life lately

I'm trying as much as I can to get settled in our new place, but with so many ideas for projects rolling around in my brain, its been hard to focus, unpack or even rest.  I'm okay with that though because it just keeps me busy and seeing the end result of all the crazy ideas I keep coming up, sounds more fun anyway!  This last weekend my mom came up to visit and help me with a couple of the projects I wanted to tackle.  It was the first time she has visited without my dad and for longer that two days ( I had her for almost 5!) and we tried to stuff as many things into each day as possible.

We hit up the Milwaukie Farmers Market, which is one of my top favorite markets up here (i vote it 2nd to psu), its so adorable and packed with goodies- plus its just 5 minutes from my house.  I showed her a few shops I adore, took her to the pearl, we ate all the foods and each day tried to explore as much as possible for the first half of the day.  The second half, well into late night, was spent working on the house.  I mentioned on instagram that I wanted to have open cabinets and paint my kitchen white and I'm happy to say, with her help, its almost done.  It's my first project as a home owner and I can't wait to share the progress!

With my husband being gone in Peru still and my mom visiting without my dad, we took full advantage of having a girls weekend.  It was exactly what I needed to feel just a bit more settled.  Having my mom see our new house for the first time, feeling comfy in our home and having the first official guest... I think I can get used to this!

Thats life lately, hows yours?

life lately

Well I took a good week off from everything (work/blog) to get us moved over and semi-sorta settled into our new place.  Moving from an airstream to a condo was one thing, moving from a condo to a much larger house was another.  We definitely have the bare minimum, yet somehow I have never felt so full.  Last night we got all cozied up with the pups and put on a movie, as I was laying there surrounded by boxes in our mostly empty space, it hit me that we bought a freaking house.  Still a little weird and amazing all at once.

For the most part- the move has been taking up a good chunk of our time around here.  Its fun to have something new to focus on that means so much to us.  I took most of the year off that we lived in the condo from purchasing too much decor to save money and because I knew we would't be there long, but I can't wait to start consciously bringing in items that will have meaning to us (like the terrarium I made above).  Brandon leaves again this next week to work in Peru for a month and I plan on using that time to get a few home projects done (which includes lots of paint), setting up my studio and launching my new shop!

Thats life lately, hows yours?

neatly organized things

After reaching the one year mark of living here in Portland, I started getting the itch to get out of the house a little more than just adventures, shopping & coffee dates.  Although I do stay busy with my own projects (like this blog & launching my new shop) I thought finding a small side job would be great because I could meet people, do something I'm good at and make a little cash too (who doesn't like that?).  I came across an ad for a 3 day a week gig working for a super cute stationary shop in the pearl district and jumped all over it.  Thankfully the owner liked me enough to offer a position I actually just passed the one month mark!

I have been self-employed for so long that I actually haven't worked for someone else in almost 10yrs.  Having a boss is almost foreign to me and I never thought I would have a "day job" again, but the reasons are different and I was able to go about this on my own terms- so it works!  Since I had previously co-owned an online paper & pretty things boutique, I've been able to help out in some areas where the current owner just hadn't had time to focus on because besides running the shop, she is also very busy designing invitations for clients.  One of my favorite tasks is heading up the instagram account for Ecru.  I decided to go with a 'neatly organized things' theme over there and I love how its turning out.  Its a great way to show off the products we offer, connect with our vendors and get a little creative in inventory photography. Its a fun challenge to set up these little vignettes and the feedback we have received is great.  I'm glad I get to leave my house to do things like this! Hashtag do what you love.

If you are on instagram and you like organized things- follow along! @ecrumodernstationer

we kinda bought a house

We have been dreaming of owning a home for a while now, although there have been times when we went back and forth on our ideas and time frames, it was always still in our minds.  We were scared of it for so long though,- the money, waiting, searching and committing.  When we moved to Portland last winter we signed a one year lease and tried to set a goal that at the end of the lease we would have a little more clarity on what it was we wanted to do.  A little over half way through the lease we were already hating our place- it wasn't in our favorite area (more of a last resort type of place because we wanted to move here so badly), there definitely wasn't enough room for Arthur to play plus we added another pup to the mix in August and the condo wasn't ours nor did we ever want it to be.  We really started getting serious right before my 33rd birthday, which was 8 months into our lease and decided to meet with a Realtor.  He was great, he gave us a little more insight into the process so we knew what to expect and suggested we at least try to see what we qualified for before taking any more steps.

