// Things I Love Thursday v.136 (+ Happy 4th Birthday LCH!)

This little blog is four years old today! Isn't that crazy? Not nearly as old as some of my favorites, but four years ia long time for me haha It's so crazy to think that it's been four years since I was packing up my bags for my first solo stint in NYC to work at Bust magazine. Then again, it's hard to believe that was only four years ago! Things are so different now... different in a good way though. I like to get all sentimental about this little blog. It's done so much for me. It has brought so many people into my life, and so many doors have opened. I hope the trend continues well into the fifth year and beyond. Thanks for sticking around and making it a fun blog to write day after day!

Now here's a collection of lovely things to get you through the last bit of your work week!

♥ this looks like so much fun! ♥

♥ this dress!!! ♥

♥ this! i'm so fascinated by bioluminescence. ♥

♥ watch your veggies grow with this neat planter ♥

♥ these button cookies! ♥

♥ can we talk about how fantastic this necklace is?! ♥

♥ this adorable mug ♥

♥ these pillows are so cute! ♥

♥ this silly shirt! ♥

♥ this girl had the coolest life growing up! read more about her here. ♥

// Adventurer Vintage is moving out! Snag some sweet sales while they last: 35% off everything with code MOVINGSALE, then an extra 20% off of sweaters + coats. And free domestic shipping on sale items!

// This Fresh Basil Corn Salad looks delicious! (and I'm currently starving so...)

// Roxy shared her engagement video preview! Ahhh, so cute!

// Y'all... Amanda Bynes is just a whole lot of "HUH?!" -- What on earth is going on with that girl?!

// An open letter to Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries... along with some new advertising suggestions in the form of photos. You go, Jes!

// Zach Galifinakis is amazing. No doubt.

// The best thing ever: Gizoogle! Put in your favorite blog URL or Twitter username! Or even your own! Watch the magic unfold.

// Karen's pet Panda! (It's a guinea pig named Panda... but omg!)

// Amanda is selling her Oklahoma "Warrior" print to raise funds for disaster relief in her home state.

// Have you heard about this? Jose Canseco tweets the name, photo, and whereabouts of his rape accuser.  WTF?!

// Is Anyone Else Still Traumatized By Books And Movies From Childhood? Yes: Fox and the Hound. My heart breaks every time.

What are you loving this week?

// Currently

READING: I'm about halfway through three different books, but I'd be ashamed to tell you how long it's been since I picked one of them up. I stocked up on Amazon a few months back : Sophie Kinsella, Anna Maxted, etc. (My very favorite authors!) but I've yet to allow myself time to relax and read. Our hammock is fully functional and canopied by twinkelights, so I think it's about time I took advantage of the evening cool down to read.

WONDERING: How on Earth we'll be able to churn out all of the necessary product to stock Honeybean with at Porter Flea. I know my post yesterday included much of this same worry, but I'm sitting in our living room completely surrounded by craft supplies, lists, and finished products. We made a huge dent in the production needs of items last night, but we have a long week and a half ahead of us.

FEELING THANKFUL: To be self employed and able to do what I love day in and day out. Just this morning I was working out our budget for bills, Honeybean, and "fun" when I started to panic. I worked myself all up before realizing that client invoices were due and payments would be made to us today. Running your own show isn't always the most lucrative gig, but every panic session and worry is trumped by creating things with our hands and being proud of the finished product. There is both an air of excitement and absolute fear in being 100% responsible for yourself (and family).

EATING: a lot of fresh strawberries! My mom has the best little strawberry patch and each year brings a more bountiful harvest than the last. She made mention in passing how it'd be nice to own her own little strawberry farm, and ever since she said that, I've been consumed with the adorable idea. It'd be darling, yea?

WATCHING: tonight we're set to watch the season three finale of Downton Abbey. Everyone has prepared me for the "WTF" aspect, but I'm quite intrigued. We're all done with Hart of Dixie so once DA is over, I'm not sure what we'll be watching to help pass the crafting time! Do y'all have any suggestions?!

WORKING ON: felt bows, felt flowers, repurposed button items, handpainted pennants, envelope pillows, jewelry, tents, handpainted wooden signs... you name it! All in the name of handmade and Porter Flea.

LOVING: this summer sunshine! While it's about 90 degrees with 90% humidity right now, that sunshine is pretty great! (Okay, truth be told - I spend 95% of the day indoors because the air is so thick it's hard to breathe, but I do love the option of taking a break from the daily grind to hop into the pool.

ATTEMPTING: to unload the last 35 items in Kaelah's Closet! Even after they're all gone, I'll need to clear out another load of stuff, too. I wish shipping shoes wasn't so expensive because I literally have a hundred or more pairs that I'd like to sell! - If you're keen to help me clear out these items, you can take 25% off everything at Kaelah's Closet with code 'TWENTYFIVE'! :D

WANTING: someone to kick my butt into gear early on Saturday mornings in order to take advantage of local yard sales! Some of our very best finds have been from the garages of people here in town. Some of them simply don't know what they have! -- I could also really go for a coffee shop. Small town problems!

