send something good

it's finally time to reveal photos of the send something good project! (previously mentioned here.) this was such a fun project to be a part of, and i plan on signing up again for sure!

i was so excited to open my package from the totally awesome nat of the modern buttercup blog, and that is why i don't have any photos of the package all wrapped up. i was too excited to open it, lol. and when i did rip through the wrapping, i was so happy to see that is was from nat b/c i've been following her blog for a while now and really enjoy her posts. chester can even attest to that. he was there when the package arrived and heard me say, "hey! i know this girl!!! i follow her blog! how cooooool!" haha. below is the awesomeness that i received:

1. "hot shots: tips and tricks for taking better pictures" // 2. an awesome butter-rich cookie recipe // relaxing lavender face mask // 3. ritter sport milk chocolate with yogurt // 4. burt's bees sun protecting lip balm // 5. shimmery teal nail polish // 6. bright orange nail polish

i just want to thank you again nat for sending such a wonderful package! i'm happy to officially call you my blogging buddy, and look forward to sending more fun stuff to each other! seriously, you're awesome!!!

i also wanted to share what i sent to jennifer of the i wanna feel that fire blog. i was happy to see that she like her send something good package :) i had a lot of fun shopping for her.

and there you have it! when this post goes live, i will actually be in las vegas on vacation (yay!), but i look forward to reading everyone's posts when i get back home :)

lately

this month has been pretty busy for me, and i haven't been taking as many day to day photos as i usually do or want to. i'll be on vacation until next wednesday (yay!!!), and i plan on taking a TON of photos of my vegas trip to share here next week. until then, here are a few randoms from the past few weeks:

1. i'm a big fan of "big red" pop since i was introduced to it way back when in san antonio. it's a little harder to find here in IL sadly. my grandma just came back from visiting family in texas & brought back 2 cases of pop - "big peach" and "big pineapple"! the peach flavor is pretty amazing.

2. i blogged about pugly pixel's recent SNL photo bumper tutorial, and tried it out on a photo of chester too.

3. i downloaded john mayer's latest "born and raised". i'm really liking it so far. it has a little more country influence, with some blues and jazz tones. if you're a john mayer fan, definitely check it out. my favorite track right now is "shadow days".

4. i went to a wine tasting with my family, chester, and a few friends at a local winery last saturday. it was really fun, but i probably should have had more to eat for breakfast than an apple :/ i was feeling pretty good by the end, lol.

5. after the wine tasting and dinner, i celebrated my 28th birthday with good friends at westwood tavern. i still can't believe i'm 28! neither can my parents, haha.

6. and lastly, i discovered a fun new photo app "mr. chiizu" from kristina's latest blog post iphoneography - all about apps. she has a really great list of photo apps and her review on each of them, so be sure to check it out. i couldn't pass up this cute app, it's just too fun.

hope you all have a great holiday weekend! have lots of fun!!!

'til next time,

steph

7 questions #12

super sleepy little steph

1. what's your favorite style for home decor? (eclectic, modern, shabby chic, etc.)

i don't know how to really describe it, maybe a mix between eclectic and shabby chic? i really do love the look of natural/mixed wood with dark leather accents. what would you call that? lol. anyway, here are examples of what i'm talking about:

1 // 2 // 3 // 4

2. what is the best trip you have EVER been on?

oh gosh, i'm not sure i could pick just one. best trip for the experience and culture? my trip to peru in high school. i went with 15 other students in my spanish class. it was such a great experience. best family trip? caribbean cruise. so much fun, and the tannest i've ever been in my life, lol. best friend trip?  going to vegas for halloween in 2009, although i'm sure that my vegas trip this weekend will beat it ;)

3. if you could have an exotic pet, what would it be and why?

hmmm, i'm not really sure. maybe a koala bear :) they are so cute! just look at how cute this one is!

4. do you snore? (you can be honest, we're all friends here.)

haha, i do. chester has said so many times, and i've even woken myself up with my own snoring.

