It's MY day.

My birthday, that is. Can I getta woot woot?! 27 years old. So close to 30! Yet I still feel like a little kid.

Rob has a plan for us tonight. Not sure what it is, but I have my suspicions. I dressed up like a rock star today. Black top, shiny black pants, black boots, and my hair all spiked out. Unfortunately I don't get good height. I think I need some more product.

I like this look. I think maybe the reason I love those dark hair, pale guitar boys is because I'm drawn to that "look". So I decided I'm going to get a great pair of sexy black skinny jeans, some more black tank tops, and I want to dye my hair black again. If that doesn't scream rock star, I don't know what does! Obviously I'm going through an identity crisis right now. 1/3 life crisis, maybe. I just want to be (as Tyra would say) FIERCE, instead of boring. Boring sucks.

So as not to be completely boring, here are a few photos from our recent vacation. Rob and I were trying out our model faces. Rob is so Zoolander, but a frightened Zoolander.



Rob and his fam at the top of Mount Washington.



And here I am striking a pose in Cambridge. I bought that top while we were in Providence. I'm addicted to that color.


I hope you all enjoy my birthday!

EDIT: I just realized I'm making kissy faces in both photos. I can't help it. It's either that, or I stick my tongue out. I always feel hokey smiling like a normal person.

Oh yeah (yeah yeah).

So I mentioned how I wish I were Karen O. But it wasn't until a few days ago that I realized that I am completely obsessed with YYY's guitarist, N.Z. I think it has to do with the fact that I keep listening to their song, "Phenomena" over and over. Something about his sound.

And once again, I find myself fixated on a disturbed, skinny, pale, vegan guitarist with wild black hair. (Yes, there are more of them. Conor was first.) So what is with me? What's the draw to that type? Perhaps it's because I'd want to be able to borrow their tiny clothes and hair gel.

But c'mon. You can't watch this video and deny the foxiness. Okay, maybe you can. But I can't.



Don't worry, Rob's not jealous. Besides, I know he's got a thing for Karen O. He loves those half-Korean crazy gals. I should know, I am one.

O, how I want to be you!

Karen O, that is. That chick is WILD and such a rock star. I love it! If I could do anything in the world (and I can't, no matter what my mom told me), I'd be a front woman in a band like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Dream life.

Enough dreaming though. Last night we went to their show at the Electric Factory and what an event! I've realized that my hair is the perfect length for thrashing around. Not too long where it hits other people, but just long enough to get some movement. Um, so yeah, my neck hurts. I don't think I've ever gotten such good cardio at a show before.

We arrived right as the doors opened, barely any line waiting. And for some reason, there were still spots along the front rail when we walked in, so we took a cozy area at the left corner of the stage. It was close. Awesomely close. Here's an example. At one point, Karen O came by, laid down with her head hanging off the stage and stuck the mic in her mouth. This is only slightly zoomed with my crappy digital camera:


It was an outstanding show. Totally worth staying up hours past my bedtime therefore sitting here exhausted at work. Here's my Karen O-llage.


I really needed last night. This week has been packed with signing contracts, checking out apartments and storage, getting everything ready for vacation (i.e. new tires for my car), and trying to get some much needed errands run (i.e. haircut at 4pm today). But everything is working out. Looks like we might not be apartment living afterall, thanks to a very generous offer from someone. I'll get into that later.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Relief

After more than four months and nearly 40 realtor visits, our condo is FINALLY going under contract! I can't even explain the amount of relief I am currently feeling. The contract won't be ready for signing until a few days, but if all goes as planned, we'll be out of here shortly.

I'd prefer a little time to pack and take care of the hassles such as utilities and mail, but Rob, anxious as usual, wants to hurry the hell out of here so there's less chance of something falling through. I understand where he's coming from. But considering we are going away on vacation all of next week and have every single weekend booked up until the 15th, expecting to be ready to close on the 17th seems a little tight. I'm pushing for the 24th.

It's going to be a crazy few weeks!

This was a great place for the last three years, but I'm ready to move on. Our new home is going to be fantastic, whenever it's ready! Until then, it'll be back to apartment living for us.

