life with bird

well hey, there!

2011-08-17T10:45:00.001-05:00

so much has been happening with our little family that i didn't even realized it had been so long since i last posted!

we have a habit of making several big life changes at one time, and this was no exception. one week after carolina was born, clint was offered a new job and we took it! we moved from florida to alabama at the end of may, and got an apartment while we look for our first home to buy! in the midst of all this, i've been to tennessee twice and you know, taking care of an infant who is growing and changing and learning new things everyday.

there's so much more i want to say but this'll have to do for now!

until next time...

SHE'S HERE!

2011-04-18T15:55:00.007-05:00

our sweet little carolina was born on april eleventh at 1:36 in the afternoon.

she weighed 7lbs 3oz and was 20 1/4 inches long. she has her daddy's hair, complexion, and nose, and mama's eyes and mouth.

we successfully had an unmedicated waterbirth, which was simultaneously the most painful, trying, beautiful, exhilarating experience of my life. clint was my hero throughout labor and i could not have done it without him. it'll probably be a while before i post my version of her birth story, but you can read his here.

we've been spending the past week getting to know each other and being very well taken care of by our wonderful family. she nurses like a champ, makes some pretty hilarious faces, and is actually giving her mama plenty of opportunities to sleep. she rarely cries and has the absolute sweetest demeanor. i may be biased, but she's pretty awesome.

my recovery has been a little rough, but trauma is inevitable when you go from 7.5 centimeters to holding a baby in 30 minutes (seriously.) i can finally do things like get up and down and shower on my own, but i'm still incredibly weak and can't stand for very long. i've gotten 10,000 times better in just a week and have been in the best of spirits so i really can't complain.

i'm absolutely loving being a mama. this whole experience has far, far exceeded any expectations i could have ever had. despite the fact that i physically feel worse than ever before, my heart is so full and i can't believe i'm finally in a place i've dreamed about for so many years.

so here's to you, new stage of life. i think we're going to get along just fine.

weeks 35 & 37

2011-04-06T14:34:00.012-05:00

probably should've posted these a while ago, seeing as how we're almost into week 41...

m.i.a.

2011-03-22T16:13:00.002-05:00

sorry, my long absence doesn't mean i had a baby. i'm still very much pregnant.

i have so many half-written posts and half-edited photos to share, but i just can't seem to finish them. my brain seems to only be able to focus on birthing this baby and most of the time i can't even completely focus on that. and truthfully, i'm kind of tired of blogging about my growing stomach. but seeing as how that is the only thing on my mind it just makes sense to not blog at all until my brain decides to let me have thoughts outside of babyland.

oh, i could share that i went thrifting today and bought a cute vintage shirt. but wait, i specifically bought it because it had buttons and would be easy for breastfeeding. see? it's hard.

i promise 'll be back one of these days. hope you stick around :)

happy march 1st!

2011-03-01T16:22:00.008-06:00

can you believe it's already march? MARCH. as in my due date is in thirty days MARCH.

things are winding down and coming together but it's still going to be the busiest month yet. i have weekly midwife appointments now, we start our birth class, we have both of our birthdays, plans to clean our entire house floor to ceiling, and hopefully only one big shopping trip left to finish off the baby list. oh, and i still need to finish up my thank you cards for both of my showers and make a few more things for baby and find the perfect take home outfit and take our pup to the vet and try to spend as much time as possible with my favorite guy before our lives change forever and and anddddd...

see? busy.

oh and i'm still convinced she's coming early so really i should just go ahead and have all this accomplished by next week just in case. ha. hahahahahahaha.

footnote: the good news is it takes 99% of my energy to do things like sleeping, eating, and breathing so there's really nothing left to devote to stress and worrying! thanks, pregnancy!

strollers & diapers & iphones, oh my!

2011-02-17T14:33:00.004-06:00

we've finally checked off two of the biggest things left on our baby list, and bought ourselves a little something that we've been waiting for for-ev-er...

we woke up one morning to the biggest package ever being delivered. clint was all, "um, what did you buy?!" and we had no idea what it was until we opened it up. my mom surprised us with our stroller! for whatever reason i was obsessed with researching strollers and finding the perfect one. don't know why i was so fixated on a stroller, but i was. i've been pushing it around the house and parking it proudly in our dining room. i kind of love it.

in case you hadn't heard (HA) verizon fiiiiinally released the iphone! i can't even tell you how many times we've considered switching over to at&t just to have this silly phone, but we always held out with hope that verizon would one day carry it. so yeah, we were those crazies up at 2am pre-ordering it. i really hate how people are so obnoxious about iphones- it's a PHONE, for crying out loud- but it really is pretty fantastic. you should probably expect to see a lot of instagram photos on here now.

diapers! i finally ordered a few diapers! if there was anything i've been more fascinated with than strollers it's diapers. i've always planned on cloth diapering. it was just one of those things that i never gave a second thought to. like, why wouldn't i? the pros far outweigh the cons for me.

by the way, if you think people are opinionated on general baby issues, mention that you're cloth diapering to really get some opinions! (and by opinions i obviously mean laughing-in-your-face) i mean, HELLO?! the more you think i'm crazy and going to fail miserably at this the more i'm going to be AWESOME at it! don't you know how stubborn i am?!

so yeah, we got our diapers and i'm really excited.

week 32

2011-02-16T16:44:00.002-06:00

friend visits

2011-02-15T07:36:00.001-06:00

this past week one of my best friends (and college roommate) came for a visit! we live so far away from most of our friends that it's a pretty rare occurrence for us to have visitors, so i was thrilled. it was pretty uneventful- staying up all night talking, playing catch-up- but it was perfect. it's crazy how quickly life changes. it was only two years ago we were living together, near all of our friends, being crazy college kids, enjoying our last bit of college life. now most of our friends have spread out, she's about to move off to law school, and i'm in different state and about to have a baby. so bizarre. anyway, here's a little trip down memory lane.

valentine's day party

halloween

graduation party

graduation

my wedding

last week

ahh, memories.

28 30 31

2011-02-14T15:22:00.006-06:00

one more week to post and then we'll be caught-up.

oh, and week 30 is a little baby room sneak peak :)

q&a a day

2011-02-03T10:45:00.001-06:00

via anthropologie

i've always loved the idea of keeping a journal, but it just seems so daunting to me. this one asks one question each day, ranging from "were you a social butterfly today?" to "what is your mission?" or even "what can you smell right now?" and there's space for you to answer it over the following five years to see how your answers change. it sounds so fun (and easy!)

oh! and wouldn't it be a fun way to document how my life will be changing with the little one year to year?

yeah, just talked myself into getting this!

so do any of you keep a journal? come out from hiding all you lurkers and share! ;)

baby update

2011-01-27T12:33:00.003-06:00

i had an appointment with our midwife yesterday and you guys? we're so close.

she gave us a "things to have for the birth" checklist to start preparing, and a birth certificate info form. the birth certificate! we have to have everything ready by week 36, which is only five weeks away! FIVE WEEKS! in five weeks there will be a car seat in our car and a bag packed and by the door filled with all kinds of not pretty things like adult diapers (?!) and super pretty things like tiny baby clothes. i know the chances of her actually being here then aren't very good, but it's still crazy to think how close we are.

everything is looking good and right on schedule. we found out she's positioned diagonally so i have to start doing some crazy stretches to get my lower ab and pelvic muscles to loosen up to help her straighten up and get in the ideal position for birth. it's nothing bad, it just makes labor a little more difficult.

contrary to the vibe my last post may have given off, i'm not stressed or depressed or anything! sure there is a lot to be done and i feel like a zombie most days, but i'm really grateful for how great this pregnancy has been. aside from the first few months i have felt generally fantastic. i somehow bypassed the horrible symptoms, i've had nothing but good reports at all my appointments, my weight gain is perfect and stretch marks are at a minimum (hallelujah!), my size is still very manageable, and it's just been an all-around great experience.

her room is 99% ready, my baby checklist is getting smaller and smaller, birth classes start next month, i've been getting quality time with my fantastic husband... life is good.

