Our Thanksgiving

A little late... but here are some photos:

Holiday Sneak Peek

I've been working hard to get our little treehouse ready for Christmas, and it makes me excited to share some little corners of our home with you.

I decided I'm going to try and post photos of some special decorations that I've made or found, between now and Christmas. Sound good?

For now, you'll have to settle for a little sneak peek of our Christmas Card that we will be sending out to family and friends. :) G took this photo of Zoe and I during our little family photo shoot, and I love it so I thought I'd share.

YESSSSS!

Ya. We're pretty much best friends by now...

You are what you eat

CUTEST little t-shirts ever!



From a beautiful blogger (and fellow Arizona-native), Benson.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, we're celebrating here in Kansas City with G's family and a handful of our best friends. I'm hosting the big dinner for the first time EVAH, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly!

Tonight after dark we'll be walking down to the Plaza (with hot cocoa in hand!) to watch the Plaza Lighting Ceremony... the switch will be flipped by SNL cast member and Kansas City native, Jason Sadeikis - we're huge SNL fans so we're geeking out about it!

I hope that you have a wonderful day, and I am so thankful for you!

I've got to pop in to show you...

The most ADORABLE repurposed vintage bags that are decorated with love and care by my friend, Katherine from Making Chicken Salad (this is one to be added to your reader for SURE).





Check out her other online shops here and here!

Checking In

Always love her outfit posts... I WILL be recreating this one. Trust.

It feels as though I've been running a little low on thoughts to share with you these last few weeks. Have you noticed?

Work has become quite a bit busier than it's ever been, and I think that has a little something to do with it. I'm still enjoying life and searching for lucky stones and crocheting granny squares and altering thrifted treasures and hosting parties and snuggling with the animals (and G), but for some reason documenting every little thing has not been as high on my priority list (however, you... you are still very high on the list).

I'm hoping that with the new holiday season will come lots of new inspiration and the desire to post more, but I can't make any guarantees. I am still posting over there, should you miss me too terribly (although something tells me you'll be just fine), and I promise I'm still checking in on my favorite reads from time to time.

Persian Carpet

Would you like to see the little (ok, big) pretty that I "accidentally" won on eBay the other night?

(What? It happens!)

It's a whopping 9' x 6' and I am so excited to see it in person... should be winging it's way to us RIGHT now.

I think it'll make a lovely replacement/addition to our family room, and I can't wait to put it in place!

Casa de emmy-ray

My sweet friend Emily recently did a major makeover on her home's exterior, and it's so amazing that I just have to share it here.

Before:

After:

Holy moly, could you not just FLIP for that color combo!?!? And the bright white trim??? I just can't get over it. Bravo, Em!

***Emily also is an INCREDIBLE jewelry and floral designer and has amazing style. :)

Charley Harper

Just popped over to How About Orange and was happy to follow the link she shared to several gorgeous high res files of some Charley Harper prints.

I already have so many prints at home needing to be framed, so I'm hesitant to have these printed, but I just love them so very much!

Maybe I will be more motivated if I tell myself that they could be used as lovely Christmas decorations... I am so excited to start on Holiday decorating, and I keep having to remind myself that Thanksgiving comes first!!!

Feeling Quiet

Via Audrey Hepburn Complex


Not sure how long it will last, but please don't go away for good.

Momma's got a new set of keys...

G gave me a VERY sweet gift yesterday (THANKS, HONEY), and it is currently at the Apple Store getting loaded with all of the goodies from my old computer.

In the meantime, BIRTHDAY WEEK!!!! WOOHOO!

I'll be back online as soon as my little buddies come home!

Today...

...Is my birthday and I have a feeling it's going to be one of those prettysparklyandmagical kind of days.

Wanna know something else pretty and magical? My sweet friend Gina's birthday is today, too. We go together like... PB&J? No, more like vintage frocks and good red wine (they DO go together, TRUST). She's basically my very own real-life SJP... and having her as a friend (and major style inspiration) is a birthday present in itself.

I love you, Gigi. I hope you have a great day, I'm so glad we're birthday buddies, and I can't wait to celebrate with you!

Too Cute

I pretty much freaked out when I saw this little guy on Design Dig.

I'm always hoping to come across some local little cuties so I can photograph them for TCC... love taking pictures of fashionable kiddos!

Happy Halloween!

I'm going to a Costume Party tonight at my office (REALLY excited, we always have the best work parties) and I'm STILL trying to decide what to dress up as.

Here are my options (all of which were chosen because I pretty much have everything I need already in my closet):

A Bandit

Bonnie (will only work if G will be Clyde)

June Carter-Cash (again, way cuter if G will be Johnny)

What are your thoughts??? Which one should I BEEEE?!

Back in Action... Almost

Image from Where the Sidewalk Begins via Pink Wallpaper

Fully charged computer battery? Check!

Thanks for sending my cord so quickly, Mamacita!

I don't know if it's the cooler fall weather or what, but I have been MAJORly struck with the nesting/organizing/home improvement bug.

Here is a list of things I'd like to do in the upcoming weekend...

- Wipe down the chalkboard wall in the kitchen to make room for the Thanksgiving Dinner Attack Plan
- Take inventory of my vintage fabric stash and decide what I'd like to use to sew some new cloth napkins
- Edit the last of the Eve fashion show pictures for The Concrete Catwalk
- Write some DIY posts that I've been meaning to share
- Try on, photograph, and then alter a huge batch of thrifted vintage finds! Don't worry, I'll share pictures!

I've been feeling a little overwhelmed lately with traveling and hosting events and life in general, so I'm looking forward to a chance to catch up and then get ahead on some things. Thanks for hanging in there while I get my act together on the blog-front!

