Thursday, October 31, 2013

Gold and Glitter

I've been talking about getting an Etsy shop going,
and i'm happy to say i've finally got it just about ready to open.
The shop is going to be called "Gold Glitter Shop"
because all of the items are gold or glittery or golittery ;)

It will probably be a few more days before i open it
because i'm trying to make a few different items
so i can list multiple items for the shops grand opening ;)

Ever since i made the canvases i've had ideas
swirling around in my head...
"I can make this gold and this glittery
and i can spray paint that and oh i'm going to 
need some twine for that and and and..."
I've got the crafting bug and i'm not mad about it ;)

Tom on the other hand is a bit terrified
that i'm going to show up in November 
and be covered in gold glitter.
And he's probably right.
Sorry Tom ;)

Why do guys hate glitter so much?
It's so pretty and sparkly and once you get it
out chances are it's going to get in places you never 
even imagined it would get...
Ok, so i see their point ;)

Yesterday was spent collecting fallen leaves so i could paint them gold.
Ok Ok....i plucked a few of them too (like maybe 5)..i feel awful about it...
I'm a leaf murderer...but i stand by my story that they were about to fall off at any second...

And guess what?? I'm absolutely LOVING them!!
Spraying Gold Paint on just about anything does the heart good!


I can't wait to get started on my little project that involves these beauties!!
This weekend is going to be full of crafty projects :)
And hopefully sometime next week i will open my shop!!

Hope y'all have a great Thursday!
Tomorrow there is another Etsy Discount coming your way!!
So be sure to check that out! 

-Em

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

3 weeks, 21 days, 504 hours...till England

TODAY is three weeks till England.
21 days till Tom and I are reunited.
504 hours until my little heart is whole.
And if you want to get even more technical...
30,240 minutes or 1,814,400 seconds till i see my 
incredibly handsome stud crumpet!!

Remember July 12th when i wrote
that awfully sad post about saying goodbye to Tom
at the airport...so many crocodile tears that day.
It felt like it would be years before we'd be reunited.
And yet here we are again, 3 weeks from being back together.
It's so so exciting, i just can't even describe it!!

I'm so ready to be back with him.
Go on adventures together.
Eat pizza together.
Watch Breaking bad together..
girly siigghhh ;)

-Em

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Stripes & Gold & Glitter

 A few days ago i decided to play around with this idea i was having.
When I peruse pinterest i always see things that send 
my brain into creative overdrive.

Which is what started happening when i saw some gold glitter
and then i saw some stripey canvases....
And then i saw Texas and then i saw a deer head ;)

Long story short i decided to play around with this idea.
Gold Glitter in the shape of Texas/Deer head on a striped canvas.


And Voila!!!


Two AMAZING canvases.
That i'm now selling, because i work fast ;)
Like i said a few days ago i'm working on opening an Etsy shop.
And i plan on selling these in the shop.

These will be totally customizable.
The canvas is 12x12
Here's what you customize:
- Background paint color
- Stripe, Chevron or polka dot background
- Gold Glitter state or country of your choice OR
- Gold Glitter Deer head w/ Antlers 

Still working on pricing but will post when i know.
And i'll post the Etsy shop once it's created.
Let me know if you're interested in one
and we can chat some more via email.

I've also been toying around with the idea
of painting white mugs with Gold Matte Spray paint.
I got the idea via a pinterest post found here.
But i'm thinking of ways to add my own flair to it
so i can add these bad boys to the shop as well.



I also need to perfect the taping technique.
And if i find the perfect little quote I might write it onto the mugs.

So there you have it.
I've been quite crafty lately which has been nice.

Hope you like my little works of art.
Like i said, if you're interested in any of this
please let me know, i want to start selling them ASAP!!
:)

ALSO twitter hates me and keeps telling me my password
is wrong even though it's not wrong and it tells me to tell it my email
i used to start my twitter so it can send me a password but
i don't remember the email i used when setting it up :(
Boo!!

So follow me on my new twitter
because i'm too lazy to get my old one to work.
PLUS a majority of my old twitter followers were
wannabe politicians and spam porn star followers...
Soooo really this was a good move ;)

-Em

Monday, October 28, 2013

Weekend Adventures

This weekend was homecoming at my University
so my family came up to visit me and fill their faces
with tasty Little Rock, Arkansas cuisine ;)


It was such a good weekend.
We ate so much, it became a mini foodcation.
That Popsicle in the picture above was the best
popsicle that i have EVER had!!

