November | 2012 | pretty*swell

A big week for Posy!

11/30/2012 at 9:17 pm | Posted in About town, Posy | 1 Comment

this sweet girl is one of a set of vintage Christmas ornaments on Posy

I am one proud big sister this week.

Laura was interviewed for our local CBS affiliate’s mom blog, Go Ask Mom, as one of the artisans featured in their “Made by Mom” holiday gift guide. She rocked it! Authentic and funny and so passionate about her work.

Posy will be at the ELF fair tomorrow in Carrboro. Come visit us if you’re in the area! It’s at the ArtsCenter from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be all sorts of vendors selling beautiful handmade goods. And also? FOOD TRUCKS. Breakfast burrito, here I come.

And Kindred Boutique in downtown Raleigh is hosting a mini Rock & Shop Market tomorrow. We hate to miss it! But Laura’s display is loaded with lots of lovely hand-sewn goods including napkin sets, pillow covers and pennant banners. If you stop by, look for Posy’s little nook in the white shelves on the left. The market runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

I’m in awe of Laura, who has managed to create an incredible inventory for all this while in the trenches with a newborn baby. She seriously sews stockings and napkin sets in between nursing sessions. I can’t even imagine.

Can’t wait to see what’s next for Posy and my superhero sister.

Welcome, tree.

We picked him out the morning after Thanksgiving. Because I’m cuckoo for Christmas and my sweet husband obliges.

Lily loved the scent. Sophie loved sitting up on the truck bed.

I loved every bit of it.

We’ll bring him inside and dress him up real fancy this weekend. I can’t wait.

Have you chosen your tree? If you post photos, leave a link in the comments. I’d love to see!

Good things

11/27/2012 at 5:15 pm | Posted in just plain fun | 3 Comments

Mister Monroe says hi. And he wants to do your taxes.

A little of this and that …

>>My internet pal Mandy is hosting a pretty amazing forum to help those in need this holiday season. Check out her comments section to make a request (clothing, food, stocking stuffers, you name it) or lend a hand.

>>And speaking of online friends, my very first blogging pal Andrea is back to it! Check out her lovely new website and super-adorable vintage shop for the kiddos. She’s also a bit of a celebrity on Instagram — her feed is my favorite.

>> Laura and I are getting excited for Posy’s first holiday market of the season, ELF Fair. It’s this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Carrboro ArtsCenter. Come visit us! Also, she just listed the coolest little vintage Christmas ornaments — made inside egg shells! Here’s a peek.

>>One of my funniest friends, Beth Anne, just published her life list (with a hilarious prelude about the end of days). Have you written one? I’m thinking about it …

>>Keep an eye on Design Mom this holiday season. She publishes beautiful gift guides and hosts some of the most awesome giveaways I’ve ever seen.

Why I'm cuckoo with my camera

11/26/2012 at 9:23 pm | Posted in snap happy | 2 Comments

Ever since I held my very first camera and smelled that burnt flash bulb after it popped, I was in love.

On one childhood vacation, in fact, I spent an entire roll of film on a single alligator. Disney World, the zoo, even the backyard, I snapped away. Laura and I would dress up the dog and I would take pictures. Anything, everything.

And I COULD NOT WAIT for my film to be developed. Such an awesome feeling to tear open that envelope and see if the prints inside matched the vision in my head. The devastation of discovering an exposed roll and losing those pictures drove me to tears.

So that is why I’m a total freak with my camera. It’s in my blood, apparently.

I’m not sure why it took me three years of blogging to finally explain my snap-happy-ness, but I thought you ought to know why I take (and LOVE) shots like these super close-ups of the girls (one with a milk moustache — score).

When a single photo makes me laugh out loud or stops me in my tracks — especially in the middle of scrolling through hundreds that I take on any given occasion — I jump up and down inside just like that 10-year-old girl clutching an envelope of fresh prints to her chest. And then I empty my memory card and do it all over again.

I got a little trigger-happy during Thanksgiving, so …

11/25/2012 at 11:38 pm | Posted in family, just plain fun, Love | 1 Comment

Because it's never too late to support small businesses

11/24/2012 at 8:41 pm | Posted in About town, Posy | 2 Comments
Tags: Small Business Saturday

new at Posy! vintage mercury glass ornaments

I had grand ambitions of posting a shopping guide for Small Business Saturday this morning. That is, until I ended up dragging a sleeping Sophie out from under my bed in the middle of the night and lying beside her on the floor all night to keep my little sleep-scooting baby from rolling right out of the guest room at my mother-in-law’s house.

