Currently

Reading- So much critical theory! As a junior in college, my classes are not getting any easier and with that comes a whole host of complex reading materials. It's a ton of work but so enjoyable for me. Unfortunately, it does not leave a whole lot of Kristen-reading time but I'm still working my way through House of Leaves.

Watching- I just finished watch the second season of American Horror Story! So awesome! So crazy! If you've never watched it I recommend both seasons; it's an awesome TV show with great story lines and I love the way it was filmed.

Being involved with- My school's radio station and literary magazine! I'll post more about these things once they're up and running. I'm also stage managing (kind of like assistant director, for you non-theater folk) a play called Mrs. Packard for my friend Anna. It's her senior capstone piece and discusses rights of women in the 1860s. It's an awesome show to be involved with and it's great to spend lots of time with Anna.

Blogging- whenever I get the chance? I have a few things planned, including an epic What I Ate Over Winter Break Post coming up. I went to a variety of awesome restaurants over my break and am looking forward to sharing it with you!

p.s. dont you love the Sin City inspired font in my header?

Color Palette: Burlesque

 photo via Pinterest // palette details 

photo via Pinterest // palette details

  photo  // palette details

  

Weekstagram: December 30th - January 12th

Hey everyone! Sorry for being MIA for the past weeks but I am back! Here's some of my instagramming from the past two weeks!

1. My belated birthday cake

2. Me and Penny on New Year's Eve

3. Preview of a craft tutorial that will be up soon!

4. Penny cuddling on her sick day

5. I got a Babycakes Mini Doughnut machine for Christmas and made these delicious pumpkin doughnuts

6. Cheese fondue at the Melting Pot

 

Hello 2013!

It's hard to believe that I started Living Bittersweetly seven months ago but it's true. I started this blog to have a place to share what I love with the world and have a place to talk about my passions in life. I'd like to think that so far I'm doing  great job and it makes me so happy when I get comments and pageviews (it's really hard to believe that anyone wants to hear about what I have to say)! But these past few months have been fun and I love looking back through my posts to see all I've done. 

Just as I have personal New Years Resolutions, I think my blog should as well. I'd like to focus more on fashion and design on here as they are two things I love and am passionate about. I would love to work in either the design or fashion industry and they are two things I incorporate into my everyday life as a well dressed (I hope) design student. 

So what does this mean?
In addition to all of the posts about my weekends and online shopping obsession, I would like to start doing outfit posts and posting about my design work and my attempts to become a professional in the field. I hope everyone who reads this is as excited as I am to the upcoming new additions to Living Bittersweetly! Happy 2013!

Five Ways to Keep Your New Years Resolutions

This is how I plan to stay on track through the year to keep my New Years Resolutions:

1. Do some research. 
Before you set your goal, learn more about it. For example if you want to become better at photography, read your camera's manual or search for tutorials on different techniques. Find out whatever you can about the topic. Giving yourself the resources to succeed will make achieving your goal that much easier. Research can also be on a personal level. Don't commit yourself to the #mileaday if you hate running! Make sure your goal is something you enjoy and something you want to do in order to get the most out of your resolutions for the new year. 

2. Join!
There are plenty of apps and websites to join that can help you track your goals. If there is a free service that will track your progress, why not take advantage of it? Having a way to see the progress you're making or what you're doing to stay on target will help you stay focused on what you want to achieve. 

3. Find friends.
Having a friend that wants to achieve the same things you do will help motivate you. It will make your goals even more fun and easier to achieve. If you have a friend that also wants to save money, you wont feel bad about renting something out of RedBox instead of going to the movie theater. If you don't have any friends that share your goals, find some! There are tons of personal blogs and forums about everything from fitness to crocheting that can provide you with a friendly message of encouragement.

4. Document.
Show yourself that you're making progress is one of the best motivators. If you can see a visible improvement you will be more likely to stay on task than if you think your hard work is for nothing. It can be as open as submitting your writing to a literary magazine or as private as keeping track of your weight on a hidden word document.

5. Reward yourself.
Give yourself a pat on the back for all the hard work you do. Not only is it great to enjoy the reward but knowing that you will get to eat pizza after a month of only salad will help keep you eating right so you can really enjoy that reward. Another reward method is purchasing something that will help you on your way to reaching your goal. Buy new sneakers or a cute pair of sweatpants that will make you excited to get to the gym!