Tuesday, May 31

We have a winner!

I hope you all had a lovely long weekend. 

Thank you for all your kind words regarding last weeks post. It really brightened my day.

I have good news
We have a winner for the large ad space giveaway for June.

Congratulations!
Stephanie at Big Mario.
Send me your ad/button so we can get it all set up for June.
shellsea.oberski{at}gmail.com

Thank you to all those that entered.

Friday, May 27

if I had a life philosophy this would be it

{via Pinterest}

This past week has been crazy and I don't see things settling down for the next month. 
I am overwhelmed and stressed. I am sorry post have been sporadic or lack-luster. They will be better next week, promise.

I just have to keep telling myself. 
Things will work out, it's just going to be a little crazy for a little while.
But...

This too shall pass.

*********************************************
On the upside you still have one more day to enter the Giveaway

Thursday, May 26

Awkward and Awesome Thursday!


Awkward
- Not posting yesterday due to massive apartment hunting this week.
- Apartment hunting. Some of the answers these people come up with.
- Being laughed at by a leasing officer at one of the apartment we looked at because I have a list of questions we like to ask. Guess what place we are not renting. We are seasoned apartment hunters, people, we don't play.

Awesome
- Memorial Day weekend. Three day weekend, why yes please.
- I'm pretty sure we have a finalist for our apartment hunt. Still looking but its nice to know we won't be homeless.
- Modern Family! Why did it take us so long to start watching this show. It is HA-larious.
- You still have time to enter the Giveaway for a large ad space in June.

For more Awkward and Awesome, check out Sydney's - The Daybook

Tuesday, May 24

All I want

Today was spent cleaning everything in sight.
When all I wanted to do was be here:

Taken Saturday. 
I miss it.

Friday, May 20

Giveaway!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway

Find It Friday

That oh so special day of the week has rolled around again. 
Took long enough. 
It's Friday

Which means...





An Owl necklace Lou bought for me at an art show

An albino peacock from the Fountain of Youth

A monarch butterfly from the butterfly festival tent

Nina - Very alert

A tortoise sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art in New Orleans


And next weeks challenge will be...

If you would like to play along, link up your finds here.

Also, I made a button for you all to add to your blog.



Don't forget to enter in the Large Ad Space Giveaway.

Thursday, May 19

Crispy-Chewy Salted White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

Last night, I made these cookies and they were kinda A-mazing.



Crispy-Chewy Salted White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 cup minus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
6 ounces good-quality white chocolate bar chopped {I used Ghirardelli - Vanilla Dream}
1/2 teapoon flaky sea salt (or just regular salt if you don't have flaky sea salt on hand)
1. Preheat oven to 360 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper  Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and table salt in a medium bowl.
2. Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula, then add egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Scrape down bowl again. Add flour mixture gradually and mix until just incorporated and smooth. Gradually add oats and white chocolate and mix until well incorporated.
3. Divide dough into 24 equal portions, each about 2 tablespoons and roll them into balls. Then place on lined baking sheets about 2.5 to 3 inches apart. Using fingertips, gently press down each ball to about 3/4-inch thickness.
4. Sprinkle the top of each cookie with salt and then pop the trays in the fridge until the dough has chilled
5. Bake until cookies are deep golden brown, about 13 to 15 minutes (mine all baked in 13 minutes), rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack to cool.

And Enjoy!
nom nom nom


Don't forget to enter in the Large Ad Space Giveaway.
{Recipes found here}

Wednesday, May 18

Good, not Great.

Shirt: Target, Jeans: American Eagle, Shoes: F21, Earrings: F21

That's how I feel about today.

Good, not GREAT.

It's Wednesday and we are that much closer to the weekend = Good, not great

I am sure my funk is directly related to lack of sleep. Shame on us for staying up super late watching Bones. That show gets us every time. After each episode ends, we turn to each other silently asking the same question.
One more? Yea, one more. And next thing we know its crazy late. 


How is your Wednesday? Good, Great, or something else entirely?

Don't forget to enter in the Large Ad Space Giveaway.

