Thriftanista in the City

She loves Daddy - can't get enough of Him. She is a Daddy's Girl for sure. the dishwaher - She comes crawl-running whenever she hears it opening. She stands against it and tries to pull the dishes out. I cannot keep her away from it. bathing - now that she's mobile the experience is all new to her. She likes to stand and move around in her little plastic tub. I plan to take her for swimming lessons before the summer is over. I think she would really enjoy it. dancing - Ms. V has picked up a shoulder shimmy somewhere. I don't know where but I love it. It's so cute. She loves it when I copy her moves. commercials - Apparently Mickey Mouse requires to much focus. She stops in her tracks whenever the American Cancer Society Happy Birthday and the U-verse commercials come on. Sitting in her own seat on the train (briefly). She sleeps Still all over the place. She's really good at going to sleep at her bedtime. The summer brings lots of events that have her up past he...

A one tooth grin. iPad (now I can remove from the vision board ) Libations! from my Baby Sis Pre-Birthday Dinner at Girl and the Goat

Happy Birthday to Me!!!! I'm sitting on my cousin's lap and sitting next to my sister.

I found these shoes on deep deep discount. When I tried them on I marveled at how perfectly they fit on both feet even though my left food is slightly bigger than my right one. I looked inside the shoe and discovered the left shoe to be the size I normally wear but the right one is a half size smaller. Obviously the the Universe wanted me to have these shoes!

My soon to be 10 month old is freaked out by strangers. She clings and has to have one of us in her line of vision if there are other people around. If she can't easily get to us then she unleashes the highest pitched scream in her vocal repertoire. Her Grandmother (His mother) visited with us last weekend. They had never met so I knew Miss V would be apprehensive at first. She never warmed up though. She held her breath every time Mama picked her up. She peeked over over our shoulders at her and give a little shy smile but was on edge for the entire visit. According to Him, she did have a moment of melting at church. She was ready to play and make eye contact but back at home she was back to shy baby. I hope this isn't a permanent personality trait and just one of those baby things. All the baby book/blog stuff says she will go through this phase. I had conversations with Him pre-baby about making sure we give her lots of people exposure. I figured that would lessen the stran...

I am happy to report that the Beaters makeover is DONE. I feel so accomplished.  I have a lot of half finished crafts out there. This made my day, of course, I could do nothing else but lay on the couch, surf the net, and sip on some Barbie juice  bask in the glow of a completed project. Well, I could have celebrated by doing some strength training and Zumba but I didn't and that's a whole other subject. Anyways, the shoes.... I'm already thinking about covering the entire shoe (the metallic is a little bit beat too) or covering another pair entirely. I feel more confident now with the x-acto knife and mod podge. The second shoe looks so much better than the first shoe. I know the 2nd pair is going to be fab u lous. How should I rock them?  Should I take it to the next level and cover the entire shoe?  What crafts are you working on?

Where's the camera? Oh, there it is. Purple zebra print sunnies. Cool! Ready for the sun. Where did it go?

T angerine Scream from BB Couture I bought this polish a couple of years ago. This is the 2nd time I've worn it. It's the most expensive polish I own. I need to wear it more often. It's a 4 in 1 polish so technically you don't need a base or topcoat. I applied both and maybe that was overkill because it started to chip after 1 day or maybe it was all the cooking, hand and baby washing.  The color is so rich and creamy. It has that oompf! pop! pizzazz! I'm always looking for in a nail polish.  It looks edible to me. Doesn't it? No? Just me?

Sure I have time for a photo op. Do I have any Quinoa on my face? Mum-mums & Choo-Choo Soul..this is the life. I don't even care that Mama left me alone to take a shower. A VO CA DO. Is this a fruit or a vegetable?

I spent the weekend with so many beautiful people. Friday, I met a group of lovely crafters at Etsy's Craft Party. There were parties all over the US. I attended the one at Inkling Shoppe in Chicago. The party included everything you would need to craft away: scissors, glue, fabric, trims, buttons, cupcakes, and wine! I decided to bring the project that has been floating through my head. I wanted to cover my old Beaters and make them beautiful again. The party was 2 1/2 hours so I had loads of time to knock it out and wear them out the door. I made 1 shoe beautiful and got bored. (SN: This is why I have so many UFOs -- unfinished objects). Le Sigh. Left: Fascinator I worked on (UFO) Right: I need to clean up my edges and do the other shoe. I started a fascinator but became more interested in finishing my cup of pinot grigio and chatting with Natalie (Leader of BurdaStyle's Chicago Club). Natalie (Jill of all Crafts), Kpoene' (Craft Queen Hostess wh...

Inner platform. Cork heel. Slingback. My only wish is that this shoe were a full pump. I bought these before I realized slingbacks do not work for me. My heel usually leans to the side (half in the shoe, half out of the shoe). A pigeon toed thing, maybe. On my way to Etsy's Craft Party. I'm so glad there was seating. The platform is comfortable but the pointed toe can bring tears to my eyes after a couple of hours. My crafting project -- The Beaters

During my pregnancy I read so many great birth stories. I believe it helped me have a positive and relatively pain free birth. I was able to get an idea of what can happen which helped ease some of my anxiety. Now I'm sharing one.  Check out Miss V's  birth  and other fantastic birth stories over at  Mahogany Way Birth Cafe . I finally had the opportunity to dress her in purple from head to toe.

Want some? It's really soft. And just look at how it crumples up. It's super awesome. Am I being naughty?

I have not done anything to my hair since the cut. I wash n' go and periodically spritz it with my homemade hair "juice". I would still need a whole day to do the pipe cleaner curls. I just have a million other things I need to do and want to do. Today, the nap gods were with V and I had a bit of extra time to play after my shower. I love turbans. I own 2 and have tried to make them work but my hair is just to dang big - pre and post cut. I experimented with a scrap fabric I bought at a thrift store. I made a little side twisty flowery thing to get the turban style. I likey! Feels good to have my hair out of my face too. Do you rock turbans? Do they work for you?

These are my favorite shoes. They are beat up, run down, and scruffy. The soles talk to me. The faux cork material is worn off from my pigeon toed walk. I can't seem to throw them away though. Every time I clean my closet they go in the garbage pile but I always fish them out. My plan is to have a craft party. Sip some barbie juice and cover them with an african wax print. I'm too cheap frugal to take a class. There are lots of tutorials online. This one is my favorite. I love how they turned out. Any other ideas on how I can spruce them up? Repair the faux cork or the metallic fabric? Purchase a new pair on the cheap (size 8)?

I couldn't decide if I wanted yellow or orange nails so I did both. I like the yellow better even though orange definitely works better with my skin tone.

Hey You Look at me Am I the only one WITHOUT teeth? When did you get yours?