diy: polka dot candle holders

this is such a quick and easy way to spruce up a few old tea light holders or up-cycle a jar or glass.

all you need is:

spray paint in any color you'd like  (I had gold left over from a previous project)

a few sheets of circular price stickers (left over from a yard sale)

painters tape

exacto knife 

underlayment for cutting and painting

my glasses are from ikea and i've had them for a few years (they still sell them)

1. tape off the bottom of your glass with the painters tape and use an exacto knife to cut off the excess.
2. apply the stickers, make sure they stick well or paint will seep underneath
3. spray paint outdoors (i applied 2 coats)
4. let dry
5. carefully remove stickers
6. enjoy! 

project inspired by poppytalk

a rainbow

jacket: sisley, pants: indigo rein (tjmaxx), scarf: nine west 

so most of you probably have a stack of colored denim from spring and summer just like me and are currently adding some pattered denim to that for the fall, right? 

so far i've had way more trouble finding patterned denim that I like than I had picking out colored denim in the spring. so for now I am just transitioning my colored pairs into fall instead of going crazy over the patterns. i am trying to keep my wardrobe a little more simplistic anyway so I fear I won't be joining in on this trend at all. 

instead, for this outfit I actually just pulled out an old blouson type jacket and this nine west rainbow scarf. I also got a chance to wear sandals one more time so I took advantage of that. 

i went to old navy over the weekend since most of their jeans were on sale. i wanted to try out the rockstar skinny jeans but once again, I was very disappointed with them. they did not fit great at all and have way too much stretch for my taste. the gray pair I tried was even lined with some horribly scratchy fabric which made me want to take them off immediately. 

clothes that make me itch are a total no-go for me. i wear mostly cotton and try to stay away from cheap acrylic sweaters or any fabric that may be even slightly scratchy. this is also one of the reasons you'll barely see me wearing frilly chiffon type shirts or blouses. 

i don't think i've ever found a flattering pair of old navy jeans, ever! this is one thing they have no idea how to design. 

how about you? are you weird about fabrics and fit? have you found any good patterned denim yet? 

Shop My Closet & Operation Christmas Child

hey everyone! hope you're having a good tuesday!

i just wanted to let you know that i updated the shop my closet section with a few new items and also took down what has sold. as i mentioned before, I signed up for a huge local re-sale event later this month and have to get everything entered by this friday the 5th! 

soooo, if you've got an eye on something don't wait any longer because chances are these things are not returning :) 

as always shipping is included within the US but just send me an email if you're outside the US and I can give you price. 

thanks so much to everyone who's already purchase before! 

the money will go towards filling my christmas shoes boxes for the samaritan's purse operation christmas child charity this year. learn more by clicking on the link.

i've been filling these boxes for a few years and love doing it because it means I get to shop.

you all know if it involves shopping I am all for it ;) 

no seriously, it's a very small, inexpensive thing that everyone can do to brighten a child's christmas. 

i know that my family is blessed with more than enough "stuff", a roof over our heads, our health and most of all love. i know that I constantly struggle with my own consumerism and I often need a reminder that there are so many people out there in the world, especially children, that don't have much at all. 

so if you're a little bit like me, then this is your reminder for today ;) 

i really hope you'll join me this year! 

Spotted | October 2012

sheets | scarf | cords | shoes | plate | sweater | necklace | blocks | pillow

sharing a few of my favorite things for the month today. 

sheets 

the happiest place on earth aka target doesn't disappoint with their new fall collections. i am especially fond of the upstate collection and the threshold kitchen items. these sheets are actually christmas flannel sheets with a birch tree theme. i bought them because I love the simple yet modern print and we'll actually be able to use them all throughout the year. they're super soft. 

scarf

donna wilson's shop is such a happy and whimsical place perfect for finding special items like this scarf. i think this would also be a lovely scarf on a child. well, most of her items would actually be great for kids ;)

cords

i recently discovered best made ny and love their collection of wearable goods, home items and their signature best made axe. this is the perfect shop to get a special gift for the men in your life. i am actually trying to find a reason to purchase one of these cloth extension cords because they just look so pretty. i am thinking a lamp will have to be hung on a wall from one of these somewhere...

shoes

oh if only fall wasn't here yet! but hey, if you live in a warmer climate you're in luck and should definitely check out avarcas, a spanish company selling simple, handmade sandals made from high quality, natural leather and eco-friendly recyled rubber soles. they have a US website so purchasing a pair should be super easy and shipping is only $5 or free with a second pair. they also sell kids versions and I am thinking these will be logan's summer shoes for next year. 

plate

another donna wilson find. so cute!

sweater

after looking everywhere for a nice, oversized sweater that wouldn't drown me and or lose its shape after wearing it for an hour, i just bought this jcrew men's sweater and I think i'm gonna live in it for the next few months. it's super soft and has a wonderful heather gray color. i bought a size s and it fits just the way I wanted, fitted in the arms and just slightly oversized in the body. 

necklace

have you taken a look at coral&tusk's adorn collection yet? if you like anything tribal and arrows inspired you really should! lovely silk scarves, leather pouches and layering jewelry - I love it all! 