What are you up to today?
If you're looking for something to do, share your own Currently post on your blog and leave a link to it below! I'd love to know how you're spending your day! (Currently post inspired by Danielle's feature!)

// Navy + Chambray

I think this is my favorite outfit to wear as of recently. Something about the blue on blue, dots and stripes. To be fair, the cardigan came into play during a nice two-day reprieve of the heat, but I've been wearing this dress to death. I picked it up at JCPenney last weekend and seriously, that store blew my mind! I haven't shopped in a JCP in well over 10 years, though I do appreciate the Sephoras inside! I liked a dress on a recent JCP commercial so we decided to stop by while we had some time to kill last Saturday. Mike nearly never got me to leave! I probably pulled 20 dresses to take to the fitting room the first round, then we maybe stopped at another JCP on the way home haha! Every single dress was on sale and they had extra 20% coupons to add on top of everything. I was seriously in heaven! Mike even managed to find some incredibly flattering khaki shorts, too. We're planning on heading back to stock up on a few pair for him because they're the perfect length and price ($13!). This IZOD tote bag was also a major sale find - I snagged it at TJ Maxx a while back on clearance for only $15. I bought it because I knew it'd be the perfect vacation bag. It's a nice size and will come in handy for sunscreen, iPad, towels, etc. I love me a good sale find.

This weekend was a nice relaxing (albeit hot!) one. Saturday Toby and I spent the day over at my parents' house while Mike took care of some stuff out of town. We all loaded up in the evening and drove over to the Pink Cadillac drive-in to see The Croods and Iron Man 3. We popped popcorn and stocked up a cooler, then loaded up some camping + crescent chairs for comfort. The Croods was adorable and Iron Man 3 was fantastic. I was a bit distracted though, as shooting stars blew up the sky. We saw the most amazing one that looked exactly like a firework (but wasn't, obviously haha). Seeing the stars like that is one major perk of living out in the country. I don't miss that light pollution one bit! Toby knocked out in a blanket bundle as IM3 started and slept it out in the Jeep until I tucked him into bed. My stepdad saw a flyer saying that the drive in will potentially close down in August due to the cost of running it, so we're planning on seeing as many movies there as possible. I'll be so bummed when it goes - It's such a staple for growing up around here! I wish we could buy it and make it over. Wouldn't that be so fun?! Sunday was spent cleaning the house (finally!) and then lounging around over at my parents' again. Toby played in the sprinkler and then we grilled out for dinner. Being able to see our families so much is the icing on the cake for living down here. I really really thought we were going to hate it... but it turned out to be just what we needed!

After we got home last night we started pulling out some crafts to prototype and sketch. We're in crunch mode for Porter Flea which happens on May 31st + June 1st. We took on way fewer designers this go around because we phased everyone out, so we have some huge shoes to fill. We're trying to give our local customers something new and exciting, and I'm really stoked on unveiling a lot of our recent efforts. Part of me is also panicking because not only do we have to prepare for Porter Flea, but I also have to keep up with other work such as designs and sign orders. I'm not even sure why I opened up the sign shop on Etsy... I think I've sold all of 2 on there, but a few dozen via email. I've been having a lot of repeat customers lately who bought their first one for the holidays, and are now buying them for wedding season! (Seriously, they make the best wedding gifts!) I've been toying with ways to make them festival-market ready by using quotes and things like that, but I've almost run out of supplies so I can only hope to have them at Porter Flea. I guess that's a good problem to have! Are any of you local Nashvillians coming?! I'd love to see you! If we've never met, please drop by the booth and say hello!

Today it's supposed to hit at least 90* and the humidity is seriously deadly. I'm hoping I can get enough work done early on so we can sneak over to my parents' house for some pool action. Then it'll be back to the grind. The next two weeks will be pretty crazy, but shortly after Porter Flea we'll be able to pack up our swimsuits, hop in the RV and set sail for the beach! Ahh! Vacation cannot come soon enough!

Here's to hoping you have a super productive (and air conditioned!) Monday xo

JCPenney dress (similar)
Forever 21 cardigan
IZOD tote
MIA Jukebox wedges

// Nautilus

Ever since the sun started to come out in full force I've noticed that my hair is getting a lot lighter. Not that that's magic or anything, but it's making my nearly-black roots that much more noticeable. Every morning when I look in the mirror I have to ask myself "When is it going to just look way too lazy?" Prior to keeping my hair dyed bright, bright red (for 2.5 years), I hadn't dyed my hair in about 6 years, so it was 100% natural in color. I really like the whole "less upkeep" thing (red was exhausting honestly) but I'm not huge on the ombre trend... I just can't bring myself to dye over my roots/natural color. It's probably super silly to even worry that much about it, right? Even worse to dedicate a whole paragraph to it? 

