For the Love of Drag

Life

I love the look of handmade, DIY projects, so of course I decided to do hundreds of them for our wedding. Unfortunately, these things take time and now I’m down to the wire. I’ve locked myself in my little studio/room with my bunny, and I’ve been sewing from the break of dawn to the midnight hours.

To entertain myself, I’ve been marathoning Ru Paul’s Drag Race, and it reaffirmed the love and respect I have for Drag Queens. It takes a lot of guts for a man to put on a dress, makeup and some padding and perform. It inspires me, and I hope that in my past life time I had the courage and charisma to be a queen myself.

Ru Paul’s Drag race made me want to watch all of my favorite campy drag movies, like Pricilla Queen of the Desert and Too Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar. But my favorite movie of all time (which is more transgender than drag…) is Hedwig and The Angry Inch. I love it so much that I’ll be walking down the aisle to one of the songs from the movie. Okay, drag gush over…

New in the Shop

The Shop

My life recently has been packed full of back-to-back hours of photography (when the sun is in the right spot) and photo editing. Now I proudly bring you the new items from my shop! I have many of my own new creations, but I’ve slipped in some fun vintage items as well…enjoy… upcycle nothing new recycle lavender dress upcycled floral silk polyester dress upcycled floral dress nothing new upcycled white lace shirt nothing new

Everything is now available in the Nothing New shop!

Dried Herbs

Food

One of my friends maintains a beautiful herb garden that runs rampant in the summer months. Last weekend, I was the lucky recipient of her trimmings, so I quickly prepared them for drying. There is something nostalgic about drying summer herbs and using them all winter long. Over the years, I’ve gathered herbs from friends, on neighborhood walks, and even in the wild to savor during the cooler months.

You will need:

*Fresh Herbs

*Paper (newspaper, packing paper or none at all!)

*A ribbon or string

First, give your herbs a good rinse. I love using my salad spinner for washing any greens.

Next, lay your herbs out to dry off. Don’t put them in direct sunlight, and make sure there is plenty of ventilation. Depending on how wet they are from the washing, you may need to leave them out for a day or two.

Grab a scrap piece of paper, and fashion it into a square or rectangle. Gather your herbs into a loose bunch, stem-side up. Lay down your bundle so it is diagonal across the paper.

Loosely roll up your bundle, straightening the paper as you go.

Tie a bow around the stems. Use your bow to hang your herbs upside down in a dry location away from direct sunlight. I like to hang mine in my kitchen for easy access. Once your herbs are completely and utterly dry, you can crunch them up and store them in jars for the months to come!

Grill Roasted Garlic

Food

One of my favorite things about summer time is the BBQ. It’s such a lazy, delicious way to cook while enjoying the great outdoors. My favorite new treat to make on the grill is roasted garlic. It’s a snap and doesn’t take much effort.First, cut off the top of your head of garlic. Make sure you’ve cut deep enough to slice the tops off of all of the cloves inside. You can discard the tops; I like to peel them and mix them into something else I’m making.

Next, place your heads cut-side down in a bowl of water. Let them soak for 30-60 minutes: the longer the better.

Once your grill gets going, place the garlics cut-side up on the outskirts of your grill. Let them cook alongside your other goodies for 1-2 hours. They’re done when their insides have turned to mush.

Squeeze the cooked garlic onto anything your heart desires: baguette, burger, fries, wraps…

The Scholarship

Life

For the past five years, I have been a faithful Bikram Yoga practitioner. I’ve always secretly wanted to be a teacher, but I’ve always felt like I wasn’t ready. Lately I’ve become more determined than usual, especially since “become a certified instructor” is on my 26 before 27 list. So I’ve spent the last few weeks gathering doctor’s notes, letters of recommendation, and pictures of me in my three favorite postures.

I’m almost all done with my application, and I’m feeling so nervous–my stomach is in knots. There are only two scholarships given each session, so fingers crossed Bikram likes the look of me!

Take me away to Mexico

Life

Last week, two of my dear friends Jessica and Destiny whisked me away for a bachelorette week in Mexico. I whipped up three new swim suits and stuffed my vintage travel bag with jersey dresses and sun hats. We arrived on a muggy friday night, and spent the week in paradise. We filled our days with trips to the pool, drinks on the beach, exploring ruins and snorkeling. I got to try out my Lifeproof case for my Iphone, which lets me take it on underwater photo shoots! Here is a little peek at the fun we had:

This was my first time in Mexico, and I loved every bit; I can’t wait to go back. I got to practice my spanish, and I’ve got a lot more studying to do to prepare for our honeymoon in Costa Rica.

A peek at the past few weeks

Life

Wedding planning has made my head spin, and balancing it with Nothing New and my personal life has been quite a task! Between making fabric flowers and emailing vendors, I’ve tried to squeeze in plenty of time with my friends and my sweetheart. Here’s a little peek at what I’ve been up to in the past few weeks:

I took a pretty bad fall on a trail run, which sent me straight to bed for almost a week! The perfect remedy when I had my legs back was beers on the Boardwalk for a ladies day. I’ve also been loving my new truck, and found the perfect spot along the beach to park up and enjoy an Artichoke Heart Burrito from La Cabana.

All this sunshine has called for trips to my favorite ice cream shop. James and I have also been working hard on our little garden, taking breaks for bloody marys at the harbor. And last but not least, I got a used lomography camera that I’ve been playing around with; I can’t wait to get the film developed…