Tuesday, December 30, 2014

the best lina i can be

I've tried to write this post many times & haven't succeeded, but I knew I wanted to do it before the end of 2014 & I have been itching to blog again. As it is, this probably isn't all or exactly what I want to say & I am "typing" this into my notes section on my iPhone as I wait for the sun to rise, but I need to tell you what has been going on in my life. 

I took a break from blogging to focus on healing from my breakup with Miguel. Breaking up was probably the hardest decision I have had yet to make. If you need more details, I can respond to an email from you. The breakup was in August & I  am still going day by day - some days being better than others. I've grown a lot, learning about myself & strengthening my relationship with God. It hasn't been easy & I haven't been able to put what I am feeling into words - which is probably a main reason for my absence on here. This article is probably the best one I have found that puts what I am feeling into words perfectly. I miss him. Sometimes what I have done doesn't make sense to me, but I am trusting in God to help me navigate. 

So far it's been amazing to experience what God has been planning in my life lately. After about a year of wanting to, I finally organized & cleaned my room, got rid of a bunch of things, & built shelves. It felt amazing to purge. After a year of searching, I finally got a new job at an elementary school in September & am really enjoying it. I adopted an orphan kitten in October & named him Theo. In November I turned 27 & although I have mixed feelings about being only three years away from thirty, I welcome the possibilities of a new year of growth for myself. Now I am in December & am preparing myself for the new year. 

I don't have resolutions per se, but I would like to focus this year on being the best me I can be. The best lina. & as I cannot accomplish that without God, the second part of my "resolution" is to be open to his leading & ready for what he does in my life. 2014 has had some growing pains, but I am welcoming 2015 with a hug. 

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

bits & pieces of my non-stop life


life has been moving so fast lately. i don't even know what to say about it because i rarely have time to just sit & think & when i do, all i want to do is sleep because of how tired i've been. it's like i've been running a marathon for the past month. not that i know what it's like to run a marathon or anything.

there are a lot of photos & stories i want to share with you, but at the moment i don't have the time to do them justice. as it is, i have a rare break between shifts at work & decided to take this rare opportunity to blog.

i will however, say that i went to the renegade craft fair a couple of weekends ago (the two photos above were from that day). it was awesome as always. i got a lot of inspiration for my own craft booth. the next art walk is a little more than a week away. anyways, while i was there, i decided to join the letter writers alliance. i got my very own membership card & super cute lwa patch. i want to sew a zipper pouch now so i can put the patch on it & store mobile letter writing supplies : ) anyways, i'm pretty excited about it.

other than that, i went camping with my lady friends & totally ruined my everlane tee. so sad!

i've been working at the local county fair too - which i have done every year since i started working & it has always been fun (& filled with drama). i'm pretty pleased that i won best of show for the salted caramel butter bars i made. they will probably kill you with all the butter & sugar they have, but they are so good!

i haven't been able to really see miguel lately either & i don't like it. but i have plans to visit him this weekend & he's coming to the fair tomorrow to see the diy terrarium demonstration i will be putting on! (eek!)

now i'm off to my second shift for the day!
hopefully my next update won't be so long away. until next time!

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

biggest little city


 my family took a trip to visit my relatives in reno last weekend. they have quite a few cats, so there was always entertainment ;) it was a nice little getaway, but it was so hot that i almost passed out when we were outside at an animal sanctuary. i had never felt that way before. it was very strange. so, we tried to stay cool with lots of cold stuff : )

 we ate brunch at my favorite restaurant there -  the old granite street eatery. i love everything about it - the penny tile, amazing food, & awesome staff. if you are ever in the area, it's a definite must!




 my sister & me : )


Friday, June 27, 2014

have a great weekend!

i'm off for a weekend getaway with my family to the biggest little city in the world : )
i hope you have a fantastic weekend!

link love:

  • i love picnics, so i'll probably be trying one or two of these projects.
  • i thought these wes andersonesque ads were interesting.
  • while, at this time, i cannot justify the price, i still really really want one of these!
  • i'm still so sad that this happened.
  • while i may or may not be participating in the capsule wardrobe challenge, these are always good questions to consider when buying clothes/accessories/shoes/handbags. 
  • i really want to see this in person!

