THE HAIR DIARIES

Hello friends, I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Saturday I went to CD102.5 Summerfest, and got to hear the Lumineres sing my favorite song of the moment {Ho Hey}. I also made a quick 24 hour trip to my hometown to help my sis and mom with our garage sale, AND get my hair done - which leads me to this... 

The photos below are examples of my dream hair. I've always wanted those rocker-chic bangs and beachy "I just woke up this way" waves. 

When my sister, Katie, and I were little I wanted her hair. Really bad. {I still do.} She had this perfectly pretty, straight hair with shiny bangs. And mine was naturally curly and out of control. In high school and college I swear I had super long 80s hair-band hair, à la Jon Bon Jovi. It wasn't until I was 22 that I found a flat iron that actually worked, and I spent the next four to five years battling Chicago weather trying to keep my hair straight. Finally, around age 27 I found my answer in a big barrel curling iron. I think it just took me longer than the average person to get it all figured out. Yep, I curl my naturally curly hair with a curling iron. Kind of ironic, I know. I don't even remember the last time I left my hair naturally curly, but I can tell you the result is somewhere between Felicity, Melina Kanakaredes... and Curly Sue. But not in a good way. Naturally curly hair basically rules out cool haircuts, so I've always colored my hair when I got bored. It's been blonde, blonder, brown, red, ombre, and everything in between. I really should have put together a "my hair over the years" timeline for you... Or not. No one needs to see that. 

So... bangs. Do any of you have naturally curly hair with bangs? How do you control them in rain or humidity if you're hair is naturally curly? Do they spring up like Little Orphan Anne? Unfortunately, I've never imagined bangs and natural curl playing well together... 

Well, this Friday when I was sitting at Katie's station at the salon - she got tired of hearing me talk about my bang wishes and worries, and she decided we should just give it a shot. And so she cut. She cut before I could second guess myself. 

I have bangs. I haven't had bangs since 90's mall bangs. 

Kate followed it up by putting a global keretin treatment on my bangs, which is basically a miracle product. I haven't been allowed to get my bangs wet, which made for some entertainment at Summerfest on Saturday when it started raining. I reacted so fast - slapping my hand over my forehead and throwing my jacket over my head. My bangs were the only thing that stayed dried.

For now, you can see a picture on my new hair via my instagram. Because I just can't bring myself to post a picture of moi in the same blog post as Kirsten Dunst.

{photo credits: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5}

ABJ GLASSWORKS

If you read Design Sponge, you've already been introduced to ABJ Glassworks. 

If you don't read Design Sponge, then this post is for you {AND you should read Design Sponge}.

ABJ Glassworks is a line of whimsical and modern stained glass pieces, made by Ashley Bram-Johnson in Philadelphia.  

You can read more of her story here via her Etsy store.

I am pining for that little copper ring holder above.  

You can even order one etched with an arrow {my logo!} which means I need it, right?  

And check out this little box below... store your little keepsakes away from nosy paws.  

{Bailey woke us up in the middle of the night by playing with the jewelry on top of my dresser.}

If you follow me on Pinterest you already know about my love {aka: obsession} for terrariums.

Awhile back I attempted to make my own, and took pictures to write a post about DIY terrariums -

but those photos never made it to my blog because my terrarium was just... so... bad.

I bet it'd be hard to mess one up if you used one of Ashley's beautiful containers below.

{all photos via ABJ Glassworks website and Etsy store}

COUPLE STYLE - AT HOME WITH CLAIRE & ADAM

Names:  Claire & Adam Lowe {Mochi, Emma and Ollie}
Location:  Clintonville, Columbus, Ohio
Years lived in:  1 year

Claire & Adam got married this summer {Congratulations, newlyweds!}, and have lived in their house for just one year. I can't imagine moving in, and accomplishing what they have, in the midst of planning a wedding. Their home is full of vintage, modern, quirky and personal touches. It is a fabulous reflection of their personal style. They were so sweet to welcome me into their home, for L+R's inaugural home feature.

Besides the pics of the couple {which were taken by moi}, all photos were oh-so-graciously taken by Adam. He is a professional photographer, so I decided to "leave it to the professional" for your viewing pleasure! I had a really hard time narrowing down the photos, so there is a link to the full gallery as your reward for scrolling to the bottom.

Claire's shoe collection {and closet} is the best I have ever seen. I could have spent a lot of time in there... sigh. A recent addition was a vintage Pendleton poncho that she found while honeymooning in San Francisco. 

Meet Claire & Adam.

{In the words of Claire}

L+R:  How did you two meet?  

We met almost four years ago at my birthday party through a mutual friend, but we were both in other relationships at the time.  We started hanging out a lot as friends, but we didn't actually start dating until about a year later.

L+R:  How did Adam propose?  

I came home from work one day and he told me he had a present for me.  I expected something small like a cat figurine, so I was super confused when he handed me a box containing a brand new MacBook!  Then, he told me to open it up because he had uploaded some photos of our dog, Mochi, on the computer.  When I opened the computer, there was a "Will you marry me?" message on the screen and he had dropped to one knee!  So, I got a beautiful ring (my great-grandmother's) and a new laptop in the same day...doesn't get much better than that!

L+R:  What house projects have you done & what is still on your TO DO list?  

We have finished painting the rooms on the second floor of the house, but we have many more painting projects planned.  I hate painting, but the end result is just so satisfying!  Next up on the list is Adam's office.  Also, we have a ridiculous amount of artwork that is just sitting around the house, waiting for us to frame and hang it.  And the closet!  I can't wait to get rid of all the clutter and transform it into the vision I have in my head.

