progression of a sunset via hipstamatic

a not really kinda sorta bachelorette weekend

My downtown adventure started as a familiar one. Jump out my apartment window... Heroically land on train platform roll onto the train and all with a frickin heavy picnic basket in hand. 

There might have been some slight exaggerations with the paragraph above. The picnic basket was real though. 

I hopped off the train, more like hobble-gimped cuz that picnic basket weighed a small ton, and caught the bus. It was the same exact route I took on the way to Core so I felt nothing but excitement as nostalgia took over. I passed 10 South Wacker, waved to my humble roots and found my way to Union Station for the first time. I know. I live in Chicago and I've never visited or even have taken the train from Union. For shame.  

Hello prettiest place I've ever been. I am a fan of architecturally stunning places and... I fell in love for the second time that day. The first time was on the bus with a yellow coat with buttons on the BACK. I KNOW!!! I wish I took a picture. Ah well. Moving on. Union Station is literally the most gorgeous place EVER. I'd get married there. Then shoo everyone out and live there. I'd do it. 

Well I found Jayme, who I commend for navigating Union, Chicago and the transit authority system HAH. We checked in at Club Quarters on the river and threw our stuff down before heading to the most giant Victoria's Secret EVER.

Let's spare you the deets on that cuz you can pretty much tell what went on there but we walked out of there with good loot. and by we I mean the bride. If you're going to Victoria's Secret it's obviously NOT because you really enjoy their tastefulness and reasonable price points. 

We went to dinner at Buca di Beppo's which hasn't let me down so far. It's a good restaurant! Also this. Just stare at this for a second. JUST STARE. 

that is... twelve brownie squares chocolate and vanilla ice cream and like 6 cans of whipped cream and probably a bottle of sprinkles. IT WAS SO GOOD! *sobs* so. good. Note Jen in the background taking a picture of this monstrosity. Also note the comically huge martini glass and the slop sized spoon next to it. I was in pain afterwards, but it hurt so good. 

Here is where I stop narrating the rest of this weekend (which was in reality only 1 day) because it got really complicated. I can assure you, though, it was a good time. My favorite part was the walk back to the train the next day. I checked out of the hotel last and even though Chicago isn't completely empty on a Sunday morning it is relatively quiet. So I got to walk through the city streets and look around and not worry about someone bumping into me. It was idyllic. Also I was told I have a 'city personality' by the bride. This could mean a few things: when I walk downtown I wear the "do not. mess. with me." face very well, I have a sense of direction and/or can fake it til I make it, or Chicago just sits well with me. I'd like to say it's all three. :)

If ever the miracle happens and I end up married I am DEFINITELY doing any get together, reception, marriage, forever afterwards in the city. Just sayin'. Wouldn't you? I KNOW! No brainer.

true love (an h-bahn love story)

when i find my true love i will bestow upon him this card:

from sapling press via design.work.life

he will blush, knowing that bob ross and happy little trees are inseparable like the accompaniment of an exhale to an inhale. 

to bind our love he will give me this in return:

from sapling press via design.work.life

i will take his hand in mine and we will ride off into the sunset in our hybrid hatchback (bikes in the trunk), knowing we will be together forever. 

someday... *abby grin* hahaha

did you like that?! how cute are these cards! i KNOW RIGHT?! buy them already!

pantone dreams

So my birthday is coming up in... *ahem..erm...cough* May and OK that is a long way off but I swear to bob I found my birthday present. No jokesies. Check it out y'all. FEAST.

pantone.com - i'm not saying you should go there. but that's what i'm saying.

