New Branding, New Name

Over the past year, I have been trying to develop a cohesive look and have a singular brand.

When I first began 'Nomsa' in 2009, I really didn't think that it would grow into what it has and I didn't do enough research beforehand on the name. 

'Nomsa' is a Swahili word meaning grace and is a common name in South Africa and Swaziland. I came upon this name while on a mission trip and it was love at first listen. 

Unfortunately, there are a lot of brands and websites (especially in that part of the world) that use 'Nomsa.' 

Too many.

Later on in 2009, I started selling my handmade jewelry on etsy and didn't want to have it in my Nomsa store. I wanted to keep the hair accessories and jewelry separate. 'My Cellar Door' was born thanks to the movie Donnie Darko. In the movie, Drew Barrymore's character tells Donnie Darko that a famous linguist once said that of all the phrases in the world and all the combinations of words, my cellar door, is the most beautiful.

Whether or not this is true, I don't know, but it stuck. 

Two years roll by and I start to get an urge to have one brand. I am selling online, in stores, at craft shows and I need one name that I can tell people rather than explain what item can be found where.

One business name that in encompasses everything. One identity.

So after some brainstorming, my husband and I came up with 'My Sweet Nomsa,' which translates into 'My Sweet Grace.' This business has always been a much needed creative outlet for me and is a form of grace to me. It allows me to be what I want to be, an artisan. 

So I got this website, started blogging again and I have officially changed the etsy store 'My Cellar Door' to 'My Sweet Nomsa.'  It was a bit scary to change the name because there is no changing it back, but it needed to be done. 

After some hemming and hawing, I finally decided on a brand look that is all my own. I made everything about it, so I can do whatever the hell I want with it :)

I just got all my new branding and packaging stuff in the mail, so I thought I would share. 

Let me know what you think!

( I absolutely love how my jewelry is packaged now. Makes it more like a present to yourself when it is wrapped up so pretty!)

A moment of satisfaction...

As someone who has a B.A. in both Political Science and Geography, along with a minor in Peace & Conflict studies, it is sometimes hard to justify to others as well as myself, that making jewelry full-time is the correct profession for me, as well as an admirable one.

In college, I had dreams of being a lawyer, or to work for a non-profit with the aims of educating woman in sub-Saharan Africa or even working as a staffer on the 'Hill.' 

 I loved to create and craft throughout college, but never thought of it as a career until I was faced with a difficult decision after college in one of my first 'adult' jobs. Without going into too much detail (for the sake of being discreet), I worked for a business which helped shape a company's/individual's public image. 

I was given the task to help shape an extremely prominent organization's anti-gay marriage public message. I was going to have to basically help this organization create and develop talking points and phrases on why gay marriage is wrong and shouldn't be allowed.

At the time, my soon-to-be husband was a fundraiser for the nation's leading gay rights advocacy group. Both him and I are very strong supporters of the gay rights movement and loved this organization (and they loved him).

About one week before we got married, we faced this decision. Do I continue with my job, supporting and building a message of intolerance? Or, do I quit three days before we are to be wed without any prospect of a new job lined up?

I quit. 

I worked the last three days at my job and then married the love of my life that weekend. We took our week long honeymoon in Savannah and had a fantastic time. 

 The following Monday came and I dove head first into my etsy business. I had been dabbling with it for a few months, making a little extra income here and there for us, but not a full- time income. My husband supported me 100% and with the momentum of the holiday shopping season, within two months I was making a full-time income through selling online. 

This February marks the fourth year I have had my etsy store, Nomsa. This September will be the fourth year anniversary of my etsy store, My Sweet Nomsa. 

I would be lying if I said that throughout these last four years that I didn't wonder at times on what my life would be like with a different career choice. What if I had gone back to school to get a higher degree? What if I didn't pursue etsy so vigorously and instead found another political DC job? Could I have done something that would have made a bigger impact to others? Could I have helped people more? 

