What I'm Listening to

All day today I listened to this album...

Via
While dancing around and baking these yummy cookies! If you are a chocolate lover you will love love love these!!! The only thing I did to change the recipe was I went with half a bag of mini chips... cause the whole bag seemed like it would overwhelm the batter.

I don't know if I could get sick of this album... the whole thing is amazing!  Here are a few of my favorites :)  I know this isn't the newest album out there, but if you haven't given it a complete run through I recommend that you do :)

Also, If you haven't entered the giveaway over at Cookie Louise Pleaze, here is your reminder!!  You could win lots of cute things from me and a few other lovely ladies... go.. go!!

~Charlie

Guest Blogging!

Hey guys... I'm blogging this cute DIY over at Cookie Louise Pleaze today!  

You should check it out!! :)

~Charlie

Organization

I have the hardest time keeping track of all the ideas that float through my head.  I can't even keep up with daily to-do's unless I write them down.  All of my goals, craft ideas, and to-do lists were in one sketch book.  I started to notice that I would be good about writing everything down, but then I would never go back through... so all of my ideas and such would just get lost.  So I tried a few other ideas... post-its, using the chalkboard, even binding two molenski's together so I could have lined and graph paper.  Nothing really helped and I even thought about a binder, but it would be too big to carry everywhere!

Then husband found this cool arc notebook that is completely customizable to fit what you need.  You can have graph paper, lined paper, plain paper, and a to-do list.  They even make cute dividers and folder pockets.  Now I am all organized and I've been using it for about a week and its perfect!  All of the pages are moveable and changeable, so nothing is set in stone or ruined! I love it!

The cool binding is what makes it possible!

You can get these cool notebooks from Staples, who would have thought?  If you're having a hard time keeping all of your thoughts organized, you should definitely check this out :). 

Also, these are my new favorite pens... they don't bleed or skip and create a nice crisp, fine line! 

~Charlie

This Weekend

We went on a pizza date!

Got to witness a really good friend marry the woman of his dreams.... in a dreamy outdoor ceremony.

Did a graduation party thing.

For all of this I forgot my phone at home :(.

So.... No pictures..... But here is a sampling of what I wore to the wedding!

A polka dot dress that I found at Forever 21 years ago, a red clutch courtesy of my mom via 1980, Seychelles button heels (easily my favorite shoes), Wedding day pearl necklace from my daddy, pearl charm bracelet from my mom via 1966 (she got it as a graduation present).

Oh! We did get to finally squeeze in watching our Netflix movies...

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This was a very intense movie.  I did get teary eyed at moments, but I must confess that we did watch this way too late at night and I was fighting to stay awake.

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It wasn't as good as the first one, but I did enjoy it.  The scenery was beautiful and it was fun to see how the characters grew.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

~Charlie

Thrifted!

This complete set was marked down to $5.00... There was no way I could pass this up.  The top bowl must have been put through the dishwasher (never put vintage pyrex in the dishwasher!!! It removes the shine), but the rest of the set is perfection! 

I am for sure removing the shoulder pads and shortening the sleeves and hem line.  I am not sure about this ruffle... thoughts?

~Charlie

Lace Headband DIY

Joann's had a sale on flex lace trim.... and I kind of bought a lot of it, even though I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it.  This is my first idea so I thought I would share it with you :).

Lace trim

Elastic ponytail holders

Straight pins

Ruler

Needle and thread to match

1. Cut lace between 12 and 15 inches.  I did 13 inches, but it depends on where you would like it to sit.

2. Loop 2-3 hair ties together.  I use three... I like them extra stretchy

3. Fold over 1/4 of an inch to conseal the raw edge.  Then, place your hair ties on the lace and fold again to look like it does below.

4. Pin it to keep everything straight, and then sew a square.  Make sure you sew down the first 1/4inch turn while making the square. Repeat for the other side. **Make sure the lace is straight before connecting it to the other side, so it will lay flat.

5.  You're all done!! Enjoy your simple and cute new head band! :)

If you don't have lace trim you could use any trim, and if you don't have any trim, try braiding together some yarn or fabric... even ribbon would be cute!

If you have any questions please let me know.. I hope you enjoy!!

~Charlie

Perfect Summer Pick Me Up!

I love Starbucks! I sometimes wish they delivered... which lead me to trying to figure out how to re-create some of my favorite drinks from there... Iced vanilla soy lattes are perfect for summer!!

You will need:

Strong Coffee - I like Starbucks Espresso Roast

Milk of your choice

Ice 

Vanilla coffee syrup 

(I have heard you can use pure vanilla extract and 1 tsp of sugar as a substitute)

Sweetener of your choice

Big cup and a straw :)

To make it is super simple! I have a Keurig machine, so I make about 4oz of coffee using 2 tablespoons of grounds. I know you're thinking that is not enough water, but you add so much ice to cool it that if you add too much water you end up with a very yuckie mix (believe me I tried).  After the coffee is brewed, I add about 2 tablespoons of vanilla coffee syrup, sweetener, soy milk til its the color I like (pretty blonde), and LOTS of ice!  Stir and enjoy :)

On cold gloomy days, just toss out the ice and add in a milk frother and you have yourself a lovely latte! 

Happy first day of summer!!!! 

~Charlie  

A Few Things I Love..