So you wanna know about me?

Whitney and Jonathan over at Brown Sugar Design have tagged me to post 8 random things about myself. Well, I'm pretty random, so that's easy. Unfortunately for all of you, "concise" doesn't really describe me, so have fun reading my ramblings. (Like my cheesy headshot?)

• I wear glasses because I’m afraid to touch my eyes. You should see me at the eye doctor. I have to warn him in advance that I may freak out if he gets too close.


• Some people already know this, but I’m half Korean and half Irish. I feel like I look a lot less Asian than most of the half Asians I know.


• When I was in third grade, my dad entered me into a 1.5 mile race. What was he thinking? Not only was I one of the last kids to cross the finish line, but I puked all over the place as soon as I did! Me and athletics don’t mix.


• Growing up, I had a Friday tradition. My grandfather would pick me up at 3pm so my mom could go waitress at a Japanese restaurant. We’d stop at the liquor store for a case of beer and a pretzel rod, then I’d sit through hours of programming such as Hunter, Hawaii 5-0, Magnum PI, and People’s Court. My grandmother and my father would arrive around 6pm, one of them with a pizza, and we’d eat in front of the tv, while watching Cheers and Night Court. Then my dad and I would head home around 8pm. This took place every Friday for probably around 4-5 years.


• I took the SAT’s in 7th grade. I got a 740…TOTAL. But I redeemed myself in high school with a 1390. I only wish they actually meant something.


• Nearly every time I walk down a flight of stairs, I envision myself falling down them and I cringe a little. So I’m always extra careful. I have no clue where this fear of stairs came from.


• I have a love/hate relationship with public speaking. I think I’m pretty damn good at it, but I always dread it.


• Right now, I have this intense urge to dye a big platinum streak in my bangs.

I'm supposed to tag 8 people, but I know some people would never do this, so I'll only tag people that I know would play along, OR people that rarely update their blogs anyway!

Kristen at Taylor Made Designs
Maria the Chocolate Princess
Devon the blog slacker
Mary of Supafly Designs
Mary at Diversion Mary
Tomoko at Tadworks
Rachel at überpaper
Dave at 8th Ave

Hiding Out

There is so much going on. I can't go into detail, but my work life isn't all peaches and butterflies right now. There's major change going on, which is causing me (and everyone else here) tremendous amounts of stress. The worst part is that we are all unaware of what that change will be. Like I really need any added onto my home-selling stress. Argh!!! So if you could send some positive vibes my way, I'd greatly appreciate it!

In the meantime, let me give you a list of some of the goings on that I haven't blogged about!

I'm doing another show in October! It's called Made for You, and I have a feeling it's going to be more of an appropriate show for me than Art Star was.

We're skipping Lollapalooza this year. I sold my tix because it didn't fit into our schedule (timing-wise and financially) at this point.

Instead, we're adding a little time to our summer New Hampshire trip! We'll be stopping in Providence, RI on the way up and Boston, MA on the way down. Four star hotels both places! Thank you Hotwire.com!!! We'll be living the life of luxury at a discounted price. (The Hotel Providence and The Westin Copley Place)

Still showing our house. We had two visits yesterday. No bites. But we found out our new place is now not going to be ready until March. Five month delay. Good and bad.

Also, because of missing Lollapalooza, we added two concerts to our calendar. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs in a few weeks and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah in November, both Lolla performers. Hmm, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Yeah Yeah.

I had an amazing time in Arizona! Thanks to my lovely ladies for taking care of me and protecting me from the heat! Looking forward to another trip out there in November if all goes well.

Hope you are all doing okay out there! I promise I won't be in hiding forever!

"I'm melting! I'm melting!"

That's what I'll be screeching after my plane lands in Arizona tomorrow morning. Who goes to Arizona in the summer??

I do. I needed a break from everyday life, so I booked a flight to Arizona to visit my two favorite girls! We are going to kick back and craft and swim and lounge and maybe even play some Guitar Hero. Who knows?! But I am excited indeed!

