Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving and Black Friday

To start things off, here is the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade on video if you've missed it (like me):

For Thanksgiving, my family ended up having much more to do than we expected a month prior to the day. My middle sister visited with her boyfriend for breakfast at our place, we headed over to my best friend's house for lunch, and then went over to my aunt and uncle's condo for dessert.

As for Black Friday, it wasn't anywhere near as Thanksgiving, but I still did some shopping.

Picked these up at my nearby thrift store. A few pairs of knee length socks, some tights, and covers for my boots.

I also got all the essentials for my own Christmas tree. I was planning on getting a 4 ft - 5 ft tree, but I got a 6 ft one that was at a great deal for $27. And here is the tree all decorated up.

Other news? You might have noticed I haven't made any projects related to Christmas. I personally am focusing on more personal projects and getting gifts ready before the big day. I'm thinking I'll work on holiday themed ideas at the beginning of 2017 so I'm prepared ahead of time.

One last thing to mention is that I plan to buy a microphone and headphone set so I can actually get to work on video blogs. I'm excited to get started on that when I can.

Welp, got to get back to art projects! Will write again soon.

- Alanna

This is how I Like to Spend my Nights

Burning the incense and lighting up the candles while relaxing at my desk. (I actually took this picture last Friday, but it's still relevant).

❤︎

- Alanna

...

I apologize for this post about the election for being a few days late. The results on election night came out when it was time for me to get to bed, the day after I was physically exhausted from being able to get little sleep, and the other two days I ended up two busy to sit down and write. But here I am now.

If you noticed from what I have written earlier, I was in complete shock over the results. I voted for Clinton and was completely sure that she was going to win. But nope, Trump won by electoral college. I'm legitimately terrified what's going to happen in these four years. I pictured wanting to move to Canada, and basically escape. Sadly I can't because I'm too poor to live off a decent income if I were to move.

The short answer to all of this is that I didn't want Trump to win. Can he end up doing better than a lot us think? Maybe, it's possible, but for now I'm going to remain skeptical.

The most that we can all do is look out for one another, stay up to date on current events and try to volunteer for each other. That's what I'm going to do. We made it through the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, other shady folks as our presidents, and at least one other economic recession. We can make it through this. Let's keep fighting for our rights!

- Alanna

Mandatory Election Post

Won't post who I voted for tonight. I'll say who I voted for tomorrow. Also I'm looking at the current results through Yahoo in case you want a way to stay updated!

Half true and half false

Meant to post a picture for Halloween, or more specifically, one with the costume I wore. I really didn't like how my costume turned out, which is why I'm showing an image that merely fits the theme of the holiday.

Now I'm off to get ready for the holidays.

(Note to self, don't make promises on this blog).

- Alanna

Been Absent Yet Again

Hey, just thought I'd check in to do a quick update to explain what's going on. First and foremost I went shopping at Michael's and Target today and got the supplies needed to create a stim bottle. Here's what it looks like:

(That's my cat Sora meowing in the background by the way.)

And if you want to make one too, here's some instructions on my Instagram with the same video.

As for why I haven't been as engaged in social media? Perhaps the main reason is that more recently I've been coming across multiple users that have made me very uncomfortable. By uncomfortable, I mean users that have a set of "rules" about who gets to interact with them, along with shippers who try to police what other's should ship, and pretty much anyone that has been acting aggressive over this upcoming election. I normally don't post stuff like this, but I want to at least try to find out why I've less active. Another unrelated reason might be because I'm now almost 23 and have been busy with a job and other outside activities. A lot of my online stuff is done more through lurking than chatting with people.

As for videos, roleplaying, and other fandom related stuff, I've been having creative blocks and no motivation for a very long time. A lot of this has to do with a lot of the increased drama I've witnessed in the numerous types of media I have an interest in. When it comes to fandom, chances are it'll only be between friends of mine and the occasional fan works I enjoy.

Still, I'm not off the web entirely. I mostly watch YouTube videos, browse Tumblr, TV Tropes, visit Facebook, and post on Instagram. I'm always up for chatting if anyone wants to drop a message too!

