906 Photography is now open for business...

I am super excited to announce that I now have a new part time job!  906 Photography is now booking clients for the summer.  Please email me if you have any questions on availability and pricing....

Laundry room inspiration and an easy project...

So I am totally in love with this laundry room done by Heather Bullard.  It is so simple and chic.  Oh, did I mention sunny?!  I do laundry in the deep, dark crevices of my basement.  Where the sun never shines and spooky noises scare me back upstairs...don't laugh at me the kitties get scared too {Ryan thinks we are all big chickens}.  It is also necessary to put on a pair of Uggs and a heavy winter coat to do laundry in the winter.

image via Heather Bullard

As far as efficient though I couldn't ask for more.  I have fashioned an old entertainment center into my own laundry mecca.  It has everything you would ever need to do laundry:

A good stain fighter

Extra fabric softener

Detergent on reserve

Hangers for hang dry only clothing

Laundry basket

Rags

Special detergent for dark colors only

Mesh bag for delicate items

Bleach {Clorox Clean Line -brightest whites ever!}

How do you organize your laundry area?  Or what are some of your best tricks for fighting stains, fading, or ruining dedicates?  You wanna know my stain fighting secret???  It this thing call Red Wine Stain Remover. 

This stuff will take out the worst stains you can imagine.  It is like magic in a little spray bottle.  Doesn't leave behind fading or spots.  It is one of the best cleaning products I have ever come across in a long, long time.  

But what I really wanted to share with you, now that I have gotten all off topic, is this great idea.  Did you notice the mirror in the laundry room I shared with you?!?  That mirror looked new when she bought it so she put it out on her porch for nine months to weather it!  I think I can handle that!  Next time I hit up Goodwill or Restore I'm gonna have mirrors on my list!

image via Heather Bullard

Ty and Lainey {The Engagement Session}....

Spare bedroom inspiration...

images my cakies

Am thinking about making something like this for over our spare room bed.  We only have a frame so it would be nice to have something to act as the "headboard"  but I still haven't thought of the phrase I wanna use.  Any suggestions?  It seems simple enough to make since it is made out of felt and string.  I think I can handle it.  Learn more on how to make your own here.

A Truly Scrumptious Shower...

A few notes about this Truly Scrumptious Shower:

All the table linens are actually curtains from Goodwill...


Those cupcakes were made from a box cake mix, tub frosting, and ziplock baggies...cheap but a lot of color


That hat made to look something like this was made from a 99 cent sombrero and a curtain...


I could plan a party every week...

Just a sneak...

It went off without a hitch {unless you call having to change rooms cause the kitchen smells like farts {{sewer gas}} a hitch}  the room even had purple furniture and a purple strip on the wall!  It was a sweet bridal shower and I am so happy to get to have Lainey as my new sister!  Sisters are like jello there is always room for more.

Don'tcha love links???

This is what is inspiring me lately...

     Wanna make my own fabric design here...


     I wanna make these tissue pom-poms for the shower Sunday...


     I really need to restock on the beauty supplies...


     Wanna learn how to use this baby and maybe grow a little business...


     Am loving poke a dots in soft shades of white on white...I have no link for this but I am making   
     curtains for my kitchen that may or may not resemble that description...


     Love this book, Ryan got it for me as a present and I read through it CONSTANTLY- it gave me the 
     courage to hit the flea markets in Paris...

Sorry if there are spacing issues...blogger is going crazy on me right now and well...lets face it, it's Friday and I don't care to spend time fixing it!   Have a happy weekend and wish me luck on throwing a Truly Scrumptious bridal shower.  Fingers crossed it will go off without a hitch!

PS the picture above was taken in New York City in Washington Park.  There is an artist who makes these completely by hand with sand and it rained right after I snapped this pic.

A Truly busy time...

I have so many projects going this week I don't know which way is up and which way is down.  All I know is that I have a bridal shower to throw on Saturday and I got things to craft!!!  I am officially done with the Truly Scrumptious hat I mentioned before.

I made it a little different then the one in the movie by adding pink flowers instead of white but I think over all it is super adorable and I want to wear it around the house singing "toot sweats"...I am a little weird.  I made the hat out of a 99 cent sombrero and some old curtains I got at Restore for 2 dollars are you scared?  I will post pictures tomorrow don't you worry but I didn't feel like snapping any at 10:00 last night!

