Guest post: La Vie En Clothes

Hey everyone! I'm Gabi from La Vie En Clothes, and I am super thrilled to be guest posting for Jess while she is away at Cornerstone! Can't tell you how much I admire this girl. I've been following her blog for a while now watching her prepare for the exuberant joys of her wedding and marriagehood, of which I am extremely jealous incredibly happy for her ;) Congratulations to the lovely couple!

I am always so inspired by Jess's craftiness and Do-It-Yourself personality. She has given me so many ideas as to how I want my own wedding to look (only 45 more days!) This summer I've been turned on to crafting more than I ever have before, and I want to take this opportunity to share...

Why crafting is not just for grandmas anymore!
(And lonely people who don't go out much)

We still love you, Steve Carell <3

So, maybe you're planning a special event or a party on a tight budget. Or maybe your room decor could use some spicing up. Or maybe the summer is dragging on and you're beyond bored. Crafting may be perfect for you! Here are a few reasons why:

1. Crafting is inexpensive. (And we're broke as a joke!) Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, but I've found that more often than not, the materials needed for DIY projects are pretty cheap. Aside from the essentials like glue, tape, rulers, etc., you can find a lot of supplies at secondhand shops! Colorful patterned fabrics, glass jars/vases, old photographs and frames, and even furniture that could use some creative alteration all can be found for less than $10 at your local thrift store.

2. Crafting is personal. Okay, so buying an already-made gift at the store or paying someone to decorate for you does have its conveniences. But what I really love about making something yourself is how special it is. It really shows you took the time and energy out of your day to make that perfect gift that only you and your friend know the inside joke behind it. My good friend Zak spent days building this beautiful bike for his girlfriend, Allison, who also happens to be a genius crafter!

3. Crafting lets you create something unique and innovative out of something old or bland. Case and point. Look at this freakin' repurposed TV that is now a mini bookshelf!

4. Crafting is relaxing. After a long day of work or school, I know my first impulse is to veg out in front of a computer or TV screen. Why not accomplish something with our hands instead? Right now I'm working on these fabric flowers for the wedding that are so easy and adorable, but they're extremely time consuming. So whenever I feel like unwinding, I whip 'em out and craft mindlessly away with some music or a podcast on in the background. An even more fun option is to throw a DIY party! Invite some friends over, buy a ton of junkfood, and craft on like it's 1995.

So now that I've sold you over to the wonderful world of DIY, here are some helpful websites to get you started: Grosgrain, Urban Outfitters DIY, How About Orange, and Craftzine :)

Thanks for reading my guest post, guys. Hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to stop by my blog, La Vie En Clothes, to say hi!

throw your soul through every open door

Oh my goodness.

I have been so busy.

I just realized its been 10 days since my last post - crazy.

To fill you in on what's been going on in my life I'm going to do a sort of awkward and awesome post

similar to what this lady does each week.

So, the awkward things

1. While driving on the interstate I saw a twenty something man driving a convertible porshe with a "kids first" license plate and the top down....it was pouring.

2. I have an obsession with toll house ready bake cookies.

but this week I burned the craps out of them

...two days in a row

so sad

3. Yesterday, while driving downtown my little sister Madi yelled "Ew! OMG" and pointed out a teenage boy who had his pants around his knees.

So I promptly yelled "PULL YOUR PANTS UP" out my window.

He deserved it.

But he still gave me the bird.

I thought you weren't allowed to flip off pretty girls with children in the car...

4. I got in a little arguement with a cashier at Joann's over my change

like one of those "are you sure that's right...?" moments

turns out she was.

...and I'm a math major

so embarrassing.

5. Getting lectured by the husband about the correct way to paint a wall

...while he painted the ceiling the wrong color.

And now the awesome things

1. Picked up a new Iphone 4 for the husband

Now he can send me cute texts that make me so happy and call me on his lunch break :)

2. Painted our bathroom a pretty shade of grey

and now its super cute

3. My sisters spent the night and we had tons of fun painting and cooking and watching Narnia :)

4. Husband and I both decided that we should paint the kitchen green before we talked about it.

and now we've picked out the prettiest shade!

its going to be insanely cute.

5. I've been working on these:

they make me giggle

And I think husband likes them more than I do...

6. And finally...

I got myself a fancy new job :D

I'm now a customer service rep at an insurance agency

it's like...a big girl job

I'm a little nervous

Also, I've become obsessed with fawns

And this little guy!!

I have a packed schedule this weekend.

CD release for an amazing band  tonight and then movies with a dear friend.

Art show on Saturday.

And Aus and I are planting a new lawn on Sunday.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

turn that frown upside down,

Jess

with grace in your heart and flowers in your hair

this is one of my favorite outfits

the top and skirt are so easy to remix and super comfortable

I probably wear this wayyyy too often :)

the red rose is actually just a hair tie that I wrapped around the belt

my mom used to make fun of me for wearing black all the time

so one day I threw the rose on to tease her and have worn it that way since

top- target, skirt-thrifted, belt- ...not sure

{ignore my white, pasty skin :) }

unfortunately, my clumsiness prevented me from taking better photos.

right after I started taking pictures, I smashed my toe on my makeshift tripod

and had to run inside to get ice.

topped of my afternoon rather well - hah.