The lady who owns LePops has seriously
got herself a little gold mine.
Her product is all natural, homemade.
Mine was a Raspberry ice lolly dipped in 
a dark chocolate hardshell...holy moly it was tasty!!

It was so great to see my family.
This is the last time i'll see them until graduation.
Which means i'll be headed to England 
to see Tom before i see my family again.
Which is a pretty crazy idea.

Only 23 days till i hop on that plane ;)
I'm so so so ready!!!

Hope you all have a great Monday!
-Em

Friday, October 25, 2013

Etsy Extravaganza {BisforBonnie}

Today my Etsy Extravaganza goes
out to Bonnie at BisforBonnie.
Her Etsy shop is adorable.

Bonnie makes prints and all sorts of invites.
She is one talented lady and she is so sweet to work with!
I LOVE gold foil prints.
They are so fancy.

Here's a few of my favorite gold foil prints from Bonnie's Etsy shop.





She's got some seriously pretty prints
and she's offering a nice discount code to my readers.
Head on over to her Etsy shop and
receive 20% off her GOLD FOIL prints only :)
20% off?? umm yes please!!

Use the code EMILYO - that's me ;)
And receive 20% off your print.

Thank you Bonnie for partnering up with me.
Here's a few ways to link up with Bonnie!
Etsy Shop
Website
Facebook
Twitter

Happy Shopping.
And have a happy weekend!
-Em

Hopeful Wandering

Thursday, October 24, 2013

New Ventures

So here's an exciting blog post.
I...Emily...am going to start my own business
while galavanting with Tom
while running an Etsy shop
while working for Pottery Barn.

How? You might be asking......
Well, here's my plan in a nutshell.

Graduate in December.
Fly back to Tom in January.
Stay till like....oh i don't know when...till they kick me out ;)
While in England spend free time working on my 
new business venture while Tom is at work.
While working on business idea while Tom is at work
i'll also be selling my crafty creations via my new Etsy shop 
that I am currently working on.
Then after being in England till they kick me out
I'll come back to Texas and get a job at Pottery Barn.
While working at Pottery Barn I'll use my free time
on the side to continue working on my Business idea.
THEN i'll tell Pottery Barn...
"Hey Pottery Barn, i love you so much but can I work
part time so i can work more on my new business idea"
You know so i can still get my PB discount
when i get married and need couches.
But for real though...
I'm getting those couches.

Sounds like a genius plan to me!!
But in all seriousness...
I do have a game plan for a new business.
I've been thinking about this one A LOT.
I've talked to a lot of people about it including Tom.
We brainstormed up the perfect name for the company.
And we even have a little logo we're playing with.

But just because i'm about to Graduate from Business School
does not mean i am anywhere near ready to start a business.
I know i need a little {lottle} real world experience and a real world paycheck
before i can really go after what i want to do.
But i have a great idea and it's pretty flawless in my head ;)
That may, however, be different on paper.
But i'm hopeful...hence....hopeful wandering...
Whoa {mind blown} ;)


I feel like i can do anything.
That's the exciting thing about graduating.
So many possibilities are just waiting for you.
I may sound crazy, i know lots of people are freaking
out about graduating in the uncertain times that we're in.
But let's be honest...If you can't find a job then make one.
We're a bunch of seriously talented and creative people,
and there are more avenues to take than just corporate America...
Which personally is just one big political snooze fest.
I think more people should tap into their creativity 
and find more potential in themselves.

And as for the Etsy shop.
My dad is starting to make more chalkboards
with the wood from our old fence.
It's the prettiest wood and it's perfect for
rustic chalkboards like this one...



So those will definitely be in the shop as
long as my dad is still making them.
But as for me and my craftiness....
There's gold glitter and gold spray paint involved.
And i'm really excited to make some prototypes soon
to see if i think this is something worth exploring.
So there you have it, all of my plans in a nutshell..
ok, more like a novel blog post.
Sorry about that ;)

I hope you have a great Thursday.
Remember Tomorrow is another Etsy Extravaganza day!
Check back for a new discount to a new Etsy shop.

