sewing mishap, shaving mishap. . .

I am currently recovering from a shaving mishap. I was about to shave my legs when I decided to pick up the razor by the blades and cut my finger. It seemed far worse than it was, but I made D rush to my rescue to make sure I didn't need stitches. He said because I was in the shower and my finger was wet, it looked worse and I just needed a band aid. Again, down-playing my injuries. One of these days he is going to be wrong, and it is not going to be pretty. (no picture of my finger because it is gross)

4th of July weekend always feels like the ‘start’ of summer in my eyes. We haven't really had the best of weather yet, so I cannot believe it has crept up so quickly. I LOVE the 4th of July. I love that it is so relaxing and calm and there is no hustle and bustle of cooking and buying presents and so fourth. I am hoping that this weekend is very nice out, and there is no rain.

I got a manicure and pedicure on Friday and I got two different colors. The lady at the salon thought this was very peculiar and continually asked me if I was sure. Obviously I am sure, I picked out the colors. My reasoning behind it is that I am not a huge fan of red nail color, but thought it was imperative for the 4th festivities, so I got a reddish nail color and more of a pinkish toe color (cause my toe color lasts longer.)

  

I am still teaching myself/learning to sew. The prep work is the hardest for me, and I find that sometimes even when I cut them the appropriate sizes, they do not turn out the size I anticipate. I was SO excited about making my gift for the handmade gift exchange, and bought some festive fabric to coordinate. Well, what a let down it was. I think I got a little over-confident, because I had made the same thing twice and it came out great both times. The zipper is not properly lined up and the bottom of the bag did not even sew through. So disappointing. Back to the drawing board.

I think the whole learning to sew is far more trying than I anticipated. The act of sewing I am very comfortable with. I can thread the bobbin and the machine fine, and have no problem with the pressure of the foot and making a straight line, it is really just the prep work and making sure everything is laid out properly. I really think there needs to be an easier way. My rotary cutter (that I just bought) either doesn't work, or I don't know how to work it. It does not cut through fabric and it is extremely frustrating. I am thinking of taking it to AC Moore (where I bought it) and asking them to show me how to use it, how sad is that?!?

please disregard the dirty dishes. that is not something we really wanted to do last night, catching up on GH was WAY more important.

Our kitchen sink has been leaking now for about a month. It is a slow leak, and I was told by both my boyfriend and his father that it is not leaking enough to make a dent in the water bill, but it something we had to fix eventually. Well, that time came this weekend when the bucket of water that we had catching the leak began to smell so bad I couldn't breathe. They finally changed all the piping below and changed out the faucet and it is extremely different than our old faucet, but it is very nice. I like it. && the smell is GONE, thank goodness.

on a happier note, I am starting to profit from my photography business. I also have 3 more sessions coming up in the next few weeks, so I am pretty happy. I am debating if I should save the money for a new lens or if I should save the money for the website? what do you think? I am very conflicted about it, as I could outright buy the lens now, or I could be saving 1/10th of the money for the website. & look how cute my assistant is. Seriously, love him.

hoping to have blunder-free week, and wishing the same for you as well ;]

like that word blunder? Just looked it up. I am super smaht!

Hoo Are You?!?

[my friends, last 4th]

Linking up another week with Night Owl Crafting for Hoo Are You?!? This week is a 4th of July theme.

1. Do you decorate for the 4th of July? We bought a flag this year and hung it in front of the house. I am ‘new’ to the decorating, so I should probably start, seeing that the 4th is my favorite holiday.

2. Do you you buy fireworks for the 4th of July? they are Illegal in MA. But I usually buy sparklers.

3. How do you celebrate the 4th of July? Usually with close friends. We go to a BBQ then walk to the fireworks. We always have a blast.

4. Do you have a family member that is serving our country? No, but I know people who are serving/have served. I have great appreciation for military families.

5. Do you dress in red, white, or blue on the fourth? Of course!

So the 4th of July is my favorite holiday. There is no pressure to cook something, meet a deadline, or buy things and it is such a fun holiday. I love fireworks and we usually try to go to more than one ‘celebration’ a year. Last year we found a really great carnival and fireworks display the town over, in Lexington, and we have now made that another tradition. Luckily they are doing their fireworks on Saturday so it doesn't interfere with the normal routine. I LOVE the 4th of July, hope you all have something fun planned!

see stef sew

so after months of hard work and dedication on my hubby’s part, we finished the ETSY banner!! It is completely not the direction I thought we would go in, and my ideas changed 1,000 times, but D was more than helpful throughout the process. I am very pleased with the outcome, even if it does look a little ‘gothic.’

we ended up buying a digital scrapbooking kit from scrap orchard and I think that made a huge difference. I just LOVE the little me doll. She is too cute.

Hope you guys like it! I also added some new headbands, GO take a look!!