{sorry if that last paragraph was a little sickeningly happy}

baby shower

2011-01-26T06:07:00.000-06:00

a very dear friend hosted a baby shower for me when we were in tennessee. it was also the first baby shower i've ever been to! we ate a lot of food, played games, and had a really good time. very grateful to everyone who came to show love to our little bird!

here are a few photos...

three of my very best girlfriends! so glad they were able to come!

crossword puzzle time

handmade baby spirithood!

alice in wonderland (and other stories) from aunt b :)

vintage heidi doll

handmade blanket from granna

with carolina's grandmas and great-grandma!

my mom, my nanny, and clint's mom

quick hello

2011-01-25T14:29:00.003-06:00

i've been in a complete daze this entire month. traveling threw me off, being sick really threw me off, and i just haven't seemed to be able to bounce back. i sleep when i shouldn't, i can't sleep when i should, my head is foggy, my emotions are all over the place, and i'm trying not to drown in a sea of to-do lists.

i've planned a little blog makeover and some little features to encourage me to blog more, so maybe that will actually happen.

let's shoot for february first, shall we?

perhaps putting a date out there will help me? maybe??

week 26

2011-01-19T15:39:00.003-06:00

christmas recap

2011-01-12T16:35:00.005-06:00

ah, finally catching up on christmas!

this christmas was very different for us. it was the first in our entire lives that we weren't with our parents. we stayed home and spent christmas day just the two of us and headed to tennessee the day after. it wasn't anything like it would've been with our families, but it was really nice to have a low-key holiday. and it was really special to spend it just the two of us, because next year we'll have a little baby to celebrate with!

i didn't take near as many photos as i should have, but it was snowy and we were so busy and yada yada yada. but here's a little play-by-play of our christmas vacation!

christmas eve: watching home alone 2!

clint and i usually don't do christmas gifts for each other (we do something else, instead) but since we were going to be spending christmas on our own we decided to get each other a little something to open up. well, we're both apparently really impatient, because we opened our gifts waaay before christmas day, but at least reese got to open her stocking!

for those of you who don't know, the south received some crazy (for the south) snow on sunday. we spent a few hours contemplating attempting the drive, and decided to just go for it. i was pretty hesitant about it but we had such an easy drive and didn't really encounter any ice until we got to my parents' house!

the rest of the week consisted of christmas with both of our families, a LOT of thrifting, yummy meals, my baby shower (post to come), catching up with friends, my cousin's wedding, and new year's eve. we had plans to do a BIG nye, but after a huge fondue dinner and enjoying some of the downtown festivities my tired, pregnant self couldn't handle much more. so we headed back to my parents' house and watched the countdown from the comfort of their living room. so glad we did.

i believe that about wraps it up. it doesn't seem like a lot but we were so busy and did SO MUCH in such a short amount of time. my feet were so swollen and reaching the point of exhaustion was absolutely not fun, but it was still a great trip :)

now for the few photos that were actually taken (and they're mostly of the dog. go figure.)

we all played in the snow a little...

but reese didn't like it.

i swear she knows her baby sister is in there.

she used to be my dog but somehow that changed. (i think he sneaks her extra treats when i'm not looking...)

hope you all had a fantastic holiday!

still sick...

2011-01-08T18:17:00.004-06:00

source unknown

...but i was bound and determined to get out of the house yesterday. at first we thought we'd just head out to the neighboring town, stop at a thrift store or two, run some errands, but once we got out i realized i could probably go on to the next town to continue our shopping.

you see, i've been searching for a dresser for carolina's room for months and just know i will find it soon. i'm not even being too picky: vintage, honey-colored wood, sleek and simple, and long enough to use as a changing table (and not be cramped). we hit up 3 huge antique malls, 6 thrift stores, and a furniture resale shop in record time but still didn't find it. i did find the most adorable 50's sundress for her, though!

we also stopped by a pet shop to fawn over the baby boston terriers. this little family might be getting another addition sometime this year! truthfully we're just thinking our little dog is going to need a friend once the baby gets here. we'll see how it goes.

now i've been resting all day to make up for all of that. i do believe i'm on the mend now so hopefully soon i will unpack my camera to share some photos, and oh yeah, take down our christmas tree...

just checking in...

2011-01-05T11:28:00.004-06:00

we just got home from a week in tennessee visiting our families, and now i'm sick. i was completely committed to jumping into work and being super productive once we got back but my body is simply not letting that happen. once i feel a bit better i'll be back to share some things with you.

hope you all are having a great start to the new year!

be back soon (hopefully...)

merry christmas!

2010-12-25T18:53:00.002-06:00

so this is christmas

2010-12-24T18:00:00.000-06:00

we keep it pretty simple with our christmas decorations. this is only my second year of decorating on my own, so i've only just begun the process of nailing down my holiday decorating style and finding the perfect little treasures to complement it. i've come to find that i don't like the outdoorsy look, or lots of color and glitter. i just cant give up the traditional red and green! there are so many more elements i hope to find or make as the years go on (more bottlebrush trees! kitschy christmas village!) and i've already made plans to do something completely different for our tree next year.

but here's a few peeks of our home this year...

this has been our favorite christmas album this year, mainly because of this song. he has the best accent! i love it!

week 23

2010-12-13T11:55:00.004-06:00

this top wasn't really conducive to seeing the size of my stomach, but i just got it and HAD to wear it. you know those outfits that just feel like "you"? yeah, this is that outfit for me.

week 22

2010-12-08T11:05:00.000-06:00

weeks 20 & 21

2010-12-02T11:29:00.004-06:00

with traveling last week, i completely forgot to do a week 21 photo! so instead i thought i'd do one of these little surveys. i think i might do one once a month from here on out.

How Far Along: 21 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 3.5 lbs (as of our last appt)

Stretch Marks: two very tiny ones on my side

Aches, Pains, Symptoms: no aches or pains really! some days i can literally feel my stomach muscles stretching. it feels like i've been doing ab workouts allll day and i get tired from it! oh and my skin is really, really itchy in some areas. but other than that i haven't had any of the other typical symptoms.

Sleep: no complaints. i wake up at 3:30 like clockwork to use the bathroom, and sometimes her movements wake me, but i'm still able to sleep just fine!

Best Moment this Week: family feeling her kick for the first time and going through all of her things we got for her in tennessee.

Movement: she moves all. the. time! it's starting to get a little stronger, and she's doing this thing now where it's like her whole body is pushing really hard against my stomach.

Food cravings: i haven't had any crazy cravings, but i'll crave a specific thing everyday for about a week. it's been everything from icees, meatball subs, jello, pink lady apples, breadsticks with olive oil, chocolate turtles, vegetable soup, and lately the french fries from a local restaurant.

Labor Signs: nope!

Belly Button: it's definitely flattening out! i'm really hoping it turns into an outie!

What I Miss: sushi! sleeping on my back, and sometimes lunch meat.

What Am I Looking Forward To: finishing her nursery and getting a bigger belly! (some people STILL can't tell i'm pregnant!)

Weekly Wisdom: after our drive to tennessee i'd say 9 hour drives are difficult for a pregnant lady, and we definitely won't be driving through the night anymore!

