"STD", or "Save The Date"

Here's the front...and I just realized I don't have a photo of the back of the postcard on this computer. oops. I promise I'll show you later.
SO, I am seriously considering getting into wedding and event planning as a side job. It is something I have really enjoyed doing, and I think I could do a great job on any budget. Also, I think having an interior design background really helps. Are YOU getting married? Do you know someone who is? Do they need help putting everything together? I would really love to help...

there's no place like home

I am finally back from Atlanta. I had only been there since Monday, but it seemed like forever. Trips aren't fun if you have to work the whole time...

Since nothing new has happened as far as weddings or home improvements go, I have a fun post that I think all of you should take part in. Turn on your iPod, MP3 player, iTunes, whatever, and put it on shuffle songs. Whatever songs come up are the answers to your questions...

1. What would describe your personality? : Umbrella (Marie Digby)
2. What do you like in a guy/girl? : Death of an Interior Decorator (Death Cab for Cutie) oh i hope justin doesn't want this!
3. How do you feel, today?: White Christmas (Lena Horne)
4. What’s your life’s purpose?: I Want You (Elvis Costello)
5. What is your motto? : Hallelujah (Imogen Heap)
6. What do your friends think of you?: Once in a Lifetime (Talking Heads) what a fun song!
7. What do you think of your parents?: 15 Step (Radiohead)
8. What do you think about very often?: Bigger Than My Body (John Mayer)
9. What do you think of your best friend? :Let Go (Frou Frou)
10. What do you think of the person you like?: Enchantment (Corinne Bailey Rae)
11. What is your life story?: Chop Me Up (Justin Timberlake)
12. What do you want to be when you grow up?: Knock 'Em Out (Lily Allen)
13. What do you think when you see the person you like?: Vogue (Madonna)
14. What do your parents think of you? : What A Wonderful World (Stacy Kent)
15. What will be played at your funeral? :Let It Be (Carol Woods)
16.What is your hobby/interest?: Most People Are DJs (The Hold Steady)
17. What is your biggest secret? : Save the Last Dance for Me (Harry Connick Jr)
18. What do you think of your friends?: Mercy (Duffy)
19. What should you post this as? :The Prayer (Bloc Party)

hmm, not many of these make sense... oh well :)
I promise a better post tomorrow. AND, for all you Greensboro-ans... Old Time Pottery is on S. Holden Rd by Emerald Pointe (where I-85 and Holden meet) it's the best!

131 days

We are so close to being in double digits for the wedding countdown! How fun is that?
On Sunday, my mom, Justin, and I went to Old Time Pottery. Now, I had never ventured into this Garden Ridge-like store before, but since my experience yesterday, I might be a little obsessed. This place is BIGGER than Garden Ridge, but has smaller prices. Can wedding planning get any better? I submit that it cannot. Here's the deal - we are inviting OVER 300 people to this wedding, and we are hoping that 300 or less actually come. With such a large wedding, it seems that EVERYTHING is more expensive... favors, food, etc. Being a designer, I can't help but care about every little detail of the wedding. Fonts must match or coordinate, the ribbons must match exactly, I want the atmosphere to be perfect (warm... cozy... romantic...) I know that no one but me will notice any of these details, BUT I also know that when details work together in just the right way, an atmosphere will be created that no one will forget! So, how do you make this work without spending $325,412,987,123.52? OLD TIME POTTERY, PEOPLE! I bought all of my wedding favors there - way less than $1 each, which was the cheapest price I could find online. And ya' know what's even better? The ones we bought are way bigger and better than the ones online!! I would tell you what they are, but that would ruin the surprise :)
Also, we are doing 3 different types of centerpieces on the reception tables. The tallest ones require really really really big vases. Cheapest place I could find them? IKEA.... UNTIL YESTERDAY. OTP = 30" tall vases for oh... $11 each. unbelievable. Not getting married? It doesn't matter. OTP has anything you could ever want. They have all the same plates, etc that we are registered for at Crate and Barrel for $1 each. I can't get enough of this place. Somebody stop me!!!

