Old Town, New Day

One of my favorite things about living where we do is we aren’t too far from a good time. If you haven’t ever been to Old Town Alexandria – you are clearly missing out 😉 This place is where I like to get away with my mom. We spend an entire day walking around, shopping, getting our hair done, and enjoy the area.

 

This place is pretty spectacular. Every time we go I fall in love with it over again, I look into all the shop windows wishing, dreaming, hoping that one day one of those shops will be mine. As soon as we get there we pick a place for lunch. This time we chose Austin’s:

 

When it’s nice outside they have tables lining the sidewalk, which is where we love to be. Today it was wayyy to chilly so we snuck inside and pigged out. Austin’s Grill is one of my favorite American Style Mexican Food. I know that sounds so weird but when I think of Mexican food we make at our own home I think of Austins.

My sister and I used to come home from school and mix a little bowl of cheez whiz and salsa together and pop it in the microwave. It was our version of queso and when I eat the queso here at Austin’s it takes me straight back to the old days. It’s delicious!!!

 

Our next stop is to get pampered. Salon DNA is where we get our hair done and if you ever stop by – you better ask to get an appointment with Tim (he’s the man!!). We walk in here when it’s nice and sunny and we don’t make it out until sunset! It’s hours of hair therapy and it’s worth every little penny. Obviously it’s worth it, because we drive almost 2 hours to see Tim and get our hair done every three months! ❤

 

There are a few other things I love about this salon other than Tim and the magic he does with my hair. It’s how modern and crafty this place is! You know me and crafty things, so of course I had to share with you some of my FAVORITE crafty things they’ve done to spice up their shop. This desk is AWESOME. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a desk like this before and it makes me want to find a great way to repurpose materials for a fun design on my desk… my brain is churning with ideas!

The letters in front of the desk are a plus too. Those are so in, so easy, and totally fun!! But there’s an even better piece. Each time I walk into the store I drool over this:

 

This big beauty is jaw dropping to me! Not only is it ridiculously gorgeous – it’s pretty darn easy to make. Some heavy duty string, glass squares, and a square frame. I want to make me one of these!!!!!

After chatting it up, relaxing, and getting my head massaged we head to the next stop:

 

MMMMmmmm Alexandria Cupcakes! I wish I had gotten my mom to take a picture of me. You would have rolled on the floor laughing. I cannot take a bite of these cupcakes with out making the most ridiculous MMmmmMMmmMMmmm noises. Plus I always get icing on my nose 😛 It would have been a perfect picture opportunity 😉 Next time..

If I was rich – I’d live here, but I’d also have to have a beach house because this girl needs sand, waves, and salty air!

Do you have a favorite spot in your town you go to get away?

 

Love Always,

J

Trim up those Crazy Bangs!

Hello There!

Today I attempted to trim my crazy bangs. This isn’t the first time that I’ve tried to do it on my own but this was the most successful so I wanted to share a few tips that helped me out as well as a few of my errors that I will never do again!

I’ve been messing around with bangs for the past couple of months. I go from pushing them off to the side like this:

to straight let them hang down in my face!

It got to the point where they were poking me in the eyes and I just couldn’t take it anymore!! For those of you who have awesome hair salons like I do – trimming bangs is usually free as long as the person you go to has a few minutes to fit you in between their schedule. If you don’t have one of those salons and you live in Northern Virginia – you better email me now so I can give you my guy’s (Tim) number 😉

Unfortunately I live about an hour and a half away from my salon so driving there for a quick bang trim costs more in gas than it’s worth. Thankfully the last time I was there he gave me a few tips and I finally got enough guts to try again with his wonderful advice!

Now, before I start – you really need a great pair of scissors. My Mother-In-Law bought me shears like these:

• You don’t need to spend a fortune on them as long as they are meant to cut hair. Just promise me you won’t cut anything else with them because that will ruin your shears and you can forget about trimming your bangs properly!

