88 Miles Per Hour

When I think about our wedding, it was very much a nerd country hybrid. I wanted the everything to feel handmade, homey, family, and very much a representation of me. You know when you go into your grandma's house and there are layers of things, patterns, objects, pictures, textures, that blend into a beautiful tapestry of life and the lives that have touched throughout the years? Yeah that's me only I'm 23 years old, far from grandmothering. So what you got was lace, mason jars, Cheerwine, candy, and a Tardis wedding cake.

Me and Kasey planned that wedding in two and a half months. We had next to nothing to pay for it all. Which was no problem because I have been thrifting things for the wedding for quite a long time. I hand crocheted all the flowers. Collected all the mason jars from family members. Collected coffee cups for the last year for the favors. Handmade of the wedding invites. Family friend made hand-spun cotton candy. I DIYed pretty much every detail. I was out in grandma Maxine's garage digging out old metal wash tubs to hold the glass bottle Cheerwines. I used my own home decor to fill in the look with owls, Pyrex, glass bottles, clothes pins...and it was beautiful. It was beyond my dream wedding. So there is a tease for the upcoming fully detailed wedding post!

The point is when deciding on the cake, we knew we wanted a Tardis on the top, but I also wanted the DeLorean on it. I knew hotwheels had come out with one earlier in the year, but were proving impossible to find. In the end we had our amazing three layered, vanilla bean iced, lemon, Doctor Who cake. But I still wanted to find that DeLorean! Back to the Future is my favorite film, and trilogy, of all time. Of all time! They have been my favorite films since I can remember. But I don't own any kind of memorabilia. I tend to find things in trendy little vintage shops that are always so expensive that I wish at times to be a rich nerd.

Like this beauty. Found it in NoDa last week at a place called The Rat's Nest. It was a neat little place, but of course full of thrift finds turned over for nice profits. In others words: I can look, not buy. This was stuck up in the rafters and I began jumping up and down like a little girl. Of course it was $200. I kindly asked the man if I could take pictures and be on my way.

Fast forward to me and Kasey grocery shopping this weekend and at checkout was a small display of Hotwheels. I walk over to glance when lo and behold there it was, THE DELOREAN! For a cool $0.99!

Currently the DeLorean is residing in my purse. A constant reminder that if you put your mind to it, anything is possible! Great Scott! It's time to cook breakfast!

Easy Peasy Granny Square

A few weeks ago I realized how easily I get cold. For this reason I am always lost underneath many many layers. For the last few autumn/winters I have been wearing the same red fringed scarf, that I got at Salvation Army for $1, with pretty much every outfit. I really have loved the chunky cowls I have been seeing. I knew I could make one myself, but I always have a hard time picking out a design that I want to make. One thing was for sure, I wanted a granny square texture. The only one's I could find online were granny squares pieced together or too complicated. The ones I found online were completely overpriced. I am a sucker for Anthropologie and Etsy store handmades, but while I appreciate the designs, I cannot spend $45 to over $100 on an accessory (or much of anything clothing related actually). Solution? Make a design myself. It seemed pretty simple. Make one that was wide enough to have that chunky warmth and long enough to wrap around once. Also, cheap...very cheap. Off to Walmart I went and out I came with a skein of Red Heart Super Saver in mustard yellow for $2.40. It's my favorite go-to yarn. Sure it is cheap 100% acrylic, but it's actually pretty soft, easy to work with in any pattern, super warm, and did I mention cheap?

I needed to make a base chain and knew the first row would have to be the building block to making the rest of the piece have the same granny square design as if I was working in the round making squares. After about 20 minutes of deep thought I had it!

Easy Peasy Granny Square Cowl

Materials:

One Skein of Red Heart Super Saver 7 oz/364 yrd in any color

Hook US size H

Pattern:

ch 203

First row: dc in third ch from top, dc in next ch, ch one, skip one ch, (dc next three, ch one, skip next ch), repeat to last two ch. Ch one, skip one ch, dc in last ch, ch three, turn.

