Because I would simply die without it.

{Product details: MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack & Sephora angled eyeliner brush}

The Alphabet Project is a 26 week adventure in photography, showcasing lovely representations of each letter.

Last Saturday marked the 4th installment of Sacramento Stitch Swap, hosted by yours truly along with fabulous co-hostesses Ashlee & Shawni. The event was a huge success & all of our hard work paid off--literally. We raised over $375 dollars for WEAVE and donated several bags of un-swapped clothing to assist the local charity.

Much love to The Urban Hive, Go Girl Energy Drink, James David Winery, Babycakes Bakery, Sarah Everett, Crimson & Clover Vintage, It's All Yoga, Jenn Wong, Grange Restaurant, Tuli Bistro & volunteers who donated their valuable time & products to support our cause.

And thanks to those of you who attended & made Stitch Swap a success. We love you & can't wait to see you at the next event!

For more information on Stitch Swap and past events, click here.

It's always fun meeting bloggers face-to-face & Katie is such a fun, creative and talented person {check out her darling handmade moccasins & leather goods; here}. We had the best time. Who knew roller rinks were still around?? Crazy. I can't wait until our next adventure with the three of us--Katie is taking us estate sale-ing soon!

• Does Twitter's new "who to follow" feature annoy the crap out of you too? Well luckily someone has discovered how to eliminate them. LIFE. SAVER. I use Chrome & it works.
• This cat video is HILARIOUS.
• Growing up my favorite video game was N64's Golden Eye. Well guess what. It's coming back for the Wii in November!! Who else is stoked?
• If I would have discovered this earlier, I totally would have thrown myself a woodland themed birthday party. Oh well, there's always next year.
• I think this camisole set looks so beautiful & comfy. Want.

Offline Love; that picture up there of me & the boy; snuggling with walter & his soft newly groomed fur; succeeding at dying|cutting my own hair; boss being out of the office all week; american apparel thigh-high's; making music mixes; crafting it up; being true to myself; all of my beautiful blog readers for being so supportive of me always; new black skinny jeans; pink lolita sunnies; getting back on the {bike} saddle; smudge-y eyeliner; yummy smelling conditioner; cooking with the boyfriend; & new books to read ♥

Chelsea got into town Friday evening; the next morning we all piled into the car & headed towards the city bright & early. 2 hours, 3 energy drinks, 1 road rage death threat and many snacks later, we finally arrived. There were so many amazing artists! My senses were being bombarded and I kept bumping into other people because I was just so focused on all the pretty things laid out in front of me that I wasn't paying attention to much else.

I couldn't resist picking up a few things, including a super neat naval telescope necklace {I'm wearing it in a bunch of the photos} from Mama's Little Babies & an ultra cute stationary set I'd been lusting after from Paper Pastries. The girls got adorable things as well; if you want in on the cute check out all of the artists who were there.

I had a hard time walking away from this adorable handmade blazer, but my wallet said a firm "no" :(

Etsy had a little photo op area set up complete with props. We are never ones to turn down a photo opportunity!

Renegade's mascot was an owl{!} and had one set up as a face-in-hole cutout--to take more pictures, what else?

After we ooh'd and ahh'd for a few hours we decided it was time to go check into our hotel and relax a bit before dinner with inspirational ladies & new friends Vivianna, Elsie & Emma. Or hotel was BEAUTIFUL by the way. We stayed at the White Swan Inn & it had vintage touches everywhere & even an antique elevator that was so fun to operate. Definitely will be staying there any time I have to visit the city overnight.

After dinner we went out with Viv's for a drink at a fun bar called the Tipsy Pig, hailed a cab {which turned out to be the most hilarious cab ride ever} & headed back to our hotel to continue our craziness. Or so we thought. Shortly after purchasing a bottle of Cupcake chardonnay champange we promptly filled up our glasses and...went to sleep. We were so tired ha! But Chelsea did manage to capture a couple hilarious photos of the end of our fun night.

