Wednesday, December 28, 2011

New Year, New You?

Hello everybody! With the New Year coming up fast I thought I might take a little time out to talk about changes. As some of my closest friends and family can tell you, change has always been one of my biggest fears. During high school I would suffer from anxiety every time a new school year would start, and to this day the thought of any big changes in my life, such as moving or breaking up with someone, makes me feel sick. But there is hope! Now that I've realized that change is my Achilles heel I have started taking steps to get through it. By over-preparing for upcoming changes I feel more confident going into them, as well as trying to push myself to try new things each day so that I never let myself get too comfortable in a single routine.

So, my New Year's resolution this year is to embrace change. And my first step in this journey is by getting my hair cut! What better way of embracing a new you than by changing up your hairstyle or color? My appointment is for tomorrow, and sadly I don't have a set plan just yet. So far the only hair cut that I've been really inspired by is Elle Fanning's cut seen below.

I don't quite have the length yet, but I think it would be a cute cut to grow in to. And as far as color goes I've always wanted the color hair Rachel McAdams has in The Notebook. 


The only thing is that I've never colored my hair! So that's a super-duper major change.. Oh yeah, I'm embracing change now. What have I gotten myself into? 

So what's your New Year's Resolution and how do you deal with change? 

-E

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

December Anime Favorites

Hello everyone! I'm starting a new segment here on Ragamuffin talking about one of my favorite hobbies: watching anime. I've been watching anime ever since I was first introduced to it by LittlePlum in high school. The first anime I ever watched was Ouran High School Host Club, a very funny and heart-warming show about a group of guys at a prestigious private high school who create a host club (think: male geisha). Haruhi, the new scholarship student accidently breaks an expensive vase the host club owns and must work off the debt first by being an errand-boy and then working as a host. But when the disheveled looking new student, who everyone thought was a boy, ends up being a cute girl all the guys in host club seem to fall for her! It's seriously the cutest show ever.


Today I am going to share the anime's that I have been watching over the past few weeks of December. Most of the anime I watch I get off of Crunchyroll.com, a website that operates much like hulu. I feel that the short commercials are worth it since the site is safer than others such as megavideo or truveo.

Ragamuffin's December Favorites

Chihayafuru is a compelling and interesting slice-of-life, high school romantic anime which centers around three childhood friends: Chihaya, Arata, and Taichi. The trio first become friends through a Japanese card game called Karuta, in which players must listen and quickly determine which card is being called and then grab it before the opponent does. There are 100 cards and on each card is a poem from the Edo period. The show focuses mainly on the three friends goal of becoming Karuta champions, while at the same time showcasing a love triangle between the two guys and Chihaya. The show is currently on-going and there have been 12 episodes subtitled in English so far. 


The second anime that I've been in love with this past month is Gosick. This anime is based in a fictional country in Europe during the year 1924, the story follows Victorique and Kujo as they solve the crimes Victorique's detective brother fails to do. The show has an almost Sherlock Holmes feel to it because Victorique, like Holmes has a brilliant mind and can solve any case put in front of her, while Kujo is her faithful sidekick and friend, like Watson. The only problem I have with the show is that I usually solve the mysteries before the big reveal, and that's no fun. But overall, I really enjoy the show and I'm super sad that it only has one season and that I'm coming up on the last few episodes!



Well, I hope you enjoyed my picks for this month and check them out! So, what's your take on anime? Do you have any favorites, have you not seen any yet, or do you think it's silly and a waste of time?

-E

Monday, December 26, 2011

The Lost Gingerbread Post or The No-Mess Crisco Device

Isn't it cute! Look in the windows, can you see anything?

It's the day after Christmas and I finally have a moment to just relax and put this post together. I've had the pictures and the gingerbread house completed for about a week now, so I'm really happy to finally be showing them! The House ended up taking LittlePlum, Bethany, and I about two days to finish. The first day we made up all the gingerbread dough and icing and on the second we assembled the house and decorated it. As I promised before I'm going to share a little trick I learned to measure out Crisco. In a lot of holiday baking recipes you will  find that it calls for Crisco or vegetable shortening. I personally love using it whenever called for, because of how well the products turn out, but I know many people have trouble using vegetable shortening because of how messy it can be. So here's what I do, I hope it helps you the next time you have to use Crisco.

