a mix for aussie day

Saturday was Australia Day!  Those of you who know me know that my dad comes from the land of Oz (so I am a citizen).  I love Australia and all of the wonderful Aussies in my life, so I took a little time to make a playlist to celebrate the beautiful land down under.  Every time we visit Australia my dad and I try to discover as much music as possible...it seems that they are actually a bit ahead of the curve when it comes to alternative/indie music! I also just tend to think that they have better taste in music over there...sorry guys.  Anyways, we usually come back with a few new CDs that stay on repeat for a few months straight.  I decided to make a little playlist of all Aussie artists.  Some of them are artists I listen to currently and others are oldies, but goodies. Read below if you'd like a little more info on the artists!

1 & 5: Jinja Safari // I discovered Jinja Safari about a year ago during a visit to oz when I was looking for music for Taylor.  They're a super fun and interesting band.

2 & 4: Gotye // You probably already know (and maybe even despise?) Gotye for his song "Somebody That I Used to Know," which plays incessantly on U.S. radios.  We saw him in concert in oz right around the time that he was gaining popularity in the U.S. and he was absolutely incredible.  Such an amazingly talented artist.  He had a 13 (I think) piece band and complicated animations that were choreographed to the music. It makes me so sad that no one in the U.S. really gave his other music a chance.  Some of it is a little weird, but I really love it.

3: Boy & Bear // This is another band I found during my last visit, thanks to my Australian music advisor/cousin (thanks Lachie!).  Parts of their songs actually sound like it could be Robin Pecknold singing, so if you like Fleet Foxes you should definitely check out their other music.

6 & 14: Lisa Mitchell // This music is cute and quirky! Love her.

7: Sarah Blasko // I discovered Sarah Blasko on the same trip when I found Lisa Mitchell.  They have a kind of similar style, but Sarah's music can be a little darker.  This is a fun little cover of an Outkast song.

8: Angus & Julia Stone // You guys probably already know this sister/brother duo!

9 & 13: Missy Higgins // We discovered Missy Higgins a long time ago, when she released her first album.  When I was younger I listened to her constantly, I don't listen to her as much now but I will always love her music.  She is an extremely talented singer/song writer.  We were able to see her in a little cafe in Boston where we were so close we could touch her! She just released a new album, go check it out!

10: Powderfinger // This is an older Aussie band that my dad used to love and listen to lots.

11: Eskimo Joe //  This is another older band that we discovered on a trip years ago.

12: Xavier Rudd // A lot of you probably also know of Xavier Rudd. Funky surf/roots music.

Hope you enjoy the mix!

filling empty space

I've been slowly but surely trying to fill up the wall space in my room, but for some reason it's taking me forever.  It's hard when you can't make holes and have to worry about ruining paint. I finally put up a couple of prints above my bed, but now the empty wall above my desk feels so...well...empty.  So I gathered together some inspiration to help myself make a decision and decide on one last project for my room (seriously, it's about time).  I'm on a (very tight) budget so as much as I would love to just get one of the big prints I've been lusting after (see here, here and here), I need to come up with a cheap DIY instead.

1: Print out and string up a bunch of photos, postcards, etc // 2: I love the bold and simple white letters on black in this framed subway poster. This could easily be recreated with white sticker letters or a similar technique to the one I used here // 3: I've had this wall filled with wire phrases pinned for a long time. I could shape favorite lines of lyrics out of wire to hang on my wall // 4: A painted cork board would be a simple and easy project to do // 5: I could also just fill a cheap bulliten board with lots of pretty inspiration // 6: I really love the idea of finding a big, old frame (preferably white) and filling it with smaller pictures like this.

As soon as I settle on a project, a DIY for your wall space should be coming soon!

check it out

Everyone should check out the little EP Taylor posted on Bandcamp! I might be a little biased, but I think it's pretty awesome. You can listen to it and download it for free right here.

something sweet

The other day Taylor and I made oreo stuffed cookies.  So easy, but so good.  I'm not posting a recipe because there are recipes all over the internet.  Also, it's pretty straight-forward.  Make chocolate chip cookies, cover oreos in the dough, bake, devour.  I want to try making them with peanut butter cups or thin mints inside...but I think I'll wait til my housemates are home to eat them for me.  Hope you all had a great weekend!

