I've been sewing a bunch of satin, pink rosebuds. What should I use
them for?

So, hubby and I were somehow functioning with one car since September
and, honestly, I'm not sure how we ever made it. Now that I'm working
again, it was necessary to get another vehicle. Especially because of
my ever-changing shift schedules. And I have to say, I'm ecstatic with
our choice! Check out that shade of blue (and don't mind the excessive
weeds in my driveway). ;)

First shore trip of the summer season! Aaaah! The clean, salty air. The soft, grainy sand on my toes. Not to mention the first gelato of the season at Shriver's (I was too excited to take a photo beforehand but trust me...it looked DEE-LISH-IOUS!).

I'm so excited for the summer. And although I don't have as much freedom to go down on the weekends like I used to, it makes those moments that I can visit that much more special and enjoyable. Packing up the car late this afternoon brought a little sadness to the day. It couldn't have been better though! Arriving yesterday in the afternoon to a bright, blue sky filled with fluffy clouds, feeling the cool ocean breeze blow through my hair, walking the boardwalk and eating Mack and Manco's pizza, and ending the evening with a leisurely game of hearts with family was great. And to start the day with coffee and breakfast at Ready's Coffee Shop was bliss! Another walk on the boardwalk and a taste of South Jersey's best gelato was as relaxing a day as I could have wished for. Shore...I'm sad to see you go. At least for this weekend. I'm sure we will meet again.

On a side note (and completely unrelated but you know I gotta plug it!), check out two new totes in my Etsy shop-- the Yellow Mod Dot Day Tote and the Raspberry Mustard Floral Day Tote. Enjoy the remainder of the night, all!

I feel I need to point out that Paramore us growing on me. I just
heard one of their songs on the radio on my way to work and I've gotta
say...I do like it.

Guilty pleasure announced.

I feel like I've mentioned this plenty of times before but I've been stuck in such a rut lately. It's the feeling of helplessness I've had in regards to my job/school situation. School has not worked out. It was supposed to but, no surprise here, the state has made it so I can't attend. I was pretty mad about it at first since I have spent 7 months trying to get this situated (and everything was set and ready to go) but, in the end, I'm sure I'll get the training I'm looking for at some point. I was offered a retail position at Anthropologie (my love!), which is fabulous as I'm obsessed and probably their biggest fan...but it's only part-time work. The stress of wondering if I'll find something else to bring in supplemental income rears its ugly head every now and then. And, in particular, two days ago. The whole situation is just so nerve-wracking. I often don't feel like I'm stressed but, looking back, I can see that I am because it seems to affect every other area of my life. Creatively, I've been struggling because my focus is always on what's going to happen next-- will my hubby and I be in financial distress or will something great come through last minute? And all of this is to announce that my creative fire has FINALLY been fueled the past few days! Hallelujah!

I've got cute new homewares in my Etsy shop! Check them out!

NYC

> My New York trip was fabulous! I can't believe it's been about 5
> years since I was there last. I decided today that visiting needs to
> be something I do more often. I just loved taking in all the sights
> and sounds and just walking around. However, I am glad to be home in
> my comfy bed. My aching feet need a rest...I walked at least 15
> miles today!

Portland, Oregon

I feel like so much creativity is pouring out of Portland, Oregon. Like, literally busting out! Every time I look through crafts, art pieces, whatever, I find out where the artist is located and it's a loud and resounding Portland. What is in the water there? Talent juice?! Hook me up with some. So now I really want to go visit and experience all that Portland has to offer. First I need to secure a job and an income. ;)

I'm taking a day trip to NYC tomorrow with some girly friends. I haven't been there in YEARS! I'm super excited to go despite there may be rain and scattered thunderstorms. But seriously, I'm not letting the rain bring me down. New York, New York!!!!!!!! *sung in that of a Bette Midler Broadway voice*

It's a little blurry and very grainy but taking photos with a flash while it's snowing wasn't faring too well. We've had one really good snow this winter (for New Jersey standards) and it looks like tonight will provide another before the Spring. Six to ten inches, they say! I love sitting in the house, watching the snow accumulate out the window, wondering if the morning will bring call outs from work and snowed in fun. I'm hoping! (Despite the fact that I'm out of work at the moment but I would love to have my hubby home for the day to relax, drink some hot chocolate, and play games.) I made a trip to the local grocery store to stock up on snowed in snacks and beverages and the family that lives on the corner of our street has already started on their snowman. So cute!

I love the quietness of snow. It's almost as if all sound gets absorbed into the tiny flakes and the only thing you can hear is the soft, bell-like tinkling of the snow as it floats to the ground. It's so calming.

I set up a new Etsy shop to be more in line with my "business" name and blog name. My other shop was originally created to purchase items and supplies and I didn't think too much ahead. I should have assumed that I would eventually start selling items, as well. The new shop is www.itsahootjs.etsy.com (you can also get to it by clicking on the Etsy button on the right side of my blog. For now, there are just some felt rosette hair clips up but I'm planning on working on some tote bags this week to list. So, if you look at it...check back next week! (Take a peek at the hair clips below.)

My posting has been getting more and more sparse it feels like. I'm having difficulty working with all the ideas in my head and then actually getting to work on them. I need to kick my butt into high gear!

I think today I'm going to work on making some floral hair clips. Just as soon as I tear myself away from the computer. :) It's so easy to lose track of time and get lost in reading others' blogs or look on the interwebs for inspiration. By the time I'm revved up to start getting to work, the day is already gone! Oh Father Time, can you spare a few more hours?!

But before I venture off into the world of felt and hot glue....maybe just a little update about my job/education situation and perhaps some picture sharing!

So, rather quickly...I'm still waiting to find out if I'm eligible for tuition reimbursement. I have to meet with a counselor to discuss if my job skills are in demand. If they're in demand, they'll help me with finding another job but if they're not then that's one of the major factors that will determine whether or not I'm eligible. February 3rd is the day! It'll be nice to know after almost 4 months of unemployment what the next step is. I'm eager to be doing something.

Now, for picture sharing! I'm an avid watcher of "What Not to Wear" on the TLC channel. It's my girly guilty pleasure. I realize, at almost 27, I've been dressing myself, for the most part, much the same way I did in high school. Jeans, t-shirts, and hoodies. I feel like I've gotten to the point where I need to start dressing my age. Overall, I just feel the desire to look more put together. That will require a lengthy overhaul of my wardrobe that, no doubt, will take a good bit of time considering I don't have $5000 to spend on a new wardrobe. Bits and pieces, bits and pieces. For a long time, I was wearing these very unattractive sneakers with everything. Even when I would wear dressier black pants with a nice top, those would be my shoes of choice. I just didn't have a selection of cute shoes to choose from. Thanks to a very wonderful and generous family, I received a good number of gift cards for Christmas. So, I decided to update my shoe wardrobe first!



Above are two cute, comfortable pairs of flats that can be worn with jeans, dress pants, and skirts alike! Very versatile and I love the little embellishments and pops of color. Simple enough to work with multiple outfits but unique enough for my taste! (Our skinny cat, Cinnamon-- who's actually fat-- became very loving when I sat on the floor to take the pictures. She kept purring and rolling around on the floor. I guess she thought I was getting ready to pet her. Poor thing...I'll give her some love and pets today!)



I needed to have a couple of choices for heels, as well. I don't have much to say about these as I feel they speak for themselves. So cute! And you wouldn't think it but they're comfortable, too! I'm definitely largely influenced by comfort.

So, I feel my shoe wardrobe has been properly made over and will last me for quite some time! Now the clothing is next. Bits and pieces, my friends! Bits and pieces.