big news!

this emerald beauty by Custom in NoDa

Bryan proposed on New Year's Eve of 2016.  right at midnight while the futurebirds were playing on stage covered in glitter.  my sister and brad were there to witness.  i should have suspected just based on that alone since they never leave the house, but i didn't.  i was so distracted with other things (the loss of my job).  this came at the perfect time.  it was so far from my realm of thinking that it was a complete surprise which made the moment so perfect.  i get embarrassed when i am overly emotional and i definitely was, but it was such a pure moment.  i was so happy.  and the ring is everything i could ask for in a ring.  it made me so happy that he picked it out all by himself.  he chose an emerald, my birthstone which i love.  i love the gold and the extra little art deco detailing.  it is simple and beautiful.  we are thinking of a mountain elopement...stay tuned!

when life gives you lemons

my bright studio

so 2017 is the year whether i choose it or not.  i have always been a true believer in things happening for a reason, and choose not to live my life in regret.  i can't think of a time where something happened that may have felt like a negative experience at the time, but the doors that opened afterwards made it all okay.  it is all in how you choose to view things.  i lost my job of four years a few days before Christmas.  i am grateful for the fact that i have my Etsy side hustle which will get me through the tough times instead of having to scramble like so many people have to do in the same situation.  i have always wanted to leave my full-time job to pursue my own business and maybe it was a decision that needed to be made for me.  it never feels like the right time, and you never feel prepared enough so why not try now?  unfortunately, my shop, just like a lot of others is struggling on Etsy right now. 

i am so blessed with my gorgeous, new dream house and man i am so in love with and even a new puppy in my life.  what a great time to try to make this entrepreneurial thing work.  nothing will motivate you more than being your own boss and being able to choose how you spend your days.  spending all day with my sweet Sable, cooking healthy meals, and taking breaks to go on long walks on the greenway is all i need to stay happy!  my next post will be steps to take if you are trying to go freelance or work from home full-time with your own business.  good luck and stay positive!

winter salads

winter mizzen and baby watercress salad

what i say is when in doubt, just keep it simple and make a delicious salad.  i have never regretted eating a fresh, crunchy salad.  my tips for making a spectacular salad at home:

1.  stay seasonal.  i know avocados and tomatoes are BOMB, but what is in season right now?  tomatoes are gross and mealy in the dead of winter and you will end up just picking them out of your salad anyway.  they are force ripened this time of year and are not juicy, red and flavorful like they are in the summertime.  there are lots of greens in season even in winter and just add other goodies like walnuts and bell pepper to make up for the summer time additives.

2.  keep it local.  i splurge and get fancy greens and toppings when i can.  i know i will eat more salads and it elevates the flavor and presentation when you get nicer ingredients.  so go ahead and splurge on the fancy greens at your local farmers market or the heirloom carrots.  you will be supporting a local farmer and getting a healthier product.

3.  always make your own dressing.  even if it is a basic balsamic vinaigrette.  there is a tanginess and better texture to a dressing your make yourself.  you can buy a simple salad dressing mixer at any store and sometimes there are even measurements on the side that tell you how many parts vinegar to oil, etc.  i always keep a multitude of fancy vinegars around to mix it up and keep it fresh.  add in herbs, honey, mustards....experiment!  if you are craving a creamy dressing make one out of Greek yogurt!

best of 2016

my sister surprised me with a white sawhorse desk like i wanted to start the redecoration of my studio space

bryan's sister Carrie got married this year in a lovely ceremony at Big Canoe, Georgia amongst the treehouse cabins

surprised bryan with shaky knees festival tickets for his birthday and saw some of my favorite bands of youth: at the drive-in 

one of my oldest friends got married and i planned a girls weekend to asheville for a weekend of "glamping"

she got married, it was a blast

we had the best little cabin mountain weekend for my birthday

my sister got ANOTHER dog

we bought our dream home

we got engaged!

