The Lovely Side

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm a lazy hair-doer. I have naturally wavy hair and I prefer as low-maintenance of a style as possible. (a.k.a. Asymmetrical lob just long enough to make a teeny, tiny ponytail at the back of my neck.) I rarely reach for the straightening iron. I prefer to just wash my hair at night, sleep on it (for some reason it gets wavier), and then tame/boost the waves in the morning. 
I've tried many, many products over the years to get that balance of control and oomph. I don't like stuff that weighs my hair down or stiffens it up. That being said, here are my top 4 go-to products in no particular order:

This past weekend, the bf and I made a couple new friends at a new local brewery. (We love meeting fellow craft beer geeks.) We chatted it up, hit it off, and ended up at their place where they opened up their back deck and beer fridge. Before we left, Amy (who bakes bread and noodles, which she sells like hotcakes at the local farmers' markets under the name Baked Goods by Amy) sent us away with three bags of her homemade noodles: tomato basil, tomato garlic, and basil.

Allow me to introduce you to my apartment's nagging little problem area. A closet shelf and clothes rod awkwardly present in the corner of my bedroom. The landlord put it there. It's screwed in. And taking it down or painting it is not an option. It's there and I need to make it work. But after over 12 months of leasing this place, I have yet to make it look intentional and beautiful - while keeping it functional. This shelf mocks me every single day. What's a girl to do?
I did, however, scavenge Pinterest for some inspiring decor that includes an out-in-the-open clothes rack in the bedroom. Which one is your favorite? Any other ideas?

There's just one space in my apartment that looks a little sad: the hallway. It's a long, beautiful hallway with hardwood floors, high ceilings, and original wood trim. However, it lacks the color, pattern, and personality that the rest of the apartment is brimming with.
A couple weekends ago, I enlisted the help of the boyfriend to help hang some more of Chasing Paper's renter-friendly, removable wallpaper. (It's the gray and white tri-angled pattern.) Then yesterday, I happened to stop by Goodwill on a whim. Whilst browsing the secondhand furniture section, a little grayish beige beauty caught my eye. I had to push a dresser and pull out a filing cabinet to get to it. Then lo and behold! It was a vintage typewriter stand. For just $4!

I finally got around to snapping a full photo tour of my apartment, which was also featured in Apartment Therapy's Small Cool Contest this year! (Check it out at Jessica's "More is More")

So without further ado... come on in! :)

One day you're getting up and heading to the office like any other Monday. A few hours later, you've found out that you're being laid off, that your position is being eliminated, or that the company is outsourcing your department's positions to off-shore workers.
After almost a year at my first real full-time job, I found out my position (and entire department) was being eliminated. As part of a staggered layoff, I still had a month and a half to get a job lined up, and I ended up finding a job better suited to my creativity, passion, and skills anyway.
Getting laid off is a very scary reality that many of us might experience. Looking back, I think I handled it as gracefully as I could. It paid off. So I thought I'd share what I learned with you:
1. Don't Mentally Check Out If you have a future end date, keep working until that date. It's tempting to slack off - especially when you see others doing just that - but the bottom line is that you're still ge…

* * * This giveaway is now closed. * * *  * * * Stay tuned for future giveaways! * * * 
ScarJo is hitting the screen later this month in what just may be her most bad-ass role yet: LUCY. Scarlett turns up the thrills in this action-packed flick with Morgan Freeman. (Plus, I really love her hair in this.)
By the looks of the intense trailer, this looks like a perfect excuse to grab your guy or girlfriends and escape the summer heat in the theatre.
Watch the Trailer:

"There is nothing wrong with loving the crap out of everything. Negative people find their walls. So never apologize for your enthusiasm. Never. Ever. Never." - Ryan Adams

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