Some flea market finds...

Stone and I took a little break from work today and went to Itchy's Flea Market. I honestly do not think I have rummaged through a legit flea market until today. I have been to plenty of 'vintage' stores and 'thrift' stores, but the flea market is different. There is everything from old cameras and typewriters to grandma's china to bedspreads that I would not touch with a ten foot pole. You really (REALLY) have to dig at flea markets, but you can find some neat things for way less than your average thrift or vintage store! Stone was pretty excited about discovering a film projector for his 8mm films and I love all of the fun kitchen accessories and decor PLUS we found a great typewriter that looks like it came straight out of Mad Men! All in all it was not the most successful trip since we were going there to look for a kitchen island, but I found a lot of other great things... don't be surprised when your Christmas gift still has a little dust on it this year :)

btw... I still feel a little itchy after leaving that place!

JCrew: Liquor Store Vintage

JCrew has done it again. The first menswear-only boutique 'JCrew Liquor Store' opened in the old Tribeca Tavern in New York. The original wood bar is still intact and they have expanded their product with vintage collectable watches, LPs and first edition books! So next time Stone and I head up to NY he can go to the Liquor Store and I will head to their new bridal boutique (do I have any use for a wedding dress? no. but it would be fun of course!).

What will they come up with next I wonder? Maybe furniture, that would be so great!

I never read. I just look at pictures.

I really like this poster with a quote from Andy Warhol... not that Stone doesn't read, I just think it is pretty true of his profession :)

Anyway, I can't find it anywhere, if you come across it ever I would love to know where to get it!

I should have thought of that: Weddings

My engagement ring is really special to me because my husband designed it himself and actually helped in the making of it. It is fun to have photos of him from the day he went into the jeweler and actually 'threw the platinum' (which, I think is so awesome). And I love every single detail of my ring and remember the day he gave it to me being so blown away by how beautiful it was. Here is a photo below, but it is kind of difficult to see the actual ring.

Anyway, I recently came across this jewelry designer and love the unique style. I think this would be a great idea to do for our engagement ring, wedding band, or even a celebration band later down the road! I have always thought it would be a fun idea to get a band for each baby that Stone and I have and then wear it until they are older and I can pass it down to them. And I would love to stack a few of these together, their are so many options to choose from too. The price point is not too bad either and they use raw diamonds in a lot of their rings, which is beautiful. They also have an option to custom design your own rings like Stone did for me :)

Go here to see more!

A lesson in poaching.

Stone and I love having poached eggs for dinner. In fact we usually have them once a week at least! We like to put them on toasted english muffins with avocado and salsa. But, since all of our things have been in storage I have been without my egg poacher, which, is the only way I know how to make poached eggs. I knew it was possible to make it in boiling water and that they actually came out prettier (by the way, I am ALL about presentation when it comes to food) I just was afraid to try. Anyway, I found this description along with photos (which is always helpful) here and thought I would share with you. If you have never tried them for dinner, you should :)

Fill a saucepan 3 inches deep with water, add the vinegar, and bring to a boil. Crack your egg into a coffee mug and set aside. While the water is coming to a boil combine your chopped herbs, garlic, a dash of olive oil, and set aside.

Once the water has come to a boil, shut off heat and gently slide the egg into the pan. Cook 3-4 (or more depending on how you like your yolk!) minutes.

When the egg is finished cooking, remove it with a slotted spoon, and pat dry.

Donut date.

This morning Stone and I had to run a couple of errands and then wound up at Lamar's donut shop... funny how that happened, but I was not complaining.

It was a delicious little treat :)

Pinhole camera!

If you took photography class in high school you know exactly what this is... except we used an old Quaker Oats cardboard container (not as glamorous). But, when I came across this camera, I could not help but think back to the month we spent in class creating images using our homemade camera. Anyway, wouldn't this be a fun thing to buy for a little weekend photo adventure? One of my favorite things about photography is that makes you look your everyday a little differently than you would normally.

Go here to buy the camera.

Below is what a pinhole photograph ends up looking like, I like the blurriness actually :)

Tuesday tunes.

Well there is not a ton I can say about this song since over 50% of you are probably tired of hearing it... but... I love it! It is the perfect song to sing to in the car and I am so happy every time it comes on the radio :)

Happy Tuesday.