Milestones: her first thanksgiving and family getting to "see" her, many for the first time!

thanksgiving

2010-12-01T18:03:00.000-06:00

wellll this is a little late, but i hope you all had a fantastic thanksgiving!

we made a trip to tennessee to surprise our families. we left at around 9pm wednesday night, got in at 7am, and left after lunch on saturday. my body definitely can't handle trips like that anymore, but everyone was so surprised to see us and we had a really great time.

highlights: seeing family, the most relaxing bubble bath ever, buying an amazing chair for the baby bird's room, some of the best meals i've had in a long time, reese getting to play with her brother smokey, family getting to feel the baby move, and going through my (and my mom's) old baby things. our car was packed to the brim of things for little c! i hope she likes vintage, because her room (and closet) is already filled with it.

now that thanksgiving is over, it's tree decorating time! i think i'm going to kidnap the mister for a little mexican dinner first...

happy december 1st, friends!

introducing...

2010-11-29T10:49:00.004-06:00

coming up with and agreeing on a baby name is tough stuff. we settled on our boy name fairly easily, but a girl name, that was a different ball game. i came prepared with loads of options, all of which were immediately dismissed. the middle name was non-negotiable, as it was my grandmother's middle name and i've been set on using it since i was 14. luckily clint liked it.

we knew we wanted something different, but not made up or super crazy. no unusual spelling, no middle name as first name. we wanted something that had a vintage feel to it, but wasn't outdated. and we couldn't personally know someone else with that name.

then one day, while listening to ryan adams' "oh my sweet carolina", clint said, "the carolina belles would be a cool band name", to which i responded, "carolina belle would be a cool kid's name", and it just stuck.

i still had my reservations about it. i've always been a fan of short syllable names, and carolina definitely isn't short. would people try to call her carrie, or carol? because that just wasn't happening. it was different than all the other names i've kept hidden away in my back pocket for so long (think daisy and lola) but i think that's what felt right about it. it felt like us, as a married couple, at this current time in our life.

so there you have it. our little carolina belle.

shop update

2010-11-24T12:03:00.001-06:00

via

it's been a while since i've mentioned the shop, so i'd thought i'd give you a little update.

life has been crazy and other things have taken precedence, so i've unintentionally pushed the shop to the bottom of my to-do list. for months now i've been entertaining the thought of doing a little revamp. well, i say "little", but truthfully that has fluctuated between something as small as a new banner and a complete rebranding.

truthfully what needs a revamp is the "behind the scenes" stuff. the administrative side of business. the part i hate, the part my husband strives at. so he's been helping me come up with a "work schedule", give myself deadlines, find more effective ways of doing things, etc.

since the beginning i haven't really taken the shop seriously. it's just been for fun. i haven't really strived to make money or be successful (whatever that means). but i need to. i have big plans - for this shop and beyond - so it's time to buckle down!

so that's where we're at. i'm not sure when the relaunch date will be, hopefully before christmas but maybe the new year? (still working on that deadline thing...)

it will be soon though, because i have some really, really great dresses just hanging on the rack that need to find a good home.

until then...

blankets

2010-11-17T16:21:00.004-06:00

obsessed with baby blankets lately.

love these two, found via lena corwin's new baby blog.

not that it would even compare to shabd's beautiful work, but i'm thinking a diy is in order for this receiving blanket.

always love pendleton prints, and this little blanket is adorable.

week 19

2010-11-17T13:39:00.001-06:00

toys!

2010-11-11T16:17:00.001-06:00

i've been looking all over the internet at little girl toys, and honestly, i'm most excited about going home for christmas and looking through my old toys. and while my family has saved tons of my things, some of my most favorite toys were my aunt's that my grandmother had saved. i always loved going into their attic and looking through boxes and discovering something new, and i still do. i know i had a lot of toys growing up, but for some reason these are the ones that i remember most. i fully believe that growing up with vintage toys and playing dress up with vintage clothes (especially ones passed down from family-yeah, grandma saved clothes, too) is what shaped me into the vintage-obsessed girl i am today and i hope that's something i can pass on to my daughter. well that got a little deep there, so let's get back to the TOYS!

i had a couple different barbie houses, but this was my faaaaaavorite! i think we even still have most of the furniture! i'm obsessed with this house.

you can't have a vintage barbie house without vintage barbies! this skipper is the one i remember most.

mrs. beasley. enough said.

i'm not sure if we had this exact oven, but i know we have one similar!

you could make her hair grow, which annoyed me, so i cut it off. sorry, crissy. also, can i just mention that my grandma even kept her box? i know.

i still consider this my favorite board game. the box is filled with random items, and you draw a card, and everyone sticks their hand in to find the item on the card. i've yet to meet someone who has heard of it, but it's seriously my favorite.

there are so many more random things that i couldn't find photos of. it makes my heart so happy just thinking about all of these things. i can't even express how sentimental i am about these things. so thank you family, for saving everything. i'm very, very grateful :)

week 18. it's a...

2010-11-10T10:49:00.005-06:00

we took these photos on the last day of week 18, at dusk, in the freezing cold, right after a nap. so yeah, they could've been better. lesson learned. but hey, at least we're all caught up now!

week 17

2010-11-10T08:55:00.003-06:00

atlanta weekend

2010-11-02T18:34:00.000-05:00

this past weekend we met my mom & stepdad in atlanta. it's almost the halfway point between us so we always meet up there for weekend getaways. this weekend was pretty much all about baby. we picked up our crib at ikea, bought maternity clothes, spent hours in a baby store, watched the light show at stone mountain, and ate some of our favorite meals. we spent a long time looking at strollers and car seats. we all fell in love with a certain stroller but haven't made a decision yet. i think i'll save that for another post. my mom and i were supposed to go to this big craft fair on saturday, but got so wrapped up in the baby store we completely lost track of time and decided to just skip it. so mom, i'm sorry, and i owe ya one :) they also brought us tons of goodies- it was kind of like my birthday. the best waaas... a card catalog! yep, i can now mark that off my "home wishlist"! it's set up in our living room right now, and i'll get a picture of it one of these days. speaking of pictures, here are the few i managed to take. enjoy!

trying on the fake belly at a maternity store. crazy that i'm going to look like this soon!

my little morning yoga partner.

our favorite crepes for sunday brunch.

my mom & stepdad (& reese).

picking up the crib!

week 16

2010-11-02T08:24:00.001-05:00

and i had to turn the camera on my handsome photographer :)

halloween

2010-11-01T15:21:00.004-05:00

i usually looove halloween, but just wasn't feeling it this year. we went to a small, low-key cookout at our friends' house and it was perfect. i usually love dressing up and putting together a costume, but i was pretty ambivalent this year. i literally looked through our closets to see a) what there was enough of for the both of us, and b) what still fit me. so hippies we were!

both wearing all vintage, minus my jeans

[footnote: been trying to talk clint into dressing like this more often! whatta cutie.]

hope everyone had a happy halloween!

october

2010-10-27T18:10:00.000-05:00

this month has been pretty much amazing. for example:

finally feeling like a normal human again

hearing baby's heartbeat for the first time

finally receiving two packages that took way too long to be delivered

much-needed quality time and dates with the mister

rearranging and organizing my little office/work area (/guestroom now that the guestroom is the baby's room!)

majorly spring (fall?) cleaning. lots, lots of thrift store donations.

finally able to do a bit of thrifting, including an all-day solo trip- the first in months!

which resulted innn... our new vintage plycraft lounger!

isn't she preeeetty?! i couldn't believe my eyes when i saw it, and in camel (my faaave!) nonetheless! clint has taken a liking and deemed it "the man chair."

we just got back from a weekend in atlanta, which was really the icing on the cake of a wonderful month. but we'll save that for another post :)

hope your october has been equally as fantastic!

