Friday, December 30, 2011

A Glimpse

Well, unfortunately Christmas is over and I hope you all had a wonderful time spent giving with family and friends. This Christmas was a little different for me, but one of the best ones I've had.  I got to see my closest friends, and my family time was wonderful. I think what made this Christmas more special than others was the fact that I truly embraced my time home.  Time goes by so quickly, and not to have the long two month break I used to have while I was in college makes my time spent at home that much more valuable.

The holiday went by in the blink of an eye, and here I am back in the city getting ready for New Years.  I can honestly say I am a little ready to slip back into my routine.  Here are a few snap shots I took in New York before I left and some that I took at home :)


This was the little decorative area in the cute home of my friend who lives in Brooklyn. So adorable!
I did some gift wrapping with recycled shopping bags.  

This is one of the little paper trees I told you about that I was going to make. I made mine with some sparkly paper. I couldn't get a big tree, so the paper ones did just fine, and they are super cute!  Thank you Martha Stewart Holiday Craft book!
  
Our tree at home in Alabama
 I got festive and did my nails on Christmas day (it was a stocking stuffer!) If you guys haven't tried the stick-ons they work really well, last for 10 days and comes off with nail polish removal. Cool stuff. Mine are done gold right now for New Years! Speaking of which I hope you all have a fun New Year's Eve night and and wonderful New Year's Day!

Cheers to 2012! Wishing you a great start to a healthy new year!


xo
Andrea

Friday, December 16, 2011

Crafty Christmas Gifts

Hi everyone! I can't believe Christmas is right around the corner! I'm going to have to start packing up soon. I fly home in less than an week. It's crazy how time flies. How is all the Christmas shopping going? I know it get can get a little crazy..  Do you have everything written down on your wish list? Have you made anything special lately? I made some little paper Christmas trees (more are still in the works and will post photos soon!)

Anyway, Last weekend I was able to go to an amazing craft sale on the east side of the city. I had a friend selling some of her jewelry and so I of course, went to check everything out. I scored huge on getting majority of my Christmas shopping done there. I love going to little sales like these because the gifts are so unique and handmade by brilliant crafters. Not to give away any hints as to what I may have gotten, but here are a few of the companies and designers that stuck with me. Enjoy!  

 PEG AND AWL

An amazing husband and wife team Margaux and Walter began by repurposing lost and neglected things for themselves, and now they make and share it for everyone to enjoy. Margaux and Walter were so cool Even their wardrobe spoke volumes about what they do. To give you a mental visual, Walter was wearing a worn little newsboy cap with a white T-shirt, but had a full repurposed apron atop it that had leather pockets attached at the bottom...very vintage. Their booth had an amazing display of bags, desk caddies, mini bound notebooks, and other beauties they like to call "inscribable keepsakes, useable treasures, and curiosities. All of their products are made by hand and are of impeccable quality. Visit their website here, and own some of their treasures via Etsy! Peg and Awl was a true gem to discover.



Erin Jang is an illustrator and graphic designer from Seattle living in New York. I have to privilege to say that I was able to meet her at her booth with her new little addition :) A lot of the work I saw at Erin's booth were adorable, graphic paper products. The most recent of these are her accordion calendars for 2012. Erin also has some really cute Holiday cards and prints as well. To see more of her work (prints, cards, and more calendars!) visit her portfolio site, and visit her online shop for purchasing! You can also keep up to date with her new projects through the Indigo Bunting blog.



This small company has very beautiful stationery, notecards, and invitations. They also do business cards, notecards, and gift certificates. Their inspiration is driven by the beauty in nature, and the design that comes from it is very fresh, and beautifully simple. Moon Tree Letterpress can also proudly say that they have been involved with many corporate projects such as Martha Stewart Living, Jonathan Adler, and Better Homes and Gardens. I stopped by the booth and bought a letter press calendar and some holiday NYC themed notecards to send! Also visit their Etsy shop and blog!

I loved the coasters and the notebooks as well. The coasters below are Nashville neighborhood coasters. So cute and clever, and something I would definitely own!


Run by Angela Spencer from England, all of A.S.I.S. products are eco-firendly and serve an international audience. All yarns are natural, hand-spun and hand-dyed. Angela's jewelry was what I personally fell in love with. Her re-purposed sterling neck pieces came from cast needles and hooks found in her mother's sewing basket


Aren't these lovely?  I hope you all have a wonderful and restful weekend!! I'm ready for the Holidays to begin! I can't wait t to see my family and I especially can't wait to give them their gifts this year :)

xo

Andrea

                       

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

You can take the girl away from the small town...

Hi everyone!  I hope you are all doing well.  It has been raining for the past couple days so the walks to get from point A to point B haven't been the greatest. Even trying to hail a cab in rain is dreadful.  Anyway, despite the dreariness of it all, it is a wonderful backdrop for writing in a quiet place, which is what I'm about to do.  I apologize for no photos, but I just want to give a little insight on what the city has taught me the past couple months.

