ORD > PHL

I'm off to Philadelphia for four days of girl time with one of my best friends! Looks like perfect autumn weather over there and it will be nice to take a time out from Chicago.

The shop will remain open, but feel free to use coupon code PHILLY11 for free shipping on your purchase. Good for international orders, too!

My Life Right Now In Webcam and Phone Pix

Sorry blog, I've been meaning to write! Life has been incredibly stressful and tiring the past two weeks, and I haven't had a lot of down time to sit and update.

I'm already getting in the groove of holiday shop-updates. I'm doing a craft fair mid-November and then the Etsy rush begins so I need to be on my toes! I am going through all of the lace I've amassed, I have tons and tons of lace that I've been either waiting for seasonally, like these snowflake earrings:



...pieces that might not work as jewelry that I've been meaning to turn into brooches, or Christmas ornaments! I'm selling lace ornaments in sets of three, and I'm excited to announce that half the proceeds will be donated to the ASPCA after they all sell. I am very passionate about animal rights and I felt especially compelled to donate after having a scare about my kitty, Seymour. Thursday was a really rough day for me; he may or may not have a lump on his back, and the vet did not have time to examine it during his annual check up.

Anyway, I've also been getting more brass and silver findings to incorporate into my work. I'm always looking to make more smaller earrings and here's a new design I'm rather smitten with:



I just have lots and lots of ideas for new lace jewelry and accessories, and I'm always interested to hear what colors or any other suggestions you have for my pieces. My winter palatte, besides black, white, gold, and silver as usual, include hot pink, ice blue, red, burgundy, and forest green.

I've also taken up knitting for the shop. I just completed this headband, my own creation (pattern and all!):




I'm in the process of a second one, and I've had a few requests for baby-sized ones too. Knitting is perfect for me to work on when I need a break from jewelry, or while I sit with the boy and watch tv.



Like the other day, when I still had some lingering bad feeling from a stomach flu. Wonder Years on Netflix and a simple project to knit in the round is a great way for me to veg out and still feel like I'm accomplishing something. ;)

Last but not least, last Saturday I took a sewing class and made this pillow:



It has a zipper and everything! I'd love to make more, and I might also take a tote bag class there, too. The purchasing of my own machine is highly possible in the near future, once I have time to stop all this crafting and rearrange my study! And I need to get on that, too, I don't know how I'll be able to navigate my study as is when I'm flooded with holiday orders.

What have you been working on lately? What has been inspiring you?

Big Shop Update (and a request)

Sunday during my rooftop shoot I was able to snap a lot of great shop photos for a big update! Here's everything I added; just click on the photo to get taken to the listing.



















And now the request...I'm trying to host another Heartsy deal and I need votes. I'm only up through Sunday afternoon so if you could please give me a "Yes Definitely!" I'd appreciate it! Vote here.

BailyBelle Giveaway Winner

And the winner is...



Comment #2, Kristi! I will be getting you in touch with Vanessa soon. What are you gonna get? :)

Thanks to all who entered!

From The Rooftops, Shout It Out

Sunday we finally got some sunlight in Chicago and I took this opportunity to take some shop photos on my roof! Michael and I moved here in August and didn't find out about the roof until about two weeks later; I ran into my neighbor and he asked if I'd been on the roof yet. When we had our housewarming party half of it took place up here and it's frequented by our guests. My building is 4 stories high and the tallest on my block, and since I'm closer to the loop I have an amazing skyline view.



If you're friends with me on Facebook you've already seen this one. I'm wearing my awesome new tee from Blackbird Tees. I did a trade with Jody (the female half of the company); I wore it in some shop photos and I sent her some earrings so she can do the same. I thought the pale colors and lacy design would go perfectly with my jewelry!

Anyway, here's some snaps of the afternoon, Michael goofing around, and our amazing view!











Don't forget, today is the last day to enter BailyBelle's Giveaway!

