Breaking Upwards....Heck Yea I am

So we've all been through break-ups...if you haven't you are extremely lucky and I hope that you never have to. They basically suck on all levels, saying goodbye to someone you love, getting all your stuff back, saying goodbye to their family members who have become a second family to you, seeing the dreaded facebook evidence of them in another relationship/moving on, basically it just a negative experience all around.

Except that it's not, sometimes a break-up can be a very very beautiful thing. First off, chances are that if you broke up in the first place then you weren't happy with that person and you were probably not very compatible so you get to untangle yourself from a person who probably wasn't that great for you anyways. Secondly, you get to focus on improving yourself which can be pretty awesome. My break-up was a weight loss catalyst, at first I couldn't eat because I was oh so heartbroken and I wanted to exercise because it was a way to take out my frustration and anger, then it turned into a self-improvement mission and now I'm 25 lbs. down and focused on losing 25 more. Plus it's a great excuse to change your hair (just don't pull a Felicity and mess your mane up) or your wardrobe or BOTH. Thirdly, you feel like a new person and you have more time to try out new things with your new adventurous personality. For instance, I've done way more in the past three months than I did the whole time we were dating including going to a Panthers game, pumpkin patch, Chris Brown concert, and lastly going to a male strip club (Chasers...this Saturday and yes a post will follow about that one). The fourth and perhaps most awesome thing about a break-up is that you get to spend more time with your friends and family and more than likely you get to make a lot more new friends too! Lastly, the best part of a break-up is figuring out who you are again and going forward in your life as a much stronger person so....here's to going forward and being more Jolene than ever. Holler!

revamp.

So A LOT has changed since my last post, months ago.....actually A LOT seems like an understatement. I finished my wonderful internship, got my degree, started working two jobs, got an apartment, and oh yeah me & my boyfriend of nearly 2 years (a year and 10 months) broke up and went our separate ways. So I decided to revive the blog and focus some diy projects, home/style inspirations, my attempt to write a screenplay (not even joking), and just me figuring out how to be single again. So stay tuned....

I Love My Internship

As you probably know or have read, I'm doing a visual display internship at Anthropologie this summer. I'm helping the display coordinator at the Southpark Mall location and I seriously could not love my internship more if I tried.

I've always enjoyed making things and love seeing the results of my hard work in physical form. My great grandmother always said that she liked to have something to show for her work at the end of the day and that was why she preferred sewing, knitting, quilting, and cooking as opposed to watching TV. I'm the exact same way, so having an internship where I make things is kinda perfect for me.

Last week, we primarily worked on finishing the window display made of tea bags and it was really fun though frustrating at times. Still the finished project is amazing and I'm so proud that I was a part of it. This week the focus has mostly been on fixtures, so I got to make two ring cases for jewelry which turned out pretty great if I do say so myself.

I really love Anthro and all the people there, I just hope I get to stay with the company when I finish the internship and that I have many more 7 am mornings at Anthro ahead of me.

Now of course, my Anthro love fest wouldn't be complete without mentioning one of the best parts: the merchandise! I made my first purchase since I started working for Anthropologie and I absolutely love it. It's a pleated ikat lampshade and even though it set me back around $60, I absolutely love it and it works perfectly with the lamp that I had.

Saturdays were made for Thriftin'

This summer, I am interning four days a week and working a part time job 1-2 days a week. Which makes for a busy summer, but helps me to have a little money in the bank since the internship is unpaid. So I only get a few choice days off and Saturday was the first of those wonderful free days. I of course spent more money than I had planned, but it was just a really great, relaxing day.

I went to an antique place that my supervisor at Anthropologie told me about and I found some great items for super cheap. I'm all about mixing and matching dining chairs so I was on a quest for find a couple and that I did. I found two great matching chairs that were in really good condition and had a great fabric on the seat as well. They set me back a mere $10. Even though I like the fabric on the seat it does have a couple noticeable stains, so I will probably cover it with the fabric that I got from Hancock's. I also found a really cute 70's waste basket and an old, industrial looking light for only $7. After that I went to the Value Village in Kannapolis and found this really neat looking picture of a kitchen that I immediately fell in love with.

Of course no Saturday is complete without a trip to Target (to get some Mediterranean pizza and Red Stripe), then I planted the house plants that I bought a few days ago in some old jars that I had. I ended my wonderful day hanging out with my cats and watching Blue Valentine which was kind of the perfect end to the perfect day if you ask me.

What I'm Loving Right....Now

1. Rustic Wood Kitchen Accessories: North Carolina Cutting board from etsy shop AHeirloom $40, Wooden Cup from etsy shop furls $18, and Acacia Slabs from West Elm
2. Ikat Pillows: Two PIllow Set from etsy shop ginette1223 $40 and Large Pillow Set from ginette 1223 $170
3. Vintage Canisters: Mod French Canisters from etsy shop Parsimonia $22, Coffee Canister from etsy shop Edisplace $8, and Tea and Flour Canisters from etsy shop retrotreasurehunters $28.50.

Beautiful Day

With my internship in place and my fashion show over, I finally feel like I can relax. Today just happened to be the perfect day to do just that, I checked out a book from the library Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingslover and read it outside. It was a gorgeous day and I was glad that I could enjoy it. All the beautiful sunshine also helped two of my herbs to sprout, both the Basil and the Sage. I'm still waiting for the Rosemary to sprout up.

Fashion Show

I had my fashion show Saturday and everything went very well. I didn't fall on the runway and people seemed to like my dress and the song I chose. I made a nightgown and a summer dress, the song that I chose was the inspiration for the dress. It was "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" by She and Him.


Less than a month 'til I graduate!

*In the picture: Me and some of my friends backstage at the fashion show. I made the two dresses on the right.