Call for Guest Bloggers!

Hey world! Guess what? I like hearing from you! Comments, likes, shares, they're all great. But they just can't compare with guest blogging. Holy moly do I love guest bloggers! Seriously some of my most popular posts are written by peeps like YOU, which either means that I'm not that great of a blogger OR that people really like to hear from lots of different people! *Crosses fingers and hopes for option #2*

So, I'm asking you to consider sharing with the great big world what makes you tick. Is it kids? Fashion? Cooking? Power tools? Good books? Exercise? Your job? Great! I want to hear about it!

Lots of things make me tick—good design, truth, a deep conversation over coffee, blogging—and hearing what you are passionate about. I love it when people get excited about the things that they love and I love it even more when they share that with others! Passion is contagious, so why not share it here? All you have to do is go to the Facebook page and message me your idea to get the ball rolling!

I'm excited to work with you and feature your lovely passions on the blog... and I'm sure everyone else is excited to hear from you as well. So head on over to Facebook and message me already! :)

Weekend Wrap-Up: Sheep and Cowboys

Found this little treasure on a walk around my [soon-to-be] new neighborhood with a friend last night. We weren't exactly sure what was going on in the painting... a giant sheep being wrangled by cowboys?? Regardless, the colors were just too fun and inviting to not have a spontaneous mini photoshoot!

Loverboy and I are planning on having a relaxing evening-in after all the craziness of the last few days of him moving and me obviously having my hands all over the place. We are going to make this delicious sounding Shrimp & Avocado Pasta simply because an avocado got dropped during move-in and needs to be eaten... sounds like a good excuse to try out a new recipe to me! 

//via

And lastly I'm going to leave you with this tasty little gem. Yummm. I am definitely into the whole toast/open-faced sandwhich idea. The mango, lime, & fresh moz sounds intriguing, as well as the berries, basil, & cream cheese. I'm finding that as I rise earlier to go to work that eating filling and energy-filled breakfasts is really important. Otherwise I'm tempted to eat my lunch at 10:30 or 11 and that just throws my whole day off. Lately my breakfast of choice has been oatmeal since it's cheap and quick but I'm hoping to get into a better morning rhythm once I'm hitched and in my own place. And then I will definitely be coming back to this link and checking out what fun breakfasts are in store!

//via

Have a happy weekend everyone! Perform a random act of kindness, spend time with someone you love, or check something off that never-ending to-do list... but whatever you do, make this weekend count!

Working Woman

Since I haven't quite had the time to document the new place yet, today I'm giving you a little sneak-peak into my office. In case you're unaware, this summer I transitioned from a very non-traditional, make-your-own-hours, work=coffee dates kinda job with college students to a 9-5 office job as a graphic designer for a church in Minneapolis. It's definitely been a change, but one that I've loved. Although it was nice to be able to more or less decided my schedule for the last two years, something is nice about the predictability of office hours.

I've been slowly adding bits and pieces of "home" to my little corner. I started with the beautifully designed "Kona" and "Zambia" cards that I picked up at a Starbucks a couple months ago. Bri asked "why?" and I said "because they're pretty!" Better get used to that, bud. The adorable chameleon tape dispenser was part of my fun one-year surprise, along with the cactus in the background that has made an appearance on the blog once before.

I got the bag at Target, after a long search for the perfect big-girl work bag. The two musts were that it would easily fit my mac and that it had a cross-body strap. Bonuses were the color, "leather" material, snap closure with interior zippered pouches, and short handles to boot. My lunch box, wallet, and charger also fit inside so it's been the perfect bag! And I got it on a BOGO sale. Yesss.

My little corner of the working world really is beginning to feel homey... hope you've enjoyed the tour!

Interior Inspiration: Basket Frenzy

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I've really been diggin' baskets lately. There's just something about the textures that they bring into a room that I love. Whether they be wire or woven, big or small, rectangular or circular, I'm drawn to them all. [I could write a Dr. Seuss book about baskets!]

Plus, I really enjoy the versatility and utilitarian nature of baskets. From baking supplies to magazines, blankets to toilet paper, these babies will do just about anything for ya! I scored some sweet finds at Goodwill in Milwaukee last weekend that I'm pretty excited about. Best part? They were all new with original tags! I'm especially excited about the light tan one that was $1.99 originally made in the Philippines. Score!

And NEWS FLASH! We moved all our furniture and all of Loverboy's belongings into the apartment! I am jealous that he gets to enjoy the place for the next month and a half (44 days til wedding bells, guys!) but if the last couple days have been the judge of anything, I'll probably be over there a lot anyway. :) I'll be posting soon about the new place... I have some sweet $10 photo projects for ya, as well as some furniture revamps and thrift store finds!

Make Them Feel

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. 
// Maya Angelou

Let's stop focusing so much on what we are saying and doing and start focusing more on how we are making others feel. I find it doesn't matter if I'm eloquent or extravagant—more often than not it's in the small, simple things that connections are made and feelings are created.

//via pinterest

Stylin'

Happy Thursday! I'm headed to Wisconsin tomorrow for the weekend for a friend's bachelorette party and wedding... so much excitement! And if everything goes as planned Loverboy will be moving into the apartment on Sunday and I'll be back Monday with a van-full of my stuff from EC.

So needless to say it's feeling pretty weekend-y around here, which I thought called for a little bit of fun- if someone handed me a couple of Benjamin Franklins and said I had to spend it on clothes and accessories, here are a few of the things I'd pick up (a girl can dream, can't she??).

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I know that's it's the middle of summer so the socks and scarf don't really make a whole lot of sense, but we live in Minnesota, so you never know! Gotta keep those winter clothes handy! Plus, who can resist that much lovely pattern and texture? 

I'm especially diggin' the bracelets [// 3] that are from The Shine Project, a blog I've been enjoying lately. Purchases of their jewelry and apparel employ first generation college students, which I think is pretty neat. 

So what about you? If you were unexpectedly gifted with some cold hard cash that had to be spent on pretty things, what would you choose?

Springs of Life

I want springs, rivers, oceans of life to flow from my heart. But to be honest, I haven't been real vigilant with my heart lately. I haven't been filling it with what it needs for life to be flowing out of it. I haven't been guarding it against apathy, busyness, and distractions. 

Jesus is life. Spending intimate time with Him and in His Word is what will cause these springs, rivers, and oceans to flow. It's what will make me a loving friend, roommate, co-worker, fiance, and child of God. It's what will grow in me peace and patience and self-control. It's what will create in me a deeper thirst for more of Him.

It just isn't cutting it to get convicted by a sermon I hear on a Sunday or a cutesy Bible verse I see on Pinterest. I need to have a vital, continuous love relationship with Jesus. I need to be VIGILANT to keep my heart. To guard my heart. The NIV states it this way—

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."

Everything I do flows from the state of my heart. So if I'm not filling my heart with beautiful Truth, then what's going to flow out? I don't want to stick around in this non-vigilance to find out, because one thing I know, is that without Jesus, things get down-right ugly. Can I get an 'amen?'

//image via etsy