My happy place...

Guess what?

I'm off to NY tomorrow! 

For a week!

With my best friend!

I'm in my own personal heaven.

But first I'm spending the night with these two cuties! 

Bernie

Daisy

Aren't they beautiful?

I'm going to try and post every single day. I have no doubt I will find tons and tons of things to share with you and photos to show. I'm so excited to be back in the city. I lived there for three months last summer, which was not enough, but for it almost being a year since my last breath there, a week has me over the moon excited!

I can't wait look at window displays, gather catalogs and other free stuff and see people! SO many stores, so little time! I have curated a list of "must-do's" but I'm trying to not add anything else to it because I want to find new stuff that I never went to last summer (not going to be hard). New York has my heart. Be back soon with trip updates! I'm so excited for you to meet Erin, my lovely sidekick!

Ahh, I can already smell those hot, muggy subways.

If you've been to NY, where's your favorite place to go?

Missy

One of my favorite photos I took in Central Park

Sweet Dreams :)

Have you heard?

  Jute is the most sustainable fiber, like, ever.

Ok so I checked out this book, AwareKnits, from the library and I'm flipping out about it.
I don't even knit.

Photo Source

 Here's the dish: After each knitting project it highlights a different Eco related product, idea or practice. Just to name a few topics... "The Scoop on Organic Wool,"Is Silk Eco-Friendly and Sustainable?" and even touches on reflexology, but the one that caught my attention the most is the section on Jute.

Did you know that Jute consumes more CO2 and releases more oxygen than trees?

I repeat, releases more oxygen than trees!

And if that's not enough, its biodegradable, durable and the most inexpensive of all the vegetable fibers.

My friend is getting married and as I strolled through the wedding registry I couldn't decide on what I wanted to get her (because this is about me) ...until I saw she had a Jute Rug listed. CHA CHING!
(but really, a gift should always be personable even if it is from a registry, you know?)
I felt good about giving her Jute. :)

This is me at her shower.

 I sat by the dessert table. That's where you can find me during most parties that include desert tables.  Just an FYI.

So what is Jute you ask? The plant itself looks like this

Photo Source

And the fiber itself comes from the stem of the plant. Fibers like these are called "bast" (pronunciation: short "A") fibers. Ahhh. Dr. Starr (textiles teacher) would be so proud if she read this.

I use butcher's twine a lot; it just comes in handy. But, now I'm basically hunting for any occasion so I can finish the spool and excuse myself to buy a spool of Jute twine. I can't wait! I just can't justify buying a new spool when I still have a perfectly good one.. even if it is in the name of Jute.

So.. you can buy this book here
and you can email me to talk nerdy fiber stuff here
and you can see more natural products I love here

I love Jute!

Have a great day!
Missy

Happy Time Photo Thing #1

It's a rare occasion a day passes and I don't take a photo, or a few hundred. And sometimes there are these moments or photo opportunities that some may call "picture perfect." Not saying that I do or anything.. but if I did, this would be one. :) Ladies and gents I welcome you to Happy Time Photo Thing! (a random but continuous feature on this blog, yea!) 

It is what it is... light, short, sweet and to the point. 

Why I love this photo:

Well if you didn't already know, I'm Korean. But, what you might not know even more is that Christiano is part Japanese. So I saw this wall and we just had to... 

Oh yea we ate there too. If my input is worth anything, it was okayyy..... but nothing beats Soo's! Nothing I tell you. :)

I also love how Christiano is looking at me. I know that sounds super cheesy, but I think it's cute nonetheless. 

Hey, have you taken any seriously awesome photos lately? Yes, you say? Email them to me and you might see it on Happy Time Photo Thing! Yahh!  

Have a dandy one,

Missy

Word: Magnificent

You know how sometimes you have so-so weeks, and then you have really good weeks, and then you have seriously magnificent weeks?

I do!! (hand raised)

It starts with a bike ride...

