Can someone give me a hand?

My first thought this morning when I opened my eyes was, "Let's create!" I want to hand-letter, design brilliant typographical compositions, I want to create something beautiful. Not just something, but somethings. 

It's easy to be negative when things aren't going as planned, I'm working on doing the opposite!

The amazing thing about creating, designing, lettering with your own two hands is there are days where there is just no stopping them. Your hands move a million miles a minute -- swirling, dancing, curling all over your artwork like their favorite song is playing on repeat. Don't you dare hit pause... well it wouldn't matter, because they are just THAT in the zone. On these days you could literally try to make something ugly but when you take a step back you realize it's even more beautiful than you originally envisioned. Thanks, Hands! High five... (I don't really know how that would work..)

But the thing about creating, designing, lettering with your hands is some days your hands just look at you and say, "HA! You don't know how to use me right now because I am going to have a mind of my own. Good luck with that vision you have in your head of that AWEsome chalkboard... it ain't happening sister." And then they go limp. Just like that. No warning, just done-zo. Womp. 

Days like that call for a few different thoughts, realizations, and coming up with ways to channel the different parts of your creativity. So since today is one of those days (my hands have even refused to type, so I'm writing this out with my toes... just kidding, they said I have 30 minutes max before they limp out again), I decided to share some thoughts instead of pretty chalkboards like I had planned to.

1. Don't take things for granted. One weekend when I was visiting my parents in Pennsylvania, my mom and I were having a discussion while on a walk about taking care of our bodies. A family friend of ours who is in dentistry had hurt his hand playing in a pick-up game one weekend. Mom was saying how he realized how much something so trivial can really affect his now-line of work. He was managing, but had to get creative about ways of doing things -- I think he also decided using his toes would be a good alternative (JK AGAIN!) Later on during that walk, we were talking about how I never take my contacts out at night. Such a bad habit, but it's just not something I do. My ever-so-wise mother connected that back to our earlier discussion about our dentist friend. My eyes are my tools. I create, I design, I take inspiration from things I see and channel them into my own interpretation of beauty. What would I do without my tools? Don't take your sight, your hands, your body's ability to do, to move, to build, to fix for granted. Take care of it. 
2. There are always going to be days like this. Don't get discouraged, that won't help anything! Instead do something else. I'm going to cook. True, I do need my hands but not in the precise and extremely controlled way I would've. Don't worry, I won't do any major chopping... that does require a bit of controlled precision. 
3. Be thankful you were just working with chalkboards today. Okay, this one may be a little specific to me and to the situation, but hey! I'm super thankful my hands decided to flop out on a day I was working with easily erasable chalk. I could've been working with ink and super expensive paper (paper that I have only 2 extra pieces to mess up on... oh the pressure!) So you know what I just did? I got a wet paper towel, erased the board, put it away, and came to chat with you. Easy peasy. I guess the moral of this thought is it could always be worse. Someone else somewhere is having a moody hand day while working with paint and their living room wall... yikes, I'm thankful I'm not them. 
4. Yoga. This is sorta a funny one, but my hands respond to yoga. When they are feeling all spastic and uncontrollable like they are right now, a little down time and relaxation really does wonders. It doesn't even have to be a whole hour long class. Just me, my mat, my apartment floor, and a few "Ommmmms" (jk, I'm not into the om-ing) get every part of my body back in tune. Find what works for you and do it.
5. Love your problem. I love that this is my problem. I love that some days my hands can't draw, can't write, can't make artwork I'm proud of. I love that because that means there are days that I can. Your game isn't going to be 100% the best you've ever played every single time. Off days are inevitable, but the fact that this is your off day means that you have on days too. I love that I was given the ability to do what I do, so if it means sometimes I have to give it a break, so be it. I'll be back at it tomorrow! 

So once my hands, my mind, my eyes, and the rest of me get their act together to actually work together, I'll share some projects I've been working on. Until then, let's all take a nap, do some yoga, and maybe go get our nails done so they can finish off with a glorious hand massage. (That's the best idea I've had all day!) 

