Summeritis in the Fall?

Haven't written in a couple days. I sometimes get in a slump where I don't seem to have the motivation to do anything. All I want to do is sit around with a cup of tea or some orange juice and a book or watch a romantic comedy. That's how I've been feeling for the past couple days.

I would like to say that it's because I have to get back to my normal routine and out of the summer one, but I don't know.

I did receive an exciting phone call from the manager at Argo Tea located in the city asking me to come in for an interview tomorrow morning, so I'm hopeful. I have been looking for a second job for quite some time and am hoping my efforts will pay off. If not, I'm going to try my hardest not to get down on myself about it; I just need to keep trying.

Other than that, I'm going to go watch Friends reruns, they make me smile. :)

My weekend in pictures (with descriptions.)

Well I had a pretty great weekend. I got to see my niece Lily and have a goofy little photo shoot with her where the boyfriend was the photographer with his fancy Nikon camera.

 I also found a desktop organizer at a thrift store and decided to do spray paint it and make it mine.

Here's the before shot. Although I loved the original color and it was beautiful, the paint was chipping and needed some TLC.

Here's the after shot sitting on my desk. I need to clean up my desk, it's a mess. But anywho...

I like to make my meals look pretty before I eat. It kind of looks like it's smiling. I had peanut butter and jelly on rye, berry apple sauce, sliced apples and orange juice in a glass I bought at a thrift store for fifty cents. I love saving money and getting pretty things at the same time. :)

That's all for now!

Bracelets Galore!

Although I have several months to prepare for my May 2012 art show, I have decided to create a new portion to my booth. While I will still be selling my art, illustrations, coloring books and travel mugs; I have decided to do something aimed towards the teens, something they might enjoy.

I am excited to state that I have taught myself how to read the appropriate tutorials, so for my next art show I will be selling bracelets made from embroidery floss as well. While it is something that many people can teach themselves and learn how to do, they may not have the patience.

In fact, I was working on one at work the other day while the kids watched a movie and my coworker stood over my shoulder saying, "I just don't know how you have the patience for that." Yes, there is a lot of work involved and it hurts my fingers after a bit, but it's so rewarding when I give someone a bracelet and they sit there and stare at it mesmerized by it.

These are the ones I'm working on right now. A lanyard with a zigzag pattern, two with a fun pattern that somehow incorporates a heart, a thick one with lots of detail and a Nikon bracelet for the boyfriend. (He's quite the Nikon fiend.)

Well back to work I go. 

Apartment Daydreaming

What a good day. I woke up and got to sit on my back porch and read and write for a little bit before showering and getting ready for work. At work, we did collages and I made a really cute owl. :) Came home, had dinner and now I am watching Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead and daydreaming about what I wish my future apartment to be.

I love the idea of a loft and this picture right here is just perfect. I would love to have a slide to get out of bed in the mornings. It would be pretty glorious. I'm just saying. :)

 I love large desks because I do a lot of 18x24 drawings which require a lot of space. And that chair looks mighty comfortable. Where better to sit while doing detailed work than in a comfortable and pretty chair like that?

I love love love open area concepts where the kitchen overlooks the living area. My ideal living area would be just that. I am a huge fan of the breakfast bar and the high ceilings and I love the chandelier and how behind the couch is the eating area. It's such a cute space.

My ideal outdoor area is so similar to this it's crazy. It's absolutely beautiful. I love everything about it. I love how the curtain acts as a door so that the outside area could be considered another room. I love the furniture and the floors and the rug. I want!

That's all for now! :)

Gratitude Journal

I once took a class called Positive Psychology and was introduced to idea of a gratitude journal. It's a notebook that you write a few things in at the end of the day that you were grateful for throughout the day. I began to keep a gratitude journal only to learn that I spend a lot of time during the day looking for things that make me happy so that I can come home and jot it down in my gratitude journal. It causes me to be more positive and I have greatly enjoyed keeping one for the past year and a half.

I wanted to share a few things that come up often that I am grateful for...

 My boyfriend and I have been together for two and a half years. He is easily the biggest pain in my life (and that includes the twenty-five school age children I work with everyday), but he also knows how to make me laugh and forget when I'm frustrated with him or anything or anyone else. He makes it easy to be with him because he is understanding, honest and carefree. He honestly does bring out the best in me.

My nieces, Kaia (in the patterned shirt) and Lily (in the pink.) I look forward to seeing these two. Luckily I see Kaia almost daily and get to play around and listen to that contagious laugh of hers. I see Lily on the weekends and I always look forward to getting home from work so that I can cuddle with her and listen to her sing and talk in her baby language. They're a real joy. I adore these girls.

This isn't the best picture because my camera and I are fighting right now, but this is how I prefer to spend my mornings. On my back porch with my iPod and it's dock, my journal, my book (currently reading The Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton) a cup of coffee and two of my awesome pens given to me by family. The duck quacks when you push on it's head and was given to me by my sister. When you squeeze the alligator's head, the eyes pop out and was given to me by my brother.

That's all for now. :)

Owl love!

I have developed quite the love for owl related items. Some of my favorite images I have discovered are inspirational and make me really want to draw a fabulous owl with my patterns and designs incorporated.

It's just so cute. I love the patterns.

I really wish I knew how to sew because I would love to make an owl similar to this for my nieces, Kaia and Lily. However, I would probably want to sew a dinosaur one for Lily because she roars and growls when she cries or gets upset. It's precious. Kaia would be a lizard stuffed animal because she just learned she has a tongue. (It's okay, she's only 14 months. Lily is 8 months.)

That's all for now. :)

Vampires, Were-Animals and Pinning, Oh my!

I got all caught up on True Blood. I have to say, having read all the Sookie Stackhouse books the show is based off of (in about two and a half weeks, I must add), I'm slightly disappointed in how the show is turning out. The first season was good, the second was alright, the third was pretty good (Mostly because I'm a big fan of Alcide and his prettyness), but the fourth is just goofy to me. I'll keep watching though since I'm interested in how they're going to change things up.

I do love reading fantasy novels that vampires and werewolves have a tendency to inhibit. I admit it. Lately I have been reading the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton and enjoying them thoroughly.  Since I have read so many different takes on vampirism and were-animals, it's always fun for me to read new theories and such.

Other than that, I have become addicted to pinterest.com... and I have a tendency to spend my free time browsing it. I have discovered some really cool DIY projects I want to try, thanks to it.

I definitely want to try making some cute little monster guys like this. They look like so much fun. I could even do it as an art project with my after school program.

I love how simple this one is. Take a hot glue gun and write what you want on a bottle (or anything, really) and then paint over it. It's so pretty too.

That's all for now.