Thursday’s Ten Must Have Craft Supplies

Better late than never, but here is this week’s Thursday’s ten –

Must Have Craft Supplies.

1. Modge Podge. Obviously. Use it for anything & everything.

2. Paper Cutter/Trimmer. It will save you time and looks so much cleaner.

3. Assortment of scrapbooking papers ranging in various sizes and colors. Because you never know what project it may spruce up a bit.

4. Circle Cutter. I need to get one that cuts various sizes, but I do have one that is one size, and I love it and use it frequently. A multi-sized circle cutter would be so much easier.

5. Glue dots. LOVE these. It is basically a round circle of double sided tape, and it is clear. Great for use of various different things, not limited to crafting projects.

6. Glue Gun. Well well, I LOVE my glue gun. I probably use it for more things than I actually should, because I like the ‘act’ of using it, but it really is cool. & very strong. You can get a cheap one for $5.

7. Fabric. Fabric. Fabric. Even if you are not a sewer, having fabric around your craft room can never hurt. IT is great for covering various things, and can always be glues/stapled down ;]

8. Buttons/Embellishments. Buttons and different scrapbooking/sewing embellishments are a great touch to a wreath, card, or any c raft project, really.

9. Silhouette SD. I got this for my birthday in March and I still don’t even know how to use it, and I still love it. Even if you don’t print things on vinyl, or heat transfer paper, it is great for printing things on cardstock and regular paper. The amount of ‘clip art’ you can purchase is really endless. MUST GET ONE.

10. Pencils. The first time is not always done perfectly, so when you need to mark something, always use a pencil.

BLOGGER AWARDS!!!!

As many of you know, I am still very new to the blogging world, so when I found out I was awarded TWO awards, I was floored; the Versatile Blogger Award and the Stylish Blogger Award. My new friend Tracy over at Polkadot Whimsy kindly awarded me these for being an inspiration to her. I am more than honored.

MY DUTIES FOR THIS REWARD INCLUDE:

1. Link it back to the person who gave it to you (above)

2. Share 7 things about myself.

I am right handed, I still sleep with a teddy bear and my childhood blanket, I am very OCD and an anxious person, I am slowly starting a photography business – I hope to have a website up and running by October, I have 1 sister, I recently found out I am ‘allergic’ to acrylic nails – which I have gotten since I was a teenager, AND I have a permanent dislocated finger.

3. Award 15 other new, or newly discovered bloggers.

A Tickled Pink Life, Alexandra Rose, Clean & Scentsible, Greenbeans Crafterole, Honey Were Home, I Heart Organizing, Sew Like My Mom, Sewing In No Mans Land, The Crafty Cupboard, The Wiegands, Vintage Revival, Night Owl Crafting, Living in Yellow, Liz Marie Blog, Beauty & The Beach

 

couponing deals!

so this weekend, I did pretty good couponing. Not my best, but I stayed under budget, which was good, and I felt good about my purchases. I ended up paying a total of $33.76 for everything seen above. My budget was $40, so I came under, which I always love. I saved a total of 71%. Not my best, but that is with going to 3 stores, Walgreens, CVS & Hannaford. At CVS alone, I saved close to 92%, which was one of my best ever. 

Some of the things I got in this ‘transaction’ includes: 4 toilet bowl cleaners, 6 air fresheners, 4 salad dressing, and 4 cake mix. To all the skeptics out there, and people that think it is too time consuming, I really urge you to try couponing.  Even if you save $10 a week grocery shopping by using just a small amount of coupons, that is a yearly savings of $500. Think about it.

Manchester NH Engagement Session

happy weekend, bloggers! Today I had an engagement session for a longtime friend of mine and I am very happy about it. I was a little nervous for this session, because I felt as though this was my first real (professional) one. I say that because there was so much preparation going into it, by both me and the couple, there were outfit changes, and it was all-around organized. The session lasted about 2 hours long!

Our original plan was to go to Prescott Park in Portsmouth, NH, but because there was rain in the forecast, we decided not to chance it, and Melissa scheduled for us to go to the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester. It was very nice and we got a lot of great shots there. Because the rain held off, we did get to do some outdoor shots at a nearby park.

 

I had so much fun! I felt very comfortable, and I tried to convey that to the clients. I hope that Melissa and Andrew felt ok throughout and really enjoy their photographs. I really hope I have more sessions like today.

What do you guys think? Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Thursdays Ten Favorite Etsy Shops

Every week, I try to think of a new ‘theme’ for Thursdays Ten. Sometimes I just skip it, because (oddly enough) I have trouble thinking of something. I know there are thousands of things I could do a top ten of, but it grows harder and harder as the weeks go on.

This week:

Thursdays Ten Favorite ETSY Shops!

I have so many, so it will be hard to narrow it down. I will try to post my absolute favorite as of right now. (in no particular order) Here ya go. .

