Closet craving :: Purchases on a dime.

Back in early February, I showed you this hat that I was craving...

However, $98 was way to steep for my budget.  Claire (check out her blog!) made the perfect suggestion though!  She mentioned getting a cheap fedora and pinning a cute flower to it.  I haven't been on a hardcore search for a Fedora, and on my tiny budget, I typically just check over the accessories section at Target.  Last weekend I purchased this cutie for only $12.99...

While it is definitely a different material, and I didn't get it with pinning to it in mind, I like it!  It's a good switch from my "touristy" fedora that I got from the Eugenia Kim Target collection last year.

Although that fedora is the same style as the $98 Anthro one above.  I could always cut off the parrot (which I'm eh about anyway) and pin something there.  I'm excited about my cheap Target score from this year though.  It feels more like a wear-anyday hat.

I've also been craving some brown oxfords since last August!  I can only hope that they'll still be in next season because a flat, brown shoe is perfect for standing all day in my classroom.  I saw this picture of Sydney, from The Daybook, and had to check out her shoes!

I immediately headed over to Threadsence to check out the shoes.  To my surprise, the shoes were $33!!!!  What?!  Next to check the sizes...certainly my size 6 could not be in stock.  But YES!  Size 6 was in stock!!!  I immediately put in my order.  And no joke, 3 days later, my shoes arrived!

[Sorry to break the news, but they are all sold out now]

I can't wait to break them in and wear them next week to school!  And here's to hoping the trend sticks around for at least another year...

3/8/2011.

Our one year anniversary.  What a crazy and wonderful year it has been with D.  I mentioned some memorable dates in our March from a year ago yesterday.  And of course a full re-cap of our 2010 is here.  I will forever remember March 8, 2010 by my wedding tattoo

[Wedding tattoo right over my heart...original can be seen here]

The week before our anniversary, D had been out of town.  I had a stressful week home alone.  On my way home Friday, he surprised me by telling me to pack up.  We headed to a little mountain cabin in Boone, NC. 

[Our little cabin getaway]

We brought the dogs with us (which is always the hard part about traveling...it's so expensive to board if we can't take them with us).

 [Marlee chilling by the fire...gas logs which were so easy!]

 [They have a tough life]

Friday we stopped at the grocery store and stocked up on breakfast food for Saturday morning.  We relaxed and enjoyed the cable (which we don't have at home now) and hot tub!  

 [The cabin was a little studio with moose decor]

 [The hot tub on the back porch overlooking the creek]

 [Notice the creek in the right hand corner and how low it is]

It rained all day Saturday, but that didn't stop us from checking out the city of Boone, drinking, and eating.

 [Of course we had to stop in to a local bar for a beer or two]

  [Fried green tomato BLT with goat cheese...yum]

We woke up on Sunday to check out and the creek was completely flooded!  Luckily we didn't have a problem getting out.  Unfortunately, the neighbors looked like their bridge was flooded!

 [The rushing river on Sunday after a full day of rain downpour]

We had a wonderful, relaxing anniversary weekend.  It was the perfect refreshing escape from reality.  A wonderful way to celebrate one year later.

Am I being too forward if I ask you to...

...Tweet me?!  I finally gave into the twitter and am utterly baffled and confused by it.  Figured I'd take the plunge.  Goodbye facebook and all the family "friends" with their religious quotes or daily "uplifting" quotes.  I hope I can take a good long hiatus from obsessing over facebook statuses and funnel my free time into twitter.  Now I just need more friends ;)

Here I am!

Ps. While you're clicking around and checking things out, check out Megan's awesome giveaway!  Unlike me she's lucky and won two giveaways in like one week, so she's giving back! 

I'm a little late, but better late than never, right?

March marks quite a lot of anniversaries for me (and D) this year.  It's really surreal looking back on this past year.  D and I were talking about friends we know who are on the "baby track" and making predictions as to when certain couples would have a baby.  He made a prediction for a year for a particular couple we know.  It got me thinking, and I mentioned to him, about how different a year is when you get older.  Thinking back to middle school (and seeing my middle school students) and high school, a year was an eternity!  It was impossible that we could quickly get to that next summer break.  Even as a college student, I had a little concept of a year as I preoccupied my mind with drinking, drama, and boyfriends (shudder a bit here).  Now, at almost 26 (which in itself feels surreal), a year can quickly and easily fly by.  I know having children make the process feel like it flies even quicker.  I know I just did a reflection on my past year for New Years, but I want to take another step back and look specifically at March one year ago.

March 6, 2008
We arrived in Aruba for our elopement/honeymoon.  And to think, we weren't even engaged a year before.

March 8, 2010
Our wedding day.  Perfect.  I would never change it for anything.

March 14, 2010
Return from Aruba.  We immediately pack up my car and I head from Athens, GA to Raleigh, NC, cats in tow but husband not.

March 15, 2010
My first day in North Carolina AND as a teacher.

March 15-March 30, 2010
The cats and I spend a lonely and hectic time in Raleigh.  We have no furniture, expect an ottoman and air mattress.  We have cable and internet.  We have no D or doggies.  I'm trying to continue to plan our wedding party and drive 5+ hours back to Athens every weekend.

March 27, 2010
Our wedding party back in Athens.

March 2011 marks my one year wedding anniversary, my one year anniversary in Raleigh, and my one year anniversary teaching.  A year really can fly by...

Pretty perfect day.

