Okay okay, I am going to update this so much more regularly!! So much so, we'll all get annoyed on this Blogger format and I'll have to transition to tumblr.  I've just been SO busy looking at beautiful views of Chicago in the summer.  

And i found this blog....the mojito smoothie?? Stop it.

The other day I had a major breakthrough—I know what I want to do for my retirement! That's right—I have little to no idea of what I might be doing after graduation but I am confident I will spend the latter half of my days as a local librarian and or piano teacher.  Cannot.  Wait.

I don't really know what to title this post but I wanted to share these great patterns that I feel would each make for splendid wallpaper.  When I have a house I am convinced I will need a different wallpaper for every room.

On another random note, I will start accepting donations for THIS beauty of a couch for previously mentioned house any time...

And if you're an old soul like myself and have not yet seen The Happy Huffmans on YouTube, they will no doubt bring a smile to your face.

food for thought

I recently found HelloGiggles—created by Zooey Deschanel and Molly McAleer—and thought it was 'the damnedest thing'.  (I recently heard Betty White say 'the damnedest thing' in an interview—had to try it out.) It is basically a female cornucopia of all things girls both young and old should read about.  I thought I would share a particularly great piece:

This is Important: Cookies

Maybe I feel I relate to Miss Ellie McElvain because she is a college student.  But it is also because—like myself—she has encounters with the homeless on an almost daily basis.

Be kind, don't honk, drink the milk out of your cereal bowl, and give cookies to homeless people.

Have a great day.

2-D decorations

Ever since my paper garland endeavor, I'm obsessed with paper decorations.  And it's not even because of my cheap, college-student budget I have for decor...which is definitely part of it...but it's whimsical, sweet, and simple.  And less is always more.  Enjoy.

1., 3., 6. handmadeology 2. mysweetsavannah 4. ohhappyday 5. icedevents

how to make a basement charming

When we moved in to our apartment, our basement might have been mistaken for a McDonald's playhouse gone wrong. Bright mustard yellow and red coated the poorly painted walls—maybe the previous tenants had a love for condiments...?  But with a heavy duty primer/paint, we have tried to refurbish the place with the words 'shabby chic', 'eclectic', and basically Anthropologie as our guides.

I took several sheets of paper, cut them into rectangular strips, and sewed down the middle to make a sort of party-style paper garland.  That, the paper lanterns, and El maps—in addition to the pipe in the middle of our ceiling and the unleveled floors—have literally turned our room into a 'shabby chic' hangout.

Never underestimate the power of paper. Handmadeology demonstrates a multitude of things to create with paper and fabric.

those Christmas lights...

I just exchanged the last of my Christmas gifts the other day (I know a little late, but who doesn't love extended Christmas?!) and thought I'd officially send off the happiest time of the year by sharing these.

So here's a few collections of the macro-zoom, candlelight, firework setting, dramatic mode, etc., etc. taken on the new camera.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

this is a test

Even eating pizza. Ryan Gosling, ladies and gentlemen, Ryan Gosling.