New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a safe and fun celebration. Hubbie and I had a great time meeting new people, playing games and eating great food. It was a fun night!

And now onto a new year: 2011! Have you made your resolutions yet? Do you make any? I'm never too strict with myself on resolutions, but I've got a few:

1) Work on my Etsy shop as much as possible!
2) Be a better listener
3) Stay in touch with friends much better than I do
4) Oh, and the usual—get my house organized! (this is more like a weekly resolution :)

If you're looking to get your home, office or car organized, Etsy has posted a great listing of unique and fun items that will get you excited to clean up and organize. All of these are great ways to decorate your home and get organized, but I've definitely got my favorites!

I think I must have this Reclaimed Wood Desk Caddy from PegandAwl


This would get me excited to do laundry! Laundry Room Boxes from PattisPrimitives


Never lose those keys. Or necklaces. Or scarfs.
Super-Sweet Wood Sign with Hooks from LoveNostalgicWhimsy


This is just the cutest little canister. I might use it for garlic, as it's intended, but I'm sure there are 1,000 other uses for it, too!
Canister by Bella Joy Pottery


There are so many cute items on this list. If you want to get organized in style, check it out!


Image Sources: pattisprimitives,
lovenostalgicwhimsy
bellajoy
pegandawl

Budget-Friendly Holiday Decor

Now that it's officially December, my mind turns to the holidays. Besides a few white lights and sometimes a nice, fresh green tree, I'm not too big on holiday decor. I blame this on my current apartment (not a lot of room) and my lack of off-season storage (no room at all). Maybe someday when I have a larger space, I'll be more seasonally-inspired. For now, though, I like to keep things minimal. This diy wreath project over on Design*Sponge caught my eye, though. It's wintery, without being too "Christmas-ey," and with its soft colors, it could stay up for a few months. I always have leftover grocery bags and spray paint around, so this would be a "free" decor project that wouldn't take up any floor space. Free and cute? Perfect!

Click here to check out more images and the full instructions at Design*Sponge.

Image source: Design*Sponge

Happy Friday!

I caught the sunlight was coming into our bathroom window at sunset the other day. It was so pretty, I just had to snap a shot.

The Nars bottle that you see is their Monoi Body Glow II. I love this stuff. I got it before I went on a trip to Greece five years ago, and I still have it. A little goes a long way, and every time I put some on, I feel transported to a tropical locale. It's a tahitian gardenia scent and there's even a little dried flower in the bottle. If you're feeling very un-tropical some time this winter, I would highly recommend purchasing a bottle!

Happy weekend everyone! Think tropical! xo -Kam

Musical Inspiration!

Working on my Etsy shop usually occurs after a full day of work, which means that I usually need a little energy. For a little non-caffeinated pick-me-up, I always put on a little music while I work! Thought I would share a sample of what's been playing in my studio tonight:

- - "My Love" by The Bird and the Bee

- - "Lisztomania" by Phoenix

- - "Evacuate the Dancefloor" by Cascada

- - the entire "Sigh No More" album by Mumford & Sons
(but especially "I Gave You All" and "Winter Winds")

- -"It's Been Done" by Angela McCluskey

- - "Prisoner" by Hacienda

- - "He Can Only Hold Her" by Amy Winehouse

- - "The Promise" by When in Rome (for old times sake!)

I like the fun mix of upbeat, dance music and moody, folky, nighttime music. Hope you find a few songs that you enjoy! Put them on and get creative!

You can purchase these all of these songs on iTunes (and probably Amazon, too!)

xo - Kami

Where have you been?!!

I don't call. I don't write.
The nerve.

I guess I have some explainin' to do.
Well, I've been just a little busy with my personal life lately. It's as simple as that. I have been feverishly planning the most wonderful event: my wedding to the loveliest, sweetest man, which is going to happen in 30 short days! (Eeeekkkk!!!) I cannot begin to tell you how excited we are. Everything is finally falling into place and the "to-do" list is getting a lot shorter. I'm just hoping that the Chicago weather holds out for us and we have a sunny, crisp fall day!

A few weeks ago, I also completed my first ever sprint distance triathlon here in Chicago. That was a HUGE personal goal for me that I have been working on since February (and hey, it didn't hurt that it helped me lose a few pounds for the wedding!). I am so proud of myself for accomplishing it. Sports have always played a role in my life, but I have to say, swimming for a half-mile in open-water never has. Beyond casual swimming, I had no idea what I was doing. So I signed up for some lessons this past winter and then practiced, practiced, practiced. Obviously, swimming in a race setting, with a bunch of other people was the panic-inducing portion of the race for me. But thankfully, the swim went better than I could have ever hoped. The rest of the race was HARD, but very fun. I literally caught myself smiling so many times because I was so excited and proud. There's nothing that will make you more proud of yourself than doing something that seems a little risky, a little out of reach, and makes your nervous heart beat a little faster just thinking about it. It's worth it! Prepare, train, set yourself up for success and go do it! You'll be so proud of yourself afterwards. Promise.

Ok, enough pep talk. I'm just feeling so energized lately and am ready, with all of my personal plans falling into place, to step back into my Etsy shop and the blog world and send some positive energy and lovely cards your way! I hope you'll come along for the ride! xo-Kami


This is literally what I yelled out as I exited the water, "Yay! I didn't drown!"

Dream Locale: The Viceroy Palm Springs

Well, I've already got my wedding venue, but the Viceroy Palm Springs looks pretty darn swanky. I love, love, love the yellow + black and white color palette that they have for this whole hotel! Yellow is my favorite color and playing a big role in my own wedding, but the Viceroy takes the yellow to a whole new level of hip, California cool. It's 90 degrees here in Chicago, but Palm Springs is still looking pretty nice :) Especially that pool.


Check out the full post over on The Wedding Chicks blog.

And after your done ogling the images of the Viceroy, head on over to Lane Dittoe's website. He took all of the above photographs and there so much great wedding and couple photography on his site.

All photography by Lane Dittoe Photography
Source: The Wedding Chicks

FREE Father's Day Cards!

Hello Lovelies,
Well, I have been a very bad shop owner lately. I'll admit it. Between traveling and planning my own wedding, I have been been a bit neglectful and have left you in the lurch without any Father's Day cards! Shame on me! I sincerely apologize for the oversight. I DO love my papa, and I'm sure you do, too!

So, to make amends, I've posted some free, yes FREE, Father's Day cards that you can download as a PDF file and print on your own personal computer (or take to your local copy shop). NOTE that these are only for your personal use (not for selling them or for stealing my ideas). Just print 'em out, cut and fold along the lines. Then give the card to your Dad this Sunday with a big hug and a kiss!

Here are the 2 card designs (2 color options for the first design)
Simply click on the LINK below the card image to go to the pdf file download.

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful Dads out there! -Kami

Happy Daddy Day! Card - BLUE

My Pops is the Tops Card

Happy Daddy Day! Card - RED