I'm salivating. I would wear this bag so HARD. hahaha

Also I seriously want to make these for everyone I know. I just want the spread the pantone LOVE!

current status

this. is the current status of my face. please notice the super wide smile, raised eyebrows and tongue poking out between my teeth (just know that means i'm super happy). it's been stuck there for like... geez forever?! i won't tell you why... we'll just say i like smiling. smiling is my favorite. 

if you know me my disposition is naturally joyful. so it's not like this is anything exponentially GROUNDbreaking or anything but... it's just enough to be like, "Hey, Abby! You're super happy! and I think that's pretty cool!"

one day i'll totally have a point in posting things on here and you'll keep coming back to read these for a consistent reason but! for now... this is a post about my FACE. 

yooou love iiiit. 

the last train's gone we walk through the night

trying capture the feeling of bliss. even though my headphones are in it haha

I walked home from dropping off my mother's car at the mechanic and turned on my favorite song of the moment. At the same exact moment the 12 o'clock carillon at the church across the street started to toll hymns. It hasn't started snowing yet and everything is bright and wispy and chilled. I closed my eyes trying to soak up warmth from the sun and walked a bit like that... letting the music from the church blend with the music coursing through my ears and into my system. When I opened my eyes I realized I was crying.

It was one of those crazy pure moments that I just had to share.

if i ever feel better

I'm not in an exactly wordy mood this evening. I can tell you that Robyn Radio on Pandora is SERIOUSLY amazing. and oddly insightful. Geeze Robs. Geeze. So I'll do yet another photo post. At least they're grood stuffs. Eh? Forgiven rite?! moving on.

I found this room inspiration on graphic-exchange and I'm pretty sure I need to find where ever this is... swiftly remove the owner and live here. Just. Saying.

the bike. the mac. the bookshelf STUFFED with books. the pocket doors. TRUE. LOOOOVE. oh this room makes my toes wiggle. TOE wigglin' good.

want it, live it, love it

via Mel Stringer

true that man. 

abbyblujay - a brief history.

for those that know me at work and/or follow me on Twitter I'm abbyblujay. a name made up randomly one day when i thought about my first and middle name (it's Joanna) and how my mother always calls me AJ. Somehow my love of birds (their symbolism and NOT their physical form) literally swooped down into the mix and abbyblujay was formed.

...hello.

nice to meet you!

my friend Maggie stumbled upon this tonight on Etsy and if I could ever personify my name it would be in this picture. No doubt. I want this print so bad!

via carambatak on Etsy

Let there be peace on earth & let it begin with me

I sang that song in third grade in my church play*. I was a celebrity for like 5 months after that. It was SO. AWESOME. *evidence of said video recording will never be found. just like the white iPhone. it's a mystery. but seriously i did sing that song.

Merry Christmas everyone! This entire season induces a lot of emotions about your loved ones, significant others and ones lost. It seems like as I get older the more difficult Christmas becomes. Don't lose sight of the meaning of the season whether Jesus was born in the middle of July or in Africa... God loved the world and He decided to GIVE. Even if you can't afford presents this year you can give in other ways. Spend time with your family... including your grandma who has gotten to an age where she thinks she can say anything - including her thoughts on your non-existant love life. *hangs head* And thank God for them. Some people don't have families to celebrate anything with.

my mother's butter cookies (filter via Instagram) 

a year-in-review is coming along with my first knitting video! I bet I'm doing everything wrong, but if you could just not point that out? that'd be awesome. I have a feeling 2011 will be kind of epic. really i do. : )

all over the map

this is so random i had to go back and add bullet points just for a flow of some kind. my brain sometimes... it goes errrvrywhere!

• The past few days have been a rollercoaster! and I don't like rollercoasters! They SUCK! We knitted 85 things in like half a second and put them all in Etc., Inc. (my sister and niece). It's really taking off! Super. Excited! (take a look at the gallery here if you want to custom order anything!) 
• A few things have happened in my personal life that caused me to literally break down but afterwards a strange sense of peace came over me just kind of letting me know, again, "You're mine. I got this." Hear me out. I'm kind of stupid. God takes care of me. Left to my own devices I would be way worse off. God takes care of me. 
• I've started to take lunches to work. A world without Sarku is a MUCH better world I've realized. Also I love taking clementine oranges to work. They're so. CUTE. Part of my change1 initiative paired with frugality haha. If I buy something it'll be at Trader Joes getting an apple and hummus (oh hummus how I love thee...). I will sacrifice my parking space! (oh man. giant sacrifice inDEED)
• I actually had an entire entry ready about why I'm weird and I put in a mock q&a format but... if you know why I'm weird it doesn't make me weird anymore! That's no fun! Where's the air of mystery about myself! Ok in reality I'm really not that mysterious at all. I'm pretty transparent. I laugh too much. I'm awkward in social situations. I can ACTUALLY dance but I don't ever show it... I do the robot a lot to cover it up : ) That's how I roll. Awkwardly.
• I group hugged about 20 of my co-workers today which made me really happy. Oddly enough I've group hugged 450 co-workers before... because apparently that's what we DO. I love having a work family - I'm always so busy trying to push everyone away from my bubble that I didn't notice I HAD one til recently. It's pretty great. I'm full of bubbly love right now. And Reese's Peanut ButterTrees. (for the holidays.)
• I have an ugly sweater party coming up soon. Pictures (and hopefully a video) coming SOON! So excited guys. 

