Is That A New Desk? Where is Your Bookshelf?

Recently I made the huge decision to get rid of the smaller of my two bookshelves...

It was honestly one of the hardest decisions to make, but I've come to the realization that I will never be able to read the massive amount of books that were on my TBR.

Besides that, I also knew it was about time to get myself a desk. I'm doing all of this blogging, Etsy, and going to school, which means I spend a lot of time sitting on my computer. I probably spend a good four to six hours, during the school year on my laptop, and doing that on my bed, just kills my back.

I've come to the point where I can't sit in my bed for more than thirty minutes, before my back starts to ache.

So the choice was between a shelf full of books, that I might possibly not read, or a desk.

I went with the desk...



I had a lot of fun building everything, decorating and organizing my supplies, and seeing everything come together! It was a lot of work, and I was exhausted by the time it was all done, but I absolutely love it.

I'm dying to finally get the rest of my room all cleaned up, my shelf organized, to finally be able to get to work. I'm so excited to start printing and cutting stickers, and studying for school. I'm glad I made the choice to get rid of the second shelf, and buy something more practical and useful.

I hope you enjoyed my video and I'll see you all in the next post!

Update: September 2, 2015.

A lot of things have been happening lately, to the point where I feel like an update is required. I love sharing my life and adventures through this blog, but sometimes that can be lost between all of the other posts that need to go up. Which is why I really like writing these kinds of posts to keep you all in the loop.

But every time I write one of these posts, I'm never sure how to organize all of my thoughts and all of the things I want to discuss, without forgetting something. So I'm trying something a little bit different this time, just to see how it goes.

Social Media:

I'm working every day on becoming better at updating my social media. I don't really use social media for my personal life, so I haven't had much practice. Obviously communicating, and connecting are the most important aspects of blogging and everything else I want to do here, so it's something I'm trying to work on.

My friend had recently introduced me to a website known as Tumblr, I'm sure you've all of heard of it, which is a combination between Twitter, Blogger and Instagram. I like the entire idea of how quick and simple it is to actually use, and all of the different things you can do.

...so I created one. I'm still learning the ins and outs of what Tumblr can do, and how to customize my layout, but so far I really like it!

If you want to check out my Tumblr, click HERE!

Etsy:

When it comes to Etsy, I'm trying to come up with new ideas, and merchandise every day! Now that my printer is finally printing I'm doing a lot of different testing and designing to see what I like. I haven't posted any new stickers yet, because I'm still trying to figure things out.

Besides that I've also improved the quality of most of my items listed. I haven't been able to all of the older items just yet, but everything that is new, and that is being added will have this improved quality! I can't wait to see what you all think!

My Etsy Shop: Turning Pages Co

Books:

 (R.I.P)

I did purge quite a few books in the last two or three days, simply because I came to the realization that I will never be able to read the 500+ books on my TBR.

Besides that, the only way I could possibly fit a desk into my room, would be if I got rid of the smaller of my two book shelves.

Desk:

With Etsy now becoming much more serious for me, blogging every day, and school starting up again soon, I decided it was finally time to get a desk. Not only would it be more practical to have "work space", where I can sit down and get to business, but also writing essays, blogging, and getting things posted on Etsy, takes time, and doing those things in my bed, butchers my lower back.

Tonight I plan to finish organizing my desk and bookshelf, and plan to record a desk tour! If you want to see a new bookshelf tour, just leave it down in the comments below. 

School:

School is starting September 30th, which means I still have a few weeks of free time! I love it!

But I'm also excited to meet my new teachers, my new classmates, and to finally get back into it!

Myself:

Over the last few days I haven't been feeling like myself, which is probably the biggest reason as to why I haven't blogged too often this week. I'm not sad, or mad, or depressed. I can't even described what I'm feeling like, which is the hardest part. But I just haven't felt like my happy and motivated self.

But with this new desk, and all these changes, I'm starting to feel back to normal slowly.

Thank you all so much for stopping by, and staying updated with me. I can't wait to show you all what I've been working on, both with my desk, but also with Etsy!

Plan With Me (8/17-8/23)

Before you watch my very first "Plan with Me" video, there are a few things I need to acknowledge!

First off, I know this video is from last week....fail. I was so excited to get this video made and uploaded, but then, VERY sadly, forgot that it was still on my camera..

Second, don't judge it! I'm still new to the entire idea of decorating weekly spreads, and getting myself organized in an entirely new way. Also I did struggle with getting the correct angle, and keeping my planner in the shot, so please, work with me.

Third, don't mind my rambling...I talk to myself a lot..

Here's the final picture of this spread, and I absolutely love it! I think it's so bright and fun! The only think I want to improve next week is to organize myself better, when it comes to what activities go into the larger box, and what activities go under the "To Do" list.