Speaking of Tumblr, I'm currently putting together two new blogs. The first one is going to focus on The Cartoon Network Powerhouse era or more specifically, Cartoon Network during the years 1997 - 2004. Why? Because that's when I enjoyed the channel the most and I have happy memories from when I watched it during that time period. Even looking at it now, I believe this is when the channel had the largest variety of cartoons. From Hanna-Barbera, to MGM, to the Toonami block, to the original Cartoon Cartoons, there's so much to share on a blog focused around these years of Cartoon Network! I'll display the link on this blog when it's up and running. There will also be gif sets of the bumpers I'm currently working on posted here.

The other blog I have planned will be focused around witchcraft, which I have just been getting into, but I haven't practiced it yet. It'll primarily be focused on gemstones, flowers, herbs, candles, and any spells with instructions I come across.

That's all for now. Next post will be about what I'm dressing up as for Halloween. Promise!

- Alanna

Been over a month since I last updated

Hey, everyone. Apologies for being out of touch with social media. I've been meaning to organize my schedule better so I can make the most out of the time I have available. This includes the courses I'm taking on Alison along with Codecademy, staying caught up on Duolingo while still working on my designs.

I've been recently getting over a sore throat this week. Luckily, I am almost completely recovered from it thanks to some cough drops. I've also been using peppermint tea and aromatherapy to help as well.

On the plus side, I've been working out more consistently thanks to the weight room for my apartment.

The recreation room really helps keep you motivated.

I've also been busy putting together some textures to liven up my designs. Here are some of them I've made. I'll upload them to deviantART when I get the first batch of them completed

And to celebrate the upcoming fall, I recently sketched out a drawing that'll be made into an illustration for products in my art shops.

In other news, I'm still trying to organize my room, and I'm planning to do some shopping soon with fall rapidly approaching. I'm especially excited for fall because this will be my first year without going back to school for fall. I'll admit, I do miss the feeling you get when you're in an academic setting, but at the same time it's a huge relief not having to juggle classes and work. I think it'll be much easier to appreciate every aspect of the holidays from putting together a costume for Halloween, to preparing for guests for Thanksgiving, to shopping for the family for Christmas, and celebrating with the family on New Year's Eve. All that includes working in retail leading up to each holiday. Am I going to work for a bachelor's in graphic design when I have the time and money? Maybe. But on the other hand, a bachelor's isn't particularly necessary with graphic design when it is really the portfolio and internship is essential.

That's all I have for now. I hope this is the last time I suddenly drop this blog I've been trying to update semi-regularly.

- Alanna

Went to a diner on Tuesday

So here are some pictures c: All of them were taken at the Band Box Diner.

Been feeling a little out of it

Sorry about everything being so quiet! I'm admittedly trying to figure out a system to keep my plans more organized. I'm mostly focused on getting my room clean at the moment and between then updating my art shops.

I've had an idea of creating a new YouTube channel for speed drawings as a way to show what updates I have. I might even throw in some web designs and animations too. I just need to get a good speaker for these videos.

When I get back into a better flow, I want to also want to share pictures for any fun trips I've been part of around my town and near by cities along with shopping I've done. I've been planning to start collections of gemstones, herbs/spices, candles, and incense for creating spells along with what I consider to be a nostalgic collection that's going to feature toys, CDs, and other older technology that will serve as a way to make me happy due to the fact I'm a nostalgic person in general.

And for any of you who are planning to go into 3D animation, Blender offers a software program for free, so check it out if you're interested!

That's all for now, hopefully the next post will have more interesting tidbits overall.

- Alanna

Looking for free online classes?

https://alison.com/ is a great place to try that has over 700 courses! You can also create a new account just by using Google+

I'm going to use it to brush up on art and learn animation along with brushing up on web design and possibly learn languages, psychology, and history too.

- Alanna

Slowing Sliding in from a Hiatus

Hey, everyone! I'm well aware of how silent I have been, and I can blame that on the last month of my semester with being incredibly busy putting together a portfolio show with my class.

Here are some pictures displayed below of my portfolio stand.

And if you're wondering what my overall mood was putting this together, well... here you go!

I'll be making this into a digital illustration when I have the time.

Because of all this, I am officially done with college! I was initially going to consider a transfer, but graphic design is one of those programs where the portfolio is what really matters in the end, and the degree I went for is an AAS degree, which is specifically a degree designed for going into the career you studied for right afterwards.