-Em

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Patience

Is it strange that the closer November 21st gets
the harder it is to be away from Tom.

Our short but sweet reunion is on the horizon
and i am so ready for it to be here!!!

it's been a little over three months since Tom left.
Yea...crazy, i know....
Feels like it was just yesterday that i
was making the blog world cry because
of my Tom is gone posts.

But now here we are again.
Only 28 days till i see him.
Till i see his handsome face...girly sigh!!

May 22nd of this year was when
there was only about a month left until
Tom was on his way to Texas.

Now we're in October and there
is about a month until I am headed to England.
Except a month before he got here we were busy
planning our California adventure.

This time around we're busy planning stuff like day trips to see Castles.
When we will see the Hunger Games {Catching Fire}.
Museums to visit and restaurants to eat at.
When we will get Afternoon Tea.
And for the most part just a lot
of plans to be lazy and hang out.
Which is what i look forward to the most.

I'm going to try and get Tom to write another blog post soon.
He doesn't know that yet....mwahaha...

I'm SO SO SO SO SO ready to see him!!
28 DAYS


Come on November!!!!!
Have a great Wednesday everyone!
-Em

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

State Fair of Texas


I have been going to the State Fair of Texas
since i was a little tot beebopping around the fair grounds
probably with one of those leash things attached to me so that
I wouldnt run away...and by run away i mean 
seek shelter at the cotton candy stand.

It's one of my favorite family traditions that we do every fall.
I couldn't imagine a life where i didn't get to look
forward to the day where i could stuff my face for hours
without feeling any regret because I have been
preparing my body for this moment for months.

Corny dogs, nachos, cotton candy, tornado taters and more...
i start drooling just thinking about it!!

Two things that are iconic to the State Fair of Texas
are the Ferris Wheel and Big Tex...



Last year Big Tex burned down...
It was the most heartbreaking and terrifying thing.
My inner chile burst into tears when it happened.
But there's a new cowboy in town..Big Tex #38
or something like that ;)

But this year Fair Park had a new ride.
I'm not sure what it was called but it looked like a spaceship.
And it took you up like 400 ft and it was spinning slowly at the same time
so that you could see a 360 degree view of the Dallas Texas skyline.

       






We also got to see Ostrich Races.
Which was HILARIOUS..probably one of the
funniest things i have ever seen!!!

        
     
The Fair is over now, but if you're ever in Texas in October
you should stop what you're doing and head straight to fair park.
I mean they have a competition to see who can create
the best new fried food each year...
What's not to love?? ;)

Have a great tuesday!
-Em

Monday, October 21, 2013

One Month UNTIL Tomily reunion!!!

This past weekend was Fall Break at my University.
That meant we got a nice, relaxing three day weekend
that was seriously needed by some of us.
ahem....me!

So i spent a nice weekend in Texas.
We went to the state Fair, I'll post more about that tomorrow.

It was a strange visit this time around.
I realized that it would be the last time i would come home before
I graduated college, and i'll be seeing Tom again before 
I make my way back to Texas in December.

It's all just a little crazy!!
I still can't wrap my mind around everything 
that is coming in the next few months.

Holidays
Seeing Tom
Graduating

So much to do so little time.

And with that being said here's some exciting news.
ONLY 30 DAYS TILL ENGLAND!!!

Only 30 days till i see my main man!!
I miss him like crazy!

Seeing each other on skype isn't doing it for us anymore.
We're ready for more time together, and thankfully it's coming up quick.

Tomily round two will be here before we know it,
and that makes me veeerrryyy happy!!!


I'm so so so ready to be reunited!!
30 days is such a tease, it's so close but so far away!
This next month is going to be full of mushy gushy lovey dovey posts.
Which might have you asking...What's new Emily?
Touche...

I'M JUST SO EXCITED!!!!!!!
and i just can't hide it....
it's really hard not to go there ;)

have a wonderful monday everyone!!
-Em



Friday, October 18, 2013

Emily's Etsy Extravaganza {Discount Code}

Remember the other day when i told you all about
my little Etsy project i was starting up??

