The Landlord

My sister-in-law posted this a while back and I find it both funny and a little wrong, but mostly funny...Warning: Not for the easily offended!

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Ghost Sighting

I'm totally addicted to Ghost Hunters and have been able to watch it on youtube since I don't have cable. This is a video I came across while searching and couldn't stop laughing...just watch and you'll hopefully see why!

Leprechaun in a Tree

Since I'm at the beach this week, I decided to share my favorite youtube videos with you all. I'm going to post one (or a few if they share a theme) every day. Hope it isn't too boring :)

This cracks me up every time!!!

Weekly Win It!

So, as you may have noticed, I haven't done my Weekly Win It post in about a month. Mostly due to having to frantically prepare for my show...somewhat due to the fact that I have yet to send out questions to the people who are waiting to participate as the featured seller!! Yikes!!! I apologize for slacking off and promise that the feature will be back next week and will continue after that (until I get too busy to think again!!). Make sure you come back and visit as next week's artist is a great one...you're not gonna want to miss it :)

Fabulous Inspiration

I am truly blown away this month by Inspiration. You seriously have to check this out if you haven't already! Erin has outdone herself...I'm almost speechless (almost :)).

Excellent Blogs

A couple (ok, maybe a few) weeks ago..."T" from Cosy Up included me in her listing of excellent blogs (thanks T!). I definitely think this is a fabulous idea so I decided to do the same. Here are a few of the blogs that I would like to rate "E" for Excellent...some of them are art blogs, some are crafty and some I read for the fabulous writing! I have soooo many favorite blogs but these are the ones that I definitely make time for (even when I'm extremely busy):

Design for Mankind...I love Erin's blog, her writing is terrific and she's so funny (her humor is right up my alley). She also posts great finds and new artists as well as tips and advice on starting your own business. To top it off, she's super-nice and takes time to email and comment (I don't know how she does it!).


Off The Wall...Another great blog where I find inspiration and great writing! Melissa was the first person I exchanged blog links with (I don't even remember how that came about) and I've gotten to know her over the last few months. Again, a super nice person who I have so much in common with!!


Cosy Up...I love the design of T's blog...she posts such beautiful images and poems as well as fun updates on items she and her mom have made for their shop. And (if you see a theme...holler!) such a nice and encouraging person!


Cicada Daydream...This is Michelle's blog documenting her life as a fabric designer, mother and shop owner. I love how she gives a glimpse of her new fabric designs and the process she goes through to come up with them (and I love the magnets I just ordered from her shop!). Such a nice person as well!!


A Cup of Jo...Another great writer just blogging away about her inspirations and everyday life. I enjoy reading her blog and discovering new and random stuff. She has such a unique writing style and point of view.


Ivey Handcrafted...A great blog written by an equally great crafter, Tobi. She makes the cutest items for babies (as well as others). She shares her new creations and upcoming shows as well as her very inspiring story along with peeks into who she is. Again...a sweetie!


Making it Lovely...I love reading the blog of Nicole, a fellow Chicagoan and stationary maker. She posts about her life as a designer and home-owner along with pictures and updates on the renovations she and her husband have undertaken. Check out her beautiful home!


The Adventures of Freshie and Zero...A fellow jewelry designer, Beth's blog was one of the first I discovered last fall when I was just getting into jewelry making. She is one talented and busy girl with (at least) two shops featuring beautiful jewelry. I love following her "adventures" at various craft shows and have gotten some awesome tips on how to start a small jewelry business.


The Peach Tree...Another crafty blogger that I've run into on Etsy and started following in blogland. A great look into the life of a crafter and fabulous and encouraging Etsian.


Wildwood Girls This is my sister's blog where she posts about art and life and our graphic design shop, The Wildwood Girls. I love ya sis!


The Finer Things...A blog about stationary and all things having to do with graphics/stationary design. I love the tips I find here as well as the fun little extras she posts.


Please Sir...This is another new blog that I've recently gotten into. Great finds and a cool chick, I'm always checking this out for new and fun discoveries.

Whew...happy reading!! If I left anyone out...I apologize :) Like I said, I have soo many favorites but I didn't want this post to be 300 pages long...I love you all!! For more of my favorites, check out my blog roll!

