4.29.13

This week was a little harder. Maybe I just had a lot on my mind.
Sometimes when I am doing lots of creating it is because I am inspired and sometimes it is just because I have things on my mind I do not want to deal with.

1. my happy place
2. berries
3. crafting outside
4. smoothie season
5. tag, you're it

4.14.13

1. My LaLa obsession might be becoming a problem
2. Baby sister and I in Colorado for her college visit
3. Pretty cakes
4. Old buildings
5. Downtown Denver
6. I brought one of these home for my Love
7. Loved this store, sucker for supporting handmade!
8. A little piece of Denver home with me

until next week... and maybe sooner:)
xoxo j

Finding your feet again.

So here we are again. Weeks which turn into months between updates and I am left feeling a little defeated. I have received many sweet messages, notes, and pushes of love about when I will be blogging again. I would simply respond "soon" until I started being honest.

The real truth is I feel a little lost.
I went from planning a magical DIY filled wedding to a complete season of newness and change.
Which has in turn left me feeling uninspired and, bluntly, like I do not have anything left to contribute to the creative world. As melodramatic as that may seem, in the past I could not go a day without sewing or even a day without journaling about something I wanted to make. Now I rarely sit at my machine and my empty notebook pages are crying.
I feel completely overtaken by life, the grown up-ness of it all. I feel unsure which direction I want to go in this new phase or what I have really accomplished thus far. It makes my heart heavy not to be sharing with you because my life with Greg is the beautiful part. All the fun and laughter that goes into our days together I so want you to see but internally I am so, well, blah that I have no energy to even share the happy parts with you.
I am thankful for friends who get me in this adjustment period. For long distance loves like Beth, who encourage me on, who help me brainstorm, and reinvent my ideas.
Thankful for people like Hayden. Who treat my tattoo touch ups like therapy sessions and helps me know I am not alone in this season. That makers and creators of all sorts have hit this place and made it out okay. And for my love Greg, who would literally do anything to make me feel myself. Who I am sure would reach into the sky and bottle a piece of the sun if I needed him to.
SO WHAT AM I DOING TO GET OUT OF THIS PLACE?
well, seeing that I cannot seem to figure out where I am going from here the only thing I can think of is to dig down to the roots of what may have changed and replant.

Project One.
Take more pictures.
If you know me you may think this is impossible. Since I was a little girl I never left home without a camera and in my adulthood I have rarely left the house without two or three different kinds of cameras.
But in the age of the iphone I have to admit I take WAY less pictures with my actual cameras (meaning none). It's just so convenient! My iphone is far less weight to cart around in my little handbag, and I have built in editing that I can do on the go!
Except when I look back at the previous months it infuriates me that I am scanning through my phone instead of looking at my computer screen. I feel like I have no real photos of our memories lately.
So I am challenging myself to take at least five photos a week.
Here are some I took in the last two:

1. drinking out of straws is the only way to go.
2. a belated birthday celebration.
3. babysitting a new friend.
4. a sea of painted dinos.
5. my little peach.
6. family time.
7. coffee catch up with a dear friend.

Hopefully this is a step in the right direction. I love this space, I have been growing here four years now and I would hate to lose touch completely. Maybe some newness is all we need.

"This is what it's like

Finding your feet again

The part of you that couldn't 

Finally thinks you can"

xoxo jess

bean.

This little face brings me to much joy.
Hope you are having a lovely Sunday.
xo jess

The Truth About Being A DIY Bride.

Six months later and I think I am finally ready to start sharing with you.
I am ready to let you in on all the secrets, all the things we learned, and everything you really need to know about planning a wedding yourself.

So you are thinking about being a Do It Yourself bride, well kudos to you. I can tell you truthfully that taking the time to make your wedding personal is one of the most rewarding things when looking back at your special day. I will also tell you it is one of the hardest endeavors you will ever take on.

Here are the basics:

Start early.
No matter how on top of things you might feel, the truth is you're not. I started so many projects MONTHS in advance and was still left the night before my wedding with a list full of things left to do. I was eventually told I had to pick 5 and let go of the rest. (thanks B)

Be Open.
When planning a wedding that may be slightly against the grain, expect challenges. You might have to tweak the picture in your head slightly to make your dream wedding everything you hoped. Things are likely not to go your way because what you're doing is not the "norm". I thought finding a dress would be a easy peasy because I was so specific but because my specific was not whats popular. There was only 1 or 2 dresses for me to try on and each bridal shop, thank goodness I had a Maid of Honor willing to hunt dresses down for me and drive all over to find them!

Let People Help.
Dear friends, I am sorry this took me so long to learn. Love, Jess
Your friends are not out to sabotage your wedding so let them help! I am the queen of independence and "I can just do it myself" but let me tell you something, you cant. The truth is this is a HUGE event that you cannot possible tackle alone. Let people in, delegate, trust people. I specifically can recall wanting to personally hang every ribbon and set every table myself. This wasn't realistic, I finally had to pass over my boxes of wedding magic to some sisters I trusted. I did not even see the end result until I was walking into my reception. Let me tell you they made my wedding into the whimsical place I had dreamed. Honestly, it most likely would not have even turned out as wonderful if I did it myself because I was so stressed I couldn't have cleared my mind enough to make it happen.

Have Fun.
I will not give you a false sense of reality, planning my wedding was really hard. I had so many things go wrong I could write you a book. But when I look back I also have crazy memories of last minute trips to Boston, hitting up every yard sale in a 50 mile radius, and late night craft sessions I really wouldn't have changed anything. I learned a lot about myself and the people I am surrounded by.

These are just my first thoughts. Throughout this season I will share some of our personal DIY projects and tidbits about how we did it, and how to survive.
But most importantly I just want to stress to you that it is only a day. Your marriage is the truly beautiful thing. When the flowers die, rentals go back, and the music quiets, your marriage will be the lasting thing. That is was you want to make sure you're taking the most time to invest in.

xoxo j

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