So, I have been pretty MIA from the blog for a good while now. Sorry for those of you who are regulars….which I feel like I might be hearing crickets out there? ;) haha Anyway, it has been a bit crazy busy lately with the wedding coming up in…..wait for it….. 8 days! And prepping at work for being gone for a couple weeks. Not to mention all of the holidays in between! Needless to say, I have been busy! But, I thought I would take a few moments to update you all on how I am feeling one week out from saying, “I DO.”

Well, Nathon and I have been engaged for 14 months by the day we get married. For most, that would seem like AGES to be engaged. For us, it has been perfect. I never thought that I would enjoy such a long engagement, but I really have. There have been so many blessings along the way! We got a LOT of the big things for the wedding nailed down within 2 months of being engaged. I’m talking venue, photographer, cake design, dress, colors, theme, center pieces, ceremony decor, etc. We have had our honeymoon booked and flights booked since before August, and I just started packing tonight! We got a LOT done. So then, it was easy to relax and enjoy being engaged. We got to work on our relationship, I got an amazing job and so did he, we combined incomes, we budgeted together, we paid off debt, we got a new car, we started the long process of house hunting, along with just growing together as a couple.

Another benefit of having such a long engagement has been that I can honestly answer the question, “Have you been super stressed out?” with “NO!” We had so much done so early, and knew what we wanted, that I really haven’t been stressed or worried. We got to take everything in stride, work on things together, and not freak out. I never felt rushed or frazzled. There has only been one aspect that has caused me any remote level of stress which was just getting invitations out in time. Which happened. So I stressed a little bit over nothing. But overall, compared to most brides, I would say…I have been pretty stress-free! Which is a complete blessing!!

Nathon is such a stress-free person, and doesn’t let the little things bug him, and he is DETERMINED to have that rub off on me ;) so I think having him not stress helped me not stress. We have really had a wonderful time being engaged, and the wedding completely snuck up on us! We are ready for it! But it totally snuck up! It feels like we were just saying that the wedding was 9 months away! haha! Anyway, I have been busy doing seating arrangements, place cards, handmade tokens, ordering candy, etc. It’s been all of the little details that needed to be done close to the wedding that have taken up my evenings and weekends lately. So it will be fun seeing everything come together!

Our week leading up to the wedding is going to look like:

- beauty prep for me ;) meaning: tanning, hair color, eyebrows done, lashes, nails, spray tan etc.

- haircut for him :)

- printing programs, place cards, and escort cards

- cutting out escort cards

- cleaning and packing candy jars

- finishing packing for the honeymoon

- wrapping up bridesmaids gifts

- sending off the final head count and seating chart

- getting my ring cleaned

- dinner with my dad’s side of the family that is flying in for the wedding

- rehearsal and rehearsal dinner

- wedding galore!

It has been interesting seeing who has RSVP’d and what friends and family are able to make it. We have had our date set for over a year, and most people knew about it, so it has definitely been rather interesting. A lot of people we anticipated coming declined, and a lot of people we weren’t sure would come are super excited about attending. We have made new friends over the year who we have invited and are really starting to appreciate those who are truly important to us. It’s easy to get caught up in being disappointed over who isn’t coming, but it has been so much fun knowing that a lot of the people who we dearly love are going to be there with us. Something that it has taught us is that family isn’t necessarily about blood relation, it’s about heart connection. And it has been so great to have such wonderful people in our lives that are going to be with us to celebrate.

We are excited to spend the rest of our lives together, call each other husband and wife, grow old together and laugh together. I’ve never felt so comfortable with anyone, or so content with anyone. It’s such a blessing to have a respectful, caring, loving, strong, creative and honorable man spending his life with me :) Not to mention that we both love to be silly and have a good laugh at weird things :)

Anyway, just thought I would give  a week out update!! Hope to see you all on Jan 12th! (I will be MIA from the blog, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram from the 12th-21st)

So I started this little DIY painting project because I discovered I had a completely blank canvas sitting in one of my boxes! I don’t paint very often anymore, but it’s still something I enjoy. This is a perfect excuse to make something fun, adorable, and seasonal! I didn’t want to make something I would have out all year long, but something that could be for winter. This is really easy to make and looks so good! so, here’s a step by step tutorial! (sorry my pictures are with my iphone!)

