Chloe, the bongo player

A while ago I posted a picture of Chloe playing the bongos, cause we're cool like that. I had kind of forgotten about this video though. I know- I'm a total crazy, but I'm a-okay with that.

xoxo, kellie and chloe

mini vacation

This past week Austin and I traveled to Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina for a short vacation and get away.We had such a great time (even with our slight detour and some rain). I had taken my camera with us, but honestly between the heavy downpours and the heavy purse I ended up not taking it out much and therefore took no pictures on it. So sadly, the only photos I have from our trip are from my phone, but I'm kind of glad I enjoyed the moments with my handsome boyfriend instead of trying to take pictures.

(above): Austin and I decided to venture north, not entirely sure of where we wanted to end up, and on our little adventure we stopped in Georgetown, SC. I had my mind made up that it was going to be this quaint and adorable little town that we could get some lunch at maybe even do a little shopping. The only thing we found there was a rice museum, I kid you not. So when we ended up in this city for the second time that day, we decided to take these photos to commemorate our feelings for this town.

 (above): Best hotel EVER in Savannah :East Bay Inn. It was absolutely gorgeous and conveniently located to everything we wanted to do. I was sad when we had to leave that hotel- I would have totally lived there if I could have. 

 

(above): Wet Willys. Seriously love these daquari bars. Our city needs one!!!

(above): Names honoring those from the Savannah area that fought in World War II. The monument that was created is gorgeous and featured all the names of those who died during the war. The bricks surrounding it reminded me a lot of something we did home in Fort Lauderdale.

 (above): As we were leaving Charleston on our way home, I turned around before getting into the car and had this view. That city is absolutely gorgeous.

No, we didn't take Chloe with us (she stayed at my parents' place), but I was really happy when we got to pick her up on the way home!!! Love that fluffy pup!

xoxo, kel

a wandering, sleepless mind

Do you ever have those nights where it is just impossible to fall asleep? You try to will yourself and even count sheep or your blessings, but nothing seems to work. That is definitely tonight for some reason. 

My mind keeps wandering..

.... today my dad would be 63.....

 ..this time last night I was in Charleston and looking forward to a new adventure in the morning...... 

...I start back to work/school in a matter of days....  

...money is incredibly tight...... 

.....missing a certain boy.... 

.....shouldn't I be doing something better with my time right now..... 

....is there any chance that listening to Bon Iver or The Middle East will help lull me to sleep (no by the way).... 

....the past....

...the future.....

xo, kel

the day of twos

 

After 2 days of packing up,

2 people,

taking up 2 and a half hours, 

with 2 loaded up cars

cleaned out my classroom at the school I worked at for 2 years. 

This door decal has been on every classroom door I've had (which is up to 3) and was a gift from my internship teacher when I graduated and left my internship position. It has been such a wonderful reminder- and one that fits perfectly in this current situation. 

Here's to the next great adventure!

xo, kel

M E O W F LO W E R // my friend's website launch

 So my amazing friend Shannon finally launched her website/blog/shop. I for one was really excited because it meant I could finally see it myself, which I have been dying to see. Shannon is the one that took my "about me" photos (which are also on her site) and is a fantastic photographer (and artist, and writer, and everything else she puts her mind to).

So go check it out, you'll be glad and inspired when you do. 

xoxoxo, kel

happy things

My memory has gone on vacation since school has been out (at least this is the story I am sticking with) and I keep forgetting to post my weekly "happy things" post.

Week 6: Reading.

 I have been trying to use my time over this summer wisely and catch up on my reading. I've always loved books, but over the past couple of years I've reconnected with how much I love reading. It is one of my favorite hobbies, and while it may make me sound dorky, I don't care- it makes me happy!!

Week 7: My family.

 Even though not all of my family is pictured here, I think it's pretty much the most of us I've gotten at one time. We've had our ups and downs like any family, but we still love each other. I only wish we all lived closer- I miss them so incredibly much.

Week 8: Baby time

 (above: brothers Keagan and Brantley;

below: baby Mason)

 I definitely don't want a baby of my own anytime soon, but I do absolutely love that two of my good friends had babies this summer. I only wish I had more time with these cuties!!

Week 9: Freedom.

 With Independence Day being this week, it has made me think a lot about being free. I am eternally grateful to live in a country where I am free, a time where I am free to be a woman without shame, and free to make my own decisions.

Week 10: Small get-aways.

 Friday some good friends and I went down to St. Augustine (which is one of my favorite cities of all time). We had some drinks, lots of laughs, and even went on a haunted pub tour. Sometimes it's just nice to get away from the everyday life and do something different, especially when it's with friends. Gesh, I feel cheesy right about now, but I honestly do value those kinds of moments.

xoxoxoxox, kel

links, links, links

*Chloe cuddling with me as I wrote last night's post!*

This blogger's artwork is phenomenal. And her upcoming sketchbooking class looks awesome!

I am currently in love with this jumpsuit and this one .  Pretty much all of them are amazing actually....

I love these scrapbooking pages. They are absolutely amazing and inspiring.

