2020: a positive review *cue the happy tears*

Hello lovelies! Well the time has come. This year, the wonderful, wonderful year of 2020 is closing. From the time I’m writing this, at 1:22 on December 29th, there are only 2 days, 2 hours, 36 minutes and 13 seconds until 2021. This year flew by, but also crawled. It had it’s good things and it’s bad things. I’m sure we can all agree, a lot of bad happened. But we’re probably all familiar with the struggles and issues of the world this year so instead of recounting and recap-ing all that, I’m going to focus on the good. Highlight it in the post so that if you need it, hopefully this can be a pick-me-up for you! Without further ado, let’s get onto the good of 2020!!

Here’s a quote to inspire you and if I could tell you one thing, right now, looking forward at 2021, this is it.

Note to self: None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an after thought. Eat the delicious food. Walk in the sunshine. Jump in the ocean. Say the truth that you’re carrying in your heart like a hidden treasure. Be silly. Be kind. Be weird. There’s no time for anything else.

Unknown

Also while reading this post I recommend turning on some good chill tunes, it increases the good vibes 🙂 This playlist is one I’d recommend!

  • In the beginning of the year, we went to a hotel with some of my friends to celebrate their birthday and to this day, it was one of my favorite trips of the year! We haven’t been able to see these friends a lot this year because we’ve been really busy but it’s always a blast seeing them and I hope to see them soon!
  • I got my permit and successfully passed both my driving exams so I’m able to get my permit as soon as I reach the legal age here which is THRILLING. Me and my sister are already planning shopping trips and everything ❤️
  • In June, my baby brother was born and what a joy he is! He’s the sweetest, cutest little baby and on the daily I realize how amazing this life is and how much impact each person has on our lives. My baby brother is so little still and even so, I can NOT imagine life with out him.
  • My great grandma got to come out and is staying nearby with my grandparents for a while which I think is wonderful! She’s an amazing grandmother and I hadn’t been able to see her for over a year which isn’t a longggg time but still feels like it. I also got to see my great aunt when she came out so that was exciting because I love them both so much!
  • I was able to go through confirmation at my church which was amazing. It was one of the highlights of my summer and I’m so glad I was able to go through the 2 week classes. I met and got to know some great people, as well as learning more about our Lord, Jesus. So that is a huge blessing.
  • I feel like I spread my wings, and grew a lot, not so much physically because I’m still pretty short but more mentally and in more than one way. I’ve grown in my relationship with God, I’ve became more independent and brave I feel like and as far as my mental health, it’s not amazing 24/7 but I’m happy with where I’m at right now.
  • I’ve met some new friends and grown in my relationships with other friends who I’ve known for a while. This is a huge thing for me as my friends are amazing people who really are there for me whenever and I’m so so so so so so thankful for them all!
  • Last but certainly not least, my blog. This year was a crazy ride and having my blog to express my self and keep me busy while staying home and staying un-busy has been wonderful! I’ve “met” so many amazing people through the blogosphere and it’s a beautiful thing to be able to connect over the internet. My blogging journey isn’t anything big so far but im very excited to see where this takes me in the coming year!

Now for a little bit of happy pictures I’ve taken this year ❤

and a bit more 😉

And that wraps up my 2020. This year had ups and downs, rough times and good times, and some people came into my life and some left. Ok now I’m done the my attempt at a poetic summary of my year but here it is simply. It wasn’t a great year, but I’m choosing to highlight the joys. I hope you can find the joys of 2020 for you, in your life, and to end of this post, I wish you the happiest new year!!

Thanks for reading, it means the most ❤

How was your 2020? What were some of the highlights of your year? Comment down below and let me know, I’d love to chat about what made you happy this year 💛

x, Jasmin

DIY Pen-pal pocket envelope *hurries to make more*

Hello! How are you today? Welcome or welcome back to my blog!

