{creating myself}

this is my very favorite new website.

or "my new very favorite website." (?)
either one.

it is freaking amazing.

here are some of my faves for your inspirational pleasure:

















if you do visit the site, be sure you have hours to spend. and don't say i didn't warn you.
xo

about me: the basics.

i'm a pretty open person, but i feel like i don't share a lot on here, personality-wise. i thought i would start journaling a little bit more about me- here's what i call the basics.

who:  i am 23 years old. i come from a big italian family and i love my friends. i like to make pretty things. i like movies, music, and dancing. this is who i am.



what:  i teach at a high school. i'm a server at a sports bar. i run an online business. i am finishing my masters in mental health counseling. this is what i do.



where:  i was born + raised in new york, and i moved to south florida eight years ago. i went to florida state (go seminoles!), and now i go to florida atlantic. this is where i live.




when: 3.5 years ago. and loving, growing, and learning from it more every day. this is when i started blogging.  you can see my old archives here or here.



why:  because it makes me happy. it defines me. it brings me peace + fulfillment. it allows me to be creative, meet people, and make stuff (my very favorite). this is why i do what i do.

this is how i interpreted the Question Words- feel free to interpret them however you'd like, and then link me up!
oh! and also feel free to ask me anything you would like to know, in the comments. i'll answer pretty much anything. :)

handmade holiday, volume five. :)

this is a great project if you answer yes to any of the following:

• you want a superfast way to get crafty
• you want a supereasy project
• you need a supercute way to store your headbands, and find that you use your stuff more if it's out in the open.
• you need an inexpensive way to get crafty

(this is the bottom view, so you can see where i glued the fabric.)

if you have a roll of paper towels, a swatch of fabric, and a little fabric glue... you can make this! :)
i gathered the ends and tied them, first with a pink hair tie and then with a piece of lace. sort of like a candy wrapper.
but if you want, i'm sure you could tuck them in and glue them, like a wrapped present.
if you have any questions, of course you can leave them in the comments or e-mail me.

and in other "hand"made news... i finally grew out my nails long enough to give myself a french manicure!! :)

xo.

now that my fall decor is wrapped up + safely stored in its drawer...

and my christmas decor has creeped it's way into my home...

i can finally show some photos! :) i'm only doing this because i reallyreallyreally want to show you my christmas photos tomorrow. :)  here are some highlights of fall 09:

xo.

happy december!

ever since i was little, i would wish my mom a "happy first of the month". i love the beginning of a new month. it's so.. promising. i also love making a list of goals for the month, and seeing how many i could get through. often times, they carry over to the next month... that's okay too.

here was my november list:

• make a granny square
  
  i left it in new york and i didn't take a picture. but picture a mis-shapen octagon. in purple.
  these are not them.
  
  
  via
  
   
  via
  
  
  i didn't say make a "correct" granny square! thanks to aunt delle who showed me how to do it, even though i couldn't pull it off. yet.
  
  
• finish my gloves
  
  
  
  
  it's actually one glove, and it's actually more like a sad, demented potholder-type thing. but it was my first solo project and i taught myself the stitch and the pattern, no help from the internet or youtube. i'm abandoning this project because it sucks so far and it's ugly. and i don't remember what kind of stitch i even used, because i made it up as i went along.
  
  
• save $400
  i did make an excess of this amount, but it's not in my savings account because i'll probably need it over the holidays. i'm crossing it off anyway, because i worked extra hard for it.
  
  
  
  
• get a short haircut.
  i still haven't found the time, or the cajones, to get this done. i want something along these lines, though. i should find one of those sites where i can photoshop my face + the haircut so i can see how it will look first. also, i'm a little scared because the last time i donated it i asked for ten inches off and she cut eighteen.
  
  
  
  i'm smiling but i'm actually crying on the inside.
  
  
• take one photo a day.
  i'm crossing this off, because although i'm not sure if i took one EVERY single day, i definitely took hundreds of photos in november. and did a really good job documenting some crafty adventures + my thanksgiving vacation, and blogging almost every day.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• start a recycling program at work.
  i work at a bar, and we throw away an unsightly amount of bottles every night. i haven't had the time yet (i've been away the past week) but hopefully before my next shift (thursday) i can call up the recycling people and get some bins to distribute. even a few bins full of bottles is better than none, right? i mean, without recycling, the following projects may not have been possible:
  
  
  via
  
  
  via
  
  
  via
  
  
  via
  
  
  via
  
  
  
  via

tomorrow i will share my december list. :)

handmade holidays, part five.

a.k.a. my thanksgiving favors!