-- xoxo

New Hampshire Snapshots

I have a reason for being MIA for a few days... I was on a mini-vacation! For those of you who don't know, Justin (my boyfriend... for those of you who are REALLY new to the game), moved to New Hampshire a few weeks ago. He has a ton of family up there so he moved to be closer to them and find new opportunities in his line of work. He's a chef, so he was ready for a new adventure in the culinary world. Thankfully he has found a fantastic place with fantastic people, all of whom made me feel so incredibly welcomed and like I was apart of the Tumbledown Farm crew! I'll post more about his new gig some other time. 

Anyway, I decided to go visit for a long weekend since my Friday technically is your Wednesday. Don't hate me, I'm just a scheduling genius. So Thursday I hopped on a bus and took a ride up to New England to see Justin! He met me at the bus stop with the gorgeous bouquet pictured above. That was just the start of a wonderful, spoiled weekend for me (: 

Friday morning (Justin had the entire day off! Woo!), Justin gave me the grand tour of his new restaurant and we enjoyed a fantastically filling breakfast. Then we did some shopping and headed to Portsmouth *siggggghhhhh*, oh Portsmouth. How I love you, Portsmouth. There we did more shopping, eating, drinking fresh juices, and spending much needed quality time together. Seriously, this guy knows how to plan an awesome day. We obviously stopped by my favorite stationery store, Gus & Ruby, and actually got to meet Gus, one of the namesakes of the store! He and I became fast friends. 

Then we strolled, took some pictures on the extremely windy pier, found an incredible chocolatier (can the Easter Bunny fill my basket there this year?!), and got some drinks at an amazing Irish pub that used to be a bank! (Check out those ceilings!) Dinner was next at a fun tapas style restaurant that Justin has been dying to try. He had heard such great things and Moxy sure didn't let us down! 

The rest of the weekend was spent hanging out with family, organizing and decorating Justin's new room a bit, meeting new friends for drinks and tons of laughs, and for me... writing a research paper while Justin went to work during the day (fun.). 

All in all it was exactly what I knew it would be. Justin and I always manage to have so much fun, even if it's putting together a bookcase from Target or finding great deals at restaurant supply stores for the cafe! He makes me laugh and makes it even harder to leave. The only good thing about the weekend coming to an end is that I'm one day closer to my next trip to New Hampshire! 

Until then, enjoy some snapshots of the weekend! 

Brunch today in NYC at the restaurant we first ate at together after I moved here over a year ago! Still our favorite!

Thanks for driving me all the way back to NYC, J-Man! You're the best! 

--xoxo

Happy Birthday!

I thought that a quick little shout out on Facebook and Instagram would be enough, but you know what? It's not. This may seem a little silly... I mean, he doesn't even have thumbs to be able to work a smartphone, let alone know how to spell to sign into either account -- but I wanted to share on the blog a little birthday love for my furry boy, Nizmo. 

The first time I met Nizmo was during the summer of 2012. Justin and I had just met at work and were starting to hanging out. One day we decided to go kayaking down the river behind Justin's house. This was the first day we were hanging out outside of work, so not only was I nervous to finally be having one-on-one time, I was also stressing about the kayaking. I've done it a million times, but what if it were to flip? What if something terribly embarrassing happened? Deep breath. I can do this. 

I pulled into Justin's driveway, walked up to the back door, and was greeted with Justin saying, "Be careful. Just watch your toes around Nizmo." Why?! Was he some sort of toe-biting puppy? Did my painted toenails drive him crazy, so crazy that he turns into a toe-ripping-off terror? I was already a little uneasy because I knew he was a pitbull. Everyone and their mother's uncle has preconceived ideas about pitbulls (which by the way are SO mistaken, but that's another day and another post). I had never really been around one before so I was cautious... and then to be told that my toes were in danger!? Was it too late to pretend to be sick and go home?

