Zero 7 - Throw It All Away

How on Earth did I forget about this song? I think i listened to it everyday in 2006.

Candles, Candles, Candles.

One of the most cherished things in my life is scent. I've always had a really great sense of smell (sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes a bad thing) and as I get older & create my own little home, the importance of filling your space with a great smell is extremely clear to me. Since I've been back to Savannah, all I want to do is buy different candles with warm and cozy scents and light them every time I'm home.

While it's not exactly fall weather out right now (hi, 87 degrees?) I'm in absolute denial about it because today is the first day of Autumn. So that's that. See you later summer, even if it's hot & humid out for a little bit longer. So, the next best thing besides already transitioning into sweater weather attire (thank god for overly air conditioned classrooms) is lighting crisp and comfy fall scented candles.

Buying candles off Etsy might seem a little crazy at first because everyone wants to smell a candle before purchasing it, and with Etsy, you obviously can't do that. However, I was in the mood to shop for some truly original, homemade, good quality candles and decided to take a chance. I immediately found 4th Street Candle Co. and fell in love with all of the magically described mason jar filled candles. They are all hand poured, dye free soy candles. I ordered Basil Sage Mint & Autumn Magic, but was accidentally sent Apple Butter Caramel and Pumpkin Creme Brulee. As soon as I opened the package, my whole apartment smelled like I had been baking sweet Autumn pies all night long.

Andrea, the owner, even insisted on sending me the two original candles I ordered for free which was absolutely so kind and one of the reasons why Etsy rules. Everything is so personal and helpful when you find the right shop. So I'll own not two but four fantastic candles from 4th Street Candle Co and you should head on over as well! Lighting these just make your day ten times more comfy.

Recipe Round Ups

It's a lazy Friday afternoon (SCAD always has off on Fridays which usually make for busy work days or lazy cozy days...work can wait til Saturday & Sunday sometimes) and although I did wind up being pro-active by doing laundry and cleaning, I also perused the internet extensively. From next to my kitchen sink. Let's just say that the realtor that handle's my landlord's responsibilities when he's not here, SUCKS and is dishonest & unreliable. You'd think that since I pay more for this apartment than my last one, the management would be fantastic. Nope. In fact, just the opposite. So until Comcast installs my own connection on Tuesday, I will be stuck next to my tiny kitchen window & sink if I want to go online. #firstworldproblems, i know.

So since I was conveniently located in the kitchen, I decided I needed some culinary inspiration so of course I went straight to Small Kitchen College to really examine all of the great posts from the past two weeks. Here are some of the ones I really loved and know you will too:

1. The 7 Healthiest Cereals To Eat Before Your 9am Class

2. You're Invited: Oktoberfest!

3. 9 Cool Ways to Use Your Freezer

4. The Dorm Room Bar: Rosemary Sangria

5. Cooking 101: Grilled Cheese

Have a good weekend!

peppermint coffee date

Oh, hey. Getting pumped for the chilly season & the different ways to enjoy a nice cup of joe? Well, I'm over at Small Kitchen College this week talkin' about love and coffee and perhaps a little anti-Nickelback talk as well.

Come on ovah!

walking to the coffee shop

In March, I will be graduating SCAD and spreading my wings, giving someplace else a shot. So for the next couple of months I want to fully soak up every detail of this little city and cherish the time that I have spent here. Who knows what the future brings and how much of it will be memories that I, and only I, can call my own. This is the place that I moved to not knowing really anyone or truly anything about the area. Miles and miles from home.

My first apartment(s) are here, first with complete strangers and then alone where I created a tiny home for myself. It was the first time I couldn't just leap in a car when things were getting tough and be near my mom. I took a chance by declaring a major that I was kinda sure was for me but now as I'm on my way to graduation, can proudly say that it is very much for me. I learned a ton, from mistakes and successes. I've been criticized & praised, now understanding that the praise part rarely occurs without the criticism part first. I shed tears over projects (and people) because it was the first time I really gave a shit. I was working on things I loved, for people I admired, yet being here has made me feel calm about the future and my prospective career options. Most importantly, I figured out bits and pieces of who the hell I was, fell back in love with someone that I had been missing for years and gave somewhere besides the north-east a shot. It's a different culture here and being exposed to it has been interesting and frustrating.

