The Liebster Award!

The lovely Sam of In-Aeternum recently nominated me for the Liebster Award! You should really go check out her blog...she is a PhD candidate and a burlesque cabaret singer...uh, how cool is that? You can learn a little more about her by reading her answers here! The Liebster Award is an award for blogs with under 200 followers...the idea is to promote and share these little bitty blogs...I love taking advantage of any way to connect with and learn more about other bloggers, so I'm happy to play along!

Here are the rules:
Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog.
Answer the 10 questions given to you by the nominator.
Nominate other bloggers (who have less than 200 followers).
Create 10 (or so) questions for your nominees to answer.
Let your nominees know that you nominated them!

Here are my answers to Sam's questions!

When did you start blogging and why?
I started blogging a couple of years ago when I was about to leave to study abroad in the Dominican Republic (I ended up rarely posting since I didn't have great internet access). When I came home I would occasionally post craft projects, but never really posted regularly. In September 2013 I created Paper Umbrella and decided to get a little more serious about blogging...I wanted a place to share my creative endeavors, travels, adventures in cooking, and all the little bits and pieces of my life that I want to remember down the road.

If there was one book you believe everyone should read, what would it be?
I'm going to have to pick two (sorry!)...The first is The Brief and Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz because it is beautifully written, and the second is Quiet by Susan Cain because I think us introverts are a bit misunderstood :)

How do you relax at the end of a busy day? My favorite thing to do is make a quick dinner, open a bottle of wine, and cuddle up in bed with Taylor and some Netflix.

What is something that you are super good at? Some might tell you I make a mean g+t ;)

If you could eat only one meal everyday for the rest of your life, what would it be? Probably a burrito from the little Mexican restaurant down the street from my house (is an indestructible digestive system part of this deal?)

Where do you see yourself five years from now? Hopefully I will have completed my Masters of Social Work (I'm applying to programs right now!), and be working at a non profit or social service organization that I love....Other than that, who knows!

If you could travel anywhere right now, money is no object, where would you go and why? I would go to India in a heartbeat. India has been at the top of my list for a while now... It is seems like such a fascinating and beautiful place to me. My parents just went there and came back saying they thought of me and how much I would love it everyday.

What's in your handbag? I'm a little scared to look...my bag is never organized and often full of garbage. But other than that I almost always carry a little notebook for ideas and lists, a book, a couple of lip stains, lotion, and my wallet.

When was the last time you learned something new? What do you want to learn this year? Well, I feel like I'm constantly learning new things at my job. Working with kids with special needs is never dull, to say the least! I'm challenged everyday to learn and develop new strategies so I can support my students to the best of my ability. Outside of my job, I have been trying to challenge myself creatively by teaching myself bits and pieces about photography and, lately, a bit of graphic design. I really want to try to make time to explore those things more in the future.

I nominate:
Jenni of Tales from Bottomley Cottage
Jessica of Foreign Room
Caroline of A Batonnet a Day 
Jenny of Coffee and Honeycomb

My questions:
1) Tell me the story of your blog name!
2) If you could travel anywhere in the world right now where would you go?
3) Coffee or tea? And why?
4) If you could go back five years and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?
5) Where would you live if money/jobs/distance from family and friends didn't matter?
6) If you had to wear one outfit for the rest of your life, what would it be?
7) What's your favorite quote?
8) What's your spirit animal?
9) Favorite kind of flower?
10) What's your favorite thing to blog about?

That's it! You should definitely go check out what these ladies have to say and take a look at their blogs if you haven't already.

PS: I've decided to forgo my biweekly Photo Friday post today...but fear not, it will be back next week! :)

Photo Friday // Make It Snow

Ok guys, here is my photography tip for the week. It's a big one, so get ready. MAKE IT SNOW. Step 1: Do a snow dance. Step 2: Wait for the snow to begin. Step 3: Get bundled up, and go dance/run/twirl/throw around the snow. Easy enough, right? Snow always equals pretty photos. 