blocks

these geometric shapemaker blocks are fantastic and great for all ages. i'd love to get these for logan. this is definitely a toy i'd want to display instead of hide when company comes over.

pillow

this target floor pillow from the upstate collection didn't come home with me yet but I have a feeling I will be going back for it soon... 

chicago again

just the last of the chicago pictures today. we really did have a great time and I didn't realize until a few days ago that this was really our goodbye to summer this year. we came home to much cooler temperatures and even the leafs are now starting to turn. 

a few things to do if you're ever in chicago, with or without a toddler:

• the free zoo at lincoln park. gates are wide open and you just walk in and out as you please. lincoln park reminded me a little bit of parts of central park in nyc. the zoo is a decent size with all kinds of different animals. it was an easy walk from very top of michigan avenue where our hotel was and along lake michigan. 
• fun on the beach at lake michigan. like i said, it's right there downtown and when we stopped i didn't realize how eager logan was to actually get in the water... good thing we had backup clothes.
• very touristy things like a visit to millennium park to take pictures of yourself in the bean and a walk up state street to take a picture of the chicago theater and of course stop at american apparel ;) 
• the shedd aquarium to see the beluga whales. they recently had a baby but you can't see them at this point while the mom and babe are still bonding. 
• walk along lakefront trail. just make sure no runners or bikers run you over. seriously crazy there.
• navy pier
• wicker park for all your hipster needs 
• john hancock observatory

eat at:

• pizano's pizza and pasta
• bar toma
• cheesecake factory
• tempo cafe for breakfast
• mike ditka's 
• sprinkles cupcakes (go early, the line is crazy in the evening)

shop at:

• topshop
• zara
• urban outfitters
• american apparel
• intermix
• h&m 
• anthropologie
• the disney store
• atrizia
• free people 
• diesel
• ugg australia
• lululemon 

next time I want to go on one of those architectural cruises through the city. so much more to do there!

khaki+plaid+corduroy=fall

jacket: jcrew, shirt: american eagle, corduroy pants: jcrew, shoes: converse one star, watch: michael kors 

lots of random thoughts today so be warned ;)

this outfit makes me smile because it's so totally me. i like things simple and comfortable and that's what this is. i got these matchstick cords from at the jcrew factory store last year for $3!! I know! the girl at the check out said that they don't even carry them usually ( i guess only at the regular jacre store) and this was the only pair they received.
i honestly didn't care where they came from but they were my size and so they were coming home with me :) every once in a while i come across a huge bargain like that and it seriously makes my week, ha!

the jacket was on sale last year as well and even though it's a size up from what i usually wear, it cinches at the waist which makes it work for me. i am on the look-out for a similar vest.

so now that i've rambled on about my clothes I guess I am realizing I don't have much else to say today ;)

life is good. i had a wonderful night out for dinner with a new friend who I already believe to be an amazing person. i am keeping my fingers crossed that life will work out in our favor and allow us to spend more time together in the future.
j is coming home tomorrow night from the last road trip of the season which has me all giddy with excitement and plans for the next few months.

what are you planning for halloween? i haven't even thought about a costume for logan yet.
our local zoo is having some trick or treating festivities so I really want to go there.

mama

sometimes things that are kinda magical happen when you least expect them to.
if you knew me in real life you'd know it's no secret that for the past 16 months, the one thing I've been looking forward to most, was for this little mister to say that magical 4 letter word.
heck, there was an incredible amount of hoping and praying and wishing and quite a lot of coaxing involved but while other kiddos his age were throwing around that magical word like nobody's business, my little guy decided that he needed to do things in his own time.
instead he went ahead and decided that giving in to his mama's biggest wish was sort of overrated and he would rather go around calling out for his dada all day long.
now of course that is quite cute and sure made his dada, who is away a lot, feel very special and loved.
so eventually I stopped coaxing. well, at least I reduced the frequency of such coaxing...
i hadn't really thought about it much lately, with us being busy and all but then yesterday, after an evening playing at the park with the most gorgeous sunset and the cool fall air clearing out all the fogginess of this past, very uneventful weekend, it happened...

he had just finished his dinner and started tilting his head side to side to get me to play along.
i played along for a while and then leaned in close to see if could sneak a kiss (another thing he distributes very sparingly). as I was looking at him and he was staring back at me with those beautiful baby blues, he leaned in for a wet kiss and then slowly and clearly said mama, repeating it once more as if to make sure I would catch it.
and man did I catch it!

parenthood can turn you into one huge sob ball pretty quickly, let me tell you!
this was one of those rare and sort of magical moments in life that will go down in my own personal history book. never to be forgotten.
like when you get your first kiss from that guy you've lost your teenage heart to or when you slowly sway back and forth during the first dance with you husband on your wedding day and the rest of the world just seems to go away.
those moments are rare and they fade away as quickly as they came, no matter how hard we try to hold on and make them last for just another moment longer.

so yesterday was the day my firstborn son called me his mama for the first time. and as hard as I tried to hold on to that moment and store it away in a jar I could pull out every time he will drive me crazy in the future, just as a reminder of the magical feeling of that moment and why this is the best job in the whole world, I guess I will just have to stick to writing it all down right here instead.