our wedding guestbook

One of my favorite details of my wedding was our wedding guest book. I actually had originally created a book on Shutterfly using our engagement photos one weekend, but when I came back to it a few days later, I just wasn't happy with the way it was turning out.

I realized that I wanted to go a less traditional route than the typical "book," and so after some brainstorming (with the help of Pinterest, of course) I came up with the idea to use a print and have the guests sign the matte around it.

It was harder than I thought to figure out what print that I wanted to use. I decided to go with Rifle Paper Co., since they make the cutest custom designs, and it matched my aesthetic almost perfectly. Rifle Paper Co. also featured in my wedding planning early on - they designed the cards that I gave my bridesmaids!

I went with the Custom Floral Art Print in peach & rose, which complimented the wedding colors so well. For awhile I was leaning toward the Custom Floral Heart Art Print, but after seeing this pin, realized that the former would be a better fit for the wedding.

Rifle Paper Co. was a dream to work with. After placing my order, they contacted me within days to create custom drawings of Matt and myself. I was far enough along in the wedding planning process that I already had Matt's suit and my dress, and so I was able to send them photos of us wearing our wedding garments. But, I think they would have done a fine job if we had just sent them photos of ourselves along with what we were planning on wearing! I even took care to describe my hair the way I wanted to wear it on the day of the wedding - when I say I'm detail oriented, I mean it!

After sending over our description, they were quick with drafting up a proof of our design. I think it was within the week, if not sooner. There was just one small change which they fixed immediately, and then it was off to the printer.

One of the cool things about Rifle Paper Co. that saved me time was the fact that I could order my print already framed and matted, which I definitely took advantage of. It arrived in beautiful condition, and they even included a little notecard of our print that I have stored in my wedding memory box. :)

The print now hangs in our wedding gallery wall, and I just love it!

Photos by Emily March Photography

december reads

Well, the last time I did one of these was in February! I am very overdue. So far this year I've read 36 books, so I won't review the majority of those, but here's what I read from November until now:

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling / I really wish Mindy Kaling and I could be friends. I enjoyed this one and her first book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? a lot. It's a quick read, and if you're a fan of Mindy, then it's a must read, as well.

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith / Of course, we all know now that Robert Galbraith is really J.K. Rowling, but I try to read the Cormoran Strike series with an unbiased mind. This one wasn't as good as the first one, but it was entertaining. It was definitely a lot creepier, and while I figured out who the murderer was fairly quickly, I kept reading to figure out exactly how they did it. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll / This was one of those books that everyone kept raving about, and while it was entertaining, it wasn't the greatest. It seemed very cliche and over the top. I can always tell if a book is a little too soap opera-ey if when I'm describing the events to Matt it sounds ridiculous. This one was filled with every imaginable teen drama. Plus I could not STAND the main character, and I would like to personally berate any reviewer who compares TifAni (ugh, that name) to Amy Dunne in Gone Girl. Just...no.

After You by Jojo Moyes / When I found out there was a sequel to Me Before You, I was very excited. I liked getting back into the world of Louisa, but I don't think the author should have written a sequel. The first book stands well on its own, but if you've read Me Before You, then you have to read this one.

The Beautiful Bureaucrat by Helen Phillips / This book appeared on a to-read list of 2015, and when I read the synopsis, it sounded pretty interesting and I love dystopian novels, so I decided to give it a read. I was surprised at how short the book was, and felt like it could have been a little longer, to flesh out the characters a bit. That said, I don't know if I could have handled it being longer - it almost seemed like a really bad fever dream, or an episode of The Twilight Zone. I figured out pretty quickly what exactly Josephine's job was, but there is a twist that I didn't see coming. It's very Kafka-esque, so if you like his books then I think you'll love this (I'm just "meh" when it comes to Kafka). If you want a really good dystopian novel, read The Handmaid's Tale. Now.

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver / I am a very big fan of Barbara Kingsolver. I've read almost all of her books, and The Poisonwood Bible is one of my all-time favorites. This one was a good read, and I also thought it was still pretty topical, even though it was written almost 10 years ago.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer / This is part one of the Lunar Chronicles series, and I picked it up on the recommendation of a friend. I can't believe it's been flying under my radar for so long. It's a fairy tale retelling turned on its head, which for me is like candy. I went through a stage in high school where I read every fairy tale retelling I could find. (My favorite? Daughter of the Forest. SO GOOD.) It's YA, yes, but it's so entertaining.

