{Storyrealing.com :: Mountain Khakis :: Behind the Scenes}

last friday i got the chance to hang out with some of my favorite people on the Storyrealing set for a shoot we had with Mountain Khakis.  not only did i get to shoot some video, but i was able to grab quite a few stills to capture a little "behind the scenes" action.  it was a HOT day here in the south, but thankfully we had some awesome shade trees we were working under and a radtastic group of people (with insane amounts of talent... & humor) that made all the difference for a really fun day.  

{enjoy}

{pinterest}

it's official.  i'm madly in love with pinterest.

i just wish that i was the one who thought of it first!

if you don't know what pinterest is, it's a WONDERFUL system of cataloguing all things beautiful, bright, & lovely... and much, much more.  for years i've been forwarding myself links to images, things i want to make, beautifully decorated homes, anything i find inspiring, and saving them in a folder in my email for "future reference."  i LOVE having them all there, but it is painful going through them all and then one day a few weeks ago i got pulled into the the pool... enter pinterest...

...and there it all is.  that's just a little preview of the things i've "pinned."  

just LOOK at all of that beautiful wonderfullness that i love all right there catalogued for me with the links from where they originated from.  oh lawdy i'm in heaven!  and don't even get me started on being inspired by everyone else's pinterest boards.

it's very obvious to me that i am a visual learner and experiencer.  yeah i made that word up, but whatevs.  i thrive and am totally inspired by beautiful things, beautiful design, and pinterest just lights up my day and puts a spring in my step.

need an invite?  

just let me know and i'll be MORE than happy to pull you into the pinterest pool too!

{happy.pinning}

aw

{walk.in.love}

::be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and  

walk in love

just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a 

fragrant offering and sacrifice to God::

{ephesians 5:2-3}

sound familiar?  it's the drive behind this blog and honestly the life i'm trying to live so you can imagine how ecstatic i was when i came across the awesome brand of {walk.in.love} clothing company that makes some really rad shirts with an even radder message. 

their mission:

Walk in love. is dedicated to selling well-designed, high quality products with a positive and inspiring message. That message is a reminder to imitate God by loving others every chance we get - no strings attached. We believe that Jesus came and showed us how to be that message
We want you to walk in love.

what a great product with a great mission and i love that i can now wear my mission... and stylishly too i might add.  to add to the awesomeness that is walk in love, 5% of their sales go back to their "non-profit of the month" and this month it is Compassion International.  major plus in my book! 

my next purchase is that awesome hoodie.

click here to do some shopping of your own!

{walk.in.love.today}

aw

{

{the.vintage.pearl}

i must tell you about a fabulous giveaway going on at one of my favorite shops today.

{the.vintage.pearl}

first let me just tell you how much i LOVE the vintage pearl's products.  my mom, me, and my sister all sport these lovely necklaces below.  i had the one on the left personalized for my mom with our slew of family and dogs, my sister gave me the middle one on my return from uganda, africa, and i gave my sister the one on the right personalized with her little family.  it's LOVE i tell ya!

TVP is giving a way one of these beautiful bird items that you see below.  aren't they just lovely?  my favorite is the messy nest necklace.  to enter just click here and leave a comment on whice piece is your favorite.

{good.luck.and.happy.shopping}

aw

{hipstamatic}

have i mentioned to you before how much i love the hipstamatic app for my iphone??

well i do.  seriously... it's the best.  i use it more than my big bad canon 5D Mark II.  it's very true that the best camera is the one you have with you and i always have my iphone with me.  this app takes the most rad pics with some serious awesometastic quality.

here are some of my recent pics via hipstamatic.

{happy.tuesday}

aw

{a few of my favorite things...}

i haven't posted one of these lists in a while and thought of a few things that have inspired me this past month that i would share with you!

can you please look at this "beach blue" beauty and not drool?!?  it's at a local restaurant and i want to STEAL it... well not really, but i love it!  i found the company that actually makes them (along with stoves AND dishwashers) and i am longing to one day have my very own "retro kitchen"  check it --> big chill fridge company

are you ready for your home to smell like holiday goodness???  then you MUST get these yummy smelling mulling spices.  throw them in a small pot with a couple cups of water and put them on low and in no time your house will be smelling like one big, fat holiday.  i will leave them simmering for hours, but just don't leave them on all night or you might come downstairs to a panic attack and black pot... not that i would know or anything... moving on.
 

 enter my Christmas splurge... the not-so-average down "sweater vest" ...Merry Christmas to me!  :)  i've been eyeing this beauty for a while, but refused to pay full price.  lucky for me I have some friends in the right places and I only had to splurge a little for this one.  she's a perfect amount of marshmallow puff mixed with the perfect amount of warmth.  perfect for those cold mountain days ahead.  check it --> patagonia sweater vest

 it's time to pamper yourselves folks.  meet trader joe's own Lavender Salt Scrub.  i've even had a friend's hubby admit that this was the best gift their wife had ever received.  that says something.  this is a winter shower MUST.  your skin will thank you... and so might your hubby, if you have one of those :)

 lastly... and i can't mention them enough... 31 bits.  a lot of ladies in my life may or may not be getting some of this goodness this Christmas.  i would LOVE for this to show up under my tree.  such beauty... not only in the jewelry, but in the creators and mission behind it... here in the US and in Uganda.

what are some of your favorite things this holiday season??