 

 

i made 4x6 prints of my thanksgiving canvas, framed them, and wrapped ribbon around them. it was super simple, but really cute + matched my mom's table settings perfectly (unplanned but not surprising).  i think it would be cool to emulate something similar for christmas favors. (click here for my holiday design.) you are welcome to make them yourself, but if you want some help or would rather take all the work out of it and have me make them for you, shoot me an e-mail. ;)

xo.

you asked, i answer.

does that seem like a strange name for a wish*list post? it's a running joke in my family that i create a massive wish list each christmas, and it's usually finished weeks in advance. it's not a serious list, it usually has a ton of items, most of which i don't expect to receive. this year, i didn't send a list to anyone because my mom santa is buying me a package at the salon where i will promptly have all body hair removed, beginning 11 a.m. tomorrow morning. also, i have so many blessings, most of which could never be an item on any wishlist, and all of which i am grateful for.

however, in the spirit of a fun post, planning for the holiday season, + entertaining myself, my family, and my readers, here it is. christmas wish*list, amy-style.

a supercool bed frame for my plain ole' matress + frame.

and while we're at it, we might as well decorate the bed with a purty one of these. (promise i won't paint on it, mom.)

and some stuff from this shop too. (wow.)

this dress, or anything ruche. (i've mentioned this dress + site before. there are always coupon codes to save 10 or 15%. google "ruche coupon codes".

i've been eyeing this sweater for a very long time. :)

this poster, i've been wanting for QUITE a while!

a  subscription to this tiny kit club.

this kit and lots more from rva. i love it all! :)

this print from my favorite etsy shop.

• some great training sneakers- i really don't know which ones to get but mine either fall apart with each step or are murderous to the foot.
• any one of these beautiful etsy finds here at one of my favorite shops. petal pushers,
• a massive registry at amazon, because "books, film + movies" are the new "toys".
• art supplies, yarn, paints, lace, paintbrushes.
• more time in a day.
• and i would be ridiculously happy with a gift card to anthropologie, urban outfitters, forever 21, aldo, amazon, massage envy, paper source.... you get the idea.

wow. that was fun. and time-consuming. but really fun.

i hope you got some good gift ideas for yourself. :)

xo, A

tuesday thankful.

i've loved reading everyone's "thirty thankful" over the past few weeks. i wish i had jumped on earlier, but i've really been trying to think lately- really appreciate, and take in the season. it's been really beautiful here. :)

which is a great transition into my first tuesday thankful.

• the beautiful, breezy florida weather
• this week home with my family to kick off the holiday season- starting tonight!
• the readers who have been commenting these past couple of days. i really appreciate it, and i love reading each and every comment and chatting with all of you! thank you so much.
• friends like kara. not only is kara a huge sweetheart and one of the most inspiring people i have ever known, but she is reallyreally helpful. you can thank her for the fact that i've posted my new blog banner, which i've been attempting for approximately two months now. look for some other changes, coming soon.
• bridesmaid dress shopping on saturday with megan + the other girls
• etsy and typepad. two veryveryvery cool sites that have changed my life.
• my family. they are so incredible, and make my visits home ridiculously exciting every single time.
• pencil + paper.

i'll be back with way more of these...
i am blessed beyond measure.

here are some other blogger's thankful thirties that i love:

• elise
• jamie
• janel
• vee (she's having a week full of giveaways, too!) you may see something from peace, love, + cupcakes over there. :)

if you've been participating in this project, please link your site in the comments so i can check it out!

in the name of hot guys everywhere...

i try to show a lot of eye candy on this blog... but not nearly enough of this kind:

 

 

ridiculous, no?

who reads this blog?

• i really want to meet you!
• what is a follower? and how can i see who follows me? and how can i follow others?
• why can some of my friends comment on this blog, and others can't? (they e-mail me instead).
• according to my typepad stats, 50-200 per day read this blog, depending on whether i post that day, which makes me think ya'll are followers. my mom assures me that only one of those is her. by the way, she is one of those who can't comment.
• according to my sitemeter stats, 2,000 people hit this blog last month. 
• pleasepleaseplease leave me a comment! i promise i will write back!
• whether or not you want to talk, i love you. :)

hello, to*do list!

if you ordered anything from me within the past few days, it's going out today. :)

THANK YOU!

quick share

just a small peek into the factory:

(magic.)



so superbusy, but loving every minute of it! first with the show, and now with custom orders, and trying desperately to work on my handmade holiday, which is really important to me but can't take precedence over everything else.
still riding the high from when my mom surprised me... won't be over that feeling for a veryveryvery long time.

love xx

just a little artist inspiration.

