Lilac Saloon

Quiet Thanksgiving

This year we had a very quiet Thanksgiving. Evan and I spent it together - just the two of us - and it was really nice! We relaxed all day, I went for a walk around town because it was so nice outside, and we had a nice candle-lit dinner. I didn't take any pictures of our meal (it wasn't an epic feast - just chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans!) but I took my camera on my walk around Titonka. I have a feeling it's the last we're going to see of these warm golden colors. It's going to get COLD soon!!

JewelMint: Two for One

I've recently fallen in love with JewelMint - have you guys heard of it yet? It's the new affordable luxury jewelry line by Kate Bosworth and stylist Cher Coulter. It's actually super fun to sign up for the website because you take a quick visual quiz to determine your taste and style which helps them show you jewelry best suited for you! Beyond that, each piece is gorgeous (and I'm picky about jewelry!). I also love the fact that all the pieces are the same price so you never have that moment where you fall in love with a piece and then realize it is way too much - everything is $29.99 each.

In honor of this Thanksgiving Holiday and the season of shopping, I have a really cool special discount to share! JewelMint has offered Lilac Saloon readers a discount valid today through Cyber Monday! Using the discount code "SALOON", you get two pieces of jewelry for the price of one! 

Let me show you some of my favorites on the site right now:

Cuuuute. Right? I love their use of metals with softer elements like rope or thread or textiles. Just my style! It's really fun to take the quiz and see which of their pieces fit you best! I felt it was pretty spot-on for me. Even if it isn't, you can still browse other pieces and add them to your favorites as well.

This discount is so perfect for shopping for your friends, sisters, mother and even for yourself! Those tassel necklaces are on their way to me as I type. Yay!

Discount Details:

Use code SALOON to get 2 pieces for the price of 1, for new members only, valid 11/25 - 11/28. 
To take advantage of the offer, head over to JewelMint, sign up and pick your favorite pieces! Share this blog post with your friends, too, so they can get in on the deals. Be sure to read how this membership based site works so you understand the terms for future purchases!

Baby: Week 14

So I'm now officially into the 2nd Trimester...which I've heard is "the best one". I can already tell I'm getting my energy back and am pretty happy about that. In a little over a month we'll be able to find out the gender! I can't wait! It will feel even more real then. I've been listing to lots of pregnancy podcasts while I work and am absorbing all sorts of information. I have figured out that I am basically treating pregnancy like I treated big exams for school. Except I have nine months to prepare, and for once I am not procrastinating. I'm slowly gathering information and thinking about the choices that we will be making, and deciding what is best for us. It's actually fun and I'm enjoying it way more than I ever thought I would! 

Julie & Bryer

At the end of January this year, I shared a photoshoot that I had done with our friends Julie & Cj as they were about to welcome their daughter Bryer into the world. (As it so happens, those photos were taken only 7 days before Bryer was born! Good timing.) It's fun to have photographers for friends because they're always down for a photoshoot! We haven't done one with Bryer in a while so I was hoping we'd be able to do a shoot once Fall arrived.

I was sad to move from Estherville to Titonka because I knew I would see less of my dear friends. We're only an hour away but it still makes it harder to plan visits! They came to visit us in October and the weather was so gorgeous that we just had to do a little photoshoot while we were together! I love photographing Julie - she is always so relaxed and natural. Plus, now we have a mini version of Julie too! Although...Bryer does not quite sit as still as Julie does. She kept trying to pluck the grass and eat the rocks. She'll get the hang of it, I'm sure.

Facelift!

Taa-daa! The blog has had a little bit of a facelift! It isn't a complete redesign, but a definite refresher. I also had my darling and talented Graphic Designer cousin Natalie create a new logo for me! I'm so excited for my new business cards to come in the mail. I only have three left of my old ones - yikes - that was close! In case you're reading from an RSS reader and aren't on my actual blog, here's a screengrab of the new look:

11 Wishes on 11.11.11

Do you ever make a wish when the clock strikes 11:11? I used to do that all the time when I was younger! I thought today would be so fitting to send some wishes out into the world. These are 11 wishes for my lifetime. Things that I hope to experience, to achieve and to become. When you have to dig really deep to think about what you truly want - it puts everything into perspective. Make a wish today...it's the perfect day to do so!