At first it was all so scary and new to us, but we decided to at least try to get pre-approved for a home loan and see where we stood.  We gathered all the info requested and sent it in only to realize what they could offer us wouldn't even get us a shack around these parts.  So we waited.  In the mean time I researched everything I could to get tips and tricks and be prepared, I asked friends who owned & tried to be as frugal as possible so our down payment wouldn't be an issue.  Although at the time it seemed like forever, its only been 4 months since we started this all and two weeks ago we were pre-approved for an amount we felt comfortable with.  Last Wednesday we put an offer in on a home we loved and on Friday morning the offer was accepted!  In case any of your are in the beginning stages of home buying or just thinking about it and wondering if you are ready I thought I'd share a few things we figured out along the way.  We knew what number we could be approved for if we upped the credit scores just a bit more and that helped us when looking for homes, but here are some other pointers that I hope help you too!

Budget
Moving from Southern Oregon to Portland made for a huge adjustment in our home owning dreams.  For our budget we could purchase a pretty large home and land in our old town, but up here good luck.  That was a hard pill to swallow at first, but we knew we couldn't go back to that area and had to re-adjust our expectations.  The first task in our budget plan was figuring out what we could afford, we knew we were fine paying what we currently were for rent so that price with a leeway of a few hundred dollars was ideal and comfortable (our payment is going to end up being less than our current rent, which is great!)  Our mortgage also includes insurance and property taxes, but we still wanted to have extra each month for home projects, decorating and our savings that would be a little lower with that down payment being taken out.  Our main goal was to not live beyond our means in order to be homeowners.

Neighborhoods
Since we had an estimated loan amount we were working towards before actually getting pre-approved, we were able to look for homes in that price range.  Although we obviously couldn't fall in love with anything or make offers, we decided to download redfin and zillow on our phones so whenever we had the chance to browse we could.  It helped to have the apps handy when we were out running errands or having a meal in certain areas around our city so we could see what the prices for homes were like if we really liked a neighborhood.  We also just drove around a lot to figure out what spots we totally dug and which ones to avoid.  There were a few things that were important to us- avoiding homes on main heavy traffic roads, finding a neighborhood with sidewalks or a mellow street for our walks with the pups (& eventually kids!), not sharing a driveway (private street was okay) with neighbors, having a yard, not being close to a railroad, a large garage or shop for Brandon to work on his projects in, a studio space for me, etc. I know these are small almost picky details, but they really mattered to us and we were able to narrow down our search to just a few areas we totally could see ourselves living.

Down Payment
Some couples have down payment help from family or receive monetary wedding gifts, however, we are doing this ourselves and didn't feel comfortable asking for any help since we have been married for 5yrs and are in our 30s and we have great careers and wanted the satisfaction of doing it ourselves. With that said, down payments can be insanely high depending on what type of loan you go for.  We actually opted for a non-traditional loan with a lower down payment and locked interest rate.  I know that the more you put down the better, so do what is comfortable for your lifestyle and your wallets.  I did mention earlier that I tried to be as frugal as possible, which when I think about helped in small ways.  I didn't go as far as to cut coupons or never open my wallet, but I did change my spending habits.  Not shopping for decor for this condo was an easy choice because I knew we wouldn't be here long.  Cutting out frivolous mall purchases, making coffee and meals at home more often and even switching my grocery store away from Whole Foods made a huge difference and was all worth it!  Spending less adds up and I'm so thankful that a down payment was never a deciding factor in this entire process.

Credit Score
To be eligible for some loan programs the minimum score is 580, but a preferred score is 640.  We wanted to be as close to 700+ as possible and with my husband having NO credit versus bad credit* it was just as tough to get that score to go up as it is for some people to pay things off.  Our lender was up front and honest about the ways credit affect things and we knew we had a few options, but that waiting for the points to rise would be the toughest part of the entire process and so we played the waiting game.  First up our lender advised us to actually build more relationships with creditors so my husband opened 2 new credit cards and chose secured ones so it was our own money we were borrowing against.  One of the cards was from our bank so it was easy to spend and transfer funds between the accounts.  Our lender also advised us to use these cards often, but a day or two before the last day of the month to pay the balance down to $10- that piece of advice was great and was a huge factor in a 70 pt score increase.  We wanted this part to go faster though so we traded in our car, put down a small amount of money and opted for the balance to be made into a loan.  Now I wouldn't advice everyone to do this if you can't afford a new bill (we had been car payment free for a while), but for us it worked.  We wanted a newer car, the payment was low enough and it looked great for the credit- which resulted in another 59 pt increase.  Within 4 months we raised the scores high enough and during that time saved even more for the down payment so it was a win-win!  Also you should know that creditors report to the credit bureaus usually from the 28th-10th.  So paying things down a few days before the end of the month (like credit card balances) or even making payments (like car loan) early can be a huge plus for you, if you can afford to do it!  We made sure to grab free credit reports and for the 4 months of waiting we used credit score monitors.  When the lender pulls your score they will take whatever one is in the middle and use that for your pre-approval.