Things I'm Thankful For-81-100

Me and my nephew...

So I realize that I didn't post all 100 things I'm thankful for...(last week was insane!) But here it is, the final 20!!

81. My mommy!! Happy Mothers Day Mom!!
82. My new iPhone!!
83. Getting a great present from my sister...thanks sis!
84. Getting lots of jewelry made this weekend...(again-thanks sis!)
85. A new haircut!
86. A talented mom who is able to sew!
87. My cousin's safe delivery of her third baby last week (after numerous complications).
88. Getting to go to the Cubs game this week (for free!)
89. The special birthday song that was sung to me by my nephew...cutest thing ever!
90. Getting my Etsy orders in the mail...it' like Christmas!
91. The month of May!
92. Getting pampered :)
93. Getting flowers.
94. Design magazines, books and blogs (I've found so many inspiring things reading others' blogs).
95. Being totally caught up on my laundry.
95. Going to the movies with friends.
96. My Dad...thanks for the fun time this weekend!
97. The fact that the Sex and the City movie is only two weeks away!!
98. My bloggin buddies!
99. For every day that I am given!
100. The fact that I have been so blessed by God with a terrific family and fabulous friends!

Things I'm Thankful For-61 through 80

My Dad and me (way back when...check out that plaid chair baby!)

61. Getting to see my grandparents on Friday when they stopped while driving through to Michigan from Arizona (and the fact that they had a safe trip).
62. My new sofa (which was delivered Saturday) and the cheap (but good) movers I had deliver it!
63. Fun and challenging projects I get to work on both at work and in my side businesses.
64. My best friend (and her husband) who I soooo do not get to see enough!
65. My church and the great people who belong to it.
66. The smell of fresh cut grass.
67. Watching my niece and nephew play at the park, and playing with them (which I did today!).
68. Electricity!
69. A new haircut!
70. Having weeks of vacation saved up that I get to take off very soon!
71. Magazines...one of the restaurants we designed is on the cover of Chicago Magazine right now!!
72. Any music I can dance to (and some that I can't!).
73. A new little addition to our extended family...Congrats Derek and Lisa!!
74. Backpacking through the Appalacian Mountains (an experience I will never forget...
75. The amount of money I just saved on my most recent bead purchase (I got like half off a huge order!).
76. Finding a great bargain.
77. That I'm happy with who I am but have the ambition to improve and strive to reach the crazy goals I set for myself!
78. The fact that I've actually managed to keep in touch with some of the friends I had in high school...
79. My parent's dog, Cubby (I guess he's mine too...they had him when I lived there)!
80. My organizational skills.

Things I'm Thankful for-41 through 60!

41. Getting a seat on the el! (espcially nice if I get one both ways on all four trains that I ride every day!! I have to switch from the brown to red and vice versa)
42. Amazing architecture and the fabulous engineers that figure out how to build it! (I'm totally amazed at highways, who plans and builds these things!!??)
43. Chirping birds (unless they're outside my window when I'm trying to sleep!)
44. The smell of lilacs...my parents used to have a tree in their back yard and I could smell it from my bedroom window!
45. Wildwood Girls!!!
46. polaroids
47. Birthday Cake!!
48. holidays
49. white out
50. graphic design
51. salad
52. sarcasm
53. architectural scales and tape measures
54. fabric!!!
55. facebook and myspace
56. bead stores (dangerous places!!)
57. paisleys
58. the internet
59. re-usable bags being sold at grocery stores (ban plastic!)
60. great movies and t.v. shows

Things I'm Thankful For-21 through 40

My niece and nephew

21. Kind and generous people! Thanks for all your comments everyone...you're the best!!!!!!!!
22. The smell of baking chocolate cookies!
23. Art and those who create it...
24. Being able to talk to my closest friend's about anything
25. Having a sense of humor
26. Terrific parents who have been married 32 years and have raised my sister and I to be well adjusted human beings!!
27. Getting two tax refunds...Whooo Hoooo!!! (I usually don't even get one!)
28. Great music and even better musicians
29. The ability to laugh at myself when I do something stupid
30. My new printer!!
31. The terrific people who have participated in my Weekly Win It series...you guys rock!
32. The sound of a baby or little kid laughing (especially when being tickled!)
33. My love for grammer and writing
34. Drawing and sketching
35. Shopping
36. Etsy!!
37. My great relationship with my Dad and the fact that we know what each other is going to say when we make fun of things we see on t.v. (we're a couple of smart aleck's-same sense of humor!)
38. Coffee!!!!!!
39. My handwriting (architecturally inspired!)
40. The fact that my mom and I have grown closer over the past few years and have a lot more in common! She got me into jewelry making!!