You will need:

  • Sandwich size plastic bag
  • Plastic wrap


 First, place a square of plastic wrap in your measuring cup.



Then, using the plastic bag as a glove, scoop out the Crisco and place it in to the plastic covered measuring cup until you have the desired amount.
I ran out of sandwich bags and had to use the small snack bags, thankfully it worked still and I didn't get any Crisco on my hands. 


Then, it's as simple as pulling the plastic wrap out of the measuring cup and putting it in the bowl.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

-E

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Plans Gone Awry

Please forgive the slow updates on my posts lately, things have been slightly hectic around here lately. I had a great post planned for tonight but my youngest dog-child, Baxter, keeps taking my attention away from the computer. Right now I am typing one handed since my second hand is currently holding his bone for him. Yeah, he's a bit high maintenance. If I let him chew the bone by himself he immediately starts whining. But it's not his fault, he didn't get his hour at the dog park today, because we were too busy with our gingerbread house. That's what today's post was supposed to be about, our beautiful gingerbread house! Well, let this just be a preview for that post, because it will be epic. I plan on showing pictures of the entire project, as well as share my trick for measuring Crisco sans mess. See you then!

-E

Sunday, December 11, 2011

The Tutorial Vault

Hello everybody! My neck is feeling much better today, I can actually look to the right again! I've been spending a lot of time on the internet because of my little injury and I've realized that I love the age we live in, the internet it makes it so much easier to learn new things. So, with the help of the wonderful internet I have been spending the majority of my down time watching different beauty tutorials showcased on beautylish. Here are a couple of my favorites, I hope you enjoy them!

For Hair and Makeup:



I love the first video's carefree hair and bright makeup, I think it's a perfect styling choice for school or a night out on the town. It looks like a lot of work but really, it's pretty simple, which is always a plus.  I chose the second video because braids are in! They are seen everywhere, from the runway to the red carpet, and can be dressed up or played down. I love the versatility of a good braid, but I can't always manage to put my own hair in the intricate braids. That's why I love the video below! It's technically not a braid, this look was created instead with knots!



For Nails:



Aren't these the cutest nails? Cutepolish has tons of nail tutorials up on youtube, but this one is by far my favorite. I'm planning on trying these out for my family's New Year party, to go along with my Little Black Dress! If you are looking for some inspiration for your nails this Holiday season check out some of her more Christmas or Holiday themed ideas, like her Candy Cane nail art. I love her imagination when it comes to nails! When I do my nails I seem to have a hard time just thinking outside the colors of pink and red.



These are only a handful of my favorite tutorials right now, if I don't reign myself in now it could get a little messy. I hope you enjoy these, and if you liked this post I might make it a weekly occurrence. Do you follow any beauty tutorials on Youtube? Which ones are your favorite?

-E

Friday, December 9, 2011

I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up!

OK. I am only twenty years old, but today I felt like an old, old woman. My younger dog, Baxter, woke me up this morning with kisses on my face. So in my early morning haze I tried to jerk back so that he wouldn't be able to get any french kisses in, as he is prone to try in the morning. As I was jerking away, something in my neck snapped. It sounded almost like the special effect movies use when someone's neck is supposed to have been broken so, yeah. Immediately, I experienced some of the worst pain I have ever felt in my life! I'm no stranger to pain, since I was diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis at 14 and have had slight to severe pain in my hip because of it. But this was like nothing I've ever felt before, I wasn't able to move my head or my right arm without crying out from the pain. I was super lucky that my sister and my best friend were still at the house and could take me to the urgent care center. When we got there we waited for what felt like hours before I was able to go in. I don't think I would have been able to handle the process if my two favorite girls hadn't been there for me. They kept me smiling and laughing with jokes about the hot technician who took me to get x-rays of my neck.

