smaller, cheaper, just-for-me...

there's a great article in the new york times about the reinvented smaller, cheaper, just-for-me wedding phenomenom happening right now...and i have to admit, i like it. there was probably a time when i was in my teens when i wanted the big, white, 200+ guest wedding. but now that i'm older, wiser, and have less 'real friends', a wedding with under 100 people sounds perfect. 

my taste has definitely changed...i want the small, intimate, diy, relatively casual & fun back yard wedding reception (although i do want to get married in a church, i've always wanted that for some reason)...simple flowers, simple cake, buffet style, grab your own beer out of the large galvanized pale of ice, good music, large tables...and only the people nearest and dearest to share this day with us.

here's a snippet of my pinterest wedding inspiration board...my ideal wedding look...

 

the bling...

 

invite...

 

 

  

 

 

 

dress...

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

flowers/decor....

 

 

 

 

 

 

      

 

 

 

seating...

 

 

 

  

table...

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

cake...

   

 

 

 

 

food & drink...

 

  

 

twinkle...

 

 

 

 

 

    

fun...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

  

 

hoot, hoot...

i came across these glass eyed owl andirons last weekend at a flea market and i'm kicking myself for not buying them. i was suffering from heat exhaustion (and an empty wallet) apparently...

lovin' this look...

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ummm, how hot are these pink shoes with those skinny jeans? i can't wait for fall so i can rock something like this. and then of course i start looking at really cute pumps & slingbacks i could sport... but seriously, where do i get the shoes she's wearing?...

 steve madden carli color block pump

adrienne vittadini peridot pump

diane von furstenberg anette

cole haan chelsea ot pump

anne klein harquin turquoise

my guardian angel...

there's a very real possibility of this...

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quotable...

currently reading...

recommended by a friend, i started reading this tonight...

the 'soul' of your home...

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i've read quite a few books in my adult life, but no author speaks to me the way rick bragg does. he's my favorite. i can hear myself speaking with a southern twang in my head as i read over his words. his book like all over but the shoutin', ava's man and the prince of frogtown literally transport me to alabama, i feel like i'm a part of his story, a part of his family which he write about...now that's a good writer. i hope i have the opportunity to meet him some day, maybe just to hear his southern voice in person.

it's no wonder i took a seriously liking to his expose in august 2012 'southern journal' in southern living magazine on the porch. i've always been a porch lover myself, it was the one 'must have' item (other than a wood burning fireplace) that was on my list for a house of my own. i LOVE my porch, i've sat out on my rocking chair almost every single day that i've lived here, even when it's raining out (that's the best time to sit out there by the way). he describes the kitchen being the heart of the home, but the porch being its soul...amazing. and i love his last few sentences where he says you should basically start with the porch and build the rest of the house around it, brilliant.

my bad eating habits...

is it totally disgusting of me to want to make this for my entire dinner tonight?...

fall...

i know, i know, stop trying to rush the summer to end. but i really do love the fall; the smell of fall, the look of fall, fall clothes, fall foods and fall football.

the scariest thing you'll every do...

reclaimed home just did a REALLY good post on the steps for buying your first home. as someone who just went through this at the beginning of this year, i literally had no idea what i was doing. i was lucky to have a friend who is an agent that i could ask all my stupid questions to, i also had a really good agent i was working with...this, in my opinion, is key for first time home buying, especially if you're an airhead like me. it's scary shit, it's like the most money you are every going to spend, you want to make sure you're doing everything right.


my one major piece of advice, be organized. the bank wanted records of EVERYTHING. luckily i am a neat-freak-organizing-machine who keeps all my records in one place and in chronological order. if you have it easily accessible you can scan it and send it off asap.

warning: never let your boyfriend do your makeup...

my friend just sent me this video of jenna marbles boyfriend putting on her make-up, i nearly died of laughter. we both sort of love jenna, she's kind of a smart ass, and makes great videos, but this one is ridiculous. i mean seriously, men do not know what it takes for us ladies to 'put our faces on'...hell, i won't leave the house, not even to go to the atm with my sunglasses on, without make-up on, no joke...

dressin' up and goin' out...

it's been so long since i've dressed up to go out. i forgot how much i love to put on heels, carry a great clutch, accessorize, put gobs of make-up on, and look hot! it all came flooding back to me while we were in atlantic city... i think i need to make more time for dressin' up and goin' out. i need to feel sexy again! here are some end of summer outfits i could totally see myself rockin'...

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woof wallpaper...

every hardcore dog owner (and possibly mothers of rambunctious boys) wants a room dedicated to their fur-baby like one of these...

via better homes & gardens

via better homes & gardens

wouldn't it be fun to go all out and add an accent wall of some funky doggie-dog wallcovering in that special room?...

 

peter fasano pitter patter

peter fasano bow wow wow

thibaut best in show

osborne & little best in show

lisa bengtsson

schumacher diamond dog

then i saw this awesome picture and wondered where it came from... and then read this about a company called spoonflower where you can print custom fabrics and wallcoverings...holy cow how amazing is this? i think i need to do this of penny & hank...even though i just freakin' redid the mudroom...

rain catcher...

does anyone know anything about rain barrels? in theory i think they're a good idea, good for the planet, blah, blah, blah. but why the heck are they SO freakin' ugly? i sort of want one for the back of my house, i have a shed roof that doesn't have a gutter (god only knows why not) and gushes water off the side (in a corner) where it pools near my foundation. this would be the perfect spot for one and might cut down on my ridiculous water usage for watering my plants. but i mean seriously, can someone please design something that doesn't look like a freak trash barrel or big plastic tupperware contraption?

here are a few that i found (that are all unattractive) that would work. mind you, i'm not going to tie it in directly to a downspout so i sort of like the ones that have screens on top that would catch the water...

suncast 50 gallon

green 54 gallon

great american 60 gallon

moby 65 gallon

currently reading...

just started this last night, i've heard some of the other girls in book group had read it and liked it...