We always have the bestest time together!


Honestly, how can you not love these girls?!


So I'll be away until Monday. Have a pleasant weekend everyone!


Oh, and just for mista, who is very interested in hearing my iPhone review: I LOVE IT!!! There hasn't been a single disappointment so far. I can't believe I can check my email anywhere! Coverage has been great for me. Battery life has been fine. I'd like a little more storage (I went with the 4GB version), only because I could only fit 4 episodes of America's Next Top Model (Season 8) on there along with my music and photos. I got used to the keyboard in a few days and am very impressed at its intuitiveness. So all in all, the iPhone comes highly recommended from me! (Go ahead mista, get one!)

Luck o' the draw!

Rob and I went to First Friday this weekend and had a great time wandering around the galleries of Philadelphia. But the highlight had to be our trip to the new art store on Market St between 3rd and 4th. Great store! The location is so much more convenient than Pearl, for me. And I picked up some gorgeous papers while I was there.

Since it was their first First Friday, they were holding a few drawings for some artsy fartsy prizes. Well, guess what. Rob and I EACH won something! How lucky is that???

Rob ended up with a calligraphy/lettering set, which is really a prize for me. I doubt Rob is going to start learning calligraphy any time soon.


And I was lucky enough to walk away with one of their best prizes!


Because what I really need is another crafty obsession.

See? I'm a winner, no matter what those kids in my 8th grade English class said!

"I want the world!"

"I want the whole world. I want to lock it all up in my pocket, it's my bar of chocolate! Give it to me!"

- Veruca Salt



I am so impatient. And greedy. I didn't need this. Not at all. But I couldn't help treating myself to this magnificent piece of technology! It's just so...so...COOL!!!!


Happy 4th of July!

Shiver me timbers!

Saturday we were invited to attend a pirate-themed party. Or is it parrrrr-ty? Three neighbors took down their fences to hold this huge summer bash, filled with festivities! I'd have to say, it was quite an elaborate event!

Here I am, all decked out:


And a few choice photos from the affair:


(see more pirate photos here)

What's the deal with birds?

In design, they are everywhere nowadays! But you know what, I love 'em anyhow! Birdie silhouettes are found everywhere from notecards to fabrics to websites, and I just don't get sick of them.

So much so that I bought two, that's right, two bags sporting little birds.

This first one I bought from Black Bags about a month ago and I've been using it non-stop. My favorite part is the attached key fob, which makes finding my keys in my mess of a bag while walking through a dark parking garage a breeze!

photo courtesy of Black Bags


And a new purchase that hasn't arrived yet is this adorable owl-bedecked shoulder bag from Sugar Cane.

photo courtesy of Sugar Cane

Can't wait to see it!

Congratulations to the winner(s)!!!

The drawing was postponed a little bit because Rob and I had someone else come look at the condo tonight, so we had to skedaddle. But when I got home, I wrote all your little screen names down on tiny white pieces of paper and put them in a fishbowl. How cliché, right?

Let me set the scene for you. It's 8:15 pm at my dining room table. It needs to be dusted. I just had some chicken salad from Panera. Yum.


Anyway, after stalling for a while, telling me stories about his day, Rob realized that I was anxious and drew the name!


Woohoo! Congratulations RJ of Stationery Hustle! You were my first etsy client and now my first contest winner! So it's well deserved. :-)

But Rob couldn't let it end there. He felt the need to draw another name, just to see. So I figured I'd offer up a little "runner-up" prize (a pack of my new appointment cards) to the name he drew.


Congratulations to Sequana, who wanted to meet Bill Gates so she could give him a critique. I like her.

RJ I still have your address so I'll send out your package this week. Sequana, if you could email me your address, I'll get your package out as well. Thanks for playing my game everyone! I think I will definitely have to do this again soon!

Sally Sells Condos by the Seashore

Selling this place has been mega-stressful. First of all, it sucks to have to clean the place every single morning because there's always the possibility of someone stopping by to check it out. Oh how I hate making the bed everyday! Secondly, it sucks every time someone comes into this house and leaves all the lights on and the doors unlocked. Thirdly, it sucks to never find out any sort of feedback regarding what people think about your home!

