Shopping Hiatus: 1 week down

I am highly productive with this shopping hiatus it seems. I have gotten more done around the house in one week than I have in months. It started with my need to organize all the toys scattered around to organizing the whole house. I mean every drawer, cupboard, closet, basket, you name it I did it. I also cleared out tons of toys that they have out grow or never use. I ended up with empty baskets even. I am actually feeling quite good about the whole thing. Maybe it is the new simpler person emerging, at least that's what I like to think.


The run down:

1. My daughters closet. It seems when her closet is devoid of all the clutter her new stroller and shopping cart fit nicely.

2. & 3. My son's walk in closet. Taking out the wedding dress made plenty of room for his tool bench and the old changing table makes great shelves for diapers and his many, many new trucks. I did the letters and wall stickers almost a year ago now to make the closet feel more like a play area.

4. Remember my dilemma on finding new storage solutions. Well, I put my creative juices to work and crafted that lovely box. It's a Whole Foods box that I mindlessly purchased forever ago covered with some left over fabric from Purl Soho. In the end, after all my purging, I no longer needed the extra storage so the box sits empty. (It only has a couple toys in it because my little girl thought it looked better with something in it. I future stylist maybe?)

5. I had this brilliant idea once upon a time that I would scrapbook my little one's first years of life and then every birthday after that. Well, my boys about to turn two and I still hadn't done his first year so I had a dear friend come over to scrapbook with me. I finished it all in one sitting and feel much better about it all. I soon realized though that scrap booking is not the hobby for me though.

6. The laundry room. This is where all my sewing gear ended up. Not the best location, but it will have to do.

I did so, so much more, but this post is long enough already. I tremble at the idea of how much more will be done at the end of my 3 month hiatus. Oh, by the way, I am starting my room re.do this week! I can't wait to share.

Baby, it's cold outside.

I will start by saying it was a mere 30 degrees with a windchill factor that made it even colder, but this shoot had to go on. "Why the urgency?", you may be asking. Well, that's simple, this shoot took place the day before the wedding. This beyond adorable couple were lucky enough to have a photographer friend to shoot the actual wedding, but we were blessed enough to be asked to do some bride and groom portraits. Okay, and when I say we I more mean my darling hubby in this case. Two children, no babysitter, and being that cold excluded me from all the fun. I personally think he did one fab job. I can brag on the hubby a bit, right?

{This is the moment they first saw each other. I wish you could see his sweet and very masculine lower lip bite a bit more.}






Isn't she stunning? If you would like to see more be sure to go check out hubby's site {Kellen Jacob Photography}.

Night Owl Paper Goods: 20% discount


I heard from the wonderful co-owner of Night Owl Paper Goods, Jennifer, and she has kindly extended a 20% discount to all you lovelies. Yes, that's 20% off all orders. How fabulous is that! The discount is in honor of their new design, Foxy Fungi. Isn't he darling? I must say I am very excited, thank you!


Receive 20% off ALL ORDERS now thru March 31st! :: Coupon Code foxy

Night Owl Paper Goods

I some how came across this wonderful line of paper goods. I was even more excited when I found out they are right here in Alabama. They specialize in handmade letterpress and eco-chic wooden pieces. I must say I am quite smitten with the whole thing. Here's to Night Owl Paper Goods.


I am considering these blank wooden cards for my little boy's second birthday invitations. I love the idea of being able to somewhat create my own on something that is so very, very nice.

How great would it be to receive one of these save the date cards in the mail? They would definitely add such a unique and extra special statement to a wedding.

They also have a lovely assortment of Valentine cards, thank you cards, everyday cards, journals, notepads, and even more. You must check it out. Every piece is quite astounding really.

Oh, and if you have no need for stationary at this moment then they also have these great totes. This is my personal favorite.

{all images found via Night Owl Paper Goods}

P.S. for a sneak peek into their fabulous home be sure to check out a life's design, a previous post of mine, or Design sponge.

organizing

I do not believe my children have too many toys. I really do keep it to a minimum, but what has happened is that they are now in chaos since Christmas. The baskets we currently have are overflowing and the rest of the toys are awkward to store. It is time for me to devise a strategy to control the clutter or I may just go mad. First of all I am sure there are things that could go and would not be missed. I did come across this photo and fell quite in love with it.

via domino

I love how all the chaos is tucked away uniformly and all in one pretty little space. Unfortunately this particular idea would never work for two little ones. This would either cause a huge accident or I would be the one always doing all the picking up.

