Pay It Forward Day!

Did you know that today is 'National Pay It Forward Day?'  Basically if you don't know, that means you're supposed to do something nice for other's day. You should do something good for other's all the time, but today is a celebration of that effort and to do a little extra today!  What was the good deed you did today for your friends/strangers/family ect.? 
I know a few people who paid for the car behind them in the drive thru today, which I thought that was such a nice gesture and how great the person must have felt knowing someone did that for them today! :)
Today I picked a random person and offered some of my Scentsy items to for free! I think this day should remind us to do good all the time and not just extra special things once in a while. It doesn't have to be buying stuff, or spending money on someone. It can be asking your elderly neighbor to come walk with you, volunteer at your child's school or special needs group today, bake cookies and pass out to your neighbors, ect...! There is so much you can do each day and I we should all make an effort to really help others be happy and the world would probably be a nicer place! :)

Share what good things you have done today or do everyday!

Spring & Other News!

Spring is def. finally here!! I am so excited because I just looking at all the beautiful flowers that bloom! This is a picture of a bush right in front of my house! How pretty!! :)   I love purple and pink things so this is perfect for me! Of course this doesn't last that long. Another week or two and the flowers will be gone.

What is your favorite season?  I enjoy spring and fall. Both are not hot and humid and not snowy! Allergies don't like those seasons though! haha  

So much has been going on these past few weeks, that is why I haven't been able to blog as much! I told you all a little while ago that I started a NEW venture along with my boutique. I am now selling Scentsy and in case you have no idea what that is, let me tell you! It's a wickless candle company with over 80 fabulous scents that melt not burn. There are no flames, no lead and soot, so they very safe!!! I am very new to the company as well, only learning about them a few months ago. I bought my first purchase in February and loved it and decided to sell it since no one in my area sells it!
I had my first launch party over the weekend and this is what my table looked like::

 

I'm very excited to get more involved with this company as time goes on. I got 2 home party bookings from my launch party and that makes me very excited! I have some info below if you'd like to contact me for more info or a sample! :)

 

Website: www.krissyworth.scentsy.us

 

Gem Exploration-The Diamond : Colors & Hues

Did you know diamonds come in many different colors and hues?  When buying an item that contains diamonds, you should ask what the stone is graded.
Diamonds with a color grade of D, E, F are considered colorless. Grades G, H, I & J are near colorless. Diamonds that are graded K-M have a faint yellow tint to them, N-R have a very light yellow tint and S-Z are light yellow. Most of us want colorless diamonds, so be sure to ask the grade next time you go shopping to get the diamonds you most want!

Diamonds also come in colors! Yellow, pink, red, orange, green, blue and purple. The colorful diamonds do not get graded the same as white diamonds. Rather the more deeper the color, the more valuable they are.

Fun Facts:
Hancock Red diamond, which sold for 926,000 per carat in an 1987 auction.

The Dresden Green Diamond was the largest green diamond ever found.

Get Creative!

For all the crafters out there in the world, what inspires you to create the things you do?  For me, it's just about everything! The other day I was watching the 80's movie "Pretty In Pink", which is one of my favorite movies of all time. When Molly Ringwalds character came out of her room wearing the pink prom gown she created, I just knew I wanted to add more pink into my boutique collection. Just a simple scene in a movie, really inspired me to create!

I dislike when people say "I wish I was creative." You ARE creative!! Creativity, I believe, is in all of us! You shouldn't ever be scared to showcase what you are imagining! I know some people think that people wouldn't like their ideas, but you'll never know unless you try! If I didn't jump into this boutique business, I would never have know how fun it could be and how much happiness it has brought me. Being creative is not hard. It just takes an inspiration, an idea and the courage to make it happen!

Here is my latest creation from the movie that inspired me!

Pink Sparkle Bracelet

New Venture!

What a weekend this has been! :)   I've been extremely busy trying to fulfill orders from the boutique as well as get my new venture up and running! I really have always loved candles and have them all over my house, so searched for a company that I could join and found that Scentsy was the perfect fit for me! Their candles are wickless and free of lead and soot. They melt through a light bulb rather than through a flame. With 2 young kids, I always had to place the candles only in certain places in fear they would get to them, but with these candle warmers, I feel comfortable putting them just about anywhere!
I'm very excited to start this new venture. I always seem to have a million different things going all at once, but that's just how I've always been! So now along side my boutique, if you're interested in candles, I'm your girl to talk to! :)
If you want to learn more about Scentsy products (not just candles!!)  Feel free to email me anytime!

