Before and After: My Living Room

After talking about this for months and months, Josh and I, with the help of a couple of great friends decided that it was FINALLY time to paint the living room! Hooray!

We took a trip to Home Depot and picked out or color. This process was funny because it usually takes me forever to pick out a paint color, but we decided in just a few minutes. You know when you know, right? We picked Behr's Grayve-yard. It was the perfect medium gray. We scored a few brushes, rollers and extenders and we were on our way home. After only a couple of hours, it was finished and we couldn't be happier with the results. 

Before (with furniture moved):

After:

 

One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure. ...Or Woman's.

 

Since I can remember, I have always loved the thrill of the hunt. I grew up with some of the most crafty aunties on the planet. We would trek down to the Goodwill and they would pick things out, not because they were beautiful now, but because they could make them beautiful. I quickly started to realize how special this creative gift was, and before I knew it, I was my aunties in the making. 

I remember dressing in vintage t-shirts when I was a kid. Not because my friends had them, but because they were old and I liked "old." In high school, I wore old man polyester pants, Converse Chuck Taylors, and Le Tigre shirts. This was a regular outfit for me. I frequented the thrift stores weekly, collecting old afghans, funny pictures, books and any kind of oddball piece that I could pick up. I loved the story behind the pieces. Over time, I became a "skilled thrifter," looking beyond the condition, beyond the paint color and focusing on what it could be. My aunties have done the same thing. You walk into either of their houses and they are beautiful; the perfect mix of new and old. A classic touch of "old."

Now look at me...I'm 24 years old running a online vintage store with a house that is 2/3 full of second hand furniture and a closet that is packed full of vintage. Is this something that is embedded in us, or do we learn to love it?

...and if we do learn to love it, why do we love collecting, hunting, finding, changing so much?

In Process: DIY Vintage Jewelery.

I love coming home to mail. It's great expected or unexpected. I knew that this order would be here any day now and I'm thrilled that when I opened my mailbox upon returning home, it was waiting there for me!

Last week I placed an order with MK Beads. For a while now, I have been searching for my "perfect" pair of earrings. I am really into floral cabochons, and just have not been able to find them anywhere. I can't really wear normal earrings (I had large gauges in my ears for several years and recently just took them out) and whatever I was finding that kind of worked would just fall right out of the large holes that I have in my ears. Desperate for pretty ear accessories, I went out on my own in search of this "perfect" earring.

So, I came across MK Beads. Since I have such a heart for vintage, they were perfect. They carried many vintage pieces that I fell in love with. The prices were phenomenal too! I ordered some brand newer cabochons that I plan to turn into necklaces, magnets, rings and other fun things. I have always loved making jewelery, so this was perfect for me. They carried bigger cabochons that will work with my ear holes, so I was a happy camper! I ended up ordering these pieces:

(Tiny vintage floral cabochons. SO cute!)

(Two vintage lockets that I adore.)

(Ring base that I'm going to do something with.)

I can't wait to share what I'm making with these! Now off to find some earring backs that will work with these stinkin' ears of mine...

Outtakes.

I'm sure that you saw my post the other day with our second anniversary photos done by my fabulous friend, Chris Ward. Cute, yes. Happy, yes. Ugly and awkward?

...not that you saw, anyways.

Chris was such a dear and sent us ALL of the photos that he had taken pre-edit. There were some in there that were alright, and then some that were just hilarious. Yep, you guessed it. I'm sharing those "not so perfect" photos because they crack me up that much. Without further adieu, here they are...

Watching our girl from afar. This picture cracked me up because it is NOT posed. 

Tempting, yes, but it's just a flower right? She won't eat it...

Yeah, she just ate the flower. Yikes.

I get SO nervous in front of a camera that sometimes I cannot stop laughing. This was one of those times for sure. Josh's blinking looks pretty goofy too.

He said do "sexy." This is ALL that I had on that.

A dip gone HORRIBLY wrong. He didn't drop me, but it looked awkward as can be.

Another laughing shot. Couldn't help myself.

These are just a few of many that I could put up, but why completely humiliate myself, right? The lesson here is that I cannot manage to take myself completely seriously. These pictures are kind of funny, so why not share them? I know I'm no model, but just a girl that giggles in front of the camera and somehow manages to get a couple of noteworthy shots every once in a while.

Happy Weekend!

(image via Lookbook)

Happy Friday, friends!

I'm off to a really great start for the weekend! Our Saturday and Sunday is jam packed full of awesome! Let me share some of our list:

Two Ikea DIY projects

Seeing Bridesmaids (YES!)

Bachelor Party

Fixing a car

Dinner with my Grandparents

Spending more time with my Arkansas friends

Ebay shopping

Doesn't this all sound like a blast? I'm lovin' this list! 

Hope you have a great weekend!

Remember that Photo Shoot?

