Sister Saturday

I woke up this weekend in definite need of a Sister Saturday. This is what transpired. 

I love the look of layers. I also live in Florida. Que deceptive layering! Look winter warm in light airy pieces.
Dress & shirt: Target; cardigan: Belk; belt, tights & unseen cut-off leggings to minimize the delightful swish-swish of my thighs: Wal-Mart; shoes: Payless; necklace: Bealls Outlet. Everything: on clearance!

Over-due library book. And sister works at the library...yipes!
P.S. Organizing is something I desperately need help with in my personal life (I'm super organized at work). I never finished reading the book.

What's a Sister Saturday without pastries? We watched boats and chowed down on Milton donuts and gorgeous strawberry milk. Sorry Krispy Kreme, you got nothing on Milton Quality Bakery.

Antiquing! Sister found a crazy vintage lamb bank for me that matched one she had at home. I left the happy little bird, the neato lighthouse glasses, needlepoint art (unpictured) and a vintage horse lamp (unpictured) behind. It's killing me. I'll be back.

Oh, and we met the rest of the fam for lunch at new Nichols (actually Captain Pete's Oyster House).

Obsession Confession Sunday

Five things I'm obsessed with RIGHT NOW:

1. Nail Polish Strips

They make me feel fancy. That's it.

2. Voice Recorder App

My best ideas come when I can't write them down. Like when I'm driving. Or about to fall asleep and abhor the idea of turning a lamp on. Only problem: my recorded voice sounds like that of a small child. This may have been cute in second grade when I was chosen from my school to read a Berenstain Bears book on the local radio channel. Not so cute now. (I have somehow managed to convince myself that my unrecorded voice does not sound the same way. Leave it alone.)

3. Bittersweet Orange Cookies

You want to go to here. Like super bad. This blogger's stories are hilarious and her cookies are amaz-za-zing. 

4. about.me

I'm so vain I probably think that song is about me. I absolutely know about.me/JenWhitfield is about me. And I like it. Seriously though, it's a great hub for all your online social activities. 

5. Cute Tatts [like Emma's mixer tattoo]

 My tattoos aren't cute and that is kinda bumming me out right now. I currently have a small star on my left foot, paint dripping on my right shoulder, a semicolon on my mid-back and copyright 1981 on my rear. I need a happy toaster or a dancing bittersweet orange cookie or something. STAT. (P.S. Check out the Sometimes Sweet Tattoo Tuesday feature.)

Foto Friday

Boyfriend and I took our cameras out for some photography f.u.n. this past weekend. Location: Pensacola Beach, Surf Burger & some random building backsides (racy!) in Downtown Pensacola.

Olympus E-PL1

Olympus E-PL1

Olympus E-PL1

Olympus E-PL1

Samsung Infuse Cell Phone
(P.S. Dude. Look at that photo. That's where I live!)

BTdubs...

A couple things:
1. Listen to the Joy the Baker podcast. It just made my Thursday much like it does every Thursday.
    *Joy the Baker Podcast featuring Joy the Baker and Tracy Benjamin.
    *Shout out to Kacey of Kacey's Kitchen for turning me on to JTB!

2. Here's a random photo of me (r) and Rainbow Heart Star (l). What does that mean? Check out the comments section of Episode 35 "My Legs Are Not Candy" of the JTB Podcast to find out. After you listen, of course.

3. I use Google Reader to keep up with the many, many blogs I love. I can’t tell you how goofily excited it makes me to see posts from my new blog in line with the great posts from the bloggers I follow. I’ll be sharing some of them with you along the way. 

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Red Velvet Props

Though a homemade, moister than is believable, richly frosted, tasty on the Grannie Whitfield level red velvet cake is my most favorite type of cake in the world, that's not what this post is about.

This post is about an e-course that helped me get my groove back. I have started and stopped more blogs than I am willing to admit. Last year I began following all sorts of new [to me] blogs. Among them, A Beautiful Mess. These great blogs made me yearn for my own online creative outlet again. One that I wouldn't quit. Que Blog Love. An e-course by Elsie Larson, writer of A Beautiful Mess/founder of Red Velvet. 

Blog love is about figuring out who you want to be as a blogger, attracting readership, overcoming blogger's block and more. Itching to start blogging? Is blogging old hat but you'd like some inspiration? Check out Blog Love >>

Pompous Pet Portraits #1

"Prissy"

I painted Prissy as a birthday gift a while back (like 2010 while!). It's difficult to see in the photo, but Prissy is 3D - no special glasses required. I intended for her to be the beginning of a Pompous Pet Portraits series but I got too busy living life. I just painted #2 in the series for a Christmas 2011 gift (to be revealed soon) and renewed my interest in the series. Send me a photo of your pet and I might just paint him or her.

What's this all about?

My name is Jen. By day, I work for the man as marketing and outreach coordinator for an economic development office on a small university campus in Florida (mouth full!). By night, I make art, write words and live life. That's what this blog is about.

Living life? Whoa. That could encompass so much. I eat a lot of food and date a soon-to-be cookbook author. That's what this blog is sometimes about. I like shoes and fashion. Too much. That's also what this blog is sometimes about. I love handmade stuff, nerdy stuff and books that feel like friends. You guessed it - it's about that too. That's me living life, folks.

I am neither tiny nor a dancer. I sometimes wish I was. That's not what this blog is about.

If you become a regular reader, you'll notice regular features, like:
Obsession Confession Sunday - what I'm obsessed with right now
Off-Topic Tuesday - who knows what this might be
Foto Friday - my photos, other people's photos, photography news, tips, etc 

So stick around! Be nosy. Give me a digital handshake.