PEOPLE I'D LOVE YOU TO MEET: ALLIE + HEATHER FROM 20 SOMETHING

You know when you meet people and instantly feel like you've been friends with them forever?  That's how I felt when I met Allie and Heather from 20 Something at Go Blog Social a few months back.  They are such sweet and genuine ladies, and I wish we could hang out all the time together.  Alas, they live a few hours away.  I'm thinking a reunion might be in order, though (cough, cough, hint, hint).

Besides being super fun to hang out with, these ladies are also extremely talented.  Their blog has incredibly beautiful pictures of their calligraphy notecards, fun tassel garlands, and festive party ideas.  Seriously, Allie and Heather are your go to people for party throwing ideas and special elements that will make your get together one that everyone will keep talking about long after all the confetti has been swept up.

Some of my favorite parties they've thrown to date include this Jamaican themed bridal shower, a 4th of July party, and this beautiful bridal garden party.  I wish I had a special event coming up that they could style.  Maybe we just need to have a "just because" party as an excuse.

Here today to show just how easy it is to throw together a simple, yet chic get together are Allie and Heather themselves.  Take it away ladies!

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At 20 Something, we love any excuse for a get together.  And if it involves wine and chocolate, you don't even need to ask if we'll be there.  Here we're showing you how to put together a simple little wine tasting party in your own home that's sure to be a relaxing mid-summer evening.

To set the background for the main event - wine- we rolled out some kraft paper and draped it over the center of a small table.  To add some flair to the display, we placed the variety of bottles on it and wrote out the wine names next to each bottle with a white chalk marker.

Traditionally at a wine tasting event, the labels would be removed or covered and each guest would document the wine and their experience on our handmade Wine Notes booklet.

We however, decided to keep them on this time and have everybody choose what they wanted to sip.

Every little event needs some personalization.  To do this, we used a thin brush and watercolor to hand letter the names of each guest on a small paper tag and tied them to the base of each wine glass stem.  The tags also served as a little keepsake for the guests to take home.  

We also served a variety of cheeses, fruit, and of course, chocolate (any excuse!).  At a party like this, there's no need to stress out about a ton of food.  It's best to keep things simple with things that compliment the wine and let it do the talking.  

Thanks so much for letting us share our day with you!

Here's a little info about what's coming up at 20 Something:

By the end of the summer, we'll have our online shop grand opening, which will include pre-made invitation suites, fun notecards, prints, handmade tassel garlands, and confetti.  Before the shop opens, some lucky winners will be receiving giveaways from our collection!  We'll also have some big changes coming as we revamp our website, so stay tuned!

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WOW!  Thank you ladies for stopping by and sharing these great ideas.  Now I need to learn how to do calligraphy or just order some cute prints from your shop.  I can't wait to peruse everything once it's opened.

You can find more of Allie and Heather over at their blog and Instagram.


Note: This is not a sponsored blog post.  I just really love what these girls are doing and wanted to introduce them to you.

WEEKLY WEARS: ALL IN THE DETAILS

I used to be a t-shirt and shorts kind of girl.  While I still love me a comfy t-shirt, I've been on the hunt recently for tops with a bit more of a flair to them.  Those little details that take an outfit from ho-hum to BAM!  You know what I mean.

This peplum top had all those fun details: scalloped edge, small opening in the back, and a fun black and white pattern.  It's been the only thing I've actually bought from Anthropologie for about a year since it was on sale and an extra 20% off.  Finally, something under $20 and in my size.  The stars had to align for that one.

Speaking of details, is there anyone else that seems to become consumed with minor details? 

Usually, I run with the belief that people rarely notice the small imperfections in your projects or nail polish, but with outfits I tend to focus on the little add-ons and pieces that make me feel like I've constructed an outfit that is pulling together different elements to make it my own. 

I wore this outfit to a beautiful garden party my friend threw and someone commented on my outfit and said that they admire how I put together interesting color combinations that they wouldn't normally think of. 

I really appreciated this compliment.  I like to think I do some things outside the box.  Like I'm a bit of a rebel, although I'm pretty sure mixing green, bright pink, and black/white doesn't constitute a crazy rebellious streak.

Top: Anthropologie (on sale/sold out)  //  Necklace: Charming Charlie (exact)  //  Shorts: JCrew (old)  //  Sandals: Old Navy (old)

In other thoughts, how did this weekend fly by so quickly and how is it August 1st this Friday?  Where has the summer gone?  I feel like I still have so many summertime activities to cross off my list.  I better start moving on them.  Anyone in KC planning on checking out First Fridays?

THE THRILL OF THE HUNT

A few Sundays ago, I was sitting at home on the couch and decided I needed a little adventure.  Ever since we saw Oblivion, I've been wanting to buy the Procol Harum record in order to listen to "A Whiter Shade of Pale" on endless repeat.

Wade had told me a few days before to just order it online.  That's where Wade and I differ, though.  He loves online shopping, and I prefer to find my items "in the wild".

