Bowling! Yeah! Yeah!

Oh man, there is rarely an activity on the planet that energizes and excites me quite like a good round of bowling!!!!! Everything is sooo 70's and cheesy and space age and hitting down wooden pins is pretty fun too:)

Colonial Lanes in Iowa City, IA is the cutest bowling alley ever. Nothing has changed, everything is all painted up silly, and they have a bonus bar in back and putt putt golf.

Yup, our apartment is da bomb

I knew eventually things here in Iowa would get better. I knew I wouldn't be living in my boyfriend's bedroom with bitchy assholes living in the basement forever. Alas, since moving to our new place, things in life have gotten vastly better. I quit my shit job at Target as a cashier for $7.25 per hour and started working at Journey's as the store manager and making bank.

So it's all good! I bought us a couch, our new table and chairs are fantastic, and decorating has been a blast. I love it!

I used the Orla Kiely table cloths that I got at Target as curtains in the living room. It looks very retro, I think.

I love the brown cabinets! And having all new appliances and a pantry is nice too. Sure beats the hell out of cleaning up after Mike and Sarah's sorry asses.

My cookie jars!!!!!!! Thanks, Orla Kiely for Target:)

The kitchen curtain the the bomb-diggity, don't ya think?

Will stretched a piece of my favorite fabric with stretcher bars. I love it! And the table and chairs is perfect.

Yum! Fake plastic fruit!

Our IKEA Expedit bookcase is double sided..... It acts as a framing device for our living room and serves as a bookcase and display for all of our good stuff.

I framed some of the paper dolls and stickers I picked up in Korea.

Picked up the "Marushka" piece at Artifacts for $12 bucks. Framed some sweet art from High Fructose magazine for the toilet area.

My corner of the bathroom is totally Asian-fied.

I am so happy to have a place to live that I love. I wake up everyday and think about how lucky I am to have a cute boy, a cute dog, and tons of cute stuff:) I am very fortunate.

Most Amazing Table, Ever!

What an amazing day! Today, I bought this fantastic 1960's table and chairs from a grad student in Iowa City. The chairs are in awesome condition, with perfect upholstery and swiveling ability, and the table can also fit and additional leaf in the center to accommodate for a small dinner party!

4th of July

I would say I had a nice, chill 4th of July this year. Will and I ate dinner on the patio of Quinton's in downtown Iowa City with Spencer at our foot. After chowing down on spinach artichoke dip and awesome sandwiches, we ran into some friends and chilled in the Ped Mall to watch the fireworks. While we watched the fireworks, Spencer chowed down on some flowers out of the flower bed. Quality Care lawn services would kill us!

Retro Mugs

Inspired by Style File's blog entry on retro mugs, I went on a search to find some retro mugs for myself. I scoured the thrift shops high and low and you can guess where I found the coolest of the cool mug...... At the Crowded Closet, of course!

Here are the mugs featured on Style Files:

And here is my bad ass horoscope mug from the Crowded Closet. It says on the bottom that it was hand painted in Japan so it has to be pretty old, I would say. I love it and I must find more!

Vend, vend, Gacha Pon!

My good friend Stacy is in the process of producing a film! I am even more taken by her ambition by the fact that she decided to make it a Japanese language film. Best of all, I am pretty sure I get to help make it. Awesome!

Screenplay By: Stacy Craft

Directed By: Stacy Craft

Produced By: Matt Fee & Stacy Craft & MumoJumo Productions

Vend (Gacha Pon) - ガチャポン is a quirky, dark romance that explores the binding power of our abnormalities.

This is a Japanese language film.

When shy, young Mieko seeks medical assistance for a strange condition affecting her throat, she is turned away because of her inability to pay for her doctor’s services. Before any kind of treatment can be given, he recommends that Mieko seek out the financial services of a man specializing in private loans. Enter Katsumi, a man of resources, who is immediately transfixed by the discolored lump that Mieko attempts to hide under a silk scarf. When Mieko flees his office after suffering a fit of coughing, an incident that ultimately furthers the mystery surrounding her abnormality, Katsumi discovers that he and Mieko may have more in common than their mutual acquaintance with the avaricious physician. Searching out the young woman with the aid of items left behind during her erratic departure, Katsumi helps Mieko overcome her affliction – a illness that cannot be solved by modern medicine, but instead by tenderness and understanding.

..............I like the idea of a man being oddly turned on by a woman's strange illness and am eager to see how things pan out. My friend Stacy has long been talented with video and storytelling, and I look forward to seeing what types of tricks she has under her sleeve. Stay posted for more as the story and the movie production progesses!

Hebe: An Awesome Downtown Iowa City Clothing Boutique

I really like browsing around the stores in downtown Iowa City and when I do, I always make sure to take a trip into Hebe to see what is new. Hebe is run by a gorgeous Asian beauty who is always sure to be friendly and accommodating to you. But what is better, she has an absolute eye for great clothing and brings only the most fantastic items into her boutique. Expect to find the newest collection from French Connection and Cheap Monday, among many others. Best of all, the prices at Hebe are actually reasonable instead of a passing dream as they might be in other downtown boutiques. Love it!

A Lovely Trip to Artifacts

When thinking about Iowa City, one might first think of the University of Iowa or drinking downtown, but what I think of most is the wonderful little shops we are so blessed to have! At the top of my list would be Artifacts because it is always jam packed with kitchy, cool, fabulous finds from eras past. And besides that, you gotta love whoever is behind the desk! Almost everyone who steps foot into the store for an afternoon or browsing and treasure hunting is sure to get into a lively conversation with either Todd, the owner, or Heather, the fantastic lady behind all of those great handmade signs throughout the store. Her handwriting and doodles are simply adorable!

Artifacts is located on the corner of Gilbert Street, right across from John's Grocery, the Bluebird Diner, and the Foxhead, the local watering hole favored mostly by hip grad students.

You can always find Todd behind the desk waiting to help you out.

Some of Heather's handiwork on the side of the cash register.

I have always adored Artifacts for the insane density of visual stimuli they have waiting for you at every corner. The store is packed wall to wall, floor to ceiling with interesting things waiting to be discovered.

Oh my gosh!!!! This sign is sooo cute, I just wanted to eat it up and absorb some of it's cuteness!