fancy pants.

12.31.2012

Hey everyone, 
hope you all had a lovely christmas holiday and are amped and ready for one of my favorite holidays, new years eve! 
Reachel throws a themed party every year, we dress up (usually in costumes), eat themed food, play games, and ring in the new year! Costumes, food and family? How could you go wrong?
I'm working on a "Best of 2012" post that will have favorite products, music, apps, etc. that i've discovered or rediscovered this year, so stay tuned. 
and the blowfish winner is announced right here!
Have fun and be safe tonight and may 2013 be your best year yet!
<<what i wore>>
bubble necklace//j.crew sale $24
chambray top//pacsun with coupon $34
arrow necklace//stella&dot gift from marcus
bracelets//favor jewelry $20 on promo and vintage

merry christmas

12.25.2012

IMG_7373
from a redhead, a bedhead, and one crazy dog!

CLOSED: an outfit and a blowfish giveaway.

12.19.2012

The lucky winner, so says random.org is Elizabeth Connolly!

want another giveaway to celebrate the holidays?
well you're gonna get one.
blowfish shoes is giving away a pair of your choice!
<what i wore>
sweater & giraffe necklace//j.crew sale
navy striped top//h&m
green skinnies//urban outfitters
these are the cute topanga booties marcus picked out for me:
 what pair would you get?

go ahead and like them on facebook and tell me that you did.
if you really want to win you can also follow them on twitter
or tumblr or pinterest for extra entries.

good luck! 

“She would rather light candles than curse the darkness and her glow has warmed the world.”

12.18.2012

i shot these this morning of my big sister just few minutes before she headed off to the hospital.
i'm so excited to meet my new nephew--i've been pestering her to have this baby for weeks (as if i'm the one who should be complaining about how long pregnancy is...)
the baby has had some heart problems that could have been pretty serious, so we're all really grateful that the medications are working well and everything seems to be okay.
it was my first experience with indoor maternity and i thought the pictures turned out beautifully--of course when you have a beautiful home and a beautiful sister to work with, it makes my job pretty easy.
 wish her luck today!

xo, ashley

newtown.

12.17.2012

so happy to be spending time with the precious little lives i have around me this weekend.
i've been thinking and talking about the terrible tragedy that happened on friday all weekend and a rush of sadness goes over my body thinking about it now. So i wanted to share these two articles/videos because they opened my eyes to a huge importance that we're not addresses (at least not adequately).

this first video is delivered a little harsh, but at least listen starting at {1:40} because i think it's time we make a change in what we support as news viewers. 
i understand that we need to be educated on what's going on the world we live in, but perhaps our stories can be focused almost entirely on the heros and a celebration of the lives of the people who were lost, rather than becoming strangely infatuated with every detail of the killers life.

or as this incredibly touching and eye-opening article clearly points out, perhaps we could spend time, energy, and resources on figure out a better way to manage mental health issues.

I'm praying for the families who were affected so deeply by this, I'm proud of those teachers who sacrificed their life and safety for others. I hope we can figure out a way to prevent these things from happening ever again. 

I know that God loves His children and can offer comfort to anyone who seeks it--may we each seek it.

CLOSED: giveaway//ring in the new year in a pretty new dress!

12.14.2012

The Winner is Julie Davis! 
Be sure and check your email and get back to me!

Today you have the chance to win a dress of your choice!
The cheyenne is my favorite! I mean that lace! That color! 
I'd say its darn near perfect for a new years eve party!

go ahead and visit their site, Diviine Modestee and tell me what you'd choose!
for an extra entry like their page on facebook!
and if you're too anxious you can just use the code 'holidaycolor' and get 20% off

good luck and happy friday!

xo, ashley

wordless & a winner

12.12.2012

 <<what i wore>>
geo sweater//c.o. sheinside
denim//levi curve id with 40% promotion
leg-warmers//urban outfitters
happy wednesday, my head is spinning with the lists of things i need to do and the sound of a little puppy who only wants to play, so here's an outfits and the winner of the pb&j boots from last week is announced right HERE!
have a great day and good luck accomplishing the things you need to this week!

currently: busy & happy

12.10.2012

this year is a christmas of firsts.
we also went up to the rim, got a permit, and cut down our very first christmas tree which we decorated last night. 
it was such a lovely drive and poppy was the best little doggy in the world the entire trip.
it's also the first year we're also not doing presents (although i already cheated and bought just a couple for marcus and and poppy). we decided instead we would use the money to get more projects done in our house--which i'm really excited about :)
we're sending out our first christmas cards using cardstore that are currently 70% off and easy to create. I'll try and remember to post one when i get to see them printed.
how are your holidays going? anything exciting going on?
if you're from another country, i'd love to hear your traditions! we're always looking for new ones to incorporate!
xo, ashley
p.s. thank you all for the great advice and well wishes in the 'what makes you itch' post. i appreciated not feeling like we were alone in this feeling and loved hearing your ideas. 

