Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Handling The World's Worst Coworker




I'm sure we've all been here.
There's that one person in the office who just doesn't sit with you. She's rude; she's obnoxious; she's just flat out AWFUL.

Or he. 
(It just happens to be a she in my case)

How do you handle the person who speaks so condescendingly toward you and your fellow coworkers? How do you get her to stop stealing your desk supplies? And how do you get her to realize that the world doesn't revolve around her?

Well, I haven't quite figured it out yet. 
But I think I'm on my way!

My main firepower right now? Being as nice as I can be.
We've all heard it: "Kill them with kindness"
Well, so far it's working. She seems pretty startled and occasionally returns  the kindness. 
WEIRD.

My other method? Honesty. I tell her what she can and can't do in our office. She is slowly coming around and realizing that this isn't her old company; she is not the boss anymore and she needs to learn how to deal with that.


Does anyone else have a coworker that is extremely difficult to deal with? (I'm sure you do!!)
Let me know your best methods for handling them so I can try to apply them to my current situation.
I appreciate any suggestions!

Monday, September 29, 2014

My Sunday Funday!

Do you remember this post about budgeting that I posted just yesterday?

Well, in that same day I managed to reinforce the reason I need budgeting help!
Between my trips to TJMaxx, Michaels, WalMart, and IKEA, I spent entirely too much! But I saved a bundle too, so that counts, right?

Okay, not really.

Despite my obvious lack of self control, I did a lot of crafting this weekend! SO excited to show you!



First, I made up this cute little centerpiece using a craft pumpkin and some artificial floral picks! It looks super cute on my coffee table and matches my leaf garland! How perfect.

My other project?

Turning this:

Image from IKEA's US Website

Into THIS:


Okay, so it wasn't much of a change.


But it's amazing what a few coats of gold paint can do!


Aaaand the final touches:



It's perfect!! In the little drawer I've got the rest of our shot glasses (you didn't think we only had four, surely!) and our bottle openers and wine corks. 

I'm sure everyone else has a DIY project that they've been working on! Tell me all about it! I love getting new ideas for decorating my apartment; it's pretty dull at the moment!

Fall Fashion


I recently read this post over at allisonleighann.com about what she's anticipating for Fall and it got me thinking about my favorite aspects of Autumn!


  1. First and foremost, fall flavors. Especially pumpkin. Yep, I am that girl. Give me some pumpkin pie, a pumpkin muffin, and a pumpkin spiced latte and I am one happy woman.
    Then, of course, there's the seasonal beers.
    Sam Adam's Octoberfest?
    Hands down the best part about Fall. No contest!
  2. Bonfires. Yep. Who doesn't love sitting around a bonfire, preparing to roast marshmallows? No one? That's what I though. The smell, the crackling, and the beautiful light; what's not to love?
  3. Corn mazes! Now, I'm not one for those haunted corn mazes. There are very few events in which I'm okay being scared willingly (see below,) and corn mazes are definitely not it. I just love getting all snuggled up in my Fall clothes and wandering through the corn maze with friends and family. Bonus points if there's a hay ride!!
  4. Scarowinds!! Scarowinds is when Carowinds becomes absolutely festive for Halloween and it is perfect. Everything is decorated and they have "cast members" who wander around the park and scare you, plus they have little "haunted house" type things that you can walk through all over the park! My favorite thing to do is talk to the monsters; some of them get a little startled and that's a nice turn of events! Oh, and I definitely can't forget to mention: the rides are open. Want to wander through a haunted high school and then hop on a thrill ride? GO FOR IT.
  5. Fall fashion. I will be the first to admit how much I hate cold weather. If it could be 80+ degrees every day for the rest of forever I'd be mostly happy. But I would miss Fall clothes. I am so in love with the sweaters and boots and scarves and everything in between. Give me a good Fall wardrobe and I'm one happy girl...as soon as I get over that nip in the air.

Now I know everyone else out there has their favorite things about Fall! If you post your own to your blog, don't hesitate to share the link in the comments so I can go take a look! I'd love to see it!

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Budgeting?

You may have noticed that there's a question mark following that.

Why, you ask?

Well, this isn't a post full of suggestions.
It's a post full of questions.

I have no idea how to budget.
You see, I'll think that I'm doing really well and I'll have a budget set up for the month.
But then the month actually happens.
And I don't stick to the budget.

