How to Throw an Epic Christmas Party

Now I'm no expert on anything, but I do know how to plan and decorate for an event or party like it's nobody's business.

But that is not to say that my parties are at all successful or fun. Because, I'll be quite honest, you need friends (or more people--even a damn hobo off the street will do) in order to make said parties a success or at all entertaining. But ya gotta give me some credit for at least trying. Okay?

For Halloween, I had a total of 5 people at my "party." Those 5 people will lie to you and tell you they "still had fun." So maybe I should take that and run with it and then lie to you and tell you it was a great party. But I'll be damned if I don't tell you that my house looked FABULOUS for such a shitty party. (I wish I had some actual good pictures to show you of the decor, but I took about 3 pictures in total that night...)

But for Christmas, I am determined to make my party much better in terms of entertainment, as well as decoration, as well as number of people.

Every year on the 22nd of December, I plan a party for my friends from high school for Christmas. We eat, play games, drink, laugh, exchange gifts, catch up, etc. It's a lot of fun and I enjoy their company. We are all so busy the rest of the year, but we take this one evening each year to get together and celebrate the holidays. Usually we have the party at my friend Katie's house, but this year it's at my house. So now I'm obviously planning and decorating up a storm in preparation.

Although I cannot guarantee you will actually have an epic party for the holidays, I can guarantee that you will at least have fun preparing for a party for the holidays, and you might consider it epic no matter what your guests may say at the end of the night.

I have come up with a list of things for you to make/do for your party so that you can stress less during this oh-so-stressful holiday season. Here ya go:

- Invitations. Though these are not all that important, it's still fun to make one or just shoot out a colorful email with date, time and address. To save paper and to save having to obtain everyone's address, I made a cute little invite online (minted.com) and took a screenshot of the final product instead of actually buying it, then cropped and edited the screenshot and VOILA! My beautiful Christmas party invitation with all the information needed for guests. I then made a Facebook event and placed this invitation as the "event photo" and now everyone can see it in all its glory. Seriously, don't spend money or waste paper on party invitations anymore, when you can do this! Or you can always make your own special one with Microsoft Word or Publisher or Adobe Photoshop or whatever it is you decide you're good at and you like using to make creative stuff. (If you're feeling extra festive, you can go to dafont.com and download some sweet fonts for free!)

- Make a list and check it twice. You can get some great ideas for a Christmas party from a multitude of sources. This blog post is one, obviously. But Pinterest has wonderful ideas as far as food and games and decor go (which are all things I will get into in a bit!). I, myself, have dedicated an entire board (made up of 45 pins!) on Pinterest to Christmas party ideas, which you can find here. Once you have some ideas, start making a To-Do list, a grocery list, a shopping list, whatever kind of list you deem necessary to help prepare yourself (or remind yourself) of certain aspects of your party.

#FABULOUS

- Decorations. If you want your party to look absolutely FABULOUS (see .gif), you gotta go big with the decor. So, green and red EVERYTHING. Streamers, lights, plates, napkins, cups, banners, you name it. You can get a ton of your decorations for free (and for your personal use only) via printables on the intrawebz. Just Google "Free Christmas Printables." See what comes up. If that doesn't work, go to the Dollar Store and go crazy (but not too crazy, you have other things to do and buy and prepare for). Or, if you're the more Do-It-Yourself kinda person, break out the markers and poster board and paper and whatever else you need to get creative. Whatever route you choose, have fun with it. And don't forget - if you've already got the Christmas tree, you're pretty much golden from there.

- Games. There are a ton of games out there that you can play at any type of party, so I will give you some fun ideas. Any kind of board game or boxed game will do (although Monopoly takes forever and can often get a bit heated between friends and family), but my favorites are Pictionary, Scribblish, Mad Gab, Taboo, and Scattergories. Card games are beyond fun, too: Spoons, Animal, War, or other card game such as Cards Against Humanity or Apples to Apples. Battle of the Sexes and trivia games are also great party games. Or! Make your own! Click here for ideas. (Side note: some drinking games may also be acceptable and/or fun!)

- Food. The most important of all the party ideas. Because who doesn't love to eat?! Get festive and decorative! Bake cookies, cupcakes, cakes, other fun desserts. Buy candy, appetizers, dinner. Go big or go home, man. There are so many clever and creative food ideas for Christmas. Like these adorable reindeer cupcakes made out of frosting, pretzels, chocolate wafers and M&M's!

- Hot cocoa bar. This is my favorite idea ever. I'm totally having one at my party in less than 2 weeks. Boil a whole lotta hot water, put out a bowl of regular ol' hot cocoa mix (or feel free to make your own or buy some fun flavors!), and let your guests go to town. Don't forget the fixin's: marshmallows, chocolate chips, whipped cream, candy canes, chocolate and caramel syrups, you name it! There's so much tasty stuff you can put in a small cup of hot chocolate. This hot cocoa bar is the perfect way for guests to warm up on a snowy and chilly winter night. Make it fancy or keep it simple, but make sure you and your guests make use of it (which I'm sure you/they will if it's cold enough out!), and enjoy it.

- Music. There's so much Christmas music out there - check out Spotify or Pandora or your local radio station for holiday tunes. Don't be a Grinch - play some Frank Sinatra or Mariah Carey (whatever's more your speed) and get dancin'!

- Movies. There's also a ton of Christmas movies and shows out there just waiting to be watched by you! So, in case you get extra bored at your party, power up the TV and watch some Frosty the Snowman or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. You seriously can't go wrong. And if you disagree with me, I'll just tell you straight up: you're wrong, sir Ebenezer.

- Gifting. The last few years my friends and I have done a "grab bag." I'm terrible at explaining things, so here's a link to fill you in on what that even means: Grab Bag E-How. This year we're doing Secret Santa: a Western Christmas tradition in which members of a group or community are randomly assigned a person to whom they anonymously give a gift. Or just give a small gift to everyone! It's completely up to you, of course. But grab bag and Secret Santa are better for your wallet! So just a heads up.

There you have it, folks. Enjoy all your holiday festivities, and especially enjoy your holiday party. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everybody!

How to Survive Finals Week

Finals are here, and so is the end of your life.

Of course I'm only half kidding. Your social life is on hold, sure, but it's certainly not the end of your life. At least I sure hope not.

So, have you been studying? Have you been keeping up with that final paper? Of course not! Why would you? Why make things easy for yourself when you can procrastinate the hell out of those finals and do anything else instead? Am I right? Or am I right?

Because I'm 110% with you on this (I have yet to pick up a pen, notebook or book at all related to any of my classes this semester), I thought maybe I'd try and help you out a bit. Two noggins are better than one, no?

I don't have all the answers to your problems, nor do I have all the answers to those multiple choice questions on your biology final, nor can you have an antennae under your hat with a guy giving you all the answers through a walkie talkie (Spongebob anyone?). But I can give you some advice. You may find it all entirely useless and stupid, but hey, I'm trying here, okay?