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer / Part two for me wasn't as entertaining, mainly because I just don't care for Scarlet or Wolf all that much. But, instead of each book focusing just on the main title character, Cinder from the first book is still featured prominently in this one, which I enjoyed.

Cress by Marissa Meyer / I think this one is the longest of the three, so it took me awhile to get into it. The action sequences are fast-paced and fun to read, but it being YA, it's very predictable. This series is great when you need a break from "heavier" reading. 

Fairest and The Age of Miracles are up next. What are you reading?

P.S. You can see all of my past reads here.

around here

around here I turned 29 on Wednesday. Matt and I went out for dinner at a famous Italian restaurant in Georgetown called Filomena. I ordered a glass of wine and got carded. I didn't think much of it until Matt pointed out that I just got carded on my 29th birthday. I've been having some sort of crisis over turning 29 (it's so close to 30!) and had been feeling kind of old, so that was nice. :)

around here Matt and I saw the new Star Wars movie last night. I won't spoil it for any fans, but we were both pretty pleased with it. It definitely left us leaving the theater with some questions though. I think we'll see it again soon.

around here the weather in DC has been incredibly warm. The cherry blossoms have even started blooming! I had been gearing up for such a cold fall and winter after living in the South for so long. It's nice that we're getting a gradual taste of cooler weather, though I think this weekend it's supposed to be colder.

around here the end of the year has been creeping up on me, and I would like to sit down and intentionally think about some goals that I would like to achieve in 2016. I was late to the game in ordering Lara Casey's PowerSheets, but there's no magical method for goal-setting. I'm just going to make some goals for this year and also for January and see if I can stick to them. If I can, that's great. If not, then I'll figure out what works for me. But that's another post. :)

around here we've been gearing up for spending Christmas and New Year's in North Carolina. I have a running to-do list in my head of all the things that I would like to get done before we leave, and also  what I want to do while we're visiting family. Most of the things we want to do involve eating at restaurants we miss. (Matt took me to a North Carolina barbeque restaurant the second week we moved to DC and I cried at dinner because it made me miss North Carolina so much, ha!)

around here I've been flying through the Lunar Chronicles series. This series is giving me such mixed emotions. I feel most of the time like I don't really enjoy it, but then I find myself thinking about the characters and wondering what their fates are going to be...? All I know is I'm a little sad at I'm nearing the end of the series.

around here The Knot Carolinas issue that our wedding is featured in is on newsstands! So, if you live in NC or SC, pick up a copy. :) One of the reasons I stopped sharing so much about my wedding on the blog is because of the feature, but I feel like now I can share more here, since it's out. I am so excited and proud that our wedding was one of the few chosen. I worked with a great team of vendors who have become like friends, and worked so hard to make my wedding beautiful and personal to Matt and I. If you don't live in NC or SC, our wedding was also featured online at The Knot here.

the best sugar cookies

I'm excited to share this recipe today! I make these cookies every year, and they are so good. They are a lot of work, but for me sitting down and decorating the cookies is peaceful and fun. This would even be a great Christmas activity for kids - just put a bunch of icing and candy down and let them go to town decorating!

Sugar Cut-Out Cookies - makes about two dozen, depending on thickness of the cookie

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 12 tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the icing:

• 2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar
• 1 or more tablespoon of milk (I wound up using about 3 tablespoons, but I was using skim milk)
• 1 tbs. light corn syrup
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• food coloring (I used red and green)

Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

Over a small bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Set aside.

Beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, slowly add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for 1 minute, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add half of the flour mixture. Beat on low speed until most of the flour has been absorbed, about 1 minute. Add the remaining flour and continue beating until all of the flour has been absorbed and the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl, 2 to 3 minutes.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide into 2 equal balls. Shape each into a disk and wrap  separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

Remove dough from the refrigerator and let stand for 5 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using cookie cutters (I used a Christmas tree and a candy cane, but you can do virtually anything), cut out the desired shapes. If the dough sticks to the cutter, dip the cutter into flour before cutting out more shapes. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. 

Bake the cookies until golden brown around the edges, 10 to 15 minutes. If baking more than one sheet at a time, rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom and 180 degrees halfway through baking.

Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the racks and let cool completely. 

To make the icing and decorate:

Whisk the confectioner's sugar, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. 

Separate some of the icing into two separate bowls and add the red and green food coloring to each, mixing until you achieve the desired color. Dip the cookies directly until the icing or use a butter knife to smear the icing on the cookies.

Use your desired candy or sprinkles to decorate. Sometimes I use M&Ms on the Christmas trees as little ornaments, other times I just use sprinkles to create a frosted tree.

