{a few favorites}

Today . . . meet my husband, if you haven't already. I really love these pictures of him. I have a lot of favorites but I wanted to expound on why these few are special to me.

1. This picture perfectly encapsulates David because a) it was taken at the beach and he lives for the beach b) because he is tan (way, way tan) and it's disgusting how tan he is c) because his hair is blonde, curly and total "surfer" (which he is and always will be) d) because he is wearing a Rip Curl sweatshirt and loves Rip Curl more than any other kind of clothing - except maybe Vineyard Vines or Brooks Brothers. When I met David, he still had this summer tan and I was drawn to his bright blue eyes and charming smile (see picture). Even though I was on a semi-date with his friend, we immediately hit it off. A week later, I politely told his friend "No thanks." and David politely asked his friend "Do you mind?" and the rest is history.
2. Getting engaged is probably on just about everyone's "favorite memories" list but I think mine is the best. I love that I was surprised when he proposed. I love that I was worried that he would never propose. I love that that morning I had cried to my sisters about it. I love that we went on a walk late at night at my dad's ranch and I couldn't see a thing. I love that he kneeled on the hay of my dad's barn while my heart skipped several beats. I love that David cried and I giggled (a lot). I love that his voice cracked when he called his parents. I love that the next morning we burned our names into the wooden post next to where he proposed and I love that I'll always have the memory each time I go to my dad's ranch.
3. We love La Jolla. We love it A LOT. So, of course, we took our engagement pictures there! My amazing brother flew in from Seattle and we took off to the La Jolla coves and Point Loma where he proceeded to take several great shots. This isn't the one that we used for our invitations but I love it just the same. This picture is special to me because I remember thinking how happy I was when my brother was taking the pictures. I didn't have to pretend to smile and that was a great feeling.
4. I love this picture because I have no doubt that David was whispering something funny in my ear and making me laugh. He's really good at that. I also love it because this wasn't our "first dance" - it was just a dance. No one was watching. No one really even cared all that much. It felt so intimate in this group of people around us. Talking, mingling, eating. I love this picture because it reminds me of that night and how I felt so excited about every little thing. My heart didn't beat at a normal rate all evening. Mostly, I love this picture because it was the day that we were sealed together forever and nothing will ever top that.
5. David really wants to own a boat someday. I'm not talking about a cheap fishing boat or even a decent skiing boat. I'm talking a yacht. Like, a several thousand dollar yacht. He wants to retire and sail around the world with me while stopping at fine places like Greece so we can eat delicious food, walk around the city and then sail away on our next adventure. I'm fine with this dream. Maybe someday, Sweetie. I love this picture because it was taken in Hawaii for our 1st anniversary. I love the colorful sails in the background, the serious look on David's face and how his chest is somewhat puffed up with pride. Most of all, I love how when he realized that I was taking the picture, he got somewhat embarrassed and gave me a goofy smile. Secretly though, he loves this picture too.

I married a very, very, very sexy man.

I really love living in my house. Here are a few reasons why:

1. My pyracantha bush is lovely. One huge advantage of living in a 30-something year old house is having mature plants. This bush acts as a buffer from the street and makes a nice little enclave around our house. In the spring, it fills with these blossoms and then in the fall, it produces darling little red berries for me to make Christmas centerpieces.
2. My rose bush . . . I've never loved roses terribly but it's one of the few flowers that grow in an excess here in Arizona. My bush has sadly been neglected by myself but they survived anyway. (Don't mind the disgusting weeds behind or the run-down fence) I also planted some zinnias so I'm hoping they'll bloom soon!
3. The vines that grow around our front window. I just love how they've kind of overgrown around our window sill. It feel so nice on our patio.
4. My pot of herbs. It is so nice having chives, thyme, mint, parsley and cilantro right at my finger tips. My mint is freaking out and growing like a weed but I don't mind.
5. I love opening the doors and shutters this time of year and letting the natural light fill our rooms. The weather is perfect and the breeze feels so refreshing. Plus, it's always a pleasure to have fresh-cut flowers to display somewhere in your home.