What you will need:

- a canvas (any size will do, as well as new or old, or thin or thick! Mine happens to be old but never used, and thin.)

- white acrylic paint or gesso (I have gesso, but white acrylic will work fine)

- acrylic paint color of your choice (I chose a grey/silver…I also happened to have cheap paint..I recommend getting good quality and not craft store brand because it’s thinner. The better quality, the better coverage!)

- tracing paper

- pencil (I used a traditional 2B pencil, I recommend using a B pencil because they are softer)

- paint brush

- glitter of your choice (mine was the clear kind so that the paint color would show through)

- modge podge or elmer’s glue

- deer print out (download HERE)

Step 1:

Make sure your canvas is completely white. Mine was old so it had a few marks on it, so I went over it with my gesso (or white acrylic paint) to make sure it was an even white.

Step 2:

Print out the deer design (download above) and grab your tracing paper and pencil.

Step 3:

Place your tracing paper over top of the print out, and begin to trace. Press with a medium weight as you trace, not too light and not too hard. You want to make sure you get enough pencil on the tracing paper, but not so hard that you rip the paper!

Step 4:

After the deer is traced, flip the tracing paper upside down and place it on top of your canvas so that it is positioned where you would like, (I placed mine in the center.) Then re-trace the deer, but this time it will be on the back side of the tracing paper. You will be going over the pencil lines you made, and it will transfer onto the canvas!

Step 5:

Remove the tracing paper, and check to make sure everything transferred. If there are some spots that didn’t transfer, just go ahead and lightly sketch them in if you can.

Step 6:

Once you have it all sketched out, go ahead and start painting it in with the acrylic paint of your choice! Since the paint I chose was a cheap one, it was really thin, so I had to do several coats. Go ahead and do as many coats as you want to get it to the coverage you would like, just make sure you let it dry completely in between coats!

Step 7:

Once all of the colored paint is dry, I let mine dry overnight, fill it in with a coat of mode podge or elmers glue. Both dry clear and will act as an adhesive! Once you have it filled in with a light coat, sprinkle it with glitter. I did a very heavy dusting (I also had it placed on a large piece of wax paper so that I could recollect the left over glitter.) Once you have the amount of glitter you would like, let it dry over night.

Step 8:

I decided to do a layer of mode podge over top of the entire piece to keep the glitter from falling off. If you want, you can use fixative as well, but it won’t be glossy.

Step 9:

Hang it up and enjoy!

The Christmas season has officially begun! This weekend was Black Friday and there were a million and one people out there shopping for gifts for themselves and others. We really do spend a lot of money during the Christmas season, it’s kind of ridiculous! But this year, instead of giving gifts that will just get returned to the store, stuck on a shelf, or forgotten, how about giving a gift that makes a difference? Why not give the gift of life to someone in a developing country!

Christian Veterinary Mission is an organization based here in Seattle, that encourages and equips veterinarians to use their skills to benefit others. They work here in the USA, and also overseas in developing nations. In those countries, they work to provide education and training to livestock-based cultures, so that they can take better care of the animals that provide for their source of income and are vital to their survival. They are taught how to vaccinate, de-worm, and other various techniques that will help keep their animals alive and well. This education drastically changes their future and living conditions. Often the successful care of a pig, cow, chicken etc will result in their children being able to attend school, sharing their knowledge with neighbors, more time to spend taking care of other aspects of their lives, and a hopeful future. A healthy animal and the knowledge of how to successfully care for it results in transformed lives! (We live in a non-livestock based culture, so it’s a little hard to understand how an animal can completely change your life! But in cultures where they use their cow for milk to feed their kids, to plow their fields, or sell milk to their neighbors, if that cow dies, their entire source of income and reliable nutrition disappears! This is a huge devastation!)

