Chantilly ~ Official Site

guest posting ~ shades of monet

2012-02-15T19:25:00.001-05:00

hello all!

today i'm guest posting at marisa's wonderful blog, shades of monet. she asked me to write about my music, and i ended up sharing quite a bit of my personal story...

come visit, if you want in :)

chantilly at lulu's style studio!

2012-02-14T11:20:00.006-05:00

happy valentine's day, everyone!

i have to confess, i don't really have a valentine's post for you lined up. so instead, i'll just talk about the lulu's event i went to on friday night....

(it's about to get fashion-y up in hizzere.)

i found out about the lulu's event on thursday last week. i already had two other commitments on the night it was happening, but resolved to power through and go anyway... if only for the experience and free stuff :)

as you can see, everything was impossibly beautiful. and the event boasted the tiniest, most glitter-topped cupcakes i've ever seen. i ate one, then went on the hunt for the free drinks. about 20 minutes later, everything on the pretty sweets table seemed to have vanished :(

however, the booze flowed freely.

(a little too freely...)

i stood awkwardly by myself for awhile, then finally broke the ice by asking a group of girls next to me if i could take their picture. one of them turned out to be veronika of tick tock vintage, who i felt silly for not having recognized.

i then proceeded to nerd out and take picture after goofy picture. geektown, population: 1

with veronika/ tick tock vintage & kristina/ the rebel waltz

the beautiful people

with veronika & kaitlin/ all this happiness (the other girls, i didn't meet)

i was pretty relieved when i saw someone that i actually knew- an acquaintance from college, stephanie. we didn't talk for that long, but she stuck around long enough to take decent (but somewhat blurry) shot of my outfit for me.

thank you stephanie! hope you got something good.

once i was finally let into the area where i could choose a free item of clothing, i had another huge geekout moment, when i met julie from orchid grey. hers was one of the first style blogs i started following. i gushed about her blog, and how much i loved her hair. but luckily, didn't appear too silly in the process (?)

by this time, i had no more time. so i ran around the racks in the room, frantically looking for something that i liked. i saw someone walking around with this dress, and was completely jealous. briefly considered this top, and was about to walk away with it.

but then i spotted this sweater, which i wore in yesterday's post! i felt like it fit my style much more than a formal, flowy blouse would, so i snagged it.

plus, the color is my ultimate jam.

other lulu's swag included-

- a lulu's tote bag
- two pairs of faux eyelashes
- an nyx gift set with a lipgloss, mascara, and an eye pencil
- a lip balm
- hair removal cream
- a $20 jewelmint gift card
- a coupon code for a free pair of shoes from michael antonio.com?! (these shoes are not really my style, but i couldn't get the code to work, anyway...)

the rest of friday night... to be continued!!

ps-
today is the LAST DAY to enter my giveaway to urban outfitters... GO HERE!

art stroll

2012-02-13T13:16:00.002-05:00

we ventured out to manhattan yesterday to run some errands and have dinner :) here i am, bracing for the inevitable... having to take my coat off for the sake of outfit photos.

the things we do for blogging...

we were outside of blick art store, where i got some gelly roll glitter pens that i'm way too excited about! i can't wait to use them in some project, or maybe just to write someone a love note with :)

now usually i do a bunch of editing to my photos to get that "vintagey" effect. but i just loved the way the colors came out here, so i decided to leave them alone this time... they're perfect as is!

this whole outfit is full of unbelievable scores. the dress was $2.50. the shoes were i think, $3. the scarf, an anthropologie $10 sale item. in fact, total cost of the outfit, including coat: $44.50

a couple of these items are really special, and i'm going to be reporting on them further this week:

- the amazing vintage hat, my parents found for me on a recent "house haul" for their store.
- and the sweater was an awesome gift from the style studio event i attended on friday thrown by lulu's! i was running late, and was one of the last people let in to look at the clothing and pick an item. i ended up being really happy with this sweater though, and haven't been able to take it off! it is SO cozy (but not very warm.)

coat- thrifted, ri
hat- vintage from my parent's store
scarf- anthropologie
dress- thrifted, long island
necklace- closeout store, nyc
sweater- c/o lulu's style studio event
tights- c/o we love colors
gloves- u.o.
socks- we love colors
shoes- thrifted, ct

xoxo,

ps-
don't forget to enter my awesome giveaway this month! $50 gift certificate to urban outfitters... enter here!

sunday songs ~ whitney houston

2012-02-12T13:15:00.002-05:00

if you haven't heard, poor whitney passed away yesterday. her voice and songs were a major influence on me growing up, and helped me to escape a lot of sadness. it is so unfortunate what happened to her...

it's so strange. the woman in these videos- who had such a strong life force and projected such confidence- could be the same woman corroding and crumbling away beneath it all. it must've taken a lot to keep up that facade (until she couldn't anymore.) happens all the time, i guess.

rip.

friday pinspiration

2012-02-10T11:20:00.000-05:00

heck yes, it's pinspiration time!!!!!

this week's finds:

this instagram of brooklyn that my facebook friend posted. (the link was deleted... otherwise, i would've included it!)

kaylah & elycia doing a bff photo shoot. i just started following the dainty squid... her blog is so beautiful, i just want to stay up all night and read the whole thing.

caitlin- love the chevrons.

heart mason jar diy

i can only take so much bubble tea, but it is a fun once-in-awhile treat. here's a few fun recipe's :)

another really pretty photo blog i stumbled across... i couldn't resist this picture of these doughnuts.

healthy raw vegan chocolate chip cookie dough balls? yes please.

i snagged this gem from kaelah's blog. the cutest thing i've seen since the last kitten picture i posted. (will you just look at that face?!)

jeremy's site is fast becoming my favorite spot for beautiful music-themed photos. no exception here.

this photo is a really old one of elizabeth's blog, but i remembered it from forever ago, dug through, and found it. (yes, i'm kind of a rabid fangirl :P)

so it's looking like a busy night for me tonight...

6pm- i'm going to try and make it to lulu's style event at openhouse gallery in nolita. i just got wind of this yesterday, and quickly jumped to rsvp, even though i wasn't sure i'd make it. but evidently, some style bloggers i admire are going to be there, and there's free clothing to be had! plus free wine & stuff? might as well check it out...

8:30pm- matt's been taking a photography class, and his exhibition is tonight. i'm going to try and go for a half hour or so, then bounce over to the venue where i'm performing later...

11pm- show at pete's candy store! i'll be performing songs from the new ep, plus a few new ones as well :) if you're in new york, you should come say hi!! hey, i might be a little drunk from too many free drinks, but i'd love to see you. i will be there and i will be ready.

rsvp on facebook if you're coming!!

hope you all have a really fun night as well, and happy friday!

xoxo,

ps-
don't forget to enter my awesome giveaway this month! $50 gift certificate to urban outfitters... enter here!

glitter folder diy

2012-02-09T10:46:00.003-05:00

grrr, i accidentally published this post the other day... sorry if it's a re-post for any of you!

good news- i've been picking up more students lately!

it's been a great blessing. but truthfully, it's part of the reason i've been feeling a little overwhelmed lately. more students mean more responsibility, more things to remember, more skills to learn, etc.

organization helps me with this. so i got an ugly folder at staples in which i could keep files, lesson plans, and papers to mark down weekly progress. i thought it might be more fun to look at if i jazzed it up a little :)

first, i made a little cutout from brown wrapping paper, stamped it, and glued it on the front cover (a process which unfortunately, i did not document.)

but i felt like the folder needed something else... so i decided to glitter it up.

i just mixed a few drops of water with about 1 tbs (?) of mod podge in a bowl, then added a packet glitter i had floating around.

then painted...

it didn't turn out quite the way i wanted, but i do like it better than before. my glitter wasn't very sparkly, and next time i want to focus on getting a more even coat.

oh well. at least i have a place to store my info now!

ps-
don't forget to enter my awesome giveaway this month! $50 gift certificate to urban outfitters... enter here!

guest post ~ sparkles and sticks

2012-02-08T10:08:00.000-05:00

today, i've invited the lovely jamie from sparkles and sticks to answer a few questions about herself! such a sweetie ♥

My name is Jaime and I write over at Sparkles and Sticks. Here are the Top 10 Most Interesting Things About Me At The Moment:

1. I have recently decided to go back to school to become a High School English Teacher.
2. Yesterday the library wouldn't let me check out more books because I had reached the maximum allowed number: 30! It was embarrassing.
3. I only got on an airplane once last year. The current lack of travel in my life is driving me crazy.
4. A few days ago I became obsessed with Nerdfighteria. Help Decrease World Suck!
5. YA authors are my celebrities. I want to write books when I grow up.
6. I just turned 29.
7. I met my husband when I was doing study abroad in Wales in 2003-04 and we got married a little over a year ago.
8. I consider Wales my home away from home and get genuinely homesick for it.
9. It's been so long that I had my hair cut and highlighted that people have started giving me compliments on my hair as if it is an entirely new style. It's like a new 'do without the fee.
10. I got a TARDIS cookie jar for my 29th brithday- it makes noise and lights up and everything! I acted a lot more like a nine year old than a twenty-nine year old when I opened it.

What's your blog about?

Sparkles and Sticks is a lifestyle blog with a crafty and geeky twist. I live a handmade, book lovin' life, and that is reflected in my blog. I've been blogging for six years (in various places) and I have spent nearly all six of those years trying to force my blog/blogging into a niche or category. It's never worked very well, and I always thought that it was my fault for being a "bad blogger." Then I realized that most of the blogs I love and have read for years on end don't fit strictly into a category at all. Not unless you count "a genuine account of this person's life and interests, told in a honest, clever, and artistic way" as a category of blogging. Now, I have stopped working so hard to define, in strict terms, what my blog is. I just blog.

When did you first start knitting and crocheting?

I learned to knit when I was a sophomore in college. One of my dorm neighbors (who was more like a roomate for all the time we spent together!) had recently learned to knit from her older brothers girlfriend, and she taught me everything she knew. I remember going to a tiny yarn store that no longer exists and picking out the chunkiest yarn we could find. "It's good to start with big yarn," she said. "You'll feel like you are getting somewhere." A few days later I wore my big, soft, very uneven purple scarf to our opening night of the university play that my friends and I all had parts in.

How do you stay inspired?

For me the most important part of staying inspired is staying in a general good frame of mind. I struggle with anxiety and depression, and whenever those struggles are the worst is when my creativity nose dives. In order to stay both happy and inspired creatively, I try to keep my mind and body engaged with positivity. I read books about new things. I leave the house, get exercise, and explore new pockets of the world. When my brain is happy and healthy, ideas just fall into it. When it's not, nothing positive, worthwhile or true can penetrate my skull.

What's your life philosophy?

Temporarily Suspend Your Own Beliefs. This was the unofficial motto of my major in college and I think it is a brilliant philosophy. Basically, it means know who you are, but always be willing to stop and truly consider the other.

If you could be any mythical creature, what would you be and why?

You won't believe how hard this question is for me to answer! Though the idea of a mermaid is forever tempting, I think right now I would have to say dragon. Wales, is supposedly full of dragons, and it would be really nice to visit.

♥ Sparkles and Sticks ♥

chocolate peanut butter milkshake recipe

2012-02-07T10:30:00.006-05:00

when i was 17, i had this job at friendly's as an ice cream scooper.

i wanted to work there because a few of my friends already did, and thought it would be way cool to socialize and get paid at the same time. unfortunately, i was never, ever scheduled to do shifts with them... thus rendering my time wasted, and my efforts meaningless (in my teenaged mind.)

one of the only redeeming things about that job was discovering the profound existence of peanut butter sauce. i mean, i always knew about it before... but i never knew just HOW good it could make an already delicious dessert.

peanut butter-smothered brownies... peanut butter and crushed oreos... strawberries and peanut butter. i'll surely never forget the day i decided to add peanut butter sauce to a MILKSHAKE. that was a good day, indeed.

so in that spirit...

Here is what you'll need
3 1/2 scoops chocolate ice cream
3 tbs chocolate syrup
1/2 cup of milk
2 tbs peanut butter
1/2 tbs vanilla extract

i mean, you could just throw all this stuff together in a bowl and call it a day. but for the sake of the post, let's take it all the way...

i used a magic bullet to mix all the ingredients, but blenders obviously work too ;)

on a side note, i read a few reviews stating that it is sacrilege to use chocolate ice cream in a chocolate shake. it will make it too sweet. vanilla ice cream all the way, plus lots of syrup.

well. as an ex-friendly's employee, i must tell you that they used chocolate ice cream for chocolate shakes. however they also had "frappes"... which used something called iced milk, then mixed it with regular milk, and whatever flavor the customer wanted.

i can't even believe i remembered all that...

anyway... enjoy the YUMNESS. :) xx

ps-
don't forget to enter my awesome giveaway this month! $50 gift certificate to urban outfitters... enter here!

style posts- the revising process

2012-02-06T11:55:00.004-05:00

whenever you do a style post, there are always "ones that got away..." or pictures that you decide not to use, for whatever reason. my photos go through a series of filters, as i decide which ones to put out there.

my process for paring down involves:

1) taking photos, immediately deleting the ones i hate from the camera
2) uploading photos to laptop, deleting ones i hate
3) editing them, delete some more
4) choosing 7-10 photos to upload to flickr
5) finally, creating a new post, deciding which ones go best together, choosing the order, and again- eliminating pictures that don't fit with the theme.

often after i've uploaded a photo i previously liked, i compare it with other photos and decide it doesn't belong with the rest.

seeing as i don't have a new style post for you today (no camera this weekend!) i thought i'd show you a few photos from recent posts that came this close....but didn't make the cut!

i liked this photo... but i felt that i looked a bit stiff, and my smile is a little forced/ blank. reminds me of a little kid posing for pictures for their parents.

i actually really loved the composition of this photo! the painting, my pose, the creepy mannequin... but that is one goofy smile :P it didn't really fit in with the tone of the other photos in this set.

again, i wasn't really fond of the facial expression in this picture. and i'm picky about the way my bangs look... i don't like them here. otherwise, i really wish i could've included this one... i think it's the only picture from this set where i'm looking at the camera!

i guess there's nothing really wrong with any of these pictures. but with each of them something was a little "off" for me.

for photos or otherwise, what's your revising process like?

lots of love,

ps-
don't forget to enter my awesome giveaway this month! $50 gift certificate to urban outfitters... enter here!

sunday songs ~ sharon van etten

2012-02-05T15:51:00.002-05:00

as a singer-songwriter who performs solo and makes/ has made recordings...

i'll admit how totally easy it is to rely on a band, studio musicians, producers, or other things to add layers and make music sound interesting even if it isn't (cough cough, lana del rey...)

there's nothing more telling than a musician who can be just as engaging, and convey the same passion and energy while only utilizing their chosen instrument and voice. this can actually be a lot harder than you think, especially in a studio setting...

but this girl- she does it flawlessly.

and i believe that's what they call talent, ladies and gentlemen...

xoxo,

ps-
don't forget to enter my awesome giveaway this month! $50 gift certificate to urban outfitters... enter here!

friday pinspiration

2012-02-03T14:11:00.002-05:00

i am going to come up with a better name for this series, i swear...
(or do you think it's workable? mayybe i'll keep it.)

either way, here are some pretties that i've come across this week :)

lisa's thrifted embroidery

Source: lalafauxbois.com via Chantilly on Pinterest

glitter jar diy on a beautiful mess

Source: abeautifulmess.typepad.com via Chantilly on Pinterest

beautiful picture of jeremy with a cello

Source: abeautifulmess.typepad.com via Chantilly on Pinterest

um... the cutest picture quite possibly known to humanity?

Source: bippityboppityboo.tumblr.com via Chantilly on Pinterest

i went ahead and ordered this headband in mustard from sunshine and carousels this week!

