The Liebster Award!

Exciting news! I was nominated for the Liebster Award by Kelsey at Leather & Lipstick and Toni over at ClarkCouture (thanks again)! I was pretty ecstatic to see that I'd been nominated because I'd seen some of these awards floating around and I thought it was a pretty cool concept. Basically, it's an award given to bloggers with less than 200 followers and it's a great way for small blogs to get a chance in the spotlight. Also, liebster means "dearest" in German and that's pretty adorable.

Here are the rules of the Liebster Award:

• You must link back to the person who nominated you. 
• You must answer the 11 questions given to you by the person who nominated you. 
• After completing these questions you must nominate 5-11 bloggers and give them 11 questions of your choice to answer. (Must have less than 200 followers)
• You are not allowed to nominate the person who nominated you.
• Make sure you let the nominee's know that they have been nominated and provide a link to your post for them, so they are able to learn about it. 

Soooo, here are the answers to Toni's questions:

1) Do you have any pets? If so, what are they? I have a betta fish named Marco (you can see him in this post), who I've had for about a year. He's a pretty cool fish. There's also a neighborhood dog and cat that hang around our house quite a bit, but I don't know if you count those since they aren't technically ours.

2) What is your best childhood memory? That's a tough one! Umm...I think my whole childhood is kind of my best childhood memory, if that makes sense. I've been blessed with a fun, crazy family, so there were never many dull moments. 

3) If you only had 24 hours to live, what would you spend your time doing? Another hard one. I'd spend a good bit of time with my family and friends, and then I guess I'd give try to make as many people as possible happy. Like giving away my clothes/money/possessions to those who need it. Nothing crazy, like trying to do every single item on my bucket list like they do in those movie montages!

4) What is your biggest fashion must-have? Well, I'm not super fashion-savvy, so I'd have to say a pair of basic skinny jeans. You can dress them up or down, plus they can be pretty comfy, which is one of the main things I look for in clothes!

5) What was your biggest fashion/beauty/hair error as a child? Ohhhh, just one? I guess my worst fashion/beauty/hair-crime would have to be my hair from about 5th-8th grade. My hair is super thick and has these weird wavy curls, so I didn't really know how to do anything with it (I'm still trying to figure it out). I resorted to terrible buns and braids and it was a bad time. 

6) What is your favorite food? Definitely pizza. Especially when my mom makes it from scratch!
7) You have 60 seconds in your favorite store, what do you grab and why?  My favorite store is probably Hobby Lobby, so I'd probably try and grab a bunch of paint, paintbrushes, those fancy Micron pens, etc. etc. I loooove arts and crafts (I'm a small child at heart), so 60 seconds in Hobby Lobby would be amazing.
8) What inspired you to become a blogger? I've always loved writing. I had a few blogs when I was younger, but they were mainly just viewed by my mom (thanks, mom). I guess it was just a combined love for writing, design, and of course the Internet that made me want to start blogging for real. 
9) Do you have any tips for new bloggers? I'm still a new blogger myself, but I guess I'd say to not give up. It may be discouraging when nobody reads your posts or you aren't getting any feedback, but be patient and keep blogging! It'll come eventually.
10) Do you have any bad habits? Of course. I pop my knuckles a lot and I mess with my hair way too much.
11) If you could have a dinner party with 3 celebrity guests, who would you invite and why? Jennifer Lawrence would definitely get the first invite, because she seems like she would be really fun to hang out with. Next would be Pope Francis, because he's pretty awesome. And last but not least, I would probably invite John Green because he seems like a really cool person. It'd be a pretty great dinner party.

Here are my nominees:
Good Girl Gone Brum
Polka Dots and Whiskers
Lipgloss and Glitter Drops
Aicha Vienne
Lasi Locks

Aaaand here are my questions for the nominees:
1) If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be and why?
2) What is your favorite TV show?
3) If you could have any job, regardless of money, to do for the rest of your life, what would it be?
4) What is your favorite past-time?
5) Are you a cat or dog person (or both)?
6) What is your favorite part of blogging?
7) If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
8) What is your favorite song/band?
9) Would you rather live by the beach or in the mountains?
10) What's your favorite blog?
11) What's the best book you've ever read?

Thanks again to Toni and Kelsey for the nominations and happy blogging!

Free Calendar!

Hey guys! I apologize for my lack of posting...again. But good news, band camp has ended so I now have more time to do nothing all day! Hooray! 

I've been wanting to make some sort of free download for a while now (because everyone loves free stuff), so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity with August right around the corner. So here's my calendar! I know it's nothing spectacular, but it'll be better next time, I promise. If you want to download my calendar, click the link below and download it and print it out and all that jazz. 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>download here!<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

I'd be pretty excited (and quite surprised) if you guys do download it, so let me know in the comments if you do! 

In other news, I've recently made a grab button that's on my left sidebar with an HTML code if you'd like your very own Teenage Digest button for your blog. Who wouldn't??

