DIY: homemade wedding gift

before we headed to germany last week for our dear friends' wedding, we wanted to make them a special gift. i took inspiration from some etsy prints and decided to make them a wooden chalkboard that highlighted  their hometowns. 

what you'll need for this project:

- wooden slab

- chalkboard paint

- sharpie paint pen (white)

- acrylic paint (red)

- paintbrush

 - paint roller
- tape
- scissors

- state and/or country stencils/ templates

first, i cleaned the wood and then drew a circle around the rim of the wood with a pencil to help determine the size of the circle. next, i painted the first layer of chalkboard paint with a brush and roller. after at least 4 hours of drying time, i painted on the second coat of chalkboard paint.

once all of the chalkboard paint was dry, i took my stencils that had been cut out (this site has good templates for US states) and taped a small corner in place. then i took my white sharpie paint pencil and outlined the stencils. 

once i had outlined the stencils, i removed the stencils and then outlined the state and country lines a few times to make the lines more bold.

once the paint had adequate time to dry, it was time to add the hearts. i should add that i realize that georgia is a state and germany is a country but i felt like this would be cuter and more recognizable than the whole USA and germany or georgia and saxony. kyle is from atlanta, georgia and antje is from jocketa, germany (in the state of saxony). the wedding was actually held in jocketa and it is absolutely beautiful (pictures to come soon)!

i drew the outline of the hearts and plus sign in pencil and then hand-painted them onto the chalkboard. we wrapped the wood in some eyelet ribbon and signed the back with our best wishes for the lovely couple. we ended up giving it to them early to avoid it getting ruined during the travel from berlin to jocketa; however, antje and kyle ended up having it on their guestbook table at the wedding! we couldn't have been more honored or happier that they loved the gift.

we hope that this gift continues to remind them of their special day and that "distance means so little when someone means so much."

i can't wait to share our pictures and stories from our wonderful trip to germany.
xo

guten tag!

it's been such a busy week - long work days, new running regimen, and traveling to NJ for a meeting that gets cancelled the minute you land. needless to say, we are ready for vacation!

we are heading to germany for our friends' wedding. we'll spend some time in berlin then there is a full weekend of celebrations! i'm really excited about the german polterabend! it's a german wedding custom in which on the night before the wedding the guests break porcelain to bring luck to the couple's marriage.
 how fun is that? of course, it'll be weird making room for the porcelain in our packs but worth it!

j + i cannot wait to explore germany and spend time with some of our closest and old friends. 

i promise to take lots of pictures and if you have any berlin suggestions, i'm all ears!
have a wonderful weekend - filled with magic!

p.s. i cannot wait to share with you the wedding gift j + i made for our friends. of course, it'll have to wait until we give it to them!
xo

[photo credit for 2nd photo]

featured artist: budi satria kwan

i realize that a lot of the art that i like lately all have some element of nature (hippie at ♥) in them and i suppose this art post is no different. the variation of art from artist budi satria kwan is incredible. i love the different styles and colors. the top print is called "go west" which i know j will appreciate and it makes me want to load up the versa and go on an epic road trip...we'll do it one of these days.

as always, the issue is finding room on your walls for all the great art in the world!
xo

"out where the world is in the making, where fewer hearts in despair are aching, that's where the west begins" - arthur chapman

[1, 2, 3, 4]

skinny belts

i have been all about skinny belts lately (it may be due to the fact that i feel like i have a waistline again)! my personal collection is getting a little robust and i need to slow down on spending money; however, a girl can still look, right?

the simple brown belts are my favorite belts right now but it's always fun to mix it up.

what are some of your favorite fashion trends lately?
xo

skinny belts

expedited view of the appalachian trail

as we start packing our osprey packs for our week in germany, it makes me wish we put on our packs more often for hiking adventures! it's long overdue and really peru was the last time we went hiking with our packs. after watching this video that compiles footage of the appalachian trail into less than 5 minutes, it makes me want to go on a 6 month hiatus and just go hiking with j + our closest friends!

to be fair, the website did warn that watching the video would make you itch to buy new hiking boots and it really did!

hopefully this fall we can at least plan weekend getaways to hike portions of the AT!

i'm curious - what would you do if you had 6 months to just go?

xo

weekend recap + flea market finds

hello monday - we meet again.