Source: etsy.com via Chantilly on Pinterest

pretty dress in the sunshine... hallo valerie

Source: hallovalerie.blogspot.com via Chantilly on Pinterest

avocado bacon melt on delightfully tacky

Source: delightfully-tacky.com via Chantilly on Pinterest

loving this dress on this lady :)

Source: shadesofmonetmd.blogspot.com via Chantilly on Pinterest

... and this one...

Source: petitepanoply.blogspot.com via Chantilly on Pinterest

and definitely this one :)

Source: modestjune.com via Chantilly on Pinterest

oh... and, um... him too :P

Source: keikolynn.com via Chantilly on Pinterest

i hope everyone's weekend will be a beautiful one. i'm actually in rhode island right now, visiting family again! i've been feeling overwhelmed by the city lately, and really need to get some perspective. energy, good and bad all around. there's just so much of it. there needs to be less.

but sadly, i have no camera with me to document the love... i really need to get one of my own...

i've been slacking off on taking pictures lately, mainly because matt's taken over the camera, and basically has it with him constantly. i find myself documenting my daily routines and little excursions less and less. it makes me sad. i want to share them with you. but it is his camera, afterall... we'll see what happens.

lots of love,

chantilly guide to meditation

2012-02-02T13:22:00.007-05:00

i get stressed out. a lot.

and i get overwhelmed a lot.

i got to thinking about this while also pondering amy's self-love series, and wanted to share one of the ways that i help myself with this. and the truth is that i can go (and have gone) crazy without a spiritual practice in my life.

think what you want... it might be weird or new-agey... but i always find that things go much smoother for me when i have a consistent practice every single day. it usually involves at the very least reading some inspirational or spiritual text, and meditating. even though i'm not very good at it, i still try :P

if you've never meditated before, there's potential to feel pretty wonderful afterwards :) i've gone to guided meditation centers, practiced techniques in therapy sessions, and also do it on my own.

you don't have to subscribe to any particular religion to meditate... you can be an athiest! it's simply something people do to clear their heads, and let in space for healing and good energy. here are a few of my favorite tips for a practice:

1) find a peaceful place

this one might seem obvious, but it could be a challenge if your living space is small, or your home is chaotic (kids, loud roommates, etc.) but no space is going to be perfect, so work with what you've got!

in my very first apartment in brooklyn, all the windows were looking directly out at brick walls. there was one small window in the kitchen, where through a barred window, you could see a sliver of sky. that was where i meditated every day, and it worked :)

Source: visualnotebook.tumblr.com via marion on Pinterest

2) breathe, and count

one of the first techniques i learned was to simply count up to a certain number on inhales and exhales, say to the number 10. if you have racing thoughts like i do, it helps take your mind off of them. it can actually be a relief to concentrate only on the numbers and your breath.

next, give yourself a time frame. say, 5 or 10 minutes in which you are to count with your breath, undisturbed, and let no other thoughts enter your head.

(this can be really hard, so you might need to...)

3) use a mantra

it's totally okay to use a simple and reassuring word or phrase while you're meditating. like "relax" or "let go." whenever you feel worries or thoughts coming in, just gently release them, and say your mantra to yourself in your head.

so many of the words that come into our minds during the day are stressful ones... so choose your words with care. this is the time to be gentle with ourselves :)

Source: moss.fm via Christina on Pinterest

4) visualization

it can help to picture yourself being somewhere safe and comforting. the beach? your childhood home? your mom's womb? it's all good, as long as it helps you to let go of fear and harmful energies around you.

5) don't give up

after the first time (or first few times), you may not feel any more inspired, happy, or lighter than usual. it might take a few tries. or, you might have an amazzing first experience, but subsequent times aren't the same. you don't know how to get the initial feeling back, and become disappointed.

this is all understandable and natural, but the important thing is that you keep trying. like anything, it takes practice. it might even take months, but i promise... carving a place out in your day to relax and let go of the stresses in your life will only have a positive effect on you in the longrun.

energy is such an amazing thing, and there's so much you can do with it. so many ways it can be depleted or replenished inside a person. these are replenishing exercises for your spirit.

hope you can find some use out of them :)

xoxo,

urban outfitter's giveaway

2012-02-01T10:20:00.003-05:00

♥ the month of love is upon us.... ♥

and because of this fact, i wanted to do something extra special for you guys :) so to kick off this lovely month of february, one lucky reader will get:

it's my first time in awhile doing a personal giveaway, and i'm excited! urban sells a variety of clothes for both men and women, so i'm glad to be keepin' it gender-neutral, as well :) gentlemen, don't be shy to step right up and enter!

love you all dearly.

xoxo

HOW TO ENTER

follow chantillysongs on google friend connect or bloglovin. leave a comment telling me you are a follower.

make sure to leave your email address so that i can contact the winner.
(you will be added to my totally non-annoying email list, from which you can unsubscribe at any time.)

that's it!!

then, once you fulfill your mandadory entry you may also do... bonus entries!

♥ follow me on twitter
♥ tweet: "Enter to win a $50 #urbanoutfitters gift card on @chantillysongs! http://www.chantillysongs.com/2012/02/urban-outfitters-giveaway.html"
♥ post a facebook update about it
♥ blog about it
♥ subscribe to my channel on youtube
♥ put one of my buttons up on your blog sidebar :)

please leave a comment for *each* bonus entry.

the giveaway is open internationally and ends on Tuesday, February 14th at midnight EST. the winner will be picked at random and announced a few days later.

good luck!!
xo

chicken and biscuits crock pot

2012-01-31T10:37:00.000-05:00

i was feeling a crock pot hankering the other day... so i had to bust it out and make some chicken and biscuits. i cooked this recipe once before with great success! the chicken gets super tender... yum!!

also it's a couple days worth of meals, at least. hallelujah convenience.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless chicken breast halves, cut in large chunks
1 Tbs onion powder
1 cup chopped celery
2 cans (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken or cream of chicken and mushroom soup, undiluted
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
Dash black pepper
1 cup frozen peas
6 frozen biscuits or refrigerator biscuits

Directions:
In a slow cooker, layer the chunks of uncooked chicken breasts with chopped onion and celery. Combine the soup and gravy with poultry seasoning, thyme, and pepper; pour over the chicken. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours. Add the thawed mixed vegetables, turn the slow cooker to HIGH, and continue cooking for 20 to 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, bake the biscuits as directed on the package. Split a biscuit and spoon some of the chicken and vegetables over the bottom biscuit. Put the top half

casual mondays

2012-01-30T11:17:00.000-05:00

hello again friends! another style post comin' atcha... BOOM!

we took these while we were out for lunch :) sushi!

i felt like this background was too busy for outfit pictures, but i guess it does create a cool effect. it certainly screams "BROOKLYNNN!!!!" in a way that only a graffiti'ed wall could...

i LOVED these flats from the moment i saw them. that crazy pattern... yes, please. it seems so unique... i don't think i've ever had patterned shoes before!

even though it was a pretty cold day, i really wanted to wear them. so i had to also wear socks. naturally, i kept getting that "sandal-with-socks" look, no matter what i put on.

i was about to scrap the whole idea... then i thought "if i'm doing sandal-socks, might as well go all the way." i dug out these patterned beauties, and the rest is history... i actually think they go quite well together!

hat- thrifted
cardigan- uniqlo
scarf- thrifted
shirt- urban outfitters
gloves- urban outfitters
jeans- uniqlo
socks- sock dreams
sadiki flats c/o blowfish shoes

sunday songs ~ robyn

2012-01-29T15:06:00.001-05:00

i first heard this song about a year ago whilst browsing in urban outfitters. i then went home and looked up the video on youtube...

reasons why i think this song and video are awesome:

- it's catchy in a "song that never ends" sort of way.
- the outfit?!
- the "let her down easy" part.
- the way your stomach drops after the first time it goes dark, and the strobe lights flash.
- it reminds me that i want to go dancing.
- she is more entertaining and energetic dancing all by herself than a pop star with a 50 million-dollar budget and 50 backup dancers.

- and finally, the sentiment.

for example, remember this song? ...

it's the same subject, but the pussycat dolls are just being jerks about it. don't get me wrong, i used to grind my booty off to this song, even though it's totally trashy :D

it's just nice how robyn was able to put a compassionate spin on the message. she's not trying to take her competition down in a swirl of flames... she's taking the high road. sometimes things just work better with someone else, and you need to break up. and that's all. and that's why even though it's a dance/ pop song, i think its undertone is a wise one, which i appreciate :)

Meet the January sponsors

2012-01-28T14:28:00.000-05:00

time again to shine some light on this month's sponsors! they are all amazing, awesome wonderful people (and entities) who you will adore. visit their blogs and shops, friend them on twitter, and leave them comments!! x

My name is Katie. I'm a big sister, student, nerd and blogger. I'm slightly crazy, have friends to match, and spend my time bloging about my personal style, life and pretty things.

♥ Blog ♥ Twitter ♥ Facebook ♥

Hi! I my name is Stina and I have a blog called Her Name Was Greta. From the west coast of Sweden I blog about the things in life that makes me smile. I love to bake, my cats, sew and knit, and blog about it.

♥ Blog ♥ Twitter ♥

Hi there, my name is Jaime and I write a lifestyle blog with a geeky and crafty twist called Sparkles and Sticks. I always seem to be halfway through the following things: a YA fantasy book, a cup of coffee, a blanket that I am crocheting or knitting, and about 10 other crafty projects. Current new obsessions include the library, my word for 2012, and my little Q&A Book. Come stop by and say hi- I love making new blog friends!

♥ Blog ♥ Twitter ♥ Pinterest ♥

We think personal style is just another form of self-expression, and we make shoes for creative girls who can put together a look with effortless originality. Blowfish takes a break from the ordinary and a cue from the past. There’s something unexpected in every shoe we create, just as there’s something unexpected about every girl who wears them.

♥ Site ♥ Twitter ♥ Facebook ♥

Hello lovely Chantilly readers! My name is Citlalli, and I am the over-caffeinated gal from Sew Beastly. Some of my favorite things to do are drinking coffee, eating, cooking, and sewing the day and night away as I rock out to my music. The last one is how Sew Beastly started...me, my sewing machine, my music, and my handmade dream. My shoppe is where you can find a fun mix of my handmade accessories, and I also blog over here. Stop by, stay awhile, and let's connect!

♥ Blog ♥ Shoppe ♥ Twitter ♥ Facebook ♥

I'm a sewer, a crafter, a voracious thrifter, potential hoarder, and owner of a 1984 Westfalia Vanagon. I'm a writer and a designer, but mostly just a secret cat lady. A is for Ampersand is about all of things with a little bit of thrifty goodness and old-fashioned magic for good measure.

♥ Blog ♥ Shoppe ♥ Twitter ♥

pretty pinterest

2012-01-27T14:37:00.000-05:00

like most everyone lately, i think i've caught an addiction to pinterest. i love looking through my favorite blogs and pinning pretty pictures! i've been trying to get a few regular features going here at chantillysongs... so maybe this can be one of them? so here's a few of my favorites so far-

i discovered valerie's blog a few weeks ago- she has the most beautiful photographs (especially of food.)

Source: hallovalerie.blogspot.com via Chantilly on Pinterest

this tea lights diy is awesome!

Source: fellowfellow.com via Chantilly on Pinterest

i pinned this awhile ago, but i dream trip of going on a road trip like this someday...

Source: kirstyhelen.com via Chantilly on Pinterest

piano tracking on jeremy's blog.

Source: jeremylarson.typepad.com via Chantilly on Pinterest

lisa playing accordion.

Source: lalafauxbois.com via Chantilly on Pinterest

i'm obsessed with amps lately, because i want one for my fender strat. these all look really pretty.

Source: beautifully-pure.com via Chantilly on Pinterest

kate's nails.

Source: scathingly-brilliant.blogspot.com via Chantilly on Pinterest

i would enjoy having this coffee anywhere with anyone. (maybe with you?)

Source: flossyblossom.blogspot.com via Chantilly on Pinterest

xoxo,

guest post ~ beautifully pure

2012-01-25T13:05:00.000-05:00

time for a guest post from the wonderful, beautiful, stylish katie of beautifully pure. her blog is so worth a visit. trust :)

Hi, my name is Katie. I write the blog Beautifully Pure, and today I'd like to share with you all five of my favorite things in the whole world:

The color fuchsia:

Fuchsia is one of my favorite colors. Fuchsia skirts, purses, shirts, and especially lipstick! I just feel so pretty and happy whenever I wear it!

Old cars:

This is one not many people know about, but I love vintage cars. I mean "jumping up and down and pointing when I see a really cool one drive down the street" liking them. Any will get me excited but I especially love ones from the mid 50's to mid 6o's.

Wearing headbands:

It's gotten to the point where I actually feel naked when I'm not wearing one. My favorite one is a metal gold one, and the sparkly fuchsia one I made.

Music:

I love music so much. Sometimes I wonder how I would get through life without it. Whether I'm happy, angry, or sad listening to music is my vent. Having said that, I really wish I could actually write music.

Heels:

I love wearing heels. They make me feel confident, beautiful and lady-like - which is why I wear them so much. I might tower over nearly every other person I know, but I don't care. I love them and I'm going to keep wearing them.

adults at play

2012-01-24T10:51:00.000-05:00

when you're on a quest to survive without a traditional 9-5 job, you quickly find yourself becoming a jill-of-all-trades. so last week, i had a photography gig :)

i was shooting another singer-songwriter's recording session... which was awesome. it was at nola studios in midtown... this is the live room:

i also loved finding all the little nooks and crannies with things like cute pianos and vibraphones in the corner... musical instruments are so beautiful :)

dress swap!!

2012-01-23T17:36:00.004-05:00

today, jenna posted the pictures of the dress that i sent her for our swap!! she even did a "chantilly" pose :P hop on over to sew savoir faire creations and check out her way cute pictures.

(this is what i did with it.)

it's been a slow, rainy monday for me. i did some yoga this morning... and i even ran into my friend alyson, and we ended up having a girl-chat afterwards!!

but rather than give me energy, the yoga just kinda pooped me out. at least i practiced guitar today for my show at pete's candy store in february! (if you're in ny, come.)

anywayyy, hope you all are having a lovely week so far :)

xoxo,

sunday songs

2012-01-22T17:12:00.000-05:00

i've been meaning to make sunday songs a weekly thing, but i've fallen behind. it's meant to be a series of posts, dedicated to inspiring music/ what i've been listening to/ promoting indie artists. so i guess this is the second installment :) first one being with bloggy heroes hue and hum over a month ago...

oh well. start all over again, that's what i always say!

so anyway, i've been listening to this song this week-

a friend of mine started taking voice lessons with me recently. when she said she wanted to do this song, i was pumped. i *love* this album.

so i've been learning how to play the guitar part, which is not that hard. it's just i've been trying to play it on an acoustic guitar. i do have an electric, but only a tiny practice amp. i can't really get that distortion/ noise that makes the song so epic...

anyway, i hope you enjoy pj harvey :)

what are you listening to this week? recommendations are welcome!

xoxo,

********************************

BLOG CORRECTION.
yesterday, i posted a winner for the shabby apple dress giveaway, but it turns out that winner was ineligible. so i picked a new winner at random, and she is gina maddox. enjoy your dress, gina!

yarn bow hair tie!

2012-01-20T10:52:00.003-05:00

i got into the habit of always having an elastic around my wrist when i was in middle school. i was... a cheerleader (yeah) and had to tie my hair back all the time. but over the years, i've often felt like plain elastics look ugly in my hair, and have wondered about ways to jazz them up.

so it was midnight. i was in my studio staring at some yarn, and it hit me... i could make little bows!! i came up with a tutorial so you can make them too :)

~ first, you need two pieces of yarn. one 56" long, and the other 20" long.
~ fold the longer piece in half four times over.

(a captive audience...)

