FROM MY PHONE

A few quick words:
Carlashes, really? Okay, I'm actually really glad these exist.
The striped sweater in the first two is from our thrift adventure in Atlanta (the best).
And strawberry bubbaloo: I highly recommend it.

WHAT I SEE

Today my life looks like:

lunch + new favorite mug

eyeglass puppy

our favorite foods (putting away holiday stuff)

my favorites (how much longer will you last?)

sewing and sewing and sewing

chicken vs. egg

It's a good day so far! Hopefully I can finish planning all these new bags for my shop and start sewing. 

IN 2011...

...it snowed six inches in Athens in January, canceling the first week of classes. I felt extremely cozy, explored the snow with Elizabeth, and was unable to take the rest of the semester seriously.
...this is what my room looked like before I moved to Charleston. I was sharing an apartment with one of my best friends in the world, Douglas built me this fort over my bed, and despite being away from him for most of time, it was one of the best times of my life.
...I spent the first half of the year seeing Douglas only during weekend visits and over skype. We explored Charleston for the first time, spent Valentine's Day in a hotel room, and grew closer over phone calls.
...I had a European adventure with my dad at the end of my junior year. We explored Paris, Venice, and Rome. I learned more about the world and myself. We returned home and I decided to leave school and move to Charleston with Douglas.
...I planned our wedding in two months and everything was perfect. My dress was light pink, my favorite people were all in one place, I danced with my dad, and now I'm married to Douglas. What more could I want?
...I put everything I owned into boxes into a truck and moved away from Athens for the second time in my life. This time, everything was right.
...I began to make our home together. I've made our one bedroom apartment a perfectly cozy home for the time being. We love living here.
...I began to create things again and started my own small business, Anykind, a true work in progress. I'm developing my style and what I love to make, and I'm so excited that this is what I get to do everyday.

...I was lucky enough to go to two fairs! I continued a tradition of going to the Georgia National Fair with Elizabeth and went to the Coastal Carolina Fair for the first time with Douglas.

...we experienced the pleasures of living near the beach and enjoyed having my parents and then Elizabeth come to visit us. We loved having each of them and can't wait to have more visitors this year.
...I participated in my first craft fair. It was small but went extremely well, and it was a huge step for my growing, developing business.
...we celebrated the holidays together for the first time as a married couple. We visited with friends, ate and ate and ate, and loved celebrating with our new families. It was the best holiday season probably ever.
...we celebrated the end of the year and the beginning of the new one with some new friends in Charleston. We watched old music videos, lit sparklers and a few loud, smokey fireworks, and I felt at home here. I can't think of a better way to end one year and start the other.

Happy New Year to you all. It's gonna be real good.

INSIDE MY BAG

I remember in sixth grade, the coolest thing you could do if you were a girl was carry a purse to school. Having a purse in school was another way to say something about yourself. It was an easy, necessary way to accent whatever awesomeness you already had going on as a twelve-year-old.

Sure, I liked that part of it, and I sure as hell loved buying new bags and then taking them to school. But what really drew me to carrying a purse to school (and subsequently everywhere I went) was the fact that it allowed me to keep all of my important, everyday things close to me, in one little place. Classes were made easier by the fact that I had my hoard of Lip Smackers and Jolly Ranchers at hand, always. Having that mindset about what I carry in my bag hasn't changed, except now I love carrying my pens, pencils and notebook around everywhere I go. I also love seeing what other people carry around in their bags, so here's what's in mine!

thrifted scarf, wallet, my drawing/list/everything notebook, iphone, pens/pencils/sharpie/eraser, sunglasses, baby lips, glitter pocketknife and my grandmother's pink swiss army knife, keys with hello kitty and wooden turtle keychains

Even though the contents change probably everyday, this is usually the kind of stuff you'll find.