All things Etsy

When I was in High School I took an Interior Decorating class, I loved it. I've got it honest, my mom is an amazing decorator. When I found out that as an interior decorator you have to do what the client wants you to, I quickly had a change of heart. Duck decals and Country Clutter are not my style, I can't even stomach shopping for that stuff. So I promptly changed my career path, Fashion Design seemed like the next logical career. My inner Interior Decorator lives on and is in love with all things Etsy right now. We are in an apartment and I am itching to decorate, but I'm holding out for a house or larger space so that we can have all of our items from storage.  I can't wait to finally put my personal style into our home, I know there are a few people waiting to see what kind of talent I've been holding back. So for now I've been hitting the favorite button like a mad woman.

 Here are some of my favorite finds...

Sprout

   I love making baby food for Berkely, but sometimes with all the other things I do in my day, cooking and cleaning more pots... is one pot too many. I'm still trying to find a balance and get "me" in there too. I just found Sprout baby food by Chef Tyler Florence. I realize I'm a little late to the game as this has been out for a couple years, but I figured if I'm seeing this for the first time, someone else is too! When I opened up the package the aroma of natural spices was amazing, it even looked real! Sometimes baby food can take on a processed look, hence wanting to make my own. The combinations are great like Creamy chicken and fresh garden veggies, apple and mango or baked sweet potato and white beans...Yum! Its organic, the packaging is great (I'm a sucker for packaging)it's eco-friendly and re-sealable. Berkely really liked it, Rick and I both tasted it and it was surprisingly fresh and flavorful. I love feeding my family with fresh food from the farmer's market, but when I need to grab and go, I'm so happy there are products out there like this to grab.

I wonder what I'll look like when I'm...

I used to have long talks with my mom and ask, I wonder what I'll look like when I'm...I wonder what car I'll drive, I wonder where I'll live, what kind of job I'll have?. It all seemed like a lifetime away. My Birthday was yesterday... 28... weird. Here I am... now I know what it looks like, what I drive, where I live.. and I never saw any of it coming. I always get moody on my Birthday, it doesn't last all day and it happens every year. I wonder if it's like when babies are going through a developmental period and they get fussy... I get a little fussy. I feel like 27 was my year of reflection, and it didn't hit me until a couple months ago, I started reflecting about who I am, who I was, who I'm going to be and how that influences my children. I don't necessarily love the person I was, I'm content with the person I am, and hope to grow into a person that my children will understand, respect, love and immulate. Birthdays looks a lot different when you've got babies and toddlers running around; between breastfeeding and toy cleaning negotiating, snack making, broken naps, and Angelina Ballerina, I got 1 hr 1/2 of alone time to go to the DMV. I used that time to really feel that special birthday energy; I took an extra beat to pick out something cute and do a little extra when it came to make-up, in the car I played my Reggae station on Pandora a little louder, I sang and danced, and I stopped by to get a slurpee for my DMV wait. I walked into DMV feeling good, lookin good, and ready to pass my written. Only to hit a brick wall when the DMV Czar shut it down, by telling me I had to take my drink outside... Can I get my number first, I asked? NO! Really asshole?!.. Can't you see I'm walking on Sunshine, Can't you see how this slurpee makes me happy, and that It's my Birthday and you are about to make me cry at my party?! Ooh! you don't give a shit...right! You're just a rent-a-cop, gettin $12.75/hr. and its all the power you have, so okay...slurpee goes in the car! I barely passed the written(to my own surprise), but I am now a re-licensed CA driver. Ye- Haw! By 5:30 everybody was fussy and I had the overwhelming feeling that my joint Birthday Sushi Dinner was going to be a disaster. When my bff saw me she knew immediately, this was not my definition of "Happy Birthday". I have learned and still learning to let go, breathe, and ride. So when we arrived at Sushi; I breathed, let go, and enjoyed whatever ride I was about to embark on. And guess what?! After a brief visit outside with daddy, and some baby"hot potato" play, dinner was fun! We laughed, took pictures, stuffed ourselves, said goodbye to some new friends who are relocating and enjoyed each others company. Happy Birthday to all my Aquarian Friends...Aquarians Unite ; )

I look forward to the weekends

Even though I am a stay at home mom, Saturday still feels like Saturday! Saturdays I'm in weekend mode, I sleep a little later, I contemplate my outfit(for pictures of course), we discuss what weekend adventure we should embark on, and I relinquish half of my daily duties. Saturdays we have Averys dance class; always entertaining, sometimes frustrating, and so cute. Usually on Sundays we stay closer to home; park, going to lunch, or taking a "Sunday Stroll" around Lake Elizabeth. This weekend, the weather was AMAZING! I just cannot get enough.. I'm sure I sounded ridiculous, I'm in the car like Ugh, Oh!, I mean Ugh..just amazing.. Roll ALL the windows down!! It was like a high...I have waited for so long to breath in that crisp sweet California weather and now that I have it, I still feel like I'm dreaming. We have been staying close to home as of late, but this weekend we had Saturday and Sunday plans with friends, which is always nice. We had a going away party(playdate) on Saturday afternoon and a small Super Bowl party on Sunday. We laughed, talked, ate well, and when the evening came on Sunday, neither one of us was bitching about Monday. That's when you know your happy, when Monday means that Friday will be here in four short days and we can have another adventure. I felt cute all weekend, which has been a long time coming. Reorganizing my closet has helped me get in there and decide quickly if there is to be any effort made that day. Because lets be real...I still have days where jeans, sweatshirt and a scarf in my hair are all the effort that I'm making.

No More Wire Hangers!

"The Purge" of my closet...was in so many words, overdue, mind cleansing, and reassuring. I put away the maternity clothes, I stripped away the bedraggled, and what I revealed was the wardrobe of a stylish girl ready to be resuscitated.

The Wardrobe Consultants

What used to take a day, was stretched out over the weekend. Here was my Process:

Step 1: Remove, sift, and sort into categories i.e Pants, tops etc.
Step 2: NO MORE WIRE HANGERS(or plastic for that matter)
Step 3: How long has it been since you wore it? Right! Let it Go!!
Step 4: Assess, repeat step 2! You know you need to let it GO!
Step 5: Color Code
Step 6: Move it back in Baby!
            **I sort to hang in this order: tanks, tops,shorts,skirts,pants,dresses.




If my mom and my husband (you should see their closets, can we say anal, both capricorns) have taught me anything, it's wire and plastic hangers are murder to your closet! Que Joan Crawford with the night mask shaking that murderous wire hanger! Wood hangers are inexpensive and they give a polished "boutique" look to your closet. There's nothing like shopping in your own closet and being happy with the ensemble.

Working through the Madness

Starting to take shape

My Arm Candy

                                                                                                     

                                                                     

Once I got everything back in, my retail gene went into overload and I started finger spacing the hangers... scary!

So here we are! ORGANIZED! I'm sure you are checking out the top! I'll explain...I have an obsession with lounge clothes, no matter how many times I go through them I end up with a drawer and a stack. I'll be getting baskets to organize that..it's a "to be continued" section!

I also moved my shoes, giving my whites and grey section more room..you don't realize how much of one color you have until you organize it!  Now that I can see what I've got, let the fun begin! This weekend I'm going to H&M with my gift card(thank you KL) and the following week is my Birthday so hopefully I can find those key items to round out my wardrobe and the remixing is on!

...stay tuned!