Pinterest Project Update: Empty Frames as Wall Art

A couple months ago I posted my interpretation of a Pinterest project - empty picture frames hung as wall art. It was a super simple idea that takes mere minutes of work (plus paint drying time) - just find picture frames with interesting textures, paint them all one color (white), and hang them together in a cluster on a wall.

I started off with 3 frames and recently upped my game to include 2 more frames. I thought I'd share the update so you can see what it's looking like now.

Here were the two additional frames I bought and painted...

After several coats of white spray paint and a few nails hammered into a wall, they finished off the wall of frames nicely:

.  close up of the deets  .

I don't think I'll be adding more frames to this now - seems like it's got enough going on.  A perfect way to spruce up a random corner of our bedroom!

Here's what it looked like when there were just 3 frames:

Have you tried this out yet in your own home? Tweet me a picture at @akaBailey!

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{Linking up with That DIY Party and Start @ Home's Furniture & Paint Party}

Mustard and Navy Nails (with Polka Dots... Obvi)

Having just recently been away from my Vancouver home for a few weeks, I was seriously missing all of my nail care tools. Without my cuticle softener, cuticle pusher-backer and cuticle cream, my cuticles looked... shitty. I'd also left my favorite hand cream at home and was lacking an appropriate nail filer, which was really messing with me - my nails were breaking and flaking and snagging on things left and right.  I couldn't wait to get back to my nail tools so I could give my fingernails some much-needed love and affection.

Now that I've hit "refresh" on my nails, it's time for me to get back to painting fun color combos onto them!

This week I came upon a new-to-me blogger - Chelsea over at Organized Mess - and one of the first things I noticed about her blog was the adorable outfit she was wearing in the header banner on her page. It's a darling little navy blue dress with white polka dots on it, all tied together with a slim mustard-colored belt around her waist. The lettering over her blog banner is also a mustard yellow. I fell in luuurrrve with the color combo of the navy/white polka dots with mustard yellow. So what did I do? Well, I did what I always do when I stumble upon a cool outfit... I turned it into a manicure idea!

I bought this essence nail polish this past fall because I'd been on the hunt for a mustard for months and kept finding yellows that were too sunshiney, too lemony, too elementary school/primary color, or too neon. This is the closest I could find to the color I wanted - an autumnal, golden leaf type of yellow:

The color is called Little Miss Sunrise, which I didn't find to be terribly suitable as far as names go. I don't know why but this color doesn't make me want to describe it using the word "sun." Is it just me?

.  navy, little miss sunrise, snow me white  .

What do you think of this combination - are you a fan or no? To see more outfits-made-manis, check out this, this, this, this, and this.

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{Linking up with the Nail Files, Loving Lately, Style Elixer, I Feel Pretty, and Friday's Five}

Thirteen Questions Tag

WHOOOOHOOOO!!! I just got back home to Vancouver after a 3-week visit in Massachusetts, which I will tell you all about in the next week or two. In the meantime, I thought a tag blog would be a fun and easy way to get me back into writing again after a few weeks "off" (most of the the blogs posted in the last 2 weeks were pre-written... TRICKEDYA).

One of the blogs I follow (Beauty and the Travel Beat) just recently posted a "Thirteen Questions" tag and invited her readers to join in, so that'ssssssss what I'm doin! Ain't nothing wrong with learnin' about each other, #AMIRIGHT? (I am.)

1. What drink do you order at Starbucks?

Well first of all, screw Starbucks. America runs on Dunkins. Too bad Canada doesn't also, otherwise I'd be swimming in Coffee Coolatas err'day. I don't go to Starbucks often at all, but when I do I normally just get an iced coffee - and I definitely DON'T get it sweetened with their bullshit syrup sweetener because that stuff is disgusting. I can add my own actual sugar, thankyouverymuch.

2. What is the one thing in your closet you can't live without?

I love me some cardigans. I have quite a stack of them, and on top of that my sister Mallory seems to give me a new hand-me-down cardigan practically every time I go home to Massachusetts. I'm not mad!

3. What's the one thing people don't know about you?

Well certainly there's more than one thing that people don't know about me, but HEY let's make this ultra personal and awkward:  I used to not be able to leave the house unless I was wearing a padded bra. Sometimes I'd try to go out with a "normal" bra on, only to turn right around and head back in to change into something more *AHEM* substantial. I didn't overcome this self-consciousness until after I graduated from college, and I have to say that life after "giving a shit about your boob size" is, like, waaaaaaaaaaaay better!!

