First, let me say that I am extremely flattered to be nominated by both Maria and Tien–two wonderful gals whom I stalk daily through their blogs–for the Happy Blogger award. I love that we have this growing community, where we’re all supportive of each other.
I’m supposed to list ten things that make me happy, and then nominate ten others. I’m generally a very happy person, so picking ten things is very challenging. Here they are, in no particular order:
Anthropologie — Obviously, I love Anthropologie, but let me tell you a few reasons why. I love Anthropologie because they have such unique pieces. It’s like going to the best thrift store ever, but all the clothes are new, and they don’t have that funky thrift store smell. You can pretty much do all your shopping there–from clothing, to shoes, to underwear, to household items. I’m not saying that I’ve never had a bad experience with Anthro–I have, and I’m sure that everyone has. Generally, however, I leave the store happy, and happy with my purchases.
Art — I’ve always loved making art, whether it’s realistic or abstract, paint or pencil, sculpture or screen printing. I just love being able to express myself creatively. I’ve always regretted not studying art more in school, but with the DIY movement and the success of Etsy, I’ve been able to find a creative outlet for sharing my art. I try to make my art as accessible as possible by drawing whimsical, vintage-looking girls. I feel like I’m providing both decoration and whimsy to whoever purchases my art.
My Fur Babies — I’m the proud parent of two fur babies: a miniature dachshund and jack russell mix named Gracie, and a calico cat that thinks she’s a dog named Peanut. I treat both of these little ones like my babies, including tucking them in at night, and spending as much time with them during the day as possible. I’m a vegetarian and I love animals, so I’m very particular about makeup and products I use around the home to ensure they’re not tested on animals.
Music — I enjoy a pretty eclectic range of music, but my favorite band of all time is, and always has been, a tie between the Beatles and REM. I’m a big indie music fan, and love music from Jenny Lewis, the Decemberists, the Shins, Camera Obscura, and others. I’m also a huge Tori Amos fan, which I think makes me a little goth 
. Music is an important part of my day–I always have music on while I work, plenty of CDs in my car, and my iPod is always loaded. When I lived in DC, I went to a lot of shows, and hope to continue to do so in Portland.
Mary Janes — I’ve always had a weakness for Mary Jane shoes, whether they’re flat, heeled, t-strapped, or whatever, I want them. Ninety-percent of my shoes are Mary Janes. I love the vintage, little girl look, especially when paired with a sexier, high-heeled style. In my mind, they are the absolute perfect pair of shoes, and Anthropologie is always making irresistible Mary Janes. When I’m not wearing heels, I’m wearing Chuck Taylors–so it’s either Chucks or Mary Janes. They are my wardrobe basics.
Makeup — Even though I don’t wear a ton of makeup, and I don’t always wear makeup when I’m going out, I have a strange addiction to makeup. For me, it’s literally paint for my face, and I love to create different looks with it. Lately, I’ve been experimenting more with red lipstick, for a vintage vibe. My top two favorite reds are Laura Mercier lipstick in Mistress, and MAC lipstick in Lady Bug. I also love neutral-colored lipsticks–my two favorites in this category are Urban Decay’s Sell-Out and MAC’s Shy Girl. I love trying out new makeup and could spend hours in Sephora or a makeup counter, but I stay away from drug store brands as they are usually tested on animals.
Portland — I’ve only been here for a few months, but Portland is by far the most awesome place I’ve ever lived. The people here are really nice, the weather is really mild (great for my migraines), and they still have all the stores that I like to shop in. Plus, I’m just hours away from San Francisco, which I also love. Since I’ve been in Portland, I’ve been able to get outside and hike more, and I’m really enjoying nature, whereas in DC I felt cooped-up in my apartment all the time.
My Friends — Since high school, I’ve really kept my close friends to a minimum. I still have friends from high school I keep in touch with and friends from work, but some of the nicest I’ve met have been from my blog.
My Bed — I love to sleep in, so my bed is ridiculously comfortable. I pile on all the extra pillows I can, I wrap myself in my Anthro quilt, and I could stay in bed for days if nothing was going on in the real world. I also have a wonderful stuffed buffalo that Mitch bought me, which I think is such a weird stuffed animal that it has to be on my bed at all times. His name is Randy.
My Partner in Crime — Mitch is the person who understands me the most and has encouraged me the most. He’s my very best friend, someone who knows what I’m thinking before I even say it. We don’t even have to communicate with each other sometimes, just being around each other is enough. Except for work, we really haven’t been apart for the entire eight years of our relationship. I can’t imagine spending my life with a better partner in crime.
There’s so many other things that I love–Essie nail polish, Wes Andersen movies, reading, silly television shows, etc.–but I think ten will do for now. Even though I’m going to cheat a little bit (I’m going to name some bloggers that have already been nominated), here are my nominations for ten bloggers I’d like to know more about, in no particular order:
1. Kim at Anthroholic
2. Anjali at Golden Means
3. Kjrsten and Anna at {have a cute day}
4. Amy at Kelinda. Kelinda
5. Tien at adiaphane
6. Alexis at JCA
7. Roxy at Effortless Anthropologie
8. Maria at Infinite Whimsy
9. Dea at The Dea Dairies
10. Taryn at Anthro Happy