Well I'm happy to announce that today
is the first official Friday of Emily's Etsy Extravaganza!!!
Yaayyy!!!


Like i said in my post on Tuesday
this is something i want to do every friday.
I plan on introducing you to a new Etsy shop 
every week and offering up a little discount or giveaway 
to go along with it!! :)

So today i want to introduce you all to Ashley.
She runs the Etsy shop itsAOKcrochet.

She crochets some of the cutest scarves and headbands I have ever seen.
And she even makes little baby hats that are just 
adorable for your little ones this winter!!

And let's be honest, it's starting to get cooler outside
and we're all looking for that perfect scarf or headband to 
keep our body extra stylish and toasty as the colder months come around.
So really i couldn't have picked a more perfect person 
to have as my first etsy extravaganza participant ;)

Ashley was kind enough to offer all of my readers
10% off one item in her shop.

So head on over to itsAOKcrochet
and use this code - BLOG10
to get 10% off ONE Item!!
This code is good until Nov. 1st!!

Thanks to Ashley for being a part of my first Friday Etsy post!!
I can't wait to do another one next friday.

If you're an Etsy shop interested in taking part in my Extravaganza
just shoot me an email at hopelesswanderings@gmail.com

If you're a blogger and you want to use my Etsy Extravaganza idea
then feel free to grab this  button to use in your Etsy Extravaganza post ! :)


Hopeful Wandering

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Breaking Bad

So last night i finished season 4 of breaking bad.
I won't disclose the happenings of that episode for those
of you who have yet to see it...

But this is basically what my face looked like
at the climax of the episode.

Oh my goodness gracious it was intense!!

One more season to watch and i get to watch it with 
my stud crumpet thomas ;)

We're going to watch a few episodes in season 5
before i get there in November and then we're going to finish it together.
I'm dying to finish it...DYING! November needs to hurry...
So i can see Tom and...FINISH THIS SHOW!!

In the mean time i found some HILARIOUS pictures
that have to do with Breaking bad!!
If you watch it then you'll get it ;)
If you don't watch it then you 
should probably watch it!!
The End!





Hahahaha so funny ;)

Also am i the only one who is incredibly attracted to Jesse??
Because well..I am...he is seriously the cutest thing ever..
Except for you Tom..I love you ;)
But Jesse is adorable...I have a serious tv character crush on him!!!


Loook at that face :-)
sigh...

I love you Tom ;)
haha

have a great day everyone!
OH and be sure to check in tomorrow
for my first Etsy Extravaganza!!

-Em

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

35 days

I think it's officially time to start the
Emily goes to England to see Tom countdown.

We're at 35 days, and i couldn't be more excited.
This just feels like summer all over again.
Except this time won't be as awkward as meeting for the first time was ;)
This time we're experts and it's going to be amazing!!


It's getting SO close now.
The next few weeks are going to be hectic
with school projects and tests which means the 
weeks are going to fly by and i'll be in beautiful England
with my handsome stud crumpet in no time!!

I hope you will all follow along with us again.
Have a great day!

-Em

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Emily's Etsy Extravaganza

When your name is Emily and you're planning
something fun that has to do with Etsy
it's only natural to follow it up with Extravaganza...


I mean let's be real...it's works ;)
It's corny but it works!!

I've been busy talking to numerous Etsy shops 
about showing off their incredible talents on my blog.

I love the idea of helping small businesses grow
while helping my blog grow at the same time, it's a win win win.
The third win is for all of my wonderful blog readers.

So what will happen is 
every Friday on my blog from now until the
unforeseen future i will be hosting either
an Etsy giveaway or a discount code for
an amazing Etsy shop.

Exciting stuff right??
I know i'm excited!!

So here's where you can get on board.
Just follow my lovely little blog via one of these three options
GFC >>>
Bloglovin >>>
or Email >>>
All located in my sidebar..
And then come check things out this Friday when 
I have my very first Emily's Etsy Extravaganza!!!

-Em


Monday, October 14, 2013

AD SWAPS

I used to do blog buttons but then i kind of just stopped...
I think it's a great way to grow a blog and reach new audiences,
so I decided it would be a good idea to start it up again.

I have two buttons to choose from.
One is 200X200 and the other one is 150X150
depending on the size you use in your sidebar.

