365 Photo Challenge: Week 15.

Day 108.



Can you believe that I am fifteen weeks into this project? I can't! Another week in mustard... Another piece of cake.

My week in mustard... Day 102: queso at On the Border with the new roommates. Day 103: my Kindle case... one of my favorite purchases from Etsy. Day 104: my friend Danielle and her Bible cover... she sewed this herself! Day 105: a blanket at my house. Day 106: ... me. Day 107: mulligatawny... probably one of my favorite soups ever. Day 108: a random jar en mi casa.

Day 102.

Day 103.

Day 104.

Day 105.

Day 106.

Day 107.

How I Decorate a Room: Part 3.

Like I mentioned before, one of my favorite things to do is make my own art. I have a hard time going somewhere like TJ Maxx or Gordman's and buying art that I feel like I could easily recreate myself. I like doing it myself because:

1. It's cheaper.
2. You can tell people, "Thanks! I made it myself!" when they compliment it.
3. You can cater it to you.

Let me show you how an idea progresses into a reality, at least in the brain of Abby.

I saw an idea on Pinterest that I liked, but didn't love. It was too busy of a design, and didn't completely apply to me because I'm not married. But I liked the idea of having your heart in two places... because that's me. I'm a Kansas girl and a Missouri girl. So I thought it'd be fun to depict that.

At first I thought I'd do a shape of Kansas + a shape of Missouri. Then I thought, they are right next to each other in real life, so why not connect them? You know what perfectly connects Kansas and Missouri? Kansas City!

I don't have a cartographer's brain, so I googled it, so I could get some kind of image as ground work. I came up with this ugly, but simple picture to base it on (and random flags where Kansas City is...)

Then I remembered in an art class I took in high school that to keep your dimensions straight it's good to make a grid. So I did that in Word. Nothing fancy, but it helped. (As you can see by the multiple outlines that I did of the west side of Missouri, it was a trial and error process.)

Then I painted it! In some colors that were used in my room. Put a star on my beloved Kansas City. And you've got custom artwork for about $6 (that includes the canvas and the acrylic paint.) You can do it, too!

How I Decorate a Room: Part 2.

I've been hard at work decorating my room. This week I started working on some art on my own (more to come on that when they're finished) but after looking at what I created, I felt like it was lacking something.

1. Because I'm an amateur artist and the stuff that I create isn't that great.
2. Because I have a tendency to paint/decorate in the color scheme that I have decided on, and that color scheme only, and before I know it, my room is way too matchy matchy.

So, I decided I should branch out. You know, let other artists take a crack at my walls. So where did I go? Etsy. I love Etsy. You can find cheap art. And you can help out the starving artists of the world. (Clearly, I'm not helping out those starving artists THAT much because I only buy the cheap stuff.) Here's what I found...

The Great Wave Off Kanagawa

Paper Gangster Prints. What a name for your Esty shop, huh? Basically, they print cool pictures on vintagey looking paper. I bought 5 prints for $14.50 (including S/H). Cheap art, I'd say. (And I even got a few to give to other people!)

White Vintage Summer Dress with Flowers Watercolor

JoJo La Rue's Watercolor Art. This print is a bit more girly than I normally go for, but I like how classic and feminine it is. It was only $18 (including S/H) for an 8x10 print.

City Skyline.

Print Party. This print is pretty random, but I like it. The dimensions are 5.5x11, so I think it'll be fun to have a different shaped piece in the room. This is my splurge for art... it was $22 (including S/H).

Alright, besides some knobs, some paint for my furniture, and maybe a coat hanger/rack thing... I think I'm done spending money on my room. Let's hope I can stick to that, because my bank account is going to resent me if I don't.

365 Photo Challenge: Week 14.

Day 96.

Mustard month is alive and well. I've got so much mustard surrounding me that this month should be a piece of cake. I'm loving it... truly loving it.

