SUP yoga

I'm the kind of person who is pretty much always up for trying something new, so when my yoga instructor announced last week that she was teaching some paddleboard yoga classes at a lake just outside the city, I knew I had to sign up.  It's pretty popular right now, so it wasn't too hard to get my husband and friend in on the trip as well.  

Of course, I'd never even been on a paddleboard, and let me tell you it is harder than it looks!  We all wobbled around for quite a bit before getting our bearings, but by the end of the class, I had done a headstand on the board!  I wish I had a picture of that, but at least I ended up with some very cool shots of Jo and Darrell (and Darrell in an arm balance?!)  

I have to say, I think I still prefer yoga on solid ground, but taking the class has really given me the itch to get a paddleboard.  Sadly, they're not cheap, but I'll keep checking eBay and Craiglist religiously!  

If you're in St Louis, check out Alpine Shop's website to see about signing up for a class, they're going on until the end of summer!  Next week I'm planning a post about my favorite yoga studios in St Louis, and the instructors I love best at each of them, so make sure to check back!  

west elm store preview, and my new favorite decoration

Yesterday, July 25th 2013, one of my most ardent wishes came true (and one of my husband's bigger fears for our bank account was realized.)  West Elm opened in St. Louis!  Okay, okay, I over exaggerate a bit, but seriously I was excited!  I love West Elm.  Additionally, I was thrilled to be invited to a blogger preview of the store, and was fortunate enough to be shown around by Kendall Coleman, West Elm's PR manager for all 51 stores.  

In addition to the whole store being full of amazing furniture and decor, it was also full of ideas, and that was one of the things Kendall emphasized the most.  I took home inspiration for all parts of my house, and I intend to hit up the store often, because they're constantly reworking the items in the store to show the many ways they can work in your home.  

That coffee table to the right will be making its way into my living room in no time - it's only $500, a crazy reasonable price for such an awesome piece, not to mention a dream for someone like me, who works from home.  

Examples of the tablescape inspiration - I LOVED how they put the silverware in the glasses in the left image.  I'll definitely be doing that at my next dinner party.  Another adorable touch?  Little traces of "lived in" action on all the surfaces.  Cheerios on a desk?  Funny, since that's how most of my mornings start.  Its a smart touch, given that it really puts in your mind how you'd LIVE with the piece.  

I was really nuts about this chaise with the reading table.  Such a perfect spot, I could curl up there for hours.  I was also pretty impressed with the price point on the coffee table to the left - it's only $350, a ridiculous steal for a piece that makes such an impact.  

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I love that even though West Elm is a chain, they do their best to bring city specific touches to each store.  One lovely idea they incorporate is mini Etsy shops throughout.  Here in St Louis we have ReAuthored, a company that makes iPad cases out of vintage books, and Sprouted Designs (one of my personal favorites) who sells hand stamped tea towels.  

Okay, I know I'm gushing at this point (have I mentioned I really love this company?)  but my favorite part of the store was what I took home.  I've been going on about greenery in my house for a while now (see here) and one thing I've really been wanting was a hanging terrarium for my shower.  Weird placement to put a plant in the shower, I know, but I love it.  West Elm was kind enough to give the visiting bloggers a little gift card to pick out something to take home, and I picked one of their adorable terrariums.  

I kind of hate showing off my bathroom here, it's the space in my house that still needs the most work (BLUE TILE, HELLO 80s!), but I do love the way it looks with a little more green!  

Thanks again to West Elm, and if you're living in STL, make sure you check out the new store soon!  

weekend link and love list

I did THIS yesterday, and yes, it was as cool as it looks.  I'm already strategizing when I can go back!

This snack looks delicious.

How cute is this idea for hanging guitars?  I might have to do this with my husband's collection. They're like art!

For those of us who are already lacking in counter space, this seems pretty genius.

I almost NEVER buy purses (I'd honestly rather buy stuff for my house) but I really wouldn't mind owning this one.

Okay, this seems a little labor intensive, but I could be pretty happy about one of them hanging from my ceiling.

I'm kind of dying over Peacock chairs.  I'm not sure where I'd put one, but if I found an affordable option, I'd find a spot!  Fingers crossed for the emails I sent out on a few Craigslist options....

a happy room

I'm normally not one to mess with natural light - I tend to like for it to stream in at all angles - but sometimes you need privacy, and privacy calls for curtains.  New curtains, in this case, because I was just SO OVER the stuffy damask ones I had previously installed for these doors.  It was a cost effective decision, but not a pretty one.  