*As a tip- if you do have debts you want to get rid of to up your score, pay off the newest one first.  If you touch the oldest that could possibly be off your report soon, you risk the chance of the account refreshing and reflecting a negative.  I know that sounds weird, because it makes sense to go after the smallest or largest first, but we heard this from so many people (including our lender) with knowledge in this area that it made sense.

I hope these few tips help you out if you are starting this journey, if you have any questions at all about things we did, or tips of your own- please chime in.  I will try to share more about things as we go through them and I can't wait to show you our new digs!

keeping with tradition

Lately I've been drawn to a more traditional approach to modern living, while incorporating a taste for a handed down style of skill that works with where I'm at in my life.  I briefly discussed it yesterday on an instagram post and thought I would talk about it a little bit more here.  I crave making things that last, surrounding myself with an intentional atmosphere and living an all around meaningful daily life.  I think I owe those small desires to the women in my family who made a home and passed down those memories and skills to me.

Not until I actually opened up a shop and started selling my own line of items did I scrutinize so much what I was doing.  I was influenced by what my customers wanted, what my peers were doing and who I thought I needed to be that I wasn't happy with what I was creating.  After some time to self-reflect, I've been able to find what I lost along the way. I took a year off to find what was missing (more on that later) and I found that I grew away from appreciating what I was so lucky to learn.  Handed down traditions and skills that make for a pretty damn good life, so I brought them back and I found me again.

For as long as I can remember our family had huge gardens, we preserved summers' haul to keep us through the winters and we gifted others with canned goods that we knew they would appreciate and share with their own families.  When it came to clothing, we thrifted, we had hand me downs and for special occasions we accompanied my grandmother to the fabric shop to pick out our very own patterns for what would be sewn into some unique duds.  Slippers and hats were crocheted with yarn, a large floor loom crafted so many blankets and rugs, even little dresses for our barbies were made with lace and pearls.  We weren't just making do with what we had- we were enjoying the process of making, spending time together, creating memories and living a simple life.  The things we did then, I'm doing now, minus the barbie dresses.

I've seen a surge in this style that has become a little trendy and that's okay because those of us that grew up on it just get to enjoy it again.  I want what I do to have meaning, to be respected and most of all be something I can pass down someday too.  I want to keep with tradition.

compensation in disappointment

In a month full of resolutions and new found motivation, I have found two contradicting feelings that I'm trying to work out.  Happiness & Failure.  Since my husband works out of the country for weeks at a time, I try to fill up that empty with mini-goals, projects, me-time and anything else that distracts the days of missing him.  This time around I knew he would be gone for a month and I really wanted to focus on my own health and weight, which is one of the main factors in my fertility issues.  Somehow all these days passed me by and instead of losing anything, I actually gained 5lbs and a lot more in other ways.

In the midst of this failure, I found small successes.

• I explored new-to-me places in my city
• Hosted my first event for West Elm
• Didn't flake out once on any plans with friends
• Met a few new friends too
• Built a table for my studio (I've been dreaming about it for 10 months)
• Started focusing on my new shop that I can't wait to open
• Read 2 books
• And tried a few new foods

These are all just a handful of things that stood out to me from this great month I had.  Even though I'm extremely disappointed that I slacked on something as little as working out a bit more or actually focusing on a healthy goal for myself, I made up for it in other ways.  Maybe those other things wouldn't have happened had I been busy counting calories and sweating it up in hot yoga.  The upside is that there is always next month and my 33 wishes can be worked on all year long!

33

As my birthday was approaching, I decided that I really wanted to make thirty-three wishes.  I figure each year we age we should earn an extra wish.  I'm not one to make resolutions during the new year, but I think that my wishes are sort of my own version of a year long resolution for myself.  As my next birthday rolls around I can see how much I accomplish and I will look forward to an extra wish when its time to turn 34!