...I'm planning to pick up a real tripod today

my Anthropologie catalog came in the mail the other day

if you haven't yet, go check it out here

preferably now

I promise you will not be disappointed

especially on pages 28, 29, 30, 32,

and 34 (that sweater is to die for)

have a wonderful day!

turn that frown upside down,

Jess

P.S. I've got myself a job interview this afternoon - wish me luck!

for some inspiration

If you haven't already, go read this.

Its lovely.

And listen to this while you read :)

went to the chapel

My apologies for the unintended blogging hiatus.

As I mentioned last week, I came down with a nasty sinus infection right before the wedding.

And I've had to spend the last few days in bed recovering. 

I haven't been this sick in years.

But, I'm feelin a bit better now so I thought I'd write something for ya.

I got hitched last weekend!!

The wedding was so much fun.

I promise I'll post pictures to prove it soon.

But for now all I have are a few blurry iphone photos.

Here's a sneak peak at my dress

Marriage is wonderful.

Its like having a endless sleepover with my best friend.

At least for me - he's had to spend the first week of marriage nursing me back to health.

Sorry lover! I promise I'll get healthy for you soon.

We took our wedding photos at an abandoned cathedral.

Its a gorgeous place.

The History Channel made this video below.

They make the cathedral sound scary and dangerous but its really not that bad.

This video actually makes me laugh - its just so silly.

To prove that it isn't just a creepy old church, here's a cute little music video that was shot inside.


It was so much fun to go on an adventure before all the craziness of the day began.
I can't wait to see the pictures.


one last little piece of news
Austin bought me this beautiful thing for my twentieth birthday last Friday!

Its a Nikon D70!
He worked three days of overtime to buy it for me!
He's the absolute best husband ever!
And now that I have a big girl camera, I'll be able to do more outfit posts :)



have a wonderful weekend!

turn that frown upside down,
Jess (Caldwell!)


P.S. Isn't Christen from Two Happy Hearts the best!?

guest blogger - two happy hearts

hello, bloggers! nice to meet you.
i'm christen and i run Two Happy Hearts.
it's a fun little blog focused on fashion, art, and whatever else inspires me.

i'm here to guest blog for my friend Jess!
she and her amazing fiance (well, HUSBAND by now!) Austin are two dear friends of mine.
i've know Austin since high school, and i've had the pleasure of knowing Jess for the past year or so.

they're reception will be starting verrrry soon,
so i'm popping in to share what i'll be wearing to this glorious celebration.

as you know, Jess has superb style.
so i know tonight will be a little taste of style heaven.
a girl has to dress the part, right?

i've been waiting for the perfect occasion to debut this dress. i won it in a giveaway.
(dress from Shabby Apple, courtesy of A Beautiful Mess.)















yay! i can't wait to dance the night away in this little number.

austin & jess - you are both amazing people and you deserve the best things life has to offer!
i'm so happy for you guys. you are the perfect couple.

happy wedding day, friends!

xo,
christen

my daddy told me

Sorry for the lack of posts over that last couple days.
I'm sure you've been just dying to hear from me ;)

The wedding craziness has officially started. 

My dad is a pastor and has officiated several weddings.

He's always told me, "No one remembers anything from their wedding except the things that go wrong."

And I always replied, "Then I'll make sure everything goes wrong at mine."

...should've knocked on wood.

Yesterday:

1. I came down with a nasty sinus infection and have been in bed since.

Still not feeling too much better - hopefully these antibiotics will kick in soon.
Also, in case you didn't know antibiotics basically make birth control ineffective.
And I'm getting married in three days... {tmi? probably, but you'll survive}

2. I somehow lost my wedding band - and I never lose anything. 

Seriously, my photographic memory can find everything no matter what it is or who owns it. 

If its in this house or my car I know where it is.

...except my ring.

This is why I requested that Austin buy me a ring that wasn't too expensive.

So glad I did.

3. To top it off, Austin's new iphone somehow got run over by a car in his driveway last night....
I told him that he won the dumbass competition we were apparently holding all day - hehe.
...I've been watching too much of That 70s Show.

But despite all that things aren't bad:

1. Because I'm sick, I got to spend the day in bed resting :)
2. Also because I'm sick, Austin's bringing me dinner and orange juice any minute now!

Also garbage bags... my hero!

3. After searching every department store in the area, I finally found Austin's white size 14.5, slim fit, 'not pointy collar', wrinkle free dress shirt. And it was on sale!

{I told him he was a girl for caring that much about a dress shirt - hehe}

Just in time...whew.

He loves it - thank goodness.

4. Austin's cousin and quite possibly my new favorite person, Micah, came over to help me build a playlist for the reception.

{I have a rather passionate hatred for DJs}

He's also going to make dozens of cookies for me and be an usher.
5. And even though I'm sick our friend Jeremi {and the officiant of our wedding} is still going to have coffee with us tonight - even if I am in my pjs and haven't left the bed for hours :)

Since I haven't had time to take any photos this week I thought I'd share some of the tunes we'll be playing :)

I dare you to listen to that Matt & Kim and MGMT and not get up and dance.
And what's a dance party without Passion Pit, Ke$ha {my guilty pleasure}, and Like a G6?

Especially when I'll be partying with these kids

Austin, Micah, and Shane :)


That's all for now.
I won't be posting again until I'm married. Ah!
No worries - I've got a friend to guest blog for me while I'm busy :)


Have a wonderful weekend!


turn that frown upside down,
Jess