Hey you!

If you haven't made the switch yet... don't forget to follow me over here!

New post!

http://livingsplendidly.blogspot.com/

Moving...

You can now find me over here...

http://livingsplendidly.blogspot.com/

Just posted a design board for a nursery project I've been working on for a few months now. 

Come on over! The party is just getting started. 

Happy December!

{This Year's Tree}

December 1st calls for a Christmas Season To Do List!

The Rundown:

Festival of Trees at South Towne Expo Center

Temple Square lights

Riverwoods date night w/ hot chocolate

Ice skating

Make gingerbread houses

See a Live Nativity

Christmas lights drives around town (w/ hot chocolate... again)

Spanish Fork Festival of Lights

First Presidency Christmas Devotional

Nutcracker Ballet while in Chicago

Midnight Mass in Vegas

Movies to Watch:

Elf

The Santa Clause 1 & 2 (we can't stand 3)

Miracle on 34th Street

A Christmas Story

It's A Wonderful Life

Home Alone

Polar Express

The Grinch

Music to Listen To:

Michael Buble's new Christmas Album (!!!)

Nat King Cole's Chestnuts Roastin'

Alan Jackson's Let it be Christmas

Bing Crosby

Taylor Swift Holiday Collection

Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas

...and my Pandora Christmas station

Any other good idas? Do share!

Now it's time to go watch Elf.

On Loafers:

So apparently loafers are cool again.

A special thanks to my sweet grandma today who gave me this old pair of hers a while back.

Love you Grandma and hope you get yourself better soon so we can come visit and eat your fabulous cupcakes.

Just Going With It...

So the past few weeks I started a new little gig. I wouldn't call it a "job" maybe something more like an "internship." I am working as an assistant for interior designer/blogger Kirsten Krason of 6th Street Design School.

Around the end of August, Kirsten posted on her blog about needing another intern/assistant. I had been following her blog for a while and seriously fallen in love with her fun and bright design style. So when she posted about needing more help, I thought maybe I would just email her about it and see what happens. I had been applying for jobs and interviewing, but a) wasn't having too much luck and b) wasn't exactly excited about all of the options on the job market for a girl with a bachelor's in political science living in Utah County (that's code for there really are none). So I emailed Kirsten back and forth a bit, went out and interviewed with her, and just kinda waited. I knew that I should probably doing some full-time retail job at GAP or Banana Republic or working the front desk of a law office. The thought of doing most of these jobs honestly just depressed me, though. I had done well in college. Was a great student and super involved in research and the student political society. So why were my only options $10/hour jobs that would only be something to fill my time while Chase finished school. I really was wanting to do something that interested me and where I could learn new skills and develop new talents.

Well, I ended up getting the position with Kirsten. I was beyond excited! Definitely a little bit scared though! I basically would be working for free. I would help Kirsten with all of her projects and hope that it could lead into something bigger and better. Well, I'm still a little bit scared. And still helping out Kirsten as an "intern." But, this last week she passed two clients along to me who weren't quite able to pay her $100/hour rate. So here I am, starting at the bottom in this fun and creative world as a design intern, but I am able to charge $40/hour for my services. I'm hoping (and praying!) that the knowledge and experience I'm getting by working with Kirsten could open more doors and lead to bigger and better things. Really, I'm just kinda going with the flow right now. I might find a part-time job to do while I continue to work with Kirsten... who knows.

What I DO know, however, is how much I am LOVING every day these past few weeks. I have gone and met with clients, picked out wallpaper samples, rug ideas, looked for bedding, and curtain fabrics. Some of it has been just running errands, but the chances I do have to channel all of the creative energy that had been building up the past few years makes it all worth it. I still love political science and wouldn't have traded my degree for any other, and hopefully down the road one day I'll be able to further my education in that field and teach at a community college, or even run for a local government postion. But as for right now, it has been fun having a bit of a flip flop in my life- instead of studying politics, watching the news, and reading the NY Times during the day and then going home at night to look at blogs, come up with design ideas for homes, parties, etc, and play on pinterest... now I spend my days channeling my creative side and spend my evenings catching up on news and politics. It really has been a breath of fresh air and I am currently loving life, even though I am sort of just going with it at the moment.

I am going to try and start blogging about some of the fun projects that we work on and the work I am doing with my own clients. There might be a little bit of a blog switch-a-roo. If I start a new separate design blog, I will for sure post on here where to follow me over to. Thanks for all of the moral support to everyone who I have already told my story to! It makes this leap of faith a little less scary :)

via Pinterest

PS, this article by the NY Times about recent college graduates doing something that they love (that might not have anything to do with their degrees) while they wait for the current job market to pick up helped give me the courage to just go with the flow of things and do what I currently am loving.

Hello Baby Morgan!

So my best freind Megan is currently in labor... I think at least. When we were texting late last night she was hooked up to the monitor and said she would probably be induced by the morning. I haven't heard any news yet... so I take it that she's probably having baby Morgan right now! Well... I had to channel my excitement for baby somehow last night and this morning, so I made an inspiration board for his nursery.

A while back, Megan showed me these sheets that she was thinking they would get.

A cute little sailboat print... which possibly might lead to a sailor/nautical themed room for the little guy. Just for fun I made a little board of a nautical room, that didn't over-do the theme too much. Megan abhors anything tacky and overly-themed. She also is a fan of modern, clean design style, as indicated by her contemporary crib choice. So hopefully I didn't disappoint Meggers!

{Clarification: The blue and white striped thing under the crib is supposed to be the crib skirt although it doesn't look much like it. And the white thing on top of the square brown wall unit is a diaper changing pad.}

Hurry up and have that baby boy and get out here to Utah so I can help with the nursery set up for real! Love ya!

Farewell 1135 SWKT.

Today was my last day working at my Research job I've had for about two years.

I was lucky to keep it all throughout the summer, but BYU has specific rules about how long you can hold positions like mine after graduating.

Alas, I could only stay working on the 11th floor of the Spencer W. Kimball Tower until August 31st.

I'm gonna miss 1135. Here's a little tour of the office I've spent many hours working (and playing) in.

Research Assistants at the Center for the Study of Election and Democracy (CSED) have amassed quite the collection of political memorabilia throughout the years. Here's just a few of my favorites.

While at CSED I've been researching for political science professor Dr. David Magleby.

It was a great job to have and also an awesome resume builder, especially if I go on to apply for political science masters programs in the future.

Basically, a research assistant just does whatever it takes to keep a professor's research moving along. That includes A LOT of editing, spell-checking, fact-checking, fact-finding, some data analysis and even some original writing.

I have helped with quite a few articles and conference papers over the last two years and a handful of books.

My name even made it into a few... looksy!

I tell Chase all the time how someday I will brain-wash our children into thinking that their mama was famous.

"Look kids! Mom's name is in this book! She's so important and awesome!"

hah.

While today certainly was bittersweet leaving the CSED office and my job in 1135, I'm excited to be moving on to bigger and better things soon.. hopefully! Will keep y'all posted.