Lastly, it sucks to go through the bidding battle. We got a bid this weekend (our first), but it was MUCH lower than what we were willing to give it up for. So we countered. Bidder said no because he was waiting on other offers. They must have all said no because he just came back with yet another bid. STILL lower than what we want. So we countered again. Now we wait. Rob is more desperate than I am, and I know he wants to take whatever this guy comes back with. I'm not as anxious because it's so much lower than what we listed our house for.

But it's a bad market out there for sellers. So I may as well bite the bullet, sell the place, move into an apartment, and count down the days until our new home is complete. Not bad. Hey, if it wasn't a buyer's market, we wouldn't have been able to afford our awesome new townhouse. It goes both ways. If we sell to this guy, we have to move in a month! That'll make July the month-o-packing.

I'll keep you guys updated. In other news, don't forget about the contest below! Winner announced tomorrow evening. Good luck!!!!

The FIRST melissahead contest ever!

I had mentioned a few posts ago that Tomoko from TADworks inspired the idea of holding my own little contest. So here it is!

First of all, there is a (sort of) brand new product in the melissahead line. I had appointment cards previously, but I decided to take them up a notch. So now I have the Assorted Appointment Cards pack, which includes 8 cards (2 of each design) and adorable, little translucent sleeves to house them.


To enter the contest you must submit a comment that answers the following question, in honor of the new cards:
If you could schedule a meeting with anyone, alive, dead, real, fictitious, who would it be and why?

Einstein? Socrates? God? Johnny Depp? Me??? The options are endless!

Winner of the contest will receive a melissahead gift pack, which includes a set of the new appointment cards pictured here, as well as some other goodies, like a boxed set of notecards, some gift tags, etc. Basically whatever I can get my hands on, but trust me, it'll be good! I'll draw a random winner on Wednesday, the 27th at 8pm ET. Good luck to all!!!

Renegade Craft Fair: Download

It was so great to attend the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn on Saturday, solely as a shopper and observer. The crowds were jumping, much moreso than at Art Star. After an hour long train ride and a few subway trips, we found our way to the McCarren Park Pool which, instead of water, was filled with indie craft vendor after vendor.

Here I am with my mom at the entrance:


I was really blown away by all the great vendors. I couldn't allow myself the pleasure of buying everything that I loved. That would have been silly. But I did walk away with some great stuff.

Here are my purchases for the day:


Clockwise from top left: My treats from an amazing $5 grab bag (great deal) from Sesame Letterpress; geeky Mac shirt from Campfire (and I plan on getting the "City of Crack, Philadelphia" shirt in the near future); set of magnets in a cute tin from Miss Chief; and a screenprinted t-shirt from Ahpeele

I also picked up two issues of Venus Zine, which I really have to get a subscription to. And I bought this shirt ("You learn something new and depressing every day,") from The Onion for Rob. It's very appropriate.


Rob also picked up a few things of his own. He had a tough time deciding between all the hilarious shirts from Dangerous Breed, but settled on this one at my urging.


And he bought two journals from Book Journals. They use covers from old books to make blank journals. One of his covers says "Animal Diseases" and the other says "Sexy Sexy Bicycle."

Here are a few random shots from the event:


There was so much great stuff there, I was in heaven! I grabbed a ton of business cards, so I'm sure I'll be shopping in the future. Some favorite booths (not previously mentioned) included Fisk and Fern, My Favorite Mirror, My Paper Crane, The Black Apple, Imogene, Magpie, Lotta Jansdotter, Fern Animals, The Dyslexic Press, Marilyn Patrizio, Modern Planet, Strawberry Luna, Super Maggie, and So Softies. And there were even more than that, but some booths were too packed to even venture into! It'll take me weeks to get through my little Renegade Event Program to browse through everything I may have missed!

Anyway, hope you found some good links from this post. Gotta support my fellow indie crafters. Who knows, maybe next year I'll have a table at Renegade! If so, I'll have to remember my sun screen because I got some killer sunburn. Doh!