I sometimes still ask myself these questions. I absolutely love what I do. I really do. But I think that it is only human to wonder, to question. 

A few days ago ago, a lady placed an order for a necklace and left me this message during check-out....

"Hello Ashlee. My six year old daughter bought me this necklace for Christmas. She found it while shopping with my husband at the Classic Center in December. Recently our house was broken into and the person stole several electronics. The only piece of jewelry that was missing was this necklace. It broke my heart because I loved it so much and my daughter chose it knowing that I would love it. It makes me so happy that I saved your card and found this here. I love your pieces! Thank you."

I remember this interaction with this sweet 6 year old and her father so vividly. I remember his patience as she carefully examined each necklace I had on display. I remember how proud she was of finding the perfect necklace which she was sure that her mother would love. 

And now I will always remember that in fact, it did mean the world to her mother to receive this necklace. That what I created with my two hands was one of this woman's most prized possessions. 

Moments like this make me remember why I do what I do. That I do make an impact. That I do touch lives. 

Zig Zag Hat Pattern

I. Love. This. Hat.

I love the zig zags. I love the gradual color shift from neutral to bold. I love the pom pom. I love the slouch. I love the warmth provided by stranded knitting. I love the softness and fullness of the malabrigo yarn.

I am in complete and total love.

I have now made this hat a total of three times over the past two weeks, playing with different yarns and needle sizes and I think I have the perfect mix of coziness, slouchiness and colors.

This a simple pattern, but since it is my first written one and I am trying to appeal to all knitters (beginners and advanced alike), I spell out how to do things probably more than what is needed. Please don't be intimidated by the length of the pattern. There are only 60 rows and once you get going, it is a simple and fun knit.

If you have any questions or note any errors, I am always around.  Email me at mysweetnomsa@gmail.com

~ Zig Zag Hat Pattern ~

(want a print friendly version? Click here)

MATERIALS 

Yarn: 2 skeins of Malabrigo merino worsted yarn in contrasting colors. You actually will use about 40 grams of each skein, so this is a great pattern if you have two half skeins of Malabrigo. The gray is 'Polar Morn' and the hot pink is 'Fuchsia'.

Needles: US Size 5 for Cast On (straight or circular), 16" US Size 6 Circulars, 16" US Size 8 Circulars, US Size 8 DPNs

Notions: Tapestry Needle, Stitch Marker, Pom Pom maker (optional)

SIZE and GAUGE

This pattern creates a loose and slouchy hat. 
Laying Flat - 10 inches wide by 9.5 inches tall

Fits loosely on a 23 inch head

Gauge - 5.5 stitches wide by 6 stitches tall on US Size 8 needles

If you would like to increase or decrease the pattern, do so in increments of 6 stitches.

PATTERN ABBREVIATIONS

(if you need any help with how to do any of these, check out Lion Brand's website)

k2tog - Knit two stitches together

ssk - Slip one stitch knit-wise, then slip the next. Insert left needle into the front loops of the slipped stitches and knit them together from this position (through the back loops).

m1 - make 1 stitch

s1 - slip one stitch knitwise with the yarn held in back

MC - main color (this is the color that will be the brim and the bottom part of the hat. This is the gray color in the photos).

AC - alternating color (this is the color that will be the top of the hat. This is the hot pink in the photos).

DIRECTIONS

With the size 5 needles, cast on 90 stitches in your MC.

I used the knitted cast on (found here), but if you have a different stretchier version you prefer, go hog wild.

Row 1: Using size 6 needles, join in the round and place a stitch marker at the beginning of the round. Be careful not to twist. Knit 1 round of K1, P1 and transfer the stitches from the size 5 needles to the size 6.

After completing this first round, you should be done with the size 5 needles and have all the stitches on the size 6 needle, which is joined in the round with a stitch marker at the first stitch.

Rows 2-8: Knit 7 more rows in the K1, P1 repeat.

Row 9: *K5 stitches, M1* - repeat between the ** until row is over (18 times). Be sure to end the row with a M1 (108 stitches total at this point).