5. your car breaks down on the side of the road, what do you do?

probably call chester to see if he can help me/pick me up, or call my dad to ask what i should do and who i should call (as far as a towing company or something).

6. what's one item that has been on your wishlist lately?

well i do have a list of random things on my pinterest wishlist board, but lately i want to buy a lot of cute summer dresses. i already have a ton, but for some reason that is what i'm gravitating towards, lol.

7. it's almost summer, what are you looking forward to the most?

i'm really looking forward to my vegas trip this weekend, which will be a great kick-off to the summer. i'm also looking forward to another long weekend vacation with chester and lots and lots of pool time :)

link up!

7 questions #11

my bestest friends in the whole wide world. and mr. wicket, who licked my ear right before this photo was taken. haha.

1. are you a thrift shopper?
sadly, no. i've been to goodwill and the flea market on occasion, but i would love to thrift regularly.

2. you just had a very bad dream, what do you do?
lol, i feel like this has happened a few times recently. i usually jump awake, and then it takes me a few minutes to realize that whatever i was dreaming didn't actually happen. then i'll have a drink of water and try to fall back asleep.

3. what is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
rocky road!

4. what do you do with your money? (spend it, save it, invest it, bury it, etc)
i get a small part of my check taken out pre-tax for investment. then once i get that paycheck, i pay all the bills that need to get paid, buy groceries/lunches, pay off some of my credit card bill, and then i save whatever i can. sometimes i like to go on little shopping sprees, but i try not to make it a regular thing.

5. what was the last quote or statement you heard that really hit you?
i've always felt really moved by martin luther king jr.'s quotes. my favorite is:
"darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." i also really like: "i have decided to stick with love. hate is too great a burden to bear."

6. what do you do when you drive alone? (ex: dance, sing, listen to talk radio, etc)
i usually just listen to music, unless "somebody that i used to know" by gotye or "someone like you" by adele comes on... then i belt that out! haha!

7. did you watch the premier of the bachelorette?
no, i don't watch much reality tv anymore.

link up dudes & dudettes!

fun in photoshop

i've mentioned a few times on here that i am a HUGE fan of katrina at puglypixel.com. in fact, my current blog layout is one that she provided for bloggers to customize. pretty cool! she always has awesome tutorials up, and this morning i decided to try out her latest one, photoshop: snl bumper photos.

and here is how mine turned out. i feel like i could mess with the color combination of the background and the text forever, haha. but this is what i currently settled on.

(original photo credit: kyle lamere of i shoot rockstars!)

hope you are all having a good start to your week! i apologize for not getting back to my sweet commenters on my last post :( my work week last week was insane to say the least, but it's finally calming down a bit, thank goodness. just in time for some birthday festivities this weekend ;) i'll be back tomorrow with 7 questions & hopefully a may birchbox review later on this week <3

7 questions #10

getting my hair color touched up at the salon yesterday. & proof that i can make a clover shape with my tongue. haha.

1. you just invented the next big thing! what is it called and what does it do?
hmmm, TELEPORT™, and it allows you to teleport! haha. sorry airlines, you're outta business!

2. are you a lover or a fighter?
i usually never have an issue standing up for myself if needed, but i'm a lover more than a fighter.

3. it's almost mothers day - if you could tell your mom anything, what would it be?
"mom, i love you with all my heart! you mean so much to me. i notice little things i do now that i'm an adult, and those things remind me so much of you & the little things you do :) and i would be completely happy if i become half of the woman you are." luckily my mom and i are very close, so i plan to tell her all of this.

4. do you like your hair curly, wavy, or straight?
most of the time i like it straight. sometimes i try to curl it for a night out, but it never looks that great, lol. my natural texture is randomly wavy.

5. if it was your last day to live, what would you do?
first, try not to freak out. then surround myself with everyone in my life that i love, and have a great day at the beach, followed by a big steak dinner :)

6. what color are your eyes? do you like the color?
my eyes are brown with hints of green around the pupil. i like brown eyes, so yes, i like the color.

