I've got a brand new pair of... BLOG LAYOUTS!

So...as you can see, things are looking drastically different over here at 

MY NAME IS NOT KING.

I was messing around with blog templates, backgrounds, fonts, layouts, the whole 9...and the widths still need some tweaking.

I did like my old black and red scheme, with the dark, E.A. Poe feel but...it had been that was for around 3 years so it was time for a change.

How do ya'll feel about this one? 

 This is what you are seeing now obviously...
Then there is this one, also papery, but with more black...

I am not sure I am sold on it yet. I do like the "writing" sort of theme but...I think I want something more colourful, vintage, bright or unique. I love bright colours, but for the variety of colorful stuff I post on this blog, I think it would be visual overload to have some wild vintage pattern as a background? The amount of random stuff (military, writing, crafting, humor, photography and everything else) I post on here is probably overwhelming enough!
So perhaps simple is better?
Or something. Thing is, I don't actually know. I've tried to redo this blog so many times, and I never like anything that I come up with!

Also, there is this. Old barn wood. I like that too.

There will probably be more changes in the future. Obviously the headers are just text and need to be redone in some fabulous way. Any ideas, friends? Know of any great free blog background sites? I've used hotbliggityblog before, but I am sturggling to make their backgrounds behave on my blog. Either has to be reverted to the old template settings, or somehow in the picture window template, but for one reason or another it isn't always showing up...so...help!? If you have any ideas/suggestions I would love to hear them!

Humour me people, humour me.

If I had lived in the 60's...

I would have wanted to be HER.

Francois Hardy: singer and actor. I had previously never heard of her, but upon finding this picture, I decided I like her very much...

As I am living right now, I still am kind of wishing my hair and eyebrows looked like hers.

But she is like 70 years old now...so...I will stick with my current singing and acting icon. Zooey Deschanel. Excellent eyes and husky voice, but her eyebrows are of no comparison to Ms. Hardy up there...

DIY Elbow Patch Sweater

In my last post you may have me noticed me modeling my new chair in a fantastic elbow patch sweater.  Or maybe you didn't notice at all...but now you have. Well, I am pleased to say I put those patches on that sweater and I am quite proud of myself.

I have been wanting a patched sweater for quite some time now. But all the ones I was finding online or in stores were like $50 at the least. And I, Isabella Kiss, will not pay $50 for a sweater with ovals on the elbows. Ludicrisness, really.

So, I instead decided I would just do it myself. And other than the fact that sewing onto the sleeves of an already made garment is a pain, it was easy. And cheap: total of the project? Around $10.

I started by scouting at Savers for a nice, tanish sweater in my size. It took me a while to find one in my size and without wool (I have a bit of an allergy to it). But I did! A nice, thick one made by Land's End. It is loose on me, but that is the way I wanted it. And a good price too: $6.99!

Then, I found some leather/suede scraps (like 8 by 10 inches) at Joann's for about $3.

I gathered some pins, a big, thick needle and some brown thread. I just free-handed some oval-y elbow-y shapes out of the light brown suede I had found, but I am sure somewhere online there must be some sort of pattern and template for making proper elbow pads. I am just not the chick to tell you where that is. Free-handin' is the way for me.

I pinned those elbows on there and finagled them around to get them even and on my elbows. Then I simply sewed them with a triple strand of brown thread.

Little tricky (probably could have punctured nice neat holes into the leather first and made my job easier and then adhesived them on there instead of pinning, but again...I make this up as I go). Took me a little while, but in the end I had a sweater with patches (EVENLY PLACED TOO!) on my elbows.

 And I am now happy. The end.

*sidenote: I realize my hair looks dreadfully uneven in this shot. but trust me, its just the position of my head here. hair is great. and getting realllly darned long.

$41 of stripe-d gloriousness: WHY I SHOP AT THRIFT STORES

A few weeks ago I gave mention to a new chair that I bought. And yes, buy a new chair I did.

