Merry Christmas to All!

Hey guys! Just a quick post today to say Merry Christmas and share some pictures of the Gingerbread village Michaela and I made!

I hope your days all go wonderfully!

Love y'all, Robin Malia

Easy DIY Christmas Gifts

Hey Guys! It's been a while since I posted! I took exams, moved back home and started work again. It's been an adjustment! 

Now I finally have a day off to sit down and write a blog post or two. I'm so glad, I missed it. I have been taking pictures of things I do so I can blog about them eventually. Better late than never, right? Anyhow, I mentioned a few posts back that I had made my good friends at school Christmas presents. Now that they have opened them, I can share them with you all!

First, for Erin, I was inspired by this pin. Erin grew up in Tennessee and she talks about it a lot. I knew something like this would be perfect for her. I had a hard time photographing the presents without getting a glare on the glass, so bear with me. 

I bought a frame that already had a mat-board in it, then a piece of glitter scrapbook paper and another piece of scrapbook paper that complimented the glitter paper well. I then printed out a map of Tennessee and then traced the shape on the glitter paper and cut it out. I cut an itty-bitty heart out of paper and put it over her home town. Then I grabbed a glue stick and put everything in its place. 

For Amanda, this is the pin I worked from. I know Amanda always keeps her ticket stubs from any movies, concerts, etc that she attends. I saw this and felt that it would be a great way to put her memories on display. Any time she is feeling nostalgic, she can shake the frame and see what tickets float to the top. 

For this gift I bought a shadow box and some pretty scrapbook paper for the back. I also bought letter stickers for the "Admit One" but after I stuck them down I realized I could have just done hand lettering. Either way works fine though! I threw in one of my old movie tickets when I wrapped it up so she would know what it was for when she opened it. Since then, she put all of her tickets in and I love the way it looks.

These are two easy gifts that mean a lot and don't take a lot of artistic ability if you are lacking in that department. I know Erin and Amanda both loved them and I am so glad I took the time to make them instead of going to the store and buying something.

I hope your holiday seasons are full of joy!

Love y'all, Robin Malia

Follow Me Across Europe!

Hey guys, as you know I am studying abroad next semester in England. I have created a separate blog where I will be writing about my journey. The url is: http://pulledfrom.blogspot.com. I invite you to follow that blog as well as this one to see what I am up to!

My friend Erin (who is going to Ireland) and I are in the Honors college and their mascot is a dragon. Well, today they had a going away party for us and they gave us all the cutest stuffed dragons.

Erin and I immediately fell in love with them (yes, we are children) and decided to make them an Instagram account. We plan to upload pictures of them in front of all the awesome places we go to. We named them Archie and Rori. Archie is on the "Most popular British baby names" list, and Rori is on the one for Ireland.

If you want to follow the account name is @archieandroriadventures! We are up to 5 followers so far! Well, 3 if if you don't count Erin and I... 

I can't wait to start this adventure! I hope you tag along!

Love y'all, Robin Malia

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

As you all probably know, this past week was Thanksgiving so I got to go home! It was so so so wonderful to see my family after being at school for so long (read: 4 months). I also got to see my puppy, Millie, and my great friends Michaela and Natalie. I got to relax for 5 days and not worry about school. It was pretty close to perfect.

Since we got our fake Christmas tree in 2006, we haven't had a real tree. I like the fake tree for the convince, but sometimes it is way more fun to get a real tree. My brother, Luke, and I finally convinced our mom to let us get one this year! I promised to water it whenever I was home. 

I was super excited to be able to pick out a tree and decorate it. Real trees just smell so nice! And I love how natural they look. 

Here I am picking out a tree at Lowe's in the very cold rain. We definitely didn't get the tallest tree (I think Luke is taller than it to be honest), but it is very full and I'm very happy with my decision. 

We put the tree up on Wednesday, Thursday Luke put the lights on and on Friday, Natalie came over to help us decorate. At first I didn't want to use colored lights, but the rest of my family vetoed me. In the end I am really happy with the way to turned out!

I had to wear my sequined Santa hat (#fashonista) and put on Christmas music while we made the house festive to help get in the spirit! Natalie and I accidentally wore the same shirt, then wore scarfs and hats. She showed up at my house and we looked at each other and we both immediately starting laughing at the coincidence. 

Here I am setting up the Nativity scene. The past few years we didn't put it up because we couldn't decide where would be a good place for it. After de-cluttering the mantel, I decided that would be the perfect spot (read: safe from curious pets). 