New Beauty Buys

I rarely buy makeup, and when I do it's by a middle-of-the road drugstore brand. I just don't wear a lot of makeup unless it's a special occasion; I just don't like all the fuss and reapplying things throughout my long day seems like added stress. That being said, I do wear makeup, I'm just very picky.

I was wandering around after work the other day and visited Sephora on a lark. The only times I feel like I ever step in there is to reapply my perfume while I'm shopping in that mall or picking up my free birthday gift (can't miss my free birthday cake scented body wash, can I?). I've been getting frustrated with my eyeliner; it smudges throughout the day so I look like I'm constantly crying. It's because I prefer pencil liner. I don't like liquid eyeliner because there is no room for error, I prefer to use it for fancy makeup and I feel like it's a bit dark for my fair skin and hair.

Well, I bought this:



Clinique Quickliner for the Eyes

Had the look of a pencil, but I knew it had to smudge. I made a line on my hand with the tester, read the box ("sets in 60 seconds"), thought "yeah right" and then attempted to smudge it with my finger. And it did not budge. I was in shock! I bolted over to the Clinique section and grabbed my usual color preference black/brown. I've been wearing it for a few days and while my "wings" aren't really visible by the end of my day there is NO smudging.

I was about to check out when another display caught my eye. Lip stuff! Ah lipstick. I love the IDEA of lipstick; I feel like lip color would look good on me since I don't think a lot of eye makeup looks good on me and my lips are naturally dark. However, I hate reapplying (remember how low-maintenance I am?) especially because I drink a lot of water throughout the day and don't want a gunky water bottle. I don't want to worry about lipstick drying out my lips, having it on my teeth, or having it wear off unevenly.

I still like trying it on, though.



Sugar Passion Tinted Lip Treatment SPF 15

Here is Sephora.com's description:

What it is:
A lip treatment that protects the pout while offering a universally-flattering vibrant rouge tint.

What it does:
Sugar Passion Tinted Lip Treatment SPF 15 looks beautiful on all complexions, thanks to a well-balanced, warm-cool pigment that compliments the natural shade of a woman's lip, no matter her skintone. Sugar, a natural humectant, ensures long-lasting moisture while hydrating meadowfoam and black currant seed oils condition the lips. The formula is further enriched with antioxidant-rich vitamins to defend against wrinkle-causing free radicals and provides year-round protection from damaging UV rays. This versatile treatment allows for buildable coverage to customize a sheer or rich hue and is the perfect partner to the bestselling Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15.

If that was tl;dr, basically it's a sheer, buildable lip color that feels and applies like a chapstick. It's not sticky, it's moisturizing, and has spf. It also smells like lemon sugar, which is delicious.

The shopkeep also informed me that this color from Fresh is new, and there will be more gift sets featuring it around the holidays. They also make lip scrubs, which I wouldn't mind trying in the winter.

I highly recommend both of these products; next time you see a display for Clinique or Fresh I'd check them out.

No Indian Summer Here

In most of the U.S. my friends are still wearing their summer clothing, some even complaining how they can't wear sweaters yet. Well, Chicago has been in brisk autumn mode since, literally, Labor Day. I've already done the closet swap out and I've been stock piling long sleeve tees, tights, and sweaters whenever I go shopping.

I can't even do what most fashion magazines and websites suggest, wear your summer dresses into fall. It's just too cold here and I'm also colder than most. I can't spare the closet space for my sleeveless dresses that theoretically I could layer up...I have wool things that need to be hung up! I've always wished I could, though, there are some adorable summer dresses going for really cheap right now that I would justify spending money on if they wouldn't be tucked right into storage. I can still look, though, right? If you are one of the lucky people who still have a taste of summer where you live maybe snatch one of these cuties up so I can live vicariously through you? And stop complaining, I have the heat on already!



All dresses above are from Dorothy Perkins.

And don't forget to enter the giveaway from BailyBelle Creations!