Your Lovin' Don't Pay My Bills

Sometimes, I wonder if I'm a workaholic.

When I was 14, I started nannying, in exchange for recording studio time, and have kept working my tail off ever since!

Though the benefits of having a car, phone, and other un-necessaries, are nowhere near as cool as getting to record my music, I still enjoy every minute I'm at work.

One of my jobs is at a local boutique called Gypsy Rose!

I just recently started blogging for the shop and I'd love if you'd check it out! We have lots of fabulous doo-dads from baubles to baseball tees.

I'm crazy about all of our merchandise and I love helping ladies feel their best! Plus, it's great practice for when the Kardashian girls decide they need a new Dash Doll! ;)

Mad Love.

In A London Flat, You're Where It's At

For as long as I can remember I've wanted to live in the United Kingdom.

I always joke with my parents that as soon as I graduate I'm packing up, moving to London, and marrying a Beatles impersonator... preferably John.

Well 90 credit hours, a failed attempt to intern in Washington D.C., and 2 applications to study abroad later... it looks like my wish is being granted this September =)

I was recently awarded a scholarship to study abroad in Wales for a semester!!!

Sure, it's a little sooner than I expected, but there are NO complaints here.

Living in the UK... FOR FREE?! Probably better than I could have ever imagined.

This is where I'll be going to school... In Swansea. How gorgeous is that campus?!

I will be studying Media and Literature, just like I do at home... and will have more information on what classes I'll be taking after I meet with my advisor this afternoon.

Needless to say, I'm stoked. I can't even begin to describe how thankful I am that I've been awarded this opportunity.

It's taken a lot of Girl Power to get me where I am today and I'm ready to start my journey in Wales [[and share it with you]]

Mad Love.

Red, Red Wine

I've never been a huge fan of the color red...

...especially when your skin goes from Snow White's Complexion to Evil Queen's Apple in a matter of 4 hours time...

However, when you find a gorgeous victorian sofa for $100, and it HAPPENS to be red... you quickly open your heart to the color.

How gorgeous is this sofa?! My future roommate, Ashlee, and I couldn't resist... and now it's ours!

Where did it come from you ask?

I used to work at a gorgeous shop called Simply Vintage and when I saw the sofa on her new website... I had to call my old boss and have her save it for me.

I am so in love with Di's new site and her passion for what she does! 

I'm so happy with my purchase!! It is a little scary knowing that in a year or so this will be in MY house. Not my parents, not schools, but mine. Well, mine and Ash's. =)

Check out the Tag Sale to find something perfect for you!

Mad Love.

All The Small Things

I love to repurpose and revamp things.

I saw a tutorial on LoveMaegan, about a year ago, that shows how to revamp an old swim suit.

Although I'm a card carrying member of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee, my favorite swimsuit has somehow become too small over the years... Yeah, I've held on to it for 7 years because I like it so much.

Unfortunately, I don't have any before pictures of the top, but it was a paisley string bikini, a perfect match to the bottoms... just too small.

So off to Goodwill I went... figuring if this idea totally went awry it would be no major loss on my part. I picked up a bikini top for $1.99 and went to work.

I used Maegan's directions mostly for inspiration, disregarding the double ruffles and opting for a single, since my pattern was so bold. I also added some funky vintage buttons I found in the craft closet. I like to mix styles and I'm recently obsessed with mixing 1970s floral with Shabby Chic elements. Don't ask.

Well, after much blahblahblogging, here's the final result. 

Here's the top with the bottoms. (The swimsuit bottoms are Roxy and the top is thrifted Old Navy) 

A little more detail on the top... It was kind of hard to see against my turquoise sheets! 

I'm feeling brave today, so here's what the suit looks like on! 

Close up on the top, a reminder to clean my mirror, and proof of membership for the IBTC.

I hope this inspires you to do something cute on a budget this summer. More to come later! =)

Mad Love.

All You Need Is Love

One of the perks of working 10,937 jobs is having the opportunity to meet tons of fantastic people. One of these fantastic people is a young lady named Virginia.

