Friday, September 30, 2011

This Lil' Birdie is Prepping for Fall

8 yards of burlap fabric, some brown ribbon, mums, and fake pumpkins.  It's official... Fall is here!

{Source Unknown but here's where I found it}
I found this picture in the many many hours I spend on Pinterest, and I have to say, my handcrafted version of this will be on our door as soon as FH decides where the nail needs to go (which will probably be around Christmas).

{Again with the not knowing the source... Pinterest!}
And then, of course, there's this...  While I'm not the biggest Halloween fan (I don't mind some decoration but nothing scary), this is adorable!  Who would've thought?  Buttons on a pumpkin!

{Found on Pinterest but originally from here}

But these are so cute, too!  Good thing I bought 3 faux-pumpkins!  But can I just say, not having a Hobby Lobby nearby is cutting into my creativity -- the nearest one is about an hour away!

Fall means the glorious return of cooler weather and sweaters and boots and comfy and cozy...

{Source}
And I wish my fall wardrobe looked remotely this fabulous.

Goal for Fall:  look effortlessly chic.  Need:  all new clothes.

Like this...

{Source}
And this...
{Source}
Fall means it's finally time for shopping.  And crafts.  And hot chocolate.  And fall festivals and Halloween costumes. And all things wonderful!  Oh, how I love Fall!

Happy Fall, y'all!

P.s. If you're not on Pinterest yet, you really should be!  I can get lost for hours on this site with absolutely no remorse!


Tuesday, September 13, 2011

This Lil' Birdie Goes Shopping: Leather Chairs

I have my heart set on finding fashionable leather chairs for our living room. FH has his heart set on recliners. Me, not so much, but since he's been so sweet about letting me pick practically everything (aka: everything), I figured recliners couldn't hurt.

Then I saw this...



And I realized something. Recliners can hurt. And that one right there hurts my heart.

But surely somewhere there has to be a pretty leather recliner that looks more like a club chair? That's a good compromise, right?

Enter Pottery Barn and their gorgeous manhattan collection...



Oh, be still, my beating heart! I seriously lust after this furniture. Our closest Pottery Barn is an hour away, and if I had the time, I would go & just visit this recliner.

But alas, I have no time nor do I have the spare cash to fork over $2000 per recliner (we need two).

And so the hunt begins.



This one isn't so bad. And it's a La-Z-Boy which should make FH happy, but it seems a little too "fluffy" in the seat region (which is essentially like telling a chair it has a big butt).



This one could be a possibility in a darker leather, but the arms are too modern & boxy. I need an arm I can comfortably sit on. This is not that arm.



I'm starting to really like this one. At first I kept thinking maybe it was a little bit too "man cave-esque" to go in our living room but it just looks so comfortable. I can see myself curled up watching whatever Swamp show FH has chosen for our nightly entertainment. Mmmm... Cozy.

I have a feeling this one will be a budget-buster, too, since it's from Thomasville, but a good recliner will last for years & should be a well thought-out purchase.

This is what I will continue to tell myself as I spent way too many hours agonizing over this decision. I can justify anything.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

This Lil' Birdie Sews: Onesie Dresses

We've talked about this before.  I'm not the best seamstress ever.  I can sew straight lines and I can imagine very cute things in my head; but rarely do those two combine with fabric to make cute things.  My Houndstooth GameDay top was the first exception.  And it gave me the confidence to make this...


A tiny little onesie dress for a sweet customer who has become a dear friend.  I cannot wait to meet Miss Ella Reagan and see her in her new dress.  Personally, I think it's stinkin' adorable, and I might be just a *little* bit biased.

What do you think?  Have my sewing skills improved as much as I think they have?

P.s. A big THANK YOU to BananaBearBoutique for the tutorial!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

This Lil' Birdie Sews: Gameday Top

During one of the MANY MANY MANY hours I spend on Pinterest, I came across this adorable tutorial from Sweet Verbena.  While I'm not exactly an expert seamstress (nothing with curves, please!), I figured this would be one project I might could easily tackle.

