i think i have an addiction…sweet hippie braids! 0and then i discovered this adorable bridal hairstyle (the one at the end with the flower accent), and i think it is the perfect one! maybe a little more polished in the back, but it has to be up and off my neck, being spring/summer in the south and outdoors!
okay, i am still searching for a wedding gown, and i have recently discovered that just because i am a plus size woman, does not mean i have to wear only an a-line style gown to look my best, there are other styles that people just don’t think of for anyone over a size 6, myself included. i am now torn between a couple different gowns, dress 1 is one of my favorites, but i would prefer a longer train, easily altered, and a corset, but i love it! and the second one i have actually tried on, and was pretty, and is not as wide at the bottom as it looks in the picture, they just laid it out funny, but it is still gorgeous! and i am loving these bouquets from style me pretty<3
more dreamy decor, since i just can’t stop! a cozy bedroom chaise nook, gilded walls, kitchen island seating for 10, and of course, more stairs…
okay, i asked a silly question in my last post: would horizontal stripes make a room seem wider, using the same visual principle as applied to clothing? well, actually, applied in the right manner, yes, apparently! at least i think so. take this hallway for example:
they used a visual trick to make this hallway look super long and that makes the door look huge! in theory, it should work the same way in real life, though most likely not as dramatic of an illusion.
but this room appears wider, in my opinion, thanks to the bold, graphic stripes!
now let me just say, i would never use either of these looks in my home, so not me! but fascinating nonetheless.
other random things:
i would love to build this for my kids someday! shoot, i would love to make it a bit more sophisticated for us, too!
how amazing is this staircase?!?
my new favorite blog:
we just rented our first apartment today!!! it is a 670 sq. ft. one bedroom one bathroom with a dining area, living room and screened in patio and utility closet on the second floor on the backside of millenia mall! i was kind of scared when i first got up there because i do not have a backup plan, this was it, it was the right price, and the area was just okay, not the best, but this particular complex is not as bad as i have seen, a bit old and ratty, but passable. i walked in, with my first month’s rent and deposit in hand, and saw the inside for the first time and cringed a little, there was garbage everywhere, the previous tenants left trash, a couple ratty sofas, and a fairly large amount of damage, such as some cupboard doors off the hinges, the washer and dryer both missing handles, etc., but there is potential! the maintenance is cleaning the whole place top to bottom, plus there are a few dishes and…a 50+ inch tv! no guarantees on whether or not it functions yet, no power hooked up for a couple more days, but all signs point toward yes, and they just didn’t want to wrestle that monster down the stairs, considering it was still plugged in and had a dvd player hooked up to it, plus they also left a sofa, loveseat, CPU towers, and various other furniture items for me to play with. oh man, totally been bitten. oh yes, that’s right, the nesting bug. all i want is to make this place a lovely little home, i will be there for at least a year, so i find it completely feasible to make it our own…aka my own, because with that giant tv, v no longer cares what else happens around there, haha. the balcony is one of my favorite things, it is large enough that i could put a hammock chair out there, and even a small charcoal grill! anyway, enough talking, here are some inspiration images, and hopefully in a couple days i will upload some before pics of the apartment. btw, i wonder if horizontal stripes work the same way on walls as people? haha, that was dumb, but oh well, it stays.
wow, i know, two posts in a month! haha, i am going to try again to do more.
so, kind of funny, my last post inspired this one, and a possible series, on dreams and goals, realistic, or just for fun! to start this off, i am going to write, and post photos of MY DREAM WEDDING. but, by the way, this is just a dream, i am so grateful for what i have, and i do not want anyone to think that i am not thankful.
If money were no object, what would my wedding be? a little hippie, very elegant, and dreamy, natural, and a touch vintage, but most of all, full of LOVE. let me just say, i am so in love with v, he is the best thing to happen to me in a very long time. and although our life may be difficult, he is always there for me, looking out for me, and i am so blessed to have him as my partner. okay, moving on.
the venue:
testa rossa winery in napa valley, california
cost: $110/head including rental fee and menu
the dress:
priscilla of boston vineyard collection ($2675 before alterations), and belt by bel aire bridal ($211), and hand-embellished shoes by an etsy seller (i forgot who) ($975)
bridesmaid dresses:
lela rose ($290)
flowers:
mostly white and green loosely hand tied bouquets
honeymoon:
CA road trip in a vintage airstream trailer, with stops in napa, san francisco, big sur, and catalina island
*all photos in the slideshow are in order
dream wedding. do you remember what you imagined your wedding day would be when you were a little girl? did you even have a dream wedding? i don’t think i did, i do not remember ever having a dream wedding, i remember getting my play veil and a white turtleneck and my white(ish) baby blanket and a pair of my mom’s heels, but the whole wedding? no idea. so lucky me, i get to start from scratch! you have seen my plans in the past few blog entries, and you can see how many times i have changed my mind, but that is not even half of it. and, naturally, it has changed again (seriously, i have zero focus, i have already stopped writing and wandered off to other corners of the internet three times…). right now, i am imagining a southern backyard chic wedding with a true southern bbq reception, but still with rustic decor. i see strings of globe lights, dreamy mesh draped in the old maple tree, antique touches like old birdcages and mercury glass, lots of candles and romance, sweet handpicked indie and oldies music, mixed with hits of today. i want to break traditions, mix things up! not gonna lie, i kinda feel pressure, from myself alone, to make my wedding unique and totally different from those of my friends and relatives in the past, i’m different, and we are a different kind of couple. my bridesmaids will not wear a traditional bridesmaid gown, i want something a little vintage and very sweet.