week 14

2010-10-18T13:58:00.005-05:00

growing a baby is a strange thing. around week 13 i started to have a little belly. i wasn't sure if it was in fact a baby belly, the big meal i just had, or the 60 oz. of water i just guzzled. it seemed to change and fluctuate throughout the day so at our appointment i asked our midwife about it. basically she told us that it wasn't the baby, but it could be from the effects of the baby (i.e. hormones, my insides changing/moving around, etc.) well for week 14 i decided to take a picture anyway. and whatdyaknow? it went away. i had a bad case of gas pains one night and must've just burped the bump away, because the next morning i had a flat stomach. it's kind of discouraging. i know my body is changing; i can squeeze into less and less clothes, i can tell my whole body is generally bigger, and i do have a little belly, i just reeeeally don't think it's baby. i'm just paranoid for some reason. like i'm not going to take pictures of my baby belly if it's not a baby belly, ya know? but then i look around at other people and wonder "is this what it is?" like, is any sign in your stomach changing a "baby bump" even if the bump is nowhere near where your baby actually is? i'm probably looking way too into it, it just makes me feel really weird for some reason.

so needless to say i didn't take a week 15 photo. we're in week 16 now and my stomach is definitely not flat. we're meeting up with my mom this weekend, and after she goes crazy over my stomach i'll probably feel better and take a photo :)

wishlist

2010-10-14T10:36:00.006-05:00

lately my brain has been stuck on finding a new bag. requirements: soft camel leather and a good everyday size. i fell in love with the mbmj totally turnlock natasha when i saw it in savannah, and more recently the janis bag from unashop on etsy (via lune).

last night i discovered this tshirt designed by pamela love. i've been wanting a periodic table tee for years now, and i'm kind of obsessed with ms. love. better yet, this table lists some of her favorite things (which happen to be some of mine) such as turquoise and bob dylan. can we say must have?!

something i can now mark off my wishlist is lipstick queen's medieval lipstick. i can't say enough good things about it. it's the best makeup purchase i've made in a while (ever?) and i'm not even a lipstick person. i highly suggest you try it out for yourself. you can thank me later.

august recap

2010-10-13T13:36:00.000-05:00

{i wrote this at the beginning of september. yep.}

i don't even know where to begin to start catching up on the end of our august.

after our trip to murfreesboro, we took another trip to savannah, ga. clint's brother graduated from atf training so he is officially a fed! crazy. i took a lot of photos but was informed i can't post photos taken inside the facility on the internet, but it was a really neat experience. after the graduation we spent the night in downtown savannah. we got a

really nice hotel right on the river (thanks, priceline!) and spent the night walking down cobblestone streets and talking about the future. the next day we headed out for breakfast (our usual vacation hunt for crepes) and some exploring, but unfortunately the combination of super hot, humid weather and morning sickness meant we didn't make it too far. i did manage to feel well enough to make my way to marc jacobs and a vintage shop though! ha! we picked up the car and drove around the city for a while, drove across the talmadge bridge (we have a thing for bridges), and made our way home. there will definitely be another savannah trip in our future.

at sunrise, we blasted "tiny dancer" and it was a total infinite moment (perks of being a wallflower reference)

view from our hotel roof

{nerd alert} i thought this was really funny: it's a goodwill, a vintage shop, and an urban outfitters all in a row. funny, because vintage items start at the thrift store, are resold at vintage shops, and are bought by urban buyers/design teams for "inspiration" and their urban renewal line. ok, i'm going to hide my fashion degree now.

later on in the month we went to atlanta for a quick one night trip. pretty uneventful, because again, i was sick, but we had dinner in little 5 and stopped by ikea to pick up a bookcase and look at some nursery stuff :)

brewhouse in l5p

oh, and to end our month, we hit a deer with clint's car. it jumped out in front of us at 6 am one morning and it was an extremely horrifying experience. i've never hit anything before so i was a bit (a lot) shook up. update: it was fixed in about a week and all is well now.

aaand that concludes august! finally!

a quick hello

2010-10-06T10:34:00.002-05:00

hey everyone, sorry i've been so m.i.a! i have about 5 posts that are written up just waiting for photos, even one from august. seriously. so behind.

i think i've finally reached the end of my horrible morning sickness (knock on wood), so hopefully i'll get them up soon. i have so much to share with you all!

be back soon!

baby update

2010-09-17T18:46:00.006-05:00

via

i've been getting a lot of questions since we shared our news, so i thought i'd do a little update.

i'm almost 13 weeks (hurray!), which will hopefully mean i'll soon be done with this awful morning (read: all day) sickness (double hurray!)

we're having the baby at a birthing center right by the hospital. it's a little cottage that is set up like a home and it fits us perfectly. and our midwives are awesome! so yes, we're doing it naturally and we're so excited.

i'm not really showing yet- the photo was a little deceiving. i think i have a tiny bump, but ya know, it's actually hard to tell between being bloated and having a baby bump.

i'm planning to post a bump photo every week, a'la pacing the panic room, and well, every other pregnant blogger since then.

we have our names picked out (well, we're 100% on the boy and 90% on the girl) but we're not telling until we find out the sex.

speaking of, we're hoping to find out on november 5! which seems sooo far away. i'm already dying to know! (fyi: clint thinks it's a girl, i think it's a boy)

i'm not intending this to turn into a "baby blog", but ya'll, it's the ONLY thing on my mind, so it might, just a little :)

surprise!

2010-09-03T15:51:00.003-05:00

hand candy

2010-08-26T10:42:00.005-05:00

in love with all of these via

little works of art via

a much more subtle option via

i've been jonesin' lately for some kind of really organic, rough, crystal/stone ring. i think these would do the trick.

happy birthday, little blog

2010-08-13T10:24:00.002-05:00

via

my first post was written a year ago today! which really isn't too big of a deal since i've only written something like 70 posts... so sad.

but you deserve something special, little blog. maybe a little makeover? hm?

wedding weekend

2010-08-12T18:26:00.004-05:00

this past weekend we made the trip to my old college town, murfreesboro, tn, for a friend's wedding. we got in as the sun was coming up friday morning, and got back home as the sun was coming up sunday morning. we were pretty tired.

clint was in the wedding party, so we were pretty busy with all of the wedding festivities, but i still managed to have lunch at my favorite restaurants and see a few friends. i had planned on going to nashville after the rehearsal dinner for a friend's birthday, but i was running on so, so little sleep i just laid low and got some rest.

our friend is from our hometown, but we also went to college together, so the wedding guests were a mix of people i never see from back home and college friends, which was kind of weird. but the wedding was so beautiful, seeing so many familiar faces was nice, and there was a lot of dancing :)

i didn't take any photos (surprise surprise), but here are some i stole from my SIL.

the happy couple!

my date for the evening.

my sister-in-law & her best friend. they're basically my (not so) little sisters.

SIL and MIL.

now that we've had a few days to catch our breath, we're heading to georgia for clint's brother's ATF training graduation. first thing friday is an explosives presentation or something. should be interesting...

july

2010-08-10T02:37:00.002-05:00

our trip back home to tennessee was a success. we got to spend time with family & friends, did some shopping, ate way too much, got a much-needed haircut and massage, went to my favorite photobooth... it was busy busy busy! and i still didn't get to see all the people i needed to see or do all the things i wanted to do. ah well, there's always next time!

we had a good time with my parents as well. they came down and stayed with us for a week. it was the first time they've been down since we've really decorated our house so that was fun. we did a lot of running around, more shopping, more eating, spent a day at the beach. and we had our annual family birthday dinner. my mom, clint, myself, and my step-sister (who wasn't with us this year) all have march birthdays, so we have one big birthday dinner at the melting pot every year.

it was a really fun, really busy few weeks.

i only brought my camera out after dinner with friends (and i didn't even get any photos of the guys!) so i only have a few girlfriend photos to share. i know, i know. i WILL get better at taking photos.

i'll be back later on with a recap of last weekend's trip. yes, another trip.

shop news

2010-08-09T14:56:00.000-05:00

my poor, poor, little shop! you have been so neglected!

i could give you all of my (very good) excuses, but i'll just say that i should be back in the swing of things in no time!