I want this printer sooooo badly.

Marry your best friend, and other great pieces of advice from one of the cutest couples in blogland.

A post on how to get unstuck when art journaling. I needed this!

I also found this blog and this tumblr page full of amazing art journal pieces. They make me want to break out my art journal asap!!

I love this idea. And the story behind it.

Pretty much in love with this blog and her handmade work!

I love this flickr mini art journal set.

DIY// mirror and light garland

 One of the first things I wanted up in my room were curtains. My bedroom (along with my entire place...) doesn't get a lot of sunlight, so I decided to go with a white shear look. This look also helped make it a bit more feminine as well; however, when we hung the curtains we ran into a slight problem, they were too long. Now, I realize that I could have hemmed them, but I decided to go with a different look....  I like how hanging the curtains higher makes the room look taller, so we raised the curtains to about a foot above the top of the doors. Then came another little problem... because the curtains were so shear, you could see the giant space between where the curtains started and where the top of the door was. To me it looked tacky.

 I remembered seeing this cute little concoction on pinterest and thought I would try some way of making my own version and including it in this space to de-tacky it.

 Supplies needed:

-strings of white lights (I had to use 2)

-extension cord (if necessary, it was for me)

-permanent glue (there are some for metals, I just used tacky glue)

-mirror pieces (I bought 4 packs of 2 different sizes from JoAnn's craft store)

-crafting wire

 

Directions:

I honestly feel like there might be an easier and more direct way of doing this project than how I went about it, but here is what I did.... 

First, I cut out about a foot of craft wire at a time. (I did this for a couple reasons, 1- it kept the long line of mirrors from getting tangled and 2- it was easier to string up). 

For the second step,   I glued 2 mirror pieces of the same size on either side of the craft wire. (Seen below). Spacing of the mirrors depends on how many mirrors you buy. Since I didn't want to spend a ton of money on this, I spaced the smaller mirrors maybe an inch apart and the larger mirrors closer to 3 inches apart.

 Step three: After each foot of wire was finished, I would twist it around the white light cord. Each end of the craft wire I would secure in place. I continued this step until both strands were covered. 

Then just twist the lights and mirrors around the curtain rod and you're all done! As easy as that.

DIY// art for gallery wall// piece three

The last DIY art piece for my gallery wall... I changed m mind several times about what picture to use, but after using A Beautiful Mess app, Instagram, and Foxgram to order my print, I decided to use this one posted above. (See Kelly and Alexis, I love yall!!!)

Supplies needed:

black construction paper

white paint

scissors

frame (big enough for piece of construction paper)

sponge brush

photo

double sided tape (not pictured)

 

 Step 1: Cut out the sheet of construction paper to a size that will fit the frame. I used the paper that comes in the frame to help make this easier.

 Step 2: Use the sponge brush to make the circles on the sheet of paper. I made about 2 circles per dip of paint, creating some perfect circles and some distressed looking ones. At first I made a pattern, but as I went on I decided I wanted more of an imperfect look, so I scattered the circles more and more.

Step 3: Either frame your paper as is, or use double sided tape to adhere the photo of your choice.
Below is what my art looked like before I decided what picture I wanted to add....

The end. Easy peasy!!! 

xoxoxo, kel

DIY// gallery wall// art piece two

One of my all time favorite pictures of all time is the one of my dad when he graduated from law school. Since he died 13 years ago, I've kept this picture close and even tried to recreate it when I graduated college (unsuccessfully, which is why I won't ever be sharing it here).

 

I decided to try and spice it up a little more since the frame and background were a little boring and I didn't like the colors.

 

In  order to update it, I used black construction paper as the background (instead of the old green it originally had) and love, elsie stickers to give it a little more personality. I also spray painted the brown frame white to match my other frames....but I may have accidentally sat on it and broken it..... so yeah, not my best move. 

But still- awesome picture, right?

xoxoxo, kel

fourth of july 2014

Fourth of July this year turned out even better than I thought it would. It started off dreary and my pool was closed last minute (thanks kid that pooped in the wrong place), but it ended wonderfully. My parents invited two of my friends and I to join them for appetizers and drinks at my mom's work to watch fireworks. The view is absolutely amazing!!!

The next night a bunch of us went to a baseball game, where it rained almost the whole time, but we stuck it out for 13 innings to watch the fireworks show after. Two nights of fireworks = amazingness!

 xoxoxox, kel

4th of july flashbacks

I was going through pictures, searching for something completely different, when I ran across a bunch of old Fourth of July photos. It's funny looking at yourself from years past- I feel like I was sooo young, but it also doesn't feel like it was that long ago. So much has changed since then (and looking at my friends that are pictured, so much has changed in their lives as well). I honestly wish that I had more photos from other years too, but I'm just going to try and be intentional about taking more photos from now on (and labeling them via date- super important for OCD me).

above: 2007 

 above:2008

 above: 2012 (and baby keagan!!!)

Hope yall have a safe and awesome Fourth!!!!
xoxoxoxo, kel