My super talented friend Chris Ward from CWardPhotography sent us our finals that we shot on our 2nd wedding anniversary! These are such wonderful photos of us, and who better to take them? He shot our engagement photos, our wedding photos and many others. We are so lucky to have documented this special day in our lives!

 If you'd like, you can see the rest of our anniversary/family photos here. Isn't Chris just the best?!

Outfit.

Top:Vintage

Jean: Forever 21

Belt: Thrifted

Glasses: Mine!

I got mixed reviews on this top, but overall I really loved this outfit! So comfortable and I forgot how much I really love red!

Chevron Obsessed.

When you walk through my house, you can definitely see what my favorite colors to decorate with are. Light blue, pops of that mustard yellow that I love so much, and everyone's favorite: gray. Would you be able to tell what pattern my favorite is? If it were my choice, I'd have lots and LOTS of chevron print action goin' on. While still deciding on what to do with the soon-to-be new office/playroom/music room and kitchen, I'm thinking about using a lot of my new friend, Chevron.

(via aedrieloriginals on Etsy)

(via Urban Outfitters)

(via West Elm)

(Buyer source unknown)

(via Kohl's)

Sorry for the Delay.

Sorry about the lack of posts lately. Bean has been really sick since Thursday and isn't really quite yet on the upswing. In honor of her long-lasting stomach bug, I picked out some of my favorite Pepto Bismol colored picks from Pinterest! Hope you enjoy!

You can see the full board HERE. 

Don't you just love Pinterest?!

New Tattoos and an Interesting Perspective...

In honor of Friday the 13th, one of my favorite tattoo shops, Lady Luck Tattoo Gallery, gladly dedicated themselves to giving out $20 tattoos all day. Needless to say, my friends and I were the first in line. After a grueling 15 minutes, this is what I ended up with:

The key is something that I have wanted for as long as I can remember, and the flower was really just an impulse. It's pretty, so I don't mind it at all. My artist at Lady Luck, Uncle Josh, is phenomenal. He said something that struck me as odd though. He said, "I hope you don't mind, but I'm coming off of heroin, so if this sucks, I'm really sorry." I knew that he was kidding, but it started a somewhat brief but very interesting conversation. The modern day perception of people with tattoos is still incredibly skewed. I can't speak for most people, because I am sure that there are people in this world with ink on their skin that do make the rest of us look bad. The artists that I have known over time and have work from are some of the most kind and intelligent people I have met. 

I know that I have been judged, and it never really has bothered me. I just wish that people would know that yes, I have made the major commitment to having permanent artwork on my skin. I'm okay with that decision. More importantly, the work that I do have tells a very important story. These pieces are moments in time, snapshots of my life that I have commemorated by putting a tattoo on my skin. They are not just random pieces of art that I liked and decided to get (except for the flower). They ALL have their own stories. I would advise anyone that is thinking about getting a tattoo, really, REALLY think about it. Every piece placement affects the rest of your life, and if you are okay with that kind of commitment, then go ahead. You never can think too much about this kind of thing. The best preparation is being over prepared.

Dreaded Tomorrow.

I wrote a little bit last week about getting healthy for not only me, but for my family. Tomorrow, after weeks of really intense training, restricted diet and consistent soreness, I will be measured and weighed. No, no, this is not the part that I should be waiting for, it should be that I am getting healthy and stronger...right?

A good friend of mine said this exact thing last night to me. "You are getting stronger." Stronger. I am stronger. Stronger than I was yesterday, the week before, the year before. I am changing. I thought more about this idea last night and most of today, and I asked myself, "Why do the numbers matter so much?" Why should I care about how many inches I lose or how many pounds I drop? 

Why do I care so much?

The answer hasn't come to me yet. Maybe it's me trying to slough off the idea of "baby weight" that still lingers, or that I am in my mid 20's and I should be taking care of myself now. There are a lot more reasons, but for right now, the weigh in matters. The numbers matter. 

Over time, this is something that I would like to see go away. I know that working out like this is changing my mental perception of myself, inside and out. I not only want to be physically healthy, but change the way that I talk and think about becoming healthy. Discrediting myself and spouting out degrading statements about my body only hurts my own feelings, but more importantly gets into my own daughter's ears. I could never live with myself if I gave her a body complex. It is hard enough being a girl, let alone a girl with major body issues. That's why this is such a big deal for me. It has the potential to keep from messing with two people's heads and hearts. 

Tomorrow is only more encouragement to keep going; to learn and to change. With that said, why do I dread it so much?

Mother's Day Recap.

Mother's Day was practically perfect. It was a day of relaxation, celebration and LOVE. I woke up to breakfast in bed, followed by a great church service, manicures with my Mama, sweet gifts, dinner with my family and a little movie comedy. I felt so loved, so special and truly appreciated. Here are a few photos of our day!

 How was YOUR Mother's Day? Tell me all about it!