1. The Snootie Pig awesome headbands, and wonderful craftsmanship. love this shop.

2. Alexandra Rose I love her blog, so I may be bias, but she whips up some great stuff. I adore her mustard mini wallet.

3. Napkitten Pattern has great patterns, and once I get better at sewing, I am going to purchase the trifold iphone wallet pattern, because I love it.

4. Everything Ribbons I have ordered from them several times, and they have great supplies. Really good go-to place for random sewing supplies.

5. Happy Acres Farm I have yet to buy a decorated DSLR lens ‘ornament’ but every time I take pictures of kids, I regret that I don't have one. I will be purchasing one very soon. How adorable are they?!?

6. Loxly Hollow has the cutest nursery/home art decor. Seriously adorable.

7. Inspire Lovely has everything you need to package that special something for that special someone. Ribbons, tags, twine, you name it. Good stuff.

8. Smithacus Art If you know me at all, you know I am a dog lover, and obsessed with my lil’ Emmy. This shop does original drawings of your favorite four legged friend.

9. Pillow Throw Decor because who doesn't love a nice throw pillow?!?

10. New Duds which I actually found today. I just love the golden feather tote.

HOO Are You

I am a little late, but I just found out about Night Owl Crafting. Pretty cool blog that does lots of link parties. Every Tuesday is one called “HOO Are You” and Leslie posts 5 different questions to answer weekly so your followers can get to know you better.

I think it is fun and creative, and I think I am going to start participating. I can’t figure out how to put the button in the blog post, but this is the link if you would like to join: HOO Are You. Here goes. .

1. What is you favorite summertime snack? Ice Cream. For some reason I crave ice cream so much in the summertime.

2. Do you tan at all? (tanning bed, outside, spray, etc) I tan in the tanning bed and I like to sunbathe. I know it is horrible for me, and I have cut back a LOT, but I do think a nice tan is appealing.

3. What is your favorite activity to do outside? Growing up we were always outside. We had a pool and a trampoline and were constantly playing in the backyard. When we get a fence, just hanging in the yard with the pup would be very relaxing to me, and having dinner outside. I love the beach as well.

4. Do you recycle? Yes.

5. How hot is it where you live today? We are having a cold front here in Boston, it is only 60 today.

lovin’

how lucky am I?

love them.

HOUSE TOUR > Kitchen

continuing with our house tour is our nice clean kitchen. the kitchen is very small, and crammed but we work with what he have. we eventually want to open up the kitchen and the living room and make it a big kitchen/dining area then finish the basement and use that as our living room, but that is just a dream at this time.

when we moved in we installed brand new stove, microwave and dishwasher. we want to update the fridge within the next year to match. the table is pretty beat-up and is from my old apartment, we will probably need to re-finish it or buy a new one soon.

we also decided to clean and organize our food cabinets (we don’t have a pantry). we have not done this in a very long time and we very needed. I am so happy now, I love all the organization and being able to find things when we need them.

Curtains & Blinds – Ann & Hope outlet

Food Cart, table & chairs – Target

Trash barrel – Target

Appliances – Home Depot

Backsplash (we did ourselves) – Home Depot

week mash-up

so last weekend we went to see New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys in concert. It was AMAZING. they put on such a good show and I am so glad I finally got to see NKOTB.

Last Sunday we went out to dinner in Boston for my ‘brothers’ birthday. It was delicious and eventful. We sat next to the cast of GLEE and they were high-maintenance, to say the least. Then this week we scored so good craigslist deals. We found this couple that are moving and we ended up with a brand new picnic basket, beach chair, cork board and desk fan for $35. It was such a good find. We were pretty happy.

This week I got new fabric in the mail, so pumped to start some projects. I washed and ironed everything which was more time consuming than I anticipated. We also managed to clean out the kitchen cabinets and get some jewelry holders for the bedroom and a ribbon organizer for the new studio, aka craft room.

All in all we have been very busy the past couple of weeks. I worked the last two Saturday’s and have not even felt like I have had a real weekend in forever. Don’t worry guys, there will be lots of projects coming up soon now that I have my life more organized.  

not enough hours in the day

lately I have been feeling like I cannot get things done. not one specific thing, just in general. there is not enough hours in the day. I work until 5:30 and am not a morning person. Don always tells me I should wake up early and ‘conquer the day.’ I just cannot do it.

with that being said, I am going to try. ha, I am being optimistic here and hoping I can make this new schedule work, because really, there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done that I want. Effective Monday, I am going to wake up at 6:45am. Take Emmy for a walk then use the elliptical for an hour. I will shower and get ready for work. Come home at 5:30ish then make dinner and listen to the news. After supper I will catch up on some shows/housework and then in the evening, 8pm on, I can craft.