starting things off, i have a looooovely update coming this week, a few others in the works, and maybe even a big sale to get some things moved out!

in other news:

i was featured in my first treasury.

i was critiqued by an etsy admin and fellow etsy-ers (did i just make that word up?) during a virtual lab and it was amazing. they gave me some great feedback and suggestions, and it totally motivated me. i had never done anything like that before but i highly suggest it if you're on etsy!

i sold a dress to the lovely leigh-ann a few months ago and just saw that she mentioned the shop in her "vintage dress shopping online" series! thanks, lady!

be back soon with an update!

weekend

2010-08-02T16:46:00.004-05:00

happiness filled the singleton household this weekend :)

on the road again

2010-07-08T13:43:00.007-05:00

clint and i are headed to pigeon forge, tennessee tonight! we're leaving tonight and driving all through the night. we should be pulling in when the sun's coming up. fun stuff. (no sarcasm! i love night drives.)

clint has to leave on saturday to come back home, but i'm staying behind for a week to spend more time with family and friends. i'll be coming back with my parents, and they'll be staying with us for a week.

i've already made plans to catch up with some of my dearest friends, lots of shopping and good food, haircut & pedi, maybe a daytrip to cherokee?! i'm from a really touristy town and there are a lot of silly things i want to do that i hated when i lived there. i'll be sure to take lots of pictures.

and the next week we'll get to take my parents around to our favorite local places! the last time they were here was right after i moved here myself, so i didn't know too much about the area. now i do and can share some of my favorite things with them. exciting!

i'll probably be absent for the next two weeks (which isn't really a big deal, since i'm a pretty bad blogger anyway) but hopefully i'll be back with lots of photos and good stuff!

2010-07-06T15:23:00.004-05:00

this is our dog after her walk. she is neither lazy nor spoiled. nope. not one bit.

exit through the gift shop

2010-07-05T10:56:00.005-05:00

have any of you seen exit through the gift shop yet? clint and i just watched it this past weekend. the film was intended as a documentary on street art and the artist banksy, who turned it into a documentary on the filmmaker, who had been following well-known street artists for several years before becoming one himself. (well, that's what i can say without spoiling anything.)

some people think that it's all a hoax, a mockumentary, which is awesome and just makes total sense. either way, i definitely recommend it.

via

antsy pants

2010-07-02T16:30:00.000-05:00

i've been pretty (really) antsy lately. i'm just itching for something new and exciting.

been thinking about getting a vespa,

another dog,

and another tattoo.

well, since we currently own 2 cars, have a pup with only-child syndrome, and i haven't decided if i want half-sleeve or not, all of the above aren't really reasonable at the moment.

so in the mean time, i'm in the process of updating both of our wardrobes,

and majorly spring cleaning/rearranging our house.

not quite the same, but here's to hoping it helps!

what's in my bag?

2010-06-24T14:48:00.003-05:00

i always love these posts and thought i'd do my own!

this is my carry-all bag. i carry a smaller bag for quick trips or to thrift stores (does anyone else feel super weird carrying a nice bag to a thrift store?!) but this is what i carry when i need to feel like all my bases are covered.

mbmj bag. it has short straps, but i attached a vintage guitar strap to it so i can carry it cross-body style.

owl pouch from japan in epcot. holding bobby pins, hair ties, etc.

notebook and double-ended sharpie.

make-up bag. i put my make-up on in the car a lot, so i usually have it on me.

net shopping bag. i'm a huge proponent for reusable shopping bags. this is my favorite one to carry at all times. it doesn't take up a lot of space, and expands to hold quite a bit. i love it.

mbmj wallet.

blackberry.

hand sanitizer for all of those thrift trips.

vintage cherokee pouch, holding whatever small things (jewelry, fortunes, mini japanese lucky cat) find their way to the bottom of my bag.

gum, always.

sunglasses, vintage and urban outfitters.

not shown, a ridiculous amount of receipts and small pieces of paper.

and my camera is sometimes in there, too.

movin' on

2010-06-17T15:08:00.003-05:00

so as i mentioned last week, i lost my engagement ring. we've been scouring craigslist, ebay, the newspaper, and pawn shops to no avail, and have finally come to terms with the fact that we're never going to find it. i'm still pretty heartbroken over it. it was the first diamond i ever owned (aside from heirloom pieces), and it was the most expensive item in my possession (well, besides my car). aside from that, there were so many memories with that ring. it was my dream ring, and i know clint worked really hard to get it for me.

anyway, this is the last i'm going to talk about it. it's over and done with and i can't change what happened. gotta keep movin' on.

so in trying to stay positive, i'm attempting to look at this as a second chance. while my first ring was my dream ring, we decided that it would be weird to get the same one again since it wasn't the actual ring he proposed with, ya know? well, this time i'm not going the diamond route. i mean, i just don't feel right getting another diamond ring.

so this is what i'm looking for.

via

(the turquoise ring, not the bands)

i am in looooove with this ring. turquoise is my favorite stone (and color) and i think it's the perfect alternative for me.

i've also thought about just getting another type of band, maybe like the one on top of the turquoise ring, since i already have a band. i've always liked the look of stacked rings.

i'm just going to keep my eyes open and see whatever grabs my attention. i have no idea when we'll find another one, but it feels good to have something to look forward to.

and let me just say, clint never got upset or angry with me once during this whole debacle. not once. he has offered to do anything and everything to make me feel better. he really is the greatest, that guy.

beach getaway

2010-06-09T14:04:00.007-05:00

for our anniversary, we wanted to take a quick little trip that wasn't too far away, so we decided to head out to destin and the surrounding beach towns.

we specifically wanted to go to seaside, because i had heard about the airstream cupcake shop, and i LOVE airstreams. little did i know that there were SIX airstreams, all lined up down the sidewalk, selling everything from cupcakes to smoothies to cocktails to bbq! i was pretty excited. i've always wanted to open up a little portable vintage store (airstream or otherwise), which isn't really too unique of an idea anymore, but i still really want to one day!

have no idea what's going on with my dress. promise i'm not preggo.

we spent the afternoon at the beach in destin, and had a delicious dinner at a romantic, candlelit restaurant. copper grill, if anyone's interested. highly recommended!

the next morning we decided to head back to seaside and spend the day there, right after a very big, yummy breakfast at cracker barrell. haha so random but i had to get my biscuit and gravy fix!

we only stayed at the beach for a few hours before a huge storm rolled in. we had planned to spend the whole day out and have dinner at another nice little restaurant, but didn't really know what to do with ourselves for those several hours until dinner time. so we headed out and clint treated me to dippin dots and satc2 (which i wasn't crazy about. aidan? really? i was so mad. anyway...)

between my camera dying and the bad weather, i didn't get too many photos, especially of us, other than the awkward arm-out self portraits. oh well.

i wanted to show you the new swimsuit that i made (#3 off the list!) and it just doesn't look right on my dress form or hanging, so i'm just going to be super brave and post it.

i made a matching top, but then decided to just buy one with more, ahem, support, and just made a little bow for it to match the bottoms. the bottoms actually come up a little higher, but i had it folded down when i was laying out and apparently didn't roll it all the way back up. i'm pretty happy with it, and even more happy that i finally have a cute high-waisted swimsuit that didn't cost a hundred bucks!

oh, may.

2010-06-08T15:33:00.000-05:00

may was such a rollercoaster for me. it was actually overall pretty awful, but i'm trying to be a little positive.

something bad would happen, and just as things were starting to look up, something really bad would happen.

all month. beginning to end.

the worst thing... i lost my engagement ring.

and not just "lost" as in it's somewhere around the house and i'll find it eventually. "lost" as in i dropped it in a gas station parking lot, realized it thirty minutes later, and it was gone.

