Diagonals

Just a quick little hello because I am now only two sleeps and one day away from NYC. Gulp. I am pretty nervous, not going to lie. Also very excited. It's been a theory for so long that I can't believe it's actually here. I'm definitely ready for it though. I have been busy getting the final details in order this week for my Saturday departure. Given that I've barely started packing, I'm not sure if I'll have time to post again before I leave so the next time I blab will most likely be from NYC. New York City!

diagonal top {cable & gauge via Macys} - best tank ever {Costco!} - red denim skinnies {Forever 21} - black riding boots {Macys} - 

bronze & silver necklace {The Bay} - tea {Twinings Lady Grey}

On a much more important note. I thought you should know I am a BIG tea snob fan. And I drink a whole lot of it. I mean A LOT. Usually only Earl Grey or Lady Grey. Both Twinings. Both pure bliss. With the milk added first, of course. I'm such a fan that I thought it would be cool to include my tea in some photos. I think that right there proves just how uncool I really am. No shame, people!

See you in NYC,

j.

Mixed Metals

Happy Hump Day Friends!

Don't you love Wednesdays? I always did. Why? Because you're halfway to the weekend. When I was working, I found Wednesdays to be one of the most productive days of the week. Mondays are crazy. And you don't want to be there. So, basically they are the worst. Tuesdays I found highly unproductive because you're still getting back into work mode from those two glorious days off. And you're a little thrown off from the craziness of your Monday to get any real work done. But come Wednesday, you really hit your stride, or at least I did. You've settled into the work groove. Things are jiving just right. You're crossing items off that to-do list like it's going out of style. And you have that silent knowledge that tomorrow is Thursday. And you know what they say about Thursday, don't you? It comes before Friday. And Friday is the best day of all because Fridays are attached to those two glorious days we call the weekend. Plus Wednesday night always has the best shows to look forward to. What can I say? I'm a sucker for my shows.

Remember how I told you on Monday that I unpacked all of my boxes and organized my closet? Well, today I snapped a few pics of my pride and joy. Also known as my clothing and jewelry. I also lied to you on Monday. I thought I was going to use a corkboard for my jewelry but a trip to Ikea prompted a change of heart. I was in storage heaven. Everywhere I looked I saw possibilities for housing my baubles. In the end, I used a kitchen bar and hooks for my heaviest necklaces, two small white wire cylinders for hanging earrings around and that bronze 't'-shaped stand for my daintier necklaces.

That 't'-shaped stand was kind of a hassle to actually purchase. I saw it on display in a bedroom. It's tag told me I could find it in the seasonal section. Right by the check out. Once I got down there, I searched through the section. The stand was nowhere to be found. I was going to leave it. But my Mom saw that look in my eyes. The look I get when I really, really want something. It was perfect for my purposes. It was only five dollars. What more could I ask for? She quickly granted me permission to take her on a wild goose chase for this five dollar ornament stand that I had no intention of using to display ornaments. Unless you consider my necklaces ornaments, which I kind of do....anyways. We zigged and zagged our way back where we had come. Up to the bedroom section. I found the stand in one of the bedrooms. It was displaying these cute little heart ornaments. I took it to a sales associate who scanned it and told me there were eleven of them in stock. I relayed that I had been sent up there by another associate downstairs who said they were sold out. I asked if I could purchase the display one. That, they told me, was not up to them. Instead they would have to ask the Designer.

(Can we just take a moment to reflect on how amazing that job would be? Just the thought of being able to design Ikea showrooms all day. I could honestly spend days in there. And all of my money. Seriously.)

The Designer nods her approval so the associate proceeds to cut all of the ornaments off of the stand. Tells me there is no paperwork to be done, just a phone call. I witness the phone call and assume it is the check out being notified if my imminent arrival. Down we go again. Of course, the poor guy at the check out has no idea what I'm talking about and is giving me the crazy look for trying to sneak the display unit past him on his conveyor belt. Another phone call later and he directs me to another department. At least it's just around the corner. I get there and finally this lady does not give me the crazy look and even exclaims "I was waiting for you!". I was overjoyed to say the least. She takes my random display ornament stand from me and tells me she needs to print out a sticker for it. Five minutes later (are you hand-making the sticker lady???) she returns with my stand and it's sticker. She adds that she gave me a bit of a discount it being a display unit and all. Damn lady, now I feel bad for getting inpatient with you. A whopping eighty cents off my five dollar ornament stand and thirty minutes later, I am finally allowed to check out. But I could not have been happier with my purchase. It was absolutely perfect for my purpose.

So. The moral of this story is: having patience and a whole lot of time on your hands pays. Eighty cents to be exact.

j.

