This and That // 1

hello! happy monday. i hope you all had a wonderful weekend. eric and i took full advantage of the b-e-a-utiful weather in kansas city by lounging around, drinking adult beverages and soaking up the sun.

just kidding. but we did take advantage.

eric cut down a giant (dead) pine tree in the backyard.

sad that we lost it.

but pretty baller that he took care of that himself and saved us some serious monies!

then we admired the ones that are still alive.

i gave some closet doors a seriously delicious makeover.

(more on that in wednesday's ORC post)

 we did some sleeping in.

 monkey butt!!!!

and then i did my best to get caught up on inventory.

holy brass attack.

guys, relax. i sell it, i don't keep it all.

we celebrated our accomplishments and some fun news!

(that i get to share very very soon!!)

yesterday we assessed our mint crop.

can you say MOJITO?

pretty sure you wouldn't be able to if you put all of that to good use.

especially in a few weeks when it's fully grown.

i pondered what to do with the last bare wall in our formal.

there will probably be brass.

 and we celebrated Easter with the fam.

in bunny ears and polka dots. dah.

so it was a full one.

today, i'm over at classically b talking about 4 of my favorite things.

think spring. because that's pretty much all i'm thinking about these days.

also, there's this to start your week:

truth.

kid president is wise.

-  o x o x  -

Type Tuesday // Striking Truths

Gorgeous images, beautiful words to think about.

via Striking Truths

Why is that last one always so hard to remember? Celebrate your gifts! ox

Shop Love // Read Between the Lines

You guys. I have been so so anxiously awaiting the chance to talk about one of my new favorite product lines from Read Between the Lines. It has seriously been killing me to wait for their launch! Now that it's finally here, let's talk about them!!

Inspired by their awesome card line, the fine ladies behind the brand decided to offer playful, quippy prints with gloriously simple type and fun phrases. They were kind enough to give me a little sneakity peek (which I'll be showing you styled in mi casa over the next few months) so I can attest to the quality and presence. At 16"x20" these beauties make quite the bold statement.

I. Love. Them. All. And you might, too...

 images via Read Between the Lines

My fave is probably you are the best and the mostest.
Can you choose one? Tis tough, I know.

On Happiness

Wow. Friday already. That can't be bad, right?

Table Tonic

We're going to talk more about this quote next week. I don't have the juice to do the full post right now (heartburn is my middle name this week and it's mis.era.ble. No sleepies for me lately*), but I do have a little something planned for the month of June. I hope you guys get into it, too.

Also, that was JUNE. Just in case you missed it.

Where is the time going?!

Happy weekend, party people! ox


*Advice is welcomed and appreciated.

Type Tuesday // Sean Wes

Sean Wes

* Thinking of you, Boston. Emitting all of the love and strength I have for mankind today. *

Inspired By 02.01.13

How good is this reminder, you guys? Truth time: I've thought about quitting blogging 1,000 times. More probably. There are days I've wondered what I'm doing this for (other than to connect with amazing like-minded people like you) and convinced myself to throw in the towel. If you blog as well, you know that this "hobby" takes a lot of time. It's a part time job. You give up a lot to do it. And in the beginning it's pure joy. You're sharing your passions, giving yourself an outlet, building an audience, making new friends (real life ones even!), learning about yourself and honing your aesthetic. Awesome people that you have long admired start recognize you. What the heck could be more fun?? But then all of a sudden "the chase" sets in. You need to build a brand, improve your numbers, make career-building connections, get sponsor deals, make MONEY, and do it all while maintaining that carefree passion that you started with.

Shit can fry your brain. Make you crazy. Make you a little bit ugly even. And, eventually, sort of make you want to quit.

But I have to say, blogging is something that I truly love. It's part of who I am. No, I'm not 100% (or even 50%) professional about it, I don't have my shit together and I don't promote promote promote. Maybe I should? I don't know. Honestly, that aspect of blogging still feels really icky to me and and I'm so glad I've waited until just the right brand alignment opportunities have come along. In my mind, NOTHING is more important than integrity when it comes to blogging. I make a bit of money with affiliate links and the like, but I honest to goodness do it featuring things that I sincerely think are awesome.