~ string the smaller piece through a hair elastic with equal length on each side.

~ grab the "bow" by the middle, and start wrapping the smaller piece around it, tying it to the elastic. wrap it around maybe 5 or 6 times... or however much you feel like.

~ when you're finished wrapping, tie the loose ends into a knot.

~ straighten her out...

~ you can leave the loose ends, clip them, or incorporate more yarn for a fuller "tie" effect.

~ enjoy your fun new hair accessory!

sponsor chantillysongs in february

2012-01-19T18:37:00.003-05:00

hello friends!!

i'm happy to be able to offer sponsorships and swap options for february :)

chantillysongs is the website and lifestyle blog of me! chantilly. your friendly neighborhood singer-songwriter/ crazy cat lady. my focus is music, style, photography, indie, diy, and food. i'd love to talk about featuring you here :)

as of right now the rates are *very* reasonable (including free), and i'm offering two options:

the free option is a popular one, and i'm happy to do it... however, i do want to start limiting the number swaps that i take on, so it's on a case-by-case basis, and preference goes to people who have a similar number of followers (or if i just really love your blog.) i hope this doesn't sound elitist- i just want a way to filter a little!

as of 12/19/11, i have:
~317 google friend connect followers
~355 twitter followers
~4,600 pageviews in december, and poised to reach a similar amount in january
~1,200 unique visitors so far this month

i LOVE connecting with new bloggers, entrepreneurs, businesses, and musicians, so don't hesitate to contact me :)

if you're interested, please email chantillysongs (at) gmail (dot) com.

xx

spring wishlist...

2012-01-18T11:05:00.001-05:00

the cold weather has just started to pick up here in nyc, but already it's getting to me. i find myself yearning for flowers, picnics, and warm days. i'm also thinking about little dresses to go frolic in...

i've been finding myself browsing more and more online. held captive by the thought of spring dresses, skirts, and cute shoes. my fantasies include but are not limited to....

i've been looking for a pair of shoes like this for awhile. it's hard to walk in heels in nyc. but these ladies sandals seem to have a wide enough heel so that it would be comfortable. i see so many bloggers in ginormous platforms. i used to wear them too! i want to again...

casual and vibrant. i love the color and bold stripey print of this dress.

i've also always wanted something with a peter-pan collar, and i've seen a lot of other bloggers rocking this dress recently. it would be a perfect for valentine's day :) i would wear it with tights covered in hearts. but it could also transition well to summertime. it is so cute!!

now this one, i've been eying for awhile. the print is just too good. i've held out over months and months, and didn't even get it when modcloth had had their christmas sale a few weeks ago.

well, they finally had their cabin fever sale the other day, so i snatched one!! only thing is, i didn't get the size i wanted. so here's hoping it fits and/ or shrinks.

chantilly stuffed mushrooms

2012-01-17T10:20:00.002-05:00

you really can't mess up this recipe.

i've been making these since i was twelve. i remember thinking to myself "when i'm an adult, there's going to be nothing stopping me from making these and eating them for dinner EVERY NIGHT." they're about the simplest, most delicious stuffed mushrooms ever (if not the most fattening.)

with this one, i usually just go by taste... not specific amounts of things. but for the sake of it being a recipe, i put some actual measurements...

ingredients:
2 packages ritz (or generic ritz) crackers
3 packages white button mushrooms
3/4 stick of butter, melted
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
heaping tablespoon minced garlic

directions
~ preheat oven to 400 degrees
~ mash packages of crackers in a large bowl
~ pick stems from the mushrooms, and mash them in with the crackers
~ pour butter over pulverized mixture, and combine. the consistency should be mushy... not too dry, but not too wet.
~ add parmesan cheese
~ add garlic
~ mix more (i get in there and use my fingers/ hands. no need for pretense...)
~ stuff mushroom caps with the mixture.
~ put in the oven, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until brown on top.

* now when it comes to the garlic and parmesan, my opinion is always "more is more." feel free to experiment with the amounts to your taste
* also keep in mind that if your mixture is too dry, you can always add more butter. if it's too mushy, you can always add more crackers!

you WILL not be able to stop eating them. baker beware...

xoxo,

collar me

2012-01-16T12:00:00.001-05:00

dress swap time!

the lovely jenna of sew savoir creations and i decided to swap some clothes, so she sent me this dress. i've been coveting it since miki posted it on her blog (yes, she has the dress too), so i'm so excited to finally wear it.

photos by matt panton

jenna warned me that the dress was short, and she wasn't kidding! i felt so scandalous and cutesy walking around the restaurant where we had brunch. i don't own anything quite so school-girly... i felt like madeline!

anyway, it was FREEZING yesterday, so we decided to do an indoor shoot. we ended up taking half the photos in the hallway, and the other half inside the apartment...

(hallway photos)

oh... and here is the patented jenna pose. if you don't know, check out her blog and find out :P

hat- thrifted, rhode island
dress- jenna's
tights c/o we love colors
socks- sock dreams
shoes- anthropologie levade clogs

new dishes!!

2012-01-13T11:38:00.000-05:00

and now for a random interlude...

we've been needing new dishes for months. the other day, i finally found these at the dollar store of all places. and yes, they were a dollar each!

i'm just happy, because i can never seem to find any cute/ cool vintage dishes at the thrift stores around here. and the "vintage" stores are, of course, too expensive.

woo-hoo!!

just wanted to share :)

making a bunting strand

2012-01-12T11:17:00.003-05:00

it's been in the works for a few months to try this tutorial for bunting that elizabeth did for her wedding.

i finally found some time to make it happen! but not without a few of my own small changes...

first, you need your fabrics.

believe it or not, these are just some old shirts and dresses that are unusable for various reasons. i figured i'd keep them for scrap fabric, rather than just throw them away.

i made a template from an old cereal box, and used that to draw on the fabric and make cutouts.

thelonious always likes to watch me when i do projects, but i suspect her main interest lies with the yarn (which she is obsessed with.)

anywayyy, i used mod podge for this (i've been using it for everything lately.) i just smeared a triangle of glue over one side of the cutouts. i then closed up the fabric over itself, making sure to catch the yarn so that it stays in one place.

my cutouts and my technique in making these were NOT immaculate, but i didn't mind. however, if you want a cleaner look for yours, you can use an iron to make sure the fabric lays perfectly flat.

yay!

staying organized

2012-01-11T10:21:00.000-05:00

i feel like i'm a pretty disorganized person by nature. or... i have what many like to call "disorganized organization."

it's gotten better over the years. and i continue to progress on this front as i have ideas, handle tasks, become more responsible, and generally manage my life as an adult/ become the master of my own destiny.

and someday, i will have my own assistant/ intern to help me with all these little things...

but until that day, meet my official organization team-

my computer, my to-do list notebook, and my ideas/ business notebook. i've tried other things... google docs, desk calendars, writing things down on little scraps of paper, to be eaten by my pockets... nothing works!

this little notebook is the best thing i've ever found to remember things with. i have it on me at all times, and write down things to do as i remember them. then, i just cross them off after i'm done!

oh how i love that feeling...

it might seem super simple, but it's the only thing that's helped me over the years. i need to get a new one soon!

the other little notebook, i've been using in conjunction with a book that i've been reading about manifesting dreams, etc. i write down exercises from the book, but also use it for inspiration and ideas.

and also for things like this ep release flow chart! (yet to be completed...)

how do you stay organized??

outfit

2012-01-10T10:13:00.000-05:00

say hello my new hat!

new hat, say hello to my friends.

i knew you'd be pleased to meet each other. i thrifted this baby in rhode island recently, and it's my new cold-weather pal!

we took these photos by the waterfront in greenpoint. i was actually kind of cold and grumpy when these were taken, but surprisingly, i think they came out well.

i'll never forget the advice i received from my friend james, via tyra banks/ america's next top model... which is to look "bored and angry" when modeling for photos.

will do!

hat- thrifted, rhode island
scarf- thrifted, rhode island
cardigan- thrifted, nyc
shirt- u.o.
pants- uniqlo
gloves- belfast food coop, maine (via my brother)
shoes- thrifted

moments & days

2012-01-09T15:42:00.004-05:00

these last few days have been lazy-ish.

you know that feeling when you know work and emails and things have been piling up, and you just don't want to deal? yeah... :P

photos by matt panton

what have i been up to? i don't really know. i can never remember my days. it always takes me at least a few minutes to remember...

...i went walking around the city to take art-pictures with matt. went to brunch. looked at bikes. learned a garth brooks (!) song for a student. forgot about emails that i was supposed to answer. watched too many episodes of the shows carnivale and homeland. procrastinated.

still feeling a bit odd about the future, and the whole attempt at self-employment. still feeling a bit foggy. there are a few things i'm excited about on that front though! so i remain vaguely confident that things will work out, somehow.

there WILL be a less melancholy post tomorrow. lol. just wanted to drop in and say hello after a few days of absence, and be truthful about how i've been feeling :)

hope no one holds it against me. xoxo

little trips down memory lane

2012-01-06T11:27:00.000-05:00

i published these photos the other day by accident... oops! sorry if you're seeing them twice...

i know you've heard me talk about my love for bess eaton before. so i was happy when we passed by one last week on vacay and actually got to go inside and have some coffee :)

my grandparents lived right down the street from this particular one, and my mom actually worked here for a time.

yay, family history.

if you've been reading my blog for awhile, you might know that i have a coffee shop fetish. and i've sampled a lot of them in brooklyn and manhattan. so honestly, compared to what i'm used to now, the coffee here was pretty weak.

but who am i kidding. i still loved it!

the donuts were pretty good, too!

ahhhh, nostalgia...

xoxo,

shabby apple waimea dress giveaway

2012-01-04T11:10:00.001-05:00

shabby apple is an online women's dresses boutique, and some of their their lovely representatives got in contact with me recently. they proposed a giveaway for you guys! i've been wanting to do another giveaway, so the timing couldn't have been more perfect :)

i chose the waimea dress. i love the vintage style and nautical feel. i'd love to have this dress for myself, but alas, it will go to one of you!!

How to enter:

step 1: follow chantillysongs on google friend connect or bloglovin

step 2: like shabby apple on facebook

step 3: visit shabby apple, and leave a comment telling me which dress you like best!

these entries are mandatory.

make sure to leave your email address so that i can contact the winner.
(you will be added to my totally non-annoying email list, from which you can unsubscribe at any time.)

that's it!!

then, once you fulfill your mandadory entry you may also do... bonus entries!

+ follow me on twitter
+ tweet: "Enter to win the @ShabbyApple Waimea dress on @chantillysongs! http://www.chantillysongs.com/2012/01/shabby-apple-waimea-dress-giveaway.html" or something to that effect
+ post a facebook update about it
+ blog about it
+ subscribe to my channel on youtube

please leave a comment for *each* bonus entry.

the giveaway is open only in the US and ends on Wednesday, January 11th at midnight EST. the winner will be picked at random and announced a few days later.

good luck!!
xo

haunted house

2012-01-03T12:24:00.001-05:00

before this next post, i just want to thank all of you for the encouraging comments you left on my last entry. i smiled ear to ear when i read each one. you guys are the reason why i come back to write and share my life here time and time again :)

<3

moving on...

right down the road from my parent's place in rhode island, there's this old, abandoned-looking house.

photos by matthew panton

it's beautiful and run-down, but apparently there are people living in it! we felt like weirdos... all creepin' on their house and taking pictures. one lady from across the street kept staring at us... but we couldn't help it. it was just too damn interesting-looking.

then of course i thought, "this creepy place couldn't be more perfect for outfit documentation..."

i feel like these pictures say "fall" much more than "winter" ... but it's been like 50 degrees every day!

plus i just can't keep up with fashion trends, and don't really have a dedicated wardrobe for each season. it's too expensive. i just wear my summer dresses with a cardi, add tights, boots, & call it a day...

dress- tulle
cardi- borrowed from matt
necklace- etsy
scarf- thrifted
tights- tj maxx
boots- thrifted

xoxo,

out with the old, in with the new

2012-01-02T03:14:00.000-05:00

Source: ohsolovelie.blogspot.com via Michelle on Pinterest

happy new year, friends :)

soo, i'm probably the only downer in the blog world to say this- but i've been feeling kinda aimless these last few days.

with a new year starting once again, i find myself uncertain of the future. and that negative voice keeps saying that i should have it all "together" by now. NOTHING good EVER comes out of comparing oneself to another...

however, sometimes i feel like all i do is trip over younger, more successful people than me, who have their futures all lined up for them.

so i decided to make a list of everything i've done this year... and honestly, it felt pretty rad.

2011 was a year that saw me making all sorts of dreams come true. i also felt positive energy that i've been craving for years flow into my life- from many different sources and people.

it started off pretty badly, but 2011 got better and better with each passing month. and that's encouraging :)

my life has been going in exactly the right directions, and i want to keep it that way. so for 2012, i want to expand upon those goals. but i want to do it starting with faith and love.

when i treat every conversation i have as an expression of love... when i seek to find something special in every single person i see... and when i let go of all my expectations... everything, without fail, starts to come together.

above everything else on this list, this is what i strive to do more of in 2012. to let go of fear, and let love in a lot more :)

with that in mind...

thank you all so much for coming on the journey with me this year. it means so much to have found people to share these parts of my life with.

much more to come :)

xoxo,

christmas eggs au gratin

2011-12-30T12:50:00.000-05:00

okay sooo this is (probably) my last christmas-related post (i just had soo many pictures!), but i just wanted to share this recipe with you.

these eggs au gratin are a tradition in our family. we've been making them for christmas since i can remember. of course, they're not strictly for the holidays... they're perfectly yummy any time. maybe you can even make them for the new year!

put it this way... if you like cheese and eggs, these are definitely your thing.

**also note- we always double the recipe... so if you're planning on making it with the specified amounts, you'll probably need more than one baking dish (we used the pie dish seen in the last picture to cover the overlflow.)

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
4 cups hot watter
2 cups milk
4 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
24 hard boiled eggs, cut lengthwise into halves
2/3 cup parmesan cheese
2/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
4 tbs butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

~ heat 1/2 cup margarine in 4-quart saucepan over low heat until melted.
~ stir in flour. cook, stirring constantly until smooth and bubbly
~ remove from heat
~ stir in water, milk, and bouillon
~ heat to boiling, stirring constantly.
~ boil and stir 1 minute

~ add cheddar cheese, worcestershire sauce, and peppper
~ cook, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted

~ arrange eggs, cut sides up, in ungreased rectangular baking dish
~ top with cheese sauce

~ mix parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and 4 tbs butter and sprinkle over the top

~ bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes in 400 degree oven, until hot and topping is brown.

enjoy!
xoxo,

lovely december sponsors~

2011-12-29T11:31:00.003-05:00

time again to shine some light on this month's sponsors! they are all amazing, awesome wonderful people (and entities) who you will adore. visit their blogs and shops, friend them on twitter, and leave them comments!! x

Hi! I'm Cosmia and I blog at Inflammatory Knit. I'm an Irish librarian
and craft-lover, and my blog is a mix of personal style with a little
knitting thrown in. As you may be able to tell, I am also a bit of a
Joanna Newsom fan!

♥ Blog ♥ Twitter ♥ Chictopia ♥

Hello! I'm Lisa and I blog over at lala faux bois. It's all about my life as a girl obsessed with travelling, vintage, and making stuff. Come by sometime and we can get crafty and share thrifting tales!

♥ Blog ♥ Twitter ♥

We think personal style is just another form of self-expression, and we make shoes for creative girls who can put together a look with effortless originality. Blowfish takes a break from the ordinary and a cue from the past. There’s something unexpected in every shoe we create, just as there’s something unexpected about every girl who wears them.