Row 10-13: Switch to size 8 circulars and knit 4 rounds.

We are starting the zig zag part of the pattern now. You are going to be starting to do stranded knitting. Things to keep in mind...

a) For the next 6-7 inches of the pattern, you will be working with two yarns. The yarns will be carried inside creating 'floats'. It is important not to pull the floats too tightly or the knitted fabric will pucker, and this cannot be fixed. Stay loose!

b) The best way to control the tension of the floats is to designate one color as the over color, the other as the under color. As the knitting changes from one color to the other, the over strand will be held to the top on the wrong side of the work, the under strand will be held to the bottom.

c) Since we are going to be alternating between the two colors of yarn frequently, there is no need to wrap the yarn on the inside of the hat as you will never go more than five stitches without knitting with the other yarn.

d) Don't be afraid to rip out to get the right tension. I knit, reknit, knit, reknit, knit this hat to get the right stranded tension.

e) We are going to be doing stripes while knitted in the round. If you are an experienced with circulars, then you know that when knitting in the round, you aren't stacking rows on top of each other, but rather knitting like a spiral staircase. Because of this when you create stripes in circular knitting, your last stitch of a row won't line up with the first stitch of the row. It will be slightly higher. We are going to be off-setting this by knitting some last stitches in rows with the AC and slipping some stitches. I can't really explain in words how or why it works, but I have been able to put it into fruition in the knitting pattern. So just trust the pattern and ignore my rambling. 

Row 14: *K1 (AC), K5 (MC) * repeat between the ** until 6 stitches remain. K1(AC), K4 (MC), K1(AC)

Row 15: *K1 (MC), K1 (AC), K3 (MC), K1 (AC) * repeat between the ** until 6 stitches remain, K1 (MC), K1 (AC), K3 (MC), S1 (this is the last stitch of the row in the AC).

Row 16: K2 (MC), K1 (AC), K1 (MC), K1 (AC), *K3 (MC), K1 (AC), K1 (MC), K1 (AC)* repeat between the ** until 1 stitch remains, K1(MC)

Row 17: K3 (MC), K1(AC), *K5 (MC), K1 (AC)* repeat between the ** until two stitches remain, K2 (MC)

Row 18-19: Knit two rounds in MC

Row 20: repeat Row 14

Row 21: K2 (AC), *K3 (MC), K3 (AC)* repeat between the ** until four stitches remain, K3 (MC), S1 (this is the last stitch of the row in the AC)

Row 22: *K1 (MC), K2 (AC), K1 (MC), K2 (AC)* repeat between the ** for all stitches in this round.

Row 23: K2 (MC), *K3 (AC), K3 (MC)* repeat between the ** until four stitches remain, K3 (AC), K1 (MC)

Row 24: repeat row 17

Row 25: Knit round in MC

Row 26: repeat row 14

Row 27: repeat row 21

Row 28: K3 (AC), *K1(MC), K5 (AC)* repeat between the ** until three stitches remain, K1(MC), K2 (AC)

Row 29: *K1 (MC), K5 (AC)* repeat between the ** for all the stitches in this round.

Row 30: repeat row 23

Row 31: repeat row 17

Row 32: repeat row 14

Row 33: repeat row 21

Row 34: repeat row 28

Row 35: Knit round in AC

Row 36: repeat row 29

Row 37: repeat row 23

Row 38: *K1 (AC), K2 (MC), K1 (AC), K2 (MC)* repeat between the ** until six stitches remain, K1 (AC), K2 (MC), K1 (AC), K1 (MC), K1 (AC)

Row 39: repeat row 21

Row 40: repeat row 28

Row 41-42: Knit 2 rounds in AC

Row 43: repeat row 29

Row 44: *K1 (AC), K1(MC), K3 (AC), K1 (MC)* repeat between the ** until six stitches remain, K1 (AC), K1 (MC), K3 (AC), K1 (MC)