beautiful, lovely, amazing kurt hasley. he's incredibly inspiring to me... take it in:

grab your sketchbook, i know you want to.

this weekend was so beautiful.

i can't believe how blessed + amazing this weekend has been. art-filled and lovely!
friday night, mom came to surprise me. YES!
saturday was my show.
sunday (today), we visited the ft. lauderdale art show, where i planned on buying some gifts, but ended up buying everything for... myself. oh boy.

i promised some photos :)

THANK YOU. ♥

today was amazing!!!

today was my first private art show. my lovely friends at tanrific allowed me to use their space for the day and i set up camp. i have a ton of pictures... i'll upload them tomorrow. my MOM flew from new york to surprise me for the day... is that the most amazing news ever? i'll never get over it or the feeling that i got when i saw her face... i am incredibly blessed.

i feel like i've been hit over the head by the hard anodized gourmet pot that's on QVC right now.
must.
sleep.

i love you. :)

handmade holiday, part four!

i've finally taken some photos of my 2009 holiday cards! i didn't want to make cards that were specific to christmas-- i used red and white because i love that color combo for the holidays. but you are welcome to write whatever happy holidays saying you would like-- the cards are blank! i wrote an example message in the sample to give you an idea.

details: the cards measure approximately 4.5 x 6. my card packs are $10, and usually come with 4 cards and 4 envelopes.  in the spirit of the holiday season, and keeping in mind that most people purchase several of the same holiday cards to send to family and friends, i'm including 50% more in each pack-- 6 cards and 6 envelopes. each card is printed on high quality photo paper with amazingly vibrant colors and heavy cardstock backing. :)

click here to see more :)

what do you think? :)

and you've got a smile that could light up this whole town

first thing's first.

i've been wanting to share a little more about myself over here, personally + professionally. my girl jen is opening her very first etsy shop (but not her first business venture... remember islandgirl scrapwear? i still have a bunch of her screen printed shirts. anyway! find me here today.

on to my original post:

i love pretty things.
kind of like Lila here, i'm obesssed with all things beautiful.

in these trying times
i can't afford everything i want.
but i find joy in little things
but i buy what i can.

i love getting great haircuts...
but i'm lucky enough to have a close friend who is a shear genius.
i love getting mani/pedis...
but i give a pretty stellar mani/pedi to myself.
i love anthropologie's clothes decor everything
so i take old, plain pieces and turn them into something beautiful.
i love going out to eat
so i attempt to recreate some of my favorite dishes at home.
and i'm getting pretty good at it.

but, seriously. there are some things that i can't afford not to afford.

pumpkin spice lattes

philosophy



mac makeup

art supplies

martinis

polaroid film

plane tickets home

my gym membership
boston market
yummy candles
a hightech cell phone with unlimited minutes

++ this blog post was inspired by brooke
:)

handmade holiday, part three.

i am in love with this baby cuff. i don't even know how it came about. well that's not entirely true. i was actually trying to make these gloves, and i messed up. so i started over. but i had that small strand already completed, and i hated to throw it out... so i sewed it up into a sweet little winter cuff. YIPEE!

plus some more inspiration:

(holly)

(elsie)

(vivs)

(pdr)

what a wonderful night

holiday starbucks cup
spiced cider candle (amaaazing... as much as i love the pumpkin spice latte, the spiced pumpkin candle is a little strong for me.)
self portraits by photobooth
blogging by candlelight
the closer marathon on dvr







tonight is magic. xx

new loves + obsessions

what current trends in scrapbooking are tickling your fancy?

for me, it's definitely been masking/misting and stamping. (and woodgrain, of course.)

i'm not sure if either of these can be classified as "new trends" because my tim holtz mist bottles are from several years ago and i probably used them back when i bought them, became frustrated, and gave up. but i've been playing a little more, and more, and more... i want every color! :)

here's some recent stuff.

as i've been blogging while making myself breakfast in the kitchen, i'm off to eat my eggs + toast! arrivederci! <3

hello, handmade holidays.

i recognize that a lot of my crafty friends are participating in handmade holidays this year. i would love any links you could share re: this topic!  to me, handmade holidays isn't just about making presents and decorations. it's about spending less + enjoying more.  recognizing + appreciating the good in this season. not giving in to the stress, the commercialism, the chaos.  i really strive to remember this throughout each holiday season, and really take in the things that mean the most to me...

