Hey, thanks,

Veterans


As today is Veterans Day, I'd like to take some time to say, "Thank you" to the men and women who have dedicated their lives to protecting our country and our freedoms. I think I speak for all of us when I say that now, more than ever, we are so grateful for your service. Thank you, and God be with you.

This is an issue close to my heart, as I am a military wife. So more specifically, I would like to take a personal moment and thank a few people close to me to whom I am extremely grateful.

My sister, Alex is such a creative, strong, beautiful young woman- although you probably wouldn't be able to guess it in this picture. It's my favorite because she's wearing the BCGs (what we call "Birth Control Glasses"). Sucker.

Okay, sorry, Alex. Here's one of my favorites. Much better

I'm also very grateful to my Daddy. He's a crazy, crazy man... and I love him for it. Thanks, Pop. This is a photo of the two of us from my brother, Erron's wedding.

More than anyone in the world, I am grateful to my husband, Ryan. He's such a wonderful, strong, brave man and the best husband I could have ever asked for.
He returned from his second tour in Iraq on October 31st, 2008. This is our first moment together after his 15 months of being gone. I can't even describe the feeling to you....

And this video is from his return of his first tour in Iraq. He got to come home a little early, so he decided to surprise his family. It makes me cry every time- especially the moment between him and his dad. So special:

And most of all, I am grateful to God for keeping all of these people safe. Please continue to bless our troops, their families, and our leadership within the country as we face this time of change...

Totally Floored!

The herringbone pattern on the flooring in this "Blissful" apartment has me giddy. Such beautiful composition. Lovely raw look. Very cool. We're currently dealing with flooring issues of our own in our kitchen. Will we finish off our kitchen re-design with wood or tile? Stay tuned to find out what we choose!

While we're on the subject, what do YOU have in your kitchen? We've heard great arguments for both tile and wood. What's your take? Any horror stories for either? Spill it! (and be sure to wipe it up really quickly if you've got wood floors! kidding. sorry. bad joke)

Vintage Textiles

Lately, I've really been wanting to get back into sewing. Now that I've got a little bit more time on my hands (and I do stress "a little bit more". This house still owns nearly every waking moment that I'm not at work) I'm tempted to set up a little sewing station within the closet where all my sample books used to be. Now that it's empty, it would be the perfect place to store fabrics, my machine, thread, patterns, etc. I don't plan on doing anything too intense, but I'd at least like a place to spread out, ya know?

I've been very inspired by vintage textiles. Mostly florals, but today I ran across these delightfully vintage embroidery and cross-stitch pillows! It's making me wish I had the patience to learn to do either one of those activities, but let's be honest, I don't. For now, I'll just worship these babies from afar!


Livingston and Porter


Vintage Special


Sassydoggs


Sassydoggs

Moderncard

My favorite is the last one with the goldfish on it. Doesn't it have a great unique shape? Do any of you know how to embroider and/ or cross-stitch? If so, who taught you? I feel as though it's a dying art- much like sewing. I'm grateful that I have a mother and grandmother who taught me what little bit I know about sewing. My husbands hole-y socks and jeans are grateful as well!

Handmade Nation

Handmade Nation is available on DVD November 3rd! Go here to see the trailer! and here to pre-order!

Get Chunky

Remember my longing for some great chunky necklaces for fall? Well I'm being bombarded by them! I think the universe wants me to buy them... all of them.


RibbonsAndLace


StarOfTheEast


GreenEyedGirlShop


lavien


Accessorius

Cowling you Out!

My mother bought an orange knit cowl for me last Christmas and I've been wearing it with everything lately! Yesterday, I wore a knit dress over skinny jeans, knee-high brown boots, a camel blazer and of course my cowl. Everyone keeps asking me where I got it (and I also get a few "Is that a scarf? Or a hood? What IS that?) It's a cowl. And I don't know where my mother got mine (I'll guess Kohl's) but Etsy has some GREAT ones! So this is for you, Hillary!

Here's one that is similar to mine:

By HappiKnits.

And here's one for the fellas:

by MooCowHandKnits

Stay warm and stylish all season long!

Chaos.

An entire week without a post... that's pretty disappointing. Sorry! Trust me, it's not just you. I'm so far behind on reading blogs for this past week that I don't know how I'll ever catch up! It's not that I don't want to write- quite the contrary. I love to write. For me (and for many of you, I know) writing is an outlet. I have plenty of things to write about. The problem is this: chaos breeds chaos.
Let me explain. My dining room table has been serving has a make-shift pantry for about a month now as we slowly but surely re-design our kitchen. I can't use my oven. My refigerator is covered in plastic. My carpet is covered in saw dust. My sink is also covered in plastic. My garage is full of boxes of other things from the kitchen- including food and various plates. I can't remember the last time my house felt CLEAN even thought we clean a little bit every day. It's Chaos... and it's spilling over into other aspects of my life.
That's exactly what chaos does to you. It multiplies. I can't find my car keys in the mess, or I forget a very important sample book for a client because it wasn't in it's usual spot, or I can't sleep because we're currently keeping our cocker spaniel, Lucy, in the bedroom with us at night instead of in the kitchen. Chaos... and in all that chaos, I'm struggling to find inspiration inside my home- the one place I've always been able to use as a haven for inspiration.
This is the reality of home renovation, I'm learning. The use of actual plates and silverware becomes obsolete also.
My hope is this: once the cabinets have doors on them once again, and the refirgerator is back in it's place, and I have access to my sink once more, I will love my home so much more than I did before because I will know the hard work and love we have put into it. I won't just see a brighter kitchen, I'll see a stage in our lives where we worked together- side-by-side- and created something beautiful. The transformation will serve as my inspiration. But until then, you'll have to bear with me, yes?
Thank you.