I now have a green lether love seat/couch, a orange fuzzycozy chair and a sage vinyl/leathery green chair, along with this new striped chair and ottoman in my room. I think I have the genetic "we cool collect things, especially furniture that we don't really need, but want gene" that my Kiss family possesses. Oh darn...
But all is well. Because the total cost of all this furniture? $46 dollars. The couch was (and technically still is) my moms. The green chair was $5 at Savers, and orange chair was free and the striped chair? Well that is what this post is about, my dear friends....

About 3 weeks ago my mom and I were out doing some thrifting. We stopped in at a new Salvation Army. Generally, I don't like the Salvation Army. The one closest to me is sort of in a sketch location and it is like...dark and dirty. Not my favorite. I am more of a Savers, and sometimes Goodwill type of girl. But this new one was pristine and smelled like cleaning products. Good sign.

I told my mom I wasn't buying anything. She was. I was just wandering. Until I wandered into the furniture section, found a fantastic chair and ottoman, sat down in it, fell in love, and then went and got my mother.


"Mom, talk me out of it. Tell me I do not need a striped circusy chair. Tell me I have enough chairs. Tell me I don't have room for it. Tell me that, even though it is one of a kind and $50, that I don't need it."
"No! I love it! If you don't buy it, then I will!!!"
"...Thanks for the help, mom...."

I'm telling you, I bear the Kiss-curse. And I am beginning to be okay with it.

Long story short, I talked to the manager guy about my $50 chair.
He said "Are you a college student?"
"Yup!"
"Do you have an ID?"
I didn't have it on me. I am on break and my ID was in my abandoned backpack at home.
"That's fine. I can tell you are a college student. You get 25% off!"

So my beautiful, one of a kind, circus chair and ottoman came to a total of $41 and went out into my durango to come home with me. After careful analysis we concluded that the chair itself is older and someone had paid to recover it in the striped fabric. It is lovely, clean, flawless, and doesn't smell a bit (for those of you who might be worried by used furniture). As far as I can tell it was never even sat on once recovered. My guess is someone dropped it off, but never came to pick it up from the re-upholstery place. Pity for them. Win for me.

Before I drove home I texted a picture to JoJo (who, by the way, is fully supportive of my thrift shopping. Praise God, I can live a happy life!) : "Um...I hope you like striped chairs. Because I just added one to my furniture collection. But only like 40 bucks...."
His response: "Bella, you are silly, I love you, the end."

Boom, here we go uhgaiinnn...

Me, JoJo's mama and two little sisters are taking a plane trip.

McChord Air Force Base/Airman Tonski, here we come.

In just a little over a month I will be seeing my JoJo again! This will be my first time going to where HE is. This will be my first time on an Air Force base. This will be my first time in the big, beautiful state of Washington. And I am so, so, so excited.

Let the count-downing begin!


**positive thing... 238...(yes, I did just make up that number) about long distance relationships: being able to make little countdown widgets and get yourself all excited days/months in advance!


SIDE NOTE:  Due to unfortunate flight booking circumstances, will be my first time flying alone. The four of us leave the same place at the same time, and get there within an hour of each other, but I wound up on a plane by myself. I have flow many, many, many times, to many, many world locations, but never all by me onesie. Little apprehensive about the quick flight change I have to make in Chicago. So...pray for me.

"When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. "

Isaiah 43 is one of my all time favorite bible passages.
This is the passage I read over and over again when JoJo went off to boot camp.
This is the passage I cling to when I am overwhelmed and uncertain.
Verse five is on an orange index card hanging next to my bed. It was the first thing I saw this morning. "FEAR NOT, FOR I AM WITH YOU."

I need to know it especially now, just like I need to know it always.
I am between rocks and hard places, as well as several other uncomfortable, scary locations.
But I have been bought with the highest price. I have been called and redeemed. 
I am made to know that He is I AM and who He is.
I am chosen. I will not fear.

Bit of a long passage, but...ladies and gentlemen...

Isaiah 43

The Message (MSG)

When You're Between a Rock and a Hard Place

 ^1-4 But now, God's Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob,
   the One who got you started, Israel:
"Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you.
   I've called your name. You're mine.
When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you.
   When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you're between a rock and a hard place,
   it won't be a dead end—
Because I am God, your personal God,
   The Holy of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you:
   all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in!
That's how much you mean to me!
   That's how much I love you!
I'd sell off the whole world to get you back,
   trade the creation just for you. 