• Make sure you have a well lit area and a good clean mirror to position yourself in front of.

• Pull back the rest of your hair so it’s out of your way. Sometimes in between cuts I’ll let it down to see how it looks with my hair style but try not to cut with it down – it’s distracting and you don’t want to make a mistake!

• Tim told me to cut with my scissors angled upward instead of trying to cut them straight across for a more natural look. It sounds weird and I even looked at him like he was a little crazy but boy is he right! You can totally tell the difference!

• Cut little tiny bits at a time. Even if it takes a few different times to cut it. Smaller cuts lead to better results!

• When you think your done, put the scissors down and play with it. Maybe restyle your hair, brush your teeth, enjoy the look for a little bit to make sure you like it and chances are you find a few pieces you missed that you’ll want to come back and fix!

When it’s all said and done the chances of you having a million little hairs all over your face are pretty high. Wiping them off is not as easy as it seems. I tried blow drying most of mine off and that didn’t work out so well either. My favorite thing to use are these suckers:

I already use these to wipe off my make up but the little hairs just stick right to it and magically don’t fall off! It’s also smooth and cleansing for you skin. I’m in love with these and their price!

When I first attempted to cut my hair I did it right after I got out of the shower while it was wet. I held my hair in between my fingers like they do at the salon and when hacking away eyeballing to see if they lined up. I ended up cutting my bangs way too short. Epic fail.

This time I went ahead and dried my hair right after I showered. Instead of using my fingers to hold my hair I just brushed out my bangs and held the scissors up to my bangs at a slight angle. I snipped the bottom edge of my hair in little clumps one at a time. I took my time to make sure that they lined up evenly and in some cuts I barely cut anything off because I was trying to be careful that I didn’t cut too much. I ended up cutting my bangs three times in order to get them to the height that I love the most.

 

They are still long but that’s the way I like them and since the bang trimming salon is in my house I can do it whenever it gets just a little too long instead of going somewhere where they cut it a little shorter than you’d like since they know you aren’t going to come back for another three months 😛

Now my bangs will stay a the same length and I’ll never have to worry about them being too short or too long. Thank goodness for figuring out how to trim my own bangs and thank goodness for my awesome salon guy for dishing me some good tips!

Let me know if you have any other good tips you use in the comments section!

Thanks for stopping by!

Love Always,

J

Feature Friday: CatherinesJewelry

Feature Friday Presents:

CatherinesJewelry!

“People always ask me how I got started designing and creating my own line of jewelry. I tell them, “It must be in the genes!” I began designing my own pieces in 1994, and set my first gemstone that Christmas. It was a 10pt diamond in a 14Kt gold floating heart setting; a friend commissioned it for his wife to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. That marked the first time I really thought of myself as a Jeweler.”

        

Gold Heart with Red Glass …        P22 – Iolite and Peridot S…

CatherinesJe…                                 CatherinesJe…

$15.00 USD                                      $38.00 USD

        

Victorian Flower Spray HUG…     Earrings: Valentine Candy …

CatherinesJe…                                 CatherinesJe…

$15.00 USD                                      $18.00 USD

        

Earrings: Amethyst Februar…     Prasiolite Ring Faceted Ge…

CatherinesJe…                                 CatherinesJe…

$44.00 USD                                     $377.00 USD

        

Beaded Anklet Ankle Bracel…        Earrings: Green Onyx Dangl…

CatherinesJe…                                 CatherinesJe…

$19.00 USD                                     $42.00 USD

What got you interested in crafting?

It’s in my genes. My great-grandfather, Allan H. Davis, one of the founding fathers of Red Lodge, Montana, probably started this jeweler-gene in our family. He was a pioneer and brought his family across country from New York by covered wagon. He was the town’s jeweler, optician, and Post Master. Some of his tools have passed down to me, and from as far back as I can remember I have been drawn to unusual rocks and gemstones. I must’ve inherited his genes.

