Last Friday

  Do you ever find yourself wishing tomorrow was Friday on a Sunday night? If so, welcome to the club. I feel like I am constantly wishing for the end of the work day and the end of the work week.
   If I remember correctly, it was Kyle who told Scott that he shouldn't wish that it was Friday, rather, he should wish that it was last Friday. So, its still Friday, but you haven't wished your life away.
   I really liked that.

who are you?

  The Stranger Pictures project is so interesting. And exciting! The idea seems to have originated from The Plug and inspired Joanna Goddard to do try it out for herself and write about it for Glamour.
  The idea is that you take a disposable camera and tie it to a public bench with a little note asking passersby to have some fun and take a picture. The camera is picked up at the end of the day (if no one steals it!). I wonder what kind of personalities and smiles I'd discover if I did something like that out here on Long Island?
  I love social experiments like this :) Sometimes, when I'm bored, I imagine going to a busy public place and asking people questions- almost like a mini interview, and record their answers along with a photo. I never do because I'm slightly afraid of freaking people out. I mean, its not like I'd have a reason to do so other than boredom and loneliness. But, maybe thats all the reason I need?

source: The Style Scout

  I love, love, love this girl's outfit. Her boots & socks combo seems so B.A (badass ;) with her striped shirt and short shorts.

90s

source: We The People

  Sometimes, I wish I was in my twenties in the 90s. I love that this girl seems to wish so, too. Notice her little green boots!

best kiss

  I'm not particular about any celebrities, really. But, Ryan Gosling? Helloooo, nurse! I still havent seen Blue Valentine because, to be honest, I'm a little scared. Everyone I've spoken with has told me its really, really heartbreaking. Maybe I'll muster up the guts to watch it one night this week.
  When I was little, my mom would ease my post-scary movie shivers by telling me that the monsters are just actors who are at home ith their children and families, laughing and having fun right now. Great way to think of it, no? During any tough parts of Blue Valentine, I'll just have to imagine Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams sitting at home, rolling around on piles of money, laughing and gettin' white wine drunk or something like that.
  Ps- I know this clip is from The Notebook and I'm talking about Blue Valentine. I just couldn't resist posting this video. Ugh! <3

even more..

  How cool is 3rd Ward? My friend Emma told me about the site a few weeks ago but I didn't see exactly what I was looking for at the time. I happened upon the site again today and felt that light-headed slightly nauseous feeling that I get every time I see something that I'm really interested in. They are offering awesome blacksmith, woodworking, and design classes right now and I want to take them all. There is even this really neat class that calls for you to create your own religion, no matter how trippy or traditional it is. Isn't that something else?  I would love to take that class. Especially because its the cheaper of the bunch, clocking in at $185. Yikes. But totally worth it, I'm willing to bet. 

my son is gay?

This is the kind of thing you read and are like "YES!", smiling and giggling until the end.

amen.

“If you want to really hurt your parents, and you don’t have the nerve to be gay, the least you can do is go into the arts. I’m not kidding. The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”
Kurt V.

Very awesome quote, found on a very awesome site. These guys are doing what I wish I could.

coffee brat

source: bodum

  Every morning, I think about how nice it would be to make my own fancy cup of coffee at home. Its not necessarily that I need the caffeine in the morning (im in denial), but its something exciting for me to look forward to. I dream of one day owning a fancy espresso machine for my future kitchen but until then, maybe I'll have to settle for a more practical dream, such as owning a travel coffee press like the ones by Bodum. Nice, right?

pretty pretty swoon

Crimety! Would you look at the beautiful handcrafted jewelry by Bario-Neal? One of my favorite bloggers, Joanna from A Cup of Jo, is hosting a giveaway for their herringbone bracelet and I entered, post haste. Its everything... I want it so bad! I also love their knottedrush ring, pictured above. Click here to read up about Bario-Neal and their ethical practices.

friday

  All about my new shoes today. (and old crocheted tank)

my red, my love

Hallelujah! I have found my red. Or at least the red I was looking for. It is the perfect shade for mid-late summer and can take me right into fall. I was never really a "nails" girl but have Gotten into home manis this year somehow. (pedis were always my thing) I feel like no one notices when your nails are chipped or unpolished- but everyone notices when they are done or even done well.