lemonade

my birthstone

2017 is going to be a good one.  sometimes when you're too anxious, too scared to make the decision for yourself you find a way to push yourself out the door.  is it a coincident i left my job a few days before Christmas, before the new, fresh year?  i doubt it.  i am a huge believer in all these crazy things happening for the right reason at the right time because it is all in your viewpoint of things.  so i am calling 2017 the year of "making lemonade".  and then a few days later, as a complete and utter surprise to me, the love of my life proposed to me.  it was so far from my psyche or thinking he was even considering it, that i had less than zero clue and it was a magical moment.  spending my days puttering around my new home with my cat and cooking all of our meals...i am so happy!  cheers to 2017 and everything that will be coming our way!  cheers to lemonade!

kitsch and fancy

kitsch and fancy

grill time

grill master

this unseasonably warm weather his winter has been strange but the only good thing about is, is that we finally were able to break in Bryan's christmas present and grill out some yummy grass fed burgers! we are so excited because i know we will get a lot of use out of this classic kettle grill.  it will be great for friends and family gatherings and allow us to enjoy our gorgeous backyard and fire pit more.

today

relax.

things didn't go as planned this new year's weekend, but i truly needed lazy time to rejuvenate.  the house is nice and clean and it has been nice enjoying my studio room again.  i wrote out some ideas and plans for the refresh studio project!  i'm beginning to think i may just repaint the furniture all white instead of getting new furniture...unless i see the perfect piece that i just love.  bryan got his Christmas present set up yesterday so hopefully we can grill some yummy burgers today and i can bake some fries.  just enjoying my food before getting back into my salad and salmon routine--which i'm actually pretty excited about btw.  this year one of my goals was to allow myself to relax more and not feel guilt about it.  this weekend was a great start!  

well hello there 2016

traditional New Years feast

bryan and i had the best New Years eve i've had in recent memory.  after the traumatic day full of tears with sushi it was nice to relax with him and just unwind and enjoy each others' company and not worry about the fake excitement of a new years party or being fake at some club somewhere.  my day with sushi was emotionally draining but i felt a great sense of release as soon as the decision was made and the doctor was able to let her go in peace.  i did feel it strange that it happened on New Year's Eve and like she had held on as long as she could so i could be there with her that last day.   obviously our plans changed and we ended up staying home with him comforting me and took a walk to the park in the dark in hopes of seeing fireworks.  we were outside experiencing the fresh air which was a perfect new year's eve night for me.

this morning was a fresh start and we started by making a traditional New Years feast.  this is my favorite type of meal--a healthy meat and veg plate.  so i believe collard greens and black eyed peas are served on new years day for good luck.  not sure how that came about but i'm sure there is a story there somewhere.  i did a healthy, modern day version by using a lean pork belly which we seasoned with a really delicious local seasoning rub we got at a local market.  i also added it to the organic collards and black eyed peas i stewed.  i did a southern style sweet potato by boiling the potatoes and then cooking in a brown sugar and pecan roux.  everything was delicious!  my mantra on food this year: focus on whole, fresh foods, do lots of cooking and worry less about the calories and all the other junk.  we both tend to stray away from carbs and dairy so i think if we stick to this healthy diet we will have a happy and healthy new year.  

rest in peace sweet girl

i am such a structured person and try to plan for everything when i can.  sometimes life throws you a difficult curve ball when you least expect it.  this new years eve, bryan and i had plans to go to the beach with friends to celebrate a chill new years and get out of town.  don't really want to go into graphic detail about anything but my sweet love Sushi became ill the night before and increased in severity New Years Eve day.  by 1 p.m. i was on the way to the emergency medical vet where we had the kindest doctor that walked me through what was happening to her and in a few hours she was gone.  all i can think was how grateful i was to have had her in my life and also so grateful for the blessing that i was off on New Years Eve and was able to spend her last day with her so her last moments that she can remember were full of love and comfort.  enjoy the moments with the ones you love as much as you can every day.

hair changes

new year new haircut!  i finally talked stewart into taking 20 minutes out of his day to cut all the dead ends of my hair.  i wanted the ends to have more texture, thickness, and bluntness.  i love the thinned out long hair for summer, but this feels healthy and pretty for winter.  i like it so far but am wondering if i should take the plunge and cut it even shorter?!  

