currently: november.

eating Thanksgiving leftovers like it's my job.
watching Arrested Development and Parks & Rec from the beginning on Netflix, and New Girl season four on dvr.
wearing a variety of jackets because the weather just can't get its crap together.
trying to get back on the DIY horse and line up some new projects for the blog.
working on planning posts for the next month so that I can manage my time better.
looking forward to having my house to myself for ten days while my parents are away #freedom.
wishing my dog was staying home with me, but I'm not home enough during the week, so he's going to doggie camp.
reading way too many books right now, which is something I normally never do. I'm part way through this, this, this, and this.
enjoying the beginning of Christmas buzz at work.
having a hard time understanding how December has already creeped up on us, and how an entire year has gone by so quickly. Scarrrryy.
loving the look of the Steven Hawking movie.

ipsy glam bag review | november.

1. Starlooks Gem Liner Pencil 'Ultra Orchid' // 2. Be Delectable from Cake Beauty Lotion // 3. J.Cat Wonder Lip Paint 'Mad Splatter' // 4. Be A Bombshell Cream Eye Base 'Submissive' // 5. Glamglow Powermud Dualcleanse TreatmentThis month's bag was mostly exciting for me because any time I get to try a Glamglow product for free, I'm pumped. They're the most expensive products ever, but everyone raves about them. I haven't tried it yet, but based on reviews, I think I'm going to love it. The lip paint is definitely darker than anything I would ever wear, but because it's like a gloss, I think applying it with a brush could make it thinner and less dark. The cream shadow base is pretty good, definitely would work on it's own as well. The lotion is well, lotion. It smells delicious, like strawberries, and does what a lotion does. The only thing I wasn't a huge fan of was the eye liner pencil because I probably won't ever have a time to wear that purple color. It's an okay pencil though, and a nice color in general.
*Some links are affiliate

project life 2014 // week thirty three.

August 11 - August 17. I'm starting to crank out weeks of this at a time like a well-oiled machine, and I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty proud of myself.What went on this week: Mac had pirate day at camp this week, which was the highlight for him, and it was pretty adorable that he wanted to wear his eye patch all week, so we went with it. On the Wednesday I had an interview for the first BuzzFeed job I applied for, which started to really put my life and where it was going into perspective. I babysat Max over the weekend and got a little bit sappy with everything when I started to realize that there would be a time when I was no longer his nanny anymore. I wrote him a letter, and put that straight into the book from the post on this blog.About this spread: This spread was pretty well-rounded, I thought, and I liked that there are a lot of pictures that were taken outside, because it meant the iPhone photos were more clear and crisp than they are when they're taken inside. The cards I used all seemed to flow for me, and I tied in the color scheme by printing the letter in coral.Details + interesting tidbits: I put the letter to Max in as an insert this week. I've used inserts like this before, where I just take an 8.5"x11" sheet protector, cut it down to the size I want, and seal it with tape. It's definitely makeshift, but it works, and I like that it's easy. Photo breakdown: phone photos: 10 // canon t3 photos: 1 // polaroid photos: 0. Taken by me, the self-timer, and shutter remotes.
Materials, supplies, and tools I used: midnight core kit, design A pocket pages, We R Memory Keepers 8.5"x11" protector, studio calico monthly kits: poet society (you & me card); sandlot (make more ___ card, today's headlines card), fiskars corner rounder, fiskars paper trimmer, staz-on jet black ink, hp everyday photo paper, smash date stamp, zig writer for vellum marker in black (on photos), zig writer marker in black (on journal cards).

----------------------------------------------------------------

Project Life is a simplified solution to scrapbooking created by Becky Higgins that helps you to record the memories of everyday life. Document your story either physically or digitally along with me and so many others. Find out more here, how to start here, & see all of my PL 2014 posts here.

project life 2014 // week thirty two.

August 4 - August 10. I'm starting to crank out weeks of this at a time like a well-oiled machine, and I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty proud of myself.What went on this week: This Monday Max had a show at camp, which was literally the cutest thing I've ever seen. His bunk danced to "Do You Love Me?", and I honestly thought that he was going to get shy when he saw all of us sitting there cheering him on, but he did the whole thing, better than all of the other boys. And that's not just bias, he was the literal best. Wednesday I went to the One Direction concert in NJ with Meagan and Jackie, which was even better than the first time I saw them last summer because we could actually see them pretty close up. Over the weekend I went out to Long Beach to stay with an old friend from elementary school and her family at their beach house.About this spread: I was really happy with this spread because everything was all green and blue and matchy. Much improved from last week.Details + interesting tidbits: I put my monthly currentlies straight onto the calendar card, and used random blank ish cards to journal because I had a lot that I wanted to say besides the currentlies. Also, going back this far in time, it's hard to remember what was actually current because I know what the future up until now has in store, so I try not to get confused over what happened when.Photo breakdown: phone photos: 10 // canon t3 photos: 1 // polaroid photos: 0. Taken by me, the self-timer, and shutter remotes.
Materials, supplies, and tools I used: design A pocket pages, studio calico monthly kit: hello, hello (green to blue card, hello summertime card); sandlot (dotted green card); poet society (gold rub on music note), elise joy calendar card, fiskars corner rounder, fiskars paper trimmer, staz-on jet black ink, hp everyday photo paper, smash date stamp, zig writer for vellum marker in black (on photos), zig writer marker in black (on journal cards).

