Check out my new website, Endless May! I am super excited to introduce this new website as it is something I have been working extremely hard on! You will still find some of my old posts there and while I will not be posting to Rivers and Roads any longer, I will keep all of my old content here! Thanks for following along on my journey, I can't wait to continue to grow as a blogger! xoxo
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Today I am sharing a cute and easy DIY Happy Birthday Banner that took me about 20 minutes to complete. For this project, I picked up this banner from a local craft store (it comes with the string included!). I also used various washi tape and a medium tip pen. I used a total of 16 triangles (two decorative on each end, the letters and a decorative one in the middle) which left me with some of the triangles left over which I am planning on hanging in my room at school. I simply wrapped the tape around the triangles and left the excess tape in the back (although, if you wanted to write something on the either side, you could easily trim the tape!) I wanted the banner to look fun and lighthearted so I didn't stick to a specific pattern in my tape colors or placement! I also used a variety of different colors and sizes for tape. Before stringing the banner, I made sure that the letters were in the correct order so that I wouldn't have to go back and restring them! (can you spot the one out of place??) The string became a bit unraveled as I strung the banner which was a little difficult. I also had to adjust the banner a few times to make sure I liked my spacing (I found an inch between each triangle looked best!)
I was so excited when my close friend Caroline told me that her boyfriend, Matt, would be visiting while I was home! We took these photos in Lambs Canyon and Park City, Utah. We were all talking about how warm it was in comparison to the weather we were having and then (of course!) the weather took a turn, started to snow and became super cold. Luckily, we still managed to get some cute pictures before we all were too cold to continue.
xoxo Shannon Millcreek Winter from Shannon Brown on Vimeo.
Here is a short film I made while taking some photos with friends up in the mountains of Utah! We lasted about 20 minutes outside before we were all too cold and wet from the blizzard of snow.
xoxo Shannon The Salt Flats are probably one of the coolest sites I have ever seen in Utah (although Zion National Park still takes the cake in my book!) While I was home for Thanksgiving Break, we decided to do a mini roadtrip for the day to take pictures at the Salt Flats because I needed some scenery photos for my photography class that I took this semester. While we were there, we took some family photos and I am so happy with how they turned out. It had rained/snowed the night before so the thin layer of water that was reflecting the mountains created such an amazing backdrop. It was definitely worth the 2.5 hour drive!
I am currently sitting on my couch at home watching Star Wars Episode 4 with my little brother-life is good. xoxo Shannon Thanksgiving 2015 from Shannon Brown on Vimeo.
This Thanksgiving was exactly what I needed-time with family, yummy homemade food and lots of fun and laughter. My Uncle Mike (aka the Game Master) bought a really fun board game called Code Names that entertained us for hours.
Enjoy this short video I made of our day! Remember in my last post how I said I am lucky to have so many amazing people in my life? Well, here they are :)
One of the most defining parts of my college experience so far has been being part of the Agora Society. Agora is where I have found lifelong sisters and I am so grateful for the friendships I have made by being part of Agora. Here are a few photos from our Winter Formal last weekend. xoxo Shannon If you follow this blog you realize that I haven't posted in a very long time. This semester has been a bit of a rollercoaster for me. I have had some of the highest highs of my life and some of the lowest lows I have ever experienced. I discovered a lot about myself this semester and I realized how quickly life as you know it can change. This semester I have learned how important it is to love yourself. Too often this semester I caught myself thinking 'you can be better', 'you can be smarter', 'you can work harder'. Sometimes (most times) I put too much pressure on myself. Some pressure is good, it keeps us motivated towards a goal. However, it is incredibly important to recognize the healthy line between enough and too much pressure. Through all the craziness, I am so beyond lucky to have some pretty amazing friends and an incredible boyfriend who have supported me unconditionally.
As finals approach for students everywhere, remember to love yourself. Let yourself take a study break, take time to sleep (and eat and shower), and stay positive. All you can do is your best. xoxo Shannon (The photographs in this post are from my trip to SLC over Thanksgiving break, I love the mountains!!) I (finally!) feel settled into my new home! This weekend we had Fall Break and I was able to finish unpacking, organize and clean my desk/shelves/bed! (oh and catch up on FIVE loads of laundry...)