Today we all got our first ever adult snow day. Portland doesn't know how to deal with snow, so everything is cancelled. My car thinks it's a sled, so we're stranded at home...which I'm completely ok with! We have a grocery store, our favorite tea shop, a movie theater, restaurants, and bars within walking distance, so I think we'll be ok :) Sydney, Taylor and I decided to pack everything up and walk to Tea Chai Te to cozy up with some tea and do some work. On the way we decided to have a little photo shoot in the snow. I'm so glad I documented this little memory with my two favorites.

I had grand plans to do a Photo Friday post about lighting this week, but I decided since it's a snow day I'd go with something a little easier and leave time for snow fights and hot cocoa. All the other lessons I've learned doing this Photo Friday thing were actually pretty helpful while taking these photos, so if you've been following along let's take this week to review! Next week I'll be back with some tips that might be a little more feasible for some of you :)

In case you're curious, for most of these photos I had my ISO at 320, my aperture at f/2.5-3.5 (lower for any close ups), and my shutter speed on the lower side since the snow is so bright! Do you have any tips for taking photos in the snow?

The clanking of crystal, explosions off in the distance.

Well, I'm a week late, but I'm finally here with a proper new years post! I'm home in Portland, settled back into work, and ready to really begin 2014. I love the new year - January 1st feels like I just pressed a big "reset" button. I like to sit down, think everything through, make lots of lists and goals, and reorganize my life. The calm doesn't last long, but it feels nice. This year, on new years day, Taylor and I went to a cafe in town to work on grad school apps and other work, so I used this as a chance to decide on my resolutions for 2014.

Last year was the first year I actually wrote down resolutions. I found that one thing that really helped was coming up with "catch phrases" for each goal. That way, it's easy to remind myself. This year I came up with four general resolutions for how I want to live this year. Each one has a small, specific goal attached to it to help me achieve the most important parts of each resolution. I thought I would share a little bit since I know it helps me to hear how others go about setting and achieving their goals and resolutions...

Just Do It: This was one of my resolutions last year as well...I did great at the beginning, but as my life/schedule went through a few big changes and transitions I kind of fell off the band wagon. I made this a resolution because I am a terrible procrastinator. My goal isn't to stop procrastinating altogether, but just to get little things that can be done easily out of the way. Take five minutes to respond emails when you get home, rather than thinking about how you don't want to do it and surfing the internet for an hour to avoid it...stuff like that. This one was inspired by the book The Happiness Project (if you want to read more about it).

Be Present: This goal is about limiting screen time. I spend way too much time on my computer and phone. Admittedly, a lot of the time I spend in front of a screen is necessary...Blogging can't be done offline, and neither can many of my other responsibilities. But it's easy to get sucked in. The (teeny tiny) specific goal I made to start working on this one is to not check my phone first thing in the morning.

Be Passionate: I want to be proactive about pursuing opportunities to do what I love, I want to make more time to work on developing my skills to do what I am passionate about. Sometimes I procrastinate so much, I find myself even procrastinating doing the things I am really passionate about. How silly is that?

Be Kind: To myself and others. Don't worry, I didn't make this a resolution because I realized I'm a mean person :) It's nice to remind yourself to be extra kind every once in a while, even if it already seems like a given. We can all get sucked up in complaining about what some one did or how someone acted...any negativity, even if it's not about yourself, is negativity that you're bringing into your life. Anyway, this one is mostly about being kind to myself (gosh, selfish much???). And by this I mean exercising, eating well, and sleeping more. First step is going to yoga this weekend. Maybe now that I wrote that on the internets for all to see I will actually follow through...!

Ok, well, those are my resolutions! Do you make new years resolutions? Or do you think they are stupid? I would love to hear from you!