100th Post!! Whooooooo Hoooooo!!!!!!!

So it's officially my 100th post, I can't even believe it! I've been blogging since December of 2007 and never in my wildest dreams did I think I would enjoy it so much! I've met some truly amazing people through this great community and look forward to the many more I hope to come in contact with! In honor of my 100th post, I decided to list 100 things I'm grateful for. I'm going to post twenty per day (in no particular order) so as not to overwhelm you lovely readers! So sit back, relax, and join me in thinking about all those things/people/thoughts you are most thankful for!

One Through Twenty!!
1. GOD!!!
2. Family (especially my niece and nephew!)
3. Friends and acquaintances
4. My job as an interior designer
5. Creativity and ambition
6. My apartment!
7. Delicious food.
8. Jewelry!
9. A good book
10. My city!!
11. My car
12. My blog (and my lovely readers...LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!)
13. My sister who is my best friend and also my business partner
14. AutoCAD!! (Yes, I'm wierd!)
15. Living in a place where there are four seasons and being gratful for each new season to arrive!
16. Flowers, gardens, plants, trees, NATURE!
17. Sleep (my bed! Thanks Opa!!)
18. My grandparents (miss you Nana!!)
19. The beach
20. Health and happiness! (maybe this should have been near the top!?)

Inspiration...

Yay...I'm so excited for the new E-Zine posted by Erin from Design for Mankind!! I love it...she's offering a glimpse into the most inspiring corners of artist's homes including photos of said "corner" and a little excerpt from each artist about what their inspirations are...it's such a treat! Check out the latest of three installments here (and take a look at the first and second installments as well)!! Way to go Erin!!!

JLC Studio News...

I've had a very busy weekend with lots of new things in the works and a few things I wanted to share just for fun!

I finally signed up for my very first craft show!! Yes, I'm going to be debuting my jewelry to the (physical) public at the Handmade Chicago/Randolph Street Market on May 24th with another show in August as well!! The folks over at Handmade Chicago have teamed up with the annual Chicago Antique Street Market for what's sure to be a great experience. This show is so popular that all the spots sold out within twenty four hours-luckily I scored two!! Hope to see you there!


The fabulous gals over at Desire to Inspire included my blog in their Easter Reading Guide (post two of four). I'm so honored-their blog is fantastic (I read it all the time) and I'm in some amazing company! I don't know how they did it but check out their four posts for an all-you-can-read smorgasbord of beautiful design blogs...Whew, now I'll never get anything done, I'll be too busy reading!!

I don't really know what the criteria is, but, somehow my blog was chosen as the Blog of the Day Easter Sunday on Fuel My Blog (I just joined on Saturday...not sure how that exactly happened, but I'll take it!).

The lovely Meg over at Bode 22 posted a sweet little mention about the earrings she won from my shop a few weeks ago. She added a great photo of herself wearing the earrings that I just had to share...I'm so happy she likes them! Check out her fabulous blog as well as her equally fabulous Etsy shop featuring the beautiful and unique clocks and great modern pieces this talented artist creates. Thanks Meg!


And finally, I've got a very cool feature I've been working on with some incredibly talented Esty artists. I'm super-excited to let you all know that I'll be debuting the first installment in a series of weekly features beginning this Wednesday. Be sure to check back to find out what we have in store! (hee hee, that's all I'm going to tell you on that subject, you'll have to wait for a couple of days!)...

Hope you all had a great and blessed Easter weekend and were able to spend some time with family and friends! Now let's bring on Spring already!!

Tagged!!

So, I've been tagged for the very first time! I guess this means that I'm supposed to provide you readers with seven random facts about me and hope that you don't die of boredom!! But seriously, fellow jewelry designer, Lisa, of Studio Jewel has tagged me and, therefore, here are some curious and hopefully not-to-dull things about me that you probably never really wanted to know in the first place.