Baking Perfect cookies.. with a capital P.

Baking Ooey Gooey -Berry- Butter Cake

Fresh flowers in the studio

Fresh flowers everywhere!

Soo's Korean.. oh my gahh. 

yea, I said it.

Photos that crack me up... 

I call this one "Baby Boomer's Search for Tip Calculator on Foreign Technology"

I call this one "Caution: Tight Jeans Cause Exhaustion" 

Dishes that are 90% Feta Cheese!

Hearing that people love my garments and that Grace is rockin' her skirt!

Seeing bags in stores that I helped work on at Yak Pak (I interned here!) 

Spotted at Hasting's.

New obsession.. Pinterest. Seriously.

 Find me if you're pinning too! 

And the best news of all... This handsome boy is getting adopted on Tuesday!!!! I get to baby sit him one more night.. take him to the vet for a booster shot and then he gets to go home with his new family from Joplin. I'm so happy for Mr. Kipper!!!

I watched a documentary the other day and the people in it were from England. They kept saying the word "Magnificent." And of course, in that british accent it sounded.. well, magnificent. It's been running through my brain all week. I think it's a lovely word.

So anyways, I hope you have a magnificent week, you dashing thing you!

Thanks a bunch for checking in on me!

Missy

I just realized nearly 30% of what I consider to be a wonderful week revolves around food that I'm excited enough about to photograph. ha! 

Dealing with bug bites... naturally.

I've got a little following up to do. Earlier this week I mentioned something about getting bit a lot and my natural remedies to repel all the bugs that love to eat me alive. 

I've dealt with this my whole life, but this summer seems to be worse than ever and this time, I'm taking control. So I've heard all these horror stories about DEET, and I'm sure you have too, so I won't get into that, but I will tell you my solutions. 

For the past two years I've been working slowly to change the everyday products I use and consume to more sustainable, natural ones and I'm not stopping at the bug spray. The thought of covering myself in chemicals multiple times a day creeps in my mind and completely goes against all that I'm working for. Without further ado...

Desert Essence: I keep this one in my purse when I leave the house and also by my bed at night. For some reason when I try and go to sleep all I can think about is how much my bites itch and that's pretty irritating in more ways than one. 

Main Ingredients:

water, tea tree oil

Buzz Away: I cannot say enough good things about this product. It works! And that's all I ask for. This spray allows me to actually go outside and be at a BBQ or simply walk out my door. I even took a hike through the woods. 

Main Ingredients:

Citronella, essentials oils of cedarwood, peppermint, lemongrass, eucalyptus

Both of these products were found at Akin's Natural Foods

Odorless Garlic: You might be thinking, "Odorless? I thought you wanted the odor?" and you are correct. I thought the same thing at the store but bought it anyways. After, I did my research, pretty backwards huh? I found out that they really do no good unless there are optimal stomach conditions which allow the stomach to convert a certain chemical into Allicin. You can read this article to investigate more. Still, I wanted to show you because garlic has tons of health benefits aside from preventing bug bites. 

Ingredients: 

Soybean Oil, Gelatin, Glycerin, Silica

Raw Garlic: It has been said that rubbing pure garlic juice on bites will take away the bite for good... and it does! For me anyways. I don't think it goes for everyone, but I am here to say it can happen. 

What I do is I break off a clove, crush it down, dump it into a shot glass (seems to be the perfect size) add some garlic salt (bout 1/2 tsp or more, because I like self-inflicted pain) and a bit of water to make a paste. (a little water goes a long way, you don't want it too runny or else it won't stay on you) You can just use the juice, but I must not be that good of a garlic squeezer... I keep it in the bathroom and when I need to use it I wet the q-tip, dip it in and rub it on. I have found that I do have to scratch it open first and immediately apply. Otherwise I would not recommend scratching. This is the only time I think it's ok to do. If I don't, it doesn't seem to cure the itch forever. : /

I could ramble on about why some people get bit more than others, but there's really no scientific evidence showing an answer. However, I did find this article to be very informative and insightful on some of the theories scientists have today. If you're like me, I will try anything to prevent from being bitten one more time so knowing all the ideas help. I'd check it out. I mean seriously, who wants to get malaria?