(PS The title of this post comes from the song "The New Year" by Death Cab For Cutie)

Confessions of a Blogger

Emorie of Oh Whimsical Me tagged me the other day to do the "Confessions of a Blogger" post and answer a few questions about blogging. Thought I may as well give it a go in case you are interested in hearing a little more about me and my blog :) If not, just skip on down to the next post!

1. When did you first start blogging and why?

I first started blogging in June of 2011 on my first blog “The World Through Kaleidoscope Eyes.” In September I changed my blog name to Paper Umbrella and moved everything over here! From the time I discovered DIY/Lifestyle/Fashion blogs the idea of starting my own was always in the back of my mind, but I never got the courage or had the time to take the plunge. I finally decided to start one because I was about to leave to study abroad in the Dominican Republic and wanted somewhere to document my experience. I didn’t end up being able to blog all that much while I was there, but when I got back to the US I decided to start posting DIYs. I love being creative and wanted a place to share my projects and inspiration!

2. Have you had any past online presence?

Just on my old blog. Before that I just spent a lot of time on Pinterest and other blogs. 

3. When did you become serious about your blog?

I became really serious about my blog when I changed the name and design in September. Before that I really didn’t have a lot of time to devote to it so once I found myself unemployed and with some extra free time I decided to start over and make it a priority.

4. What was your first blog post?

My very first post was a little intro with some pictures of some flower hair clips I made. The first real post was a DIY for silk flowers.

5. What have been your biggest challenges blogging?

Really, the biggest struggle has been finding the time and staying organized. It’s hard to juggle a blog and a full time job and grad school applications and all of my other commitments (I'm an over-committer). Luckily I love blogging, so I see it as something fun to do in my free time. I also have a hard time with networking with other bloggers – I have come across so many interesting people who I would love to connect with more, but sometimes my introversion gets in the way!

6. What is the most rewarding thing about blogging?

There are so many inspiring and kind people in the blogging world – I love it! It is also great to have something to encourage me to keep creating and a place to share what I love with others. It’s amazing to meet and hear from people who are passionate about the same things. My blog is slowly becoming a place where I share more of my life, and I love having somewhere to keep memories and reflect on everything.

7. What is the most discouraging thing about blogging?

One thing that is a little scary about blogging is that you are opening yourself up to criticism – I haven’t experienced it, but I know how easy it is for people to hide behind their computers and say hurtful things to others…Knowing this makes me think extra hard about certain things I post. I also definitely identify with Emorie’s response to this question; there are so many other areas that I am passionate about beyond what I tend to post here, and sometimes I don’t include these parts of my life because I worry about how readers will respond or that they won’t find it interesting. In some ways I feel ok about that because I am able to express those passions in other areas of my life…but it’s something I think about a lot.

8. What is your lasting inspiration or motivation?

There is inspiration everywhere! I just truly love being creative and sharing with others. The way I feel when I create something awesome or take a great picture or create the perfect mix is the best motivation.  I am also so motivated by the fact that there are people out there who get just as excited about these things as I do and want to learn from me.

9. What is your blogging dirty little secret?

I’m not too sure what kind of answer I’m supposed to give to this question…hah! I am a major procrastinator and my ideas for this blog are all over the place. I often end up blogging way past my bedtime or when I should really be doing other things. Do those count as dirty little secrets?

10. What is your current goal as a blogger?

I just want to keep seeing my blog grow and keep pushing myself to step out of my comfort zone as a creative person. I want this blog to be a place that not only inspires others, but also myself – I don’t want to look back at posts and see the same old things. I want to grow and experiment – maybe even fail a few times.  I think that’s ok. I also want to do more networking and pursue opportunities to try new things and work with others.

11. Have you learned or become passionate about anything through blogging that caught you by surprise?

I have become a lot more interested in photography. I have so much improving to do in terms of my photography skills, and Paper Umbrella has made me more motivated to learn more about photography…I recently decided to really buckle down and work on this by creating a new weekly feature (more on that later!).

