My World Lately

This post doesn't have a theme or a single planned thought behind it. I's not attached to a link up, it's not sponsored, and it doesn't have anything to do with Pinterest.

It's just me and my thoughts today, people! 

I feel like I haven't really been "confessing" much on here lately. Sometimes I feel myself just going through motions while trying to keep up. I notice myself getting too caught up in what everyone else is doing and forgetting the purpose of my own blog and what it stands for. Does anyone else do that? It drives me NUTS!

So, I thought tonight I would just sit down and type, and just, ya know... talk to you guys!

Well, lets chat about a few things that have been going on lately...

First off, I feel compelled to announce this blog reached a huge milestone by hitting 600 followers over the weekend... whoa, what?! Let me just say THANK YOU to all my loyal readers! If you're new here from a giveaway I hope you stick around and introduce yourself in the comments... I love new friends!

image via

In other news, behind the scenes I've been working on a few design projects including a fun print assignment for school which I'll be posting about this week, one of my best friend's Save The Date's which I'll be showing off the design in the next week or so, annnd I've slowly been putting together a brand new blog design that is long overdue. I literally CANNOT wait to get it coded and ready for its big reveal! Oh, how I love design :)

Recently I've been taking every opportunity to satisfy my overly active sweet tooth cravings. Ice cream sundaes, late night donut runs (who does that?), sour candies from the gas station, you name it! I even broke out the flour and sugar, all Betty Croker style, in efforts to make the homemade version of Starbucks Vanilla Scones and a yummy batch of Peanut Butter Cookies... and it was amazing. Whatever, I'm not trying to be Jillian Michaels.

(oh yeah, and I joined Instagram- follow me here!)

Let's see... what else...

Join Birchbox by clicking here!

Oh yes! I joined BIRCHBOX! Yes... yes yes yes I'm so excited :) I love trying out new beauty products but I never have the chance (or extra cash) to go out and splurge at Sephora. The $10/month works awesomely, I'm totally excited, and hopefully will have some fun posts about them soon!

OK I'm not this good... (image source)

While we're talking trends... I'm a total  Draw Something MANIAC! Come play with me (KristenVictoria87). Beware... I'm one of those "detailed" drawers (well, most of the time) that likes to take my time perfecting the cutest scene. I've gotten my coins... now it's about the artistic quality! hehe



Oh and I'm so proud of myself, I finally started a new book! 50 Shades of Grey... oh baby. Maybe you've heard of it? :) I love the book almost as much as I love our Kindle! Josh has been using it for several months now and I've been stubbornly reluctant (as I usually am). "They'll replace our precious libraries and book stores!" I'd say, but now that I've given in... it's pretty damn genius. I never go to book stores, anyway...

image source

I call this... "Through the Eyes of a Dachshund"

Besides all these new and exciting endeavors, I've just been enjoying the beautiful warm spring weather SLC has provided lately. Sammy seems to be enjoying it too :)


If you've gotten this far through my babbles... congratulations. You rock. Gold star for you!



Oh and before you go, I thought I'd share some dubstep, which I've been jamming out to a whole lot lately. Freaking loveee it! Embarrassing little tidbit... I actually thought dubstep was a dance step similar to "The Dougie" at first. Yep... that's me. Always arriving late to the party :P

So, what have YOU been up to lately?

Hope you all have a LOVELY week ahead of you!

P.S. The winner of the April Group Giveaway is ELISHA! I emailed you, girl! Congratulations, and thanks to everyone who participated! You can still enter for a chance to win the My Belle Boutique Giveaway going on until Saturday! :)

My Belle Boutique Interview & Giveaway!

I'm SO excited to present to you another fun interview
from the lovely Kayla from My Belle Boutique!

I discovered her shop in February and talked about it in this post,
but today you will get to know her a bit more including her guilty pleasures
and her advice on starting your own shop!

Take it away, Kayla...

