:: cupcakes, cocktails and clam bake ::

we've been spending so much time organizing our tiny, humble abode since we've been home that it has been great to get out on the weekends and hang with friends.

last weekend, crawford {ashley stockmann} came in-town for a visit with her hubby and another couple. this was the perfect excuse to spend a sunday down on michigan ave:) we went to brunch, braved the rain, had our first trip to chicago's newly-opened "topshop" and stopped by sprinkles cupcakes for a little afternoon fuel. so fun having friends visit. hint, hint:)




friday after a long week's work, my friend lauren and i met for mani/pedis and dinner. i fell in love with the orangey-red goodness of essie's "clambake" - matching on my fingers and toesies. nice pop of color to kick-off fall. after pampering ourselves, we headed to a newly opened restaurant called "Morso" + sat in the upstairs lounge. their menu is sharable small plates - american fare with a twist. DELISH! we indulged in pork belly nuggets with a brie fondue, amazing scallops and mac 'n cheese-like spatzele. while the food was incredible, the drinks were ah-mazing - we had one too many "monkshood" cocktails {bourbon, walnut, apple and molasses}. they were SO fall.

:: a martha moment ::

after taking the trash out a few weeks ago, i saw a dresser sitting in the alley by the trashcans. it was bubblegum pink, missing 2 of 3 drawers and did i mention it was sitting in the alley? most {normal} people would have kept walking back to their apartment, but i thought the shape was adorable. so, naturally i dragged the dresser back to our apartment. yes, the neighbors thought i was crazy.

from there, i channeled my inner martha and headed to home depot. below is the list of supplies i gathered {with costs} and pictures that show progress.

i am SO proud of myself and now we have somewhere to store our beautiful serving pieces.

MY TOOLS
* dresser :: free
* paint stripper :: 9.26
* paint knife {to scrape with} :: 7.97
* masks :: 1.97
* sand paper {one pack of fine grain paper, two sponges covered with sand paper} :: 10
* brush to paint on stripper :: 2.97
* angled paint brush :: 1.97
* small paint roller and tray :: 6.97
* white paint + primer in one {one quart} :: 15.77
* three pieces of wood cut to fit in the drawer slots :: 22.26
TOTAL :: 79.14

here's the dresser after I pulled it inside, wiped it down and sprayed Lysol all over it.





we moved the dresser to our front porch {this was my workspace and also the place where walkers-by stared at me with confusion while i worked}. step one, i applied the paint stripper and patiently waited. once it bubbled up, i used the scraper to reveal the fact that there were three layers of paint under the bubblegum pink. ugh. here you will see the pic of the stripped and, for the most part, sanded dresser.



the following saturday, it was time to get my paint on. once again, dragging the dresser outside. i started by painting the wood planks {yes, the ones that were cut down to size at the depot}. then, painted the rest of the piece. two coats all around.




i still want to wallpaper the side panels, but it's ready to use for now. i've placed all our lovely serving platters on the shelves. voila!