Savannah is lovely and calm. It has shaped bits & pieces of my life, especially my personal taste and favored style. My time spent in Savannah will be a chapter in my book that's really just beginning. So, as hard as it will be to up & leave it after 3 years, it is totally necessary. I want to leave it while it remains this cherished time in my life and before it gets too routine and maybe tarnished. I don't want to ruin a good thing, you know? It's like The Sopranos finale and the fact that they aren't coming back with movies and spin-offs. It was great while it lasted so let's not push it. Yes, I'm comparing this to the Sopranos because I am a New Jersey girl after all, awlright?

So, tiny things like my five minute stroll to get coffee through my neighborhood that I will remember and be inspired by for the rest of my life, is something that I look forward to everyday. I want to notice small details and thankfully my IPhone helps me capture them so I can essentially remember them forever.

Oh, and Twitter can help me remember how many times I complain about how god-damn slow but extremely kind everyone is here or other tiny thoughts. Technology rules.

kate spade x current/elliott

I am so in love with Kate Spade & Current/Elliott's recent bag collaboration entitled "Westward". In case you haven't noticed, the days of Kate Spade's boxy & utterly boring bags are over and their rebranding it practically perfect.

Kindness Above Malice

Some of you might remember my post awhile back about my cousin Kameron. My Aunt & Uncle were on TV today spreading the message against bullying and I'd like to share their words & strength with you all.

look ma, no oven!

This week I'm over at BGSK College talking about cooking without an oven! The recipe is for a savory and melt-in-your-mouth sweet potato with parmesan and herb butter cooked to perfection in under 10 minutes using the microwave. Sounds Paula Deen-ish but in reality, this recipe is all about keeping it pretty simple and relatively nutritious.

Head on over here!

missoni for target

So, obviously, like any red blooded girl who loves fashion (AND Target) I was thrilled to head over to Target at 10am (ok 1030am) to shop the Missoni for Target collection. "How picked over could it be in Savannah, GA?", I thought. Well, the answer to that is very picked over. I forgot how much these girls love to shop down here plus, i'm sure my entire major was there pounding down the doors. That happened. A beardy man working there told me, with the most frightened eyes, that "girls were banging on the doors before we even opened and went crazy!". Oy. But also understandable..

Still, the aisles were filled with 'leftovers' that were presumably just as fantastic as the sold out items. I found almost everything that I had my eye on (except the blanket and bath towels :( wah.) and I kind of skipped over the clothing because that might be too much. Home items, fine. But you KNOW everyone and their dog will be sporting the clothes and that might be excessive. However, I did pick up a pair of colorful & perfect flats. The only pair that wasn't a size 3 or 1 and they were just my size so I took that as a sign and threw them in my big ol' red cart.

I wound up with just a few items and that is a-okay with me. Although my heart still aches for the candles & picture frames. My apartment is entirely too small to overload it with the Missoni stripes so a little here and there is just right. In fact, within two minutes of being home I was able to use the packaging from my shoe box to create two home items. I am very proud of myself! Utilizing what I've got, that's ma deal and you can do it too! You're welcome. ;)

When I asked the beardy Target man when he'd be re-stocking the items, he told me "never. this is it." My face must have looked like a child that had it's hot dog stolen by a seagull at the beach (Ahem. That happened to me once.) That's it, folks. So go get what you can because you know you want to.

And to Missoni? Congratulations. Not only a design inspiration but a total big whopping marketing inspiration. Causin' all this chaos based on a couple of stripes and a respectable sought after brand name. Hats off to you.

LA in Bloom

Have I discussed how much I love LA In Bloom on here? I must have. Heather Taylor, LA in Bloom's blogger, posts about the most beautiful pieces of life. An art gallery owner in LA, Heather has excellent yet simple taste whether it's with fashion, art, interior design or cooking. So, discovering that she is putting out a web series? So in love with it already. She's like a young and cool Barefoot Contessa.

Enjoy!

come on fall.

so i'm back in savannah and after two days, it feels like a home again. walking into a plaster & dust covered disaster late friday night (thx leaky ceiling that wasn't properly fixed til this week.) nearly brought me to tears. after hours and hours of scrubbing, dusting, swiffering, wiping down, vacuuming, etc. my apartment is mine again. Just like I remembered it but better and cleaner than ever. In fact, I'm now obsessed with cleaning. Last year? Please. I lived in basic filth. Everything was always neat but not clean. Now I understand the joy of both.

