I love me some paper

I can vividly remember my mom & dad getting into a, lets call it, disagreement. usually, my dad would get wound up about something my mom or i was doing, and being the smartest woman I know, she let him think he was getting his way & winning said disagreement.

but lets all be clear: dad has never won a thing in our house other than the privilege to call my mother and i his very own.

the disagreement I'm speaking above was about...paper. mom & i love paper. we love notebooks, day planners, stationary, and even post its. we love paper. the disagreement ended with the famous last words: "if you don't stop buying paper, we're going to drown in it!!!" Then mom replied with "OK" and handed him a candy bar; dad ate the candy bar, and all was back to being A-ok in the Amy Household. (we're real functional.)

aaand we're back to the point (whoops): one thing i love more than paper is finding fabulous paper vendors. enter, Graphic Image, Ashley Brooke Designs, and Lydia and Pugs just to name a few but, the list of my drug dealers  favorite shops has just increased by one: Gadabout Designs. holy moly.

{all images via Gadabout}

oh, they're just FAB! I must own a set, but which to choose? mom, you have less than 16 business/shipping days before my birthday...

xo raa

5 Friday Favorites

well, since everyone else is doing it...

1: Target's new home decor collection

this collection is whimsical and matches my furniture to perfection (pictures to come). i love it. thanks to Danielle Oakey Interiors for doing a post on it. When I had gone to the target website, (which I find rather difficult to navigate) i was unable to find exactly the items i was looking for...but thanks to Danielle, I was able to find them all in one place...perfection! I want to order the majority of them online, that way I can use my Ebates and get my 3% back (every little bit matters now that I have a car payment..!!)



all 4 images via



2. My New Car!!

yes, i {finally} broke down and purchased a new car. My poor baby 2001 land rover had finally bit the dust...and bad. everyone asks me what my favorite part of the new car is? I respond: cup holders! working heater! working breaks! only $54 to fill up! regular gas vs premium gas! *disclaimer to prospective dates/boyfriends: i am not as easy to please in every other area of my life. cars are, clearly, an exception.

image via

3. my new crock pot & new recipes

now i get to try all of the recipes that I'm always seeing on Pinterest. (shameless plug: check out my boards here: http://pinterest.com/rachelaamy/) so far I've tried the Hawaiian Chicken...too spicy! More recipes and reviews coming



image & recipe via

4. Why I hate Religion but Love Jesus

I'm sure ya'll have already seen it, and I'm late to the party (would not be the first time), but I really enjoyed it & it really hit home.

5. My dad being home & well

A week ago, my dad had a heart attack, it was a big scare for my mom and I, but luckily, it was small relative to what it could've been given his, excuse me, shitty eating habits. although i kept myself together during those few days, seeing my dad on that hospital bed was, in short, terrifying. BUT! after a few days in the hospital, one "interesting" as the Cardiologist put it, surgery, and a lot of pain meds, dad is home and slowly getting back on his feet. I could not be more proud of my mom for how she handled everything, or more thankful for the doctors, nurses, and techs who helped my papa, and of course for my friends & family who never wavered in their love and support.

Hope ya'll have a great weekend....I'm looking forward to a weekend of pedicures, hopefully a FSU basketball WIN, champagne brunches, putting away Christmas decorations, and FINALLY reading The Hunger Games!

xo raa

OOTD

I'm trying to make more of an effort to get myself together in the morning. For no other reason that I seem to be replacing going out on weekends with happy hours after work. With that being said, I really need to stop looking like such a ragga muffin at work/after work get togethers.

Here is my first day making effort for the workday:



Anyways, today's OOTD: Black Qquilted Vest: Talbots (Holiday '11) Leopard Button Up: Old Navy (Sept/Oct) Sabrina Ponte Leggings: Talbots (Current) 



*Sorry for the blurry phone picture; we thought I was due for an upgrade (aka: iPhone) in Feb, turns out its Feb 2013...bummer. Meanwhile, my mother has an iPhone. you do the math.

