Tuesday, August 7, 2012

St. George Island, FL

St. George Island, FL by SarahjCakes
St. George Island, FL, a photo by SarahjCakes on Flickr.

Camp Firewood

Ryan and I took a spontaneous camping trip a few weeks back. All we took with us was a tent, a few blankets, and the ingredients for smores. We kept ourselves entertained playing with shutter speed and the flashlight.

man make fire!
smores for dinner
Reese's smores! Best idea ever



Our humble home
nomnomnom

What I Wore...

thrifted top . F21 shorts . Rocket Dog shoes



Sunday, July 22, 2012

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Style Inspo

Inspired by this look from Eat.Sleep.Wear




((Top from Zara and Skirt for Forever 21))

I'll be going thrifting this weekend for something just like this.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Naivety


I have always felt ashamed for the things I do not know. Guilty of the information I should know, but simply do not. I've been embarrassed by the facts I never absorbed while in high school (because I was too busy sleeping in the back of the room) and just plain stupid for the common knowledge that I lack. Most of all, I was sad. Sad that I could think of no way to gain this knowledge without, first, being judged, shamed or ridiculed.

I am Naive.

I am not stupid, nor should I feel embarrassed of what I don't know. I am naive. Okay, maybe I didn't pay as much attention as I should have during American History, or Literature, or Social Studies.. but fuck that! I was fucking 16 years old. I didn't give a shit about anything other then hanging out with my friends and what new song my favorite band put out. Does that make me a bad person? No. Can I admit that I have no freaking clue how a lot of shit works, yes I can. Am I embarrassed by that fact, yes. Do I want to learn as much as I can about it now? Yes please! Because I am naive.

I realized today, that maybe my naivety is a blessing. I'm 23 years old. I've gained some sense of self, I feel I know who I am, or who I want to be. I have the chance to obtain this knowledge now already prepared to make decisions about what I want to do with it. This information will have a purpose. And I will listen hungrily, soaking up every bit of information I can. Because I am naive.

But wait, does my naivety fool me? I've lived 23 years piecing together information as I've gone along, filling in the blanks with biased materials like (shudderthe Media and, even worse, my parents (gasp!) Can I ever get this all straight? Will my mind ever be pure again!? One can only hope. I guess this may be harder than I thought. 

I am sure my teachers will be patient with me. They'll feel empowered, being able to correct all my misinformation. They'll feel heroic even, setting me on the right path, showing me the ins and outs of this great big world. A new surge of stimulation will take over them. How exciting to engage with someone who hasn't heard it all already. They will celebrate the opportunity to educate, it will renew their own love of wisdom and knowledge within themselves. Because I am naive. 

Rejoice! I no longer feel ashamed! I no longer feel guilty. I no longer have to pretend that I am someone I am not. I can be myself, and not have to fear judgement or blame. I can accept my naivety. It is not all my fault. I am not stupid. I can embrace my naivety. I can ask questions with true wonder and curiously. I can listen intently to those who are wiser in the areas I am not. Maybe I could teach them something they may not know, or even, teach them about themselves. Oh, how wonderful my wonder could be. How exciting, how uplifting! What a magical journey, sharing my naivety with those who have lost theirs.

So please, show patience with me. I may ask a lot of questions. Because I am naive, and that's okay.


- Sarah J. Seymour


Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Thrift Explosion!!!

Hey Guys!

So recently I've been keeping busy by doing lots of thrifting, finding cute summer clothes, things for the apartment, etc. I've noticed that there are soo many hidden places locally that are FULL of awesome stuff - but that you would never know just passing by. Some I found by word-of-mouth, others by curiosity (or luck).

Hidden Treasures
Like this little spot in Hulmeville. First of all, it was huge! Three floors packed with stuff! And it was run by this really cool old man. The kind of guy that jams out to old jazz music all day, offers you lolly-pops and has a story to go with every item you buy. This guy had everything, clothes, records, books, furniture, old perfume bottles, antique roller skates, creepy portraits of women, and so much more. It's the kind of place that's only open on weekends, so it's hard to get to, but totally worth the visit.