LOOVE YOOOU!

Fam Jam

Image from Nellie Loves Vintage, One of my new favorite KC blogs




I'm home after a whirlwind trip to Arizona to see my family, and I can't help feeling absolutely exhausted. It was gloriously warm and sunny, and we filled it to the brim with birthday shopping, dining al fresco, high school football, walks with the dog and Dad, and lots and lots of quality family time.

Posting may be light this week as I catch up at work (but mainly because I'm a space cadet and left my computer cord at my parents house)... but I will be back on track after this weekend!

Black as Soot

As I start to think about decorating for the holidays, my starting point always happens to be our mantel and hearth.

This framed fireplace painted black has me swooning... and wondering how much trouble I'd be in if I actually went for the same look in our living room. Our walls our quite dark, but I think it'd look smashing.

Honey? Whaddya think?

*Can't remember where I snagged this image from, but if you happen to know, please share so I can give proper credit!

Bandit

I've had all kinds of ideas of what I'd like to be for Halloween this year, but when I saw this photo... It made me think that maybe I should be a bandit.

*Via A Beautiful Mess, originally from here.

I love October!

My carving masterpiece from this weekend... Isn't she lovely?

Makes me smile everytime I see her.

Pumpkin carving, hot apple cider, chilly mornings, costume parties, trick or treat candy, changing leaves and crock pot dinners!

What is your favorite thing about this month?

Omelle

Ready for some Friday eye-candy?


BAM!

and another one.... BAM!

Take THAT!

Hiiiiiiiiiieeeee-YA!

Whew... gorgeously exhausting, right? I can honestly say that I don't think that I've ever seen more beautiful shoes in my entire life.

They are all from Omelle, and from this point forward, I hereby promise to stop deleting their adorably titled "Footnotes" newsletter before ogling the contents first. Just because I don't even come close to being able to afford a pair, doesn't mean I can't dream!

Which one of the shoes pictured is your fave? C'mon! Dream a little with me! It's Friday!

The Perfect Hair-To

Good morning!

I must cut to the chase, because what I have to say is VERY important.



Are you ready?


I have found a foolproof and easy-as-pie way to make my never-curly-but-sometimes-a-little-bent-looking-naturally-weird-hair look like it has natural and low-maintenance curls.

I know, I had a few tears of joy, too.

On the days that I actually want to wear my hair curly, I have to go piece by piece all the way around my head with a straightening iron (yup, I know it seems a little counterintuitive) and using the perfect combination of pressure, time, and twist I would wave my locks, pretty much one at a time*. My hair has a decent amount of natural wave to it, but it is never consistent, and often depends on how wet it was or wasn't when I climbed into bed.

I watched one (okay, ALL) of Maegan's hair tutorials several weeks ago, but hadn't got around to trying any of the techniques until this morning. If you happen to read ...love Maegan, you know that her hair (and her whole look, for that matter) is always flawless. I can't wait to try all the other videos, and even though her hair is quite a big longer than mine, I think that the looks she showcases are probably manageable for many different lengths. I personally can't wait to try the full frontal french braid, and I'm doing the afro curls look for Halloween!

I won't claim to have worked a miracle or anything, but I will say that my curls are all even, seem as though they will last all day,** and best of all - the whole thing took me way less time than usual.

You must try this yourself if you are even remotely interested in acheiving the same look! Hooray for Hair-tos and THANKS MAEGAN!

* Note: this is a description of my process on the days that I actually DO my hair... probably only once or twice a week. The rest of the time, I'm working the really messy bedhead look. Drives my mom crazy.

**I forgot to take a picture this morning... I'll try to have someone snap one at work so that I can show you the results!

LOV-ING

See snippets of things I'm LOV-ING this week!

Sparkly TOMS
Not sure if I would ever wear these, but I love them in theory!

Ecote Suede Patchwork Hobo

Studded Wrap Bracelets

Mini Round Sunnies

Alex & Ani Initial Ring

Silence & Noise Ruffle Dress

Have you seen anything special that you're loving lately?

Pomplamoose

I wasn't feeling the greatest this weekend, but it was a busy one, so I tried to catch my breath and relax on the couch when I could... one of the things that kept me entertained was watching these aDORable videos by the insanely talented Pomplamoose. I'm obsessed! I downloaded all of their songs and can't get enough.

Be sure to check out their YouTube channel for darling covers, including my fave: Beyonce's Single Ladies!!

Seriously, go watch right now!

The Jupiter Hotel

I'm finally getting a chance to post more about our great trip to Portland!

One of the things that I was most worried about was finding the right hotel. We were lucky enough to find a spot that fit our needs/budget perfectly and I must say that our stay at The Jupiter exceeded all of our expectations!

I HIGHly recommend it for accomodations in Portland... I think it was honestly part of why our trip was so fabulous, and I am so thankful that we chose to stay there!

The rooms are very reasonably priced, and the design is modern and GORGEOUS. We didn't get to see any shows because of our busy schedule, but there is amazing live entertainment at the onsite restaurant/venue, The Doug Fir.

Our room looked pretty much like the yellow and grey one above (um, hello... FAVE color combo!), and right when we walked in, I knew I had made the right choice. Might I also mention that the inside and outside of ALL the exterior doors are painted in chalkboard paint... perfect!

The staff was hip and oh-so-friendly, and the overall vibe of the entire establishment was youthful and fun. We had a great time!

I wish we could go get fun drinks and snuggle up with a bunch of friends next to that fire pit this weekend! Needless to say, we LOVED Portland and we will definitely be back... I know exactly where we'll be staying on our next visit!