today is one decade

today my mister and i have been married for ten years. yes, TEN! at first i thought i'd put something sappy and sloppy and all romantical, but i decided that wouldn't be me. instead, i decided to share a few quotes about marriage i've realized are completely true!

"I have learned that only two things are necessary to keep one's wife happy. First, let her think she's having her own way. And second, let her have it." -Lyndon B. Johnson

"There is almost no marital problem that can't be helped enormously by taking off your clothes." -Garrison Keillor

"Some husbands are living proof that a woman can take a joke" -Unknown

"A husband's last words should always be, 'OK, buy it'." -Unknown

okay, all joking aside. in all of the years i've been married, these are the two main things i've learned: first, love is fun, you don't have to take it so seriously. second, if you're not willing to communicate, there's no hope for you.

our time on the island

i really can't say enough about the island, and i'm already looking forward to going back! the only downside to going somewhere like that is having to return to reality. i can't tell you how much i did NOT miss checking my email, reading about stupid drama on facebook, listening to the cussing phone ring all. the. time., and being around people other than chris and flojo. like i said yesterday, we didn't get many pictures, but here are a few we did remember to take!

now, about the pictures... #1 is what we saw when we looked out of our camper door. and sunnies because i have to try and prevent as many wrinkles as possible! #2 and #5 show some of my seashell collecting. this is supposed to be one of the best places on the east coast for shells, and i can honestly say that i have never in my life seen so many shells, especially conch shells! the limit is 2 gallons per person per day, and we didn't meet that, but we still came home with quite a collection (pictures later this week). #3 is a jellyfish on the beach. i don't like thinking that i may be swimming around them, but i do think they're pretty. #4 we didn't do any surfing because the water was unusually rough due to a hurricane that was 900 miles off the coast. #6 our little camper home on our very own stretch of beach. #7 i don't know what type of crab that is, but it sure was pretty! #8, #9, #10 we met paula, a conservation officer, and helped her excavate a loggerhead sea turtle nest! because the loggerheads are an endangered species, sections of the beach are closed to preserve the nests and allow smooth sand for the hatchlings' journey to the ocean. we excavated one of the nests not knowing what we'd find; luckily, it was a very successful nest! there were nearly 120 hatched shells, 3 eggs that never formed a turtle, and one baby turtle that, sadly, didn't survive.

tomorrow, i'll get back to the regularly scheduled blogging with wishlist wednesday! but, i'm going to skip the what i've been working on post this week since, obviously, i haven't been working on anything while i was away from home!

we're back from our island

i don't even know where to begin. we had such an amazing time and discovered such a gem, that i can barely process everything i want to tell you! let me just say that it was absolutely gorgeous; an island that hasn't been excavated, or built up with hotels and restaurants, and is just pure, natural beauty for as far as the eye can see. i'm not sure of the exact number of people that were on the island while we were, but i can tell you that we pretty much just saw the same 8-10 people maybe once a day each day we were there, so it definitely feels like you're on your own private island!

we went down a day early so that we could explore beaufort, nc and morehead city, nc before we took the 1 hour ferry ride over to the island. sadly, we barely took any pictures or videos (i think it's because we were so busy conch shell collecting, birdwatching and sleeping), but here are a few from our day on the mainland.

chris and i have already decided that we're going to make this our new vacation spot, but because of the undiscovered and uninhabited quality of the island, and the fact that the people who have been going there for 30 years like to keep it hush hush, i can't say too much about it! once the rain passes and i can see sunlight again, i'm going to try to get some pictures of the treasures i came home with!

i hope you've had a good week since we last chatted. have you done anything exciting or taken any trips lately?