{etsy finds}

As many of you know, Etsy has some awesome things for sale. Here are some of my recent favorites:

1) Wiltshire Hare (by Suss): This wonderful stuffed bunny is made from a vintage sweater. I wish, wish, wish I had a little boy to buy this for. I can see him now, my sweet little Christopher Robin, dressed in a nightshirt on his way upstairs for his bedtime bath. His mousey brown hair drooping over his sleepy blue eyes as he drags the Wiltshire Hare behind him clutched in his chubby fingers. And just before he goes to sleep, he kisses that perfect pink, wool nose and rubs the long ears against his face to soothe him to sleep. OK, now I'm just mixing up children's books.

2) Luggage Disguise (by Bumbles and Lu): I recently scored a great deal on some Victorinox luggage . . . and I mean a GREAT deal. It would break my little frugal heart is someone snatched it up at the airport luggage carousel. If I were to have one of these disguise luggage tags, I have a sneaking suspicion that if a prospective thief were to think about stealing my new luggage, they might see the moustache and chuckle to themselves and say, "Anyone with that kind of humor deserves to keep such a splendid piece of luggage." and I would be home free! What do you think? What's your favorite color of tag? I can't decide.

3) Blue Sky and Cherry Pie Reversible Scarf (by BCharmer): BCharmer is one of my favorite Etsy designers. Her profile alone is worth a second glance. "I consider myself a farmer in the city, growing my own fruits and vegetables and have, in the past, kept bees for pollination and honey (and also for their good company). Knitting was my first three dimensional art form, which led to an interest in spinning my own yarn." I long to be her friend. Don't you? I also long for this cheerful reversible scarf. If only the high today weren't 82 degrees . . . I'd have to wait 7 months just to wear this.

4) Starfish Ring (by Sarah Hood Jewelry): Besides my wedding ring, earrings and the occasional necklace, I've never been a big jewelry fan . . . and then I met this Starfish Ring from Sarah Hood Jewelry. Isn't it lovely? I would wear it to the beach, for sure. Or, at least, to dinner at George's At The Cove in La Jolla.

You can also check out my Etsy shop here.

Me like-y redecorating. What is better than taking a fugly piece of furniture and making it lovely? Oh dear, I really love doing that!

Example A: Take this stained (with who knows what? - mind you) chair from Salvation Army. I do believe the cost was $10. It was a might stinky and very, very dusty. However, it had a great shape and once I took a wet rag and a bottle of Febreeze to it - it was good enough to be covered in this red and olive fabric and brown rope trim. Result: comfortable and functional.






Example B: These chairs are of excellent quality. David's grammy passed away in September and we were given her dining table and chairs. The table and chairs are very sturdy and in excellent shape. I don't just LOoooVE the stain of the wood - but you know what they say, "beggars can't be choosers". So, I recovered the seats. I'm not as crazy about this fabric as I was when I recovered them but Amy Butler is pretty great. I'm thinking that in our next house, I will cover these in a stripe or just a plain color. Maybe like this or this or this. Dear Restoration Hardware . . . will you marry me?







Example C: I love getting things for free. Moving into our old school house was good to us. The previous tenants left this trashy bookcase and so after much deliberation, I decided to paint it "English Bulldog Black" and cover the back with some awesome green brocade scrapbook paper. Voila! Mod Podge is the bomb.








Example D: I do enjoy a good filing cabinet now and then. Putting my receipts and tax information in one secure place is so gratifying! This piece of junk was rusting, coated in dust and a very boring color of cream slightly dotted in old, crusty pink bubblegum. So, last Saturday, I sanded this sucker and spray painted it "Arctic Blue" (couldn't the "spray-paint-color-naming-people" come up with a better one than that?) and now it sits in my new guest room/office.

