Our Wedding Photographer

I am SO SO SO excited to reveal we have found our wedding photographer! I put a call to the Facebook world asking for recommendations, and my friend/roommate/bridesmaid Andrea helped us find the guy: Logan Clement. Andrea went to high school with him and said she hopes he will photograph her wedding someday. I knew if Andrea liked him this much he would be a damn good photographer. And he is.

The advice I always read from brides is to invest in what is very important to you for your wedding, and for me, it was the photographer. I have spent a lot of time researching photographers and pricing packages and none of them impressed me as much as Logan.

I have spent a ridiculous amount of time perusing his website, admiring the moments he captured in his photos. I e-mailed the website to my mom and she said, "Yeah, that's you. I can see why you like him." Here are a few of my favorite pictures of his.

All photos are from his website, which you can view here. In all my e-mails with Logan, he was very helpful, informative, friendly, and straightforward. I am very excited to work with Logan and see the moments he captures at our wedding!

My Week In Instagram

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend. I had a relaxing weekend with no big plans which was just what I needed. Friday night we celebrated a friend's birthday. Their power went out in the middle of it so we got out the candles and flashlights which made it even more fun! I worked on a birthday present for Kevin all day Saturday and I'm VERY excited to share it once it's done.

Kevin kind of dropped the ball on Valentine's Day but made it up to me on Saturday. He surprised me with some lovely yellow daisies, a bottle of peach champagne, and a very sweet card. His excuse, "See, weren't you more surprised when I did this on the wrong day?" He's learning, slowly but surely! It's becoming sort of his "thing" to get me celebratory cards that are celebrating the wrong thing. For my birthday he gave me a "For My Wife" card and for Valentine's Day he gave me a "Happy Bar Mitzvah" card. It's an exciting game to see what kind of card I'll get next!

Saturday night we went on a nice little date and we spent today lounging around napping. 'Twas lovely. Here is a summary of my week via Instagram:

Cooked a Valentine's dinner of chicken alfredo

Started my new embroidery hobby and I am loving it!

Had a few nights of crafting...projects to come!

My lil sis came to hang out with me for awhile and we had a craft night, I taught her how to make an iPod cover and it turned out pretty cute!

Lots and lots of subbing :)

A belated Valentine's surprise :)

Sunday afternoon cuddle time (Kevin's gonna kill me)

Purchased the new Eisley EP and I am in LOVE! Can't wait for the new album.

I was sick all week :( I had some serious sinus pressure. Then we watched "Contagion" last night and I got super paranoid. Luckily I woke up today feeling better :)

Last but not least my diploma FINALLY arrived! Can't wait to display it proudly :)

Here's to a great Monday, friends!

P.S. I'm over at Crafted Love this weekend with a sponsor feature about blog tips! Check it out :)

It's In The Details

Before I begin, I want to start by saying I think it's annoying when girls take a bajillion pictures of themselves in the mirror with their phone, making pouty faces and throwing up peace signs. Bear with me as I contradict myself...a little. I admire fashion bloggers with cameras on a tripod and a clicker that allows them to pose and snap. They can take pictures of themselves without bothering anyone to snap awkward pictures to showcase their own personal style. All I have is an iPhone. And I'm prepared to use it.

This is one of those outfits that came about by chance and I fell in love with. The only people that ever see my outfits are my two male roommates and 25 first graders. Neither care. However, maybe you care to see the pretty outfit I put together? You do?

 The beauty is in the details

Skirt: Target
Shirt, Cardigan, and Necklace: Forever 21
Boots: Kohls
Earrings: Handmade by me!

I have only one one other outfit post, and you can see it here (Ha! I have the same hesitation on the outfit posts in that post). I always feel a little awkward about this, but I think I may step out of my comfort zone and snap some more pictures of outfits I really love.

You can view the blogs of some of my favorite fashion bloggers here:
Little Chief Honeybee
Love Elycia
Snunkboy Creatures
Love Maegan

Embroidery 101

Just kidding! I'm no embroidery guru, however, I am pretty good at Googling. I found this website that taught me all I need to begin my embroidery endeavors. If you are at all interested in embroidering and have no idea where to begin, seriously, READ her blog and you will have all the information you need.

To get started, I took a trip to JoAnn's to buy a few embroidery hoops. Medium sizes are about $1.50 per hoop. I also stocked up on embroidery floss, which is about 35 cents a piece. I then had to figure out what I would use for the base of my embroidering. I searched all over trying to find the appropriate material to use. I finally asked a sales clerk (she looked like a grandma so I knew she'd be good). She told me her favorite thing to use is flour sack towels. I have NO idea what this was, but she assured me if I went to Target or Wal Mart and looked at the dish towels, I would find a package of 4-5 on the bottom shelf. She was right, and I must say it was very easy to work with and I have a TON of fabric for only $4.