But this may just be the year I remember as "the year I learned how to do it myself" and do it myself I did.  I picked out this fun yellow chevron at Hobby Lobby, brought it home and hemmed up the edges with hem tape.  A few clip rings later and I had new custom curtains, at the perfect length.  This has, of course, kind of a created a monster and now I've basically gone around putting new curtains in every room.  

Want the DIY?  Click over to Young House Love.  

most days

Most days, I wear something like this, that serves the purpose of running around for errands, doing a little blogging from the couch, and cooking dinner by the time Darrell gets home.  No makeup, hair in a topknot.  

It's super casual, super comfy, and I think still has a little personality.  

top - anthropologie, shorts - american eagle, espadrilles - soludos, necklace - gorjana

what i'm loving this wednesday

1.  Glass bottles, of all shapes and sizes!  Whether it's from vinegar or olive oil, honey or simple syrup, you'd be hard pressed to get me to throw out a glass bottle of any kind right about now.  I've been dishwashing and saving them all for future storage or floral opportunities.  You never know how pretty they are until you've cleaned off the paper label - even a ketchup bottle.  

2.  Vintage blue china.  I'm a little obsessed with this one - I've got my eye on a set I sort of "hid" on a shelf in an antique mall in my town.  I hope to bring it home soon, much to the chagrin of my husband, who says we already have too much of our kitchen storage taken up by an excess of dishes!  

3.  This stone fruit bake; I haven't gotten around to making it yet, but peaches + balsamic + ice cream?  How can that be bad?  A weekend dessert that's in my plans, for sure.  

4.  The Bee's Knees = gin, honey simple syrup (just use the honey like normal syrup), and lemon juice.  Simple and perfect.   

drink photo: not without salt   dessert: cookie & kate

Spicy Panzanella

So I realized as I opened this post, that I am planning to eat three salads today.  No, I'm not on some crazy diet.  It's just that hot.  This one is definitely my current favorite!  I would like to congratulate whoever came up with the idea to put bread in salad.  That's true brilliance.

Make it stat, while the tomatoes are still good enough to eat like apples.  The fancy salt is crucial.  A summer tomato with table salt is just a tomato with table salt.  A summer tomato with Maldon salt is what I figure God snacks on year round.

Spicy Panzanella

Dressing Ingredients
1/2 serrano chili - seeds left in, or removed if you aren't a spice person
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp agave nectar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Blitz all these in a small food processor or blender!

Salad Ingredients

5 or 6 large assorted tomatoes.  Beefsteak & Roma were my favorites for this, but mixing in green and yellow ones looks pretty.
1/2 loaf of sorta stale french bread.  3 days old is just about perfect.
8 oz fresh mozzarella.  Buffalo is better, but I couldn't find it!
1/4 red onion
Handful of basil leaves
Maldon salt
Fresh cracked pepper


1.  Cut the tomatoes and bread into 1-2 inch chunks.  Slice the onion super thin.  Tear the mozzarella into smallish bites.
2.  Mix tomatoes, bread, mozzarella, and onion together.  Douse with the vinaigrette and get it all mixed up well, with your hands.
3.  Let sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
4.  Remove from the fridge, shred the basil leaves by hand and scatter over the salad, and douse the whole mess with a large pinch of Maldon salt.  Crack pepper over the top, not too much.
5.  Serve, with a bowl of extra Maldon salt on the side for anyone who likes a little more.

a little apartment update

Before (ick)

After

 Today I finally got rid of my eyesore of a rug.  (I am only linking to it so you know what NOT to buy - it collected dirt and pilled like no other!) The picture above is the only one I have of it, and it was taken shortly after I rolled it out, and obviously lots of other changes have been made, as well.  Last few steps: paint the crown moulding white, paint the coffee table red!  

I was cleaning out my closet this weekend, and found quite a pile of old Lululemon clothes I had barely worn.  As it turns out, apparently they were pretty popular styles Lulu discontinued, and I made a decent enough amount of money on selling them to buy a new rug!  Two tanks are still listed, if you're interested, HERE.  