Delaney and I absolutely love our room this year! Not only do we have a beautiful sunset view, but we also have much more space than we did last year. To celebrate fall, I bought a few items from Target's dollar section including some cute Halloween tins and the pumpkin pillow you can see on our window seat. One of my favorite parts of my decor this year is my pictures that I have hanging over my desk with different colored clothes pins. This project is super cheap and easy and is a quick way to cover up an empty wall. I printed my photos at Walgreens and bought the clips/string from Michael's Craft store. I then hung them up with clear command hooks. I also invested in a tapestry to hang over my bed and hung Christmas lights behind it so it looks really beautiful and cozy at night! The throw pillows (here and here) were also a quick and easy way to add some color to my room! xoxo Shannon It's not often that Dani and I both have a large chunk of time to spend with each other. However, because we both had a long weekend, we were able to abandon work for an afternoon and visit some of Boston's most beautiful historic sites together. The Freedom Trail is one of Boston's most popular attractions. It is a trail that runs for 2.5 miles through 16 historically significant sites in the Boston area. Dani and I decided to just dedicate our afternoon to two of the sites and grab dinner after. We visited the USS Constitution as well as Bunker Hill Monument (both of which are free to the public!!). We then grabbed coffee in one of the little shops near Bunker Hill and had dinner at the Navy Yard Bistro (where we had Crème Brûlée for dessert!) The houses and apartments around Bunker Hill are incredibly beautiful (I am a sucker for gorgeous brick buildings). I begged Dani to take pictures of me throwing leaves in the air. I wanted it to look something like this. However, it ended up more like this (LOL): Not the most graceful experience (but hey, expectation vs. reality right??) All in all, it was an absolutely beautiful fall day! Dani and I are trying to take advantage of this nice weather before we are locked inside because of snow
xoxo, Shannon September was an exciting month for me! Here are a few updates and exciting tid-bits that happened this month.
I'm really busy with a lot of exciting upcoming projects including more content for this blog-stay tuned! xoxo, Shannon
In late June, my family and I went to Seattle, WA and Victoria, BC. While I have been to Seattle before, this was my first time visiting Victoria and it is definitely somewhere I want to visit again. We went hiking on the coast in East Sooke Park and visited the beautiful Buchart Gardens. It was pretty amazing. Here is a little video I made highlighting the trip.
Seattle and Victoria from Shannon Brown on Vimeo.
xoxo
Shannon I absolutely love decorating my dorm room but I am always looking for affordable and easy ways to do it. Today, I am sharing some really cute FREE printables for your dorm room. Once you have your printables, hang them up with cute washi tape or stickers!
xoxo Shannon I had the wonderful opportunity to shoot with beautiful Caroline, one of my closest friends from high school. We had so much fun and took advantage of the gorgeous setting light over the Salt Lake valley. After, we headed to Sugarhouse, one of my favorite neighborhoods in Salt Lake. xoxo
Shannon I have hesitated writing this post because I don't want it to come across too "preachy" but I think it deserves to be blogged and talked about. About three weeks ago I got rid of all of my social media. Facebook, Yik Yak, Snapchat and Instagram.
So why did I do it? I have a few reasons.
Now don't get me wrong. I do miss it. I wan't to see what my friends are up to. I wan't to send silly pictures over snapchat to my cousin. But, I don't miss feeling like I have to open the apps every hour (or every ten minutes). I don't miss how negative I felt about myself and the pictures I posted. I don't think this will be a permanent thing and I probably will slowly add social media back into my life. And in no way am I criticizing anyone who loves social media. I think it is a wonderful and powerful thing and there are so many things I do love about it. However, for now, I am going to take a vacation. Ice cream, pizza, fries. It seems like university dining halls are just full of constant "comfort food" temptation. Especially not having a kitchen, it is so easy to fall into unhealthy eating patterns (I know I did my freshman year!) but here are a few tips I have learned along the way and strive to follow!
Comment below with any tips that you may have for eating healthy while living in the dorms! xoxo Shannon I love summer because there is just SO much to do outside. Hiking, concerts, festivals, picnics. One of my favorite things in Salt Lake is the farmer's market downtown on Saturday mornings. To be honest, I don't really know how much typical produce costs but I can imagine the farmer's market is probably pricier than your average grocery store. However, there is just something so cool to me about buying fruits and veggies from places in the state I live. If you like limeade, you have to check out this stuff (pictured above) at the farmers market. Made with fresh limes and mint, it is delicious. xoxo
Shannon There is something so peaceful about watching the sunset. It is hard to describe in words. Tonight my friend said "Isn't it sad that we have to take pictures of the sunset?" as we sat on this tall rock (pictured above) at the trailhead of Mount Olympus. I have thought about that a lot since. Why exactly do we spend so much time taking pictures, editing them and posting them on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and (in my case) this blog? I love taking photos because for me, it makes me focus on the here and now. I have a real problem with thinking too much about the future. Photography makes me stop and notice the beauty that is around me in that moment. It also forces me to look at everything in a different way. Still, I understand what my friend means. Why do I feel this urge to share my photos? Why do I feel like I have to share everything on Instagram? I think that in ten+ years from now I will be grateful that I have captured all of these moments. Life is a beautiful thing and while I don't think that you need to take photos of every life event, someday you may be glad that you had those pictures of that beautiful sunset.