Monday, May 16

Giveaway - June Large Ad Space


Last month I won an ad space from one of my fav blogs. The Weekend File. I decided pass along the love and to do something a little special for my lovely readers {that's you guys}. 

I am going to be giving away one large ad space for the month of June! Exciting, yes? Your blog, shop, or whatever you got will be on display in the side bar over there on the right for the whole month of June. 




Now, Rules...

Mandatory - 1 entry:
Publicly follow Love, Shellsea with google friend connect and tell me about it.

Extra entries:
Like Love, Shellsea on Facebook and tell me about it
Blog/Tweet about the giveaway and tell me about it 
Use this tweet or some variation of it, so I can track it: {I just entered this amazing giveaway @LoveShellsea!! http://bit.ly/gZXhoL}

easy as pie, right? just remember to post each entry in a separate comment so it's easy for me too. 

The winner will be randomly drawn Friday, May 27th.

Black & White

First off, Thank you everyone who helped with my dress hunt. It ended up being that none of the dresses I was looking at online were available in store. I did find something that worked very well for the event. 

The Black and White Gala was a fundraising event for Give Kids the World. I was so moved by the stories of the children and families this organization has helped. It truly is a wonderful organization that does so much for these kids.

And man do they know how to throw a party. The entertainment and food was amazing. Lucky for us, they had a "prom-style" photography area, so we were able to get a picture of us. I totally forgot the point-and-shot camera, so this was just what we needed.

Her - Dress: Dillards, Earrings & Bracelet: Burlington Coat Factory
Him - Rented Tux with a REAL bow-tie {because we don't play} 

This was one of the only pictures that came out well on Lou's phone. As I mentioned the food was to die for. 
This was dessert. The mushroom top was a chocolate mousse with a raspberry filling. The white card and green squiggles were white chocolate. Everything on the plate was editable and delicious. I need to find a way to have these people make me dinner every night.


Friday, May 13

Feeling Lucky?

In honor of both Blogger and Twitter crashing today, a silly Friday the 13th haiku I wrote:

crashing, crashing down
chaos all around the town
Friday the thirteenth 

Let's not try to push our luck today. :)

Thursday, May 12

Help

I need help. We are going to a "Black & White Gala."

I don't have a dress.
I don't know what type of dress to get, other than the fact it has to black or white.

I want to get a cocktail dress, because I am going to end up having to purchase the dress. I would like to make the purchase useful to me in some form and since I don't have a "little black dress," it makes sense to me to go the cocktail dress route.

But the word "Gala" frightens me a little bit. Does it mean I have to go with a gown? The event is for a charity.

And to top it all off, it is slim pickins here in Jax. I have Dillards, JCPennys, David's Bridal, and thats about it.

Here are a few dresses I have been looking at:

1. Link
2. Link
3. Link
4. Link

Can you help? What do you think long or short? Will any of these work? My favorites are 1 & 2.

Wednesday, May 11

DIY Camera Bag/Purse


Remember a while back I told you I was working on a project? You 'member, right?

I am finally ready to tell you all about it. Warning: This is a really long post. Just couldn't seem to make it any shorter.

I had a dilemma, Lou bought me a great camera bag to go with my a-mazing camera. The camera bag is fantastic, its huge and holds all the extras I have acquired since getting my camera for my birthday. But its huge and too cumbersome for some things we do and regular outings. Plus, I don't like having to carry two bags.

Sadly, I can't drop $100+ on a stylish camera bag that can double as a purse. It's just not in the stars right now. So, I did what any girl in my position would. I pulled out the sewing machine and scrap paper and got to work.

I spent weeks searching for the perfect bag to transform into a camera bag/purse. I had a lot of things that I wanted to be incorporated in the bag.

1. Two straps - One shoulder strap and a handle. The shoulder strap makes it easy to take pictures without having to set down the bag.
2. Easy access - Something that I would easily be able to pull my camera out of when that perfect shot was spotted.
3. Roomy - Enough room for the camera body with lens attached and a few personal items.
5. Pockets - Who doesn't love pockets? Enough said.
6. ZipZip - A zipper to close the bag in case of a lot of activity or light rain.
7. Versatility - A design that could go with many outfits.

