My Love

Today is my 2 year anniversary with my amazing boyfriend Adam. I'm not sure why/how he has put up with me for the last 2 years but I am grateful.

Thank you for being so wonderful.

I first started crushing on our trip to China - July 2009 - We had our first kiss in Shanghai :)

Head over heels - February 2010

2 years later - I love you

I love you! xoxox,

Jes

Work it

My friend Maureen over at New on U featured me in her Work-it Wednesday post! It is my first time ever being featured on a blog so I feel super official. Even though I know Mo personally, I still feel special. :)

So check it out!

*I think Maureen's Work-It Wednesday post was good luck! The day this blog was published I was offered my "promotion." I have been working 11 hour days to get caught up but I don't mind because everything is new and exciting.

So if I fall off the blog wagon for a little bit, I hope you will forgive me. The dust will settle soon!

I'm workin' it girl ;)

Jes

oh, how PINTERESTing! #2

I miss the beach - Terribly. I caught myself daydreaming in the office yesterday of sand between my toes, and then it occurred to me that I haven't seen the beach since 2010, Memorial Day weekend. That's sort of a long time, right?

I miss this.

So today, I am linking up with Vintage Apple to daydream of the beach once more for Oh, how PINTERESTing Wednesdays.

Dream with me...

So, who's with me?!

Bon Voyage!

Jes

Easiest Cake Pops Ever

So a few months ago I tried making cake pops the real way... bake a cake, crumble it with a fork, mix it with the perfect amount of frosting, roll into balls, stab yourself in the eyeball, freeze balls, stab with cake pop sticks, dip into candy melt mush, get mad when they keep falling apart while trying to coat them, cuss and stuff your face with ruined cake balls, end up with 10 good cake pops out of a batch of what felt like 30, and finally swear to never make cake pops again. The cake pops were super DELICIOUS but they took for-ev-er and I did not enjoy making them.

Then, my roommate got me the Babycakes Cake Pop maker for Christmas this year and let me tell ya... I LOVE MAKING CAKE POPS! Seriously so easy. A tablespoon of batter in each reservoir and 4 minutes of baking time is all it takes! You still have to go through the candy melt part but it is much easier when your cake balls aren't threatening to fall apart on you every ten seconds.

This batch I went for lemon cake balls stuffed with raspberries and pink candy melt coating for Valentine's Day of course ;)

The raspberries floated to the top while baking but I think they looked amazing!

Perfectly simple.

If you have been dying to make cake pops or just want to speed up the process, i highly recommend the Babycakes cake pop maker. Next time I might try donut holes! :)

xoxox,

Jes

these are a few of my favorite things

I was trying to think of a creative way to share my favorite things of the moment with you when something magical happened...

...I was flipping through the channels and I came across the Sound of Music just in time for "My favorite things" :)

These are a few of my favorite things this Thursday:

1... Love these high heel wedges from Forever 21 (and at a price you can't beat!)

2... Fab.com - slightly dangerous, but incredibly amazing. This site has discounted jewelry, clothes, gadgets, home decor, you name it. I purchased most of my Christmas gifts from this site.

3... I had the 2011 version of this Paper Source calendar and I can't stand to throw it away. I need to think of something creative to do with all of those beautiful pages. I just ordered the 2012 calendar today :)

4... Mint.com you devil you. Keeping me and my finances in line... To stay on top of my New Years "resolution" I use Mint.com to see where I am spending my money and where I need to cut. This site is invaluable!

5... Moroccan Argan Oil is heavenly. I was hesitant at first because I thought it would make my hair oily but my hair stays perfectly shiny and healthy all day long! And all you need is a pea sized dose to get you through the day :)

What are a few of your favorite things?!

xoxox,

Jes

oh, how PINTERESTing!

Today, I am linking up with Michelle at the Vintage Apple for Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesdays.

 Lately I have been obsessed with ombre hair and I am saving up for the right hairdresser (come out, come out, wherever you are)! 

What do you think?!....

Or if I dare..... 

I found a bunch of other awesome ombre stuff while I was searching too!

Do you LOVE the ombre look as much as I do? What hair trend are you obsessed with right now?!

xoxox,

Jes

P.S. Follow my boards on Pinterest to see what else I find Pinteresting ;)

Happy Saturday!

We have no heat in my apartment right now and it is 21 degrees outside! BRRR. Good thing we have a fireplace!

I got to spend time with this little bundle of joy last night :) The perfect way to start the weekend.

Off the Columbus for Beerfest with my best friends!

Have a good weekend,

xoxox

Aunt Jes

Music According to Jes: January

Lets Talk Music!

My favorite gig poster! I found it online for $150 but we all know I can't afford that!

Last week my lovely boyfriend got us two tickets to the Black Keys show this March in Cincinnati! I am extra excited about this show because it is the first show back in the U.S. and they are kicking it off with their Ohio roots. It's the perfect recipe for an amazing show.

