Wedding on the Brain

Hey guys, as you can tell I've been very MIA, but like all things go in life, I'm swamped  and on top of that I'm planning a wedding :)  I now have appreciation for anyone who's planned one, helped plan one, or accompanied any events in planning...holy cow!  A different world.  Luckily no Bridezilla here, actually quite the opposite, I just want things done and move on.  Hopefully no meltdowns will ensue.

But I've been scouring the WWW and Pinterest to nail down exactly what I want, similar to Interior Design  except there isn't much deviation when it comes to centerpieces. *sigh*  But here are few details I'm DYING over -and as you can tell my colors are white and gold with a little black :)

Lovellabridal

Mirrored table top...on another level.

Black and Gold Linens, Very Ralph Lauren meets uber glam, no?

Umm Gold Vintage Flatware?????? Very Marie Antoinette :)

 

Such a glam and stunning BM Dress, and the bouquet is pretty fab too.

Do it Yourself Pin

A little Gold glitter never hurt anyone :)

Black and white tile, so french. J'adore.

IMGend

 Drew does it pretty maj with the backless (so trending right now), all those pearls and big hair...stunning.

 These two melt my heart, and not because he's sharing a scone-- but Dang, vintage is soo good.

Signed by Tina

 Love the simplicity of the cake and the drama that's in that invite

Prairie Brooke Gallery

Although Adrienne and Paul are thing of the past :( I love the idea of enjoying your dress everyday.  There must be somewhere in my 970sf I can display my dress :)

Feeding the Wolf...

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.

"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Via

Where to begin when you haven't blogged in forever???  Its been a tough couple of months, not just for me, but seemingly everyone around me, so thanks for hanging in there and thanks for your concerns.

There is only so much that a person can take, only so far down, only so many tears....and then it gets to be too much.  Even for a person like me that always tended to "wake up on the right side" every morning.  I realized that everything was out of my hands, and no matter how bad things had gotten, I couldn't rely on my expectations, because they will always let me down.  Wallowing in sadness, disappointment and stress for not only me, but others--  I decided to stop feeding the wolf.  It took some time to reevaluate what and who was important to me, and then I got back up. I spent time with the people who mean everything to me, people I've lost touch with, and just being there for those who may need me....and I started to overcome the terrible battle.

Some of my favorite bloggers share their most personal stories and I always found so much inspiration in what other real people go though and overcome.  Although I don't ever want this blog to be my personal diary, I thought there are plenty of you out there going through tough times (maybe even the darkest ever) and need a little push.  Well, this legend pretty much sums it up for me.  I don't think that I will ever understand why terrible things happen to the least deserving, but it helps to know that all I have to do is feed the wolf.


......and now back to your scheduled blog :)

More like in the name of Health

I get the daily emails from Guiliana Rancic's Fit Fab Fun, which has all kinds of tips and candid advice for girls.  Usually laced with fashion advice or workout moves, but the other day there was an article about the dangers of beauty...huh???? 

I was floored to discover all of the harmful chemicals that are lurking in our body products!!  Cut to me going through all the body washes, soaps and facial cleanser ingredients list to realize that almost all of them have cancer causing  ingredients such as Parabens (mimics estrogen and blocks chemo treatments), Sodium Laureth sulfate (used to make lather) Quaternium/Diazolidinyl urea (releases formaldehyde) and Phthalates (found in fragrances and causes birth defects).  And the worst part is that there is no government regulations for makeup products so who knows what's going on your face!!!

There is a movement going on right now (but then again when isn't there one???) to get the manufacturers to stop using these harmful chemicals especially in baby and children's shampoo.  So now that I'm more aware of the hazards of Bath and Body Works, I pulled together a few of my favorite body products that are low risk--

Body Wash-  Dr. Bronners Pure Castile Classic Soap

A 32oz will last for ever because only a few drops will do!  I love the lavender for night and citrus for morning shower takers.  Or if you need a real pick me up, try the Peppermint.

Body Lotion- Burts Bees

I jump for the Naturally Nourishing Milk and Honey.  Love, love, love the smell!!  Another great thing about Burts Bees (besides their awesome beeswax lip balm) is they have a company wide commitment to follow the guidelines of the Natural Products Association and have the symbol on all of their products.  The Milk and Honey hand wash is also a keeper.

If you are not a fan of the small--  I also really like Avalon Organics Lavender daily moisturizer too.


Toothpaste - Tom's of Maine

About the same price as the usual stuff that you probably already get, and PLENTY of flavors and "types."

Face Wash- Avalon Organics Vitamin C Cleansing Milk

Facial Moisturizer - Golden Argan Oil

After hearing amazing things about this product from Signed by Tina I knew I had to give it a shot that this price and WOW!  Such a "light" oil and its makes your skin smooth as butter.  However if you have oily skin and can't do an oil (AT NIGHT!!!) Burts Bees has some great moisturizers with Royal Jelly which is terrific for your skin as well.

Another great resource to find out how your products at home rate is EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetic Database.  You may be shocked to see how "High risk" your medicine cabinet really is....If anyone has any great products that the use that are actually good for your skin, I'd love to hear!

Year 2: What I've learned

Tomorrow is my little blog's #2 and I can't help but reflect on what the past two years in my life have changed.  I started reading blogs for the never ending inspirations that they provided then got laid off from the crumbling economy at a commercial interior design job (that I wasn't truly happy with anyway, funny how things always work out for the better). 

