Sneak Peeks

Not sure if anyone really cares, but I'm obsessed with my little condo. The housewarming party is around the corner which means Russ and I are busy bees. I've been sewing throw pillows and Russell has been making wooden things. Here are a few of my favorites...

Hanging Macrame Planter

About a week ago, Russ and I cleaned out our closet (been reading this book about decluttering--amazing, love it) and got rid about 70% of our clothes. We were able to resell some of it and used the money to buy more plants. We even got a lemon tree! Anyways, made this little hanging macrame planter to hang one of our other new plants. I learned some new macrame knots and I am loving it.

Future Guest Bed

Russell made this wood block that's going to be our daybed in the guest room. Um, there's no mattress on it yet, but we'll get that soon enough. I've never been one for throw pillows but lately, it's all I can think about. We've also realized that by trying to keep this room as gender-neutral as possible, it almost looks like a nursery. It's not! (Yet). It's a guest room/office/art room. 

Medicine Cabinet

Not really sure if I took before shots of our medicine cabinet in the guest bathroom--it's your typical cabinet. Russell was able to take it out and built this custom medicine cabinet that fit perfectly. I went in and decorated it with bath things and...plants. It's so beautiful.

Wooden Frame

Russell also made this wood frame that goes around our bathroom mirror. Makes the bathroom look warmer. Is it weird to say that the guest bathroom is one of my favorite rooms? 

Before and after pictures should be coming soon! There are so many things that have changed! Ahh! And so much more to do!

Created

I never thought of myself as a creative person. I've always enjoyed reading and writing, but I never went out of my way to take art classes or to draw. Growing up my parents would look at something I made (knitted scarf, birthday banner, etc.) and mention that it was creative. With Asian parents who always encouraged math and science, I figured maybe they didn't really understand creativity. Because I, most definitely, was not.

Then I met Russell. Russ who went to an art college and knew how to create pretty things on the computer and painted and sketched. He was everything I labeled as artistic. After being with him for five (omg, 5!) years now, I've realized how much he's pulled my creative side out of me. He encouraged the side of me my parents saw, and coerced it out. Because now, as a work-from-home writer and marketing associate, I think I've fallen over to the creative side. I spend my days at home--while Russ brings home the good bacon--writing and/or creating fun images for work. And when I'm not working, I write and/or make fun stuff.

This is not to say I am good at any "creative" things in any way. I am willing to try almost any creative hobby and am okay at failing at all of them. But it's so much fun to try. And Russell is always cheering me on. I find it so endearing. It's probably why I still keep sewing even if the creases aren't straight and the stitches aren't even. I tell him I'm going to try calligraphy and he gets excited for me. I want to try needlepoint and he's enthusiastic. And you guys, some of my stuff is not that great but he still puts them around the house. He hung up my "Oh Hello" embroidery sign up outside our door. I weaved this thing from my loom (that he built me!) and it was so unshapely and I hated it but he has it out in the living room. He asked me to crochet a few mats for our plants like he trusts me to be able to do it. And I do it because of his blind faith and encouragement.

Oh, this post was going to be about what I've been doing lately. Sorry, got side-tracked :) A final note before I post pics of my latest projects: find someone who draws out the best side of you, even if you thought it was non-existent.

So anyways, look what I've been up to:

Sewing!

Double-sided because I liked both fabric so much and didn't want to choose.

My parents were coming over one night this week. Our old table runner was in the wash and I really wanted a nice accent on our dining table before my parents visited. So...I made one. Out of old curtains bought from a thrift store and fabric scored from the Fabric District in LA.

Cooking!

Okay, so this might not be as creative as it was random. That's homemade ketchup, homemade ranch, and homemade chicken nuggets. Can you tell I work from home? Ha. The homemade sauces is mostly because we're trying to do our part on having less plastic waste--so when I have the time (keyword: time; this doesn't happen as often as I'd like), I try to make food/sauces that are easy to make from ingredients I already have. That way, no buying extra plastic packaging. The nuggets were just because I had extra coconut flour. Note: coconut flour is very dry. Have lots of water.

Calligraphy! 

This was harder than I thought. But I just love pretty writing. Some girls from my church invited me to a calligraphy workshop happening at one of their houses, and I'm so glad I went. I now have ink and a calligraphy pen and have been working on my up and down strokes. I'm nowhere near as good as I would like to be but this is one hobby I am willing to keep working at.


Russell and I got another order on Etsy this past week so Russ has been out on the patio making it. He also made a compost bin for all our raw food waste so we're making our own fertilizer. He also planted some new plants and made a green house. Oh you guys, it's such a weird home; but a happy one.

Taylor Swift Concert (8/22)

When your friend texts you in the middle of the day and says she has the biggest news ever, you should probably text her back right away. Your friend tells you to respond ASAP which means it's not about her work, not about the bun in the oven, but about Taylor Swift concert tickets. Because, duh.

I met a Taylor Swift poster! (8/22)

Luckily for us, she had a friend who had extra 2 tickets to an LA concert. I screamed at Russell when I got the text then hurriedly told him he couldn't come so he wouldn't get excited. I articulated as best as I could--while screaming--that my friend and I were going to go see Taytay in concert.

