Wanted: Pretty Little Things

For some reason I never manage to buy pretty things for my apartment.  I look at them, I lust over them, but I always feel like I should spend my hard earned dollar bills on more practical things (you know, like four million pairs of shoes).  That's why this year I'm asking for pretty little things on my Christmas list.  Oh, also, apparently white and metallic are having a major moment in my life right now.

1. Enamel Bird Dish / 2. Round Lacquer Tray / 3. Ceramic Elephant Ring Holder / 4. Turquoise Peacock / 5. Measuring Hedgies / 6. Turtle Magnifying Glass / 7. Capri Blue Giant Mercury Jar / 8. Triple Tray Catch-All Stand / 9. Rose Knob / 10. Shabby Chic Wall Clock / 11. Boudoir Vanity Tray / 12. Tabletops Gallery Square Serving Basket Set / 13. Starburst Bowl

Merry Christmas (to me!)

On Black Friday I read an article that said people are more likely this year to "self-gift" than they have in the past.  I thought, well why not?!  If you're already planning on getting a big ticket item, why wouldn't you buy it on Black Friday or Cyber Monday/Cyber The Rest of the Holiday Season when it's on super sale?

On that note, I've been eyeing a new camera for almost two years, trying to bite the bullet and make the purchase.  On Cyber Monday, the camera I've been lusting over was on super sale (yay!) so I decided to go for it.  Helloooooooo new toy/baby/love:

Once I get a chance to test it out I'll let you know what I think!  

Have you been self-gifting this year?  What are your thoughts, so good or no good? 

Ensemble: Orange Sparkle

Oh hey, I had someone else take some outfit photos for me, wowee!  My sister was snapping some pics of my new glasses, and I was like "Hey! Get the outfit too!" You know, in the nicest way possible.  

Sweater - Target / Blazer - NY&Co / Jeans - Gap / Boots - Chinese Laundry

I picked up this sweater at Target, has anyone else noticed that they've been hitting it out of the park lately?  A new Target just opened around the corner from my office, which is great for me but a problem for my wallet.  

Jumping picture, duh.

It was my first blog photoshoot, so naturally I felt a little on the awkward side.  This isn't even me trying to jump, it was just how I was standing.  

Me in the dressing room: "Is this sweater too orange?  Too sparkly?  Too reminiscent of a '50s cheerleading sweater?  Nahhhhh." 

Want//Need: Kate Spade

Do you ever look at Kate Spade's website and think, "Yes please, I would like one of everything."

1. Cha Ching Change Purse / 2. Gold Diagonal Stripe iPhone Case / 3. Skinny Mini Bow Bracelet / 4. Parsipany Rain Boots / 5. Get Carried Away Idiom Bangle / 6. La Pavillion iPhone Case /7. Trixie Flats / 8. Ta Da Necklace 9. Carlyle Bracelet

Grabbing Winter by the Crochet Hooks

Something about winter makes me want to cozy up under some blankets, turn on the tv, and crochet until my wrists hurt.  When summer comes along I always forget about this particular hobby (because who wants to be surrounded by balls of yarn when it's 90 degrees?!) but as soon as the temperatures start to drop I remember that, yes, I was in the middle of making a ten foot long blanket.  Seriously, I once made a blanket that was so big I could not fold it by myself.

I used to stick with fairly standard stitches - you know, the single crochet, the double crochet, maybe toss in some chevron for kicks.  But lately I've been feeling up for a bit more of a challenge.  Luckily, Pinterest has been throwing some great new patterns my way.  Here are a couple of my new favorites:

The Honeycomb

Ribbonberry

Starburst

Okay, so maybe that last pattern didn't have a name so I made one up.  I think Starburst is very appropriate.  

Have you accepted crochet into your life, and subsequently have many scarves you need to pawn off on unsuspecting friends and family members?  Do you have any favorite patterns to share?

Paint Twister

So, depending on your level of internet addiction, you've probably seen this image floating around:

Source

I was like, "Paint? Twister? Where do I sign up?!"

I showed the picture to one of my friends, he showed it to his mom, and it was all downhill from there.  We bought some washable paints ($1.06 on sale at Michael's.  I remember exactly how much the bottle of paint was because the cashier rang up each separately in order to give me the best discount), threw on some old clothes, and poured a healthy dose of paint on each circle.  

Prepping

Pre-paint

Unfortunately it turns out I'm pretty bad at Paint Twister so I got out early each round.  On the bright side, that gave me plenty of time to take pictures.  

Next time, we're definitely doing this outdoors during the summer ;)

Their Way / My Way: Christmas Decor

Now that it's post-Thanksgiving I can officially stop complaining about stores and radio stations celebrating the holiday too early and start getting into the Christmas spirit myself.  Last weekend I took the boyfriend to cut down Christmas trees with my family and some friends, and yesterday my roommate and I finished putting up our holiday decorations.  I actually managed to complete another Pinterest project for our mantle:

Their Way Source: The Lovely Cupboard

I ended up deciding I didn't want the canvas itself to light up, and put the final product up with a string of lights instead.  

I started by laying out the text and fonts I wanted in InDesign and printed off the design.  I tried to trace over the letters with permanent marker so that it would bleed through to the canvas.  Turns out I used too thick of paper so the marker didn't bleed through at all.  Instead, I ended up semi-free handing with pencil based on the design I printed out.

Next I filled in the sketch I made with Martha Stewart metallic paints.  These aren't very thick, so I put several coats on to make it opaque.  

I added some polka dots for good measure, of course.  

Next up: Lots of Christmas music and cookie baking!  Have you started celebrating the season yet?