4. What's the one thing you want to do before you die?

I'd really, really love to see the pyramids in Egypt.

5. What's the one food you can't live without?

I think I'd be really sad if I couldn't eat ice cream ever again. It seriously used to be a daily staple in my diet, but while I have cut back significantly on my ice cream consumption, it would be devastating to never be able to eat it again. Shout out to my homeboy, mint chocolate chip.

.  read this if you want to be happier .

6. What's the one quote you live by?

The Buddhist inspired, "Pain is inevitable, suffering is a choice," has gotten me up and over some serious hurdles in the last 10 years. I haven't reached total zen yet or anything, but whenever I am feeling like things aren't going right I just remind myself that I have the choice of wallowing or continuing to move forward and learning from every negative experience.

7. What's the one thing you dislike about the blogging community?

Effing spam!!!!  I thankfully don't get a lot of spam comments anymore (I used to get a TON), but I still get tons of spam traffic, and as far as I know there's nothing I can do about that. R-e-f-e-r-e-r.com, I'm looking at you, you piece of shit.

Also, I hate blog link-ups or giveaways that require you to follow like 25 bloggers in order to enter. Seriously? I'm not going to just start following a million random blogs - I would never be able to read them all and they'd just clog up my blog feed and leave me in a feeling of panic/anxiety about being "so far behind" on reading my blogs.

8.  What is your number one song on iTunes?

I assume this means the most-played song on my account? It's Bust Your Windows from the first Glee CD - that song is seriously SERIOUSLY boss. It's a Jazmine Sullivan cover, but I like the Glee version better. My iTunes account claims I've played this song 62 times, but that seems low to me. It must not include the number of times I've played it on my iPod.

Here are my top 5, just for kicks:

9. What kind of style would you describe yourself as having?

Um ULTRA casual with a tiny slice of crunchy and an even tinier slice of class.

10. What is your favorite number?

Incidentally, my favorite number is 13.

11. Two hobbies?

Blogging and making collages.

12. Two pet peeves?

Seeing typos on other people's websites and not being able to fix the typos for them. It makes me antsy to notice a misspelling or a missing word without having the ability to quickly fix it. If you need an editor for your blog um... you'd be doing ME a favor to let me edit it for you. And if you notice a typo on MY blog... shut up. JK, tell me and I will be very thankful.

Slow walkers. I am generally fantastic at maneuvering through a crowd of people - I have super walking foresight and know when and where to step so that I almost never have to stop or wait or even slow my pace much. But being stuck behind slow walkers who take up the width of a sidewalk makes me want to slice and dice.

13. Your guilty pleasure?

Sugar I suppose. Please see this blog for more on that. #ISeeYouDiabetes #WhatUpType2?!

If you keep a blog yourself, I tag YOU to tackle this blog post in the near future so I can learn 13 interesting things about you too. If you don't keep a blog, post a comment with your response to one of these 13 questions - whichever one really makes you want to spill an answer.

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Neon Glitter Leopard Nails

Ah yes, the rare neon glitter leopard. Commonly found in the mountains of Vancouver, but occasionally spotted in the hills of Western Massachusetts.

Alright this is a super old nail polish look that I literally wore over a year ago, but I have been so busy with both work and enjoying time with my niece and nephew here in Pittsfield, MA that I haven't had time to do a fresh mani this week. I hated the idea of a Friday going by without a nail polish blog, so I yanked these beauts from ye olde archive. #HopeYewDontMiiiind.

.  please excuse the condition of my old cuticles  .
.  i took up "giving a shit" as a hobby since these pics were taken  .

For my step-by-step leopard print nails tutorial, you can click here ~> Pink Leopard Print Accent Nail

What is your favorite color combo for leopard print nails?

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{Linking up with The Nail Files and Friday's Five}

Incredible Vietnamese Sandwiches... from an Italian Gelato Shop

There is a little gelato place right next door to my Kitsilano apartment called Paradiso Italian Gelato, and the fact that there is a gelato place beside my apartment is a bit of a problem for me. (Please see item #38 on this list for some clarification.) I love their mint chocolate chip gelato, which comes with tons of mini chocolate chips right inside of it. Mmm...

But ironically it isn't the gelato that's turned me into a loyal repeat customer at Paradiso. No, it's actually the Italian gelato shop's Vietnamese sandwiches that have kept me coming back.

