Moves//Crafts//Phoebe!

Oh. My. Goodness. It seems like one million and one things have happened since I last checked in with you guys, and yet, it doesn't feel like that long ago. Time has flown by!
We made it into our new apartment pretty easily, but we still have our old place to clean up before we can say goodbye for good. The move took just a day and although we live on the third/top floor of our building, we managed to get everything in one piece. As far as our new place goes, it's been quite the change, but let me tell ya, we really, really love it here! The building was constructed in 1920 and you can tell. We have so many windows and natural light, which I've been taking advantage of to grow some herbs and lavender. Not to mention the location is amazing as it's just a 5-15 minute walk to all of our favorite places in Kansas City.
I've been spending a lot of time lately trying to get things unpacked, but it's really just come down to lack of shelving and storage at this point, so we're looking forward to our IKEA trip this Friday. So I do apologize for not sharing more of the new place quite yet. I want to make sure everything is put away, organized, and decorated before I show it off. You know...perfectionist stuff. ;)

I have had somewhat of a break from the moving thing, however. I spent all last week preparing for my very first pop-shop/craft booth for my friend Nicole Leth's fashion event. If you don't know Nicole or her brand Sex & Ice Cream, please please PLEASE check it out. You won't be sorry! (I plan on talking more about Nicole in a future post, so stay tuned!)
The event was on Friday and I will be honest, I was so intimidated by all of the art school kids and their cool booths. I was also extremely thankful to have Sean with me because had I been alone, I most likely would've left out of nervousness and embarrassment. We'd look at my stuff and then at each other and just unanimously feel so much dread because we were sure everyone (cool kids) would look at my pieces and be like, "Wow, really? I could do that. What a joke."
But to my genuine amazement, it wasn't like that at all. People were really into it and were completely shocked by my low prices. They asked for my business card and wanted to know where they could get more. It was an incredible feeling to have people look at my stuff and tell me they thought I was selling myself short with my low prices or that they wanted more information.
After the event, Sean and I walked to the car feeling so pumped up and enthusiastic about the future. Now we know I can do it, and people actually give a shit! We chattered excitedly about the possibility of doing more craft shows and events, more pop-up shops, and most importantly, the idea of opening my Etsy shop back up. I had been thinking a lot about opening it up before, but after the event, we knew there was no question.
So that's a huge deal, right? I'm so, so excited to get it up and running, and completely revamped. My hope is to have it open by the beginning of the summer, so look for that! I'll definitely keep everything updated here.

The last thing I wanted to share today is something I am just completely crazy, ecstatic about! Sean and I have a new member in our family!! We finally got a puppy!!!!! I know! I'm excited too! Her name is Phoebe and she's a Corgi/Australian Cattle Dog (aka Red Heeler) mix. She's very friendly, very sweet, and smart. She is literally everything a good dog could possibly be. It's kind of a story though. Sean and I have been talking about getting a dog for the past two years, and we knew it was something we wanted a long time before that. But our last landlord made it nearly impossible to have a dog ($400 non-refundable pet deposit + $100 per month added to the rent...which was already quite a bit for just a one bedroom). So we opted to wait, and now that we've moved, it became an option. So one thing you should know about me is that my favorite dog breed is a Corgi. I grew up with a Corgi/Collie mix and I've always known since then that I would one day have one. So I contacted a local Corgi breeder, I was placed on a waiting list and decided to wait and save up the $1000 so I could finally have my Corgi. But then this happened:

“I actually went to the shelter to get another dog, but he’d already been adopted. So I decided to do a lap around the...
Posted by Humans of New York on Saturday, April 18, 2015

I confronted Sean at dinner. "I want you to hear me out. I know we said we'd save up for the Corgi puppy, but I saw this thing on Humans of New York..." and I explained how shitty I felt about paying that much money for a puppy that will inevitably have an amazing home anywhere, versus adopting one out of the millions of dogs that nobody wants or has time for. Not to mention, we wouldn't be throwing $1000 away for just one dog. He agreed that it was something we should look into, so I headed to Craigslist and looked for potential dog friends.
Pages and pages later, I stumbled upon a post that explained the need to get rid of a Corgi/Red Heeler mix as soon as possible. I immediately texted the owner and she told me that the dog was rescued from an abusive neighbor who left her outside through the winter, and she was rarely fed or given water. "She's eight months old, and she gets really protective of her food, so her and my cat get into it a lot. But other than that, she's a great dog. We just can't keep her." I expected the over-protection of her food had to do with not being fed often from her original owner, but it wouldn't be an issue here. The rabbits don't care about her food. Sean and I talked about it and decided to meet the owners at their house to buy the dog. And oh. My. Gosh. This. Dog. She's absolutely perfect in every way!!!! She's super responsive and so intelligent, and sweet and amazing. We have had zero problems with her (other than she's going through her first heat right now which she can't help, poor thing. We plan to get her fixed as soon as it's over.). She's just a really, really great dog. And not to mention, she's very sweet with the rabbits. She gets curious and has tried to play a couple times, but Penny doesn't leave the cage and Milo doesn't care one bit. He just hates it when she chases him, but he'll go up to her and sniff and investigate. I mean, really, guys. We have a rabbit/puppy utopia up in here, and it's amazing! 

Well, that's all for now! There's so much more I want to tell you, but I will share in good time. ;)
I hope you all are well, and happy, and healthy, and just wonderful. But of course you are, you're always wonderful!
Best wishes and love! <3

Milo on moving day. He's quite the helper.

Some stuff from the craft booth on Friday.

