Thinking of you!

I couldnt help myself. I thought of you. Her blog is here: TOKYOBANHBAO

I didn't want to spoil the surprise...

...but I bought you this for Christmas.  You love it right!? Hahahahahahahaha

It's Here.

Damn. Just, damn.

I feel strange today.

response :)

Sarah, stop spending money! You're going to run out. Although, as we both know, it's not like your dad wouldn't give you more for the rest of your trips. It's just polite for me to seem encouraging! :) hahah! 

I'm glad you are having fun. I should write you a letter of all that I've been doing... but there is too much to tell. The party the other night, was seriously the best one of the year. Everything went perfectly. I cooked 4 pizzas over 2 hours... made delicious Bellinis, was up until 3 AM and still too excited to go to sleep. You've seen the pictures, the emotion alone is worth 10,000 words!

Also, I'm pretty sure Obama knew what he was getting himself into. I just think he didn't expect to be so overwhelmed. He's attempting to accomplish a whole hell of a lot and feels the pressure of millions of people worldwide expecting to hold him to his promises. Atleast he is still trying. We'll just have to wait and see. It's only been 6 months of 4 years!

The Country Bungalo

Finds Today:

1. Peacock Scarf

2. Pearl & Chain cuff (that I was going to tear apart to use but I think I'll keep just the way it is... it's just too awesome!)

3. Gold Lariat that I will be mimicking a lot of my jewellery after.

4. Grey and Yellow scarf that I've already knotted up to use just the way I want to.

So I've saved this picture for like months and I've had the idea in the back of my mind for a while! I mean, right? How awesome is a scarf necklace!?! Granted, when I go out, mine will be much more maticulously tied than it is now. That was just for 'super fast photoshoot' sake.

"ya know, like I do."

click here

So this is kind of what my jewelery line looks like. Same concept anyway... vintage pieces remade into something beautiful. Yeah, everyone is doing it, but mine have a little bit more a punk rock edge... ya know, like I do.

Hello Woman I Love

Okay, so I have had favorite photos of you before but JESUS CHRIST! I love love love this one! I have been looking at it for days and I think I will print it out and put it on my dresser, next to my jewellery, so I can see it everyday. It's the perfect embodyment of you! The way you chew the nail on your thumb and cover it with the other hand, the pearls that so gracefully line your next and add daintyness to your strong Italian features... the sunglasses that look SO good on you and the most beautiful haircut I think you have EVER had, and don't even get me started on the way navy blue makes the tone of your skin look sunkissed and flawless. 1000 words indeed

go here

Sadie's Perfume

If I had bought you something today it would have been this. 

"Sadie's perfume is composed of flowering Sakura cherry blossom and plum blossoms with a hint of Asian white tea."

See it here.

Mason Jar Favor (Holder)

Why not use the mason jar to HOLD the favor? I think a bulb in just enough soil would fit just perfectly!

Okay, I'm going to leave you alone! Night!

So of course the glamourous option would be champagne served in custom monogrammed champagne flutes... but for a backyard option? How cute would this be? It's actual champagne in a can! It's by Francis Ford Coppola, that dude that makes the amazing wines we all love. I'm not sure if you remember or not, but I'm pretty positive I have drank this with you in Savannah... I did with someone atleast... I'm going with you. Or Robby. But most likely you. I think. ? Anyway, not the BEST champagne in the world, but totally worth the cutie petutieness

Whoa!

wedding chicks

I stumbled across this sign while searching for blogs and what a surprise!

The sign is so perfect but the inspiration is striking!

Wouldn't it be perfect? Especially if the table cloths were lace... which could be arranged!

Let's have a party just so we can do this.

You have to check this out and look at EVERY SINGLE PHOTO. They're beautiful.

I totally think you should take your engagement shots in Athens in the city like these. It would be fun, quirky, and memorable! Ooooor, we should totally go to Savannah next weekend and do a shoot there! I know where we could stay. :)

Fanciful Form

I love this site! Isn't her work beautiful? I want to buy us matching rings.

This is what I imagine your porch will look like in New Orleans. I love it!

You could wear this to the Soiree! I thought about it...I still like my poufy skirt more!

I love it! It's so many words I can't describe. I also really love the 'Chloe Ring'!

Etsy Listing

Spring Festival

I didn't sell one pair of earrings, any of the planted baskets, or a single SinceWhen bag. However, I sold every stinking last apple pie for $3 each! Atleast it wasn't hot so that I can call it a victory. A small one.

This is the new chair that I bought when Lori and I went yardsaling last weekend. I saw it and fell in love with it! The woman was only asking $5 for it!!! It's perfect eh? I was so pissed though because she actually had a set but broke it up because a little boy from across the street wanted one of them! Uuuuuuuggghhh. Stupid kids.

And then that is Butch, pretending he is dead.

New Fave Song

Waiting by City & Color

I love this song. Although, for some strange stupid reason the way the guy is singing and playing the guitar totally brings flashbacks of Jonathan. >.<>

I think that I am going to get these to put the flowers in at the Soiree. It goes with the theme and they are just too pretty not to have! $15...good buy eh?

Dammit, it changed my colors again! Oh well, the words were a darker color and the blue filigree a brownish I was going to turn green. Although this actually is pretty too. So, we are going for a New Orleans theme right? "The Big Easy" should take after it's name. I'm not sure what this is missing though...and I'm too tired to think of it. Can you?