This Christmas, I encourage you to pay it forward. Give someone you know, (or simply give because you want to see lives transformed,) a gift that does more than just sits on a shelf! Give someone a gift that will make an impact on lives around the world. Christian Veterinary Mission has a Gift Guide that will allow you to purchase an animal (varying in price,) that will change the future of someone’s life. Check out this video and see how you can change the life of someone in a developing country!

This post is a day late…whoops!!! I started it a few days ago but I was extremely tired and was falling asleep while writing it!! So here it is now: This week I am thankful for my little family. I have an amazing fiance, who works hard, loves to laugh, is extremely caring and thoughtful, and he is so understanding and easy-going. I have an adorable Jack Russel Terrier named Ozzy, and a super cute Himalayan kitten (well, I guess she’s not a kitten anymore….) named Mila. I love that I get to spend so much time with my little family on a regular basis and just how great they are.

I am excited to be getting married in 8 weeks!!! (Can you believe that?! 8 WEEKS!) And I am excited to be able to go to spend every day with my fiance and furries. I am so blessed to have such a cute little family, and love them all so much. My fiance has had Ozzy for about 5 years now, and I’ve known Ozzy for 2. Mila was a birthday gift to me last year from Nathon, and I was SO EXCITED!!! I got to pick her out and name her, and she totally stole my heart. Both animals get along great, (though Ozzy doesn’t quite return her affection as much as she would like……though I have caught him occasionally suffering through a few ear lickings haha!) Anyway, that is what I am thankful for today! My cute little family :)

This week, I am thankful for my job! I know right now a lot of you are probably facing the hard reality that great jobs…let alone any jobs….are hard to come by right now. I spent a year after graduating looking for a job. I can honestly say I worked my butt off! I applied to probably on average 5 jobs a day, had 2 interviews a week, and was constantly networking and trying to improve. There was a season, around this time last year actually, where I hit an all-time low of depression. I am such a go-getter person, where I have a goal and I do everything I can to reach it, and when I don’t see the results I am looking for, it’s really disappointing. I think being around the holidays made it hard. Then of course I got swept up in DIY projects for Christmas, which kept me busy, and then as soon as it was over…depression again. I cannot even begin to express how much I LOVE my job, and am so blessed to work in a great environment with an amazing team!
I not only get to use my talents and knowledge from school, but I get to do what I enjoy! AND on TOP of that, I get to be a part of an incredible organization that is transforming lives around the world! I love that I get to spend my days doing something that makes a difference in the world. That has been my biggest desire. I, and you, could do anything we want. ANYTHING. We could be architects, chefs, teachers, engineers…anything. And I cant help but think to myself, “why would I want to do something that doesn’t change lives or make a difference?” I mean what if we didn’t have to work? What if we had everything we ever wanted, and never had to worry about stability. What would you do? I would spend my time helping those who are less fortunate, encouraging and training for sustainability, and work hard to make sure everyone has the essentials in life to survive and thrive. So….why do I need to have that be such a far off dream? Why can’t that be what I actually do? Well…I am so blessed in that I know my job makes an impact in lives around the world. That is a dream come true for me. That is far more important to me in a job than getting to be creative. And, I am so lucky, I get to do both!

That, my friends, is what I am thankful for this week. What about you? What are you thankful for?

The other week I ordered this gorgeous scarf that I have been swooning over for months now from Three Bird Nest! The Cornelia Infinity Scarf! It finally arrived and I couldn’t be happier! I absolutely LOVE it! It’s light, not too thick, and beautiful colors/pattern! She’s got some awesome pieces on her Etsy, scarves, head bands, leg warmers etc. Adorable!!! I’m also totally loving the Lavender Floral Chiffon Headband!

I have a 15% off coupon code for you to get some goodies of your own from Three Bird Nest!!! YAY!!! Just in time for the holidays!!!!