This dress is a trusty ol' Nine West number. You know how much I love them! I picked it up at Marshall's a few weeks back because I loved the white eyelet detail at the top. Plus I love a good navy polka dot dress (I own too many!) It's always a good day to wear MIA Jukebox wedges, too. Mike snapped a little picture (above) of my new Lisa Leonard necklace that I totally adore. It's dainty and simple, but definitely means a lot. (You can get your last minute entries in to win an LL piece of your own HERE!) You can't really tell on my clutch but there's some suede detail on the front flap that totally reminds me of a watermelon. All of the red does my sunburn no favors but I'm happy to report that it's finally turning!

Sometimes I really appreciate this blog (I mean, I always appreciate it, but you know). I feel like it's helped me sort of "work through" a few issues over the years. For example: I'm no stranger to going without a cardigan in public, and I've even posted on LCH without one on many occasions. Even still, each and every time I decide to skip the sweater on the internet, I get nervous. It's a natural reaction to any sort of body hangup we have about ourselves, but I've found that by just putting it out there, it helps make me more likely to do it again in the future. My arms are far from my favorite feature and it's so great to see so much body positivity and confidence in the blog world. Now I'm just rambling, but I guess I just want to say thanks for help making LCH a place for personal growth. Hopefully you've found something over the years that has helped you along the way, too!

Now I'm going to go enjoy a little bit of sunshine before the storms roll in! We didn't even leave the house yesterday because it rained and rained and rained! 24 hours gave me total cabin fever! Happy Saturday! xo

Nine West dress via Marshall's

Hand-stamped necklace c/o Lisa Leonard (win your own here!)

MIA Jukebox wedges

// Mintsicle

First things first - check out that sunburn! It was not nearly as bad as it appears in the photos... or maybe it was and it just didn't feel like it. I tried taking advantage of the first "summery" day earlier this week by laying out on my parents' deck. I know it's super bad to roast yourself in the sun, but it was nice and relaxing for the hour that I had to myself. I didn't feel like I got any sun really, but the sunburn showed up later that night in all it's glory! Every one of my tattoos were slathered with SPF 50+, but I guess I got a lil' big for my britches by putting some tanning oil on the non-tattooed parts. Yow! Lesson learned. I think I prefer the sun-less rub-on kind of tan haha Moving on... (that photo below... yeah I don't know that. The pose is redonk.)

How amazing is this dress? Don't you love how I say that about every dress ever?! Well, this dress was a challenge. I first saw it at TJ Maxx a couple of months ago and immediately knew I had to have it. It was a Jessica Simpson dress and the only size they had was a 6. HA! Good luck KB. I took down all of the tag information and proceeded to call every single TJ Maxx in middle Tennessee on the hunt for it. I found it in a size 10 at one store, but I didn't like the length. A few weeks later I found it in a 14 at a store but it was too big. Lo and behold one fateful shopping day, I found it in a 12! Huzzah! I had seriously returned this very same dress at least 2 or 3 times on my weeks-long hunt, but I finally found it! I was *this* close to paying full retail price ($138! but it's currently 40% off!) at Nordstrom just to have it, but I saved a whopping $88 by snagging it for under $50! If you watch New Girl then you may recognize it as the same dress that Zooey Deschanel wore on the show recently. I've had it for a few weeks now and the newness still hasn't worn off. I love it so much. It's a nice, thick fabric with some crochet detailing. It won't whip around in the wind!

I paired it with my trusty ol' polka dot cardigan and my new favorite necklace (it's even prettier in person!) from The Northern Sea. Seriously, this necklace is on point. I feel like it's the perfect complement to the JS dress. Mike actually picked out the shoes for this outfit. I was leaning toward my MIA Jukebox wedges (as always!) but realized I had worn all 3 pairs I own just this week. A nice neutral platform for the win.

Wednesday we drove up to Nashville to have dinner with two of my favorite people (and best friends) in the world: Elle and Bryan. They're packing up and moving to North Carolina in just 8 days and my heart is breaking. I'm going to miss them so much! I grew up 3 doors down from Bryan and we lived together for a while when I was in college (you may remember that if you were a reader of LCH from the very beginning!). Elle has been one of my dearest friends since freshmen year at O'More... I don't know what I'll do with myself! They just happen to be moving to our very favorite place (Wilmington!) so we're definitely going to visit, but I wish there wasn't going to be 700 miles between us. // Thursday was more of a laid back day, though Toby had a speech appointment so we did quite a bit of driving. Then when we got home his little neighbor friend came over to play. I love living where we do because Toby has so many friends to share his days with. It's really fun to see him grow as a social little dude.

Today I'm really hoping to finish up the last of some lingering design work for the week, and then get started on moving in Honeybean inventory. We open our doors for the first time this year in just 2 weeks, but we feel so unprepared! There are so many products that need to be made, ordered and accounted for. This is the first weekend in a while that we don't have any definite plans. I'm hoping it'll include a lot of relaxation and maybe some pool action, but I'm getting antsy for camping in the RV already! Any of y'all planning anything exciting for the weekend?!

Jessica Simpson dress via TJ Maxx (currently on sale!)

Forever 21 cardigan

Mint bib necklace c/o The Northern Sea

Blowfish shoes