I am the queen of impulse purchases. And that is starting to wreak havoc on my finances!
I definitely need to get my stuff together so I can actually start saving (instead of buying that cute Kate Spade bag that I want. But it was the surprise sale, so that makes it okay, right? Yeah, not really.)

So here I am. Asking you.
What do you recommend?
How do you budget?
And more importantly, how do you stick to your budget?

That is probably the biggest struggle in my life right now and I seriously need to get this budgeting thing under control!

Saturday, September 27, 2014

LACK Hack ~ Part 2!


So, you may or may not remember this post.

If not, I talked about the super cheap coffee table I got at IKEA and how I planned to paint it to make it beautiful!

Well, about 3 months later, HERE IT IS!




Okay, it didn't actually take me 3 months to do it. (How sad would hat be?)
In reality, it only took me like a day.
But it took 2 months to actually start.
And then another to post about it.

So, here we are, 3 months later, and I'm finally showing off my finished table!!


I absolutely love it. It turned out exactly how I wanted and it looks soo good in our living room. The contrast is perfect and it matches basically anything, so even throughout the seasons (aka, the 2 we've experience since the first post) it fits in just fine with the rest of the decor!!

I'm so excited it's done and this has given me a new wave of DIY fever.
I WANT TO CRAFT ALL OF THE THINGS!!

I'm currently planning my next project now and I have a gallery wall in the works (did I mention that I rearranged my bedroom? Yeah, I did that. At 5 in the morning. Before work one day. Yep, I'm a freak.)

So hopefully within the next 3 months I'll have something new to show you all! Stay tuned!

Friday, September 26, 2014

1500 Pageviews!

I just hit 1500 pageviews, everyone!!

I know that's probably nothing to most of you, but that is SUPER EXCITING for me!!

So I'd like to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for visiting my blog!
I appreciate it, guys!

Surviving the Average Workday (My Way)


   

Most of us aren't lucky enough to have our dream job at the current moment in time
(Sometimes I think Carly at The College Prepster is closer than any of us, though!)

You know what that means?
A 9 to 5.
Or, in my case, an 8:30 to 5:30 (with an hour lunch, of course)

How are we expected to get through a long work day--or worse, work week--when every second seems like it's dragging on forever and we've been done with our actual projects for hours?

Well, there's problem number one:

You're  never  done with work. If you're in the office, you should be busy.
When I first started my new job, I would spend a good bit of time feeling bored and hopeless.
And then I realized.
There's plenty for me to be doing.
I just haven't found it yet.

So I asked. That's a big part of growing up. Asking.
I asked my boss (the marketing director) if there was anything else I could do and, what do you know, I was handed not one large assignment, BUT TWO!

Those two projects have kept me sane the past two weeks.

They've also given me a sense of responsibility that, prior to now, I didn't really have with this position. I felt like just another marketing assistant, doing busy work. Now I have what I call "real work" in addition to my day-today projects. It's been great.

And when all of those day-to-days get out of hand and I'm a little stressed? A quick break with a hot cup of tea and my sketchpad calms me down. Maybe you'd prefer a glass of water and a game on your phone. Whatever you can do to "get away" from it all will work. It's been proven that taking a break from your work can increase productivity AND creativity! So give it a try and see how it goes!\

Finally? Make friends. Work is going to be no fun if you're sitting around by yourself all day not talking to anyone. Befriend your coworkers; form an attachment with them; eat lunch with them. You're going to be spending 8+ hours a day with these people, so you might as well bond over something.

In summary:
  1. Ask Questions
  2. Take a Break
  3. Make Friends

It's pretty simple, if you ask me.
Now, every workday is not going to be perfect and some days even the most foolproof plan is going to fail, but keeping these few things in mind should make those bad days just a tiny bit better.

Please tell me if you have any of your own tips that I missed! I'd love to be able to try new ways to make my unbearable days a bit better!

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Update!


So, as you may have noticed (and as I mentioned in my previous post) my blog ha a bit of a new look!

I'm going for a simpler, minimal look this time.

Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions!!

Under Construction!




As you might have noticed, my blog isn't quite looking like itself today.

Well, that's because I got BORED with it!!
There are a lot of changes happening in my life right and now I think it's only fitting that my blog's appearance change along with the others.

Don't worry (not that anyone was,) I'll still be posting (somewhat) regularly!
My blog just isn't going to be quite as fabulous for a short period of time.

Hopefully once I've settled down a bit and decided what I actually want, it will be even more fabulous than it was before!!

Well, one can only hope, right?

If anyone has any tips for blog designs, hit me up! I'm still not quite used to coding this way, so any help I can get is greatly appreciated!