With a vast sea of online retailers, it is almost impossible to not find the item you're looking for online.  With just a few clicks of the mouse and a keyword search, you could easily locate the item and cross reference it with other retailers to find the lowest price.

Where's the fun in that, though?

To me, I love the thrill of the hunt. Walking into a store, not quite knowing if they have what you're looking for and then the elation when you stumble upon it.

It's real.

You can feel the weight of it in your hands, touch it, and turn it over to see if there are scratches that wouldn't show up in online photos.

Of course there are times when a brick and mortar store won't have what you're looking for, but that's a risk I'm willing to take.

So on that lazy summer afternoon, I wandered down to the local record store and did find the album I was looking for.  I plopped it on my record player when I got home, turned up the volume, and let the sound waft through the house.

Maybe I could have found a version of the album in more pristine condition, for a cheaper price, or even have just downloaded it, but I liked walking into the store and flipping through things in person.

When I first thought about this post, I was thinking along the lines of instant gratification--that people have become accustomed to having things right away at their fingertips that we can't wait patiently for good things to come along.

I scratched that, though, because part of the reason I did go to the local record shop was because I wanted to listen to the music right away.  I didn't want to wait for shipping, and, yes, I would have been upset if they wouldn't have had it in stock.

Let's go back to just saying that I prefer the thrill of the hunt, though.  I think that sounds better.


So what do you prefer?  Online shopping or picking your items out in person?

WELL HELLO THERE, FRIEND

This was my view for the past few days.  I could get used to floating on the water, watching the sun rise and fall each day (although I'm not going to lie and say that I saw it much of its ascent). 

Sorry for the absence around here.  It's one of those tricky blogger things where I felt guilty about not posting, but then quickly laughed at myself at how ridiculous that sounds.  Work was busy, and I just couldn't bring myself to stare at the computer a minute longer than I had to.   

I thought about posting a quick "Hey there!  If you haven't noticed, I'm not here" post, but decided against it.  You don't need a reminder that I'm not here, even though it would have given me some sense of false satisfaction that I had said something. 

Guilt is a crazy thing and something I've combatted against my whole life.  This place is a sense of refuge for me, though, and shouldn't be seen as another burden. 


So anyhoo, as you probably guessed by the picture above, we went to the lake this weekend.  It was a quick getaway, but a nice respite from the normal workaday hustle and bustle. 

We got our hair whipped around by the wind as we sailed across the water, jumped in ice cold springs, ate too many chips, and shared a ridiculously large margarita with our fellow passengers (the largest margarita on the lake, in fact).

I also got to try stand up paddle boarding, which Devon taught me is referred to as SUPping (did I spell that right?)  At least I have cool friends that know the lingo for stuff.  All I know is that I saw Jennifer Aniston doing it in a magazine and thought that if that's something she does to get her sculpted arms, then I want to try it.

I would love to do more if I lived by any body of water.  Maybe someday..

It was fun rushing through the water in a speed boat, but if I was in the market for a boat, I think I'd go for a sailboat.  I'd like to cruise a little more and ride the wind wherever its going. 

And then we had to finish the weekend off right...

with some frozen custard.  What is it about being in the water and out in the sun all day that makes you ravenous for anything salty and sweet?  Well, we got our junk food fix, that's for sure. 

It was nice to come home, though, and get to see Maisy Mae and sleep in my own bed.  I'm such a homebody that I wouldn't mind a staycation where we just stay at home for a week.  There are always so many fun projects on my mind that I never seem to find time to do that it would be nice to have countless hours to piddle around instead of trying to cram everything into a weekend.  It sure would be cheap, too.  Wade does make the best margarita around, in my opinion, so at least we have that covered.

Did you have a good weekend?  For you fellow bloggers, do you ever feel guilty about not posting a lot during the week?  We all need a summer vacation, right?

MY FAVORITE APPS: POSTAL PIX

 So the other week I shared my favorite photo app, Hipstamatic, for getting those cool, vintage looking photos.  If you've downloaded the app, are you loving it?  If so, then you've probably started wondering how to get all these awesome pictures from your phone to your hands.  Enter Postal Pix.

 

Postal Pix is a free app that allows you to select photos from your phone and then ships the prints directly to your door within a few days.  There's a printing option through the Hipstamatic app, but the prices are much higher than Postal Pix.  I like this option since it's hard to find a place to actually print the 4x4 size photos that Hipstamatic and other apps, like Instagram, produce.  You can also print traditional 4x6 pictures and collages, too.  Bonus!

 

App Name: Postal Pix
Cost: Free
Description:  Lets you order real photo prints of pictures from your phone.
Available: iPhone and Android

Review:  Awesome sauce!  I feel the prices are fairly reasonable.  Each 4x4 print is $.29 + shipping.  That's a little more than Target or Walmart, but the easy process of printing the 4x4 size directly from your phone makes it worth it. 

I usually print some off every few months in a large quantity to save on shipping.  I have consistently been impressed with the prints and speediness of delivery. 

