Outfit to Room... My Birthday Addition

Well, technically it's not my birthday till tomorrow, but since I don't blog on weekends then today will just have to suffice. This will be my last year to be in my "20's". I actually am excited to hit the the big 3-0 next year, but don't worry, I will be sure to enjoy my final year in my 20's to the fullest.


Birthday outfit to bath...

{via Beach Dwelling}

If I must have a shower curtain then this one would be lovely.

{via Anthropologie}

I would love to see these knobs outfit a simple light gray sink cabinet with a white marble top.

{via Pottery Barn}

This mirror would hang vertically over the sink of course.

I would love to see white walls with this hydrangea color paint on the ceiling. This one has gray undertones which keeps it from being too over the top girly.

{via here}

Oh how I love this light fixture.

{via here}

Every person should have their very own bath towel hook. These one's would work just fine lined up along the wall.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend. We have a wedding to shoot tomorrow. I wonder if the bride would mind if I put my birthday candles on her cake, just a thought...

Shopping Hiatus {2} + Etsy Love

I am so excited to say that I did not shop this week! If anything I was a bit of a scrooge. I feel as if I have everything I need and am not in want. Of course, this all can change in matter of moments I am learning, but for now I feel good. One thing I am always in need of are gifts. As you may or may not know I normally make my own baby shower gifts, but I always add a little something extra, well, I found my extra. My dear friend Brooke from the fabulous blog Blueprint Bliss has opened an etsy shop, Blueprint Bliss Designs. Here are some goodies for baby...




Oh, and wouldn't a personalized home drawing make for an amazing house warming, birthday, or any time gift...


Brooke also has sweet birth announcements and invites for you or a little one.

Now I am ready to go shop, just kidding. I hope you all are having a lovely day.

My Garden


I wanted to paint my door a fun new color, but due to strict HOA's I had to get creative in order to make my home stand out from the crowd. I bought the dragonfly door knocker years ago from Target and painted it white. The two lanterns are from Homegoods and added the simple pop I wanted. I did love my doormat, but with the new set up I am thinking I need something more simple and clean. Now on to the backyard...


We love to grill out, sit around the fire pit and roast marshmallows, and of course simply play. Oh, and there is a big ole playset at the far end of the yard, but I figured I didn't really need to show it. I would just love to paint stripes on the patio, but that will just have to wait till it gets cooler. Also I am planting creeping fig all along the back of the house in hopes of covering all the vinyl. Thinking back we do wish we paid the extra to have our home four sided brick instead of three. Then again we also thought we would have moved by now, but this lovely market is keeping us settled here.


This is where we dine alfresco. The hydrangeas in the back are limelights. They do great in the Alabama clay and full sun. Although the one on the far left is having quite a hard time.


Close up of a piece of my garden. Foxtail fern resides in the foreground, lamb's ears are the big green plants in the middle. I just love the texture and silvery hue they bring to the mix. They too are great for the clay soil and full sun. They start out small, but they have more than doubled in size since planting them last spring.


This area takes up a good portion of the yard. It first began because the sod all died and we thought it would be cheaper and easier to just plant a flower garden. We were wrong on both accounts, but are very happy with the results. Well, except for the butterfly bush that has all of a sudden decided to wither and die. I am hoping after cutting it back it will come back next spring. I can't wait to share new photos next year when everything becomes more established and full.

Giveaway Winner!

The winner of the Current Elliot Jean giveaway is... Erika from Urban Grace! She is currently pregnant and I am sure these would make a lovely "after baby I still am hot" pair of jeans. Every mama needs a pair of those. Oh wait, she's one of those that are still gorgeous while pregnant...I must be thinking of me, hmm.

{photo taken by Marla and I love it!}

Congratulations Erika! I will be e-mailing you soon.

The winner was picked through random.org. I tried to save the widget so you all could see Erika's lucky number (114) come up, but alas I could not figure it out. It could have something to do with me having to get up so early to sort through all the lovely entries, wow.

Keeping It Neutral

Cote De Texas had a wonderful write up on smallish homes that are affordable and stylish in her real estate area. She showed many and gave great detail to each, a must read really. There was one house that really peaked my interest...










Homes like this are very typical in my area, but are still yet to be upgraded and refined. The price points are low which makes it perfect someone like me. The miracle of paint, nice furnishings and good landscaping makes this home very doable. I am sure the kitchen cost a pretty penny, but when the price point of the home is very low and you may have money to spare this can be done to add a bit of luxury. I believe this home is a mere 1500 square feet, but with the neutral palette it makes it feel much larger, well that or great photography. This home would suit me to a tee and one day I hope to leap at a chance to redo one of my own. Now to just get my hubby on board for such an undertaking.

Mini Blind Love

Jenny from Little Green Notebook is one of my favorite daily reads. Her creativity and design style always has me swooning. Well, yesterday she posted a pic that got my wheels turning...


