yes or no?

I am loving this anthropologie top. And it's on sale for $39.95. I'm thinking it will be mine today, especially since our Shopping Hiatus is about to officially begin. I will do a post on our exclusions and such, soon. I'm desperately refraining from going crazy today and buying every cute shirt I see.

In other news, I've got a few projects I will be working on this weekend while my husband is off being a rockstar. Can't wait to share!!

Have a great weekend!!

it's the little things

Look how fancy I am with my tiny changes to my blog!! Thank you Paula, at two ellie for sharing Amanda's tutorial love. Now, if I could only figure out how to change my header... it's driving me crazy. I'm really slow at all of this, but I'm learning! But, I'll take the help from ANYONE who wants to help a sista out =)



Did this picture give you enough warm fuzzies and giggles to help me out NOW?!?

this + that

Just some updates here and there for y'all (yeah, I'm from the south...) The original fabric I chose for my framed fabric idea, can be seen here, was not quite what I was wanting once I received it in the mail. The fabric is beautiful, but the color grey is much darker than I was expecting. So, I've decided to go with this very neutral pattern and color, and work other colors into the bedroom. I'm completely satisfied with the simplicity of it and look forward to getting it on the wall!



A few shots of us on our beach trip.



Who doesn't love having a pinata at their birthday party?? Oh, and we had cookies instead of cake, because Taylor and I do not like cake. Weird, I know.



You should be completely jealous of our airbrushed t-shirts. They are super sweet, and v-neck to boot!



The ladies of the trip. Jordan (who's getting married in October!!), me, Kimberly and Taylor.



And, last, just a little glimpse into our obsession with ice cream. (please excuse our hair. It was pouring on us the last day there)



I'm sorry my blog has been lacking in the eye candy department. There are so many home projects going on, that's really where my mind's attention has been. I'm looking forward to starting my dresser make-over this weekend. Have a great day ladies!!!

happy, happy birthday

To Me!!!

I have missed my blogging friends and look forward to catching up on everyone's blogs later tonight. I had a fabulous time at the beach and will share some photos later!! I have truly had the best birthday month thanks to my wonderful husband, family and the best friends a girl could ask for. I feel blessed and absolutely in love with this precious life God has given me.

Cue the sun!

I honestly have no design inspiration today. Why, you ask??? Because I am leaving for the beach in the morning and that is really all I can think about. I even wore a 'beachy' blouse to work today. We are going with some incredible friends of ours and staying at a beautiful house in Seaside, FL. The very same area they filmed The Truman Show.

Absolutely charming little town with million dollar homes. The sort of place where riding your bike is more of a treat than a chore. And the people aren't stuffy millionares. You know what I'm talking about here. They're friendly and welcoming. I feel as if I am independently wealthy when we are there, and being that I'm a social worker and my husband is a musician, we're far from that. (although very, very happy with our lives)



This beach trip is purely for vacation. No plans, no weddings, no obligations. We're also celebrating mine and my dear friend Taylor's, from The Adventures of D and T, birthdays! It shall be a weekend of absolute bliss and fun, rain or shine!

So, ladies... Enjoy the rest of your week. I shall be back next week refreshed and ready to tackle my new DIY project!

the dresser

Ok, here are two pictures of the dresser (which was originally a china cabinet) we just bought. My husband put it in our bedroom last night, just to see how it looks, and we both are 100% satisfied with our purchase! Refer back to this post to see the dresser that is my inspiration, but not in our budget, if we want to finish the rest of our bedroom out.

I am quite smitten, and proud. Not too shabby, eh? The lines are exactly what I was looking for. It has a good 6 inches on the west elm dresser, but with the size of our bedroom, it is a much needed 6 inches. Our plan is to paint, or stain it a dark chocolate brown and get some fancy shmancy door knobs and pulls from anthropologie. We're going to take the dark brown curtains from our living room and put in the bedroom. We have a street light just outside both of our windows that lets a lot of light in, so light and airy is not the feel we are going for. As we finish the bedroom I will post pictures!