Sea Clay mask

made these adorable Sea Clay mud masks as stocking stuffers for a few lucky ones this year!  clay masks are great for your face as a natural way to absorb impurities and heal your skin.  French Green Clay is also called sea clay and is known for its exfoliation, oil absorbing, pore-tightening properties.  it will boost the circulation in your face by bringing the blood to the surface and causes a light, tingling sensation.  

ready for that new year

i love opening a new planner with the blank pages ready to be filled, as cliche as that sounds!  it just mean opportunity!  what i fill these pages with is up to me!  i am going to start updating my Kitsch and Fancy Instagram more frequently with inspiration photos, process photos, and things I'm working on to keep my fans more in the loop!

the studio- my workspace

so at the top of my to-do list this year is to breathe new life into my workspace.  i had an amazing Etsy year in 2014 and then took it slow in 2015 partly by choice.  we had just moved into this apartment and i wanted to spend more fun time with Bryan and also was focusing more on my career at the studio as a stylist.  of course all of these distractions took a major toll on my sweet little Etsy store unfortunately.  well, i've enjoyed my nice year long break from it, but I've been feeling revitalized lately after this years Vintage Charlotte Winter market was so much fun.  so one of the first things i'd like to do for myself is to freshen up my work space.  it is a great functioning workspace right now, but i would love to give it a facelift to make the space more inviting and fun to work in and spend time in this year.  

i love the gorgeous natural light in the studio room.  there are two large windows (the windows are old, crank windows) that always let in beautiful sunlight with a gorgeous view of trees and sun from my desk and the foggy backyard in the other window.

view of the backyard meadow/creek

here are a few inspiration photos i found on pinterest as well as ideas i have for ways to brighten up and increase the functionality of my studio space.  enjoy the inpiration, i'll keep updating on the small additions as i update this space.  

1.  add fresh, new art on the walls.  i have a ton of local and Etsy art i've collected over the years hanging on my wall.  i'm ready to upgrade with some additional pieces and spend some money on nice framing.  my focus on the new art for my studio art will be inspirational and colorful pieces.  

i love the idea of splurging on a painting like this gliclee print by JolinasPrints $170 and building a color palette around that.  i want my main piece to be brighten my mood by just being in the room and this piece just does it for me!

i also love the idea of prettily written encouraging mantras like this beauty by thewheatfield $35 to give me that extra push when i need it.

i love how this space has a "cozy" area like this day bed where i would be able to sprawl out to work when i don't feel like being trapped at my desk all day.  don't really have the ability to make a cozy nook in my current studio space due to space constraints but an idea for the future!

loving these sawhorse style desks which have a classic, functional appeal along with a modern twist.  i like the the surface is big and flat and i can use my own desk accessories of storage.  this one is absolutely gorgeous but i am looking for functionality: something easy to keep clean!

love the idea of using a pegboard or anything else to add texture to a room along with extra storage as a pretty display.

earthiness of cork board 

clean simplicity, neutral colors with pattern

an interview with Kitsch & Fancy

i've had a few days off from work for the holidays and have been having fun relaxing as well as getting some work done!  i cleaned the house and finally got my studio room set up again.  got caught up on some ideas i had floating around my head and some christmas presents done at the same time.  and then of course the internet goes out during a rainstorm so i have all this time on my hands and decide to look into this Handmade Marketplace book i picked up at a local gift shop.

studying

i do feel like after a few years of having a successful Etsy shop i have a decent grip on things but there is alway so much to learn and absorb from others.  this year i am trying to get re-inspired because it has been feeling stagnant lately and i was just trying to push through and to be honest i think i was just feeling tired and overworked and ready for a short break.  this year was a soft year for me and i allowed it to get that way by prioritizing it to the back burner but i'm ready to get refocused. 

to do lists

i work really well on paper and like writing freely to digest my ideas and just getting them down on paper format helps a lot sometimes.  my mind is always brimming with ideas and to-do lists so this helps me get organized and not forget as much.  there were some questions in the book that i took the time to answer in my inspiration notebook.  basically it is an interview with myself!