*long story: took off rings and put in lap to lotion hands, put all rings back on except engagement ring (why???!), got out of car at gas station, assuming ring fell to ground, someone found it and decided to keep it

i'm hoping that little cycle died with may and june is a really fantastic month. (so far, so good!)

mr. & mrs.

2010-06-07T23:04:00.003-05:00

a few peeks of our wedding album

can't believe this was a year ago.

silhouettes

2010-05-24T14:42:00.004-05:00

yes, that's the bleubird vintage pom-pom wreath up there!

i whipped up these silhouettes of me and the mister to replace the album covers that were in its place. i really love silhouettes and wanted to make something that fit our style and was a step above black heads on white paper.

i didn't plan for this to be a tutorial or anything, but thought i'd share how i made them since they were so simple.

i traced our silhouettes onto heavy printed paper, washed over it with yellow paint (wet paint brush + paint), filled in the tracing with black paint, painted in the little daisies, cut the paper into a nice shape (i suggest making a pattern to trace so they're exactly the same), attached it to some vintage fabric (i just used easily-removable tape so i can reuse the material later on), placed it in a record cover frame and voila! so simple and i think it fits in so well on our wall.

let me know if you try this!

been thinkin' about lofts lately

2010-05-06T14:45:00.006-05:00

the humphrey loft from gossip girl is hands-down my dream loft. the exposed brick, that front door, stained glass window panes (a must for my dream house), and look! it already has my dream couch!

via

this is pretty awesome, too. i would totally be up for doing something like this.

suwannee river jam

2010-05-04T13:50:00.005-05:00

a few weekends ago we got the opportunity to go to the suwannee river jam music festival to see clint's stepdad (who plays drums for travis tritt). i'm not a fan of modern country music at all so i felt a little out of place, but it was a pretty fun day. and it's always fun to hang out backstage, even if you don't have any clue who most of the bands are.

view from the stage

like a kid in a candy store

blurry john fogerty

birthday weekend

2010-04-29T10:13:00.002-05:00

so i wrote up a pretty long little play-by-play of our birthday weekend (which was almost 2 months ago!), and then realized i didn't take hardly any photos. so here's the semi-condensed version.

mine and clint's birthdays are four days apart, so we decided to take a weekend trip to atlanta.

we got in thursday night and stayed with our friend lauren.

had a low-key friday. guitar shopping, antique malls (finally found the perfect wedding band!), yummy mexican lunch in downtown roswell.

met up with my mom and stepdad and finally got some marc jacobs lola (thanks mom)

dinner at houstons. we loooove houstons. we go everytime we're in atlanta. their hawaiian ribeye is the biggest reason we can't fully give up red meat.

righteous room after dinner.

saturday was spent in little 5. vintage shopping & vinyl shopping.

brunch in little 5 at brewhouse.

made our way to lenox for a bit.

clint and i headed to athens to catch the butch walker show.

(side note: the best show we've ever been to. even the opening band, ponderosa, was fantastic. i should really dedicate a whole post to this show, it was that. good.)

sunday crepes.

stopped by ikea.

checked out atlantic station for a bit.

sushi in buckhead (our usual was closed- sad day)

caught the evening service at buckhead church.

headed home!

it was the best birthday weekend. all i wanted for my birthday was "a pretty dress and crepes" and i got all that and more. thankful would be an understatement.

oh yeah, and we got new tattoos!

ten favorites*

2010-04-22T11:40:00.009-05:00

this little survey has been floating around the blogosphere and i thought i'd join in.

1. Favorite hobby?

2. Favorite tv show?

(there are several shows on currently that we watch religiously, but this is my all-time. plus, don't think you guys want me to post pictures of horatio caine ;))

3. Favorite restaurant food?

4. Favorite thing to shop for?

5. Favorite animal?

6. Favorite song?

(top five songs that instantly came to mind when i thought of songs i never skip through)

little wing by jimi hendrix

tiny dancer by elton john

early kings of leon, like four kicks

dog days are over by florence and the machine

wake up by the arcade fire

7. Favorite word?

"surprise" in french

oh and "willy nilly" is pretty great. we should bring that back.

there are lots of good words here.

8. Recent favorite youtube video?

this isn't recent, but it will ALWAYS make me laugh.

9. Favorite movie?

10. Favorite childhood memory?

this one takes too much thought and i don't have that kind of brainpower today.

*i'm really not a fan of picking "favorites." it is so hard for me to pick one of anything, in case you couldn't tell.

weekend

2010-04-19T12:01:00.003-05:00

just a little humor (and i will forever love this series)

*spent friday in tallahassee, running errands and failing to find things on my shopping list.

*went to a show friday for a band clint was playing drums for. i'm married to a really talented guy.

*late-night crepes after the show.

*good conversation on the drive home (my favorite).

*we babysat three kids (two twin girls and a little boy) on saturday. lots of hide-n-seek, michael jackson dance party, and pizza. one of the little girls was so sweet. she kept complementing me on everything. she wants to be a designer and was in awe of my little studio. she even walked around and took pictures of our house. so sweet.

*ended up watching a few kids sunday afternoon as well.

speaking of kids, last week i started watching a little boy after school, and tomorrow i start watching another little boy during the day! whew. so many kids in such a short time!

spring wishlist

2010-04-16T00:00:00.001-05:00

1. high waisted bikini.

i could never find the perfect print, shape, or price, which lead to #3 on the list.

freepeople - everything about this one is perrrrfect, except for the price tag. boo!

modcloth

2. korkease wedges and moccasins.

i'm in love with korkeases. they're so comfortable and perfectly 70s. and since boots and mocs are my shoes of choice, these lower ankle mocs will be perfect for the warmer weather.

3. which leads us to camel-colored leather.

this is my favorite neutral for spring and summer. currently looking for a super skinny wrap belt and a good leather crossbody bag.

4. light jacket.

i'm really in love with the idea of wearing silky, lightweight, robe-esque jackets in lieu of cardigans for the spring. i just bought a vintage robe that's the perfect mix of japanese and 60s that i'm contemplating hemming and wearing as a jacket.

both winter kate

5. urban outfitters' denim leggings in 70s blue.

i haven't actually tried these on yet, i'm just hoping they're as fantastic as i want them to be.

so you could pretty much just throw all these things together and you've got my spring wardrobe (with a few added vintage floral dresses and skirts, of course!)

whoa...

2010-04-13T20:46:00.008-05:00

i didn't realize before my last post that i had been gone for so long! here's the cliff's notes on what i've been up to the past two weeks.

*went to the park. multiple times.

*stumbled upon a hidden gem of a thrift store.

*lived with the front door wide open almost every day.

*quality time with my sewing machine.

*officially started the journey to something i've wanted to do for a long time. (#6 off the list!)

*yoga in the sunshine.

*patio lunch date with the mister and pup. (i love when people are sweet to her when we take her places)

*almost famous movie night.

*rode my bike.

*made my first holiday meal for easter.

*had much-needed girl talk time with my best friend. and guy talk time with my other best friend.

*filed our taxes. (yay income tax return!)

*went on a surprise picnic.

aaand here's some "easter family portrait" cheesiness.

spring update!