Stripes, Checks & Layers

I spent the better part of today unpacking the many boxes of clothes I had taking up all of the real estate on my bedroom floor. It was like an obstacle course to get from my bed to the bathroom. It was due time. I was slightly concerned that I was going to run out of room in my closet. I was most certain I was going to run out of hangers. Well, I managed to not run out of room thanks to some creative storage solutions. Think fifteen scarves on one hanger. Cork board turned jewelry holder. As predicted, however, I did run out of hangers. So, what did I do?

lava rock earrings {etsy} - white watch {Palm Desert street market} - striped cardigan and

black belt {Jacob} - blue & black flannel, black tunic and black leggings {Aritzia} -

black winter boots {Locale}

I ran from closet to closet throughout the house. My brother's closet. The front and back hall closets. Even my parents' closets. Stealing hangers as I went. Lucky for my brother since he doesn't live here anymore. Not so lucky for my parents on the other hand. It really couldn't be helped though. I turned into a hanger bandit. It was awesome.

I had no real intention of taking an outfit pic today. But before I knew it, I was dressed, assembling my tripod and posing outside without a jacket. In hindsight, this is not something I recommend. Posing outside without a jacket that is. I highly recommend the getting dressed part though.

j.

Navajo in the Snow

I have officially entered Winter. No more palm trees. No more sun. Well, for the next two and a half weeks anyways. As much as I love being home for the holidays, I am beyond excited to be spending Christmas in Hawaii with my family. It is going to take some getting used to though, this posing in the snow business. I tried to be a trooper throughout the photos. After all, I was making my Mom stand outside in the cold too! The last pic shows how I really felt though.

Some things I realized yesterday:

~ I do not have a lot of patience when Blogger behaves badly (I attempted to post this last  

     night but I couldn't attach any photos).

~ I still have an unhealthy obsession with my Microsoft Publisher trial (forcing you nice

      people to have to look at my mug 7x as much as you probably would like).

~ I need to start thinking about indoor photo shoots (Boo!).

~ I have a lot of stuff (see photo below) and I'm still waiting on 9 more boxes (boxes filled 

      only with clothes).

~ I packed all of my pants, except for these red skinnies and a pair of bright blue skinnies,

      in the boxes that are not here yet (good work).

And perhaps the most important thing I realized yesterday:

~ Colored denim does not go with everything (ahem....red pants + green jacket = not a

      good look).

navajo sweater {Forever 21} - ivory blouse {Loft} - red skinnies (aka hot pants) {Forever 21} -

brown booties {Kelly & Katie via DSW}

By the way - this is an entire Palm Springs purchased outfit. Here's to fireplaces, mugs of hot tea and my down comforter!

j.

A Little Funny

Hi Friends!

I'm alive. Barely. Burried under mountains of boxes. I have 3 days left. Still lots to do. I'm not panicking. Yet. Which is a good thing. Anyways. I did see this commercial on TV and laughed. my. a**. off. What you are about to see is in no way me endorsing Walmart, per se. Nor am I suggesting you shop there. Do what you want. All this is, is a hats off to the creative folks in marketing. Cause this is some funny sh**. (I apologize for the potty mouth tonight)

Now I'm off to watch Twilight (insert wild, high-pitched screams) with Sasha. And later I'll be dreaming of when I get to shop Black Friday sales. Real soon. Can't wait.

Until then,

j.

New York City Bound

It's official. I GOT INTO PARSONS! The school of my dreams. Wild. Insert high pitched squeels, flapping arms and jumping up and down. That actually happened. This morning. And then I fell. True story. Doing a happy dance in my barren living room and I bail. Bam! On my butt. My supreme non-existent coordination and lack of abundant awkwardness amaze me at times.

Anyways. Moving on. Nothin's getting me down today. And here I was having a boring ol' week of packing and sorting and selling. It's craft room chaos. Seriously. And there's costumes as well. Because packing is WAY more fun in costume. (Don't knock it till you've tried it, folks). See that GIANT pile of craft supplies in the bottom right corner, below? That's all for donation! And it's not even half of it. Don't worry. I'm keeping too many several boxes of crafty goodness for myself too.

And just in case you wanted to see my Letter of Acceptance again. Bigger.

I am so excited. I don't have to keep saying "IF I get in, I'll be moving to NYC". Now I can say I'm moving to NYC! In January. Bah! There is SO much to do between now and then. 

Warning: I'm going to be busy like a bee this coming week. With packing. And sorting. And selling. And packingsortingselling some more. Ahhh. The life of a procrastinator. I wouldn't have it any other way. Moral of the story? You might not have to put up with my nonsense quite as frequently. But don't worry. Because I know you were. I'll be back in full swing after the 27th. Broadcasting from Palm Springs. Worth the wait. Promise.

j.