I found the rug at Target for just $80.  So far, we LOVE it.  You can get it HERE.  I saw the blue in person, and it's gorgeous as well.  

weekend link & love list

HAPPY WEEKEND!  I really mean that right now, it is gonna be a GOOD one.  We have a few fun ideas for how to spend our time, and for the first time in a while we are staying home!  No set plans.  We kind of never do that, and I think it needs to happen more often.  

We are going to see an outdoor movie in Forest Park tonight (Princess Bride) and take a picnic with us.  Saturday, yoga at the farmer's market, and I'm planning to paint our kitchen island a fun turquoise color.  Sunday, a whole lot of reading this stack of books I got from the library.  I'm telling you, you can't improve on that kind of weekend.  

Now, a few things I loved this week: 

We have central air, so we don't really NEED a fan, but how pretty is this one?

How genius is this business card for a yoga instructor?  I think I'll definitely have to invest in some of these when I finish teacher training.   

I discovered "Humans of New York" this week and I am totally fascinated.  What an incredible project.
  

These plates are a sharpie project!  How fun!  With some dollar store whites I think this could be a fun thing to do for the dinner party we're throwing in August.  

Jennifer Lawrence needs her own TV show.  

Pretty much my entire personal philosophy right now.  

I made this fried zucchini last night with the bounty from my in-laws garden, and it was oh-so-good!  

I'd like to wear this all weekend.  

This strawberry pie might have to happen sometime Sunday...

image via Camille Styles

home envy: a rustic kitchen table

How dreamy is this kitchen table?  Set in the home of the two girls who run "The House That Jack Built" (in Paris, no less) I think its just about the most perfect one i've ever seen.  My kitchen isn't currently big enough to have it's own eating area, but someday.  Someday!  

And on that day I'll put in a table just like this.  

watermelon pizza

This is probably the simplest recipe I'm ever going to post, if you can even call it a recipe!  

Here in the south (Missouri counts as the south, right?), we do something people elsewhere consider a bit funny.  We eat our watermelon with salt.  Not like a drizzle of salt, more like a large pinch of kosher or coarse sea salt.  

I can't even imagine eating watermelon just on its own, sweet as can be.  This recipe is, ideally, how I'd eat watermelon every day all day in the summertime.  As far as I'm concerned, it's the perfect lunch.  

Watermelon Pizza

One whole (small-ish, unless you want to lose a hand) watermelon, cut with a BIG knife into rounds.  

Feta Cheese - any kind, fat free, whole milk, whatever you like.  

1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar

Handful Fresh Basil

1. Make the balsamic vinegar into a reduction.  Put it into a small saucepan on the stove, and turn up the heat until it boils.  Immediately at that point reduce the heat to a simmer, and stir until it thickens slightly.  Do NOT leave this alone - 5 seconds is all it take to turn balsamic reduction into balsamic paste.  Also, it will continue to thicken as it cools, so don't take it quite to that syrup point.  Remove from heat and set aside.  

2.  Sprinkle watermelon with feta crumbles, torn basil leaves, and then drizzle on the reduction.  

4.  Cut, serve, and enjoy!!!

ampersands and ink

I've been pinning a ton of ampersand tattoos for the past year or so, but I always felt it was a bit random of an ink subject, and never considered actually getting one.  The one above is definitely one of my favorites.  

I adore tattoos and have several, but I often fall in love with ones I'd never actually get (thus the reason behind my "tattoos" board on Pinterest being private!  Too many folks thinking I was going to ink myself up on my face or hands.)    

Today though, I saw this little graphic and I suppose it explains exactly why we're all so nuts about ampersands.  

"Resembling a broken infinity, the ampersand reminds us that nothing truly lasts forever, but there is always an AND."  

if tomorrow were my birthday....

If tomorrow were my birthday, here are just a few things I'd want on my gift list!  

woven backpack/booties/dress/belt/yoga mat

flower crowns

Oh, I can't imagine a more fun weekend than the one I just had.  

I was all over Illinois the past few days, seeing concerts and celebrating the marriage of some dear friends.  

After seeing two outdoor concerts (John Mayer & Grace Potter with Dave Matthews band) this summer, I was definitely seeing a trend, and I decided I needed a flower crown for Americanarama.  

