life is a highway

y'all, i had my first real deal driving lesson at nathan's driving school. my instructor, rufus, was one cool dude and we went on two different highways!!!!!! he thinks i could pass the test after one more lesson, and that i was a pleasure to teach-ha!

i feel super cool. i guess teaching a 26 year-old who has been practicing is infinitely more assuring than a wet-behind-the-ears sixteen year-old. anyway, sorry for being bragadocious. i'm just so happy to be chipping away at my biggest phobia. take that irrational fear of driving!

the shipping news...

it's the weekend and all i want to do is hang out with the pups and my sweet man. oh, and i love you both is offering free shipping in the U.S. from now until monday! now go forth and shop my lovelies!!!! have a marvelous weekend.

emily marie cox...

i just want to give a quick shout out to the fabulously talented, SCAD fibers gal pal emily marie cox! she is one of the most talented, creative, and downright adorable girlies i know. her artwork is so whimsical and charming, and she is quite the beloved lady. everyone who meets her wants to be her friend and hopes a little bit of her magic will rub off on them. click here to see her design*sponge interview about her creative process. and here to see some more of her work. and here to see my haylie bird's post on her! i wish i could hire her to illustrate every children's book. and commission her to do wedding portraits for all time.

puppy love...

our circus pup and little flirt.

our gentle pup and sweet girl.

meet the newest stellings, HAROLD AND MAUDE. or harry and maddy for short. or maddy rose. i can not tell you how in love we are with these babies. they are two rescue beagle siblings who have a where the red fern grows kind of bond. currently they are spooning eachother-slash-sleeping on my lap. they are two little love bugs and should win some doggie congeniality award.

they came with the names lucy and raleigh. but i am trying to change them to harold and maude. or "harry" and "maddy" for short. my husband isn't too keen on it just yet, but i'm using all my charms to change his mind. i hope it works!

you're a star...

last little shoppe update for the weekend. i've got a smattering of 1960s office/ back-to-school supplies listed. for the nerdy, organized, type lover in us all. or for anyone who wants to get their mad men on. aesthetically of course, not in a smutty, tawdry, cheap way... unless that's your thing. no judgement here.

open for business...

alright guys and dolls (mainly dolls, i'm sure), i love you both is officially open for business!! shelves are stocked, with much more to come. handmade goodies and loads more vintage finery and sundries coming soon!

thanks for all the sweet love yesterday. if you see something you like, please let me know!

i love you both...

so, i've been working on a little side project. i love you both is my etsy shoppe that will be open for business by monday. i will be peddling wares to decorate your home, your garden, your wardrobe, and your life. a little bit handmade and a whole lot olde treasures of yore. i'm stacking the shelves with objects that pull on my heartstrings, and hopefully, tug on yours a little.

i tend to collect the careworn, the neglected, the frayed, the mended, the faded and peeling, and of course, the shiny. i can not resist some dusty, dingy sequins, and my favorite time periods are from 1890-1930. here is a glimpse of the shoppe's inventory so stop by and visit now, y'hear!

playing dress up: back to school

polyvore

all that is on my mind is fall. and back-to-school. at this point i would welcome homework. so i will kick into gear my summer reading; practice my handwriting; and maybe take a class or two. i am hoping to maybe even teach a little. fashion illustration, anyone? intro to styling? either way i have mapped out my pretend clothes. and my pretend fall weather. and my pretend curriculum. no harm in make-believe, right?

love and joy...

this summer i had the privilege of working with miss joy thigpen, photographer-turned-stylist, sometime florist, event designer, and creative director extraordinaire. really, this gal is a dream to work for. she's always brimming full of whimiscal and ethereal ideas. and she is the epitome of professional. really, she has one of the kindest hearts of anyone i know.

once wed has recently featured some fabulous joy thigpen-styled weddings that i was able to tag along and help; whether it was renegade flower arranging, prop-styling, or arbor building. thank you joy for letting me be a part of your world, and i'm ready for you to move back to atlanta now. although i'm sure boston is enjoying you greatly.

gorgeous photography by tec petaja (barnsley garden wedding) and david and kendrick, from our labor of love (crane creek vineyard wedding).

august...

for all you august birthday babies, i apologize in advance... but august is just not my favorite month. in fact, we're not even friends. i'm just trying to survive this blistering heat by making homemade ice cream and other funny things. i've also been practicing friendship bracelet and sailor knot techniques. yep, the heat has officially turned my brain to mush. i'm basically counting down the days til late october, when fall truly happens in georgia. how are y'all surviving? is anyone else ready for fall, or at least a break in this heat?

how to do it...

a new obsession has begun...

vintage cigarette cards and silks. it all began when i was browsing through the history of quilts, and i stumbled upon this. it caught me. hook. line. and sinker.

now i am on the hunt for old cigar ribbons, cigarette silks, and cigarette cards. a bit odd for me, since i have never smoked anything. but man, this kind of advertising is way more alluring than a dopey looking camel. no offense joe.

these "how to do it" series offer charming helpful household hints. love. i love learning new things, especially with school right around the corner. august always kicks my inner-student into overdrive.

i have a feeling these are going to be difficult to track down in the U.S. what do y'all think? i've never seen these at a flea market/ antique store before. maybe at something like brimfield?

the "how to draw series" on nypl digital library is pretty fantastic. i might have to do a follow-up post on those bad boys later! ok, i'm gonna do a little ebay stalking now. let me know if y'all have any leads!

i capture the castle...

i love. i have loved. i will love.

i capture the castle portrays a quirky, poor family holed up in a decrepit castle, drowning in their father's debt. the plot unfolds like a jane austen novel muddled with a fairy tale, maybe rapunzel? something magical. two sisters, the oldest, rose, a flame-haired beautiful little ingrate. and cassandra, the intelligent and plain younger sister. their father is a distant, uninspired, depressed shell of a writer. their stepmother, topaz, lives as a sometime-nudist with a penchant for dying things green and a muse to their hapless father. oh, and they also have a harry potter-like little bookworm of a younger brother.

cassandra is the country mouse, altruistic younger sister whose journal reveals the complicated love story.

rose is the botticelli-esque, peaches and cream sister who bewitches the cotton brothers, stirring up jealousy on all fronts.

the film is one big puddle of angst and longing. cassandra loves simon, the eldest cotton brother who proposes to rose. rose and neil secretly love eachother.

and handsome stephen, the farmboy, is in love with cassandra. and then there are a million other complicated love subplots thrown in the mix.

i capture the castle was recommended to me by clare & laura, and thank you girls!! it is much, much more charming than the edge of love, but boasts equally as lovely costumes and scenery. there is an abundance of handsome men... 'nuff said.

i started the book earlier this spring, but haven't finished it. watching the film before finishing is sooooo cheating, but i couldn't resist the watch instantly on netflix. and right now it is too hot too breathe, so movie marathons is where it's at!