23rd birthday!

Today my twin & I are celebrating our 23rd birthday!
Just popping in with some photos before we shoot off for a day in Chicago with our hubbys.

I've got lots of photos to share from the past week.
From the California trip, a surprise birthday party, and a halloween party!
It's been a super busy, super fun week.



[disneyland & our 5th birthday!]


[kylie & me. halloween party, 2011]


[me & ky. surprise birthday party!]

Love you(s).
Have a wonderful day!
I have a feeling it's gonna be a good one today ;)

los angeles, i'm yours

I'm packing up and leaving for LA in the morning!
My Mom, sister, and I always take a trip together, once a year...usually around our birthday.
My twin & I are celebrating our birthday on the 30th of this month, so we're sneaking away for a 'girls only' trip to Los Angeles!

I lived in LA when I was a kid, so a part of my heart has always loved LA and thought of it as home.
We still have lots & lots of family there.
We're planning on making our rounds to said family, going shopping(lots!), eating Pinkberry,
going to the ocean, and soaking up those beautiful mountain views!


This is the little suitcase I'll be taking.
I'm notorious for overpacking...It's almost pathetic actually.
I just throw as much into my suitcase as I can..."just in case"
But lately I've been trying to be a bit smarter with my packing.

I'll give you a little horror story that changed my views on packing:
Rewind 2 years ago.
My sister & I were flying out to New Zealand to spend time with the boys we would end up marrying.
We, of course, had to pack our whole lives into our suitcases.
We had to have the perfect outfits for the perfect dates with the perfect guys, right?!
Wrong.
On our way home, the airline wouldn't let us take all of our luggage!! It weighed too much.
So we had to leave an entire suitcase behind!
And, you know what...that suitcase is awaiting our return. Still in New Zealand.
Like I said. Pathetic.

Anyway, I was just laughing at myself today as I packed...thinking of the ridiculous NZ scenario.
Thought I'd share that with all you overpackers ;)

I'll try my best to do a couple updates while I'm in California.
If not, I'll be back on Friday!

love you(s), Christen

embroidery hoop project + DIY tea tin magnets!

I'm stocking up for an upcoming craft show in Chicago.
Next month, I'll be a vendor at the DIY Trunk Show!
I did the show last year, and I loved it.
There were so many amazing vendors and tons of amazing people.
They've moved the location to a larger building...so there's bound to be even more greatness this year!

I just started designing & stitching up these embroidery hoop pieces:








I'm trying to make as many as possible before the show!
Afterwards, I'll post everything that doesn't sell in the shop ;)

Ohhh, and I've got such a fun DIY for you today!
I found this project on Pinterest. I thought it would be fun to share!

Vintage Tin Magnet DIY:


SUPPLIES: Vintage tea tins. Any size to your liking. I used little ones.
ProMag Adhesive Magnets - I got mine from Michael's. Any craft store should carry them.


STEP ONE: Peel back paper to reveal adhesive backing.


STEP TWO: Figure out placement of magnets. I only used two, but you may need more depending on the size of your tin!


STEP THREE: Stick magnets to tin. I used thick, strong magnets...just in case ;)


STEP FOUR: Stick to your fridge! Fill will pens, flowers..whatever your heart desires!

Send me some photos if you end up doing this project!
I'd love to see different versions ;)

Have a beautiful Sunday.
xo, Christen.

these violets remind me i'm golden

{shirt: handmade by my sister, skirt: shop in New Zealand, tights: FP, shoes: borrowed from my Mom}

I have the day off today, so I had a lazy-sleep-in-kinda morning.
I went on my back porch and took some self portraits after breakfast.
Tim is working today, so I was on my own for outfit shots!

Let me tell ya....trying to throw leaves perfectly for a self-timer is pretty hard!
And I'm sure some of my neighbors could see me actin' a fool...running around on my porch, throwing leaves and laughing to myself.
Oh boy...

And I took a curling iron to my hair today!
I feel sort of weird curling my hair...seeing that my hair is naturally curly.
But I really love the way the "controlled curls" look.
And mayyyyybe I've been practicing a certain hairstyle for my halloween costume ;)
I rarely plan out my costumes ahead of time.
I always end up scrambling up something at the last minute.
I thought it would be fun to plan something out for this year!

I'm off to hang out with my mom & sis.
We're having dinner with my parents tonight...but we're sneaking in some girl time beforehand.
Eeeeek! Mom-daughter-daughter time is the best ;)

Happy Friday!!
I think a beautiful weekend is in store.

xo, Christen

we could be set out to sea.

{All photos by Marie Jucker. found via Where the Wild Roses Grow.}

Here is some inspiration for your Thursday afternoon. I found these photos by Marie Jucker, and I just had to share. I adore them.

dream a little dream of me

Today has been so much fun! I've been playing around with my hair all day.
After much experimenting this morning, I stuck with this look.
I used an amazing tutorial by The Girl Never Gets Older.
It was really easy, and I think it turned out so great & fancy.














[some black & white fun for ya.]

Oh, and I had the pleasure of being asked to do a product review for Misikko.
I got the package in the mail the other day. What a delightful surprise!
Not only did they send me an amazing HANA Flat Iron...they sent me a load of wonderful products.


So, I decided to try it out.
Here are the straight/curly shots.
And just for fun, I let my hair get suuuuuper curly. Showered, then slept on it. Pure madness ;)

It was pretty fun to play around with.
I rarely straighten my hair this much, but I really loved the way it turned out.
Have a look at Misikko's Flat Iron Selection if you're in the market for one.
I'm so stoked to own one of my own now!

Timothy & I have the weekend off together - hip hip HOORAY!
Today we went out for coffee, then went mini golfing afterwards.
Splendid <3

With love,
CJ

as of late.

I've been sewing up a storm the past few weeks!
My sister and I are working on a project together at the moment.
We should be done in about 3 weeks! I can't wait to share all the details.
All I can say for now is that I love working with my sister.
She is my very best friend & working with her is like a dream.




[today was a day to be all cozied up for autumn.]










These photos were taken in my sister's soon-to-be-nursery.
Can't wait to find out whether they're having a boy or girl! Only a few more weeks of mystery.
I can't wait to start making baby things after we find out.

Happy Sunday evening.

the first of october.

Hello there! I'm just popping in to say Happy October!!
My birthday is at the end of the month, so naturally it's my fave ;)
I went to our local apple orchard with some friends a couple weeks ago.
My sister took some film photos:









I hope you're all having a super lovely weekend!
I'm lucky enough to enjoy the weekend off with my husband. It's the best!

Oh, and I had the pleasure of seeing The Avett Brothers two nights in a row!
My boss was able to get me and some friends tickets for the Indiana show,
and I had tickets to the Chicago show the next night.
It was almost too amazing to handle ;)
If you haven't heard these boys, today is the day!
Have a listen (footage from the Indiana show.):


I'm off to enjoy this beautiful day!
You should all do the same.