::ABOUT THE GIRL::

::SHOP::    ::BLOG::   ::FACEBOOK::

Name five words that describe you best: 

Happy, hopeful, giggly, colorful, blessed

I see you're a fellow Utahn! 

What do you like to do for fun in the community? 

My husband and I love to have picnics in the canyons with our three kids!

Do you have a guilty pleasure? 

My DVR! I am always too busy to watch my favorite shows, so I record them all to my DVR and watch way too many hours of TV late at night when I'm working on orders from my shop. This year I'm getting really into the shows Revenge, Smash and Private Practice!

What is something you're excited about right now? 

The warm weather! I can't wait to hit the pools and have BBQs!

If you were a crayon, what color would you be?

Yellow for sure.

::ABOUT THE SHOP::

Tell us what My Belle Boutique all about! 

I love creating affordable jewelry so everyone can have a beautiful piece that they love and cherish!

What gave you the courage to start your own shop? 

I thought it would be fun to have a little hobby which has now turned into a full-time job!

What is the most rewarding part of running your own shop? 

I love all of the sweet people I have met along the way!

What is your personal favorite out of all of your shop items? 

I love the personalized washer necklace with heart charm:

(Source)

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own shop?  JUST DO IT! Don't think twice, just follow your heart and do it!

*  *  *  *  *

Isn't Kayla the sweetest?

Well, she's about to get even sweeter...

KAYLA IS GIVING AWAY A

::$25 SHOP CREDIT::

TO ONE VERY LUCKY READER!!

With her shop's variety of product and affordable pricing (from $5 and up) you're bound to find a unique addition to add to your jewelry box or the perfect gift for someone special!

Enter with Rafflecopter below!! 
GOOD LUCK! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Surprise Sketch! {Round 2}

Good Morning, Ladies & Gents!

I hope you like surprises!

Last night I cuddled up with my sketch pad, put some Pink Floyd on, grabbed my drawing tools, and started drawing a certain blogger you may already know and love. For Round 2 of this fun new project of mine I'm going to let you first guess who it might be... 

Any ideas?

...does she look familiar? :)

Hint Hint... she's a newlywed, she sings, loves high fives....

Goes by TBS? Has a gorgeous SAPPHIRE wedding ring?

.

...

........

.................

........

...

.

OK, if you didn't already guess, it's LINDSAY from Trial By Sapphire!

Surpriseeee! :D

What a gorgeous woman she was to draw! That smile may be contagious but was also challenging (no offense, Lindsay!). Teeth and hair are two of the hardest things for me to get right in drawings, but I'm pretty happy with the turnout- I hope she is too!

And hey, Linds... if you hate it, just think at least it didn't turn out like this... 

Yikes...

Who's going to be featured next week? Maybe... you?!

If you'd like to have the chance of your portrait being chosen for Surprise Sketches, go ahead and email me a high-res photo of yourself (preferably close up) and I'll put it in my inspiration bucket! 

Please know that it's not guaranteed and I will only be drawing people I'm familiar with... that means if you're a blog follower and a regular commenter, you'll pass the test!  

GDSConfessions@gmail.com

And before you go...

 I'll be nice and remind you to go enter

April's Group Giveaway!

Quick! Ends Sunday @ Midnight EST

Fabulously Flawed

Boy, do I have a treat for you today!

Earlier this month I was thrilled when I found out Lesley @ Fabulously Flawed had won the interview feature during the March Group Giveaway! 

Lemme tell you... I started following her blog very early on and can honestly say she is one of my favs. She's honest, uncensored, and totally crafty! I know you'll want to be friends with he after you take a look at these answers :)

Describe your personality in 5 words:
Sarcastic, silly, introverted, loud, obnoxious. Yeah...they totally contradict each other!

How long have you been blogging, and what do you blog about?
I've been blogging for about a year and a half and I really don't blog about anything. Seriously, it's totally pointless. Sometimes I do crafts, sometimes it's linky parties, sometimes I just feel like letting off a little steam and treating my blog like a diary. I can honestly say that after a year and a half I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing.