Weekend wrap up.

I had a whirlwind of a weekend! I was so SO good though. I flew into Dallas on Thursday night and left on Friday for a bachelorette party in Austin for one of my best friends Allie (getting married in 30ish days!). There were 20 girls in one house, which was awesome and so fun to get some good girl time. We did what most girls do on weekend trips... ate, danced, laid out by the pool, talked, drank wine, and then ate some more :) We also had some minor car issues on our ride home, which just made the trip that much more memorable.

I also got to spend some time with my family and explore some new places in Dallas including a fun little coffee shop called The Pearl Cup and a delicious restaurant with an awesome patio called Park. If you are ever in the area you should check them out. It was a quick trip, but I am so thankful I was able to go and did not miss out on it all. So good to see you girls and I cannot wait to be back for the wedding!

Have a wonderful weekend!

I am headed to Austin in a couple of minutes and just cannot wait to catch up with my girlfriends and celebrate Allie's upcoming wedding! Stone is busy this weekend too... he has a photo shoot on Saturday that I am so sad to be missing, but not too sad because I will most likely be laying out by a pool :) So far it has been so good to hang out with the fam, the only downside is that I am allergic to all the pets running around their homes and it is driving me nuts. But, since I got into town I have already had some Tex-Mex, which is one of the things I miss most about living here!

Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful weekend, I am sure that I will have some great photos to share on Monday!

xo.

I am really wanting to order this calendar off of Etsy... so cute!

Another cool 2011 calendar.

This guy's 182 sq ft apartment makes our future 580 sq ft apartment seem like a mansion!

Love everything that this girl can make out of felt, it is incredible.

I think these are just so perfect. Would make for a fun Christmas gift (nudge nudge, wink wink).

Maybe a cool thing for you New Yorkers.

I am thinking instead of painting in our new place I may try out this.

Happy Fall!

I have been traveling all day and have finally landed in Dallas! I am here for my friend's (Allie) bachelorette party in Austin this weekend and just cannot wait for some good girl time. Stone and I also had a pretty productive morning, including finding a great vintage steel desk for only $25! Pictures to come :)

Anyway, today is the first official day of Fall and I am so ready for those crisp cool mornings. What are your favorite things about the season?

Some of mine are...

:: butternut squash and crab bisque

:: leaves on the trees changing colors

:: wearing tights, boots and sweaters

:: drinking hot tea again

:: pumpkins and pumpkin scented candles

:: a fire in the fire place

:: AND it means that Christmas is just around the corner!

just to name a few...

xo.

Jax date.

Tonight Stone and I met our friends, Skyler and Kristin, for dinner at Jax. We had such a great time, it was so great to catch up with them and talk about their upcoming wedding! Plus, Jax is one of Stone and my favorite restaurants in Boulder and it will really be missed, however, I suppose since we are moving to California good seafood will not be in short supply.

Hope you had a wonderful day!

Sneak Peek: Lindsay and Preston

Go here to see more photos of my beautiful sister and her handsome husband!

Lindsay's homemade granola.

This is my sister's granola recipe and I tried it out a couple days before we left for California, and then brought mason jars of it to thank friends for hosting us while we were there :) It was the perfect gift, and so yummy!

7 1/2 cups of old fashioned oats (do not get the instant one minute oats!)

1/2 cup of chopped pecans

1/2 cup of toasted almond slices

1/2 cup of sunflower seeds

1/2 cup of ground flax seed

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 cup of honey

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Thoroughly mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

Add vanilla to the cup of honey and pour into dry mixture. mix until all granola is wet and clumps of granola have started forming.

Now for the baking process... use three baking sheets and divide the granola evenly among them (you do not need to grease the pans, but you could use parchment paper below). Bake all three sheets of granola at once at 300 degrees. Bake for 10 minute intervals, for 30 to 40 minutes. at each 10 minute interval, remove the granola pans and give the granola a good stir and rotation. The key to the success of your granola lies in the baking process... do it slow so that you don't burn it!

Once the granola has browned, you are done! Remove pans to cooling racks and let the granola sit and continue baking on the racks until it has reached room temperature.

You are done! Enjoy it on top of a yogurt with fruit or just with milk :)

Sneak Peek: Lucy

This girl was a natural in front of the camera!

