inspiration to wardrobe: Turquoise, Red, & White

I love love love the stark contrats of this color combination!
inspiration
Matt & Shine Full Hem Skirt $35 * White Embroidered Bid Shirt $32 * Red Pleat Front Clutch Bag $16  * Qupid Drama Pump $50 * Antler Earrings $12

Our First Wine Tasting

Landon Winery here in Greenville offers a great deal where you can taste 5 wines for $5. My favorite was their Chocolate Finale which is basically a chocolate syrup port. So yummy! They have an incredible Yellow Rose wine as well :)

(Editor's Note: I do not have a double chin in real life!)

In My Mailbox: August 2011

Over the last couple months, I have had quite a few authors and publishers ask me to do reviews and while I hope to get to them all it's hard to address each one in a timely fashion. Therefore I have decided to follow in the way of The Story Siren and start a monthly In My Mailbox feature. This is where I will mention the various review copies I have received along with books I have picked up for personal reading as well.

My Memories Suite Giveaway & $20 Coupon

As pretty much all of you know by now, I am a graphic artist and am trained and have access to the full Adobe suite. Their software is unparalleled for professional applications. However, only a small amount of the population "need" to use such programs as Illustrator or Photoshop. But like most people when you see a pretty design or digital scrapbook page, you probably think to yourself, "If only I had the money and time to learn how to do something like that in Photoshop?"

Interested in Getting your own Custom Header?

I have added custom  Blog Headers and Blog Templates for blogger to my Etsy shop! Check it out if you would be interested in something like this :)

Custom Blog Header

Custom Blog Template

inspiration to wardrobe: The Artist

I've always loved this craft room and it fully inspired this cozy winter outfit!
inspiration
jamie solid peacoat $50 * daytrip libra stretch trouser $50 * three dots scoop neck tee $48 * h&m shoes $13 * shiny scarf $11 * nordstrom slouchy eco tote with pouch $22

inspiration to wardrobe: Funky Mix & Match

For those who see me day to day, they know i can put together some pretty weird combinations. So it's little wonder how much this set speaks to me :)
inspiration
bke boutique ruffle lace tank top $38 * bke long strappy tank top $12 * the happy bunch skirt $50 * dv by dolce vita toni $45 * zebra handbag $13 * silver pink cuff bracelet $40

I Won a Design Contest :)

As a long time follower of Sara Cotner's blogs 2000 Dollar Wedding and Feeding the Soil, I knew I had to jump at the opportunity to design her new header.
Since Sara has often admitted to gaining inspiration in life and motherhood from Amy of Progressive Pioneer, I wanted to give her a similar illustration style header but with my own design flare. It needed to fit the name of her blog and reflect what is most important to her - being an amazing mother.
I perused her past entries to find the perfect photo of her with her son, Henry. Then taking key elements from the headers and logos from her other endeavors, I was able to create this.

Jessica's Montessori Child Bed for Twins

So you may remember my post on the Montessori Child Bed and the email I sent to my friend, Jessica, who was pregnant with twins...
...well her little ones are 5 months old and are loving their beds!

Beautiful Eyes

I have really been wanting to get back into creative photography to give my business a jolt of new energy. therefore I have decided that the weekly I Heart Faces challenges are the perfect thing for me :)
This week's challenge is Beautiful Eyes and since I decided to participate at the last minute, here is an old favorite for my entry. From here on out though, I plan to use new photos ;)

inspiration to wardrobe: Midnight Glow

Perfect fall assembly ensemble :)
inspiration
Linen-Blend Ruffle Shirt $8 * Canoe Dig It? Skirt $43 * Pumps $46 * Grey Croc Bowler Bag $46 * Light Bulb Earrings $16 * Feather Hair Slide $8.45

Essential Wardrobe List in Action - Tops

Remember my Essential Wardrobe List? Well I have decided to also provide my recommendations for each category if you were creating this wardrobe from scratch. Just a fun little something I wanted to put together :)

Little Black Dress

Like Coco Chanel, I am a big proponent of the little black dress and every woman should have one in her closet. It can be dressed up or down for almost any occasion. Inspired by Chanel's original design, I decided to find a modern version at a variety of price points. Can you pick out the ones over $200 compared to those under $100?

a.b.

c.d. 

inspiration to wardrobe: Quotable

Totally loving this yellow and gray combination!
inspiration
printed ruffled chiffon dress $29.50 * dv dolce vita "pali" wedge sandals $43 * white twist lock purse $33 * petal profusion ring $6 * laugh necklace $38

August Intentions

Just wanted to create a list for myself of all the things I hope to accomplish this month :)

• Update the living growing scrapbook
• Get a duvet cover for the bedroom
• Hang the bedroom curtains
• Organize the office
• Create 2 pieces of bedroom art
• Polish first 3 chapters of my non-fic WIP and query
• Finish box shelves
• Make a curtain for back doors
• Refinish coffee table trunk
• Refinish night stands and headboard
• Collect wooden crates and finish shoe display
• Design new batch of sample invitations
• Send sample invitations to wedding blogs
• Complete business plan
• Finish and mail my pay it forward gifts
• Only spend $150 on groceries this month
• Find a part-time job that supplements the difference in Luke working part-time as well

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Fauxboutin Pigalle Pumps

Most of my friends and family have witnessed the saga of my quest to make knock offs of thes gorgeous gold glitter louboutins pumps...

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Our New Sofa

no not really... just a new look to it. Remember me mentioning that my mom helped me recover our old couch so that we could ditch the irritating slip covers. Well, I finally finished the throw pillows and can share pictures :)
Here is the before picture of our couch. It was very comfy but a bit dated. What can you expect from your college boy cousins hand me down ;)

From Pin to Perfection

When I heard about the  Pinterest Challenge, Sherry, Katie, Emily, and Lana had cooked up, I knew I wanted to give it a shot. 


I decided to create a mail sorter/message center for my project. Here is the pin, I was inspired by...

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In Home Art Classes

In light of my last post and our current career changes, I have decided to start offering in home art classes for children and adults. This is something, I have considered doing for the past year with how much I have enjoyed my past and current teaching positions. So know is the time to take the plunge!
I am looking to take on up to 8 students a week and my schedule is currently wide open so just drop me an email to discuss a good class time.

Leaps of Faith

So there are some really big and sudden changes going on in our neck of the woods...
. . .
Luke gave his two week notice this morning...
. . .
and he doesn't have another job lined up...
. . .
but I am not worried or scared...
. . .
but 100% happy for and proud of him.

Best Music Video Ever!

Stumbled upon this video last night and was thoroughly blown away by how well it was designed... it's the perfect visual for the song and marvelously capture the psychedelic vibe of the Beatles at that era.