I'm tagging:

Jenny of Coffee & Honeycomb

Danica of Goodheart

Gwyn of A Girl Named Gwyn

Jordyn of Pretty Lovely
Andra and Deanna of Birds & Oxfords

Suzanne of A Coin For The Well
Caroline of A Batonette A Day

want // need // wear // read

Just a little something for your weekend viewing pleasure. I'm currently working on a few diys that will be part of an exciting feature I am doing, so patience ducklings, I will be back soon with more projects! For now, here is something I want, something I need, something to wear and something to read - inspired by the feature James of Bleubird does on her blog!

"something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read"

want this cute map of Paris print//need a cozy blanket to keep me warm//wearing lots of fuzzy sweaters these days//reading Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins//

Happy weekend, friends!

post inspired by james of bleubird blog

Off to the Pumpkin Patch We Go

This past weekend was full of lots of fun Fall activities, despite freakishly warm and un-fall-like weather (you're probably wondering why we're wearing shorts and dresses in the pictures below...go home Portland weather, you're drunk). After a big brunch Saturday morning a group of friends and I made the trek to Sauvie Island to pick out our pumpkins! Sauvie was crazy busy...it felt almost like a big fall festival. We wandered the fields, saw some animals (and resisted buying the cutest black piglets that were for sale), and came home with more pumpkins than were probably necessary...

When we got home, my housemates and I (plus Taylor) all made spiked cedar, put on some Beach House Pandora (the best) and set up a carving party on the porch. Below is my best attempt at a picture of all of our pumpkins (minus Sydney's which wasn't finished because of her perfectionist tendencies ;) )...it really doesn't do them justice!

Aaaand, here is my pumpkin! I'm not super into the usual spooky/corny halloween decorations, but I can get with all the skulls. Those who know me can tell you I have a small obsession...not with creepy skulls, but pretty dia-de-los-muertos-esque skulls. Know what I'm talking about? Anyway, naturally I decided to carve a skull. I found some inspiration online, drew on my pattern and got to cutting. I did a combination of cutting and scraping so the light would shine out differently in different spots. When I was done I cut holes at the top and stuck in some fresh flowers! I am thinking about maybe painting on it as well so it looks extra pretty during the day...but we'll see if I get around to that! Hope this gives you some inspiration for your pumpkins if you haven't gotten around to carving yet! If you already have, what did you carve? I would love to see!

I will be back tomorrow with the first of two super easy (and cute, not spooky) halloween decor ideas...If you haven't guessed already, one involves skulls :)

A Weekend in Seattle

Hello hello, friends! Taylor and I just got back last night from spending the weekend in Seattle with my mom. We had such a great time and really didn't want to leave...Every time I go back to Seattle I fall more and more in love with the city! I lived there until I was 12, so I love going back and remembering all of the things we did there when I was younger - we drove by my old house, visited all of our old favorite spots, and got to visit with a few family friends. Here are some pictures of our short but sweet visit!

After a quick visit with my godmother on Vashon Island, our first stop was breakfast and some wandering around Pike Place Market.

After we got our fill of the market we wandered around downtown, popped into a few shops, and then rested our feet by the water and soaked in the sun. We were so lucky to get two beautiful sunny, crisp fall days.

We stopped at Golden Gardens, the beach where I insisted on having my birthday every year growing up, despite the water always being freezing cold!

Next stop was Gas Works Park, which is an old gas plant turned park. There is a big hill (best place for flying kites) that has a beautiful view of the water and downtown in the distance (the title picture for this post is the view). Was anyone else obsessed with the movie 10 Things I Hate About You when they were younger? This park is where they filmed the paint balling scene :)

On Sunday morning we went to the Ballard Farmer's Market. We walked around, tried all the samples, enjoyed yummy food/coffee, and listed to some music.

Next stop was Red Mill Burgers for lunch. I wasn't leaving Seattle before I got one of their boysenberry shakes!