okay, this is not a new year resolution, but i need to blog more, i have been really really slacking lately, and i am sorry! i do not believe in new year’s resolutions, honestly. you don’t need a new year to try to better your life and yourself but everyone else’s resolutions have reminded me of some things i have been neglecting, and things i have never done but need to start, like budgeting, and trying to save up to get our own apartment, and getting back into school, which i am determined to do! i want to start a business, i am going to school for cosmetology in march, which has been my dream for so long, makeup, hair, and beauty has long been an obsession of mine, i have a voracious appetite for knowledge in this field, i want to also become a certified wedding planner, and i am getting married in march, hopefully, that is the plan as of right now, it may need to be postponed, i don’t know…but i hope not. i have become a stronger person because of my fiance, and i hope to continue growing this way, and those are just a few things that i want to do with myself in the next year. what are yours?
today, i was feeling ambitious, as well as a little irritated that again, someone assumed that because i am don’t cook very often, which really, i do, just lately i haven’t been able to, that i can’t. well, i proved them wrong, haha, my house mate’s family is visiting from brazil, and they had a few friends over, and they were in the living room while i was a whirlwind around the kitchen. i made oven roasted baby heirloom potatoes with garlic cloves, ricotta stuffed tomatoes, a nice piece of steak for v, and a balsamic marinated portobello mushroom cap for me (i don’t eat beef). it was so good, and they were watching me, and someone actually commented that they were very impressed that i looked like i knew what i was doing, because they assumed that because i am American, i can’t cook, haha. i also rediscovered my love of whole foods market! v is working the next couple days, v will be working, and hopefully me too, shortly!
i cannot wait for our first christmas together! our little tiny room will not handle an actual tree, so i am going to get a small, potted rosemary tree that i found at whole foods for $12. it will do triple duty, haha, making the room smell so fragrant, and also and adorable mini christmas tree, then after we are done with it, i will keep it growing outside, and use the branches! i can already think of a million things to do with it, great purchase!
my favorite things today (in no particular order):
cabricha de cabra (an herbed spanish chevre, or goat cheese)
organic foods
the weather here (sunny and warm for a few hours in the middle of the day, cool and breezy the rest)
my job
my amazing fiancée
planning our wedding
registering for wedding gifts, aka, decorating and dreaming of the home and life i hope to have someday
pottery barn (i got a wedding registry kit from them {love}, which sparked the desire to start registering)
my friends coming down and visiting for the holidays
getting ready for the holiday season
kissthegroom.com
so, i got a new job recently, working at a portrait studio. let me just say, i love my job! on my first day i got to photograph a three week old baby girl, who was so sweet and beautiful, it was awesome, and later that day i got a really fun, adorable toddler boy, got some great shots that i am really proud of, can’t wait to do more! also, today, i went to a job interview at forever 21, my favorite clothing store, and got the job! sorry for the overuse of exclamations points, but i am so excited, it looks like the pieces are falling into place, and might soon be able to start digging myself out of debt to work toward building a future, because right now, my credit is tanked, i would not be able to get anything, an apartment, better car, etc. what happened at the interview today was kind of funny, i got there on time, actually ten minutes early, and the manager told me to wait a few minutes for the other interviewees. this group interview was for six people, guess how many showed up? just me. that is ridiculous, i have never seen this happen before! but i met with her anyway, and after ten minutes, she told me all of my answers were perfect, she really liked me and would give me a call and let me know when to come back and start! this has been a really good day, albeit boring, but for good reasons, v got to go to work too! so yay for catching up on our rent and things, and hopefully a few more things, like maybe getting me a trim, my hair is a wreck, as well as halfway down my back (the longest it has been in 13 YEARS), or getting my eyes checked so i can get contacts, or shocks for the car…as i stated on facebook, i hate being an adult sometimes, things like rent and car insurance and groceries must come before things like new clothes, no matter how necessary they are. although, my wonderful mother took pity on me and helped me get some new clothes which helped immensely, seeing as my job requires me to wear all black and i have only one pair of black and a total of 4 tops, which will wear out fast if i have to wear them all the time, plus i was stuck wearing black and white converse to work, which is technically against the rules but they never said anything to me, but i was able to get a few new pieces and an adorable pair of boots. so again, today was a good day.
a couple days ago, i finally convinced v to go take holiday pics at my work too, which came out beautifully, and i got 2 free 8x10s as a special and i am going to make my own Christmas cards with them. already have the card designed, it will be so cute!