On a lighter note...I also promised my new and improved TESOL Course Binder illustrated by none other than Christiano himself...

 Giraffes!

Ha! This little one is my absolute favorite!

Ok so this post has been a bit random and might not be useful to most people, but if by chance you go through the same problems as I do, I hope this helps!

Cheers to a bite free future!

Missy

Calling All Designers! Color Palette Generator

Wow. 

I just found this wonder (via Grosgrain)

Ah-mazing. Of course you could do this on photoshop, but this does all the work for you which makes it Very fun. 

Now... to find the same thing for Pantones???

If you're on a mac you won't get the option to "view image" but you can still just go to the image and copy the URL. It has to be an image that is hosted online (flicker, blogs, pintrest, etc) and it must be a "stealable" one too. But if there's no copyright, should work like a charm. Awesome right?

Hope you're having a great night!

Missy

Bike Errands

I love running errands on my bike. I of course just love riding, but when Christiano and I set out with a purpose it's like a double whammy! Productive and leisurely.

Yesterday I had business to do at the post office.

1. Mail Grace's Skirt

2. Mail a White Bark Hill bag

3. Buy Stamps

4. Passport

I always like to wear something cute when riding my bike because.. why not?

I found this really cute hair tutorial and so I decided to try it out. Here's what I came up with as my riding hair piece. 

This is my shower curtain behind me... I already got tired of the plain white so I decided to hang some of my grandma's scarves to add color. It makes me really happy.. for now at least :)

Decided to ditch the glasses for some photos.

I thought it was maybe a little too tall for bike riding. I envisioned my hair doing something like Marge Simpson's flying back in the wind so I revised a bit before we set out.

Works for Marge, not so much for me. 

Here are some photos from our ride...

Self photo taken while Christiano puts air in my tires

Organization Rules!

I just want to sing when I'm riding sometimes

I had Christiano take lots of photos on me on my bike. I've finally conquered getting on and taking off like a pro (well most of the time) and I'm really proud of it. Ha! It's the little things. 

We Made It!

I unfortunately filled these forms out for nothing. First, I have to get a new birth certificate and I can only do that in Jeff City because I'm adopted. (different procedures for that I guess) BUT that's ok because I'm going there this weekend anyways for my friends' wedding shower! Christiano, however, successfully got his along with some pretty rad passport photos. 

The sun felt soooo good!

Hope you're having a great day.

Im craving Soo's Korean! later gator!

Missy 

What's In My (Scissor) Bag

I thought it would be fun to share with you all that I'm carrying in my new bag. I've remembered why I love big bags in the past two days, you can carry a ton of stuff! Along with carrying a ton of stuff comes a lot of countless minutes searching for items like keys, chapstick, phone etc, so I've busted out some of my older, smaller coin purses to help organize. 

We'll see how long this "organization" lasts...

1. TESOL Course Homework. I bought this binder for .69 tonight to keep me organized. Do you think I'll have problems finding it?

Christiano said he'll draw something on it for me because I don't like how boring it is :) I'll be sure to show you later. 

2. Two articles that caught my eye this week from The Wall Street Journal. 

I thought this was so adorable and charming

Read

While I might not agree with the numbers they show, however, I do appreciate the effort to educate about the cost of garments. I think anything production related is cool so I will still keep the article.

Read

3. Wallet, nuff said

4. New favorite sunnies from Red Velvet

5. Graduation card. Love these things! This one specifically is from my old neighbor. : )

6. The sacred sewing bag. Never leave home without it. (or at least not when I have a bag that can hold it)

7. Everyday bag. This is where the real reason for these little bags come into play. This is just stuff I need and also the stuff that causes chaos. 