So once you get your prints in your hands, what do you do with them?  I've collected quite a few over the past few years and am still trying to find ways to display them that doesn't involve storing them all in a box in the closet. 

For the majority of the prints, I just stack them in one of these cute little containers.  I found this peach one at Target a few years ago.  I like the idea that they're put away, but also available if someone wants to flip through them. 

My favorite display option has been this photo tree, though.  I talked more about it here.  It was so easy to make.  We found a few tree branches in our backyard and painted them.  Then I just used clothespins to hang up the photos.  It's an easy way to have a revolving display of up to date photos in our house.

Do you have any photo printing apps you like?  What's your favorite way to display photos in your home?

ONE OF MY FAVORITE QUOTES // FROM THE MILLION DOLLAR HOTEL

The Million Dollar Hotel

When I was in high school, I was really into U2.  Like, really into them.  I still love their music, but back then I had to get my hands on everything U2.  I read biographies about them, listened to The Joshua Tree on repeat, and I was even a U2 lemon for Halloween one year.

Man, I wish I had a photo of that.  You see, they came out of a lemon at one of their concerts, so naturally I thought that would be a great costume idea.

Plus, I found a yellow trash bag in our garage so already had the majority of the costume done.

So when I heard that Bono had written the story for a movie, I just had to see it.  The Million Dollar Hotel was already out of the theaters (blame a lack of social media or reliable internet for my tardiness), so I went ahead and purchased the VHS.  This was an investment, you know, since I knew I would undoubtedly love the movie and would be watching it over and over.

It wasn't a cinematic achievement by any means and did terribly in the box office, but I loved it nonetheless.  I don't know if it was my teenage angst that turned anything not mainstream into the greatest thing since sliced bread, but there was something about this movie that has stuck with me through the years.

Upon further reflection, it's this quote that has made the movie into a classic for me.

"Love can never be portrayed the same way as a tree, the sea, or any other mystery.  

It's the eyes with which we see.  

It's the sinner in the saint.  

It's the light inside the paint."

As I'm writing this, I have a yearning to watch it again.  I'm hesitant, though.

What if I don't view it the same way?

What if it doesn't have the same impact on me?

I've changed and grown and I'm scared to take away that piece that my 17 year old self thought was so enlightening, so revolutionary.

Maybe it's best to let her be and allow her to think that she's still a rebel wearing her beaded hemp necklace she made herself and watching movies that others just don't get.  

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Have you read a book or watched a movie you loved when you were younger and thought was so insightful again years later?  Did you have the same reaction or did you find that it wasn't as good as you remembered it?

SEEING KANSAS CITY THROUGH NEW EYES

My niece and her friend came to visit us in Kansas City the other weekend, and we had a blast.  I love when we have visitors so that we can see the city through new eyes and fall in love with it all over again.  It's fun playing a tourist in your own city.  These ladies were up for anything and were so sweet, and I had such a great time going about town with them. 

Our first stop was the 39th Street West area, home of the always fabulous Donna's Dress Shop. 

The next day we had a bit of a scare with Maisy Mae.  I took her to the vet since she was sneezing up a storm and turns out she has the bunny snuffles.  An adorable name for a somewhat serious bunny cold.  She's on antibiotics now, though, and seems to be feeling a lot better. 

So after we got all that cleared up, we decided to head out to hear some live music in Lawrence.  But first, we had to start the night off right with fruity (virgin) drinks served in real pineapples.  (See here for my recipe for a large batch of this delicious drink.  Just leave out the rum for the virgin version.) 

Maisy Mae wanted in the pictures, too.

The last day of their visit, we went down to the City Market to look around at the farmer's market and made a quick stop at Beignet.  I visited New Orleans when I was in 8th grade and have always had a hankering to have those delicious beignets again.  These were ok, but didn't quite melt in my mouth the way the ones in New Orleans did.  Still, it was fun to introduce the girls to them.

Last time the girls visited, we explored the Nelson Atkins Museum, so this time we just enjoyed a fun picnic on the expansive lawn. 

We even saw Not a Planet, the awesome band from the night before, playing bocce ball.  It's a small, wonderful world.

The weekend was fully complete when we all made flower crowns.  Sure, we could have just bought one from H&M, but this was a lot more fun and let us each customize ours to our own specifications.  (I even made a smaller version for my 2 year old niece.)

Hanging out with these beautiful ladies reminded me how each of us has our own likes and dislikes that make us unique, and I really admired how these girls were so supportive of one another even though they have different tastes.  They are a wonderful example of how girls should support one another, while still being proud of who they are.  They're headed off to college this fall.  They have the world at their fingertips.  I know they will stumble at times, but I also know that they have tremendous things ahead of them.  I'm so excited to hear about all of their adventures.  Setting out on your own is scary, but knowing you have a good friend to always turn to makes it a lot easier.

Thanks for the fabulous weekend ladies!!  Come back soon!

Do you feel the same way about having visitors and seeing your city through new eyes?

And if you feel like mingling with other bloggers, jump over to Life of Meg's Monday Mingle blog link up, a great way to learn about fun new blogs!