currently.

 i tricked my iphone into not focusing on chester's christmas tree. easier said than done, haha.

watching: BOARDWALK EMPIRE! holy crap. **if you are not caught up, please stop reading here** the last episode had me jumping up from the couch at the end. "i need a bath, some chow, and then you and me sit down... and we talk about who dies." wow, talk about badass! al's reveal was pretty cool too. i'm still upset about owen being shipped back to nucky in a damn box, but this episode took away most of the sting. i'm really excited to see how the finale plays out. i have a feeling it's going to be pretty tough to take out gyp, but it will make for a great battle.

and i'm really sad to say that american horror story asylum is starting to lose my interest. i loved the first season, but i feel like this season is too all over the place for me, and much more gory than scary. i'll watch the remainder of the season, but i'm not as excited about it as i once was :/

the walking dead is still pretty badass! i'm excited to see how the mid-season finale goes.

listening to: a little christmas music, a little mumford & sons, and a little coldplay.

reading: well, i ordered summer of night from amazon a while ago, but i still haven't started it yet :/ BUT i did already make a cute pom pom bookmark for it, haha. 

looking forward to: spending saturday downtown with some of my favorite people, to celebrate my friend ryan's 30th birthday. we have the whole day planned out, and i'm happy that it will be much warmer out than it was earlier this week. 

and i'm really excited about christmas, of course. i'm eager to decorate the apartment a little more, and finish up some cozy crochet projects.

loving: that "friend" secret santa is going so smoothly this year. this is actually the first year we've done it, due to everyone's tight holiday budgets. a friend suggested using elfster this year, and it has made everything so much easier. names are drawn randomly and emailed out, and we can create a wishlist to help our secret santa. pretty cool.

making me happy: i'm still pretty excited about being published in mollie makes :), lazy sundays at chester's place, craft nights with my favorite ladies, not having to move in february (we're resigning our lease), hot chocolate, and our plans to check out the christkindlmarket downtown this weekend.

thanks, as always, to danielle for the currently post idea :)

it's the most wonderful time of the year

every year my friend joe throws a huge party around november 16th to kick off the 40 days of christmas (more explanation here). he gets super into it, transforming his condo into a winter wonderland, and even turns his bedroom into a photo set for pictures. this year's set up is by far my favorite one, so i wanted to share a few photos here on the blog.


photos by 2nd shift photography. full set here.

i think i'm going to frame a few of these, they are just too good! have any of you started celebrating the most wonderful time of the year yet?? 

super exciting news... i've been published!

i mentioned in a somewhat recent currently post that i was very excited to share some news here on the blog, and now i can officially post about it... i've been featured in the latest issue (#21) of the UK lifestyle and craft magazine mollie makes!!!


they contacted me in october about featuring a DIY article on how i make my log pillows. (i believe it was this post that brought them to my blog.) so after a few quick emails, i grabbed some studio gear and photographed the whole process. it's so awesome to see the finished article in the magazine! i can't wait to get my copy in the mail.

the magazine is on sale in the UK, but for those of us in the states, it can be purchased online here. or you can download it on your iPhone/iPad through the newsstand app (which is what i did first thing friday morning, haha).

i will be stocking my shop with a few log pillows soon, so be sure to check back here when the listings are posted :)

hope you all had a great holiday weekend!

what's on my desk

my company is currently working on a new website design to launch next month. each employee was asked to collect small pocket & desk contents to be photographed; items that are a big part of our everyday lives. the collages will be featured our new site, linking to a little bio of each employee. above is my photo, shot & edited by my boss ben. it's been really cool to see everyone's collections. i will post a link here once the website is live so you can check out all the photos.

what items do you feel are a part of your everyday life?

first taste of winter


taken with my macro lens band & iPhone: little patch of snow, an icicle on my car, and a water bottle. edited with the afterglow app.

we got our first little taste of winter in the midwest earlier this week, with temps hovering right around 30 degrees on monday & tuesday. it's back up to mid 40's right now, and looks like it will be in the low 50's for the rest of the week. although i wasn't super excited for the cold front on monday, the light dusting of snow did look pretty. the freezing temps also made for some good photos :)

currently.


watching: boardwalk empire of course, the walking dead, and american horror story asylum. those are the three big ones i try not to miss each each week. all of their most recent episodes have been fantastic! i still watch grey's anatomy, new girl, 666 park avenue, revenge, and the league when i remember that it's on. those i usually catch up with on hulu. i've also started watching parenthood on netflix. i've heard so many good things about the show, and i really like it so far.

listening to: a whole lot of brooke fraser. i'd never heard of the new zealand singer before nat's post last month, but i am now hooked! her album flags is beautiful. i really love "who are we fooling?", "orphans, kingdoms", and "may waltz". she also has william fitzsimmons sing on the track "you can close your eyes", which is pretty much the best thing ever.

thinking about: ways i can cut back on most of my spending over the next several weeks, so i can manage my christmas shopping budget more effectively. i'm also hoping to make a few gifts this year.

anticipating: my 10 year high school reunion in a few weeks! i cannot believe that i'm old enough for a 10 year reunion, ha! that's just crazy. even though i keep up with a group of hs friends on facebook, i think it will be cool to see everyone again.

loving: this cold weather, believe it or not. i've been obsessed with cozy sweaters, leggings and boots lately. and i really like not having to use heat or a/c in the apartment right now. i know that it won't last long, but for now, it's nice on our wallets.

i'm also loving the afterglow app (used in the photos above). the photo filters are subtle like the vsco app, and i really like the cropping features... especially the circle one.

looking forward to: a lot of fun events coming up this month and next: craft night next week with the girls, my friend's annual christmas kick-off party, ice skating downtown for a friend's birthday, and christmas shopping :)

halloween festivities

i just wanted to share a few photos from the weekend. the bedford was a lot of fun, and our friends jason & jorie (pictured below in photo #4) won 1st place in the costume contest!


1. drive's ryan gosling // 2. cleopatra & driver // 3. batgirl & i // 4. puppet and her puppet master

1. batgirl saving the bank from robbers // 2. day of the dead skeleton & i // 3. bare knuckle boxer, myself, & driver // 4. yin & yang

i meant to take photos last night at the bar, but i forgot :/ womp womp. i did win 2nd place in their costume contest though, so that was pretty cool! 

hope everyone had a safe & happy halloween! 'til next time...