30 Before 31

I have to say, my 30th birthday was one of the best so far. I woke up to three grey hairs and gifts on the table. My darling Shaun gave me a flask and some super cute kitty measuring cups! I'm one lucky broad.

Not my photo, obviously. Get these through ModCloth!

Now, on to the list. I wanted to put this up on my birthday, but I ended up running my little half marathon, then running around like a crazy lady to get things prepped for my birthday get-together, which turned out to be SO MUCH FUN. Totally worth my first hangover in years. Thank goodness for coconut water and Denver's best vegan pho from Pho 95!

Aaaaaand... here are 30 things I'm going to do before I turn 31.

1. Ride a motorcycle.

2. Go to the teahouse in Boulder again.

3. Sew my own lingerie. Undies for sure.  Possibly something else, too.

4. Try pad thai.

5. Go on a 90 day spending fast.

6. Fire a gun.

7. Make sourdough bread (with my great uncle Ken’s recipe, if anyone still has it).

8. Buy new running shoes.

9. Find jackfruit and make something out of it.

10. Wear red lipstick in public.

11. Bake (vegan) French macarons.

12. Go to yoga class every day for 30 days.

13. Learn how to can.

14. Spend some time in front of the camera.

15. Read at least 15 books.

16. Make cupcakes for Marcelo.

17. Fix the fan on my laptop... or just buy a new laptop.

18. Hang out on the beach.

19. Come up with a good veggie burger recipe.

20. Go out to dinner by myself.

21. Draw or paint a picture of my Monk and Mao kitties.

22. Fix my broken chandelier.

23. Stop being afraid to say no.

24. Make raw cupcakes.

25. Start learning Spanish with Shaun.

26. Run 100 miles in one month. (That’s only 3.33 miles per day!)

27. Get my twitter lists under control.

28. Be happy in a bikini.

29. Eat a vegan corn dog.

30. Dance.

I'm excited for every single thing on the list. This year is going to be tits!

What about you? How are you going to change your life this year?

What I'm Wearing - 07.11.10

(See Flickr for a funny story about the dress!)

Dress - American Eagle, thrifted
Black tube top - A little boutique in Lahaina, Maui
Shoes - Aldo
Flower necklace - Vintage pin worn as a pendant, gift

Mao always comes into the room and starts lovin' on me as soon as I set the camera and tripod up to take pictures. After I opened the curtains so he could jump in the window, he started rolling around and being extra cute.

Right after I took this, he got carried away and rolled right off of the window sill. It was pretty hilarious.

What I'm Wearing - 07.09.10

Mustard yellow top - Thrifted, Forever21
Black dress - Thrifted, no tags
Black tulle skirt - Target (kid's section!)
Fishnet thigh highs - Who knows... I've had them since high school
Blue ballet flats - Eddie Bauer
Locket - Some "ethnic" store in the mall
White medallion - Target
Kitty tapestry bag - Thrifted for $3.99 (!)

Weekend Treasures

Since the boyfriend has to work weekends now, I wandered around town and went to a few thrift stores and an estate sale to keep myself entertained. How is that different from the weekends when he didn't work, you ask? When I go alone, there's no one to talk sense into me and my inner hoarder. Luckily I didn't get myself into too much trouble this time.

I found...

A big wooden drawer. I have no idea what I'll do with it but it was too pretty to leave behind.

Mao checked it out to make sure it was okay.

Two adorable little hand embroidered pieces.




Two metal kitty figurines.


Three old painted doorknobs. No idea where I'll put them. I just have a thing for doorknobs.


And a velvety red hat.


I left the room for a minute, and came back to this. I think Miss Monk is confused about how to wear a hat.

Total spent: $20.

Dancing Cat

My friend Chelsea sent me the link to The 30 Most Important Cats of 2009. There are some hilarious videos on there, but this is probably the funniest cat video I've seen in a long time. It gets a little funnier each time you watch it, too.

Craft Swap

When I got home from work on Friday, I had a package waiting for me in the mail from Maura, my craft partner in the Skunkboy Creatures craft swap. I opened it up, and what did I find?

Awesomeness!!! Maura is the felt master. See?

I think Mao liked everything, too.

I got some amazingly sweet comments on the clutch I sent to Maura (on Flickr here), and I even got asked to do a custom clutch for a lovely girl in WI! This all really motivated me to get my Etsy shop back up & running, so if I go back to blogging a little less frequently, just know that I'm being productive and getting my shit together. :)

I've also seen a few new followers show up recently. Welcome, and thank you! I can't wait to get to know you all!

XOXO,
Amber

What I'm Wearing

I got out of work early and finally rearranged my room so I have a place to take pictures. Now I just need to convince the sun to stay up later in the evening so it's not too dark to take pictures when I usually get home from work.


Black dress: Forever 21 (bought in Vegas 4 years ago)
Striped cardigan: Thrifted
Black tights: Target
Ballet flats: Nine West (orig. $125, on clearance for $15!)
Necklace charms: Estate sales
Handsome cat: My darling Mao (wearing his favorite stripey pants)

I wore this for a coffee date with a friend I hadn't seen in a couple years, but hope to see more of in the future. I kind of feel like a redheaded Alice in Wonderland in the dress. I should probably wear it more often.

Friday Night Cuteness

This is the kind of stuff that got me through the week. Kitties will always make everything better.

The Real Monk and Mao

I think it's time you all met my muses.

Mao

Mao is the handsomest kitty boy ever. He was kind of a surprise. My grandparents got him from someone who was giving away kittens in front of a grocery store (because most people in rural Utah are too irresponsible and ignorant to get their pets spayed or neutered, but let's not get into that). Grandpa had been getting weaker and it was getting harder for him to walk, and he had had a few falls. Mao LOVES nudging legs and feet. This did not work out. The grandparents decided that when kitty got older, he would be an outside cat (there's that irresponsible pet ownership thing again). A few months later, Grandpa ended up in the hospital and I went to Utah to visit him. I met this naughty leg-loving (and luckily still indoor) cat. I instantly fell in love. Two days later, he was my passenger for the 8-hour drive home. And he was a peach!

Now he sits in the window and waits for my car to pull up. He meets me at the door and talks to me while he rubs on my legs until he tips over.

When he's really relaxed, his mouth starts to hang open and his shiny black bottom lip sticks out. It's the strangest thing!

Monk

Monk is my apple-headed Siamese girl. Mao and I were getting ready to move out of the boyfriend's condo into a place of our own and I decided to get him a friend before we moved. I was afraid he would get lonely while I was at work, and thought having a kitty friend might ease his transition into the new house. I rescued Miss Monk from a family who was going to take her to the Dumb Friends League because one of the children was allergic to her. You'd never guess it now, but she was the skinniest little thing when I picked her up! She's now quite round, and has the funniest little short legs. She's also surprisingly quiet for a Siamese.

She might be half his size, but she sure can kick Mao's ass.

You don't know happiness until you've taken a mid-afternoon nap with a kitty or two. :)