hello again

Since the last time we talked, I have finished my job in Yellowstone, attended my best friend's wedding, roadtripped 2000+ miles back home, reunited with my family and friends, and began my last semester of college. It has been exciting and tumultuous and bittersweet and nostaligic and I've never been more thankful for stillness.

It's nice to settle back into a routine after a summer of constant adventuring. I'm looking forward to getting back on this blog, I've missed crafting and sharing my projects with you guys! I have hundreds of photos from this summer to sift through, but when I do I want to create a travel diary to share the highlights.
 
Thanks for sticking around after this summer's hiatus. I can't wait to see what the next few months have in store, and sharing it all with you.

xoJordan

Colorado Roadtrip

Four short months ago Dylan found out the exciting news that he landed the job he had been hoping for in the city he had been dreaming about. Fast foward to June, where we packed up his belongings, squeezed ourselves and a dog into his car, and began the 20+ hour drive from Tuscaloosa, AL to Denver, CO.


We drove. And drove. And drove some more. We did the whole trip without stopping overnight. We had good music, a large dog, and each other to keep ourselves going.


The sun began to rise as we drove through Kansas and neared Colorado.


Finally, we reached the border. It was early in the morning but we excitedly pulled over, stretched our legs, and took lots of pictures. As we continued driving, the mountains came into view in front of us. We were in Colorado.


A few hours later, we arrived in Denver at Dylan's new house. We spent the day napping, getting a few new home essentials, and cooked the first meal.


That evening we went downtown, exploring Dylan's new home.


Denver is beautiful. You can be in the middle of the city and look to the horizon and see the snow capped Rocky Mountains surrounding you. For every few blocks of buildings, there is a green park somewhere nearby. There is a perfect mix of the historic beginnings and modern life.


The rest of the week was spent exploring Denver, hiking everywhere, lots of picnic-ing in parks and mountains, eating so much good food, and enjoying the last few days we had with each other.














It was an absolutely beautiful week and I am so grateful I was able to tag along with Dylan for the beginning of this exciting new chapter of his life. Bittersweet goodbyes were said, one last hug in the airport before I traveled back to Tuscaloosa. But only temporary goodbyes, only until next time.



I put together a video of our adventures, a memory of our perfect first week in Colorado.

Follow Dylan on instagram: dylan.mcc

DIY surf wax candle

My favorite summer days are those spent driving with the windows down, surf boards stacked on top of the car, staying all day at the beach, and coming home salty, tired, and ready to do it all again the next day. To bring some of these summertime vibes into my room (and to remind me of sunny days even when the weather turns cold), I created these surf wax candles.

These could not be simpler to make! And if you've never smelled surf wax- it pretty much smells like summer in a bar of wax (aka the best scent in the world).


I picked up some surf wax from a local surf shop (Coastal Edge). I found that Sex Wax melts well (and the colors are gorgeous). I tried Sticky Bumps also, and it was thicker and harder to use (but the candle still came out all right!).

You'll also need glass containers for the candles (I found some at the thrift store) and candle wicks (I got mine from Michael's craft store).


I melted my wax in a glass jar placed inside a pot of boiling water. (You could also use a recycled metal can- that way you can throw it away when you're done).


When the wax was completely melted, I removed the jar from the pot with potholders, and poured the wax into my candle container. I quickly placed the wick in the middle of the candle, and made this popsicle stick contraption to hold it in the middle.


After the candles were completely hardened, I trimmed the wick- and they were finished! (Note: next time I'm going to save a little wax to melt and pour over the top of the candle when it's hardened, to fill in the indentation around the wick).






I think everyone needs one of these rad, surf wax candles in their life. I kind of want to make a million of these now (don't be surprised if you get one from me for Christmas).

Have a lovely weekend- go out and enjoy the summertime weather! (And then come inside and make a few of these candles).

DIY adventure fund jar // video tutorial

You've probably seen pictures of these "adventure jars" all over tumblr or Pinterest. I was inspired to make my own, so I can start saving up for future trips and adventures!


To decorate my jar, I printed one of my photos from an adventure I had last summer in California. I attached it to the inside of the jar with washi tape, and created a dangly, beaded charm to wrap around the top. I really love how it turned out, and seeing it on my dresser definitely motivates me to keep adding money to it to save up for my next great adventure!


