How to Help Someone Who Won't Be Helped

We all have that person, right? That person in our lives who begs for help, but at the first sign of total honesty runs in the opposite direction. How do you help someone who won't be helped?

You can't.

You can love them and give them advice all day long, but if it's not what they want to hear they won't listen.

Whether it's the girl chasing after a boy who is completely wrong for her, or it's your best guy friend pursuing a potentially disastrous life path. Whatever the situation the response is always the same...

They say: "Please help me I'm lost."  

Translation: Please only tell me things I want to hear. If you're going to be completely honest about how bad this is for me, I won't listen.

Sometimes I just want to scream WHY!? WHY DO YOU KEEP ASKING FOR HELP IF YOU WON'T TAKE IT! (Then slap them back into making right choices.)

I understand that everyone becomes the person their mistakes make them into. I just wish I could hand out "Go Back" cards. Playing cards that would allow people to see their mistakes and go back and fix them after.

Until the day those cards exist I will continue to love, listen, and provide advice to those who need me. I will also be mentally screaming, and visualizing shaking them all into submission.

How do you help someone who won't be helped? I'm sure we could all use some advice on this. any and all advice welcome!

The Cure for Everything

Painting should be the next Olympic sport. No really. I've spent two consecutive weekends painting and updating my "soon to be" kitchen. I'm exhausted, I can't lift my arm above my waist, and I clearly do not have the stamina to be a professional painter. All that aside I'm getting more and more excited everyday for this next part of my life. It's a tad overwhelming, but totally worth it.

Now that I'm home and achy all over it's time to pull out my cure-all remedy. I'm talking a hot cup of wonderfully spicy vanilla tea, and it's time I share this life changing recipe with everyone.

The Perfect Cup of Tea

Pick your favorite mug and fill it almost to the top with water. Then dump the water into a pot and set the stove on high to boil. While the water is heating add two peppercorns or if you're using a grinder, three twists of the grinder. If you're like me and you view life as The Spicier the Better three full twists...maybe four is best. Next find the best smelling cinnamon stick you can get your hands on and add it to the pot. Take out a teaspoon and measure out 1/4 Ginger and 1/4 Nutmeg into the water.

Let this amazing smelling concoction boil for five minutes. Once the torturous time has passed turn off the oven and add two bags of your favorite tea. Mine is Twinning's Earl Grey. While you're at it (to sweeten the pot...literally) add three teaspoons of brown sugar and one teaspoon of vanilla.

Once you've let the sugar and sweetness co-exist with your life changing tea for five additionally excruciating minutes, get your cup ready. Add your desired amount of milk to the bottom of the cup, and pour your tea over a strainer into the cup. Once you've fished your well used cinnamon stick from the pot add it to your cup to double as a stirring implement and aroma therapy. Now...very carefully, sit down and relax. The last part is very important.

Enjoy!

This recipe is borrowed and modified from the amazing Estée from essiebutton.com. You can see her Vanilla Chai Latte recipe here. Her recipe and tea are absolutely fantastic!

If you enjoyed this you will love my Tea Cup post. You can see it here!

 

DIY Upcycled Book Purse

I recently stumbled upon this gloriously easy DIY that turns beautiful old books into fashionable useful clutches. One look at the tutorial and I was sold.

You can see the tutorial here at abeautifulmess.com.

The instructions are super easy to follow and the results are stunning.

Here are some pictures from my attempt. If you'd like to see how I did it just keep scrolling, scrolling....scrolling.

If you need more detailed instructions please check out the link above.

What you will need:

• Old Hard Back Book
• 1 yard of fabric or two one dollar bundles of fabric from Walmart
• Marker
• Scissors
• Hot Glue Gun
• Purse/clothing snap
• Iron/Flat iron
• Needle and Thread

 

Step 1: 

Find an old hard back book. I tried to find a book title that was relevant to my life. As a traveler and thrift store discoverer I was happy to find this book for four dollars at a local used book store. Hint: The thicker the book, the wider your purse will open.

Step 2: 

Cut out book pages. I know it's painful, but the result is worth it.

Step 3:

Cut fabric to about one inch bigger than the book, and set it to the side.  Then line the inside of the book by hot gluing a thin layer just shy of the edges. Cut out side panels and hot glue them to the ends of the book.
This step is given in much more detail here.