fully sick

I woke up this morning feeling fully sick. My head felt really heavy and stuffy. I ached and shivered a bit to start, which is strange because it was about 80 degrees at 7am. Oh, summer in NY. Anyway, I remembered Christiaan Van Vuuren's YouTube channel that Kyle showed me a while ago. If CVV doesn't sound familiar, it might be because he is better know by his street name, "The Fully Sick Rapper." FSR was diagnosed with a serious case of tuberculosis (don't worry, I didn't think that was still a thing these days, either) after vacationing in South America. He spent over 100 days in quarantine, where he nursed his health and perfected his rap game to a hilarious T. He's funny, he's charming, and most importantly- alive! He is TB free these days, and thats great. Check out two of my favorite FSR vids here and here :)

freshly

One of my bosses has grown himself a nice little garden. In past summers, he's picked some of the hottest peppers I've ever eaten! This time around- its all about the cucumbers. He made a jar of cucumber salad just for me this week :) And giiiiirl, lemmetellyou, its delish!

EAT!

bis·tro/ˈbistrō/

Noun: A small restaurant.

source: uh, google image search "bistro inspired kitchen" doh! :(

source: houzz

Bistro inspired kitchens are wonderful. I imagine one with  a painted chalkboard on one of the walls that stretches from ceiling to floor, like in the pic above! I've been obsessing for so long now about a modern home that has a rustic, chic, vintage industrial charm to it. Both these kitchens made me swoon! Two totally different feels but I could definitely see creating the perfect mash-up with elements from both styles.

source: frolic!

How great is this teepee? I mean, really though.

breast fat

 

I can't remember if I was in California or Hawaii at the time, but I do remember this: I was in a wee little boutique witha couple girlfriends, when I overheard the staff members talking about how the lil bit of chub on the outside of your armpit is just "extra breast fat."  Though the girl was referring to her own chub, I appreciated the comment. It kind of reminded me about the time that I overheard someone saying that the impossible-to-lose chub between your bellybutton and your V is supposed to be there. I forget why exactly, but it had something to do with your bod being all maternal and getting ready for making a baby. It'll need cushioning all up in your womb, so... uh, that makes sense right? As much sense as the breast fat thing? I dont know what my boobies are doing by my armpits, but as long they're nowhere near my bellybutton, who am I to complain, right?

home made ice cream sandwich cake!

All your prayers have just been answered. This ice cream sandwich cake was the bomb.com and worth every stomach ache it caused. (Smaller pieces next time, eh?) My friend Nicole has been talking about this cake she made once last summer and yesterday afternoon she decided to try it again! I helped a bit but she mostly ran the show and heres how she did it:

• ice cream sandwiches
• coolwhip
• fudge or pudding
• oreos or whatever candy you want!
• wax paper and a cookie sheet
• a slap chop, rolling pin, fist, or foot 
• ziplock bags

1. Lay about 5-6 ice cream sandwiches down wax paper (which you've already put down on the cookie sheet). Make sure the sandwiches are snuggled close to each other.
2. Mix the coolwhip/fudge/pudding together in one bowl and crumble a bunch of oreos in another. I used a slap chop to crush my oreos but mostly because we just wanted to use the slap chop. You can place your cookies/candy in a ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin or if you're feeling extra angsty, your fist. Or foot, if you've really got some aggression to let out :)
3. Add some of the cookie crumbles to the coolwhip pudding mixture and layer it on top of the sandwiches. Follow that by another layer of just crumbles, and then add another layer of ice cream sandwiches. Repeat this again, until you've gone about 3 layers high. 
4. Use the rest of the whipped cream pudding mixture to "ice" the cake on the top and all around the sides. Add the rest of the crumbles to the top!