I'D OFFICIALLY LIKE TO THANK...

Jennifer P. for this award...

Let me tell you, this is an honor! She is too nice to me, always leavin' comments and stuff :) And, she likes SYTYCD, which all of you who know me know that it is close to my heart. Maybe I'll blog about my dance studio someday!
So I guess I am supposed to leave this to other bloggers? I choose Adventures of Mommyhood, Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, and Wilson Ramblings! I think you are supposed to just click on the award, or right click or something... (obviously I've never gotten one of these before!)

So, today is the "watering can list". Whitney at Adventures of Mommyhood did this on her blog. I love that she changed the name from "bucket list" because we probably aren't kicking the bucket soon, and even if we do, that's ok. We ain't skeered. So here's mine in no particular order - this may be edited throughout the day....
1) Travel the world - I've never left the country!
2) Adopt a little girl from China
3) Become a professional wedding/event planner
4) Have a few kids :)
5) Invest in a good camera and suddenly gain photography skills
6) Learn to play piano
7) Learn how to cook well, and ENJOY cooking (My First Kitchen is going to help me)
8) Dye my hair a completely different color
9) Live in NYC
10) Finish the last Harry Potter book (it's a long story - don't ask)

So, I'm tagging all of you!! What's on YOUR watering can list? I can't wait to hear all of your answers!

And for kicks and giggles... this is who I spent time with last night -

Dash is my godson, Noah, and Batman is his friend, Bryson. And the thing on the floor behind them is a creepy mouse that lights up sitting in a flower pot.

i almost forgot...

I promised yesterday that I'd show you our deck....

This is what it looked like the day we bought our house (2 months ago). We love the deck but we haven't used it yet because all we could do on the deck was stand around. Now, we can eat, lounge, and maybe even have small group outside....

...if you ever come sit on the deck, beware of the orange chairs. They are way cheap, and if you move around too much, the fabric has been known to "release itself" from the wood, meaning your bum ends up on the floor. Someday we'll get something different to go out here, but for now - it's perfect!

Tomorrow, I will introduce you all to my watering can list...

"Good Will Hunting" or "Most of Our Furniture Was Free"

This past weekend, thanks to inspiration from Jenn and Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, I visited the newly remodeled Goodwill with my trusty sidekick, Justin. I spent $40. I got 3 tall glass hurricanes... ... 1 short glass hurricane...

...2 Flower Pots...(we had to use one on Sunday morning for Awaken brunch..)

...and 2 white cordless Roman Shades to be used in our master bedroom, which I won't have photos of until we have put them up. After Good Will Hunting, we went to my aunt's house to pick up dining room furniture that she needed to get rid of...

we have to keep a table cloth on the table because it belonged to my uncle's grandmother. I am really worried about ruining the finish on the table top. Normally, these candles are not all over the table, but on Sunday, this was the food table, and we needed some quick decor. The chairs.... POTTERY BARN!And while I'm on the topic of free furniture, remember how I left you wanting more yesterday? Here are the cute end tables we got from Katie and Chad...

....see that adorable leather MITCHELL GOLD ottoman? Freebie from my friend, Kate. And along with the ottoman they gave us this Pottern Barn Kids bookshelf...

all of these books are alphabetized by title - my fiance's request. Tomorrow I'll show you our back deck and the new furniture there :) Of course, there was a bargain there, too!
We have really enjoyed making our new old house our home, and we look forward to all the updates we'll get to do in the near and far away future. Thanks to all our friends and family that have been so generous to offer us these treasures.
Any ideas as to what to put on the HUGE empty walls in my dining room, and above the blue sofa in the living room? Leave me your ideas! Tell your friends to leave me THEIR ideas! I am desperate!