But no worries, none of the above were reasons why this vicious dog (extremely sarcastic for those of you who don't know this puddle of puppy mush) was out for my toes.  Nizzy-boy can't be left alone with unattended toes because tennis balls are soooooo last year. Nizmo plays with a bowling ball.

Sometimes when he is carrying it and leans forward too far his back legs come off the ground. It is literally my favorite thing on Earth.

Another quirky characteristic about this boy is that he is constantly in pursuit of his tail. If J and I are watching TV, Niz will get bored, stand up, and proceed to chase his tail in circles until someone, ANYONE pays attention to him. Except if it's Baxter... then he just gets annoyed (sometimes). I mean, if a little thing the size of my head tried to help me chase my tail, I'd get a little grumpy too. 

In general, he literally is the happiest, cuddliest dog in the entire world. He loves to run around at ungodly speeds and almost knock you over! He also quite enjoys tearing apart every ball, toy, or item that fits in his mouth... 

And last but not least, he and I share a love for peanut butter. If I'm eating it, you can bet your entire life savings that he will be too. I just can't say no to those puppy eyes! The only rule is, I get to lick the spoonful of peanut butter first... not the other way around. He's okay with that.

So I'm pretty much the equivalent of a crazy cat lady (but obviously about dogs), so I made a quick cheesy video of Nizzy and some of the reasons I love him! Obviously I'll show this to him someday when he's old enough to read the captions -- until then, you can enjoy it!

Picnic.

You know what I want to do? Go on a picnic. Don't get me wrong, you can dress me up and treat me to a fancy dinner every now and then -- I'll be completely happy. But, if you really want to know the way to my heart, pack up an adorable homemade picnic and let's go! I think I might literally faint if you take me on a picnic just like the ones pictured above (either one)... so maybe don't make it that perfect because then you'll basically just be picnic-ing alone. But look at that view!!! 

So in honor of the beautiful (almost) picnic worthy weather, I put together some essential "tools" you'll need and styled a pretty, whimsical outfit for a sunny Spring picnic. Oh, and if you throw in a bicycle ride too I'll be sure to be your best friend FOREVER. 

All of the images in this post can be found on my Pinterest. (Follow the link in the sidebar)

For the love of all things pretty, CAN IT PLEASE BE OFFICIALLY SPRING NOW?! Until then, you have a little more time to plan our picnic, I think I did enough to help you here. 

I am sorry for the lack of "original" content here, but I have been working all day (the past few days) on some big projects I have going. Unfortunately I can't share them on here until it is completely done! But don't you worry, I'll let you know when that fantastically fun post will be ready! ;) 

-- xoxo

A quick jaunt to Italy...

I didn't wear a jacket today. Actually I did, but then took it off and carried it around because wearing it was making me sweat. How awesome is that... the no jacket part, not the sweat part. But seriously, today is beautiful. I'm actually looking forward to walking to class in a few hours.

However, there is one teensy, tiny issue. I decided to try out my new cut-out booties today, yano, ones that look like this (but are actually from Old Navy!)... well the thing is, since the sides are cut-out you can see my foot so obviously I'm not going to wear socks. So now let's do some math. New shoes + no socks = OUCH. Double ouch. Springtime may come with pretty flowers, sunny days, and being able to leave your sliding glass door open while you're home (only while I'm home, Dad!) -- but it also comes with the dreadful task of breaking in new shoes. Womp.

Today's warmer weather outfit! Boyfriend jean capris, a JCrew chambray button up, the painful cut-out booties, and my Alex & Ani bracelets!

Anyway, I don't want to become that blogger that talks about her sweat and blisters. That's gross. Instead let's talk about delicious food. I'm pretty sure that was a terrible transition into talking about food (hopefully you quickly forget about the sweat and blisters by the time you scroll down to see what's below!), but y'all are troopers and can go with my strange blogging flow. 