Americanarama is like a super concert - My Morning Jacket, Wilco, and Bob Dylan all in one night.  It was crazy fun, although in a perfect world My Morning Jacket would have played WAY longer than just an hour.  I was comfortable dancing and running around the city after the show in this outfit all night.  

I'd really love to make one with real flowers the next time I have a concert to attend!  

This is the DIY post I used as a guide for making to it!  I think her method of using felt and hot glue to attach the flowers is by far the easiest I've ever used, not to mention that this was so much more comfortable to wear than when the flowers are just wired on.  It took about 30 minutes.  All my flowers came from Hobby Lobby!  

summer style

It has officially gotten HOT in St Louis.  These are just a few of the outfits I've been looking to for inspiration - lots of denim, floaty tops that barely skim the body, and dresses that hardly touch the skin.    

mini golf date

We had a really fun (and cheap!) date night in the Ozarks over the holiday weekend, playing mini golf. I was maybe this much overdressed for the occasion, but I packed this dress and wanted to wear it, so i did!  I won - we are maybe a tad more competitive than the average couple - but only by a technicality. My slightly overconfident husband assumed he was far ahead of me, and then gave away his last couple points.  So we called it a wash!  You can also see my latest tattoo peeking out from the sleeve, I got it exactly like THIS one.
  

dress - Lovers + Friends, sunglasses - Ray-Ban

indoor flora

We recently did a little makeover on our patio and my favorite part of working on it was most definitely picking out plants to hang.  They make me so happy.  

Now that I've realized how much I love having some greenery of our own outside, I'm thinking I need to bring it inside soon.  These are just some of the ways I'm crazy about displaying them- some plants in the corner, on the table, and even in the shower (a bit odd, but maybe my favorite?!)  

Now for a confession: I have kind of a black thumb, so I'll be doing my research on plants that are easy to care for, starting with this article from Free People.  I'm thinking I'll have to start a search for some Philodendron - aka the plant they say can survive even the worst gardener!    

Furniture Rehab DIY

As a young person, I have ongoing strife regarding the contents of my home.  Namely, I don't have nearly the funds to make it look exactly the way I want.  My home is about 1/2 of the way to where I want it to be.  There are rugs I'd like to replace, a too-big couch that's a remnant from a former residence with a larger living room, and until this weekend, there was a pretty boring wood table and chairs.  

This table and chairs was GENEROUSLY gifted to us by Darrell's grandparents, and without it we flat out wouldn't have a table.  But was it my DREAM dining table?  Nope.  

For the few years I've had it I've been perusing the internet for a new option, but never came up with anything less than $400.  After flipping through the Young House Love home improvement book (aka a DIY bible by the king and queen of online do it yourself) I came up with a pretty simple solution.  Paint it!  

So here is my step by step of how I re-did this table, per the Young House Love instructions.  

1.  Lay out trash bags, a tarp, newspaper, whatever you need to protect your floors.  Lightly sand all surfaces of your furniture if it's wood.  Don't go too crazy, you don't have to put a crazy amount of elbow grease into this. Light sanding.  

2.  Get out a beer and put on a record.  This is important!  Paint + beer + records = this being a way more enjoyable experience.  

3.  Then give your piece of furniture one good *thin and even* coat of primer.  It doesn't have to cover the surface to full opacity.  It will no doubt look uneven.  Ask someone at Home Depot or Lowe's to give you a recommendation for a good primer for your surface type.  

4.  Wait for your primer to dry, usually about an hour, and then apply your first coat of paint.  Again, thin and even strokes.  Wait an hour or two (your paint can will say how long until reapplication) and then apply a second coat.  A third coat is your choice - my white table took three.  

5.  Apply a coat of polyurethane sealant.  I used Minwax.  The container said to apply two coats, but truth be told I only did one.  I didn't want a very shiny finish.  

6.  Wait for it to dry!  I know this is a tough part, but you really need to let it sit for 72 hours after you apply the sealant.  

And finished!  

My total cost for this project was about $80, including paintbrushes, primer, sealant, and paints that I have leftovers of and will surely use again.  For this table and chairs, I only needed quarts not gallons of primer, paints, and sealant.  Fortunately, I overbought, so there will be another DIY coming at you next week for the second project I did with it!  

motorino brussels sprouts pizza

This is my current favorite pizza recipe!  I went to the famous Motorino pizzeria when I was in New York a couple months ago, and it was honestly the best pizza I've ever had in the US.  (Nothing will ever top Gusta Pizza in Florence, Italy.  For all my stateside searching, it's a sad fact I've had to accept.)  I knew I wanted to recreate their famous brussels sprouts pizza, so when I found a basic method for whipping it up I went for it!  It turned out to be so delicious.  This may be sacrilege to New Yorkers, but I actually think this version was better than the real thing!   

