I've got the Fever.

Ever since I read Meredith's blog post about wearing bright red lipstick in her "Blogging for Confidence" series, I have wanted to give it a try. I've never felt comfortable in bright lipstick. No matter how much I wanted to look like Cyndi Lauper, I always ended up feeling more like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman before she meets Richard Gere.

A quick trip to Ulta with my sister has changed everything.

They're having a huge sale and I'm a sucker for a good deal.

Sucker isn't a strong enough word, really.

I bought a tube of Fuchsia Fever lipstick for $2, expecting to wear it for fun around 

the house and not much else.

Oh my goodness.

I'm obsessed. 

I've started taking pictures of myself in the bathroom and in the car while wearing this lipstick and posting them on the internet.

Obsessed I tell you.

Fuchsia Fever makes me feel like nothing short of Cyndi Lauper, dare I say Debby Harry?

Let's not go crazy.

I hate to be the center of attention. Hate it. I hate parties that are for me, public speaking, anything really that would garner attention to be centered on me. But...when I wear this lipstick, I'm thinking that I just might be able to give a talk in church without my knees shaking.

So go get your own Fuchsia Fever and emulate your own version of 80's pop queen perfection, even if it is pre-Richard Gere Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.

Life in Pictures pt. 1

Summer is nice this time around. Living in the northwest rather than the southwest this summer has given me an appreciation for this season. I'm just not cut out for the 120 degree summers in AZ and I admire those who can handle it year after year. These past couple of weeks and the ones ahead are filled with 80 degrees of sunshine and that's alright with me. 

No Heat Curls.

I've been using The Paper Mama's tutorial for no heat curls for a long time now. My hair is already curly, I use the tutorial for days when I don't have time to wash my hair, but I want it to look styled and keep it out of my face. I think the way that your hair looks when it's wrapped around the headband is pretty cute. 

This was the outcome this morning, too good to keep to myself, even with my no make-up'ed, fresh out of bed face. Hence the face blur, you're welcome. Perfect ringlets every time, which is pretty cool, because mine is usually just one huge mess of waves and curls. 

That's the longest my bangs have been in years and years. 

Now I'm just bragging.

A Recipe I've Made: 

Snickers Salad.

It's hard to find desserts that Tony enjoys, when I found this recipe, I knew I had found a winner.

Use 16 oz. of whipped cream, rather than 12 oz. 

The recipe says 4-6 apples, go with 6. 

The apples were the best part.

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A Picture I've Taken:

This is my sister, Rose.

Cosmetologist extraordinaire.

She did this lovely hair-do herself, telling me

"It's a waterfall braid, then a french braid." 

She coiled the length into a bun.

Apparently she whipped this up in about ten minutes.

Unbelievable for this girl who can barely french braid someone else's hair,

let alone my own.

Picture taken with Instagram, you can follow along @FoldingChairDesigns.

A Pin I'm Loving:

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I've recently become obsessed with platforms. 

These look perfect.

Giving in to Trends.

I'm not the kind of girl that gets excited about and gives in to the latest fashion trends. I've been wearing thrifted clothes since high school, I pretty much only wear skirts, and the only trend I can remember giving in to is the "nerd glasses" trend. See evidence below:

The reason I'm telling you this is because I'm about to give in again. Big time. Ombre big time. It was either cut my bangs that I have been growing out religiously for 6 months, dye the entire thing bright red or ombre. I decided to stay strong in this war on bangs, the upkeep of red hair to way more than I can handle....so ombre it is. Did laziness make the decision for me? You can decide.

Here are the photos that I can blame for my descent into Trendtown, USA.

It's going down next week and I'll keep you posted, ladies.

To the Beach.

Just some photos of a recent trip to the beach. One of those trips that makes you wonder, "why don't we live here?"

Dill. The Best Smell Out of All the Smells.

To me, dill smells better than vanilla, cupcakes and cotton candy. It's my favorite secret ingredient and awfully beautiful, too. 

Here is one of my favorite recipes to make when dill is in season. Fresh dill makes all the difference. It's simple to make and perfect for hot summer days and an unexpected side dish to bring to picnics and summer parties. 

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INGREDIENTS

• 2 English hothouse cucumbers (1 1/2 pounds total), unpeeled, very thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt

• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION

Place cucumber slices in colander. Sprinkle with salt; toss to coat. Let stand 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, for dressing, stir vinegar, dill, sugar, and pepper in large bowl until sugar is dissolved.

Drain cucumbers well; pat dry. Add cucumbers to dressing and stir to blend. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours; serve cold.

4th of July.

Our fourth consisted of unsupervised fun with sparklers, a trip downtown for some food cart banh mi, and lounging poolside, enjoying the first hot day of the year. It was a good day.

An album I'm listening to:

"All The Rowboats" is my favorite. It's a Regina song. About art. 

Does it get more perfect? Nope. 

A pin I'm loving:

Gorgeous, fun, inspiring colors from Wes Anderson's films. 

Shamefullly, we haven't seen Moonrise Kingdom. 

I've heard it's marvelous, though. 

Based on the color palette alone, I believe it!

An Etsy shop I'm loving:

Arebycdesign

Simple, yet feminine, slouchy leather and hints of nature.

I'd gladly carry any of the bags in their shop. 

Summer Sale!

Don't miss out! This sale will be going on all week. 

Shop here.