LINK LOVE / 12

I hope you had a great week! Mine was really good, and I felt like I got a lot accomplished (always nice). Tonight we are really going to see this movie, unlike last week when I thought we were haha. I hope you have a fabulous weekend, and that you do something fun! 

Here are my favorite links of the week:

I'm sure by now you've seen this video featuring the "Presideezy of the United Steezy" but just in case.

Hilarious Twitter handle, Pictureless Pinterest (the best of Pinterest without having to look at the pictures)

30 things every woman should have and know by age 30

woo hoo this is on newsstands now! 

time flies...what a beautiful, bittersweet video

Bride Kit DIY - so cute!

and the song I've been playing on repeat this week - Hold On by the Alabama Shakes. So much soul.

(look up this girl's story too - amazing.)

LINK LOVE / 11

How was your week? I had kind of a rough one to be honest, just stressful...but it's the weekend now! Yay! Are you doing anything fun? The weather here has been great, so I hope to spend a lot of time outside, and tonight we're seeing this movie:

You really can't go wrong with a Jason Segel movie, right?
*update: that movie comes out next weekend (bummer!) so we'll probably just go out to dinner haha

Here are my favorite links of the week:

This little cutie has some serious moves. Wouldn't it be awesome if everyone kept the amount of confidence they had at that age?

One heck of a makeover - love the final, happy color scheme

I love simple, understated wedding rings so my heart skipped a beat when I saw these ten beauties.

Looking down from space - pretty amazing photos.

Are you over Facebook?

laser keyboard - what!?

I've been listening to this song on repeat all week - the video is pretty fun too.

cute little piggy planter

I want this pretty hammock! 

Have a great weekend!

(photo via blushing apples)

PROUD WIFE STUFF

Hey guys! I've mentioned before that my husband is a songwriter (it's one of the reasons we moved to Nashville), and every so often he enters songwriting competitions.

He has won a few in the past, and he just recently won first place in the American Songwriter Magazine contest! I'm so proud of him.

  Here is the interview that was featured in the magazine, and here is a video of him playing the winning song with his brand new Gibson guitar (the prize)! 

Go Hubbs! :) If you'd like to hear more of his stuff, you can subscribe to his Youtube page or visit this page.

MY FAVORITE DECORATING BOOKS

Summertime is great for catching up on reading. If you're like me, you have a huge pile of unread magazines and books waiting for you when you get more time. If you're looking for some good books on decorating, I thought I would share my favorites. 

Now, you might be thinking "Why in the world would I look at a book when I can just go on Pinterest!?" Well, I love Pinterest as much as the next girl, but I tend to find it a little overwhelming sometimes! It's just idea/information overload on that site, and while that's great, sometimes I just enjoy a good old fashioned book a lot more.

I also find it fun to get out the little sticky tabs and highlighters and mark pages of projects I like or ideas to try. I heart school supplies. :)

Here is my list of favorites:

Domino: The Book of Decorating - beautiful illustrations and pictures, helpful tips

Design*Sponge at Home - awesome home tours and DIY projects

Found, Free and Flea - vintage greatness, will make you want to collect stuff

Lowe's Complete Home Decorating - all the info (less pretty/fun stuff, but very useful)

Romantic Prairie Style - drooled over this book! perfect for someone like me, who wants a farm-y, vintagey, country chic home someday

WEST ELM INSPIRED DINNERWARE

Inspiration:

West Elm's Hand-Painted Dotted Dinnerware

West Elm's Chevron Sketch Dinnerware

Materials:

1. Various white dinnerware from Goodwill: $2.00

2. Sharpie: You probably already have one

This is such an easy (and cheap) DIY project. Just draw whatever patterns you like on some cheap, plain dinnerware with a Sharpie!

Happy doodling!

*Update: I've had a lot of people ask if the designs stay on when you wash it. I made the mistake of putting one of them in the dishwasher and it did wear off. :( But, if you gently hand wash them, they should be fine! Also, a helpful reader informed me that you can buy porcelain pens that write like a sharpie, and then you bake the dishes and it seals in the ink - definitely something to consider for this project if you want the dishes to be more durable!

MY WEEKEND IN PICTURES

Did you have a good weekend? Mine was looking like it was going to be a great one on Friday, but somehow I got sick again! I was just sick a couple weeks ago, but must have caught something else because I had a fever, headache, and sore throat all weekend. Man, sick 3 times in one season - maybe I should try for some kind of record?