L+R:  What are your favorite house finds?  

Adam's fav find - a Vintage Louis Vuitton suitcase (found in an antique shop in Astoria, Oregon)

Claire's fav find- the prints of animals wearing clothing in our bathroom (found at the Columbus Independents' Day Festival). The artist's Etsy shop is Berkley Illustration. 

L+R:  Your pets names and ages?  

Mochi (Boston terrier) - 2 years old

Emma (black cat) - 6 years old

Ollie (black & white cat) - 6 years old

L+R:  Tell us a little about Adam's band & photography.  

Adam's band's name is The Black Antler, which he started in 2009 with his friend Alex.  They play metal/hardcore music and practice in our basement (the cats hate it!).  As for photography, he mainly shoots weddings, but he also loves to shoot anything fashion or music related. 

L+R:  And a little about what you are doing & want to do? 

I am currently working as a sales associate and blogger at Rowe.  Working on the blog is so much fun because it combines my love of fashion and the Internet.  In the future, I would love to be able to find a full time job that also incorporates fashion and social media.

Click HERE to see the expanded gallery of Claire & Adam's hip home!

Thanks, Claire & Adam! 

MUSIC MONDAY NO. 1

Hello friends. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! The Mr. and I started ours out by going to a movie Friday night. On Saturday afternoon we went to the Ohio State fair {pics to share this week}, and later stopped by the Gallery Hop in the Short North area of Columbus. It was a good weekend that ended with a lazy Sunday spent watching the Olympics and working on my business cards.

1. Fun. // We Are Young

2. The Lumineers // Ho Hey

3. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros // Home

4. Of Monsters and Men // Little Talks

5. The Hives // Go Right Ahead

6. The Black Keys / Gold On the Ceiling

7. Gotye // Somebody That I Used To Know

8. Mumford & Sons // The Cave
9. Ryan Adams // Ashes & Fires
10. Fun. // Some Nights

Click here to listen!

These songs have been the soundtrack to my summer. I realize a few of them might be a bit corny, but I'm not going to pretend I know the cool new band you don't know... because I don't. I'm not that cool. The plan is to have others contribute to this feature in the future! People who can introduce you to those cool new bands you don't know.

HONEY ROSE & K

Meredith Piccin is the owner and designer behind Honey Rose & K Modage Baubles {and I'm also lucky enough to call her a friend}. 

A little snippet about how HR&K came to be - After following a career path that included visual merchandising and wardrobe consulting, Meredith realized her true passions: vintage finds and design. She combined the two to create Honey Rose & K. Meredith scours flea markets, antique stores, and thrift stores for hidden gems. She then repurposes and redesigns them to be modern pieces with a vintage + whimsical twist. Meredith also sews vintage scarves together to create these beautiful infinity scarves below.

I have a serious obsession with jewelry, vintage, and well... vintage jewelry. So Hr&K is right up my alley. Honey Rose & K is named after Meredith's Grandmother, Honey, who studied fashion design and worked for years as a window dresser in NYC.

This week I made a visit to Meredith's home to take the above photos. Can you tell I liked that blue + green tassel necklace? Meredith could tell, and she very generously gifted it to me! Thank you, M!

Meredith and her hubby {and their two beautiful children} are in the midst of a home renovation right now, but when it's done I will be sharing photos of their home and Meredith's new studio. I can't wait. You can't wait! Trust me... her home is full of wonderful finds. It is curated with that same eye that scours for vintage jewelry, and has that same mix of vintage + modern.

{photos above snagged from HR&K's instagram}

To get a jump on the rest of the ladies, make sure to follow HR&K on Instagram {honeyrosek}, Twitter, and Facebook. Meredith posts her new pieces, and they sometimes sell fresh off her work table {seen below}!  You can also shop HR&K on Etsy, and locally at Rowe Boutique and Thread.

Honey Rose & K has been featured on Pop Sugar, popular blog - I Spy Diy, and in Teen Vogue; as well as numerous local magazines. Go get em, Meredith!

Have a wonderful weekend, friends! I'm going to attempt to wrangle the Mr. into taking me to the Ohio State fair. I'll let you know if I was successful.

DRINK IT UP AND SAVE THE BOTTLE

I've been saving green wine bottles, but have no idea why. I just decided I liked the green glass and was going to use them for something {hoarding?}. I don't know why I thought you needed proof, but here is the photographic evidence.

I suppose I was thinking of using them for vases or something, but now I have a new plan! Wait for it...

A few weeks ago when I was at Amy's house {more here}, she had these beautiful recycled wine bottle tumblers. It was love at first sight. She bought hers at a fabulous store {Enjoy Co} in Granville, but I told her how I'd be saving bottles and she recommended taking them to a glass shop to have them cut. Brilliant! 

Since then I've searched out my options - just to make sure. There are a lot of DIY tutorials out there, but you have to buy a glass cutter and quite frankly I'm a bit accident prone. I could just purchase them... there are Etsy stores and shops aplenty; however, after finding this post {she said they only charged her $3.50 per glass to cut them!} I think the glass shop route is where it's at. Not only is it the cheapest option, but then I get to use those bottles I've hoarded. Now we're talking.

{Bottlehood - about $40 for 4}

Just a little note: I soak the bottles in a pot of hot soapy water, usually over night. If there is any residue left - Goo Gone is a miracle product.