2010-04-12T23:17:00.006-05:00

a nice little collection of pretty dresses to welcome this warm weather!

some of these are already in the shop, and the rest will be up by tomorrow night.

on a side note, i created a fan page for the shop on facebook. feel free to become a fan and help me spread the word, but only if you want to :)

weekend review

2010-03-30T14:04:00.005-05:00

via

clint was on a canoe/camping trip from friday morning to saturday evening, so i was on my own for about 36 hours. it was the first time i've slept at our house without him so (not gonna lie) i was a little freaked out. i'm totally one of those people that gets scared when they hear strange noises outside or the dog starts barking for no reason. i have a very vivid imagination (and watch too many crime shows). i thought about getting out of town for the day, but you know, staying home meant it was less likely for someone to break into the house, hide in the shadows, and wait for me (kidding). it was a good opportunity for uninterrupted "me time" and to be completely devoted to whatever i wanted to work on.

needless to say, i made it through and it wasn't nearly as bad as i thought it would be. the best part of it all was that i got to stay up until about 5:30 friday night/saturday morning. i'm a total night owl and clint is definitely not. i don't like not going to bed together, but meeting in the middle is usually nowhere close to (my) ideal. so that was really exciting for me. i wish i could've stayed up longer, but the aforementioned spontaneous dog barking freaked me out so to bed i went. anyway, here's what i accomplished in my time alone:

-went to a spa party

-painted

-finished a bag i was working on

-worked on some sewing projects

-cleaned the entire house

-made a lot of lists

-did too much online (window) shopping

-slept through lunch

once clint got back there was a lot of relaxing and catching up on sleep.

what did you do this weekend?

home wishlist

2010-03-25T07:00:00.002-05:00

these are some things that i'm always on the lookout for; the last few pieces of furniture to make our home complete.

via

midcentury sideboard/credenza. preferably a broyhill brasilia, but i'm not too picky.

via

vintage library card catalog

via

midcentury coffee table with a shelf or drawer

source unknown

not that we need a new couch (or anything else i've listed, for that matter) but i had to include my dream couch - big, vintage, tufted, and velvet.

twentytwo before twentythree

2010-03-24T16:24:00.004-05:00

i'll keep you updated with my progress.

mom

2010-03-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

happy birthday, mamacita!

i hope you have a wonderful birthday.

love you!

alice

2010-03-21T13:13:00.003-05:00

we finally saw alice this weekend. i still haven't decided if i love it or not, but i do know that my favorite thing about it was how alice's dresses transformed as she grew and shrank in one of the first scenes in wonderland. they didn't change size with alice (like in other versions of the story), but rather transformed into little high-fashion gowns. i couldn't find any video footage of it online, but if you've seen it then you know what i'm talking about. it was pretty brilliant in my opinion. the rest of the costuming was incredible as well, but alice's dresses won me over.

i especially loved this dress.

it puts me in mind of another dress but i can't put my finger on it. anyone have any ideas?

have you seen it yet? what did you think?

temporary redhead

2010-03-17T14:18:00.004-05:00

sorry for the awkward photobooth picture

it's only semi-permanent, but i'm thinking about making it permanent. we'll see.

always.

2010-03-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

by ashley g

favorite five... collections

2010-03-15T16:13:00.014-05:00

i've been trying to get in the habit of blogging more, and i thought i'd start with this: every monday (scratch that- every friday. better alliteration), i'll post a list of five of my favorite things. today, my favorite five things that i collect.

(*all of these are vintage, but i feel obnoxious typing that out before everything...)

1. owls

2. crewel embroidery

(none of these are crewel, but pretty nonetheless)

3. pyrex

4. pretty vintage dresses

5. records

all images via weheartit, except for the pyrex.

twentytwo

2010-03-08T23:38:00.003-06:00

i didn't realize my birthday was tomorrow. we had our "birthday celebration" this weekend in atlanta, so all my excitement/anticipation was for the weekend. i guess i just feel like i've already had my birthday. (i don't mean for this to sound sad if it does. it was one of the best weekends ever.)

anyway, i'm really excited about this year. i always feel like birthdays are more of a fresh start than new years. i have my 22 before 23 list that i'll share soon, as well as a little recap of our weekend. oh, and my sister-in-law and friend are staying with us for a few days so i'll be kept pretty busy.

p.s. one of my goals is to blog more, so wish me luck ;)

where we lay our heads

2010-02-19T00:02:00.001-06:00

ear candy

2010-02-18T17:19:00.005-06:00

these songs have been on repeat lately.

fleetwood mac's silver springs cover by stacy dupree (of eisley) and jeremy larson

get a free download here

home by edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros

comme des enfants by coeur de pirate

(the official video has embedding disabled. see it here, though, if you want.)

my new favorite jeans

2010-02-18T15:21:00.006-06:00

(i'll make clint take a better picture of them later)

i've been searching for a looong time for the perfect 70s blue bellbottoms, and friends, i finally found them! they're seven for all mankind, and they have about a 26" flare, so they're not wimpy! skinny jeans, you're going to get a much-needed break for a while!

finally!

2010-02-15T16:35:00.006-06:00

hey everyone! i still haven't done everything i wanted to do before i started "advertising", but i thought i'd go ahead and give those of you who read this little blog a head start.

heyprettybird.etsy.com

it's pretty sparse at the moment, but i have about 30 items that are waiting to be photographed and listed. i'll post on here when i get new batches up, so keep checking back!

oh, and let me know your thoughts or suggestions if you have any!

pbv update

2010-02-04T14:04:00.006-06:00

lately i feel like all i've been doing is working on getting everything ready for the shop (not that i'm complaining!) i added just a few items earlier in the week as sort of a soft launch, and i made my first sale within a few hours! i'm wanting to see how much traffic the shop gets just from the etsy search engine, without any advertising. just a little experiment :) i'm waiting to "formally" launch until everything is up, which is ultimately up to the weather. i still have a lot of items to photograph, but as soon as we get some sunshine, i'll start working like a mad woman and get everything listed.

i kind of feel like a dork for saying this, but this has been a goal/dream of mine for a while now, and it's really gratifying to see it take shape. i know online vintage shops are a dime a dozen these days, but it's something i'm very passionate about and have some pretty big goals for it.

i'm starting out pretty basic, but as soon as i feel a little less overwhelmed, i'll start experimenting and expanding. i'm really excited to see where this goes, and i hope you guys will love everything as much as i do.

thanks for reading <3

french fries are her favorite

2010-01-29T11:35:00.000-06:00

new additions

2010-01-28T14:27:00.005-06:00

the hutch is all filled up

new/vintage kitchen table

new living room rug (from uo)

favorite coat

2010-01-28T13:51:00.004-06:00

finding this coat was one of those moments where you turn the corner, your eyes immediately focus on it (probably because it's radiating light and angels are singing around it), admire it on the mannequin (too afraid to try it on because it costs more than any article of clothing you've ever bought yourself), finally give in and try it on "just to see" (knowing in your head and heart it's going to be perfect) and it fits like it was made for your body.

that was what it was like finding this coat.

it's a 1960s era oleg cassini limited edition, and it's one of my favorite things that i own.

isn't she a beaut?!

(thanks nanny for going in halfsies with me, and thanks clint for letting me spoil myself way too much)

coming soon!

2010-01-27T13:39:00.002-06:00

our new china hutch!

2010-01-20T13:13:00.011-06:00

if you follow me on twitter, you know i've been busy working on this thing. well, it's finally finished!

here's a before shot...

aaaaand...

after!

the hutch was a hand-me-down from when we first got married. we don't have very much storage space in our kitchen, so we really needed it. however, it was not our style at all and didn't go with the rest of our home. i had been looking for a sleek midcentury hutch (like this), but for christmas we got a vintage formica dinette set (!!!! - pictures to come soon) and decided the hutch we had would work perfectly if we just spruced it up a bit.

so off came the top doors and the bulky piece that sat on the top. we unassembled, sanded, primed, painted, (and painted, and painted, and painted!), added new knobs, covered the back with vintage material, and finally reassembled everything.

and VOILA! now it's all ready to hold my vintage pyrex collection!

what do you think?!

thrifted vol. 2

2010-01-20T11:39:00.004-06:00

spent all day thrifting on monday with some friends. it's been a while since i've scored this many good vintage clothing pieces while thrifting. and i didn't even buy everything; had i done so, my loot would've tripled!

i ended up with 8 dresses, 2 tops, and 2 tshirts. pretty good, eh?

i've kind of let the whole "thrifted" post idea fall to the wayside, so we'll pick back up at number 2. (although truthfully, it should probably be more like 52.)

haiti

2010-01-14T23:55:00.003-06:00

via thepioneerwoman

i know haiti is on everyone's minds, and everywhere you look people are talking about donations, but i couldn't resist reposting this.

the pioneer woman is donating ten cents for every comment on this blog post. that's all you have to do. GO DO IT.

also just wanted to mention this in case anyone's interested. here's a rundown of exactly what your donation will do through compassion international.