Do you have any nicknames?
I do, but, they are all really dirty.

If you were ice cream, what flavor would you be?
I think I'd be bubble gum flavor. Seriously, there are like 4 people in the world that like bubble gum flavor ice cream. So yeah...that works.

What's your favorite day of the week and why?
My favorite day of the week is usually Wednesday. We have nothing going on on Wednesdays. It's pretty awesome. No classes, no sports, no commitments. Bliss!

Name one of your biggest pet peeves:
I live in Alberta, Canada. Alberta, Canada is home to about a million guys who each think they need to drive the biggest truck ever made. And where do they park these monsters? Oh, they take up about 4 - 6 parking spots so that no one could dare dent their precious doors by parking too close.

Hey guy...you suck.

What's the last thing you ate?
The last thing I ate was a Big Mac. I know! It's so bad for me! But, I was PMSing and craving one so badly!

If the news announced the world was ending in 24 hours, how would you spend that time?
I would get in bed with my husband and kids and we would take turns telling each each every single thing there is to tell.

What did you want to be when you grew up? Has it changed?
Y'know what? I seriously had no idea. I remember being a senior and just hoping that I'd graduate, let alone what would happen after that. I think that my heart was destined to be a mommy. I home school my kids and get to experience things with them that I never knew possible. I think I'm right where I'm supposed to be. I'm also married to the very best friend that I could ever ask for so...I couldn't ask for more!

Share some blogging wisdom you have learned over the years!
Oh gosh...I have no wisdom! My advice to anyone starting a blog is to take it easy on yourself. There are a lot of perfect looking blogs out there run be seemingly perfect looking people. Just remember that no one is perfect and everyone is only putting the good forward. Give yourself a HUGE break and blog for you and no one else!

I love she admitted she ate a Big Mac and that she has no idea what she's doing.

Go visit and send her some confessional love :)

BLOG  ♥  FACEBOOK

The Dark Side of Designers

Today would be a good morning to sip on some English tea while you read the writings of Charlotte from Charlotte's Web! 

She prepared a killer guest post today (hilarious, really) and before I get too excited and give anything away, I'll just let you be inspired by the title of this post and allow you to giggle at her all-too-true observations... take it away, my dear!

Hi, my name is Charlotte and I blog over at Charlotte's Web. By day I work as a writer and by night, I am Wonderwoman. But without the cool outfit. (Almost a) true story.

Kristen has kindly let me take up some space on her blog today to let you know a little bit about the dark side of Graphic Designers. 

Yup. 

Working alongside them all day long as a part of a GD/CW (erm.. that's Copywriter if you don't know the lingo I just made up in my head) super team has shown me the other side to their perky, pretty design-ey demeanours. 

Before you get in too deep on the loving of this strange but wonderful breed of people, there are a few things I think you need to know..

1. Do not deprive them of caffeine. 

image via

Did you know that creative people basically live on coffee/tea and sugary snacks? Or they do where I work, anyway. A few weeks ago the office ran out of caffeine fuelled goodies and we all had to resort to decaff. This was not a good day for anyone. The GD guy I work with basically stopped functioning by midday, and became very touchy about amends to his work. Which takes me nicely on to..

2. 

..if you know what's good for you, do not, under any circumstances, 

criticise their work. 

image via

Yes, so a little constructive criticism can go a long way. But before you go there.. are you one of them? Do you have a good reason for the thing you don't like? Are you ready to be scorned? As the writer part of the design team, I have a little say, but should someone else hate on my GD pals work? Hell hath no fury.

3. And finally? They like to make things pretty. 

image via

Which means that if you are having a make up mess, bird nest on your head of a day they will pick up on it. They'll probably call you on it too, in front of people. Usually in a loving, harmless way that nevertheless makes everyone aware that you look like the dead.

Scary, right?

Beware the Graphic Designer.. especially on caffeine free, need amends to your work days. 

...don't say I didn't warn you.