Throwback DIY: Shrinky Dink Jewelry

After Christmas I spent the week with my extended family in a little ski house in the mountains in Colorado.  My cousins brought along some activities for us to do together, including shrinky dinks!  Shrinky dinks bring back so many fun childhood memories, so I was pretty excited to try them out again...I wanted to make something that I would actually use, so I looked at some of the jewelry that I've been eyeing for inspiration.  I realized that I could easily make some geometric style necklaces.  You could also make earrings or a bracelet or maybe even a ring.  It would also be fun to add in more colors.  I wanted to try some necklaces that had multiple parts (similar to this necklace I made from wood), but I didn't get a chance. Next time!

This is a super easy project to do.  All you need is shrinky dinks, a permanent marker, chain (or you could also use leather cord, or something like that), 4 jump rings, and a closure.  Just draw your design onto the shrinky dink paper and cut it out.  Remember to make the design about twice as big as you want it to be when it's done.  Use a hole punch to make holes in your pieces (make sure they aren't too close to the edges).  We were having trouble with the shrinky dinks curling up at first- make sure you leave them in the oven long enough because they will eventually return to being flat on their own.  Keep an eye on them and carefully flatten them with a spatula if it looks like they are going to curl onto themselves completely and get stuck.  We also found that it was helpful to heat up the pans before we put the shrinky dinks on.  When they are done, just attach your chain to the piece with jump rings, and you're done!

i'm back!

Hello! It's been quite a while since I've posted here.  I've been so busy over the past few months and wanted to wait until I had more time to really commit to working on this space, rather than half-heartedly filling it with posts.  Between homework and stress I often found myself day dreaming about all of the exciting things I'd like to do with this blog...so I'm so excited to finally have time to start fresh.  Since I last posted I finished my thesis and graduated from college (cue big, long sigh of relief...it still hasn't quite sunk in).  I'm hoping that now that I've finished undergrad I can dedicate a little more time to Kaleidoscope Eyes...Over the next couple of months I plan on doing a complete makeover of the design of this blog (I'm trying to learn a little bit of code...) and transitioning into doing much more frequent posts. So keep checking back!

Oh, and happy new year!

(photo from my family's new years celebration)

the perfect summer drink

I love mojitos.  I haven't really tried that many other mixed drinks, but I'm convinced that it will be impossible to find another drink that is as yummy or refreshing for the summer months.  A little while ago I decided to give flavored mojitos a try after perfecting my regular mojito recipe, starting with my favorite berry: raspberries.  I've had raspberry mojitos before but they've all either been too artificial or not fresh and minty enough for my taste.  Here is the simple recipe I came up with to make perfect raspberry mojitos.

What you will need:
Raspberries-- I usually just use a whole bag or box of raspberries and save the sauce to use later if anything is left over at the end (I often use frozen ones for the sauce and throw in a few fresh ones at the end since fresh raspberries can be pretty pricey).
Limes
Lemons
Simple Syrup (you can make your own by simmering equal parts sugar and water until sugar desolves)
White rum
Mint
Club soda


To make one mojito:
Before you do anything else you will want to make your simple syrup and raspberry sauce so they have time to cool down before you put them in your drink.  To make the raspberry sauce put your raspberries (save a few fresh ones for the end) in a saucepan and heat.  Stir and mash the raspberries for around 15 minutes, or until you have a juicy sauce.  I usually put this through a strainer to get out the seeds, but I've made them with the seeds before as well and its not really all that noticeable.  Once you're done with this put the sauce in the refrigerator to cool down.
To begin making your drink pour anywhere between 1 and 2 shots of rum into a medium sized class (I like 1.5 shots).  Next add a small bunch of mint.  I probably use around 10-15 leaves.  Use a muddler (such as this) or a spoon to crush the mint to release the flavor.  I usually take a minute or so to thoroughly muddle the mint so that the mint flavor is really noticeable.  Add in a half shot of simple syrup.  If the raspberries you are using are really sweet rather than tart or if the people you're serving prefer their drinks not too sweet start by adding around a quarter of a shot and add more at the end if necessary.  If you want to make your mojito virgin start with this step and muddle the mint into the simple syrup.  Next add the juice or half a lemon and half a lime.  Now add in somewhere between one and 1/2 shot of your raspberry sauce.  It really depends on the raspberries you have and the consistency of your sauce.  Add as much ice as you want and then fill your glass up with club soda.  Mix everything up.  At the end I like to take 3 or 4 fresh raspberries, break them up slightly and drop them on the top of the drink.  It's a nice little surprise to get a chunk of fresh raspberry, and it looks pretty.  You can also garnish with a slice of lime or a sprig of mint.  Enjoy your drink!