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POSTED ON August 18, 2012, BY brittany {via 1 Jim Hjelm, 2 Project Wedding, 3 Style Me Pretty, 4 The Knot, 5 Katrina O’Donnell Custom Florals, 6 Style Me Pretty, 7 Allyson Magda, 8 C is for Charmed, 9 Best Blooms, 10 Style Me Pretty, 11 My DIY Wedding Day, 12 Style Me Pretty, 13 Style Me Pretty, 14 Wedding Wire, 15 unknown, 16 Style Me Pretty, 17 Style Me Pretty}
We knew we wanted to be married in the fall, outdoors, surrounded by nature. To me,autumn is the most romantic season with the leaves changing, the air getting crisper and fireplaces roaring to life (even though San Diego has less than adequate change of seasons). I made an inspiration board with pictures from my blog stalking and searches (I seriously have an addiction to wedding blogs) with features we wanted to incorporate into our wedding and to establish the overall feel of the wedding.
We wanted a rustic, organic, natural feel while using the jewel toned autumn palette and mixing traditional with unexpected elements. We wanted to create a sense of warmth for our guests, even though we wanted to be married outside. For our wedding we decided to coin the term “Rustic Autumn” to describe our wedding.
We were able to incorporate everything, except the tree stump card box (Serg- you still owe me my card box!), into the wedding. I still love looking back at our inspiration board because it is such a great representation of our wedding of something I created and brought to life.
POSTED ON August 7, 2012, BY brittanyCharity has always been an important part of my life, but unlike many people I usually don’t donate money. I donate my time. There have been a few occasions that I have written a check but I could never give enough (even if my bank account allowed) to feel like I was making an impact. I love the feeling of helping people, of bringing a smile to someone’s face and the sincere thank you from their lips.
I started volunteering in high school as a candy striper and reading poetry at nursing homes. I have continued volunteering in one way or another since. Often my charity now is given through time by my making someone something, whether it be a handcrafted item or cooking them a meal.
Society many times can make one feel that unless they give money, they are not truly giving. I want to break that stereotype and say that you give what you can give. Your charity may not be big or have a huge monetary value but it’s not about the total amount given. It’s about the lives you’ve touched, the smiles you’ve invoked and the heartfelt human relationships you’ve forged. Throw your preconceived conceptions about charity aside and give what makes you feel good. I like to create and share that with the world and that is my charity.
POSTED ON July 27, 2012, BY brittany I am a bibliophile. I love to read. I love the look of books. I love flipping through the worn pages. Each book has it’s own story to tell beyond the words written within its pages. So to say the least this DIY project was a little agonizing for me. No seriously, I get upset if a page in my book is dog-eared and I never highlighted in my textbooks. It’s a perfectionist thing.
I saw these at Pottery Barn but was not about to pay the astronomical fee for compromised books. Instead I went to our Goodwill Outlet where books are priced $0.59 per pound and bought worn, beat up books to give them a new life.
For this project you will need a few books and twine. First, take a deep breath, close your eyes and rip the covers off your books.
Some cardboard and binding strings will stick to the book. I opted to leave some of the cardboard on my book spines but you can peel it off if you wish.
Next wrap your stack of books in twine and tie a bow! I wrapped my twine twice for a thicker twine appearance.
I made this version for a fraction of the price they are being sold in stores. I paid less than $3 for the books and already had the twine (I paid about $2 for the whole twine bundle). So glad I overcame my fear and ripped those books!
POSTED ON July 16, 2012, BY denise
- Just as spring is arriving my first and only orchid is shooting out new flowering buds. Here are two quick tips I received from triumphant orchid-teers. 1. Leave your orchid in the plastic container it was sold in. When watering it, place the plant in a water bath without submerging the top soil. Let it sit for 20 minutes. 2. Orchids like humid climates. Place the orchid on a larger ceramic plant saucer . Pour a small amount of water into the saucer. As the water evaporates your orchid will absorb it.
- My gifted brass owl wine opener. It charmingly sits in my kitchen and it’s quirkiness makes people smile as I twist the opener and the wings of the owl fly up.
- You will always find Rimmel London Volume Accelerator Mascara in my bag. I once got into a full-blown debate on the quality of mascara found in local pharmacies versus higher end cosmetic brands. Riveting I know but I will stick to my guns on this one.