Have a lovely Tuesday! Tonight I will be shopping and packing for our trip to the beach. We leave Thursday morning, rain or shine!

a home in the making...

I'm very happy to report I DID get that piece of furniture I posted about on Friday! I forgot to snap a picture, though. I promise I will soon! It will take a couple of weeks before I can really get my hands on it to vamp it up. In the meantime, I've been making a few purchases for our apartment.
The first being this rug from Urban Outfitters for our kitchen. I needed something this big to cover the ugly tile that is standard with most apartments, and it works well with our color scheme.



I also- finally- decided on the fabric I wanted to frame as mentioned in this previous post. It's from Amy Butler's Nigella collection: a great mixture of classic feminine with a modern design. I'm particularly excited about getting our bedroom together, as it is the only room in the apartment I'm being frilly with. And that's not because of my husband, but more because we both like very clean and frilly-less design. So, I'm branching out ladies!



And these pillows for our living room from Etsy shop Maries Cosey Cushions for whopping $20!



I've noticed I have a thing for grey and have somehow incorporated the color into almost every room in our apartment. I'm now on the hunt for grey curtains for our living room to match that grey in the pillows. Any suggestions (at a reasonable price of course) ??

diy project found

Oh my gaaaa, I am excited. I have been scouring local flea markets, thrift stores and other (cheap) furniture stores over the past 3 months looking for the perfect dresser to go in our bedroom. I wanted it to be a DIY project because I love the challenge and so I could stretch our budget for other pieces. First let me show you the dresser that I had originally fell in love with.

{via West Elm for a whopping 800 buckaroos}

I do not have a picture of the piece I am *hopefully buying as soon as I get off of work, but I will snap one tonight. I found it at our local Salvation Army Store. It's actually a china cabinet and hutch set for $200. We have no need for the hutch, so we will either talk down the price, or pay the $200 and donate the hutch right back to them. I am more than thrilled my friends. It is the same height and look as the dresser with a few changes here and there. I am wanting to paint it a grey/brown color and get some anthropologie knobs to gussy it up a bit. Just a couple of pictures for reference.


So, that is my project for the next few weekends. Any tips or tutorials that will help me is gladly appreciated.

*I say hopefully only because someone else may have their pretty little eyes on this piece as well. So, cross your fingers and send little thoughts and prayers my way in hopes that no one is =)

exciting news!

My younger sister, Erica just informed me she is having a GIRL!!! I cannot tell you how excited I am. I have 4 nephews (all under the age of 4) and a little brother (age 4), whom I'm deeeeeeply in love with, but I have waited 5 long years for a precious niece. My whole family knows my shopping addiction, so they keep joking that I will literally break the bank for this sweet little miracle. And you know what? They're right. Erica also has a 16 month old named Klayton. She will be one busy little mommy, so I will be Aunt Rachel to her rescue. This definitely helps with the baby fever I have been battling lately.
Here are some pictures of my sweet family.

Here is Erica and her husband Jon


Uncle JonRoss and Ethan (age 1)


Me and Klayton (I'm playing peek-a-boo and he's sporting his rad mohawk)



Henry (little brother age 5 next month) and Landon (age 3)


Carrie (stepmom) and Caleb (age 5 in July)


Caleb, Landon and Ethan belong to these two Josh(brother) and Emily


Henry belongs to my Dad and Carrie


This is my beautiful Mom and me


And my hunky husband with his parents Judy and 'Kid'


Just a little glimpse into my wonderful world. Sorry for the poor quality of pictures, bad lighting and no cropping of pictures. Partly lazy and partly camera. I am excited to get our new camera soon!

20x200

Most of you bloggers have probably heard of Jen Bekman's 20x200 Project. If you have not, please go check out the website as you will not be disappointed. If you are like my husband and me, we love art and are always on the hunt to expand our puny little collection, when we can afford it. One of the great things about 20x200 is it bring artists to you and you to the artist, all with this great technology we call the internet. How fabulous?? And, you can choose how much you want to spend according to the size of the prints. I love her formula: (limited editions x low prices)+ the internet= art for everyone.

