Feeling better and lots of upcoming plans!

I can hear out of my right ear today! And I haven't been coughing like crazy or feeling like I have a bunch of bricks on my head. I think the inhaler and cough syrup from my recent doctor visit have started helping. I can't believe I've been out of work for an entire week. I swear I've been going stir crazy! And I've been so worried that people at work might hate my guts for being gone so long. But I found out that tons of people are sick, so I guess it's just that time of year. And thankfully, my new lead at work has been super understanding and seems to have just been worried about me getting better (and probably not coming in and getting everyone else sick)!

Most of my days looked like this:



And I was super excited to be home when this arrived yesterday!



Since I do feel better today, I figured it was a good idea to actually try to be semi-productive. I hate that I've been here all stinkin' week and haven't done a darn thing. So I started laying out and packing clothes for the trip home! I have to make lists and plan things out, so I started doodling outfits for each day!



Last time, I had no idea what to pack, so I ended up packing way too much stuff. My suitcase probably weighed as much as me! This time around, I'm planning everything out so I don't end up in the same situation. Since the temperature is so unpredictable this time of year in Nashville, I'm trying to cover all of my bases, just to be safe! I'm packing a pair of jeans, a few skirts, a couple of button up tops, leggings, a few cardigans, and boots. Something's gotta work! Mom told me it was 70 one day last week, and then the next day, it was in the 30's! Oh, Tennessee weather, you are so fickle.

I'm really excited about going home. I don't have any big plans this time around (last time I had college graduation), so I'm excited to kind of get a little vacation. Even though now I feel like a big ol' jerk for being out a week with all this sinus crud right before I leave town for a week! But still, being sick doesn't count as a vacation, right?

Doodling those little outfit sketches made me miss being in school and designing and drawing all the time. So I definitely want to get back to doing artsy things again. I have tons of supplies, so I want to buckle down and create at least one thing each weekend. I always have high hopes of doing something productive and creative at the end of the week. But besides going on our weekend dates, I usually just end up being really lazy and eating cereal bars, taking long showers, and playing Fairway Solitaire all weekend. Seriously! I'm an old lady, I swear.

I made a list of all the stuff I've been saying I want to do lately, and I'm going to get started on some of these as soon as I get home:

• create a web comic (I've already made my little character!)
• make some watercolor and gouache paintings to decorate the house
• make terrariums (I already have all the stuff!)
• sew buttons back onto all the one-missing-button coats and shirts I've been ignoring
• list lots and lots of things on eBay
• get my design portfolio and site back up

Another thing I've been thinking about lately is music. I've been listening to Joanna Newsom non-stop. I always bust out her music around this time of year for some reason. And even though I don't really think I have much of a singing voice, I really want to work on some sort of music project. She really inspires me with her "untrainable voice" (as she describes it). I'm so nervous about my young sounding voice, but whenever I listen to her music, I feel less and less insecure. Even though she doesn't like to be referred to as having a child-like singing style, it still makes me feel less self-conscious. I've let a small number of friends hear me sing, and they seemed to like it. And so many of my friends who haven't heard me have told me that if I did some sort of music project, it would be a really unique, fun sound. I'm excited to at least try it out and see if I'm any good at it. I already have a guitar, and I want to start learning simple things. I want to push myself to try this out.

I have so many things to start and do and look forward to! I just have to make the time and stop being so lazy when I have a teensy bit of free time. Time to immerse myself in hobbies and produce lots and lots of wonderful things! :D <3 Oh, and I'll leave you guys with a lazy nighttime picture of me feeling a little better, all cough-syrupped up!

Surprise birthday package!

I know I juuuust made a post this morning, but I felt like another one was in order after receiving this wonderful early birthday box in the mail from my mom!


She told me that she was going to grab me a few art supplies because she had a Hobby Lobby coupon and knew I wanted to start painting again, but I didn't expect all of this fun stuff!

She sent me:
• two canvases
• two tablets of watercolor paper
• a tablet of acrylic paper
• a Desperate Housewives cookbook
• two paint palettes
• a do it yourself magazine
• a set of watercolors
• a set of gouache
• two packs of hello kitty socks
• philosophy orange jelly bean lip gloss
• philosophy vanilla birthday cake lip gloss
• a sweet cupcake card
• a visa gift card

And she ordered me a set of Harajuku girls perfume that will be here sometime this week! How stinkin' nice of her to do all of that. And it's not even my birthday yet! I swear, my mom loves me fifty times more now that I've moved away. It's too late to call and say thank you since it's two hours later there, but first thing tomorrow, I'm calling her and giving her so many phone hugs. <3

Cleanin' out the closet clutter.

I've been an eBayin' monster he past few weeks! I've sold so much stuff lately, and I'm so proud of myself for sticking with it. Of course, I haven't made a big ol' chunk of money or anything since eBay is all about finding good deals. But I've made enough to have my own little stash of spending money. I'm used to making my own money and working decently hard for it, standing up for hours and dealing with some crazy customers, so it's really hard for me to spend Matt's money on anything other than groceries or things of that sort. So it's been nice being able to have my own little fund so I don't have to dip into bill or rent money if there's something I just absolutely have to have.