1. I love to dance! I'm not talking about ballet or anything, but give me something with a good beat and I will be on the floor. I love music and seriously sometimes cannot control the urge to move. My favorite music to dance to is old school house (yes, you read that correctly).

2. I cannot roll my R's. I have tried and tried, but alas...no dice.

3. I might be a little OCD when it comes to organization. I visit the Container Store at least once a month (in fact, I went there today).

4. One of my greatest fears is flying...I'm not saying that I won't fly, but it usually takes the most amount of courage I can muster and extremely white knuckles from gripping the armrests (especially during takeoff). I should also mention that something usually seems to go wrong when I do fly, like the last flight out for the night (which I'm supposed to be on) being cancelled, therefore stranding me at the airport. Or my plane's cabin losing pressure at 30,000 feet-oxygen masks falling from the ceiling and an emergency landing in Miami Florida (no, I'm not making this up-here is a picture to prove it):

5. I have never been outside of the U.S. (this may have something to do with my fear of flying) but I'm determined to visit Europe before I turn 35 (I'm 28 so I figure I've got some time on this one).

6. In high school, I used to twirl a rifle in marching band. I did it all four years and marched in a total of nine parades. They called us the "Rifle Squad" (no joke...okay, you can stop laughing now...)

7. I'm a little bit addicted to Guitar Hero and Rock Band (for Playstation and X-box). My sister and brother-in-law and I will play for hours at a time until we can't see straight. We have recently recruited my Dad to the "Dark Side" as well.

Well, there you have it...seven useless facts about me. Thanks for reading and hope you didn't laugh too hard at some of my idiosyncrasies.

The rules of this little game state that I have to tag three other unwitting souls out there in blogland so we can learn a little bit more about them. I choose the following:

Melissa of Off The Wall
Meg of Bode 22
Raven of Dirty Pretty Things

Sorry girls...spill!

Blogger House Party

I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Decor8, the other day and saw that the author, Holly, had started a blog featuring designs for a virtual client's home. I was so inspired by the other rooms created by some really talented bloggers, that I wanted to join the fun! Holly, I hope you don't mind but this was too tempting to resist...

Here is the description of the "client":

Home owner: Young single mother (cookbook author) with a son living in a 18th century Georgian townhouse in Savannah Georgia approx. 2000 sq ft., 2 floors, 3 bedrooms (one is an office), and a large patio off of the kitchen. She loves to entertain, enjoys pastels and Swedish decor, decorating on somewhat of a budget but she can splurge on one expensive item per room. Loves pattern and feminine touches but can't deal with too much clutter.

Here is the beautiful living room/reading nook that Holly created:


The gorgeous dining room by Gracious Inspiration:


The cozy little breakfast nook created by Afrochic (I'm in LOVE with that chandelier!):


And here is the crisp, clean office created by Ez of Creature Comforts:


I want to live in the sunny patio created by Nicole of Making it Lovely:


This is the serene little craft room created by Erin of Design for Mankind (lover her blog by the way, check it out!):


So here's my contribution. The Master Bedroom, complete with sitting area...I had so much fun creating this space, thanks for the inspiration Holly!!:



Yellow Lace Wallpaper: Flavor Paper, Upholstered Headboard: Jonathan Adler, Chandelier: 1st Dibs, Nesting Tables: Councill, Sofa: Pottery Barn, Ottoman: 1st Dibs, Tufted Lounge Chair: Jayson Home and Garden, Nightstand: Z Gallerie, Table Lamp: Williams Sonoma Home, Jars: Williams Sonoma Home, Pillows: Thomas Paul, Bird Artwork: YumiYumi, Armoire: Grange, Area Rug: CB2

I Got A Modem!!

Okay, so I finally broke down and purchased a modem to feed my internet addiction...I have to say, I never thought I would be the type of person to blog, but after having read so many inspiring blogs about design, I feel like I could add to the mix. With my background in Interior Design and my experience making jewelry and other crafts, I hope that I will be able to open up other avenues that might not have been explored and introduce new sites or artists to those of you who might be interested.

So keep checking back as I add new things that I come across daily!! I already have a ton of ideas about what to add to my page :) Let me know what you think, don't be afraid to comment on my feed...