Lately, things have been beyond crazy. I feel like my mind is constantly swimming in clutter. Too many things to think about and I feel like I'm getting way ahead of myself.  I've literally had to stop and make time to lay low, which has been really brief.  I don't know if it's the hype the city gives off, but I need a breather. Sometimes it just takes one simple moment of pondering about things that bring my mind to an ease.

So many people have the impression of a luxurious life when it comes to living in New York. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news to anyone who hasn't experienced it, but it's a hard life.  There is nothing easy about living in a big city.  Maybe your thinking, "well this girl is from a small town and she just can't handle it". I wouldn't be here if I thought I couldn't handle it.  Over 80% of people who live here are pursuing an opportunity, a dream.  I have so much respect for those who can move up here on a whim without even having a job. I moved here because of a job. I'm not making this post to complain, because I knew exactly what I was getting myself into as soon as I said "yes" to the job I moved up here for. These are simply facts to be stated about life in the Big Apple.

So,"What makes it so difficult?", you may ask.  Well it's a no brainer that living in New York isn't cheap. I'm working so hard to spend it all on rent.  Also, it takes twice as long to get things done.  I don't have the luxury of hopping into a vehicle to run to the grocery store so I can get food for the next 2 weeks.  I walk one avenue and five blocks to go to the  grocery store (and I am pretty lucky at that. Some people have to commute via subway with their groceries) I also have to watch how much I'm getting because I can only carry two bagfuls back with me. The cool part about the whole experience/ process is that every store fits the needs of the customers.  They give out huge bags so you can fit more because they know you are going to be walking around with it. People make do.  I am making do with the city life. You gotta suck it up, blend in, and just do it. That's what everyone does here, and I respect that.

Experiencing life here has made me appreciate the things I took for granted before I came. Something that stands out the most is time spent with people.  I live alone here, and I thought I would be great at it. Turns out, it's been a little hard for me to come home and sit in silence.  I used to think that I would love my alone time, but that was during a time when I never had any.  Now that I have it, I value the time spent with friends in the city. Speaking of which, this is another thing that takes time to do.  The commutes can be long for others when you want to meet up with someone, so you really have to plan in advance. It's not like before where I could just call up a friend to meet me in 10 at the nearest coffee shop. I have friends in Brooklyn and Queens so we really have to make sure the travel distance isn't longer than the time spent in the city, but again like I said before we make do, and it's always great when I get to see my friends.

Now despite everything I just told you, the experience has been great so far and something that will always impact me in more ways than one. Being in different places has helped me adapt easier in any situation, definitely makes me more cultured, and has taught me to think differently in how I do things and how I plan my time.  Even though there are negatives that make it a little bit more difficult to do the simple things, the positives are definitely all there with living, learning, and life.

I always say "It's the little things". I actually quoted it on Facebook weeks ago now that I think of it.... anyway, I'm in a big city, but it really is the little things that make me smile.  A sunny day, a letter from home, people walking dogs that look like them, a kid being silly on the sidewalk, an elderly couple holding hands crossing the street, FIT students talking about classes and crazy professors (remember those days), etc. Things like this are what get me through a crazy day of cars, taxis, meetings, solicitors, protestors, and seas of people trying to get somewhere just like me. Things that I saw as everyday things at home are the things I relish the most here.

I may be in a big city of dreams, but I will always have my small-town southern roots.  There will always be a special place in my heart for anything that relates to home as it would anyone else.  For some, it may be easy to forget, or forgetting may be wanted in fact, but I could never forget where I came from and how it has shaped who I am today.

That's it for now! I hope this is relative or impactful to you in some way, shape, or form and I hope you have a wonderful, restful, night!

xo,
andrea

Friday, December 2, 2011

You Inspire Me

Hi Readers!

I hope you are all doing well preparing for the holidays! SO much to prepare...our minds, our budgets, our sanity, and most important of all... our stomachs!! How was your Thanksgivings!? I completely skipped out on following up with that! My apologies.  I really enjoyed Philly. I was able to see everywhere around city hall and performed a pretty epic reenactment of Rocky and his victory up the museum steps with my friends (I think that was one of my favorite parts of the trip aside from the amazing meal we had!) Anyway, it was very precious time spent with some wonderful people.

I really wanted to take the time right now and thank all of you so much for all your support and interest in reading my blog.  I saw today that I already have over 1000 views!! It literally almost knocked my slippers off! I was actually on the phone when I found out and gasped so loud that I choked on my own air, and there was definitely a minor heart attack on the other end..(woops! I was just so super excited!).

{click image for source}

 It makes me feel so joyful and happy to know that I am keeping you all inspired through this blog.  It is pure bliss that I can come here and get excited about sharing something creative with you or just share a small venture I went on during the week or weekend. All of your support is what really inspires me to keep going, and it means so much knowing that you all care. I love reading all of your sweet comments and emails. My day is always made when I receive your feedback and experiences, so keep them coming!

You are all so wonderful, and I hope that we can continue to inspire each other in our journeys together.
Keep creating, sharing, and inspiring.  Passion is found when and where passion is shared.

Again, thank you thank you!! Have an exciting, fabulous weekend!

xo,
andrea
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