I then thought I could add some pretty little baskets under the console table in the play room/sunroom. Currently that is where I sew, but it's not quite as comfortable as I thought it would be. I love these ones by Hable, but they are way out of my price range. Does anyone know where I could find something cheaper with a similar feel?

via Stuck

I then thought of these labels that I love. Currently I store my kiddos next season clothing purchases in simple white Rubbermaid baskets at the top of their closets. These baskets are on the cheap and may look lovely with a pretty little label, but they are still plastic. Oh, what to do?

What I did accomplish yesterday is moving all my fabric and sewing supplies to the shelf in the laundry room to free up space in the buffet to put my little ladies ice cream play.do maker and craft supplies. I absolutely love this idea from shims and sons for creative play. It would definitely take care of the craft chaos too.

my shopping hiatus

Every January our church participates in 21 days of fasting and prayer. Some fast food, TV, movies, sweets, etc. I have done these all in the past, but over the years these have not been a big part of my life. This year I struggled to think of something to give of myself to the Lord. I wanted to give a part of me that really said thank you for what He has blessed us with and something that may be not the healthiest part of me. I have a desire to grow closer to Him and be made fresh for the new year. As my wheels were turning I came across Joslyn's Resolutions for the year. It seems she takes a three month spending hiatus. At first I thought this sounded quite crazy to be honest, but the more I pondered it the more I realized this is what I too am suppose to do. I buy many things, many things that I need at the moment, but then in the end ask myself why? There are certain things on my list that I will buy over the next three months though. Things that I have previously saved up for and just need completeing, like my room re.do.

make one here.

I would love all the support I can get. I believe this will be a lot harder than it should be for me. I plan on squashing the urge with a lot of prayer, bible reading, and saying hello to you all. I shall be renewed in no time or at least I hope so. I already feel slightly taunted when I find posts like these:

found via simplesong via Decor8

So pretty they are. If you are still spending then you should be sure to visit this lovely shop.


I then came across one of my dream shops, Pieces, over and over again as I visited you all. You may be asking why? Well, I will tell you. The lovely owner Lee Kleinhelter is giving 30% off to blog readers which started yesterday. The actual sale doesn't even start till the 15th! To take advantage of this early bird sale be sure to mention this, this, this, or this.

Oh and I would love to know if anyone else is participating in the 3 month hiatus.

Green with envy




I love this bedroom in the February issue of Domino. I enjoy all the varying shades of green and the unique touches. The closet doors covered in a stripe with green trim is brilliant. Oh, and did I mention this was a room re.do for a 13 year old. Lucky girl. I must admit though I am grabbing some inspiration for my current room re.do. Sorry for the poor quality of the photos, my camera phone is not all it's cracked up to be.

Design love

While the hubby was away watching the big game, I stayed home and relaxed. After putting the kiddos to bed I watched a couple of shows then got sucked into blog land. I have no idea how, but I came across the blog anh-minh.com and found the most lovely home done by Honey Interiors. It seems Please Sir was the original culprit in sharing my new love for this designer. I hope you enjoy it as much as I.






Beautiful, right? Well, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Saturday night my sweet sister is going to come watch the kiddos so hubby and I can go out on a date. I am very excited!

Thank You!


If I could send out a thank you card to all of you who have helped out with new room ideas then you would receive one of these. Are they not fantastic! Casey from the wonderful blog My Life {as a Sugar Lander} recently opened her own etsy shop. You must check out her shop Paper+Twine for more lovely goodies. Oh, and if any of you have any more ideas for my room re.do then I would love to hear them. My brain is slowly processing them all and now I am trying to put all my favorite ideas into one cohesive idea. I am hoping to get started very soon!

The bedroom

photo via ?

Photo via ?

Photo via domino

I do not believe my home will ever be "done", but the room that is not even close to what the rest of my home represents is the master bedroom. I believe it should be serene, comfortable, and a place that I, dare I say, feel a little sexy. With an array of mis-matched furniture, toys all around, and a color that I am now officially sick of, I can say it gives off none of the latter vibe I desire. In an earlier post I designed my dream room, but now I am tired of that too. I may have a problem. The photos above are what I am feeling now. I just need to put it all into practice. If you, all my lovely readers, have any more images or ideas to jog my brain for more inspiration than I would gladly except. My room re.do has me stumped, which is not normal for my over active brain. Please help!


I know it's a mess and it's taken with my phone, but this is my room now. It's large for one and that kind of throws me off. The bed will have to stay for now at least until I find a killer deal on a really nice one. I really like the one in last last photo above, but in a different color maybe? The lamp in the first photo is new, but can easily be returned along with the other. The side table its on is the cheaper replica of the set we currently own. This should be painted and I hope to find something similar in scale for the other side. The long dresser actually goes with the set that is in my daughters room. It is the original so I am hesitant to paint it, would you? As for the chair, it's going and the settee can easily be recovered. Honestly I would buy all new, but that's just not in the budget right now. Oh, and I am all for new bedding. I would really love this room to represent my style. Right now it is so blah. What would you do if this was your room? I am up for anything.