What has been your favorite project to make and why?

My favorite project always seems to be the one I’m working on now. And right now, I’m wire-wrapping everything I can think of – from gemstones, shells and buttons to wine goblets and champagne flutes.

What’s the secret behind your etsy name?

Well, it’s my name plus what I make: CatherinesJewelry. Not very original, but it works for me. I branched out a bit this year and added another shop with equally catchy name: CatherinesSupply. You guessed it – it’s my “de-stash” supply shop.

If you could open up a shop in your town what would you call it and what would it be like?

Catherine’s Jewelry Design.

Picture Main Street USA, my shop is in that two-story brick building with the double bay-windows. It’s up on the second floor – enter at street level through the door with the painted peacock. It’s more studio than shop (with terrific natural light and beads EVERYwhere!) Bach, Beethoven, or the Beatles provide ambiance; and the espresso is frothy…

What is the most challenging thing you have made?

A Tanzanite ‘waterfall’ ring. Twenty fabulous sparkling 2mm (tiny!) Tanzanite gemstones, each prong set into a multi-level ring setting, the face of which was only about the size of a nickel.

What are some of your goals you hope to achieve within the next year?

I’m a member of The Artisan Group – they supply swag/gift bags for celebrities at the Golden Globes, Oscars, Emmys, etc. I would really like to be in a position to actually participate and gift the celebrities next year. I wasn’t ready yet this year.

What inspires you to be crafty?

Everything. Anything. Beauty. Nature. My cat’s eyes. My daughter’s smile. My husband’s love. A trip to the gem/bead show…

What is your best quality when it comes to your crafts?

I take pride in my technique – especially when it comes to finishing the pieces. I use quality gems, beads, and findings (clasps, earwires, etc.) I make sure each piece is comfortable to wear (no wires poking out) and durable. I have inherited many fine and beautiful things; I want the things I create to last for generations too, and/but also be wearable heirlooms.

If you could have one thing to help your store what would it be?

An assistant to take pictures and write-up my listings. I hate doing it. It takes me forEVER. I just want to play with my pretties…

If you haven’t checked out CatherinesJewelry – click on the link!

Thanks for stopping by!

Love Always,

J

Daily Life: Crafting or Chopping?

Yes I was supposed to craft today, but instead I chopped off all my hair!! So I went from this:

to this!

Daily Life: Chopping It Off!

It’s official. Goodbye long gorgeous long hair! I’ve been wanting to do something bold and completely different for quite some time now. I’ve also doubted myself a zillion times wondering if I could pull it off. With my serious baby face I also second guess what I do with my hair. Hair and make-up can either really help or really hurt me. I either look really really really young or just young… annoying now but I know, I know, I’ll appreciate it later.. Everyone keeps telling me that but I want to love it now!! So now I am taking on giant leap of faith and chopping off all my hair!

I have had my hair the same length since junior year of highschool (yes seven years!!)

and now it looks like this:

That is the product of having a child and never wearing your hair down .. ever. Yeah um wayyy to loong!! I never do my  hair in the morning because I don’t feel like taking an hour every morning to work on this ridiculousness amount of hair. We’ll I won’t have to for much longer. I’m doing this:

BAM! Bold, hott, easy, fresh!! I’ve never had the guts to see if I could actually pull it off but I am going to do it, with a little more clothes on of course 😉 Ever since this series of America’s Next Top Model has come on and Brittani got this hair cut I have been daydreaming of what it would look like on me. Of course she has gorgeous bright blue/green eyes to stand out behind all that bold hair and mine are poop brown, but somehow, I plan to make it work!

I think it’ll look cute and classy on the days I dress down.

Super hott and fashion forward when I want to bump it up a notch and actually wear something cute 😉

Or just super sexy in general 😀

Crossing my fingers this works on me because I am in need of a quick easy new look.

Wish me luck!

Love Always,

J