Other than that, my summer has been a bit of a lazy one at the moment, besides going to work obviously. I've mostly been getting into the idea of creating a cartoon block by watching a large variety of shows based on the day of the week. Currently it's Tom and Jerry on Mondays, Loony Tunes on Tuesdays, Felix the Cat on Wednesdays, cartoons by the Fleischers (Popeye, Betty Boop, Out of the Inkwell) on Thursdays, Cartoon Network's What a Cartoon! on Fridays, and more current cartoons on the weekends. This is meant to help expand what kind of cartoons I watch, and I want to bring a nostalgic vibe to my life. Why? Nostalgia is one of the main things that keeps me happy. It helps lay out my life in simpler terms which makes it much easier for me to finish anything I need to get done. Learning how to take some time out of the day for a scheduled cartoon I think will also help me manage my time better.

I also want to put time aside to learn how to do web design and animation better along with learning new languages, getting into a proper workout routine, practicing meditation, reading the books my dad loaned me for my Amazon Kindle app, and of course creating designs to sell online.

So I basically have a lot on my plate that I want to get to. I just got to get my room more organized so everything goes more smoothly. It's a lot to improve on, but because I only have work I need to focus on as opposed to college being in the mix, it shouldn't be too hard.

- Alanna

It's been very quiet lately

Hey, everyone. Apologies for the inactivity. My family and I have been very busy with packing and have moved to an apartment. I haven't had internet for a while, but I just purchased an Xfinity internet pass, and I can now get online through my laptop. I now have a room too :D I'm going to be working on creating a desired atmosphere for this room by collecting some fun colorful LED lights, get my desk set-up which I want to place my lamp and various gemstones on top of, and purchase a night stand for my bedside. I'm going for a retro-zen style.

I'm also very busy with getting my portfolio together for the end of the semester and helping my class get our portfolio show ready.

It's a tall order, but I think I can handle it all.

- Alanna

Some Concepts I Did for Class

Damn, I really need to update this blog more, sorry guys. Work, school, and working on art projects end up making me forget about this blog occasionally. But here are some concept logos I made for my group back at the beginning on the semester.

The fonts in the last three were created by one of the people in my group. I just vectored it.

As for right now, this week really hasn't been the best. From getting an intolerable ear infection, to having damaged glasses that will cost over $300 to get them replaced, to needing to reschedule my appointment for new glasses, to getting ready to move out at the end of March, I'm in a low slump right now. I really want to spend time with my friends, but I feel like they're busy right now too.

Still, there's a very good chance I'll finally have my own room when my family and I move, and this Friday night I'll likely be heading out to a roller rink, which will likely be fun!

And for my videos, I'm going to try to create a schedule for them within the time I have, and I'll likely have a video going over stuff around Christmas time, and what's happening right around now too.

That's all for now.

- Alanna

Moving Things Forward

Hey, everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. There have been several things I've been meaning to do before Christmas, but there is always next year, so I'll work on those in secret so there ready when the time comes around.

I spent Christmas at home with my family, and my friend's family came over too which was nice. Here is a picture of what I got.

(One of the family's cats Benny snuck her way into this photo)

The picture includes:

• Chocolate and lots of other candy
• A bag of loose leaf tea
• A tea leaf holder that's shaped like a manatee.
• A coffee warmer
• Small tubes to hold shampoo, conditioner, etc. for travel
• Bamboo pencils
• A jar for pencils and brushes
• Buddhist meditation flags
• Chibi Stitch plushie
• Betty Boop pajamas
• Underwear
• A scarf
• And a kettlebell weight

For New Year's Eve, I flew out to spend time with my dad for a few days. First day was mostly watching TV, second day was a lazy day, and third day we did a little shopping.


In addition to being in Pennsylvania for New Year's, I got to meet my dad's dog Sassy! Here's a picture of the lovable little cutie right here:

I've also set up another art shop on Cupick! I'm going to spend my time for now playing catch-up until all my designs are on there. I've had an Etsy account for a long time too (before all of my other shops) that I want to get properly set-up.

And because the new semester started, I've been working on some class designs, which I'll the process to in another post fairly soon.

See ya then!

- Alanna