* * * * *

What can I say... we're a caffeinated, sensitive, and particular bunch :)

Did you enjoy what you read? Are you craving some more?

Find Charlotte on her Blog & Twitter!

Awesome April Giveaway!

It's Monday, aka, "Bleh"...

You may have come home heading straight for the liquor cabinet (I totally get it) but before you drift off into a deep sleep, how bout you first spend some time WINNING?

I got some fab ladies with some awesome prizes up for grabs! Snoop around and make sure to follow and leave a comment- those are worth TWO entries! :) One winner takes all!

G O O D   L U C K !

Handmade "Give Thanks" Sign

from Skye @ Thumbprint Designs

BLOG / SHOP / TWITTER / FACEBOOK / PINTEREST

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Large Ad Space 

from Jenni @ Jenni Austria Germany

BLOG / TWITTER

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$10 Gift Card to T.J. Maxx

from Annelise @ Aunie Sauce

BLOG / FACEBOOK / TWITTER

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Oh yeah, and don't forget to enter this awesome giveaway going on too!

AUNIE SAUCE (only 1 day left!)

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Hot Pink Picnic

Happy Friday, sweet readers of mine!

I'm surprised the weekend came so quick this week! It's probably because work has been insanely busy and we were both excited to celebrate Josh's big 3-0 tonight :D

Friday's Fancies theme was based on what we would wear to a picnic! I thought it sounded fun, so I drew some inspiration off that lovely picnic basket you see below...

Darling, right?

I don't own any picnic baskets (and I can't seem to not say that in Yogi Bear's voice) but if I had to pick one out I would definitely be attracted that pretty pink and turquoise!

This has actually inspired me to go to a park, bring some foodies, and take the dogs on a long walk this weekend... that is if these endless laundry piles will ever go away!!

OK, I'd love to stick around and tweet for a while, but it is time to eat wings, down beers, and party up! Here's a little Awolnation to spark some party vibes on your Friday evening:

 It happens to be named after one of my favorite curse words... hehe :)

Catch you guys next week!!

30 things I love about My Love!

This post is dedicated to my Joshy-poo, who is 30 years old today!
(Is it wrong of me to consider personal blog posts better than Hallmark cards?) 

Yes, 30, the day you realize you are closer to 40 than 20, 

and that you've probably reached one third of your life (that is if you're lucky).
It's a milestone that not many forget, but also the day you start embracing wiser days.
...at least that's what I'm hoping for anyway!

I thought to celebrate, I would put together a little collection of the

Thirty things I love about My Love:

(in no particular order)

1. He makes me laugh all. the. time.
2. He has this amazing tolerance level when it comes to my temper tantrums.
3. His total unawareness of trends even though he tries to keep up (ombre=ambrosia).

4. The cute way he fails at celebrity recognition despite his movie buffness.
5. His never-changing signature look: Hat, Nerd Glasses, Graphic Tee, Shorts (even in the dead of winter)

6. That he got my initials tattooed on his ring finger- now that's commitment!
7. He never gives me crap about being a lazy ass, even when there's clearly cleaning to be done.

8. His half-asleep goodbye kisses in the morning.

9. The way he shamelessly belts out Journey songs.
10. He will always allow me to buy things, even when we both know I probably shouldn't splurge on that Venti Starbucks coffee...
11. He'll clean up after my messes (like that recent unintentional, awful-smelling, banana pepper juice spill...oops).
12. Without fail, he will magically wake up the second I start changing into work clothes in the morning, hehe.
13. His super intelligence! He's like my walking encyclopedia... but he never gets offended when I debate him on his facts, even when I clearly have no clue on the topic.
14. The constant support he provides- even when I quit my job and after I got fired- he never made me feel bad about it.
15. He's never gone a day without reminding me that he loves me and that I look beautiful.
16. He's got some sick ink and it makes him look like a total badass!
17. His positive attitude and belief that things will always work themselves out.18. The way he debates and stands up for what he believes in.
19. His passion for the game of golf.
20. The fact that he never takes himself too seriously.
21. His fiery Aries nature (I tend to bring this out: Aries=Fire Gemini=Air)
22. The way he giggles like a child when I tickle his feet :)
23. His understanding of the crazy amount of time I put into blogging. 
24. His cute OCD-ness with T-shirt collars. 
25. The way he rubs my back when he knows I can't sleep.
26. The fact that he'll still get up and dance fully aware of his two left feet.
27. The way he makes me feel good about life in general.
28. That he's willing to kill spiders for me even when I wake him up in the morning.
29. The way he'll casually grab my bum in public...
30. The way he's helped me fully believe that he will never stop loving me. 