Paper, eh?

You'd think that the paper anniversary would be an easy one for me, but I don't think giving Rob a pack of appointment cards and a set of gift tags is really appropriate. I whipped up a little makeshift Renegade Craft Fair gift certificate for tomorrow, and I have a geeky gift, of course. Microscope slides. Woohoo!

But I thought I'd write a silly little poem for him, like I used to. Figured I'd share with all you strangers out there!


It’s been one year since we embarked on joyful wedded bliss
On June 15th I became Mrs., instead of just a Miss
That year’s flown by and in that time more memories were shared
So now today, we can reflect and see how well we’ve fared

There’s been some strain along the way, we’ve had our share of stress
But I, the optimist, would say it works out for the best
You’ll change your school and things will be superior, by far
And look at me, I’m bound to be a craft girl superstar

We’ll sell our home and probably for a reasonable price
Our driving time will cut in half which will be oh so nice
Everything will be pristine, you’re really going to love it
The bathtub will have naught been used, you will not have to scrub it

And after we have settled down our time it will arrive
Where we could do most anything that our hearts could contrive
We’ll have so much free time on hand we won’t know what to do
And I don’t care as long as it’s free time that’s spent with you

So thank you for this brilliant year we’ve spent as man and wife
And thanks, as well, for years to come as we move through our life
I hope that you enjoyed this little ditty that I’ve penned
And remember, you’re not just my spouse, you’re also my best friend


Awww.

365 Days

That's how long it's been since Rob and I tied the proverbial knot at the Forever Grand Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas! Wow. I really can't believe how quickly this last year has gone. I feel like we were just partying it up at the Skylofts with our friends and family.

Here are a few (okay, more than a few) photos of the momentous occasion:

Bloggers Make Me Shop

I can't help it. When I see really cute things in other people's blogs, I'm compelled to buy them. It's a curse.

So when Rachel of überpaper posted about her new Envirosax® Reusable Grocery Bags, I had to get a set for myself. I just placed the order for their Retro Graphics Set. Aren't they cute?


Rob's always complaining about the amount of plastic bags we accumulate, although we did just dump off most of them at the bag recycling bin at the grocery store. But still, I'm totally pro-reusable bags! And maybe other shoppers will see how adorable they are and inquire about them!

What happened to my break??

I thought I'd get to relax, but things have been really busy lately. I attribute a lot of that to my "corporate" day job life, which isn't as relaxed as it could be. But I don't want to get into that!

This week, my outside of work life has consisted of making 100 thank you cards. I kind of wish I would have designed one with less assemblage required, but I'm a glutton for punishment.

Here they are:


They were designed to coordinate with this baby shower invitation and gift tag that I had done a few months ago:


I'm working on a few new melissahead things. There's a new pack of appointment cards that should be in later this week. I'm pretty excited about them! And I'm considering having a little contest because I've been inspired by Tomoko from TADwords. Keep an eye out next week!

Gosh, I have so much to gab about. The world of swapping that I've recently discovered to the fun new bag that I ordered from Black Bags. But they'll have to come later. I am sleepy and still have to clean up my craft mess before bedtime. G'night!

Field Day 2007 - Red vs. Gold

Saturday was Ryan's annual Field Day party. Events scheduled were volleyball, wiffleball, rock paper scissors, beer pong, and flip cup. Here are some highlights from the day.

Shirt decorating is always my favorite. I was able to bring along my Be-Dazzler (that's right, I own one) and be-dazzle my first shirt ever. Since Rob was viscious and made an anti-Melissa shirt, I felt no guilt making my own shirt.

1. RJ and Rob, showing off their artwork, 2. Be-Dazzling!, 3. Ryan, Party Host, 4. Leah, wearing the infamous "Rob Muscle Shirt" from 2006


1. Forbidden Love, 2. Preparing for Rock Paper Scissors, 3. Scissors Cuts Paper, 4. Defeated

We ended up leaving during the beer events, so I'm not sure who won. But I'm going to say Gold, just because it's my blog and I can claim what I want.