This post is so. Random. Also my mother just shuffled into my room and tried to get into my bed. She was shooed. I figure I'll just keep on the random track.

For this last random part of this entry, that I just realized has nothing at all to do with Christmas... Oops. Anyway for the last part of this entry I present an image:

How beautiful is this? There is never a point in time I will be able to move like this. I only dance like this in my dreams but... it's a huge inspiration to me. I think part of the reason why I enjoy drawing dancers so much is I know I can't move like they do. I take joy in studying how their muscles move. We'll see if a contemporary dance class is in my near future. *oh geeze*

g'night! 

goal #1

via modcloth.com

i want to wear this dress. i wanna command a room in THIS dress.

i wanna go on a date in this dress... *shakes head* did I just say that aloud? delusions of grandeur but it's true. 

i don't curse or anything... but i also secretly want a guy to cock his head to the side and say, "daaaaaaayummmmmmmm" when he sees me in THIS. DRESS. : ) that day is comin'. 

that is all. 

inspiration & escape

Occasionally I'll get in a mood where I want to move and not tell anyone. I just want to up and leave and start my own bakery/knit shop/bookstore somewhere quaint, which seems extra lame but in my mind it's kind of awesome. I know I can't go anywhere or move anywhere or even DRIVE anywhere so... I'll just post pictures of things that kind of provide a visual escape. Thanks to Oh Joy! blog for providing these visually stunning images. Feel free to share... stare... linger... stay awhile. I wish I had some cookies otherwise I'd feed you. I'm baking tomorrow so I mean come over obviously.

wherever this is. i will go there someday. and sit next to this lady. and be her best friend.

i've never tried to do a watercolor but... this blows my mind.

by artist Dale Frank - like. no words!

and this bedroom from Anthropologie. 

but for now I think I'll sleep in my own bed... : ) g'night. 

all i want for christmas

IS THIS.

via graphic-exchange and photojojo

why yes that IS a good amount of the shortcuts for most things you do in photoshop and illustrator. oh. my gosh. salivating. so much graphic designer drool everywhere.

i also want all of Crayola's products. that just confirms my 5 year old artist status haha... yooou love iiiit...

plans

i was gonna name this post death cab for cutie? but not many people would have gotten the message that i was trying to get at the word "plans"... out with it. be direct haha

via graphic-exchange

birds... fly to the stars i guess

I just wrote an entire post, published it and my weefee's went out. Stupid weefees.

my title is a quote from one of my favorite movies. Kudos to anyone who guesses it. No but seriously go get a Kudos bar if you guess it. Kudos bars are dang good.

I'm listening to the most delicious song right now. It makes me think of being in Paris wearing a red knit beret walking hand in hand with a guy and having French bread be our BEST. FRIEND. Take a listen. Or I'll be mad that you're missing out on this crazy awesome song. Seriously it's SO tasty.

Happy news friends! Blueberry Cobbler Knitting Co. is LIVE! In living color (except way less awesome than the tv show was)! We're selling our things in Etc., Inc. in Frankfort. You should totally go and buy everything which makes our life harder because we have to keep making things but it's still awesome because obviously we'll be THAT popular. It's obvious. A no brainer.

This means this will be the end of custom knit orders for Rhode Island. I can't take and finish orders AND make stuff on demand. I only have two hands and I'd like to NOT have early onset rheumatoid arthritis. I'm not sayin I'm just sayin. Baking list still comin though! It's so complicated to do this...