There are three important steps when it comes to finals and finals' week. These are:

1. PREPARATION.
2. STUDYING.
3. CELEBRATION.

Now that you're aware of the three major stages of finals (there will be a final on all of this material at the end of this blog post), let's explore these steps in much further depth. Because, yes, there's more to everything than meets the eye. 

So now it's time to crack down on that final paper; and time to crack down on studying for that final exam you've been dreading.

Whether you're 3 pages in, or you've spent all that time doing this (look to your left), I'll give you some help. Follow these guidelines and you'll at least be a little better off than you were before. We can only hope.

First, you gotta prepare for the grueling study-time (STEP 1: PREPARATION). Here are some (obvious) ideas to help get you prepared:

- Put all irrelevant electronics away. This mainly means your phone... You shouldn't be texting while you should be studying or writing that damn paper. If you absolutely need a computer, fine, but you should only have PowerPoint or Word or whatever else you absolutely NEED open on said computer. If you think the internet (Facebook, Tumblr, YouTube, whatever else) will be a terrible distraction, try going about your paper or whatever it is you're doing on the computer the old-fashioned way. Break out the pen and paper and get to writing. Calculators may be necessary, but make sure you're not fooling around on it and instead doing what you should be doing on it.

- Find a quiet place. Whether some small nook or cranny in your house or nearby library, make sure there's no noise distractions. Maybe you're one to put in some earphones and listen to some music-- make sure it's not distracting; instrumental music might be best for some. But aside from that, make sure there's little to no noise pollution surrounding you. -- I am hesitant to put "comfy" in with this tip... Because if you find a quiet and comfy place, you could get too comfortable and fall asleep. Which is obviously something that needs to be avoided in the case of studying for finals. But then again, if you're going to be there for a while, you don't want to be sitting on a Goddamn rock. So find something or somewhere moderately comfortable.

- CAFFEINE. Drink it. Pump it into your veins. However you may consume it, it is sometimes very necessary. So before you sit down in your quiet and semi-comfy place without any of your irrelevant electronics, grab a large cup of coffee/tea/soda and you're ready to get down to business!

So now that you're all prepared and settled in for studying - phone away, coffee in hand, sitting in a corner somewhere - your next few steps fall under the category of "actual study time" (STEP 2: STUDYING):

- Read. Books, any notes that you've taken, PowerPoints, anything at all related to your subject matter. For example -- I have an Economics final on Friday (And I'm sitting here writing this instead... Eeeeeeek!). I have my textbook, my notes, and a bunch of PowerPoint slides that my teacher lectured us with. So I'm going to basically just READ READ READ until my eyes bleed and pop out of my head. Extreme? Yes. But necessary? Yes.

- Take notes on your notes. I find that the best way for me to learn is for me to write something over and over again. So I pull out another notebook, sheet of paper, or some index cards, and I copy my notes over. After I've written each thing maybe once or twice, I read it all over again.

- Team up with a classmate or two. This is, of course, if you absolutely have to. You may be like me and completely dread group projects. Because I don't like people. Especially when we have to work together to achieve a certain goal for a certain grade. But! If you think it will help to buddy up, go for it. Maybe you'll get some helpful insight here and there. Hey, it's worth a try. So maybe you shouldn't be so negative (like me) and bash the group project thing, even if they do wind up letting you down, you should go for it anyway.

- Ask your professor. If you really have no idea what you're studying or doing (cough, cough - me and Economics), email your professor and ask if they're doing a study sesh or something similar. Which leads me to...

- If there are study sessions, GO TO THEM. Some teachers are "nice" enough to have a few classes to help you prepare for the final exam or work on your final paper. I highly suggest you go to such classes. They will help you, I promise.

Lastly, your third step: CELEBRATING! Whether or not you think you passed, as long as you gave it your all, it's time to celebrate! Get out there and PARTAYYYYY! You did it! It's over! ... Until next semester and it happens all over again! Hooray! Oh, wait.

But for now, it's not over. UGH. I KNOW. Get to work, ya bum!

Before you do, I think you probably need a little pick me up, so here's Ryan Gosling to wish you good luck (look to your right) ------------>>>>>>

And here's a slightly less attractive person to also wish you good luck.... (look below). 

Happy Finals Week!

Come Join the Existential Crisis Club!

Hello, friends.

I've come to realize that my blog pretty much sucks, but I'm also a true believer in "Practice makes perfect," so I'm going to keep 'sucking' until something good comes out of it. That sentence sounds horrific, but you catch my drift I hope.

Anyway, recently I've been having an "existential crisis" (I guess that's what I'm going to call it) and I've been feeling just generally terrible. It's a weird feeling when you begin (or continue) to question your existence, your purpose, etc. Not many people have the time or the energy to think about such things, but knowing myself and how bored I often can be, I waste my last tiny bit of energy on thoughts such as these. It's unfortunate really, but it happens. They often say the quietest people have the loudest minds. I could not fit that cliche any more than I actually do. My point is: I've been wondering what life is, where it's going, who I am, etc.

Just like Derek Zoolander, I'm having trouble finding my place in the world (Should I be a really really really ridiculously good looking male model or a coal miner?).

In all seriousness, life is tough, and I'm struggling to find out the deeper meanings in life. Maybe you're experienced something similar, maybe not. Either way, this post is for you to help you in whatever sort of way you may need help in your life. Whether life is going smoothly, or you've fallen into a deep, deep hole in the ground, we could all use a little boost every now and then. I'm hoping something in this post sparks some weird sort of inspiration or motivation and gets you thinking. Maybe you'll even find some temporary answers.

I don't have the answers to the big life questions. Liz Lemon always seems to be struggling with these issues, and no matter what age or gender or color or whatever you are (hell, you could be a damn porcupine and still have this problem), there probably is no "real" solution. I don't think we'll ever figure out the answers to any of our existential questions. No matter what you believe in, I'm sure we're all sort of going through similar trying times in attempting to figure out what it is that makes us US.

Do you know what I mean? I could be making little to no sense to you, to everyone, even to myself, but I need to write this all out and see where it takes me. But in all honesty, this could all just be "some white nonsense."

I've spent most of my morning looking up internships and careers. I'm letting you all know (and this shouldn't even be written down or said aloud to anyone until I make the ultimate decision) that I'm considering quitting school, or just not finishing. I have hated school from Day One. But I've suffered through it, despite nearly killing myself half a dozen times because of it. Maybe it's not all that awful, but I sure as hell make it out to be a miserable hell of my own. But I can't seem to help it. School (and when I say school in this context, I mainly mean college or higher education) is one of those things that I personally feel shouldn't even be a requirement in our society. I mean, no where is it written that it is, but you can't get a "great" job or "career" without some bit (or a lot of) higher education. And it sucks. Why does our society have to function that way? Some of the smartest people out there and some that I know barely made it through high school. And then once we spend a ton of time and money in school, we have to get out into the "real world," or the "adult world" and get a job, buckle down, work work work, retire, die. I realize how horribly morbid and depressing I'm making it out to be, but I'm just giving you an idea of how I've been thinking about life and school and careers and everything and how and why it makes me so effing miserable all the damn time.