Row 45: K2 (AC), *K1 (MC), K1 (AC), K1 (MC), K3 (AC)* repeat between the ** until four stitches remain, K1 (MC), K1 (AC), K1 (MC), K1 (AC)

Row 46: repeat row 28

Row 47: Knit round in AC

~ starting crown decreases ~

(all remaining rounds will be done in the AC)

Row 48: K1, *SSK, K1, K2tog, K13* repeat between the ** six times (if you made this hat smaller or larger than the original CO of 90 stitches, increase or decrease the K13. So if you made a smaller hat and CO 84 to begin with, K12 since the ** is repeated six times and you casted on six less stitches. CO 96? K14 instead. Keep this increase or decrease consistent for the rest of the crown shaping).

Row 49: Knit round in AC

Row 50: *SSK, K1, K2tog, K11* repeat between ** six times

Row 51: Knit round in AC (minus last stitch before marker).

Row 52: Lift row marker and slip the last stitch from the previous round (the unknit stitch) onto your left needle from your right needle. Replace marker on the right needle. *SSK (for the first SSK of the round, use last stitch of previous round and first stitch of new round for this), K1, K2tog, K9* repeat between the ** six times

Row 53: Knit round in AC (minus last stitch before marker).

Row 54: Lift row marker and slip the last stitch from the previous round (the unknit stitch) onto your left needle from your right needle. Replace marker on the right needle. *SSK (for the first SSK of the round, use last stitch of previous round and first stitch of new round for this), K1, K2tog, K7* repeat between the ** six times

Row 55: Knit round in AC (minus last stitch before marker) and switch to US Size 8 DPN

Row 56: Lift row marker and slip the last stitch from the previous round (the unknit stitch) onto your left needle from your right needle. Replace marker on the right needle. *SSK (for the first SSK of the round, use last stitch of previous round and first stitch of new round for this), K1, K2tog, K5* repeat between the ** six times

Row 57: Knit round in AC (minus last stitch before marker).

Row 58: Lift row marker and slip the last stitch from the previous round (the unknit stitch) onto your left needle from your right needle. Replace marker on the right needle. *SSK (for the first SSK of the round, use last stitch of previous round and first stitch of new round for this), K1, K2tog, K3* repeat between the ** six times

Row 59: Knit round in AC (minus last stitch before marker).

Row 60: Lift row marker and slip the last stitch from the previous round (the unknit stitch) onto your left needle from your right needle. Replace marker on the right needle. *SSK (for the first SSK of the round, use last stitch of previous round and first stitch of new round for this), K1, K2tog, K1* repeat between the ** six times (if you CO less stitches in the original 90, you will not have enough stitches for this round. Skip to row 62 and finish up).

Row 61: Knit round in AC (minus last stitch before marker).

Row 62: Lift row marker and slip the last stitch from the previous round (the unknit stitch) onto your left needle from your right needle. Replace marker on the right needle. *SSK (for the first SSK of the round, use last stitch of previous round and first stitch of new round for this), K2tog * repeat between the ** six times

Thread a tapestry needle through the remaining 12 stitches and remove from the needles. Pull thread tight and knot off.

Weave in all ends and add a pom-pom if desired. I used Lion Brand's pom pom maker.

Wear and look fabulous.

Email me at mysweetnomsa@gmail.com with any questions, concerns or feedback. I would love to see photos of yours if you make it, so be sure to check this pattern out on Ravelry!

This pattern is for personal use only. Please don't sell anything made with it. 

John's Wet & Muddy Half Marathon

Yesterday we drove about an hour northeast of Atlanta for John to do a trail run half marathon. It has been really rainy here the past few days (2.5 inches since Thursday night) so it made for a wet, muddy, slightly cold run through the woods. 

John loved it. So much. 

I sat the race out yesterday because it didn't fit into my training plan for the Atlanta marathon in a month. I actually need to go run 19 miles today (BOOOOOOOOOOO), so if I ran the 13 miles yesterday, I wouldn't have been able to get my full long run for the week in.