hermit crabs roam the streets

because of all the glorious ragweed that so plentifully grows in the fields around my house, my allergies have been out of control, and all the stuffiness has made the quality of my sleep complete crap. i've been so tired the last few days, and apparently that has started to affect my sanity. you know how when you're really tired you think crazy things, and how you can think the most off the wall thing for just a split second and realize how insane it was? well today when i was on the way back to the office from meeting a client, i swear, for just half a millisecond, i thought i saw a hermit crab in the road. of course, there are not hermit crabs running wild in virginia, and as it turns out, the hermit crab was a leaf in the road. as quickly as the thought entered my mind, i told myself i was losing it. tonight, i have to sleep better!

speaking of hermit crabs, did you ever have one when you were younger? my brother and i each had a huge crab, and we loved them until they turned on us. staging a hermit crab revolt, my brother's crab clamped down on his palm and wouldn't let go until it had taken a hunk of flesh. then not 12 hours later, my hermit crab latched onto that sensitive piece of flesh between the thumb and index finger. i shook and shook and shook, and finally the thing flew off. i guess it goes without saying that we didn't play with our hermit crabs anymore after that. little jerks.

i'll try to blog tomorrow, but if i don't, i'll see you in a little over a week when chris and i return from our deserted island anniversary trip!

wishlist wednesday!

today, kittens, i've been waiting to show you my current wish list. it makes my heart race, my palms sweat, and my cheeks blush; yes, i am in love! since chris and i don't really do extravagant gift-giving, and really only give gifts that aren't practical at christmas (and even then we don't go overboard), i thought i'd share the things i wouldn't mind being surprised with come anniversary time! so i like to call today's theme, "what i would ask for and he would buy if we weren't such cheapskates."

sources: theshophouse, placemichel, sadiedesignsca (a personal favorite of mine), miekongo, bluegrassbooty.

in addition to thinking about wish lists, i also decided to listen to a cd i hadn't played in a long time, MXPX's live at the show. sometimes i think i must be a music snob as i tend not to listen to bands that don't meet my tough criteria:

1. must be signed with an indie label, if signed at all.

2. must not be played on radio. this includes satellite radio.

3. must be so unknown that even my local indie record store specializing in hard to find music has to order it.

what are your favorite bands? do you have certain criteria a band must meet to be worthy of your ears, or do you just listen to anything that sounds good? also, if you decide to play along with wish list wednesday, be sure to link back to me from your list, then leave a comment directing me to your current favorites!

a few of my favorites

you know how sometimes you have certain things that you just love so much you think, "it's pretty enough to take a picture of"? well, that's how i feel about these things. i just keep looking at them and thinking what little dreamboats they are. little do they know, their time in the spotlight probably won't last for too much longer, because when chris and i get back from our trip, i'm going to have lots of seashells, sand dollars, and other little treasures a deserted beach has to offer. until then, here are a few of my favorites...

the first favorite is a little collection of feathers i found (turkey, seagulls, crow) and displayed in a vintage metal flower frog. the second favorite is a pair of earrings erica surprised me with (i plan to introduce her and her lovely shop once it's stocked again). next is a ring i made from a slice of amethyst. i actually think i like looking at the stone more than i like the idea of wearing it! last is a little sampling of my amethyst stone collection. sometimes i think i should have been a geologist, but then i remind myself that i would want to keep everything, so i'd actually be terrible at it.

what are some of your current favorites? and do you randomly take pictures of possessions that you love so much or is it just me?

chris and i leave for our trip this saturday, and if we have an internet connection on the island, i'll be sure to share some pictures with you. i'm super excited!

if you see me doing it, beat me up.

there are many fashions and trends that i may not follow myself, but i can understand why someone else might. then there are those that completely baffle me. i know we all have our own opinions, and even if you follow these i'm pretty sure we can still be friends, but when it comes to my own personal style, i have to put my (non-furry or socked) foot down. which is why i implore you, if you see me following any of these trends, please beat me up.

the first trend that i will not subject myself to is the "i mutilated chewbacca and am now wearing his feet" craze. i'm a self-proclaimed bootaholic, but i like my boots to look like boots, not like like feet of a forest creature.

