help us help them!

as many of you may already know, i volunteer with a local dog shelter here in NC called North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue. they've seen their fair share of hard times (ie, a flood last year that forced them to move, a lack of funding, and due to the recession, a recent extreme drop off in adoptions and donations) and now another rough patch has hit for NMAR and they are calling for help. i will preface this by saying that asking for help is not something any of the folks who run NMAR are a fan of doing, but sometimes you come across pups in such need you just can't turn away. enter jenna-boo...

"Jenna-boo is a very sweet and tiny Basenji whose stoicism hides the pain she endured after a horrendous injury. Found alone and confused, with several toes sheared off and bones protruding. Without the help of a very caring animal control officer in a rural SC pound, she would have certainly been euthanized. Though they did what they could, policy dictated that she sat w/ no treatment or pain meds for 4 days until we learned of her plight. Though now safe from euthanasia, she needs an emergency foster home after her medical needs are met and she leaves the vet. Due to our outdoor set up at NMAR, we are unable to house her at the rescue due to the dangers of the outdoor environment. In addition to her medical bills, we are also accruing boarding bills just to give her a clean, dry place as she grows stronger."

it's so hard to imagine someone allowing their pet to get to this stage, but unfortunately the amazing staff of NMAR see this all to often. check out this amazing story of another pup that NMAR saved from euthanasia here. Gunny, an adorable pit bull that was once used as a bait dog in a fighting ring, has gone to do some incredible things for his breed and is now NMAR's mascot!

as if jenna's sad story was not enough to significantly stretch NMAR's budget, this little helpless bunch was also added to there plate. meet budda, barker, bosley and brenner...

"...four tiny boys surrendered---with 'significant encouragement' from a home unwilling to feed or water them or their sickly young mother. For the bulk of their short lives, they've been sitting in the blistering heat, their skin literally crawling with thousands of fleas. In addition to malnutrition and flea-induced anemia, they are suffering from two fully preventable (and thankfully very curable) conditions of the skin and the tummy. Despite our current state of overload at NMAR, we could not turn our backs on these sweet boys. Without our intervention, they would not have lived to see the weekend."

how could they say no to this face...

if you, or anyone you know, is able to help out please feel free to contact myself or North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue. if you're local and would like to foster a dog, or volunteer, i can speak from experience as to just how unbelievably rewarding the experience can be. if you're able to send even just a few dollars their way, that can help more then you would imagine. you can either send a donation here...

NMAR

PO BOX 241

Harrisburg, NC 28075

or you can also donate directly through paypal here, and don't forget your donation is tax deductible!

thank you so much and please feel free to pass this message around! NMAR can use all the help they can get right now...

trend spotting...

my love of "the boyfriend jean" began last summer when i started stealing a pair of my mr's jeans and then eventually just adopted them as my own. within the past few months though the love has grown and i now want to wear only boyfriend (or husband) jeans. i love the part masculine, part grunge, mostly comfy, careless look and feel of them.

they've become such a big trend lately that finding a pair to suit you is easy as pie! here are a few ladies who are pulling off the look flawlessly!

this is one look that i hope sticks around awhile!

all photos found browsing tumblr

family fun...

hola folks! it's so good to be back home after a fabulous little family getaway. i miss my fam like crazy at all times, and these little visits seem to hit the spot every time! hope everyone had a wonderful weekend... here are a few shots from my fun filled one :)

carousel...

swings... one of my favorite things in life!

swingin' with the niece...

baby swings for my youngest niece...

odd animal excrement exhibit at the museum...

little niece splashing around...

evan and i so sad to be going home...

aren't vacations just the best thing ever!

roller coasters? yes please!

the mr. and i are heading out of town for a few days to go meet up with some of my family in williamsburg, va. what's in williamsburg you ask? well busch gardens of course! roller coasters, ferris wheel, swings, cotton candy, and water slides here we come!

hope everyone enjoys the rest of their week. i'll be back on monday... wooohoooo!

photo found on flickr...

the joy of new goodies!

i'm so stoked on my newest etsy purchase that i just had to share it with everyone. i can't say enough just how much i love this necklace!

a couple of weeks ago while delivering some Monkey & Squirrel goodies to Young Blood Gallery & Boutique in Atlanta, GA, i spotted some letterpress necklaces from a fellow etsy seller that i had been in love with for quite some time. these letterpress necklaces from Gwen Delicious are so simple and beautiful, and when i saw that they had a "j" in stock i new i just couldn't pass it up. since then i have been wearing it everyday... no lie!

a couple of days after returning home i decided to browse her etsy shop and see what other lovely treats she might have in store. that's when i spotted the "&" and also an "e". being a total nerd for love i couldn't say no.

when they arrived the other day i was busting with excitement!

perfectly packaged! (those adorable little black toes belong to one Monkey, of Monkey & Squirrel. he can never resist a photo op!)

the anticipation grows...

absolutely perfect! "e&j" = evan & jenn... told you i was a nerd for love :)

i can't say enough wonderful things about my new necklace. i'm almost tempted to start carrying around a little black stamp pad so that i can leave little j's and e's all over the place...

check out more from Gwen Delicious here...

happy friday the 13th!

in honor of this most lucky of days, adam, steph and i decided to honor the age old tradition of getting 13 tattoos on the 13th. the day went as follows...

we are a bunch of silly fools!

adams...

stephs...

mine...

and a close up...

happy friday the 13th one and all... have a great weekend!!!

all tattoos courtesy of the fabulous a.j. lingerfeldt...

get 'em while they're hot!

if you read yesterdays post then you already know just how excited i am about these little guys. i was so stoked about getting them up and in my etsy shop that i painted, distressed, photographed, and edited last night just so that i could have them available today. so here they are, the newest addition to my cast iron collection...

cast iron horse hooks, choose your color

hope you enjoy them as much as i do!

giddy up!

yesterday i spent the entire day unpacking boxes of decor that had yet to see the light of day since we moved into our new home. we had been holding off on putting up any paintings, photos or decorations of any sort until we had fully finished our renovations. with the kitchen still not fully done (we just have a bit of trim work left to do), i could wait no longer! a gal can only live with bare walls for so long.

i came across a few of my cast iron horse hooks that i had set aside for my own personal use back when we were still in our apt. i had left them in there unfinished, rusty state, because i simply couldn't decide what color to paint them. well finally a decision was made...

i've opted for solid glossy white, with a hand painted and distressed background of varying colors.

we have evergreen...

mustard yellow...

and slate blue...

VOILA!!!

i was in serious need of some jewelry organization and these will do the job perfectly! i love the way these look so much so that they are now the color schemes i will be offering up in my etsy shop. be on the lookout for these to be available very soon!

future's so bright...

one of my absolute favorite photography blogs is that of a young gal named mary robinson. at a mere 17 years of age this little lady is chock full of talent and inspiration! her photos have the maturity of someone well beyond her age, but still have an innocence about them that i just adore...

check out more of her work on her blog and her flickr...

bloomers!!!

these little shorts from neneee on etsy are some of the cutest things i've seen in a good while...

makes me sad to see summer go...

love is in the air!

later on today evan and i are heading over to two of our bestest buds home for their engagement party. so darn stoked for these two crazy kids!

to adam and steph, we wish you nothing but a lifetime of love, laughs, and good times!!!