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Morning Survival Kit


I have something I need to confess.

I'm a morning person.

*GASP*

Glad I got that off my chest.
Yeah, I know it's pretty weird.
But it's true. I wake up at 5am (almost) every morning and most of the time I hit the ground running.

Notice I said most of the time.
Some mornings are a struggle! Not all, but definitely some.

And when I wake up as a passenger on the struggle bus, I need to make sure I'm getting off at the next stop.
That's where my "Morning Survival Kit" comes in.
It's things I need to do to feel ready for the morning and prepared to take on the day. This will definitely change from person to person, but here are my basics:


  1. A Fresh Cup of Coffee ~ Sure, instant coffee may be convenient, but it's not very good (in my opinion) and doesn't perk me up quite the way a fresh brewed cup can. I prepare my coffee every night and then just press the on switch right before I hit the shower so that's it's ready and waiting when I'm out. If you're more likely to forget to turn it on every morning, you might want to invest in a coffee maker with a timer. Or you could get a one-cup machine, like a Keurig or Tassimo, so you can be ready to go with your cup of coffee! Or 2. Or 5.


  2. The Today Show ~ Okay, so I'll admit it. I'm basically an old lady. I absolutely love watching the Today Show in the morning. I turn on the TV right after I pour my first cup of coffee and watch my local news for about an hour and a half. Then? It's time for The Today Show!! I love it because they don't only hit the important news-worthy events that are happening all over the world; they include trending pop-culture news as well! What better way to stay in the loop than to get all of your information in one place? Enjoy your coffee, a nice balanced breakfast, and the Today Show in the morning and you'll be ready to go!


  3. A List ~ Okay, so maybe you hate lists. I don't. I absolutely adore them. They let me see a quick overview of what I need to get done that day so I can plan accordingly! And now that I have my super cute Kate Spade Notepad, making lists is an even more exciting part of my morning! The format of your list can vary based on your specific needs, of course. My list items are short and sweet, usually one or two words, but you might need to use a full sentence to get across what you need. Shape it to fit you!


  4. Exercise ~ I'm pretty sure every person in the world knows that exercising in the morning can help give you energy for the rest of the day. Well, here I am telling you the same thing. And trust me, it WORKS. I cannot begin to explain the difference I feel between the days I exercise and the days I don't. But I'll try! I have way more energy and I'm more optimistic about the day. You know that dragging, why-won't-this-day-end feeling? I don't get that when I squeeze in some exercise in the morning. And, of course, there are the health benefits, too.


  5. Get Started ~ Remember that list I was talking about not too long ago? What better time to start on it than first thing in the morning? If you wake up early enough to have time, do ahead and jump on it. I have a lot of free time in the mornings, so there is absolutely no reason why I shouldn't be able to tackle at least one list item before I formally begin my day. And the great thing about this is that it gives me a jump start on my productivity. If I've already completed one task and the sun isn't even up, what's to stop me from finishing everything else?

There you have it.
My "Morning Survival Kit."
Probably not what you were expecting, since there aren't really any tangible items that you can go out and buy to make your mornings instantly better (except for coffee. Coffee definitely does that.)
But it's the little things that I do every morning that help me tackle my day, one task at a time.

Does anyone else have a similar "Survival Kit" that they swear by? I'd love to hear it. Maybe there's something missing from mine!

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Work Wear!

I've seen so many people post the best back to school fashion posts.
I'm not really what you would call a "fashionista" (is that what the kids are calling it these days? #oldlady)
And I'm most certainly not going back to school.

But I thought it would be a good idea to put together some of my favorite office outfits!
Now, my office is business casual, so these picks definitely won't work for everyone, but they look pretty nice if I do say so myself!!

(Some of my actual items are no longer available, so I used comparable ones available on Polyvore!)



Work Wear


Work Wear 2

Work Wear 3



That gives you a bit of my tastes! Does anyone else have a few favorite outfits that they wear to work? Or school?

Monday, September 22, 2014

Using LinkedIn Like a PRO





I'm pretty sure every young adult is told that they need to get on LinkedIn if they want to have any chance of succeeding.

And while LinkedIn most certainly isn't going to be the only thing that helps you succeed, it definitely helps.

But that's where the problem arises: it's not just being on LinkedIn that helps you become successful; It's being seen on LinkedIn.

One of my marketing professors put it best: "They say it's not what you know, but who you know. Well, I say it's not who you know, but WHO knows YOU."