xoxo Shannon ps: no editing was done on these photos...that is how beautiful the light was tonight :) I am at this weird point in my life where I want summer to speed up (I miss Dani, my friends from school and Wellesley) but at the same time slow down (I love free time, hanging with my family, my internship and seeing my friends from home). Still, as always, time is flying by and I have been home now for a month. So what have I been doing with this elusive free time? Hiking, reading (for fun!), hanging with friends and spending time downtown for my internship with the Development Office for the Utah Symphony! Last week, I started my internship and I cannot wait for the exciting summer ahead. During the month of June I will be in the downtown office preparing for the Deer Valley Music festival and then starting in July and August I will spend a lot of time in Park City and Deer Valley for the Summer Concert Series! I work with the nicest people and this internship always keeps me on my toes with so many fun and challenging projects. xoxo
Shannon The "natural makeup look" is something that I have noticed a lot lately in advertising. While I am a huge supporter in people deciding for themselves how they want to wear makeup, I really do not like that this new trend is being promoted as natural. The natural look I know is what I look like when camping-my hair in a pony tail, my face makeup-less. I don't have a hint of bronzer or a dab of mascara. My face is covered in sunscreen, bug spray and dirt as it usually is when I am camping. So why on earth should the "natural" makeup look involve sooo much work when it is something that, in theory, should take no time at all? The media shows us what they know we want. Most people want natural and effortless beauty. They want to look like they "aren't trying". The media targets us with ideas, products and advertisements that make them money and help us feel like we are achieving these goals. This Real Simple tutorial on "How to Do a Natural, No Makeup Look", will give you "expert tips for fresh, flawless makeup that looks, well, like you’re not wearing makeup." And this Your Tango tutorial will provide you with tips on "the natural makeup look guys LOVE". Makeup is something that should be done not to please guys (thanks Your Tango...) or to look like your not wearing makeup! Makeup is something that should be done because people feel confident when they wear it or have fun experimenting with it. I don't wake up in the morning and say "I wan't to look like I am not wearing makeup while wearing makeup". I wear makeup because honestly, I like the way it looks and I like the way I look wearing it. This advertisement tells you to "celebrate your inner beauty"...by buying their beauty product? This skin matching makeup is even called "Beyond Natural" and is "naturally glamorous" and "never overdone". Natural beauty is something that we are all born with. I love makeup but I also love the days when I go without it. What is important is that our beauty and self-worth is not defined by how naturally beautiful we are or even our looks in general. Young people face so many pressures from media to look and act a certain way as it is. The last thing we need are advertisements telling us what is considered "natural".
Remember, "you were born to be real, not to be perfect". xoxo Shannon Other than finals and packing up all of my stuff to move out of my dorm room, May was a great month! I had the opportunity to travel to both Florida and Colorado, spend some time at home, and play violin at a good friend's wedding. I spent almost a week hiking, shopping and hanging out with Dani and his family in Colorado Springs and Denver. Between the end of the classes and finals, I spent a few days in Florida with my brother and his cute family. It was so nice to relax on what is rated "the best beach in America" (Siesta Key) for a bit. To end, I played violin as my mom's best friend Tonya walked down the aisle with her beautiful family. It was an absolutely gorgeous wedding! I have a week of summer left before my internship starts! I can't wait!
xoxo Shannon My first year of college is officially over and I want to highlight the eight most important things I learned this year. It has been quite the adventure and I have grown so much since August. By no means has it been perfect and there have been quite a lot of hardship along the way but I am so lucky to have had this opportunity and I am so grateful for everyone who has made my education a possibility.
1. Be proud of who you are and where you came from but be open to new ideas. 2. Life is not perfect. Nothing is perfect. And it's okay to be sad sometimes. 3. You have to make sacrifices. Whether that means staying in on a Friday night to study or ditching the library for a few hours to relax and take your mind off work. Part of college is learning how to balance everything (this is still something I am working on) 4. Sleep is so important. Part of the reason I got so sick first semester is because I didn't take sleep seriously. For your mental and physical health it is important to not skip out on those zzzs. 5. It's okay to change your major 50 times. I went from Economics to International Relations to Political Science to Media Arts and Sciences. Part of college is discovering passions you never knew you had. 6. Surround yourself with people who genuinely care about you. They will support you through the good and bad times. I'm lucky enough to have found a lot of these kinds of people. 7. Don't sign up for a million things! I'm the type of person who loves to do everything and can't say no. It's important to find a few things you love rather than try and do it all. 8. Nothing ever turns out how you expect it to. That's what makes life a big adventure. I have spent my first two days home relaxing, catching up with friends and family and watching A LOT of Netflix. Xoxo Shannon |
Welcome!Welcome to my little piece of the internet. Here you will find college, lifestyle and photography posts. I am a twenty year old blogger living my dream in Boston, MA. Latest on Instagram:
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