OMG GUYS. Nicole had hundreds of donuts and 200 McDonald's burgers!!!

I mean what kind of amazing person does this?! Nicole Leth, that's who! 

Everyone chillin' before the catwalk.

Phoebe babyyyyy!!!!

Work Love!

I've been feeling pretty great as far as creativity goes lately. Sean and I bought me a big IKEA desk that I can do all my projects on and it's been a wonderful addition! I have been a crazy crafter this week! Also! Some great news! I will be selling some of my handmade things at the Sex & IceCream Spring event this April and I am so excited! I will have my own booth selling some of my best creations, which has given me a lot of inspiration to begin creating some new stuff! I can't wait to show everyone! The necklaces and coffee print are examples of what I am leaning towards.

The last project I've done recently that I am super happy with is my Milo feltie doll! I am currently working on Penny's and then I will make this some clothes and accessories to wear. Adorable, right?! I am really feeling a lot better about my work than I have been this past year. Everything seems to be coming together in that aspect, and I am so looking forward to sharing it all with you in the future!

6 Things I Love Right Now

I wanted to talk today about some things that are absolutely rocking my world recently. And I don't think I need much more explanation than that, so without further delay, here are 6 things I love right now!


1. San Benedetto Iced Tea:

When I was a kid, my family and I lived in Northern Italy for a few years, While we were there, we experienced a lot of great things and drank different drinks and ate different foods. We miss it a lot and unfortunately, it has been difficult to find some of our favorite items back here in the states (I still have yet to taste pizza made here in America that is as good as Italy's!) However, Sean and I recently visited the River Market area where they have many different kinds of shops with imported goods. One of those was an Italian market and I found this! My family and I used to drink these like water when we lived there! You could buy them in cases and they were very popular with flavors of both peach and lemon. I was so happy to have found them that I went back again today and got some more! I feel like this will end up being my drink of choice this summer.

EXHIBIT A: My brother, sister, and I on our first day of school in 2002. My sister is in the middle, holding a San Benedetto Peach Tea. 

2. Mollie Makes Magazine

I was walking around Barnes & Noble one day last month, just trying to kill time, when a magazine called out to me. With it's beautiful, eye-catching photos and inspiring designs, Mollie Makes will literally make you want to pocket the magazine*, run home, and feverishly begin creating adorable crafts (such as the free DIY floral fabric brooch included in this package), and then you'll want to blog all about it! Want a taste of what I mean? Visit them online at: molliemakes.com

Then you'll agree that this UK-based brand has just the inspiration kick you've been needing!

*Don't pocket this magazine. They're too amazing to have to lose money unnecessarily. 

3. House Plants
I bought this little girl today at a nursery in River Market today, and I am so excited to watch her grow! My mom's favorite plant is ivy so I thought it would be nice, in honor of her and it being Mother's Day, to choose this little one as a house plant. Unfortunately, Sean's and my one bedroom apartment doesn't have a balcony or anything like that so we don't have many choices when it comes to gardening. At the moment, I am experimenting with growing an avocado seed as well as oregano, but I want more! MORE!! I love plants so much, but especially indoors. I feel like they can give a really great atmosphere to an otherwise boring home. I am also very excited because along with my baby ivy plant, I got some wheat grass seeds! They are soaking in water as I write this and I am nearly counting down the hours until I can plant them! I had originally wanted them as just another house plant and because I know the rabbits would love it. But I have since read that wheat grass can be eaten or blended up into a smoothie. And why is that a great thing? Well wouldn't you know it, but apparently 2 ounces of wheat grass is equal to 4 pounds of vegetables! That's crazy talk! I am super excited to try it out! 

4. Vienna by Billy Joel

I've been obsessed with this song all week and I cannot stop listening to it. I think it is such a beautiful song and very relatable for me because it describes my exact relationship with myself and the expectations I have for the life I want to live. My favorite lyrics of the song:

Slow down you're doing fine
You can't be everything you want to be before your time
Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight
Too bad, but it's the life you lead
You're so ahead of yourself that you forgot what you need
Though you can see when you're wrong
You know you can't always see when you're right

The second and third lines are very much my mentality when it comes to plans that I have and things I want to do. I am usually very demanding of making things happen as soon as possible, which is why I end up getting burned out. And the last lines are relatable because I tend to feel guilty when I make decisions for myself that others don't approve of. Although I have been getting better, it's still there and I think that learning how to not care and do what is right for me is not only obvious, but it is an expectation that every person should have of themselves. Does anyone else struggle dealing with guilt brought on by the negativity or disapproval from others (family members, friends, etc.)?

5. My new Japanese double lunchbox

I bought this adorable two-tier lunchbox from a Japanese store today! I was very happy that a store like that even exists in Kansas City and I absolutely loved their products! There were tons of Hello Kitty items as well as kawaii stationery and Japanese candy and teas. I found this little lunchbox and decided to buy it because of how compact it is. Not to mention, the designs are very cute! Truthfully though, I got it because I have a bad habit of not eating enough protein and then going out and starving before I make Sean buy me food. It's a terrible thing to do, especially when the food we end up buying isn't very healthy. So I bought this little lunchbox to encourage me to pack some snacks inside and carry it with me in my bag when I go out. That way, I can eat what is healthy as well as not starve to death! Yay!

6. Bob's Burgers

Sean and I are watching through Bob's Burgers on Netflix. At first, I didn't think we would like it or think it was that funny, but it definitely proved us wrong. Just...watch it. You won't be sorry.*

*You'll only be sorry if you love burgers. After watching this show, all I crave is burgers. Happens every time.