Below are some pictures of some Scentsy products!

 

Guest Blogger: Sarah J. Browne

Today's guest blogger is a special young woman with big dreams! I hope you enjoy the interview I did with her and are inspired to never give up on your own dreams!

 

My name is Sarah J. Browne, and I am an aspiring author, artist and activist. My passion is to write a young adult fiction novel which will impact others with its life lessons and wisdom. Overall, I believe in standing up for rights so I am an activist and keep up with politics when I can. Yet, at the end of the day, my credentials do not define who I am. Who I am is this: I value the simple things in life. The rest can float away, and I will be fine. In fact, from loss or failure, we find what keeps us going and therefore what matters. Resiliency is something I have studied, and in the future want to help others to achieve this worthwhile attribute.  

1) Have you always been into the arts as a young child?  

Yes! I was and am much more artsy than anything else; however, now I've been venturing into outdoorsy activities. When I was a kid especially I loved to draw all the time. I would make up stories. This developed into writing the story to go along with the pictures. I did not realize it but I was developing a fascination with storytelling through art and literature. Other than this, I love acting and being in front of an audience. Poetry was my first real test of self expression. The first poem I ever wrote was for my grandpa who had just passed away. I learned from that experience how to use writing or art to create meaning from an experience. This has been an important factor that has gone into my writing now.

 

2) You are writing a book about helping teens deal with certain issues in their life. How did that idea come about/why is that something you want to write about? 

When I was thirteen or fourteen years old, I was sitting in my Creative Writing class thinking about a future career. I was more specifically thinking about "purpose." I did not want my future job to be something meaningless. Since teenage years are difficult, I realized that I wanted to tell a story about teens for teens. It was a moment epiphany; however, as I began to really write, I realized that I was writing about myself and through my story, I could use wisdom and lessons to help teenagers. I continually expanded on this as I grew into an adult. Essentially, I have been writing my book since 13 to age 22. Now, I am just putting it together. I have over 300 pages so it is now tailoring a final product. This is very unique because not everyone makes one book their own venture, dream or masterpiece. Mine has helped me to realize what is important in life. While I write, I have in the back of my mind a lesson to share. Therefore, in each circumstance, I have found a way to articulate meaning. My book is fiction though not my life. In order to put in everything I've learned, I've had to condense the years, the lessons and create a whole new character named Synasia. That is all I will reveal for now.

 

3) What/who are some of your inspirations and why do those things/people mean so much to you?

 

Audrey Hepburn, Immaculee Ilibagiza, Emmanuel Jal, Josie Badger and my grandpa mean the most to me. Audrey Hepburn is my role model, and I wrote an article about her plus recreated her look through modeling for a digital feminist magazine that I write for called The Feminist Observer for March 2013: http://thefeministobserver.biglaunch.net/ 









Immaculee Ilibagiza influenced me as a teenager to forgive others, to find spirituality and caused me to develop an interest in human rights as well as genocide studies or social justice. I wrote about her charity Left to Tell Foundation for Service Internships, and she tweeted to me directly and thanked me. This was a pivotal moment  because it was nice to be recognized by someone who means so much.
Emmanuel Jal is a former child soldier. When I was a freshman in college at Slippery Rock University, I saw a video of him singing at an Amnesty International conference. I wrote down his name, and I contacted his manager to have him perform at SRU on behalf of the club I represented, Amnesty International. It turned out that the Dance Department had already contacted him because he is a hip hop artists now, and they wanted him to perform. It was very serendipitous which has been something I've noticed happens to me a lot. :-)  We ended up co-sponsoring the event, and meeting him was very impactful. Later, I began an organization called Global Literacy Outreach, and we worked to fund raise for his organization, Gua Africa. I continue relations with them now.

Josie Badger is former Miss Wheelchair America, but first and foremost, she is a great and inspirational friend. I met her through working with Pennsylvania Youth Leadership network in which we empowered youth with disabilities. She gave  me the opportunity to help at conferences, facilitate workshops, give a speech on "Person First Language" and to listen to stories of resiliency. I learned the true value of testimonial speeches, which I want to help others use their unique stories for someday. She continues to advocate for people with disabilities and showed me how to from a disability rights perspective.

My grandpa taught himself to read in the army, and he was someone very silly and loving. Although only around for seven years of my life, I love things that remind me of him such as old movies, vintage and reading books. :-)

4) When you're not writing, what are some of your other hobbies?