Look at me! I had a day away from students, posted now THREE blogs in one day (record I believe, came home and shredded it, went to the lake for a run (we'll ignore how TERRIBLE it was), and now watching the new Skins DVD I finally received from Netflix (waiting since January!!).




And now if only I didn't have to go back to school tomorrow. But positivity in check...three more days until the weekend, D comes home, and a teacher work day Monday. Bring it on Wednesday!

Ps. I'm thinking about getting a twitter...but I'm scared to take the plunge.

-BlogPress post

Call me crazy but...

My goal for 2011 was to run more.  I haven't run another 5k this year, and I've started slacking off running at all.  Boo.  Remember back in February, I talked about starting Jillian's 30 day Shred.  Well I started it alright, and then fell right off that wagon after about three days.  Coincidence or not, I re-started it last Monday and accomplished another 3 days last week before Carrie mentioned the shred today!  I'm not on twitter, but I'm psyched that Carrie has linked facebook with her twitter.  If you're dead to the world like me and don't have twitter, go on her to Carrie's post here, check out her awesome blanket and like her on facebook!  Anyway, I'll be using hers and others motivation to keep up with the shred!

Now this is where I get crazy...I'm thinking about pulling the full monty and begin training for a half marathon.  Um...am I ready?  The half I'm looking at is the Outer Banks Half Marathon in November.

November is a really long time away.  Most of the training schedules I found online (um, the free ones...I'm not ready to dish out money for a training program unless it's with a real person) are for 9-12 weeks.  I found a pretty simple one from here which is 12 weeks long.  It's pretty do-able.  After those 12 weeks, I want to upgrade to this plan from Runners World which is 9 weeks long.  I think I need to do the double duty training since I'm a pretty low/slow beginner.    I'm not nervous about not being able to do it (ok, maybe a little) as much as not following through.  Obviously my biggest exercise issue becomes follow through/motivation.  I still haven't met too many friends here in Raleigh, especially ones who are new/slow runners, and I'm not sure how to find a running buddy.  I don't want to dish out money for a trainer.  How do you maintain your motivation?!

I have been using Lose It on my iPhone and online to track my calories and weight again.  I fell off the wagon just a tad bit last night with some left over Thin Mints, so I didn't weigh myself this morning (and I never do it Monday after I indulge over the weekends).  It's nice keeping track of what I put in again.  I'll weigh in tomorrow and hope to see something good.  D is off touring the east coast without me this week, so it's a lot easier to focus on eating better and drinking less.  I'm worried about getting off track when he comes back (it's so hard to track calories when you eat out).  I'm looking forward to no school in the summer and focusing on my fit-nessss, but I have to look good in this swimsuit before summer officially hits!

[Simple and classic.  Digging all of Antropologie's swimsuits this season!  Check out the fab one pieces too!

Bringing it all together.

Yesterday I told you about my seemingly awesome vintage map project for D for our one year anniversary.  I was only able to find 3 decent frames from my local thrift stores.  I went on the search for cork to use as the back.  It turns out I have a Michael's store right down the road from me (yay!), and they had a couple cork options.  The first was a set of 4 cork tiles.  These seemed like the best option as they were thick (and I needed something to account for the missing glass in the frames) and pre-cut squares (less work for me).  The cost of a set of 4 tiles was $10.99!  What?!  I had seen some other cork projects on Young House Love, and they scored $5 cork tiles from Target!  I checked both Targets near me with no luck.  My other option at Michael's was a roll of cork for $3.99.  The cork definitely was not as think or nice.  I got a pack of both and figured I'd work with it. 

This is the large frame I decided to use for the 1914 US map.  The blue mat came with framing that beautiful duck photo.  I had to trim the mat a little and decided to use the roll of cork for ease.  I would have had to use almost an entire pack of cork squares, so the roll was perfect here.

[Sorry!  I just can not get Blogger to rotate this]

And ta da!  First and centerpiece of project done!  It didn't take that long.  I ended up buying the rest of the frames (and had to get another set of tiles and another roll of cork) from Michael's on sale.   

[Final US map in theformer "duck" thrifted frame]

If I would have had more time and energy, I would have trimmed the mat more on the top and bottom.  I added the mat because the dark frame with the brown cork was just too brown.  I may still go back and trim that down. 

[I used colored pins because that's what I already had.  I only marked where we have been together.  We realized we have so much more to explore!]

[US map again, South America, and Australia]

[Europe and North America]

I chose to include North America since the US map would not include places like Canada or Aruba (where we "eloped"). 

[Europe framed in the former thrifted hideous 3-D flower frame]

[North America in the former thrifted creepy girl frame]

[Vintage maps don't always have every location, so I hot-glued some locales that weren't there or visible on pin tops]

 [Africa map in a Michael's frame (which D especially liked).  Not backed with cork since it wasn't visible.  I saved money and used cardboard from the original frame]

 [Asia map in a Michael's frame]

This is definitely my least favorite.  It just didn't turn out well.  The frame is crap.  It's a perfect size, but it was cheap and a bad make for this project.  I also got a bit off on my cork cutting.  I want to re-frame this one.

 [South America in a Michael's frame.  Probably one of my favorites due to the perfect fit]

 [Australia, etc. in a Michael's frame.  Hope to mark New Zealand off this one in a few years!]

And there you are!  We're still not 100% sure where we want to hang them yet.  But I'll be sure to post pictures.  In all, the project cost around $150 max.  It was probably closer to $120.  I probably could have researched other ideas for finding vintage maps, but I like that most of these are different sizes and have different looks.