Have no fear my decorating minions, get your hot glue guns ready and lets get crafty!

Let’s Make… Picture frames! Posters are so…mainstream. Everyone has them. Why not hang your own pictures in personalized frames?

 This is an easy craft. You can find ready-made frames for cheap at any dollar store, walmart, or craft store. All you need to do is decorate with fabric, sequins, or little plastic accents…things you can again find at walmart or a craft store. Just apply them with your hot glue gun…and there you have it!

Let’s Make… Beaded curtains!  This project will take a little more time to finish, but it allows your mind to go to a zen-like place while you do it.

You will need: Beads! Fishing line and a tension curtain rod.

First measure your door frame and decide how thick you want your curtain to be. Thicker curtains call for more beads. Cut your fishing line to fit, and then start stringing your beads (this part takes awhile).

Once you’re done stringing all your beads,  apply them to the rod and hang. Put a dab of hot glue over the part where the beads are tied over the rod to keep the steady. There you have it!

Let’s Make… A bulletin board! Tired of all that random paper that you acquire but are to pack-raty to throw out? Make a bulletin board! You can do one of two things for this: buy a pre-made board and just paint the frame, attach some beads, or glue fabric to the edge with your hot glue gun — or, you can cover a piece of plywood with fabric (hot glue the fabric down) then crisscross ribbon over the fabric to stick notes and pictures inside.

The most important thing is to have fun doing these projects!  College can be stressful, crafting shouldn’t be.

[Crafty photo from craftzine.com]

An illustration: Back in December, I was on a plane from Bogotá to Quito. A very short distance certainly, but it was the longest journey from point A to point B I’ve ever endured.

In the end, it took me twenty four hours to fly the short 450 mile distance between the two cities. I grew a gray hair of worry that I wouldn’t be able to catch my connecting flight back to Los Angeles, but I certainly learned a great lesson that I now apply to all the impatient moments in my travel career.

In mid-flight, as we hovered over the border between Colombia and Ecuador, we passengers were informed that Quito’s international airport had closed due to bad weather and that we would be returning to Bogotá to be re-booked on a future flight to Ecuador. As you might have guessed, a Latin American riot of chaos ensued upon our arrival to the gate from whence we left two hours prior. Passengers were shouting at agents for refunds, faces were turning bright shades of red.

It was late, I was tired and, fortunately, we were treated to a stay at the Crowne Plaza that evening. Instead of complaining in my broken Spanish at the ridiculousness of the situation that was unfolding before me. I resigned myself to the reality that I would be staying in Colombia for one more night (not a bad compromise, besides). I grabbed my luggage at the baggage claim, hopped in a free shuttle to my luxury hotel, took a hot bubble bath, watched cable T.V., woke up the next morning to partake in an all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast, took the free shuttle back to the airport, and waited the necessary hours to finally board the plane (the one that actually made it) to Quito.

If ever I lose patience on my travels, I remind myself of these twenty four hours and realize that sometimes the only path you can take is the one that presents itself to you. There’s no way to will it. You just have to go with the flow.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: summer ain’t over until the school bell rings.

Before you dive headfirst into college orientation, that sophomore year daze-fest, junior year 300-level-class hell, and senior year craziness, do yourself a favor and recharge, reenergize, and take some time for yourself.

A perfect way to spend some lovely “me” time is to venture out to the beach by your lonesome.

A lot of people see the beach as a purely social thing, but I’ve trekked out there by myself a few times, and I have to say that it’s some of the most satisfying relaxation I’ve ever had. Just because some girls spend all their sun and sand time worrying about what those guys on the other blanket think, or screaming over a radio blasting Beyonce on continuous repeat, doesn’t mean you can’t find solace in the same exact place.

Here are a few tips to help you go beach-zen.

• Arrive in the early afternoon. Most people get to the beach in the morning, and often leave by the time it’s 3 or 4 o’clock. If you arrive around 12 or 1, you’re less likely to be surrounded by families with screaming kids and wayward beach volleyballs.

• Keep it light. Since it’s just going to be you, there’s no need for a giant bag bursting with stuff. Take only the essentials; some sun block, a book, some cash, a towel, water, and car keys.

• No valuables! You may want to go swimming, so bringing anything steal-worthy is not the best idea. If you really want to take a dip, but still want to keep that $20 bill and those car keys safe, consider putting them in a waterproof bag and bringing it with you, or buying one of these. If you’re not shy, asking the person sitting next to you to watch your stuff for a bit is fine too—just make sure to stay away from shifty-eyed individuals.

• Water and fruit. Staying on the beach for a while means possible dehydration, so make sure you pack yourself a big bottle of water and some fruit to keep your blood sugar up. Freezing the bottled water overnight will keep it colder longer.

• Keep it cool. Bringing a small lunchbox that’s designed to keep things cool is a great place to store your cell phone and other things you’d like to keep from melting. Plus, the fabric boxes (the ones you had in junior high that embarrassed the crap out of you?) are easily squishable and big space savers.

• Don’t worry. Don’t let the fact that you’re a single gal on a beach full of groups deter you. You don’t know them, they don’t know you…there’s really no reason to feel awkward. Besides, guys are way more likely to come up and talk to you if you’re alone than if you’re surrounded by a bunch of your bff’s.

And most of all, have fun just being by yourself. The more comfortable you are inside your own skin, the better off you’ll be. Especially when it comes time to meet all those new faces in the fall.