You're going to want to work fast on this one because this might melt pretty fast. After you've made your cake, stick it in the freezer for a few hours and then you'll be good to go! Cut it up and serve in small pieces-  or big ones if you're not afraid of a serious stomach ache ;)

Take a Seat

  Kyle's brother stumbled upon some old chairs from a Ruby Tues. location that were up for grabs. Though they were in deep need of some TLC, he asked if we wanted them. We got to talking about how we were going to fix the chairs up and Kyle suggested using old t-shirts instead of buying fabric to reupholster the chairs. Brilliant! So, we headed to Savers, dug through a few racks and bought 4 t-shirts for $4 and change. Only 3 chairs are pictured here, though. Sprocket The Dog decided he hated one of the t-shirts as much as I secretly did and decided to shred it to bits. Thanks, I think?

  Anyway, this was super easy to do and heres how you can have awesome chairs, too!

• paint (I used the leftovers from the Chevron DIY I did a couple weeks ago)
• a drill
• sand paper
• old t-shirts
• a staple hammer (so.much.fun)
• pins

1. Flip the chairs over and use the drill to remove the screws and detach the seats. Save the screws! Sure, you could always get new ones but if its not necessary to replace them, just save the ones the chair came with because you already know they are the right size. 
2. Sand each chair, and focus on all the rough parts and edges. Seriously. Giving a good sand job (hehehe) is important because if you don't you're going to see all those rough spots you missed when you paint over them and make more work for yourself in the end. 
3. Apply a few coats of pretty paint! I think the best way to do this is to paint each chair once and by the time you're done with the first coat on the last chair, you'll be ready to add a second coat to the chair you started with. Get it? Of course you do! You're smart! And beautiful! You should probably do a minimum of 3 coats.

 (While your chairs are drying to beauteous perfection, reupholster your seats)

1. Cut the t-shirt right up the center of the back and lay it open with the graphic or front of the shirt facing down. 
2. Place the seat in the center of the shirt (the side you sit on facing down) and use the neck as a guideline to help you make sure the graphic is centered.
3. Fold the t-shirt over the cushion nice and tight and use pins to keep it in place.
4. Once everything is aligned, take your staple hammer and slam it down a few times to secure the shirt on the cushion, removing the pins as you go along. 
5. If you turn the cushion over and feel that the design is just a wee bit off, you can probably get away with stretching the shirt and re-stapling it instead of feeling like you have to pull all the staples out and start again. T-shirts stretch, so use that to your advantage.
6. Once you're done, place your seats upside down on a table and sit the chairs upside down on top of them. 
7. Use the drill to reinsert the screws and voila! You're done!

exclamation points

Ever come across something so amazing and so perfect for you that your head might start to hurt because you've become so overwhelemed with your new thing? No? Well. It happens to me all the time. Mostly only when I am near the interior design/decor books aisle at the book store, near any sort of home goods store, and... when I get super deep into the internet and happen upon pure and wonderful gems. Wanelo is just that. I mean, I may even delete this post in the future because I want it to be kept my secret go-to site for all things awesome. But, seeing as how no one reads this blog and I am not rushing to tell anyone I've started it, I guess I could leae the entry up for a bit ;)

coffee eyes

 

Just a little coffee and lens-glare to start the day. 

   For a few weeks now, I’ve had chevron on my mind. I asked Kyle (my wonderfully amazing and encouraging boyfriend!) if I could paint a wall in the snowboard room and he agreed. The snowboard room is just an extra room in his house that is home to snowboards, snowboard gear, and some other stuff. Its the only room in the house that isn’t really ‘done’, so I figured if I paint it and it sucks, no one will see it/he could paint over it eventually.
Shortly after I announced my excitement to start chevron-ing (?), Scott said that I could chevron a wall in his room. YAY! So, I set out to Home Depot for supplies and got started with Kyle’s help. He is literally good at just about everything so I think I definitely had an advantage (which I am super thankful for:) The wall turned out just as I had hoped and I am IN LOVE with it! The guys really like it too which is awesome since its in their house ;)
GET YOUR CHEVRON ON!