Promised Posts: Part II

Once upon a time, I blogged about painting our entry hallway. Well, I am almost finished doing it. Everything is done, except going around the trim at the top. Honestly, I forget that I haven't finished yet. Here's what it looked like before...and another before (from a different angle)...

Really bad quality photos, I know, but I never thought I'd be doing before-and-afters of the entry hall. Here's what it looks like today...

Can you tell that I haven't finished painting around the ceiling? Also, want to guess what color the walls are? I know Nester will have the right answer...... she would also say that it is ok that I am not completely done painting, because IDHTBPTBB. We will eventually hang things on the wall, but I am not going to do that until the painting is complete. Isn't that a cute little table in the hallway?
It comes to the Almost-Stagner household courtesy of The Wilsons. We bought 2 end tables from them because they were moving, and we needed end tables, and they gave us 2 more! FOR FREE! They are wonderful, generous people, and we are really hoping to get to know this family better. In addition to being really nice, they have a beautiful baby that also happens to be the tannest white baby on Earth. (doesn't that make you want to read their blog?) I would show you what the end tables look like in our living room, but I have to leave you all wanting more. SO, come back tomorrow for before-and-almost-finished-afters of our living room and dining room, AND all the sweet stuff we scored this weekend...

Promised Posts: Part I

Ok - I've been making alot of promises, and not holding up my end of the bargain. So here is my first promise kept....

Photos of the famous OLLIE! Ollie Hannam is the son of two of our dear friends from Awaken. We got to babysit him last week and we had a blast playing hide and seek and teaching him to say "google". He is so sweet....

Here are Justin and Ollie...

And here is a random photo of Phoebe (for good measure...) She always knows when I'm going out of town, and will pack herself in my luggage!
Ain't she cute?

Sisters at Starbucks II

If you live in Greensboro, I know exactly what you should be doing tonight around 8pm. You should be rushing your fanny over to the new Starbucks on Battleground (at the Battleground/Old Battleground/Horse Pen Creek Rd intersection). Why? Because the hottest musical sensation of 2008 will be performing for FREE! Can you guess who it is? It's not Boyce Avenue... not the Jonas brothers... but another set of siblings that, honestly, I like alot better. Duh y'all... its SISTERS AT STARBUCKS II!

There they are! Aren't they cute? (K and H - I hope you don't mind that I put this photo on here - I couldn't resist. Photo courtesy of Lucy Clement Photography in Greensboro, NC) Kendra, from My First Kitchen, and Hannah, from Disorganized College Student, are sisters and they are both extremely talented at musical things. They are performing tonight at Starbucks, and I think every person in Greensboro should come. Seriously, they are really good - otherwise I would not have picked them to do the music for my wedding.

I am not sure I'll blog over the weekend because of my redonkulous schedule:

Friday - haircut; dinner with friends; SISTERS AT STARBUCKS II

Saturday - shop for wedding shower decor, gifts, and food; yardwork; clean my house

Sunday - church at our house in the morning (Hug It Out -----, '08) then giving a "honey-do" shower for a friend for the afternoon and evening.

So i'll catch you on the flip side, unless of course, I see you tonight at 8:00 :)

It's a small bloggy world

Wowee, y'all! Just when I thought that this blogging thing was kind of a waste of time, Jennifer decided to write another great post that encouraged me to actually COMMENT on the blogs that I read everyday. Usually I comment on my real-life friends' blogs, but not on the blogs of "famous" people. So yesterday I went on a comment spree... The Nester, Jennifer, Mabel's House... and then, the unthinkable happened! I was babysitting Ollie (officially one of the cutest kids on the planet, i'll post a pic of him later...), and after he went to sleep, I checked my email. Right there before my very eyes... COMMENTS ON MY BLOG. WOOT WOOT! Sweet Jennifer just commented until her little comment heart was content. And then, another comment from another Jennifer... we actually know each other in real life, but not in the bloggy world. How did she find my blog? Oh, just by me commenting on the Nester's blog. I am hoping that this will all take flight. Until December, this will be more or less my journal for "engaged" life, and after December, who knows! Maybe it will be my journal for married life, maybe my platform for design philosophy and inspiration, maybe just photos. Whatever this is or will be, I am really excited about it! Maybe I need to get a custom blog layout, then I'll be a real blogstress.