I model on the side. My portfolio is at http://sarahjbrowne.see.me/  so check it out! Beyond modeling, I am interested in film and activism. I value equality and justice. I also value learning. I am interested in science, specifically learning about the 6th dimension in physics, near death experiences and child prodigies or those who thrive in an area. TED Talks are the best. Reading and hiking are my other hobbies. With friends, I like to play video games or go out an do fun activities. I also collect comics by Joss Whedon such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  I feel like I'm one of those people whose interests are everywhere and who cannot be put into a box. That is my number one goal: to never let myself be put in one. All of these hobbies are things that could become career options. Therefore, sometimes my professional and personal pursuits are the same, but I always know how to value the simple things and just enjoy life. I love the water and grew up jet skiing. There's so much I'd like to learn, I'd even consider fishing. As a girl, I grew up really focused on dance and performance type of interests if I wasn't doing my art. I'm trying to break any gender boundaries I can and try it all. For example, I used to have terrible aim, but I'm getting better at tossing a baseball.

 

 

 

5) Place yourself 10 years from now, how do you see your life?

My young adult literature fiction novel will have been published, and my writing and modeling will somehow give me a platform to create influence in terms of social good. I want to travel, have financial stability and to be an entrepreneur or actress to some extent. I will always find projects. What I most want however is to be happy. Hard work pays off. Struggle pays off. Gain creates opportunities. However, happiness is both the easiest and most difficult achievement. We can decide to be happy at any time, and yet we must remember to maintain ambitions and values that make us happy. It is easy to push oneself or to try to obtain things that do not matter simply because our culture does. The joy of the moment is the greatest achievement so to live in the present always is my greatest dream. From that, I will create what I can and motivate who I can.

 

 

 

 

 

6) What advice would you give other people who are wanting to become a writer/model/actor, ect...? 

You will be remembered for your values, not your net worth, achievements or things. So long as you are passionate about something, nothing should stop you from doing it. Therefore, what you achieve from it should be secondary. If you must follow an unconventional path or quit anything to get there, have faith and courage to do so. Never stay in something that makes you unhappy because tomorrow is not promised. You only have today to make your dreams come alive. Live your dreams, the recognition will come. Living your dreams simply comes from doing, not from achieving. What others recognize does not always equate what is right or worthwhile. The greatest dreamers are sometimes the most unrecognized so your number one goal is to be your  biggest fan. See who you can be, not just who you are and appreciate how far you have come. Then, you will have "made" it. 

 

Here are some of Sarah's Websites for you to check out:

Official Sarah J. Browne

Sarah's Facebook Page
Sarah J. Browne

**Blogger is not working correctly for me, so I apologize if you are seeing this post and it's spread out a bit odd. I tried fixing the post and it just wouldn't work. Hopefully I can fix it soon!


   

Recipe-Pasta Salad

Pasta Salad

 

I got this recipe from a friend of mine because I loved how she made it. Of course it was for a birthday party, so I had to add ingredients that my family liked, so had to change it up a bit! You can as well. You can basically put any veggies/cheeses/meats you'd like!

What you will need:

Colored Spiral Pasta--I used the veggie flavored kind!

Grated Parm. Cheese

Light Italian Dressing (my friend told me to use light cause reg sticks to the pasta too much and fat free just taste gross. haha)

Cucumbers (or peppers, carrots, onions--also can add meats as well)

 

 

Step 1:

Boil the pasta

 

While pasta is boiling you can start cutting up your veggies/meats

 

 

Step 2:

Drain the pasta and rinse it under cold water so it stops cooking and gets cool.

 

Step 3:

Start putting your ingredients into your pasta. Start slow when it comes to the dressing. Adding too much will just make you taste the dressing, so add a squirt and taste ect...!  Remember you can always add more, you can't take it out! :)

 

 

Last step should be to sprinkle with the grated parm. cheese. You can also get blocks of cheese and use chunks instead of grated.

 

Enjoy!! It's such a perfect summer picnic dish!

Gem Exploration- The Diamond

All month I will be talking about this month's featured gemstone, the diamond! All you lucky people who has a birthday this month, this is your stone! Wear it proud! Below are some facts about the diamond.

• Diamonds are found in Brazil, USA, Australia, Ghana, Zaire, & Russia
• Diamonds are the hardest gemstones.
• Diamonds can come in a variety of different colors.

We will touch  more on these facts through-out the month! Be on the look out for more posts about this beautiful stone!

Is your birthday in April?   Do you have a special diamond piece of jewelry you wear to symbolize your birth month?  If so, send a picture of it, and I'll post some up this month!   Send to: KrissysBoutique@hotmail.com