Free Holiday Downloads!

So everybody loves a great download that doesn't cost you a penny! Especially if it's useful, and even better if it actually saves you money. So I decided to post a collection of some of my favorite Christmas downloads so that for you guys it's just one stop! Much easier than wading through the bad links and sketchy downloads. Well, here goes nothing!

For the first link, the blogger of How About Orange made this precious background. The image is so cute, but I love that it's small so if you have files on your desktop, they won't get lost in the picture. Click HERE to get this wallpaper!

Now, if you've read some previous posts or know me at all, you'll know I'm a type nerd. I understand that if you're not familiar with typography, that's a weird concept. That someone could be gaga over fonts? I know. Freak. Oh well. This is a Christmas font that I love for fun holiday flyers or even Christmas cards. Plus, the name just cracks me up. Click HERE to go to the download page for Christmas on Crack. That's right, folks. Christmas. On. Crack.

If you're a little more on the old fashioned side, or love the look of vintage Christmas cards, than this font, appropriately called Christmas Card, is just for you! Get to the download page HERE.

Next we have printable holiday tags up the heezy, because well, I just couldn't choose one. They're all great, but all so different!

These are from Paper Crave and are actually available in three different colors! For the red and teal shown above click HERE. There is also a deep fuchsia and green version, which you can get HERE. And lastly, dark and light blue, which is HERE.

The next holiday tags are from Domestifluff! These are so cute, I love love love the first one with the repeated 'snow' on it. Get them HERE.

Okay. These tags are to die for and my absolute favorite. They are from the brilliant illustrator behind Orange You Lucky! I mean. Does it get any better? Get the first set HERE, and the second HERE.

Now, West Elm is not only offering gift tags in four different themes, but also entertaining sets with place cards, name tags and menus. This is just the tiniest sneak peak of some of their gift tags, but if you go HERE, you can choose gifting or entertaining downloads and then between their four themes, botanical, graphic, animal, or snowflake. I mean, if you want, you could just choose them all!

This next download is a set of Merry Mixers from hi, friend design and comes with the labels and the recipes! This would be really great for a hostess gift or even just fun to give a friend who loves entertaining. For the Charming Cranberry Cocktail recipe and tag, click HERE. For the Apricot Ginger Fizz, click HERE. (I really want to try that one!) For the Pretty Please Pomegranate Cosmo, click HERE.

What's your favorite download of these freebies? I want to know!

❤love.

Winter + Fashion= ♥

I'm really finding a new found love for fashion, but I just have to admit that I get so much more excited about it in winter. I love layering and chunky scarves and grandma sweaters. Knee high socks and leggings and boots. Ahh I just get happy thinking about it. I also really have the desire to know more. Just about specific designers and being more aware of the industry. Not necessarily for any other reason but my own curiosity.

I've seen a lot of the southwestern and nordic looking prints this season. Some are just not doing it for me, but I'm really feeling this outfit.

Ahh. Big bags and big scarves. Double weakness.

This is fantastic. If anyone knows who makes this, please let me know! I mean, Darth Vader bling? What could be better.

Oversized sweater? Check.

Okay. A? Love me some circle scarves. B? Is her hair rockin, or what? I love it!

images source

What's your favorite thing about winter fashion?

Or are you anti winter all around?

❤love.

Ps. Stay tuned for links to some really awesome and free holiday downloads!

Change. The only constant.

"When we say things like 'people don't change,' it drives scientists crazy. Because change is literally the only constant in all of science. Energy, matter, it's always changing... morphing, merging, growing, dying. It's the way people try not to change that's unnatural. The way we cling to what things were instead of letting them be what they are. The way we cling to old memories instead of forming new ones. The way we insist on believing, despite every scientific indication, that anything in this lifetime is permanent. Change is a constant. How we experience change, that's up to us. It can feel like death, or it can feel like a second chance at life. If we open our fingers, loosen our grips, go with it, it can feel like pure adrenaline. Like at any moment, we can have another chance at life. Like at any moment, we can be born all over again."

-Grey's Anatomy (yeah yeah. I'm a girl, hush.)

