ahhh summer...

daiquiri + pool + sunshine = great saturday


now that's a math equation i wouldn't have minded so much in school :)

happy weekend!
em

eight

i've been tagged by the oh-so-lovely carol :) i have to answer the 8 questions she asked me, then make up a new set of 8 questions and tag 8 people to answer them :) here goes!

1. what song is stuck in your head right now? scissor runner stole my heart... well, those are the only words i know so far of jenny lewis' newest music. she's releasing an album with her boyfriend johnny and i've been playing the sneak peek track in itunes on repeat all day :)

2. what's the worst job you've had? honestly, i haven't had a job i hate. i've been with my current job for 7 years, since i was 17. and i lovelovelove what i do. the only other job i ever had was at the local skating rink...and who isn't going to love that???

3. what's your favorite summer activity? that would definitely have to be visits to the snowball stand and swimming at my parents' house :)

4. where would you go if you could go anywhere today? at this moment? springfield, mo. there's this friend i have there that i miss dearly. i wish we lived next door...we'd be great neighbors.

5. what is something that you would love to learn? silversmithing. i want to learn how to make things out of molten metal...it just seems so incredibly interesting and fufilling!

6. do you like thunderstorms or do you get nervous? i *love* thunderstorms. to me, there is nothing better than curling up with a cup of hot tea, a good book, and rolling thunder in the background. plus, thunderstorms create the best sleep. :)

7. do you collect anything? if so, what? i collect vintage pyrex, blue glass ball jars, things with owls on them, and vintage thread (only on wooden spools though).

8. what's your favorite childhood memory? trips to home depot with my grandpa. he is a woodworker among many other things (gardener, homemade wine maker, honey bee farmer - and he's 84!). when i was young, he would pick me up on friday nights and we'd go to home depot together to pick up whatever odds and ends he needed to complete his latest project. afterwards, we'd stop by zackk's yogurt and i'd get a plain frozen yogurt with tiny tarts on top :) i love my grandpa!

ok kiddos...here are my 8 questions for you!

1. what was the first cd you ever owned?

2. boxers or briefs?

3. what five things would you need to survive if stranded on a deserted island?

4. what's the riskiest thing you've ever done?

5. what's your favorite girl scout cookie?

6. what's your number 1 guilty pleasure?

7. where did you go on your very first date?

8. in the song, yankee doodle, is he calling the feather or the horse "macaroni"?

and the 8 people i'm tagging are...

1. erin

2. margot

3. katie

4. danielle

5. tiffany

6. lehua

7. vivs

8. ashley

i tried to pick folks who hadn't already been tagged by someone else. if your name isn't listed, please feel free to play along and leave a link in the comment section to your answers!

hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

em

it's time for another yard sale!

round three brings some pretty big ticket items...

first item:

$28 plus $10 shipping (because of size and weight)

modular wire shelving. the two by two version shown sells retail for $44.99, but i am selling a two by 3, which has two more cubes than the one shown. some assembly will be required.

scrapbook paper organizer:

$30 plus $10 shipping (because of size and shape)

this bad boy retails online anywhere from $60-$75 dollars. this is in near perfect condition :) some assembly will be required.

i'm also selling some of my older paintings. these next few items have been adorning various walls in my home for a while, and it's time that they found a new home.

abstract landscape, 3 pieces:

$70 (see bottom of post for shipping info)

photos do not do this piece justice. each canvas measures 16x20 and are meant to be displayed together.

wes anderson inspired:

$40 (see bottom of post for shipping info)

this pieces was inspired by the wes anderson film, the darjeeling limited. my living room walsl are definitely going to miss this one! it measures 18x24

just blue:

$40 (see bottom of post for shipping info)

this piece measures 30x24. it fades from a light grey/blue at the top down to a rich deep blue at the bottom.

if you're interested in purchasing any of the items listed, follow their links to my etsy site. if you purchase a painting, use the code "emjay's yard sale" in the note to seller section and the shipping cost listed on etsy will be refunded to you.

for those of you who are local, a 5 dollar delivery fee will be charged instead of the shipping charge.

xo!

em

monday, monday

in case you were wondering, usually:

but this monday, it's being downright mean. some time between going to bed last night and waking up this morning, my brain tricked my body into thinking it was 74 years old, when it is, in fact, only 24. i am seriously paying for all the deep cleaning, weed pulling, home renovating projects i did for 16 SOLID hours yesterday. i think this calls for a late afternoon nap, don't you?

