Zena Holloway

I randomly came across this underwater photographer's work one day and knew that I had to share it. These images are so beautiful and telling and kind of haunting. Enjoy!




Beautiful and creepy. This last picture is awesome but it also kinda freaks me out due to my fear of fish. Not that the Mermaid is scary....more like the water surrounding her is so dark you can't see whats in it. Maybe my imagination is too active.......I just can't look at it for too long!

To see more of this artist's work, visit their website here.

I especially recommend the series done for a children's book which can be found under the "archive" section and then "books".

Stairway to Heaven

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.


I would always fall down the big main staircase in our house. My favorite thing in the world was to pretend to be horribly killed at the top of it, and to fall dramatically down to the bottom of it.
-David Hyde Pierce


My soul can find no staircase to Heaven unless it be through Earth's loveliness.
-Michelangelo


If there is a such thing as a staircase to heaven, one of these might be it!




This next one is an idea Brian and I have for the staircase to our basement. Since the stairs overlap each other its space saving. Currently where our stairs end, there is only about 26" of space until there's an 8" thick solid concrete wall. Since the wall is not going anywhere, shortening the length of the staircase is our only other option. Since we have a large dorothy door leading into the backyard, we wouldn't have to worry about moving furniture or large items down these. What do you think?

(I wonder how Alfie would do on these........)



And the most heavenly of them all.....

BHLDN

Pronounced "Beholden"


When I first heard that Anthropologie was starting their own wedding line, I was more than just a little excited. I signed up for their emails right away, checked their website daily....just in case (even though I knew what the official launch date was), and was probably one of the first people to visit the site at midnight Eastern time on 2/14/2011. Well, I wasn't disappointed! Their things are absolutely amazingly fantastically beautiful. I'll have one of each, please.

The gown above is my favorite and I wish dearly that I was wearing it on the big day but at $3600 its a little out of reach. Yes, even I have my limits. Plus, the gown I ordered is fantastic and was handmade by a relatively new designer so I'm happy to help further her career :)

(and yes, I'm also trying to make myself feel better about NOT having the dress above)

These things are also some of my favs:


I'm also pretty excited that they started a decorating section awhile back.


While I didn't get the gorgeous architectural gown above, I DID however order my shoes and headpiece from here. I did not include their photos in this blog because I want it to remain a surprise until the big day. So in the meantime, happy guessing!

www.bhldn.com

Bathroom Update....Finally Making Progress!

This past week my bathroom has really come together. There is still a lot of work to be done but I was at least able to make it semi-presentable in time for the bridal shower (with lots of help from my dad of course!) Here are some pictures of the work that has been done since last time.


The mirror and rug are my attempts to make it look somewhat more welcoming for the bridal shower guests. Once work resumes, they will be removed again - and don't worry, the mirror will not be going back in. I realize its about 4 sizes too small!

All of the drywall/plaster work is finished and all surfaces have been painted. Some of the crown molding still needs to go up but it is also painted and ready to go.


I love the new light fixture! It gives a really pleasant glow to the bathroom unlike the previous fixture with all the exposed fluorescent bulbs.....hideous.

The tile detailing around the window is also complete. Still waiting for the rest of the tile to go up. I can't wait until its finished!



So the major things we have to work on next:
-removal of vanity and install floating countertop, new sink and faucet
-hang new mirror (which is going to look great in there - its huge!!)
-finish up the tiling
-flooring. Haven't attempted to tear up more of the vinyl flooring yet because I wanted the floor intact for the party. I may work on it this weekend to see whether or not the original tile floors underneath will stay.
-odds and ends of stuff - crown molding, new towel bars, tp holder, decorative items

Hopefully the next time I post something on my bathroom, it will be finished!!

50's Housewife Themed Bridal Shower

Over the weekend I hosted a Bridal Shower for my little sis who's getting married August 6th. Yep, that's less than a month before my own wedding! For her shower I wanted to do a fun theme so I settled on a 50's housewife theme. I carried the theme throughout everything; the invitations, decorations, food, favors, games, and even my clothing. Here's some highlights from the party. Lets start with the invitations:


For the party favors I bought old fashioned glass coke glasses......




And I stuffed then with striped straws and old fashioned candies like this:


We had several beautiful bouquets of flowers throughout the dining room, all of which were from my parent's garden.
As prizes I had a cake platter, baking dish, ice cream dish stuffed with sprinkles and a spoon, and more coke glasses only these were shaped like coke cans:


And finally, here's a view of the entire dining room. I'm on the left with Alfie, then Bethany, and my mom, Donna.
We decorated with my mom's apron collection hanging them by clothespins, of course :)


And look how cute these cupcakes are! I'm proud to say I made these myself :) My mom was in charge of the rest of the food.


Here are some of the ladies:



And the bride-to-be :)
I think everyone had a good time and it was fun doing something like this for my sister. Anytime I get to decorate the house and/or get dressed up myself, I'm a happy camper. We also had fun playing a game I made up called "name that housewife" where I had pictures of housewives from various tv shows over the years. Teams earned points for naming the characters first name, last name, and the name of the tv show. Try these out!