How to make a paddle

As you may have surmised by now I'm a proud member of a sorority.  There are loads of traditions that go along sorority life, and one of them in my particular chapter is decorated paddles.  When a new member is initiated their big (basically their mentor) decorates them a wooden paddle (don't worry they are purely for tradition/decoration purposes...not for hazing!) and in turn when their big graduates the little makes them a paddle.  Luckily my big will be around for another year, but as she's a senior and will become an alumni of the chapter in a few days, it was my turn to craft for her.

Now I'm not particularly adept at painting, so I decided to mod podge fabric onto the paddle.  It ended up looking really cool and was a very different/awesome texture (which you can't really tell in the pictures so you'll have to trust me.)

Step 1: I started off by washing, drying, and pressing my fabric, then I put a layer of mod podge (a kind of glue, primer, and finishing gloss all in one) on the fabric so that when I cut it it wouldn't fray.

Step 2: I very carefully traced the outline of the paddle onto the fabric and cut it out (this was by far the hardest step, it needed to be the perfect size.)

Step 4: I went outside and sprayed the paddle and wooden letters with spray paint

(it was lovely outside and a perfect time to soak up some rays)

Step 5: paint a layer of mod podge onto the paddle itself, line up the fabric and smooth it down (i used an empty vitamins bottle to roll out any creases, they sell actual rollers at craft stores though that are probably more user-friendly/official).  And finally I added another layer of mod podge over the top of the fabric to give it a glossy, finished appearance. 

Step 6: I stuck on the wooden letters (the ones i got had adhesive on the back so this was really easy), and tied a big bow around the handle and here's what the finished paddle looked like

-J

Beer Around the World Club

Recently a new bar opened up on High St. in Columbus, before we even set foot in the door B and I decided it was going to be our new neighborhood hangout (so we may have been biased) but we absolutely loved it!  I'm talking about Chumleys, it has a huge selection of drinks (and food...all I've tried so far is onion rings but they were delicious) and a very relaxed atmosphere.  They even have a selection of games that you can have brought to your table...we played a hilarious game of apples to apples while sipping on our imported beers...

speaking of imported beers, the best part about Chumleys is the beers around the world club, which is free to join.  They give you these adorable passports and inside are pictures of 50 beers from all over, each time you buy one of those beers you get a little "good work" stamp, and if you get all 50 in a year you get a shirt and your name on some plaque or something...basically eternal glory.  B and I are pretty confident that this time next year we'll be experts in international brewery.  Everyone (of age) should go pick up their own passports and play along with us!

My first stamp!

The beer below was from Mexico, imagine drinking a liquid version of a chili pepper...it was just like that.  In fact there was actually a chili in it, it was very strange.

This should be fun!

-J

Fun!

I don't mean to get preachy, but something has been bothering me lately and what better place to vent than to you!  Of late I've heard a lot of people saying things like "I don't want to go there, I didn't have fun last time," or "that's never fun," and these excuses really confuse me, because I've always believed fun is something you personally make, not something that exists and is associated with places or actions.  I think that 9 times out of 10 if you go into a situation with a positive attitude and an openness to new experiences you'll have a good time.  Sure there are things that are beyond your control, but how much fun you have shouldn't be one of them, at least not all the time.  This is your life, take the reigns, there are positives associated with every situation, find them, dwell on them, speedily deal with those nasty negatives and I promise you'll be a happier person :)

^ Me and M having a blast before formal!

-J

Cinemagram

If you have an iphone i suggest you go download cinemagram.  The way it works is you take a few second long video and then choose which part you want to be animated, the rest will just be a regular picture...it's endlessly fun and will make you feel like a crafty student at Hogwarts.  I made this last night at a concert, you can browse through some more impressive examples here http://cinemagr.am/showSingle/7520929 .  Once you download it you can follow me at JesseV and then leave your account name in the comments section here so I can follow you back! 

Created with cinemagr.am

-J

Cinco De Derby

Ever fancied a day in the sun, peaking out from under your floppy hat to view a sea of pastels, floral dresses, and bow ties?  Then you should have gone to the Kentucky Derby last weekend!  Undoubtedly the most fabulous sporting event America has to offer, the Derby happened to fall on Cinco De Mayo this year, and since I go to school a few short hours away, my friends and I couldn't resist roadtripping for a decadent day in the sun.  If you ever have the opportunity to go, jump on it! I'm serious, it's a blast.

Mint Juleps are the official drink of the Derby, they're an incredibly delicious concoction of sugar, bourbon, and mint, if you haven't tried one yet you should google a recipe and go make one now!

Half the fun of Derby is the obnoxious hats.  We decided to go a little late so I didn't have time to get a truly outrageous one, but I'm pretty proud of these little babies, they were completely customizeable, really affordable ($30!), and shipped in just 3 days.  From  http://www.marleylilly.com/

The drinks at the Derby are a tad bit expensive, but most of them come in real glasses that you get to keep, here's my collection. 

My dress for the day was a fun little number from Gilly Hicks.  www.gillyhicks.com

-J

Name Change

On a whim today I decided to change the name of my blog in honor of my favorite part of the week.  I believe that excepting mid-afternoon tea parties and drunken heart-to-hearts in women's restrooms the best conversations with friends are had over brunch.  I hope you like the name change as much as I do!

-J

Toga!!

Nothing says "I'm having fun in college" like a toga party.  I'm not sure if it's just because we've all seen Animal House and feel obligated to make it a blast or if wearing a bed sheet in public is really more fun, either way I love them!