And just because every blog post is better with a photo... here's one of me and my honey :)

Taken by Marie Cox, over at Phreckles Photography. Hands down my favorite photographer of babies, children, families, engaged couples and weddings. Check her out and fall in love for yourself. :)

the weekend.

this weekend definitely contained every possible emotion at one point or another...
Saturday was an uber-productive day! We were finally able to focus completely on wedding plans for the whole day. We met with the florist and toured the church and reception site. We were pleasantly surprised at how much we LOVE Ali, her ideas, and her prices. Here is our inspiration for flowers and colors for the wedding...

We love all the shades of cream, green and brown. I think it should be beautiful in December! Check out http://www.stylemepretty.com/ for other really cool wedding ideas (if you are planning a wedding). We also finally ordered bridesmaid dresses (navy blue) and picked out a flower girl dress for Avery. Saturday night was spent with our sweet friend Kate... she is a VERY talented graphic designer, and is doing all of the design for save the dates, invitations, etc. I am really lucky to have such talented bridesmaids. We finished the Save the Dates - all we have left to do is write addresses and put them in the mail! It felt great to mark 3 big things off the really long wedding to-do list. Also on Saturday night, I finally painted our entry hall. I'll blog about that tomorrow.

Sunday was a heavy day. Our wonderful church community was faced with the biggest hardship we've seen in our measly 1.5 years that we've been together. It is something that breaks our hearts and leaves us feeling very confused. Justin and I spent the day just trying to express our thoughts and feelings, and ended up having Kate and BT over for some group therapy. Kate's mom is what we like to call a "wise old owl" and she was kind enough to act as a therapist to us all and helped us to sort through ideas and thoughts. The 5 of us had dinner together, and Wise Old Owl decided that herself, Kate and I would immediately make the journey to Nordstrom in Raleigh for some retail therapy. They had invitations to the Preview of Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale, and let me tell you - it's AWESOME. All of the new fall merchandise, we were 3 of probably 15 people in the store, and 30% off!! I saved $100! Here's what I got...

I know that most of you think they are ugg-ly. i do too. However, they are the only things that really keep my feet warm. And they were a great deal. I also got these...
... actually i can't show you a picture of it, because they aren't on the Nordstrom website yet. Sorry, kids. They are beautiful brown flat riding boots with buckles.

After this weekend, I am most thankful for my friends and family, and the close community that we all share.

Wedding Season

I have been very busy this "wedding season". Not so much busy planning my own wedding, but busy being a bridesmaid in others' weddings! This summer I am a bridesmaid in 2 weddings (Emily and Katie - 2 of my bridesmaids, too!), and by the end of 2008, I will have attended 7 weddings, and invited to 12!

Emily's wedding was alot of fun, and I really enjoyed spending time with the 'maids.

Here is a picture of all of Emily's 'maids... (L to R - Katie, Erin, Rachel, Me, and Caitlin) We are a fun bunch, for sure :)

Here are Justin and Erin... they were too funny together - especially on the dance floor at the reception.

Here we are, the last couple to be married in 2008 - it will be here before we know it!

In additions to weddings, we have been celebrating the 3rd birthday of my sweet cousin (and flower girl), Avery... Here's the birthday girl enjoying her cake...

We spent the 4th of July with my mom's family at Ocean Isle Beach, then spent the last half of the holiday weekend in Raleigh with Justin's family and friends. We saw Wall-E, and I HIGHLY recommend it - I think adults could get more out of the movie than kids.Hopefully tomorrow I can post pictures of the painted foyer at our house (that means I'll have to paint it tonight!)... Sadly, my blog is my accountability partner :/