Back to my thinking of quitting school, though. Even though a lot of the jobs I'm looking at require 4-year degrees, I don't care. I think I'm a smart enough, good enough HUMAN BEING to get a job or start a career that I love and that makes me happy and feel fulfilled. So take that, universe.

You may think I'm being overly "soul-searchy," or "too deep" but I don't really care, because this is how I feel and I am, for once, going to validate those feelings by telling you that they are real, and that I don't know what to do about them. Hence, this blog post. Sorry for weirding you out, if that is the case, but I need to get this all off my chest in order to possibly move on from it.

If you, too, need help in moving on from it, try writing down how you're feeling, all the questions you may have, and don't let those feelings and questions get you down. That's much much much easier said then done, as I know all too well, but sometimes, in the heat of the moment, you think these things, then have some sort of strange epiphany. And it lasts for about a fifth of a second, and then you go back to being what some would consider crazy.

Accept the crazy. The fact that you're thinking this much about something so deep and personal and impossibly difficult means that you're alive, you're bright enough to be thinking, your brain is functioning properly, etc. See? Lots of good stuff may come of this after all.

When all else fails, shrug it off. 

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."

-- Robert Frost

Holiday Gift Ideas

Evening, y'all!

How's everyone doing today?

As I sit here all bundled up in my room on this very chilly day in upstate New York (but luckily not western New York-- some parts have over 3 feet of snow!!!), I have nothing else to really do other than to write some bullsh!t blog entry about some bullsh!t stuff. I know I shouldn't talk about my ideas or my writing like that, but sometimes it's true. I don't care if one person reads this, or no one reads this. I will just be happy enough having written it. And that's all that matters, right?

No matter what holiday you celebrate this upcoming season, I'm sure you've got plenty of loved ones to shop for. Whether you choose to go the expensive or inexpensive route, or the crafty or store-bought route, there's a ton of stuff out there that's just waiting to be bought/made by you, and given to someone special. So here's a list of some ideas that I would personally love to receive (hint, hint), but that I'm sure some of your family and friends would love as well!

• Photo frames: For the photographer. Marshalls, TJ Maxx, the Dollar Store, Michael's, and plenty of other stores out there similar to these mentioned ones, have lots of inexpensive and really unique and pretty frames for you to gift. Leave the frames empty, or put in a photo of you and the receiver of the gift, or write a little message/quote on paper and place in the frame. And voila! You have a sweet little gift.

• Notecards: For the letter-writer in your family or group of friends! Buy a pack of cute notecards from any of the above mentioned stores, or buy in bulk online and create your own! Recently I've been making my own with some photos I've taken. I use them to write letters to my grandparents frequently, or as thank you notes, birthday cards, etc. You can use them for a variety of things-- don't restrict yourself. (I bought the blank note cards on Amazon.com- 50 to a pack, includes envelopes- and then bought my photo prints at Walmart! I even sell mine or give packs away). Who doesn't love good ol' fashioned snail mail? A handwritten letter will never lead you astray. 

• Notebooks: For the writer. Go to your local bookstore and you'll find a section full of beautiful and artsy notebooks that make fantastic gifts! I know I can't get enough of these awesome notebooks--or any notebook, for that matter-- and the writer in your family or group of friends will love a notebook or two just as much! To add a special little touch, write a sweet message on the inside cover.

• Mugs: For the coffee/tea drinker. One of the best gifts you can give! Buy one with pretty colors or an intricate design, or buy a blank one and get to paintin' or drawin'! Here's a link with some fun (and easy!) ideas: Click me! 

• Books: For the reader. Ah, yes, books. The most perfect gifts. In my opinion, anyway. Find out what your loved one likes to read, just to get a general idea, then do some research! There are lots of great (and TERRIBLE) books out there. So be careful in your searching. Instead of buying the books brand spankin' new (and brand spankin' expensive), try half.com, Amazon, or a local used bookstore. But make sure when you buy used books, that they're still in good condition!

• Music: For the musician or lover of music. Whether it's a full album, a mix tape (do these even exist anymore?), or an iTunes gift card, share the joy of music with someone you love. This is, of course, the best time of year to share your favorite Christmas music with someone. Not only is music a great gift, but it's also a great way to bond with a friend. Break out the CDs, radio, whatever your choice is, and get singin'! Take it from the movie Elf: "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."

• FOOD: Perfect for everyone and anyone. Seriously, though. You can't go wrong with food (unless someone has a food allergy!). Homemade goodies, a whole meal, desserts, you name it! Whatever you enjoy making or baking or cooking or even buying (who am I to judge?), gift it! As always - to add a personal touch, write a little message or quote or cute saying. Here's a great example of something as simple as Hershey's Kisses in a kitchen whisk (to the right). So get creative! Spice it up with some ribbons and bows and fun packaging details. The possibilities are endless with this great food idea! Candy, cookies, cupcakes, muffins, or even a jar full of baked good recipe ingredients for your receiver of the gift to make themselves! Google some more foods that make great and easy gifts. I'm sure there's plenty more than I've mentioned...

• Soaps and lotions: Not necessarily for your smelly friends. Nevertheless, plenty of people are looking for some good-smelling soaps, lotions, body washes, etc. My sister may say otherwise, but I personally think they make a pretty decent gift. You even have the option of making your own and putting it in a jar and gifting it. My friend Melissa made my friends and I this fabulous body scrub last Christmas. And though I have yet to use it (oops, sorry, Meliss), I'm still a fan.

• Coupons: For whoever you like! By coupons, I mean this: make your own coupon book filled with fun things to do (lunch, dinner, movies, etc.). I've made these a few times for my boyfriend, my friends, and my family. And I gotta say, they're a pretty big hit! (Though I will warn you, if you put a coupon in there for a "free back rub" for your boyfriend or significant other or whoever, he will insist upon it and you may or may not dread it-- also, don't make the free back rub more than 5 minutes...). From my own personal experience, I find the coupons to be a sweet and thoughtful gift that you can personalize however you like!

I know there's plenty of other great gift ideas out there, but for the the sake of space and time, I will provide you with some links to other sites that give what I think are great lists of gift ideas for the holidays:

• Handmade Christmas Gifts
• DIY Christmas Gifts
• Easy DIY Gift Ideas

There you have it, folks! I hope you get some ideas and the holiday craziness isn't nearly as bad as it usually is / has been. Remember: HAVE FUN! That's the most important thing, I think. And making other people happy, but ehhh.

Have a great rest of your evening/night!

xoxo, Clare

Free Writing Exercise #2

Good morning, all!

I have no idea what to write about for now, so I figured I'd share some more of my free writing stuff. (I'm also avoiding some homework for my next class--I have to read about 100 pages...).