I think this is something everybody probably needs to be reminded of. Its hard to loosen your grip. It's hard to leave behind a part of your life you loved. Whether its a person, a phase, a place, or a perfect constellation of factors. Its hard to accept that some things weren't meant to be always. They were just for right now. And right now is over. Its painful. But there may be something great that never would get a chance, if the other had always been.

Deep breath.

❤love.

Somewhere else.

I'm sorry for my absence. Once again. It's been a tough semester. And I say semester more as a time measurement than specifically speaking of school. Although it's a contributer.

I've been thinking it might be nice to go somewhere else for awhile after I graduate. I would like to do my internship some place besides Nashville anyway. And I think I just need a breather from everything I know. Not that there aren't many things that I love. But I feel like it's easier to make decisions about what you really want and what you need to change about your life to be the best version of yourself if you're stripped of everything else but you. A fresh setting. No strings attached. I could think clearer, I believe.

source

I love the writing of a certain flickr member. And it always makes me happy when there's something new to read. As someone who has moved many times, and in a sense felt like I've had several different lives, this little blip resonated with me. I've realized my definition of home has transformed from the traditional sense. I've found my home in a field where the trees framed every sunset. In a collection of neighbors. In an old dilapidate farm house. Even in a farm on Crete, eating cheese pies, drinking mountain tea, and watching my best friends Greek dance. I've realized that sometimes I find home in a specific correlation of elements. In specific moments. In random things.

"Look, what I'm saying is you can too go home again, even if you've stashed it here and there like a squirrel hides nuts for winter. Even if, squirrel-like, you've forgotten half of those hiding places, and discovering them feels like brand new, unsolicited luck. Even if some of those nuts you hid rotted, or grew into miniature trees. What, trees don't house? Tell that to the birds and squirrels. Get used to laughter in a language not your own. Of course you can. And holler from the front porch, fix your hair and hope they know you, or jimmy that window in the back."

❤love.

Quiche!

The weather is fantastic outside, and for some reason that makes me want to bake more. I seem to cook a lot more often in the fall. It just seems like part of the season. Today I decided to make a quiche so I could have something good to take for lunch this week.

My ingredients! Honestly I just made this one up. I used six eggs, a container of crumbled goat cheese, one kielbasa sausage diced, and one pack of frozen spinach thawed. Plus some salt and pepper. I mixed it all up in a bowl and then just poured it into a premade crust. You want to bake it until the center isn't jiggly. I put mine in at 350° for about 30 min. Pretty easy but very delicious! I love how versatile quiches are. You can pretty much put whatever you want in. Here's the finished product. It smells amazing, hopefully will taste that way too!

Does fall put you in a baking mood? Do you have any easy go-to things you like to make?

❤love.

Love me some Lilja.

I've fallen back in love with watercolor. I came across this illustrator, Veronica Ballart Lilja, and I really love her style so I just wanted to share! She's so versatile. From people, to objects, to full out patterns. Hope you enjoy!

source

❤love.

55 South and such.

So last night my friends Lauren and Kayla and I tossed school work to the wind and decided to go out in downtown Franklin. We tried this new(ish) place called 55 South and really enjoyed it! We just went for some drinks and chips and salsa. I'm going to have to recommend the Delta Sunset and the French Quarter. Both were great. And the chips were homemade and fantastic! Anyway, we sat at a bar that's along the front window and had a great time talking and people watching while we drank and munched a little. I'm a huge fan of people watching. Needless to say, that window seat has my name on it! I will definitely be going back. It was a fun time.

(source)

Have you been anywhere new that you enjoyed lately?

❤love.

Meet Twinkle!

Twinkle is a baby cow. She was orphaned when she was just a few days old. Some young people riding around thought that a 'good time' consisted of shooting cows apparently, and Twinkle's mom was one of the victims. The poor thing standing next to her mama not understanding what was going on was just so sad. We adopted her and brought her up to our farm where she had to be bottle fed every day until she got old enough to eat food. She was so shy and afraid at first, but she is just the sweetest little girl now. She acts more like a dog than anything else really. I visited her today and gave her a good chin scratch. Look at those big ears! Ah, gets me every time.

❤love.

