Featured: Making it Lovely’s Filing Cabinet

I’m sure you already read Making it Lovely (really, who doesn’t?) but have you seen her new Filing Cabinet feature? It’s a quick collection of the fun things/products that she finds on the internet, and boy does she find some goodies.

Like this adorable iPhone cover from Kate Spade. This has my future iPhone’s name written all over it. Come onnnn Verizon, make the switch so I can sport this lovely.

Or what about this twisted felt garland, that I’m considering attempting (key work: considering)? The amount of goodies that Nicole posts on her blog are endless. Head on over and check it out!

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Just a spoonful of Martha

I had a cold this week and you know what I realized as I sat on the couch, surrounded by balled up tissues and decongestants? There isn’t much quality programming on during the day. Aside from a slew of soap operas (Erica Cane is still on All My Children!?) and Judge Judy, there are some terrible infomercials and that’s about it. I was starting to feel even more sorry for myself since I couldn’t find anything to pass the time, when my channel surfing landed me on the Hallmark channel. I had my doubts, but what do you know? The set of the Martha Stewart Show had me drooling on my flannel pajamas.

Gray walls, crisp white cabinetry and an explosion of white ceramics? I have to say that Martha knocked this one out of the park. Her set provides a great neutral backdrop to whatever she’s doing on the show, but there are so many great details and textures that give the space a lot of depth. Now, I may sound like I’m Martha’s number one fan, but it hasn’t always been that way. I used to feel like I should be emphatically anti-Martha because a)everyone and their mother loves her so b)I felt like I should rebel. Silly me. Once my mom sent me a years worth of Martha Stewart Living, I was quickly converted and now think that, although a little nutty, the woman is a friggin genius at what she does.

I mean, come on. Looks at those deep drawers (perfect for pots and pans) and the rolling-pin rack on the kitchen backsplash. Wouldn’t you just die to have a kitchen this (verging on insanely) organized?

My husband always jokes about my “future craft room” because I’m so incredibly hip. I’d take all the old woman jokes you can throw my way if I could have a craft room like this. The open shelving and natural light makes me wanna whip up some homemade wreaths and do some papier-mache like there’s no tomorrow.

Quintessential Martha – the ribbon station. Doesn’t she have a patent on that or something (I’m totally starting rumors about Martha patenting ribbon stations and crafting techniques)? I love the idea of an island on casters for a craft room, or even a kitchen. The basket storage makes items so accessible and the casters make the island adaptable to any crafting scenario. Don’t ask me what crafting scenarios may arise during a heated day of crafting, but I would love to be able to roll with the punches – and an island on casters is my ticket to success.

Ahh my dream office. Tons of organization and a perfect little corner for a laptop and printer. Clean and efficient. Any other television sets that are helping you get through a sick day? Or care to share some more Martha love?

All images courtesy of Martha Stewart – naturally.

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Things I’m Digging: October

October has been a pretty good month so far. The air is crisp with a hint of fall on its breath and it’s not quite blustering cold yet. Cause for celebration, my friends. Before I enter into the arctic tundra that is winter time in NC (I’m dramatic) I’ll share the things I’m loving as of late, since my cheery attitude will soon be taking a trip to Negativetown. It’s just inevitable.

1. Gray. Yes, this October (and September as well) I am digging the color gray. We got a flier at work today for a Continuing Education Course about color trends, and apparently gray is the new hot color. At said meeting, I was sporting my gray nail polish, charcoal pants, and new gray and yellow necklace. I’m a trendsetter, people. I’m ahead of my time. My love of gray is taking the world my storm apparently.

I’m lucky enough to have a job where “jewelry making” falls under the category of “team building” and now I’m obsessed with my gray necklace, which I wear 2 to 3 times a week. I’m now that girl at the office that people whisper about because she wears the same necklace every other day. But I love it, and I love gray. There is something about this neutral that isn’t quite black, and isn’t brown, that makes me happy. I’ve even contemplating repainting our master bedroom after I saw how great my coworker’s bedroom turned out after it was cloaked in gray. Be still my heart.

My magical gray necklace is either a single or a double! Double the gray, double the fun. And yes, I have a gray couch. The sickness continues.

2. Music. I feel like there has finally been some decent music recently… or maybe I’m just now taking notice that things have improved. One of my favorite bands is The Shins and the lead singer’s recent collaboration has been on repeat in my stereo for way too long.

Broken Bells. Get it. It’s the brain child of James Mercer and Danger Mouse, and it’s magnificent (if you like that kind of music, of course). We also went to another Guster show to promote their new album and it was magnificent as well. Yes, magnificent. I’m loving my tunes in October.