Walking with others about a 1/4 of a mile to the starting line. The race was is Fort Yargo, a Georgia state park. It was really pretty besides the crummy weather. 

 

John was easy to spot on the course with his bright colors and represented Colorado with his socks!

This is what the course was for 13.1 miles. Definitely not possible to stay clean during this race. 

  

Just getting started on the course...

13.1 miles later! And yeah, his nipples bleed a lot when he runs. He has tried a lot of different things to stop it from happening, but he always looks like he got bullet wound when he finishes. 

My husband thought I should end this post with a close-up shot of his bloody nipple, but after seeing it all big and bloody on my blog, I decided that it was a slippery slope that I didn't want to venture down. 

So you are welcome for not including a chaffed nipple shot. 

~ With Love, Ashlee ~

High Five For Friday!

I have to say...this was a little bit of a hard post to do today. Yesterday I knew all five things that I was super excited about and going to mention in this post, but when I woke up this morning to a migraine, nausea and stomach cramps, I wasn't too excited about anything.

But my husband put me back to bed with a cold, wet washcloth and a fuzzy heating pad and I slept until most of the pain went away. Nothing like being able to sleep until 1:00pm on a Friday just because I don't feel good. 

(Sidenote: days like today I know are going to be missed once we have kids. I can't even imagine how much it must suck to be sick and still be a mom).

Since my illness cancelled out a few of my plans for today, here is my slightly updated list of five things that I am excited about today.

one. 

This. Beautiful. Hat. 

 I love this hat. So stinking much. It is made out of Malabrigo. It has a pom-pom. It was made following my very own pattern. 

It is absolute perfection and I have worn it for two days straight and plan on adding a third tomorrow.

Except...

The yarn colors are too light to photograph well. In person, the mint green and the gray are so lovely, but it is very hard to capture the color changes, so I can't use this hat for the photos that I want to use on my pattern. 

This problem brings me to my next item....

two. 

This. Beautiful. Yarn. 

 I needed something brighter and bolder to go up against the light gray, so I went out and bought fushsia Malabrigo yarn to knit the hat with. 

 

 I think this color combo is going to look great. Light silver gray and neon hot pink. 

Any excuse to knit another hat!

three. 

I am waking up in six hours so I can go watch my husband participate in a half marathon. I am looking forward to it because...

a) It is a trail run on single track, so he is going to have a blast running through the Georgia mountains. 

b) It has been raining yesterday, today, and won't stop until after the race is done. 

a + b = muddiest run ever and a happy husband

four. 

For the past two weeks, my house became a part of the Bermuda Triangle. 

I lost over six packages all filled with work supplies. 

And it wasn't just one carrier. I lost them via USPS, UPS & FedEx. Everyone possible lost a package of mine. 

As of today though, five of the six have been delivered. I've given up hope for the last lost one. The tracking information says it was delivered last week to a city over an hour away. 

I had one package come from California, get to Atlanta, head back out to Kentucky and Ohio, then make its way back to Atlanta.

With the deliveries of packages yesterday and today, my backed up jewelry orders finally got made and shipped out today. 

Thankfully all my customers were really cool about it, but gosh, I hate asking people to wait so long for orders to ship.

five. 

My new business cards came. 

They have my new logo on them. 

I made them. They are beautiful. 

You aren't going to see them yet though. 

I am still waiting on two more things that were shipped separately (please oh please don't get lost) and then I will unveil my new packaging to you. 

I hope you all are having a wonderful Friday! I only have 19 more minutes of it here.

Another crazy night in the ATL!

~With Love, Ashlee~

Cyberspace Corral!

Like that alliteration?!? That is only the brain child of my husband and I after a 20 minute discussion/thesaurus search. I wanted a reoccurring title that I could use to showcase some of the awesome/funky/weird/lovely things I find on the internet during the day.