Fat Straw

So I know I'm a little late getting into the bubble tea fad... but I just love it! I'm just fascinated by how different the texture of the pearls are. It's pretty weird but it seriously makes me happy. It's so fun to drink! There's a bubble tea place off of Wedgewood Ave in Nashville. It's actually on Villa Place in this really cute strip of shops. It's called Fat Straw and has a fun vibe. I used to always get the original black milk tea, but I ventured out a little bit the other day and got a Thai Mocha. BEST decision. SO good. It's definitely something I'm going to be hooked on. If you are ever in Nashville, check it out! It's a fun alternative to the normal coffee date for sure.

❤love.

Back to school. For the last time.

I was always a little bit of a dork. I loved fall, loved going back to school. It was always so fun for me to go up to the school and find my name on the lists, discovering my teacher and the rest of my classmates for the year. And later, picking out the perfect outfit, running around with my schedule of classes hoping for similarities among friends. I still love it, even though now it's not really any surprise who's in my classes, and I know who teaches what when I sign up. That comes with being at a small art school. I just love the season. Love school supplies. I wish I could go out and buy boxes of crayons, pretty binders. I probably will anyway, because hey, it's my last back-to-school. Ever. So strange. How did it get here so fast?

I've come across a few things lately that I'm loving. Just wanted to share. In case anyone else loves the back-to-school shopping excuse too!

Aren't these elephant measuring cups the cutest!? What a great housewarming present. Or, you know. Maybe it's about time you got new ones, what with all that baking you're going to start doing... find them here.

Ah, the typography nerd is getting the best of me. I love this. Something fresh and different for your wall. And appropriate for school, right? What's more back-to-school than the alphabet??

I am loving this dress from Modcloth. They call it Mojitos on Monday. Which just makes me love it even more!

What's on your back-to-school shopping list?

❤love.

Explosion.

So tonight I went to turn on the back porch light and instead the bulb literally exploded. All over. In a flash of light. Flip. BAM. There may or may not have been some blue fire. I was busy screaming a little. You'd scream too if shards of bulb were flying through the air.

Anyway. I'm sorry I've been absent. I've been in a sort of funk. Super stressful things out of my control are penetrating my life right now. Sometimes it feels like from all directions. And so I tend to respond in different ways, one of which is hermitism. That's not a word, but you know what I mean. Another way is by catering to the immature whims of my inner child, such as having french toast sticks and a diet Dr Pepper float for dinner. Or now that I think about it, that does sound like a college kid... or a seven year old. Whichever.

For me, when there are stressful and hard things that I cannot change, I think it's important to take time out of worrying. To take time- even if you feel like you have none- to be happy. To kick a soccer ball around the rec center parking lot, barefoot, late at night with people you grew up with. To stifle giggles while making breakfast at two thirty in the morning with someone who understands the way you think while everyone else sleeps. Little things. Small moments. They will keep you sane. Well, they keep me sane. Life keeps moving. Don't miss any of it.

❤love.

Happy tears.

Tonight my eyes are tired from happy sobs, and at the end of the day, how could you ask for anything better than that?

I feel like I'll sleep well tonight, with my favorite person back in the world.

❤love.

Style crushin.

I came across a new blog I am in love with! It's called Blushing Ambition, and blogger Annabel is just the cutest thing since I don't even know when. I adore her style and envy all the delicious food photos she's always posting. I just can't get over her killer outfits though. Here's some of my favorites.

You should head on over and check out her site to see for yourself!

❤love.

Let's wander.

Yesterday evening I saw a hot air balloon. So beautiful. Just floating through blue skies, green grass below. I snapped this picture with my phone and added some. My wanderlust is so bad right now. I just want to pick up and move some place full of strangers. Unexplored shops and alleys, secret thinking spots waiting to be found. Search out good coffee and people watch. I feel like it would be a breath of fresh air to be somewhere and have no strings attached to anything or anyone. Just free to be myself. Find myself a little more.

If you could get lost for awhile, where would you wander to?

❤love.

Father's Day!

I had a great Father's day with my family. First up, I ate breakfast at my Mimi and Papa's with my mom. It was absolutely delicious. Eggs, bacon, and biscuits with apricot marmalade. Plus tons of fresh fruit. I love the way breakfast makes a house smell when it's cooking. And besides that, seriously, these two people are my absolute favorite. They're my rock.