When at a place like this one, I feel worried that maybe this place is too hidden, maybe no one knows it's here, maybe this guy won't be able to afford to pay rent and stay open! What if next time I come back it'll be dark and empty?! I can't let that happen!! So then I had an idea. I'll make a public list. A list of shops in the area, with ratings and reviews! And since I've come up with this idea it seems like there has been an explosion of thrift stores popping up. There are tons of new stores opening, too. I'm glad thrifting is becoming more popular. It means less waste, less trash, plus less demand for new shit people don't need! Less money being spent on cute tops made in Taiwan or jeans made in Brazil.

So, I'm composing a list. Each store I visit I'll give a rating 1-5. I'll also write a review, mentioning pros and cons of each store, along with comments in specific areas like cleanliness, organization, selection, staff and hours. I'll also do a haul post for some of the higher rated stores with my finds.

I'd love to get feedback from readers in the area! 

Right now I'm focusing on Lower Bucks and the Northeast Philadelphia area. (Bensalem, Bristol, Penndel, Hulmeville, Langhorne, Levittown, Feasterville, Parkwood, Morrell, Holmesburg, Torresdale, Tacony, etc.)

If you have a favorite spot you want me to review, email me at SarahjCakes@gmail.com!



Sunday, May 20, 2012

Sheila's Baby Shower

Finally, the pictures from Sheila's Baby Shower in March!
Diaper Cake
This was the first baby shower I ever helped plan. Of course I searched the blogosphere for inspiration for months before hand. I hate to brag, but my diaper cake was pretty fantastic. I bought all of the accessories at a second hand clothing store for children called Little Peeps. It's an awesome little place right around the corner from my house. (Mill St. Bristol, PA) Only cost me $30 for everything! The diapers were the expensive part. I bought the butterflies and ribbon at AC Moore. 


My favorite part of any shower are the games. So, of course I made sure we played all the best ones. The clothespin games is one of my favorites.


I found this cute notebook at AC Moore that I used as a sign in book. I bought the basket and fake flowers at AC Moore as well to add to the look. I wrote cute notes to explain each "station." But people still seem to ask a million questions! I guess no one ever reads directions. Oh well!

CLose Up of the Sign in book

Bingo!
Shower Bingo is the greatest idea ever. I made these cards for a Bridal Shower I helped plan only a month before! (Yes, I was busy.) Ryan was a huge help in making the cards. He made a stencil with graphite paper to streamline the process. Isn't he smart? Haha. 

In all the tutorials I read, most people usually use the registry to complete the cards. The squares would say things like 'bottles' and 'crib sheets' and you'd place the markers as they were opened. I had the idea to use numbers instead. I just numbered the gifts as they were brought in, and it worked great! It's perfect because I can reuse them for Baby Showers or Bridal Showers. Less work for me, and it's recycling! You have to be careful while numbering gifts though, so there are no repeats. I was lucky enough to buy candy Valentine's hearts on sale the week after Valentine's Day.

Playing Bingo!

Opening gifts! People get very concerned with their bingo sheets. Haha

Our little helper! Sheila's son, Sean.

Ladybugs and Butterfly Cupcakes!

Not only did I take on the game responsibility, but I also offered to make cupcakes! I love a challenge. My Mom and I scanned the depths of the internet and the isles of AC Moore until we found this great idea. Pretzel wing Butterflies! We used chocolate icing for the bodies and chocolate chips as eyes. The ladybugs were even easier, we just used food dye to make red icing and chocolate chips as spots. The 'head' was drawn with chocolate icing. They came out so great! I have to give credit to my Mom, Dad and sister for helping me. It was a family project!

Sean!





The shower went great. I received so many compliments on the diaper cake. Everyone loved it! The whole day was a huge success. I'm now an experienced shower planner. Haha. I have another one coming next month. Everyone just keeps having babies!

and Lucy arrived just a few days later...
Lucy Maire Wolset March 23, 2012

Uncle Ryan with little Lucy