----------------------------------------------------------------

Project Life is a simplified solution to scrapbooking created by Becky Higgins that helps you to record the memories of everyday life. Document your story either physically or digitally along with me and so many others. Find out more here, how to start here, & see all of my PL 2014 posts here.

ipsy glam bag review | october.

Skyn Glacial Cleansing Cloths // Doll10 Beauty H2Glo Highlighter in 'Champagne' // Figs & Rouge Mango Mandarin Hand Cream // City Color Be Matte Lipstick 'Cappuccino' // ModelCo Volumeyes MascaraThis month was actually pretty good in terms of variety of products and the chance I'll use them. The highlighter is aweeeeeome. It's a cream highlighter, which is not something I normally go for, but it will look really good on both cheeks and eyelids, and it's my color. Anything with the name champagne? Sign me up. The lippy is a little bit of a miss only because the quality kind of sucks. It drags when you try to get it onto your lips, so it would have to be applied to super moisturized lips. The color is just alright, kind of a dusty brown. Not the most amazing product ever.The mascara is pretty good. It's got a typical fiber wand and definitely adds volume. Nothing super, super special, but it's good. The hand cream is a little bit sickly, so a little will go a long way in terms of the scent, but it's a nice cream other than the smell. And finally, the cleansing cloths were what I was disappointed in this month. They are very soapy. I don't know if that's the right way to describe a wipe, but basically it bubbles up and you have to use a tissue or something else to get the suds off of your face. If I'm going to use a wipe, which is not often, I need it to just be a one-step thing. Like a 3.5/5 this month, ipsy.

one little word // an update.

So I kind of sort of gave up but not really gave up on One Little Word. Basically, I started to get backed up on the album and then it was all downhill from there. But if I know one thing, it's that I'm still completely involved with my word, grow.

I have made a lot of changes (in particular, this one) in myself this year, and if I think back to the me from January who was so excited about the year ahead and starting this project, I think she would be happy, probably a little confused, but definitely happy with the way this year has unfolded.

When I started OLW, I used this quote: "I just wanna go on more adventures. Be around good energy. Connect with people. Learn new things. Grow." That is exactly what I feel like I have done this year. I started the year in a very different place, but where I've gotten myself feels good. I have a new job, a job that I freakin love (though I still miss my babies every single day), I'm surrounding myself with people who are positive and alive and want to be around me, and I'm learning new things every day. I went on an epic travel adventure this summer, and I go on mini adventures on a much smaller scale all the time. I'm happy. I'm growing. Life is good.

So no, I haven't really been using the monthly prompts to keep creating a book with all of my progress made this year, but I have this blog, project life, and my memory to keep this time in my life alive. I am proud of myself and the strong person I have let myself grow into this year, and I'm excited for what's ahead in the rest of this year, and moving even further forward.

project life 2014 // week thirty one.

July 28 - August 3. I'm starting to crank out weeks of this at a time like a well-oiled machine, and I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty proud of myself.What went on this week: I started to really get in the swing of getting Max ready for camp, dropping him off at the bus, working at the accountant firm, picking him up off the bus in the afternoon, and hanging with him as usual until the end of the day. It was difficult with those two jobs to find time for my third job (the Chelsea Dogs blog), but being busy was definitely a welcomed feeling. During the week, Max got a haircut, and it was the first time ever that he would wear the cape, and the first time that he didn't cry one tear. I was so proud of him, and the woman who cuts his hair was relieved, because normally he's a nightmare. Over the weekend I went to Brooklyn with my friends to go out to Brooklyn Bowl, and ended up getting my fifth tattoo, which was half on a whim, half planned.About this spread: There was a lot of random color in all of these photos, so I used my classic seafoamy ish color scheme with some oranges and greens thrown into the mix. It's not very cohesive, which I normally mentions annoys me, but as I'm trying to get these spreads into the book, it's bothering me less and less.Details + interesting tidbits: I really liked the "daily routine" card from the Hello, Hello kit. I didn't think I would ever really have that much reason to use it, but with this new work schedule, I thought it would be perfect. And plus one to the week card from Camelot for tying in the orange and seafoam like a damn dream.Photo breakdown: phone photos: 11 // canon t3 photos: 0 // polaroid photos: 0. Taken by me, the self-timer, and shutter remotes.
Materials, supplies, and tools I used: design A pocket pages, studio calico monthly kit: penny arcade (good times card, circle design card); sandlot (awesome card); hello, hello (routine card); poet society (rub on "hooray!"); camelot (week card), elise joy stamp, less is more stamps, fiskars corner rounder, fiskars paper trimmer, staz-on jet black ink, hp everyday photo paper, smash date stamp, zig writer for vellum marker in black (on photos), zig writer marker in black (on journal cards).

----------------------------------------------------------------

Project Life is a simplified solution to scrapbooking created by Becky Higgins that helps you to record the memories of everyday life. Document your story either physically or digitally along with me and so many others. Find out more here, how to start here, & see all of my PL 2014 posts here.