But anyway, this free writing thing is helping a whole lot for me, so I highly suggest it. I should also take the time to thank my friend Hannah for suggesting it to me. (Thanks, girl).

I wrote this the other day; I don't quite remember the day (maybe Thursday or Friday?), but that doesn't matter much anyway. It's a bunch of random thoughts and things, but maybe you'll be able to relate and it'll be much better to read if you can. If you can't, not a big deal.

So here you go...

"This free writing thing is more difficult than I thought it would be. Usually my mind is going at a million miles a minute, but right now, I can’t think of a single thing to write about. I don’t know how I feel right now… Mentally, emotionally. Kind of just, numb. And very tired. I had two cups of coffee with some eggnog. Delicious. But still not kicking in. I feel like coffee never kicks in for me, really. I’m always tired. Maybe I’m anemic again. 

On another note—I had a good talk with Vince last night via text messages (which isn’t my favorite form of communicating with him, but I was a wreck and didn’t want him to see me that way. Even though he’s seen me that way a thousand times before). We talked about life and writing and how neither of those two things have been going that great for me thus far. But I want to work on it. I know that practice is required for both (especially the writing, if I really want to get good), so I need to put in more effort. I’m just having a lot of trouble with coming up with ideas lately. GOOD ideas anyway. But maybe I need to write out some mediocre ideas first to get my brain going and the words flowing. 

I suppose this free writing thing is helpful in that it gets all my thoughts out. Or a good majority of my thoughts anyway. I need to not worry so much about grammar, though. But I can’t help myself. I’m a total grammar Nazi. Not sure what I can really do about that. Maybe just care less? That’s very difficult for me to do though. As most people who know me well enough know to be true.  

I want to do some fiction writing but I’m having a lot of trouble coming up with something. I should just try this free writing thing with it, maybe… Hm, we shall see. I also have to do some reading for school. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. It’s really good so far—very interesting. I didn’t think I’d like it because it’s all science-y, but it’s written so well, almost like a novel or some sort of work of fiction. But it’s all entirely nonfiction. The author, Rebecca Skloot, is such a great writer. I wonder if she went to school to study writing. I’m going to go research that… Apparently she’s a science writer. Not sure if that means she studied science or writing or neither, but that’s still pretty interesting. 

I wish I liked science more. It can be so intriguing, but I’ve never had an interesting teacher teach me about it, so I’ve always hated and dreaded it. It’s weird how all of life is about science and I’m always wondering about the meaning and purpose of life or whatever and yet I hate the idea of science. It really makes very little sense. But my brain works in mysterious ways, so who the hell knows? 

Wow, I’ve almost written 1000 words so far. That’s like a friggin’ 3-page paper. I think. But this is all nonsense and gibberish. Nothing substantial. Nevertheless, it’s still good practice as I mentioned before. 

Eeek, the sun is directly in my eyes as I sit here in my chair in the corner of my bedroom next to the window. It is nice and cozy though. On this really cold day, it’s nice to be all bundled up and sitting in the sun. And doing one of my favorite things. And being semi-productive. 

The other night (two nights ago?), when I had that “panic attack” (I’m not really sure whether or not to call it that, because I didn’t have any real physical symptoms, so maybe it was more like a “meltdown”—but I should look up the definitions and differences of the two just to clarify for myself), I started thinking about a million and ten things at once (as I usually do) and I was thinking about how much I really wanted to just die. Not kill myself, but if someone were to just come by and murder me, I’d probably be okay with it. But then I thought: “I haven’t written anything that could be used to make my death even worth it.” Do you get what I mean? I’m terrible at explaining my own thoughts. But here, I’ll try: When I die, I want to have lived a full life, meaning, I want to have written some things of importance (?) or circumstance (?). If that makes any sense. Like, for example, when Hemingway killed himself at the age of 60 or 70 something (I should look that up), he had written a shit ton of great novels and articles for newspapers and stuff, and even had a bunch of unpublished works hidden away in his home and maybe other various places that I don’t even know about (I clearly don’t know much about this, so maybe I should look into it and educate my damn self about someone who I actually strangely admire). Sure, he drank a lot and slept around, but he was a creative soul and an amazing writer. And I want some of that genius. And I want people to know (but mainly I just really want myself to know) that I can write just as well—or maybe even better—and make some money off of it (at least enough to live comfortably, I think) and be happy with my work and my life and all that jazz. So, because I haven’t written much (very little, in fact), I can’t die just yet. I need to keep writing, and writing and writing and never stop. And write some real good shit that I can publish or at least have some people read and fall in love with (like I have with Hemingway’s writing). 

I want to be able to call myself a writer. And have people respect that. I don’t care if they hate my writing—I just want them to know: “Hey, she writes. She’s a writer.” That would make me happy enough. But I know I shouldn’t care much about what other people think—I should care about what I think, that’s what matters most, I suppose. Or so some people say. But again, who cares what people say or think? (That’s easy as hell to say, but not at all easy to do or believe). Anyway—I want to write, I want to love it, I want to be good, I want to be happy with my life’s work. And it would be a bonus to have other people be happy with it, too. And read it and buy it and celebrate it. I don’t give a shit about myself honestly—whether I’m rich or poor. I want to just write. And write. And write. Like I am now. I want to be able to wake up in the morning, make a cup of coffee, and get to the computer or notebook or scrap of paper, and just WRITE. Type, jot, scribble, whatever. Get words down on paper. Paint a picture with my diction and vocabulary. A beautiful fucking picture that I cherish and love and learn to become grateful for."

There you have it. Some more productive free writing. Not that you honestly even care, but I felt the need to share - I thought it was semi-well written. Feel free to disagree.

I better get some homework done, ugh. Peace.

Clare

Free Writing Exercise #1

Amigos,

I need to vent. So I'm starting off today's post with some personal stuff (which I normally do anyway, but this time it's pretty personal, I'd say, and may or may not be applicable to you or anyone you even know, but I'm writing it anyway just to get it out there and into the world - if only for myself). A little forewarning: I'm going to be talking about some mental stuff and thoughts of depression and suicide, so if any of these things are triggers for you for any reason at all, please do not continue reading. Despite the fact that I think it would be overly beneficial to those of you who are triggered by such things, I will not force my thoughts and opinions upon you. I respect your decisions and only want you to be comfortable in your skin when browsing the internet.

So there. Now, onward!

A little background: I had a complete "freak out" the other day and I had no idea what to do with myself. I wanted so badly to just jump out the window of a 100-story building and end everything. Obviously that doesn't and won't ever solve anything. It will only create problems for nearly everyone else around me. And I don't want to do anything like that.

I often think a lot about ending my own life, but sometimes I'm so passive (and maybe even lazy?) about it that I think: "Well, if someone were to come by and just stab me in the heart, I might even appreciate it." That may seem super strange to you, no matter where you are in life or where you come from or whatever. Nevertheless, I want to tell you about a few things involving such awful and bleak thoughts and how I frequently overcome them or learn to just suffer through them. I hope you can find some solace in these things, especially if you suffer from similar situations/circumstances. But even if you have no Goddamn idea what I'm talking about, it wouldn't hurt to educate yourself a little bit. Here goes nothing.

