Freck's Friday Fancies VIII

Here we are, another Friday which means Freck's Friday Fancies!

I saved the best for last today, so make sure you make it to the bottom..

The best generic beauty products...

I'm loooving So You Think You Can Dance.

Katie Holmes dancing on it last night? Notsomuch.

This cute apartment..

Is anyone else obsessed with this song yet??


Last but not least...

I.Love.This.


Have a great weekend!!

Sweet Wall Decals

After 3 or 4 broken nails, I soon realized last weekend that I can't hang any of my paintings on two of my walls.

I started looking into wall decals..and I'm now in love and decided I need this. Pronto.

AllPosters, $34.99

AllPosters, $52.99


Blik, $45

AllPosters, $52.99

Blik, $40

AllPosters, $32.99

Ok maybe not all of them because it would look insane, but how cool are these!?

500 Days of Summer

I totally forgot to mention that TBF, one of TR’s and I went and saw 500 Days of Summer on Saturday night and it was AMAZING!

Warning, don’t read on if you haven’t seen it and want to…I may spoil it for you a teeny bit..

I can’t get over how well they recreated the process and feelings that go into a break up.

I love Zoey Deschanel so much, and she played her character so well that I hated her at one point in the movie. Can I mention her adorable style though? She wears clothes that are a total throwback, but wears each outfit in a modern way so that she can get away with it. As some of you know, she's an amazing singer and is in a band called She & Him. TBF and I went to the concert last summer and she was absolutely charming.


…and how about that ADORABLE dance routine that Joseph Gordon-Levitt performed? Sooo cute!

Ahh…I’m totally buying this movie as soon as it goes to DVD…

Home Sweet Home <3

The move is almost complete, and I love love looovvvveeee my new apartment. Let me tell you why.


When I wake up in the morning, the sun is shining through my windows over Lake Michigan, and I can look out and it FEELS like a city apartment because I’m higher up than the buildings surrounding mine. I note this because in the ground apartment I just moved from, I got ready in the dark. Boo. Sunlight makes such a difference!

I can get ready in the bathroom and my walk-in closet while listening to the morning news (in a bright, sunny apartment…did I mention that yet? : ). In the previous apartment, I got ready in my room, had a cave for a closet, and never watched or listened to the tv because it was in a separate room.

When I walked outside this morning, it was nice and quiet and I could smell the lake (which didn’t smell bad, but rather refreshing) I was much farther away from the lake before.


Oh, and TBF and I found what may be one of our favorite places for a quick, cheap dinner around the block from my place. You order at the counter which means you don't have to wait for a bill at the end and they bring it out to you when it's ready, and they have outdoor seating which is awesome in the summer. It's casual, but still a treat. Their menu is NOT healthy, but that’s what makes it so awesome. It ranges from pizza to chips and salsa to mozzarella sticks…and margaritas. Random..and awesome.

The commute to the L is a little longer but totally worth it.

I don’t have the internet (which means no posts on the weekends), but I do have basic cable. Yay for free tv! This means less money spent and less time spent sitting on the couch on the weekends. A major plus.

Oh, so have any of you Chicagoans (or anywhere else) watched Sunday late night tv? I think it may be my new favorite thing to do…I’ve never seen anything more bizarre in my life. It was all pre-recorded (with a bad camera) stuff that people submit to the local tv station. I watched a bunch of women line dancing for about an hour (and yes I joined in, HA!) and then I watched The Lords of Q with cougars dancing all over the place drunkenly for a good half hour. It. Was. Hilarious. Please, watch and share what you see with me, I’ll look for it next Sunday.

I feel I must note this: Don’t get me wrong, I loved my old apartment, too, but I’m in the honeymoon phase of this apartment where I’m seeing all the new, fun things. Just wait, I’ll start complaining about things like my showerhead being all funky and making weird noises, and how I feel broke as a joke from all the forgotten expenses I didn’t budget in (true statements)… :)

I hope everyone had a great weekend!!!

Freck's Friday Fancies VII

One item I very much fancy are beautiful mornings in Chicago. Today is one of them. This city is beautiful.

This FFF is mostly decor and furniture because I've been searching for some inspiration for my new place...

Enjoy!

I'm looking for some green towels, nothing bright and crazy..more like a soft, calm green. I love Ralph Lauren towels, does anyone have any favorite towel brands?

Wine rack, attaches to wall, $9.99, Ikea

I'm thinking about putting these knobs on my refurbished, now black, dresser...

Anthropologie, $10 too princessy? I'm still thinking about it...opinions are welcome!

Conservatory chair, Anthropologie, $more than I can afford. This would look lovely in my closet, which I decided I want to pretty much be treated like a dressing room that I need a chair in...especially after seeing this chair..

Hello cute, massive rug that I also cannot afford. Do you have an inexpensive twin out there in the world? Anthropologie, $1,098

Now this I can do, Urban, $28


How presh is this knob?! Anthropologie, $10

That's all for now...

Have a lovely weekend!!!!

Moving. Alzheimer's.

I’ve been friggin busy..ok?!

Day 1 of moving? Check.

Yesterday TBF and I headed over to my new apartment early in the morning to do some cleaning and check out the place. He'd never seen it before, so I was excited to show him. We’d taken the day off work because his best friend who lives in Ireland had a six hour layover in Chicago! Anyway, I walked in and had a slight internal panic moment I think because it was empty (duhr) and was a teeny bit dirty (nothing crazy). After an hour or so of bleaching and orange glo-ing, we felt high as a kite and magically I felt MUCH better and excited to move in! I’m ALMOST finished with the dresser I’m refurbishing, I’ve sanded, primed and put on the first coat of black paint. I have one more coat to go then it’s cute-Anthropologie-knob-shopping time! Before and after pictures will be posted, don't you worry!