01 // practice patience 

02 // always be kind

03 // try to be early to appointments

04 // no diets, just healthy changes <-- slowly implementing this plan!

05 // buy a house!

06 // adventure to a new place each month [jan feb mar apr may jun jul]

07 // grow my hair (this has been a wish every year!)

08 // stop being scared to make new friends 

09 // nourish the current friendships I have [this is always a work in progress & i'm proud of myself for it]

10 // compliment and appreciate my husband more  [this one has been fun to do *wink*]

11 // be fully present when with others [STOP.LOOKING.AT.MY.PHONE]

12 // stop caring about what strangers from the internet think

13 // read all the books 

14 // volunteer or donate more often

15 // make art for me, not for profit

16 // learn new hand crafting skills

17 // start a personal journal

18 // stop cursing at idiot drivers =)

19 // bake more

20 // send more letters in the mail

21 // say good bye to justlove.ly & hello to aspen summit 

22 // work up the courage to launch my new shop

24 // do more home projects 

23 // send surprises to loved ones more often

24 // take more baths [i'm not a bath person, wish me luck!]

25 // go on adventures for me, not just for blog content

26 // stay authentic through trends

27 // love my puppies and give them a happy little life

28 // never feel envious of strangers

29 // make this place true to me

30 // support more local small businesses

31 // beat temptation and make healthy choices in all aspects of my life

32 // figure out this infertility thing

33 // take care of me.

And those are my wishes.  To be a little more accountable I'd love to share a monthly check in on how they are going, if you have a birthday coming up and want to do something similar share a link of your post so I can cheer you on too! xo

tree farming

Its been pretty chilly over here so I'm not sure what I was thinking when I decided to go walk around a Christmas tree farm for fun. It was a pretty mellow day so I met up with my friend Andrea and her daughter, we grabbed a few warm drinks (which we forgot in the car) and headed out to Sauvie Island, our friend Cora met us out there too and we all froze our booties off together.  Its funny that I was shivering so hard I thought I would die and it was around 28 degrees that day, today as I type this its 19!

Neither of us ended up getting a tree, I'm actually waiting until Brandon is home so we can decorate together.  He left the Sunday before Thanksgiving and worked a longer shift in Peru so that he can have Christmas off, which also happens to be his birthday.  Lucky guy!

So as of right now I don't have a single decoration up.  I actually haven't done anything holiday related besides trying my hand at fudge, watching a few cheesy hallmark moves and going to the tree farm.  I might be a little behind, but I still love this time of year!  How about you, all decorated up?

every.single.day

I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose. -woody allen

Its Thanksgiving here in the states and it always serves as a reminder to be thankful everyday, not just one.

See you next week, xo.

courage to follow

I've touched on it a few times before, the name game.  What it means and how it relates to you, it can be tricky.  To be known as something rather than someone.  To be branded.  When I started my accessories company in 2010 I already had a blog url that was a test blog for my photography business, it was just where I popped in images and tweaked the code a little so it would format correctly on my very confusing layout I had with a different platform.  I figured I was making things and the name was cute, not much thought went into it and its been one of my biggest regrets.  I tried working with Just Lovely Things the best I could and even shortened it up and had a cute customized url when I rebranded to JustLove.ly.  Still, it never felt honest and it never felt like me.

This year has been nothing short of a learning experience and one aspect that keeps coming back to everything I do is asking myself how I can continue doing something, when it just doesn't jive.  Moving up here to Portland was a huge step in the direction I wanted my life to go.  Simplifying business interests by selling Love Club and closing Fawn & Flora was another and going a year without releasing any new collections for JustLove.ly was the break I needed to tell myself it was okay to step away from the business and remember who I was, what I loved and what I wanted to do for me.

Its okay to feel lost, tired (oh so tired), broken & bored and choosing to explore these feelings rather than sweeping them under the rug has been one of the best things I could do for myself and my livelihood.  Finding me was the next step.  Aspen Summit means so much more than I could explain that would make sense to anyone else, but it feels like everything I've ever needed to be able to move forward with the business side of myself and the personal side of my own passions.  I'm Heather- wife, daughter, sister, friend and Aspen Summit is everything else.

To share just a bit more so you aren't in the dark- the name is actually the street I live on, my first place in Portland. Aspen trees are native to the north and grow in colonies, they can survive fires and produce new growth. When they do die, their roots stay and can produce new trunks.  The word Summit means a point that is higher than all other surrounding points.

