DIY Happiness Jar

2014 was a great year for me filled with fun times with friends and new beginnings. In the summer, I created Boutiques and Sweets which allowed me to share my food and fashion adventures with those who share my passions. In the fall, I got my first internship in Boston as a fashion and social media intern for an internationally-known fashion website. I was also promoted to food editor of the BU Buzz, Boston University's on-campus lifestyle magazine. Throughout the year, I was able to further my love of journalism while studying as a sophomore at BU. Needless to say, it has been a busy year, filled with ups and downs but I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it.

With all of the great opportunities I had and moments I shared with others last year, I decided to create a happiness jar to hold all of my favorite memories in the coming year. With all of the stress that comes with life, sometimes it is nice to take a moment to think about the positive in your day. With this happiness jar, I hope to remember and cherish all the things that I am thankful for in life.

Everyday in 2015, I plan to write down one thing that makes me happy each day and save it in my happiness jar. At the end of the year, I will open the jar and read all of my happiest memories from the year.

I hope that you too will create a happiness jar to make your days in this new year a little bit brighter. The jar is very simple to create and can be personalized with your favorite colors, ribbons, papers, and prints.

I took an old jam jar that I cleaned out after making linzer cookies and decorated it with some scrapbook paper, glitter tape, ribbon, and lace. I adorned the lid with a few stick-on rhinestones that I purchased from a craft store and a button from an old cardigan.

This is a great opportunity to get creative. Find things around the house to decorate your jar and put them to good use. You'll be seeing your jar for a while so be sure to personalize it and make it however you like.

Here's what you'll need to create your happiness jar:

Supplies:
-one jar (a jam jar or mason jar works perfectly)
-scrapbook paper
-white cardstock
-ribbon, lace, glitter tape, rhinestones, buttons, etc.
-stick-on letters (I used silver glitter letters)
-scissors
-hot glue gun or super glue (I used both, but either will work)
-black sharpie
-small pieces of paper and pen (these will go in the jar to write your memories)

Directions:
1. Wash your jar and make sure it is clean.
2. Cut out scrapbook paper in a rectangular shape to wrap around the outside of your jar. Make sure it is long enough to reach around the entire jar. Glue the scrapbook paper onto the outside of the jar.
3. Glue any ribbon, lace or other decorations you would like onto the scrapbook paper.
4. Cut out a shape of your choice out of the cardstock to resemble a label. Outline your label with a black sharpie or marker of your choice. Place the stick-on letters on the label to read "happiness." Glue the "happiness" label onto the scrapbook paper on the jar. (You can glue a bow onto your label if you'd like.)
5. Cut a circle out of the scrapbook paper to fit the diameter of the top of your lid. Glue the circle onto the lid. Adorn the lid with rhinestones, buttons or any decorations of your choice.
6. Place the pen and small pieces of paper in the jar and your happiness jar is complete!

Each day, write down a memory and place it in the jar. Wait until the end of the year to read all of your memories. I hope you enjoy your DIY happiness jar and that it makes each day a little sweeter.

Have a Happy New Year and

stay sweet!

Dorm Room DIY Photo Banner

It's that time of year again– time to get back to school. Although it's tough to leave behind all of the fun summer memories, it's great to be able to start a new journey. One of my favorite things about starting the school year is decorating my dorm. By putting little trinkets on shelves and pictures on the walls, I can change my room from a drab college dorm into a cute, personalized space that I enjoy spending time in.

One of my favorite decorations in my dorm room is a photo banner that I made to put up on my wall. I put pictures of my friends and family, plus a few pictures of my favorite things.

This DIY is the perfect touch to spruce up your dorm room or any space, plus it's easy to make. Here's what you'll need to make this fun banner:

-Polaroid pictures (I created mine for free by using Poladroid)
-Card stock or any thick paper (index cards work well)
-ribbon or rope (I used curling ribbon)
-binder clips or clothespins
-glue
-scissors
-thumb tacks

1. Print your Polaroid pictures. If they were printed on regular paper then cut out the card stock to be the same size as the photo. Next, glue the card stock to the back of the photo. (If your photos were printed on photo paper then the card stock reinforcement is not necessary.)

2. Cut off some ribbon to the desired length for your space plus a little extra (about three to four inches). Line up the ribbon on the wall where you want the banner to hang and put a tack on one end. Leave a little slack on the ribbon, then tack the other side of the ribbon down. (if your residence hall doesn't allow you to put tacks on your wall, try using tape or hang the ribbon ends on 3M Removable Hooks.)

3. Figure out what order you want to place your photos in or make the order random. Line up your photo on the hanging ribbon, then clip it in place with a clothespin or binder clip. Put up the rest of your photos using this same method, then your personalized photo banner is complete!

Stay sweet!