- Design Sponge at Home by Grace Booney could not be missed on my list. I seek to it when I feel lost, unmotivated, or just need my creative mojo to be heightened.
POSTED ON July 5, 2012, BY brittanyOf course I knew what the ring looked like but I had no idea when Serg would pick up the ring or when we would actually propose. A week before, Serg asked my parents and brother for their blessing by getting down on one knee and proposing to them with ring pops to be his in-laws! Serg used to joke with me that whenever he proposed all I was going to get was a ring pop so it was quite appropriate to ask my family like that.
At 7:30 am on Saturday, December 5, 2009 I awoke to the dog barking and an empty bed. I called out to Serg to let the dog out but I all I got was silence. So I got out of bed and opened the bedroom door and saw red and white rose petals laid out from the bedroom to the living room. A table was adorned with fall decor, a wedding magazine, a wedding planning book and a ring box from my mom. Below the ring box was a note that said “Open me.” Inside the box a note instructed me to “Indulge in your deepest desires and you will find the treasure you seek!” A note inside the wedding planning book told me to “Play the playstation.” I pressed play and a clip from “The Office” (our favorite show) where Jim and Pam get engaged started to play. Then the song “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” (our song) began and I also began to cry. Serg walked up, with tears in his eyes, and said “I wanted to do this when you look the cutest and that’s in the mornings. You know I love you more than life itself. I can’t think of another person I’d like to spend the rest of my life with.” As he got to one knee he asked “So here I am signed, sealed, delivered. Will you marry me?” I couldn’t even say yes because I was crying so much but I did shake my head yes!
POSTED ON June 24, 2012, BY denise
Doctors always say eat well, exercise, and drink lots of water. In my opinion I eat very well… wink, wink. Perhaps you can tell from my previous posts that I have a knee buckling love for culinary masterpieces. My open heart does not discriminate between a fabulous food truck find and a five star restaurant chef special. The way you know if I am truly euphoric when I do a happy dance with an improper mouth full of food. Sometimes I even use my eating utensil as a conductor’s stick to play along with the symphony in my head… please don’t call a shrink. The problem? Not the music in my head, it’s the mere 20 seconds of hip swaying being the only form of exercise I do on a daily.
I know that I am not overweight but in the past year I have seen what my poor eating habits are doing to my body. I was constantly getting headaches, my body was consistently lethargic, and I ate at the appropriate times of the day but never was truly hungry. Physically I could see problem areas becoming an issue. Looking at my family’s health history and genetic physic I knew that if I let these bad habits go on too much further it would become that much more of a difficult battle in the future.
I decided to take my health on in small steps. I am a stubborn, cranky, baby wimp when it comes to eating right and exercise. So for me I chose to focus on changing one bad habit at a time. Because my loathing for exercise is greater than my eating (Can you imagine?!) I decided to implement a diet for 30 days. I found a diet plan that I thought I could work with that wouldn’t entice me to cheat or take up too much time to prep. Let’s face it, if I can’t grab it and go from my own refrigerator then I end up placing a pick-up order at a local restaurant. So this led me to using The Four Hour Body Diet as a skeleton guideline. Essentially it is a slow-carb, high fiber, and no sugar diet. You are encouraged to have one ridiculous cheat day a week to shock your body, but more importantly it was motivation to be good during the other six days.
The first two weeks I was very strict with my meals and I ate at the same times everyday without cheating. By the third week I allowed myself to open up my diet a little more while staying within healthy food choices. I still did not eat any rice, bread, pastas, etc., and stayed away from fruits and sugars as much as possible, unless it’s cheat day.
By the time my 30 days were up I had not only hit my goal weight but also fallen one pound under! All my ailments were relieved, my muscles look toned not depleted, and I felt great. As much as I dreaded this personal challenge I am so grateful I did. It got me into the kitchen much more, had me look at what I was putting into my body and allowed my taste buds to detox and enjoy the taste of fresh, healthy ingredients again. I actually crave veggies now. It’s completely bizarre, in a good way.
Next step… EXERCISE…. Wish me luck!
POSTED ON June 13, 2012, BY brittany
1. What Southern Belle couldn’t resist monogramming gardening gloves? These are the perfect blend of elegance and practicality.
