Tinker Thursday || DIY: Create Your Own Happiness

Hello friends! It's Tinker Thursday again! I'm finally done with my first summer course and boy was it a doozy. I'm still attempting to catch up on sleep so hopefully these next few weeks do the trick. I'll be starting up again in about a month, so I'm definitely going to take advantage of this time off. 

This week, I decided to change it up a little and bend my own rules. As mentioned in my introductory post, if you can "do-it-yourself", it's fair game for Tinker Thursday. I'm going to continue with the theme of "Choosing Happiness" from Monica's Motivational Monday last week, and offer my tips and suggestions to creating your own happiness. 

Smile and Laugh

Yes. My first tip for creating your own happiness is to smile. We've all heard of the benefits of smiling: it releases endorphins which can help us feel happy and less stressed, an increase in endorphins decreases cortisol, etc etc. Laughing helps release emotions that you might have built up, whether good or bad. I know when I'm stressed out, I find myself laughing and I instantly feel better, even if it's just temporary. I can go on and on about the importance of smiling and laughing, but the most important reason (at least, in my opinion) is because it's contagious. What's better than seeing someone else smile or hearing someone else laugh because of pure happiness? 

Breathe

I know, yet another tip that should seem pretty obvious, right? I can't tell you how many times I found myself so stressed and tense that I nearly forgot to breathe. When things are starting to feel a bit overwhelming, step back and take a few deep breaths. Oftentimes, I take a deep breath and just yell as I exhale. It feels really nice to let those emotions out. 

Think of a Wonderful Thought! (alternatively titled, "Look on the Bright Side") 

Not only is this a quote from Peter Pan, but I remind myself of this every time I am in a slump and just feeling very negative about things. It takes a lot of effort to turn something negative into a positive, but it can be done. Wouldn't you rather be thinking about things that make you smile or feel good? 

Unfortunately, we can't always find a way to twist a certain negative situation or feeling into something more positive. Most of the time this is done in retrospect, but at least from then on you'll have a positive correlation to that memory!

In the event of trying to avoid making this a "how to de-stress" post, I'm going to fire off a few more suggestions:

Make your all-time favorite meal/comfort food. You know how good it feels to sit down and eat your absolute favorite meal. Think about how much more satisfying said meal would be if you made it yourself? You'd be enjoying the fruits of your labor and feeling good about your culinary skills. 

Talk to a friend or family member you haven't spoken to in a while. If you're close to that person, chances are you'll have a lot to catch up on. Share the latest news in your life. Talk about plans you might have in the near future. Make plans together! It's always nice to see a familiar face and spend quality time together. 

Binge watch your favorite TV show(s). My Hulu subscription keeps renewing and I currently don't have any new shows to watch. I've re-started Parks and Recreation from the first season, and in case you were wondering, yes, it's still pretty funny. Watch a show you know will make you laugh or feel good. Binge watching is always so satisfying, until you run out of episodes to watch. But hopefully by then, you'll be feeling happy enough to do something else. 

Put on your favorite playlist and dance like no one is watching! Sing to your heart's content, and simply just have fun with it! Slide around your hardwood floors aka Risky Business, sing into your soup ladle, and jump around (safely, of course). You'll get your blood pumping and get a nice cardio workout out of it as well. 

Think of a new project or challenge you've been wanting to do... and just do it. Want to learn how to knit? Purchase a ball of yarn and knitting needles at Michael's (with one of their coupons, of course). Want to bake a cake? Let's head on over to the grocery store and get what we need. Find a new workout regimen that looks promising? Put on your workout gear and go for it! You'll feel so wonderful knowing you started AND finished something you've been meaning to try. And if you're wondering, you can do it and I believe in you 150%!

Take advantage of free events in your local community (especially during the summer)! I know San Diego has a ton of things to do for little to no cost. We have a handful of beaches and wonderful hiking grounds. Balboa Park is an amazing place to just hang out and you can check out their many museums. Residents receive free admission to a select group of museums every Tuesday. Be sure to check your local community for any fun events that might be going on. San Diegans, be sure to check out the San Diego Reader. This past week in particular highlighted "Fun Things to Do: From Beach to Backcountry". 

