Currently || February

February came and went so quickly, I'm still trying to figure out how it's already March 5th! Here's a recap of how the month went.

Eating...cucumbers with hummus like it's going out of style. I also went on a deli meat and cheese kick made into little rolls and dipped in spicy brown mustard.

Drinking...all the espresso now that we have a legit espresso machine! Unfortunately I got a nasty head cold earlier in the month so I was also downing a natural remedy that cleared me up in 4 days flat! It's good for a nice little detox, too. Mix juice from half a lemon (or other citrus), an ounce of raw honey, an ounce of Bragg's organic apple cider vinegar, a pinch of turmeric, and about a teaspoon of freshly grated ginger. When I was really stuffed up I threw in a pinch of cayenne pepper for good measure. I added crushed ice and drank it twice a day. So good!

Reading...tutorials for projects to make with my new Cricut Explorer! I have yet to get it cranking up since my computer is on the fritz but the list of things to make keeps growing.

Watching...Night Watch on A&E on Thursday nights. It's a good one.

Cooking...on the grill since we have been blessed with some awesome weather lately. The hubs grilled some delish chicken that still makes my mouth water.

Baking...my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe from Martha Stewart. The cookies are more cake-like and chewy--my fave.

Loving...the chance to spend time with my grandparents who came to visit for the month. I hadn't seen them in 5 years so it was well overdue. Bonus: Josh got to meet them for the first time and they loved him, naturally.

Wanting...a new computer since mine is hanging on by a thread. I gifted myself a 15" MacBook Pro when I graduated college 8 years ago (whoa, I'm feeling really old right now!) and it has hung in there for far longer than expected. It is trying so hard to keep up with the few programs I run on it, but it is killer trying to get anything done, especially editing. Just hang in there little buddy, my money tree is still growing!

Wearing...my new favorite jeans, the sexy girlfriend, from GAP. I loved the first pair so much I had to stock up before they were gone!

Trying...to keep up on my cardio schedule and picking up a bi-weekly private yoga session with one of my girlfriends. This along with my 2 regular weekly yoga sessions should get me ready for the river this summer, hopefully!

Feeling...nostalgic about my wedding day since we've been working on our wall collage for the living room. I ordered a couple canvas prints and now just have to figure out which prints to frame.

Swooning...over the delicious dishes at Nikki and Matt's new downtown Tucson breakfast/brunch/lunch joint, nook. From the food to the urban rustic decor, this place is amazing! I'm doing their photography work and could not be more excited nor more proud of this great endeavor they've included me in.

Making...time for long walks and dog park visits with Mr. Ricardo while the weather is still tolerable for his easily overheated body.

Organizing...my external hard drive and realizing I take far more (non-client) images with my iPhone than with my DSLR. I should work on that.

Pinning...inspiration and tips for improving my hand lettering.

Celebrating...5 months of marriage to my favorite!

xo

Wedding Details

If you were keeping up with our wedding festivities, you'll remember that our reception didn't quite go as planned! We had a wonderful time despite the lack of power, but because of this we had to sacrifice a few details that we still wanted to share.

One of the important considerations for our wedding was that we didn't want to be wasteful nor spend our time/money on details that would be thrown away or die after all was said and done (when it could be helped). We also wanted to incorporate pieces that were made with love, by our own hands. This is why we chose details like our succulent center pieces and a 3'x4' monogram sign, both of which are displayed in our home. It's a constant reminder of our special day which I think makes it all come full circle.

The past couple years I have become obsessed with succulents. I want to buy them all every time we go to the nursery! After so many visits, Josh may not be as big of a fan and may have dubbed me "crazy cactus lady" which I'm thinking is not such a bad gig! Succulents were a perfect solution for our wedding center pieces but the vessels that held them were just as important. We originally planned to make the boxes ourselves, but after visiting Clementine Floral Works in Silver Lake while visiting La I stumbled onto a perfect alternative that was equally as charming. The people at the shop were so helpful and went above and beyond to make sure I got what I wanted/needed. And thankfully I was able to stuff all the boxes and available pots in my carry on!