I looked around online for a pattern to follow, but I was anxious to start and nothing caught my eye. So, I just started stitching. I used a back stitch for all the circles and the heart outline and a satin stitch to fill in the heart. It did take me a few hours but it was something I could do while I lounged (after a long day of subbing, much needed.) I am very happy with how it turned out and can't wait to find a home for it! (If you haven't done so yet, read my post for my inspiration behind embroidering.)

Happy Friday! Do you have any plans for the weekend? I'm headed to a friend's birthday tonight, sleeping in tomorrow, and probably doing another embroidering piece!

Are you into embroidering? Where do you go for patterns or design inspiration?

I also want to share this embarrassing story really quickly. So the gas gauge on my car doesn't work, it hasn't worked in a long long time. It's always on full, even when it's really on empty. I knew I was due for a refill yesterday so I was planning on stopping on my way home from work. I tried stopping at Casey's, but a [rude] driver wouldn't let me over to turn! So, I decided to move onto the next station down the road. Well, my car had other plans. Between the first gas station and the second gas station (1/2 mile apart mind you), my car literally RAN out of gas! What the heck?! Luckily my aunt lives close by and brought her gas can to me so I could make it down the road. I'm so thankful for her!! I also should add this was right at 5:00 so there were plenty of onlookers checking to see who the idiot was who let her car run out of gas. However, in my defense, my gas gauge DOES NOT work! I usually get gas every 350-375 miles. I was only at 315. I ran out of gas ON MY WAY to get gas. How embarrassing. Has this ever happened to any of you? I sure felt dumb.

Also, I'm over on Crafted Love today giving blogging advice through a feature sponsor post. Check it out!

Have a great weekend!

Embroidery: A New Venture

Remember last week when I mentioned I needed a craft that didn't require a lot of attention and one I could do while relaxing? I think I found my craft. :)

I used to embroider with my grandma a looooong time ago. Lately a lot of crafts and things I used to do at my grandma's house has been coming back to me. I could spend hours looking at all the pretty colors of embroidery thread at the craft store and I have been wanting to make a wall mural of embroidery hoops for a while like these:

I perused Pinterest to find some more inspiration in this upcoming hobby of mine. I think I'll head to JoAnn tomorrow to get that little hobby started! Until then, here are some awesome embroidery works of art to admire:

Here are two works of art from two fellow bloggers who's blogs I follow daily!
The one on top is Katy from Sweet Verbena and the one on the right is Allison's from Crafted Love.

 Do any of you embroider? Do you have any tips on how to get started? I'm wondering what material to use as the background/base? What do you think?

A Homemade, Heartfelt Valentine

You didn't think I'd make it through a holiday without a craft, did you?

What I don't like about Valentine's Day is of course the commercialized aspect of it. I perused the Valentine aisle at Target yesterday just for the heck of it and didn't like what I saw. Who really wants a random teddy bear that says I love you? Or a $5 heart-shaped container of M&Ms? Valentine's Day shouldn't be a stressful holiday of trying to figure out what to get your significant other. My outlook is this: make your loved one feel loved by doing that one special thing you know he or she will appreciate. Whether it's their favorite candy, a back rub, cooking dinner, cleaning the house, taking time to go on a date, sending that extra text, or finding an excuse to write down exactly why you love them. I truly believe it's the meaning behind the gesture that makes Valentine's Day so special.

Kevin enjoys seeing the crafts I come up with so I knew he'd appreciate one I made just for him. This is by no means an original idea. It's been floating around Pinterest for awhile and I pinned it forever ago. Any excuse to be sappy and romantic is something I'm on board with. Here is my take on the idea.

(I'll give you a minute in case you need to throw up)

I also want to note that if you're looking for a last minute gift idea, this is NOT it. Maybe a last few hours gift idea you'd be ok. It was a little time consuming. Now to complete my thoughtfulness, I think I'll clean the apartment and cook dinner. Unfortunately Kevin is in the middle of busy season and won't be home until late so a romantic date is not in our future. Looks like it's chef Allie tonight! :)

Happy Valentine's Day! 

Vintage Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day! I personally love Valentine's Day and enjoy celebrating it (whether I'm single or not!) I know you are supposed to show love to your friends, family, and significant others all year round, but it is fun to have a day to celebrate all that LOVE and realize how lucky you are to be loved and be sure to remind those you love that you do love them!

I am usually pretty good about sending valentine's to my friends but V-Day snuck up on me too quickly this year. To my friends, family, and loyal readers, I hope you have a day that's full of love, whether you celebrate it or not.

Here are some cute little valentines from me :)