$35, that's like a (cheap) dinner date one night vs. SUSTAINING A FAMILY for a whole week. just sayin'.

* $35 helps provide a relief pack filled with enough food and water to sustain a family for one week.

* $70 gift helps care for their needs for two weeks.

* $105 helps provide relief packs filled with enough food and water to sustain two families for two weeks.

* $210 gift helps care for two families’ needs.

* $525 provides relief packs filled with enough food and water to sustain 10 families for two weeks.

* $1,050 gift cares for 10 families’ needs.

* $1,500 helps rebuild a home.

* $2,100 supplies 20 families with the basics for three weeks.

i'm a featherhead again

2010-01-14T20:14:00.005-06:00

the strand was being particularly difficult so it's a little hard to tell, but you get the idea.

yes, please.

2010-01-14T12:20:00.005-06:00

have you ever heard of this?! from what i know, there are a string of hotels where the rooms are actually teepees. YOUR VERY OWN TEEPEE. there are 2 on route 66 in california and arizona, and 1 in kentucky. KENTUCKY. 1.5 hours from nashville. you bet i'm kicking myself for not knowing about this sooner. but do not fret, clint already promised we would go one day :)

little dog?

2010-01-12T16:07:00.002-06:00

more like little baby.

seriously, she could snuggle 24/7.

a few little goals

2010-01-06T18:03:00.006-06:00

via weheartit

i decided a while back i was going to make a "22 before 23" list for my birthday in march instead of new year's resolutions. no sense in having two lists to keep up with for a whole year, right?! however, there are a few things i'm hoping to accomplish before then so i can start with a clean slate and completely crossed off to-do list. i have two months & three days to get this stuff done!

open etsy shop (almost ready!)

start volunteering at food pantry

get another tattoo

finish a few little projects

get rid of some things around the house, like our old kitchen tables. yes, we have THREE kitchen tables currently. two in the studio, one in the dining room. ridiculous.

so those are my little goals to accomplish before my birthday. then i'll share the good stuff :)

in case you missed it

2009-12-31T12:35:00.004-06:00

pantone's color of the year for 2010 iiiis....

TURQUOISE!

oh yeah.

st. augustine

2009-12-31T09:58:00.000-06:00

we were unable to be with family on thanksgiving, so we took the opportunity to take a little weekend vacation to st. augustine. we had thanksgiving dinner outside, surrounded by christmas lights, near the water. it was perfect. we spent friday wandering aimlessly. no plans, no schedules. we'd duck in a shop if we saw something, stop by the nearest cafe if we were hungry, go back to the hotel if we were tired. it was so nice.

found a man who makes custom handmade leather sandals on this street. we'll be going back one day to get me a pair. unless of course we make it to italy first ; )

christmas vacation

2009-12-30T13:08:00.003-06:00

we spent christmas with our families in tennessee. here's a recap:

friday (the 18th): drive to atlanta, see a friend for all of five minutes, meet up with parents, dinner at houston's

saturday: drive through highlands, ikea, clint comes back to florida, i go to tn with parents

sunday: meet with wedding photog and finally finalize wedding album, christmas & dinner with step-sister

monday: shopping, dinner for grandparent's 45th anniversary

tuesday: time with dad & grandpa, rummaged through aunt's/grandma's old stuff, came back with two 55-gallon trashbags full of vintage clothes, clint gets in at 2:30am

wednesday: breakfast with clint's family, last minute errands (ok, ok last minute christmas shopping), dinner with friends

thursday: christmas with clint's family

friday: christmas with my family, leave for north carolina, take long, windy route due to road closings, christmas with clint's dad & family

saturday: christmas with clint's grandmother & family, head back to tennessee (this time on a nicer route through the national park)

sunday: brunch with both families, pack car to absolute brim, make the long drive back home

yeah, so it was a really busy week. we still didn't even get to see everyone/everything we wanted to see, spend as much time with family as we wanted, or sleep in, but we're still thankful we were able to do what we did.

i hope everyone had a merry christmas!

oh, christmas tree

2009-12-09T14:49:00.002-06:00

this is my first year having my very own tree. i may be a little partial, but i think it's pretty perfect.

nest

2009-12-03T15:14:00.013-06:00

i finally got around to taking some half-way decent pictures of the house. well, the living room at least.

midcentury danish armchair mmm

entryway

records, owls, antique sewing machine, & a redwood mushroom bought on our honeymoon

my mom found us a vintage formica dining set for christmas, so this will look different in a few weeks. i'm beyond excited to finally have one. oh, and that dress form? that belonged to my great grandmother, and my mom & her best friend recovered it in japanese paper for me for my high school graduation. it's one of my most prized possessions.

handmade pillows & a babydog

vintage metlox poppytrail dishes

i'll get around to the other parts of the house someday.

2009-11-30T14:03:00.003-06:00

ok, ok, so i haven't blogged in over a month. honestly, i get in these moods where it makes me feel weird. arrogant or something. like, why should i think people want to read about my life? and then when i know people do want to read about my life that brings on a whole other kind of weird. expectations freak me out. but i just have to remind myself that i started this blog for my family & friends to keep in touch and feel like we haven't completely dropped off the face of the earth. and ya know, you want to read about my life, otherwise you wouldn't come here. right?!

anyway, i'll be back later with some pictures from our weekend trip to st. augustine.

love you all. really, i do.

house guests

2009-10-21T15:14:00.004-05:00

clint's mom and sister came down to see us for a few days.

i love having people in our house. i've started to miss my college apartment, mainly (only?) because most of my friends lived there, and people were always coming over.

(and i really miss my roommate tabitha and "roommate" brittany)

so consider this your open invitation to come visit! we'll have lots of fun, i promise.

to perm or not to perm?

2009-10-20T15:56:00.007-05:00

the thought has crossed my mind every once in a while, and today i think it finally hit me. i think i want a perm. now before you get nervous, let me give you my reasons.

i wear my hair curly/wavy 99.99% of the time anyway, so it would just enhance what i already do.

i've had a perm before.

i can still straighten it if i wanted.

it could be something fun to bypass the awkward length as it grows out.

it's a completely different look than anything i've ever had before. (i had really long hair with my previous perm)

i know a lot of people don't like perms, but it just doesn't seem like a big deal to me.

so, if you've got opinions, i wanna hear 'em.

comments

2009-09-30T13:18:00.003-05:00

just wanted to let you know i changed my settings and you can now leave comments without signing in to anything. i know there were some people who wanted to leave comments but didn't have the appropriate accounts, so now you can! just choose the anonymous selection, but please let me know who you are =)

i know i've been a little absent, but i am trying to remember to keep up with this little thing.

my sick babies

2009-09-24T22:21:00.002-05:00

last week, we discovered little dog was in heat. and let's just say, it's gross. i've been spending my time looking out for her, cleaning up after her, and trying to keep her from ruining everything we own. well, yesterday clint decided he would start getting sick too. he came home tonight with a full-fledged fever, runny nose, headache, the works. so here i am, sitting in bed, with my little dog pacing the room, whining, trying to get someone to let her on the bed, and my husband, wrapped up in quilts, taking up way more than his half of the bed.

weekend

2009-09-21T09:02:00.004-05:00

photo stolen from the birthday girl

we made a surprise trip to murfreesboro for (one of) my best friend's birthday.

happy birthday brittany!