Thoughts

source

These somewhat slow days of summer have allowed lots of time for me to do some thinking, mainly about my blog. When I first started the Teenage Digest (only about one or two months ago), I didn't really have any idea of what I wanted it to be. I like fashion and beauty and all that, but I'm not really an expert in those fields. I like DIY projects and crafts, but I don't want a blog based solely on those things. I like taking pictures, but I don't want photography to feel like a chore. I've been confused as to what I want out of my blog, how to gain readers, etc. etc. 

Then, when reading one of my all-time favorite blogs, Lauryn's Notebook, I came across a line that hit home:

"I'm simply here to document my teenage years and share my simple, undeterred love for writing."

That is exactly why I made this blog. To share about my life and interests and projects and to write. I should try to base my posts off of what I would like to read. My new goal for this blog is to simply do what makes me happy, and not stress out over silly things like followers or views. While it's nice to get feedback and everything, I'm content with my three-hundred-and-something views and my two comments. 

I just wanted to share those few thoughts with you, to maybe remind you of the joy that can come from blogging. 

Also, be sure to check out Lauryn's blog here. It's pretty great.
Hope you're all having a great day!

Where the Magic Happens

Hey guys! Please excuse my 11-day absence, I was away at the best church camp ever. But that's a story for another time. Anyway, I was thinking since I've already shown you guys my wall quote, I might as well take you on a full-blown room tour.

An almost-full view. I hope you guys enjoy this post because I cleaned my room just to be able to take these pictures.

 Meet Marco. I got him from Wal-Mart over a year ago, and we've been best friends ever since (he actually doesn't really like me...he flares up his gills every time I walk into the room). I'm convinced that Marco is the oldest Wal-Mart fish to ever exist. It's actually quite impressive.

My bed, featuring Burt the Pillow Pet and a painting inspired by the incredible Katie Daisy. She's great. Also, this is the first time in forever that I have actually made my bed. Yay for being irresponsible and sloppy!

 This is one of my favorite parts of my room. I bought an old film camera a few years ago at a junk shop, just because I liked the way it looked, and my grandpa saw it and brought me his collection of vintage cameras the next time he visited. They're pretty darn cool. You can see some other pictures of the cameras here, here, and here!

Next, we have one of my newest additions and pretty much the coolest thing ever, my record player. I had kind of been interested in getting one, but when I mentioned it to my family, they thought it would be a waste of money. So I decided against it. But a few months later when my birthday came, I was pretty surprised to unwrap this guy. It may be a little outdated, but I think music sounds so much better on a record player. I guess it wasn't such a waste of money after all!

My record collection thus far. I highly suggest all of these albums to anyone with ears.

A gif I made of my Amy Winehouse album because I thought it would look cool.
I was correct.

My desk, with the exciting new addition of a laptop! My brother won a new laptop from some scholarship program, so I got his old one. Before this, I had to use the computer in my parents' room for any blogging/tweeting/e-mailing I had to do, but I can do all of that in the comfort of my own bedroom at 2 in the morning now! In fact, I'm writing this very post at 12:07 a.m. with everyone else in the house sound asleep.

This is my whiteboard/corkboard with a monstrosity of drawings, pictures, notes, trinkets, etc. As you can probably tell, it does not get cleaned that often. 

This is the place I get ready for school and such, complete with inspirational quotes (my mom left me the bottom left one) and hair products. What more do you need?

Also, ignore the strange, falling-apart quote in the middle. I don't really know what happened there but I've been too lazy to fix it. 

Aaaaand, last but not least, my closet. Here you will find my notorious wall quote, a few drawings, and some free movie poster I got from the theater. Oh yeah, and a glow stick.

I hope you guys liked my room tour, even though it's not super cute and clean like all the other rooms in the blog world. Seriously, how do you guys do that?

If you want to leave a link to your own room tour in the comments, I'd love to check it out!

Breaking Bad Habits

Let's face it: we all have bad habits. I crack my knuckles, mess with my split ends, and stay up too late. And I'd rather not end up with gigantic fingers, gross hair, and bags under my eyes, so I'm trying my best to rid myself of these habits. Whatever your bad habit is, you can stop with a little willpower. I thought of a few tips that I've been using that might help you out.
1) Identify your habits. This might seem obvious, but realizing your habits and their consequences will help motivate you to stop. Take me for example. Lately, I've noticed that my fingers have been kind of stiff and I've attributed it to my near-constant knuckle-cracking, which has become a subconscious habit. Now that I know I have a bad habit and that it has a negative effect, I've decided I need to stop.
2) Set goals. Doing something repeatedly for 21 days makes a habit, so not doing something for 21 days should break the habit. However, quitting cold turkey is a bit intimidating, so set small goals for yourself based on how often you do your habit. For example, instead of trying to goal a whole day without popping my knuckles, I'll try to go an hour. This makes quitting seem more realistic.
3) Reward yourself. If you achieve your goal, give yourself a small reward. This way, when you're tempted to indulge in your habit, you can think of your incentive rather than your habit and look forward to getting it.
4) Find a healthy alternative. If you find something else to do when you're tempted by your bad habit, you can distract yourself so you aren't thinking about the habit. For example, if your habit involves your fingers, such as biting your nails, learn how to roll a coin. This way, the next time you want to bite your nails, just pull out a coin and distract your fingers.
5) Remove temptation. This tip doesn't apply to all habits, but it does work with some. Get rid of the temptation. For instance, since I always pick at my split ends, I could trim my hair so there are no split ends to mess with. Or if you bite your nails, buy some of that gross-tasting nail polish. By removing the problem altogether, you won't allow yourself to be tempted.
That's all I've got. Feel free to comment any tips you have or if you've overcome any bad habits. I'd love to hear!