 

I wish...

...for my baby to grow up to become someone that I admire.

...for an evening of slow-dancing in the living room with my husband when we are 85 years old.

...to learn to meditate - to fully focus, fully relax, fully let go.

...for a trip to Iceland to soak in the hot Blue Lagoon.

...to be known as loving, selfless, grateful and wise.

...to cultivate a beautiful garden full of produce to feed my family and the families of others.

...to make it a habit to take things in stride, pick my battles, conquer fear and have faith in goodness.

...to have a picnic overlooking the Fjords of Norway.

...to create a home environment that is open, warm, welcoming and happy. May the space be clean and minimal and the people be loving and laughing.

...to learn to remove cynicism from my thoughts and bring back the hope and whimsy of childhood. Embody a young-at-heart attitude.

...to show someone that they are loved, every day. Even if I already showed them yesterday.

 

Five {Awesome} Faves No.2

 

I've got some awesomes to share with you! Some of this you may have already seen - but I want to share what has stood out to me as the most awesome lately. Something fun, something inspiring, something yummy, something useful and something creative that I've got to try.

 

How fun is it to doll up some plain looking shoes? Normally it reminds me of Junior High and Keds and Sharpies...but Honestly WTF takes it to a whole new level of serious awesome. I love the blinged-out toes and would seriously consider trying this on the right pair of heels. This is a fun project and I'd love to try it with my little sister!

 

Princess Lasertron's "Make It Pretty" mantra is seriously my version of "what would Jesus do". I donno what Jesus would do but I DO know what Princess Lasertron would do. She'd Make It Pretty. I love her explanation of how it's about more than just aesthetics for aesthetics sake - it's a whole way of living. You've got to read her post on her Make It Pretty mantra and think about how you can incorporate it into your own life. Making it pretty goes hand in hand with living in the moment and appreciating what is right in front of you...and I love that.

 

I am a huge fan of soft pretzels but I've never thought to make my own! I always just thought that was one of those things I could not make in my own kitchen. Like bagels or macaroons or petit fours. I was so excited to see Emma + Elsie on A Beautiful Mess share this yummy looking recipe for home made soft pretzels. I must try!!

 

 Although I'm not too deep into "nursery decor" yet (and haven't bought even ONE thing for The Baby) I do love these handmade storage solutions by Sew 4 Home. Fabric and cardboard is all you need! And a sewing machine of course. I can find uses for these in my closet, bathroom, workspace, on bookshelves, in the kitchen...shall I go on!? If I do attempt making these...I'll definitely let you know if they actually turn out! I've got cardboard galore. My sewing machine is gonna hate me for this. :)

 

Gasp! This is a project on my immediate to-do list! I love the look and feel of worn-away time-loved photos and this "transfer to wood" technique gives the photo such a special quality. Caiti of Life is a Canvas shared her process and tips for transferring a photo onto wood and she also posted a link to a great video tutorial. It makes it look so easy once you have the right tools. I actually already ordered the gel medium and the Mod Podge so I could try this! Excitedddd. Thanks so much, Caiti, for the inspiration!

Baby: Bump Update!

I'm 12 weeks along in my pregnancy this week and I think I'm starting to really see it. Before, my tummy was sticking out just enough that it still felt normal, like on Thanksgiving when you are really full and have to let your belly just stick out proudly. Ha. Today, though, it has gone beyond Thanksgiving belly. I don't think I "look pregnant" to other people yet, but to me I do!

I'm feeling good, hungry and maybe a bit more sensitive than my normal self. I don't think I'm the overly hormonal crying pregnant woman though. So, that's good! It has just been A LOT harder to focus on things that need to get done, especially for my business. That has been the hardest part for me. There is a lot of guilt there. I have been struggling to force myself to do things that I can barely wrap my head around. I don't know if this is a normal "side effect" of pregnancy or not but it's definitey my least fave so far. Hopefully it fades off soon and I get my spunk back - I need it back!