Both of the paperclips are from Turning Pages Co as well as some of the stickers featured:

Glitter Nerd Glasses with a Pink Bow Paperclip

Glitter Mustache Paperclip

"To Do" Stickers

Heart Check List Stickers

I had a lot of fun making this video, and showing you guys how I organize myself. I do plan on making more "Plan with Me" videos in the future, but there are a lot of obvious kinks I need to work out. I hope you enjoyed! And if you decorated your weekly spread, feel free to leave a link down below, I would love to see what you came up with!

This Week's TBR

The next six days or so, are going to be VERY uneventful for me, due to everyone I practically know, going out of town. 

Besides the obvious blogging, and other work, I won't have all that much to do. However, I do have to spend most of the day at home, because I'm spending these six days, puppy sitting.

Am I going to be lonely? YES! Am I going to be bored? NO!

Why? Because I decided I'm going to lock myself in, surrounded by puppies and marathon read!

I honestly have no idea how many books I'll be running through, but I decided to get started with these two, 

The Offering, by Kimberly Derting.

"True love—and world war—is at stake in the conclusion to The Pledge trilogy, a dark and romantic blend of dystopia and fantasy.

Charlie, otherwise known as Queen Charlaina of Ludania, has become comfortable as a leader and a ruler. She’s done admirable work to restore Ludania’s broken communications systems with other Queendoms, and she’s mastered the art of ignoring Sabara, the evil former queen whose Essence is alive within Charlie. Or so she thinks.

When the negotiation of a peace agreement with the Queendom of Astonia goes awry, Charlie receives a brutal message that threatens Ludania, and it seems her only option is to sacrifice herself in exchange for Ludanian freedom.

But things aren’t always as they seem. Charlie is walking into a trap—one set by Sabara, who is determined to reclaim the Queendoms at any cost."

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Saenz.

"Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be."

Once I've finished those, I'm going to start either one of these!

Enclave, by Ann Aguirre.

"New York City residents, decimated by war and plague, live underground in Enclaves, barely past age 20. Deuce 15, trained as Huntress, pairs with odd Fade, who was boy Topside. Elders ignore warning, exile both. Monster Freaks, more organized, killed nearest Enclave. Guided by old memories, in gang-infested ruins, pair face apocalyptic world with new dangers and feelings."

City of Bones, by Cassandra Clare.

"When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know..."

I know that my TBR only consists of four books. But I've decided that I don't want to restrict myself too much. Plus! If I finish all four of these I can easily continue reading Ann Aguirre's trilogy, or The Mortal Instruments series!

What are you reading this week? Marathon-ing any AWESOME series?!

The Pledge, by Kimberly Derting

The Pledge, by Kimberly Derting.

Released November 15, 2011.

"In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime. "

Kimberly Derting is without a doubt, one of my favorite authors! I love her stories, and how different they are from everything else in the YA genre. I love her characters and settings, they're dynamic and dimensional. I love her female leading characters, they're smart and don't completely depend on a male. And don't even get me started on her endings...

The Pledge is the first installment, and I had such high expectations due to reading and loving her Body Finder books! If you haven't gotten the chance to pick up either of these series, you really should!

The Pledge takes place in a modern society, where classes determine how well you live, what your career will be, and the language you speak. There is a general language that all classes use to communicate with one another, but each class has their own separate language, that only they can understand...unless you're Charlie.

The Queendom is not only run by harsh laws and unfair consequences, but also by an evil Queen, with powers. Citizens are hung and imprisoned for the smallest of crimes, and classes are completely divided.

Charlie and her little sister have grown up keeping their powers a secret, if anyone found out, not only would they be hung in the middle of their city, but also their parents, for not turning them in.

Only females in the royal family are called to rule, and the Queen's time is quickly coming to an end. Which means, she is desperately looking for a female heir, but with the royal line dwindling, and with only two grandsons, she needs to search in the extended family. She knows there has to be at least one heir, somewhere out there, and if there is, she's going to find her.

Overall, I enjoyed The Pledge, the characters and the society it took place in. Before starting this story, I wasn't sure how Kimberly Derting would pull of all of the different languages, and keeping us (the readers) in line with them. After a few chapters, I quickly realized that this wasn't going to be a problem, and that she had the entire situation under control.

The book ended on the perfect note, without keeping us drooling or wondering about what's going to happen next! YES, there is still incentive to continue reading the series, trust me, but it didn't leave off with a HUGE cliffhanger.

There was one thing I wanted to point out that did bother me a bit in The Pledge, and that was the first encounter Charlie had with the Queen. Charlie was told not to go into the castle, in case the Queen can somehow point her out in the crowd, and somehow make the connection of who she is....even though the Queen has never even meet or seen, or heard of Charlie. Of course, Charlie goes anyways, and of course the Queen makes a point of seeing this "random girl".

This isn't that big of a deal, because the rest of the story blew me out of the water, but while reading it, it was a bit disappointing the way the scene played out. What now? Of course I plan on continuing the series, because I've actually already read The Essence and plan to read The Offering very soon! You should too!

