Can’t I be both???

Escaped the LA rain this weekend and wound up in this fever dream (@ Meow Wolf Las Vegas)

Take my money 🖤

Thanks to all the moms out there (and to tiktok for teaching me the art of salami roses!). If this graphic design thing doesn’t work out, I think I’ll just make charcuterie boards for a living.

That’s a wrap on 2020! Pammie upgraded me to the new Cricut Maker, so 90% of the gifts I gave were personalized (the other 10% was whatever I could amazon prime at the eleventh hour).

Pammie’s quarantine birthday was magical as hell.

This billboard looks like the first thing I created in photoshop circa 1996. Has anyone else reached the Tiger King segment of their quarantine yet???

That’s a wrap on 2019!

Let’s get blitzen, y’all…

“You smell like beef and cheese alcohol.”

Cuevas family gone wild!

This is what happens when you hide a $20 bill inside a roll of costco saran wrap and tell everyone there’s $100 in there LOL!

One hour and two broken nails later…

It wouldn’t be the holidays if my grandma didn’t lose $50 playing bingo and and curse like a sailor while doing so! Ha.

That’s a wrap! 🎁

The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away

Aftermath of Obliteration of Eternity

Love Forever (@ The Broad: Infinity Mirror Rooms)

I’m learning some amazing moves from these guys (@ Wonderspaces)

Tourist trap queen ✌ (@ LACMA Rain Room)

Pammie and I snagged tickets to the last day of LACMA’s Rain Room exhibit on LA’s rainiest day ever and got more wet outside than we did in the exhibit 🌧️🌧️🌧️

Glass beauty (@ Wayfarers Chapel)

I think I might get married in this Lloyd Wright stunner. I just need to find a husband first! Just kidding (they also do baptisms, so a baby daddy will suffice).

Case Study House No. 8 (@ Eames House)

Leave the keys under the mat. I’ll take this house exactly as it is!

Happy new home to the Lansangs! I hope they’re better at keeping things alive than I am.

DIY Indoor Herb Garden:

• Herb plants, $4.98 each @ Home Depot
• Potting mix, $4.97 @ Home Depot
• Wooden planter, $12.99 @ Wayfair
• Chalkboard stakes (set of 6), $8.14 @ Amazon
• Impeccable penmanship, Priceless

You should be writing this down (@ Whole Foods Market DTLA)

I cropped the meth heads out of this shot (@ MacArthur Park)

Pumpkin Carving, Level: Expert

Whitewashed (@ Bates Motel)

Did you donate because of the animals or because of my cute packaging, be honest.

I’ve reached 70% of my fundraising goal! Help me get to 100% HERE and receive a bag of these homemade beer bones (they’re dog tested and Rocky approved, if that helps sway you at all).

…then I googled you (@ Culver City Art District)

Anthony upgraded his second annual shrimp boil with an invite that tested our friendship and a bloody mary bar by me and the girls. All that was missing was some fried chicken!

Winning combo: Zing Zang Bloody Mary Mix + UV Sriracha Vodka + Sriracha Chili Sauce

Somebody got lei’d last night (@ Santana High School)

Congrats #MrAndMrsOlivar! (@ Estancia La Jolla)

Every time one of us gets married, it’s like a mini reunion. I love that no matter how many days, months or years have gone by, we can all still pick up right where we left off ♥

I built this coffee table in an ongoing attempt to lower my Ikea to non-Ikea furniture ratio. Yes, this area rug is from Ikea, but The Great Pizza Box Fire of 2014 destroyed my non-Ikea rug, and I needed an affordable replacement! One step forward, two steps back…

This coffee table was built the same way I built my mid-century modern side table, but with a few modifications. I used pre-stain wood conditioner this time to prevent streaking and blotching. On a bigger job like this, you won’t be able to hide the ugly parts with succulents and a strategically placed Beyoncé print.

You can follow the same directions I used to build the side table. Just be sure to use these new measurements.

MATERIALS & TOOLS:

• 2 – 1″x12″-6′ common board ($12 each)
• 1 – 1″x4″-6′ common board ($3)
• Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner – I used Minwax Water-Based Pre-Stain Conditioner
• Wood Stain – I used Minwax Gel Stain in Hickory
• Clear Coat – I used Minwax Polycrylic in Clear Satin
• 16 – 1.75″ nails
• 4 – Mid-Century modern legs – I used 12″ hairpin legs ($61)
• Sandpaper
• Hammer
• Power drill

CUT LIST:

• 2 – 1″x12″-6′ common boards – 4 pieces that are cut 36″ long
  (the top & bottom boards)
• 1 – 1″x4″-6′ common board – 2 pieces that are cut 22.5″ long
  (the side boards)

Since I already had the gel stain and clear coat left over from building the side table, it only cost me $88 to make this coffee table! That’s cheaper than the Ikea rug it’s sitting on…

OH MY GLOB <3 (@ Gallery 1988)

(As featured on Buzzfeed, Elle Greece, Marie Claire France, Diply, How To Build It, Nouvelle Daily, Oh So Lovely Blog, List Inspired, Roomed, and Lighter Side of Real Estate)

I’m obsessed with all things Mid-Century modern, and when I saw this Co-Mod side table, I knew that I needed it in my life. But it was $345. And sold out. And $345. I felt like that needed to be mentioned twice.

Because I’ve mastered the art of assembling Ikea furniture (and tested many friendships along the way), I thought that I should try building this side table myself. I went to Home Depot, showed them a photo on my phone and was basically like, “HOW YOU DO DIS?” If you act like you don’t know what you’re doing (or you’re like me and you legitimately do not know what you’re doing), the good people at Home Depot will help you. They will tell you what paint brush you should use to apply clear coat. They will tell you what clear coat is. They will even cut your wood down to the exact size that you need at no extra charge.