{recap and a bookcase}

I know it's been a while . . . and it's probably going to have to stay like this for a bit. I need to focus on life without computer for a time. I've forgotten how much I miss my "spare time". I've accomplished so much! I've read 1 1/2 books, cut and painted my guest bedroom, reorganized my craft area, cleaned my laundry room, purchased new bed linens (twice), slept and cuddled and repainted a bookcase. Speaking of the repainted bookcase, here's my journey to a much cuter version of the above. When David and I moved into our home, the previous tenants had left behind a battered, cheap bookcase. I mean, the one from Wal-Mart. I mean, the $15 one. With veneer. Peeling off. Anyway, I hated it. I mean, REALLY hated it. So, after over a year of hating, I decided to not be a hater anymore and bought some primer, "French Bulldog" paint, scrapbook paper, modpodge glue and went to work. I put on two coats of primer and then anxiously awaited the time that I could put on the dark blackish blue paint that I love so much. While I waited for the bookcase to dry, I set to work on the back. I layered the adhesive onto the back of the 12 x 12 scrapbook paper and glued the corners to keep it down. Someone suggested that I spray a clear coat on top but I couldn't wait that long. I did 3 coats on the bookcase and nailed that bad boy behind it and voila! I'm so happy with it. What do you think? I'll show you where it goes the next time I blog. I'm trying to get the guest room ready for M's arrival in two weeks. I can't wait!

{how about orange}

I found this blog today: How About Orange. I kind of love it. Correction: I REALLY love it.

Great DIY projects. In fact, I'm going to use this one this week for my craft room/guest room/office.

Picture from How About Orange. Thank you Jessica Jones.

{organizing hearts}

I heart organizing. I especially heart organizing at work because I can order all the supplies that I want free of charge (for work use, of course). It is glorious. One system that I think is the bomb is Smead Viewables. I love it because you can color coordinate (an organizing favorite) and it formats your labels for you using software rather than trying to find the right label template. I also love this system because it is top-viewing so that you don't have to sift through each folder to see what you are looking for. Plus, it is fairly cheap.
I also love all things at The Container Store. How I wish there was one in Arizona! Their elfa system rules.

If we ever live in a small apartment (which is likely if we move to California) then I will definitely invest in this IKEA wardrobe or something similar. For $299 it would be just dandy (and it matches our dressers); however, a nicer more expensive version would be exceptional too. I hear you Restoration Hardware!

And most recently, I was inspired by Design Mom's office renovation. I mean, I wasn't surprised that she could pull off such a cool project but it was so "do-able" for me. My office is also my craft/guest room. I especially love the look of distressed metal mixed with pretty things. She used Martha's How-To for these stripped tin boxes.

Other favorites (from Martha) include these spice jar labels, luggage tags and handy kitchen charts.

Does anyone want to share their organizing hearts?

{rules to live by:decorating}

Two things I've learned from redecorating my living room: One lesson is from Domino Mag and one is from my charming sister-in-law, NieNie.

The first is that the placement of a sofa can do a great deal of good in a room. I moved my white sofa from against the wall to a great open area in front of our exceptionally large window. The natural light bounces off the white fabric and makes the room seem so fresh. I also noticed that all the pictures that I like of family rooms all have a coffee table of some sort. I especially like the bold fabric on this one.

NieNie and I shopped together for a few fabric selections when we were both set on recovering some upholstered chairs for our homes. I felt so lucky to have her there for her opinion and as we walked through the aisles of fabric, she looked through anything and everything and picked very different things. When she had selected a few seemingly "uncoordinating" fabrics, she asked what I thought of them to which I replied, "Well, they are very cute but they don't really match." And then NieNie's secret to her lovely decorating style came out. She said, "Oh, I don't really pick things that go together. I just pick things that I love." That's when I realized why NieNie's home is so wonderful. When you walk in, you feel something that you love but you can't put your finger on it. It's stylish, whimsical, charming and very pretty but it's also very lived in and very loved. Every piece of furniture, every piece of fabric is loved. She loves her home like she loves her family and you feel it when you enter her Dutch door and see the silhouettes hanging on the wall, the delicious green kitchen, the red armoire that my brother made, the leather couch that the children jump off of onto piles of blankets, the fireplace hearth where they sit together as a cozy family, the larged framed Family Proclamation on the wall showing their family beliefs, the uncovered windows leading to the backyard with orange trees dressed in lanterns and the soon-to-be Mulberry Bungalow. It's a very comforting sight for anyone. No matter who you are, you feel at home. I don't know about you, but that's how I want my home to feel. So, I bought a coffee table and purchased a few things that don't necessarily "go together" but I love them. I'll post some pictures after I complete a few finishing touches. Does anyone out there have a few decorating tips that they live by?