had a nice, peaceful weekend filled with ordering in thai food (curry tofu + veggies), lots of time spent watching the olympics, lunch at hankook taqueria (tempura fried sweet potatoes w/ aioli and tempura avocado tacos = so good), finally finished reading "eat, pray, love," pool day and cookout with the in-laws (dessert was the best strawberry shortcake)! i didn't go over my weekly points this weekend, but i definitely didn't eat as well as i normally do. at least these days i jump right back on the horse though!

yesterday morning,  my best friend and i went on a girls' shopping date to find items to furnish her new apartment. we found her some great nesting end tables and a few items for her walls. i had incredible luck as well (not that i needed anything) at unique treasures flea market. i got a doily for our dining room hutch, an amazing wool rug (3 x5) and an awesome wooden chair with shamrocks (which matches another chair that we have). i can't wait to reupholster the chair in some great fabric! i got everything for under $40 too!
i am so lucky to have such an incredible best friend and shopping buddy!

this week is going to be jam packed! i have a day trip to NJ tomorrow for work and then we have to get ready to leave for germany! i'm exhausted just thinking about this week!

hope your week is great!
♥

ship + shape

happy friday ya'll!
it's been a busy week filled with a quick trip to denver, co for work (my first time in colorado)! lots of time working and watching the olympics. it was also two of my dear friends' birthdays (happy birthday lily + caroline - i love you both dearly)!

i wanted to share some products from shipandshape that i have been eyeing over the last few weeks! i love their little hanging planters so much! they come in a bunch of different colors too!

hope your weekend is colorful and full of singing and dancing!
lastly, happy wedding day to my friend sasha - i hope your day is magical and sunny!
xo

ship+shape

new things get old

check out the above trailer for the movie celeste and jesse forever. 

it looks so cute and has rashida jones and andy samberg so it has to be great, right?

i can't wait to see this movie, BUT it definitely seems like j + i keep watching movies about younger couples where things go bad - real bad. we watched take this waltz and friends with kids because we love the actors in the films, but they both left us feeling depressed, not wanting kids, and awkward.

everyone knows that life and love aren't easy and that things can get rough, but it doesn't mean it isn't worth it, right? i just feel so lucky to have a partner, that after 7 years, is still my favorite person ever. we may not ever have a first kiss again, but we still have so many other first's that we get to share and for that, i am grateful.

have you seen any good movies lately?
xo

high school reunion: to go or not to go

how funny are these ecards? since the inevitable time has come for the 10 year high school reunion - i can't help but identify with these cards! i have to say that the planning committee did an awesome job because we're having the reunion at the local  sweetwater brewery! 

to be honest, i am still on the fence on whether or not to attend. i'd love to catch up with some folks, but i'm deciding if it's worth the money or if i should drag j along. he'll get bored of the introductions and stories about the past (rightfully so), but at least there is beer, right? thankfully i know he'd be a good sport about it regardless.

the below list of the "20 things i might do to ruin my high school reunion" that made me laugh and may even be reason enough to go (just kidding, kind of). some of my favorites include:

1. Bring a couple vacuums and try to sell them to people while they mingle. 

4. Constantly apologize to everyone I see for vague, horrific things I said about them in high school. “I was young, I was dumb. The things I said about your face, personality and family were among the most disgusting things a person could say about someone, and I’m so sorry. Can we just let the past be the past? Hug?”.

6. Ask every single person I talk to if they want to watch a web video I made a couple years ago on my phone. Then ask to use theirs because I’m weird about people and my phone, I don’t want anyone stealing it.

8. Every time someone comes up to say hi, cut them off with, “Can we PLEASE not do this tonight? PLEASE?! Can we just be adults? That’s all Im asking.”

12. Keep bringing up the great work I’m doing on Twitter. “I’m really proud of some of the things I’m doing on there, you gotta check it out. It’s been really good for me.”

13. Bring a dunk tank.

16. Every time someone introduces themselves, say, “Oh my god! Yes! I think I remember you. Were you the girl that was such a complete fucking trainwreck all four years!?”.

17. Keep trying to get people to move the reunion over to Water World.

20. Not go.

what are your thoughts on the whole high school reunion? did you go to yours? was it worth it?

i definitely don't want to look back and regret not going so i'll probably try to go. 

i just wish i knew who all was going!

xo