Building this side table was easier than assembling an Ikea sectional sofa!

MATERIALS & TOOLS:

• 1 – 1″x8″-10′ common board ($14)
• 1 – 1″x6″-6′ common board ($4)
• Wood Stain – I used Minwax Gel Stain in Hickory
• Clear Coat – I used Minwax Polycrylic in Clear Satin
• 16 – 1.75″ nails
• 4 – Mid-Century modern legs – I used 12″ hairpin legs ($61)
• Sandpaper
• Hammer
• Power drill

CUT LIST:

• 1″x8″-10′ common board – 4 pieces that are cut 20″ long
  (the top & bottom boards)
• 1″x6″-6′ common board – 2 pieces that are cut 14.5″ long
  (the side boards)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Sand your boards. I used 150 grit sandpaper and sanded in the direction of the grain until it felt smooth. After your boards are sanded, wipe them down with a damp cloth to remove excess sawdust before staining them. This is probably something you should do outdoors in a well-ventilated area and not inside your 400 square foot studio during the only weekend it rains in Los Angeles. I still have sawdust in places I didn’t know I could get sawdust.
2. Stain your boards. Use gloves unless you want to have to keep explaining to everyone why your hands are brown for the next three days. You can use an old t-shirt, or if you’re a hoarder like me and can’t bear to part with your ‘I ♥ Haters’ shirt, you can get a pack of paint rags from Home Depot for $4 and use those instead. I used one to apply the stain to the wood and one to wipe off the excess. It dries pretty fast, so I was able to coat all sides without waiting. I only applied one coat, but you can apply more if you want it darker. Let the boards dry completely.
3. Apply clear coat. I applied it to one side of the boards using a synthetic paint brush. Give it a couple hours to dry, then turn your boards over and apply it to the other side.
4. Assemble your side table. Use two 20″ boards for the bottom, two 20″ boards for the top, and the remaining 14.5″ boards for the sides. Here’s a helpful diagram:
   
5. Nail the two top boards to the long edge of the side boards, and repeat on the bottom. Use two nails on each end of each board as pictured. I had someone hold the boards together for me while I hammered away.
6. Mount the legs. I set the legs 2″ from the edges and marked where the screws would go. I pre-drilled pilot holes and screwed the legs on with sixteen 3/4″ screws. Depending on what kind of legs you buy, you might have a different method for attaching them.

You can build your own Mid-Century modern inspired side table for roughly $78 (for just the wood and the hairpin legs, if you happen to have the other materials). You really can’t beat that price or the sense of accomplishment you’ll feel after building something with your bare, wood-stained hands.

Other things pictured:
Painted succulent pots designed by me (DIY tutorial here)
Task lamp from Target
Beyoncé print designed by me (sold on Etsy)
Bedding from Anthropologie
Bed from West Elm (discontinued!)

Trader Joe’s tissue, you my only friend.

Partly to fund my Amazon addiction, but mostly because I hate myself, I picked up some freelance work designing eblasts for a cooking website during the holidays. I can feel my stomach eating itself looking at all this food porn right now…

All I see is ‘wonton soup’. God, I’m so hungry. And Asian.

Trying to stay awake while looking through hot model pics on my new iMac for this microsite I’m designing at work.

My life is so hard sometimes.

I don’t know whether to be offended or impressed! Ha.
This made my day, Jesse.

Ikea frame + Target hooks + my own subway-inspired print = a little piece of San Diego in my home away from home.

Yes, that’s pepper spray hanging on the far right. COME AT ME, BRO.

Disneyland is Alicia’s favorite place, and Alicia is my favorite preggo ♥

Vendors:

• Sweet Cheeks Baking – Minnie Mouse Cake
• acookiejar – Minnie Mouse Sugar Cookies
• ClaudiaCupcakeLady – Minnie Mouse Cupcake Ear and Bow Toppers
• katiedidesigns – Pink Striped Paper Straws

I’m going to file this under ‘lies I tell myself’.

Pammie’s bridal shower was a sweet success!

If heaven is a 6×8 glass-enclosed cubicle, then this is it.

Here’s a baseball-themed birthday invitation I designed for my favorite little slugger ♥

More from my design portfolio here.

New prints are up in my Etsy shop!

My summer soundtrack ♥

Update (6/9): For those of you who asked—and by ‘those of you’ I mean ANTHONY, and by ‘asked’ I mean demanded—you can download all the songs from this playlist here. Enjoy, my lovelies!

Kraft + mustard business cards for my favorite photographer, Raechel Denise!

More from my design portfolio here.

I designed this simple save the date for my dear friend Trace and her fiancé Gary ♥

More from my design portfolio here.

I’ve got such a boner for this limited edition of Scrabble Typography. Does the thought of getting a triple word score using multiple fonts make anyone else’s heart race? Also, what’s wrong with me?

I designed these business cards for my favorite stylist, Trace! Her other talents include faking a British accent and playing the recorder.

More from my design portfolio here.

If you want this design for your own business cards, you can place an order in my Etsy shop.

Needless to say, these “I ♥ wieners” buttons I just made for Vince were not included in the online portfolio I designed to showcase my finest work.

Awesome gifts come in awesomely designed packages 😉

My favorite picture of Shi + Teenage Mutant Ninja Noses = the makings of my Friday night.

(Yeah, I don’t know how I’m still single, either.)

Sent from my iPhone.

According to this flowchart, I may end up broke doing freelance work for friends, but I’ll be knee deep in promised organs.

Chel sent me this photo and said it made her think of me 🙂

If you ever come over unexpectedly, there’s a good chance I won’t have any pants on. Just kidding. (Even if I was expecting you, I still wouldn’t have any pants on.)

I’m going to file this under “Things a guy can say to get into my pants”.

(You should write this down.)