i mean, i deserve a reward for yesterday's productivity

:)

happy monday. promise to have something a little more fun later today or tomorrow :)

xo

em

ps, ask me a question over at my formspring :) it's up to you guys to make my next Q/A post interesting. mix it up a little :)

pss, i have "monday monday" by the mamas and the papas stuck in my head. it seems to be on a never ending loop...

bibbity bobbity boo

this is me today, sans the fairy godmother and prince charming. i'm clean clean cleaning the heck out of every room in the house today. complete home organization was one of my summer goals, and the prospect of some potential house guests throughout the next couple of weeks has kicked my procrastinating butt into overdrive.

hope everyone had a lovely weekend :) enjoy the last little bit before it's gone...

xo

em

happy friday :)

via weheartit

my sentiments exactly

happy friday :)

em

formspring questions answered! (finally...)

via weheartit

ok, so i have to admit...i kind of forgot i had a formspring. and when i remembered, i felt really bad because there were quite a few questions in there and a lot of them were months old. but now that i have remembered, i'm planning to stay on top of it! from here on out, once a month, i will address all the questions here on my blog :)

so for this month, i'm playing a little catch up...but luckily, there were a LOT of duplicate questions, and oddly enough, all of the questions besides 1 were about my hair. haha, so here you go:

question #1: do you dye your hair? if so, what color/brand do you use? you're color is beautiful!

well thank you :) i'm sorry to disappoint you, but my hair color is au natural :/ but i do have one pointer...if you plan to do your hair red, and you want it to look natural, have a professional do it! red is the hardest color to do yourself :)

question #2: do you have a boyfriend?

haha, funny question. no, i currently do not have a boyfriend. i have been on my own for only a year, and only officially single for a month. not to say that i'm ruling out the idea of a relationship right now, i'm just not jumping at it either.

question #3: i saw your tattoo pic on elsie's site and tracked you down because i love your hair. how do you style your hair? and how do you keep your bangs out of your eyes? thanks for the tips in advance!

well first, i'm flattered that you cared enough to "track me down" :) hehe. to answer the first question, it's kind of both complicated and simple at the same time. first, i only wash my hair once a week. at most, twice. my hair is naturally curly, but because of the weight and length (it's also VERY thick), it ends up usually only with a tight wave, rather than the ringlets i had as a little girl. when i wear it straight, i wash it, but do not condition it. i then blow dry it and flat iron it. easy peasy! that's generally how i wear it in the winter. during the summer though, there's entirely too much humidity down here for me to try and fight the curl, so i let my inner carrie bradshaw shine and i embrace the curl, frizz and poof that come with it. this is even easier...i wash it, condition it, and that's it! either way i style it, i like it most on day's 2 and 3. :) the answer to your second question is...well, i have on idea. my bangs are pretty thick, so they kind of support themselves so to speak. also, when i get out of the shower, i immediately blow dry my bangs, no matter which way i plan on fixing the rest of my head. that way, the bangs are set in stone, and i don't have to worry about them drying all funky. for that, i just dry them to the side. :)

question #4: i love your hair! what are some of your favorite hair products/tools?

again, thank you for the sweet compliment! :) nine times out of ten, i let my hair go the way nature intended, and i don't use tools or products other than a blowdryer. however, when i do decide to spend more than 5 minutes on my mop, here are some of my go to items:

1. revlon flat iron...it's old and wonky, and only cost 20 bucks at walmart, but it works better than any expensive one. i promise. i also use a fat one...not one of those teeny skinny ones.

2. revlon curling irons...i have them in like, 4 sizes. i use them for when i feel like dressing up :) i tend to use the 1 inch the most. i curl my head all over, in layers, then run my fingers through them to loosen them into pretty, sexy waves

3. garnier fructis wonder waves...this is a curl/wave enhancing spray. i like to spray it very liberally as soon as i get out of the shower. it helps define waves and control frizz

4. redkin glass 01 smoothing serum...i use this on my hair, whether straight or curled, to smooth flyaways and such. great product.