So how could the contents of this blog post match up to the title you might wonder? Well...it most likely won't as the title is sheer perfection, but I can give it a shot anyway.

one.

This morning my husband and I were talking about my blog and what I wanted to publish today. I had been thinking about doing a sort of 'wishlist' highlighting some of my favorite things that I have found via pinterest/etsy/blogs. 

You know...a 'things that I wish I could afford but I can't' blog post.

Without missing a beat, he told me to go to youtube and type in 'I Wish' by Skee-Lo. I did and found this...

So at 7:30am this morning, I sat at my desk and watched all four minutes of this.

Afterwards my husband told me I should open up the wishlist blog post with that video. 

I love that my husband is able to remember obscure, random rap from the mid-90's at the drop of a hat. 

two. 

I get emails from bodybuilding.com throughout the day and today I received one that had this startling graphic inside of it. 

Does anyone else never ever ever ever want to sit again??

three.

On a more uplifting note, I discovered 'Darling Magazine' today and fell in love.

It is an incredibly uplifting, honest online magazine that I can't believe I never heard of before. I saw a link to an article today in my Facebook newsfeed about creating a 'To-Don't' list and I believe that the article found me at a very appropriate time.

To Don't List article - http://darlingmagazine.org/the-to-dont-list

four.

I absolutely adore 'Life of Bon.' A seriously funny lady.

Today I was catching up on her blog and was super excited to discover that she is having a book club via her blog every month!

We are tele-meeting the last Wednesday of every month and this month's book is 'Gone Girl,' which I have been wanting to read for a bit now.

I am incredibly excited to take part in this and be a part of an online book club. You should join too!

Find out more here - http://www.thelifeofbon.com/2013/01/update-update-get-yer-update.html

So that's what I found today! 

Hope you are having a great evening and for God's sake, stop sitting!!!

~ With Love, Ashlee ~

Nomsa Knits: Pattern Making!

I have a passion for all things knitting, that is at times, a bit unhealthy.

Over dinner tonight, my husband asked me how my new hat was coming along. I then proceeded to go into a five minute monologue at how fantastic the yarn that I am using is. I described how the wool is perfectly soft, the subtle color changes of the hand-dyed yarn is blending so well together, and that the yarn glides along my bamboo needles effortlessly. 

I am in some serious yarn love with Malabrigo. 

I have used it once before on a hat and loved it, but I could never find it in any local yarn stores where most of my yarn buying occurs. I prefer buying yarn in person because I get to justify standing in a yarn store for 30 minutes rubbing things on my face and being able to touch EVERYTHING. 

I become 'that' misbehaving kid we all see in the stores whose mom says thirty times during their five minute trip, 'Don't touch! Touch with your eyes, not with your hands!' I squeeze, grab and manhandle every ball of yarn I come in contact with, feeling a little bit wrong but also exhilarated. 

I discovered a new yarn store here in Atlanta about a month ago and have been there twice now for some Malabrigo. I am pretty sure it is going to become a weekly habit and I can claim that it is all for 'business' so my husband is alright with it.

Over the past few months, I have had a hat pattern bouncing around in my head that I have been trying to create into fruition. 

 

  I haven't really ever written a real knitting pattern before and there has been a lot of trial and error. I busted out some graph paper and sketched out the design, but actually figuring out the math of it all has proved to be a challenge. 

I have knit the same hat about seven different times now. Each time I try to adjust the size of it, height of it, the shape of the crown and alter the design so it fits perfectly. 

 

 I hope to be done with the hat completely by Friday with all my silly math kinks worked out. If I knew that I would be using this much math in real life after high school, I would have asked my algebra teacher about knitting gauges and how much needle size affects your knitting.  

The photos of the red and white hat are my prototype that I knit/tore apart/knit/tore apart/knit/tore apart/knit/tore apart/knit successfully. 

I used a Plymouth Select Merino Superwash for it, and am currently using the Malabrigo to reknit the hat again, to make sure the pattern is correct.