(my very favorite of all.)

believe in the magic of youth.

not too shabby. xo

this is a FANTASTIC day.

me + starbucks holiday cups + photobooth = love affair.







kisses + lattes ♥

p.s... there's something liberating about unretouched, unedited, no-makeup photos. you should try it.

wow. *eta* highly enabling.

usually, i am not an impulse buyer. for example, i have several online shopping carts full of products that i fill and go back to and delete things from and fill again and delete again... you get the idea.

when i found this site, my heart did a slight pitterpatter. followed by this nervous shaky sensation i get followed by the need to pee. when i get really excited about something. that was when i saw that their first actual store opened and it's in... where else... NYC! i can't WAIT to visit there over the holidays.

anyway, the point is, it took me all of 20 minutes to fill my cart and click "place order". especially after i saw that the ENTIRE site is 30% off this week. THANK YOU, SHOPPING GODS!!

i bought a $5 hello kitty shirt (just in time it seems because it said there was 5 mediums a few minutes ago... and now they are sold out!), a staple-less stapler,

this...

this camera (OMG!!!! i've wanted this for so long... 30% off! still better than amazon!)

and this...

 

(sooo cool.)

this is going to be one mightyfine mail week!!!

i can't forget to share this site that i also found while browsing....

o
m
g.

is there seriously a tab for an "owl shoppe"?

i'm fairly certain i need both of these things:



 

xo,

ideas are churning. unfortunately, i'm at work when i should be in my studio.

and such is the story of my life.

hello, beautiful.
how is your week going?

mine is wonderful. i've been working a lot, which i love to complain about, but i'm actually grateful for the opportunity.  i always feel so warm + inspired at this time of year... fall + winter are my absolute faves.  wanna know what else is my fave? my mom's packages. they are the best ever.

 

 


sorry for the artificial lighting, it's superlate here!

seriously? she gets better with time.
can you even stand that owl mug? (it's from homegoods).
how about that paper bat and tiny pumpkin candle (from my grandma) ??
thank you so much, mama.

tomorrow i'll be back with some special photos of the fall decor in my home- so cozy ♥ .

yesterday was pretty much the best day ever.

• i was given a very generous monetary gift, and very surprised by it. it was like a small weight had been lifted.
• i won a free dunkin donuts gift card
• i was given a week long job with some great kids at my high school where i work- so perfect.
• i spent the night reconnecting with some old friends, and making some new ones.
  
  
  
• after working out with my sweet new trainer
• i won this challenge, and a guest designing spot... cool! thanks for letting me know, cynthia! (who by the way, you can find at ali's blog this week... awesome).
  
  
  
• i got some pretty SWEET mail... which i'll share tomorrow... i'm also going to share some home decor! i'm excited :) it's definitely fall around these parts.
• i made this:
  
  
  
  
  
  love xx

very super news.

there is someone (a wonderful someone) in our dreamy artsy industry who needs help. someone who's family member is either hurt, sick, or both (i don't know the story because it's a private, personal, family matter.) but i have donated an original painting to the etsy shop created for this family, and i would love for you to check it out! all proceeds from the items will go to this lovely family in need of a little generosity :)...




please click here to visit the shop!

in other news, the lovely folks at colorinc have just about the most amazing customer service i've ever experienced. i wanted to order a trial set of FIVE 5x7 prints (for FREE... including shipping...) and three subsequent things occured:

1. i tweeted them to ask why i couldn't upload my photos (turns out you upload folders as opposed to individual photos) and they answered so quickly and efficiently.
2. i received some of the nicest photos i've ever seen.
3. i received a postcard from ben thanking me and personally acknowledging this blog and my artwork.

pretty.
darn.
cool.

and that my friends, is what i call customer service. and here i thought the art was lost.

xo, A

what makes a person?

is it their beliefs?
their job?

family?
background?
friends?

is it the way they dress?
their political views?
their values?

in recent trying times, i've begun to evaluate my answer to this question. i've been cheated, deceived, misled. and i wonder, what makes a person be deceitful, misleading, sinful?

ah, the questions of life.
sorry for the depth of this post... these are just ponders...

any thoughts?

some of my most favoritist quotes.

i apologize for the lack of sources, but these are just some icons that i picked up around the web + tumblr. i didn't create these, but i LOVE them! :)

not just a hat rack, my friends.

desperately want to make these gloves (arm warmers, whatever..) from the red velvet blog:


+via rva

but there are two problems:

1. i don't know how to knit,
2. i don't possess the patience it takes to knit.

holly is an amaazing knitter.. i'm so jealous.


anyway, i've decided to attempt making these gloves, or at least something that RESEMBLES these gloves. here's what i have so far (remember, i'm basically teaching myself here... don't judge!) my crochet skills are about a 1 (on a scale from 1 to 10, ten being the highest.)  so that's what i'm doing.



i'll be sure to keep you updated! :)