Here's what you'll need for the crust: 

1 package active dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 cup warm water

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

and for the pizza: 

6-8 large brussels sprouts leaves.  Rip them off individually, don't chop!  

fresh mozzarella or mozzarella slices

3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 cup parmesan shreds

olive oil

sea salt

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 450.  To make the crust, combine the yeast and water and let sit for 10 minutes.  Stir in flour, salt, and oil until well combined, and then let sit for 10 minutes.  Transfer crust to a lightly greased pan or pizza stone, and roll into a rectangle or circle.  

Lay out mozzarella to almost cover the pizza, then sprinkle on brussels sprouts, garlic slices, and parmesan.  Drizzle olive oil lightly on all of it, and then sprinkle with sea salt and crushed red pepper flakes.  

Bake for 20 minutes, until the edges are nicely browned and the cheese is a little browned as well.  

The leftovers are exceptionally good reheated the next day and topped with a poached egg!  

rules for happiness

I don't know about every single item on this list and it is a little bit cheesy, but for the most part, I find it rather difficult to argue with.  Now if only I could get with that "morning person" part.  

4th of July weekend

We had ourselves a pretty glorious couple of days on the Lake of the Ozarks.  My parents have a condo there and they generously host me and Darrell (and our dogs) whenever we want to have a couple days away. It was the perfect destination for a 4 day weekend.  We took out my dad's boat and rode around, drink beer, and ate the best fish tacos ever.  

At sundown we'd head back to the condo and make dinner, usually a combination of whatever the 2 of us (by which I mean me and my Dad, the only chefs in this arrangement) felt like making.  I busted out my new favorite recipe for brussels sprouts pizza the night of the 4th.  I'll share the recipe soon!  

We had planned to stay the whole weekend, but thought it might be nice to have a couple days at home as well, so we headed back to St Louis Saturday morning and headed to Home Depot.  We did a few painting projects which I'll post and share soon, and even a little thrifting, where we picked up a vintage folding picnic table I painted up!  I am really excited about that one - it folds into the size of a guitar case, it's kind of amazing.  I'd never seen anything like that before!  

(Forgive the GIANT beer can...it was the only size they sold!)  

Then on Sunday night we couldn't believe our luck, we were given free tickets to the John Mayer show by a friend and it was such a wonderful night.  Gorgeous weather, and he was great, per usual.  This probably sounds very dorky, but I've seen John Mayer no less than 6 times.  I think I might have been his biggest fan in high school!

I was a little tired today, but it was totally worth it.  Hope all your holiday weekends were equally wonderful!  

  

summer break

Have you guys heard of the new social media based reality series Summer Break?  I have to admit, I was skeptical of it at first, but it's giving Laguna Beach a run for its money.  It's a really interesting concept - the "show" plays out in mini webisodes on YouTube, and outside of viewing those you can follow the cast in real time on their tumblr blog, Twitter pages, and Instagram.  The show follows a group of 18 year olds around during their last summer before heading off to college.  Of course, the kids are beautiful and rich (one of them has a house of their own that is RIGHT on the beach in LA, obviously financed by her parents) and they're also incredibly young and naive.  A recipe for drama and entertainment.  

It's a really interesting idea for a reality show, because you aren't watching a show that was edited within an inch of its life.  The girls are shown without hair and makeup and it all looks very, well, realistic.  Check it out!  

friday link list

The funniest gif explanation of how INSANE Pretty Little Liars is right now at Buzzfeed.

A guide to not minding what people thing about you.

The songs of the summer, for the last 40 years.  This playlist could keep you entertained pretty much all day at work.

Planning on attempting this camera strap DIY Saturday.  Wish me luck!

Wine sippy cups: dorky, but also possibly genius for picnicking?

Made me laugh out loud: Maddie the Rebel.

How fun does this yoga class look?  I am thinking of requesting a trial of it at my studio!!

Kinfolk Magazine has now gone digital.  I'm thinking I may have to go for it...

