Thrifting Finds

 I took a trip to the antique Kevin and I went to a few weeks ago, this time solo (which means I spent more money than I should have.) BUT I found a lot of awesome things and most are for our wedding.

My favorite find is this vintage suitcase! I have been searching for the perfect one for FOREVER (ok, since we got engaged) for guests to place cards in at the reception. This one is a pretty blue/green and in excellent condition. I can't wait to put it to use! It was a little more than I wanted to spend ($20) but after comparing prices, this was a good deal.

I love this mustard colored shutter I picked up for $4. I don't think I will put it to use like I did our last shutter find, but I think it will be a good decoration on a tall skinny wall.

More vintage handkerchiefs! I have decided I will use these handkerchiefs I've been collecting as part of the centerpieces on the tables at our reception. I saw them in this wedding Andrea sent to me and I love the look.

I also found some more vintage brooches. I have had a hard time finding ones I like for a decent price, and started to doubt whether or not I really wanted to do a brooch bouquet for the wedding. But, I found a few good ones today and decided I'll keep collecting.

From left to right:

Ok, the first one is kind of a joke, but appropriate nonetheless. It's a carrot. Now I just need to find peas!

The second one didn't photograph as well, but it's a very sparkly silver with bright blue jewels. I needed to add a little sparkle to the bouquet.

I love the bow!! I will wear it often until I have to put it on my bouquet.

I also thought love birds were appropriate (though hard to see.)

I decided to lay out all my brooches I've collected so far to see how far I still need to go. I have more than I thought, but I still have a long way to go! I think I need some more color (not orange) in there!

I also decided to take a look at my handkerchief collection. They look so pretty all laid out. I'm excited to see how they will all come together at the reception.

I must admit, I'm watching Hoarders right now and feeling a little guilty. At least I have a wedding as my excuse, right??

P.S. I'm doing the "Photo An Hour" challenge today and will be back later tonight with a glimpse inside my day!

Messy Side Bun

I workout every night, therefore take a shower every night because boy am I sweeeaaaatttyyyyy! Stick with me, the point of this isn't about how much I sweat.

Because I take a shower at night, I don't see the point in showering again in the morning. However, now that my hair is pretty long it always looks cracked out of its mind in the morning. So, I have been rocking the messy side bun pretty much everyday. (The good thing about subbing is nobody realizes you are rocking the same hair-do day after day).

I found this picture on Pinterest and I thought it was very pretty and I liked the description that accompanied it, and it looks similar to what I create in the mornings. I thought I'd share it with you in case you have cracked out morning hair as well.

Disclaimer: For those of you who don't know me personally, this is not me. I'm waaay prettier ;) ;)

Here's what you do (partially my directions and partially from the pin on Pinterest)

1. Tease hair all over. Emphasis on teasing the hair on the side of your head and at the crown. Note: I usually tease the body of my hair as well because my hair is very thin. This makes for a fuller bun.
2. Secure hair with an elastic in a mid to low side pony a couple of inches behind your ear. We suggest putting the pony on the opposite side of your head as your part.
3. Create a messy bun by spreading all the hair in the pony out evenly from the center of the ponytail. (I realize that sounds confusing but I don't know how else to word it). You can opt to leave some front pieces of bangs out to make for a more flowy look.
4. Give it a spritz of hair spray and let dry for a few seconds.
5. Pull the hair in your pony up to make another bun and secure with an elastic. MAKE SURE you have long ends sticking out. This will be kind of a baby bun.
6. Now you get creative. Take the ends that are sticking out of the bun and begin bobby pinning them in different areas around the base of your bun, near the elastic. Play with it to get your desired look.
7. Hair spray the crap out of it.
8. Curl the (optional) loose ends you left out. I usually pin mine back loosely to keep them out of my way while I'm teaching.
9. Spray some more.
10. Enjoy your extra 20 minutes of sleep by rocking this beautiful hairdo.

{{If you know the source of this photo, let me know! The link on Pinterest doesn't lead anywhere and I want to give credit where credit is due.}}


And here is my take on the messy side bun after a full day of teaching and headed out on a date with my boy.

And here's the great part about having a brooch bouquet for your wedding: you can wear the brooches until then. I got this one from my BFF Tonia. What a lady.

{{Dress: Heritage 1981 and you can also find it at Forever 21. I got it on sale for $13! I wore it with purple tights and grey boots. I am in love with the outfit and it might be my new favorite. I tried to get Kevin to take my picture to make an outfit post out of it but he said that was stupid. He doesn't understand blogging. Maybe I'll have to awkwardly do it my self with photo booth and hope nobody sees me. I feel so awkward taking pictures of myself.}}


Hope you guys have a great weekend! I'm headed to boot camp this morning (Saturday morning workouts are quickly becoming my favorite thing) and my grandparents are in town so I am looking forward to having lunch with them. What are you guys up to?

Wedding Inspiration: Brooch Bouquets

The idea of having a brooch bouquet is one of the first things I was sure of, and it's one of the things I'm most excited to make for our wedding. I know I have blogged about this idea before (instead spelling it "broach", I have since come across the correct spelling), but I have started receiving brooches and it's becoming a reality. I wanted to share the beginning of my collection and show my inspiration for the idea.

My collection:

My mom gifted me the purple one. I believe it was her grandma's. I remember admiring it in my mom's jewelry box as a kid, so I'm excited to be carrying it with me on my wedding day.

Kevin's mom gifted me the orange and white pins/clip on earrings (thought they are not technically brooches they will work perfectly!). She said Kevin's sisters used them for dress-up, and they originally belonged to his Grandma Clark. I'm excited to have meaningful flowers to carry down the isle. 

You may be having a hard time picturing my vision for my bouquet, so here are some examples I have pinned on Pinterest over the last few months.

I love how colorful they are! I also think it will fit in perfectly with our rustic/vintage theme, which is coming together quite nicely in my head and on my Pinterest boards. Though these bouquets mostly have flower brooches, I am open to any colorful thing! I plan to start searching for these on my own soon.

I also know a lot of my family and Kevin's family reads this blog. If any of you have a vintage brooch you are willing to part with, let me know. I would love to have a piece of family history in my bouquet. Even a gifted brooch (or earring or pin, as seen above!), just knowing who it came from would be special to me.