Eyeliner is pretty amazing, it creates a statement, makes your lashes look fuller and just has this way of creating drama! I love jet black eyeliner, and don’t want it to smudge! I personally prefer liquid liner, but let’s face it….I don’t have the steadiest of hands. These two eyeliners are my go-to!

1. This Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner is SUPER easy to use! (Don’t mind the mess around the edge of mine…I accidentally made a mess when I used it last) It’s got this great felt tip that is so precise and even the shakiest of hands can get an even line! PLUS this liner is not going anywhere! It doesn’t smudge AT ALL. It’s perfect for those long days where you must have your makeup last hours on end. It’s bold, and stays put! It takes me quite a bit of eye makeup remover to get it off. So this liner is perfect! I use it mainly on days where I have a massive full day ahead or a special event. I got this liner in my Birchbox a few months ago, and seriously LOVE it! It’s a bit on the pricier side, but not too bad! $15 for a liner that is going to last all day!? I’m in!

2. This L’Oreal Lineur Intense Felt Tip Eyeliner in Carbon Black is amazing! I picked mine up at Target, and it’s a completely reasonable price! I use this on a daily basis and it’s really pretty easy to use as far as a steady hand. Occasionally I do mess up, but overall it’s much better than most I have tried. This one doesn’t smudge throughout the day, but it also washes off easily at night….which is why this is my daily liner rather than the Eyeko one. This is also about half the price of the Eyeko liner. If you are looking for a drugstore find, something for daily use- I highly recommend this one!

BONUS!!!

3. If you are looking for a more natural look with eyeliners, and jet black is just not your thing, check out Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in Lionfish or Oscarfish. This eyeliner came in a Birchbox, and I used it until it was completely gone! It’s got a super smooth texture, slightly creamy and easy to put on. It’s meant to be smudged, but I just wore it normal. The brown is a really nice change from black. It’s much more natural and sultry. It’s got a bit of a sparkle to it too! Also, what’s nice about this liner, is there is no need for a sharpener! It’s a twist up!! Love it! unfortunately, it’s a bit pricey….. $20. It lasted me a while though, and was really sad when it was gone!!! Love this liner though!! Plus it comes in various other colors that are fun to experiment with!

Do you have any awesome liners you are obsessed with?

1. loving this adorable Oatmeal South West Cardigan by Windsor! The whole tribal print/Aztec prints are in and I am loving it! This is friendly on the budget but still encompasses that style. I love the neutral colors and the open flowy front. You bet I am crushing on this and wanting it in my wardrobe!! (I happen to LOVE sweaters!)

2. I am also totally loving this 3/4 sleeve Cowl Neck top in wine!! A signature staple in my wardrobe are long tunic shirts / shirt dresses. I love how they can be dressed up or down, are beyond comfortable, and go with jeans, leggings, boots and flats! (And you all know how much I love all of those!!!) I love the cowl neck on this though! High necks are not flattering on me, and I am always looking for tops that button, have a v-neck or a lower neckline that I can pair with a tank top underneath, because I find that showing my upper chest area and having it open cuts back on the “heaviness” that can SO EASILY be visually created otherwise. So I really love that this top is different in that its a cowl and not a full button down. LOVE it!! (plus the price is unbeatable!)

3. I am ABSOLUTELY OBSESSED with this Tree of Life necklace from Stella & Dot. I have been eyeing it for MONTHS now, and awaiting for it to go on sale….I just can’t bring myself to splurge that much….even though I know it would be worth it and I would wear it all the time. The tree is adorable!!! I would purchase a longer chain, because I love my necklaces long. But seriously…..I need this in my life! SO CUTE!!!

4. I don’t know if you have heard me talk about this company before….but it’s one of my absolute favorites! 31 Bits is beyond amazing!  Empowering women to rise above poverty by using fashion and design. Their new fall/winter line launched recently, and this is one that I have been loving on, Petunia! Super cute! I love how full it is. The colors are beautiful! What a gorgeous statement piece!!! (And, their line is selling out FAST!!!! So get in on it quick!!)

