Looking Back + Looking Forward

Another year has come and gone... How many times have you read that on a blogger's recap post this week?! I won't bore you with the details of every single month or detail that has transpired during 2011, as I'm sure no one is as interested in them as I am myself. (Kind of a Catch-22 with bloggers, isn't it?! Hmm..) Anyway, I've said it before and I'll say it again, 2011 was a whirlwind year for me + this little blog.

A few highlights include...

+ A roadtirp to Wilmington, NC with two of our favorite people, Susannah and Chris. and getting engaged on the riverfront, canopied by twinkelights and captured on film. (I can't imagine better people to share that moment with!) Here's Mike take on it + Susannah's too!

+ Getting whisked away to NYC to stay at the Ace Hotel and attend the International Women's Day Celebration hosted by Levi's + Vogue. (Thanks for the trip, Levi's! View photos here!) 

+ Turning 23 + making my 23 before 24 list of goals! Still have a handful that I need to complete in the next 3 months! Here's to hoping I can do it! (♥)

+ Moving into our factory converted loft and trying to make it our Home Sweet Home. Full of shoes, twinklelights, and furry little lovemuffins (our pups!). (See the Loft Tour posts here: Twinklelights, Bedroom, Wardrobe [Updated], Workspace [Needs Updating], and Outside)

+ Deciding to launch a new handmade hair accessory shoppe, Hive + Honey. It's been a labor of love, though I can't wait until I can devote more time to it as a vital part of Honeybean.

+ We managed to sneak up to Chicago at the end of June and surprise Susannah for her birthday! It was all under the 'guise that we were driving to Northern Kentucky to foster a bulldog puppy. We were sitting on her couch when she walked in from work! That was one of my favorite parts of the year! (We also went back in September for Renegade Craft Fair but of course I'm awful at taking pictures!)

+ Making the decision to push forward with my dream of owning a small independent shoppe by joining the mobile biz craze and making Honeybean Mobile Boutique a dream come true! We unveiled her once we brought her home! Now you can shop online during the winter months, too! Lots more inventory to come! I'm even more excited about our next step...

+ We brought a sweet kitty (we named her Enid!) into our family and we're now compete as a family of 5. We took our first ever holiday card and we're preparing for another, even better, year to come. 

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

It really means so much to me knowing that so many of you take time out of your busy day to stop by my little slice of the internet. The web is such a crazy place if you think about it! I've grown to become such close friends with people I never would have had the opportunity to meet had it not been for this little blog. I know it sounds silly to say but I count my lucky stars every day to have the opportunities that I do. Pursuing my dream of owning my own businesses wouldn't be possible if it weren't for y'all! There are days I question myself as a blogger, and this entire blog in itself. But then I'll get an email or a comment that makes it more than worth it. I know I'm not out there changing lives in a huge way. I'm not curing cancer or lobbying for governmental change, but even if I can only bring a little sunshine into your day, I'll consider that a success! Thanks for making this so fun and exciting for me... It's like we're all on a journey together. Let's make sure 2012 is the one to remember! 

I'll be sharing my "New Year's Resolutions" in the next day or two! I'd love to hear about yours, too! So long, 2011. You were awesome, but 2012 is going to kick your butt! xo

new year // 2012

i cannot believe that it's already the end of december and the new year is almost here! there were so many things that happened this past year, good and bad.

- i turned 21 [and took my first trip to the liquor store]

- i got engaged!!!

- my grandpa passed away

- i went on my first cruise

- my brother returned from his mission

- i got to see mexico for the first time

- i have started to plan a wedding

- i jumped back into school 

- i did well in school

- i have chosen a major and look forward to working towards it

i'm sure there's more... but these are the things that stand out for me in 2011. i cannot wait to see what 2012 brings my way!!

i hope everyone had a wonderful 2011 and i wish everyone an [early] happy new year!!!

|||

Paparazzi

Recently, a neighbor stopped by for a little sunbathing on the deck.

Tanning the left side...

Tanning the tummy...

Tanning the right side...

Life is good.

Zzzzzzz....

Uhh?!  Did you hear that?

I'm pretty sure I heard something.

Rats!  The paparazzi found me again!

Cat lover?  You may like this post:  Cat T.V.

Banana Boat

These shoes almost take it a step too far. They're almost too ugly (Yeah right, I gravitate toward them... I'm sure they were too ugly for a lot of y'all a long time ago!) Mike + I happened to pop into Urban Outfitters a handful of days ago and on the clearance table was a Jeffrey Campbell box (yeah, that's the only reason I even went). Inside the pretty little box was these Banana Boat shoes. Mike said they looked like McDonald's Play Place shoes, and I can also agree. Anyway, they were marked half off, and they were my size, and they were the only JCs in the store. It sort of felt like fate... even if they were atrocious. I was determined to make them work, so I bought them. (Along with 2 dresses for $10!) I thought I could try a simple white dress, a coordinating cardigan and a pop color for the belt... you know... my uniform.  I'm still not sure if it was a success for not, but I think they might be growing on me some.