While I was at home I also got crafty and made Erin and Amanda's presents. I'll post pictures after they have opened them (I don't want to spoil anything!). 

Now that the tree is up, I am definitely in the Christmas Spirit! I go home for Winter break on the 11th and I can't wait! I love this time of the year, and getting to spend it with my family is so meaningful.

Are you excited for Christmas?!

Love y'all, Robin Malia

Take What You Need

Erin and I like to have a little something on our doors for the people walking by to see. Erin saw this pin, and told me we should do something similar. I agreed right away! Especially with exam week coming up, people always need a little something extra. I must say, I love the way the metallic Sharpies look on the black paper.

We made the tabs three layers thick so that multiple people could take them. We put this up a few days ago and quite a few of the tabs are already gone. 

As a little extra, we wrote relatable Bible verses on the back of each tab. We loved this addition because it adds a bit more comfort to a troubling time, and reading my Bible always calms me down, so hopefully we can help others as well. 

What do you need? I'll post any of the Bible Verses you want in the comments.

Love y'all, Robin Malia

Time With Friends = A Good Time

This past weekend was pretty awesome. It has made starting the new week pretty tough! I just want to relish in doing nothing productive a little longer. Thankfully Thanksgiving break is coming along quickly as well as the end of the semester.

Friday, Erin had a dance performance and I went to see her! It was such a good show. There was a wide variety of styles and I was in awe at all the talent in the room. After the show, Erin went out to dinner and I got crafty. I found this snowflake tutorial and had to try it out! I love they way they look hanging from my ceiling. And a plus is that they don't look too Christmasy, so I could leave them up all year if I wanted to.

When Erin got back from dinner, her and I stayed up late talking. It was great to have some girl-time with her. I need to appreciate every moment we have together before we both go abroad in the spring.

Saturday was very relaxing. I went to the gym and then sat around and read my book (I should have been doing school work, but oh well). Erin had another show, and afterwards, two of our friends came over to watch a movie. We ended up talking for a while before actually starting the movie at 1:30am. After a long decision process, we chose "Sydney White", a movie from the early 2000s starring Amanda Bynes in her prime. It was such a funny movie - lots of laughs. It was set on a college campus and we got a kick at how unrealistic it was. After the movie was over we starting talking again and before we knew it it was 6:00am!! Oops! Even though we stayed up much too late, I wouldn't take back those awesome conversations for anything.

On Sunday, after sleeping in until noon (which was still too early), Erin and I went to go see our school's theater production of Peter Pan. They did such a good job! Since it was a Sunday matinée, there was a lot of little kids there. A lot of them were dressed up as Tinker Bell or Pirates. I think it was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. After the performance, we went to go pick up a few things from Wal-Mart and ended up wandering into World Market as well. I had never been in a World Market, and Oh My Groceries, I am in love. Two hours later, I walked out with two scarfs and a headband, but I could have bought so much more!

My weekend was action-packed, but I loved every second of it. I am so glad I got to spend quality time with some great ladies.

What did you do this weekend?

Love y'all, Robin Malia

Counting Down to Christmas?!

I am so excited for the Christmas Season!

 Cozy sweaters, fires in the fireplace, peppermint mochas, and all the beautiful lights and decorations. And those are only a few of the things I look forward to around Christmas time. Being able to spend time with family and friends has become super important now that I am away at school for so long during the year. Also, since I live in such a small town, a lot of festivities happen and I feel like everybody gets along a little bit better. I'm never one to look forward to the cold weather, but something about watching a Live Nativity Play outside with all the little actors and actresses makes it worth it. And don't get me started on Christmas decorations! Decorating with my family has always been one of my favorite things to do. 

I recently changed the board outside my door to this message. I wanted to see what other people thought on the subject!

Never too early you say? Thought so.

42 days my friends! 

What are some of you guys' favorite things about Christmas time?

Love y'all! -Robin Malia 

Thankful for Thanksgiving

I moved into my dorm on campus in the middle of August. Since I live four hours away, I haven't been home to see my family since moving in. The amount of driving and the price of  gas  does not make a weekend visit justifiable. I would have gone home over fall break, but as you know I went to California then. Since I have a Tuesday night class, it made it difficult to catch a ride home with someone for Thanksgiving, so I had originally planned to just go home after exams. 

However, this past weekend, homesickness hit me really hard. I miss my mom. I miss my dad. I miss my brother. I miss my dog. I might even miss my cat (he's a grumpy-gus). 

