Annie's Studio Kitchen: Before

Here it is, in all it's glory. The tiny kitchen in my SF studio. 

Things I love: The natural light. The fact I have a stove/oven AND a real room for the kitchen. Those were pretty much my only requirements while I was looking for an apartment. You'd be shocked, but a lot of the studios I was looking at had hot plates for a stove top and no oven in sight! No joke! It would've been microwave meals for a year... if I could even find room for a microwave 😉

 More than any additions in this room, I mostly decided to rearrange the furniture. Since I can't really make permanent changes, my plan was to open up the room as much as possible. The cool thing about this starter studio is that nothing was really attached to the wall (looking at you, tiny stove), so I could just scooch things around as I wanted. I took off the cupboard doors above the fridge right away and immediately added all my art from home above them to draw eyes up toward the ceiling. I clearly don't have a ton of storage, so I planned on using the wall space and hang whatever I could.

Anyway, my tiny kitchen is still a work in process, but my theory was to finish one of my rooms as fast as I could, so at least one part of my apartment would feel like "home."  I'll show you some pics soon! xox

The Easiest Way to Upgrade Your Lingerie

I have the ugliest underwear. I so wish I was kidding. My time and money have always been more tied up in the clothes that people actually see to invest in something as hidden as panties. But, I'm almost 26 years old, and my laundry sometimes stays a few minutes too long in the shared washer in the apartment basement. So when Underclub Co invited me to their Pop Up Event, I decided it might be a good idea to go.

Basically, Underclub is a subscription underwear mail delivery service. It searches the area for the best, most luxurious panties, and sends them to you in the mail once a month in a neat little envelope. You can order for yourself, or gift them to your friends (helllLLooOOO best bachelorette party gift ever!). You even work with a stylist so the underwear you receive are the style and fit you like best. Read a little more about it here.

Slowly but surely, Underclub will reinvent your underwear drawer. It's the easiest way to try new brands, new styles and new fits without taking a single moment out of your day. Plus, in my case, I can walk a little more casually to the washer and dryer when I'm running behind.

As my birthday comes rounding the mountain and I enter my late-mid-twenties, it might be time to invest in some grown up undies. Especially if it is only a click away. p.s. soon-to-be-bachelorettes out there, sorry if I just ruined my gift surprise... 😉

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I received free product while writing this post.
Photography: Nikond3200 35mm / Edits: Adobe Lightroom

Questions from a 20-something: vol 3

We’re young. We’re learning. There are still some life skills that need to be fixed. Which reminds me, my skirt just ripped -- is there any way to fix it?

There are a lot of questions I have on the daily, some answers are an easy google search away. Some, though, are harder and more thought provoking. But you know what? I usually figure it out, and I thought you might benefit from what I’ve found. So here we go: five of my recent questions AND answers. 

Can you post emojis from your mac keyboard? 

YES! From the new macs, anyway. Press control + command + spacebar inside a text field (tweet, Facebook post, etc) to open up an old version of the emoji keyboard that is on your iPhone. Warning: the emojis will probably change to the format of your platform. ie: in gchat they change to the gchat emojis.. which are equally awesome and sometimes animated.

Can I freeze glass? 

Food expands when it freezes, so as long as you leave room for it to expand, your glass should be fine. To be safe, go with tempered glass or canning jars. My glass storage containers from Bed Bath and Beyond are freezer safe. Or you could also freeze individual meal portions of soup (or whatever) in plastic bags for easiest future dinner options. When you’re ready to eat, simply run warm water over it for thirty seconds or so, cut the bag and warm in a soup pan! 

How do you "Hand Wash" clothes?

I have an embarrassingly huge section of my closet filled with dirty clothes that are waiting to go to the dry cleaner or are marked "hand wash only." Now. Sometimes I risk it and wash these clothes with all my other gear. But, this weekend I'm going to try to hand wash. Here's what to do (I just looked it up): Fill up your sink with warm water (or what it says on the label). Add a teaspoon of detergent. Submerge and gently swish around the clothing . Drain the sink and refill with cool water. Push the item up and down until the soap is gone. Done. <source>

my tiny apartment is so damp, what can I do?

Hi there, El Nino. How long are you planning to hang out? Guys. My apartment is old and DAMP. I'm not kidding. Usually, I can keep the windows open and things are fine, but when it's raining for 10 days in a row...... buy a dehumidifer. It is the only answer. I got this little guy on Amazon and haven't turned it off for about 6 weeks. No joke. I have to empty it out about every other day, but when it's raining outside and my windows are closed, this little puppy keeps things dry.

How do I add line breaks in my instagram bio?

Omg, I have been SO jealous of the people that do that:

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#hastags #allunderthecaptionbreak #line.

So how do you do it? NOTES! Yea, go on your iPhone Notes app and write out your hashtags how you want them to appear. Copy and paste to Instagram and your line breaks will hold. Also works in your insta bio 😉. <source>

Have a question? Let me know! I bet I can figure it out :D & in the meantime, let me know if you found any of these useful. 

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Photo: Nikond3200 zoom kit lens / Edits: Adobe Lightroom

Leather Booties Round Up ($140&under)

Six out of seven days a week I wear leather booties. I have dark brown booties, light brown booties and I'm on the hunt for black booties. I've been a little obsessed for over a year.

Recently my sister wanted some help looking for booties of her own. We found a TON and I wanted to share our favorites, because there are some pretty sweet deals out there.

Images are links!  Enjoy!

Red Lipstick and Pixilated Photos

Suppppaahhh pixilated. Yea, I know. A few days ago I ambushed my photographer for these photos. The sun was setting fast and I was running late. I ordered myself an Uber X -- a real luxury, because I always opt for Muni or Uber Pool to save those dolla dolla bills, yo -- and rushed to his apartment. When I walked in, he was rocking wet hair and getting ready to attend the ballet. But still, I made him run outside with me because I was wearing makeup and wanted to document the rare occasion. 

Initially I was planning to title this blog post "how to wear sneakers with a skirt," but, we actually didn't get any decent photos to show you. There's one dark and shadowy photo below, which can kind of give you an idea. But, my advice for the subject is this.... sneakers + skirt = IN. I walk past an Anthropologie Window every day after work and it's all the rage on the mannequins. And as we've discussed before, wear it with enough confidence, and no one will ever question you.

In other news: Daylight Savings Time is this weekend. I've been eating this overnight slow cooker quinoa oatmeal for a week. I found some great thrift stores on Haight Street, and I'm in the process of building a hanging shelf for my kitchen. Can't wait to share more with you. 

Sending lots of love. 

Photos: Jacob Heath, Nikond3200 35mm | Edits: Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop | Glasses: Frameri Twain in Rye | Cape: TJMaxx, Similar | Shirt: Sold out, Similar | Skirt: Old, SImilar | Shoes: Thrifted, Similar