♥ Site ♥ Twitter ♥ Facebook ♥

♥ Blog ♥ Twitter ♥

Hello lovely Chantilly readers! My name is Citlalli, and I am the over-caffeinated gal from Sew Beastly. Some of my favorite things to do are drinking coffee, eating, cooking, and sewing the day and night away as I rock out to my music. The last one is how Sew Beastly started...me, my sewing machine, my music, and my handmade dream. My shoppe is where you can find a fun mix of my handmade accessories, and I also blog over here. Stop by, stay awhile, and let's connect!

♥ Blog ♥ Shoppe ♥ Twitter ♥ Facebook ♥

I'm a sewer, a crafter, a voracious thrifter, potential hoarder, and owner of a 1984 Westfalia Vanagon. I'm a writer and a designer, but mostly just a secret cat lady. A is for Ampersand is about all of things with a little bit of thrifty goodness and old-fashioned magic for good measure.

♥ Blog ♥ Shoppe ♥ Twitter ♥

spare tire

2011-12-28T11:23:00.006-05:00

notice the little christmas tree in the background :)

people love to give their opinions. and i've heard some say that i should smile more in the pictures on this blog...

and sure, i like smiling.

i smile a lot in real life, actually. but something about taking photos makes me want to work out that cool/ sexy alter-ego of mine :P

nevertheless... to make myself smile for this shoot, i went and had a little too much fun on the tire swing. afterwards, i asked my mom what she thought of the below picture. she admitted that i looked a little manic. lol. always count on your mother for an honest opinion.

so what do you think? too manic pixie dream girl?

... on the other hand, who cares? i'm having fun!

(favorite) hat- thrifted, maine
scarf- anthropologie
cardi- thrifted, rhode island
tank top- thrifted, ny
skirt- tulle
tights- hue
booties- thrifted, connecticut

xoxo,

the eve

2011-12-27T12:35:00.003-05:00

on christmas eve, the parents decided we'd go out for chinese food. but not just any old place... my childhood favorite, chen's!

it probably sounds pretty typical. and i guess it is. but this particular restaurant is special to me.

years ago, we lived very closeby. way before i could even drive, my brother and i would literally walk down the street and have lunch here on weekends. my grandparents would also often take us here.

for some reason, this whole trip has been very nostalgic. dinner here was no exception.

plus the food easliy kicks any nyc chinese restaurant's ass, any day of the week!

if you refer to the menu above, you'll notice the drink prices. being city dwellers used to $12 cocktails, we were impressed. and unlike the times i came here with my brother, i could actually order one!

so we went for the coco punch and the zombie...

tea!

hot & sour soup that i didn't like...

beef teriyaki, fried rice, & egg roll. amazing. just like i remember it.

xoxo,

home for the holidays

2011-12-26T17:43:00.001-05:00

hello again....

wanted to share a few snaps from my holiday weekend :)

this is me and my mom. i really love this picture.

photos by matt panton

and... some great news.

you might remember from a few months ago, when i posted about a shop that my parents were helping out with?

well, they didn't want me to say anything about it at the time... but they took over the lease for that shop, and have gone into business for themselves! it's a furniture consignment/ vintage/ antiques shop. i'm so excited for them.

check out their upstairs showroom.

(see if you can find the people in the picture.)

if you're in rhode island, please go visit them!! even just to say hi! they'd definitely love to see you :)

1081 main street hope valley, ri

also, i convinced my mom that she needed an online presence for the store. starting with... a blog :P it's in the beginning stages, but you should still check it out if you get the chance.

oh and, if you follow me on twitter or facebook, you might remember i was in a local paper for my kickstarter (thanks to my mom.) well, like typical adoring parents, they put it up in their store :)

they've been making my heart melt every day. i'm really lucky to have a family that truly loves me and "gets" me. not everyone does...

how did you spend your time this weekend?

xoxo,

o christmas tree

2011-12-26T01:40:00.002-05:00

hi!

i'm (sorta) back. this week, there will be a lot of family-oriented posts & letting you guys know what i've been up to during the holiday. but first, a tribute post...

this is (was) my dog, duke. my dad literally took this picture this morning, christmas day.

doesn't he still look like a little puppy dog? from the picture, you can tell what a sweetie he was.

he was 12 years old. his sister, who he'd spent his whole life with, was recently put down. since then, he had a hard time dealing with that. he howled every night. and one of my parents always had to come downstairs and sleep with him so he wouldn't be lonely.

tonight, he was pacing around- disoriented, stomach bloated, foaming at the mouth. they rushed out to the vet. and sadly, they decided to put him down. it was really just his time.

it's weird... i keep expecting him to come around the corner, or see him lying down in the chair. my family has no dogs now. it'll take some time to get used to this, even though i don't live with my parents anymore.

anyway...

my parents decorated this little tree out in the yard. specifically for me :)

(photos by matt panton)

they know how much i like christmas-y stuff, even though they're not that into it.

besides duke being put down, i've been having a really great christmas with my family. i can't wait to tell you what i've been up to with them this week (even if it does mean gaining like 10 lbs from so much FOOD!! :)

i hope your holiday this year has felt just as special.

(my silhouette in front of the tree :)

xoxo,

taking a break

2011-12-24T10:43:00.004-05:00

heyyyy,

i'm taking a christmas break from the blog, so i won't be around for a few days. i definitely need one!

happy winter holiday of your choice, and i will be back again soon!

xoxo

Source: weheartit.com via Mandy on Pinterest

holiday drinky time

2011-12-22T11:23:00.001-05:00

at our holiday acoustic show a few weeks ago, we decided to serve some festive drinks- spiced wine and hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps! both were a hit, and i had to have more...

so the other night, i made this delicious (yet lonely) hot cocoa for one. but you can easily double, triple, quadruple (etc) the recipe in order to have more for guests and family :)

enjoy! xoxo,

sponsor in january

2011-12-21T11:19:00.002-05:00

hello friends!!

i'm happy to be able to offer sponsorships and swap options for january :)

chantillysongs is the website and lifestyle blog of me! chantilly. your friendly neighborhood singer-songwriter/ crazy cat lady. my focus is music, style, photography, indie, diy, and food. i'd love to talk about featuring you here :)

the blog party and close of the kickstarter this past week was a HUGE success- tripling my usual daily pageviews, and passing on that traffic to my sponsors as well. that can only mean more good things for the coming months :)

as of right now the rates are *very* reasonable (including free), and i'm offering two options:

the free option is a popular one, and i'm happy to do it... however, i do want to start limiting the number swaps that i take on. my plan is to arrange a lottery before the end of the month.

as of 12/21/11, i have:
~298 google friend connect followers
~340 twitter followers
~4,600 pageviews in november, and poised to reach a similar amount in december
~1,200 unique visitors so far this month

i LOVE connecting with new bloggers, entrepreneurs, businesses, and musicians, so don't hesitate to contact me :)

if you're interested, please email chantillysongs (at) gmail (dot) com.

xx

Holiday Party ~ Chantilly

2011-12-20T18:00:00.004-05:00

yay!

many thanks to everyone for stopping by for the holiday party today. i truly admire and love all these girls, and am so happy to share my space with them :)

and well, i have to confess, i don't have holiday post for you right now. i need to talk about something else- the best holiday gift i could probably think of.

so ummmmm, i don't know if you heard but i made my kickstarter goal earlier in the afternoon!!!

i had so much help from so many people. it started off slow, but i am seriously overwhelmed at how much support came through.

if anything, doing this kickstarter has given me an excuse to come out of my "internet" shell. i knew i had to be twittering and facebooking a lot, but i had no idea i'd connect with so many amazing people in the process! i feel so much closer to some of you now (even if we've only met on the internet.)

it's amazing what happens when people want to be a part of something. i'm reading this book that calls the phenomena "barn raising", and i totally felt it happen. some of you guys are like social networking ninjas!! and whether you pledged, shared my story, or even just watched passively from the sidelines, please know that i appreciate you SO much.

i had no idea what was going to happen when....

~ i asked saul to record these songs.
~ i went there every week to track and arrange them with him.
~ i decided i wanted to try and utilize kickstarter.
~ matt and i were struggling to make the video.
~ i clicked "launch project" button on the kickstarter website.

i still don't know what will happen. people's attention spans are fleeting, and this could all be forgotten tomorrow.

but i do know that i'm proud of myself today. and grateful to all who helped me make this a reality.

lastly-
the project is funded, true enough. however, there are alllways various costs involved in making a record. and really... $2,000 won't even cover everything for me- it was just a goal number.

and honestly, a lot of favors were done to keep the costs for this nice and low ("real" records run up to tens of thousands...)

so once more... if you feel the need to help out,head on over to...

THE KICKSTARTER PAGE :)

thank you again for coming to my party. xo

ONE MORE TIME!!

friends! i made a new music ep and am looking for help getting it funded! visit my kickstarter page to find out more and donate :)

Shades of Monet ~ A Little Something Special

2011-12-20T17:00:00.003-05:00

Hello darling Chantilly Songs readers!

I'm Marisa from Shades of Monet and I'm completely delighted to be guest posting for the oh-so-sweet and loverly Chantilly to ring in the holidays with you today and add my dose of good ol Christmas cheer to the mix as we celebrate the most wonderful time of the year!

Outfit Details: Dress: Miss Patina//Headband: Rogue Magnolia//Apron: Vintage//Tights: Modcloth//Shoes: UO

In lieu of the day, I wanted to share one of my very favorite Christmas recipes with you darlings. As Christmas quickly approaches, I find myself catching a severe case of the baking bug. There simply is nothing sweeter than the smells of cinnamon, and gingerbread, and chocolatey goodness filling the house as I begin my baking spree for the big day. I know everyone has their favorite Christmas desserts that are tradition to their family gatherings and for me that dessert would be my grandmother's (or Oma as I called her) pfefferkuchen. It's a funny thing, if you look up the recipe for this on the internet, what you will find is nothing like what my Oma made. All I know is that pfefferkuchen is something she has consistently baked for Christmas since the 1950s and most likely before, when she was a young girl in Germany. She never used a recipe, so luckily my uncle was able to watch and record how she made it before she passed on. I would best describe it as a dense gingerbread spiced cake with rich chocolate-almond fudge icing...it simply doesn't get anymore Christmasy than this I do believe.

Follow these steps for baking my Oma's Pfefferkuchen and you will be good as gold.

Ingredients for the cake:

5 cups flour

1 3/4 cups sugar

5 tsp. baking powder

3 tbs. cinnamon

4 tbs. cocoa

2 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tbs. ginger

1/8 tsp. salt

3 cups honey

1 cup milk

2 eggs

Pfefferkuchen Icing

6 oz. baking chocolate - I used Ghiradelli Baking Bars (1 1/2 bars)

1 1/2 sticks of butter

2 bags (12 oz each) large chocolate chips

1 1/2 bags of confectioner's sugar

1/2 cup evaporated milk

4 tbs hot water

vanilla and almond flavors (2 and 3 tsp)

Directions:

1. Stir and mix all dry ingredients.

2. Add milk, eggs and honey (honey at room temperature).

3. Beat smooth by hand.

4. Cover dough with plastic and let rest overnight (not in the refrigerator).

(Get some sleep)

5. Heat oven to 325º.

6. Grease and flour large cookie sheet with 1" sides.

7. Spoon dough into pan and smooth top.

8. Bake approximately 1/2 hour until golden brown.

9. Cool. (Dip in icing after it cools.)

If you do not ice, cover tightly so it doesn't dry out, with saran wrap.

Cut into 24 squares just before icing (4x6)

While the cake is cooling, start your icing:

Melt first 3 items (baking chocolate, butter, chocolate chips) over low heat.

Add confectioner's sugar and beat smooth while keeping warm on stove.

Add remaining ingredients while adding sugar.

Icing should be velvety smooth when ready.

Put Pfefferkuchen squares on fork while icing and dip in the icing so that it covers all sides except the bottom.

When icing, be sure to keep stirring the chocolate mixture to assure that it stays smooth.

Set on wax paper to dry then...

It does take a little time and there is definitely an art to making this delicious Christmas treat, but as you will find, it is so worth it:)

Thanks so much to Chantilly for letting me share my Oma's recipe with you today. Wishing you the merriest holiday full of lots of love and laughter and sugar and spice. Stop on by Shades of Monet and say hello if you feel so inclined...oh and be sure to support Chantilly as she completes her upcoming EP, I know it will be the best Christmas wish come true for her.

Love bunches,

Scathingly Brilliant ~ Kate's Cats

2011-12-20T15:30:00.003-05:00

Having cats and doing daily outfit posts with a self-timer often results in some pretty interesting shots that never make it onto my blog. There are the ones where my cats are photo-bombing the background, and I don't notice until I go to edit them. And then there are the ones where Hypatia, my maine coon, collapses on the floor and rolls over for a belly rub mid-photo, and I can't help but plop down on the floor with her and pet! Here are some of my favorite kitty cat outtakes! :)

♥ Scathingly Brilliant ♥

Flex Family Arts ~ Nom noms

2011-12-20T14:30:00.002-05:00

Hi there Chantilly readers! I am Amanda, one half of the Flex Family Arts team and I am so glad to be here today to share with you one of my favorite and easiest Holiday treats! Every year I like to make treats to share with folks and this one is my all time favorite! Chocolate-covered, peanut butter-filled Ritz crackers.

Someone gifted these to my family many years ago and we have been making them ever since. They are so easy, so good and you can pretty them up a little for any holiday. I tend to stick to only making them this time of year...otherwise my life would be spent with sticky fingers and peanut butter breath.

What you'll need:

A box of plain Ritz crackers (or Ritz-like crackers)
A jar of creamy peanut butter ( I like the Jiff Natural)
Bricks of melting chocolate-I get these in the backing isle at the grocery store. I usually buy white and semi-sweet...but you can use any that you like as long as it will melt well./
Any decorations you like...I use various colors of sprinkles
Wax paper or Aluminum foil

Melt your little cubes of chocolate in the microwave. I usually only do them for about 30-45 seconds at a time and stir in between until they are melted. Otherwise, you can scorch it if you go too long.

Now here comes the hard part...

Take two Ritz crackers, spread one with your creamy peanut butter and top with the other cracker.
Place your crackers in your bowl of chocolate and pick up with tongs, making sure to let any excess chocolate drip off before transferring to your wax paper or foil.
Top with decorative sugar sprinkles.
Let your beauties dry before moving to an airtight container.

See...hard stuff there! I have given these as gifts in the past, but usually they end up on a plate...being eaten before many of them have time to make it to that container I mentioned!

Hope you all enjoy these little treats and your holidays!

♥ Flex Family Arts ♥

Miki's Scrapbook ~ Deck the Halls

2011-12-20T13:00:00.004-05:00

Hello, Chantilly's friends and fans! I'm Miki and I'm honored to be here once again, this time in the final countdown of Chantilly's Kickstarter campaign. It's been very exciting and moving to see the meter go up, up, up! And I'm sure that by the time this post is published, she will have reached her goal. In order to celebrate the closure of this campaign and to encourage strangers to get to know her and support her, I prepared this little post.

I filled mason jars and transparent Christmas balls with a brief message asking whoever got the balls/jars to go check Chantilly's page and support her on Kickstarter. I embellished them with pompoms, shredded paper and lucky stars.

If you want to learn how to make these lucky stars, here is a tutorial. To make mine I cut strips of construction paper and magazine pages that were 1cm wide and approximately 25cm long.

Once they were ready, I dropped them in different parts of my neighborhood :).

Thank you so much for reading and back Chantilly on Kickstarter if you haven't done so yet! ;D

This might be the end of the campaign, but it is actually the beginning of a great journey. There's no doubt that amazing things are to come. I'm so proud of you, Chantilly! You rock!!!

♥ Miki's Scrapbook ♥

Hue & Hum ~ Free Download!

2011-12-20T11:30:00.002-05:00

Let me introduce myself, my husband, and our blog to you. I'm an artist, Hum's a guitarist. I met (and fell for) Hum when we were awkward teenagers in high school way back before I knew I wanted to be a hue and before he knew he wanted to be a hum.