I rarely have anyone to talk to when I begin to feel this way, so I seek help in somewhat rare forms. I have a few friends whom I've met via the internet who, like myself, suffer from mental illnesses that deeply affect their lives and others around them. I've become good friends with them, and have even become involved in an organization called Defeat Depression where a couple of us reach out to thousands of people suffering like us who desperately need some help and some inspiration/motivation to keep going. I receive a great amount of joy in helping with this site (also check out our Facebook page: Defeat Depression on Facebook), and I try to get on the page as often as I can--especially when I am in a very bad place.

So I was talking with one of these friends who founded the organization and told her how I was panicking and freaking out and had no idea what to do about it. She was quick to act (thankfully, things were getting a bit scary on my end), and came up with a suggestion to look into what's called "free writing." I have tried it before, but forgot all about it. So I Googled it, found some examples, guidelines, etc. I then opened up Microsoft Word, and began to just let my fingers lead me to letters on the keyboard of my computer. The words began to flow right through me and appeared on the blank page before me. No grammar or spell checks, no worries or regrets about what I was writing. It was almost magical, therapeutic, sensational. I didn't stop until I got to around 500 words without even realizing that I had even gotten that far. I read what I had written. It was terrible, I thought, but I didn't care. I already felt about a hundred times better.

I'd like to share with you what I wrote... And I hope to inspire you to do some of your own writing. Get out all those frustrations and bad thoughts and just, let go.

"I hate the way I’m feeling. I feel this way all too much. And I don’t know what to do with myself when I feel these awful feelings. I miss Vince, but I do enjoy the freedom from him sometimes.

I’m looking outside at the yellowing trees in my neighborhood and they look so beautiful, even though it means they’re dying. How awful is that? So many people love fall yet they don’t realize that it is the season that is preparing for winter—where everything is dead and gloomy. I remember reading a poem once though that talked about how fall is like the birth of the harvest or something. I don’t quite remember it, but I do remember that it talked about the positives of autumn. So I guess there’s a positive to every season- to everything.

I feel like I haven’t done much with my life and when I think about that I get really teary-eyed and sad and just generally miserable. It also doesn’t help that this Pandora station I’m listening to seems to only be playing sad and slow songs. What the fuck, universe? Way to totally fuck with me.

I’m reading all these books by famous authors—GOOD, famous authors—like Hemingway and Fitzgerald and I just absolutely fall in love with them, their characters, their stories, etc. I wish I could write like that. I wish I could escape to Paris and just start writing like they did, and live there and be happy and successful. But mainly just, HAPPY. I know they had their own problems and everything. Hemingway fucking killed himself, but he lived a full life. At least that’s how I see it. He drank a hell of a lot, but so do lots of writers. And who cares? He was amazing at it, and I have a lot of respect for the guy. What I wouldn’t give to meet him.
Tears keep streaming down my face for no apparent reason and I can’t help but just wipe them away in frustration. I’m in so much pain mentally that I just don’t know what to do with myself. Being and feeling this way absolutely sucks.

I wish I could just jump through the glass of my window, shattering it to pieces that fall to the ground (or the roof that sits below my bedroom window actually), and then leaping from the roof onto the ground below. All that would do is give me a couple of scrapes and bruises, and maybe break an arm or a leg or two. Not very productive. But I just need some way to get out of my own damn head sometimes. It’s like a fucking circus up there almost all the time and I don’t know how to contain it all. Elephants, clowns (YEESH), whatever the fuck else you find at a circus—it’s all there. Roaming around the inside of my skull, making too much noise and banging on the walls."

So, there you have it. My first free writing exercise.

Just let it flow. Let go of everything and just set your mind free.

Expect to see some more free writing from me, and in the meantime, get going on your own. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail or comment below with your own work of literature. I look forward to it.

Thanks for reading.

all the best,
Clare

How You Know It's True Love

Good afternoon, folks.

How's everybody doing today? Hopefully you are enjoying this b-e-a-utiful weather. It's truly the perfect fall day.

For today's blog entry, I would like to write about love. And I want to share with you some of the things I have learned about love over the past five and a half years.

Vincent and I, Graduation, May 2009

My boyfriend and I have been dating since May of 2009. Which was right before we both graduated from our high school, where we met. I hate to sound cliche and all, but we fell in love pretty quickly (even for 18-year-olds), and even started talking about getting married someday in our future. Five and a half years later, here we are, still crazy about each other. I will admit we've had rough times and doubts and all, but we pull through every time and come out stronger on the other side. He is the greatest guy you will ever know and meet, and I am beyond happy that he is all mine. (So back off, ladies).

I often don't even like to consider him just my boyfriend, but he is more so my best friend and my soulmate.

Vincent is my very first boyfriend and my very first love, and it brings me great joy to be able to say that he is also my ONLY boyfriend and my ONLY love. And always will be. How do I know this? I feel it in my heart, my mind, and most importantly, in my gut. Things like this, you just know. Ya know? It's just something that isn't a question in your mind, you just have this overwhelmingly good feeling about it, and you are confident and certain that this is the realest, truest thing you will ever have and experience.

For the first two years of our relationship we both lived in our respective homes, literally around the corner from one another. I could walk to his house and be there in less than 3 minutes. It was wonderful, and we saw each other every single day. The past three years, he went away to school (an hour and forty minutes from our hometown), and it was hard being apart. He would come home every winter break and summer vacation and we would make the most of the short amount of time we had together until he had to go back to school. I visited as much as I could, and he came home as much as he could. Now he is in Boston for graduate school, and I am still at home in Albany. I work every weekend and it's hard to get days off. He is so busy with school work, and I am so busy with work, that we can't find the time to visit or see one another. So we call, text, Skype all the time. But it's not the same. For some reason, his being away this time is even harder than before and it's certainly putting a lot of unneeded pressure on our relationship.

But we make it work. Because we love each other. A whole damn lot. And nothing can get in the way of that. No amount of miles can come between us.

I've gone into way much more detail than I wanted to, but you get the idea, yes? We're apart, but we make it work because we love each other very much. So he came home this past weekend and I urged him to do a couples' photoshoot with me. You know those engagement photo sessions that people do nowadays? Well, we're not officially engaged, but we're on our way there, and I wanted to do what I guess you could call a "pre-engagement photo session." Two of my very good neighbors are professional photographers and they do engagement sessions and weddings and family portraits, so I asked them if they wouldn't mind helping us out. We went downtown on Sunday and even though it was chilly and windy, we made the most of it, and had a lot of fun posing and getting some awesome shots.

One of my favorite shots from the session.

My point is, this photo shoot made me realize how much I really do love him, and how much I really do want to spend the rest of my life with him, start a family, be happy, etc. etc. etc. So my post for today, or my question for the day is this: how do you know it's true love?