We ended the trip with a walk around Greenlake - I think I spent about half my childhood here learning to ride my bike, taking swimming lessons, running around with friends, playing soccer...Perfect place to end the trip! Taylor and I are already thinking about when we can plan another visit. Anyone been to Seattle recently? What did you think?

PS If you ever visit Seattle, I would highly recommend the restaurant El Camino in Fremont for dinner. We went there and loved it - great atmosphere & service, and super yummy mole & margaritas!

Ok, off to do some shopping for a few DIY projects I want to tackle this week! xx

Bedside Table Makeover & A Feature!

Hello! I've been crazy busy over the last week, so not much time for blog projects :( Last night I was up til 3 working on a business plan for a venture competition the company I co-founded is in (look at the cool site we developed!), and then I had to wake up and run to a couple of meetings for the organization I write grants for...I'm squeezing this post in before I go finish up that business plan. I can't wait to take it (a little) easier tomorrow and finish off a couple projects I'm super excited about. I have 2 DIYs I'm working on and a winter cocktail recipe for a guest post. In the meantime I thought I'd share a little furniture makeover I did. Nothing special...I just changed a bedside table I found at an antique store from a weird chalky green to white with a sea foam green accent.

In other news, I wanted to share that Jessica of Life Laid Bear did a little feature about me on her blog today.  So sweet of her! You should definitely go take a look at her adorable blog (she just made the yummiest looking mini pumpkin pies).

Anyway, hope you all had a great hump day!

All I did was sand the whole thing down and spray it with a few layers of spray paint. For those curious, the drawer color is Krylon Catalina Mist :)

Life Lately (And Also Not So Lately)

Yesterday I finally uploaded all of my photos from this Summer off my camera and went through them...So many good memories! I keep meaning to throw together a "life lately" post, but clearly that hasn't happened yet...So I decided to share my favorite pictures/memories from this Summer all in one post.

At the beginning of the Summer we had a birthday bbq for my friend Caroline (far left). We grilled, drank beergaritas, surprised Caroline with birthday cake shots (whipped cream, sprinkles and all), and took lots of goofy pictures.  The one above is one of my favorites with three of my favorite girls :)

(If you've never had beergaritas here's how you do it: combine frozen limeade, tequila, and ice in a blender. When it's slushy consistency add cheap beer and mix. Serve on a hot day.)

One of my favorite memories this Summer was going to see the Lion King in the park. We brought a feast of rotisserie chicken, bread, cheese, chocolate pie, and some...adult grape juice. We were the only people there in our 20s but it was fun watching all the crazy kids run around and singing along to a movie we all grew up loving.

These two are my people. I love them so.

A couple weeks ago, we had a big goodbye bbq for my friend Sam, who moved back home to California. We set up the backyard with lots of lights, made a bbq feast and celebrated one of my favorite people. It was bittersweet - one of the best nights of the Summer, but so sad to say goodbye.

Not pictured: trips to Sauvie Island, wandering around street fairs, exploring the city, my birthday, Sydney's birthday, lazy days working in cafes, family dinners...this was such a great Summer...I miss it already!

What were your favorite Summer memories?

See//Hear//Taste//Read

See//Blue Jasmine. Woody Allen's story of a selfish, sad, unpleasant, yet intriguing woman who you almost feel sorry for. Cate Blanchett is brilliant as usual.

Hear//On a slow grey day, put on some earphones and play Volcano Choir at full volume. This is one of Justin Vernon's (of Bon Iver) side projects -- it's like Bon Iver, with a little twist.

Taste//Lately I've been making this salad at least once a week: combine one bag of edamame, a regular sized package of dried cranberries, a container of crumbled feta (roughly a cup of each), a handful of chopped up basil, a few tablespoons of olive oil and a little salt and pepper. You won't be able to stop eating it, I promise.

