CSA Wedding Registry

I was reading an interesting article on BuzzFeed the other day about unconventional wedding registry ideas. And while I didn't necessarily agree with all of them (I don't really like the mentality of using a wedding to just get a bunch of free stuff. Wedding guests want to help you build your new home. Maybe that's because I'm Southern and we tend to cling to etiquette with an iron fist.), I do like the idea of registering for things that you will actually use and if those things are outside the box, then so be it.

One fantastic idea I saw was signing up for a CSA box subscription. How great would that be? I mean, yes, someone is essentially buying your groceries, but I feel like because it's a subscription it's somehow more "okay."

What do you think? Would you do it?

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How to Remove a Tough Stain

A while back, my mom found a stain on her linen couch and - having a linen couch myself - I got so sad for her because I didn't think it would come out. She didn't seem too upset. She just walked into the laundry room, brought back a bar of soap and a wet paper towel and gently rubbed the stain and as soon as the dampness dried it was all gone. 

Come to find out this is a remedy that my grandmother used all the time...Ivory soap. It gets everything out. And I mean everything. I have used it to get out red wine, blood, grass stains, strawberries and blackberries to name the toughest of stains. It is truly amazing. And so cheap. I also make my own laundry detergent and instead of Fels Naptha, I use Ivory in my mixture.

P.S. I actually just cleaned a lot of blood out of David, Ezra and my own clothes last night after little man had a mean run-in with a friend's coffee table. After a few hours in the ER and 3 stitches everyone is doing just fine.

top photo c/o Ivory

Titanic

today (is it technically today or tomorrow?) is the centennial of the sinking of the rms titanic. so, for no other reason than that, i present you with these:

on the left: a letter written from a survivor to his father about what that night was like. (the best part of the whole letter, though, is at the end when he comments on his wife's weight.)
on the right: overheard on the titanic is one of my favorite pieces from artist austin kleon's newspaper blackout poems.

Christmas Wish List

...and you know what that means. it's that time of year...time to start thinking about gifts for the fam. this year, i actually plan on making a lot of things. and while i was at it, i thought of a few things that i have had my eye on. some of them are ridiculous and just pretty and some are more realistic. also, i actually love that i'm getting to the age where it's harder and harder to think of things i want and i'm learning it is so much more fun to give than receive. i just can't advertise what i'm getting others...

1 - capri blue candle in volcano: my favorite candle and the jars are so pretty you can use them for all sorts of things after the candle is gone.
2 - penguin classics clothbound series: i've been collecting these for a couple of years now, but they are so pretty who can stop?
3 - coatt "love me do" morse code necklace: the perfect wear-everyday-necklace
4 - mint boden mocs: too bad they're sold out
5 - terrarium: i have decided to start incorporating more green, living things in my house and i really want to start with a terrarium
6 - anthropologie long jane loungers: for this future stay-at-home mom
7 - rebecca wilson perfume bottles: these are so ridiculous...and i don't even have the energy to do the conversion rate on £375
8 - reminder bow ring: perfect everyday ring
9 - alex monroe peacock ring: an unattainable
10 - josh ritter vinyl: the mp3's just aren't enough...and while we're at it, a new record needle would be great
11 - a painting by courtney j. garrett: courtney is a friend of mine from college who is an amazingly talented artist. i have been dying to get my hands on one of her new pieces.

Yay for James!

our friend (and david's old roommate) james farmer was on the today show this morning giving some advice on fall tablescapes as well as promoting his new book, a time to plant. we are so proud of you, james!!!!

Dining Room Makeover

we have been in our apartment for a little over 2 years now and our "dining room" has been a big ole mess.  when we moved to birmingham, my mom gave me her old french provincial dining table (which she gave me permission to paint). i was obsessed with this picture of a dining room in domino and wanted to recreate that bold look without it being my wall color. i went with a bold turquoise-y blue but unfortunately against our gray wall (too dark to be paired with bold) and the rest of the walls being cream (apartments - blah), it was a disaster. but i thought i would wait til we moved out to repaint it. well, i got impatient. and decided to re-do it a couple of weeks ago. i chose a mint-y color that i love (it's martha stewart but i lost the swatch). it's so much more calming...

the project also included some windsor dining room chairs that my sister had given me when they moved to memphis. in the above picture, they are the color that she had painted them in college, and i initially painted them a midnight/titan color (which just further added to the horrible clashing of blue and gray). i love mint and black so i went with black for the accent chairs and then - because i am obsessed with this look - i decided to spray paint the end of the legs with a metallic gold spray paint. i love the way it all turned out.

total cost: about $15

Wall of Books

this has long been one of my favorite shots/rooms. our friend, caleb, shot this and had it on his tumblr again last week which had me staring at it again. anyway, love this - as well as all of his stuff. (he's also just released his first ep as war jacket called "leaflet no. 1" that you can [read: should] check out on iTunes).

Farmer's Market Cartons

does anyone know where to get those vegetable cartons? can you buy them at a supply store or do you have to go to the farmer's market?

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Spool Candles

the curse of christmas shopping is that for every gift you buy, you find three things you want for yourself. the other day i was perusing anthropologie for some gifts and i came across this little beauty.

now never mind the fact that i could [not would] spend a small countries GDP on candles - and anthropologie has some of the best - but i found this candle that i'm crossing my fingers and toes that they will still have it after christmas. it's basically this hefty porcelain spool that is wrapped in gorgeous herringbone ribbon and then is filled with the cleanest, crispest smelling candle you've ever smelled. like laundry in a cool breeze. seriously. and then when it's all burned up it would look awesome on a bookshelf or on your dresser filled with treasures!