Well, I'll tell you.

You feel it in your heart, mind, and gut. I mentioned this above already, but I need to reiterate, because it's so important and SO TRUE. When you have true love, you feel it in every fiber of your being. You feel good. About this other person, about yourself, about your relationship, about everything. It's so weird, but it just happens that way.

There are no words to describe it. No matter what you try and tell people about your significant other, they will never understand the love the two of you have. Ever. You can try and try to explain it, but there are no words to get your full point across. So if you are at a loss for words when talking about this person, or even talking to this person, then you're probably in love.

Every little thing becomes a big thing. Every small thing your S.O. does for you, or every small thing you do for him/her, feels so much bigger than it probably is. Making you breakfast is a huge deal. Doing a silly photo shoot with you is so much more important to you than you thought it would be - just the fact that he wants to do this with you means that he loves you a whole lot.

Love will get you through tough times. No matter what you are dealing with in life right now, if you've got somebody by your side, you've already got a head start. So ask them for help, and if it really is true love, they will be there for you through thick and thin.

He/She gets along with your family and friends. This is pretty important to some people. The fam's gotta love him, the friends have got to at least like him. Not that you need approval of this person by all these other people, but it would help you and your situation if you all got along.

He/She believes in equality between the two of you. It's all about balance. It's all about compromise. You can't agree on everything, but you've got to agree on most things. Or you can agree to disagree. But men and women should all be equal, in what they say and what they do. And if your S.O. believes you have every right he/she does, hold onto them.

You have some thing(s) in common. With Vince and I it's Game of Thrones, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the color red, and our taste in food. Having something in common helps with the equality thing, and the agreement and compromising thing. And that's really important.

You can spend time apart and not worry. You can't spend every waking minute with this person; you need your own time and space sometimes. But you know when you're apart that you won't miss them too much and that you and he/she will be faithful. And you can have your own separate lives, but still have one shared life as well.

So Vincent and I are apart in distance, but will forever be close in heart. That sounds super cliche, but I really don't care what you think. And hey! That's another thing - you don't care what others think. Maybe you're weird together, but who has the right to judge that?

That's all I've got for now, friends. Hope you enjoyed this post, learned a little, laughed a little, whatever other weird sort of emotion or reaction you may have experienced as you read this. Keep all of this in mind when looking for your Prince Charming or your whatever else. All of this comes from the bottom of my heart, and I mean it with all of my soul, because I love this guy so f#$*in' much. And I just don't want to hide it!

I love you, Vincent!

xoxo, Clare

Rainy Day Activities

Good afternoon, y'all.

I don't know about you, but where I am right now it's gray and miserable and raining. And it really gets me down. As I'm sure it does many people. So I decided to come up with a list of things to do (in no particular order) on a chilly, rainy day when you're stuck in the house with nothing to do. Hope you enjoy!

- Bake! Ain't nothin' better than warming up the house with the oven and some delicious cookies or cupcakes. Break out the recipe book, Google something interesting, or check out Pinterest for awesome recipes for baked goods (check out my "food" board: [click me]! Get crackin'! Gather all ingredients, mix, lick the spoon, bake, then enjoy when you're done!

- Indulge in some hot soup (or hot cocoa!). If you don't feel like baking anything, but you're chilly and you want to warm up, get some yummy soup and/or sweet hot cocoa and enjoy.

- Snuggle. If you're home with a pet or significant other, grab a blanket and cuddle up together. If you're the only one home and you've got no one to snuggle with - don't panic! Grab a blanket and your hot cocoa and curl up in bed or on the couch.

- Read a book. Catching up on some reading is the ideal thing to do on a rainy day. Pick out a book you've been dying to read, one you have or one you can get from your library. And get to readin'! Escape into the world of books, and you'll be sure to forget about the crappy day outside of that little world.

- Watch a movie. Netflix is basically the greatest invention, and if you don't have it, I highly suggest you invest the $8 a month to subscribe. If you're not into that, maybe you have your own fantastic movie collection, or you can always check out what's on TV. Or you can even search the web for some movies or fun little clips. No matter what kind of movie you're into, make sure it's a good and entertaining one.

- Arts & crafts. This is probably my favorite thing to do on a rainy day. Break out the crayons, makers, colored pencils, paints, whatever medium you decide to use. Get creative! (If you can't think of any ideas, check out my blog post on being more creative: [click me]). I also just found an awesome article on watercolors: [click me]. So go crazy! Get messy! Have some fun with it.

- Clean. This one may not seem at all appealing to you, or anyone for that matter, but let me just say this: I get a weird satisfaction out of cleaning, and when I'm finished, I feel so good about it. My whole life feels cleaner. It's strange, but it works, so hey, I just go with it. And so should you. If you've got any sort of mess lying around the house, your room, wherever, get to cleanin'. You'll be happy you did.

Welp! That's all I've got for now, folks. Hope you can use at least one of these ideas. I'm sure you've already thought of a bunch of them, but maybe some new ones have now popped into your mind. Sleeping is also always an option on a rainy day, but why do that when you could be somewhat productive? Well, some of this is productive, not all of it. Nevertheless! Hope you have a great rest of your day, stay warm and dry!

xoxo, Clare

23 Things You Learn By the Time You're 23

Heyyo, friends.

I've been seeing a whole lotta stuff about being 22, and I guess I can sort of understand why: 22 is when you've likely graduated college (at least undergrad), and you're either off to do more schooling (graduate, etc.) or you're off into the big world. So get your big boy (or girl) pants on and get out there and let's get goin'. And I can see why 22 is more important and "wise" than 21, you've been legally allowed to drink for more than a year and you're "growing old" and turning into a "real adult."

I have yet to hear or see anything about being a year older, being my ripe old age of 23. So then, what happens a year later? Are you happy? Are you successful? Are you a "real" adult now?

I don't have the answers to these questions, but I can tell you some of what I have experienced thus far in being 23. And that is exactly what I plan on doing for you tonight.

Though 23 isn't much older than 22, it can still teach you a whole hell of a lot of stuff about life. For tonight's blog post, I give you some of my own life lessons, as well as other unimportant stuff that being 23 has taught me. So here you go-- 23 things you learn by the time you're 23:

1. 23 isn't just a number. It's a symbol. It's Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls number, it's a movie with Jim Carrey, it's a stupid, shitty song by Miley Cyrus. When you divide 2 by 3, you get .666. So at 23, you're basically the devil. All joking aside, what I'm saying is, it has a lot more meaning than you think. And you can interpret it however you like.

2. Is staying out late really all that much fun? The answer is no. At least, in my opinion. Though I'll be honest in saying I've never really been out to party or drink the night away until the wee hours of the morning, let me just say at 23, it appeals to me less and less. I'm sure plenty of people will agree with me on this (and many will disagree, but hey- to each his own!). Two things though, disagree-ers: your bed + Netflix.

