handmade.

I was on Etsy today and saw a really inspiring quote from one of today's featured sellers. It's from Cathy McMurray, an artist from Portland, Oregon:

"Choosing handmade is choosing a slower way of life, one rooted in tradition and creative expression. Handmade always involves a story that is as much about the maker as it is about the product."


(Eclipse print)

Cathy has a great little blog that can be found here at Habit of Art.

go take a hike.

this weekend was gorgeous so we decided to take full advantage of it by going on a hike. we packed a picnic and headed to Raven Cliff Falls with our dear friends David and Kelly. as a northeast Georgian native, i thought i had pretty much blazed every trail in the area. i found out i was definitely wrong about that. i hadn't even heard of this location until a couple of days ago thanks to google, but it was beautiful and i definitely recommend it!

afterword, we rewarded ourselves with a little old fashioned soda from betty's country store. love that place!

plastic island.

ever wonder where all your discarded water bottles, coke bottles, and plastic packaging go? there's a chance that at least some of it has found its way to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as plastic island. this is no joke, there really is an island of plastic floating in the pacific that is estimated to be TWICE the size of TEXAS. it's not a literal island that you can boat up to and anchor down, it's more of an island of floating particles. the pictures above are for an idea of how much waste is out there. there aren't any actual pictures of plastic island.

plastic island is home to tons of plastics, chemical sludge, and other debris. this seems to be America's best kept secret. hardly anyone i know has heard of this and i myself had not heard about it until about two months ago. i decided to attempt to spread a little bit of awareness on this issue.

my first question when i heard about plastic island was obvious. how did all of that plastic get into the ocean? 80% of the garbage is believed to come from land based sources and 20% comes from ships. one of the most alarming matters to me is that this plastic actually makes its way into our food chain because as it photodegrades it becomes smaller and smaller until even the tiniest aquatic life can consume it. pollutants on plastic island range in size from fishing nets to micro-pellets used in abrasive cleaners.

what can we do to help? such simple efforts can help tremendously such as bringing your own reusable grocery bags to the store each and every time you go to avoid using all of those plastic grocery bags. if we quit using them, grocery stores will simply stop producing them. stop buying bottled water. this sounds radical to some i'm sure, but in a country where clean water is readily available and sometimes even free there is simply no need to buy bottled water. if everyone in America would buy a reusable bottle such as Klean Kanteen to fill up at work, school, or on the go the result would be tremendous for our environment. and of course, of course, recycling! reduce, reuse, recycle. those three words make a world of difference.

i'm afraid that our culture has become so fixated on convenience that we forfeit our health and the health of our planet. i think back to the good ole days when milk was bought weekly and delivered in glass jugs that were reused over and over again and wonder why we have strayed so much from those principles. who made these rules that every single product i buy has to come in individual plastic packaging?

dinner at the Williams

i tried out a new soup recipe today that's healthy, frugal, and delish! i found it in an old issue of Better Homes and Gardens that I was perusing while I was at my internship the other day. i followed the recipe exactly and it turned out great. also, for a side dish i sliced a loaf of french bread and drizzled a little olive oil on top before toasting it in the oven.

the drinks are super simple cocktails. all you need for them is a can of frozen limeade concentrate (i prefer minute maid), and coconut rum. make the limeade exactly how the directions say on the can except substitute one of the cans of water for coconut rum. yum!

CREAMY POTATO AND ASPARAGUS SOUP

1-1/4 Lb. trimmed asparagus
1-1/4 Lb. potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 12oz. can evaporated milk
6 slices bacon
1 Tbsp. honey
Shredded lemon peel, Italian parsley, coarse salt, and/or freshly ground pepper

1. Reserve 1/3 of the asparagus. Combine remaining asparagus, potatoes, evaporated milk, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1-1/4 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to boil and reduce heat. Simmer covered for 10 minutes. Blend soup in a blender or food processor, half at a time.
2. Cook bacon in a skillet and drain on paper towels. Keep about 1 Tbsp of bacon drippings in skillet to cook remaining asparagus. Cook 5 to 6 minutes.
3. Chop bacon and place in pie plate. Drizzle with honey and microwave for 30 seconds. Ladle soup in bowls and top with asparagus, bacon, and desired toppings.

