In Retrospect & other YOLO types of things

This post is all about YOLO. You Only Live Once is an acronym that my friends and I like to use a lot: cliche? Yes, a cliche is defined as something over-used or over-said but reminding ourselves that we only live once hopefully ensures a life of adventure and pursuit. The pursuit of travels, art, challenges, love... anything you may desire.

For me, living life is about doing what makes me happy. Sitting home 3 nights in a row watching reality tv and junk food, sure! Even though for me this isn't normal, every once in a while I remind myself that it's okay. But really, spending time with good friends and family is ideal. Although I love where I live, I am a little further than I'd like to be from all my loved ones. My boyfriend and I are building a great home for ourselves and an exciting life but nothing compares to having true support down the street.


Back to yolo and the reasons why I see life as a gift is my dad. He passed away 3 years ago from kidney disease and failure. Many of you out there have gone through similar losses and it is an indescribable pain. My dad taught me to cherish each day because it is the only one that you are guaraneteed. He was right, after years of dialysis and painful illnesses that came along with kidney failure he lost his battle. Growing up we did so much as a family. Boating, trips, family days all filled with laughter, sarcasm, jokes and best of all love!

After my dad passed I wanted to live life my way. I wanted to everything I planned to do before he died and make him proud. He always believed in my writing abilities and my "smarts". Even though I wouldn't say I was the smartest in class I do believe I have creativity and have always loved art.

I wanted to visit Europe. So last year I backpacked with a friend through 7 countries!
I love going to festivals and art shows. Even if it's alone or with one other person, i go!
I wanted to go skydiving. I jumped 14,000 feet this year with my boyfriend!

The bucket list i've created is far from being completed. But I am 24 and hopefully have some time to complete it. But if something happened and I died tomorrow I can happily say I have lived life with my arms open and taken risks. I have taken jobs that weren't go great but I knew they would lead to something better. If you get your foot in the door, you can open a lot more windows.

Find what makes you happy.

Plain Be Gone: Entry way style

Moving into our new apartment has been great. Aside from the occasional dirty dish (cough, cough my pet peeve) or a noisy neighbor, it has been awesome. Like most guys, my boyfriend gives me mostly full control of decorating. He loves all my ideas but sometimes thinks they are funny. Coffee filter wreath? Well, he actually thought it looked cool and my mom thought I bought the wreath at a store! 

My latest "patients"were a few good finds at my local thrift shops. I found some great paints, brushes and even some great craft tools. I also scooped up a nice mirror that I thought would be great in my entry way. For months I have collected ideas from other blogs and magazines to serve the purpose of creating the perfect home that reflects mine and my boyfriend's taste. We like simple and unique pieces and don't want the clutter of too many things!

Enough blabbing from me, here is what I did for my plain entry way. 

Mirror: Before

Use gold ( or any color) spray paint to transform this mirror to match any decor. I taped some newspaper over the mirror to save myself the task of scraping off any spray paint afterwards. 

Spray about 4 inches away from the mirror and frame. Do one coat and let dry for a couple minutes. The flower design was painted on so this mirror needed two coats of the gold.

Mirror: After

This project is an easy way to transform something from a thrift shop that is maybe not your style to something that fits your decor perfect!

Simple DIY art:

I wouldn't say that I am a painting prodigy but I do love to try out different ideas for simple art!  I found some great paints at a local thrift shop along with brushes and tools. The art canvas's were on sale at Michael's for $3 each. 

Supplies: 

You will also need tape. I used basic scotch tape.

Tape off strips on the canvas in a zig-zag direction. Imagine when you peel it the paint will create lines on the canvas.

Taping makes it easy for anyone to tape, paint and peel with a no-fuss, mess-up free piece of art!

Take the paint and put a quarter size amount into a bowl. Stroke your brush back and forth on the canvas with any color desired. If using two colors, place them in different bowls. Paint each taped off section the same color or alternate sections of color.

Your piece may look similar to this. 

After you have finished painting all the sections, let your painting(s) dry for atleast 4-5 hours before peeling off tape.

The final product:

After the paint fully dried and I tore off the tape this is my final product!  (above)

The new entry way wall:

Coffee Filter Wreath

I know i'm not the first but this project is so cool! And what is more green than saving some money and making your own pretty wreath? Who would have thought natural coffee filters could be so elegant and fun?! So i've decided to finally try this decor craft out and this is how it all went down...

What you'll need:

Basic glue gun

Styrofoam wreath

Natural Coffee Filters ( About one whole pack used for my wreath)

Now that you have all your supplies you can begin! Start by crinkling the bottom of a single filter and place a dollop of hot glue on the inner ring of the styrofoam ring.