3. How to set your priorities straight. There is a hell of a lot going on in your life right now / by now, and you've got to learn to balance it all in order to stay happy, healthy, and most importantly: SANE. But you got this. You've made it this far, why not keep going? Priorities, well... What's most important to you right NOW? School, work, family, friends, whatever it may be--make it your A-Numero-Uno. And if it's wine + Netflix, just like I mentioned in #2, then so be it. Ain't nobody gon' judge you, sista.

4. Life is not a competition. Or a race. You're not being pitted against anyone, so chill out. Your brother just graduated and was offered a high-paying career, that girl from your high school just got engaged, this dude from work just married his long-time girlfriend, and your best friend is pregnant, AGAIN. But you're doing YOU. And that's OKAY. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT compare yourself or your situation or your life's path to anyone else's. You're steadily moving along your little dirt road of life, but you're MOVING. That's all that matters.

5. Family means a lot more than you'd like it to mean. We rely on our families a lot for the first 18 years of our lives. Then we get shipped off to college, as is the custom in our society, and we enjoy ourselves without our family for 4+ years. But after that, or hell, even during that, we should be remembering who raised us, who made us who we are today. And if you've got a good family that's there for you when you need them most, take more advantage of that, and don't take it for granted. I love my family to death, and as CRAZY as they make me, I'm grateful for everything they do for me, and for them just being them. I suggest you should do the same if you're not already doing so.

6. Friends are equally as important. Ya can't forget your buddies. Look back on how many friends you've had over the years, who has come and gone, and who has stuck by your side through it all. Don't forget to keep the good ones!

7. No one cares what other people think. That statement in itself provides a bit of irony, but you catch my drift, yes? Who cares what you look like, what you're wearing, etc.? Only you decide how you feel about YOU. Ignore all the people that feel entitled to judge you. You do YOU. 'Cause you're awesome. And that's that.

8. Living with your parents isn't as bad as you think. I'm serious. I may complain like crazy about how I need to move out and get a place of my own, but, DUDE, do you know how much money I'm saving by living at home for a little while longer? Free rent, utilities, groceries; it's all so much better than having to worry about paying for any of those things yourself. So embrace your childhood home for a little while longer and save yourself some cash.

9. School and/or work are major parts of your life now. But they don't necessarily have to be. If you're still in school for example, sure, life may seem to revolve around it what with all the class time and homework you get outside of that class time, but keeping your sanity is much more important. Same goes for work. Maybe you have a job that doesn't exactly end at 5 like it should, and instead you have to take home some work to do over the weekend. Despite all of this, don't forget to make some time for social stuff.

10. Life is all about balance. Though you may have already set all your priorities straight, from time to time you can fo'gedda 'bout 'em. School, work, friends, family, fun - you can have it all, if you manage your time well enough. Balance it all out, give everything an equal amount of time and weight in your life, and you will be happier. I guarantee it.

11. You learn to love the little things even more. As you grow older, you begin to see that it's the little things that make life worth living and that make you much happier.

12. You read more. And you love it. Though maybe you don't exactly have the time to be reading, you make time for it anyway, and it's awesome. You admire the classics that you read in high school and early college, and you realize: Hey! That's some good writing. And you enjoy it and you escape through it and you read more and more and more. And it makes you happy.

13. You appreciate things more. I don't know why, but maybe it's because you're finally starting to really grow up. You look back on all the great stuff you've been given in your life, and you're extremely grateful. And you should be damn proud of the fact that you're so grateful.

14. You've become "the planner." You love to get together with old friends and new friends. So you set dates, you go all out with invitations, parties, decorations, food, etc. And you create the greatest events ever. Sure, maybe your friends don't have as much fun at your events, but your events sure as hell look great. Keep up the planning - get together with those friends you haven't seen in a while. Coordinate. And have fun with it.

15. You're more determined than ever. You've had a whole bunch of dreams and goals you've wanted to achieve at this point in life, and maybe some of them you have and some of them you haven't. Either way, you're determined to get to the next one, and you work your way (however hard you may have to work or push through) to that goal and when you get it done, you are both relieved and frustrated. Because now there's more to be done. You will never be satisfied in achieving just one goal, it's in our human nature to continue to long for something else even after we've obtained what we thought we were originally longing for. But you know what? That's okay. Keep shooting for the moon, and if you miss, you'll land among the stars.

16. You care more about your health. Mental and physical. You realize all this stress in your life is getting you nowhere, and you need to just chill out. So you do, or you try to at least, and it seems to make everything feel so much better. Your body feels a whole lot healthier when you learn to stress less, eat better, and exercise. Once again, it's all about the balance.

17. Take more pictures. You have been doing this, but it wouldn't kill you to take a zillion more. Document the good times, so you can always remember them. Especially in your old age when you get all senile and whatever and you don't remember a damn thing. It'll be good to look back on those fun times through your own photographs. So invest in a cheap camera, even if it's disposable, buy some photo albums or display your photos in your home. Whatever it takes to make you love taking more photos and sharing them with everyone you know and love. Brag a little, too. Even if nobody cares about your good times, you've got yourself to care. And that's all that should matter.

18. The older you get, the wiser you become. This may not be true of everyone, and it's probably not even true of myself, but I like to think that it is. I look back on who I was in middle school, high school, etc., and I see how much I've changed. And I'm often so glad that I've changed because it makes me a better and happier person. You learn from your mistakes, and you learn that change is good. And you become all the wiser because of these things, and you feel great about it.

19. You learn to love kids a whole lot. You have a special appreciation for children running around laughing and smiling and just plain ol' enjoying life. You wish you could be carefree like them again, but knowing you can't, you can just enjoy seeing them be so damn happy. And the ones that you know well enough will love you for being "the big kid" and they'll never leave you alone, and you'll hate it, but secretly, you'll love it. Babies make you happy, and maybe you begin to want one of your own. But maybe you're not ready for that just yet, and that's okay. Enjoy the ones around you for now, and when you're ready, you'll be popping out your own little ones before you know it.

20. Life requires a lot of decision making. And it's gonna be hard, and it's gonna suck. But you're gonna have to do it anyway. And there are big decisions to make, but there are also little ones. Either way, take them all seriously, and practice making good ones, so that when the time comes, you'll be ready to make the biggest decisions you'll ever have to make.

21. Coffee is the greatest invention of all mankind. Okay, so that may be an exaggeration, but if you drink coffee, you know what I mean. I cannot live without it. I need it to function as a normal human being. Drinking coffee is like some weird kind of "Rite of Passage" - once you start, you become sickly addicted, and it turns into a whole other part of your life. Almost like having a third arm or something.

22. You've got a lot of responsibilities now. Not that you didn't before, but now you begin to realize how much you really do have. But like I've said before, you've made it this far - so keep going. You'll survive. Trust me, if you're on a computer now, reading this, and you have the time to read this, you're gonna be okay. But don't take your responsibilities so lightly. Even the smallest ones are important. Don't forget that.