Thank you so much for stopping by and reading my review of The Pledge! Feel free to leave a link to your review in the comments. I would love to see what you think!

Printer Update

This is just going to be a quick post updating you on my entire printer dilemma.

Old History:

Over a month ago, I purchased a brand new printer for about $95 plus tax. I purchased the Canon Maxify MB2020, in the hopes to not only use it for my Etsy shop, but also for school, which starts at the end of September.

As some of you may already know, from previous posts, that this first printer stopped working, after just a few days. Unlike my old printer, when there's a error on this printer, you can't exit the error message, to quickly fix the problem and continue on. This printer basically only allows you to turn it off and unplug it.

Once you've replugged and turned it back on, it's you against time. Whatever is wrong, or whatever needs to be fixed, needs to be done before the error message pops back on; which can be anywhere from 10 seconds to 2 minutes.

After doing this a few times, I decided to call the customer support hotline. Turns out they basically "couldn't" do anything for me, besides send me a new printer.

So they did, and it came in within 10 days.

Recent-ish:

Finally the second printer comes in, I get it installed (which I can already do without even looking at the directions), and it seems to be going fine.

I walk into my room to grab my laptop, to install the wireless printing. As I come back into the other room, I am greeting by the same error message. AWESOME.

By this point in time, I am so frustrated. The first printer lasted a few days, and this one hasn't even last an hour. I ask my dad to call the customer support hotline, because I know I wouldn't be able to hold my temper.

They spend well over an hour trying to walk him through fixing it, but each attempt is abruptly stopped by the same error message.

Instead of doing this a few more hours, they inform us that they will send ANOTHER printer, but this time they will already have the printer set up, and the problem fixed, before sending it out. Another 10 days pass, and it comes in the mail yesterday.

Yesterday:

I am greeted by the mail man, who also delivered the last printer, with the third Canon Maxify MB2020 printer. I warn him to never by this printer, and wish him a good day.

Thankfully, the printer is already set up, so I don't have to do that entire process for a third time, and just have to plug it in. I do, and also turn it on, just to be greeted, RIGHT AWAY, by the error message.

You have no idea how frustrating this is.

Again, my dad calls the customer support hotline to complain.

Resolution:

You're probably all like, "Oh my goodness, so what happened?"

Turns out, the third guy my dad talked to, ACTUALLY knew what the error code on my printer meant. It's not broken, and it's not trash. It just means that my wireless router doesn't use the same "route" that printer uses.

The employee on the phone informed us that quite a few routers don't work with their wireless products, because of this...and that the only solution is to use a USB cord, or buy a new router...

So to use this $95 dollar printer of theirs, I either need to buy a new $200+ router, or use a USB cable, which defeats the entire purpose of "wireless". AND by the way, the printer didn't even come with a USB cable.

A Few Questions For Canon:

1. If you're printer is only compatible with certain routers, one of them not being a Comcast Xfinity router, wouldn't it make sense to put a warning on your products?
2. How do your employees not know what the support code 6910 on a "wireless" printer means? Especially if it means that the "wireless" isn't working?
3. Do you really expect people to buy a brand new router to use your wireless products? Why own your "wireless" printer, if I need a USB cable to use it? ....a cable you didn't even bother including?

First off, I want to thank the third man we talked to on the phone. Thank you for clearing everything up, and thank you for actually doing your job. If I knew your name, and could contact your manager, I would tell them to give you a fat raise!

Second off, I want to apologize to the first two people on the phone, that you were put into the position you are in, without the proper training or knowledge. That is of no fault of your own.

And third off, I want to thank you guys for not only listening to my ranting, but also for being patient with me and my etsy shop. Because of this entire printer situation I haven't been able to produce any stickers

Staying Motivated in School

We've all received an exam, or two, back with a grade we weren't expecting. We've all walked into taking an exam feeling decent, but once you're handed it, you completely blank, or none of it was actually what you've studied. 

I've been there! We've ALL been there, at one point in time.

Also, everyone has bad days. Maybe you're not feeling good one day, and it happens to be the day of a pop quiz. Maybe you've completely forgot to do your homework. Or maybe, you simply just don't understand the material. 

Trust me, you're not alone.

I understand how disappointing it is to receive a grade that you didn't expect. I know exactly what it feels like to work really hard on a paper, and to even feel excited about turning it in, just to find out that what you did wasn't what the assignment asked you to do.

At that point in time it seems the world is ending; it's completely crushing. Some of these moments have even made me ask myself, "Why do I even bother?"

But one bad grade shouldn't make us do this. One bad grade shouldn't make us reconsider what we're doing. One bad grade shouldn't make us doubt our ability to reach our goals.

Instead, that one bad grade should become a learning tool. That one bad grade is just a wake up call. That one bad grade is what's going to motivate you to studying harder for the next grade, to write down a reminder for you to do your homework, for you to read the assignment requirements more carefully.

That one bad grade, is what's going to make you better. Don't let it become what's holding you back, make it what pushes you forward.