In the weeks and months leading up to the wedding, I spent a fair amount of time collecting and planting our succulent arrangements and guest favor/seating cards. It was actually quite therapeutic! Not gonna lie, though, I am still learning to say no to extra watering! I'm no black thumb, but I have killed off a few from my eagerness to water them too frequently. In any case, the center pieces turned out wonderfully and made a nice addition to the candle covered tablescape even if they were a bit difficult to see! As for the guest favor/seating card situation, we used these a.dor.a.ble milk glass pots (also from Clementine) and birch veneer wood edging which we stained, cut, and wrote each guest's name on with white ink. We tied each flag place card to the pots with gold twine which was also used on the boutonnieres and invitations. It was a tad difficult to read the names in the low light but we made it work and our guests got to take home a little piece of our big day.

These are still one of my faves.

If you squint you can see the arrangements throughout the table!

Our reception was held in the Carriage House of Cibo, a delicious little Italian joint in downtown Phoenix. We wanted to let our guests know what was on the menu, but didn't want individual menus nor a large sign. Instead we decided we wanted to showcase our menu on easels placed throughout the table. This never happened which makes me a bit sad since I spent considerable time on them and really liked them! But when you can barely see, having a menu to read is not quite a priority so it was only practical to leave off this element. In any case, we used my own lettering for the titles and our invitation font for the descriptions which were printed on kraft paper and then attached to printmaking paper using gold washi tape. The easels were found at Michael's and stained to match the place card flags.

Somehow this is the only image I have of the completed menus. Ya take what ya can get!

Since Josh's proposal sign has special meaning to us, we wanted to incorporate some sort of light feature at the reception. And what better way than a 3'x4' monogram sign?! Originally we wanted to create a marquee type sign with our monogram but later decided this cutout version was better suited for display. We built the box ourselves, carefully cut out each letter with a jigsaw (that D was no joke!), and stained it to match the other elements. The next step was to staple the lights to the inner perimeter of the frame and between the letters. One would think this would be an easy task and not time consuming at all, but that's only true if your staple gun is working. Of course mine was not so I, being the crazy nut that I am, decided to use pliers to separate individual staples one by one and hammer them into the frame to secure the light strand. I think I had carpal tunnel by the end of that brilliant idea! Even though we didn't get to incorporate the sign at our reception, not all is lost--he is happily displayed above the sofa in our living room.

I'll be sure to get a better image soon since this just doesn't give it justice.

I'll share more about our invitations soon so check back in the coming weeks. And hopefully now that the wedding is over and my blogging energy is back, I'll be more consistent with my posting. Hopefully!

xoxo

Currently || January

Hello, are you still there?! I realize I have been absent for quite some time so it's about time I dust off the blog dust and get back to regular posting! With the holidays and big family events over the last few months, my attention has been elsewhere but I plan on making this space a priority this year. There are a few posts in my draft folder that I'll hit the publish button on soon, but I thought I'd start the year off with a new series: Currently.

Eating...home cooked meals at the dinner table more as opposed to eating out or in front of the tv. It's one of our 2015 intentions.

Drinking...more coffee than I should, including the new Flat White from Starbucks--so good! Also loving my new Hario cold brew pot from Christmas.

Reading...small business guides and my Etsypreneurship book, hoping to get the push I need to finally (how long have I been saying this?!) open my etsy shop.

Watching...Fixer Upper on HGTV. I'm personally not a 'farmhouse chic' kind of gal, but I do thoroughly love this show.

Cooking...shirataki noodle soup and other comfort foods that lend well to cold weather.

Baking...cinnamon oat apples and chocolate cherry cupcakes. One is a relatively healthy and the other is a hot mess of yummy sin!

Loving...being an aunt for the second time! My niece Lyla Audrey was born earlier this month and is pure perfection.

Wanting...to feel motivated to do cardio.

Wearing...all the cute winter clothes I can while our "chilly" weather is still around. For a girl who loves her peacoats, scarves, and boots, central Arizona is not the place to be!

Trying...to be more active. That whole "body in motion tends to stay in motion" bit is so true. Getting motivated to do anything once I've planted myself down in front of the tv for far too long is a struggle!

Procrastinating...on finishing all the home projects I started too many weekends ago. Poor Josh has been without a finished nightstand for 2 months now.

Listening...to the sweet voice of Katie Costello in Kaleidoscope Machine.

Feeling...excited about opportunities coming up this year. Some big changes are in store for me and I'm excited to share them with everyone soon!

Swooning...over my sweet friend Laura's gorgeous wedding that was just featured on Free People's blog. It's everything, right?!

Making...beeswax hand salve with coconut and jojoba oil. Martha Stewart better watch her back!

Pinning...inspiration for home decor and projects since we've committed another 2 years to our rental.

Celebrating...turning the big 3-0! Yikes!

xo