And here she is:
Please excuse the messy kitchen. 

The bag is from Forever 21 ($28). I just happened to get a gift card for F21 for my birthday, so it worked out great.

Once I had the bag I spent days mulling over possible designs for the padded interior. I choose to go with a design that would line the front, bottom, and back of the bag. I ditched the side padding because I felt it would make the bag bulker then I would like it to be. Add some dividers and viola, camera bag/purse.

Steps:
1. I measured out the bag. Bottom, front, and sides. 
2. Purchased materials:
   * Fabric - 1 yard
   * Foam Padding - 1/2 yard, 1/2inch thick
   * Velco - Two packs
   Note: I purchased more fabric and foam then I needed to be able to make more dividers down the road.
3. Drew out my plans. This helped me a lot because I could visualize where things would end up and what kinks would need to be smoothed out. If you are an experienced crafter you might skip this step.
4. Cut out all the fabric and foam pieces.
5. Sewing, lots of sewing.

I decided to make the lining one piece. My bag measurements were: Front & Back 13"x8" and Bottom 13"x6". I cut out three pieces of foam 13"x7" (2 pieces) and 13"x6". I made the foam pieces for the front and back an inch shorter so they would be able to sit on the bottom piece of foam without popping out of the bag.

For the fabric that would cover the lining I made a kind of pillowcase to put all three foam pieces in. (Had I thought of it, I would have taken picture of this) The pillowcase measured 23"x14", I added an inch all around for the foam to sit in it without stretching the fabric. And 2 extra inches for in between the pieces of foam to give slack so the side pieces could sit on the bottom piece.

Sewing the pillowcase/lining fabric:
   1. Cut two pieces of fabric and three pieces of foam. 
   2. Sew velco lines on one piece of fabric before sewing the two together. I did two lines of velco on each side about 2 inches apart. I used the softer velco part for this so it wouldn't snag on anything.
   3. Sew the two pieces of fabric together (pattern facing in). Sew 3 sides completely. The forth side leave a space in the middle so you can flip the fabric out and insert your foam pieces. Once you insert the foam, sew up the access hole by hand.
   4. Push the two side pieces of foam to the ends and line up the middle piece (leaving space between the 3 pieces) sew a couple of lines in between the foam to keep the foam in place. 
When you are done it should look something like this:

Your lining should be able to sit in your bag. Some people may want to hand stitch the lining to the bag for stability. I choose not to, in case I want to use the lining in another bag or take it out to wash. 

So far, I have only made one divider. I don't have a use for more at the moment. But as I said, I have the extra foam and fabric for later use.

Sewing the divider fabric:
   1.Cut two pieces of fabric. My foam piece was 6"x5" and the fabric was 7"x7" (extra space for the velco on each side).
   2. Sew the two pieces of fabric together (pattern facing in). Sew 3 sides completely. The forth side leave a space in the middle so you can flip the fabric out and insert your foam pieces. Once you insert the foam sew up the access hole by hand.
   3. Push the foam to the middle of the fabric, leaving to sides foamless.
   4. Sew two pieces of velco onto the foamless sides.
When you are done it should look something like this:

Eventually I will make more dividers and use the same general pattern.

Here are some more pictures of the bag with the foam padding inside and the foam padding itself. 

Here is the breakdown of what I spent on the project, after it was all said and done.
$28 - Bag (F21)
$15 - Fabric, foam, and velco

$43 - Total cost

I hope this walk through helps those of you who are attempting this at home. If not, thanks for reading anyhow. You are too sweet to put up with me.

If anyone has questions about the walk through, I would be happy to try to answer them and update the post with more tips. Just shoot me an email: shellsea.oberski{at}gmail.com

Tuesday, May 10

we made it


We have been in Jacksonville for literally one year.

Today marks us masquerading as full-fledged adults for a whole year. Red velvet cupcakes seemed like the only suitable way to celebrate this milestone.

It feels like it was only yesterday that we left everything we knew behind in Miami, and made that 5.5 hour trek to Jacksonville with the puppy. Arriving with nothing more then Nina, one suitcase, and an inflatable mattress. The movers ended up being 3 days behind us. 