I... on a completely random and unrelated note the past couple days have been really... interesting. That is all. Goodnight

'If the stars were mine I'd tell you what I'd do... I'd put those stars right in a jar and give them all to you' SUCH a tasty song!

unspeakable things

This post is really random. It's about my love of ModCloth. I swear to bob if I was smaller I'd be SO BROKE cuz all my clothing would come from ModCloth and I'd be SUPER proud of that.

just a sampling haha

for a second focus on that coat. are you looking at it? is drool seeping from the sides of your mouth and your bellybotton? If I had children I would seriously consider selling them for this coat. It's. So. GORGEOUS. Every party dress, special occasion dress, omg-i-need-flour-for-these-cookies impromptu grocery store dress would come from here; paired with an awesome coat. Also who didn't know the word "occasion" had 2 c's and one s... i did not. anyway. I think that's a good goal. Get down small enough so I can wear a ModCloth large, which is like the normal worlds medium. Yay motivation! Omg I just glanced at that coat again and actually did the Homer "glaaaaauuuuugggghhhhh" drool. Can't. Even. Help it! BAH!

I also think it's funny that while I am probably the least girliest girl I know especially in comparison to say, girlGomez (I think I actually want to work for her someday), I happen to LOVE dresses and coats. I'm sure I'll still let out an outrageous burp... in that coat. I WILL get that coat.

Hats for Baby Ella

I just finished my first knitting project, shipped, handled and all that jazz! I'm so excited. Baby hats are probably one of my favorite things to make... they're super quick and almost always turn out way more adorable than you ever expected... especially if you put a flower on them. hint: always put a flower on baby hats. it will turn even uncute babies (don't get me wrong... i love ALL babies but... i witnessed my first not cute baby and now i know. i've seen that light.) super cute.

A few quick pics for you.


yeah there's no way you can resist a baby in a hat with a flower. I'm not saying but really? I'm just saying.

for more information on how you can request knits and see what's for sale go here! for the complete story on why I'm knitting at ALL go here! : ) I'm also baking! That list is coming soon...

love for sale

Here is a selection of knits I will be making. I will also be taking special requests to anyone that FB messages me or emails me - otherwise there will be set things I'll make in a series of colors. I also make baby blankets, mohawk hats (only for Raiye...) and tea cozies... only cuz i enjoy typing and saying the phrase 'tea cozy'. Better yet just come over and have tea with me. Before that take a look at the knits you totally want (don't deny it!) THEN come over and have tea. I'll bake for you. (click on any image to make it larger!)

Hats (the slouchy awesome kind, the mustache kind, the baby kind) 

Scarves (cabled, ribbed, striped, plain, fancy, double long or airy!) 

Handwarmers and armwarmers (preeetty much just like a scarf for your arm. it's slightly more awesome) 

Cowls - i really like these... they're like mini scarves - my sister also enjoys making them - oh and that's my niece Autumn aka the model for all these lovely knits - she'll be taking over IMG soon... when she learns how to walk in heels. workin. on it.

Legwarmers - do not under any circumstances underestimate the AMAZING COMFORT of these legwarmers. Made from 2 soft knits they're stretchy and durable and... like a tiny fuzzy monster of love is hugging your legs. Leg Love. Renaming them "Leg Love" officially.

Again I'll be making these in set colors and styles except for special special requests. As for baking just click on Adventures in Cooking and eeeeverything I've eeeever made pops up! aka... multiple links to Joy the Baker's website. I'm an advocate for her. She doesn't know that though... so I think that makes me creepy. Unfortunate right? But it's for a cause! justified. yessss.

RHODE ISLAND HERE I COME!!!! W00! WAH00!

GUESS. WHAT.

I got THESE!!!

THEY'RE IN THE MAAAAIL!

by the way this is my 4th post (more like 80th) about TOMS. My 3rd pair. Every time I go to buy the red ones... I end up with the seasonal ones that are going away soon and I just can't resist them! Oh TOMS... i friggin lurve you. I think I'll introduce them to my Emily Dickens... and they'll like fall in love... ok my brain is full of weddings let us stop.

I love the fall. It's comin! : ) and I will be wearing these shoes.