A couple of months ago Hum and I were playing a christmas carol called, "Were You There On that Christmas Night?", ever heard of it? It's one of our favorites. We were working on it for a different project, but we had so much fun we thought, "Heck. We should record our own christmas album!". And so we did.

Hum oversaw the production of the album. He recorded guitars in our tiny bathroom at home, layered effects, and made sure everything sounded extra groovy. I oversaw the album art and production, and it would be easy to argue that I had a little too much fun.

FREE CHRISTMAS DOWNLOAD!!
Hue & Hum would like to give ChantillySongs readers a holiday present. Follow Hue & Hum on facebook for a free song download!

You can also pick up Hue & Hum Christmas via Hue's etsy shop.

♥ Hue and Hum ♥

Shiny Paper ~ The Gifts

2011-12-20T10:00:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone! I'm Jordan and I blog over at Shiny Paper! I was really excited when I was asked to participate in this holiday party! I'm a newer reader of Chantilly's blog and a new listener of her music and I have been so impressed. I thought for this party I would talk a little about one of my favorite holiday memories.

One year me and my three siblings had noticed that there were quite a few more gifts under the tree than in previous years. We tried not to think much of it, but as kids we couldn't help it. We'd sit and count the gifts everyday, almost ten each (hey, that was a lot for us!) just to make sure nothing had changed. Some were big, some were small, but regardless, it was looking like it was going to be an amazing Christmas.

Christmas Eve came and all of us were in fits of joy the entire day. Another Christmas tradition of ours was to watch Titanic on Christmas Eve afternoon. I know this seems like an odd choice but honestly my logic is valid: it's a really, really long movie. When you're eleven, the days leading up to Christmas seem to drag on endlessly, so a four hour movie that can hold your attention is always a safe bet. Sometimes we'd watch it twice, that's almost a full workday! That night, we asked our parents if we could open a gift, just one, to tide us over until morning came. They exchanged glances and gave us the okay, but their conditions were that they got to pick which gift we got to open. We agreed, because it didn't matter, we still got to open one!

We all sat on the couch and our parents selected one gift for each of us, being very careful as to which one they chose. When we were all seated with our gift they gave us the okay to open it. We tore into that wrapping paper as if it were on fire, ribbon flying everywhere. After the five seconds in which it took to expose our gifts everything fell silent. The four of us were all holding identical bags of white cotton Hanes socks.

We had to laugh a little, we thought it so kind of our parents to get the boring gifts out of the way. We went to bed with hopes and dreams of toys the next morning.

I probably didn't sleep a wink that night and about five am, all of us were upstairs (im)patiently waiting for our parents. We sent my youngest sister into their room to wake them up so we could get this started. I remember almost disregarding my gift from Santa, so much in fact that I couldn't even tell you what it was. I was too excited to discover what had been concealed under the tree for the last few weeks.

My parents handed us each a gift at a time, and after once again tearing through them in record time, we were greeted with some form of undergarment. I had piles of socks and underwear that towered over me, most kids don't see that many Fruit of the Loom bags in a lifetime! I noticed the faces of my siblings softly crumbling as they revealed a new pair of socks or an undershirt...except my younger brother. He was elated with every boxer brief he unwrapped, so excited to be adding to his top drawer (he was nine). He exclaimed, "thank you!" after every package and discarded the candy-cane wrapping with such care. I, however, was disappointed.

When all the packages were unwrapped and the paper was casually placed in the recycle bin my parents looked as us with humble smiles on their faces. They'd asked us if we were happy with Christmas and we all muttered, "yes" (except my little brother who screamed, "YESSS". My parents just smiled and explained that this was more than a lot of kids get on Christmas and we should be thankful we have clothing to cover our backs. Ah, so this was to be a learning experience Christmas, I remember thinking. But alas, I understood, and I really was in need of underwear, most of mine needed to be retired weeks ago.

Now most people think that after I say that last part I reveal that my parents went into the next room and brought out the toys...but they didn't! My parents honestly only got us underthings for Christmas, and the following years we were all a lot more grateful than we were that year. No present counting, no double features of Titanic on Christmas Eve (only the traditional single viewing), just appreciation for all that we had. It was a very memorable holiday, and I still think it was probably the best Christmas that my little brother had in his entire life.

Thanks again, Chantilly, for letting me participate in your party!

♥ Shiny Paper ♥

laced with sugar

2011-12-19T16:30:00.001-05:00

phew! another style post, finally..

i just took these photos today, and they were a bit rushed. it's getting kinda cold up on that roof! i might try to find another indoor shoot location soon, although the roof has been my preferred spot for so long.

also, i got these sweater tights last week at tj maxx... umm, seriously most comfortable. tights. ever. want more!

dress- anthropologie
cardigan- thrifted
scarf- thrifted
tights- tj maxx
shoes- anthropologie (similar here)

ALSOOOOO!!

TOMORROW:

it's to be a smaller, more intimate affair than the last blog party. but still- plenty of love and festivities to go around!! we've got recipes, stories, style posts, and more!!

join me tomorrow for this fun party, as well as the final send-off to my kickstarter!

so many exlamation points!! but you'll see why soon enough :)xoxo,

friends! i made a new music ep and am looking for help getting it funded! visit my kickstarter page to find out more and donate :)

guest posting ~ sew beastly

2011-12-17T11:25:00.001-05:00

good morrow, pretty people!

i haven't done a guest post in awhile, so i was happy when citlalli asked me to do one for her :) hop on over to sew beastly to read about the rewards, trials, and tribulations of teaching freelance music lessons.

i wish i could say that this was my actual "day job" (that would be amazing.) but the truth is, i need more students! so if you are located in/ near nyc, and are interested in lessons, message me :)

ALSO, one last thing... i'm having a giveaway for my last cd at mary kate's beautiful blog, from the guest room. find out how to win a copy of "caught light" :)

ends december 21st (coincidentally, the same day as my kickstarter...)

xoxo,

friends! i made a new music ep and am looking for help getting it funded! visit my kickstarter page to find out more and donate :)

Chantilly music in Blowfish Video!

2011-12-16T21:37:00.002-05:00

hey again :)

i don't usually post twice in one day, but i just had to share the fantastic news...

blowfish shoes has been partnering with my blog for a few months now. so when they asked me if they could use some of my music in one of their shoe-a-day videos, i was super excited, and of course i said yes!!

i've admired this company since the beginnings of my blog, so it's kind of a dream come true to collaborate with them in this way.

and for those of you curious about my music, the kickstarter, and the new EP- consider this your exclusive look at one of the new songs called "just the way you are." it plays almost in it's entirety :)

a big goal of mine is to get my music seen and heard in more places- tv, commercials, movies, and yes- web videos.

it might be a small step, but i consider this as hopefully the first of many of these types of opportunities. it makes me feel even cooler that the songs are not even officially released yet... imagine what will happen when they really get out there!!

anyway, i hope you like the song. and if you do, and want to own it...

KICKSTARTER IT UP BABY!!

xoxo,

friends! i made a new music ep and am looking for help getting it funded! visit my kickstarter page to find out more and donate :)

glasses usa review

2011-12-16T13:18:00.007-05:00

if you've been following me for awhile, you might remember that time when i bemoaned the fact that i have to wear glasses sometimes. how i originally thought they were cool, and my eventual discomfort with them.

however, i've been needing a new pair for oh... five years...?

so when a representative GlassesUSA.com contacted me recently, and asked me if i wanted to try out a pair of their prescription glasses, i jumped at the chance.

and here are the lovely results :)

over the years of trying out all kinds of styles, i went in pretty much knowing what i was looking for.

i wanted stylish retro frames, that weren't too square in shape. they also had to be small-to-medium in size (due to my high prescription), and moderately priced. i certainly found what i was looking for in the b&k 203 :) (out of stock right now.)

i don't know what it is with these glasses. but i feel awesome and confident in them!! i'm not even just saying that because it's a review. when i first had to get glasses in the 2nd grade, i LOVED them and felt that they made me totally special (that feeling eventually wore down once i realized the glasses actually made me "geeky," not cool.)

but when i put these on, there was a revived feeling of specialness :) i truly adore them!

i also loved the site, because they have all the cute vintage styles... and the prices are VERY inexpensive. even though i had to go for the super high-index thin lenses, the price was much lower than if i got my eyeglasses at a retail chain store (who we all know charges up the wazoo.)

conclusion: if you are in the market to buy glasses anytime soon, i can totally recommend glasses usa :) the prices are fair, and the frames are cute! they're even having a sale right now... use these codes:

take 30% offany pair of eyeglasses & FREE US shipping: Holiday11
take 10% off any order: Blog10

yay!

disclosure: the glasses were partially paid for by glasses usa.

meow?

2011-12-14T17:46:00.001-05:00

o hai.

i haven't had access to the camera these past couple of days. i feel that it's time for another style post, and i'm kind of sad that i can't make one for you. plus the kickstarter has been gnawing my nerves and taking a lot of my energy, and i'll probably be mostly useless until it's over, anyway.

so what to do? time or a formal cat introduction!

first, a preface: i was never a cat person. like, AT ALL. i thought they were demonic and had no personality whatsoever. total dog person all the way.

then, i moved to brooklyn. i wanted a pet, but no apartments allowed dogs. so i got max, and the rest is history :)

i spend a LOT of time with these guys. i baby them way too much, but they deserve it. they're mostly street/ shelter kitties, and a few of them have had really hard lives.

left to right:

thelonious (black kitty)- the funniest thing is her obsession with water. it's pretty adorbs.

mrs. alice- mrs. alice lived most of her life on the street, but she's always been really friendly to humans. also, she's thelonious and scout's mom.

scout- she turned out to be the biggest ham evar, and has the softest coat of all the kittes :)

max- he is our oldest kitty, and he's kind of a legend. he's been referred to as "walrus cat," "tom waits cat," "human cat," and more. his meow and purr are the loudest and most epic you've ever heard.

hope you enjoyed hearing about my babies :)

do you have cats?

xoxo,

friends! i made a new music ep and am looking for help getting it funded! visit my kickstarter page to find out more and donate :)

brunch

2011-12-12T13:43:00.000-05:00

good afternoon everyone :)

hope your weekend was a good one. i forgot about these pictures from a recent brunch with some friends. we went to our perpetual favorite, life cafe, and had a few too many laughs... and a few too many cocktails :P

monday's probably too early to be thinking about bloody marys and screwdrivers... but maybe a glance back at some weekend pleasures might help some of you keep going today :)

michelle & chantilly

jessica

matthew

xoxo,

friends! i made a new music ep and am looking for help getting it funded! visit my kickstarter page to find out more and donate :)

sunday songs

2011-12-11T22:35:00.000-05:00

good evening friends!

so i've decided i want to add a new feature to the blog!! it's called "sunday songs."

the whole reason i started blogging was because of music. more specifically, i wanted to document my own musical happenings. as it turns out, i've been documenting all sort of happenings :)

nevertheless, i want to bring back that element more prominently. every sunday, you'll get the scoop on what i've been listening to, artists i admire, even highlight some indie musicians deserving of attention!

with that in mind, i'd like to introduce two crazy kids that you may already know... hue and hum.

she's an artist. he plays guitar in a band called fictionist (just signed to atlantic records!) together, they made a christmas ep! check out the lovely youtube video for angels we have heard on high...

... and their totally dreamy tunes can be purchased on etsy for a mere $5!! the perfect music to put on as you decorate the christmas tree :) (or light the menorah... ?)

hope you enjoy. have a beautiful night!

xoxo,

mac & cheese

2011-12-09T13:27:00.004-05:00

i'm not the world's most prolific cook. but if there's one dish i know i can make- and it always comes out amazing- it's macaroni and cheese.

i snagged this magical recipe online a few years ago, and have made my own tweaks here and there. you can add more milk to make it creamier... i prefer a dryer version :)

hope you enjoy!!

xoxo,

friends! i made a new music ep and am looking for help getting it funded! visit my kickstarter page to find out more and donate :)

hipster cartoons

2011-12-07T19:01:00.004-05:00

i'm not really sure what happened to my day today?

whatever i did, i sure didn't spend the majority of the time making hipster cartoon versions of myself and my friends....

nope. no way.

well, okay i can definitely say i did other things today. but once i stumbled upon this thing via my friend kris on facebook, i kinda had an unhealthy obsession for a good coupla hours.

look, you can make boys, too!!

i'm picturing us all in our own saturday morning cartoon together. i wonder which one of us is gonna be the "villain."

for good measure, i did a coupla my bloggie sistas, too :)

i know... amy and amber are wearing the same skirt... what a gaffe! (there were limited choices for clothing, hair, etc.) guess they'll just have to duke it out in the next episode.

(a is for ampersand)
(laughing with broken eyes)
(hue and hum)

go here to try it out. but don't say i didn't warn you!

link me to your creations and show me what you did!!

xoxo,

friends! i made a new music ep and am looking for help getting it funded! visit my kickstarter page to find out more and donate :)

dancin' shoes

2011-12-06T17:00:00.004-05:00

hello!

my cold is getting better, as i had a relatively restful day yesterday. so i decided it was time for a style post & snapped some photos with some newly acquired items :)

i literally JUST got this dress in the mail today. i ordered it from tulle's black friday sale! i've been having some issues with their website and customer service, but was happy when it showed up in a pretty box at my door :)

it's really lovely... just a plain, sturdy, yet feminine denim dress. perfect length. flattering cut!! i can do just about anything with it... soon to be a favorite, for sure :)

(of course, there are always the fun/ dancing/ crazy photos...)

blowfish was again, kind enough to send me a pair of shoes to style up this month! i thought i should go practical and NOT order the crazy kinds of shoes i'm usually attracted to. and i don't have a pair of flats. so i chose the nazines.

lo and behold, i really love these! they're perfect to wear with anything, really. i usually stick with shoes that at least boast a small heel, because i like to appear taller. but these are super cute! easy to wear and stylish.

yay!

hat- thrifted
cashmere sweater- thrifted!
scarf- thrifted
gloves- uo
dress- tulle
tights- hue
nazine flats c/o blowfish shoes

what are you wearing today?

xoxo,

friends! i made a new music ep and am looking for help getting it funded! visit my kickstarter page to find out more and donate :)

sick day

2011-12-05T16:39:00.002-05:00

source

i've kinda been going a mile a minute lately.

blogging, singing, writing, playing music, planning parties, networking, making new friends, keeping up with old ones, teaching lessons, launching a kickstarter, planning an ep release, visiting family, taking pictures, arranging sponsorships, trying to make rent every month....

i love it all. i do. but i just push myself too far sometimes, i guess.

or rather, i do know my limits- due to all the experiences over the years of running myself into the ground, and eventually breaking. it's just sometimes, there really isn't a choice.

like this weekend, for example. i knew i was getting a cold and should be taking care of myself. but i had planned a house concert with some friends- at my house! i spent the whole of saturday running around, picking up amps, buying liquor and supplies, re-arranging furniture.

then at night, i had the pleasure of being a host AND a performer. which was lovely, but does come with its own set of challenges and stressors. also, my throat was raw from being sick... but the show had to go on! i forced myself to sing, anyway.

i woke up the next morning hurting and barely able to speak. but rushed off to teach a lesson (no sick days for freelancers!) then back home to clean up after the party. i could barely look at the computer afterwards, to answer all the emails and comments that had accumulated during the past few days.

i really don't mean this post as a rant. but whenever i fall out of step with the internet world for even a few days, i feel like i've missed so much. you know? also, i want all you wonderful readers to know that my life isn't a sepia-tinted fairy tale... it's an easy misconception to think that... especially in blogging (and music.) everything takes a lot of work!!

can any of you relate at all? do you ever feel bad about missing a few days? falling out of step? not answering comments in a timely manner?

