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DIARY

#BornToBlog (Alt Title: Watch and Learn, Gwyneth. Watch. And. Learn.)

Current mood.

Alright. So. Remember that time I ended up with the top half of my body inserted into an industrial-sized dumpster coated with 6-inch-thick black slime? Or that time I was driving down the highway and realized that the scent of Cheetos and death that was making me choke was coming from...me? Or the time Lucy's dead eyeball fell out of her head and crawled across the floor (well, not exactly, but let's not nitpick)?

This is all to say that I feel like maybe I was born to be a blogger. Because really: when you're bent over in a parking lot while your ex-husband kneels behind you, Windex-ing poop off of the seat of your pants, it can help to think, "Well, at least I know what I'm going to write about tomorrow."

Crafts for the Uncrafty

DIY Yarn-Wrapped Lucky Horseshoe

Ever see something in a store, and think oh, I could totally make that! And then you realize that there's a reason why you're working in, say, ad sales rather than running an adorable little shop in Brooklyn specializing in hand-whittled incense burners shaped like sloths? Because even though hand-whittling may seem like a thing you should be able to do, it actually...isn't.

Which is all to say that the other day I saw something in a store, and thought oh, I could totally make that!

And then I DID.

Crafts for the Uncrafty

Super Easy “Bread Slime” Tutorial (If You Have Kids, You Know This Is A Thing)

Our friend Piper is a legit Slime-Making Expert, having been making her own for years. (Presumably not that many, because she is 11 years old.) And last weekend she went to the Las Vegas Slime Convention, Slime Vegas (#yes), and returned home with even more superior knowledge than before. For example, she informed me that the stuff you make on your own is an entirely different beast than the stuff that comes in kits; so if you, too, have failed to make Unicorn Slime From A Box, do not despair. Just buy some Borax! (For reals.)

Decor

Current Obsession: Laura Ashley Home Decor

So Francesca and I were texting each other the other day about adorable things we found on the Internet - as we do - and all of a sudden we found ourselves on Etsy and eBay, going down a total vintage Laura Ashley wormhole.

You know Laura Ashley, of course. Your mom probably had Laura Ashley bedding with roses all over it in 1984 (mine did, too).

But what you might not know is that the vintage Laura Ashley look - all those florals and lace and the feminine everything - all of a sudden feels super fresh. See that dress laying across my bed up there? It's a 1970s lace Laura Ashley nightgown with big belled sleeves (found it on Etsy), and I plan to wear it alllllll over the beach this summer.

DIARY

Under The Sea

So my dad just left - his Uber literally just pulled away down my driveway - and I am sitting here at my dining room table in tears. Because as much as I dreaded leaving...once I was there, I realized very quickly that what was happening was that I was on the trip of a lifetime.

And now it's over. And that's ok, of course - and of course I'm happy to be home...but still.

On a lighter note: I'd thought I'd skipped the whole "jet lag" thing (hahahahahahah) because yesterday I was ping-ponging around acting more or less like I had mainlined a whole bunch of speed instead of just popping my usual Omega-3s (that is a joke; if you think I'm together enough to take vitamins you have not been paying attention these past few years). But it turns out that I was apparently going through some kind of adrenaline-induced mania, because I am currently Zombie Jordan.

Lifestyle

From an Outsider’s POV

Olivia here, again - while Jordan is ruminating on the beauty she's seeing, I thought I'd come by and share an interesting POV; I met Jordan over ten years ago via her blogmates on NonSociety (fun fact: I designed the NonSociety t-shirts...weird) and when Jordan began Ramshackle Glam, I naturally journeyed over here and I've been a loyal reader ever since. There have been so, so many posts of Jordan's which have hit me in the feels, made me laugh, and taught me something; but, there have also been posts of Jordan's which have left me scratching my head or with my hands over my eyes. I'd thought I'd share some of my all-time favorite Ramshackle Glam posts, and a few which made me shake my head. What's your favorite post of Jordan's? Which Ramshackle Glam post made you laugh or cry? I'd love to know!

1. The Great Impossible is one of those posts I bookmarked on my computer and would read almost daily. I almost memorized these lines, "Because marriage is hard – so hard that sometimes it feels impossible. It’s so consuming that when it isn’t working, there’s no lonelier place to be than next to the person you promised to spend forever with." It felt so nice to know other women were having similar thoughts, but also could come back from the thoughts and grow and learn. I feel similar about this post, too. At the time of reading both of them, I felt so seen and heard. Marriage can be tough, and it's okay to talk about the valleys as well as the peaks. In fact, Jordan talks about the fact that 'we don't talk about it' in this post - another fave.

DIARY

City Of Angels

Raja Ampat, Indonesia

In No Is Not Enough - one of my favorite books, and one I think about often - the activist Naomi Klein describes taking her five-year-old to the Great Barrier Reef. She was there to study climate change and the related destruction of the reef, and thought a great deal about whether to show him the vast landscapes of barren, bleached coral. Her instinct was to impress upon him, even at that young age, just how much had been lost, and how much more could be lost still.

And yet she didn't. She instead steered her child towards the most vibrant, beautiful corners of the reef, the parts still teeming with fish and coral and the kinds of colors you see only in dreams or on acid trips (or so I hear). Because how, she reasoned, can you fight for something if you don't learn to love it first?

Lifestyle

Links & Love & Stuff

via

Hi everyone, Olivia, Jordan's assistant here (fun fact: I've known Jordan since her NonSociety days, remember those?)! Jordan's still in Indonesia diving, reading, and completely off the grid, so I thought I'd pop in and share some of my favorite links&love&stuff from the 'net this week. You ready?

 

DIARY

Off The Grid

Here we goooooo.

Have I ever mentioned that I'm both mildly claustrophobic and not-so-mildly anxious about flying? I am mildly claustrophobic and not-so-mildly anxious about flying (especially after this little incident).

So to say I approached the idea of a 15-hour flight to Hong Kong with some trepidation would be an understatement. I pictured low-grade panic, exhaustion, and a smattering of lower-back cramps, just for kicks.