Admire your handiwork and enjoy! These are incredibly addicting, so you've been warned. Now go eat a salad after all that sugar. :)

P.S. the dish is from Kate Spade

december: currently

looking forward to spending over a week in North Carolina for Christmas. The move has been a bit hard for me, and it will be nice to see familiar faces and sights. 

needing to purchase a new pair of jeans, since I am down a pair (they completely split one night while I was sitting on the couch - at least I was at home!). I'm thinking either these or maybe this pair?

gearing up for a new year. 2015 was a big year for me (wedding, honeymoon, move to DC) and this time last year I was in full-on wedding mode. It will be nice to come up with a list of goals and work towards them in 2016, which I think will be a lot calmer.

feeling like I'm starting to get into a rhythm with the kids I nanny.

wearing leggings and boots. Every. Day. 

thinking a lot about the future and the possibility of purchasing a home (well, a condo) in DC or Maryland(!)

reading the Lunar Chronicles series. I know these books are for YA, but they are really good. I'm on the third book right now and trying to savor the story a bit instead of flying through.

loving that my schedule allows so much time to read.

making all of the Christmas cookies. Hoping to get a recipe up on the blog sometime soon.

watching Parenthood. I'm on season two and think I cry every episode. Matt and I will be seeing Star Wars opening night, of course.

enjoying the Christmas season. Matt and I have been trying to take part in all of the holiday events that DC has to offer, and every weekend is an adventure.

our 2015 christmas card

This may seem kind of corny, but I was really looking forward to creating a Christmas card this year - our first married Christmas! I knew I wanted to go with Minted, since I had our save the dates created with them, and they turned out wonderful.

Minted has SO many options for Christmas cards, ya'll. Did I want to do gold foil? A "married" Christmas theme? One photo? Multiple photos? After a lot of back and forth, I picked the "Snowy Love and Joy" design, along with my favorite photo of the two of us. Side note: you guys, my bouquet - heart eyes for days. I can't say enough good things about Heather Miller at Eclectic Sage.

On the backside I left a good amount of space to write a personalized note, and included Luke 2:10-11 as a little reminder as to why we celebrate Christmas. I opted to do express service, which does not include a digital proof of your design before printing - and then proceeded to worry that there would be a typo (there wasn't).

I mailed them off a few days ago, and I'm excited to see if we get a few Christmas cards of our own!

Photo by Emily March Photography

i love gift guides

I thought it would be fun to compile a little gift guide, since I love reading other blogger's picks. So this year, I collected a few things that I either own myself and love, or things that I want for myself that I thought would make great gifts for that late 20-something girl in your life. :)

Emily Ley's 2016 Daily Simplified Planner - I am a planner girl, and bought myself ban.do's agenda when it came out in August, but I think this one would have suited my needs better. NOTE: this one is sold out, but there are two more still in stock! 

Caitlin Wilson gold dot pillow - For all those pillow people (you know who you are), these would look great on a couch or bed.

Should I Wash My Hair Today? print -  A cute print to hang in the bathroom, and because really, sometimes you need a reminder it's okay to have dirty hair. ;)

J Crew stadium-cloth cocoon coat - I bought one of these on super sale last year but had to return it because it was too big. Remember to size way down!

Loren Hope small Sara cuff - A pretty bracelet to pair with my Kate Spade watch.

Tory Burch 'Derby' leather riding boot in almond - My pair of Sam Edelman boots (in whiskey) have seen better days.

Tarte Tartelette eyeshadow palette - For all those beauty enthusiasts, and because the Naked palettes get all the love.

Le Creuset Dutch Oven - Man, would I LOVE one of these for Christmas. You can cook virtually anything in this, even bread!

Plum Pretty Sugar robe - I gave these robes to my bridesmaids as gifts, and bought one for myself as well.

Kate Spade purse - Because my other purse is starting to look a little worse for wear, the pop of pink is so cute, and you can monogram it! 

S'well water bottle - I used to have a bkr water bottle which was so cute, but SO hard to clean. This one looks a bit easier to keep clean, fits in your car cup holder, and boasts it can hold an entire bottle of wine!

Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede perfume - I wore this scent on the day of my wedding, and every time I wear it I think of that day! 

Rifle Paper Co. personalized stationery - Bring back the art of letters with your custom portrait (also a great first anniversary gift).

Bonus...for my own stocking, I would choose this tinted lip balm, some essie nail polish, this cosmetic pouch, and cozy socks.