Afterwards I went out with my sister and bought poster board. We made a big welcome home sign for my dad like we always did when we were little. Then we went and picked him up from the airport! He's been gone to Taiwan and Vietnam on business and made sure he flew back in for his special day. The three of us just hung out and went to dinner. It was nice!

Hope all of you dads out there enjoyed your day!

❤love.

Coconut Coffee Shake.

I've recently fallen in love with a food blog called Green Kitchen Stories. Besides the fact that everything they post looks amazing, I LOVE the site. Its so clean and beautiful, very well designed. Since I've been craving chilled coffee drinks lately, when I saw this I knew I had to share. I can't wait to try it!

Coconut Coffee Shake
Makes 2 large glasses or 4 small

3/4 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup rice milk
1 large banana
2 tbsp coconut flakes
1/2 cup hazelnuts or 2 tbsp nut butter
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp vanilla powder
8 ice cubes
1 – 2 shots espresso (depending on how strong you like it) or 2-3 tsp instant coffee

Mix all ingredients, except the espresso, in a blender for a couple of minutes (if you use instant coffee you should blend it as well). Pour the shake into the glasses. Pour the wished amount of espresso into each glass, stir a couple of times with a spoon. Serve immediately.

Be sure to head over to the blog and check out some of their other recipes!

❤love.

My June loves.

I've spent the past several days spending some time with good friends. I had lunch with my friend Hannah on Friday and we talked out things that have been bothering both of us. It's nice to just get things out. Some things left spinning on their own through your head can just get worse and make you a wreck. Then on Saturday night I went out for some Mexican with Jordan and Kayla. Girl talk and margaritas, yes please! Then we went back to Jordan's place where my friend Anna joined and had a great time reliving old memories and making new plans. I feel renewed and ready to spend this week getting organized and dare I say... painting rooms?

Anyway, I thought I'd share some things that I'm absolutely in love with right now.

greek cheese pies. to. die. for.

shirt dresses. like this one from american apparel.

this book. her courage to regain her love of life is inspiring.

not this particular brand, but SO good. love it iced.

What have you been in love with lately? Please share!

❤love.

I would choose a shield.

I've tried to get things accomplished today, but I've just had too much on my mind. Besides thinking about all the things there are to do, there's just so much else going on. It's distracting. Too many problems I wish I could fix. If I could choose a gift, a superhero power, I think it would be to shield. To wrap myself around people I love and heal them. Mend their hearts, fix their wounds, rid their lives of what was pulling them down, draining the life out of them. I'm a firm believer that the bad things make you stronger. They make you appreciate the good, the people that love you, the small joys that can be found in every day life. But sometimes, enough is enough. You know? Have you ever known someone who deserved a break, needed a reprieve? I guess hardship is very much relative. And I know lesser things cause some people great pain. And I don't diminish what they feel. But I know some who have carried unimaginable weights. And they're tired. And especially to one, all I can say is, please don't give up. Wait just a little longer. I'll be right here. Maybe we can find something to make us laugh in the mean time.

"It is not easy... to wait. Waiting is what the hunter does, and the poet and the slugger. He waits for the moment of inevitability and fate and then he swings, or shoots, or takes up the pen to put down a line. They don't teach us to wait in America; they teach us to grab. But waiting is what we do when we are looking for something beautiful, when we are looking for an end to our sorrow. Nothing is infinite in life, not even sorrow. You just have to wait."

-Cary Tennis

❤love.

This is the thing.

and the things that keep us apart keep me alive and

the things that keep me alive keep me alone.

this is the thing.

❤love.

Grecian Ruins and Turkish Delight.

For ten days I was on a boat, starting in Athens, heading over to Istanbul, and then making my way through the Greek Islands with a Turkish one thrown in too. It was such an amazing experience and I had so much fun with some of my very favorite people. The food was fantastic, the places were so drenched in history, and I could barely be pried away to leave.

For now I can't share anymore photos... I was doing an independent photography course while on the trip and so I have lots of editing and figuring out to do in terms of what I'm turning in and what my projects consist of. Hopefully soon I'll share some really amazing ones with you all! Also, know that I'm back in the blogging world! I promise I'll be around more. Thanks for staying with me.

❤love.