With that being said, I am really in love with this pattern. I think that it is going to be fantastic once it is written up, and I can't wait to share my first official knitting pattern with the knitting world. 

Hopefully Saturday or Sunday, I be able to show you finished product photos of the Malabrigo yarn hat being modeled, along with the pattern. Until then, does anyone have any advice on how to conquer the math used in knitting? 

~With Love, Ashlee~

Bright, Colorful Jewelry! And Bracelets!

 I am so happy to announce that I FINALLY have bracelets available for purchase in my etsy store!!

(And the crowd goes wild)

I have had so much fun making these and love all of the different colors, metals, and leather possibilities. These really have been a great project to work on and helped me focus on what direction I want to take my business this next year.

Basically, this coming year, you are going to be seeing a lot more colorful, romantic jewelry added to my line and some of the older designs phased out. My eye is naturally drawn to bright, flirty jewelry and since I want to wear it, I might as well make it!!

(That's the best part of being a jewelry designer right there. You get to make and wear anything you want!)

So cue the color-block earrings! Fun and festive, these dainty earrings are a delight to wear!

And here is also some jewelry for those that like the romantic look. Simple, sweet, and perfect for everyday wear.

Check out all of these new bracelets and designs at my etsy store - www.mycellardoor.etsy.com. 

I am so excited for this new direction and I can't wait to share more new designs with you over these next few months!

~ With Love, Ashlee ~

High Five For Friday!

My last 'High Five for Friday' was wayyyyy back in May. Like eight months ago May!

Hello, my name is Ashlee and I have been a terrible blogger.

Despite my lack of sharing, I have to say...my life is pretty awesome at the moment. I don't want to jinx it, but I am feeling incredibly blessed and happy as of late. So besides my life being good in general, here are my five things that I am particularly excited about today!

one. 

I just ran 18 motherf*&$%ing miles. Yeah, 18 miles. 

I am feeling pretty darn proud of myself. This was a huge mental hurdle for me and I still can't imagine running what I did today and another 8 miles in a month (the Atlanta Marathon is March 17th)!

source

This is how I felt finishing my run today. Definitely didn't look that fabulous though. 

two. 

Got my birchbox today! And it was a good one too! I don't want to spoil all the fun for any of you still waiting to get yours (hey mom!), but this one was good. No ziploc bags or band-aids this month!

 source

I did want to show you this awesome nail polish that I got that I am going to try out next week. It's not a color I would normally choose (Wild Cactus), but it is so vibrant and pretty that I have I am willing to get out of my fingernail polish comfort zone and give it a whirl.

three. 

Tomorrow evening the husband and I are attending a fancy dinner and auction for his law school. He has been working hard to get donations for the auction since all the money raised will go to providing scholarships to law students who get an unpaid summer job working with non-profits and in the public sector.

I am excited about this because, I get to put on up in a fancy dress, lift my pinkie while I elegantly sip wine and eat free food.

four. 

The husband and I signed up today for swing dance lessons through our church. This is something that we have talked about for a while and I am so glad we finally were able to commit to it. 

five. 

I am about to go watch three hours of this show and drink wine.

 

source

If you like Kevin Spacey or political thrillers, watch this show. With us being political nerds, this show is right up our alley. 

I hope everyone else is having a fabulous Friday! 

~ With Love, Ashlee ~

New Look!

My blog got a little bit of a make-over! 

I have been working hard the past few weeks trying to get my blog in a better state. The whole thing was just too busy before and I wanted something streamlined, where your eyes don't bug out of head when it loads. 

I played with some watercolor paints today for the first time and created the flowers that you see in my logo above. 

I know they are simple, but I am pretty darn proud of them. I had really fallen in love with some floral watercolor paintings/graphic designs lately and I wanted to try to do a few myself. 

Can I also say that I feel like a genius for figuring out how to actually do things in HTML and CSS. 

And also just for figuring out my scanner to upload my flower paintings.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Valentine's Day!

~ With Love, Ashlee ~