See more of her senior shoot here.

Oxfords for the gals.

When I was in California this past weekend I noticed so many girls wearing oxfords and I love the look! Really, I saw them styled in so many ways, with cut-off jean shorts, a pretty dress with tights, and rolled up skinny jeans. Above are some that I have added to my list of 'wants' (notice I don't call it a list of 'needs'!) for the Fall/Winter. I am thinking a grey color would go with lots of outfits and is a good neutral. The ones with cut-outs are also fun to have for summertime too and I love the "loafer style" fringe on the brown pair at the bottom. All great choices :)

Top Row: Urban Outfitters 'The Chelsea', Robert Clergerie 'Filmw', Joan & David 'Zena Jazz'

Second Row: ALDO 'Lahaie', Forever 21 'Tonal Oxford'

Third Row: Urban Outfitters 'Swiss Dot', Urban Outfitters Ecote Woven

Last Row: Steve Maden 'Trouser', Madewell 'Aberdeen'

Tuesday tunes.

My friend Lacey showed me this video and I think it is pretty great. I wonder how long it took for them to complete this entire video? Worth the effort though, I also think the song is a good gloomy day song. Enjoy!

TV Guide.

Good news... tv is back on!

This is the week for premieres and I just cannot wait :) I am not a couch potato or anything, there are just some shows (ie. Glee and Modern Family) that I just cannot miss. Anyway, here is the run down:

30 Rock: Begins 9.23 8:30/7:30c NBC

Community: Begins 9.23 8/7c NBC

Top Chef Just Desserts: Began 9.15 10/11c BRAVO

The Office: Begins 9.23 9/8c NBC

Modern Family: Begins 9.22 9/8c ABC

Project Runway: In mid-season Thursdays 9/8c Lifetime

Glee: Begins 9.21 8/7c FOX

Sorry if this is totally lame, but at least I did not include Gossip Girl and the likes :)

The Colors Of The Web.

My Dad sent me this poster and I thought it was pretty interesting... again, I love things organized, so these graphs are right up my ally. The most popular color for these top web brands is blue, which, I have heard is the color that the majority of the population finds agreeable. I prefer the multicolored logos! Anyway, you can go here to see more graphs and such :)

Week wrap up.

How was your week? I would have written more, but, our entire week my thoughts were consumed with finding a new home for us. Don't get me wrong, we had an incredible time in San Diego... we were just on a mission the entire time and the waiting game is not fun to play. We are still waiting too. Hoping to hear from a place today so keep your fingers crossed for us! Like I said, we also had a lot of fun while in California, it was good to get a feel for North County (since that is where we will be moving) and be able to learn the neighborhood a bit.

Our friends Lacey and Patrick are always the best hostesses and we love vacationing with them! They introduced us to so many great restaurants and shops and I feel totally prepared and at ease about making the transition. I am such a home body, that having a place that feels comfortable and familiar is extremely important to me so I am very thankful for this time to get to know the area. We will be living in Encinitas, which is north of San Diego and feels like a cute surf town. One of the things I have loved so much about living in Boulder is that it has a small town feel, but there are still plenty of people so you don't feel too suffocated. The advantages of being able to ride our bikes around and not be in the car too long each day are so great that I hope we never live somewhere that this is not an option

So... back to our week... here is a run down of the things we did while there!

Right after we landed we headed to Trader Joe's, and this is one of the most exciting things for me about the move. If you have never been to one, you are missing out, and I am not giving it undeserved hype... promise! We found our new pizza spot at Pizza Port, such a great atmosphere and amazing pizza. Stone was able to go surfing 3 days, which he is loving (I will get out there too, I am just not as hard core as the boys). We spent a few good hours searching Craigslist for house rentals at Pannikin, which I am sure is to be my new favorite coffee spot. My friend from college, Courtney, met up with us one night for Taco Tuesday at El Camino and then a little bowling (what could be better than those two things?). The Dodds dominated us in a game of Skipbo at Extraordinary Desserts... a re-match is definitely in order. Lacey and I spent some time sunning on Moonlight Beach, I can definitely get used to that :). We also had an amazing cookout at our friends, The Gordon's home (thanks so much for the burgers!) after we went to church here on Sunday night. Lastly we had a triple couples date with The Dodds and The Gordons at Sushi Deli, so so good!