{gift cards}

If you are ever at a loss when trying to figure out what to get me for Christmas/my birthday/Easter/whatever - know this: I love gift cards.

People (or my husband) are always saying, "Gift cards are so lame. It's like you couldn't think of anything else to give them." Do you feel this way? For me, it's as if that person knows me so well that they got me a gift card because they know how much I love to shop and how much I hate to pay for it. My mom must agree with me because for the last 7 or so years she has given me a gift card to Nordstrom for Christmas. More often than not, I don't use the balance of the card almost until the next Christmas. I just buy little purchases here and there and each one makes me happy.

I currently have just under $300 worth of gift cards in my wallet right now. Most of the gift cards are pretty old (some over a year) but this is why I love having them: Some days, I just really hate my wardrobe/home decorations/makeup/cereal bowls but I don't have the pennies to purchase them myself. This is where the gift cards in my wallet come in.

For example, last night while David was at school, I went to Macy's to look for some black shoes for Stephen's wedding. I found these adorable peep toe pumps that for $47 on sale! At the cash register, I whipped out my Macy's gift card for $74 and paid for those puppies without paying a single penny out of my pocket. (That sentence had a lot of "p"s in it. Did you notice?) Then I bought mascara and eyeshadow from Lancome and got a free make-up bag! Woot for me!

Then, the V.P. of my company he gave me a $50 Visa card as a thank you for a big project that I did a few weeks ago. So, I headed over to Forever 21 and bought myself 2 delicious tops and a really, really, really awesome dress that I adore. The balance? $2.50. I paid it in cash.

Speaking of gifts (as it is The Most Wonderful Time of The Year) Jordan over at Oh Happy Day is currently compiling a grand list of gifts under $30. If you are looking for some great "little Christmas gifts" for friends or family, you should definitely check it out. I especially love this and this!

{oh beautiful day}

Although I just LOVE Autumn, I think these Spring flowers are delightful.

I can see myself now walking through those open gardens in a beautiful, white linen dress. I can smell the grass and the sunshine. I can taste the grapes that I am munching from my hand. And then, I lay down on a soft quilt with a feather pillow and read a delicious book with my head in David's lap.

Sheesh, I feel like the words "bring me the head of a pig" should fit somewhere in that paragraph. Cheeser, I am. However, I do wish that the weather could be lovely all year round.

21 days until Hawai'i means: 21 days until I might get a tan and roll around the sand knowing that I'm not at work, but instead, dipping my toes in the blue ocean. I will eat sushi and other delicious items known as fruit and icy drinks. I will take long, dusky walks with David on the surrounding greens at the 8th hole cliff to watch the sun set over Kona. I will snorkel (even though it scares me half to death) and hopefully sail again. We will celebrate our one-year anniversary by doing lots of romantic things - I'll spare you the details. I will hike in the rainforest to waterfalls and other beautiful scenes. I will sleep in and on a beach towel with a delightful book and fully appreciate "doing nothing".

Here's where you (my wonderful readers) come in: Where can I get a cute swimsuit this time of year? Does anyone have a good book recommendation?

reminder

Tonight is Pushing Daisies on ABC at 8/7 central. If you haven't watched the show before, get caught up by watching the last episode. It's soooooooo good! I'll be watching alone tonight since David has class so if anyone wants to come over and eat cereal with me (and drool over Lee Pace) - you can!

pushing daisies

I love my new favorite show, Pushing Daisies, for so many reasons. Here are a few:

- I love that when the narrator says someone's age, it is always in years, months, days and minutes.
- Kristin Chenoweth.
- All of Ned's pies look delicious and I love that his shop is called "The Pie Hole".
- I have big crushes on Ned when he looks at the ground shyly and grins to himself while mumbling something to Chuck (the cute girl in the red flower dress)
- The brightness and color remind me of Amélie.

Seriously, this show is so great. The plot is fantastically bizarre, the characters are quirky and surreal, the filming is vibrant and the main character is an awkward hunk. What else could you ask for?