Thursday, June 26, 2014

my little craft booth

 i had a little booth at my city's art walk in the beginning of this month! i was so excited & was prepping for the past month. i had a lot more photos of it, but they accidentally got deleted :( i used a couple of my vintage suitcases for the set up along with my succulents to hold the price signs & my vintage picnic quilt as a tablecloth. i sold lavender sachets, upcycled tote bags, my crafting zine, collage kits, & catnip toys. it was a pretty good turnout & i'll be doing it again in july. i also have the best booth partner!


Tuesday, June 24, 2014

beach camping

 miguel & i went on a camping trip for a night. on sunday, we borrowed my mom's 9 person tent, packed up my car, & headed out. we decided to try camping at the beach. it was a first time experience for both of us, & boy was it an adventure!

we stopped for lunch at the tide's snack bar in bodega bay, a nice little place that was made famous by being used as the backdrop for alfred hitchcock's the birds in the early 60s. in comparison to the other places in that area, the food was pretty cheap. i got a veggie burger & fries for about $7 & miguel decided on calamari for about $9. i loved the big windows & the pretty white tables & wood overhead. every seat had a view of the bay.



 when it was time to check into our campsite, we arrived & got our first choice in campsites which was great. we got a site with a view of the ocean. we had a little difficulty pitching into the sand & had to move our tent closer to the trees as a shelter from the wind.
 even miles away from home, miguel had to keep up with the world cup. we were lucky to have service where we were.
 for dinner we had veggie dogs in buns & with crescent roll blankets. i brought my 79cent ikea dish towel as a mini table cloth & we drank water from mason jars. i thought it was pretty cute haha.


 after dinner we visited the beach & were in awe that we were luck enough to be experiencing it all.


that night was another adventure all in it's own...

it was a bit colder than either of us were expecting (even after checking & double checking weather reports), so we were bundled up under the covers, trying to get warm enough to fall asleep. i fell asleep with little problem, miguel on the other hand was not as fortunate & was battling a hard ground too. at about 12:40 i was awoken by miguel hitting the side of the tent. i said "what are you doing?!" "i think there's something out there! i think they are getting into the food! i'm trying to scare them away. i haven't gone to sleep yet!" so i look outside & sure enough i see our cooler's lid open. i go outside to find all of the eggs we packed for breakfast broken across the picnic table. i took my keys  & put the ice chest in the car - something we should have done from the beginning.

it was a long night. i woke up a few more times & miguel probably only got a couple of hours of sleep in total. so we were both hungry in the morning. with the eggs gone & discovering that the onions & hot dogs were opened also, all we had left for breakfast was potatoes & cheese. we attempted a aluminum foil meal & while the idea was great, it was left a little too long with the coals & was mostly burnt. so we packed up camp & headed out for more food.

even though we had these crazy adventures, we both had a great time.

while we were getting ready to leave, miguel was googling two person tents (well, two person plus a dog) ;)

Saturday, June 21, 2014

birthday boy goes to the aquarium

back in may, (this post is long overdo!), miguel & i celebrated his 24th birthday by visiting his family for a few days & going to the aquarium together. we were lucky that we were able to use his family's friend's member passes & didn't have to pay! we stopped at a little french cafe for brunch & then explored the underwater. my favorite exhibit was the jellyfish. they are so beautiful! it was such a fun day : )

happy birthday to my darling!














Tuesday, June 17, 2014

crafting zine


things have been quite around here lately because i've been working on this baby! my first crafting zine! i'm so excited to share it with you & am pretty proud of how it turned out. i commissioned my good friend, melissa, to do the illustrations for it & i think it turned out great : )

you can pick up a copy from my etsy shop here.