I have most of my ideas for the shower pinned down.  What I really need to decide is how I am going to set the room up and how many table skirts I need.  Do you know that for a disposable table skirt they charge you $6.99???  That's almost 50 bucks just for 8 tables!  Too much for plastic skirts you just throw away.  There has to be a cheaper and pretty way to dress a table. 

Good thing tomorrow is my half day at work.  I need some time to craft and brainstorm. The colors I ended up going with are pink, yellow, and purple- not pastels but really bright, saturated colors.  I wanted the whole things to feel young and girly.  And if you are wondering, yes I did find some parasols.  Hobby Lobby just so happened to have them in my exact needed colors.  So put a point on the board for Ashley!

So I guess it's back to google image searching for me...Hope you having a chic and happy week~

Travel Tuesdays {Paris Flea Markets}...

My favorite day in Paris we spent at Les Puces {direct translation- the fleas}.  There is nothing like a Parisian flea market.  There is no junk- only treasures can be found.  Come prepared for sticker shock- remember this stuff is a lot older then American antiques and collectibles.  The dealers aren't kidding around-  be careful when touching things, there are very valuable things around and some of the vendors can be touchy about it. 

There is a real spirit of community among the vendors.  A lot of them congregate together in little groups, drinking a wine or watching a show together.  They are a hard to read bunch and not ones to be messed with!  There was a great article about Paris in National Geographic {the travel one} about Paris and there were pictures of some of the vendors and I saw those ladies when we were there!  I bet they have been there for years!  Ryan snapped this pic below- I am prowling for good finds...

There are a couple of flea markets in Paris.  We haven't seen the others {yet!} but we spent a full day almost at Les Puces de Saint-Owen at the Porte de Clignancourt.  We took Metro line 4 to Porte de Clignancourt.  Follow the crowds, it's not hard to miss at all.  If you  head towards McDonalds then you know you are going the wrong way.  And do not have coffee at McDonalds...it is not good.

The neighborhood outside the market is not the best, so hug your purses a little closer and tell your men to watch their wallets.  We didn't have any problems except for me needing to buy breakfast for little homeless children outside of McDonalds while Ryan was getting money from the ATM.  They will be looking for you Americans, so remember what I told you about maybe trying to dress a little more European- it will help!  I promise. Or just pretend you don't speak English - another great tip.  They know Americans are suckers.  I am sorry but you know it's true!  Put some sad images in front of us and play a little Sarah Mclachlan and we are putty in your hands!

The market is open Saturday and Sunday from 9-6.  It gets really busy in the afternoon but there are no early bird deals.  These are old, expensive things so don't come hoping to find the steal of the century, come early to beat the crowds {and at certain times of the year- heat}.  These dealers know their stuff and what it is worth so it's hard to haggle.  I did pick up some odds and ends.  Like vintage French postcards for one euro a piece.

The stalls, which are more like little tiny shops, are full to the brim of interesting things and fabulous displays.  Everything from furniture to old science equipment.  There is something here for everyone but perhaps my most favorite part was the market to your left as you are making your way to the antique markets.  It is full of new clothing, shoes, and handbags.  It was pure heaven.  I could have brought back an entire suitcase full of shoes {I brought back 4 pairs! bring an empty suitcase with you for souviners}.  You could get two pairs of flats for twenty euros!  The style of the clothing is very european so it is a great place to get a little Parisian chicness on the cheap.  People ask me all the time where I got my boots...Paris baby!

So here is what you need to remember about Les Puces:

*dress comfy there will be lots of walking

*eat here: Le Soleil, 109 av. Michelet, St-Ouen tel. 01-40-10-08-08-

*bring cash- watch your purses and wallets!

*you don't have to get there early to get deals, just to beat the crowds

It was the best day of our honeymoon.  I could have easily come back the next day and stayed for 7 more hours!  It was crowded but we were lucky and had amazing weather!  So we were happy just to stroll slowly along just taking it all in.  

There are little flea markets all over Paris and I would love to see more.  The next time we go, we will buy a big piece for our house.  There was just too much to decide from and we didn't plan on spending a whole lot of money that day so we were unprepared!  But in case you are worried that you are going to find an amazing piece but have no way to get it back home- don't worry the vendors deal with that all the time.  They will help you ship it and get it through customs.  

Next Tuesday will be our final Parisian Travel Tuesday. Look for a recap on all of my best French tips {i love puns!} and maybe a little giveaway {French vintage postcards anyone???}