I like to think of the name as a journey.  A climb in which I leave my mark.

I hope you stick around for a few new changes, all good ones- I promise!  I'm slowly catching everything up to where my mind has been these last few months so it will take a bit to switch things out.  My new online market though, I'm taking my time with and will probably open it after enjoying the rest of this beautiful season and the holidays with my family.  Something as simple as taking time off like this is something I haven't done in years, its okay to say no even if its to yourself.  Thanks for listening. xo

something

Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you're there. It doesn't matter what you do, he said, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away. -Ray Bradbury

I read this today and immediately was drawn to how simple yet powerful & true it is.  Lately all I've been craving is to live a meaningful life and this came at a good time.  This year has been like nothing I can remember experiencing as far as personal change goes.  I'm surprised daily by the way my thoughts and intentions have been evolving and causing this new growth in my own foundation.  

I'm the kind of person that gets sick to my stomach when the subject of death comes up, but this change has me feeling a little more at ease when I think of it in a new way such as living a meaningful life rather than dwelling on an inevitable end.  The time we have here is so very very precious and I just want to make sure what I'm doing (although I know not life changing) is something I'm proud of.  Its so easy to get wrapped up in all the things that everyone else is doing and let my own day pass me by and who's to say there's anything wrong with that, but I know when its all said and done- living through someone elses life does nothing for me so this little mark I can make, I want to find it.

birthday adventures

Today is the start of my birthday week (i turn 33 on wednesday, yikes!) and we originally had plans to hit up Vegas because we had a free stay at a hotel, but decided we really just aren't Vegas people.  I mean the road trip part getting there would be fun, checking out the neon boneyard was on my list of things to do and we even thought of venturing 4hrs down to the Grand Canyon, but nothing else seemed that appealing to us. We are pnw people through and through- give us a good cup of coffee, a foggy morning, some plaid and maybe throw in a hike to call it a good time.

-snippets from my parents house this weekend-

We chose instead to do what we know and that's stay in the Pacific Northwest and just adventure with no set plans.  We have been all over our own state of Oregon, but haven't visited Washington much so we are making a week of it and hitting the road.  Our first stop was to head south to my parents house on Saturday to drop off the pups at their farm and visit with them for a couple of days before heading out.  Although I don't ever want to move back to Southern Oregon, I like visiting my family out away from everything.  We are going to hit the road today and have no plans of where to go or what to see.  I can't wait!

Follow along on instagram (@justlove_ly) to see our travels!

lately...

If you follow me on instagram (@justlove_ly) you know I've been completely emerged in fall up here in the Pacific Northwest.  The weather change brings cozy clothes, raining days and lots of yummy recipes to try- like this apple crumble I made last week! I try to enjoy this season as much as possible because it tends to go by so quickly.  I'm not ready for 2014 so everyday I try to hold on to the hours just a bit more and capture everything that makes my heart happy.

Brandon has been in Peru since late September and he gets to come home tomorrow for his 2 week work break.  We randomly found a farm for sale about an hour north of Portland that we are checking out this weekend. What...?! Sometimes the ideas we come up with are so crazy and far fetched, but its fun to dream.  Other than that its chill days and trying to stay warm.  xo

let us fall

I know so many people say that fall is their favorite season ::raises hand::, but truly why wouldn't it be?  I like the calm, the gray, the comfort of it all.  My birthday is in November, so from the get go I was destined to be an autumn baby.  Something about the season change always sparks some sort of change in my personal life as well.  Its the time when I'm most at peace with myself and creative when it comes to projects, home, business etc.

I told myself that as soon as autumn was upon us I needed to slow down and I did.  I've had so many things on my mind lately when it comes to my present, my future, dreams, goals.  Really what it is I'm doing and why I do it.  I truly believe in enjoying moments and not trying to make them, so in an effort to really practice what I preach I allowed myself a break from it all.  I didn't do things just to turn them into a blog post, I didn't go places just to share a photo on instagram- I lived them, enjoyed them and will privately remember them.  Don't get me wrong, I still have things to share (like the photos above), but with a little more clarity, selectiveness and a lot more intention.

Lately with the over satuation of shop after shop, blog after blog, conference after conference- you get the idea.  I have been asking myself- did we all want to grow up and 'be a blogger', be self employed, make handmade items.  Is it just the cool thing to do?  Is the obsession with the modern celebrity and the desire for fame and fortune- or even recognition, the new american dream?  I'm not sure where I fall into any of it, or why I'm even blabbering.  I guess I just want to always seek out authenticity while portraying the same.  I want to be keep shit real and enjoy whatever ride this new season brings.