I have hopes to get my blog big enough one day to kind of make 
it into a little side job and charge for ad space.

I mean lets be honest that's what we'd all love to do.
Write about our life and make a little money on the side.

So here are some Stats:
I have 208 REAL blog followers.
That's not blog + Social media...That's just GFC+Bloglovin.
I do post via Social media and i have over 2,000 followers
with FB/Pinterest/Twitter combined...
However i can't really count those as i know not
all 2,000 of those lovely people read my blog...
Wish they did ;)

So considering i've only been blogging 10 months
I call that a whole lot of success ;)

I average around 300 views a day sometimes close to 400
if i'm talking about Tom ;) and close to 10,000 a month.
I'm almost to 100,000 views total which is just so exciting!!
So for now while i'm still growing here at HW i'd love to just
do some serious swapping. 

If you're interested in swapping buttons please let me know.
I'd love love love to feature you in my sidebar.

Grab a button and have a great day!

-Em

200X200
Hopeful Wandering

<div align="center"><a href="http://hopefulwandering.blogspot.com/" title="Hopeful Wandering"><img src="http://i1307.photobucket.com/albums/s587/Emily_Owens_09/150174_3730444945425_107144519_n_zps87ac5155.jpg" alt="Hopeful Wandering" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

150X150
Hopeful Wandering

<div align="center"><a href="http://hopefulwandering.blogspot.com/" title="Hopeful Wandering"><img src="http://i1307.photobucket.com/albums/s587/Emily_Owens_09/306641_3730453745645_1175401837_n_zps32014f19.jpg" alt="Hopeful Wandering" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Holidays/England/Paris/Graduation - The next 7 weeks

The next seven weeks are full of so many exciting things.
I can't really wrap my head around the fact that this is
all taking place in a few short weeks but it is and it's exciting!!

There are 20 Days till Halloween.
26 days til I can say I've known Tom for an entire YEAR!!
In fact i think i can safely say we've spoken everyday for an entire year...
41 days till I hop on a plane and head to England.
47 days til I have my first Thanksgiving in England...
and Tom's family just has their first Thanksgiving in general ;)
And finally 62 days until i graduate.
Whoa Baby!

The great thing about all of this is life won't exactly slow down after i graduate.
Once i'm home the plan is to work at the cupcake shack for a few weeks
and then hop on another plane, probably back to England.

You're probably wondering about Paris?
Well, i'm wondering about it too...
How hard is it to get young adults full of life and seeking adventure
to go on such an amazing life changing trip???
Apparently it's really difficult.

I've promoted and recruited as much and as hard as i could.
And we still only have like 10 maybe 11 people signed up.
It's frustrating because it's such a great program and you'd think people
would jump at the chance to study in Paris, France!!
I know i jumped, and i'm glad i did.

But sadly i can't force people to go...if i could i would ;)
And i need to graduate more than i need to go to Paris...
Crazy words...I know ;)

But it's time to focus on School a bit more.
Get out of here with some good grades and spend
my free time with the people that i won't be seeing much after December.

I'm so ready for these exciting things to get here
so i can blog about seeing Tom in the airport and 
talk about meeting his family and going on little England adventures.
And take you a long the journey of finishing school.
It's going to be an amazing couple of weeks.
I hope you'll all follow along ;)

-Em



Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Booties or no booties???

I have a serious dilemma on my hands.
When the 'Booties' trend started a few years ago 
I absolutely hated it, i thought it looked so dumb to 
wear a boot that only comes up to your ankle.
Silly silly Emily...

Well this little song bird is changing her tune.
Because now i really really like them.
ok...i LOVE them...

But i'm unsure if i can work them 
the way they're meant to be worked...

Here's some of my favorites..and they're SUPER affordable.
I'm talking $30-$40 :)
I take that back the Fringe ones are pricey, but the rest are not ;)

The perfect price if you just want to test the waters.



Studded booties - Fringe booties

So what do you think about booties?
Do you love them, hate them, wish you had them??
Do you think they're easily rocked??
Because i was to rock them...
Like i really want to rock them...
Let me know your thoughts :)

Have a good wednesday everyone!!
-Em

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Graduation just got real!!