7. fish, beef, poultry, wild game or tufu?
beef... seriously you can't beat a good steak. followed by poultry & fish.

link up dudes & dudettes!

currently...

i've been wanting to do a "currently" post for a while, the idea borrowed from the wonderful danielle of sometimes sweet, and i've hesitated b/c i don't usually take self portrait shots too often. at all. and i feel that those shots are a really nice compliment to this kind of post. so below is the most current photo of myself i have. it's not a self portrait, but i find the photo combo kind of hilarious, and i thought i'd share it.

reading: sadly nothing at the moment :( i'm still wanting to start devil in the white city & fifty shades of grey. and i'm open to any suggestions if you have any! i need to find a few good books for my summer reading list.

watching: a ton of stuff as usual, but i am LOVING this season of game of thrones & i really, really like veep so far. it's so hilarious! seriously, if you haven't watched it yet, give it a shot. you won't be disappointed. i also still watch old grey's anatomy episodes on netflix. i've re-watched the entire series already, and now i'm randomly picking episodes from seasons 2-4. i think i've gotten my body used to watching an episode before bed, so now it's relaxing to watch.

thinking about: a lot of different things. i'm pretty excited for this month! may has always been my favorite month... summer is almost here, it's my birthday month, and this may i have an amazing trip to vegas planned with chester and our close friends. it's. gonna. be. awesome.

loving: the midwest weather recently. we've received a little taste of summer this past week, and have had some really awesome thunderstorms. i love thunderstorms. 

anticipating: my birthday in 2 weeks! and then my vegas trip right after that! i am in serious need of a vacation, for over a year now, and this trip couldn't come soon enough!

listening to: fleet foxes' fleet foxes album. i love "white winter hymnal" so much.

eating: slightly lighter, leaner meals. and popcorn. gotta love that popcorn.

feeling thankful for: my family. my health. my boyfriend. my friends. understanding people. awesome new blogging buddies. everyone that has been so sweet to comment on my posts recently. i seriously get so excited when i get a comment notification email :) so thank you!

7 questions #9!

my co-worker and i found this beauty in a neighboring parking lot a few summers ago.

1. what is your favorite day of the week and why?
friday pops into my head first, but i think i only like fridays b/c that means that the weekend is almost here. so saturday is my favorite day of the week. (although with hbo's "game of thrones" and "veep", sundays are a very close second!)

2. if you decided to change your name, what would you change it to?
oh man, when i was younger, i wanted to be "staci" SO BAD! that's a 90's child for ya ;) i actually like my name, but if i changed it, i would go with "hannah" or "annie".

3. what is one product you use (it can be for anything) that you feel is a miracle worker?
hmmm... i guess white vinegar? it's a great cleaner and you can use it as fabric softener in the wash. it has a ton of uses actually, but i can't seem to think of any others at the moment. when it comes to food/seasoning, garlic salt is good on just about everything!

4. high heels, flats, sneakers or boots?
sneakers, than flats or boots. i'm trying to be better about wearing heels when i'm out, but nothing beats my chucks :)

5. you see your favorite celebrity (it can be any kind of celebrity - movie star, singer, writer, political leader, blogger) walking down the street, what do you do?
i would TRY to be calm and cool the whole time... and i would want to say hello & maybe get a photo. however the whole "calm and cool" thing probably wouldn't be possible knowing me. i've actually met elsie from a beautiful mess at the chicago renegade craft fair a couple years ago and i was so awkward, haha! she's super super nice though :)

6. if you could pick one item to never have to pay for again, what would it be?
i would LOVE to never have to pay for my prescription drugs every month. that would save me so much money! oh, and tampons. girls shouldn't have to spend money on something we can't avoid, lol.

7. what was your favorite tv show or movie growing up?
favorite tv show - saved by the bell! i loved how zack and kelli had about 5 proms, lol. favorite movie - grease. i LOVE that movie so much. i started watching it when i was 5, and would watch it multiple times a day. almost everything flew over my head (like rizzo's pregnancy scare and danny trying to cop a feel at the drive-in), but i loved singing the songs.

link up! you know you wanna ;)