Its always change and change is good.

I know its not Autumn everywhere (happy summer, southern hemisphere friends!), so in general- what are you looking forward to for this new season?

living with intention

I've always had things.  Not in a privileged sort of way, but in a work my ass that I like to see rewards kind of way.  I have never been a shopaholic (its not my therapy), I don't care about name brands or expensive foods- nothing wrong with that, just not my thing.  However, I like good deals, little trinkets, old stuff & trying new things and so that's what I tend to buy.  In an effort to always make every place we lived feel like a home even with things we've had since college, you can imagine I accumulated a lot.  Thats when the idea happened. One year ago we sold (practically) everything we owned and moved out to my parents farm to live in an airstream.

We kept 4 boxes of items, clothes we still liked, our tv & all of my studio (because I still needed to work!).  Everything else was carried away by friends and strangers at a yard sale we quickly put together.  I remember being nervous, but as things sold I wanted to gather more and get rid of it too.  Now when I think back, I can hardly remember the things we had.  Of course we have new things here, but our plan was simple-  Start new- save - pay off & move.  Which we did.  

Its been about six months since we moved up to Portland and although I already want to live closer in to the city and have a different house my attitude towards material items has changed.  Every purchase I make has a little more thought, I save as much as I can and even just started a new little budget last week that totally put me in check!  I still thrift and try to snag things that I know I will love and use with intention, especially if its unique and can stand the test of time.

One thing that was never touched when we did all this, was my work space.  Over the months every time I try to do anything in my office/studio/whatever you call it- I've felt anxiety over the amount of things I was holding on to.  I would try to unpack and come to stuff that I thought I would use someday- which really is like buying a pair of jeans you might fit in to.  Yep done that too.  It was all so overwhelming that I would pack up a little box and head downstairs to work in my living room.  So for 6 months I have used my work space maybe twice, but when we decided to close Fawn & Flora last month a huge part of that decision came from me not wanting so many things.things.things.  This weekend I had a huge instagram sale for the remaining inventory I had, the rest that I didn't list is all getting donated and I think I might go back through my "keep" pile just to really think about what I need my choices for.  I've done this in other areas of my life, I mean okay Pinterest is a little adjustment- but even that stressed me out. I want less clutter, I want more intent, I want less crap and more quality goods.  I want a clear life and mind and spirit and heart and I think I'm on my way there.

the newest

I'd like to introduce you to Eddie.  He is the newest addition to our family and although we are trying to keep up with all his energy and lots of potty breaks, its worth it.  He is a 12wk old Frenchie/Boston mix and his cuteness should be illegal.

If you follow me on instagram than you know that 3wks ago we tried to adopt a different pup and it didn't work out, if you dont I will catch you up with the short version.  Basically we got a pup through the humane society- unfortunately he was adopted out at the end of the night and a few things were overlooked including policies being broken or skipped over.  Less than 24 hours we were faced with a very sick puppy, a vet bill piling up and lots of confusion.  Within 48hrs he was already back at the shelter, all rights surrendered (per their rules for treating sick animals) and practically dying.  Another day passed and the shelter was issuing us a full refund not sure if he would make it, but would keep us updated.  Later that week with his treatment not even finished he was re-listed on their website and adopted back out without letting us know.

It was emotionally draining.  We wanted to give Arthur a companion and adopt-not-shop, we gave him a name, they got along and we introduced him as our own. But it just didn't work out and I told myself not to rush into anything, but to keep an eye out still.  BAM- enter this little guy! We found him through another rescue a week later and a week after that he was home with us.  The place we adopted from actually has a plan that includes health insurance so we snapped it right up to make sure we were covered in case any problems come up.  So far so good, but the safety we feel makes the experience so much better- not to mention him and Arthur are total buds already!