He's the peanut butter to my jelly.
The Ramen to my Noodle.
The orange juice to my wine.
The Cartman to my Kyle.
The pickle to my Snooki.

I've been in love him since I was 14,
I'm still in love with him 10 years later,
and I'll love him even when
there's not a single hair left on his head ♥


Happy Birthday 
to my one and only!
xoxo 

P.S. If you haven't already seen this video, you must watch it. Especially if you're older than or nearing 30... enjoy!

Surprise Sketch!

If you follow me on Twitter you may have heard me mention I decided to start drawing once a week... and asked for portrait inspiration! I'm really excited about this!

I don't know why I don't do things unless there's some sort of pressure involved... maybe that's why I'm attracted to the design business? I must enjoy the expectations and deadlines!

Anywho, I got on a creative spree last night, pulled out my old toolbox from my art school days, grabbed a pencil and flipped open to a fresh page in my pad of Bristol paper.

I got a lot of requests through Twitter on who/what to draw (and I still promise to get to everyone eventually!) but for my first one I decided to draw Leona from This is Disneyland.

This is going to be a total surprise for her :)

I realize it's not perfect by any means, but I did it as a quick sketch and touched up a tiny bit in Photoshop, as I plan on doing for most of these. The point is to get my hands dirty again and make sure I'm not forgetting about my background in art as I move forward with graphic design.

I think I'm going to have to continue this weekly "Surprise Sketch" post with a different drawing each week, all as surprise portraits of your favorite bloggers! What do you guys think of that?

Fun? Me too :)

P.S. I'm part of a giveaway going on at Aunie Sauce! Lots of prizes up for grabs including some large ad space from me! Go get your buns over here and enter!

Common Threads

It's interesting how we come across our friends in blogland, don't you think? I'm always looking for that common thread to trigger me to follow...

We both have weiner dogs? Follow.

We both order the same thing at Starbucks? Follow. 

We both like Awolnation's new song? Follow.

We both watch Jersey Shore without shame? Follow.

We both have potty mouths? Follow. 

Today, I encourage you to take the opportunity to connect with this pretty group! Make a future friend by exploring their stories, links, and questionnaire answers... you're bound to find a common thread!

BLOG | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

I'm Amber. I drink way too much coffee, I ramble on and on endlessly and I overshare quite often in my "I keeps it real" posts. I'm a southern girl living it up in Alaska with my 3 babies, my husband (who just returned from a year in Afghanistan! <--added that in because it's still sort of unreal that he's FINALLY home), our 2 cats and soon to be little american bulldog. We're a crazy bunch!

"What's your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?"
Cuddle on the couch and watch cartoons with my baby bittles.

"What Easter candy do you look forward to?"
None really. I know a lot of people that are super excited for the cadberry eggs but I don't really like them.

"When did you find out the truth about the Easter Bunny?"

Oh gosh, I don't even remember honestly. But I know my mom always still did baskets and eggs for us even when we all grew up and knew there was no bunny. I was 17 years old still Easter egg hunting. :)

BLOG | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | TWITTER

I'm just your fairly average twenty-something Kansas-girl. I got married a year ago to my husband, Zach and we just recently adopted a wiener dog named Pixie! I'm a Graphic Designer during the day and a blogger by night. I started blogging mainly out of boredom, but also because I have always been a blogger, I just didn't have a blog. I blog about my life, people I love, things I love, and sometimes about the things I eat...oh, and wiener dogs!

