Busy Days (06.27.13.)

Well hello there everyone!

Unfortunately this is going to be a rather short and sweet (cause I'm just such a sweetie pie already) blog post. I have a list about a mile long of posts I want to write so I have no shortage of ideas. Actually I've been tagged/nominated by two separate bloggers, so those posts are now at the top of my list. However, doesn't it just always seem like when you really want to do something, you never have the time? 

(This is Orville in our bathtub. I find him here all the time. J says he's looking for spiders, I like to think he's being pensive.)

My boyfriend (let's call him 'J') and I are gearing up for a camping trip this weekend and I'm so excited! It's a long weekend here in Canada, so we're going to drive back home to Nova Scotia and visit with friends and family (and eat sushi!!!) before heading up the coast of the province to spend Canada Day camping. 

In addition to all the work that goes into preparing for a camping trip, I've also got a humungo size order for my jewelry that I have to have finished before we leave tomorrow...and in true Erin fashion I have left the whole thing to the last minute. So I'll be spending the rest of today and probably into tomorrow morning slaving away at my craft table. Tomorrow I have to work and right after my shift we're rolling out of town. Thus leaving me with zero time to write any of the blog posts I have on my agenda (I want to do them proper with pictures I can be proud of). But I didn't want to leave my blog silent for days and days! I LOVE, no correction...I ADORE reading your comments and I would miss you all too much if I didn't pop in today to say "Hello!"

(Crazy socks that my mum bought me last time I was home. This picture is making me very excited for our road trip this weekend.)

I'll be sure to update you on how our weekend back home goes. This will be J's first time back since we moved to New Brunswick in March. There will be loads of pictures and some stories to tell you all when I return.

Until then, much love,

Erin xx

Tid Bits of the Day:

• There must be a storm coming because my kitties are LITERALLY jumping off the walls today. I never need check the weather with these boys around.
• A box just came for J from the USA, and it cost me $92 in duties! What the *bleep* is in there?!
• I'm planning on self tanning tonight before bed. I use the St. Tropez Bronzing Mousse
• These two pictures are from my Instagram. You can follow me @erinbulger. I'm obsessed with Instagram and post almost daily.

Fancy Evening Out (06.22.13.)

Hello Everyone!

There aren't many times in a girl's life that she gets the opportunity to go all out and wear an evening dress. After prom, the opportunities dwindle drastically and we are reduced to staring longingly at all the beautiful gowns in the boutique windows. So you can imagine my excitement when my boyfriend came home from work last month to tell me that his unit was hosting a military ball in June! Sound the horns and break out the happy dance! 

(He NEVER smiles in pictures, so I had to squeeze his bum to get this much of a smile out of him.)

Finding a dress wasn't as easy as one would think. It turns out I had just missed the prom dress season, so there were only stragglers left on the racks at my usual boutiques, and even then they were insanely expensive. I gave myself a budget of $200 for my outfit and all the dresses I was seeing in my local shops were $500+. So to the internet I went. I ended up finding this dress on ModCloth.com for $74.99! Even with the alterations this dress was well under budget. It's called the "Receiving Line Dress" and I loved how beautiful the navy looked next to his red mess kit. This was my first purchase from ModCloth, and I was beyond impressed with the quality of the garment and their service.

(The ever classy "Bathroom Selfie")

For my accessories I kept it pretty simple choosing to wear only a pair of sparkly chandelier earrings from Le Chateau ($22.) for my jewelry (I always wear my Claddagh ring so that doesn't count). My clutch and hair comb are both pieces that I wore to my prom and I still love them now. For my shoes I wore a pair of low black patent leather strappy heels I've had for ages, my dress was so long you couldn't see them anyway.

(Work it girl! Work it!)

I was so impressed with how my makeup came out. It seems like every time I try to do something ultra glam for a night out, without fail I screw something up and it never looks like I want it to. Well this time was different. I gave myself plenty of time so that I wouldn't feel rushed or pressured. I took my time and wouldn't you know it, I didn't screw up! Here is what I used:

 

Some key components to this look for me were the Katy Perry Lashes, the Wet n' Wild palette, and the Revlon Balm Stain. 

This was my first time using the Katy Perry lashes and I was in love with them at first blink. The "Oh Honey" lashes added the perfect amount of volume and length with out looking like I was clearly wearing falsies. They were very easy to work with and stayed put all night long (I used Duo Lash Glue to adhere them).

