October & Crafting

My goodness, I can't believe how long it's been since I've regularly blogged here. This season of life has been full in so many ways (more thoughts on that later), but seriously, I've really missed sharing ideas here and keeping up with all my favorite blogs.

The team at Martha Stewart recently contacted me about sharing a craft idea this month, and my instinct is to pass on this type of thing (I tend to freak out and wonder what the heck to make, plus I don't accept freebies through blogging), but I just had a feeling this would be a fun push to jump back into blogging again (and it definitely was -- here I am!). So, they sent a box full of fall-themed MS craft products to create a project with, and after admiring all the goods, I'm planning to donate or pass them on after this. Here's what I put together!

I've had these tiny plain notebooks from the craft store for the longest time, and thought they'd be perfect to decorate as favors or small gifts. I used paper from the MS Halloween pad, which includes textured pages like awesome felted cats (which I cut & glued to one cover), and glittery star paper & other fun designs that I wrapped like book covers. So cute and simple to make!

I styled it into a little table setting using some things I had on hand: a blue table runner, pearly garland, a vase of gold leaves, and pumpkins. I used a MS mini punch to make pumpkin confetti (gluing some of them onto votive holders filled with glitter), and stuck their masquerade masks onto painted skewers along with gold ribbon.

It was fun getting a chance to put this together, so I might share another post using more of the supplies before deciding where to pass them on (thank you again to Martha's team!). And thanks, friends, for sticking by here. Happy crafting and especially, happy October!

Clair de Lune

Clair de Lune happens to be one of those pieces of music that has really seen me through ups & downs over the years -- not just the music itself, but playing it on the piano. I remember the first time I attempted it, I immediately knew I wanted to learn it by heart. And I did. I played and played it... after a long school day it was the best secret to relieving stress as a teenager, hands down (then again, playing piano was my favorite thing to do!).

All this to say, I'm grateful to see today's Google Doodle (so much so that it got me posting again :) -- a tribute to Claude Debussy through a short animation featuring his amazing, wonderful little "moonlight" masterpiece. Go check it out!

(images from google, layout by hooray)

Happy Fourth!

I couldn't think of any better sentiment to share on Independence Day than this verse above -- a repeat from last year but paired with a recent photo taken at the Air Force museum in Dayton. Wishing you a long sunny weekend, wherever you are! And to those of you in the States, a holiday filled with fun and gratefulness for this sweet country we call home.

Recent Finds: Pillows

A living room with a couch full of cozy pillows is one of my favorite things, and ours are in real need of an update! Several have covers that aren't holding up well, so I'm slowly trying to replace them with ones I really love. I've had all of the above bookmarked as inspiration and kind of like the mix of patterns seeing them together here. I'd prefer removable (you know, washable!) covers, but these give me some good ideas. We'll see. ;)

I'm such a fan of all the designs by Bonnie and Neil where a few of these can be found -- check out the rest of their collection here.

Pillows: Green / B&W / Pink / Navy / Chinoiserie / Yellow

My Best Friend's Wedding

Hey there, it's been awhile! I've been waiting almost a year to write that post title! My best friend, who I've known since we were just babies, got married a few weeks ago in June and it was a great day to witness. Planning with her and having the privilege of being matron of honor, the thing that stuck with me most was her entire approach to the day -- she was more focused on the people sharing in the celebration than on any of the little details. Yet at the same time, all of those little details still reflected her simple style and personality so much.

So, some of the "fun" details: her mom sewed white flag garlands that we strung up everywhere the morning of -- across the old Opera House for the reception, outside along the porch, and at the entrance of the church for the ceremony. Totally felt like a scene from Downton Abbey minus (most) of the drama. And since it was Flag Day, we also incorporated paper flags with lantern centerpieces. The chalkboard table numbers were a nod to the groom being a teacher, and the take-home favors included little bags full of nostalgic candy such as peanut butter bars and strawberry candies. It reminded me of all the times growing up that we would raid an old metal cabinet at her farmhouse late at night for some of those same treats.

I only have a few photos of the actual wedding day, but just like her shower, I will share a few more from the planning process soon. Happy July to any of you still reading along!

Changing Seasons

It has been awhile, hasn't it?! This spring is not only flying by, but is proving to be a real time of change for us, in both good and challenging ways. The biggest of those being an inevitable season of military life on the horizon, which will mean extended time apart from one another...a transition full of all sorts of mixed emotions. It's not something I'll be sharing here when that day comes, but it has given me a lot of pause lately (& sometimes a breather is just best!).

However, there have been lots of creative happenings as well, including a bridal shower for my life-long best friend. I made a whole slew of branch-and-tissue paper leaves, envisioning a "mini forest" along the tables (and in true form, left the main box of them at home...agh), but we made do with the few that safely arrived. I forgot to take a single photo that day, but I have a few from the planning stages and will share a little recap of the details soon!

(photo via my instagram @allihooray)

Pins: Coral & Green

It's always fun spotting color themes in your pins...coral and green with dark wood tones are looking pretty good lately!

Cake by lisa vorce (via kate) / Garden birds by bethan janine (via gloria) / Kitchen by shannon fricke (via caroline) / Bedroom by jessica comingore

Mr. Boddington Classics

As any good blogger knows, Anthro is a treasure trove of pretty books, right? I always find myself in their store whenever we're in downtown Birmingham, and this past weekend I was reminded of their stash of Penguin Classics with cute & quirky cover designs by Mr. Boddington. I could hardly resist my favorite above...see all of them here.

(photo by hooray)

Oahu, Hawaii (Part 2)

Although I've drawn this out a tad long, here is the last part of our recent adventures in Hawaii. I think I set some kind of record for most photos taken on a vacation. Hah! I always love trying to capture places we go, but I was overwhelmed at times with the beauty of this place...every leaf and tree and bit of blue sea.

Above are a few more taken at Aulani, including the selfie that I snapped while walking around the grounds one afternoon. It's funny, even standing among it I was caught off guard by all of the lush greenery surrounding my reflection as I walked by. The cliff-side photo was taken from Makapu'u Point, which has one of my favorite views on the entire island.

Two very different roadside views while driving around -- the first of a more remote mountainside community, and the second of the ocean ahead while traveling to the north shore. In between is a glimpse of the Pearl Harbor aviation museum on Ford Island, where we explored one rainy morning and had brunch afterward at their Laniakea Cafe.

We spent our last evening at the Polynesian Cultural Center. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was beautiful and deserves more than one red-leaf photo! And I couldn't end this post without another shot from the busy downtown Waikiki beach...half-buried trashcan and all, it's still a pretty nice view. ;)