3. My husband. October is my Scott’s birthday month and he has now entered the late 20s club. Despite his now older age and progression towards retirement, I have to say he’s the best husband around. Seriously. I got lucky with this one. Here’s an example:

He’s been traveling a lot recently for work/pleasure, leaving me to my own devices as a single (dog) mom. Nothing major, but he decided to send me some flowers just to let me know he’s thinking of me. Yes, I’m bragging about my husband on my blog and I’m proud of it. Of him. I’m an avid reader of Jasmine Star’s blog and I always get a little teary when she talks about how much she loves her husband JD and how proud she is that he’s hers. So in true Jasmine fashion, I’m proud. I’m proud he’s mine.

4. My new camera. I finally bit the bullet and spent some savings on an upgraded camera. I’ve been trying to get a few more photography gigs (ie. playing with my camera and acting like I know what I’m doing) and it was time to take a step up in the world.

(I love this picture because it looks like the camera is either plummeting to its death or dancing a jig). My new camera is my best bud because it’s sooo much faster that Cledus (my old camera) and it’s much better in low light situations. Dancing camera = happy Audrey. Any random things making you jump for joy this month? And don’t say pumpkin spice latte because apparently that’s a given for everyone and their mother.

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Mini Updates, Round Deux

Why yes, it’s another lame post of updates. Life has been bananas recently so I don’t have the energy for a full post. But don’t fret! Some fun things are on the horizon (baby shower invitation, drapery ideas, personal posts, etc). so get amped for those in the near future. Scott and I are preparing for a big trip and just had family in town for a bit, so things have been quite hectic. I’ll be back to a (almost) normal schedule soon, but until then, here are some yummy things for you enjoy.

You may have noticed a slight update to the blogitty. Hi, my name is Audrey and I’m incredibly indecisive. I needed to bring just a bit of color onto the page(a full blog update may be in my future) so this free background from Ollibird (via How About Orange) gave me the quick change I needed. Ahh, sweet sweet color.

Be still my heart. I recently discovered this awesome DIY chandelier (via Little Green Notebook) that was spotted over at Ready Made, a great site for all things DIY. I’m not sure where I would put this beauty, but I have. to. have. it. Don’t you just want to eat it up?

My husband follows a blog called A House by the Park, which follows the process of a web-designer building an uber modern home in Seattle. The home recently finished and it’s fan-freakin-tastic. Take a look if you wanna see some modern yumminess.

And, last but not least, mister Henry-pants. My family came to visit this past weekend and we got some good quality time with my just-turned-1 nephew. Isn’t he the cutest? I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend – enjoy some fireworks, hot dogs and glass bottled coke!

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Daddy’s Day and Letterpress Love

I love a good letterpress card. I have a hard time finding a card that I don’t like. No, love. Have to fork out 4 dollars and 50 cents so I can have it in my possession kind of love. I popped into my most favorite store today (Paper Source, naturally) in search of a father’s day card and I hit letterpress gold. If you’re in need of a fantastic Father’s Day card (it’s just around the corner, you know) check out this lovely at Paper Source, as well as all the other beautiful cards they have in store.

Now Dad, stop reading. Right now. AVERT YOUR EYES! DON’T RUIN THE MAGIC! Obviously my Dad hasn’t received this card in the mail yet because I’m not that ahead of schedule, but I just couldn’t resist sharing in case someone was in search of a fun card and had yet to find one.

The typewriter font is so perfect for a Dad themed card, and the “check your thank yous” format is brilliant. And the letterpress? Yum.

Some of my favorites? So glad you asked. How about “boldly wearing socks with sandals OR indulging in other fashion no-no’s”? What Dad hasn’t donned a Hawaiian shirt or sported a fetching comb-over? Or how about “embarrassing me in public to build my character”? This has my Dad’s name written all over it – and I love him for that. Happy early Father’s Day to all you papas out there and happy hunting for the perfect card!

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Things I’m Digging – May

There are a few particular things that have made my May that much more delightful. Not only is the weather finally changing to something I can get on board with, but these few little things have put a smile on my face this month. No, I’m not endorsed by any of these companies, but I wouldn’t be opposed to whoring myself out for a nominal fee (did I really just say that?). I digress. Behold, my May lovelies.

I’m not the girliest girl I know, but I have to gush over the new OPI nail polish that I bought the other day. I was having lunch near a great nail shop in Charlotte and decided to pop in and spend a few bucks on something to dress up my toes a bit (remember that nicer weather I was talking about?). I decided on a great shade and was about to pay the owner of the shop when he started into a spiel about a recent trade show he had attended. Apparently, OPI has some cutting edge technology that makes their newest colors ultimately chip proof and able to withstand the steaming breath of a fire-breathing dragon. I politely said “yeah right” and went on my way because, really, what polish is actually chip proof? Well, I eat my words. This stuff was amazing! I had the same application on for over 3 weeks and the stuff just wouldn’t budge. I think it’s made with bullet proof material or something – seriously, ingenious. Consider me sold.