5. john freida sheer blonde spun gold hair balm...this product, sadly, was discontinued a few years ago. i was lucky enough to have a backup. unfortunately, i'm almost out and i've yet to find a hair wax that works as well. :( but i've found some on ebay...it's just expensive! anywho, i use it in my bangs to flatten them after they're dried and to set them in place, and to give my hair some definition, depending on the style

phew! well, i know that was a wordy post, and for those of you who couldn't give a lick about hair it was probably a boring one too!

ok, i have another month to rack up new questions :) if there's something you'd like to know, ask me in the formspring box in the left sidebar...i'll do another formspring post at the start of july (that is, if i have any questions in there :) ) i encourage you to be open and as forward as you care to be! :)

xo

em

ode to crepes

image via weheartit

i've been playing around with a few crepe recipes, and i came up with two that i enjoyed immensely for lunch today, and i thought they were worth sharing.

first of all, if you think making crepes at home is difficult, i assure it is not! save some money by making them yourself...all of the ingredients should already be in your fridge or pantry!

ok, the basic crepe recipe is:

1 cup all purpose flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup water

1/2 milk

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp melted butter

nutmeg (optional)

in your very favorite pyrex, whisk the flour and eggs together. slowly add the water and milk until thoroughly mixed. add salt and butter and beat until smooth. at this point, i add a few sprinkles of nutmeg...it's my secret ingredient to a lot of recipes. it gives it just a hint of something mysterious...delicious!

in a medium to large, lightly greased, skillet, pour or ladle batter into the center. i recommend about 1/4 cup for each crepe. tilt the pan in a circular motion so that the batter thinly coats the entire bottom.

let the crepe cook for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown and then flip to cook the other side. once cooked, fill with your choice of filling and serve warm :)

today i had two crepes, one savory and one sweet. i think that's the best way to enjoy them...they balance nicely. i kind of threw these together based on what i had in my house already, so that i wouldn't have to make a special trip to the grocer. because i kind of made these up on the spot, the measurements are flexible.

savory:

1 medium-large red potato, grated (but not peeled)

cheddar cheese

splash of milk

cured ham, cubed

two baby portobello mushrooms

salt and pepper, to taste

in a skillet, sprinkle a little olive oil and heat on medium-high heat. slice your mushrooms over the skillet and let them sizzle :) add grated potatoes, ham and a splash of milk (for consistency) and cook until potatoes are tender. season with salt and/or pepper. remove from heat and stir in cheese, until melted.

add this to one half of your crepe at the end of it's cook time, fold over and enjoy!

sweet:

2 large strawberries, sliced

1 tbsp of nutella or chocolate sauce

cool whip or whipped cream

powdered sugar

once crepe is finished cooking, remove from heat and spread nutella, covering the entire thing. spread sliced strawberries on one side of the crepe, fold over and sprinkle with powdered sugar. top with a swirl of whipped cream or a dollop of cool whip and dig in. :)

i think tomorrow i'm going to try a savory one with spinach and a sweet one with peaches. :)

if you try these, let me know how they go!

bon appetit! :)

emjay

a little sparkle

"these crew schedules and meeting agendas will not write themselves"

this is what i should be telling myself, to kick my rear into gear. but alas, it seems as if i've been telling myself the opposite since i decided to head home from the restaurant and finish my work from home. that was at 6:30. it is now 9:30. so much for that "work from home" deal.

so as if i needed yet another distraction, i thought i'd share with you some of my recently hearted items on etsy. these will make your eyes sparkle...promise.

here

here

here

here

here

here

here

here

here

here

here

here

i told you...sparkle. :)

ok ok, it's time for me to go and get some work done. my 8am deadline will come sooner than it should. happy wednesday :)

xo

em

i want...no, i NEED...

these:

maybe if i wish really hard, the shoe fairy will leave some of these on my doorstep...you think?

here's to hoping...

em

(all shoes via modcloth)

on repeat...all day

one of my favorite albums and favorite bands of all time. :)

happy saturday :)

xo

em

One bad motha (nature, that is)

It stormed today. It storms everyday. Around 2 pm like clockwork. All summer long. Blue, cloudless skies all morning, then out of nowhere...rain. Sometimes it puts a damper on your pool party, but other times, like today, its soothing. I welcomed it with open arms.

a few things...

first up, there's an emjay original for sale :) this piece has lived on my kitchen wall for a while, and now it's looking for a new home :) it's an abstract landscape done on stretched canvas with acrylics. three pieces, each measuring 16"x20", and are meant to be displayed together. the detail is hard to see in this photo, but it's a gorgeous depiction of a storm rolling in over a tree lined horizon. it's edged out in brown and comes ready to hang. if you're interested, email me at emjay0121(at)gmail(dot)com. price is $80 (plus shipping if you don't live in the area)

click on the photo to see a larger version

also, there are still some items from the craft yard sale up for grabs, with some reduced prices over here. plus, you can grab a few other handmade items, including the pink framed cork board mentioned here. :)

love you guys!

xo

em