you say it's your birthday...

Happy Birthday Jenna! I hope it's a great one! I love you!

thankful thursday {link up}

{link up your own thankful thursday post below}

Soooo glad today is Thursday! Not sure about you, but this has just been a crazy, whirlwind week... but, as always, I have so much to be thankful for! This Thursday I am thankful for:

1) Girl's weekend! A much-needed one. This weekend I am heading to Columbus, GA to see 3 of my absolute-most-favorite girls in the whole world. I played volleyball at Troy with them and lived with 2 of them for 4 years... you might know one of them from here. These girls are like sisters to me. And we have much to celebrate this weekend... as one of them just had a beautiful baby girl (her first) and another one just got engaged! Lots to catch up on, I'd say.

2) Finally mailing my "just moved" cards. I mean, it's only been over 2 months since we actually moved... and I've had the cards for about 3 weeks now... better late than never. I ordered them from vistaprint, which is where I order practically everything from, and I absolutely love them. Some of you might be seeing them hit your mailbox any day now:)

3) My sister. Who happens to be AWESOME. Oh, and who happens to be turning 25 tomorrow! I love this girl more than anything and am so thankful that she is not only my sister, but also my best friend. Happy birthday Jenna... I'm mailing your totally-amazing-I-thought-about-stealing-it-birthday-present today! Love you.

What are you thankful for this week? Feel free to link your own Thankful Thursday post below...

repurposing old for new

A few months ago I found this great old wooden Coca-Cola crate at my local antique mall. I loved everything about it... the bright yellow color... the metal-bracketed corners... the Coca-Cola logo... the fact that there are compartments.... everything, I tell ya.

I think part of what I love about antique shopping is dreaming up ways to repurpose something old to use it for something new. I love the idea of giving something new life... a second chance, if you will. The moment I spotted this Coca-Cola crate, I knew exactly how I would be using it.

...For stamps, of course! I already have an amazing old letter press drawer that I use for the majority of my out-of-control stamp collection (you can see a picture of the letter press drawer in the last photo on this post). But I also had a small overflow of square stamps that I didn't know what to do with... you know, the ones you can get at Michael's for $1. And the compartments in my new wooden crate were absolutely perfect! Eventually I promise to take a photo of the whole space.

You may remember that I bought another wooden crate almost identical to this one at the antique fair this past weekend... That one is for my sister, but I think I'm going to borrow it for my fall mantle display this year... I mean, she won't mind... she's not picking it up until November anyways:)

Have you repurposed anything old for a new use lately?

Linking this over on Rhoda's blog... Southern Hospitality.

top 10 :: things i want to try this fall

I love fall. Like really love it. I love the crispness in the air... the smell of apples and cinnamon... the crimson color of the leaves... all of it.

This year, (thanks to pinterest) I've been seeing all kinds of things that I want to try out this fall... crafts I want to make, food I want to bake, clothes I want to buy... it's a pretty long list. But in honor of Top Ten Tuesday, I'll narrow it down to 10.

So here you have it... the top 10 things I want to try this fall...

1) Fall window display. This is simple enough... just grab a few pretty leaves from outside and hang them in the window with fishing wire. Simple... yet so beautiful.

2) Apple spice cups. How adorable is this? This would be great for a fall party. Not quite sure how easy this would be... but it sure looks pretty... and yummy.

3) Twig candle luminaries. I am so going to make these. Another affordable project... I think I already have some little glasses... now if I can just talk someone into collecting twigs for me...

4) Thankful wreath. I love, love, love this idea! How sweet would it be to do something like this at your family's Thanksgiving dinner? Everyone could write what they are thankful for, then the wreath is given to the hostess as a gift? Love it.

5) Pinecone place cards. Another brilliant Thanksgiving dinner idea... use pinecones to hold table place cards.

6) Pumpkin cupcakes. Actually... these are 2-ingredient pumpkin cupcakes. I'm wondering if they are the same as the pumpkin spice cookies I made last year... either way, I am pumped about making those bad boys again... yum.

7) Fall ribbon wreath. This might take some time, but seriously, how cute is this wreath? And what a great way to get rid of some of those ribbon scraps... I mean, that is, if you save ribbon scraps... what? ...everyone doesn't do that?

8) Pumpkin montage. This is exactly the same thing as my paper heart craft and butterfly craft project. I love how this one is mounted on burlap.

9) Hot chocolate bar. What a great party idea! Just serve up the hot chocolate and let everyone add their own treats... marshmallows, chocolate sticks, caramel... etc. Brilliant, I tell ya.

10) Fall mantle display. I am loving all of the white pumpkins I am seeing this year... so festive without being too-halloweenie. I also love the window frame mixed in with the pumpkins... I knew I should have bought a window frame at the antique fair this weekend... dangit.