CLOSED: a welcoming december giveaway!

12.05.2012

The Winner is Rebekah! 
I've emailed you and you have 72 hours to respond before a new winner will be selected. Congratulations!
This weekend i put the christmas light up on our condo while Marcus worked on homework inside. 
I was balancing on a tiny stool while holding a strand of fragile lights and hammering hooks into our wooden overhand--no, it wasn't my safest moment, but i couldn't help but laugh as the sun beamed down on my face--it was december and i was surrounded by trees still full of leaves, planted in lime green grass covered grounds, and i was in a light t-shirt and leggings and i was just starting to sweat. 
This is the time of year that it all pays off--living through the hellish summers almost seems worth it to be  surrounded by this instead of the 20 degrees below and never-ending winds of Rexburg, Idaho.
Yes, this is when i remember why i live here and why i'm even proud to be from Arizona.
Happy December, y'all.
<<what i wore>>
gold necklace//borrowed from sister
dark chambray top//pacsun $36
lace skirt//h&m clearance $15
leg warmers//urban outfitters sale $5
want to win a pair of these boots for yourself? you can!
just visit pb&j boutique and tell me what you're favorite item is.
besides the tabby boots i already own and the give your heart away boots i'm wearing today, these are my favorite thing on the site! oh how i wish they still had my size :/

for extra entries you can follow them on
or on istagram here
or you can pin this giveaway with the pin-it button at the bottom of this post.

+be sure to leave a form of contact

what makes you itch? how would you really enjoy spending your life?

12.04.2012

via
I felt strangely inspired by this video when i saw it.
Marcus and I have been discussing this matter, of what we really want, for sometime. 
We both went to school and got our degrees--one of us enjoyed that schooling more than the other, but we both came out of it not feeling really passionate about our career options.

We did what we were supposed to do, which was pick a major and graduate within the allotted time, but we're not sure we want to commit the rest of our lives to those paths we decided upon in our teen years.

I think it's rather amazing that some people can make that choice so early and feel satisfied in their decision. 

I envy them. 
via
I wish there weren't so many things I feel like I could love doing. 
I wish people around me wouldn't have told me those things weren't practical when I was younger. And even more, I wish I weren't too scared to try any of them--for fear of getting into something--investing that time, that money, and then either not being successful at it or not loving it like i thought i would.
via
So, instead, I find myself doing something I sort of enjoy for very little money and taking a few classes at a community college, exploring some topics of interest, in hopes of finding that thing i can be truly passionate about.

Marcus is lucky, he at least knows what that thing is, he just doesn't know if he could actually support a family doing it. After i saw this, i told him he should try, I told him we were young, we didn't have any debt, so why not?
 He got a huge grin on his face and said he had the most empowering feeling just thinking about actually doing what he knows he'll love. It made me happy to see that. I want to see that everyday.
I pray we'll be brave enough to try and passionate enough to succeed... 
via
Because like the video said, "better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing, than a long life spent in a miserable way."
via
How did you decide? Have you decided?

date night for one.

12.03.2012

it's been a long time coming, but i've been feeling really crafty lately and since marcus has been glued to the computer with finals and all, it's been an ideal time to catch up on long denied date nights with my pinterest boards. 
i've seen versions of these floating around, not sure if they all have tutorials attached, but this is the one i looked at for inspiration: HERE, although i ended up doing it a little differently.
i used similar supplies, but found them all at Joann's and used their app to get 40% off the most expensive item--that's right, i got a whopping $1.50 taken off my total... 
I also didn't get a huge thing of paint, so i didn't dip mine, i just rubbed the paint on with my finger. I only covered the front of the feather because the paint didn't want so stay on the back as nicely (and since you can't see the back, i didn't mind.)
I then used white sewing thread that i had at the house already to turn them into a garland and finally painted some tape gold and taped it on the wall. 
it's pretty technical stuff, i know...

The whole project cost about $9, but i still have extra gold paint and glitter to use on other projects.
Also, the pheasant feathers were gifted to me from my nephew, so sorry--not sure where you can get yourself some.

I'm pretty excited about how they turned out and will probably keep them around all year. 
Or who knows--they may turn into tree ornaments!
© i believe in unicorns. Maira Gall.