Last but not least, how great are holiday weekends?  Go have some adventures!  I recommend this guide for a day of wandering.

yoga rocks the park

This is what husbands look like when you wake them up at 8 am on a Sunday morning to go to yoga in the park.  

But to yoga in the park we went, and oh it was so lovely!  There was a breeze, and shade, and I got to take a yoga class with lots of people and a new instructor.  They even gave us a 2-for-1 pass for the next weekend we can come.  And there are lots of weekends, because this was only the first Sunday of Yoga Rocks the Park in St Louis!  

I was so excited this came to our town.  Yoga Rocks the Park is an awesome idea, basically a 2 month long yoga festival, with a class every Sunday outdoors.  Each class is taught by a different instructor from the area (so neat to get to try all these different instructors without heading to 10 different studios) and they are all accompanied by live music!  Is there anything better than YOGA.  OUTSIDE.  with LIVE MUSIC.  Not to me there's not, although I'm sure there are people who would say otherwise.  Like my husband.  

They even have a kids class to bring your littles to while you practice, and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't hard to pay attention to our grown-up class, because little kids doing yoga is maybe the cutest thing ever.  

It's in over 15 cities in the US, and I highly suggest you check it out, no matter if you're a beginner or an experienced yogi.  If you aren't motivated enough yet, let me tell you, it ends with free chair massages and free food from Whole Foods.  So, think of it as free daycare with a massage : )  

Check to see if they have it where you live HERE.  

nail notes

In an effort to conserve money, my husband and I decided to cut my mani/pedi fund.  Depressing, I know, but in the long run it's actually been a really good thing!  

I've gotten really creative with ways to do my nails, and honestly I can get a more fun job done  with stickers and pens at home with less money most of the time.   These are two of my favorites lately - on the left, my take on this tutorial from Free People.  I loved it, and it was so easy.  

On the right, some stickers from the Maybelline line that just came out.  I actually bought a few different sets, they were WAY better than the Sally Hansen or Essie patterns and I found them easier to apply as well.  

previously worn

If you're been a longtime reader of this blog, you know it used to be a style blog.  But I was never that great at modeling, and my husband has a full time job and never wanted to take picture for me, so that went by the wayside.  Still, I love dressing up and wearing fun clothes, so I thought rather than have full-on outfit posts all the time, I'd just start a new column on Tuesdays with a little selfie recap of my fave outfits from the previous week.  

1st outfit: forever21 dress, lotta stockholm clogs, target bag.  

2nd outfit: free people tee, american eagle cutoffs, saltwater sandals

3rd outfit: forever 21 dress and necklace

Yup, pretty much my entire closet is from forever 21.  

beauty miracles: eyelash extensions

forgive the car selfie, me with no makeup, post eyelash extensions  

My first foray into eyelash extensions was for our wedding.  I thought it would be a great way to look good in every photo, and I could keep them on for the honeymoon.  Unfortunately, the kind I got for the wedding, Novalash, were crazy uncomfortable, stiff, and outrageously expensive.  I was really grateful that I tested them way in advance of the big day, because I would have majorly regretted spending my entire wedding day messing with my eyelashes.  

I figured I'd never try them out again, and just stick to falsies.  Still, there's nothing like waking up and looking bright eyed and pretty first thing in the morning, and extensions are pretty much the only way to make that happen.  I work in a small town in Illinois two days a week, where I grew up, and when I saw that a local salon was doing eyelash extensions for only $20, I was skeptical, but super intrigued.   A lot of the little nail salons in St. Louis are doing these cheaper versions now, but the idea of "cheap" eyelash extensions had always freaked me out.  I went for it anyways.   

IT IS GENIUS.  I don't know how, but these new versions that are inexpensive are amazing, somehow better than the fancy ones I got the first time around.  I go about every two weeks, and it takes all of 20 minutes.  Did I mention that the more expensive Novalash extensions took almost an hour?  

I walk out looking like the picture above (okay, I'm no model, but before the extensions and La Mer no way I would've posted a no makeup picture on the internet) and for $20 I'm super happy with that.  Moral of the story?  If you go to a little nail salon that offers this service, or see a salon in town is doing eyelash extensions for $20-30, don't be skeptical, be excited and go for it.  You won't look back!  Except with really pretty, long lashed eyes.