I could go on and on with more suggestions, but everything will eventually start sounding the same. The key takeaway from today's post is to figure out what makes you happy. We all have at least one thing that never fails to put a smile on our face. Whether it's cooking or dancing or even cleaning the house, find something that brings you joy. You know yourself better than anyone else, so think of these tips and suggestions as just that: suggestions. There is no set list of "this is what you need to do to be happy". 

It's important to remember that it's okay to put your happiness as a priority. It's essential for your overall, long-term health, and it just feels way better than being sad all the time, right? :)

Take care, and I'll see you in two weeks!

xo, rox

Tinker Thursday || Mother’s Day Rose Bouquet

Happy Thursday my little Tinkers! Welcome to my first “official” post for Tinker Thursday :) This week, I wanted to share my experience of baking and assembling a Mother’s Day Rose Bouquet, inspired by the lovely and talented Rosanna Pansino of Nerdy Nummies. 

I wanted to do something special and unique for Mother’s Day for all the mother figures in my life (of course, including my amazing and wonderful and beautiful and did I mention amazing mommy), and when I saw this video, I knew I had to give that rose bouquet a try! 

Of course, this DIY project did not come without challenges. One of the biggest hurdles I had to overcome was my lack of time and availability to dedicate to this project. In addition to working full-time, I am an evening MBA student, so you can already imagine how scarce my time is in general. Pair that up with final projects and research papers being due the first few weeks in May and, well… You can see where I’m going with this.

The demands of both work and school got the best of me and I essentially gave up on this project before I even got started. It wasn’t until after Mother’s Day Mass where I decided to go ahead and give this project a try. It was the least I could do to show my mom, aunties, and grandmother that I appreciate all their love and support and thank them for raising me and molding me into the woman I am today.

If I thought I didn’t have time to do this project the days leading to Mother’s Day, I definitely did not have a lot of time to start this project hours before our small Mother’s Day gathering at my grandmother’s house. So naturally, I had to take shortcuts in the form of boxed cake mix and ready-made/colored icing. Use your favorite cake recipe and icing mix if you have the time to do so. Personally, I think homemade is always the way to go :)

Side note: Luckily, I live near a shopping complex that houses both a Target and Michaels, so I was able to save time in purchasing all my items. Take advantage of the mobile coupons from Michaels! If you’re buying multiple items, see if you can ask a friend or loved one to come with you so they can make a purchase as well. Utilize all the ways you can save money! 

-What You'll Need-

For the cupcakes:

• Boxed Cake Mix and the ingredients needed to prepare (You can’t go wrong with Funfetti) -OR- Your favorite cake recipe
• Icing
• Food coloring (Whatever you want the color of your roses to be)
• Green cupcake liners 
• Mixing Bowl and Mixing Apparatus (I got mine from World Market) 
• I used a Batter Dispenser, but this is optional 
• Cupcake Tray 
• Icing Bag 
• Wilton 2D Icing Tip to make the rose petals

For the Bouquet:

• Flower Pot 
• Styrofoam Ball that fits in your Flower Pot 
• Matching Green Tissue Paper
• Toothpicks
• Decorative Ribbon (Optional)

-What You Need to Do-

Prepare the cake mix according to the instructions on the box. Preheat the oven to the recommended settings and bake for the recommended amount of time.

 

While you’re waiting for your cupcakes to bake, go ahead and start arranging your flower pot by placing empty cupcake liners (I used the other colors that came in the set I purchased) around the styrofoam ball and sticking a toothpick in, leaving about half or one-third of the toothpick sticking out. I tried to keep them about a half-inch to an inch apart, but honestly, just see what looks right. There is really no “right” or “wrong” during this step. Just be sure to leave enough space for you to place tissue paper in between.

The most difficult part of this project was getting the tissue paper to stay put! I don’t know how Ro did it, she made it seem so effortless (but then again, don’t all YouTubers? haha). I cut them into small squares, just like the video shows, but I just struggled. Every time I felt as if the tissue paper was secure, it would somehow warp and fall off the styrofoam ball. 