These are the two my husband and I love:



artist: Valerie Roybal



artist: David Corbett

For $20, I am sold!

all things owls

I've been seeing owls all over the place. Earrings, purses, sculptures, and prints. What is it with these mysterious creatures that we think are adorable enough to decorate our homes and outfits with?? Who knows. I do know I think they are a fabulous addition to any ensemble or room.

{made by Feisty Elle first seen at Modish blog}


{Vintage Owl via dear golden's Esty shop}


{Kenneth Jay Lane necklace via My Wardrobe}


{via LuLus}


{via Fruit Fly's Etsy shop}

This would look adorable in my green dining room, perched on a shelf!

I had the BEST weekend!! Quality time with my family and friends, became an official college graduate, and I slept until 11 am on Sunday! More pictures about my weekend soon!

it's so hard, to say goodbye...to yesterday

My dear friend Hannah and new blogger from This is Only the Beginning, sent me an email last night with a lovely surprise inside. A link to Etsy shop The Brass Hussy. LOVELY!! And, I think I will just add these to my ever-growing birthday wish list!

A few of my favorites:

I will be taking off tomorrow, as I am spending the day with my mom before she heads home to Virginia. I've thoroughly enjoyed having her here (Alabama) for the past 3 months, but she misses her husband and home terribly and is quite ready to tend to her garden- I don't blame her one bit. I know they are hard for everyone, but 'goodbyes' are really hard for me. So, I am not looking forward to this one, knowing the next time I get to see her will be sometime in October. aggh. Thank goodness for emails, facebook and phone calls!!

*sorry for the cheesy title of this post... i couldn't resist. i remember listening to that song so many times after a break-up in highschool. It makes me giggle to hear it now.

Have a lovely weekend!

birthday wishes

No, it's not my birthday today, but it is in 20 days! I have an absurdly long "wish list," which is ever-changing. These two are definitely on it, and may get them early. My husband said I have a surprise coming my way Friday.





{via anthropologie}

In other news: My sweet husband has already told me what I'm getting as a graduation present. A DSRL camera!! EEEEP! So, we're trying to decide, Canon or Nikon? And I am an amateur, and by amateur I mean I've looked at these cameras and that's about it. But with the camera will come photography classes or just a lot of help from one of our several friends who are in to photography. So, suggestions for which brand/model?

melissa moss

I went to visit my dear friend Kimberly (who would be an amazing blogger given she is in school now for interior design and has the wittiest humor of anyone I've ever met) over the weekend, as she was very excited to show me some prints her and her husband bought while on their 4yr anniversary trip to Asheville, NC (which is definitely on our top list for the next vacation spot). The city is home to many cutting-edge artists and there is always some art festival, concert or happening event going on. side note: Kimberly said the city smells like hemp, interesting.
She was absolutely giddy about this new-to-her artist Melissa Moss. And after reading her blog and checking her artwork out, I was hooked. She states that she left the "publishing world to study color psychology and during my course work discovered my true passion…painting. I use color as my primary artistic element. I’ve studied the meanings and associations of colors and their subtle shades and tones and use this knowledge to convey the mood of each painting." And, she is true to her word. If you get the chance today, go check out her gallery. How lovely to have a few of her prints/art mixed in on your gallery wall??

There is also a hint of humor in her paintings, which is probably what first drew Kimberly to her work. The print they bought was called "Lemony Goodness" and is quite lovely.



Enjoy ladies!

another side note: I am getting the boots mentioned yesterday! YAY!

these boots were made for...

Question: Cowboy boots. In or Out??

These are from the Steve Madden collection and are on sale, but the point isn't should I get these, rather are they even considered "in style?" And if they are, will they continue to be for some time?

oh, what a day!

Since this is me at work today, I've decided to pretend I'm here, with my husband.


{photo by Debi Treloar}


Have a lovely weekend!