2. This telescopic cultivator/hoe was so easy to use for both big and small (my husband and I took turns . . . ok I did one turn, my husband did the rest).
3. For us ghost white people, it is essential to properly protect from the sun. My motto is you can never have enough sunblock. And yes I know above 50 SPF it’s all the same but psychologically it makes a difference.
4. My husband and I planted our garden last weekend and I can’t wait to eat the fruits of our labor!
POSTED ON June 2, 2012, BY denise Anthropologie’s home department is a place where I find inspiration. The merchandise and displays demonstrate how one can bring functional whimsy easily into your life through delicate vintage patterns in modern prints, fairytale like tchotchkes, and perfectly mismatched garden setting tablescapes. It was during one of my strolls through the store that I stopped at the carousel of doorknobs and wall hooks. Initially I wanted to create a wall of doorknobs to display my jewelry and scarves like this. But with being gifted an amazing jewelry case and my limited collections of scarves in Southern California, I opted out of creating the wall display. It was not until I looked through the picture library in my iPhone that I came up with the next idea. I found myself constantly glancing over my trapped photo library and smiling at the memories they evoked. I decided I should print them. Alas the idea for a clothesline picture wall was born.
 I purchased two knobs, thin linen string used for book binding, clips, and printed about ten of my favorite iPhone photos. All of this ended up being less than $20 with my local craft store’s coupons. The only part of the project that is not self explanatory is that in order to get the knobs into the wall securely you must hammer anchors into drywall where you choose to place the knobs. Make sure the size of the anchor matches that of the bolt of the knob. Once the anchors are in place remove the attached screw of the anchor and twist your knob in. If the bolt of the knob is too long use plier cutters to shorten the shaft.
Voilá! The best part of this wall is that switching out photos is so easy . Compared to the other pictures hanging in my home, I feel that this wall screams with personality because of it. As the curator of my own in-home gallery, I think I may display my collection of photobooth pictures next. During birthdays and holidays I will be hanging my cards, and perhaps for Halloween little bags of treats or scary bats. The possibilities are endless!
POSTED ON May 22, 2012, BY brittanyI love fireplaces. I love the smell of burning wood. I love snuggling up with my sweetie by a roaring fire. But most of all I love the look and decorating potential. When we moved to North Carolina a fireplace was at the top of my list for our new home but, alas, we found the charming home with no fireplace. No cozy autumn nights by the fire but that doesn’t mean I have to forgo the look.
{via Stacey Branford}
{via Apartment Therapy and Country Living}
{via House to Home}
 {via Design Sponge}
We are in the market for a faux fireplace. Preferably something antique but I won’t be too picky. I love the versatility a faux fireplace offers from where you can put it (like a children’s room or bathroom) and how to decorate it.
{via Apartment Therapy and Design Sponge}
{via Country Living}
{via The Lettered Cottage and SF Girl by Bay}
 {via Green Wedding Shoes and Sunset}
Not only can you take advantage of decorating the top shelf but the cutout offers such a unique space to express yourself. There are so many incredible options and the possibilities are only limited by your imagination. It works great for out of commission fireplaces or mantle surrounds used as decor.
{via Design Sponge and Better Homes and Gardens}
{via Jennifer Lee Photographee}
{via HGTV}
 {via The Lettered Cottage}
Can’t wait to show you what we end up with! I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeves!
POSTED ON May 11, 2012, BY denise
I love when life serves up a little mystical magic on a silver platter. Not soon after completing my list for 101 goals in a 1001 days a friend of mine asked if I wanted to take advantage of an online deal for Whale Watching, number four on my list! Since moving out to Southern California the adventure seeker in me had always wanted to get an up-close look of one of the worlds largest mammals in their natural environment. Because I had never done this before I did not know what to expect. I was surprised to discover the migration path of Gray Whales are not considerably far from the shoreline. I personally would have loved to have an encounter like this kayaker in Santa Cruz but I learned that by law that observes must stay 200 yards away from the whales. Nonetheless with all the anticipation that had built I was thrilled to spot blowhole spouts and breaching whale tails.
Seeing the whales was a delight but being flocked by numerous schools of dolphins may have been my favorite part of the trip. According to our guide there we were in the presence of about 400-500 dolphins that day. It was amazing.
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