xoxo,

friends! i made a new music ep and am looking for help getting it funded! visit my kickstarter page to find out more and donate :)

bearing arms

2011-12-03T10:46:00.001-05:00

didn't i mention in another post that i was going to talk about our trip to the shooting range... ?

i mean, i'm definitely not glorifying guns or anything. i would NEVER hurt another living creature with a weapon like this, with the exception of extreme circumstances of survival.

but the thing is. it is surprisingly fun to shoot a gun.

there are obviously a lot of precautions- like eye and ear protection. there are rules, like "never point a gun at anybody... put your guns down when someone is going to set up/ fetch a target..." etc.

either way, it's a good skill to have. you never know when the zombie apocalypse is coming...

and i got the only bullseye of the day! the rest of my shooting was also pretty decent, as you can see. i guess i'm a regular annie oakley.

zombie apocalypse, i am ready for you now.

xoxo,

friends! i made a new music ep and am looking for help getting it funded! visit my kickstarter page to find out more and donate :)

holiday blog party participants needed :)

2011-12-02T09:39:00.000-05:00

hey guys and girls,

you've been hearing a lot about my ep and kickstarter these days...

and my last blog party was such a rousing success, raising my pageviews for the day by 500%...

so i decided i want to do another one, and am looking for participants!!

i'm planning for december 20th. so not only will it will be near christmas time, it will serve as a final push to my kickstarter project, which ends on the 21st. so i'll be reviewing ideas for inspirational and holiday posts. if you have an art project, business you'd like to promote, a terrific style post idea, diy, or a holiday recipe you're dying to share- let me know!

please refer to my last blog party for some inspiration :)

again, i'm planning on this happening on or before december 20th. so if you contact me, be sure you can commit to having your post ready before this time.

thanks everyone & happy december!! can't wait to hear what you've got in mind.
email me: chantillysongs (at) gmail (dot) com

xoxo,

sugared apple goodness

2011-12-01T11:40:00.001-05:00

i feel like this makes me kinda cheesy, but i've been getting way into scented candles. this is what happens to me. little obsessions dominate my life, until it's onto the next one...

anyway, i got a tip from a guitar student that there was a tj maxx near her full of yankee candles. i was on that like white on rice.

behold, my $10 bounty:

i love walking into a smelly apartment (the good kind of smelly), so i do plan on stalking these candles pretty regularly for the next few weeks.

yup. candle-stalker...

xoxo,

friends! i made a new music ep and am looking for help getting it funded! visit my kickstarter page to find out more and donate :)

Guest Post- Tales for Karina Marie

2011-11-30T11:15:00.000-05:00

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Hey everyone!! I'm Emily from Tales for Karina Marie.
I am SO excited that I'm able to share with you today on Chantilly's lovely blog. Chantilly is a lovely lady that I have gotten to know recently through the blogging community, and she asked me to share a little bit with you. SO HERE goes nothin'!

I'm a 23-year old executive assistant by

day, and by night, I'm a violinist/vocalist, part-time Journalism student, a crafter, a folk-bluegrass lover, a film-buff, and a subscriber to Vogue since I was 15 years old. I started Tales for Karina Marie with a different name about a year ago. I wasn't completely committed to it, and it was completely directionless.

Two months ago, my best friend died in a tragic car accident. I felt God's push (or the universe's push) towards the blogging community and decided to immerse myself into it full-time It has been extremely therapeutic, and it is starting to grow rather rapidly.

Right now, I'm focusing Tales for Karina Marie more from a personal/lifestyle aspect, along with crafting and outfit posts. I'm REALLY trying to find my voice in the blogging world, and in the "real world" I am an extremely honest and frank person. I am finding it difficult to share anything too personal or close to my heart right now. Hopefully that will change eventually. And if any of you have any pointers in reference to that, PLEASE let me know!

Jeans: GAP Skinny

Necklace: J.Crew Factory (circa 2009)

Cardigan: Thrifted - Lucky Brand

Blouse: Express (circa 2009)

♥ Tales for Karina Marie ♥

stripes forever

2011-11-29T10:20:00.001-05:00

this is a total first-world-problem, but sometimes i get sick of shooting my style posts on a roof in brooklyn. so it's always a welcome change whenever i get to use "exotic" locales as an alternate backdrop :P

photos by matt panton

over the holiday weekend, matt's brother took us up to his gun shooting range out in the woods (that adventure is for another post...)

fascinating as learning about semi-automatics and such was, we decided to go poking around. we found a cozy little abandoned cabin, as well as a dock on a small lake! i figured it would be an ideal spot to take some pictures :)

this outfit is plain, i know. jeans and t-shirt are about as basic as you can get, but i was hoping the sweater and mocs would spruce it up a bit. this was a short holiday trip after all, and i didn't bring much clothing with me...

anyway, i loved all the little details in and around the cabin. the peeling paint, the grown-over picnic table, even the bird poop on the chairs! it was such a small little space, i have no idea what it was for...

outfit details-
sweater- thrifted
t-shirt- f21
pants- uniqlo
gloves- uo
mocs- ebay
coat (seen on the boat)- thrifted

xoxo,

friends! i made a new music ep and am looking for help getting it funded! visit my kickstarter page to find out more and donate :)

thanksgiving...

2011-11-28T11:10:00.000-05:00

hello there!

i feel so absent... i haven't posted anything since thursday. it's hard to focus when there's family and holiday activity whirring around you... i guess i needed a break. either way, here are a few vignettes from the big day!

unfortunately i didn't try any of this- not a big fan of apple. pumpkin, however...

sausage for the stuffing cooking away.

and of course, no thanksgiving is complete without alcohol to get through those awkward family moments. choice d'ujour- merlot.

happy holidays, friends :)

but before you go, a few notes...

last week's giveaway winners!

sew beastly winner

blowfish winner

congratulations miki and cerrisse. i'll be contacting you!

friends! i made a new music ep and am looking for help getting it funded! visit my kickstarter page and help out :)

happy thanksgiving, from chantilly :)

2011-11-24T11:26:00.001-05:00

i was going to share this kinda-pitiful story about the time my family had thanksgiving dinner in a diner... but instead, i'll just show you this creepy picture:

Source: google.com via My Vintage Addiction on Pinterest

... i think i'd rather have the diner.

happy thanksgiving, everyone!!

lovely sponsors!!

2011-11-23T14:24:00.002-05:00

time again to shine some light on this month's sponsors! they are all amazing, awesome wonderful people (and entities) who you will adore. visit their blogs and shops, friend them on twitter, and leave them comments!! x

-I'm a sewer, a crafter, a voracious thrifter, potential hoarder, and owner of a 1984 Westfalia Vanagon. I'm a writer and a designer, but mostly just a secret cat lady. A is for Ampersand is about all of things with a little bit of thrifty goodness and old-fashioned magic for good measure.

♥ Blog ♥ Shoppe ♥ Twitter ♥

Hello! I'm Lisa and I blog over at lala faux bois. It's all about my
life as a girl obsessed with travelling, vintage, and making stuff.
Come by sometime and we can get crafty and share thrifting tales!

♥ Blog ♥ Twitter ♥

We think personal style is just another form of self-expression, and we make shoes for creative girls who can put together a look with effortless originality. Blowfish takes a break from the ordinary and a cue from the past. There’s something unexpected in every shoe we create, just as there’s something unexpected about every girl who wears them.

♥ Site ♥ Twitter ♥ Facebook ♥

23 year-old living in Boston. Grew up in Newburyport, Ma. Musician-classical violinist, singer/sonwriter, and lover of folk, bluegrass, and mountain music. I've been a subscriber to Vogue since age 15. Practicing LIBERAL Christian and co-worship leader at The Vineyard- Greater Boston. Full-time executive assistant and part-time online student finishing my bachelors in Journalism and Mass Communications. Trying to find my true voice in the blogging world, which is really tough; but I'm slowly getting the hang of it :)

♥ Blog ♥ Twitter ♥

Hello lovely Chantilly readers! My name is Citlalli, and I am the over-caffeinated gal from Sew Beastly. Some of my favorite things to do are drinking coffee, eating, cooking, and sewing the day and night away as I rock out to my music. The last one is how Sew Beastly started...me, my sewing machine, my music, and my handmade dream. My shoppe is where you can find a fun mix of my handmade accessories, and I also blog over here. Stop by, stay awhile, and let's connect!

♥ Blog ♥ Shoppe ♥ Twitter ♥ Facebook ♥

Sponsor ChantillySongs in December!!

2011-11-23T00:24:00.002-05:00

hello friends!!

i'm happy to be able to offer sponsorships and swap options for december :)

chantillysongs is the website and lifestyle blog of me! chantilly. your friendly neighborhood singer-songwriter/ crazy cat lady. my focus is music, style, photography, indie, diy, and food. i'd love to talk about featuring you here :)

the blog party this past week was a HUGE success- quadrupling my usual daily pageviews, and passing on that traffic to my sponsors as well. i'm 95% sure i'm going to be doing another one next month for the conclusion of my kickstarter, which can only mean good things for all of us!!

as of right now the rates are *very* reasonable (including free), and i'm offering two options:

(the free option is now FULL for december. sorry!)

as of 11/22/11, i have:
~275 google friend connect followers
~poised to reach about 3,700 pageviews for november
~875 unique visitors/ month

i LOVE connecting with new bloggers, entrepreneurs, businesses, and musicians, so don't hesitate to contact me :)

if you're interested, please email chantillysongs (at) gmail (dot) com.

xx

bff~

2011-11-22T14:20:00.001-05:00

two years ago, my best friend moved away to seattle.

at the time, i was going through some depression, and still didn't have many friends in the city. she felt like the only person i could really talk to. her leaving made me feel lonely, and i thought i would never find a friend like her again.

well, things have since changed. and even though i've found more companions along the way, this girl is still irreplaceable. she came back to the city last week, hopefully for good! we got together at her amazing, rent-controlled apartment on the upper west side on saturday, and chatted over beers.

louisa darling

she may not look it, but this woman is literally like a vault of my secrets.

she probably knows everything about me. but the best part is- positive or negative, there are absolutely no judgements. all the ways that i can be awful, petty, jealous, obsessive... she loves me anyway. i can't tell you how comforting that is.

we've been through a lot of similar circumstances, so there's a strong bond. we can literally spend 8 hour straight talking, and not feel bored or exhausted. it's energizing!!

she's always got these little treasure boxes stowed away full of lace, glitter, and jewels. they give me warm fuzzies to look at.

do you have a best friend?
someone who keeps your secrets?
are they near or far?

xoxo,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

friends! i made a new music ep and am looking for help getting it funded! visit my kickstarter page to help out :)

dangle that carrot

2011-11-21T18:10:00.001-05:00

greetings! time for a monday style post...

i spent the weekend taking a bit of a blog break. i had a major fun time on friday with the party, but it was stressful getting everything together, as you can imagine.

and then the KICKSTARTER... oh boy. i'm still nervous about that, even though i should *probably* be talking about how exciting it is. and i mean sure. it's a pretty awesome and amazing thing to do... but putting yourself out there in that way can be scary!

and to promote it properly, i'm gonna have to be all up in yo' face about this for the next month. which is not usually my style, but it must be done.

well. if anything, at least the stress hasn't affected my moves...

aw yeah, i still got it...

can't touch this.

shirt- ebay
cardi- thrifted
scarf- anthropologie
skirt- thrifted ($2.50!!)
gloves- u.o.
tights- we love colors (microfiber tights in rust)
jack booties c/o blowfish shoes

hope everyone had a great weekend and wonderful monday.

by the way, do you like this as my new signature??

xoxo,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

friends! i made a new music ep and am looking for help getting it funded! visit my kickstarter page to help out :)

Blowfish & Sew Beastly giveaways- New entry method

2011-11-20T21:14:00.001-05:00

how's everyone doing today?!

i hope you enjoyed my blog party on friday. i'd like to thank everyone again who participated, and also those who joined with us! it was a huge success, and i'm thinking about doing another one really soon!

however, i've been hoping to spread the word a bit more about my ep and kickstarter. so i came up with a new bonus entry method for the blog party giveaways, that i hope will help!!

all you have to do is share my kickstarter link :)

~if you tweet, facebook, or blog about my kickstarter (with the link), go ahead and put yourself down for one more entry. (please tag me with @chantillysongs on twitter, and leave the link of your share.)

~if you put up a widget on your site (found on the kickstarter page), that's two entries. (make sure you leave a comment for EACH entry.)

**remember, you must be a chantillysongs follower and have a look through the blowfish/ sew beastly stores to qualify :)**

again, the link to the kickstarter page is RIGHT HERE.

the links to the giveaways are here:

thanks everyone, and hope you had a good weekend!

see you tomorrow. xx

Chantilly makes an EP...

2011-11-18T18:00:00.009-05:00

phew! so how is everyone doing out there? overwhelmed, or totally energized?!

i'm so happy to have shared my space with some of my favorite and admired bloggers to talk about their inspirations and dreams. you guys helped the site top out around 500 pageviews today for this party!! that's a record for me, and i can't even believe it!

so now, it's my turn... time to talk about my dream!

which is simple, or so it seems. all i've ever wanted was to be an artist. my dreams have always, ALWAYS centered around seeking independence, expression, and carving out a place of my own in the world.

then. because i had a restless urge to do so, i went and made a new ep.
but before i can put it out, i need to recoup some of my finances. so today, i set up a kickstarter to help me fund it.

a few things:

~ this record is REALLY REALLY AWESOME.. we worked hard and put a lot of love, care, and magic into it.

~ this is an exciting thing for me to do!! wouldn't you be??? a new creative work! i'm thrilled and excited to finally show it off.

~ using kickstarter for this is a frightning thing to do, and it's also hard to ask for help. if i don't raise at least my goal amount, i won't get anything. i've seen other artists/ acquaintainces ask for $5,000+ dollars, and totally meet their goals. however, i'm scared i won't meet mine.

i'm giving myself 33 days to raise $2,000 dollars, which will cover some of the costs.

oh... and as you might know. If I don't make my goal, i get nothing.

bummer, right?? let's not let that happen.

i feel like the universe is finally pointing my life a direction that i like. and everything i've been telling you guys about for the past few months is coming true. doors are opening. things are looking good.

still, i'm afraid.

but lucky for me, i've never let fear stop me from doing anything i've ever wanted to. it sure won't now!

i regret nothing, even if i fail.

i want to be surrounded with life, creativity and artists doing their work. i want to be safe and secure in my finances. i want space enough to work uninterrupted. i want the freedom to be myself- unapologetically. support- from friends, family, loved ones, followers, and fans.

so if you believe in these things too, and want me to keep going... consider contributing to this lifelong dream of mine. i would be honored and appreciative to the maxx.

next step after that? Tell people about it! I will need help getting some buzz going, for sure- facebook, twitter, your blog, email... whatevs :)

creating is why I live and breathe. if you're an artist too, you understand. if nothing else, this work is something i'm completely proud to have put into recorded form. i hope you will enjoy it someday soon, too.

so that's it. help out if you can. enjoy your night :)

thank you. xoxoxo,

A is for Ampersand ~ Renaissance Woman

2011-11-18T17:00:00.002-05:00

Hello Chantilly Song readers! I'm Amy from A is for Ampersand, and I'm so so happy to be here celebrating the arrival of Chantilly's new EP. I am completely blown away by Chantilly's awesomeness, and I'm inspired daily by her confidence and zeal for life.

In the spirit of the day, Chantilly asked me to share my story and/or quest to find fulfillment via self-employment. I don't know that I'm completely there yet, but I have come a long way from where I started.

Although I always wanted to be a graphic designer, I graduated in 2008 with a degree in Technical Writing. Or, as people in the biz like to call it, selling your writerly soul to the devil. I did the whole manual writing thing for about a year and realized that I would probably rather do anything in the world other than tech writing, so I threw all caution to the wind and started applying for design jobs. Slowly but surely I climbed up the ladder at a couple of lame corporate jobs until I had my first full-time design job.

