My Semester as a British Wannabe.

Two weeks ago I was sitting in my strange new dorm, in a strange new place thinking about what I had gotten myself in to. Now don't get me wrong, I was excited beyond belief and so happy to have this opportunity, but being basically alone with no idea how to get in touch with my family caused a bit of anxiety. Once I figured out my internet and Skype situation and was able to talk to my family (or anyone for that matter) I felt more at ease in my new UK home, Manchester.

These past few weeks have been a complete whirlwind. I still feel like my plane just landed, but I also feel like I've been here forever. These first few weeks have really been all about getting to know Manchester and getting comfortable in my new city. I went through a few days of orientation, found my way around the city centre, figured out the city bus system (THEY'RE ALL DOUBLE DECKER), discovered new tasty restaurants, and learned what places have wifi and which don't..

Thank god I had my little group of U of I students to go through all of this with, I would have been completely lost trying to figure it all out on my own. From eating out together or just finding our way anywhere in this brand new place, it's been nice to have some travel buddies along the way!

Now that classes have started and my routine is setting in, it's actually starting to feel like more of a home here than just a vacation spot.

Here are some photos to document my trip so far!

Airplane food! Better than one would expect..

My first peek at England from the plane.

I had to awkwardly take this picture over the man sitting in the window seat.

Taxi from the airport to our housing campus.

This miracle worker somehow got four peoples' luggage into one taxi. MAGIC.

View from my first room. 

( I have moved into a different room since then, but the view is not as impressive)

First meal. Some traditional british food, cheese pizza..

Manchester Museum on campus

The Union Bar. 

Exploring Manchester City Centre

We found the British replacement of Chipotle! 

Not nearly as good, but it would do in a pinch.

Riding the upper level on the bus

A nice pub right across the street from where I live

 Street food that I ordered without really knowing what it was. Turned out to be delicious though!

A trip to the museum!

Pangaea Music Festival

First class!

Hopefully that caught all of you up, and I promise to be more punctual with my blogging!

I look forward to my future adventures, and sharing them with you!

Getting' Crafty: Elephant Stuffed Animal

Hola Amigos!

My sister's baby shower was a few weeks ago and that obviously means I needed a gift! I have this thing about making gifts instead of flat out buying them, it just makes me feel better about what I'm giving. So, I made this little stuffed elephant to put in the baby's crib. It was pretty easy to make (this is the second time I've made one) as long as you're fairly comfortable with sewing. I'll give you guys a little step by step of how to create one of these little cuties in case you want to try it out!

First off I would like to say that I am by NO MEANS an expert at sewing (or even very good at it) and probably could have done things differently during this little craft. But this is just a guideline and a walkthrough of how I went through it!

What you need

-1/2 yard of fabric for body

-1/4 yard fabric for ears

-scissors

-pins

-stuffing (I used polyester)

-thread in chosen color

-sewing machine

-patience :)

1. Choose your fabrics. I chose a gray corduroy for the body and a chevron pattern in just a normal cotton fabric.

2. Trace your elephant onto the inner side of the fabric. I just sort of free-handed it using this image from pinterest as my guide. Then cut out two pieces of fabric into the shape that you traced, make sure to leave at least a 1/4in. for seams!

3. After deciding on the shape and size of the body, draw out the ears in proportion to the body. I drew them quite big so they would be a little floppy. Cut into the appropriate shape, you will need 4 pieces of fabric in this shape!

4. Pin the ears so that the two sides that are going to face out once they are sewn, are facing each other (inside out).

Here's the ears and body before sewing, to show the proportions that I used.

5. Sew the ears, leaving a pocket to you can flip them right side out! I left a little bit more for the seam then I needed (I'm very cautious when it comes to sewing and don't get too close to the edge). If you think there is too much excess fabric at the seam you can trim! 

 **always be sure to back stitch at the beginning and end of your stitching so the stitches don't come out!**

6. Once you flip the ears right side out you can finish them off by closing the opening you left. I just put in a pin to keep the fabric in place and made a short seam. Then I ironed both of the ears to make them flatter and easier to sew later on.

7. I then pinned the ears on to the two different sides of the body. I laid the two sides of the body on one another and made sure the ears lined up on both sides (you don't want lopsided ears!)

8. Sew the ears onto the individual sides of the body. Just make a short seam, as close to the edge of the ear as possible. You only need to sew the flat side of the ear (if you sew all the way around they won't be floppy!)

9. Make the tail by braiding a few pieces of the ear fabric and knotting it at the end!

10. Pin both sides of the body together, inside out, just like with the ears. I used WAY too many pins as you can see in the picture, but as I said before, I'm very cautious when it comes to sewing. 