{happy.friday.friends}

aw

"voice of beauty" :: by david johnson

i'm excited to tell you all about a beautiful gift that gives back & just in time for Christmas! 

this week Mocha Club has it 50% off for just $10. 

click HERE to purchase directly from mocha club

David Johnson, who happens to be my neighbor, and runs Silent Images (the organization I'll be working with to document my Jan 2010 Africa trip with SOI) created this beautiful book from his photography of women in developing countries.  100% of the profits from sales of this book provide micro loans for women and education for girls in Africa.

here's a little bit about the book taken from www.silentimages.org

"David’s next book, Voice of Beauty, unveils the prevailing, yet rarely celebrated, beauty and strength of women and girls in developing countries. When women and girls respond to their environment, endure social oppression, withstand abuse, fight for the rights of their child, the essence of their beauty is exposed. However, this beauty is rarely shown on the cover of glamour magazines; instead, her beauty often silently escapes with the moment, without applause, without recognition. The photographs in Voices of Beauty offers a glimpse at the unique beauty of women and girls in developing countries, a beauty that is rarely documented or applauded. Her beauty exists with or without the camera, but when captured, the power of her beauty needs to be shown, not to exploit, but to bring awareness to her story. Whether a camera captures it or not, the beauty, strength, dignity and resilience of a woman is to be celebrated."

{happy.monday.and.happy.giving}

aw

{fashion::able -- mocha club}

the ever-so-wonderful mocha club has now come up with an amazing new venture...

"your purchase of a fashionABLE scarf creates sustainable business for women in Africa. our commitment as a non-profit is to the development of people — fashionABLE works with women who have been exploited due to the effects of poverty. So, when you purchase a scarf you are providing jobs, and then we send the profits back to holistically rehabilitate more women. This is the beauty of non-profit….

scarves provide jobs, profits provide restoration."

i ordered my own fashionABLE scarf that arrived in the mail a few days ago with this tag and honestly it really made me wish that more items i bought had this tag.  the Lord is using this business not to just create sustainable business for these African women, but to truly sustain them... i have no doubt in that and am so thankful that i have the opportunity to be a part of that.

(picture courtesy of my iphone :: hipstamatic app)

the creater of my scarf is Bezuayhu, here she is below.  isn't it amazing to put a beautiful face to a beautiful story??  everytime i see my scarf i remeber to pray for Bezuayhu by name and for the women that will come alongside her in this business... here is her story...

“I am now 19 years old. My parents had passed away and I used to live with my aunts and grandparents. They always wanted me to work and not to go to school. So, I came to the city, and there I came to this life of prostitution. // Now, it feels so good to get up in the morning and say I am going to work. It feels so good to have a scarf named after me. I’m so proud to be called a scarf maker.”

buy your's today by clicking here

just in time for your Christmas shopping right? 

{happy.wednesday}

aw

{bella originals by elizabeth}

last week i had the pleasure of tagging along & helping elizabeth of almond leaf studios on her product shoot for {bella originals} and we had a blast!  with 2 beautiful models totally working this FABULOUS handmade jewelry, we couldn't go wrong!

head on over to almond leaf studios to check out her full post on bella originals!

this was my first time working a product shoot and i loved it... it didn't hurt either that the product looks like this!  how cute is this owl necklace?!?  all of the bella originals are hand made by elizabeth of bella originals.  if you are interested in purchasing any of the jewelry seen here or to inquire of what she sells, please let her at

elizabeth (at) bella originals (dot) com

these chunky bracelets would be the perfect accessory to add a little pizazz to any outfit!

elizabeth of bella originals' dog made her model presence known

these rings look like a beautiful box of candy... they're just so yummy!

i LOVE this shot!  i told you we had fun...

thanks to elizabeth at {bella originals} for letting us shoot your beautiful work!

again if you're interested in purchasing any pieces please feel free to email elizabeth here;

elizabeth (at) bella originals (dot) com

{happy.thursday}

aw

{Mountain Khakis Sweepstakes}

ummm who wouldn't want to win?

free vacay?  free gear? sign me up!

i don't even fly fish & i entered.

click HERE to enter

{good luck}

i'll be back tomorrow with some more blogging goodness!

via volume twenty five

inspired by my coffee

thank you caribou.

now i want your coffee everyday just because of the cup.

i can't afford your coffee everyday.

i seriously just looked at it all day at my desk yesterday.

wait... it may still be on my desk inspiring me today.

love.this.cup

enjoy!