The grosgrain slatted blinds would be perfect for our home. We currently have white blinds on all the large window across the back of our house. I think adding this touch would make them extra special. Curtains are always an option, but with little hands that happen to also eat in the same areas it's just not practical. We never raise the blinds so I am thinking this would make a great DIY project.

I am thinking a greek key trim would add a nice touch. Anybody ever do anything like this? I would love to know how it worked out.

Oh, and yes this is the day I am suppose to update you all on my spending hiatus, well I am thinking I will take this month off. I will share later, I am sure.

A Weekend Affair

Now that I am feeling more like myself after yesterday's events I thought I would share some of our weekend with you. Hubby and I had our first 3 night weekend away since having our first little one. The first night was filled with me talking about our fabulous children and me soon realizing that I need to get more educated elsewhere, because really that is all I know now. The first night we stopped in Montgomery, Al and stayed at a hotel that once was an old bank downtown, gorgeous. We walked, talked, and laughed and I actually stayed up to atleast eleven, ha! This is me as my all natural self...


The next morning we made our way down to Mobile, Al. The downtown is filled with old southern history and architecture. The bay housed many ships that really took my breath away... I mean really how do they float?




One evening we took a little drive to Fairhope, Al to have dinner, but first we did a mini photo shoot...






The whole weekend we spent way too much money on food, stayed up late for me, and I just enjoyed my husband. Oh, and he even took me to see Julie & Julia and it too was superb. We have decided to make an annual mini vacation for just the two of us as a part of our lifestyle. Just so we can invest in our marriage a bit. And this is the man I am in love with...

**I have a special thank you to Gracie of Gracie Bella Butterfly for my blog lovin award, it's been great watching her wedding process from the very beginning**

First Day of School


Ellie started preschool today, so I will resume full posting tomorrow while my heart breaks for the rest of the day. Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

And We Are Off...

Hubby and are are taking our first mini-vacation sans kiddos. We have done an over nighter, but never 3 whole nights, woohoo! We actually have a wedding to shoot in Mobile, Al this Saturday, but we consider that part of the fun. We left last night and will be back on Sunday. Oh, and thank you to my dear parents who are watching the kiddos for us.

...Jungle Drum by Emiliana Torrini is a favorite in our house. Great to get a family dance party started, although I do find the video to be a bit odd, ha! Hope you enjoy...

A Bit of Color









I really don't do much color in my home. I stick to neutrals with a few pops of color. Our first home was very bold in the color department and now I love to look, but not live with that amount of color. I did come across this home and rather liked the vibrancy of it all. I think the white helps and the lady with the bike makes it all the better. It's in stark contrast with the home I posted last week, but I rather like them both. Are you all about the color or are neutrals more your thing? Just curious.

{via Living Etc}

Shopping Hiatus {2}

Of course by now you know I shopped. I bought myself a birthday outfit, well technically my birthday is not till the 22nd, but we have a few weddings to shoot this month so I went ahead and got it....


Both were on a ridiculous sale, plus if you have an Anthropologie card they give you 15% off your total purchase for your birthday month. I plan to have the top tucked into the skirt and I bought a wide stretchy belt from Banana Republic for $15 dollars. You get a $15 dollar gift card with your banana card for your birthday too, so I used it. The top will also look good untucked with a pair of jeans, very versatile if I say so myself. So all in all I feel like I am styling and cute for not that much money. I am sure you will be getting pictures sometime next week. It has such photoshoot possibilities.

{top}
{skirt}

*Embellished Bayou has a post about buying new versus DIY and she included me, yeah! You know me I just love a good DIY.*

Giveaway!

And this one completely rocks! The ladies over at chickdowntown were kind enough for me to choose a gift for one of you!


To be honest I almost past these bad boys up, but I saw them in Sak's the other day and tried them on and I fell in love. I couldn't see myself in jeans with holes already in them, but really these are amazing... I didn't want to take them off.

They are Current Elliot Jeans and retail for $237. Oh, how I would love to win, but alas I can not. I even may be slightly jealous of the one who does, but only slightly.

With fall right around the corner I could see myself wearing a J.A.K. Plaid shirt... this one would look great if you want me to get specific...

If you would like to be the winner of these amazing jeans just leave me a comment below. If you would like to be entered twice then mention this giveaway on your blog, just be sure to tell me so I know. Oh, and be sure there is a way for me to contact you if you happen to win, I would hate for you to miss out.

**I will be announcing the winner on Friday the 14th**

To follow downtownchick on twitter, click here.

To see their facebook page, click here.

*open to US residents only*

*giveaway closed*

Shirt Tutorial




This is one of my favorite gifts to give at a baby shower. It's a bit time consuming, but so worth it in the end to be able to give such a personal and unique gift. I also make them for my daughter, son, and random friends who need a specific design...


You will need:


freezer paper
x-acto knife
fabric paint
iron
paintbrush

And here's how to do it...

1. using a pencil, trace/draw image onto non-waxy side of freezer paper. My main sources are from books and the internet. i use a yellow pencil, a real pencil may mix with the paint, but you could also just erase.