When two become one







These are just a few of my personal favorites from the wedding hubby and I shot over the weekend. The fog was so thick you could not see 20 feet in front of you which made shooting a little more interesting, but none the less beautiful. I love that we are able to catch the special little moments of peoples lives. I love knowing that these moments will be shared for generations. I feel very blessed that we could be part of it all. So I thank you, Allison and Bill for taking a chance on us. You two could not be anymore amazing. If you want to see more, way more then go here.

To new beginnings


So many of my favorite southern magazines have kicked the bucket over this past year, but I am very excited that a new one has emerged. Southern Weddings hits news stands today and I can not wait to pick up a copy. That absolutely gorgeous couple on the cover is Tec and Chelsea of Oh My Deer. You may remember Tec from an earlier post. He is an amazing photographer himself who hired another amazing photographer, Jose Villa, to shoot this amazing wedding. Aren't they ever so lovely?

Here comes the bride




I have been wanting to share a few of these for awhile now, but had to wait till after the wedding. This sweet lady had given the hubby and I the opportunity to shoot our first wedding which was this past Saturday. I will post more on that later though. As for Allison, she could possibly be the most laid back, carefree, and most strikingly beautiful bride I have ever met. I am very excited about our new endeavor into the wedding world, but I must admit after the wedding I felt as if I got run over by a mac truck. Wedding photography is a lot harder than it looks. To see more go here.

Saying goodbye to 2008

These are just a few tidbits from our holiday season. It all seems to get better and better as my children continue to grow older. Christmas morning was amazing. The kiddos loved their gifts. The black and white photo of my boy gripping his new matchbox cars is how it still is today. Oh, and I am sure Jesus loved His reindeer birthday cupcakes. My daughter now asks daily if Jesus is going to bring Christmas back another day. As for me, I sure do hope so.

I am all about family traditions, this New Year's was no exception. We all got dressed up, ate tostadas and rice krispy treats, danced away, and concluded the night with a party with good friends. Of course we were home by nine and the kiddos went promptly to bed. As for hubby and I, we actually made it till midnight and not a minute more. Oh, and yes, that is my little Ellie breaking out her model face.

Last but not least, I would like you to say hello to my stocking stuffers. Hubby really nailed it and got me exactly what I wanted. I did not even have to ask. I would wear them daily if that was practical.

I hope all you lovelies had a wonderful holiday season and I can not wait to see what lies ahead, but for now I just want to dwell in all the blessing that have come my way. Thank you all for being part of my blessings.

Happy New Year


Last night we arrived home from a mini vacation. We all had the best time and did all the touristy sights. Of course I have no photos to share it seems with the more photo shoots hubby has the less family photos we have. I am very excited about the new year. We had a wonderful 2008. It was a year of new adventures and huge blessings. I am very excited to see what 2009 has in store for us. As for tonight we are going to get all decked out, make tacos and rice krispie treats and dance the night away here at home. I am sure our night will conclude around 8:30 though. The kiddos may become quite fussy much later than that. We also may stop by a party for a few, but again we will play it by ear. Oh, how much my life has changed in the last decade or so. All for the best of course.

Happy New Year's!

Back to Christmas

This years wrapping inspiration via mstetson design
tags via cotton idea studio

Tonight I am wrapping the gifts while watching The Holiday and sipping on eggnog. Hubby has been away quite a lot lately due to the 7 Christmas services our church is conducting. He holds a large part in it all due to the fact he is the creative pastor. What I do love about the holidays is knowing my hubby takes part in giving families a wonderful experience, Jesus should get the biggest party right? What I don't love is that the hubby misses out on all the fun the kiddos and I have leading up to Christmas day. Oh, how I still do love the holidays in my own odd way.

Update: hubby managed to work his schedule and got the morning off, woo hoo! We got the kiddos a few things from Janie and Jack. They are having a huge sale. The crowds were not even bad, I guess because of the cold?

I am swooning

If you have been reading my little blog, you know by now my infatuation with real estate. Every time I find a home redone there is always little tweaks I would make or redo completely. I then came across this home, whoever did it did it to perfection. Every image makes my heart jump with enjoyment. Too bad the price tag is too high for me, it usual is. My taste does seem to run a bit high unfortunately, atleast for a stay at home mom married to a pastor who enjoys dabbling in photography. Don't get me wrong I love my home and where we are in life, but I do like to dream on occasion.