Yours may look a bit like this:

Continue around each layer. The side view may look like this:

Continue all the way out to the edge filling in any open spaces along the way.

The finished product below!

You can either hang this wreath or lean it on a shelf, windowsill or any other place you can think of! Have fun with this and don't think too much about placement, size and crinkle. You can always fill in spots later.

Beauty and Brains

Don't you ever wonder what is in that 'mineral' powder that you are putting all over your delicate, sensitive face? Even if you don't have sensitive skin there are things that are in all those beauty products that aren't certified organic that are bad for those rosy reds and soft skin. Wouldn't it be nice to know what you are using is 100% natural and safe for your skin and body? Hopefully you are saying " YES, yes yes!"

Many cosmetics and beauty companies are jumping on the organic band wagon and claiming to be organic but really are still adding things into their products that are  NOT organic.

As a consumer, be aware of the bad things that can be in your make-up and other beauty products. Some bad and harmful chemicals can be added into these things to preserve them on the shelf. Here are a few additives to avoid when shopping for these products: Formaldehyde, parabens, phthalates, petroleum, toluene.

Also be aware that stuff in make-up like talc, mercury and synthetic colors are all harmful and should be avoided! Some of the certified organic stuff may be a few dollars more BUT you are getting the satisfaction that it is good for your skin and body and that is worth any amount over harming it with chemicals.

Here are some websites for beauty products that are certified organic and green-
www.aveda.com
www.burtsbees.com ( everythings great but check out there awesome hair products!)
www.sparitual.com ( no chemicals in these nail polishes and removers!)
www.juicybeauty.com
www.lavera.com
www.eccobella.com
www.jason-natural.com
 www.aubreyorganics.com ( my personal favorite)

* Thanks to my trusty fan and best friend Gina, I have added some new things to this page about eco tools... enjoy
Makeup brushes can be hard to come by that are eco- friendly and good quality. Some brushes are very expensive but surprisingly eco- brushes are affordable, do the same as those pricey ones and are good for the environment!

Here are some brands to check out :

eco tools found on www.treehugger.com and most drugstores like rite aid. They are great and made from sustainable and eco-friendly recycled materials! $14 for a pack of 5-7 brushes/tools.
eco nvey tools. Made from recycled materials as well, more expensive but prices vary.
www.blisstree.com also sells eco tools and offers articles on the positive effects of using recycled tools!

Back to Basics

Welcome back! So, i've decided to convert my blog and my blogsite into one location. All of www.gogreengal.synthasite.com information will be transferred to my blog and all future information will be posted here! My next couple posts here will be gogreengal's info. revamped. Enjoy!

The 3 R's of living green are very important with keeping the Green tradition alive and not just a fad but part of your permanent, everyday life.

REDUCE the amount of things you waste, buy,amount of packaging things come in etc.
REUSE grocery bags, shoe boxes, old clothing etc.
RECYCLE cans, plastics, aluminum, rechargable batteries etc.

Living green would mean eating mostly organic, using products with little to no chemicals, living and using the 3 R's daily and finding things in your everyday life that are natural, unprocessed and safe for the planet!

Of course the love of certain things is always hard to give up and these things can be kept. Take baby steps and replace things you have now with products that are certified organic. Going green does not mean that you should go out and buy all new certified organic food, cosmetics and clothes... no, no, no! An easy way to start going green would be to go out and get those organic and natural things when you run out.  Some easy things to start with would be beauty products ( lotions, cosmetics etc) , produce ( fruits & veggies), and anything you run out on first. In today's world you can find much more things that are offered as certified organic.

** Watch out for fake organic products. Companies are not always 100% sincere with how they use the word 'organic' . So, make sure it says CERTIFIED organic or else you might end up paying way more money for those products. - Picture below ( USDA) is what will be on REAL organic products.

Sources that helped me out:
Green Chic by Christie Matheson
http://notmadeofmoney.com/blog/2007/04/10-things-you-can-re-use-to-save-money.html
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/oea/reduce/index.cfm

RRR. bag lady.

Birthday gifts are always fun. They're even BETTER when a friend knows you so well they hit it out of the "park". My lunch bag is functionally adorable and it was a gift from my friend, kerry ( thanks, ker!). I seriously love this little 9x7 bag and the best part is it is recycled and cute! GG2G is a company that makes awesome bags made from recycled and reused materials. The best part is all their products are made in the USA. From clutches to purses there is something for everyone. My lunch bag was purchased at a store in CT and you can find a store near you listed on their website.