This is my last eight weeks of school EVER!!!
So yesterday i skipped all of my classes.
I just skipped them in protest of all of the upcoming 
work i have to do + i felt like death most of the day
so it was justified...kind of...
I don't even feel bad about it!!

All i did yesterday was skype with Tom.
We skyped from 11:30am - 6:30pm.
And it was glorious!!


I couldn't have spent my day any better :) :) :)
We even  fell asleep....on a skype call...like both of us fell asleep.
I honestly think we might be some of the first people to do that haha
It was nice to spend this time together because it's probably going to slow
down in Tomily land once i start working on all of this school work.
Obviously it won't slow down that much...
but instead of 7 hour skypes we'll settle for 5 hour ones ;) 

I literally have SO much work to do in the next few weeks.
I have 5 project presentations coming up soon
I have midterms this week plus I just started reading
a book for a research paper that's due next week.
Plus quizzes/tests/bf/life/work/breakingbadmarathon...I'm swamped...

This is my swamped face ....


In other news something exciting is happening tomorrow!!
I'm getting all of my cap and gown stuff situated...
And by situated i mean they are measuring me for it...
Which is kind of all sorts of confusing
since it's basically a tent..

BUT it's really exciting because graduation just got real!!
eeeeeeeeeeep :) :) :)


Yay Graduation!!
But nay for paying for it...
Apparently it costs like $100 to get your cap and gown
and for them to print out your diploma...

I'm in a negotiations class right now so here's how it's going to go down tomorrow.
Me - Umm hello i need my cap and gown please...
Me - also is it possible to get you to email me a downloadable 
version of my diploma instead of printing it and mailing it to me
3 months after i graduate??
Me - Because i'd rather save the money you'd use to do all of that
and just print it out myself onto a canvas or something fun like that...
Maybe make it into wallpaper...i'm not sure yet but that
will probably still be cheaper than doing it through you..
Me - and is it possible for me to sew my own cap and gown??
Me - do i actually need these services at all??
Them - {blank stare}
And success ;)

Pray for me in these coming weeks...
I'm going to need it!!

-Em :)

Monday, October 7, 2013

Ch-ch-ch-changes

The blog may look a little different.
Clean/crisp/white&black.
I like it!

Other changes are coming...
Excersise changes..
And when i say changes i mean going from
not exercising to exercising...pretty basic right??

I'm currently working on getting my food intake under control.
Which is hard when you have a sweet tooth and really
like eating at sonic...those tots call out to me in my sleep...

So food is a good starting point 
but i'm so ready to get back into shape.


I played soccer/football for 13 years.
It was the best time of my life in terms of health and fitness.
I stopped playing after senior year of high school.
I remember what it felt like to go to the gym and lift weights
I HATED it but man do i miss that feeling.


So what do you do when you miss something?
You get back at it...or you find it...
Or you fly to England ;)

So here I go...it's time to get at it.
No excuses!!
I'm tired
It's too cold
It's too hot
It's raining
It's too late
I'm ready!!



 Here I go!!
-Em



Sunday, October 6, 2013

11 Months of Tomily

Whoa baby..
It's hard to believe it's been 11 months.
11 months since Tom said hi and this adventure began.

{The early days}

Out of the 11 months we've been an item we've only been together for those
 3 weeks this past summer, best summer of my life!!!


Our Relationship is pretty rosy all the time but
Long distance+I'm in college+money=limited time together.

So this first year has been full of Skype dates and phone calls,
letters and boxes, holidays and birthdays.
And it's been amazing!!

Only 45 days till we're back together 
during my Thanksgiving break.

Except this time it's on his turf which is great for me
because what girl doesn't want a reason to fly over to England for 10 days?? 
I'm pretty sure any girl would jump at the chance ;)

While i'm there we will celebrate our YEAR anniversary!!
The BIG one :) :) :)

AND next year is going to be even better 
Since there are plans in the works to spend not only 
a few weeks together but a few months.
Yes MONTHS!!!

It's been an amazing 11 months.
I can't wait to see what the future holds with my handsome Brit.
He makes every single day the best day ever.
I've been on the most amazing adventure since day one with Tom
and i'm just so so excited to see him next month!!!
I Love you Bug!!
Happy 11 Months!!!
-Em