Anyway, this is how mine turned out after a few different arrangements.

Remember to let your cupcakes cool before you start putting icing on them! This is probably the number one mistake people make when trying to replicate a YouTube video or Pinterest post. The warmth of the cupcake will obviously melt the icing, causing everything to look like a big, goopy mess. I know, I know, you’ve come this far, and you’re short on time! Trust me, this rest period is crucial. I usually clean up my mess during this rest period. It keeps my hands busy and my momentum going.

Once your cupcakes have cooled, you can start to create the rose designs with your icing. I neglected to photograph this part of the process, but the video has a very in-depth tutorial on how to get that perfect petal-like finish.

My roses did not turn out as beautiful as Ro’s, but I think I did a pretty decent job. What do you think? :)

You’re going to hate me for saying this, but once you’ve completed your beautiful cupcake works of art, you have to let your cupcakes cool down in the fridge for a while. I know! I keep making you wait! Allowing the cupcakes to cool in the fridge will help solidify your rose design, not to mention make it easier to stab the bottom of them with those toothpicks you so thoughtfully laid out. No one wants a slumping rose in their beautiful bouquet. I recommend leaving them in there for at least 15-20 minutes, more if you can afford to.

All right, now comes the fun part: putting your masterpiece together! Remove the cupcake liner placeholders and carefully place your cupcake roses in their place. If you have extra hands in the room, they can hold the flowerpot in place while you work your magic. 

And there you have it! A wonderful cupcake rose bouquet! Mine is definitely not perfect, but I was happy that I put my doubts and fears aside and just tried. All my family members loved seeing the bouquet, so much they did not want to eat it! I eventually convinced them to enjoy the cupcakes (after a million photos and picture messages, of course), and we had a happy Mother’s Day, indeed.

Let me know if you decide to give this project a try! I know it’s not my original project, but I would still want to see and hear about your experiences!

Level of Difficulty: 7/10; mainly due to the assembling of the bouquet and how tedious it is

What I would do different next time: Don’t put it off until the last minute :) You can prep everything in this tutorial pretty well in advanced, and leave the final assembly to the day of. 

Would I attempt this project again? Definitely! It is such a cute and thoughtful gift!

That's it for this week's Tinker Thursday! Have any projects you would like for me to try? Let me know in the comments below, and I'll make sure to document my experience just for you. Thank you so much for reading my post. You are a beautiful baby unicorn. I'll be back in two weeks with another fun project!

xoxo, Rox

Tinker Thursday Introduction

Hello, everyone! I hope you have all had the chance to meet Monica, Sharmaine, and Jayme by now. If you haven’t, please click their names and visit their Introductory Week Posts! You’ll get the chance to meet Brian tomorrow, but for now, it’s my time to shine.

My name is Rox, and I would like to be the first to welcome you to Tinker Thursday.

Merriam-Webster online defines the word “tinker” as “to work in the manner of a tinker; especially :  to repair, adjust, or work with something in an unskilled or experimental manner : fiddle”

Now, if that doesn’t describe me perfectly, I don’t know what will.

Aside from being unskilled and experimental, I’m a pretty bland person. I work and I’m pursuing my MBA. I enjoy binge watching shows and YouTube videos in my spare (albeit rare) time. I often find myself drawing inspiration from everything around me, and I particularly enjoy baking sweet treats.

My blog posts will consist of DIY Projects. If you know me personally, you know I’m all about experimenting with activities revolving around arts & crafts, baking, makeup, styling, building IKEA furniture, etc. 

I know that is a broad range of possible topics to cover, but as long as you can “Do-it-Yourself”, it’s fair game for Tinker Thursday.

My purpose in this collaborative is to celebrate creativity and not being afraid to try out new things. We shouldn’t hesitate to begin a new project or journey in fear of failure, or wear a certain item of clothing just because we don’t think it will look nice. You never know how awesome something could be if you never give it a chance.

I hope you enjoy the adventures all five of us are about to embark on. It’s been a very… very long project in the making, and I’m so happy and so blessed to see it finally come to life. 

We hope to provide you some light entertainment at the very least.

xo, rox