[New Hair] - Channeling Joan Jett.

I got my hair done yesterday, and it didn't turn out as planned. We experimented with a new color line at the salon, before our education was scheduled for it (we're rebels!). The goal was to go a level 6 bright red. (FYI level 1 is black, 10 is very blonde, so 6 is fairly light). We rinsed me, and it turned out sooo dark! I woke up this morning, looked in the mirror, and freaked out a little when I saw Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett looking back at me! After the initial freak out... I started to embrace the new look.

I'm gonna rock it.

Here's Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett for the new movie The Runaways.

My hair is always changing, so it'll be fun to embrace this style for a while.

To style it, I run 1 pump of Aveda Phomollient through damp hair with my fingers and blow dry upside down. Scrunch with a small amount of a texturing cream and finish with hairspray. Pretty simple!

This site has a tutorial on how to do Joan Jett inspired makeup. I'm kind of loving the brown smokey eye.

soak it in.

[prettiest bike ever]

Summer is coming to a close, it's true.

Are you soaking it all in? Or are you done, and ready for fall?

I still need a few more bike rides and ice cream dates before I can say I'm totally ready for fall. Though I'm sure I'll be ready to embrace it after my first sip of Pumpkin Spice.

Here's to a busy week ahead, and to not letting it fly by without a proper "see you later" to summer.... xo

[That Vintage Giveaway Winner!]

Look how lovely Sophie's display was for That Vintage at a market this past weekend. I love the set up and all the details in the display!

The winner of the Winter Woods Part II brooch is.... THERESA! (comment #65)

Please e-mail me Theresa (holly.neufeld at gmail) and we'll get you your beautiful brooch!

Thanks to everyone that entered and checked out Sophie's shop! Hope you all had a great weekend!

[Thrifting & Fun]

[photo by Leigh-Ann]

We spent the afternoon with Leigh-Ann, on Friday. She was so nice to take some photos of me and my kiddos. I haven't 'been in' pictures very often lately, I'm usually the one taking them so it was such a treat!! She's a natural photographer and made me feel very comfortable in front of the camera. I can't wait to see some of the other photos. :)

We drove to Winnipeg and met LA at Starbucks. Delilah saved her a seat..

She took me to a great thrift store, for treasure hunting, and I had a blast! Normally I'm not very good at thrift store shopping, but I got a few awesome finds this time! This is the prettiest pot I've ever seen.

I was drawn to the color of these canisters, and I love that I got the entire set, for $3!

LA and I split a cute avocado green set of melamine cups and saucers.

I found Simon an Eric Carle game, and a school desk too! He was a trooper, shopping with us. He found a toy lawn mower thing that was ridiculously noisy so he was kept occupied, and I always knew where he was, ha! It was an adventure, and I enjoyed myself.

After thrifting, we went to a nice park for playground time and photos. Here's one that I snapped of my little Fawn.

This weekend is Morden's Annual Corn & Apple Festival! It's always fun to watch the parade on Saturday morning. Simon likes watching it with his cousins, and Auntie Jackie. He collects candy, and enjoys seeing all the different floats. This year was a bit of a rainy time, and not everyone enjoyed it... (lol)

Hoping that tomorrow is less rainy so we can take Simon for rides, and get mini donuts. :)

I'll leave you with a sneak peek at one of the details for Delilah's nursery.

Happy Weekend! {XO}

[oh fall...]

You're my favorite. [click to view full screen]

Ruche has a LOVELY lookbook for fall that just launched, and it has me missing 'back-to-school' pretty bad! Can I buy new "school clothes" anyways?? My favorite looks are Autumn Botany and Classic Layers.

That yellow cardigan is oh-so-lovely, but I look terrible in yellow, ha! What's your favorite fall color?

ps: check out the Ruche blog for a chance to win a beautiful bag and a gift certificate!

15 weeks old.

I'm doing pretty good at getting my camera out and taking more photos of the kids. (Part of my 4 Simple Goals)

:)

[Fashion*loves] - Wilfred.

Loving the Autumn/Winter collection by Wilfred.

Here are my favorite outfits:

I always seem to have the itch for a new wardrobe around this time of year....

*Giveaway!* - That Vintage.

I am very pleased to represent a giveaway by the beautiful That Vintage. Sophie Hill is a fabulous Tasmanian gal whom I've enjoyed getting to know online, and she designs all the beautiful creations for That Vintage. (follow her on Twitter!) I have a few gorgeous items from her Etsy, and love them all! Everything is made of Tasmanian Myrtle, a pretty & lightweight wood! Up for the giveaway, we have the Winter Woods Part II Wooden Brooch, perfect for your autumn jacket, or fall cardigan. (Let's face it folks, autumn is on it's way!)
To enter, visit the That Vintage Etsy shop, tell me your favorite item, and then leave your name and e-mail in the comments! I will choose a winner on Sunday, August 29th. :)

Here are some of my That Vintage favorites.