Have I convinced you to come visit us yet?

xo.

Weekend wrap up.

Well, Stone and I have landed in San Diego! We spent the entire day searching for houses (which is why I was MIA today in blog-world)... which was exhausting and not too successful. If you know of anything in North County for rent please let me know :)

It was, however, fun for us to explore the different neighborhoods and start to envision ourselves there. Scary, but exciting. I am realizing more and more how much of a "nester" I am, the thought of coming to a new place, finding community and making a home is much more intimidating than I thought it would be. But, now is the time for us to try it.

Anyway, how was your weekend? We were busy with a photo shoot and then getting ourselves together to get out here. We are so happy to be here and I will keep you updated throughout the week! xo.

Have a fun weekend!

Stone and I went on a date tonight (dinner & a movie... very creative of us!) and we saw the movie The Switch, which is a really great romantic comedy... just what we were in the mood for! After the movie we went over to Whole Foods for sushi, unfortunately it was not very tasty. That is one of my biggest pet peeves... Stone and I do not like to spend money eating out very often, so when we do (even if it is at Whole Foods) I want it to be delicious because it is a treat for us to go. Oh well, I got a cookie afterward that made up for it :)

This weekend we will be packing up and heading out to San Diego for a scouting trip! We are so excited to finally be able to answer the question "Where exactly will you be living?". We have already set up a couple of appointments to see some places and I just can't wait! Plus, we will be visiting with friends, which is always the best.

But, before that, Stone and I are shooting an engagement session tomorrow evening and while we are on the subject we apologize that the photo site has not been updated lately, we are super busy with weddings and shoots (which is a great thing) and we will hopefully have some new things up soon!

Enjoy some found things from the worldwide web. xo.

I think that these fashion celebrity teabags (pictured above) are pretty hysterical!

Here is the trailer to 'The Switch'... if you have no plans this weekend, you should go, I totally recommend it.

10 Fall trends from New York Fashion Week.

The most perfect French Farmhouse... hmmm begin daydreaming now!

Burberry adds some spice to their trench... for an easy $2800 that is.

Whoa! 100 Good Things to Eat in San Diego!

I just cannot wait to start wearing tights again :)

Bangin' bangs.

I have had my bangs for a little over a year now, and I love them only half the time. This morning I came across this article with different suggestions for styling bangs and I think perhaps trying some of these things will give a new umph! to my plain ol' bangs!

As of right now I do not use any product in them and perhaps that is where I am going wrong, so off to the beauty shop (as my grandmother, Nonnie, would call it) to pick up some supplies. I will try and remember to keep you updated because I am sure you are dying to hear how my hair experimenting goes :)

The Swoop— Create a swoop effect by loosely pinning your bangs to the side. Use a dry shampoo and a texturizing pomade to keep hair manageable.

Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo and Malin + Goetz Hair Pomade.

The Sexy '70s—Add a hippy, '70s feel to loose, flowing hair by parting your bangs down the middle and flat-ironing them in place.

Rsession Tools Pin Point Straightening Iron and Goody brushes.

The Elvis—Get Elvis-esque by applying a strong hold gel. Next, tease back your bangs and secure them with a few bobby pins. Pull hair back into a ponytail and spray the finished look.

Davines Defining Glam Power Spray and Nexxus Exxtra Gel.

The Pin-Straight—Straight, sleek bangs give an edge to a chin length bob or long locks alike. For best results, start with a smoothing shampoo and conditioner and finish with a smoothing cream.

Shu Uemura Shusu Sleek Smoothing Shampoo & Conditioner and Smoothing Treatment. TIGI Rockaholic Rock My World Stellar Smoothing Cream.

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Things organized neatly.

When I was little and my mom picked my up from a play-date at friends houses, the mother of my friend would say, "We need to have Shelby over more often, she spent the entire time organizing my daughters closet and dresser drawers!". And it was true. To this day it is true. I love to organize things and cannot stand it when things are in disarray. My co-workers and husband get the worst of it because I am constantly moving theirs stuff around just so it looks more neat. So, when I found this website devoted to take photos of all things organized neatly, my heart started racing (in a happy way!).

Pretty fun concept and makes for some great photos!