That is definitely some of the best advice I got in college.
Everyone is always talking about networking and worrying about how many alumni and business executives they know, but no one ever stops to wonder if these people actually know you.
How embarrassing would it be to walk into a networking event hosted by someone you claim you know, only to have them look at you like you're a three-headed dog when you walk over and say hi? (I am proud to say that this has not actually happened to me. Yet.)

One way to avoid a lot of these awkward encounters is to master LinkedIn.

As a start, I think you should take a look at this article on HerCampus: The 4 Deadly LinkedIn Sins

I have also taken the time to provide a few of my own tips! Take a look:


1. If your profile doesn't say "All-Star" when you're editing it, is there really even a point to have it at all? ~ There are varying levels of a "completed" profile on LinkedIn, from Beginner, to Intermediate, to Advanced, to Expert, to All-Star; these all relate to your "profile strength." The highest rating you can get? All-Star. This means that you have everything filled out and that you have everything filled out well. You don't just have your past employment; you have detailed descriptions of what you accomplished there. You don't just have a list of the projects you've completed in your career; you have examples and detailed descriptions.

2. Does you profile have relevant information? Or just information that you think you should include? ~ Sure, it might sound nice to include that you successfully planned a sorority formal under a strict time constraint. But why is that important and how  does it relate to the type of career you're aiming toward? Are you going to be an event planner, then that's basically all you need to say. If not, you need to explain. If you cannot relate whatever experience to your area of expertise, then you shouldn't include it; at that point, it's just a filler and it distracts away from the things that recruiters could (and should) really be looking at.

3. If you're not sharing, no one is noticing you. ~ Now, I'm not saying you have to draft up a super witty article every single day so that you get noticed. But you should be sharing articles that relate to your industry, the job search, really anything that seems relevant to your professional career. This way, you're showing up in the Updates for all of your 1st connections as well as that of some 2nd or 3rd connections in your groups. If they like what they see, they'll share it and then even more people will see it and you are more likely to get noticed. This effect is 10x better if you are the actual author of a post that gets passed around! This is the number one way that you ensure that people know who you are rather than just being another profile. Remember, it's who knows you, not who you know.


So, those are my tips for perfecting your personal LinkedIn strategy! Obviously, LinkedIn is not a one-size-fits-all platform, so play around with what you like and what you don't like to see the best results for you!

The main purpose of LinkedIn is to connect with other professionals, but another really get benefit is finding a job. The more connected you are, the more out there you are, and the more people who will reach out to you with jobs that fit your qualifications (believe me, it happens!)

I'm sure there are plenty of you with your own LinkedIn suggestions, so tell me all about 'em! I know you all know how to use that comment button.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

KATE SPADE SURPRISE SALE!

The Kate Spade Surprise Sale is happening right now!
I repeat:
THE KATE SPADE SURPRISE SALE IS HAPPENING RIGHT. NOW.

I know, I know, for a lot of you this is old news.

But still, it ends today, so you had better go FAST!!

I've already gotten my goodies:

Top left: Et Cetera Idiom Bangle | Bottom left: The Long List Large Notepad | Right: Wellesley Patent Rachelle

I hope everyone else is having good luck with the sale, too!! Let me know what you got!

Monday, September 15, 2014

Where Has The Time Gone?

I have already been at my new job for over a month!
How did that happen?

It feels like I just started, and now here we are: 35 days later. I feel like it's just gonna keep speeding past me now.

Everything is still fabulous (except for that one new girl who is managing to get on everyone's nerves!)

But I do admit, this working 2 jobs thing (My full-time marketing job & my part-time hosting job) is getting a little crazy!
I appreciate the extra income (hello, student loans) but I do NOT appreciate the lack of extra time.

I do get a break (I'm off every Saturday, yo!) so I still get a chance to have some alone time and spend time with my friends!
That is definitely essential:

Make time for yourself!

There's no way I would be able to survive without having that one day off; those few hours of my very own make the rest of the week worthwhile.

Those few hours also give me entirely too much time to spend all of the money I just earned!
(Sorry, bank account, but I really needed those shoes. And that wallet. And that day trip with Mandy just to get lunch 2 hours away.)

All-in-all, I'm enjoying it, but it is taking a bunch of my free time away! (Definitely the reason I have been so MIA lately!!)
I am actually penciling in some blog time now, though, so the poor thing will not be left abandoned!!

Has anyone else recently started on a new journey? A new job, a new school, or a relocation perhaps?