I didn't attach the tail until later but if I had to do it again, I would pin it in at this step!

11. Sew the body. Once again, get as close to the edge as possible and leave a large enough space that you will be able to flip in right-side-out and add the fluff!

12. Flip it right-side-out and stuff it! It is surprisingly difficult to get the stuffing in there evenly, but try your best. If it's not perfect it's not a big deal, adds to the homemade charm!

13. Once you've added a sufficient amount of fluff (I recommend giving it a good hug to make sure its cuddly enough) pin up the opening that you left. Give that a quick little go over with the sewing machine and ta-daaa, you've got an elephant!

I added a pair of eyes with some puffy paint and then it was complete!

Here's the final product! As you can see the fluff isn't entirely even or perfect but I think it is still pretty adorable (if I do say so myself!).

You can just see it peeking out in the crib. It matches the color scheme perfectly, the perfect little cuddle buddy!

So there it is! An easy enough (sort of..) gift for any little munchkins you may have in your life!

I also made this little outfit and bib using iron on patches from Hobby Lobby. Not very difficult to make yourself but I love that everything is a little more personal than if I had just grabbed something at Target.

I hope that someone else tries out this craft, it's really fun and you could probably do it for just about any animal with the same general steps!


 This has been life with Hannah!


xxHannah

DREAM WEDDING

I'm 20 years old and I'm single, so naturally I have my whole wedding planned. I spend hours scouring pinterest for inspiration in many categories, but often find myself spending extra time in the wedding section. Most girls would agree, I'm sure, that day dreaming about your perfect day is one of the most fun things to waste time doing! I have put together some of my ultimate wedding inspirations and planned what I believe (at the moment) is my dream wedding!!


Engagement ring:

I chose these two rings as more of a style idea than a choice for actual ring because let's be honest, it't a little unrealistic to expect something as beautiful as these rings. Although it would be nice. I love a simple ring design, nothing with too  many diamonds or extra little flashy bits, just something nice and simple. And sparkly.

Save the Date:

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this Photo Booth save the date idea. I think it's adorable, and gives it a fun personal touch. I also want a Photo Booth at my wedding, my sister did it and it was amazing, such a good favor for you and your guests!

Dress:

Okay, this is where my awful decision making skills come into play. I'm the type of person that will probably have to try on wayyyyy too many dresses before finding one that is right for me. They would totally hate me on Say Yes to the Dress. But I have narrowed it down to a certain style and type of dress. I love backless and flowy, I'm a tall girl and I think the flowy sheath style would really compliment that!

I didn't think I would ever be interested in a somewhat higher neckline but I totally love this with the chunkier lace. B-E-A-utiful.

Hair:

Two things I want in my wedding hair, a messy (but not too messy) tousled look, and flowers. I am in loooove with the flowers in the hair look. I have no idea whether an up-do or down-do(?) will be best but I would be happy with either of these looks!

Bouquet:

This one stuck out to me when I saw it on pinterest. I love that it's a little bit different with the berries and I love peonies. I also love the colors. So really, it's perfect.

Setting/Venue:

Lanterns and twinkle lights, what could make a venue more romantic. I love the boho feel and I also just really like twinkly lights.

Menswear:

All I have to say about menswear is that I don't really think there will be any black tuxes at my wedding. I am a big fan of the more casual khaki (or grey, I like grey too) instead. I also like the idea of the groom wearing the full tux and the groomsmen wearing just the vest. But as long as I have a studly groom waiting for me at the alter, I could care less what he was wearing.

CAKE:

Simple, that is what I want in a wedding cake. This one is just perfect because it's simple but not so simple that it's boring. My favorite thing is that there's some color to it, and I love the flowers on it, they are tasteful and not tacky frosting flowers.

Miscellaneous:

This is just a cute thing for your guests to have fun filling out, and for me to have fun reading later. It's just question cards on the table asking your guests what they think your future will be like. I think my family and friends would have some hilarious things to say on these and I would probably shed a few tears laughing later on.

I have an obsession with polaroid pictures and I think this is just the cutest idea for a seating chart. And then you'll remember everyone that was at your wedding and I' sure there will be a few funny gems in there to laugh at later on in the night. 

Well seeing as I'm not actually getting married anytime soon, these are probably very unrealistic hopes for my dream wedding. But hey, a girl can dream right?! If you are like me and overindulge in wedding pinning, do what I did and create your perfect day and share it with your best friend! It's fun to dream about what the future holds. And if you are actually getting married, congratulations, and good luck planning everything!

HAPPY HUMPDAY!

xx Hannah

All pictures are courtesy of Pinterest.com