(p.s. i can't find them online. i guess they are only in stores right now, because they are on sale. and the turquoise ribbon is my favorite)

A Messy Desk

ok, i always get really mad at david for allowing our desk to get all cluttered. but there IS such a thing as perfectly messy. and if our desk looked like kate spade's i would be perfectly happy.

photo: todd selby

Hot Air Balloon Ornament

let me just say, that as much as i love christmas, i strictly adhere to the no celebrating until the day after thanksgiving. that includes music and/or movies. but it doesn't stop me from thinking about my decorations. and can i just say how much i love this hot air balloon ornament from anthropologie? bea-U-ti-ful.

Fall Fabric Wreath

I made this last night. Still not sure if i love it...

But it's really simple. Cut fabric into squares (a lot of them) and then just fold them in half and pin with straight pins into a wreath. Work in a circle and then I tied a bow with a chiffon-y fabric.

A Catch All Post

oh geez. i am such a slacker. so this will be serving as a catch-all post.

1. football season has freakin' started! my beloved auburn tigers are eeking out a so-far-undefeated season. every week i tell myself, "self, it will be better next week." whatever you have to tell yourself, right? win or lose, we finally have a crush-worthy quarterback. war cam eagle!

2. i got a job! and not just a job. i get to work for one of my closest friends at her fabulous salon. i'm only on my second week so far, but i'm loving it! and i now have a reason to put pants on in the morning, which is always a plus.

3. i've been reading radical, written by our pastor david platt. talk about life challenging and convicting. the one thing i have grown to love about david platt is his amazing (no other way to put it than God-given gift) of teaching, challenging, and loving all at the same time. it is a spectacular gift and i'm so thankful for the church family that the Lord has allowed us to be a part of.

4. i finally got pillows made for our couch. this fabric was the winner. and this is the result:

my friend mandy sewed them for me and they look fabulous. if you need anything made for your home, and do not possess the ability to sew, let me know and i'll give you mandy's info. she really wants to do this more!

5. we bought a new car. over a year after having our tahoe stolen, we finally made a decision and bought a newer version of our little beloved honda accord. it's our version of matching jogging suits.

i think that about covers the high points. i will try to be better about posting in the future. also, i've decided that until i get a new computer, i probably won't be putting any of our pictures on this one. so iphone pictures it is! (like anyone cares).

Anthology Magazine

HOORAY for quality print media!

if we weren't going radical, i would so be subscribing to this. but i will content myself to look at the pretty pictures online.

Monochromatic Filing Cabinets

first of all, this movie, not only met my months of high expectations, it exceeded them. if you never see movies in the theater, this should be your exception. it was amazing. best movie i've seen in a while.

second of all, i was re-watching (500) days of summer yesterday and remembered how much i ridiculously love this movie. it's the movie my friends and i should have made. it's beautiful and perfect. also, one of my favorite things from that movie (and this is totally random) is the filing cabinets in the greeting card office. i love the monochromatic feel of the whole office and the slightly different colors of the filing cabinets is superb. what an easy way to take something as mundane as a typical metal filing cabinet and make it beautiful. i want to do this somewhere. i wish i needed six filing cabinets in my home office.

New Sofa!

we finally got our very epic looking couch in! in almost 4 years of marriage, we have never had a new piece of significant furniture. we bought our bed when we first got married and that's about it. i just like to look at it, and i'm definitely ready for that "i've been packed in stinky plastic" smell to go away.

it's linen, so the side where david was sitting last night is all wrinkled now. i guess i will have to break in the other side today. i'm ready for it to be all broken in and super comfy.

now i'm on the hunt for pillow fabric. i'm deciding between these two for the pattern:

this

and this

any thoughts/suggestions?

Whale Nursery

so i have always had this feeling deep, deep down inside that we are going to have a girl first. i don't know why. but we have only ever been able to agree on a girl name and i have a nursery completely decorated in my brain.

however, i was randomly thinking how awesome it would be to have a little boy named jonah and do a whale-themed nursery. well, "theme" would be the wrong word. i can't stand themes. but just a few accents would be cute, i think.

this whale mobile would be awesome! it was made by enormous champion for their national stationary show booth, and as far as i can tell is not for sale, but once i saw it, nothing else really compared. (image via design*sponge)

i'm also a sucker for anything letterpress and i think this print (also from enormous champion) would be amazing. but seriously, people, two whale pieces is as far as i'd go.

honorable mention:

this "art" is very epic. although it might be too frightening for a nursery. i could imagine poor little 4-year old jonah staring at it as the moonlight comes in the window...wanting to look away but scared to.

Mercury Glass Lamp

i love lamp.

DIY Calendar

this is a calendar that i threw together when we moved into our new apartment. sometimes, david and i are not always on the same page when it comes to scheduling issues. therefore, david requested a "master calendar" so we could be more organized. when he made said request, he used as an example "you know, like the calendar on flight of the conchords." i couldn't find an image but imagine the saddest little calendar you've ever seen.

i could understand the idea, but dry erase is no where in our apartment's future. therefore, i put this calendar together. however, it's a pain to change the months and it takes me back to my teaching days and stapling things up on bulletin boards. therefore, when we get into someplace more permanent, i'm thinking something like this would be awesome.

Remodel Update: Upstairs Tile

since i've been in phoenix this week, i've been anxious to see how the house was coming along. this is a big week: tiling the bathroom, countertops installed, sanding and staining the hardwoods. exciting stuff.

well, just a little bathroom teaser for you: liz sent me pictures of the bathroom tile (pre-grout). it's lovely! enjoy!