Read//I know it can be dangerous to get too political online, but last week I came across this interesting article called "9 Questions About Syria You Were Too Embarrassed to Ask." Some helpful information on an important (and complicated) situation. Read if you like :)

Italy Video

Here is the video we made about our time in Italy! The first song is "You Don't Know How Much You Can Suffer" by Jan Morks Quartet, and the second is "Tintarella di Luna" by Jenny Luna.  Enjoy!

Eurotrip: Rome, Italy

Our last stop in Italy was Rome. We had both been to Rome before and had very different experiences: I went with my family when I was younger and fell in love.  Taylor went during a school break while he was abroad and didn't have the greatest experience (let's just say his bunk bed was shaking all night long thanks to some very oblivious/intoxicated guests in the sketchy hostel he was staying in...awkward).  I was determined to change his opinion about Rome.

Rome was quite the change of pace after being in Modena and Bologna -- there were so many tourists and so many things to do that at times it was overwhelming.  We decided to only do a couple of the big sights and then explored other parts of the city where we could breathe and relax. We ended up seeing the Colosseum/Roman Forum and the Vatican/Sistine Chapel, and then dropped by Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona. 

Each day we explored a different park.  We found two different spots with beautiful views of the city - an endless landscape of buildings the colors of sand and sunsets, dotted with the occasional ruin. It's a pretty unique city to see from above.  Both parks felt like a quiet oasis above the city where we could people watch and take in the city from a different perspective. One day we took sandwiches and beer up for lunch.

We also spent a day walking around the Jewish Ghetto. It was nice to explore some quiet, pretty streets. We didn't have any particular destination in the neighborhood, so we just let ourselves get lost! On our last day, Taylor decided to get his haircut at a barber near our Airbnb, which ended up being a fun adventure. The shop was run by the sweetest old man and his wife.  Neither of them spoke any English so it was pretty funny trying to communicate with them!

TO DO & SEE: Beyond whatever tourist sights you want to see I would recommend taking walks up to see the parks I talked about above. The one near Travestere is up on Gianicolo Hill -- this one is a longer walk. There are a couple of monuments and a botanical garden to see on your way up the hill. Villa Bourghese is the park near the Spanish Steps. It is not so far removed from the city, but is a good place to go for a little break from everything.  Definitely spend some time in Trastevere -- it is full of sweet little streets and piazzas (I'm a sucker for narrow, cobblestone European streets...have you figured this out yet?) and a couple pretty churches. Like I said before, the Jewish Ghetto is also a nice place to explore.

TO EAT & DRINK: For lunch on our second day we went into a little meat and cheese shop on a side street intending to buy materials to make our own sandwiches, but the guy inside offered to make them for us. We chose everything and he threw it together for us.  We grabbed a big Perino beer and took everything up to the park. I would definitely recommend doing this for lunch over trying to find a good restaurant.  When you're out seeing tourist sights it's hard to avoid crappy/overpriced food. 

On our first night we went to a great little restaurant in Trastevere called Meridionale.  The walls are covered in old magazine clippings and it is furnished with retro, mis-matched tables and chairs.  Aside from the meal being amazing, it was also a nice place to eat because it was away from the busiest parts of the neighborhood. By far the best meal we had was at Il Duca, which is also in Trastevere. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Taylor got carbonara and I had the best lasagna of my life.  We also got fried artichoke and prociutto e melone to start.  I still dream about it. After dinner at Il Duca we popped into a tiny little convenience store to get beers and walked around the streets with the crowds of young people. We liked doing this at night rather than finding a place to get drinks, but we did go out for drinks one night in Trastevere at a place called Nylon. They had good drinks, a cool atmosphere and nice outdoor seating that was perfect for people watching. 

Oh, and I can't write a post about Rome and not mention gelato. We had amazing gelato at Il Gelato di San Crispino.  It's all homemade and doesn't have gross artificial colorings and flavorings.  We read somewhere that it's a bad sign when gelato is super colorful. 

Look back tomorrow for the video we made about our time in Italy!