I got a sexy new tv stand for TBF’s sexy, huge plasma tv. I plan on putting that together tonight or tomorrow night...
I scheduled my lease to start on the 15th of this month because my old lease doesn’t end until July 31st, that way I won’t be super stressed.. (crossing my fingers).

So today I’m super exhausted and thought Jamba Juice would be the perfect breakfast. Negative. I’m starving, why did I think a liquid breakfast would suffice? Note to self…

Okay..one more thing...

I need to get this off my chest before I let you go… This morning when I was walking to the L, a woman was standing in front of the doors of the station yelling, “SUPPORT ALLTIMERS!!!” To those of you who have anyone close to you who has experienced Alzheimer’s, does this bother you? Did it strike a nerve when you pictured someone shouting that statement? That they don’t know how to pronounce this extremely heart breaking disease? If you are one of the many who have unfortunately seen someone’s mind and memory deteriorate before your eyes over time, you probably know how to pronounce Alzheimer’s.

Does it also upset you that her statement is, “support alltimers”? Yes, I know she may actually meant to say “support the fight for a cure for Alzheimer’s,” but that really hit a nerve for me, too. The fact that she said "support" it, it sounds like she’s supporting the disease... Perhaps it’s because my grandfather had Alzheimer’s and it was one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen. I have a special place in my heart for every single person who’s had it, and those who have had someone close to them have it. I won't go into detail about how heart wrenching it is to see a grown man in his 80s practically revert back to being a toddler and forget who you and your family are and precious memories.

Disclaimer: I don't mean to offend anyone with this. I’m not saying this is the almighty disease that trumps all the others or that I’m putting down those of you who haven’t experienced it in some way. Please don’t think that, for those of you who haven’t, first of all, you’re blessed. Second, please just learn how to friggen say it…Alz-hei-mers. There is no T.

K, I’m done ranting and raving..time to get some sort of solid breakfast item in me now :)

Yes, Lady Gaga has struck again...

So I know I bashed Ms. Gaga yesterday, but I caught the end of her video, "Love Game" at the gym this morning and I couldn't stop watching! She may be crazy, but she sure is entertaining! It kind of sucks though that the dirty chorus is so friggen catchy...and so dirty..

Oh, and I must note, all of your comments about Lady yesterday were absolutely hysterical...

Like I said, I only saw the last half, so I apologize if this is soft core porn...

Did anyone else laugh hysterically when they saw this?

Lady Gaga...what the..?

At first, I was confused, then creeped out..then I just laughed really hard..

Read more...

Another Smorgasbord Post...

I know I've been MIA. Let me explain...

After a nice, long holiday weekend, my mind was officially asleep at the start of the week and I was having issues getting back into work-mode. I’ve had to think twice about the simplest things…coffee is my BFF lately.

Holiday recap: TBF and I left Chicago after work Thursday and ran into some serious traffic downtown but then coasted on home to central Illinois from there. We made a pitstop in Champaign to make an exchange (no not drugs, but a makeup bag and contacts) with my sister-in-law. It was only a pitstop because it was her and my broski’s 4 year wedding anniversary. Her car had some gorgeous flowers in them…we Freck's have nice taste..

Anyway, we spent majority of the weekend on Papa Freck’s boat and then out on “the square” in my hometown with fam and friends to have a good time and say hello to some old friends. Even though it was overcast most of the weekend, it was still a great getaway and break from the fast paced city. It’s back to reality now though: early mornings, corporate 9-5 days and shoving in a workout here and there.

I’m getting really excited about moving in a couple weeks!! Correction: I’m dreading the actual move, but getting really excited about settling into a new place and decorating it. As some of you are aware, I have a lot of paintings to hang and decorate with so I’m hoping to find a creative and clean way to display them all. I still think this type of collage is the best idea:

The first picture displays a good strategy where they taped the same size paper as the pictures to show how it will look on the wall. Another strategy is to lay all the pictures on the floor before you hang them!

I like the idea of mixing letters and pictures into the mix…thoughts? I don't want it to look super duper busy. I want it to still look clean.. I still need to refurbish TBF’s dresser, where has time gone?!

My sunburn is slowly healing.

Does anyone love this? I want to “get stranded”..

Love.it.all.

You know what I also love? Recently I had din din and drinks with H, and she told me about her favorite dry shampoo from Sephora. Meet my (and your) new love:

Yes, I know it's a bit pricey, but I LOVE IT! Sephora, $21 for the bigger can

I used to use baby powder all the time, but it's difficult to get the white out of my blonde hair. I can't imagine how the brunettes do it! This stuff has gotten me through two days without washing my hair (sorry, tmi for those of you who shower every day, like one of TR's, but for people with weak hair like me, I can't wash it every day if I want it to be strong!!) I definitely recommend it or the powder version which is $19. Thanks, H!

That's all for me this evening...

Happy Hump Day tomorrow!!!

Vacation!

This Freck (who's super duper sun burn has now turned into an itchy mess) is heading south toward central Illinois this afternoon to spend some quality relaxing time with family and friends ON A BOAT. I'm really looking forward to this getaway!!

If I don't post Freck's Friday Fancies VII tomorrow, I will make up for it on Monday when I return!!


Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!!!