yard sale madness

 

saturday's community yard sale in baxter village was so. much. fun. i love yard sales because you find tons of treasures you never knew you absolutely, positively needed. and, nine times out of ten, they're actually affordable. saturday was no different. we spent most of the morning braving the raindrops (which, besides a light sprinkle, held off until we were finished) and scoring all kinds of good deals. we then refueled with burgers and fried pickles at big daddy's burger bar for lunch (which, if you live in charlotte and haven't been, you need to visit stat). enjoy a few pictures and a recap of our finds from the day...

 

fueling up!

 

sarah's fabulous yellow table with drawer. $5

 

my new boyfriend. $25. except i'm pretty sure i shouldn't have to pay for a boyfriend. he's kind of scrawny anyway. and it might be nice to date a guy with a head. 

 

mom and libby showing off their goods.

  next year we're going to need a bigger car, i think.

 

and since i'm sure you're dying to know, here are my fabulous finds:

 

washington, dc photography book $0.25

3 5x7 craft/paint canvases $1

coral bead necklace $0.50

mother of pearl bracelet $0.50

banana republic 100% silk scarf (tags still attached!) $1

 

my favorite find: my new summer reading list. i scored all of these for $1. total. at one of the houses, this lady had a ton of books and let us fill a copy paper box for $2. libby and i split it and i am so excited about all of these babies, especially the entire chronicles of narnia collection in one volume. reading that series was going to be on my summer "to-read" list anyway, and it just got way simpler. 

 

fabric remnants for crafts? totally free. that's right.

 

jcrew tunic blouse $3. i'm so psyched about this one. i'll be wearing it to death. starting today, actually.

 

cute swimsuit cover-up $1

 

liam was also very excited about my treasures.

my total? $8.25. knowing that i scored all of this for less than $10 makes me so happy i can't even tell you. 

mom did well, too. here are her goodies:

 

banana republic cardigan with crystal buttons $3

talbots black and white dress $2

sailor front wide-leg stretch jeans $1

ann taylor silk blouse $1

ann taylor loft white cotton blouse $1

merona kelly green blouse $2

 

antique pink decanter and matching glass $0.75

 

white wooden lamp and shade $1

 very vintage full size quilt $1

(unfortunately this kind of fell apart when mom washed it, but i think it will still be cute on the front porch. definitely still worth $1.)

mom's total? $12.75. i'm pretty sure each article of clothing she purchased would have costs at least three times that new. and this is why i love yard sales.

our next big yard sale outing will be in pinehurst in august for the giant fair barn extravaganza where we will join some of my other favorite saturday morning companions, laurie and dale. until then, i'll be saving my pennies and making extra room in my house for these new treasures and most likely the many more to come!

true story

when he was little, my brother used to have a dorky pair of plastic glasses frames that he called his "focus glasses". he wore them when stuck with the task of cleaning his room to keep from being distracted by matchbox cars and legos. i don't really remember how they came about, but i need those focus glasses right about now. my bed is covered in clean clothes that need to be hung up and i am so unmotivated and distracted by other things. if my couch weren't so uncomfortable, maybe i'd just sleep there and clean tomorrow. alas, back to work...

image via pinterest

ballerina project

 

violeta - tribeca 

i recently discovered the ballerina project, when north carolina dance theatre dancer anna gerberich starred in the project's first-ever short film. anna and kate ann behrendt (who was just recently promoted to ncdt first company) have both participated in the project, which features dancers from various companies photographed primarily in new york city and boston. and the photos are some of the most beautiful i've seen. i love the grace and beauty of the dancers against the urban landscapes. you can purchase any of these prints from the ballerina project and i'd encourage you to do so - each purchase further supports the project and artist dane shitagi. if you want to buy me one, i'll take the one above, my very favorite. below, enjoy a few more lovely images in the project. here's to hoping there will be a nice book of the collection in the future. you can see much more on the project's facebook page.

*all photographs copyright dane shitagi for the ballerina project.*

 andie - riverside park

 violeta - riverside park

andrea - central park

 anna - washington square

 kate - east village

 elina - east river

 christie - queens

 kate - east village

 mara - east river

 rachel - boston

 rachel - public garden (boston)

 violeta - central park

violeta - west side highway

"i tried to take pictures of the ballerinas – not of their dancing. i tried to stay focused on the dancers – not on their poses. i tried to portray their souls – not their steps. ballerina project is more about the dancer than the dancing. as photographers we often try to capture momentums of the dancing without really acknowledging the obvious: the camera is not exactly the best instrument to do it. the camera can only take stills of something that is in its essence a flow."  
- dane shitagi

*shitagi quote via my modern met. all images copyright dane shitagi for the ballerina project*

excited

you'd think with a 5am wake up call, i'd be sleeping by now. but think again. tomorrow (or, let's be honest, today) mom and i are road tripping to baxter, sc, filling up on sbucks, and meeting bestie sarah, her brave husband, and her mom for the utterly fantastic baxter village community yard sale. it's going to be amazing, i can feel it. and i'm just giddy with excitement.

dreaming of cheap, fabulous treasures...

image via shannoneileen

tiny boxwoods

hi, remember me? i've been missing my blog lately! i'm banking on the fact that you've missed me too. or at least i hope you have...
a few weeks ago while visiting aaron and gracie in houston, we had breakfast on our last morning at this fantastic place called tiny boxwoods - a restaurant and nursery that, hence the name, sells tiny boxwoods among other beautiful plants, flowers and trees. gracie's employer loves it and i'm so glad she suggested it, because it was a wonderful place to spend a muggy tuesday morning. i'm a big fan of breakfast food and a big fan of unique breakfast places (if you've been reading my blog, you certainly know this by now), so this place was a hit. besides being a gorgeous place to drink some coffee and do the crossword, the staff cooks in a true wood burning oven, lattes are served in giant bowls with handles, there are free chocolate chip cookies at the order counter (even at 9am) and everything on the menu was fresh, delicious and a little pretentious (in a good way). i say a little pretentiousness never hurt anyone.

 

our cozy table

 

my breakfast, which featured the most delicious homemade honey butter and cherry preserves

aaron and gracie, tackling the crossword

hola senorita!

 

happy cinco de mayo!
i had good intentions of posting this much earlier in the day, but better late than never. i know very little about this holiday except that we celebrate all things hispanic. hooray! i feel like may 5th always sneaks up on me, but someday i plan to host a colorful cinco de mayo party including salsa dancing, colorful banners and lanterns, mariachi music, chips, salsa, and plenty of these...

 

images: 1.stylemepretty 2.pinterest

deep in the heart of texas

a few photos from this past week's visit to houston.  aaron's studio project, the best burger joint in texas, a private garden we may have invaded, and a fun downtown walk...