I am really hoping this new schedule will work, because I really want to start exercising and crafting more. I am hoping this blog will hold me accountable.

oh, and this is the temperature it was when I was driving to work this morning. awesome.

Pinterest

if you have never heard of Pinterest, you are living under a rock. it is definitely the new ‘fad’ as of the last 2 months or so. taken directly from the website:

Think of Pinterest as a virtual pinboard — a place where you can create collections of things you love and "follow" collections created by people with great taste. People use Pinterest to collect and share all sorts of things -- wedding inspiration, favorite T-shirts, DJ equipment. You name it, people are pinning it. Our mission is to make Pinterest the best place for you to share your taste with the world.

it is an invite-only website, so you must know someone who is on it if you would like to join (feel free to shoot me a comment or e-mail if you want an invite). I cannot express my love for this website. it is so amazing for the primary fact that I can organize things according to how I want. ANYTHING on ANY website you like, or want to reference later, you can pin and it will be saved on one of your boards. I use this primarily for decorating/organizing ideas that I would love to reference later when we need to re-organize or renovate various rooms.

i love it. you will too. check it out, all the cool kids are

Handmade Gift Exchange

as I mentioned earlier, I will be participating in the Handmade Gift Exchange. Today I got linked up to the person I will be exchanging with, and she is such a sweetheart! I want to introduce you guys to Tracy from PolkaDot Whimsy. She is a new blogger like myself and makes some pretty amazing key fobs (among other things).

please take a moment to check out her blog and compliment her great work. Hopefully I can make her something wicked great in the gift exchange, that she can’t already make herself, haha. wish me luck!

Thursday’s Ten Favorite Summer Food/Drinks

I know I have been slacking recently with the Thursday’s Ten, and my only excuse is how busy we have been, but today is a good one to get us into the Summer mood. This week’s theme is:

Favorite SUMMER Foods & Drinks!

For some of them, they are homemade recipes, and I will most-likely be posting them throughout the summer, so stay tuned. Here goes.

1. White Wine Sangria. I don’t drink too much these days, and I hate tasting alcohol, but Sangria is one of my all-time favorite alcoholic beverage. It tastes like juice and is so delicious. I have a great recipe for this I will be posting later.

2. Watermelon. FAVORITE fruit and a summer essential in most households.

3. Buffalo Turkey Burgers. My aunt gave me this recipe, we actually made them last night. They have become a staple in our household because they are so good. I do not like hamburgers, so this is a great alternative for me, especially during grilling season.

4. Corn on the Cob! I love corn. Probably my favorite vegetable, if you really even consider it a veggie seeing that it is not that good for you. I love corn, and corn on the cob is so much tastier. Definitely a summer must have.

5. Hot Dogs. If you a regular griller, this is probably a something you are obliged to make. Like I said, I don't like hamburgers so this is usually my go-to for quick summer grilling dinners.

6. Potato Salad. My best friend Lauren has the most amazing recipe for potato salad. It is so unhealthy, but it wouldn't be as good if it was, right? If she allows, and if I properly make it (when I do) I will probably post the recipe.

7. Tortellini Salad. I don't know where we got the recipe, but it is probably the favorite food my dad makes. It is tortellini, Chinese sausage and a balsamic vinaigrette sauce that is just to die for. It is served cold. I will definitely be posting the recipe this summer.

8. ICE CREAM! It should probably be my number 1, if you know me, you would know why. I LOVE ice cream. Especially mom and pop places like Pizzi Farms.

9. Beer. This one is for my man. He is a beer man, and he would probably think it was a must to add this to the list. I do also enjoy a nice cold beer, especially at a BBQ, but if I had to choose, I would much prefer a frozen girly drink instead.

10. Water. (can you tell I ran out, haha) No really, in the hot summer months, water is essential to all of us. I think sometimes we forget how warm it actually is, which is why we get run-down so easily. Don’t get dehydrated folks, it can be dangerous.

well that made me hungry. I want to have a BBQ now. It is so nice out, we will probably have one this weekend, we just need more gas for the grill. Only one more day of the week, thank goodness!

HOUSE TOUR > Bathroom

carrying on with the tour of the house. i am not going in any particular order, just whatever room seems to be clean at the time. 

we only have one bathroom, and it was a nightmare to begin with (we we got the house in September 2009.) i really wish i had before pictures, but we basically gutted the entire bathroom and started from scratch. we love the final product, and probably wouldn't change a thing.

   

we decided to forgo a tub, because the bathroom is so small and the amount of time we will actually use it as a bathtub is slim to never. i like just having the lip, it is easier to clean and looks better. plus my little emmy baby walks right into the shower when she pleases, so cute!

after seeing the pictures i think we need some wall decor. hmm, i will have to think about what to do, thoughts?

Vanity & Mirror - Home Depot

tile – Home Depot

Shower Curtain – Home Goods

Rug - Costco