We were recently in New Orleans for the Jazz Fest and I did something I rarely ever do – I bought something for myself while on vacation. Yes, ladies and gents, I am my father’s daughter and I am infinitely cheap frugal (sorry, Pops). I love to browse shops while on vacay, but I can never summon up the nerve to buy something that I don’t really need. Now, put me in a Banana Republic outlet store and we have another story, but for some reason I never buy anything for myself on vacation.

On this trip, I grew up a little. We were walking around the French Market and I was totally smitten with this ikat scarf. Normally, ikat fabrics in interiors makes me throw up in my mouth a little, but in scarf form? Yum. See the growing I’m talking about?

If you don’t know about Izze drinks by now, you need to jump on this delicious bandwagon. I’m not a soda drinker, simply because I have a hard time drinking something can literally eat through furniture varnish. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like some carbonation like the next person. Take my love of fruit juice and throw in some sparkling water, and you have Izze. I’ve only tried a few flavors so far (and plan to try them all) but I’ve gotten a bit stuck on the sparkling clementine. It’s my happy place. I even bought a four pack with the sole purpose of photographing them for this post, but I plowed through those suckers before I could even find my camera. I love that they’re simply fruit juice and sparkling water- no other additives. Deeeelish.

And this is what I like to call a tease. Remember our vibrant green den? I tweeted a while back that I had a sudden urge to paint the whole house white, and luckily my husband was (somewhat) on board with my shenanigans. I’ve been slightly hooked on the show Sarah’s House recently, and I finally figured out why her rooms always appeal to me – her love of pattern/texture and her lack of overwhelming color. Duh, right? I’m a huge fan of vibrant fabrics with fun patterns, but I was always apprehensive to bring them into our home because we had such bold wall colors. The light bulb finally clicked that I should tone down the overall colors in our home so my favorite pieces (ie. fabrics) can really be the stars of the show. We’ve painted our kitchen and den so far, so I have a few ideas of how to pump up our neutral boxes and bring in some fun and colorful fabrics. Get excited!

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Ode to Anthropologie

Have you seen the latest Anthropologie catalog? Oh, I DIE. Anthro’s clothes have a great vintage feel, so the vintage circus theme that they used in this month’s catalog is genius. Pure, lovely, delicious genius.

I want to recreate this scene in my backyard and hang out in this wonderfully fantastical circus town. And have my way with a closet full of Anthropologie clothing.  Yes please.

How great would all of this be as a party theme?? So much prettiness. Also, if you haven’t already read it on countless other blogs, check out the great way that Anthropologie reused leftover water bottles to dress up their always fabulous storefront windows. It’s such a great way to recycle something we have an overabundance of, and could be used in things other than a storefront window – say, baby shower decorations? Mobile in a kid’s room? You can check out the Anthropologie goodness right here. Happy Hump Day everyone!

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Featured Fav : Vintage Invitations

I’m a self proclaimed paper connoisseur. I love all things letterpress, calligraphy and parchment. So when something so fabulous comes along that I re-read the article 5 times, I know it’s time to share. Jessica Claire is one of my favorite photographers to follow. She just recently announced her engagement and has been taking readers on a ride through her sensational wedding planning. She’s incredibly creative – not only in her photography, but in all aspects of her life – and her wedding invitations are certainly no exception.

You may not see how these vintage books are actually invitations, but wait until you visit her website here. I’ll let her share the goods with you. :) These are the most original invitations I think I’ve ever come across and I love the fact that her wedding is really taking a theme to fruition. Take a look at her invitations, as well as her beautiful photography – and enjoy!

Image courtesy of Jessica Claire.

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Featured Fav: The Image is Found

Soon after Scott and I got married, I developed a slight obsession with wedding photographers. Ok, a major obsession. Since that infamous day almost 2 years ago, I’ve corralled a long list of photography blogs, stretching from Grand Rapids to Orange County, that I check on a daily basis. I pour over every image, studying their techniques in posing clients and capturing the perfect light. I absorb every ounce of wisdom they pass along about camera settings or post editing tricks. I’m completely and utterly in lurve with photography.

One of my absolute favorite photographers to follow is the Image is Found, made up of an amazingly talented couple from California. They’re images always have me gasping, but a wedding they posted today had me in tears. IN TEARS. At my desk, at work, practically weeping because their images were so freaking incredible. How sad is that? I urge you to hop on over to their blog and bask in their sign-a-deal-with-the-devil kind of talent and enjoy their out of the box images, like this awesome ring shot above. I can only hope that obsessing over photography blogs will lead me to one day be “one of them” and create incredible images like theirs. And maybe one day we’ll be best friends. Fo real. :)

Image courtesy of the image is found. ::droooooool::

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