I would love a weekend at home now, but I know that can't happen. My two suite mates saw how upset I was and ended up pressuring me (in a good way) to contact people who lived in my direction to see if I could end up riding home with them without inconveniencing anybody. 

Well, I am so glad that they did! Because now I get to see my family! I get to eat my mom's turkey. I get to help decorate for Christmas. I get to cuddle with my puppy. And best of all, I get to relax!

I am so excited, but I can't get ahead of myself. I have 21 days to go and a lot of school work to get done between now and then. There is an 8 page paper I have to write that isn't due until after Thanksgiving, but my goal is to finish it before I leave so I don't have to stress over it. 

I also have a group project. I'm not against them, however this one is getting off to a rocky start. Wish me luck!

In addition to school work, I have a lot of Study Abroad things to sort out. Lots of forms to fill out and workshops to attend. The biggest thing I am concerned about is figuring out where I'm going to live once I make it to England. I've sent some emails and hopefully I'll get some answers soon.

On a really awesome note, I bought plane tickets today!!! Ahh!!! It still doesn't feel real!

All in all, I am super excited and super thankful that I am able to go home and visit with my family before exams start. I'm most looking forward to go pick out our Christmas tree (Mom is letting us get a real one this year!) after eating our big Thanksgiving dinner. 

Do you have any Thanksgiving traditions you are looking forward to?

Love y'all, Robin Malia

I'm Going Across the Pond!!

GUESS WHAT?! 

I am Studying Abroad in England for the Spring Semester!

{source: weheartit.com}

Yep, thats right! I will be spending 5 months in the UK learning all there is to know about being British! I'll also be doing some other travel around Europe while I'm on that side of the world.

This has been such a long time coming and I cannot believe it is FINALLY official! 

I've been wanting to tell you guys for a while, but I didn't want to jinx it. I'm still working on a lot of paperwork, but the University I will be studying at just sent me my acceptance letter!

I plan to be blogging about all my adventures while I am over there as well as some posts talking about getting prepared. Let me know what you want to see and I'll try to give it to you! Do you think I should start a new blog specifically for travel? Or keep it all on this one? Maybe I'll post on a separate one so they are all in one place for others to read who aren't interested in all my DIY posts, but I'll link all my posts back here! That sounds like a solid plan to me. 

I really should get to doing some homework. Or eat something more than a chicken wrap from Cookout. I was about to get started on some reading when my mom texted me a picture of my acceptance letter. That was two hours ago. Oops. 

Well, now that I have shared my excitement with you, let me know what you think! Have any of you been abroad? If so, feel free to let me know in the comments some advice! I'd love to hear what you have to say! Any sights I just HAVE to see? 

Love y'all, Robin Malia

Week of 10/28 OOTDs

This past week I decided to take pictures of my outfits each day so you guys can see what's in my closet. Personally I love reading OOTD posts so, I hope you guys do to! Let me know in the comments. 

I will tell you the brands of what I'm wearing, but I buy so much on clearance and in thrift stores, many of the things I wear are not available in the shops anymore.

Monday, October 28

Shirt - Ralph Lauren, Statement Necklace - Charming Charlie, Jeans - American Eagle Skinny, Shoes - Madden Girl, Watch - Vintage Bulova, Silver Bracelet - Copper Fox Etsy Shop, Other Bracelets - J. Crew

Tuesday, October 29

Shirt - TJ Maxx find, Shoes - Target, Jeans - American Eagle, Earrings - Claire's 

Wednesday, October 30

Shirt - J. Crew, Cardigan - Target, Pants - TJ Maxx find, Shoes - Toms

Thursday, October 31

Shirt - Maurice's, Skirt - JC Penny, Shoes - Toms

I was going to do a picture for Friday as well but it ended up being a "Casual Friday" and I wore my Under Armor hoodie, jeans and Toms. Not too exciting. 

Which was your favorite? 

Let me know if I should keep doing posts like these!

Love y'all, Robin Malia

Happy Halloween!

I saw this blog post on Halloween nails and I fell in love! It looked so easy to re-create so I did! 

What do you think? I love them:)

Have a safe and fun Halloween!!

-Robin Malia

Mummy Door DIY!

Since Halloween is right around the corner, Erin and I decided to decorate my door for the season! I saw this Pin which inspired me! 

Here's a picture of what you need! Tape (in an awesome shoe dispenser), white streamers (we used 3 rolls) and some construction paper.

Here is Erin and Amanda's little sister taping streamers on the door. Working so hard! I was ripping the tape off for them:)

So... the door needed a knock, knock joke! Because it's a door. And you knock on doors.  