"What's your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?"
I love to snuggle up with a blanket and either watch movies or read a good book all day!

"What Easter candy do you look forward to?"

I love the chocolate covered marshmallows shaped like eggs and bunnies! Oh, and Reese's eggs! I get really enthusiastic about Easter candy, obviously.

"When did you learn the truth about the Easter Bunny?"
Hmmm... I'm not sure if my parents ever told me the truth about the Easter Bunny!

BLOG | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST

I'm a graphic design student and I blog about my life and DIYs. My dream is to move to New York once I graduate!

"What's your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?"
My favorite thing to do on a rainy day is watch movies with my family.

"What Easter candy do you look forward to?"
I look forward to Reeses eggs because they are way better than the original Reeses!

"When did you find out the truth about the Easter Bunny?"
I don't really remember when I found out about the Easter bunny because I have 2 younger sisters and I had to pretend to still believe in him for them.

SHOP | BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | PINTEREST

"hey yall! i'm skye but over on my little slice of the internet i am known as rindercella. my blog is a place where i chronicle my journey of daily life as a full-time 9-5er with dreams of working from home one day. i love all things handmade, panda bears, sticky and Jesus is my homeboy. i'd love to meet you - come on over and say hi!"

"What's your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?"
definitely one of two things: i either like to snuggle on the couch with my hubs and the pups and watch a good rainy day movie. (my favorites are sound of music, monster's inc or boondock saints). the other thing would be to open all the blinds and just watch it rain and enjoy the peacefulness of it.

"What Easter candy do you look forward to?"
is there another Easter candy besides cadbury creme eggs? because i don't know about it. ;)

"When did you find out the truth about the Easter Bunny?"
what do you mean the truth about the Easter bunny???? :) just kidding! i don't remember a specific time that my parents sat me down and broke the news about the Easter bunny. i think as I got older they just started placing more of an emphasis on being at church on Easter. we still got Easter baskets with a little bit of candy in them but by that time i was really more interested in learning about Jesus and what Easter meant to me, bunny or no. ;)

** Use YOUROCK for free shipping on your next order! **

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Mmm... just putting this post together is making me crave some of those Cadbury Minis!

I'm curious, what are some common threads that you tend to look for when finding blogs to follow? Do you stay within a specific category or do you prefer a diverse group?

Sketch Love

I was just thinking last night... I miss drawing.

"Charlie's Monkey" 2009 

Maybe some of you know, but my background is in fine arts. I was all about the drawing and painting... realism was my thing. I was pretty good at it too... enough to win a few awards and get accepted into a university art program.

I felt artsy, I felt cool, I felt unique, I felt like... myself.

I don't draw much anymore. Studying graphic design has turned my medium into Adobe programs and mouse clicks instead of my good old pencil and paper.

There's this joy I get from drawing that gives me a sense of fulfillment. It's not available anywhere or through anyone else... it's inside me, and I'm the only one in control of tapping into it.

One of my dreams, besides being a graphic designer, is to be an illustrator. I want to have this little online shop of my own where I sell my creations for anyone who wants them... just wake up, keep my hair messy, wear old ratty clothes, and never worry about my nails because they'll be covered in charcoal by the end of the day (like I worry about my nails even now...psh).

That would be pretty great.

But, today I'm here sitting on my futon, typing and clicking away, dreaming and wishing for things that haven't yet found the right timing in my life. So, I went on a Pinterest search for some drawing inspiration and found these lovely sketches and illustrations... aren't they fantastic?

by Diego Fernandez

Unknown Source- found here

By Hector Daniel Vargas

By Garance Dore

By Raphael Vicenzi

Unknown source- found here

By Nadia Flower

P.S. I think I'm a lesbian when it comes to sketch inspiration. 

...no shame here!