Listening: Avett Brothers Concert

Last week I, along with several friends, went to Greensboro to see the Avett Brothers. Not only are they my favorite band, but they also happen to be the namesake of my blog. Since the concert was on Halloween the band dressed up as different military officers. Most women love a man in uniform, but when that man is also an Avett, that's almost too much to handle! haha


I took this picture with my new camera. I apologize for the blurriness - I am still trying to figure out the settings.

Making: Fall

Since it is Halloween, I thought I would post a few pictures to show what I have been up to lately, creatively speaking.

This is my birthday cake, created by my best friend Brettany. I suggested an owl and she ran with the idea. For more of her cakes visit her blog.



These are my two cats Yo-Yo (left) and Pop-Tart. I take way too many pictures of them, and I usually try to spare people of that, but this one was too cute - they look like yin and yang - I had to include it!



This is my attempt at a non-traditional pumpkin carving. During the day...



... and lit up in the dark.

Wearing: Apple Festival

This past weekend I went back to my hometown to attend the Brushy Mountain Apple Festival - a collection of arts and crafts, ceramics and apple food products like cider, apple butter, fried apple pies and fresh brushy mountain apples.


One of the booths I visited was selling rings, earrings, pins and magnets created from vintage buttons. I bought 4 rings on Saturday, and luckily for me they have a shop on Etsy, so I can continue to pick up these unique pieces!

http://www.greenthumbdesigns.etsy.com/

Making: Chelsea + Eric

My step-sister Chelsea is engaged and planning her wedding for next June. I offered to help her with her invitations and she accepted. Since I graduated, I have been looking for craft projects to work on - I guess I'm still not used to having free time! I am glad to have a project that will require creativity but not money. I have so many ideas, but I haven't yet met with the bride to learn what she has in mind. I will post whenever I make progress.

Eating: Escazu

There is a local chocolate shop called Excazu just down the street from my office on Glenwood Avenue. I had heard lots of good things about it but hadn't visited until today. I was quite impressed. They have chocolate bars, cooking chocolate and individual chocolates. All of the wares are made and packaged in their shop and they explore bold and unique flavor combinations. My purchases today were orange flavored chocolate, raspberry filling in a chocolate shell, honey and chamomile flavored chocolate filling in a chocolate shell and lime flavored chocolate sprinkled with chipolte powder, plus a milk chocolate bar with swirls of dark chocolate. Clearly I had a hard time choosing just one!

The shop opens at noon and stays open until 10 p.m. so it's a perfect treat for after lunch or dinner. Please stop in and support a local business!

Making: Bookends

Recently I decided that I needed some bookends for my shelf. After some price-shopping I found that interesting bookends cost about $60 per pair. That was more of an investment than I was willing to make. So I set out to make my own bookends that reflected my own interests.
The materials are simple and inexpensive. First I bought acrylic box frames, costing $2 each, easily found at most craft stores. These provide a sturdy frame and a sleek aesthetic. However, they alone are not heavy enough to support books. So I filled the white box inside the acrylic frame with glass floral rocks, also found at most craft stores. Obviously anything small and heavy would work for this - marbles, sand, etc. Last I inserted my pictures.
This is a great way to display family pictures, postcards or other mementos. This also is a cute alternative for table numbers or names at seated dinner events like wedding receptions.

Living: Disappointment

My husband and I, along with a group of friends, had planned to go whitewater rafting this weekend on the Nantahala River. As of this afternoon our plans have been cancelled due to the gas "crisis" caused by the impending hurricane Ike. I had hoped to return Sunday and post stories and pictures from our trip, but now I get to attend my company picnic and catch up on laundry!

Watching: Vicky Christina Barcelona

Last week I had my semi-regular movie date with my friend Melissa. We always seek out films that are independent, or at least express an independent spirit. Our latest choice was the new Woody Allen film Vicky Christina Barcelona. The story was passionate and intriguing, the acting superb. The best surprise was the soundtrack. The whole film was underscored by beautiful tracks of Spanish guitar, which to me was a character in itself. A real gem.

Eating: Bella Napoli

I am always in favor of supporting local business, especially when the business is helping to revitalize an existing downtown area. So when I found Bella Napoli, an Italian restaurant, in the heart of "Old Cary" I just knew we had to try it!

My instincts were right. The decor was charming with grape vines and white lights hung from a trellis. The food was amazing. My husband and I both ordered the veal special, and it was one of the best things I have ever eaten. The wine list was terrific. Not as thorough as some, but the wines were unique and surprising, not the typical list you see everywhere. The menu was a bit pricy, but definitely worth it for a nice night out or a celebration. I would recommend this to anyone that loves Italian cooking and an intimate atmosphere!

Starting: Life

There are a lot of new things in my life, least of all this blog. I have a new apartment, I just started a new job and I got married 3 months ago. To get the blog-ball rolling, I wanted to post some highlights of the wedding.

As you can see, the wedding was in Las Vegas. And no, Elvis did not marry us.

The ceremony was lovely and intimate - 40 people, including the wedding party - they were good sports to let me lay on their laps!

The details were my favorite part of the wedding. For my something old, I used a vintage hairstick that belonged to my great-grandmother, and had it tucked into my bouquet.
My something borrowed was the pin shown below. It belongs to my grandmother and reads 'Forget-Me-Not.' A scrap from my mom's mother-of-the-bride dress, fashioned into a simple bow, served as my something blue. The two were pinned to my bustle.

After the ceremony, we drove around the Vegas strip to take pictures. This is us in front of the Bellagio.

A week after we returned from the honeymoon we had a casual reception so we could celebrate with the friends and family that weren't able to attend the wedding. Another of my favorites was the wedding cake, provided by Edible Art in Raleigh, NC. I saw a cake I loved in a magazine and they did a fabulous job replicating it for me.