2. cut out image with the x-acto knife. once cut, toss the cut-out and keep the negative image. make sure the cut-out is nice and smooth, clean up where the cuts are rough.

3. iron a big piece of freezer paper (the waxy side will melt to the shirt and will not leave a residue later) on the backside of the front of the shirt. This keeps the paint from seeping through to the back of the shirt.

4. iron on the negative image to the front of the shirt where you want it. be sure all the edges of the stencil are flat without any gaps or rippling. you want the line to be smooth.

5. paint with fabric paint. use nice thin layers, no goopiness. repeat as necessary till you get the color you want. follow the directions on the paint some require to be heat set after it dries. i use tulip fabric paint (not the puff paint) and it does not require it.

6. set aside and allow to dry. i always let mine set over night.

7. pull off the freezer paper stencil and backing. you now have a fabulous gift.

Let me know if you have any further questions! Have fun creating.

side note: If you happen to be local and happen to have the same friends as I just keep in mind these are the baby and children gifts I give}

{tutorial given to me by katiedid quite awhile back, thanks Katie!}

Outfit to Room... Emerson Made

Is it possible to be enamored with someone you don't even know? Emerson really is quite precious and has serious style in my book. She makes flowers from hand-dyed cut linen, simply gorgeous. I not only love this outfit (my winter uniform plus a fabulous flower), but she's bare foot in a garden to boot. My kind of gal.


Outfit to living room...

{via Restoration Hardware}

A sofa to lounge in...

{via Pottery Barn}

I secretly want this but alas it's a bit out of my price range...
{via Anthropologie}

Every room needs a pretty accent chair...

{via Sundance}

Such a feminine chair needs a side table like this to roughen her up a bit...

{via Pieces}

A cashmere throw for a chilly night...

{via Revival Home and Garden}

Can a person ever really have too many lamps?


How about a lovely piece of art shot by my husband to hang behind the sofa.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend! Oh, and next week kicks off my birthday month so I have a few lovely surprises coming your way. Tutorials, DIY's, and giveaways... I so can't wait!

A Lovely Renovation









This style of home is not what I would initially gravitate towards, but something about has me hooked. The painted white floors are worn in just enough, the salvaged pieces used in different ways is something I just adore, oh and let's not forget to mention all the fabulous lighting. I think what makes this place not feel too weathered for my taste is the use of photography. The pieces really stand out and give a slightly more modern feel. Oh, and the sink into me for hours furniture and that tub, well they don't hurt matters either.

{home via Living Etc.}

Shopping Hiatus {2}

Maybe I should change my weekly post title from shopping hiatus to confessions of a blogger. I completely rocked my first hiatus, not so rocking the second. The first hiatus was more of a three month fast for my Jesus, but the second has been for me and wow, it makes it so much harder...


These are what I bought. I really bought the one's on the far left a couple of weeks ago and already confessed, but they finally came in. I love them all. Now I have a pair to go with everything I already own. I would have shown you how cute they look on my feet while I did a walk of shame, but I am in need of a pedicure. Hubby was not upset in the least, he didn't really expect me to last all the way till next year. I think he is still happy I am trying though.

{photo via Kellen Jacob/quote via LobotoMe}

Yesterday as I was trying to play catch up on all my favorite blogs, I came across this post on LobotoMe. She has been doing a stellar job on this hiatus and really is such an inspiration to me. Her moto is the same as mine, live a life more simple. Anyway, she expressed the importance of living debt free and has a wonderful list of better places to put your money, like college funds. As for us, we too believe in living debt free. Our last bit of debt, the car, will be paid off by the end of August. Once we do that we have a plan to start the college funds and retirement. All this to say, that we do not live beyond our means, we pull cash out every month to keep to a budget, so as I fail at my hiatus every so often I am not failing my family but failing you all and these weekly posts, ugh. To some it may seem we have a lot, to others you may think we already do live the simple life. I really just want to get to a place where I feel as if we do live simply, not a stuff thing, but more a heart thing. Does this make sense? It's clear as day in my head, ha!

Happy Birthday Ellie!

My sweet little Ellie is full of personality, loves to play dress up, loves to pretend, loves to go high on the swing, she freezes up in large crowds, but always remembers her please and thank you's. She loves her daddy more than her mommy (her words not mine), but I am okay with that. She loves a good family dance party. She loves "good" food. I love my sweet little lady and 4 years ago today our lives changed when she joined our little family. This is my Ellie...

(see what I mean, when I say personality)

and here is her small family party we had over the weekend...


I made the skirt and added the 4 to the top... tutorial for the 4 coming later this week or next.


The theme Ellie wanted...flowers. She is so like her mama.


Close up.


Simple details. For dinner we enjoyed steak and pasta. Like I said my little lady enjoys "good" food.


I so got the idea and tutorial from here. I just adapted it my little lady.



Cake is from Edgars for the locals. I added the pink banner around the bottom of the cake plate just for some extra fun.

Happy Birthday baby!