Anyway, this is a very boring weekend in pictures because it was a pretty boring weekend! haha. But we did take Chester to a new park, and I discovered the wonder that is Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Almonds. Seriously. They're so good.

I hope you all have a great (and healthy) week ahead! I'm going to try to do the same. :)

LINK LOVE / 10

How was your week? Mine flew by (in a good way) because I've been so happily busy filling orders and organizing a bunch of Jam + Toast stuff that had gotten away from me.

This weekend, I'm going to work on a couple projects around the house, and on Sunday we're going to a Sara Bareilles concert! I hope you have a fun and relaxing weekend.

Here are my favorite links of the week:

I love vintage bar carts, like this one

 25 original kids' rooms (yay for no baby blue or cotton candy pink!)

I wish this awesome dress wasn't so expensive...boo

What the world was like when the first Titanic came out...this made me feel old.

Good advice about staying inspired

Tips for single woman (from 1938).

This is amazing.

Another Titanic related link: creepy coincidence?

LOL I can't help but check this site every day now.

Etiquette tips I was not aware of with cute coordinating cartoons

I posted photos of my dream office on Tuesday, and here is another dreamy one.

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Here's what we posted on the Jam + Toast blog this week:



Tips for creating a picnic style event (love the ceremony picture!)

Do or Don't: Colorful Wedding Dresses

Event inspiration from an outfit.


(Photos via SF Girl by Bay and  Green Wedding Shoes)

DEALING WITH WORRY

photo credit

I've always been a bit of a worrier. Okay, a big time worrier. Deep down, I always know that everything is going to be okay - my worrying isn't a conscious decision. I just seem to have a nagging, anxious feeling a lot, despite being a fairly positive person. Do any of you feel the same way? 

My greatest worries usually involve the opinions of others, which I hate! Then, the other big worries of mine are usually career focused (Am I making the right decisions? Am I wasting time?) or worries that stem from insecurity, which I think many women deal with (Will my partner get bored with me? Am I pretty enough? ), etc.

a song about worries...even John Mayer gets anxious sometimes!

The best way that I know to deal with worry is to talk about it. Telling someone how I'm feeling and getting their perspective always makes me feel better. Usually, you will be reassured that everything is okay and that in the scheme of things, you've got nothing to worry about at all!

Wes prefers to write down how he is feeling. For him, seeing a list of options for dealing with the situation helps to calm him down.

If you care to share, I'd love to know...

What are your biggest worries, and how do you deal with them?

PS. Some good advice from a fellow blogger & worrier and a test to see if you worry too much,

MY DREAM OFFICE

Have you seen this amazing workplace tour on Apartment Therapy? It is a collective office of some of my favorite bloggers and creative professionals, like Bri Emery of Design Love Fest. What an inspiring, fun place to work! 

MY WEEKEND IN PICTURES

This weekend, we went up to Ohio for Easter and visited our family. We had a great (but quick) trip that involved a lot of eating and laughing - what more do you need? 

First, we stayed with Wes' parents and his mom made some really good food (I think I gained ten pounds). The next day, his little cousins (you might remember them from our wedding) and family came over.

The little kids love playing with chester, and we cracked up playing with the Aging Booth and Fat Booth apps on my phone. 

After that, we went to my parents' farm (where we got married), and had a cookout. We played a fairly intense game of two-hand-touch football that I'm still sore from, and ate dinner around the fire. 

I also took pictures of the wallpaper because I thought it was cool (perfectly normal).

We even got to visit with some good friends from high school for a little bit that night, then the next morning we went to church with my parents and left to go back to Nashville. 

Going home is always a whirlwind trip trying to see everyone, but we always have such a fun time.

Have a great week! :)

MY WEEKEND / WHERE I'VE BEEN

If you're wondering why the quantity of posts has dramatically decreased lately, it's not because I'm shutting down the blog, it's because I apparently have no immune system. Last week, I had a kidney infection (not fun) which triggered some intense back pain, and just as that was getting better, I caught a cold from the hubbs.

Poor Chester is so bored from all of our sleeping:

I was able to gather enough energy to make Wes a cake for his birthday though! He's the big 2-5 now. :)

We spent almost all day Sunday sleeping, sniffling, and watching Toy Story and The Parent Trap (really intellectual, mature choices, eh?). Anyway, sorry for the lack of posts, but hopefully I will be feeling back to normal soon!

 Also, since I've been eating a lot of soup lately...

tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons might be one of the best ideas ever.