the second trend i cannot understand and will not incorporate into my outfits is the socks and sandals trend. i know that it's all over the place, but it makes me wonder if i'm the only one who used to think it was funny seeing people (you know, the middle-aged men or beach tourists) who wore socks with sandals. not only that, but it seems to me that by wearing socks, you're kind of defeating the purpose of wearing sandals, no? again, not doing it for me.

lastly, more chewbacca skinning and mutilation. don't get me wrong, i've seen some much smaller, tasteful faux fur vests, but these oversized shaggy things just confuse me. and i've also seen many of them worn with belts; accessorizing it doesn't make it look less ridiculous.

so there you have it. three things i will never wear, no matter how brave i'm feeling. what are current or past trends that you don't get and won't wear?

production and fear.

so far i've had a pretty productive if not scary as hell saturday. first, the good news: remember how i told you i was having a "jeweler's block" lately? well, it's gone at least temporarily because last night and this morning i completed eleven creations to list in my shop. now that's what i call a production line! next, i got my mattress flipped all by myself, and i did almost break a lamp, then i fell off the bed, but the important thing is that i got it flipped (and vacuumed, because i figure if it's good enough to do on "how clean is your house?" i should copy). and this is what happens when the craftiness takes over...

now, onto the bad news. actually, there's really only one piece of bad news, but for me, it's bad enough to last a lifetime. if you didn't know, i'm a morning person, just like the birds. a little while after i got up this morning, i decided to go out and check on the birdies at the feeder. side note, we have bluebirds, cardinals, goldfinches, doves, tufted titmice and chickadees all at once, at any given time! so, i went out to check on the birds, and as i was walking down my sidewalk, i noticed something on the bricks on the front of my house. so i walked a little closer not expecting much, and i realized it was a baby snake. a copperhead to be exact (yes, they're poisonous). the only reason i didn't pee my pants was because i'd just gone to the bathroom, but i can tell you that i felt like i wanted to pee myself! you can't even imagine how scared i am of snakes. anyway, the spawn of satan was clinging onto the bricks because they were warm whereas everything else was so cool. i debated whether or not i should call chris to come and take care of the snake, or just wait and hope the nasty thing went away, far away. i reminded myself of the black snake that got inside and stretched out in my bedroom the summer before last, and the decision was easy: CALL CHRIS! so i did, and he came like my knight and shining armor and rid me of the little beast forever! the end.

and that's all! how has your weekend been so far?

what i've been working on

i'm afraid to say that i've sort of hit what i like to call, "a jeweler's block." when i was getting ready for the show at the gallery in charlottesville in july, i had so many ideas that i had to make myself stop working so i could get the displays ready. then once i got home, the ideas flowed like iced tea with lots of lemon (it's my favorite drink, and i live in the south, okay?) and continued flowing until this week. i'm sort of at a stalling point because i know i want to make lots of new things, but i'm just not sure what they are yet. i've not been completely unproductive, and here are some things i've been working on...

the ring at the top is made with tiny chips from a large pale green star mica stone i brought back with me from sausalito, ca. the chips are set in resin so they're preserved forever! i used to think i didn't like working with resin, but then i tried a new type of resin and realized i love it! i've got a few more ideas as to what i'd like to preserve, but you'll have to wait and see! the earrings are made from porcupine quills. really!

earlier this afternoon, i rode to a store selling gem stones, bones, fossils and artisan jewelry that i'd never been to before. i'm still loyal to the shop i've been going to for my stones, but it can't hurt to see what else is out there. the new shop didn't have the selection of my old favorite, but they did have good prices, friendly employees and some pretty neat stuff! i got a few smaller stones that i'll use in the .22 bullet casing necklaces (tangerine quartz, clear quartz and amethyst) and i also got these shark teeth. they were in a box with tons of beautiful fossils that i'd like to go back and get! the teeth came from the potomac river, and if you're familiar with that river, you'll know that there are NO sharks in it, nor have there been for many years...25 million to be exact! yep, the teeth and fossils in that box are all approximately 25 million years old and have all come from different parts of virginia. one particular fossil i really, really want (although i'm not sure yet how i'll use it) is some sort of shell with beautiful layers of tan, ivory and blue. oh, swoon.