I have known Virginia for about two years, now. We have done theatre together at school, and worked at a small town pizzeria together for the last year. Last night, I was fortunate to co-host a lingerie shower for her.

I was so happy to be able to help her celebrate her engagement with some of our fabulous co-workers. Probably just as happy as her fiance` was that we were showering her with lots of swanky undergarments... ;)

Being that the co-hostesses are college girls on a major budget, we got pretty creative in the planning of the party. I think we got all of the decor, food, and drinks for under $40. Pretty good, huh?

I was so glad to be able to help celebrate such a special time with Virginia and the girls.

Here are a few party shots... the first few were taken with my iPhone... so they're obviously not the best of quality!

How cute are those tiny cupcakes? They were just as delicious as they look. All of the candles and flowers are compliments of the Dollar Tree and the table runner is a curtain panel from my living room.

The side tables were all decorated with candles, cinnamon discs, and peppermint candies.

The gift table <3 The table cloth is my sofa slip cover, which was originally a duvet cover purchased at Target, the runner is the other curtain panel from my living room, all of the martini glasses are from my kitchen, and the sparkly tulle is from Hobby Lobby.

Here's a glimpse of what everything looked like before Virginia arrived.

Obviously, this is when Megan started taking pictures with her "magic camera". She has a photography company called "Photographic Memories" that is absolutely amazing.

One of the games we played was "Pin the Kiss on the Hot Man"... which is a classic spin on "Pin the Tail on the Donkey". The person who kisses closest to the hot man's lips wins the game... Thanks, Alex Pettyfer and Google Images, for providing us with hours of fun. 

Here's the gorgeous bride to be with the co-hosts, prepping to get her mack on.

Virginia was the first to kiss and took the safe route by smooching Hot Man on the cheek.

Here's a great photo of Virginia opening her gifts. She's so beautiful and is going to make such a lovely bride.

The girls are all here! We had such a blast. Thanks for including us in your special day, V.

Obviously... I was having fun.

Mad Love, Cristen Joy

Poppin' The Bottles

Today I brought a few things to keep me busy at work during our slower hours...

[[This is my plea to you to check out the shop so I don't Mod Podge my self to death.]]

So... I have an old magazine, bottle caps, scissors, a sponge brush, and my recent obsession: Mod Podge.

I started off by clipping circles from magazines, using my bottle cap as a guide. I Mod Podged a small dot on to the cap, then put the clipping on top.

Then, I spread a thin coat of MP on top of the image and let it dry. [[Yes, it will look goopy for a while, but trust me, it dries clear.]]

I did 16 of these bad boys... with everything from oranges to eyes inside.

I had absolutely no idea what their purpose was...

...Until a few of them landed next to eachother...

Making a cuuuute start to a little piece of jewelry. [[Bracelet, anyone?]]

These little guys would be cute on a bracelet, too. I think garden gnomes are HILARIOUS.

These could easily be made in to earrings. Large studs or even french hoops.

These are definitely going to become my next pair, though. Natalie Portman is timeless.

Even though I had absolutely no idea what this little project would develop in to when I started... I think I got some CUTE ideas from it. The Natalie Portman earrings and the gnome bracelet will definitely be coming to a Cristen near you... <3

Mad Love.

Jump Into The Fog With Me

Welcome to cristenjoy blog.

I'm your friendly resident blogger, Cristen Joy. Surprise, surprise... huh?

I'm embarking on my last "official" summer before entering the real world of life after college.

I've wanted to start a blog for a while, but three jobs and eighteen hour semesters have a way of hogging my time. Naturally, the blog-world has taken a spot on the back burner.

Determined to share my crazy life and creative endeavors with the world, I set June 1st as my official opening date.

So do I have anything particularly interesting or insightful to share today? Probably not.

However, I'm in the process of completely overhauling my bedroom, creating a blog for one of my fabulous jobs, and diy-ing the crap out of everything in sight... So there's plenty to look forward to.

Mad love, Cristen Joy.