amazing paper cuts

oh. my. word.

i LOVE these papercuts. what gorgeous works of art. they are from madebyjulene.com, and (of course) julene is British. her site is chock full of blow-me-away pieces (i could have posted a hundred more pictures) AND she has some available on etsy. i think the above two are my favorites though it's hard to choose. i'm storing this find for upcoming wedding gifts!

home for the holidays

merry christmas, all! my sister and i are heading out today for chicago to see my family. i really can hardly wait - my nana and gampy are already at the house, my youngest sister is home from college, my mom has White Christmas ready to be watched, and my dad has promised fresh homemade cinnamon rolls (he makes the best ones!). they have lots of snow on the ground and i can't wait to go sledding (never too old, right?)!

i'm looking forward to watching modern family (we're obsessed) curled up in my parents' bed with my sisters and some quiet time of reflection and prayer in our reading room (my favorite room in the house). my aunts are also throwing me my first bridal shower while i'm home!

i always get pretty emotional during christmas. thinking about the love of God embodied in a child. being overwhelmed by how much i love and cherish my family. and, this year, missing m. it seems unnatural to part with my best friend for my favorite time of year, but i know we have every christmas from this time forward together. thank God for that.



i'll be posting randomly over the next week or so, so please say hi if you're also on the blogosphere! wishing you all a merry, merry christmas!

featured on united with love

i'm so excited to announce that some of our engagement pictures were featured on United With Love, a blog about weddings in the DC area! i've been shy to post these pictures but since they are already exposed to the greater web world, i thought i'd share them with you.

the post where our pictures appear is one in which our talented, amazing engagement photographer, eric kelley, and his wife, lora elaine (my makeup and hair stylist) share some tips about what to wear for engagement sessions! i'm incredibly flattered that they chose our photos to showcase their work. m and i have been so blessed to call eric and lora friends, and i just about fell over when they offered to take some photos of us around town. both of them are insanely talented and have gorgeous websites. i loved working with them because they are both laid back and made the shoot comfortable and fun, but above all, they are incredibly committed to their craft - which comes through in the photos.



ah, isn't m handsome in his suspenders? he was a great sport for the shoot. i can't wait to marry him!

i highly recommend eric and lora for your engagement or wedding photos! but book early - these two are in high demand! and check out United With Love. the post has some great advice for looking good on camera.

book page wreath

remember when i had mentioned that i'd been wanting to make the book wreath featured on the jones design company blog? well... i did it! check out jones design (it's amaaazing!) for full instructions. i have to say, my wreath turned out pretty differently from hers, but i still love it. she said it took her about two hours, but i have to warn you - mine definitely took longer (i think i watched 3 movies over the course of a week or so). and three whole books. and an entire pack of hot glue sticks i had just bought. but - so worth it, don't you think?

i made mine a bit fuller than hers by placing all of the folded book pages close together, overlapping the edges as i went around. i hung it in the hallway for now (please excuse my bad photography!) but i'm thinking it might make a cute decoration at the wedding (especially since m and i love reading together. it represents us well!).

christmas - it's almost here

i can hardly believe christmas is less than a week away. i still have one gift to buy and several to wrap. m and i will be going our separate ways for our last christmas as non-marrieds (crazy!), so i am headed off to chicago later this week and he to north carolina. it's amazing to think that next year, we will be each other's new family. i'm geting excited about starting new traditions with him. this year, we are celebrating together tomorrow with a christmas dinner and some gift opening (i can't wait to see him open his! wish i could tell you what it is).

then my sister and i fly to chicago where we will spend the next week with my mom's side of the family, playing with baby cousins and eating my mom's incredible cooking. we all go over to my aunt's house on christmas eve for a cookie decorating contest (my uncle, who owns this design firm in chicago, always wins.) then head out to church (where we always have a candlelit singing of o' holy night - my favorite). before bed, we all, including adults, get to open one gift from my nana and gampy, and it's always pajamas or slippers to wear to bed that night. (i love the below nightie from jcrew).


do y'all have any christmas traditions? they're my favorite and i would love to learn about yours!

cashmere coat

as i was scouring etsy for some last-minute christmas gifts, i came across this gorgeous coat. i love winter white coats, and this one is all cashmere and silk satin. love the high collar and the bow waist. it only makes sense that the shop is in england.

gifts for baby be

my family has decided to try something new this year with gifts. my mom drew names and matched everyone up in my extended family, so we are buying for just one person. i must have done something really sweet because i got paired with my little, less than a year old, baby cousin Bennett. she's precious and cuddly and everything a sweet little girl should be. i've had the best time finding cute things for her. isn't the little hat above adorable? an etsy find for only $20! click on the images for their source!



these soft toys are perfect for cuddling.



these painted, wooden animals are amazing - the company makes almost every animal imaginable!





and a few stylish accessories to keep baby warm! let me know if you have other suggestions!