Last night Mike + I went on our little daily coffee date, then I met up with Bryan and Elle at the Sportsplex here in Nashville for some ice skating. (Mike joined us after a little while.) Okay, so I've never ice skated before. Ever. I wasn't expecting to like it so much or even be able to stand up, but it wasn't that bad. I only fell once (alright... twice. Once after an hour and a half of skating + I also ran smack into Mike after he fell once. I wasn't paying attention! Doh!) Anywhoo, it was a lot of fun and I definitely hope we go back. I never knew how many people made it out on the rink during the week! Afterwards we all headed over to Las Palmas down the street from our house for some late night Mexican food and drinks. Mike + I snuck in a couple episodes of Breaking Bad before hitting the hay. It was a fun night. 

Now I'm writing down my reflections of 2011 and goals for 2012. I'll be sharing those tomorrow! (Along with the iPad 2 winner!) Hope y'all have a lovely Friday! I have to go see what silly Enid is up to... she's climbing through my shoe shelves and knocking things over! xo

What are your plans for New Years weekend? (I'm working. Womp womp womp!)

Dress via Ross

Forever 21 belt

Target cardigan

Target tights

Jeffrey Campbell Colorblock Litas

New Year's Eve Champagne Punch, Delicious and Easy to Make

While we continue enjoying all the beautiful tablescapes linked for this week's Tablescape Thursday, I thought I'd share a wonderful recipe for a Champagne Punch I make every Christmas and New Year's.  It's easy to make and always a big hit.  (If you don't care for champagne, substitute chilled club soda, instead.)

If you are making this for a small gathering of 2-4 people, one batch will do. If you're having a larger gathering, you'll want to make several batches because it's always a big hit and goes quickly. I went through 4 batches (with none left over) when I had a party with 25 in attendance. (So, that works out to be around 1 batch for every 6 folks in attendance.)


Champagne Holiday Punch

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
2 cups cranberry juice
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 bottle champagne (Korbel Brut works great)
Small amount of Grand Marnier (or any orange liqueur you prefer)
Red sugar
Green sugar

In a saucepan, bring water, sugar, cinnamon sticks and cloves to boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Discard cinnamon and cloves.
Cool to room temperature and pour into a large pitcher.
Add cranberry juice and pineapple juice.
Chill in fridge until ready to serve.
At serving time, add 1 bottle of chilled champagne.

Right click on pic below to save it to your computer, then just print it off...much easier than having to write it all out.

Dip the Rims in Nonpariels for a Festive Occasion:

For a New Year's Eve party or a birthday party, I like to dip the rims of the glasses in nonpareils, instead of the the colored sugars I use at Christmastime, seen HERE.




When you are ready to serve this punch, just pour a little Grand Marnier or any orange liqueur into a shallow dish. Pour some nonpareils into a bowl.




Dip the rim of the champagne glass into the Grand Marnier, then into the bowl of nonpareils. Then pour the punch into the glass.

You can serve the punch from a punch bowl and ladle it into the glass, but since the opening of a champagne glass is so small, it can be pretty messy with the punch ending up running down the sides of the glass. I found it much easier to just pour it from a pitcher.




Or, if you have a beverage server similar to the one below, that will work well, too.




You may wish to print off some copies of this recipe because your guests are going to be asking for it.  Or, just tell them it's an old family recipe and you've been sworn to secrecy. ;)

To see the Christmas version with sugared rims, click HERE.  It's really pretty with green and red sugared rims for Christmas.

what I am loving

This is the amazing view from my aunts house.  I was sitting there the other afternoon and just taking in life.  It seems so simple sometimes. 

This the best little puppy!!! She is ohhh one pound.  I want one just like her :)

my cousin.  best friend.  soul mate.  other half. 

being surrounded by snow.  It makes everything so magical. 

All these things are so little yet so big in life.  Taking the time to take in what you have can sure make life seem fulfilled. 

xoxo

mexico

i have been away for the holidays for the past few weeks on vacation. i  first off want to thank everyone for all of their comments while i was away!! it was so fun to get back and read all of them!! but, i wanted to share a few pictures and stories from our recent cruise to mexico... enjoy!


marcos and myself were going to go on a cruise about a year ago... we ended up canceling the cruise and therefore had a $500 credit. when christmas started rolling around this year, we decided that it would be something fun that we could do. neither one of us had been on a cruise and we had the credit, so why not, right?