Here is my week in mustard. Day 95: some stackable bowls that I bought at World Market. Day 96: croquet at a cookout our neighbors had. Day 97: literal mustard... my friend at work brought a whole bottle of it instead of just putting some on his sandwich or whatever it was he ate with it... I found this funny. Day 98: me, in a mustard cardigan. Day 99: this random crepe restaurant downtown that some girls showed me over the weekend. Day 100: art for my room (more on this later.) Day 101: a card that I got from my dear friend Jessie.

A great week of mustard, I'd say. Now let's do it again...

Day 95.

Day 97.

Day 98.

Day 99.

Day 100. 

Day 101. 

Etsy vs. Abby: Sevilla Style

I have been looking to buy some art on Etsy (more on that soon). I'm trying to put stuff on my walls that mean something to me (with a few random prints mixed in) so I searched "Seville" because my trip this spring to visit my cousin Brad was a pretty special one. And I was curious to see what kind of art is out there relating to Seville.

I don't know why I found this so fun, but I found quite a few pictures that resembled some that I took while I was there. Take a look at the comparison. And take a look at the money I saved by taking my own shots on my iPhone (P.S. I just ordered 25 pictures on Prinstagram from $12. Pretty cheap art, I'd say.)

Etsy Price - $30

Abby Price - $0

Etsy Price - $25

Abby Price - $0

Etsy Price - $20 (not the exact same location, but the same idea)

Abby Price - $0

Etsy Price - $12.50

Abby Price - $0

Etsy Price - $45

Abby Price - $0

Now that I think about it... I did spent quite a bit of money flying myself there and back, staying in a hotel, and eating lots of food... But oh well! I wouldn't trade it for the world...

You know what September means?

You know what September means? That I can start baking with pumpkin again! I have this unofficial rule that I can't bake with pumpkin between Christmas and September 1st. And September 1st is here, which means now is the time! Plus, rumor is Starbucks started serving Pumpkin Spice Lattes this week so it's definitely that time of year... AND, I think the whole blog world agrees with me as well because pumpkin recipes are popping up everywhere.

It's pumpkin time! (Did she just say that?) (Yes... yes, she did.) Here's what I'm hoping to bake with pumpkin over the next few months...

Pumpkin Spice No-Bake Cheesecake from Skinny Taste (this is apparently healthy)

Pumpkin Smoothie from the Pioneer Woman

Pumpkin and Cheese Spice Bread from An Edible Mosaic

Gingerbread Pumpkin Bars from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody.

Caramel Pumpkin Gingersnap Cheesecake from the Pioneer Woman

Pumpkin Bread with Pumpkin Buttercream Frosting from Nancy Creative

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cake from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody (I attempted a cake like this that didn't turn out so well... maybe I'll try again)

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Truffles from The Galley Gourmet

365 Photo Challenge: Week 13.

Day 91.

I'm a bit late in posting this week's recap. We don't have internet (or cable... I'm really missing the Food Network, or any TV for that matter) in the new place yet. So I'm back to work, and things are a bit slow this morning, so I thought I'd take advantage of the free internet.

I survived a month of teal. And I actually really enjoyed it. I think my picture above is one of my favorites of the month. The final week of teal went like this... Day 88: this was the day when I was lazy, and out of ideas, so I googled it. Day 89:  the chairs of the McDonalds down the street from my house when I was there to steal their internet. Day 90: baking cupcakes for a co-worker... these are faintly teal, but they'll do. Day 91: the screened in porch of my new place, it's teal, and has cute Christmas lights. Day 92: a chair on that same screened in porch... it was raining. Day 93: a scarf... I have a feel there will be lots of mustard scarf pictures. Day 94: my lovely laptop case from Etsy.

Now, on to the month of September which I've decided to call mustard. Technically, the website that I'm basing this challenge off of calls it "honey", but I'm doing my own thing. Just in case you don't know, mustard just happens to be my favorite color, so I'm pretty excited. I don't think I should have any problems finding it in my life...

Day 88.

Day 89.

Day 90.

Day 92.

Day 93.

Day 94.