It was one of those nights that will be funny in about, oh, five or ten years. When I can hold it over her.

Even though I missed the boat on Small Business Saturday because of my sleep-deprived delirium, I figure hey, every day should be about shopping small businesses.

I’ve already finished most of our Christmas shopping, and while a chunk of our holiday dollars now belong to Amazon (because of the prices and the plastic princess and fairy inventory) most of my favorite gifts are coming from small shops.

Here are a few of my favorites. Better late than never, right?

Online:
Posy (yup, I’m pimpin’): beautiful and quirky vintage and handmade goods for your home
Hi, Small: super cute vintage clothes for the littles
The Wheatfield: lovely art prints
Pencil Shavings Studio: gorgeous iPhone cases and other geekery
Lou & Lee: the cutest baby hair accessories you ever did see
Michelle Smith Designs: beautiful tea towels, pillow covers and original fabrics

About town:
Kindred Boutique: awesomely diverse selection of handmade goods by local artisans
Epona & Oak: beautiful handmade goods by local designers, plus a wellness studio with everything from facials to yoga classes
Stitch: I love Holly Aiken bags. The end.
Cat Banjo: funky handmade jewelry and other accessories (even for your pets!)
Accipter: totally unique (and often hilarious) art, homegoods, jewelry and gifts (think fire-breathing wind-up nuns)
NoFo at the Pig: a renovated Piggly Wiggly with everything from homegoods to gourmet foods to the most adorable gifts for the littles

What are your favorite small shops? I’m always on the hunt for new places to stalk (either online or here in the Triangle). Share in the comments!

An accidental before-and-after

11/23/2012 at 9:18 pm | Posted in weight loss | 7 Comments

I started downloading my eleventy billion Thanksgiving photos and came across this family shot that just makes me smile. It’s a rare thing for the four of us to end up together in the same frame, much less all smiling and with eyes open. And a guest appearance by Sophie’s belly button is just the icing on the cake.

So I dug up last year’s Thanksgiving family shot to see how much the girls had grown … and was startled by something entirely different.

Look at Marc and me. It’s like someone stuck a pin in us and deflated us a little bit.

Yesterday:

One year ago yesterday:

Making this little discovery was humbling, you guys. And incredibly motivating.

Thankful

11/22/2012 at 10:10 am | Posted in Love | Leave a comment

For Marc and Lily and Sophie and all of our family.

For friends who love us like family.

For our health.

For a cozy home that has heat and water and food.

For a job that I absolutely love (and had never imagined this was even possible).

For all the ways (big and little) that joy manifests itself in my life.

For you, sweet readers, who inspire me and help keep this little website going.

So very thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Hope your day is filled with warmth, love and lots of good food
(that may or may not be wrapped in bacon).

xo!

Mighty baby

11/21/2012 at 11:16 am | Posted in family | 2 Comments

Mister Monroe is off the charts! And not just in cuteness.

When Laura texted me after his 8-week doctor visit this week, I laughed out loud. This sweet little guy tips the scales at nearly 16 pounds! Go Monroe! (And momma!!)

I seriously can’t get enough of the cheeks. And the arm rolls. And the dimple in his right cheek that pops up when he smiles.

Also? His hair is starting to come in all swirly.

So in love with my nephew I can’t stand it.

P.S. So is Sophie … see her in the top of the frame, getting ready to tackle-hug her cousin?

Happiness is: wacky pants

11/20/2012 at 5:30 pm | Posted in Happiness is | Leave a comment

Hello most random blog post I’ve ever written. This might seem like space-filler (I’m talking to you NaBloPoMo), but I promise it’s not.

Last year at this time, I alternated between three wardrobe choices for work: black pants, khaki pants and mom jeans. Lather, rinse and repeat.

Today I’m wearing bright orange skinny cords (although the photo above is an oldie). Last week I wore black dot pants.

And as I walked to lunch today, I looked down at my legs and realized that I’ve changed A LOT in the past year. Sure, I shed 40 pounds, but I’ve also gotten braver in my fashion choices. Which I think is the result of more confidence and a better sense of who I truly am. I definitely haven’t figured myself out (who has?), but I’m getting there.

So now instead of being a total weirdo who hoards pretty things but never wears them, I’m actually wearing them.

Yay progress!

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