5. This particular 31 Bits necklace has been on my radar since last year. I’m surprised it hasn’t sold out yet!!! I love the length, the layering you can do with it, the multitude of colors, and the neutral tones. I would LOVE to own this!!!! Again….waiting and hoping. :)

1. This past weekend, my mom, sister and I went to go see Wicked! Pretty much my favorite Broadway! We saw it a few years ago while we were visting Europe, and since we decided not to sight see in London (we did that the last time we were there,) we decided to take the tube and go see Wicked! Each time we have seen it it has been amazing! A little different, as the actors play the characters slightly different, but still so incredible! If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend you do! Find out when it’s touring near you!

2. I put my hoop nose ring back in. May seem silly, but I missed it. I hadn’t worn it in a long time due to interviews and then where I worked before my current job. But I really missed wearing it. (It’s way more comfortable, it moves around less and doesn’t get caught on things.) Way less hassle! Felt good to wear it again!

3. Tuesday was my birthday!!! But Nathon and I celebrated last Friday night. We went out to one of my favorite restaurants in downtown Seattle, and had a delicious meal. We shared spinach feta artichoke dip, I had a yummy gorgonzola burger and he had steak, I had a wonderful brown ale and then a pear martini, and to finish the night we split a molten chocolate cake….Pretty divine!!

4. Monday my work celebrated my birthday with my favorite dessert and they sang to me at least 6 different times! Then Tuesday on my actual birthday, I arrived to a decorated desk and the entire floor had my picture everywhere! I have some really wonderful coworkers!!!

5. I ordered a gorgeous scarf that I have been swooning over, from Three Bird Nest! I got the Cornelia Infinity Scarf! I have a 15% off coupon code for you to get some goodies of your own!! Three BirdNest has some gorgeous scarves, headbands, turbans, and more! Super cute!!!! (Plus- 15% off?! HECK YES!)

My favorite Thanksgiving growing up was the year that my mom insisted that we serve as a family on Thanksgiving day, at a homeless shelter serving food. I was young and wasn’t really all that interested, and it was out of my comfort zone as I was…and still can be… quite shy. However I will always remember that, we unfortunately didn’t do it again, but I am glad we got to at least once! One thing that I want to instil in my future kids, and with Nathon and I, is an attitude of thankfulness. We really do deserve nothing. And yet we are so blessed. So, I know that Thanksgiving is a cliché time to serve at a homeless shelter, as my friend Jim has told me, lots of people sign up to serve, but then once the holidays are done, there is few volunteers. Volunteers are needed year round…yet we only seem to want to serve during the holidays…. So as much as I know shelters need assistance in other times of the year, I intend to have a new family tradition for us be that we serve at a shelter each Thanksgiving. I want our children to grow up having humility, gratefulness, and sincerity. I want to also remind myself, because let’s face it, I need those reminders just as much as our future children will!!

Anyway, for this week’s thankfulness post, I want to remind myself that I am thankful for my family. I have a great family who has supported me throughout my life. I had a wonderful childhood where I got to be super creative, carefree and crazy. My siblings are wonderful, so dynamic and unique, and my parents are extremely thoughtful, patient and generous. I also grew up with a roof over my head. I had a huge yard to play imaginary games in, and a room with a door I could slam ;)  I am thankful that my family and I are close, even though I live a few hours away, I still enjoy the times I get to spend with them, whether it’s over the phone or in person.

I am thankful for my new family, my in-laws! I am excited to be joining a family with brothers and sisters, some I haven’t met yet, and to have such wonderful loving parents in-law. I really enjoy spending time with them all, and  so grateful they are so great!!!! (I mean you hear horror stories of people not getting along, and that is just NOT the case!) I love spending time with them and getting to know them better!! I am excited to be joining the family in…. 72 days! ;)

What are you thankful for this month? Are you taking the time to reflect on all the blessings being poured out on you? :)