Discovery

I discovered two things today...

The first thing I have discovered is the Children's Clothing Exchange in Cordova, TN. Today is the first public sale day and I wanted to go while there was stuff to get. The first day of a consignment sale is always the best day to get the best clothes, shoes, and toys. (The private sale that is only open to consignors and volunteers is the very best, but you have to consign or volunteer in order to shop on those days.) When you go on the first day, you sacrifice the amazing 1/2 price deals in order to get a better selection. The 1/2 price sales usually happen on the last day of the sale and then you get whatever is left. I recommend, when you're just learning about consignment, that you go on the first day of a sale at least once and on the last day at least once. That way you can see the difference and decide what is best for you. Some people go to the same sale twice to get selection and great deals. (Really, everything is a deal when you are getting unworn or softly worn clothing for 10%-25% of retail prices.)

Back to the specific topic at hand... I have been to quite a few consignment sales, but this one (Children's Clothing Exchange) had the best selection I have seen so far. They had super cute clothes! They also had lots of designers and name brands. The prices are a little higher than your typical consignment sale, but that is because the original retail prices are much higher on this type of clothing, so the percentage stays about the same. I would definitely recommend this consignment sale. Oh, by the way, they have clothes all the way up to juniors sizes. I saw some super cute dresses and other clothes that I totally would have been into if I were a size 0 or 2. =)

My second discovery: This awesome website with tons of hair, makeup, and other beauty tips. I love all the tutorials. Lauren Conrad has many tutorials for hair and makeup on the website. LC is one of the three main contributors for content on the website. Check it out! http://thebeautydepartment.com/

i do

A couple weeks ago, I did my first wedding shoot. It was thrilling... and hot. =) I loved working with the couple (they are so laid back... and in love... and that's the best!). We shot most of the photos (everything except for the ceremony) outside in 100+ degree weather. The bride was such a trooper. Can you imagine trying to look gorgeous... in a wedding dress... in that weather? Not easy. She was so sweet in spite of everything! The photos in the heat brought back memories of my own wedding five years ago (unbelievable that it's been 5 years already... and I'm still so happy) since we were married outdoors at the end of July. HOT! In spite of the heat, they were happy, and in spite of the heat, I had so much fun taking photos. This is something I love doing! So here are some of my favorite photos from the wedding:

Did I forget to mention how beautiful her dress was??? I LOVED it!

My dad also photographed the wedding with me and took some amazing photos. I only have mine posted here, but I need to get everything up online. My lil sis, Hosanna, was also incredible with her assistance and inspiration. She's my little muse. She always gives me the greatest ideas. I loved working with both of them!

Memphis Area Consignment Sales Fall 2011

Earlier this year, I did a list of consignment sales in the Memphis area, and it seemed to be helpful. So here is an updated list. My Keeley is outgrowing everything and needs "mover-friendly" clothing since she is crawling everywhere and has even started pulling up to standing position at the couch! Dresses just aren't cutting it since she continually gets her little knees caught in them. I'm going to have to hit up some sales soon! I had a good experience consigning at some of the later sales, but it was a lot of work, so I may skip it this go around and try it again a little later. =)

July 22-24, 2011

Mommy's Secret Consignment

Southaven, MS

http://www.mommyssecret.com/

July 28-30, 2011

KidsTown Kids Consignment

Memphis, TN

http://www.consignkidstown.com/

August 5-6, 2011

Oh Baby! Consignment Event

Southaven, MS

http://www.ohbabysale.com/

August 5-6, 2011

Everything for Kids Sale

Memphis, TN

http://www.everythingforkidssale.com/

August 13-September 5, 2011 (see website for details)

Kiddie Land Consignment

Cordova, TN

http://www.kiddielandconsignment.com/

August 17-20, 2011

Emmanuel Children's Clothing Sale

Memphis, TN

http://www.emmanuelclothingsale.org/dates.html

August 19-20, 2011

Sycamore View Children's Clothing Sale

Memphis, TN

http://www.svccs.com/CurrSale.htm

August 25-27, 2011

Germantown United Methodist Consignment

Germantown, TN

http://www.germantownumc.org/index.php/site/page/241/1/156

August 26-27, 2011

Highland Clothing Sale

Cordova, TN

http://highlandclothingsale.com/

September 9-10, 2011

Faith Baptist Consignment

Memphis, TN

http://www.faithclothingsale.com/curriculum.html

September 15-18, 2011

Children's Clothing Exchange

Memphis, TN

http://glossonchildrensconsignment.com/

Inspiration

I haven't been feeling very inspired lately. And I have been traveling a lot. So my blog has probably been feeling neglected and I haven't done a lot of crafty projects. I'm sure I'll get into the mood again at some point. But I must warn you that I kind of have ADD when it comes to doing projects. Oh, I'll finish a project, but I will move on to something else as soon as it is done. I like to constantly be trying new things. Creativity doesn't have to be limited to painting and crafting and decorating. Creativity is a way of thinking.

Not that I think I'm super creative. My best creativity happens when I am improving something that someone else started. But I think you can be creative in business management, in writing, in photography, in job searches, in relationships, and much more. Every part of life has a perspective that you have not yet considered. You can even be creative with your mood. When I was traveling recently, I was kinda grumpy because of the wait at the airport. I had to be a little creative to find the good side of things. It helps. You get to be thankful and happy... even when you feel like you have every right to complain.

Mike and I (and baby Keeley) went to Boston and New York last weekend. It was a long and busy trip, but we had a good time and I had some wonderful experiences. I love color, so I decided to look for color through the lens of my camera. Here's a collage of some of the colors I found on my trip.



