Crayola Experience

A few weeks ago I was invited by my aunt to the Crayola Factory in Easton, PA. If anyone knows me at all, they know that my Crayola product collection is not only extensive but also the pride of my craft corner. As an all around lover of coloring and the daughter of an artist, I have been introduced to many mediums, but as far as crayons go I am not alone in saying that Crayola has brilliant quality and inventive products that allow me to spend hours slaving over door decorations and coloring books to produce fantastic things, or at least time killers and crafting wonderment.

So, I was excited, maybe more than my young cousins who took to the place with gusto. The Factory, or Experience as it has been renamed, is a large building with rooms and rooms of activities based on different products they offer. When you first arrive to purchase your ticket you are given a baggie with tokens in them. These tokens act as bartering devices so that you may participate in certain activities. You are given enough to participate in the bare minimum but never fear, you are able to purchase more of these nifty tokens for 50 cents each.

The ticket is a modest 15.99, but if you wish to save even more the online price is discounted a dollar. The annual pass is doubled admission for $30.00, but if you have young children who would like that sort of thing, it is a cheap way to spend a weekend. If you purchase a pass, you are directed to the first cashier who takes a webcam photo of you and prints it out on a card so that when it sits in your wallet for a while, it will not be ruined. If you plan on returning to the factory at any point within the year, then I wholeheartedly suggest upgrading your ticket to the annual pass. Honestly, if I lived closer and had reasonable means of transportation, I would have purchased it too.

The first thing you are thrown into is the area where you can make your own crayon. Now, it isn't that you can create a color or that you are playing with any melted wax, but what you can do is select you favorite from a series of colors they have available and crate a message you would like to have on your crayon. Mine was a beautiful shade of carnation pink and that now says "Q's awesome crayon" with a little lightning bolt on the side. I accidentally dropped my crayon moments after I wrapped the personalized wrapper on it, and the tip broke off. This would normally send me into a spiral of disappointed ruin, but I was more calm since the wrapped still said it was my awesome crayon, and that, well, was just awesome.

Beyond the crayon maker kiosks, there was a staged show where you are able to watch a crayon scientist make a crayon, well, thousands of them. At the end of the demonstration you file out of the small space and receive a freshly made crayon. After which if you walk down the ramp into a level full of several activities including a large light bright, a coloring corner, a place to take a family photo and purchase a t-shirt and fabric markers. The first half of the floor is made up of tablet computers that allow you to color in creations that will be projected onto the wall. The scene was an underwater adventure and my beautiful scuba diver swam around the room that you could manipulate yourself on the wall.

Toward the end of the room there was a place where you could immortalize yourself as a coloring page. As a pirate I chose to use the pirate background, and I looked fabulous. The rest of the place is filled to the brim with activities and crafts. The next room holds machines that show you how to make markers and for a token, you can make one for yourself. Beyond that there is a whole area for playtime with model magic, the coolest puffy clay stuff on this earth. Color packages were a token each and play kits were available for more, but still moderately priced. The higher levels have more to offer as well. A giant playplace spans through two floors, and while my younger cousins
enjoyed that, I sat below with several boxes of paper scraps and access to crayons, watercolors, and puff paint. I ended up with a treasure chest and a puzzle with my name on it.

When our day came to a close we exited through the gift shop and I ended up with a bag of new products and a ton of excitement. We stopped at the Crayola Cafe and shared a pizza which was not the best but not the worst. The whole day was filled to the brim with fun and creativity; and beyond getting to play around all day with fun things, you learn about the company and the history of the crayon. The day was well spent and I would love to go again. Really though, I wish I lived there, with the walls being either animated or colored on, and the constant accessibility of crafting materials, the day was fantastic. The only problem I had was that it was very crowed with families and day camps so that was a minor annoyance, but all in all I loved it.

FUTURE WEEK 1

Prank Number 1: I don't believe there is any staff as wonderful as my own which doesn't have a prankster or a team of prank masters in their midst. Pradhan, my Future Scholars cohort, is this for us. This installment to his long list of ridiculousness I have entitled Modern Art. While putting away the fire pits from out kick off s'more's night, Pradhan, David, and I crated this masterpiece out of pipe cleaners and a chair. Eventually this escalated to include a pillow propping the chair, a red solo cup taped to the seat, and a lamp to highlight the genius. The next day this was taken down by our supervisor, and it was no more.