I like to think of the Vietnamese sandwiches as the real hidden gem of Paradiso... and that's not to say that they're any less prominently featured in the store. It's just that Paradiso is located right at the corner of Yew and Cornwall in Vancouver - right next to the Kitsilano Beach. And they're the only "ice cream-ish" type of place in that part of Kitsilano. Essentially, the demand in this neighborhood is a lot higher for cold gelato than it is for Vietnamese sandwiches. So, all the more for me!!

Here's what's so fabulous about the chicken sandwich at Paradiso:

- pulled chicken
- CILANTRO - my favorite herb of all time and one of my very favorite flavors, period.
- pickled carrots, onions, cucumbers, and jalapenos
- hot sauce
- bread that's always crispy on the outside and soft on the inside - never stale and always tastes fresh and delicious.

The hot sauce and jalapenos make my nose run, for sure, but it's so worth it. These amazing sandwiches are only $5 each.

I love to pick one up and take it down to our beach to eat it on the lawn.

If you're near Kitsilano and looking for some yummy sandwiches to pick up and bring down to the beach, definitely check out Paradiso Gelato & Bistro (1520 Yew St, Vancouver). Just make sure you leave some for me.

Oh, and I suppose you could try their gelato, too, while you're there ;)

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{Linking up with Whatever, Whenever Wednesday and Wonderful Food Wednesday}

Salmon Cucumber Boats? Whaaaat?

Salmon cucmber boats. I KNOW what you're thinking. It sounds cray, but it's quite good. This recipe will take very little time to prepare and, as far as I can tell, it's all pretty darn healthy too. #DoubleWhammy #EffYouPaulaDeen

I found a very easy recipe in Women's Health mag, which I modified slightly by using Greek yogurt (vs regular yogurt) and nixing the capers that the original recipe called for. Capers are effing gross, sooooo....  NO THANKS.

Here's what you need:

- half an English cucumber (one of those looong cukes) or just one regular cucumber. (Canadian? American? I dunno, it's rude to ask.)
- 1 can of salmon
- 2-3 tbsp Greek yogurt (I accidentally bought lime flavored Greek yogurt and then had to go back to the store to buy even more yogurt in a non-lime flavor... so choose your yogurt carefully.)
- 1 tsp mustard (the recipe called for yellow mustard but I used dijon and it was delightful)
- 1 small tomato
- 1/2 an avocado
- salt and pepper, to taste

First, cut your cucumber in half length-wise and scoop out its seedy innards, leaving a channel down the center of each half:

.  i wanna scoop, baby  .

In a bowl, mix together your salmon, yogurt, mustard, and salt & pepper. Combine well.

Chop up the tomato and avocado. 

Stuff the cucumber halves with your salmon mixture...

I made this for myself for dinner one night, sprinkling the top of the cucumber boats with the avocado and tomato. It was a filling and refreshing light summer dinner.

If it's your first time buying canned salmon don't be alarmed that there are bones in it. I freaked out a little at first, until I did a ton of Googling to discover that it's totally fine for bones to be inside of canned salmon. You're not going to choke on them, and I promise they won't puncture your throat or stomach on the way down. In fact, they add a bit of a crunchy texture and apparently even supply a good amount of calcium... which makes sense - being bones and all. Just try not to think about that part too much while you're eating...

Try these salmon cucumber boats and let me know how you like them!

For more ways to eat Greek yogurt, check out this blog.

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{Linking up at Miscellany Mondays, Tell Us Tuesday and Wonderful Food Wednesday}

Bridesmaid (Toe)Nails - Lacy Lilac

This will be quick because I am still visiting my family in Massachusetts! I'm also smack in the middle of lots of wedding-related festivities and friend reunions, as one of my best friends is about to marry her main squeeze of 6 years, and I am fortunate enough to be part of the wedding party.

My nails of the day today are actually my little toenails because as of the time this post was written, I'd yet to ask the bride what I can/should put on my fingernails for the Saturday wedding. The entire color scheme of the wedding may still even be top-secret so I won't divulge too much here ;)

What I will say is that I'm fairly sure this Lacy Lilac polish by Sally Hansen will complement the colors of the wedding nicely. That's not to say that Lacy Lilac is a nice polish, because it's another one of the Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear pastels. And you know how the hell I feel about those.

.  hope you like extreme foot close-ups  .
.  ...weirdo  .

I can't wait for the wedding/reception to actually be happening; we've all been anticipating it for months and months and monthssss! I'll share pictures of the BIG DAY soon!

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