Even though it has been a full year since we moved, we still miss all our friends and family like crazy. 

But,... 
we made it

Monday, May 9

Baby Ombre

Shirt: F21, Jeans: Target, Chucks: Japan, Bracelet: Art Fair

This weekend I went and had highlights done. For the first time in my life. How behind the times am I? Why didn't I do this before? I am in love.

I had Ombre style highlights done. Baby Ombre highlights is a better description. While there are more highlights around my face, it is hard to see the ones on the side and back. When I go to get it touched up, I'm planning to going heavier on the highlights. Go big or go home, right?

All in all, I am pleased with the results. I think it's going to be a great addition to my summer style. And, very little upkeep. Who doesn't love that?

On a side note, Lou saw my outfit and asked where I parked my boat. I agree, a boat would suit this outfit very nicely.

Friday, May 6

Find It Friday

I have been thinking of starting a new challenge series. 

A kinda scavenger hunt, if you will.

Each week will have a theme. The goal is to find 5 items that are related to that theme. Must be photos you have taken yourself {no stealing now}. As long as it is related to the theme... COUNT IT.

If you didn't guess it already you smarty pants you, I'm calling it:

Find It Friday

The next week's theme will be posted at the end of each "Find It Friday" post. I am going to work on a linky tool so you can play along. If you can't contain your excitement and want to play along for today's challenge, link your post up in the comments.

And without further ado, this week's challenge is:

My fav animal hangs out with me all day on my keys.

A little Blue Jay resting in my baby tree.

Nina having some dessert. That crazy eye makes me laugh every time I look at it.

Some A-mazing hummus from Mellow Mushroom on a pretty blue plate.

And my spring time blue skirt from last week.

Whaddaya think? Something you wanna join in on? 

I know you do. So, next week's challenge will be:



Special thanks to Lou & Joanna for helping me work the kinks out of this little baby.

Thursday, May 5

Awkward and Awesome Thursday!


Awkward
- This notice sent out by the University - "The University Safety Council would like to remind the community that it is breeding season for geese. Take the following precautions for safety:
During breeding season, geese are protective of their nests and eggs. Avoid areas where geese are nesting or have been known to nest. If you come upon a goose or her gander, move quickly out of their way while facing them (do not turn your back to them)." - This seems unnecessarily intense for geese. 
- Lastpass is failing today and making it very difficult for me to do anything. 
- Switching primary gmail accounts. Why do they make it so difficult?
- Not being able to find one Mother's Day card in Spanish in all of Jax. 

Awesome
- Today is Cinco de Mayo. Who's ready for a party? Me, Me!
- Last night, when I got home. Dinner was cooked, dessert waiting in the fridge, and fresh flowers on the counter. What more could a girl ask for?
- Lou is home from his business trip. He's all mine. I have also decided, I'm never sharing him again.
- Finally made a facebook fan page for this little bloggity-blog. Check it out! I'd love it if you did :)
- Managing to send you the Mother's Day cards before Sunday.
- I have been working on the new blog layout. How do you like it?
- I have a surprise for you all tomorrow. Excited? I know, I am.
- This comic. It explains how I feel about style so well. And what I think we all strive for.
{via Indexed}


For more Awkward and Awesome, check out Sydney's - The Daybook

    Tuesday, May 3

    birds of a feather

    Lil' sis and I snuck out to feed the peacocks at the Fountain of Youth. Yep, you read right. Peacocks at the Fountain of Youth. Don't ask me why. I couldn't tell you. There doesn't seem to be a reason for the peacocks residing at the Fountain of Youth. But there are a couple dozen roaming around being noisy and pretty.

    They don't seem to be afraid of people either. They will eat peanuts right out of your palm. We spent the afternoon feeding the peacocks and squirrels, and drinking really smelly water in the hopes of eternal youth.



    Can you spot Spider-man in this picture?


    Moral of the story, what will you find at the famous Fountain of Youth?

    Peacocks
    Squirrels
    Smelly water
    Spider-man