[Winter Woods Part I - wooden earrings]

[Little Fawn Necklace]

Thanks Sophie!

Good luck, and have a fabulous Wednesday!

XOXO

>>Fast Forward.

I read books to Simon, every single day.

Every day that Simon is with his Auntie Jackie, she reads to him. He loves books, and loves being read to.

Today, Simon read a book TO ME.
He didn't even need my help. It was a very cool moment. Ryan and I were proud of him.

My kids are growing up so fast. Too fast. I need to slow down so I don't miss a step.

[Simon's Room] - Inspiration

Simon's room is coming along! I thought I would share some inspiration with you.

I love the Hippo print from Dwell Studio for Target. We got him the bedding for his upcoming birthday (this whole room project is sort of a big 3rd birthday gift, we're hoping to have it done for it, Sept. 11th)

We've painted it Coventry Grey/OC-169 by Benjamin Moore Paints.

It's a warm grey and works well with the grass green and yellow accents.

I plan on using the Eric Carle Animal Flash Cards as art for the walls! Eric Carle is Simon's favorite! (We're planning an Eric Carle themed party for him too!)
I think the Playspot Floor Tiles by Skip*Hop are awesome! It would be a great way to cover the space on his floor, and make a great spot for playing with trains, tractors, and puzzles (he looooves puzzles). It would make playing on the floor so much more comfortable too!
Here are some other wishlist items.

This plastic rocker from overstock.com.

A nice white bookshelf. I would have this laying horizontally so he could reach everything. He has "Toy Story" bins to organize his toys, and they would fit perfectly in the bottom shelves. His books and puzzles and other stuffed pals could sit in the top shelves.

I know some of you are going to ask, 'What about Buzz Lightyear?!" lol, my Mom bought him a fleece throw with Buzz on it, so he can have it on his bed and sleep with it whenever he wants. He'll be thrilled. I also want to find a big Toy Story poster for his room as well.

That's all the ideas for now! I want to incorporate some more vintage elements yet too, but we'll have to keep treasure hunting and see how it unfolds. His birthday isn't very far away, and there's lots of work yet to be done! I'm excited to have this space completed just for him. :)

*Side note: I've been feeling under the weather as you would know if you follow me on Twitter. I've got an infection (mastitis) but it's clearing up and I'm feeling much better now. I don't plan to quit nursing because of it, but it is sort of discouraging. C'est la vie. Thanks for reading.

I hope that when she's older..

[source]

...Delilah will enjoy paper dolls.

Even better, when they're fabric wall art!

Just browsing for inspiration for the kids new rooms.

What was your favorite part of your room as a child?

It's August 19th.

[prettiest arm warmers]

Where has the summer gone??

*It's one day closer to fall weather and pumpkin spice lattes, and quite frankly, that excites me.

That is all.

ps: I feel all warm and fuzzy inside from all your nice comments about Delilah's photos, thank you! xo

[Our Little Fawn] - 3 months

Time flies!! Delilah is 3 months old now. I always say the first 3 months are the toughest, and we made it! She's sleeping through the night now, and nursing is still going well. She's very generous with her smiles, and has started to actually laugh! She doesn't play strange for anyone yet, but it's mostly my SIL Jackie or I that can soothe her. Simon is still enjoying her presence and I keep wondering when that's going to change. They both make eachother smile.

Life with an almost 3 year old and a 3 month old are nuts, but we're taking it one day at a time.

...and here's a smile for you, from Simon. He wanted his picture taken too!

up for adoption. **sold**

I've decided to part with Apple. She would be more suited in a home with an owner that has more time to play with her and enjoy her. She's so pretty, and it's hard to let her go, but I know there's someone out there that would love to take her home.

She's a Cassiopeia Spice Blythe doll. She's like new, almost mint condition. I've done nothing to customize her. She'll arrive in her original box, with all of the stock accessories, and clothes. Her camera is adorable. I will also include her aqua cashmere crocheted beret that I handmade, and some cute re-ment goodies as well.

**edit: that was fast, she's sold. Looks like Apple is off to Texas!**

It'll just be me and Talula (my Simply Lilac), but I hope this beautiful Blythe can be enjoyed by a new owner.

[Pretty Advertising]

Being a business owner, I'm always thinking about marketing, branding, and advertising. Here are some ads that have inspired me lately.

I've been inspired by these HP Retail Publishing Ads. (found via Lab Partners) They're so crisp and bright! I find them very visually appealing.

This ad campaign by Stella McCartney is oh-so-pretty.

...and these Aveda Academy ads are so quirky and fun!


What advertisements are inspiring to you at the moment?