To add a little something extra to my makeup look, I smudge some of the royal blue and turquoise shades (right column) from the "Blue Had Me At Hello" palette along the outer corners of my lower lash line. I liked how it tied in with my navy dress by adding a little pop of something special.

(Can I get a "Woot woot!" for Revlon up in here!)

I already knew I adored the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains (what a mouth full!) as I have several colours in my stash from before. These things are amazing if you're looking to rock a bright lip but don't want to worry about getting it all over the place (like your partners face) and having to reapply constantly. I picked up the shade called "Lovesick" because I really loved the look of the magenta pink with my navy dress. This stuff stayed put on my lips all night long. All through drinks, dinner, talking and smooches. Hands down a winner that everyone should own.

(Essie "Aruba Blue" and Wet n' Wild Fergie Collection "New Year Kiss")

 For my mani and pedi, I went for a blue and a silver look, using the sparkle polish in a gradient keep it more concentrated at the bottom. I loved the sparkle it added to my look.

(Totally forgot to take a picture of the entree, I had chicken!)

We had a beautiful evening surrounded by friends, most of whom were new to me. We've only just moved to Fredericton (this is our first posting) so I haven't gotten a chance to meet all of my boyfriend's  co-workers. It was so fantastic to share stories and laughs over drinks. He works with so many fantastic people, who have equally fantastic wives (score for me!). 

(I really love a pair of strong hands)

We ate dinner serenaded by a local celtic duo who played the piano and fiddle amidst the sound of chatter and clinking glasses. We ended the evening on the patio of our favourite local pub in the beautiful summer evening air. I really had such a fantastic time and I can't wait until the next time.

Love and kisses,

Erin

PostCrossing (06.18.13.)

Hey guys,
  

Well long time no see! Sorry for the extended absence. You see my MacBook is broken so I have been doing all my work on my boyfriend's laptop. Well, he had to go away for a couple weeks (he's in the army so this happens often), and of course he brought his laptop with him. So I have been sans computer for a while, surviving on the small screen of my iPhone. Enough excuses, I'm back and plan to post more regularly now.

So where did we leave off? Well I guess I'll quickly update you from the last blog post. I had just come back from an interview for a local restaurant I really love. As I have no serving experience it should come as no shock that I didn't get that job. Fooey. Ah well, I was glad to have had the interview experience. Since then though, I did get a job!  It's a new shop in our mall that sells a whole bevy of fun and interesting things. Let's put it this way, part of my job is to fly a remote helicopter around. Yup, pretty fun. It's only part-time though, so I am still on the hunt for more hours.

Now onto the point of this post! I have begun PostCrossing again! What is PostCrossing you ask? It is this really amazing website: postcrossing.com The goal of the project is to allow people to receive postcards from all over the world, for free. Well, almost free! The main idea is that: if you send a postcard, you will receive one back from a random Postcrosser from somewhere in the world.So freakin' cool right?

 

After scouring the town for postcards (apparently this town isn't touristy, because I went to a million places hunting), I hunkered down at my current go-to café "Read's". They have a really cosy indoor seating area with fluffy armchairs for when the weather is cold, and an outdoor patio for enjoying the sunshine and people watching.

(I got the Snickerdoodle coffee that day. Om nom nom.)

So because I have been a member of PostCrossing for so long, I am allowed to send up to 10 postcards at a time. When you first start up, you are allowed to have 5 postcards travelling at any given time. This time the website gave me addresses for members in:

Germany, Belarus, Ukraine, Austria, China, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Spain, Poland and Slovakia.

When they generate the random member's address, they also give you an ID number that is attached to that postcard. This way, when the recipient receives the postcard they register the ID number on the PostCrossing website to confirm that the postcard arrived. As soon as they register your card, your address is put into the mix and someone else randomly around the world sends you a postcard! So you never know where the postcards you'll receive are coming from. I swear it's like Christmas everytime you go to your mailbox!

(The various postcard designs I sent out. Some traditional ones and then some from our local art museum)

One of the people I sent a postcard to was a baby girl named River in the UK. She is 1yr old, and her mommy is decorating her nursery with all the postcards she receives. How cute is that?!? Love it! That's what I do with my postcards too. You get some pretty cool postcards and they look so pretty in a collage on the wall. 

(Bye bye my little babies! Bring a smile to someone's face!)

I'll keep you all posted on the cards I receive in the future. I'm thinking a monthly haul post would be fun to do! What do you think?

Until next time,

Erin