Most people have New Years resolutions but to me, fall is what feels like the best time for any type of resolution. September always feels hopeful, sparkly and new. It's like there is a huge clean pallate in front of you to make things better. Eat better, dress better, feel better, act better, love better, etc. Fall is always my favorite (Hell-o..love you in it!) and I feel more grown up this time around.

Instead of eating whatever is quickest and cheapest, I want to cook 98% of my meals at home, cut out soda and ride my bike more. I want to never leave any dirty dishes in the sink (living alone makes that easy to do) for days on end and Lysol/409 the haaale out of everything atleast twice a week. I've got 'my shows' to watch (bonjour Bravo tv line up, TLC everything & the great food truck race!) and a great class schedule. I want to go out on the weekends, meet new people and enjoy friend time but also work work work at school.

Why am I typing all of this to you? We all have our lives and our own fall resolutions but sometimes I feel like it's good to put it on paper/on ..internet? I'm in love and dealing with maintaining a relationship from a distance while also continuing my own 22 (almost 23!) year old life and feeling completely positive about it. Last fall I might have been stressin' if a boy didn't text me back but right now i'm stressin' because an Etsy seller hasn't sent me my union jack pillow yet. What a difference a year makes. I'm a total borefest and i don't mind it.

And last but not least: i got a Keurig. UMMMM. How did I live without this little guy? I'm obsessed with it. It's the closest thing to magic that I've seen in a long time. In fact, I'm excited to wake up early tomorrow morning so I can have a cup of (DONUT SHOP FLAVORED) coffee and seize the day.

So, Fall weather get your ass to Savannah soon okay? Because 86 degrees in September is okay but let's cut the shit and get chilly soon. Until then I will be prying my hands off of any type of pumpkin candle/pumpkin coffee/beer in hopes of not 'overdoing it' before fall actually hits here.

ps: i started a facebook page for the lovely universe. I'm kind of scared to promote it on my personal page because i don't want everyone to think i'm a baby obsessed freakshow collecting tiny clothes until someone gets me pregnant. (oy vey) Paranoid, much? Probably. But i'm keeping it on the DL. Still, I need to promote it. So if you want to become a fan, please do so :)

Liven Up Your Kitchen!

This week I'm over at Small Kitchen College talking about how to liven up your kitchen for under 10 dollars. From chalkboard paint to vintage bottles, there is something for everyone to try without hurting your wallet.

Take a look here!

(Past articles here and here)

I'm leaving one home and going to my other home this week. I'm a ball of emotions because I cannot wait to get back to my little apartment, get started with school and get re-aquainted with the life I have there but sad to leave NJ. To make the transition easier, I just keep telling myself i'm lucky to have two places I love so much for very different reasons. I hope wherever I wind up even after Savannah provides me with the same comfort that NJ and Savannah provides but for separate reasons. All together it makes a balanced life but I still wish the world was smaller sometimes. I'd love for everyone and everything I love to just be a short car drive away but that's life, huh?

Another place in my heart that I consider home is my beach house on Long Beach Island. Since I've been away for college, I rarely get a chance to truly just have it feel like home since it's always filled with a bunch of people visiting. Not that I don't like that, it's just different. We've had this house since I was about ten years old and it's rented out most of the year/summer but we get it for a couple of weeks here and there and most of the fall and winter. During my teen years, I was not a huge fan since I'm really not much of a beach person. But now? I'm growing up and learning to appreciate everything else that comes along with this place. The tiny old houses that are sprinkled around, family time, taking outdoor showers, favorite little shops and restaurants and walking just two minutes and being at the beach. I enjoy the charm and attraction of being on the sand but really only for about 2 hours and then I'm bored. However, knowing it's there is still a comfort. It just has a great feeling about it and I'm so glad we have this house. This summer I was able to be there a couple of times without a big group of people, including this weekend, and I really enjoy how peaceful and quiet it can be here and I loved it. Beach person or not, it felt like home. It is my home.

shop update!

precious lil things are in the shop. have you seen? i will be listing more within the next couple of days. but for real...can you even at how cute? going on little journeys for tiny clothes is my new obsession. it's everyone's dream to buy baby clothes (or is it just me? eesh) but this time I can get my fix without the actual baby and with a good nights sleep every night! yay for still being selfish and yay for tiny people clothes.