Check out my favorite video - Lonely Boy. Makes me smile every time.

It feels good to do what you love :)

A few weeks ago, a family friend hired me to make two paintings for their new living room. They just moved into an amazing new house and needed two paintings to complement each side of the fireplace.

The vision was muted tones (greens, yellows, browns, creme..) and trees on two 3' x 4' canvas. At first, I was very intimidated by the size of the project but then one night I woke up with a "vision!"

After some trial and error, this is what I came up with!

Two 3' x 4' paintings

Showing off my paintings and scaling how big they are!

Next, I added a distressed border and plumped up the trees a little bit more.

The finished product!

The paintings turned out really well and they were a big hit during the holiday party. Lately, the only paintings I have sold were pre-made so it was a great experience to make someone else's vision come to life. Our friend provided great feedback along the way which I also appreciated. People usually just say "make what you want! I like anything..." but in the back of your mind, you worry that your customer will feel pressured to purchase. With a little guidance, I was able to provide two original paintings that complimented the living room well and more importantly our family friend really liked!

I had so much fun creating these paintings and I can't wait for the next project to come along.

xoxox,

Jes

Fill in the Blank Friday

Today, I am linking up with the wonderful Lauren at the little things we do.

If you want to link up as well, visit Lauren's blog, submit your link, and don't forget to give the little things we do credit on your post too :)

1. One of my favorite things to do when I have free time is.... build a fire, listen to vinyl on my record player and sketch or blog.

2. When I have free time I tend to... Plop on the couch and stuff my face with cheese while watching trash TV or murder investigation shows. I love Dateline NBC!

3. If I had an entire day completely to myself I would... clean and organize my life, soak in a hot bath, and paint my nails :) I realize this doesn't sound super exciting but getting organized feels great!

4. I would prefer to spend my free time (alone or with others)... One of the reasons I moved back from DC was to be closer to my friends and family so in my free time I love to spend time with my boyfriend, family and my beautiful niece Gwenyth!

5. Most of my free time happens... Monday night. Sunday nights I am usually driving back from Columbus, Cincinnati or wherever else I chose to visit for the weekend because I have a hard time sitting still. I always make sure to make it in time for my Sunday night Showtime shows (Dexter, Homeland, Shameless and Californication). By Monday, the weekend activities have calmed down and it's time to start the weekly routine.

6. The best thing about free time is... No rules, no obligations, no appointments, no responsibility. You 
can watch what you want, wear what you want, listen to what you want... the options are endless :)

7. The next time I have free time I should probably...scrub my bathroom, clean out the fridge and do all of those not-so-fun chores... but instead, I'll probably... paint. I have a few blank canvas that are in need of some color!

Happy Friday! We made it through the first week back at work alive!

xoxox,

Jes

DIY: Hair Bow

My lack of skills are laughable.

I was going to wait to post this awesome hair bow post until I perfected it, but with my lack of hair skills that could be at least another year and it's too cute to NOT share!

What it is supposed to look like....This girl is a pro!

Check out the instructions and other hair ideas at one of my favorite blogs: A Beautiful Mess.

I admit I need some practice, but it kind of looks like a bow, right?!....

xoxox,

Jes

Cabin Getaway

The holidays are over and life has resumed as it was. My friends are in different cities and my boyfriend and I are back to splitting our time between Dayton and Cincinnati (this is way better than Cincinnati and DC for the record. I just really miss him during the week). I know everyone had a case of the "bahumbugs" today with the first day back at work. My older sister also had to go back to work today after maternity leave and take my 9 week old niece Gwenyth to daycare for the first time. So, she had a tougher day than the rest of us. Luckily she is the strongest person I know, and I know she will be able to pick things back up at work while continuing to be the best mom in the world. She'll find her balance. She always does.

Today, I daydreamed about the perfect vacation - a cabin getaway in West Virginia. We stayed at Mill Creek Cabins and I definitely recommend them! The cabin was clean and was stocked with fire wood, a full kitchen, and plenty of towels for the hot tub outside. We didn't even have to check in. The keys were waiting on Cabin #5's table and we left them where we found them as we quietly left the next morning. The drive through WV was just as gorgeous as the cabin with plenty of lookouts and roadside waterfalls.

It was truly paradise...

As we were leaving the cabin, we encountered our little friend who was the sweetest dog in the world but happened to be covered in poo. Someone had a little too much fun in the wilderness. Well the sneaky snake kept creeping into our pictures and I love poo dog for it.

This makes me crack up every time. Poo Dog!

Thank you Adam for the perfect getaway that I will never forget.

xoxox,

Jes

Cabin Getaway: Sneak Peek

Just got home from a jam packed Holiday weekend. I have so many pictures to sort through and I cannot wait to show them to you! For now, here is a sneak peek of the road trip to West Virginia....

Our road trip soundtrack was the Allman Brothers :)

Until next time.

xoxox,

Jes