• blue painters tape
• a sturdy rule, or measuring tape
• a long level (optional, but super helpful
• an assistant for the measuring part if you’re doing a big wall like I did (optional, but super helpful as well)
• a paintbrush
• a wet cloth or paper towel (for wiping up small errors and drips)

• paint!!
• an Xacto knife or box cutter (to cut the painter’s tape if necessary)

  Decide how thick you want your chevron to be. Scott told me he wanted his THIS BIG, referring to the length between the tip of his pointer finger and his thumb, 7 inches. Kyle and I used the big level as if it was a giant ruler so that we could easily map out the zig zag. To make things a little easier, I’m going to draw and post the real deal how to for lining up your zig zags because its hard to explain without a visual, yanno.
Once you have your lines up, just lay your blue painter’s tape accordingly. This and actually drawing the lines/points is the most time consuming part. Once thats done though, painting will be a breeze! I put down one thin coat for the first application, starting at the top. By the time I got to the bottom, the top was dry enough for its second coat. I gooped on lots more paint for this coat which was perfect. You don’t want to spread your paint too thin but you also don’t want it to drip.
I waited about an hour and a half before I took the painter’s tape off. You should probably wait just a bit longer but I was way too excited to be patient so I peeled it off sooner than later.
The picture above is of me and the finished product. I am in LOVE with it!

the one thing i know for sure

source: sometimessweet

  I used to write a lot. All the time, actually. So much so that one semester during my brief but amazing college experience, I took six (SIX!) English and Writing classes. NeverhaveIever written as much, read as much, or thought as much as I did that semester. Naturally, you could imagine my excitement when I saw that Danielle Hampton over at SometimesSweet was doing a new feature called "Journal Day!" I think she posts a new topic each week and there have been one or two before, so I'm stepping onto the court a little late in the game. Nevertheless, I'm here writing, and today's topic is one thing you know for sure. 

                           "Do what you love and fuck the rest."- Little Miss Sunshine

  If I could drill anything into the minds and hearts of my future kiddos and anyone around me, its to stay true to yourself in absolutely every way possible. I may not know everything but the one thing I know for sure, is that you have to do whats in in your heart all the time. You'll go crazy if you don't and will feel underwhelmed all day, every day.

  When I was in high school, I ran with the punks. Like, mohawk-in', bum-flap wearing, filthy skinny black jean sporting, body jewlery'd, loud music listening, super artsy and secretly talented type teenagers. And I loved them so much. The few that we were, were awesome and I was one of them. Since I am an inherently nice person, I got along with other students enough not to have garbage thrown on me. Nowadays its awesome to dye a bit of your hair a color thats not found in nature. But back then? Yeahnotsomuch. 

   One day two of the girls on my bus decided that I should try out for the cheerleading team. They must have still been on a confidence high from the time a few months before when they successfully convinced me to go to the homecoming dance. This kind of participation in a school-spirit related event was unheard of amongst my friends, who in their angsty youth were the first to damn whatever Man was in their way. The truth is though, that I loved attending the homecoming dance and I wanted to tryout for the cheer team so badly. The girls were both on the team, one of them was a captain, and they knew they had my mom's support. Yet another win for them. They were also willing to (shhh) teach me parts of the routine that would be taught at tryouts to kind of give me an edge over the competition. For some reason, I ended up asking my friends what they thought about me trying out for the team as if I honestly thought that it was a good idea. The very sight of a school jersey, no less a cheerleading uniform, made these kids cringe. As it should, right? Why would this band of misfits want to support the very people that made them feel insecure about being who they were? But no one really ever messed with me. So, I guess I didn't really see the harm in joining the cheer team. 

   Needless to say, I was shot down left and right. Discouraged and afraid of losing my friends, I passed up the opportunity. Wanna know what really sucks? If I said that I talk to any of those friends I had once a year to this day, it'd be a lot. For the most part, I can't even remember who I asked. Isn't that terrible? I could have been an awesome cheerleader. And lord knows it could have done amazing things for my almost non-existent self-esteem at the time. I wish I would have just found the courage to do what I wanted, what I thought I could love, and trust that if my friends judged me for it, then they werent really my "friends" to begin with. But, alas, I wasn't true to myself and I honestly do regret not ever trying out.

  So, that was kind of a bummer, huh? Don't be bummed! I'll end on a high note and remind you that it really is so desperately important to stay true to your self and honor your dreams and wishes in this beautiful life you're lucky to live. :)