And here are some other (some less colorful) photos I took.

In Boston:



And New York City:













Now that I'm back home, I'm trying to settle back into normal life. But it's hard. Sometimes, it's hard to remember that my problems are small in comparison to the problems that others have. Some days, the enormous problems of others are all I can think about... and I worry a lot. But I am learning to cast my cares upon the Lord, for He cares for me. (1Peter 5:7)

Before I knew that this little guy would be a boy, I was excited about the prospect of ruffles, bows, lace, and other types of adornment. And when I found out I was going to have a little boy, I also found out that...

there's not much cute stuff out there for little boys.

So now that I have a little girl and have started making things for babies and little children, I am trying to take little boys into consideration (or rather, I'm taking the mommies of little boys into consideration). I recently posted a bunch of new items to my Etsy shop and I'm even giving ebay a try. We'll see how it goes. Here are some photos of my handsome baby boy burp cloths:

Sometimes David feels a little left out with all the Keeley hair bow excitement, so I told him I'd make him something. I'm thinking that bowties are at the top of my list for this reason. So, hopefully I'll have some of those added to the shop before long too. I have already made a bunch more items, but I'm trying to pace myself for posting things to Etsy.

Also, I may have posted a link to this blog once before, but I just checked out the shop associated with the blog today and I LOVE it! Such unique and CUTE stuff! Check it out for yourself: {pretty little things}.

New York and Staying Busy

So, after that last post, I decided to get busy. I figured out how to make a couple of new types of flowers, and also made some ruffly/appliqued burp cloths. Two of the cloths are for Keeley, and I'm thinking I will use some as gifts, but I also plan to sell some in my shop. I made some for both boys and girls. In the last couple of days, I made 11 of these flowers:

9 burp cloths like this, but 6 still need embellishment:

I finished a bunch of satin flowers and made some headbands like this one:

Also made this type of flower and put them on headbands/clips:

So all in all, a decent amount got done... and I had fun doing it!

We just got back from vacationing in Breckenridge, Colorado this past week and now, I just found out that I get to go to Boston and New York the first part of July!!! Mike has to visit Boston for work stuff, and so we plan to extend the stay and make a mini sight-seeing tour of it. I am super excited because I've never been to either place. Boston is supposed to have a really cool sailing culture, which I love (I think), and New York... do I even have to explain? Food, music, shows, shopping, history, and much, much more. I'm gonna get to see how part of the rest of the world lives, and that always excites me! I hope I come back with inspiration from that part of the world.

More items to be posted to my Etsy shop soon! Over and out for now!

Losing

Each morning, I look at myself in the mirror and smile a little satisfied smile... But by evening, I am kicking myself. When I got pregnant, I planned to workout constantly during the pregnancy, so I wouldn't have as much to work off this time (second baby). Not so much... pregnancy is hard... and working out while I am pregnant is even harder. So that leaves me with a 50+ pound gain during pregnancy. Granted, I lost some of it in the form of a baby (yay! she is such cute weight loss!), but I still have a lot to go. A couple of months after Keeley was born, I realized (for certain) that the weight wasn't going to go away on its own... at least not on my timetable, so I decided to work out. The problem is, when you have two kids (one breastfeeding), working out isn't very practical (unless you are uber-rich and can afford to have a live-in nanny). I tried Zumba at a local church for a while, but it was just so stressful to try to get there at a certain time and make sure that Mike was home in time to watch the kids. So, instead of the gym, or even jogging, I decided to give the ol' workout video a try. And guess what? It works. I started with a set of four DVD's from Target called "Dancercise" and progressed to this:

I have never loved working out, but I LOVE dancing. This gives me that feel of dancing, along with the sweating and sore muscles (that I don't love). I have also been using a workout on Hulu for some strength training (from Self magazine... something about getting a bikini ready body). I had lost 20+ pounds at my 6 week check-up, and I've lost about 20 since then. I guess it's going.

My method is not quite as dramatic as the HCG diet that a lot of people I know have tried, but I can't do that while I'm breastfeeding anyway. That HCG diet is super effective! I hear it's based on a homeopathic recipe (take some drops along with some method of lowering calories/eating certain types of food), and my friends have lost dozens of pounds each. Crazy! Perhaps I'll give it a try one of these days.

Sorry I've been out of touch lately. We went on vacation for a week (last week), and I haven't been able to get myself into a routine for getting creative things done. Grrr! I have to pull myself together so I can feel like I am using my time well!

Over and out for now. I'll report back again soon with some crafty or creative thing I've worked on (hopefully!).

Autumn & Kevin Engagement Photos

This past weekend, I took engagement photos for some friends. I am still learning, but I am pretty happy with how they turned out. Of course, as soon as I think I'm doing alright, I go look at some other blog (like this one) and see ahh-mazing photos that blow me away. I'll just have to keep in mind that there is always so much higher to aspire. The session was really fun. The couple are super laid back and we just enjoyed the day. The plan was to get out in the morning light, but we got started a bit later than what would have been ideal, so we were battling the *too-bright* sun. Those contrasts between shadow and bright sun are hard to deal with. We just stayed in the shade for the most part and used a reflector to get some light on their faces. Here are some of my favorite photos:

This weekend, we did a garage sale. I failed to take photos, but suffice it to say that I am GLAD it is over. It was worth it, but it was a LOT of work. No more garage sales at our house until at least next year! One of the awesome things about it is that I got to clean out my house. We actually have space to walk now and everything seems bigger. Yay big, clean house!

Over and out for now!