Soiree Inspiration

Emily's wedding in Atlanta, GA. I'm super jealous of her. Although she created a wedding that is now the official inspiration for the Soiree. I need to figure out the invitations around the flowers. If you read the interview, you'll see that they actually are wrapped with a black feather boa. Gorgeous.

I can't finish... (that's what she said)

Okay, not quite sure how the colors changed (the peach one is blue). Anyway, I was dorking around and keep coming back to this. I think I'm seeing a theme. As far as the empty spot, I couldn't find a font I liked that made the 'Summer Soiree' look right.

Soiree

How to host a Big Easy Party.

Look what I can do!

Swimwear!

I can't wait to try this on when it gets here. I love love love it!

You know, I was telling Brandon, anyone (well, attractive) can pull off a bikini and a one piece, but it takes super confidence to rock the half & half.

I think I can do it. You with me?!

www.vans.com

One hell of a day...

This is what my desk looked like all day today! For the first time in like forever I worked over, finishing paperwork and pushing pencils.  It was actually nice. 3 hours later when I reflected...

The Best Bra Ever, Seriously

Okay, so seriously seriously, this is the best find I have ever had at a store in my entire life. This bra was marked on sale for only $13.99! I was willing to try it out to see if it fit, I can always use a new bra and here lately, I actually needed one. I was shocked in the dressing room that it fit...perfectly. If I could actually create a bra to wear all of the time, this would be it. You know how you can always feel the bra you are wearing? Not this one...it's seamless. But not like they advertise 'seamless', I mean like it molds to my body perfectly. AND I'm not sure if you ever experience the feeling of wearing a pushup bra all day and then taking it off and your boobs actually hurt a little? I just took this one off, I've had it on since like 8:30 this morning, and nothing. Like they were just sitting there all snuggled up all day. :) Sheer genius. I'm in love. I will not buy another bra that isn't this one or made by this company. Well, I mean, probably will...but I don't want to...atleast not today.

Wacoal iBra

For Family

These are very special because they are made from a select few flower beads from my great grandmothers choker she gave me when I was in highschool. I hope you like it!

My New Camera

And the best part is that I got it for free! My rewards program at the office gives us points we can use towards the purchase of really kickass things! I gave up a cast iron skillet, $180 steak knives, and a set of 'O' Riedel glasses for this. I think it was worth the trade. Our next thing we (and by we I mean Brandon hopes we) want to work for is a Nikon D40 or an ACTUAL Canon Rebel. For real! How sweet is that!?

You'll Never Know...

I had to share this with you! Aiden absolutely adores Animal now... I assume it is because he likes the drums and the monster. :)

Guess what I've been thinking about?

I can't lie and say I haven't thought about it. What would my life be like if I wasn't married and a mother? Wouldn't it be great (if I wasn't those things) to flee this pressure right now? To make it to the coast and rediscover another something about myself? People tell me that it's admirable that I am so young have myself figured out. I get that so often. But for the first time, I was told yesterday that I'm so young that I've got so much to learn about who I really am. I thought I knew. I was certain that I have created who I want to be forever. But she didn't mean that. She meant that I will learn more about myself and just as I have in the last few years created this image of myself it will certainly (hopefully) continue to evolve.

And then she said something that slapped me. I said something about already being married, and she said something so simple but it shook my world. "You're still young." So simple. Still young, like, I have time to get out? Like there are still so many years ahead that things are bound to change? I didn't jump to any defenses either. I just thought about it as I took another drink of my wine and looked around the room at the different people living there lives in different stages. What would it be like to be in those stages?

THEN, it hit me! Why should I even consider my life without Brandon and Aiden. I am 100% confident that even if I had waited, if I had said no to a life-long (as I thought) commitment to Brandon and then no to the effort of having a child...I would still be searching to find them. To make it happen one day. I am extremely lucky actually to have been able to find them and be living these moments with them. If I had said no, would I be as lucky to have found a man that would be more perfect for me than Brandon? Or a child that time brought so perfectly into the world? No way.

Things will change. But now I am back in control. Just because I'm already married and have a child doesn't mean that I have to stop 'finding' myself. That's the actual madness behind the methods of my past few months. I keep telling people that I have been spending ridiculous amounts of time in Athens behind a cocktail to convince myself that I am 'only 24'. I know now, I think, that it is actually because during all of the years between highschool and moving back home I was out finding myself in Athens and Michigan. In city after city I spent my nights and days discovering who I was and who I wanted to be. After I came home people were so amazed I had done such a good job that I quit looking for myself and just became. My disgust with the last few years is not becuase of my responsibilities but because of the fact I was so envious that people I knew (i.e. you) were still in the 'discovery' stages of their lives. I wanted that. I'm not sure where I got the idea that you had to find yourself and then be that person the rest of your life. I mean, isn't that why people become life long scholars?

ANYWAY, I'm off. To learn more. This is a new chapter! I may be a different person by the end of this next year. Or I take that back, a more established Ashley Marie. I know what I like but there must be something else out there that I am not even aware of that I am yet to like too. And there is definately another side of me I have yet to discover. And I'm not talking motherhood or wifey stuff, I'm talking Ashley Marie stuff. Who is this woman? What else is she made of?

I'll get back to you on that.

Dream 2009

Atlanta to Milan: $1199

Sitting with You at an Italian Villa Cafe during a summer we would never forget: Priceless

This should be my wedding gift for you. Our own Mama Mia.