24th Birthday!

It's so strange for me to think I was 14 a whole 10 YEARS AGO. Mostly because I'm still the exact same person I was then. Andrew and I spent the day at Six Flags riding roller coasters and eating funnel cake till we thought we'd puke. The night before we went to Aripo's (the only Venezuelan restaurant in Chicago). The food was delicious and made me think of my childhood and family so I totally had a few "awww" moments. It was also bizarre to order something I usually make at home... & just 'cause, here's a photo of my birthday outfit:

Tap shorts courtesy of my baby love :D
We strolled around Oak Park for a bit and randomly decided to stop in Borders. I never really read any magazines apart from Communication Arts, HOW, CMYK, etc... but since my finances have dwindled, I've pretty much stopped altogether. I picked up Bust and started flipping through it and an awesome watercolor illustration literally slapped me in the face, accompanying an article titled "The Fat Friend." I didn't bother with the article, I just immediately googled the artist's name on my phone and fell in love.

Kristy Milliken
So it appears, yet another Australian artist has captured my attention. I'm thinking this may mean I need to move to Australia, maybe... I figured out she's not actually using watercolors, but inks! I don't even understand it but I'm intrigued and really want to start drawing with my hands again, instead of with my mouse. All in all, it was a really great birthday and now I'm completely inspired!

WHAT A SAD DAY!

Guys, I dropped my tomato plant off my window ledge Sunday. It went crashing down a single story and it broke my heart. I had 5 tomatoes maturing on her! The two babies plopped right off and I had to pick the other three. I'm so sad ;( I'm not sure if she was done for the season, but hopefully her root system isn't in shock.

Look at the carnage!
Anyway, I have been hoarding bedsheets from my local Salvation Army and Saturday was the big day, I finally cut into them! I made this top using New Look 6895. I'm really happy with it, though I will use a more flowy fabric next time because the ruffles are a bit stiff. The back ruffles, with this print, totally made me look like a clown so I removed them.




Andrew's dad had a retirement party on Saturday, which meant we could bring the dogs and take advantage of their awesome backyard. This is just one of the hilarious photos documenting how wild Muscles becomes when off-leash! And Princess, well, Princess will poop ANYWHERE.

Makeup Adventure

Alright. As silly as this subject matter may be, I'm still excited because I found MAC's In the Groove limited edition lipstick, Go For It! True love, people.

It is the most beautiful shade of pale purple with blue undertones, rather than the usual pink or red! I died when I found this color online, then I read further and saw it was sold out! I proceeded to call every single MAC location in IL, department and stand alone stores -- no one had it. After scouring the internetz, I found some jerk who was selling it for $22.99 plus $10 shipping & handling on eBay! A lipstick which originally costs $14! It was then brought to my attention that a MAC Pro Store nearby might have it, and low and behold, THEY HAD THREE! I'm tempted to go back and buy the other two, that's how much I adore this lipstick.

Do I look like I have hypothermia? I don't care!

My studio is one GIANT step closer to completion!!

Let me just say Pottery Barn is the bane of my existence. I hate that I love so many things they sell there, just like I love/hate Restoration Hardware. However, there's this one table a ton of ladies who enjoy the sewing pine for, me included:

Oh! What's up, PERFECTION?
It's unfair for PB to style their rooms so brilliantly. Luckily Lowe's sells ClosetMaid 9 Cube organizers which look exactly like the PB table. Bonus: they were on sale & I had a coupon! Originally, I planned to use MDF cut to the size, but a neighbor just happened to discard a better solution. Our bed frame, but in the dark brown we always wanted! I dismantled our bed, saved the headboard and foot board, and voilà, instant tabletop. It couldn't have worked out better and I'm being resourceful.


Another really lucky find were the Fira chests I bought from a guy on Craigslist over a year ago. He sold 5 unopened sets to me for $40! Ikea sold them for $20 each and now they're discontinued. When they're lined up like that, they totally look like a mini apothecary! I plan to make these adorable tables with the other two:

TOO CUTE FOR WORDS.