Step 4:

Create a snap for your purse. They can be sewn or hot glued on to the first set of lining. Be creative with this step. the crazier the clasp the better.

I found my snaps at Walmart in the fabric section.

Step 5:

Fold lining set aside to be approximately the size of the book. Hot glue the final layer in. This step can be extremely tricky if your folded edges are not ironed flat. Being the non-ironer I am, I used a flat iron and ran it along the folded edges to create a crisp line.

Step 6:

Enjoy your cute new clutch!

9 Ways to See Free London

1. Natural History Museum

With free admission and enough interactive, interesting, and awe inspiring exhibits to fill up several days, this is number one on my list.

Exhibits here range from animatronic dinosaurs, hands on training on how to pack for a discovery adventure, and life-size whales hanging from the ceiling.

2. Evensong at Westminster Abbey

Free to see! Just be early enough to get a seat. This is a beautiful service complete with full boy's choir and short service. The programs from the service make perfect souvenirs. 

Check the schedule Here.

3. West End Live

Full-on Broadway experience without the ticket price. This festival spans an entire weekend from Saturday morning to Sunday evening. Every 25 minutes a new act from the famous West End comes on the Trafalgar Square stage to show their stuff. Shows range from Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Matilda, Stomp, and much, much more.

At this event there are free bathrooms, many booths to spend time in between sets, and ice cream!

4. Local Festivals

Check out the internet before your trip. Often times there are many local festivals in the area. The Rent Festival was a rare find and a joy to see.

Here is a picture from the London Bus Appreciation Festival we quite literally stumbled upon one day while walking the streets.

5. London Guide App

Free app that will save your life! As long as you are in the London area this app can give you GPS directions without using data or internet. It will also give you step by step underground directions, as well as lists of what attractions are closest to you at any moment.

Rare find, this one.

6. Hyde Park

350 acres of some of the most beautiful grounds in London. Conveniently located just across the street from the Royal Albert Hall. This park holds the Princess Diana Memorial fountain that is perfect for people watching and splashing around on a hot day. The pond in front of Kensington Palace is a quaint romantic spot. Perfect for adults as well as adults with children. There is a wonderful children's park located near the Kensington Palace area.

7. British Museum

Another free must see. Great place to spend a day. There are plenty of shops and eateries near by as well as a nice air conditioned, HUGE museum.

8. St. Pancras Station

One of the oldest and most beautiful stations in London. This place is beautiful and functional as a busy underground station. If you are a Harry Potter fan you will find Platform 9 and three quarters here.

9. Walk the Streets

This is self explanatory. You can't say you've seen real local London until you've taken a day to just explore the streets. You never know what you will find.

Half Twist Halo Tutorial

I get asked a lot, "How did you do that to your hair?" No one believes me when I tell them it took only two minutes. So I made a video to prove it to everyone.

This hair style is easy for traveling because you can lay on it and the messier the better! It's also great for formal events because you can polish it off with hair spray. 

Disclaimer: I am in no way a professional hair dresser. Most days I can barely get my own hair to behave. This one is easy and takes only three things to complete the look. I hope you like it and, if you have the hair to pull it off, try it.

If you do pull it off on your own, send me pictures! I want to see your beautiful hair! *non creepy*

DIY Travel Magnets

I did it again....another Pinterest Win and this one is even easier than the last.

If you're like me you have a ton of currency left over from your last trip. If not, maybe you have a really boss coin collection that you've been wanting to show off. Keeping them locked in a box or sitting in a drawer won't do them justice. Here is a VERY easy DIY magnet project I found on Pinterest. It takes less than five minutes and half as many supplies.


If you want to learn how I made these ridiculously easy and very chic magnets...just keep scrolling, scrolling, scrolling.

What you will need:

• Coins (of your choosing)
• Magnetic buttons - Found in the craft aisle of Walmart or basically any craft store.
• Craft glue *optional*

Step 1:

Find small round magnets that are approximately the size of your coins or smaller. These magnets can have an adhesive back on them already (like the ones below) or you can glue the magnets to the back of your coins. Then choose the coins you would like to turn into magnets.

Step 2:

Attach magnets to one side of the coin in the center. For mine I did one on the back of a coin and one on the front of a coin, as I had two of each.

Step 3:

That's it! Find the perfect place to show off your new awesome magnets!

I hope you found this to be and easy an fun DIY project. If you make some of your own I'd love to see pictures!