What to Watch

I consider myself somewhat of an expert in the area of Netflix watching (which helped me develop my expertise of procrastinating and time-wasting), so I'm here to share with you some of my favorite series available on Netflix. These shows are great to watch if you have some down-time this summer or just need something to curb your boredom. I also organized them from absolute favorite, number 1, to not-favorite-but-still-loved-it, number 7, for your convenience.
Here goes:
1) The Office (US)- This is hands-down my favorite show. Ever. The Office is a "mockumentary," or a show in which fictional events are presented in documentary-style, covering the lives of employees working in Dunder Mifflin, a paper company. This show's got everything: humor (lots of it), love triangles, a little bit of drama, and a perfect cast of characters. All 9 seasons are on Netflix, and I recommend you go watch them right now.
2) Parks and Recreation- Parks and Rec is a comedy based on the Parks Department in Pawnee, Indiana. It is also filmed in mockumentary style, and includes a bit of political satire and even some current events. The characters in Parks and Rec are great and every episode is sure to make you laugh. 5 of the 6 seasons are out on Netflix.
3) 30 Rock- 30 Rock is another comedy, based on a fictitious live show supposedly aired on NBC. It follows head writer Liz Lemon's show from start to finish and all of it's twists and turns along the way. All 7 hilarious seasons are on Netflix.
4) Scrubs-Scrubs is a show about a group of doctors who work at Sacred Heart Hospital, practicing "medicine and mischief." I'm currently on the end of season 4 of Scrubs and am loving it. All 9 seasons are on Netflix.
5) How I Met Your Mother-How I Met Your Mother is a series following one guy's journey to find his soulmate, a story told in flashbacks to his current-day kids. This show will make you laugh and even leave you a bit teary-eyed sometimes. You can watch 8 of the 9 seasons on Netflix.
6) Lost- Lost is a science-fictiony series about a plane that crashed on a mysterious, deserted island, and a group of survivors that deal with the supernatural forces of the island. Lost is a very clever, complex show, and every episode is about 45 minutes long. So, I suggest you make sure you have time to invest in this show before getting started. It's certainly worth the time, though. All 6 seasons are on Netflix.
7) Arrested Development- Arrested Development is a show about a once-wealthy, dysfunctional family who are just trying to keep everything together. The series is pretty short but packed with humor and quirky characters. All 4 seasons are available on Netflix.
Well, that's it! I hope you enjoy.
What are your favorite Netflix shows?

Meditation?

I'll admit it, I am a pretty anxious person, especially during the school year. I get stressed out and I worry a lot, and as studies have shown, stress and anxiety can be bad for your health. There are many solutions, but I don't have time for a lot of them or they just don't interest me.
My mom has recently started meditating and has tried to get me to join her, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to dive right into that just yet. Meditation is very stress-relieving, but it's not quite up my alley. So, in a quest to find my own form of meditation, I came across Zentangle®.
Zentangle is a form of art where the artist just kind of draws, but the end result isn't really a picture of anything specific. It's a tangle of different lines and patterns that all come together to make something really interesting. And the cool part of Zentangle is that it's a form of meditation (hence the "zen").
The Zentangle Method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas (you can learn more at Zentangle.com) and is a really innovative form of meditation for those who lack time or don't like to sit still. In this art form, you focus on each pen stroke and if you make a mistake, there's no need to worry! You can just come up with a new pattern and turn the mistake into something new.
I'm a pretty creative person, so I immediately fell in love with Zentangle. And for someone who lacks a ton of money, one upside is that all you need is a pen and paper. I find it super relaxing , and I often focus so intently while Zentangling that I tune out everything that's happening around me. That certainly is a bonus.
If you need inspiration, check out my Zentangle board on Pinterest here or look at the official Zentangle blog here.
Happy tangling!

Welcome!

Welcome to the Teenage Digest, a place for the young or the young at heart! I'm Emily, and you can learn more about me by clicking on the "About Me" tab at the top of this page. You should. My life is quite riveting.

The Teenage Digest is a different kind of blog. I don't have an exact label for it. It's not strictly a lifestyle blog or a craft blog or a photography blog. The Teenage digest is a jumble of the things I enjoy and the things I think you will enjoy. 

Some of those things include music for every mood or occasion, books you'll love even if you're not much of a reader (but hey, you're reading this post), some cool Do-It-Yourself projects, maybe a few recipes here and there, movie reviews, and anything else that happens along the way. 

If you have any ideas or suggestions for content, please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email, which you can do using my handy sidebar button things. 

This blog is kind of a step outside of the cushy confinements of the comfort zone for me, so it should be interesting to see where all of this goes. 

Who knows?