  ^5-7"So don't be afraid: I'm with you.
   I'll round up all your scattered children,
   pull them in from east and west.
I'll send orders north and south:
   'Send them back.
Return my sons from distant lands,
   my daughters from faraway places.
I want them back, every last one who bears my name,
   every man, woman, and child
Whom I created for my glory,
   yes, personally formed and made each one.'"
 ^8-13Get the blind and deaf out here and ready—
   the blind (though there's nothing wrong with their eyes)
   and the deaf (though there's nothing wrong with their ears).
Then get the other nations out here and ready.
   Let's see what they have to say about this,
   how they account for what's happened.
Let them present their expert witnesses
   and make their case;
   let them try to convince us what they say is true.
"But you are my witnesses." God's Decree.
   "You're my handpicked servant
So that you'll come to know and trust me,
   understand both that I AM and who I am.
Previous to me there was no such thing as a god,
   nor will there be after me.
I, yes I, am God.
   I'm the only Savior there is.
I spoke, I saved, I told you what existed
   long before these upstart gods appeared on the scene.
And you know it, you're my witnesses,
   you're the evidence." God's Decree.
"Yes, I am God.
   I've always been God
   and I always will be God.
No one can take anything from me.
   I make; who can unmake it?"

You Didn't Even Do the Minimum

 ^14-15God, your Redeemer,
   The Holy of Israel, says:
"Just for you, I will march on Babylon.
   I'll turn the tables on the Babylonians.
Instead of whooping it up,
   they'll be wailing.
I am God, your Holy One,
   Creator of Israel, your King."  ^16-21This is what God says,
   the God who builds a road right through the ocean,
   who carves a path through pounding waves,
The God who summons horses and chariots and armies—
   they lie down and then can't get up;
   they're snuffed out like so many candles:
"Forget about what's happened;
   don't keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new.
   It's bursting out! Don't you see it?
There it is! I'm making a road through the desert,
   rivers in the badlands.
Wild animals will say 'Thank you!'
   —the coyotes and the buzzards—
Because I provided water in the desert,
   rivers through the sun-baked earth,
Drinking water for the people I chose,
   the people I made especially for myself,
   a people custom-made to praise me.
 ^22-24"But you didn't pay a bit of attention to me, Jacob.
   You so quickly tired of me, Israel.
You wouldn't even bring sheep for offerings in worship.
   You couldn't be bothered with sacrifices.
It wasn't that I asked that much from you.
   I didn't expect expensive presents.
But you didn't even do the minimum—
   so stingy with me, so closefisted.
Yet you haven't been stingy with your sins.
   You've been plenty generous with them—and I'm fed up.
 ²⁵"But I, yes I, am the one
   who takes care of your sins—that's what I do.
   I don't keep a list of your sins.
 ^26-28"So, make your case against me. Let's have this out.
   Make your arguments. Prove you're in the right.
Your original ancestor started the sinning,
   and everyone since has joined in.
That's why I had to disqualify the Temple leaders,
   repudiate Jacob and discredit Israel."

Little Sweden

On Friday I went to Little Sweden with two lovely ladies.

When I say "Little Sweden," I mean IKEA. And when I say lovey ladies I mean M and B. (They have full names, but those are not important...). M is JoJo's...cousin...in ...law...or something? And B is M's best friend. She is bound by no laws.

We drank soda made out of mythical berries, squished lots of pillows and made up several dance moves throughout the day.

 2 words: LINGON. BERRY. 

3rd word: SODA.

Response: OH HECK YES.

 I loved these pillows, but they felt like they were stuff with....swedish elephant dung. 

All lumpy and gross!

 If the chair matches your tights, you probably should buy it

(but I didn't. But good thing too. Posts to come on the chair I bought the next day!)

 I tell them to look natural and this is what they do?

At the end of the day I spent only $20 (couple little glass jars, some orange storage boxes, and a small rug), but had lots of fun. I shall visit Sweden again soon.