I created a video to show exactly how I made my jar. I hope you enjoy!
Check out my Youtube channel

city explorers

Have you ever tried being a tourist in your own city? With our cameras around our necks, my friend Allison and I explored our small southern town.


We stopped by a thrift store (I found a cute, vintage skirt!).


We found the charming corners of town that most people don't stop to see.


It was a lovely way to spend a summer afternoon.


♥

travel diaries: Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach is my hometown. I spend part of my summer there every year, and I love it. My time in Virginia Beach is the epitome of summer; sunny days spent in the ocean, slurpee stops at 7-eleven, family jam sessions, browsing surf shops, riding bikes on the boardwalk, and staying up late laughing with my cousin.


The fourth of July was a lot of fun. We spent the day surfing, came home to have a barbecue with the entire family, and then had a mini fireworks celebration by the pool.


Friends and family make every night fun.


Most nights when we're all together, the musicians of the family bring out their guitars and we have a jam session.

I named this board Tim. I had lots of fun with him and it was hard to say goodbye (as I was only borrowing him for the week from my aunt's neighbor).


There's nothing like stopping for a slurpee after a long day at the beach.


I basically live in my swimsuit while I'm in Virginia. No complaints here, there's nothing more comfortable than swimsuits and tank tops.


And before I left, my cousin and I decided to try to make cake pops. Well, it ended up being a bit of a disaster (it was pretty funny actually) and these are the only ones I could salvage for a picture.

I've missed Virginia ever since I left. The rest of my summer's going to be pretty quiet, but I think that's exactly what I need before I move to college next month.

I hope everyone is having an amazing summer! ♥

travel diaries: California

California was amazing. I don't know how else I can describe it. I have fallen in love and now I can't wait to go back. Being there with my best friend made it even more memorable, and we are already planning when we can make another trip out there. I had over a thousand pictures to go through from my trip, so you can imagine it was very hard to choose which ones I would post. But here are some of my favorites, so you can have a glimpse at my adventures in California.



My love of Cali began as our plane flew into LA. This is quite a different sight for me to see, since I currently live in a small town in Alabama.


Our first stop was the beach, of course. This is Huntington. My first step on a west coast beach was breathtaking. In front of you is the huge expanse of the ocean, behind you are palm trees, and far off in the distance are the mountains. It is perfect.


Huntington happens to be one of the top surfing beaches in the area, so it was a lot of fun watching the surfers. I wish I could have tried something new and surfed the pacific waves, I'm used to surfing the small waves in my hometown, Virginia Beach.


After this I knew I was in love with the west coast.


We pretended we were real Californians and went from the beach to In-n-Out. One word: delicious. Yes, it is everything everyone describes it as, and better.


Nothing can compare to the beaches of California, but walking around LA was a lot of fun too. It was almost surreal seeing the Hollywood sign. I've seen it so many times in movies and on tv, so finally seeing it in person was very cool.


I love that there are palm trees everywhere, so pretty.


Sometimes doing the tourist-y things is fun. Like having your picture taken next to James Franco's star on the Walk of Fame.


Everywhere you turn there is something interesting to see, like this graffiti wall I snapped a photo of.



Santa Monica was another beach we had to go to. The cliffs on the seaside are beautiful.


But not as beautiful as the ocean.


There was a row of cute little shops near Santa Monica Pier.


My friend Allison and I running off of the lifeguard stand. Shh, don't tell.


We stayed at Santa Monica through sunset. It was a stunning sight. The mountains and palm trees were silhouettes against the pink and purple sky.


The fog rolled in as the sun set, creating a purple haze over the sea. We sat on the shore, watching the waves darken as the light faded from the sky.


Before long it was dark, and the lights of the city twinkled behind us.


Our flight home was early in the morning. We wanted one more thing to remember our trip to California, so we had frozen yogurt for breakfast in the airport.


After a long layover in-between flights, we ended our journey by flying at sunset. Hooray for window seats on the airplane!


I came home with a few souvenirs, including some postcards among other things.

If you stuck with me through that long post, yay! I hope I conveyed at least a little bit of the beauty of California. If you want to see more photos, I posted them in a set on my flickr. (But still only a small bundle compared to the massive amount I took.)

My last stop of my summer travels was Virginia Beach. I will post all about it soon!

Font used in top photo: Little Sparrow

All photos Copyright Jordan Clark, 2013.
Please do not use any of them without my permission. Thank you!