I've really been loving Talbots lately; my mom has been trying to get me to shop there for ages, the main reason being: it is our only charge card that my dad pays the bill...thanks dad! Right now Talbots is offering 25% off all Full Price Items w/ promo code: JANUARY; I highly recommend purchasing the Sabrina Ponte Legging. They remind me of the J.Crew Minnie pant, but personally, I find these a little more flattering and true to size.

image via

Hope ya'll have a fabulous Thursday!

xo raa

Ashley Brooke Designs Saves My Valentine's Day!

Even though Valentine's Day is still a month away, I could not help but order my Valentine's Day cards early when I saw the cute designs + the discount code..

I'm sure you've heard of Ashley Brooke Designs; if not...go to her site. Immediately. Right now she is offering 15% off her Valentine's Day line, just use the promo code: HUGSANDKISSES.



image via



These are the actual cards that I ordered; I can not wait to send them... i need to pick up a special, pink sharpie pen (i love how my handwriting looks when i use sharpie pens...) to write my Valentines special messages!!



Here are some other cute cards that I resisted ordering...



image via







image via



Buying stationary always makes me want to order new address labels....

xo raa

helllooooo 2012

im back! im back! im back!

listen, i have a confession: i didn't have wifi. it was an excuse to not blog, to not keep up with people, to not pursue certain interests. 

i dont know what 2012 holds; four days into it, i have high hopes for the next 361 days. with that being said, i hope that, if nothing else, it is a year of no excuses.

listen, its almost 11pm, time for b-e-d. or at least chelsea lately. i will be back. 

xo raa

it cant be that hard..right?

yes! apparently it can. why is my blog header so big?! im a big person with a big personality. i do. not. need a big blog header!

someone help me.

another area in which i need help....deciding what to dress this little girl up as:

this was her halloween groom for last year. that collar doesn't even fit anymore. (sad mama moment)

she was a pumpkin last year, but she was also 3 months old and 5 lbs last year. she is now 15 months old and 12 lbs...aka: we've had to retire her pumpkin costume.

im deciding between these two:

i think i like the flower? i could wear a lilly skirt, and BAM! we match. easy peasy.

xo raa

ps. how do you like the centered blog rather than the strictly left alignment? im taking alittle direction from on of my fav bloggers, Southern Vogue

a whole bunch of understatements

to say that i'm inspired would be an understatment. i feel as if, something in my head and heart (this is when you think, "get over yourself, rachelamy") have finally clicked.

i have alot of things going on, both personally and professionally, to be proud of. with that being said, i  also have a lot things going on, both personally and professionally, not be proud of. i promised ya'll honesty, and that is one area in which, i will never back out of a promise.


i think I'm going to start an etsy shop. with the combined efforts of my ma & pa, we will have refinished furniture, frames, wreaths, and scrapbook pages. ill post all of our items here first for opinions, of course!


im blessed with a very crafty family; to say i grew up at antique shows would be a GROSS understatement. as if that wasn't enough, i grew up with my mom and dad stopping on the side of the road to pick up someone else's discarded "treasure". meanwhile, i would duck in the back seat (of our Mercedes, no less) hoping none of my friends saw our version of a Sunday outing. my mom would say one of her famous last words, "you have to see BEYOND, rachel." now, 22 years later, i finally got it.


btw, this is not the only lesson of hers that's taken me 22 years to learn, but that is a whooooleee other story for another day.


i don't want you to think i grew up in one big "curb alert" (don't you wish they still said that on craigslist?), my childhood home is filled with price-less antiques and artwork; actually to me, they have a price tag, and its high. much higher than say, my ikea/target/turner's wknd sale furniture. BUT! we have finally realized we really enjoy refinishing furniture, and to be honest, as you've seen in previous posts, we like stuff. if we can BUY stuff, re-do STUFF, then SELL stuff, to y'know, buy MORE stuff. its a win-win situation.


some people play sports as a family, we buy & craft & build (my dad doesn't really "craft" per say, but he can sure as hell, build).


pictures coming soon.


xo raa