was all I might discover that would even come close to being event materials, no little sunshades for drinks, not even a SOLO cup to be found. If you get on a spending plan, you can locate numerous cute Do It Yourself event decoration suggestions and also tutorials by doing a Google search or searching Pinterest. Get Inexpensive Party Hats for Kid, Candy in Bulk, Birthday celebration Celebration Games, Reward Bags, Wholesale Uniqueness Toys and also a lot more. The resort is 18km north of Mombasa City and also 30km from Mombasa's global flight terminal. You have also one more option available to get John Deere individual event support things that are offered independently to purchase so that you can add to the boxes as you please. There are a couple of different 50s celebration motifs you can choose from, or you may decide to mix these motifs for your rockin' 50s party. These terrific dishes for amusing are designed making the day of your celebration a kicked back affair. Listed below you will certainly locate ideas and information on how you can throw the best mad scientific research party ever before. Throwing a Wedding Shower style party celebration is an excellent thing in between ladies and also once you do it, you will recognize what I imply from all the fun and laughter walking around. Regardless of the type of celebration the essentials of excellent celebration design generally continue to be the exact same. These event invitation envelopes could be found in joyful silver, gold, royal blue and soft pinks. The first layer on the Event Layout Board consists of samples of points involving your Style, State of mind, and also Colors, and also Designs and also Setting. Several females are uncomfortable with the concept of dream lingerie, and also the relaxed party setting is the best area to discover the concept. And also, she generously gives info on totally free party games, activities, as well as party supplies Utilize her pointers and concepts for an amazing party. If, on the various other hand, the young important invitee is rather a girl who favors the Disney Princesses, after that the host will certainly intend to present as lots of princess celebration products to the mix as possible. A day or more before the day of the event take another look at the list of roaring 20s event supplies needed for the celebration. For the most part, making your event budget-friendly could be as very easy as planning and arranging ahead of time. For example, if the celebration is for your young child's birthday, you could enhance the walls with anime remove and also festoons. These as well as others give many locations for a wedding party to present with the ocean, piers, or sand dunes as a background. The people attending the event should not find it very tough to obtain to the place. There will certainly be those supplying money eleventh hour to be consisted of, only include them if there is area ... Or else initial come, initially serve basis only for those going to the pantyhose event.

Below's Just what Nobody Tells You About party.

So you must absolutely intend a couple of interesting Thirtieth birthday celebration celebration online ready your friends and family participants. Bear in mind the most effective wedding event shower celebration favors are items the visitors will wish to keep, and additionally, things that may aim them back to the wedding event as well as folks that the item commemorated.

The Five Steps Required For Putting celebration Into Action.

When you seek decor, theme, meal, beverage, ready event, it is best to go with event suggestions. There are science themed invitation concepts, costumes, embellishing pointers, celebration materials, food and beverage ideas, experiments to attempt, parlor game, songs, and pointers for supports. The initial Open Iftar in the United States was held last year in Rose city, Oregon And this year, the event was particularly billed, coming much less than 24 Hr after two individuals were eliminated taking on anti-Muslim physical violence Over 600 individuals ended up for the Open Iftar at a neighborhood community center, resting on folding chairs as well as on the ground, inside your home and also out. The adhering to are some tips to get the kid birthday celebration celebration preparation started. You must search for best destination all over the world to earn your event something remarkable and also eye-catching. The professors are great at their jobs, as well as are always available for office hours as well as rate of in-class discussion of topics. The facts party game could be played simply for fun or as part of a charity event for a philanthropic reason. Night life at PC is likewise enjoyable, and there are a lot of bars to going too in the city as well as there is also a bar on campus! You could select a celebration hall, which is positioned at a practical range from you and your attendees. June also sees the Calcio in Outfit held in the Piazza di Santa Croce complying with a ceremony as well as party. Besides, it is constantly nice to have the nice fresh eco-friendly smell of fresh mowed grass throughout an outdoors event. Then you just print out as many sheets as there are girls attending the party city hours monday [levensduurverhalen.info], and also their activities will keep them active for hours. Your John Deere celebration support box consists of a whole range of astonishing things that children will certainly adore like a John Deere note pad and also crayon set, a sophisticated lavish pet, a sticker label sheet, a blowout, a charming as corn squirt er and also the recyclable tractor subject support box. There are however events, when the visitors at a swinger event are all understood to either want, or have no strong feelings versus, having grown-up party games played. When you are attempting to select the foods that will certainly suit your event to perfection, these kinds of points matter.