With each new venture in life, though, comes a new realization about yourself. The longer I designed in a corporate environment, the more I realized that my dreams didn't stop there--I had the itch to indulge in my sundry pool of hobbies and find fulfillment through a variety of venues outside of design.

As someone that's always had far too many hobbies, I wanted to be anything and everything--a career thrifter, a freelance designer, a blogger, a writer, a seamstress, and an Etsy shop owner. And the great news? The internet makes autodidactism possible and all of these things are achievable with a little risk, a few dreams, and some hard work.

So, here I am today. I recently quit my full-time job and work part time at a couple of jobs, run an Etsy shop called Monocled Lop, do freelance blog design--all the while continuing to dream and make goals. While the road isn't easy by ANY means (crappy money, anyone?) it's a fulfilling one that I would never take back.

Life is far too short to hate what you do. Perhaps I've been reading too much about Occupy Wall Street, but as a 24 year old dreamer, I refuse to believe that the American dream means slaving away for 40 hours a week, knowing your co-workers better than your own family, and making money for someone else. Are you with me?

In this day and age, we can all be autodidacts--teach ourselves, learn voraciously, become whatever it is we want to be! Don't fall victim to the lie that life will always stay stagnant. Don't be afraid to dream--like Chantilly! Make it happen for yourself. If you want to learn to be a designer--look up some tutorials and do it! Teach yourself guitar, photography, cooking--whatever it is that brings you joy. There's only happiness to gain from picking up a new skill and following a dream.

Thank you to Chantilly for letting me tell my small story here today! I wish her the BEST of luck with her musical ventures, and I'd wish you all the same with whatever it may be that you're pursuing for your happiness. Live it up! We are young!

♥ A is for ampersand ♥

Little Chief Honeybee ~ Living the Dream

2011-11-18T16:00:00.002-05:00

Hey y'all! Kaelah here from Little Chief Honeybee! Chantilly was sweet enough to ask me to contribute to her slice of the internets today to talk about "my story" and I'm tickled pink to oblige!

If we have yet to meet, I'm a 23 year old graphic designer, bulldog mama, fiance, and most recently, a small business owner. My fiance, Mike, and I bought and restored a 1968 Yellowstone camper and turned it into our Honeybean Mobile Boutique! When I'm designing away on the computer, blogging my heart out, or bartending on the weekends I can be found at the puppy park or tattoo shop. I have a zest for life, adventure, fun hair colors and personal style. My blog is home to all of that and more… yep, it's a real chaotic mess at times but I love it. This is my story… and it's all sorts of random and the following probably won't make much sense!

I first started LCH back in the spring of '09 when I was gearing up to move to NYC by myself to work at BUST magazine. I thought running a public blog would be an easy way to my family and friends in Tennessee to see what shenanigans I was up to. I pretty much abandoned it after the first post but picked it back up a few months later when I moved back South for school. I was trying to handle my on-again-off-again relationship with my boyfriend of 3 years who had just moved 2,500 miles away. That obviously ended badly and my blog was a way to heal myself after I chose to say goodbye. The following months were a bit of a blur but little by little I grew to have a larger audience and many more people I could call on for advice. The tail end of that year brought a rekindled romance into my life in the form of an exboyfriend of 3+ years ago. LCH has been an extension of our relationship, adventures, trials and tribulations ever since. It's kind of grown into a world of it's own and I feel like the luckiest girl alive to have basically a few thousand best friends to confide into!

Our recent venture into owning and operating our own business has been absolutely terrifying and exciting at the same time. We yearn to own our own brick and mortar shop in the future but now simply isn't the time. We currently call Nashville home but we daydream of farther destinations to call our own… or so we think (it changes with the day!). Until then we're happy to be pulling our sweet little shoppe behind us and seeing where the wind takes us. I wouldn't have had the courage to go forward with our little retail dream had it not been for my blog and all of the amazing readers/friends that I have.

I'm not sure where exactly the future will take us but I know that I'll be documenting every last second of it on LCH. It's such a wonderful platform to share my adventures and it's even better when I can go back and relive it all over again, maybe picking up pieces I've forgotten along the way (and undoubtedly grimacing in embarrassment as I read a hefty portion of what I wrote!)

My story isn't really anything special or amazing, but it is my own. I'm confident in saying that I'm living my dream life and I feel like I can accomplish anything. It's so totally corny but true! Success, to me, is a mindset. The power of positive thinking really goes a long way!

Thanks to all of you for letting me share my story, and thanks to Chantilly for inviting me to be a part of her world! It's an absolute honor! Don't hesitate to drop by and say hello if you find yourself in my neck of the woods ;) xo

♥ Little Chief Honeybee ♥

Laughing with Broken Eyes ~ Music in Her Heart

2011-11-18T15:00:00.002-05:00

Ever since I was young, I've loved music. I always assumed that when you sang, your voice was a part of your soul that you were letting out. I suppose that sounds very, very cheesey now, but it's what I believed.

All throughout middleschool and into the first two years of high school, I would sing in front of audiences galore whenever the opportunity arose. Talent shows, choir, it was a given I'd be front and center... for a while.

Up until this point (as I was a very, very different girl in high school than I am now), I'd sung sugar and pop. I had an affinity for jazz, folk, and I decided to try my hand at writing my own music. It was a humdrum day as I was on stage, singing to a local audience and passerby-s when I made eye contact with a few folks, probably a bit older than me, and froze. My face heated, and I felt sick. I'll spare you the details, but suffice to say, I had a friend backstage who held my hair back for me.

And so marked the end of my public 'appearances'. To this day, I've terrible stage fright and can barely hum without growing self-conscious. It's something I've been working through (I've posted lyrics and videos on my blog, something that has really helped) and I get a little bit closer with each song I post, each word I share.

In a way, my journey has come full circle, but I've very excited. I'm finally singing things that mean something to me, sharing my soul to speak, and as terrifying as it is.. it's exhilarating. Chantilly is an inspiration to me. You see, this girl is doing what I dream to do! I've been recording music at home (very, very basic) and look to Chantilly for inspiration. *Shameless plug, but you should listen to her music~!*

I've become quite wordy in this post, so I'll wrap it up! You can visit me at my blog to listen to my music.

Audio Recording on Wednesday afternoon by Amber Schmidt

Love,
Amber Rose
♥ Laughing w/ Broken Eyes ♥

Elycia- Musical Soul

2011-11-18T14:00:00.002-05:00

Hello!

I'm elycia from the blog ♥elycia and I am so happy to be here today to celebrate Chantilly's new EP! In case you don't know me, I am a crafty, vintage and music loving cat lady living in a cute house on a quiet street. Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember so I thought today I would share a little bit about my relationship with music.

When I was very young I can remember sitting at my Grandma's piano and playing with this one piano book that used numbers to identify the notes and keys. The song I loved to play the most was "Tomorrow" from Annie. I really, really wanted to be able to play the piano. We had a piano at home and my mom could play one song that I would still remember now if I heard it. Finally I started piano lessons and I was the happiest girl in the world! I remember, I was sick the day of my first lesson. I stayed home from school but insisted on going to my lesson!

Fast forward to grade 8. This is the year that I got really into different bands. I developed (possibly unhealthy) obsessions with a few and would spend hours in front of the television with my finger on the record button in case one of their videos came on. I was very into rock bands and after seeing Veruca Salt live I decided that I needed to learn the guitar. Now, I wasn't able to get a guitar and start lessons as soon as I would have liked so my friend and I would "play along" to the entire Veruca Salt album "Eight Arms to Hold You" on our trusty air guitars.

Finally in grade 9 I started guitar lessons and also decided that I had to learn how to play the drums. I practically begged my music teachers to make sure that I got my first choice of percussion for my school instrument. I got my wish and was well on my way to becoming a one woman band.

Later in high school a friend and I saw this band The Weekend when they opened for Green Day. The guitar player and bassist were girls and my friend and I looked at each other and said: "That needs to be us. Let's start a band."

Yep, that was me on the left, I was totally hardcore and awesome ;)

Long story short, this was the start of many years of fun playing in bands and performing around our area. Music and being in a band was such a huge part of who I was all through high school. Music really opened a lot of doors for me, performing in front of people gave me more confidence and most of my good friends who I still keep in touch with I met through music. My husband Ivan and I even met because of music. Awwww, thanks music!

I hope you guys enjoyed my little trip down memory lane. Thank you so much for having me Chantilly and best of luck with the EP!

♥ Love, Elycia ♥

Sew Beastly Part II ~ Giveaway!!

2011-11-18T13:30:00.008-05:00

how's it going? enjoying the party, i hope. well, it's time for another giveaway! i love citlalli's super-adorable messenger bags and writstlets, and now's your chance to get your hands on one...

WIN A $25 CREDIT TO SEW BEASTLY'S SHOPPE!!

How to enter:

step 1: follow chantillysongs on google friend connect or bloglovin

step 2: visit citlalli's shop, and leave a comment telling me what you'd choose to get if you won!

make sure to leave your email address so that i can contact the winner.
(you will be added to my totally non-annoying email list, from which you can unsubscribe at any time.)

that's it!!

then, once you fulfill your mandadory entry you may also do... bonus entries!

+ follow sew beastly's blog
+ follow her on twitter
+ 'like' her page on facebook
+ heart her etsy shoppe
+ tweet, facebook, or blog about my kickstarter (with the link), go ahead and put yourself down for one more entry. (please tag me with @chantillysongs on twitter, and leave the link of your share.)
+ follow me on twitter
+ tweet: "Enter to win a $25 shoppe credit from @SewBeastly in honor of @chantillysongs Blog party and Kickstarter launch! http://www.chantillysongs.com/2011/11/sew-beastly-part-ii-giveaway.html"
+ post a facebook update about it
+ blog about it
+ subscribe to my channel on youtube

please leave a comment for *each* bonus entry.

the giveaway is open internationally and ends on Friday, Wednesday, November 23rd at midnight est. the winner will be picked at random and announced a few days later.<

xo
♥ Sew Beastly ♥

Sew Beastly Part I ~ Interview

2011-11-18T13:00:00.004-05:00

Introduce yourself!

Hello lovely Chantilly readers! My name is Citlalli, and I am the over-caffeinated gal from Sew Beastly. Some of my favorite things to do are drinking coffee, eating, cooking, and sewing the day and night away as I rock out to my music. The last one is how Sew Beastly started...me, my sewing machine, my music, and my handmade dream. My shoppe is where you can find a fun mix of my handmade accessories, and I also blog over here. Stop by, stay awhile, and let's connect!

When did you first start sewing?

I first started hand-sewing and embroidering as a little girl and did it off and on throughout my life. I didn't really start sewing on a consistent basis until about a year ago when I decided to have some "me" time. I was soon hooked, and left with an ever-growing fabric and pouch collection.

What drives you to be creative/ successful?

The feeling I get when someone likes and compliments my work...it keeps me going and striving to be better. I love the satisfaction I get when I am in the last step of creating...that last stitch feels oh, so good and rewarding. My stubbornness and perfectionism might help me out a bit as well...{ok, maybe a lot}

How do you stay inspired?

It varies quite a bit for me... Anything from stepping outside, to reading a book. Looking through crafty magazines. Rocking out, pinterest, conversing with friends, flowers and their colors...I have noticed that it's usually the small things that keep on inspiring me on a daily basis.

-What's your life philosophy?

If you're going to do something do it right! One of my all time favorite quotes that I also apply to my life is: "It's better to die on your feet than to live on your knees" -Emiliano Zapata-

If you could be any mythical creature, what would you be and why?

I have always thought about what special power I would like to have if given the opportunity, and either flying or being able to stop time are my top two choices. So, I think I would be a fairy since they are able to fly. It seems like they are the ones who would have the most fun anyway. Oh! and having fairy dust to sprinkle on people while flying around? Count me in!!

♥ Sew Beastly ♥

Sweetie Miki's Pretty Polaroids

2011-11-18T12:00:00.003-05:00

Hello there, Chantilly's readers! I'm Miki from Miki's Scrapbook and I'm truly honored to be taking part of this blog party. Since this is a kickstarter campaign, I wanted to come up with an idea to promote Chantilly's songs. For that purpose, I made some Polaroid notes by means of photos taken from magazines, white construction paper and markers; and I wrote parts of my favorite lyrics and the link to this blog on the back of these notes.

Since I'm a volunteer at a library, I thought it would be fun to hide these notes in books for people to find. I tried to choose books that were connected with music and with our friend's vibe ;).

I apologize for the poor quality of these pictures; most of them were taken with my cell phone because I had to be really sneaky. I didn't want to arise suspicion, remember I was in a public place surrounded by lots of people.

I hope the readers who find these notes get curious and want to learn more about our talented friend! :D

Thank you for letting me be part of this blog party, Chantilly! You're an amazing artist and I am happy to call you my friend. May the launch of your new record bring all the success you deserve! ;D

♥ Miki's Scrapbook ♥

Blowfish Shoes Giveaway!!

2011-11-18T11:00:00.013-05:00

ENTER TO WIN A PAIR OF BLOWFISH SHOES!!

How to enter:

step 1: follow chantillysongs on google friend connect or bloglovin

step 2: visit blowfish, and leave a comment telling me which pair of shoes you like best!

make sure to leave your email address so that i can contact the winner.
(you will be added to my totally non-annoying email list, from which you can unsubscribe at any time.)

that's it!!

then, once you fulfill your mandadory entry you may also do... bonus entries!

+ follow blowfish on twitter
+ 'like' their page on facebook
+ tweet, facebook, or blog about my kickstarter (with the link), go ahead and put yourself down for one more entry. (please tag me with @chantillysongs on twitter, and leave the link of your share.)
+ follow me on twitter
+ tweet: "Enter to win a pair of @BlowfishShoes in honor of @chantillysongs Blog party and Kickstarter launch! http://www.chantillysongs.com/2011/11/blowfish-shoes-giveaway.html"
+ post a facebook update about it
+ blog about it
+ subscribe to my channel on youtube

please leave a comment for *each* bonus entry.

the giveaway is open internationally and ends on Wednesday, November 23rd at midnight est. the winner will be picked at random and announced a few days later.

good luck!!
xo

♥ Blowfish Shoes ♥

The road less travelled by ~ Emily of Ruby Slipper Journeys

2011-11-18T10:00:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone, this is Emily from Ruby Slipper Journeys, delighted to be participating in Chantilly's virtual launch party! Like Chantilly, I lead a somewhat unorthodox life, and she asked me to share my experiences on "the road less travelled by."

I recently chose to move back to Barcelona, a city I lived in in my early twenties, ignoring more normal career paths for the time being at least, and working on my children's novel.

In this pictures you can see me working, or at least attempting to work, on my terrace (I love Barcelona weather). Though I sometimes feel stressed under the weight of social expectations, I'm ultimately really happy with taking this time out to work on editing, improving, and hopefully someday publishing my novel. I also work part time at a job that doesn't excite me too much, but the satisfaction of pursuing a creative goal and living in such a beautiful city goes a long way towards soothing my frustrations....

Writing, editing... and I won't lie... a degree of this goes on too!

wearing a vintage dress and belt

Best of luck on your own creative goals, Chantilly, and thanks for having me!
♥ Ruby Slipper Journeys ♥

The Hue and Hum Lifestyle

2011-11-18T09:00:00.002-05:00

I'm happy to do a guest post and celebrate Chantilly finishing her EP!

As a quick introduction to myself and our blog, I am an artist, my husband is a guitarist, and we go by the pseudo blogging names of Hue and Hum.

I am pursing a career as a full time artist, and Hum plays in a band called Fictionist that just got signed by Atlantic Records. We are always involved in (too many) creative projects, trying to figure out how to make a living doing what we love.

