Will You Be My Joy Buddy?

I got this idea from my mother and I think it's a really great way to boost your self esteem and keep you motivated! Atleast for me that is...

You see, I like to make lists... for everything, especially to-do lists . They help me remember what I have to do by righting them down and keep my thoughts on the straight and narrow! But as much of a blessing it is, it's also a curse. I have so many lists and no matter how much I do, there's always more! Too little time and too much to do! Sometimes I just want to plop down on my couch and do nothing at all! Very discouraging. But this is where a "joy buddy" comes in! Well, it doesn't necessarily have to be a buddy, the point is to take some time and think about all the things you did do instead of dwelling on of all the things you haven't done. I hate getting stuck in ruts and I think this is a good habit to start to keep me movitvated and focused! So, when I'm feeling discouraged or stressed out or just in the mood to feel good about myself, I'm going to do a Joy Post and share with you all, the good things in my day/life. I would love to hear what your "joy" of the day is! Feel free to comment!

Here's my joy of the day:

• I woke up early and got work done before Eliza woke up (usually she's the one waking me up and it's not pretty!)
• I braved the 20 minute wait at the post office with Eliza (kicking and screaming) to ship out some orders, yay me!
• Did some much needed thrifting to cheer me up!
• Got some serious work done (thanks to some starbucks and good music)
• Took some pictures of a tutorial that I'm very excited to share!!!!
• Took some outfit/lookbook pictures (haven't done that in a while) Speaking of which...

lookbook

• Did A LOT of catching up on the housework- dishes, laundry, organizing. Again, yay me!
• Skyped with my sister for like an hour. Oh, and Eliza was actually communicating this time instead of just staring!
• Tried another attempt at potty training Eliza today, she peed in her panties twice but hey, it's a start!
• And my last joy of the day was Brandon auditioning for a play at our school! We were in theatre in high school so that was exciting. I'm just glad he's found an extra curricular activity!

The beginning part of my day was stressful but got better as the day went on. All I needed was a pick me up (the starbucks) and some positive thinkin' to get me rolling! So enough about me, what was your JOY of the day?!

100 Years of Style

So cool, enjoy!

What's Up?

**Note: Apparently my comments have been disabled for a really long time! I just found out and have fixed it! So comment away! I would love to here from you guys and see who actually reads this thing! Also, if you have a blog feel free to leave a link! I would love to learn more about you guys and maybe about what you would like to read more. Thanks (:

Eliza and I have been sick with a cold but that's not stopping us from thouroughly enjoying our long, labor day weekend! Last week was exciting but exhausting. Brandon, Eliza, and I all started school on the same day! Eliza is enrolled in a Mother's Day Out program (a present from my mom) so that's a first! She's never been to a daycare or anything like that before so we were excited for her to gain some independence and meet some kids her age! It's been kind of hard for her to be without her Mommy but I think it's going good! Her first day of "school" outfit:

 She tore the bow off before we even made it out the door. And don't you love the Spice Girls backpack?! It used to be mine, Eliza just loves it.

After her first day of school, can you say pooped?!

 Yesterday I woke up early and made everyone breakfast in bed! Cinnamon raison bagel for Eliza and Kalamata olive bread with gouda and avocado for mommy and daddy! And of course, a glass of oj to help us get better!
 We layed in bed, wrapped up in our quilts for a while. It was nice to just play in bed for an hour or two.
 The weather was so nice, we just couldn't resist going to the park! I've never been here before and it's so close to my house, we will definitely be going back!





  In other news, I just got my new business cards! What do you think?!


So that's What's Up! Don't forget to leave a comment! I promise I'll reply, I can't to hear what you guys have to say! Thanks again for listening to me (:

What's New In Store

Here are some new things in my store this week:

Hope everyone is having a great labor day weekend!

 

Store Background

I thought I would share with you guys how I put together my newest set for my store's photoshoots. I wanted it to look homey but better than the carpet and wall (with outlets) I was using. So here's what I did. This is a rough estimate of the prices for my materials, I can't remember the exact ones!

Supplies

 Rayon- $13

Plywood- Free (had it)

Wall Screws- Free (had them)

Kilz- Free (had it)

White Paint- $5 for a little sample thing

Grey Stain- $5

Little thing of Polyurethane- $7

Brushes- Free (had)

Total Estimate- $30

First, I painted the rayon with a couple layers of Kilz. I let that dry and painted a couple layers of white.

Then I stained the plywood (note: make sure you use the nice side or sand one of the sides so that it is smooth). Basically to stain something, you brush on a layer of stain, let it sit for a bit, and then wipe it off with an old rag. Let it dry and then seal it with some polyurethane. I chose a matte polyurethane and then only did one layer, (because I got impatient and I really didn't need more than one).

Then I hoisted my rayon up against the wall and screwed it in place with those screws you get for sheetrock (with the plastic part and the screw that goes inside).

Click picture for shirt details.

And then all you have to do next is slide the plywood up to it at the bottom and you're good to go! You could possibly add molding to make it fancier but I chose to keep it simple. I really liked the grey stain I got for the bottom, I believe the name was "Sunbleached".  Hope you all are having a great week! I'm glad it's almost over though, I'm ready for a weekend!

Up-do Those Jars!

I actually made these for Eliza's birthday party and just forgot to share. But I loved them so much that they are still sitting in the same place they were at the party! So the first one is from Lune, again. I just love her blog, what can I say?!
 So all you need is a jar, a doily, thread, and a needle.
 Thread your needle and weave in and out through the edge of the doily.
 This is what it looks like when it's all the way around.
 And then slip it over a jar, wrap the thread around if you want and tie!
 For this one I just hot glued some vintage lace I had,
 And added flowers! Easy and cute. I have like a zillion jars (I just can't throw them away!) so I love finding ways to fix them up! Tomorrow's Thursday, wing time! Woopee!

Eating In Austin

One of my favorite things about visiting Austin is the good food! Pretty much everywhere I've been to has been fantastic! Here's some of the places I went to this time around.
 This place was a little outdoor taco stand, old-school style.



And of course, we had to get some fro-yo after! We went to Yogurt Planet, one of my favorites!



 On Sunday, right before we left I had to come to this place, Rio's Brazilian Cafe. My friend Meg has been raving about it and we just blow it off everytime we go to Austin. So, I gave it a shot and what a suprise! I didn't really know what to expect since it's Brazilian and all.



I got this salad with a roasted apple, stuffed with goat cheese, and sprinkled with candied walnuts. Yum! Seriously one of the best salads I've ever had. And I'm not really a salad kind of girl, they just don't fill me up! Also, I don't think I've ever had goat cheese before but I really enjoyed it. I think I have an unhealthy obsession with cheese... oh, what's a girl to do!

Brandon, Eliza, and I all started school today! I'll post a little more about that later! I've still got one more class to attend, I have a nice little break in between.