Mom and Dad (and Baby Baxter) came into the city on Sunday for a late lunch. We went to a little authentic Italian hole-in-the-wall down in the East Village, Via Della Pace. It was a perfectly sunny day, like today, just not as warm. But check out this food. We shared three orders of fresh bruschetta, two classic and the other with shrimp, avocado, arugula, and mustard. Oh. My. Gosh. So good. I'd share, but I really don't want to. Then for lunch I ordered the salad pictured. It was just as good as it looks, especially with the fresh lemon and basil dressing, nom nom nom. 

For some reason Dad is doing the itsy-bitsy-spider across the table. Or at least that's what it looks like to me! Perhaps he's creepy crawling over to snag some of that bruschetta. No, no that can't be it -- there's seafood on that one! God forbid he ate seafood! 

Where's the filet mignon bruschetta we ordered? With a side of mashed potatoes? That's not on the menu? Oh, okay (hehe, love ya Daddio).

And how about we finish this meal off with something super sweet and delicious... 

Baxter! 

Enjoy your sunny day (if you don't have sunshine today, sorry to rub it in!) Brighter days are ahead... but if we want to get technical here SNOW is actually in the forecast, but let's just live in the warm, sunny moment for now. Okay? Okay. 

-- xoxo

A Letter to Me

I'm from here.

Dear Me,

I've been meaning to write for a while now, but honestly I've just been too busy. I know that's not really an excuse, but it's the truth. So now that I have a few spare minutes (I don't really, I'm just procrastinating on this paper... you know how that is), I thought I'd finally give you the attention you deserve, but haven't been getting. 

I'll cut the small talk. I know how you've been, I know what you've been up to, I know how school is, and how your friends are doing. 

I know you've been happier recently than you have been in a really long time. Whether it's due to proving to yourself you are talented, smart, and capable of achieving your dreams one step at a time, or whether you have surrounded yourself with loving friends--  neither of us really know the cause, but all that matters is that you are--  you are happy. Perhaps it could be due to the fact that you finally let go of so many cares that were holding you and your relationship with someone you love dearly captive. That's never healthy. Your happiness surely is a direct result of seeing all of those in your life happy too -- chasing dreams, achieving their own goals, and finding true love -- in another, in a puppy, in themselves. 

Don't worry, you don't have to pretend for me, I know you've gone through some trying times. Quite honestly, I know you still are. But that's okay. It's normal. In fact, I'd be worried if you weren't. Times like these build you, shape you, and make you even stronger. Look back at everything that (seemingly) crumbled in your life or the times where you really felt like putting one foot in front of the other was an insurmountable task -- what came of those moments? Strength. Hope. A perseverance to find what truly  makes you happy. The first key to that though is being able to forgive yourself. Not only forgive yourself, but to laugh. Laugh at how ridiculous you looked, laugh at how heart-broken you were (a really strange thing to do, but SO freeing!), and laugh at how amazing it is that time can heal you. 

Once you're done laughing at yourself take a moment and realize every single individual hand and heart that was extended to you. Realize the people who rode down each and every pot hole-infested, speed bump-filled, and abruptly dead-ending road with you. Now hug them and don't ever let go. Those people, those sweet, sweet people are the ones who genuinely love you. Even after  numerous door-slamming nights, silently awkward dinners, and harsh word slinging -- they still love you. And won't ever stop. 

While you're on the roll of forgiving yourself, lean to the left (I know there's a mirror there-- it's convenient when you're writing to yourself, you know things others wouldn't!), look in that mirror, and say, "It's okay you're not a size 0." No, no... say, "Thank God you're not a size 0!" Because you know what, if you were a size 0, you'd be unhealthy. You would be sick. Your body is not made to be a size 0. Some may be and that's perfectly fine. Good for them. But guess what? Even a size 0 has times when they feel down, they feel unhappy with their appearance. Their nose looks too big, their eyes seem too far apart, and their mouth is uselessly small.

So now let's think about it this way. Do you have two arms, two legs, two eyes, a nose, and two ears? Yes? Good. And they all work right? What's that? They work perfectly? They can do amazing things like running, walking, lifting, seeing, smelling, and hearing? They allow you to do virtually whatever you set your mind to? Wow, that's pretty lucky. You're lucky. Take a deep breath. That worked too right? You felt the air rush to your lungs, making you feel even more alive. And that warmth you feel on your skin -- that's because your heart is beating. It's so good to be alive. Healthy and alive. 