I know accidents happen and tons of people obviously adopt of shelters & the humane society everyday with no problems, but for us it just didn't work out and I'm glad they made it right.  I don't know what happened to Murphy except he did make it and he was re-adopted, I just hope that he went to an amazing home and is as happy of a little pup as Eddie. xo

b.r.e.a.k

I'm a firm believer in taking a break. Refreshing my thought process, finding balance and reigniting the love for things I can sometimes get burnt out on.  I'm taking the week to find more inspiration, add a new adventure to my career life & enjoy this weather- with no forced responsibility of coming up with content, falling along with others or really having any plans.  Summer breaks are meant to be fun- so this week I'm taking mine!  Be back just in time to share another set of weekend links xo

going after a little change

I'm a creature of change, its no big secret.  I love moving things around in my house, or moving houses! I change the color of my hair constantly, the music I'm diggin' for the week, what I'm reading, etc. One thing I felt I wasn't changing though was who I was representing online.

And that was me. Where was I, in my design?

I started reflecting upon the blogs I love so very much, the ones I visit daily, and while content was obvious- their design was what always stood out.  I couldn't put my finger on it, I even thought I was having a brand identity crisis, but it finally hit me: my design was based upon my business and not my own lifestyle.  Although that direction was great for a while and works incredible for others, my shop and my customers are not a direct reflection of me.  And I needed to change that.  I think as a business owner we get so wrapped up in what we present to our customers that it can seem like they are the only ones we make happy, when really they probably don't even notice!

Per my previous design I discovered: I am not gold or glitter, chalkboard menus, floral patterns or cute fonts.  I am not my shop, I am not my creations.  I have so many interests and one of them is the extreme passion I have to share independent and small business, handmade & local communities.  I also love to share what is going on in my life, new explorations from our big move and so much more...  I love good design and free of clutter layouts that can show off the content I so desire to share.  But I was scared of how to make this all work- especially since my designer would murder me.  Like as in we have never met in real life, but I firmly believe she would fly from Canada to Oregon and choke me out.

I found the design below by BlogMilk and instantly fell in love. It was pre-made, but I could customize it however needed.  I messaged Dana and told her my ideas and I was so sad, because for the first time in 2+yrs she wouldn't be designing my blog.  But change is good and although I'm not done with the design, I'm so happy how its looking so far.  Thankfully I have a rad boss with some computer skills that he puts to use at 2am his time upon request, otherwise this makeover could have been a disaster!

:: structure blog layout by blog milk ::

If something is bothering you, locate the source and make a change. Don't be afraid to be yourself, or even have a 'self' away from your business.  This community is (in my opinion) so over saturated with the same stuff that it can be overwhelming to find your own place, but there are no rules, there are no rights or wrongs.  And as little as a blog makeover may seem, to me it meant everything.  I think I'm finding me.

the things that made my week

If you follow me on instagram, then please forgive the re-post of these images.  I like to share them for some of my friends & family that don't have the good-ol-gram.  If you aren't following, my name there is @thingslovely come say hi! But for now these are some of the things that made my week!

spring planting & a dirty mani // decorating our very empty home

some new kicks // a smoothie fix- have any favorite recipes??

visiting a legit barbershop for the husband // uh- amazing lunch.... and yes i did pig out.

a ryan gosling coloring book, because obviously // and a girls night out

And in between these fun photos I had days of laying in my pjs, zit cream on my face, a messy house and dog walks where I forgot to take a baggie for Arthurs accomplishments on the community lawn (yeah i'm that person occasionally i guess?).  It was normal week and I like those.

currently

watching// the following & carrie diaries.  something serious (and so so very crazy!) & something fun, its a good balance.  have you watched the following and want to talk about the level of nuts this show is?

reading// weekly i've been reading gathered on my ipad, in print I just finished up mindy kalings book and need to find something light hearted like that again. any suggestions?

browsing// anything and everything that betty means business posts, plus enjoying all the art that the beautiful kelli murray creates, i can't even decide which one to purchase- help!

visiting// everywhere! having only moved here last month means i keep myself very busy finding my way around the new city I get to call home. also the adventures my gps takes me on are pretty surprising!

enjoying// being able to start calling our house a home.  as we settle (or try to) each day it starts to feel more like ours and where we are supposed to be.

dreaming// about the adventures we want to take this summer- visiting new to us neighborhoods and shops, local eateries, going on hikes and even road trips.  since brandon is only home 2wks each month its a lot of fun jammed into 14days!

and because life can't always be (& isn't) perfect...
hating// my lack of discipline when it comes to living a healthier lifestyle and feeling good about how I look- as i've struggled with infertility for 7yrs, its becoming very clear to me that i am my own worse enemy, especially when it comes to losing weight for fertility treatments.

What are you up to lately?  If you post something similar make sure to share it in the comments so I can come catch up. xo