We got there ridiculously early and it was hours before the doors even opened. Our adrenaline was pumping. Eventually, when the doors opened at 6 (concert started at 7:30), we went in. I didn't even realize how amazing our seats were. Totally worth splurging.

I would actually be able to SEE her on the stage! (*faints*)

When Taylor popped up on stage singing "Welcome to New York" I never knew I could be that excited. There was definitely a lot of screaming and maybe a little bit of crying. She was right there! Looking like a perfect barbie doll. I lost my voice by the end of the concert 'cause I couldn't keep it together. I wanted to sing! Dance! And yell! That's what happens when you go to a Taylor Swift concert--you lose it.

And those light up bracelets were everything. I love how you feel one with the crowd. It really was amazing.

I didn't take many videos, though I wish I did so I can relive the concert again in my room, while the lights are off, shaking my little light up bracelet (which still works!).

Since I'm having trouble trying to upload videos onto this blog, here's my Instagram account where I have part of Shake it Off!

I was going to blog some more but I need to go listen to the 1989 CD now. Bye.

Updates, Short Story Style

Hello! Here are some updates:

• Russell dislocated his shoulder for the sixth time Saturday night/early Sunday morning. This time we couldn't get his shoulder back in just by ourselves; no urgent cares were open at midnight; so we ended up at the ER. This is my fourth time taking Russ to the emergency room since we've been together. Four times too many I think. The doctor had a hard time getting his shoulder back in. There was a lot of yanking and grunting. I have realized that the worst sound you could ever hear is the sound of your loved one in pain. We got home at 4 AM. I teased Russ that the only time we stay out late on weekends is when we're at the hospital.


• Oh, Russ dislocated his shoulder falling off a chair he was standing on. There was a big spider on the ceiling and I asked him to kill it for me. Darn spider. Stupid wobbly chair. I honestly thought he broke something when he fell. The doctors thought he shattered his shoulder but we're so lucky and thankful that wasn't the case. I never thought seeing moments in slow motion was a real thing, but it is. The entire time I was driving to the hospital, that scene kept replaying in my head. The way the yellow chair dipped backwards, then forwards, then Russell falling against the wall before dropping backwards. Then the silence. Russell is the luckiest guy but the unluckiest. In Philippines last year, his oxygen tank stopped working while he was scuba diving. While 30 meters underwater, he managed to communicate to his instructor that the tank stopped working, and they got back up water. No big deal. You see--lucky yet unlucky.


• Our kitchen cabinets are almost all white now. My parents are coming over this week to help me screw the cabinet doors back on since Russell is out of service at the moment. Russell and I finally settled on the knobs/handles we want on our cabinets. Originally, we thought we would go with stainless steal or gray knobs. We ended up going for plain black handles to stay with the more classic look. I am so excited for this kitchen to finally come together.


• I am sewing a whole bunch of drawstring pouches. Without getting too much into it, I jumped on the Zero-Waste bandwagon -- or at least, I'm trying to. It's not a bad wagon to be on. I finally got reusable bags and I even bought these bags to put my small produce in. And because I saw those pouches, I got inspired to try to make my own. I've been browsing through Etsy and bought a few more reusable items I never thought about before such as sandwich bags, snack bags, etc. Eventually I want to be able to make my own. I am still trying to get the zippered pouch down, but for the time being, I'm making these pouches to store my nuts and seeds in.

  

  fun fabric



• Our patio is coming together quite nicely. This last weekend, we dedicated our time to fixing our patio and moving the plants around to make it look more roomy. I'll post before & after pictures soon. We scored an awesome Crate & Barrel outdoor rug on Craigslist I'm pretty proud of. I am becoming quite the thrifter when it comes to finding quality/pretty home decor.

Work Hard, Play Hard

Russell and I finally decided to tackle our kitchen as our next "renovation" project. All we're really doing is repainting the cabinets and adding knobs because I've always wanted a white kitchen. Also, I couldn't stand the current state of the cabinets.

By the end of June, I thought we were done painting, but here I am again with paint on my hands, hair, and feet. Make it stop!

Cabinet doors

In between the kitchen project, I've tackled a few other creative hobbies:

Sewing! I've only done basic things such as skirts, drawstring pouches, and pillow cases, but I'm addicted. I love pretty fabric.

pillowcases

The back of that leaf pillow has elephants:

Too cute to pass up

Paper stuff. Hung out with some girl friends for a Crafting Day and this is what I learned on one of those days - how to make paper flowers. They look so real too.

Oh, and needlepoint & embroidery. I'm sloppy at it and trying to learn different stitches. Nonetheless, still proud of my first project. I think I'll hang it over our doorbell.

While I'm doing projects that are fit for grandmas, here's what Russell has made:

One of our friends wanted a headboard and footboard for a bed using wood pieces, and Russell came up with this. Russell taught me how to use his sander so I helped with a few pieces (woohoo!). Overall, I love it. It makes me want one for our own room...

Okay, the cabinets are probably dry now. Time to go put 234235 more white coats of paint.