Linking this up to Oh Amanda and It's a Crafty Life.

locust grove antique fair

Yesterday I headed out to the semi-annual Antique Fair at Locust Grove. You may remember me sharing some tips from when I went earlier this year. I'm not quite sure what it is about antique fairs that get me all giddy... it's like a treasure hunt of sorts. This time my friend Allie went with me... we armed ourselves with seasonal drinks from Starbucks (I tried the Salted Caramel Mocha, recommendations of Flossie from last week's Thankful Thursday, and it was delish)... then we prepared to pick through rows and rows of antique fabulousness...

This fair did not disappoint. There were treasures everywhere. I was also playing personal shopper for my sister in Alabama, who was on the hunt for some creative storage solutions... so, lucky for you, I took plenty of photos this go around. Here are some of the treasures we spotted...

I loved this piece. I had it in mind for my sister... but secretly wanted it for myself. It would make an adorable little craft caddy or desk organizer. But at $32, we both passed... although now I'm wishing I would have tried to bargain with him... love that red color!

This was a beautiful little tin case I spotted... it opens up and has lots of compartments and a removable tray. My secret phone shopper (sister) decided to go ahead and snatch this one up. They were asking $25, but I was able to talk them down to $20. I thought it would be perfect as a jewelry organizer or maybe on the desk for paperclips and post-it notes... my sister and her husband had the idea to use it as a medicine cabinet... leave it to the future pharmacists to think of that one.

I loved this wire basket... but at $30 we decided to pass it up.

And how about this adorable stool?!? We loved the color... but at $75, we decided we didn't love the color that much.

This was my sister's other phone purchase. An adorable yellow wooden crate that more than likely was used for glass soda bottles back in the day. I recently purchased a Coca-Cola one almost identical to this one. We paid $15 for this guy.

I loved all of the wire storage baskets... everything is prettier when stored in a wire basket, don't you think?

And how about these beautiful metal bins? I loved these! I loved them even more since there were 2 of them. But we passed them by... I was trying my best to hold out for a special purchase.

My friend Allie found her special purchase! How cute is this chair?!? And there are 2 of them! We were in love with the color... so happy and bright. The best part? She bought both of them for $36! They were originally marked at $28 each. One of the advantages to shopping at the very end of the fair... and only having cash with you. Great find Allie!

Okay, I know this isn't a great photo... but how cool is this old wooden cart? You can't see, but there are these awesome wheels in the middle... I'm sure this thing weighed a ton. Wouldn't this make the best coffee table?!? Well, at $350, it wouldn't be our coffee table... but none-the-less... this piece was awesome.

How about some old skeleton keys? This was on my sister's wish list, so you can imagine my excitement when I spotted this huge bundle of skeleton keys. Unfortunately, they were being sold as an entire set... for $90. Yeah, probably not.

But then I went back to the same dealer later in the day to see if he would be willing to split the skeleton keys up. The only problem was, he wasn't sure if he could actually get any of the keys off. But lo' and behold... there was a section of about 5-6 keys that we could get off and he was willing to sell for $10... sold! I think I will keep one of the keys for my hard work:)

And of course the one thing I didn't take a picture of was my purchase! I was on the hunt for some type of storage piece/shelving unit that I could use in my closet... and I found the perfect piece! A beautiful solid walnut 5 tier shelf with the perfect dimensions. It's so pretty that I'm not quite sure I want to put it in the closet.

Overall, it was a very successful antique fair... as evidenced by our trip home:)

brooke & patrick :: married!! {louisville wedding photographer}

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing a beautiful wedding in Southern Indiana, assisting Shaelyne of Meadows Art & Photography. You may remember, Shaelyne assisted me with Jonny & Janaye's wedding back in May, and I just love working with her... we have a blast together!

Well, this wedding was no different. Shaelyne and I had a great time... mainly due to the fact that we had an adorable bride and groom and absolutely fabulous wedding party. Brooke was one of the most beautiful brides I have ever seen, and I know her groom agreed... Patrick could not take his eyes off of her. Here were some shots that made me smile...

{a gorgeous dress}

{for a stunning bride}

{flower corsages instead of bouquets}

{a stubborn bow tie}

{a beautiful antique quilt for a beautiful bride}

{witty groomsmen in suspenders}

{radiant bridesmaids in violet}

{nature-inspired details}

{location change-of-plans}

{making the most of it... quite nicely, might I add}

{a flower girl princess}

{a picturesque bridal party}

{a bride that can't stop smiling}

{cake that tasted as good as it looks}

{first dance as husband and wifey}

{details, details, details}

{looking like a princess with her prince}

{happily ever after}

It was such a sweet day. Be sure to leave your well-wishes to the bride and groom... which one is your favorite? Congratulations Brooke and Patrick!!