But don't think you've fooled me. I know you'll still scrutinize your thighs, arms, stomach, and butt every time you look in that mirror, pass a reflective surface, or look at pictures. I know that, because I'm you, but because I'm you I also know that what you look like does not indicate how much you are worth or how much others value you -- and it shouldn't indicate how much you love yourself. You don't like something? Change it. But do it because you love yourself, not because you love what others think of your appearance more.

Stop cursing. That's all I have to say about that. You're not a trucker.

Just be thankful. You have SO much to be thankful for. You truly are blessed. And you know what? I kinda, sorta really love who you are -- flaws and all.

Now seriously, go write your paper. Seriously. (Fine, you can have a 15 minute Pinterest break, but then GO. WRITE. IT.) You're really persuasive.

Love,

You

xoxo

Want to live here with me?

Hi, I'm addicted to HGTV, furniture stores, and the home decor category of Pinterest. I admit I have a problem, but no, I don't want help. Instead I want to share it with you. I'm sorry if you fall prey to this highly addictive part of my life, but I can assure you, you will be in good company! 

Raw. Rustic. Pure. Natural. Earthy. Homey. Simple. Handmade. Collected. Those words, in that order, with the pauses indicated by the periods, is what I want to go through your head when you walk into my future home. Lots of girls live for their wedding day or for the day they meet Prince Charming or the day their favorite shoes are on sale, but I live for the day I walk into a home (in my price range and that won't break my bank!) and get that feeling that it is home. It can be horribly ugly when I first move in, I don't mind, in fact I would PREFER it that way. I want to slave away weekend after weekend, night after night, and make that place MY home. So as I daydream about the day I can do that, I put together a couple little inspiration boards to give you a peek inside my mind (or part of it). Enjoy!

Excuse me while I curl up and live inside this virtual, pretend home. If you need me for anything, you know where to find me. 

-- xoxo

*none of the above image belong to me, but they can be found on my Pinterest!

It's National Pancake Day! (spoiler: this post is not about pancakes)

There's something I really need to talk to you about. Blueberry coffee. 

I've always been a caramel coffee girl through and through, but sadly I think I beat that caramel-coffee-horse to death. So, when I was back home in Pennsylvania this weekend visiting my parents and helping J pack for his big move to New Hampshire, my mom pointed out Green Mountain's Wild Blueberry coffee at the grocery store. Basically, the rest was history. Every morning when I brew a cup in my Keurig, it smells like I am A.) meandering through a big blueberry field of the ripest berries or B.) baking a batch of deliciously homemade blueberry muffins. Neither of which I am actually doing, but hey, it's the aroma that counts. 

If you're one of those, "I'll have a iced-venti-double shot-soy-mocha-two and three quarters splendas-with a splash of skim-latte" kind of person, I urge you to come over and try a big mug full of black blueberry coffee. You'll convert that very first sip. I'm drinking it as we speak, or as I write to you.

But that's not all I need to talk to you about. The next issue is an urgent one... when the heck did it become MARCH? I wasn't ready for February to be over. Yes, I'm ready for Winter to be over so I guess it's good that the months are flying by... but it completely snuck up on me! I mean in all honesty, this hysteria is over the fact that I didn't get a chance to use all of my birthday month discounts at my favorite stores. Someone should really give me a heads up next year when I only have a few more days to get my bargains. It'd be appreciated. 

However, March has big things in store! I'm working on two different projects that I am super excited to share with you when the time is right. That is also why my blogging (and also because I was traveling) has been a little sparse lately. No hints, no sneak peeks. You'll just have to wait! ..... fine, one sneak peak. But that's it! Don't ask again. 

What could this mean!? You're all smart, I know you already have it figured out! Stay tuned! 

-- xoxo