i like grasshoppers. in fact, i like bugs in general (with the exception of those that sting and spiders with fur or poison). so on my way home this afternoon, i noticed a grasshopper clinging to the back side of my windshield wiper. i felt bad for the little guy because i was going 70mph and his tiny antennae we blowing wildly in the wind. i kept watching him, hoping he wouldn't fly off while i was going down the road, and luckily he had serious clinging power. when i got to the first stoplight after noticing him, he sort of perked up but was still hanging on to my wiper. then he raised his right front leg and started wiping down his face since he had a break from the 70mph wind; i guess he needed to remove debris from his eyes. aw, poor lil guy. i was happy to see that he hung on all 20 miles home, and once i turned my blazer off, he jumped away to start his new life in the country!

and i definitely wouldn't mind having this ring!

wishlist wednesday!

i don't know about you, but i always look forward to fall; cool, crisp air, the smell of changing leaves, an excuse to eat pumpkin pie, and the perfect time of year to break out warm, cozy sweaters! as ready as i am for fall and the end of summer heat and humidity, i'm hoping it can hold off for just a little longer as chris and i will be leaving for our anniversary trip in just over a week, and i want to be able to swim! once we get back, i'm ready for fall, if not winter! anyway, in anticipation of one of my favorite times of year, here are some things i wouldn't mind having...

source: hinterlandvintage, theclosetstuffer, luckyvintageseattle, leasvintage, sillyrabbitvintage, stylebook.

one of my absolute favorite things to thrift for (if i can even use the word in that tense as a verb) is the perfect cardigan. of course i don't believe there is only one prefect vintage cardigan, but more like the perfect cardigan on each thrifting trip! when i find one ina solid color and in my size, i get excited much like someone would if they'd just won the lottery! what do you look for when you go vintage shopping, and what is your favorite type of vintage clothing?

if you'd like to play along, link back to me from your wish list post, then leave me a link in the comments section so i can see what you're craving!

instant film + san francisco = instant happiness

i've been meaning to scan in my polaroids from san francisco ever since i got back, but if i didn't procrastinate, i just wouldn't be myself. anyway, my scanner is old and not the best quality, but you still get the idea. i don't care what any techie says, film just can't be beat! i love its soft, nostalgic quality, and the fact that you have to wait for it to be developed (whether it develops instantly or in a few days) makes it like a little surprise every time!

the first is from the beach, second is at the palace of fine arts, third is in the rose garden at golden gate park, fourth is at the conservatory of flowers, and the fifth is again from the palace of fine arts.

i didn't really do much planning today for a blog post as most of my day was spent getting a closet organized. i kid you not, there was a mountain nearly up to my knees of chris' "play clothes" that had accumulated to the point that we couldn't walk in our walk-in closet. i started sorting yesterday and got that part done, but today i did load after load of laundry from the closet floor, vacuumed our closet so it looks like new, then put back only what really needed to go in, and the good news is, our closet floor is almost bare! of course my nesting instincts come into play since my time of the month is rapidly approaching, but that closet has been bothering me for a long time now! glad to have it behind me.

also, this is going to be pretty nasty, but since i had to see it, you have to hear about it. yesterday afternoon chris and i had to go to the dreaded mall because he needed new work shoes (his poor old shoes exposed more of his feet than they covered). as we were walking out of the door, there was a van parked by the curb with the mom and two children by it. the girl, who i imagine was 8 or 9 not only picked her nose in that public spot, but then proceeded to eat her finding. i thought my japanese hibachi lunch would end up on the sidewalk. seriously, booger eating, to me, is just as nasty as a fingernail coming off or puss coming from an open wound. i can't handle it! so my question is this: why do kids eat their boogies? i never remember even touching on that in any of my developmental psychology classes, and i'd really like to know the answer (so i can be sure it doesn't happen when i have a child).

