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May 29, 2013

a bicycle shirt

I don't often take much stock in my Pinterest boards, but I noticed a recent trend on my style board the other day. I have pinned a lot of pictures of bike related paraphernalia- shirts, scarves, necklaces, bracelets, etc.  I'm not sure if this is because I have taken up a biking hobby lately, both on the roads and mountains, or because I just like the simplicity of the bicycle design.  Either way, I was thinking I could make something with a bike on it using a recently purchased t-shirt ($3), spray paint, and a homemade cutout (cereal box).  I went about my project this morning and am quite pleased with the outcome!










(Thanks to my sweet hubby for taking these pictures)

are there any fun trends on your pinterest board (or other source) that you'd like to try?

**have a good wednesday**


May 28, 2013

(the day after) monday mashup

We spent a great weekend at Smith Mountain Lake in VA this past weekend.  The time was spent reading, biking, laughing, playing cards, and enjoying friends. Our two pups went along and spent hours in the lake- we had a great time!
 
 Just a little trivia- Smith Mountain Lake is actually where "What About Bob?" was filmed- so beautiful!


I am head over heels for this pup!



 



Huck was such a snuggler and Brody definitely had a run-in with a stool- not his finest moment.



 Cicadas were everywhere at the lake! We actually brought a stowaway with us to Winston!



 **happy memorial day**





May 26, 2013

a table from richmond, virginia.

Have you ever seen something (anything) that automatically attracts your attention and you can't stop looking at? Whether this is an item of food when you're ridiculously hungry, an article of clothing that is fabulous, a hair hanging off the sweater of the person sitting in front of you- you get the idea. 

I was in Richmond five years ago for a church conference with my mom. We had an afternoon off and decided to check out downtown Richmond and came across a flea market. For some reason, there was this delightful little table I couldn't stop looking at.  It was just a small end table- no bigger than 2 feet wide- but it had charm, and even after walking out of the flea market and heading down the street, I asked my mom if we could go back.  For whatever reason, I was attracted to this little table wanted to have it.

I bought it for $35, which as a minimum-wage-making barista, was a stretch. But I bought it nonetheless. I hauled it back to Winston, where Seth just looked at me with those are you kidding me? eyes when I brought it through the door. But I loved it.



I changed the color choice to better suit our home decor, and over the years, it has been moved from room to room to suit whatever purpose we had for it.  

  
Two summers ago, the little table was spray-painted a sweet blue and placed on our deck, topped with flower pots during the warm months. Finally, about a month ago, I discovered the table wasn't built for the outdoors- it was rotting and needed to be "put down".  



So, because Seth has had no attachment to the table, he helped me see a good way to put out of its misery and let off some steam because my dear table was rotten. 





The bits of the table now rest in a dump somewhere and I was sad to see it go. But I will say that it's a good example of something that I loved from the beginning (for some reason) and through the years reinvented to suit whatever need I had for it. 
I wonder what will be next?



**happy sunday**




May 21, 2013

distressed jeans; part 2

Last evening I added a little "thread" of change to the distressed jeans. I thought red might be a fun accent to make sure the holes don't grow any bigger over time.





 **hope your day is a good one**





May 20, 2013

distressed jeans


Today I decided to make a pair of my jeans distressed. I have always liked this look, however, I refuse to spend a whole lot on a pair of pants with holes in them.  So, I recently scored this pair of LONG jeans for $4, and thought they'd be perfect for making my own distressed pair of jeans. So, with the help of some random tools and a nail, I created some holes and scratches and came up with these. I'm hoping through the years, they will continue to look more worn and distressed and who knows, maybe I'll add some patches or design some day.

**it's a jeans kind of day**





May 17, 2013

dressing with intention

My friend Lauren recently recommended a great new magazine coming out that features style, culture, relationships, and all that young women and men think about. I came across this article this morning and I thought I'd share it- the author (thanks Janet Sahm) wrote some of the things in my head that I'm unable to put into any coherent sentence. I haven't specifically been thinking about the "sexy" take in the article, but naturally every woman wants to look and feel like a woman and I like her encouragement to do so by expressing yourself. Check it out!



photo by Daniel Reedy
 
  **verily magazine**

purpose of this

I have been writing this blog for a little over a month now and have been trying to stay encouraged and inspired by other bloggers, pinterest, magazines, etc.  And while I love looking at outside sources for inspiration, it is important for me to remember why I started a blog in the first place. Here are a few notes from way back when (two months ago)......

Blog Ideas:
~Secondhand Only- clothing, home decor
~Simplicity- NOT trying to keep up with the Jones'
~Money- NOT spending money unnecessarily
~Trying to stay away from Big box stores- and trying to be original
~"We shouldn't spend money on new things just because we have the money."
~Environmentally Savvy- Why wouldn't I aim to have things that are already made than buy NEW things, only perpetuating our culture's habit of being consumers?
~I want to be challenged to stick with something that is important to me.
~Perhaps I will be inspired by my own ingenuity.
~Shopping perpetuates shopping- buying more and more to go with the things that I just bought!
~BALANCE- there is an importance to balance as well- being spending conscious doesn't mean NOT allowing yourself to have nice things or quality products.
~Especially with an eventual move north coming, I will want to decorate/"nest" by filling our new home- maybe this will help me remember to be conscious and aware even during a time of transition!

I literally copied and pasted this from a "sticky note" on the desktop of my computer, on which I added reasons to start the blog over a few weeks.  This is why I started this, and I hope, humbly, that I will continue to reflect this list throughout the blog.

**enjoy your weekend**

.............................................................

May 15, 2013

yours truly



Another gem of Winston Salem's secondhand shops has made an impression on me and I'd like to share it with you! This shop, located on one of the quaintest stretches of Reynolda road, features anything from vintage to modern clothing and shoes, to handmade pottery, old books, and furniture.

One of the employees was kind enough to talk to me a bit about the store and also communicate with me about how they function. Not only do they support the community by buying and selling gently used merchandise, but they also feature pottery from a local artist, and furniture from local venders.  I spent over an hour looking through racks of clothing and browsing an entire room of furniture and home accents!

My absolute favorite part of shopping secondhand is finding unique treasures that are unexpected and describe perfectly something about me. For example, IF we were redecorating a bathroom, I would now own a red tub (see below right), and a new bathroom would be created around that piece. But because we can't afford any of that, I'll let someone else be inspired by its uniqueness.  Instead, I found a cute, vintage clutch that was tucked away under a pile of purses, and I LOVE it (below left).




**thanks yours truly**


May 13, 2013

monday mashup.2

Another great weekend here in Winston Salem. A few highlights...
 







1. A radish salad recipe I've been working on, especially now that our radishes are ready. (If you need a good recipe for radishes, please email- I'm happy to share!)
2. The latest on the chalkboard project- Seth came up with the quote.
3. A sweet vintage purse I found at a consignment shop this weekend- more to come on that shop soon!
4. Long evening of conversation and wine- these are some of my favorite times with the Mr.!
5. Grill master. 
 6. Fun night out with Kim and Erika celebrating Winston Salem's centennial celebration!