(Side Note: I'm one of those people who just attract biters, and this summer an extreme case. If you're like me, stay tuned. Soon, I'll be posting some of my favorite natural products and remedies that work for me. The one shown is not natural and I try not to use it that much, but it's good for desperate times. Hopefully I can help you a little bit, because trust me, I know these bites are a real difficulty)

8. Camera Case

9. Dye for a new project.. usually would use natural dyes, but sometimes you gotta give into restrictions.

10. Favorite Coin Purse

11. Butcher's Twine. Random Right? Hung some photos with it earlier.

12. Lastly, lots and lots of lists!

I probably could have broke this post up, but I'm on a roll this morning! I hope you have a lovely day and enjoyed peeking into my bag. I think it's much improved from my last edition.  :)

Thanks for reading!

Missy

Successful Craft Night!

While I should be doing my homework, I think I'll share with you a bag I made last night with my friend Jamie during our craft night. I love it!

My brain is fried anyways, couldn't sleep last night, had to be at work at 9 and then came home and worked on alterations. I just can't think anymore.. 

Without further ado....

I found this DIY and I absolutely loved it. I thought about using old time glasses too, but then I said, "Nah, I don't have to." Now I want to make a ton of bags with different sewing notions! I chose scissors because I feel like I'm very close to mine and I love them.

I love one-night bags. They make me happy.

I really want to do another, the question is, will I have time/energy one night to do this again. 

If so, would you like to see a tutorial? 

(not just on the printing, which I did change a bit, but on the bag too!) 

I don't have photos of Jamie's creation (sad face)  but I will be sure to show them to you in... like a month. Ok maybe not that long, but possibly. It's an installment for her new place she's moving into in August. It's so cute! (insert happy face!)  I can't wait to show you. Maybe I'll just have her take pictures with it. Is the anticipation drilling at you and making you bite your fingernails? I knew it. Well, stop that.. there are a lot of germs under those things. 

Ok I'm off to ramble somewhere else. Do you like my new bag?

Thanks for reading!

Missy

Good Thoughts

This morning Christiano and I decided to grab lunch at Cooks Kettle right across the street from where I live. It's a culinary school for people who have previously been addicts and are clean now but need a place to start, get an education and learn a trade. They have to follow strict rules to be allowed to stay in the program, but the end result is seven certifications that are recognized by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. They serve breakfast and a lunch buffet... anyways this is not a post about the Kettle, although very good. 

While I was waiting to get my food in line I our friend Gill popped up in line too. He sat down to lunch with us and we got to talking religion and life in general. Gill always says something that keeps me thinking hours later, but today he said something that really struck me. He said "Really, what it's all about is realizing the moment that you are in right now. The place you are right now in your life and what's around you." And while I've heard and thought about this before, sometimes a reminder is just what I need.  

So as I sat there listening to him talk I noticed the sun outside, the life on C-st driving by. Christiano to my right. A full plate of food in front of me. I had a beautifully colored sundress on and I'm living in good health. I was sitting there with Gill, who I admire, with my homework printed out and sitting on the table, reminding me of the new adventure I'm preparing for. 

Life is so beautiful.

While it is so easy to hold onto the things that are wrong in this world and people who have done me wrong, I have to be thankful for all that is right. And, I have to be thankful for the people who remind me of the that. 

So whether you feel like responding to this post in the comment box or not, I hope that reading this helps you to take a look at the life you live and see the good surrounding you. I hope you see the good inside of you.  

I am 22 years old, I just graduated from college and I'm on a mission to see what the other side of the world looks like. I have a loving family, friends and boyfriend. I laugh everyday and I have more than I need. I see beautiful things everyday and I feel connected to the Earth around me.

 Words do not give enough credit to how thankful I am to be right where I am, right now.

Love the everyday,

Missy