23. Maybe growing up isn't as bad as you thought. As a kid, many nights before bed, I would ask my mom as she was tucking me in, "What's it like to be a grown-up?" And she would tell me and I would conclude that I never wanted to grow up. I wanted to be the next female Peter Pan. But guess what? You can't stop time, there is no Fountain of Youth, and life travels forward. So deal with it. But guess what else? Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional. And it ain't so bad. It's actually, maybe even fun.

Hope this helped all you big kids at heart. I feel you on a whole other level! But it gets better. Hang tight.

xoxo, Clare

Back in Action

Hey, everybody!

I haven't been here in about three weeks. Life has been crazy busy, as I'm sure it is with all of you.

I don't have much to write about today, as I am very busy with writing a paper for a class that I have at 12:30, so I'm very crunched for time. Nevertheless, I will write something maybe later on today. Any suggestions or ideas? I haven't been all that creative lately, which is another reason why there has been a lack of blog posts as of late. So if you have anything in mind, please do let me know.

Hope you all have a fabulous day!

+ thanks for reading!

xoxo,
Clare

DIY Halloween Costume Ideas

Hey, all.

How is everyone doing today? I hope all is well.

For today's entry, I'd like to share with you some things that are relevant to what's been on my mind lately, and that is HALLOWEEN + Halloween COSTUMES.

I love, love, love dressing up, painting my face, throwing parties, etc. -- all things that can easily be related to the next holiday coming up at the end of next month. And so, for this post, I'd like to give you some AWESOME ideas for simple, cheap, DIY costumes for that fun Halloween party you may be attending when the time comes. I've got you covered from individual women's and men's costumes to couples' costumes. [Disclosure: I hate those stupid "sexy" costumes that are advertised to women every single year. LADIES: YOU ARE BETTER THAN THAT. Put on some clothes and act like a Goddamn lady for once in your life.] -- Sorry, ranting, but you catch my drift, no? All you will find here are costume ideas that require you to wear more than just a bra and some short shorts. So I have forewarned you. If you're one of those girls who wants to dress like a prostitute for Halloween, you're in the wrong place. So anyway - here you go, my fun, modest, FAMILY-FRIENDLY costumes for you to use and enjoy.

Women's Costume Ideas:


1. Historical female figure - Whether it's Amelia, Cleo, or even Rosie the Riveter, you're bound to shine and show off your powerful feminist side with these costumes. Amelia Earhart - throw on a white scarf, leather jacket, bomber hat and goggles (Amazon.com has a kit you can purchase for around $8 + shipping). Cleopatra - my friend Milly here went all out with this one; and all she did was invest in some fabric from JoAnn's! And then Rosie the Riveter is probably the simplest costume you could do - red lipstick, red bandana, and jean shirt with rolled up sleeves.

2. Female celebrity - The most popular female celebrities (that I can think of off the top of my head at this current moment) include Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. For Audrey, stick with the classy Breakfast at Tiffany's look - black dress, tiara, pearls, black gloves. And for Marilyn, the ever popular look is the white dress. Some would argue that the Marilyn costume is a bit risque, but let me just say that a beautiful pleated white dress is better than a mini-tutu and a crop top. In my opinion, anyway. If you disagree, well, we can argue about that later. But anyway - these classy ladies make fun and easy costumes for Halloween.

3. Fictional character - From Minnie Mouse to Cinderella to any other Disney princess you can think of to Alice in Wonderland to Wonder Woman, get creative! There are so many options out there. And to any of those that I have not mentioned, GOOGLE, or PINTEREST. No matter where you look, you are bound to find a million and one ideas that are right up your alley! Go crazy with ideas - but don't overdo it on your budget. Keep it simple, but chic! Invest in the dollar store, your nearest craft/fabric store, WalMart, etc. There are so many ways to save money on a simply awesome Halloween costume.

Men's Costume Ideas:

1. Superhero - 'Nuff said. Batman, Superman, Captain America, Thor - doesn't matter if you're a DC or a Marvel guy, there's so many opportunities out there for you to ROCK THAT CAPE and those SPANDEX UNDIES. You think I'm kidding. Make sure you get your hero's colors right. If you're not a costume guy, just wear that Batman t-shirt you already have in your drawer and add a mask. Keep it simple, but cool - just like you.

2. Hipster - Yes, hipsters are everywhere, and you hate them. So, why not be one for a night? Try it on for size? Mock those suckers!

Here's a picture of my brother in a dressing room (just for kicks). But seriously - grab some dollar store glasses with no lenses, a hat like the one pictured at right, a button up/flannel, and/or a vest thing-y. You're bound to attract some chicks, gentlemen (no guarantees, however).

3. Gift from God - if you're a funny guy who's full of himself (but only in a joking manner, because we all hate those egotistical men that like to walk around struttin' their stuff), wrap yourself in a box, pop on a ribbon or bow, and create this gift tag-- "To: Women, From: God." You're gonna get some laughs out of this one, for sure. And if you don't, then, well, you didn't do it right, sir. But it's worth a shot, and a few laughs (even if only from me or from yourself).

4. Other clever ideas for all you men out there: that crazy-haired guy from Ancient Aliens - gel up that hair, and put on your game face. Prisoner - orange jumpsuit or striped clothes with a black mask, male historical figure (i.e. Julius Caesar, George Washington, George Bush, Barack Obama), "scary" costumes (i.e. Freddy Krueger, Mike Myers, etc.).

Couples' Costume Ideas:

1. Woody + Jessie (from Toy Story). Go the old-fashioned route and put it together yourself with some bandanas, boots, and cowboy hats. Or do what me and my boyfriend did: bought the costumes cheap on Amazon.com. But to add my own "DIY"-ness, I spray painted my hair red, tied it back in a braid and yellow ribbon, then and drew on some freckles!

2. Mario + Luigi. Again, my boyfriend and I bought the costumes, but you can always do it yourself with some overalls, green and red tees, baseball caps, and some felt mustaches!

3. Wayne + Garth (from Wayne's World). I'm not a fan, but maybe you are and you'd love this idea. Get some wigs, hats, glasses, old '90s jeans and tees, and you're set!

4. Gatsby + Daisy (from The Great Gatsby). This is my favorite book EVER, hence the fact that I'm using it as a fun costume idea for you to try out. I am for sure going to be doing this one next year with Vince. Grab a suit for your guy, a '20s dress and a glittery headband for you.

5. Mary Poppins + Bert. This is what Vince and I are doing this year, I do believe. I'm super excited. I've already got the white blouse, red bowtie, black skirt, black stockings, and black shoes. All I need now is the hat (with flowers), white gloves, and maybe the black umbrella. For Bert the chimney sweep, make your own sweep with a broom, grab a hat from a thrift store, the vest, the "tie," etc. Here's what we're going for (look to your right). I'll upload some pictures from our debut when the time comes!

Until then, my friends - get craftin' on your costumes, and share them with me in a month.

Thanks for reading!

xoxo, Clare