Today I’m back with a super fun post, that includes pen-paling so it’s gotta be awesome! I’ve been having a ton of fun sending out (and receiving) Christmas themed mail and although this isn’t Christmas themed, you can definitely make it more festive! Anyways, I got the idea for this from a collaboration I did this summer with the lovely Karen from her Etsy shop, HanjiKraft. The Inso for this project came from her happy mail kit she sent me and I absolutely loved hers so I decided I wanted to try it myself! Here’s a link to my post I did about her product, just in case you missed it 🙂 Anyways, I figured this would be a fun post and I hope you enjoy it! Let’s begin!

Supplies!

  • 2 envelopes, that are the same size and shape
  • washi tape
  • some fun patterned paper and ephemera
  • scissors
  • glue

So, first step. Take two of the same envelopes, make sure they’re the same size!

Now, cut off the flaps on both envelopes. I know, I know. If you’re any bit like me and treasure each and every envelope, this part can be a bit sad. But I promise the end result is worth it!

Now, tape the envelopes together with the pockets showing face up, so it can fold like a card! I taped both sides, the inside and out and I just taped it with a cute washi tape!

Next, grab that cute paper and ephemera I mentioned in the supplies list and flip over and fold your envelope pocket. Tape or glue the paper like a college on the fun part, sticking whatever you want, wherever you want! This is the real fun part, be creative!

Ta-da!!! Here’s how mine turned out, I really really like it 🤩 I also used a white gel pen to create the dots on the back of the envelope, just to add a special unique touch. And that’s all! What’d you think? I love how this turned out and it’s so so cute and easy, literally only took me like 15-20 minutes to make and now I have a cute little envelope pocket thing to stick in a letter! It’s also super fun to fill up the pockets on both sides with your letter and extra goodies and etc. All around just a fun little diy!


And that’s all for today! I hope you enjoyed, and let me know in the comments what you thought of this post! I had a lot of fun creating this, DIY penpal stuff is always so fun to craft and create ❤

Have a wonderful day and thanks so much for reading, it means the most 💛

x, Jasmin

Giveaway winner! *cheers*

Hey guys! How are y’all doing today? Today I’m back to announce the winner of my giveaway that I recently held in honor of reaching 300 followers on my blog! Without further ado, the winner is:

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Marcy! Thank you guys all so much for entering, this was a lot of fun to host and I really hope to host another soon!

Congratulations to Marcy! I’ll ship out your prize asap!

have a wonderful night!

x, Jasmin

Life is worth living. — Sunshine & Rain

Hey guys 🙂 I wasn’t planning on posting today but Hailey posted this as I logged onto my computer to do some school tonight and I feel that this is a very important issue, please please please read this. thank you, have a lovely night and do a little something extra for yourself today or tonight, whether its making yourself a cup of tea, taking ten minutes to sit and relax, not texting that person or whatever it is for you. You are loved and valued, so so much.

x, Jasmin

Hey guys, I bet this won’t be the Blogmas post you were expecting, but Welcome to Blogmas Day #8 here on Sunshine & Rain. I am not going to fully label this as Blogmas, because today is going to be a different topic. It’s not holiday related, but it’s something I really need to say. […]

Life is worth living. — Sunshine & Rain
ONE GRACEFUL TEEN

the shenanigans of my teenage life

Pretty Little Scribbles

dream ★ write ★ inspire

A Curly Sue’s Ramblings

Lifestyle, reviews, books and more!

Peach & Poppy Co.

writing more letters

THE SISTER SITE

A Teenage Perspective

The Blog Girl <3

lifestyle/food/positivity/environmental blogger <3

caraacarmen

Teen Lifestyle Blog

The Simple Little things

Makeup|Lifestyle|Skincare

by mills

be the energy you want to attract :)

Eliza LeBlanc

read. create. have joy.

Blogging and Bubble Tea

avid boba drinker & blogger extraordinaire | est. 2020

Grace in Honduras

the everyday life of an mk.