I cannot even explain to you what is going on in this photo because I have no idea!

*posing* with our beloved beverage.

The next morning we were RUDELY awoken by Shawni's alarm blasting Ke$ha -_- We gathered up our things and packed up to go home, but not before a mini-photoshoot on our fire escape.

Breakfast?

"Well, I don't want to waste it." Don't judge me.

Exhausted, Chelsea & I headed home to take a nap before meeting up with Ash to take a dip in the river & have some girl time just the 3 of us.

The next day was Monday morning where sadly I had to say goodbye to miss Chelsea who I miss terribly. Boo to Oregon being so far away. We totally connected on such a great friendship level; I'm sure we will grow to be life long friends {and all thanks to The Blogosphere!}. All in all it was an amazing, fun-fiilled weekend. I'm glad I got to experience Renegade; it was such an inspiring event and hope to have my own booth there next year selling Little Gray Suitcase items. It was definitely good times and by Monday morning I was definitely tired! Oh, and I sure did miss my mister while we were gone.

:)

Did you make it to Renegade? What was your experience?

ps; Hi to all of the amazing blog friends I had the pleasure of meeting over the weekend! Looking forward to seeing your pretty faces again soon.

Sorry for the lack-luster post today but I've been a busy girl planning for Stitch Swap in September, catching up on emails, client work & adding my sponsors {say hello to them there on the left!}. I promise to be back soon with a complete post-Renegade update & a vlog with answers to your formspring questions. xo

I realize that just a few short weeks ago I was insistent that the sun come out and play. But this week it has begun to considerably cool down & it's got me jonesin' for my favorite of all seasons--Autumn, which is just around the corner. Something tells me September & October this year will be absolutely gorgeous. Some Autumn-inspired things I can't wait for are...

The satisfying crunch of leaves underfoot.

Slouchy sweaters, leggings & boots!

Comfy socks. {I just bought a pair of oatmeal-coloured thigh highs & I cannot wait to wear them}.

Hot coffee & pleasant conversations. Extra points for cute latte art.

Snuggling up for warmth<3

What's your favorite season? Are you looking forward to cooler weather too?

{all images via weheartit}

{All photography by Ashlee Gadd}

I found the perfect spot to hang my little guy--right next to the kitchen windowsill. He seems happy there.

All he needs is a little woodland creature or mushroom friend & he will be complete! The cactus inside is already starting to flower. Of course I picked a plant that thrives on lack of water. This greatly increases my terrarium's chance of survival :)

Be on the lookout for the next Scraps & Sh!t workshop. They're a great way to get crafty & make new friends.

Our lunch on Saturday, which consisted of pizza leftovers, tall can chelada and Guinness float. Yes, that's beer & vanilla ice cream. I tasted it & didn't really like it but G did.

Got my hands on a pair of black saltwater sandals I've been lusting over. I still want them in white & pink too, though.

Friday night my sisters came over with Wii Sports Resort. Everybody beat my scores :(

Mister & I got a little tipsy and had a silly photoshoot in the bathroom.

We are dorks ♥

He also likes to take photos of himself with my phone. Ha.

Sunday morning I was craving fruit so bad; so mister ran out to Trader Joe's and came back with apples, strawberries, mango + vanilla yogurt. Yum yum! {my vintage canisters I ordered from Etsy finally came in and make an appearance in the background there}.

The rest of the weekend was spent napping in our glorious cloud aka bed, making budgets/to-do lists; cleaning & organizing in preparation for Chelsea's visit this weekend for Renegade & adventures. Fun week ahead! How was your weekend?

Hello friends! It's that time of the month again; I am now taking sponsors for the smokin' hot month of August. In addition to displaying your lovely button on my left sidebar, I am also going to start showcasing my sponsors in separate posts because you know, I love ya'll. Email me for more info, any questions you might have & affordable rates. xo

Bunting flag clip-art courtesy of the ever-lovely, Pugly Pixel.