Serves 4!

hi everyone! just wanted to let ya know that i have launched my new store on Etsy. it will feature handmade accessories and vintage goods. i've linked it on the side here -------->

and HERE...

ch..ch..check it out! thanks for taking a look! :]

our home for the holidays...

i thought i would give you all a glimpse into our apartment for Christmas...here goes!

coffee table centerpiece

our Christmas tree in all it's colorful glory...

i made this wreath last year...it was super simple.

stockings!

the centerpiece for our little cafe table.

i made this wreath this year because i thought the back door needed a little love. it was also super simple.

sneak peek time!

after a long hiatus, i'm starting up my etsy shop again with all new inventory. here are a few things that i have been working on!

hair clips to add a little pizazz to your locks!

various hair clips...the one up front features two flowers. it looks cuter in hair!

felt flower pins for winter coats, purses, shirts, or whatever you'd like to accessorize!

more various flower pins. all of these will be available in a variety of colors, sizes, fabrics, and designs! i've still got a long way to go, but i'm hoping that i'll get enough inventory to start my store back up before Christmas. these would be great for little stocking stuffers! thanks for taking a look :)

taylor swift's fab new look

i know the AMA's were quite some time ago now, and i'm definitely behind the curve in posting this, but i have been wanting to blog about Swift's new look for a while now. i've honestly never thought of Taylor Swift as much of a fashion icon, but when i caught some pictures of her at the 2010 AMA's i was in love, from the bedazzled dress to the new do.

her straight locks with blunt cut bangs really take her to an edgy new level. her dress is by Collette Dinnigan and the shoes are Jimmy Choo. we all can take a few pointers from Swift's perfectly accessorized outfit. with a dress that has this much going on it's unnecessary to add tons of jewelry. the sparkly shoes add just enough interest without competing too much with the dress.

again, she has perfected her outfit. i love the simple black silhouette she has created by pairing black oxfords, black skinny jeans, and a black cami layered with a sparkly black blazer. her hair looks cute in this updo with a few pieces framing her face. she's really got this whole new mature look down to a science!

no more cold weather blahs.

can i just be honest and say that i'm not looking forward to the transition into winter? ugh, cold weather is not my friend. well, that's not tooootally true i guess. i do enjoy some winter activities like skiing and snuggling up with my hubby under blankets watching a movie and sipping hot chocolate. and Christmas.

ok, so i don't think i only speak for myself here when i say that when it gets cold out i sometimes get the winter blahs and dig myself into a wardrobe rut. all i want to do is throw on the nearest sweatshirt and call it a day. that can make me feel even more icky. Refinery 29 to the rescue! today i was browsing their website and stumbled on these outfits that i just adore. could that silk scarf BE any more chic? i think not.

happy halloween!

from

Jem and Pam (haha, get it?)

an Indian

and Madonna.

xoxo

family time with a little inspiration

benji, my mom and i all went on a saturday afternoon drive to Highlands, NC for a little leaf lookin' and some family time. it's quickly becoming an annual tradition for us. we drove along the winding roads and got to town where we spent some time exploring and shopping a little. we also made a stop by buck's coffee, one of the cutest coffee shops ever. the town was celebrating halloween and with all of the adorable trick-or-treaters lining the sidewalks and the small town feel it felt like a real life 'Hocus Pocus', one of my favorite movies.

we also stopped in a favorite shop of mine, Dutchmans Design. some of the merchandise gave me some ideas for crafting. i think this light fixture is such a great idea. it's made of old canning jars that have been strung up and randomly lit. it would be really easy to make and would make such a statement!

don't you just love this?

another really great idea is to make a candle holder out of a really pretty wine bottle that you just can't bring yourself to throw out. this would be great for a kitchen table or countertop accessory.

i thought this chandelier was really neat. all you would need to make for this would be a few metal rings in different sizes, paper clips, and pages out of old books. love it!

antique window art

a few weeks ago i purchased an old window from an antique store. i had it propped up against the wall in my living room unsure of exactly what i wanted to do with it until yesterday. i almost liked the way it looked on the floor, but i decided to add a little pizazz and hang it on our big bare wall in the living room.

the supplies are pretty simple for this project and may even consist of things you have lying around the house. gather a sponge or small paint brush (i ended up using a paint brush which isn't pictured), acrylic craft paint in your desired color, stencils of your choice, and tape.

i put my window up against the baseboard to keep it nice and straight. i chose to paint on the back of the window so that the designs would be protected from scratches. decide a pattern that you would like to do, and tape down the stencils. paint them and give a quick dry with the hair dryer on "cool". slowly peel of the stencil. the big thing here is to not worry with perfection. i went back over mine with a second coat of paint once they were dry. you could probably find a protectant to seal the designs, but i just left mine as so if i ever want to change it up i can easily remove the designs with a little cleaner and a sponge.

make sure each design is dry and wah-la you've got a new piece of art to hang!

we're all full of hot air.

i dream of going to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and flying up, up, up and away in one of the balloons. hot air balloons are so fascinating to me. they're such a beautiful means of travel. impractical, but beautiful all the same! who's down for a road trip?

coffee date

heaven in a cup.

pumpkin and white chocolate lattes at inman perk.

after being lazy at our apartment saturday afternoon benji and i decided to go out for a cup of coffee and a stroll around downtown. i love going on autumn walks. the brisk air, smell of coffee, pumpkins on doorsteps, colorful trees, fallen leaves lining the streets, and store windows decorated for halloween all make me so. so. happy.