1. I am in love with the Sally Hansen's salon effects.  I think it's my love of not having to wait for my nails to dry, and they are so much fun of course!! Speaking of waiting for nails to dry, have you tried the Essie "good to go" quick dry top coat?  It is really thick and shinny, which I love cause it keeps my nails from chipping for about a week! I usually can't go one day without chipping or peeling a nail.

2. I am also really in love with those three nail colors right now, pastels for summer are so much fun :). (yellow kitty, tart deco, no name)  

3. Everyday Minerals... I used to be a Bare Minerals girl. I loved them, but they started to really irritate my skin.  So after a long journey of trying to adjust to the world of liquid makeup, I quickly realized, liquid make up may be doable in the winter, but it is by no means doable for me in the spring/summer.  It is just way too heavy.  After A LOT of research I found Everyday Minerals.  I loved that they will send you a free trial of a few colors and bases so that you can find your perfect match and test out how their product will do on your skin.  I am not talking teeny tiny samples either... there are about 10 wears in each one!  I found my perfect color and base and now I am in love.  When I ordered my make up, I also ordered some eye shadow and I must say the packaging is genius!  It is a roll-on, but it is not a cream/liquid that will settle into the creases of your eyes. It is still a mineral powder and it just rolls on...  perfect for me cause I am not the best at make up. (I am not endorsed by Everyday Minerals, I just wanted to share with you how amazing I think they are). 

Are there any things that you really love right now?

~Charlie

Back...

Via..

I am sorry for my silence.  I took a quick trip to see a good friend! It was a laid back mini adventure with a long train ride which I always love! :)

~Charlie

p.s. Happy Fathers Day!

I Heart Gifts

One of my bestest friends Perissa made me this wonderfully awesome market bag.  One of the best things about it is that the flowers are also hair pins :) genius!

 Oh! and she also made me these cute earrings!

These gifts have really helped me in keeping with my goal of wearing something handmade everyday.

Also... I am so excited... tonight Pretty Little Liars starts!!!! It's such a great guilty pleasure :)

~Charlie

This Weekend

We stumbled upon a few garage sales and found a new Goodwill where we found these lovelies!

This amazing vintage record holder :)

A beautiful piece of teal pyrex (sorry for the glair, is it okay that I was too lazy to move it?)

An amazing vintage sheet and pillowcase.  I think I may have enough vintage sheets to start my quilt!

We also spent a lot of time outside and I found some more flowers in bloom. (well lots... get ready for the photo dump!)

I hope you had wonderful and relaxing weekend!! 

~Charlie

Listening to...

The new City and Colour album Little Hell 

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If you haven't listened to it yet you should... I like it a lot!  This is one of my favorite songs at the moment :)

~Charlie

In Progress

Lately I have been taking this time to create the things I always say I'm going to, and then never do for some reason or another (who are we kidding... procrastination!).  One thing I've really been wanting to do is take all the scrap fabric I have laying around, vintage and not, and make fabric covered button earrings :).  Here is what I have so far...

These are from some vintage quilter scrap I thrifted.  I love the strawberries! 

This lace was in that same bundle of scrap.  (gray w/baby blue lace and mint w/ white lace)

Of course polka dots!!! These are my favorite kind of earrings... I almost always have a pair on :).

I'm not sure if these will make it to the shop or not.... I haven't decided, but if you see a pair you'd love to buy, just send me message... I'd love to make you some! 

~Charlie

Vacation Finds

So I told you in this post that I did a little vintage shop shopping while we were on vacation.  Here are the pics of what I found!

I immediately fell in love with this dress.. It was a little more than I would typically spend on a cotton vintage dress, but I put it on and it fit like a dream.  Then the sales girl said the magic words "on sale" and I knew I couldn't pass it up.  It does appear to be handmade with a cute little lace trim on the bottom.  It is perfect for these freakishly hot days we are having here in MI.

What can I say... Yellow and red... I love it.  I know I don't work in an office setting anymore, but that doesn't mean I don't have a need for cute pencil skirts! (Only the skirt was bought... I put the shirt on the dress form for pictures).

~Charlie

Poppies

I spent some much needed time in the garden this weekend, and I noticed that I missed my poppy bloom while we were on vacation :(. Yes, I only have one.... but they are my favorite!   Here is how it looked by the time I got to see it...

Still a beautiful color :)

~Charlie

Listening to...

Via

Enjoy :)

~Charlie

Goals!

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I have been pretty lazy about setting monthly goals.  The only recurring monthly goal I have is to read at least two books.  Well, I mean I have others like... Be kind to myself, assume the best of others (yes this is a conscious effort for me), enjoy the weather.... things like that, but nothing too consuming.  So, for the month of June I am going to challenge myself to stick to some goals!

1. Wear my hair curly every day (for some reason I really feel like a little kid when I wear my hair curly... I need to get over this).

2. Wear something handmade every day... even something small.

3. Start Closet Remix (an idea that has been hiding in my journal and needs to come to life.... I have started... kinda...).

4. Keep up with Janel's 30 Day Journal Challenge

5. Of course.... read at least two books. I just finished...

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I must say it was hilarious and a great read... she really drives home the need for self love.  My best friend and I read it together and we have both taken some great things away with us!

I am in the middle of reading...

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I first have to say thank you to my wonderful Father In-Law, he keeps giving me amazing books to read!!!  This book is very thought provoking... I think I may have read it in college, but that means I skimmed it.  I started it last night and I am already over half way through... I wanted to stay up all night to finish it, but I figured sleep is good.  

Do you have any goals for June?

~Charlie