Whew. Tangent. All of this to say that things are starting to happen around here. Four years later, I've begun to gain some clarity about who I am, what I want out of this space (out of life!) and I'm so so grateful that I didn't throw in the towel. So if you've thought about quitting something important to you that really brings you joy, I encourage you to think hard about your decision. Often, the moment we quit is right before things are about to get really really good! And, on the flip side, if you're doing something that is hijacking your joy, give yourself permission to leave it behind. Life is honestly too short.

Happy weekend, friends! ox

* I wrote this post last Sunday, but came across these inspiring words from Megan Gilger yesterday on a very similar topic. Worth the read!

Type Tuesday // It's Black and White

These sort of go hand in hand, no?

The first I must have found via Twitter or Pinterest, and the second is from the book Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things No One Told You About Being Creative. Have you read it? If not, I think you should.

quote // a message for your monday

by anthony burrill

good motto. you can get one here.

happy friday!

etsy

today is pretty great, isn't it? i don't think i've mentioned this, but november is one of my favorite months.  for one, i celebrate my birthday at this time every year (next monday to be exact. my fashion pinterest board has a great gift selection if you're interested), football season is in full swing (did anyone catch that monday night chiefs/chargers game? heya!), my fall wardrobe gets to come out (turtlenecks and boots? yes, please), and comfort foods are completely acceptable (pretty sure our cafeteria served thanksgiving dinner for lunch yesterday and i obliged).

adding to the excitement this year, eric and i are celebrating 5 years together on this very day. we call it our non-date anniversary because at the end of an amazing night, he suggested that we invite a couple of our mutual guy friends next time. what the?!?! i'd been under the impression that we were doing just fine on our own (dinner and a few games of pool. i've been known to hold my own, and i needed to be sure he could handle it). the next time he called me (three weeks later), he admitted that he was a little freaked out by how strongly he felt that night.

no surprise there, right? :)

jack pierson

alsoooooooooooooo . . . i am probably jinxing us right now, but i can't bear to hold it in. today is also very special because we are having our possible new home inspected!!!!!!! yes yes yes, we have finally struck a deal (third time's a charm) and are on our way to having a real grown-up home by the end of this month!!! those of you that have struggled with the home buying process know exactly how it feels to finally find one that you adore and to have the deal actually go through. absolutely euphoric. christmas comes twice this year.

don't even think about it. i'm drinking all of those.

more or less 200 houses later, i think we can agree that i earned them.

or, if you want those, i'll just go with one of these. that should be sufficient.

via vmac and cheese

so please cross your fingers for us that nothing holds this one up, and that i will be showing you pictures of our new pad in a mere four weeks. your encouraging words have done so much to keep my spirits up throughout this process. i would kiss everyone's feet if i could. or, at least, invite you all to a housewarming party. you pick.

wishing you a fabulous fall weekend!

rain or shine

image via danielle kroll

haha! well, if this isn't the perfect cheeky reminder for me to come across today!

so....after my ranting and raving last week, we found a house! a glorious house with everything we've been looking for, including extra gobs of character. hallelujah!

we gave it our best bid. unfortunately, someone then beat us out, so the search continues.

i've been in mourning. we've looked at over 100 houses, my friends. that's a rather large and exhausting number, if you don't know. so last night i took some time to throw a fit and be tired of the hunt and drink one too many glasses of fruit juice (code for vino) and went to bed appropriately puffy and pissed off.

and, wouldn't you know it, this morning 4 more brilliant prospects popped up.

that sunshine. it always knows how to find me when i need it :)

emma watson photograph by mariano vivanco via touchpuppet

enjoy your weekend, friends! remember to let the sunshine in . . .

type tuesday || the wheatfield

i am inspired by these illustrations by artist katie daisy on so many levels! her playful technique and engaging palettes are just outstanding. and i definitely respond to many of her messages.

images via the wheatfield etsy shop

so many more to see here!