I didn't have any type of "knit" like she recommends, but I didn't have some good basic cotton in a black and white houndstooth print, so I decided to make a little Game Day top since we're officially in football season now (Roll Tide, everyone!).  And since it's amazingly hot in Alabama until oh, about October, I volunteered to make one for my future sister-in-law too!  This one started out as hers, but I accidentally cut it a little too short (it sits just below my waistband, and sweet future s-i-l is a good 4-6 inches taller than me!). 

I had to do a little more finish work than in the tutorial so that the edges wouldn't fray, but I think it turned out pretty cute!


I'll be sure to post a picture when I actually get to wear it!  

Monday, September 5, 2011

This Lil' Birdie is Getting Married

(I'm warning you now, this is a LONG post with LOTS of pictures, but it's well worth your time! Promise!)

It's official!!

Sweet boyfriend is no longer the boyfriend!  He's future hubby (aka: FH!)!

One incredibly slow Saturday at work, FH's mom walks in (she's also my boss) holding a beautiful arrangement of alstroemerias (my favorite flowers).

Me: "Ooh, pretty! Who are those for?"  Future MIL: "You!"

And then she hands me this.


Operation VISH (Very Important Scavenger Hunt).... at this point I kinda knew what was going on, but it was still exciting!
I'm currently obsessed with a nursery glider we have in our store.  It's a fabulous suzani print that absolutely MUST MUST MUST come live with me soon!  This was under the seat cushion....

We actually met at a Mexican restaurant on The Strip in Tuscaloosa.  My comment about his purple shirt got us talking.  So off towards campus on Football Fan Day (oh, and did I mention it was also Sorority Rush Week's Bid Day?) in the worst traffic of the year... to El Rincon...

This was taped to the front door (lucky no one pulled it down!!)

FH's old roommate was very much a part of our relationship when we first started dating. "Rob" actually slept on the couch in FH's condo.  That couch has been moved, but this was in its place...


At this point I'm thinking, OMG, this is really happening.  He's upstairs.  Wait.  Where was his car? 

At the top of the stairs, this was sitting on his open computer...


Both doors upstairs are closed, so I assumed he was hiding behind one of them.  And for the life of me, I could NOT get his computer to open.  He normally has it password protected and I tried at least 6 times to type that password in correctly.  Seriously?!  Are my hands shaking this much?! Finally I had to text him.  The reply?

"Just hit enter"

Lemme tell you, I'm genius. 

Here's the video....


Isn't he adorable?!

So I head off to my old apartment complex where I lived when we started dating (the "Mont by the River").

And this is what's taped up outside of my old apartment (and when I say taped, I'm talking I took paint off the post when I took it down!!)....
 
1. He hates Pride & Prejudice.  I love it.  We watched it on one of our first dates.  He suffered through the whole thing.  I think he might love me a little bit.
2. I had mice in this apartment.  Not pets.  Wild, field mice.  Ick.  This is why I moved.

But my clue led me on to our church and I found this...

This one made me cry.  Big time.  So sweet.  And I haven't even mentioned this before but FH and I bought a house (but aren't living together) so that's where I went to find this...

This one's hard to read, but it says my furry friend (aka: Puppy) had my last clue.  My first thought?  Oh, no, what did he tape to my dog?!

But it wasn't taped to sweet Isabelle; just to the gate I use to keep her from roaming the house and making messes...

So on my way upstairs, I notice that my flowers somehow made it from work to the house, and I snapped a picture...


They're lovely!

When I got to the third to last step upstairs, FH (standing in our bonus room) dropped to one knee.  I lost it.  I don't remember the last few steps, exactly what he said, or even looking at the ring, but I remember one thing...

"I want to spend the rest of my days with you.  Will you marry me?"

"YES!!!!!!"  Cry cry cry.  Blubber blubber blubber.  Ring on finger.

Next thing out of my mouth?

 "You couldn't have done this on a day when I actually washed my hair?"