Row 2: Count ch three as dc, three dc in ch-one space, ch one, (dc in ch-one space, ch one). Repeat to last three dc group. Ch one, dc in top of turning ch. Ch three, turn.

Repeat Row 2 for twenty rows. Bind off. Place ends together and do a simple binding seem to make a circle. Bind off and weave in end.

Voila! It's the first pattern I have ever written out and shared. Usually these just sit in my red Moleskin journal. I will have to admit that I have been making these nonstop. There are just too easy! Plus the repetitive pattern it pretty relaxing to crochet. Did I mention they were cheap to make too? Oh and super cute. I think it only takes about one movie on Netflix to finish one or two episodes of Doctor Who or four episodes of Arrested Development. Since I have been working on them between housework, work work, and at night before I hit the pillow I am not exactly sure.

Wow, don't I look wonderful in this picture?!? I promise to style it better later. It really is adorable with everything.

My sweet husband who looked over at the pattern and exclaim, "I don't know what that means, but you make it into something awesome!" Goodness I love this man.

Behold! The DeLorean!

2012

Well I have ignored you for far too long, little blog of mine. I will not be doing some post about 'New Years Resolutions' and all that jazz, but of things I want to accomplish, see, do, and such in this brand new shiny year I have!

2011 was a year of change for me. I know that it is such a human way to track your life within the boundaries of a year. I would judge the first six months of 2011 as some of the hardest I have been through. When you get older, grow up, discover that you have become an individual, life takes on new challenges and flows differently. Suddenly life was less about a collective whole, but a stirring pot of my own with friendships, people, relationship, and responsibilities that had come about from my own making. I felt lost within myself. After planning a wedding for over and year and a half, suddenly we had to postpone it. My heart ached and felt as though whatever it is was we were doing in life, I didn't want to do it anymore. Kasey and I had grown apart. It was horrible. I was just so tired. Emotionally, physically, mentally...twenty-three years old and ready to quit everything. I didn't know what I wanted, but I knew I wanted happiness. I didn't know what that meant, what I would need to do, or how to get there.

It only took one conversation , one statement to change every: "I don't know what I want, but I know I don't want this."

Two days later we came back together and knew what we wanted. We wanted a life together. A life of happiness, adventure, joy, travels, discoveries, failures, love, wonder, and anything else we could experience. But we knew we wanted to do it together. I knew I wanted to do it with him. From that moment on we have just soared. I literally feel like I have experienced so much life since July. As clique as it is, you only have one life to live. One grand adventure. You only get to do this once. You have to make the most of it. God gives you each breath without promise of another. What do you want to do with that? I want to live it!

In 2011 I got to travel every time we had the opportunity. Tasted amazing food at restaurants I had dreamed of eating at or ones we stumbled upon by accident. Watched beautiful films. Met my favorite band in person. Went to concerts. Married my best friend. Bought our first car. Moved into our first home. Cooked all time. Baked recipes of my own imagination. Read every book I could get my hands on. Cried and laughed and felt emotions with every part of my heart. Did I mention I married my best friend? Sorry, that part is just really awesome! I can't help but talk about it...a lot.

For 2012 I have such excitement. If the last five months have been so beautiful with life, I cannot begin to fathom what this new year will bring. There are a few things I have in mind for this year, in no particular order:

Travel as much as possible within and outside the state.

Open up my own Etsy store to sell my handmade crochet items.

Have a booth at the Morganton festival this summer.

Blog (almost) everyday and document my fashion through the year.

Meet Jen and Abby in Chicago.

Get a pet.

Make my youtube videos every week.

Learn to accept the past.

Enjoy the moment as it is happening.

Thrift (a lot).

Cook every chance I get and explore new recipes.

Bake, all the time.

The most important thing I want to accomplish this year is to have some sort of start to my bakery. If it be my business license, funds started, recipes written, or actually having the space picked out, I want to end this year with something started on it.

And all of it starts today, right now, this moment! With that being said I will now go start on an amazing pot of cilantro lime chili for me and my precious best friend (who also happens to be my husband) for dinner.