DIY: Personalized diary/notebook

"Creativity is contagious, pass it on." - Albert Einstein

Hello everyone,

summer has ended and it is officially autumn again. Another study year will start on Tuesday (October 1st) for me and other Slovenian students. I'm starting my 3rd year of medicine which sadly means blogging will be the last thing I'd take time for. But this does not mean I'm quitting! I just won't be able to upload a post every Sunday. I'll try to have up two posts per month.

Now onto the fun part! As I promised, here is another fun and easy DIY. Earlier this week, I got a small notebook as a gift but I hated its cover. However, since it could be very useful for taking notes and other things, I decided "it's time for a makeover" and I totally like the final result. Of course, you can do with your diary or notebook (or any kind of book) whatever you prefer! This is just an idea what I did and to get you into the being-creative-mood.

What you will need:
1) diary or notebook
2) paper
3) stickers
4) markers
5) scissors
6) glue (I used UHU stick glue)

How to make:

1) Place the paper onto the cover of the diary/notebook, press around the edges (arrows on 1st photo) and glue them both together.

2) Fold the rest of the paper and glue it to the inside of the diary/notebook.

3) Now it is time to use some stickers, markers and all your imagination! Draw and write whatever will keep you motivated during the study/school year.

All the best till next time,

Vanja

Other DIY posts you might like:

DIY: Bring old shirts back to life (part 1)

DIY: Hair bow

July Favorites

“We don't need to have just one favorite. We keep adding favorites. Our favorite book is always the book that speaks most directly to us at a particular stage in our lives. And our lives change. We have other favorites that give us what we most need at that particular time. But we never lose the old favorites. They're always with us. We just sort of accumulate them.” - Lloyd Alexander

Hello everyone,

I know that it is already August but July is not that far away, right? So I decided to write something about my "favorites" from the previous month. Just to warn you, this will be a little bit different from the favorites posts that other bloggers write - it is not just about cosmetics and beauty.
In the next lines, there are 10 questions which I took from a Youtuber named Marzia. I think they are quite interesting and different. Have fun reading my answers!

1) What is the funniest thing that happened to you?
This is a hard question. I'd go with my dog Blue because he is such a trouble-maker but in a good way! My little fellow always makes me smile.

2) Did you read any books?
Oh yes, I did! *jumping up and down* Besides the big, fat and heavy Textbook of Medical Physiology (which I needed to read a couple of times because of an exam) I read four other books: Kirurginja, Bes angelov, Pretrgana naveza in Čipke. Two weeks were enough for all of them. :)

(These books are pretty old as you can see.)

3) Did you watch any movies?
Of course, who does not watch movies? Last Monday, I went to the cinema with a good friend and we watched Grown ups 2 - our abdominal muscles were in pain!

(Source)

4) Something that made you proud of yourself?
I finished my 2nd year (or 4th semester) of studies! Studying medicine is not so hard, at least until now.

5) Did you play any games?
No. Games are not my thing.

6) Did you travel anywhere?
Is traveling to my boyfriend's house included? Not really, right? Unfortunately I have to say no... Hopefully I will go somewhere in August.

7) Which foods did you try and loved?
I tried a Japanese dish, I think it is called Yakisoba (or maybe Yakisuba?). The combination of noodles, vegetables, roast duch and soy sauce is delicious.

8) Which songs did you like?
OneRepublic - Counting stars
Billy Talent - Pins and needles
Nicci - The summer is magic

9) Which products did you like?
I picked one beauty and one fashion item that I liked the most:
Essie Mint Candy Apple nail polish
White high-waisted shorts

10) What did you learn?
That I need to be more honest with myself. Oh, and I learned a lot of physiology stuff, as mentioned before. :)

Have a nice start of August!

Vanja

DIY: Bring old shirts back to life (part 1)

"It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project." - Napoleon Hill

Hello everyone,

I decided to write a DIY post about how to bring old shirts back to life. This is the first part, because I will write down more options in the future posts.
To start with, DIY stands for do it yourself . If you have any old out-of-date shirts, long or short sleeved (it doesn't really matter) which you don't like to wear anymore, then keep on reading.

How to make a crop top

(The "before" picture looks kind of funny because it was taken after I cut everything off.)

What you will need:

an old shirt

scissors

pencil or pen

ruler

How to make it:

1. Try on the shirt and mark how short you want it (I would suggest till the belly button so you don't show off too much skin). Also mark the sleeves if you want to shorten them.
2. Lay the shirt on a flat surface and with the ruler draw a straight horizontal line where you have marked previously.
3. Cut, cut, cut! Cut off the bottom part of the shirt and the sleeves. You can also cut around the collar area.
4. Try on the shirt again and repeat the process if the shirt is still too long for you.
5. Gently pull on fabric to remove jagged edges.

Voila! That is it, really simple yet fun to make. Tag me on Instagram (@crayonsandbeads) so I can see how you did it.

Did you like this idea/post?

Now it is your turn!

Vanja

The start: Why Crayons and Beads?

"Once you start working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest." - Chanakya

Hello everyone,

welcome to my blog Crayons and Beads. I had an idea about starting an own blog for months now but I did not have enough time to make it happen. I have been following many blogs that have truly inspired me and this has somehow pushed me to make the next step - to create it.
Finally, here I am. Writing my very first post.

Why the name Crayons and Beads?

A month ago, I watched a video on Youtube about how to start and maintain a good blog. It was said that the name must have a meaning and I totally agree. Choosing the name was a little bit difficult. So what did I do? I wrote down every thing or topic that I like and then I picked these two words and put them together - crayons and beads.

Crayons represent the colors - I would be so unhappy if only black and white existed, because I love colors so much! They make everything happier, including me.
Making bracelets is my love and passion. This is why I chose beads.

And who am I?

A girl named Vanja, from Slovenia (so excuse my English, it is not my first language), studying medicine and making bracelets when there is some time. I love the seaside and peaceful environments where I can relax my soul.

I plan on posting once a week every Sunday and I already have many ideas for the future posts. So stay tuned!
I hope you liked this first post, I tried not to write too much. I would love to see what you think of it. Please, leave a comment and share your thoughts!

Best wishes,

Vanja

Follow my blog with Bloglovin