I've acquired so much stuff over the past year or so, especially from trying to restock after the flood. And I ended up buying lots of things I didn't really need, but sure as heck thought I did at the time. I am the worst at buying things that I never end up using or wearing. (I blame a lot of that on working in a clothing store for so long and constantly being stared down by cutely dressed mannequins. My check almost always went right back to the store!) So now I'm getting out of that habit and am doing a serious deep closet cleanin'!

I made up a few rules to help me stop holding onto things that I don't need and to keep me from adding to the craziness with more stuff.

Getting rid of things:
1. Be realistic. If I didn't wear it last year, I probably won't wear it this year.
2. Just because it looks cute on the hanger doesn't always mean it looks cute on me. Try on everything before putting it back in the closet.
3. Quality over quantity! One awesome piece I'll wear all the time is way better than a few ehh pieces that I'll wear occasionally.
4. Think of the outcome. If I sell an item that I'm not too crazy about, that's at least a little bit of money toward something that I really want. And someone else might get tons of use out of it!

Buying new things:
1. Don't buy on impulse. (I am awful about this.) Go do the rest of the shopping and come back to it. Really think it through.
2. Consider its versatility. I should be able to build at least 5 outfits in my mind using the piece with things that I already own.
3. Is it the same as one I already have? If it's just like one I have at home, then I don't need another one!
4. How bad do I want it? If I think I'll regret not getting it, or if I've been looking for something for awhile, it might be worth it. But if I just saw it and decided I wanted it then, or if I could really go either way, I probably don't need it.

So I made sure to stick to these rules and have sold lots of things so far; hoodies, leather jackets, military jackets, scarves, purses, and belts. And I made about $200 from everything that I sold! Of course, I paid way more for all of it when I bought each thing, but I can't expect to get full price for things on eBay, you know? It's like I'm paying a 'you were dumb for buying this stuff when you didn't need it' tax. So it serves me right! And it makes me more aware of the consequence of buying things I don't need.

With the money I've made from eBayin', I made sure to stick to my buying rules! I've only bought things that are basic and super versatile so I can get lots of use out of them.
• 3 basic, solid colored cotton t-shirt dresses
• 4 wrap scarves with big, pretty roses
• 3 basic sweatshirts
• 2 cardigans
• 2 plaid button up tops
• a pair of black flats

And then today I found this super cute emeraldy/dark tealish colored lighter cotton H&M peacoat at Goodwill for $10!


And here's one of the cotton dresses and one of the rose scarves! This was my weekend date outfit last Saturday when Matt and I went out for Indian.


I can't wait to go on more Goodwill adventures. Finding that coat made me really optimistic. Maybe I can actually find some cute stuff for the house instead of buying more clothes. Pfffft.

A little introduction!

Hihi! It looks like you've stumbled across my little blog! This is where I share my daily adventures, thoughts and ideas, photos of various things (my dog and food, mostly), and all of my creative endeavors! And to introduce myself a little bit, I figured I'd start off with a few facts about me:

♥ I'm 26, but I still feel 12 years old. And anyone who knows me would probably agree that I act it.

♥ I have a 2 year old Lab/Staffordshire mix named Peaches, who you'll see featured here all of the time. She's my favorite.

♥ I have a big ol' heart; I love puppies, little old ladies, babies, bunnies, and anything else I can hug and/or squeeze.

♥ I am really, really incredibly clumsy.

♥ I love ghost stories! Always have, always will.

♥ I've recently decided to try out a vegan lifestyle, and so far, I'm going strong and loving it.

♥ I still read Seventeen magazine. (I get too antsy when I see the Cosmo covers with all the sexy headlines.)

♥ I'm short, chubby, and sound like a little kid. But it's okay! I am a strong believer of self-love.

♥ I graduated in 2010 with a BFA in Graphic Design.

♥ I enjoy fine art, too. I like working with oil, acrylic, gouache, watercolor, pencil, and colored pencil. I also dabble in photography, sewing, and other arts & crafts. I just plain love creating!

♥ I love baking, and I have a serious sweet tooth. I'd make cupcakes for strangers if it didn't make me seem creepy.

♥ I was born and raised in Old Hickory, Tennessee, which is right outside of Nashville.

♥ I moved to Seattle, Washington in February of 2011.

♥ I love sweet tea, porch swings, and barbecues. Sometimes, I really do miss the south (minus the humid summers), but I love living in the Northwest.

♥ I have a Border Collie named Cupcake that lives back in Tennessee with my mom.

♥ I'm very happy-go-lucky, and I'm almost always in a silly mood.

♥ I love learning, and I enjoy reading books on philosophy, sociology, psychology, astronomy, astrology, science, mathematics, mythology, etymology, and other things that ignite my curiosity! Big ol' nerd right here.

I hope this gave a little bit of insight into who I am! :)