Inspired By 02.22.13

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Jeez, I have been waiting for this day for what feels like 1,000 years. Can I tell you guys something that has me inspired, beyond excited and just a little bit scurred all at the same time????

Sharon Montrose little darling prints (i die!)

  
We're having a baby!!!!

It sort of doesn't feel real yet, mostly because I'm not reaaaaally showing and we've been pretty quiet about it until now. At the rate I'm consuming anything and everything in my path, it shouldn't be long until there is physical evidence of the little nugget. I battled some nausea in the first several weeks and have been getting some fierce headaches as of late, but I'm otherwise feeling pretty great. Just really excited to welcome this little one into the world come mid August.

So you guys know what that means, right? Time to decorate for a mini me (or mini Eric -- we don't plan on finding out what we're having)!!! Those Sharon Montrose prints above? You bet a few of those will find their way into the nursery. Entirely possible I've already picked out exactly which ones . . .

Just too cute to pass up.
Happy Friday, baby! ox

Inspired By 02.15.13

 Annawithlove Photography

If you haven't entered the Annawithlove Photography giveaway, you betta get to it! Your odds are still pretty good.

Meg launched the February edition of her new Manifesto line, Lovers. Me likey. Get em while they're still available!

Erika posted yet another space that has me drooling. Minimalistic Chic and beyond gorge.

Maybe I'm way behind, but I just discovered the super gorgeous blog, Grey and Scout. Dear God, does that girl have good taste. She's a worthwhile Insta follow as well.

While we're talking Insta, Mr. Jonathan Lo has an incredible eye for making everyday things photo worthy. Graphic, colorful and beautifully composed pretty much every time. (I'm taking notes, good sir.)

Ummm...Blair. Can we sell these, please? Amazing!!

Enjoy your weekend!

We have some fun things to talk about next week, playas. ox

UPDATE: Obsessed with this. I had to add it to today's post. Air comin through my nose and tears streaming down my cheeks. This child is an angel on Earth, ya'll.

Inspired By 02.01.13

How good is this reminder, you guys? Truth time: I've thought about quitting blogging 1,000 times. More probably. There are days I've wondered what I'm doing this for (other than to connect with amazing like-minded people like you) and convinced myself to throw in the towel. If you blog as well, you know that this "hobby" takes a lot of time. It's a part time job. You give up a lot to do it. And in the beginning it's pure joy. You're sharing your passions, giving yourself an outlet, building an audience, making new friends (real life ones even!), learning about yourself and honing your aesthetic. Awesome people that you have long admired start recognize you. What the heck could be more fun?? But then all of a sudden "the chase" sets in. You need to build a brand, improve your numbers, make career-building connections, get sponsor deals, make MONEY, and do it all while maintaining that carefree passion that you started with.

Shit can fry your brain. Make you crazy. Make you a little bit ugly even. And, eventually, sort of make you want to quit.

But I have to say, blogging is something that I truly love. It's part of who I am. No, I'm not 100% (or even 50%) professional about it, I don't have my shit together and I don't promote promote promote. Maybe I should? I don't know. Honestly, that aspect of blogging still feels really icky to me and and I'm so glad I've waited until just the right brand alignment opportunities have come along. In my mind, NOTHING is more important than integrity when it comes to blogging. I make a bit of money with affiliate links and the like, but I honest to goodness do it featuring things that I sincerely think are awesome.

Whew. Tangent. All of this to say that things are starting to happen around here. Four years later, I've begun to gain some clarity about who I am, what I want out of this space (out of life!) and I'm so so grateful that I didn't throw in the towel. So if you've thought about quitting something important to you that really brings you joy, I encourage you to think hard about your decision. Often, the moment we quit is right before things are about to get really really good! And, on the flip side, if you're doing something that is hijacking your joy, give yourself permission to leave it behind. Life is honestly too short.

Happy weekend, friends! ox

* I wrote this post last Sunday, but came across these inspiring words from Megan Gilger yesterday on a very similar topic. Worth the read!

Inspired By 01.11.13

Today, I thought I would just mention a few of the things that are inspiring me this week.

1 // Every year I tell myself that I will do a better job of sending birthday cards and giving people little treats on their special day. This is the year, people. Pretty sure this packing tape would make sending those packages to friends and family a little bit more fun.

2 // I can't get enough of graphic black and tan combos lately. 1 // 2 // 3

3 // For the last few years, I've chosen a word to define the upcoming year. It's as far as I'm willing to go with resolutions. To be totally honest, 2012 was a major fail with SIMPLIFY. I did nothing of the sort. I'm hoping for a little bit more discipline in 2013 with EMBRACE. I chose EMBRACE because it's time for me to stop over thinking everything, trying to control my situations, not honoring who I am and where my strengths and passions lie, and thinking that life needs to be something more than what it is. A girl's gotta have goals, no doubt, but I tend to have such a high bar for myself that I fall short a lot. It's time to BE BRAVE and EMBRACE who I really am. This print from those talented Ampersand girls would be the perfect everyday reminder!

4 // Eric and I have been machines getting things done around the house this past month. My office is almost done! (Here's hoping that makes for a more organized and better blogger, hmm?) I'm thinking that a few finishing touches like this pretty pillow from Arianna Belle are due.

Happy weekend! ox