we scheduled our cruise and made it to long beach, ca on saturday december 18, 2011. when we got checked in and finally got to see the ship, it was amazing. it was so huge! i was a bit nervous to be out at sea, in the middle of nowhere... it was just a tiny bit scary. but we did it! and we had the greatest time!

this was the view outside of the deck where we ate lunch on the first day. it was so pretty and the water was so dark. it was scary to think that we were just out in the middle of the ocean on a ship and just to think of everything that was below us, was kind of creepy.

after 1 day at sea, our ship arrived in cabo. we went through the crazy process of getting off the boat and on to the tenders so that we could reach land. after walking may 1/4 of a mile, there was a little stand with some cute pictures of little baby lions. we knew exactly what was happening. as we walked closer we discovered that some people in mexico had purchased 2 little baby lions and were charging tourists to hold them. of course we had to do it.

these little baby lions were the cutest things... they made the funniest sounds, too. nothing like you would think a lion would make.. it was more of a squeal than a 'meow' or a 'roar'. it was funny. after holding him for a few minutes, he became agitated and he was set in the crib with his brother for the next group of people to hold him. it was really a fun experience.

the next stop we made was in puerto vallarta. when we got off the ship and walked just a few hundred feet, there was a man who had a baby donkey and was charging a small amount to hold the donkey. and of course i had to do it!! just look how cute she was. although her hair looks super rough and wire-y, she was incredibly soft and she was the sweetest thing! she was just plopped on my lap and sat there. she didn't move or fight at all. she was adorable!!

marcos played in the casino on the ship a few times. i lost my $10 and he played with $20 one of the first days on the ship. we later went back to the casino and he went in with $30 and came out with $150. i was pretty excited. :)

this is a short clip of some pictures i took outside of our balcony. the water was so gorgeous.

we had a really good time on the cruise. the only complaint that i would make is on the way back from puerto vallarta, we had 2 days at sea. by the second day at sea, we were so ready to get off of the ship... it was just really boring that last day. all we did was sleep and watch movies! ha. but i would definitely do a cruise again!

i hope that all of you had a lovely holiday season!

DIY: Coasters

Mike and I decided to do a fully handmade Christmas this year (with one or two exceptions thrown in. Dads are hard to make for!) We were super excited to devote a handful of days to just getting crafty and baking away. I started on these coasters a couple of weeks ago (!!!) and only meant to make about 4 sets. I ended up making about 16! They're so simple and effortless that I couldn't help myself. It was fun to try different techniques to make them special, too. These are great inexpensive (yet thoughtful!) gifts for anyone you may know (or even to use in your home!). I made batches for practically everyone, and ew used our Instagram prints we've had lying around for our own set. Below I'll show you three fun ways to spruce up your own porcelain coasters, and give you a few more ideas! (It's really so simple that I don't need to do a step by step tutorial!)

What you'll need:
+ Four 4.25" x 4.25" porcelain tiles from hardware store
+ ModPodge
+ Foam brush
+ Paper or something for the "design"
+ Felt furniture backings

What you'll do: If you're using scrapbook paper or something of the sort, trim it into a 4"x4" square. (One piece of 12" scrapbook paper makes 9 (!!!) coasters!) Pour out some ModPodge and use your foam brush to brush a layer onto the top of the porcelain tile. Immediately place the design paper onto the fresh ModPodge. If you're using small pieces of paper for a collage, be careful not to tear them! The MP is sticky! Wait 20 minutes and allow it to dry. Come back and add another coat of MP over all 4 tiles, making sure to pay close attention to the edges. Allow this coat to dry for another half hour or so, and repeat two more times. After 3 coats of MP, you may turn over the coaster and add 4 felt backings to each one. This will help protect any surface it sits on. 

Voila! You now have a set of personalized coasters! Stack them up and tie them with a ribbon for a pretty presentation!

Tips and tricks: Use old movie stubs or anything that may be special between you and the recipient to make it more personal. Mike and I made a set with old date tickets and fortunes! You can also use baby pictures, pictures from growing up, or family portraits. If you have a new baby in the house then it could be sweet to use pictures of him/her to give to the baby's grandparents (or if you're on the outside then you can gift these to the parents of the baby!). If you decide to use small pieces, confetti, or anything with ink, pick up some transparencies at the office supply store and cut them into 4x4 square to place on top. This will help keep the coating even and nice. 

If you'd like to order your own Instagram prints (which are sized at 4x4!), use Mpix or download the Postal Pix app on your iPhone! 

These make great gifts because they're easy to make and cheap to put together. The tiles cost 16 cents a piece at Home Depot. 1 sheet of scrapbooking paper is enough for 2 full sets and is only 50 cents. The felt backings can be bought in sets of 25, 60, or 80 for only about $2.75. At the end of the day each set cost us roughly $1 to make (Instagram sets run about $2.50 or less!)

What would you put on your coasters if you made a set?!