Monday, is when we put on our outside activities and this week we decided on badminton. While putting up the cheap net, we had some troubles and it snapped in several places. It then barely stood straight and we were very excited that it worked. While playing the residents pulled out a volleyball and began to play that as well. The park behind the reshall was full of fireflies and it was whimsical, but it was also full of mosquitoes and I was eaten alive. The other summer RA's in charge of the main building hosted a Minute to Win it program where residents competed with the game show events, and just to let you know, Pradhan and I can empty a whole tissue box with one hand in one minute. So, take that universe!

Tuesdays we go out with the Future Scholar's to off campus trips. We went roller skating at Millennium Skate World, and I am terrible. So terrible, I fell and sprained my wrist, but at least I looked cute. I wore a romper and knee socks because I'm a cool seventies chick, but alas, I was in horrible pain but at least Pradhan is a doctor, so he took care of me. He got me ice from the kitchen, and stood in line for me to get me a giant soda. I then won myself a handful of rubber duckies, one of which was a pirate, and the other which looked like a scary alien. With the tickets we won, Pradhan and I split it up so that I was able to get a wicked ship temp tattoo, and he a tiny finger skateboard.

Saturday, my boss and I in the morning went into the city for the Rittenhouse Farmer's market where I purchased another succulence from 4mula which I will do a personal post on soon. My booss, K, walked around looking for peaches and ended up with a $15 bottle of wine. After perusing trough the tents, I suggested getting some lunch from Chipotle and making a quick stop into Papersource. These pugs were adorable so I took a photo to send to Dan, my pug lover extraordinaire and I ended up purchasing a perfect agenda. It is an August to December 2014 agenda so I will not be able to start using it for another two weeks, but the anal retentive bits of me are very excited. After we parted ways, I went into the new Ulta and on a whim had my eyebrows done at the benefit counter. I then purchased some small sizes of benefit's Porefessional and That Gal face primers. I love benefit cosmetics and I am excited to try those out.

Who the hell

Hello, I am Sean and I have an affinity for red lipstick.

I am twenty one, a senior theatre student at Rutgers University. I will be working resident assistant in the undergraduate building for my second year. Additionally, I am the Editor in Chief of the school’s paper, and a tour guide.

I love stickers, video games, and bubble baths. I am a nowhereman with roots on both coasts. I have been acting since I was young and have directed some pieces at my university. I have recently worked with Seaside Rep professionally as a costume assistant feeding my love of costuming and makeup. The next year I hope to find a place in the theatre world for what I have to offer.

While watching a marathon of Parks and Recreation after a previous marathon of 30 rock, I realized I can put my life into terms of Leslie Knope and Liz Lemon. I am messy, but a perfectionist; I like to watch television, and one day hope to be living in an apartment with plenty of up-cycled knick knacks and enough shelves for my books.

My best friend once described my family as a cartoon, and said that there was no one more animated than me; which was the most flattering thing anyone has said. She is also the same person who sent me a pirate coloring book in the mail so I would be amiss to not say that she is my soul mate.

This blog will be me doing things which will include but is not limited to: Reslife, crafting, random makeup happenings, theatre angst, adventures, crappy cell phone pictures, swashbuckling sword fights, thrift stores, and food; the musings of a college student trying to have it all.

Currently, I am living on campus and working as a Resident Assistant for Rutgers Future Scholars, a program where middle school to high school students from Rutgers University cities  work towards a college education. I am one of two campus RA's who supervise a small group of 17 year olds who have opted to live on campus during their summer session. This has to be one of the best jobs one could have. My duties are mostly having fun, and making sure the residents are also having fun. We have programs every night, and I am off on the weekends.

Recently, I've been spending a lot of time with my new boss, and with the way she has been handling business and the way she has been personally wonderful, I have the highest of hopes that she will be an excellent boss and a good friend. I am looking forward to the working with her, as I will have many staff meetings and et ceretas with her and I am glad to get along with her so well.

I have a lot to catch up on so the next couple posts will be from the last two weeks, but from hence forth I hope to keep up with the happenings that occur in my life. I have my tumblr linked on the sidebar if you would like to visit me there as well.