Making Things

I'm a pretty big fan of DIY's despite the fact that in the end, making something yourself tends to cost you a little bit more. As a broke girl I put this aside for a few reasons:

1. It's fun!

I spent most of the afternoon making necklaces yesterday. It's a great way to do something productive and creative, and it keeps you away from the computer screen that I'm so often glued to.

2. It's a good chance to get outside

A lot of DIY's are done outside because…paint. I got a nice little bronze going yesterday afternoon!

3. You create something unique

Even if you're following a DIY that you've seen online or re-creating something you've seen in a store, it's unique because you made it. It will inevitably have little imperfections and special things that are unique to you.

4. You'll cherish it more

I'm pretty sure the things that I've created personally will stay with me longer than something that I bought at a store. These are the kinds of things that I'd want to keep until I have kids of my own. They're just special that way. Also, how fun is it to tell people you MADE something after they ask you where you got it? The answer is lots of fun.

I've been wanting to do this DIY for a while now and I finally went to the craft store this week and made the leap. 

Here are the results:

I'm pretty happy with the results :)

All together the materials cost $50.00, which means these necklaces were about $25 a piece. This may seem like a lot but I think it was worth it. I love them a lot.

Not all DIY's are expensive though. Check out what I did last week:

That's right! I painted that bad boy! And all together the entire bench cost me $20!

Last summer someone on my street had put the bench out on garbage day and I swooped in and carried it back to my house (with the help of my boyfriend because it.is.so.heavy). I finally got around to painting it last week (mostly because my mom was threatening to get rid of it if I didn't). It was in pretty bad shape. The lacquer was peeling and it needed a good sanding. I got a belt sander and did some magic, spent a ridiculous amount of time taping the metal, and attacked it with some spray paint. It's not perfect by any means but I'm a big fan.

I wonder what I'll make next!

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
DIY-Enthusiast, Paint-Covered and Sun Kissed

A Broke Girl Dreams of Europe

One of my biggest and most exciting goals for the next year is to go to Europe next summer. My boyfriend and I plan on saving tons of money this year so that next summer we can spend 2-3 months touring Europe.

There are a lot of reasons why we want to go but mostly because this is the only time in our lives that this will be possible. We'll never be younger, free-er, adventurous, or more willing to stay in hostels. We want to make sure we read the book before we die.

Today I started some research on Pinterest. Hey, there's a lot about a lot on there.

So far I've found some great info on some of the best places to travel, pinned tons about how to travel cheap, and pinned a bunch about how to pack for a backpacking trip (this is my biggest and most irrational worry about this trip).

So far we've decided that we want to go to:
* London
* Paris
* Amsterdam
* Germany (Munich, maybe Berlin)
* Rome
* Venice
* Greece

We'll probably add and take from that list as we plan but I'm excited to see how it goes.

First things first: I need to save about 5 grand. So far I have…$200. I think I'll start an adventure fund to keep me motivated.

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Future World Traveler

A Month of Running and Juicing

Today marks the final month of the Six Months of Resolutions challenge!

I've already shared my experiences in juicing with you but the other part of the month was running at least 10K a week. This was actually pretty easy for me. I'm a runner anyways so it was just about making sure I got out to go for those jogs. Tessa and I did miss a week when I was too hung over one Sunday to run the last 3K I needed to reach 10 (whoops) and Tess had moved back from B.C that week so she had zero time to run.

The hardest part was having to make every workout a jog. When I go to the gym I like to do interval training and I dabble in the art of the stair master, but I couldn't do that because I had to get those kilometres in. This month's challenge should make that a little easier since we only have to workout 3-4 times a week.

The score sits at 8 for Tessa, 9 for me. This month is my final chance to win, and there are lots of places to mess up so I have to be very focused!

The challenge this month: No chocolate, candy, chips, lattes, fried food, or baked goods, you must workout 3-4 times a week, and consume 8 glasses of water a day.

Don't worry, I consumed my fair share of chocolate and chips yesterday in preparation. Chocolate covered almonds have become my vice lately so I had to say one last goodbye. I'm hoping this month will break me of my obsession because it was getting a little out of hand!

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Chocolate for Breakfast Enthusiast

Office Mornings

Fridays are always good days for me. Even though I have to wake up earlier than usual, it's great because I get stuff done, get out of the office by noon, and have the rest of the day/weekend ahead of me. And I get to rock some of my favourite blazers. Working from home for most of the week really creates an appreciation for the opportunity to actually get yourself together before 2pm.

There's even more to be excited about because I have a good weekend ahead of me! Tonight I'm heading to Toronto with Erika and Emma to meet up with our friend Shauna to enjoy dinner and a movie. We're seeing The Fault in Our Stars and let me tell you, I'm beyond excited. I read the book a couple years ago so I've been pretty excited about this since I found out they were filming. I'm very prepared to cry excessively throughout the entire thing.

Saturday I work at night so that's a good opportunity to makes some cash, and Sunday Jordan is having a BBQ. Sounds like a good weekend to me!

Every second in between those things I'll probably be hiding in bed watching the new season of Orange is the New Black that just came out. I'm a real self-starter like that.

Enjoy your weekends!

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Shameless Public Cryer, Netflix-aholic