It turned out that I had managed to slip a couple of discs in my neck and that caused the muscles near my neck and shoulder to seize up. Luckily, the doctor I was assigned specializes in Sports Medicine and was able to pop them back in to place, for the most part. Who knew you could cause such severe trauma to yourself just by waking up? It really made me feel like one of those elderly people in the Life Alert commercials. You know those tag lines they always say: "I've fallen and I can't get up" or "Every senior citizen should have Life Alert"? Well maybe not only senior citizens should have it, with the way my lucks been these past few weeks maybe I should add one to my Christmas list!

My girls are pretty disappointed though, for a few reasons:

  1. I didn't get the Tech's number. 
  2. Even though I'm loaded up on medication right now I have not engaged in any blackmail worthy stunts. 
  3. I was the reason we never worked out this morning. (Darn.)


-E


Monday, December 5, 2011

Why Netflix is Evil and Nikita is Awesome

My family has had a Netflix account for some time now and I am completely and utterly addicted to the instant movies and television shows. But Netflix is not all rainbows and sunshine. Oh no! It will consume your life! Within this last week I have spent about 16 hours watching an entire season of a show that I am loving right now! It's called Nikita and it's the best spy T.V. show I have ever seen. EVER.

Nikita was trained to be an assassin/spy by a covert agency of the government called Division that has now gone rogue. She escaped and is now trying to take down Division, "one mission at a time". Sure, the idea behind it is nothing new but the plot and characters are. Unlike most Bond or other spy type women, Nikita is not always seen in sky high heels or short mini skirts. Instead, she is comfortable and practical (But always sexy!) in dark, sleek clothes and boots. She is more often seen in long sleeves and jeans than a cocktail dress. But when she does have to dress up, it is always to the nines! Nikita is such a role model for women and teen girls, not only with her fashion but also because of how she is strong in the face of adversity, sticks up for what she believes in, and always helps out those in need. As you could probably tell, I would recommend this show to my friends (and I have!).

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Creating My Dream Dorm

I am so excited to be going back to school in January! Mostly because I get a single room this year and that means no roommate for me! I've always shared my dorms with my best friend and it's an understatement to say it can be hard to find a middle ground on how to decorate our room. Ever since I was told my room assignment I've been searching the internet for inspiration and neat crafts to do. Here are a couple that I'm super excited about. I wish I could put all of my ideas on here but I literally have a whole list of websites and blogs taking up room in my bookmarks.



I am in crazy love with the whimsical feel of the sheer canopy over the bed mixed with the lighting from the Christmas lights. One thing I never had in my past dorms was mood lighting, instead we had the one huge fluorescent light that was anchored above my door and sometimes a desk lamp. It was horrible to wake up, with it still dark outside (For the record: I hate 8 AM classes), and have to practically blind myself to have any light in my room. Sadly, I can't remember where I found this picture or I would have asked to use it. If I'm using your picture: first, let me say I love your room and second, if you'd like me to take it down please let me know!





Recently, I've really enjoyed showing off my very own simple artwork or any diy projects that I have done. I think it adds a personalized touch to a room, especially a bedroom or a dorm, which can end up looking like a Target or Wal-mart commercial. I painted the owl at Sips n Strokes with the ladies in my family. It ended up looking nothing like the painting we were learning from, but I think all the differences are what makes it really cute and quirky. I wish I could claim I painted the fiery horse! I actually was lucky enough to win it in an auction for charity, and I can't wait to add it to my dorm room along with my owl. 
Besides the handmade artwork I've also found that online there are many free printable pieces of art that many kind artists and graphic designers are offering. Some artists that I am planning on using are Amanda from Kind Over Matter and a couple of the artists featured on Indie Fixx written by Jen.





I found this gem over at How-Tuesday on the Etsy Blog. How cute would it be to have this in a dorm! They give a great tutorial on how to create this cute rug and I'm planning on making it in either black and white felt or in my schools color's of navy blue and white.


How about you? What do you want in your dream dorm?

-E