Luis Montiero

After several months on the job hunt with no luck in interiors, I took a job in a completely different industry, but a VERY rewarding one-- taking care of two little munchkins everyday.  You see, I would leave my desk job as a designer during the day and teach private swim lessons to littles in the evenings and weekends, sometimes up to 20 lessons a week!  Which of course led to me being a full-time nanny to a terrific family. 

But as you can imagine, going from something completely different than what I had studied in college and still paying student loans, made me miss design.  So as a outlet when the boys were down for naps in the afternoons, I started this little blog to make me feel like I still had my finger on the pulse of the industry.  Of course at two years on the dot, I left that family (with plenty of tears) and rejoined the interiors industry.

Inslee Haynes

My tastes over the past two years has also evolved.  I went from being drawn to brightly colored, saturated and busy trends, to more classic, cultivated, style.  Speaking of, I can't tell you how cool it is to have people comment on your posts whether you know them or not, and tell you that they love your blog.  I still am taken back every time that happens! Memo to Me: in the future, share more blog lovin and as Nancy over at Marcus Design hit on the head- 'Its important to let bloggers know that their time and thoughts are appreciated, so if you enjoy the content, leave a comment.'  Soooo great!

Another great thing that has come from blogging is the food!  I've always loved to cook, but being a single girl doesn't mean I do it.  I had an Epiphany that I wanted a collection of those recipes that people would say, "Will you make that ______ for me?? Or, "Can I have the recipe?"  So trying something new every week has forced me to 1.) have a home cooked meal 2.) given me the chance to try something that may be the next it dish and 3.) save ya'll from making something that just so-so. I'm the guinea pig!

A few more recipes I will be trying--

All food images via Pinterest

Anyway, can’t believe another year has gone by, but its only getting better :)  Here’s to another year of blogging, new friendships, design/food/fashion gabbing! Stay tuned and thanks for always feeling up to chatting style with me!

See you next year!

Well all, J and I are off to Austin to ring in the New Year with my bestie and her little family. So I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Holiday :)

 Until then, I'll be making adding to my New Years Resolution list.  Here are few things that I'd love to make 2012 a year of--

This one is on the revolving door...Exercise!  Since the gyms fill up with about 50 times as many people who are not happy to be there, it's time to hit the pavement for the month of January along with my P90X collection...religiously.  Why not make this year the year of a sic body to envy???

And that goes hand in hand with my next resolution- healthy, nutritious, delicious food (er, fuel?).  After all of the stick to your ribs heavy foods we put away over the holidays, I don't want anything but fresh vibrant rainbow foods....and water :)

Images via Left on Amelia

Next up is a new hobby and I've been dying over a new Camera.  I've narrowed down what I want( I think.....any suggestions are much appreciated), I just need to pull the trigger and take a class.  That way I can show you all my projects, food, etc. instead of using the other great photos out there...you blogger photogs are terrific and I shy away from using my little point and shoot.

And lastly I'd love to simplify, take out all of the trendy (unless of course I love it) and make my surroundings a lot more serene.  I've found great inspiration in Greige Design.

Just because I love it!

Hello all, and sorry for the lack of posts as of late!!  But I do have a pretty good excuse; tons of changin' has been going on and I've been swamped!  Yours truly has recently accepted an interiors position at an architectural firm...that's right, no more nannying for me. 

It's a bittersweet move for sure, because not only have I totally grown close with the rugrats (been with them for two years on the dot, and since Little C was just a mere 2 months old!) but they are taking on a pretty big move, so there won't be as many visits as I'd hoped.  At any rate, I can see that everything has worked out perfectly in the end and just how it should be, still I'm going to miss them!

So I've been cleaning out my folders, and making sure all my loose ends are tied up before I go, and I wanted to share some inspirational images that I have archived "just because I love them."  ...And cheers to Hammel's in Chicago, you will be missed!!!

Sorry, not sure where they are from!

"Life is a dance floor...."

One of my favorite design bloggers, Erin from Elements of Style, recently did a post on her 'Life in a Song' and it got me to thinkin' of how much hearing a song can bring you back. As soon as I hear a song it takes me to that exact moment or feeling that I had, reminds me of someone or a time in my life...pretty amazing. If you were to make a playlist of your life how would it sound?  Well, of course I had to put one together for myself and it was so much fun, something that I will continually add to for the rest of my years no doubt! Thanks for the great idea Erin!
So I can't bring you back to ALL of the memories for me, but here are some of the goodies...
True Love- This was one of my favorite songs since I could talk, Mom says I used to run around in diapers singing, "True Lovah, True Lovah."
Def Leppard- The soundtrack to my childhood, Mom had it on repeat for as long as I can remember
Danger Zone- This one reminds me of our three day car ride from Washington to Illinois, Top Gun Soundtrack blaring
Yellow Submarine- When I first moved to Texas, I got a hand me down record player and that the only song on all the records I liked, I played it over and over in my room, thinking I was the coolest.
Boys II Men- Skating rink era, you know when its the awkward couples skate??? And its all you could do from looking at the pesron who was skating with you.
Raindrops keep fallin on my head- My Crampaw's favorite song, miss him like crazy
Breathe- My high school Sweetheart and I's song
Don't Worry, Be Happy- Our family vacation to Disney when I was in high school, the trip I got pink eye and my family thought it was hilarious to act like I was blind since I never took my glasses off...even on the rides.
Possum Kingdom- How can I forget the best lake in Texas, cliff jumping and floating in party cove...good times!
My Humps- College weekends at the Lake, tied up at party cove, drinking a mysterious blue beverage, acting my age :)
Alabama- The single most fun at a concert I've ever had, Cross Canadian Ragweed and Pat Green
Independent- When I graduated college, bought a new car and a condo...step back with my badself, who's Independent now????