new year, new blog!

the time has come, people. i can't believe that after five years, i'm leaving this sweet little blog behind. i'm almost sad to do it. it's been such a wonderful place for me to record my life. but it's time for a fancier site with more capabilities and my very own domain name.

so ladies and gentlemen, as we begin a new year, i invite you to join me over at www.bloomingbranchblog.com as i launch a new chapter in the life of blooming branch.

thanks for joining me on my journey here. it's been a wonderful five years. here's to many more!

xoxo cheers!
chelsea

under construction

hello friends!

just sharing some exciting news this morning. blooming branch has been on my heart a great deal lately and i've been making lots of plans for it. in fact, so much so that in a few weeks, the new and improved blooming branch blog is going to be live! i'm soon to have a new logo, a new blog look and a new url thanks to some very talented folks i've met through odesk who are making my life easy. it's going to be fan-cy and i am very eager to have a new space to resume my long-neglected posting.

in the meantime, you can read a few freelance pieces i've written recently for ibelieve here (on friendship) and here (on career). i've been blessed to have the opportunity to write for these folks and am excited to continue doing so!

stay tuned in the coming weeks for some big time changes - i can't wait to share them!

xoxo,
chelsea

image via gnato on deviantART

well, hello, friday!

would anyone else like to agree with me when i say this has been the longest week? oh my goodness it is about time friday rolled around. today i took a half day at work despite the unbelievable list of to-do's and deadlines looming because my pretty friend lacey (of the famed humming right along) is in town to play! hooray! we went to the gavin degraw/colbie caillat concert last night thanks to some free tickets i won on the radio and we plan to spend the weekend hanging out and eating loads of junk food, which is essentially the best part of our friendship, we are great at doing nothing together and still having fun. we both very much like pajamas, swedish fish, wine, wine coolers, boxed wine (don't knock it til you try it), pizza, ice cream and chai lattes from dilworth coffee. since i have nothing of consequence to share today, here are a few links that you might enjoy:

the colorful jen ramos is making me want to paint.

the glitter guide turned one this week. if you don't read it you should. one of its founders, taylor sterling is my ultimate style inspiration/girl crush.

in the celebration of father's day, watch jimmy fallon dance like a dad. guaranteed to make you laugh.

concert with gavin degraw renewed my love for him last night. he is so great live. check out my favorite gavin song, a lesser-known one.

finally, for those of you that took the time to call, email or message me after my rather melodramatic post on wednesday, thank you. your encouragement is such a blessing to me. ♥

happy weekend! 

image via laurel from iiiinspired

hello, monday!

 

good morning!
or, geez, it's practically already afternoon! i can't tell you why especially, but i'm extremely excited about this week. i don't really have anything earth-shattering on the calendar aside from some fun dates with friends, i'm just feeling extra excited about it. sometimes (most times) i feel like a loser without a job, but sometimes unemployment is very fun. like today. over the past week, i've blogged very little, so here's an update. i...

- started running (and by running i mean jogging very slowly) again. so sore i can barely walk, but this song makes me want to run like phoebe anyway.
- visited the yogurt lab for the first time. i definitely prefer yoforia and pinkberry, but i do like the "add your own toppings" bar. it's so exciting.
- had a play day in cornelius/davidson with mom. we took an extra long goodwill visit (where mom scored the cutest jcrew blazer ever - so jealous), the soda shop and art sanctuary in downtown davidson, and our favorites, the oak street mill and the bradford store.
- was terrorized (slight exaggeration) by giant cockroaches in my house. sick. thankgoodness for the bug man. i think i might love him. 
- took a quick but fabulous 24-hour trip to southern pines to hang with lacey, sarah and company. took zero pictures but we shopped, drank coffee, margaritas and mcd's frozen strawberry lemonades, ate at mellow mushroom and c cups, played a little family corn hole, checked out a late night movie, and spent a lot of quality time in our pj's.
- bought and planted flowers, basil, and cilantro at my house. i have about 900 mosquito bites, but it was worth it. pictures to come! i'm very excited for my zinnias to grow.
- wore my fedora 85% of the time.
- baked gracie's flourless peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. so delish.
- took a very successful trip to mighty dollar where i stocked up on super cute bangle bracelets, sweet gund baby gifts, ipod/phone accessories (name brand wall charger and earbuds. for $1. seriously?), a garlic press and more crafting supplies. 
- was asked to teach in zumba class while our regular teacher is on vacay in a few weeks. i'm teaching a hip-hop dance to this song and i'm so superduper excited. white girl alert.
- made homemade tomato bruschetta with aforementioned garlic press and fresh, local tomatoes and basil. yum.

here's to a great week ahead! see you soon!

image via favim

i'm a little bit country...

while reviewing and reorganizing quite a few files on my computer tonight (it was hard to see my desktop image anymore) i came across a website i'd bookmarked a while back. to be honest, i can't remember where in the world i found it, but i'm glad i took the time to click through.

spool no. 72 clothing company is like anthropologie but cheaper, more original, and with a cool little mix of vintage merchandise. it's run by a mother and daughter team in washington state and seeks to capture the beauty of rural life. now, let's be clear, i'm not really into rural living. i feel that it's important to have a target and acceptable happy hour venue options within 15-20 minutes. i love high heels and the bustle of uptown charlotte at 5:00 each evening. i prefer a man in a suit to one in carhartts. i do, however, get very excited about farmers markets, cows and goats, driving in the country, cowboy boots, general stores and barns full of chippy antiques, so i can appreciate the lifestyle. i like a little mix of both urban and rural in my life.

so whether you're a country mouse or a city mouse, i think you can get excited about spool's fun selection. here are a few of my current favorites...

mixing bowl ring $18
i am ridiculously head over heels in love with this. if i currently had a job, i would have already ordered it.

sewing basket blouse $38
oh my goodness, this is so unique and feminine. and i think it would look cool layered up during cooler weather, too.

vintage clutch $34
sadly, this little baby just sold, but i love it so much

farrier dress $52
so cute. and machine washable. my kind of dress.

mason earrings $22
pretty pretty pretty

windowpane blouse $36
love this color

milk glass bowls $48
a little pricey, but also a little awesome

spruce sweater bracelet $22.95 (on sale!)
seriously how cool is this? i love the colors and the combo of hardware and soft knits.


all shots of spool's lovely merchandise are taken onsite by creative leader and co-owner tara ehlis. (what a pretty name.) and - bonus! - they have a blog.
and want an even bigger bonus? hop on over to the blog for a $10 off coupon, good through may 30th. get shopping. i'll take any of the items above, thanks.


images via tara ehlis for spool no. 72 clothing company

happy friday + links

it's friday! i'm spending the weekend with two of my very best friends from college and that makes me very, very happy. i hope your weekend is wonderful as well! 

and, just for fun, a few links from around the web:

one of the more entertaining you tube videos i've seen in a while.
yes, i will gladly wear ballet shoes with my wedding dress someday.
um, apparently i'm a stylist now? more looks to come in the next week or so.
my new fashion inspiration.
since i haven't gotten to it, a brief runway for the ballet recap.
very, very excited about this new development.
a new movie of one of my favorite books.
happy we'll be making a stop here this weekend.

image via thetortoiseandthehare