Sometimes I like to blog about the creative process, post pictures of my in-process and finished art projects, share Fictionist music, or post pictures of our rediculously cute and insane dog named Albus.

Congratulations Chantilly! We wish you the best of luck in your creative endeavors!
xox, Hue & Hum
♥ Hue and Hum ♥

Blog party schedule!!

2011-11-16T13:00:00.003-05:00

i'm so excited... here it is!!

the official schedule and finalized list of peeps partying down with me this friday.... culminating in the launch of the kickstarter campaign for my new EEEEE PEEEEE!!!!

these wonderful girls have given their time, made thoughtful gestures, said kind words, and will be sharing their knowledge, stories, and dreams of becoming self-made women.

let's have a round of applause and some huge cyber-hugs! the party couldn't have happened without them!!

and in case you're not up to speed- i'm chantilly.

i'm a singer-songwriter with dreams of creative, spiritual, and financial fulfillment.

i made a new set of recordings, and need some help in the financial department, so i'm launching a kickstarter this friday... with the help of these ladies!!

to make sure you don't miss a second of the action, be sure you're following me!!
and follow these jerks while you're at it :P

♥ Hue and Hum ♥
♥ Ruby Slipper Journeys ♥
♥ Blowfish Shoes ♥
♥ Miki's Scrapbook ♥
♥ Sew Beastly ♥
♥ Love, Elycia ♥
♥ Laughing w/ Broken Eyes ♥
♥ Little Chief Honeybee ♥
♥ A is for ampersand ♥

xoxoxo! see you there!

dreams of blowfish

2011-11-15T15:10:00.001-05:00

behold...

the wonder of the jack booties by blowfish. it took me awhile to get these babies, as there were some annoyances with fedex. but i'm soooo totally happy that they are here now!! they will be PERFECT for the end of fall and winter. :excite:

actually, i'm gonna let you in on a little secret... blowfish generously offered to give away a pair of shoes for my blog party as well!! you could totally have a pair for yourself :)

now, i know i've been talking a big game about this blog party and not delivering the goods. i'm sorry. i meant for it to happen much sooner, but there have been some technical snags with the video.

however, i think we're in the clear, so i'm gonna go ahead and set the date... for this friday, november 18th!!

more info to come tomorrow...

in the meantime, just enjoy the shoe porn :)

xoxo

school girl

2011-11-14T12:47:00.004-05:00

i'm mildly distracted right now, as i'm in a coffee shop where they're playing radiohead's king of limbs. it's hard to think or write properly when thom is in the background cooing "i'm such a tease and you're such a flirt" (oh thom...)

however...

for some reason, i feel like this is a "real" outfit. i'm usually just content to throw crazy stuff together, and call it a day. but i feel like this ensemble has a theme. i never wear blouses, and i never tie my scarf like that... but i'm likin' it :)

also, i know i could've tied this outfit together better with a more streamlined shoe (like my cute brown boots!) but i JUST got these beautiful, perfect mocs on ebay for a steal. i was dying to wear them.

hat- thrifted, maine
gloves- urban outfitters
bag- beacon's closet, brooklyn
scarf- thrifted like, a million years ago at warwick, ri savers
blouse- conway
cardigan- uniqlo
jacket- anthropologie
skirt- anthropologie
knee socks- c/o we love colors in navy (these were actually the thigh-highs, but i found them too tight around the thigh.)
minnetonkas- ebay

a small obsession

2011-11-11T16:40:00.001-05:00

i've never been one to care about manicures and nails. however, in the past few months, seeing so many pretty photos of pretty bloggers and their pretty nail polish got me inspired :)

i've been on a kick with this cheap brand called brucci (pictured.) it's only $2.39 at the beauty supply store down the street, but it's been holding up pretty well on my nails! (guitar playing aside.)

they have a REALLY fun color selection. for instance, that mustard color? i've never seen a polish like that. i guess you can only find this particular brand on the east coast, though. if anyone wants to try it out, i'm totally your source :P

what color are you loving on your nails, lately?

and ps,
i wanted to thank everyone who commented on my post about dealing with change... all your stories warmed my heart. it's nice to know there are people out there who get sentimental about the little things, just like me :)

xo

healing, time, and coffee

2011-11-10T10:46:00.003-05:00

today, i thought i would share a story.

...

(a kind of long story, so best go get some popcorn.)

are you from southern new england? if so, then you know. if not, i'm about to school you...

bess eaton was a coffee and donut chain that was practically an institution where i come from... the rhode island equivalent of starbucks. there was a lot of loyalty to the brand. even my very first job was at a bess eaton, and i used to bring home bagels and muffins after every shift.

a few years ago, it was bought out by a bigger chain called tim horton's. more on that later...

around the same time that this buyout happened, things were also complicated in my personal life. a lot of change was happening. my family was in chaos for various reasons.

i took a huge leap of faith, and decided to attend a music conservatory in new york. but the transition wasn't going smoothly. all the friendships and support i had found at my old community college were gone. replaced with what i felt were successions of competitive, cliquey people. i just couldn't find any confidence around them, and my ego was perpetually deflated.

then, the day came when i arrived home from first semester of college. i was informed that our house was being sold, and subsequently, my parents were moving 10 hours away to maine. day after day, we all piled into the car while other families prowled through and sniffed around our home.

i was hauling around my whole life and all my worldly possessions, semester by semester, in an ugly white caravan that i loved dearly. sometimes, i didn't even know where i was going to stay during breaks and in between semesters.

at times i felt like a wild, independent spirit! certainly bound for a sacred artist's journey of self-discovery. yet i was lonely. i kept trying to find love in all the wrong places, and i felt abandoned by pretty much everyone i'd ever known.

and so. on one fateful visit back, i found myself driving around town. i realized all bess eaton signs now read as something called... tim horton's...

source

what the fuck.

i couldn't tell you why, but this royally pissed me off. just one more thing to make sure that all that i had always known would remain unfamiliar. henceforth i would snicker, with hatred in my heart, at any tim horton sign that i happened to glance upon.

looking back, i understand that this stupid corporate power play- that had NOTHING to do with me- had come to represent all the unwelcome change that was happening during that time.

so. many years, many battle scars, and a lot of attitude adjusting later, i've learned a few things. like the fact that situations are fleeting. and no matter how unfortunate it may seem, there are always hidden blessings. this may sound like a bad hallmark greeting, but i swear, i believe it's true.

still. this knowledge didn't stop me from being over-the-moon nostalgic when we pulled into some parking lot this weekend... and what do i see, but THIS sign.

THEY'RE BACK, baby!

it might not make sense... it probably doesn't. but things like this make it clear to me. sometimes the things you love and cherish come back into your life when you least expect it.

sometimes they never do, and that's okay too.

sometimes miracles happen.

i'm starting to doubt this less and less :)

remnants of the future

2011-11-08T00:59:00.002-05:00

still kickin' it in rhode island...

the other day, i spent the afternoon at this cute shop- a fabric and furniture consignment store down the road. my parents befriended the owner, and started hanging around and helping out with little things, as the business is struggling a bit due to the economy.

of course when i got there, my mind started going off. there is sooo much space, and it has such potential! the upstairs has an art loft, with room to spare... i could see part of it being made into a coffee shop (or devoted to vintage clothing!!) i mentioned the idea to the owner, and he wasn't too keen...

either way, it was a nice way to spend some time :)

my mother's art work

fake plastic trees

2011-11-07T10:00:00.002-05:00

this is going to be the shortest style post in history.

i busted loose from the city this weekend, and have been spending time in rhode island... gathering stories and taking pictures :)

i love the chance for a background change for my outfit photos. so i was psyched to get in front of the pretty green things that i am so unaccustomed to seeing. however when i went to the task, i found myself confronted with an almost-full memory card AND a battery running out of power.

i only got a few good shots in before the camera called it quits on me...

scarf- urban outfitters
shirt- ebay
cardigan- thrifted
skirt- heritage 1981
tights- microfiber tights in teal, c/o we love colors
shoes- blowfish jeno boots

hope you had a lovely weekend <3

cafe days

2011-11-05T12:18:00.001-04:00

coffee with new buddies! best thing evar.

i met damon whilst volunteering at cmj, and we've been hanging out pretty consistently. we met up at one of my faves, swallow cafe, to talk music and shoot the shit.

OH, and pretty random sighting in the neighborhood...

after leaving the cafe, i walked by this particular spot where i'd seen a peculiar sight a few days earlier (when i was without my camera.) so i went by the same place again to see if it was still there... it was!

wonder what this guy is so sad about...

you see a lot of random stuff in new york... a LOT of beds out on the street, even! but never have i encountered a sad bed.

seen anything random lately that's made you smile?

x

live from pete's...

2011-11-04T13:58:00.000-04:00

good afternoon, lovelies! sooo my show was last night.

check it:

now i know this looks like a tape recorder from 1992. but what it actually is, is a little device that will make future videos that i record sound less like suck!! we used it last night to film my performance.

however, there were a few problems. i'm not sure i'm going to be able to share the videos with you, and i think that i promised i would :(

ok maybe some of it. someday. matt said he was gonna try and do some cool stuff with what we got. we'll see :)

a lot of unexpected friends showed up!! i was so happy, because it can be like pulling teeth getting people to come out of their little caves. especially in cold months. but i was happy to see such friendly faces, and i've already been invited back by the booker :)

among those friends were two completely adorable, lovable and talented musicians- tamar haviv and alyson greenfield. i was so glad they came... because immediately after my set, we all launched into this strategy discussion of planning our next show together... at my loft in brooklyn!

sooo... mark the date. december 3rd, if you're in the area :)

xoxo

young pilgrim

2011-11-02T14:56:00.002-04:00

phew! finally. a new style post. i believe it's been two weeks since the last one...

my beloved turquoise slouchy has been more than enough hat for me to handle for the past... what, 5 years? our sleazy tryst is definitely NOT. over. (you will be seeing it a LOT this winter.)

however, i've been meaning to work a new hat into my repertoire, and this beaut fit the bill perfectly. i thrifted it with my friend jessica this summer, when it was too hot to wear. so not the case now! i'll be rocking it all over town.

only thing is, i don't really like the way it looks with my fall coat (yet to be seen here)... oh well.

also ever since september came and went, i've kinda been confused about a fall wardrobe. i just look at my closet full of summer frocks, thinking "DUUUHHR?!" it's like the cold weather does not compute, and i have no idea how to dress myself every day.

maybe i'm just slow to change.
(this is definitely the case.)

camp shirt- vintage
cardigan- thrifted, brooklyn, ny
scarf- anthropologie
pants- uniqlo
hat- thrifted, brooklyn, ny
gloves- urban outfitters
boots- blowfish java

hope everyone is staying warm out there :)

and ps,
not to beat a dead horse, but if you're in/ around nyc tomorrow, definitely stop by to see me perform at pete's candy store in williamsburg!

details here ♥

feeling spooky

2011-10-31T17:22:00.004-04:00

so how's everyone's halloween going so far?

i'm on my second peanut butter twix (THEY MAKE PEANUT BUTTER TWIX NOW), and still having some technical difficulties with the camera... i've been so sad to be away from it :(

Source: img1.etsystatic.com via Tracy on Pinterest

halloween is tricky for me (no pun intended ;) it's one of those holidays where i always feel like i HAVE to be out having fun and partying... but i never am.

i'm feeling a little overwhelmed today, so i thought i might stay in. however, this haphazard plan came together to go to the annual parade in the west village. in theory, this should be fun! but instead, it just feels like a lot of pressure to rush home, jump into my costume, and stand in a big annoying crowd of people in the cold.

Source: Uploaded by user via Marisa on Pinterest

i know, i'm being kinda complainey. not everyone has the chance to go to the nyc halloween parade :) so instead of moaning more, i guess i'll just share some pretty images that i found on pinterest :)

Source: countryliving.com via Sallie on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Kaitlin on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Sally on Pinterest

creepy vintage photos-

Source: phillipsgarden.com via Joanna on Pinterest

Source: funnyordie.com via Joanna on Pinterest

Source: vintageskirt.info via kylie on Pinterest

Source: google.com via PopFizz on Pinterest

Source: howtobearetronaut.com via Christopher on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Brandy on Pinterest

cmj faves

2011-10-29T17:47:00.000-04:00

sigh.

no camera this weekend.

i feel like it's been absolutely forever since i've had an outfit post. and i'm used to centering posts around photos i take, so i feel like i've got nothing new for you guys! plus it's snowing and cold today, so i don't think i'll be doing anything special...

silver lining: i decided to cook a chicken and biscuits crock pot, and the smell is making me feel happy and cozy :)

i decided that i'd share with you a few of my favorite finds from cmj! there were tons of talented bands and artists, but these guys took the cake for me...

sophie madeline

i stumbled into rockwood with some friends, and was immediately turned on by her quirky-folky-girlpop.

i'm always looking for musicians, songwriters, and creative types to network with. and sometimes, i'm actually in the mood to try and make friends :) so i approached her afterward, and we had an awkward little exchange together. i think she was just anxious to get everything packed up and get outta there... however, she gave me a free cd!

here's a video i found on her site covering "firework" with pearl and the beard (who i also love!!)

♥site♥

hank & cupcakes

this is a husband-wife duo. i caught their set at the canal room, and their energy is in-fucking-credible. she actually plays drums and sings at the same time, and ROCKS it. she's like an 80's power rock chick with the energy and confidence of madonna ;)

♥site♥

gotye

i actually didn't see this guy live, but this song played about a thousand times when i was volunteering at registration. everyone was talking about him all week, and i guess this video has 13 million views...

the song and his voice are obviously amazing. but i really enjoy watching the video, because of all his little facial subtleties. i love that he can flick his eyebrow and convey anger or sadness so quickly.

plus i think he has an interesting look. interesting face :)

♥site♥

in which i tease you...

2011-10-26T17:22:00.007-04:00

i'm sorry to be so bad :P i'm just too excited.

i actually don't have a date set for the party just yet... but i wanted to share with you some of the AMAZING musicians, bloggers, business owners, and personalities who are going to be a part of this!! i'm shooting for the beginning of november.

so many inspiring people who i adore!!

get psyched!

♥ spinner's end ♥ The Lovely Light ♥ Hue and Hum ♥

♥ Little Chief Honeybee ♥ Love, Elycia ♥ Jessi Robertson ♥

♥ Manzanita ♥ A is for ampersand ♥ Jeremy Larson ♥

♥ Ruby Slipper Journeys ♥ Laughing w/ Broken Eyes ♥ Miki's Scrapbook ♥

♥ Flex Family Arts ♥ Alyson Greenfield ♥ Sew Beastly ♥

♥♥♥

bad movie night

2011-10-26T17:18:00.000-04:00

last sunday: movie night with friends!

personnel: me, matt, maeve, molly... all the m's. oh, plus zach and jeff :)

we watched a few simpson's halloween specials (the one where they killed all the kids in the cafeteria and ate them...) and the movie dead alive. i'm not a fan of the horror genre (like, at all) but this movie was hilarious.

and... the best part... the director is PETER JACKSON (yes, lord of the rings), and you would not know that at all!

do consider putting it in your halloween movie queue...

speaking of halloween, i'm dressing up for the first time in literally four years. because i'm actually invited to parties this year! i'm planning on completely ripping off katie's rag doll idea because it's so adorbs and easy.

some silly inquiries were risen as to whether or not i would be a slutty rag doll... because you know, every girl halloween costume has got to be slutty, right?

and sure- mistakes have been made, and the young, impressionable chantilly has certainly worn her fair share of "sexy" costumes. but i think i'm a little past it now...

however, i'm taking the idea of a hipster rag doll very seriously.

xo

~~~~~~~~~~~~

hey! are you in or around nyc on november 3rd? i have a show coming up at pete's candy store! rsvp to my facebook event :)