back to normal(ish..)

Things are mostly back to normal in our house, meaning MOST everything is out of boxes. Now I just need some help in the decor department. If I had an unlimited budget, it'd be no big deal but alas, I barely have a thrift store budget so I'm working with what I've got.

Filling up my studio will be pretty simple. Living room on the other hand.. well, i have a rather large wall that the couch is on and I have no idea what to do with it. Any ideas? (Paging miss rachel denbow!)

Our bedroom also has two big plain walls where our bed is that need help too. I normally don't mind bare walls but in really old houses it can feel kind of dungeon like.. with uneven wall texture and all that. So feel free to send me any ideas and links!

a few studio peeks, it's my favorite spot in the house.

hamburg germany

I was just sitting in bed, drinking some Nighty night tea and going through a folder on my desktop labeled "organize me", full of about 6 months worth of junk and photos.. and i found all the pictures i took in europe this last fall and i realized there were some cities that i never posted.

Maybe I wasn't in a hurry to post these of Hamburg because we didn't like it very much. It was pretty dumpy and didn't have much as far as sight seeing... and it was SO COLD. So cold I couldn't even stand to have my hands out of my pockets to take pictures.

One funny thing happened though! The guys were in line at a fast food restaurant and I was sitting down with candy i bought from the grocery store and a gentleman came over and starting talking to me in German and pointing at my candy. I was obviously confused but after a few minutes of broken english from him i gathered he wanted a piece of my candy... and even gave me money for it. He kept saying "favorite! favorite!" I don't know if asking strangers for candy is common over there but i thought maybe I should do that more in the states.. how amazing would that be?

sidenote: we're all moved in to our new place! i use that lightly since only about 50% is in place and totally livable but we're in and slowly but surely making it more homey. it seems like it always takes me FOREVER to actually get stuff hung up and decor in place. I can't wait to show you my new workspace.. i'm calling it my studio because that sounds fancier and more fun! I'll have a little tour as soon as its all set up.

a THANK YOU sale

Last week I reached my 150th sale in my store. I can't even begin to say how thankful I am but as promised, I lowered the prices of EVERYTHING in my shop for one whole week.

Dresses are $50

Blouses are $25

Solid skirts are $25

Geometric skirt $30

Totes are $10

Bow belts are $8

And the clutch is $18

Shop away!

Regular prices will go back up next Wednesday morning (March 7)

cats & cats

Today has been pretty great. I got more sewing work done than i planned (what?? that NEVER happens), tidied up our room (ahem.. messy husband), and tonight we're hanging out and having dinner with my parents. Also, how can the day be bad if you're wearing a cat print blouse and a mustard skirt? Not even a dark rainy day can bring me down!

Speaking of cats, I don't know if you can tell in the pictures I post of ours (his name is Mosey).. but he licks all the fur off his sides and its been that way for over a year now! We've taken him to the vet twice and they say nothing is wrong other than he likes to be really clean and excessively bathes himself. (We ruled out allergies by changing litter and food multiple times) The weird part is he has never had a hair ball. Does anyone elses cat do this? We still love him the same of course, but he looks pretty silly with just a mohawk and a huge fluffy tail.

P.s. I'd like to point out that I didn't work on a sewing project for myself, nor make a video over the weekend but we did in fact get the house we we're going to look at friday night! We're super excited to have a bigger place in a great neighborhood with our own workspaces that aren't in the living room! Thank you Jesus!!

pps: you can buy the skirt i'm wearing here!

this and that

Happy friday friends!

I feel like i've been a funk all week.. I kept waking up late, which throws my entire work day off.. which in turn throws everything else off. I guess it happens! I tend to get stressed when i'm even a little bit behind which isn't fun. So I promised myself to wake up early this morning and get caught up, and i did just that and I feel SO much better.

We're also moving in a couple weeks to a better location and a hopefully bigger place, which we're REALLY excited about but i'm already over craigslist hunting every day. (Is there such thing as a renting equivalent to a real estate agent?) We're actually going to check out a place tonight in our most ideal location, i'm praying its "the one"!

Also, I was counting up my orders the other day and realized i was just a few away from 150, which is a huge deal! So i'll be having a giveaway soon to celebrate and say thanks..

I hope you're weekend is fantastic! I'll be taking the weekend off from sewing for the shop to do some pre-spring cleaning and de-cluttering, work on some sewing projects for myself, and making my first video with my new camera!

baby lumen and links

So in keeping with one of my new years goals, i've been booking more and more photo sessions lately. I LOVE shooting so this makes me really happy. I'll be sharing more about this really soon and there's even a related giveaway in the very near future.. but for now i just wanted to pop in with a newborn session from a couple weeks ago. Her name is Lumen and she gave me baby fever like i've never had before!

and a couple links i wanted to share with you..

Somehow I missed this tutorial from a couple years ago, I'm wanting to make one asap!

How to make a citrus scrub

Max's notes to his baby brother/sister are so cute I can't even handle it.

Homemade pho is on the menu for next week.

And last but not least, I love what Ashley had to say about marriage in this post! So honest and encouraging.

lately..

ready for some random photos from this week, accompanied by some thoughts..?

okay, here we go!

english muffin, sunflower seed butter, banana, all drizzled with honey, and a couple cups of french press (in my new favorite mug, thrift score!). it's my favorite breakfast right now.

of course, trader joes pumpkin pancakes aren't bad either.

speaking of favorites.. Annie's! I am completely obsessed with their cheddar bunnies (among other products) and last week at 10pm or something i tweeted about wanting some delivered to my door because i needed a snack. The next day the CEO had replied and had a box of annie's goodies shipped to me. Is that crazy or what? I love that they appreciate people who love their stuff! (they obviously didn't ask me to tweet or blog about their kindness.. i just want to share the love!)

i just watched this for the first time ever. ooooh my! In my top 5 favorite movies now! I feel like i should watch it 100 times to make up for lost time. I'm obsessed with Gwyneth Paltrow all over again.

(thanks for letting me borrow it sarah!)

I was pretty upset when i found out the beloved sail boat print for the Float away dress was no longer being made, but after seeing this color combo in the same design those feelings have drifted away (pun?). In fact, i think i may like it better. The options are endless with solids! I'm wanting to make a mint/ivory one for myself sometime soon.

a couple weeks ago the sky was hot pink and purple, it was incredible! Thank you sky for being clear enough to see this amazing sunset!

farm life

Josh is in New Zealand for about 10 days which has left things a little boring around our house.. (he's the life of this party, its true!) I've been plowing through orders, shooting and editing photos like crazy, and cuddling with the kitty to keep busy, and on saturday i hung out with sarah, at her gorgeous place in the country. She has THE most amazingly decorated house i've ever seen, i must go back soon to do a home tour (if not just to have more perfect chemex). We ended the day watching SNL sketches (target lady, anyone?), which is always a good time if you ask me!

p.s. this is hands down the fluffiest cat i've ever seen! i couldn't stop picking her up..