:D

Yeah, I think I'm funnier than I actually am. 

And I had to add this picture of Erin goofing around. She does look pretty funny:)

Have you guys done anything festive for Halloween?

Love y'all!

-Robin Malia

PS. Look what the Housing Office made me do! They say it is a fire hazard to have your entire door covered. Now Mumford (Erin named him) looks so bare:( I'm a little sad.

California Roundup

So, as you know, I went to California over my fall break. I expected it to be awesome, but it was much more mediocre. I really was looking forward to a relaxing break from school, but the trip actually was pretty far from relaxing. Being in a leadership position, I felt like I had a large responsibility over the students in the group. I know they are all over the age of 18, however I know their parents would not have appreciated their children disappearing in Orange County, California. I don't always handle stress well, especially when I am out of my element, so I ended up feeling a little panic-y at times. 

Ok, lets move on to the positive parts of the trip! 

I loved the Solar Decathlon. As you know, I really like interior design, so getting to see all the houses and how they were decorated was awesome. 

We also went to Laguna Beach one night for dinner and we got to the beach right as the sun was setting. It was absolutely beautiful. 

I'm so glad I got to put my feet in the Pacific Ocean once again. It doesn't happen often enough.

I did get a picture of the Hollywood sign. It was neat to see, however I was mid-panic, so I couldn't appreciate it as much as I would have liked. 

Here is a picture of the whiteboard I have on my door with some thoughts on Cali. 

I think I want to start writing more things on the board, maybe once a week, what are your thoughts? 

Love y'all!

-Robin Malia

Suite Mate Autumn OOTDs

Today, my suite mate, Erin and I went out on campus to take some pictures of our outfits. The weather was chilly, but super sunny!

Erin wore a dress we found at Ross's for $10!!! It was such a great deal. She just got her Steve Madden Troopa boots for her birthday earlier in the month. They go with the dress so well! 

She got her watch from Urban Outfitters, also for her birthday. I love the map!

I just had to include this beautiful picture of her. 

I am wearing a pair of black dress pants and black t-shirt with a cardigan I got at Forever 21 this weekend. I tried to find it online, but I couldn't. I would just go drop by your local Forever 21 to see if they have it. Its so cozy! 

Not the best picture of me, but it really shows off: 1) the back of sweater 2) how long my hair is getting!! YAY! 

And then the OOTD photo shoot turned into a "Lets take crazy pictures" shoot. I love this girl. 

How is your fall going so far?

Love y'all!

-Robin Malia

California Bound

So, if you can't tell from the title, I'm heading to California for fall break! 

I am a peer leader for a campus group made of  freshman that focuses on alternative forms of energy. Interesting, I know. 

Now, how that relates to California. Every other year there is something called the Solar Decathlon and this year it is being held in Irvine, California. 

Universities from all over the world build houses that run completely off the grid, then the houses are judged to see which one is the best all around. 

While this sort of thing isn't my major, or what I intend to do after college, I still find it really interesting. 

We are also going to have some time to do some sight seeing in the area and I'm super excited. I'm hoping to get to go to the aquarium. I just love fishes!

What have you been up to? 

-Robin Malia 

Sophomore Year Dorm Room Tour

I haven't posted in forever. With my Harry Potter reading marathon (I finished them all, I'm so glad I did that!), moving back into school and then classes starting, life has been very busy. 

However, I just got out of my Finance class early and figured I would write a post. I've been wanting to get back into it. 

This year I am living in a single room and sharing a bathroom with my two best friends from last year. I had a lot of fun decorating, considering I could do whatever I wanted. As you will notice, I have used a lot of the same decorations from my room back home. 

The comforter and white pillows are from Target. I found the patterned pillow at TJ Maxx. The clock came from Walmart. The pink blanket is from my University. I covered up the logo for privacy reasons.

This is a view of my desk and sink area. You can see the DIY Cork Boards I made over the summer. I love that I have a large counter area by my sink this year. I also like the rolling chair, but I will admit I sometimes get distracted spinning around on it. #unashamed

Here is another view of my bed. I love having all the natural light that comes in. I found the wall sticker at Target. It says "The Best is Yet to Be." I love the saying, it really gives hope for the future. And the shoe you see on the left, that is a tape dispenser. Perfect for the fashionista that I am. 

I hope you all liked seeing this! I can't wait to tell you guys about something special coming up! I'll tell you as soon as it is official!

Love ya'll! 

-Robin Malia