how has your weekend/labor day been?

i was on the hunt, and i zeroed in on my prey...

first things first: you guys left such thoughtful comments on my last post, and it was so reassuring to receive so much positive reinforcement. i hope you know that i think so many of you are incredibly talented and inspiring, be it in your craft, writing, blog, or life in general. so, thank you!

now, i was on the hunt for vintage chain, a prize that is rapidly becoming difficult to find. i won't tell all my secrets just yet, but in the next few weeks, dinosaur toes will be on the opposite coast in an awesome boutique, so i was in desperate need of old chains for some special bullet and stone necklaces. unfortunately, i only found two chains instead of ten, but look at these treasures i'm keeping for myself...

that little coral/seahorse/shell combo is currently a brooch, but i plan to remove the back and attach it to a headband so i can try and tame some of my mane. next, i don't particularly have a special love for reindeer, but i do think they're cute, and i have a huge slight obsession with vintage animal pins. seriously, i sometimes think i'm turning into an old lady. last, i just had to have this turtle necklace. i mean, it's not like i don't already have turtle necklaces, but this one is cute, and it's vintage, and i just wanted it!

it was actually kind of funny the way my treasure hunting worked out yesterday. right after i got to the store, my auntie amy called and said she was on her way because she had something she wanted to give me. she told me that she could spend all day in that store, but she usually only goes if she has a friend to ride with her. i told her that the last few times i've been, i've gone with micaela, but her work schedule keeps her busy on the weekends, so we haven't been able to get together lately. so i hung up, walked around the corner, and guess who i saw? MICAELA! fancy seeing the person you just talked about! so we got in our thrifting and chatting on our impromptu date!

two more random things: one, i've never been a makeup person, and sometimes i feel like a boy. don't get me wrong, i don't want to have my face painted on, but i'd like to do a little more with eyeshadow, or even blush if i'm feeling adventurous. what type of makeup, or tips and tricks would you recommend? and i must tell you, i CANNOT wear mascara because my eyelashes are about 8 miles long (and it's annoying) and i've always been particularly turned off by lipstick. anything else is fair game!

random thing number two: i saw anna's tweet about a sign reading, "hay thief, any info please call" and that reminded me of a sign chris and i saw. we were coming through west virginia on our way home from one of chris' motocross races, and outside a beauty salon in a creepy country town that i'm sure inspired the movie "deliverance" we saw a sign that read, "bobby ray is a liar, a cheat and a thief." all i can say is, don't piss off redneck women or they'll tell the world in their own backwoods way!

okay, that is all. how has your week/weekend been?

what i've been working on

when amy and i were in sausalito, we went in this store that had a pretty impressive display of stones. i actually felt like a nerdy elementary-aged boy because of the amount of time i spent looking! aside from amethyst and clear quartz points, they had stones that i can't get at my local gem stores: huge citrine points, fluorite, pale green star mica and several others. i'm still kicking myself in the butt for not getting more (in particular, citrine), but i did get a few pieces, and here's what i've used them for so far...

i think my favorite souvenir has to be these stones, because my favorite hobby is making anything with stones or metal! i'm especially excited about the aragonite because of the smaller crystal clusters growing from the larger part. so pretty!

so, you may start to notice that i will do more "what i've been working on" posts, but i can assure you it's not shameless self-promotion; i have plenty of shame, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, right? i'm not trying to be super saleswoman, but after questionable business practices by chris' employer, my husband is now without a job. it's not a sob story, but my hope is that someone with money to spend and nowhere to spend it will see what i've been working on and think, "i must have that!" fair enough?

so, how has your thursday been so far, and what have you been woking on?