101, in 1,001

73. Take a calligraphy class. (in progress)

Yesterday my good friend Kathleen and I started our online calligraphy class from Skillshare. 

Since she is in Michigan and I am in Virginia, we used Google Hangouts screenshare (awesome, BTW).

My mom and I bought her the class and supplies for her birthday, and as a treat I bought the class and supplies for myself so we could do it 'together'.

The lessons are easily laid out and the instructor goes nice and slow for beginners (plus she's gorgeous and she gets so excited about calligraphy). 

So far we've been loving Skillshare and I can't wait till we have time for our next class!

Check the class out and make sure you order the paper she suggests, my notebook totally bled through!

I'm Baaaaack!

Wow. 

It has been a whirlwind couple months. 

I staffed my second American Model United Nations Conference as the president of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

I ran the Turkey Trot 5K in Detroit on Thanksgiving day.

I finished the semester strong and the day after my last final I got on a plane with 4 giant bags and moved to Washington DC!

I celebrated Christmas by traveling pretty much all over Michigan.

Then I went to Chicago for the Alliance Management Institute (during the polar vortex, UGH!) and became a Certified Nonprofit Professional (and had some awesome deep dish pizza). 

  

Now I'm finally back in my apartment and trying to get into a routine.

I never really realized how much I depend on routine, even at my old job where I could be at any of our offices (or a combination of all three!) in one day, I still knew I was working tomorrow from this time to this time. I realized I crave routine, and now that I am settling into the new place I am trying to create that routine!

My new routine includes blogging more and I will be sticking to it!

Apartment Decor

There's less than 4 weeks until I move into my new apartment in DC! I cannot wait! I've been drooling over throw pillows, sheets, candles, and general decor. Here are some of my favorites:

Washington DC Metro Poster

The Metro and I might not get along but I love this minimalistic print from Etsy.

Gold Wishbone Wall Hook

I love this for keys/coats next to the front door or in the bathroom for towels.

Waterfall Ruffle Duvet Cover 

Sigh. I am so in love with this duvet cover. 

Del Mar Knob

I plan on buying a couple of these to spice up an Ikea dresser.

Passport Toss Pillow

I would love to have my two homes on toss pillows to throw on our futon!

101 in 1,001 - Recipe binder

I found the perfect recipe binder. Emily Ley paper never ceases to amaze me. I have had my eye on her Simplified planner for some time now but when she introduced the new binder this past summer, I was an unpaid intern who needed to buy groceries and not pretty paper. She posted an AMAZING deal on some imperfect planners and I am in love. I will start using it full time in January, it's currently sitting on my desk looking pretty.

So, Emily Ley has some amazing sales. I've been on the lookout for Christmas presents and I saw a great deal on her Simplified Recipe binders. Well, I had to have it. And I purchased extras for gifts. 

 

When I ordered I didn't really know what the inside of the binder looked like but when it arrived I was pleased to find a large D ring that was large enough to hold ALL of my recipes! 

I love Emily Ley's online shop, check it out http://www.emilyley.com/

My favorite TV shows {part 1}

 

The Mindy Project

I get together with my good friend Kathleen every Tuesday and we cook dinner and watch Mindy. This girl is hilarious. I don't usually laugh out loud but it's hard not to during this show!

Breaking Bad

I cannot say enough about how much I love Breaking Bad. It's a nail biting, tear jerking roller coaster ride of a show and C and I managed to finish the whole series in about 3 months.

 

Scandal

My guilty pleasure. Not realistic or educational at all. But I love it. A good friend of mine who I interned with in DC over the summer told me to watch it and I was HOOKED. I even bought Hulu Plus to see the second season. Netflix now has season 1 and 2, anyone down for a marathon?

 

Tieks

Living in DC you quickly learn that wearing heels on your way to and from work is a no-no. Trying to navigate the Metro stairs and escalators is had enough in rush hour that you really don't need to be teetering on several inches of unneeded heel. I also don't have a whole lot of room in my work bag for a pair of tennis shoes or flats so the fact that these shoes FOLD is amazing! I first learned of Tieks from a blogger I follow on Instagram and I am DYING to try them! How fun is the unexpected pop of color on the sole? What color would you get?

Leopard

Camel

What I'm loving Wednesday

I'm due for an upgrade on my phone and this Friday I'll be getting the new iPhone 5s. I'm so excited to have a new, WORKING phone that won't drop my calls and that actually has a working speakerphone.

However, with a new phone comes new cases. I'm sad I won't be able to use the collection of cute cases I have acquired for the 4s but I am really excited about this case from Gigi New York:

I can't decide on the color, orange, pink or green. I'm leaning toward the pink. But how lovely are these cases? And the gold monogram, swoon!

{Z}

Today I finished an amazing book (and added another book finished to my 101 in 1,001 list). Z by Theresa Ann Fowler chronicled the life of Zelda Fitzgerald and how she struggled to find her own voice in the world. It is written as historical fiction but followed the events of their life as they really happened. I love historical fiction but I feel like sometimes it is really embellished. This book seemed so humble and real. I really felt for Zelda and at times I just wanted to give her a hug. I highly suggest this book to anyone interested in the Fitzgerald's, the Jazz Age, or strong female characters. I've also added several F. Scott Fitzgerald books to my reading list because of this book.

{Little Victories}

 

This week was the WORST. It's one of those weeks where you pick something up, drop it. Pick it up again, drop it. Pick it up and bang your head on the table. Really? Everything that could go wrong did. I'm trying to take some time to learn that not accomplishing something big each week (like running my goal distance for the week, or writing my goal number of pages for my thesis) is okay. Instead, I am trying to focus on the little things, finally scheduling a doctors appointment I've been putting off, finishing one easy assignment way ahead of the due date, and finishing a book I've been reading. I'm still working on remembering that the little things all do add up, especially on one of those hit-your-head-on-the-table kind of weeks.

What are some of the 'little things' that you are proud to have accomplished?

What I'm Loving Wednesday: A sugary DIY

Check out this amazing DIY from Studio DIY on how to make doughnut balloons! How amazing would these be for a party? They look so simple too! {Photos from Studio DIY}

{Click Here!}