Putting a highlight on my small sponsors for June

I can't believe June is over. I'm sitting here wondering where all time has gone and how on earth the fourth of July can be next week!? To celebrate the end of another great month I have for you another special treat, an introduction to all of the small sponsors this month on Secondhand Sundays. I'm so honored to have so many great women willing to sponsor this here blog and they've willingly shared a little of themselves with you. Enjoy!

BLOG / SHOP / PINTEREST

Hi! My name is Carli and I blog over at Sweet Dreams! There I talk about music, my adventures, DIY, and much more! I love everything vintage and consider thrifting a sport. All in all, my blog is about making dreams into true stories!

BLOG / SHOP

Hey friends, I’m Ali. I’m an insurance agent by day but a creator/thrifter at heart. The thompson’s blog is where you can find diy tips, thrifting inspiration & of course, see our cute yorkie, Sammy. I’d love to meet you, so pop on over and say hello!

BLOG / FACEBOOK / TWITTER

BLOG / TWITTER / FACEBOOK

Hey y'all! I'm Tori from The EdiTORIal and I'm so excited to be sponsoring Secondhand Sundays this month!I'm a southern girl, raised in the heart of East Tennessee. I'm a full time college student. I have a wonderful southern gent of almost three years, a growing thirst for all things fashion, and an addiction to nail polish and beauty products. I would love for you to hop on over :)

BLOG / TWITTER / INSTGRAM: @typed_for_miles

Hello! My name is Cara-Mia and I blog over at I Typed for Miles. I blog about life as a newlywed living in a new city, thrift scores, our new apartment, and out of town trips. I'd love to have you come along! 

BLOG / FACEBOOK / PINTEREST

Hi there! Lately, things have been reminding me about how lucky I am to be where I am. (optimist, they say?) I'm a small-town-big-dreams graphic designer who started a blog to inspire people, in the best way I can. Colours & Beyond, you'll see, is all about getting inspired, and inspiring people through their everyday life. I can't wait to hear from you and make new blog pals!

BLOG / SHOP / FACEBOOK

Hello, my name is Christine and I blog over at Mavy May Designs and own a handmade accessories shop by the same name. I live in Canada with my awesome fiancé our 2 dog and my cat. I blog about all things that inspire me from bight colours, to DIY stuff, lovely photos, trying to plan a wedding, and just life in general. Stop by and say hello, I love meeting new friends.

BLOG / FACEBOOK / TWITTER

Hello Secondhand Sundays readers, my name is J and I blog over at My Life in Lavender. I’m a student, blogger, and fashion enthusiast with a passion for coffee, funky jewelry, and adventures. My Life in Lavender is my corner of the internet where I like to share my experiences, and my daily outfit choices. Stop on by and say ‘hello’!

BLOG / FACEBOOK / INFINITE LIFE FITNESS

My blog is a blog about me! I know that i am just an average gal living an average life. But...i do feel that i do have things to share with the world. I am also an advocate of health and fitness and i hope that what i share on my blog might inspire or help someone who is wanting to live a healthier lifestyle. 

BLOG

Hey lovely Secondhand Sundays readers! I'm Kelley and I blog over in this little corner of the web called, A Crooked Trail. I'm a travel loving, road trip taking, culture junkie that just adores seeing what this world has to offer! Come join me, the hubs, and our pups on our little adventure! Visit me here, and let's be friends!

BLOG / FACEBOOK / PINTEREST

Hey there, future best friends. I'm Sierra and I blog over at Vienna Waits, a lifestyle blog showcasing my everyday East Coast activities (spoiler alert: you're going to see a lot of pictures of thrifted treasures, coffee and my cat Zoe. You've been warned). If you like cheap clothes, fair trade brews and furry animals, we could definitely be friends. 

BLOG / TWITTER / TUMBLR

Hello! I am Emily, and I blog about things that are important to me such as traveling, fashion, my husband, crafts, and most of all, celebrating life everyday. I believe there is always something to be happy about and it's always worth acknowledging! I think some of the best things in life are the little things, and I enjoy sharing those things with all of you. Stop by and say hello!

 BLOG/ BLOGLOVIN/ TWITTER

Hello there! I'm Anna from Photographs & Memories, a memory keeper of some wild and crazy adventures we have, photographs of pretty things I see, and stories from my attempts at surviving adulthood. I'm a sucker for all things stripes and coral colored, love twinkly lights and photobooths, and could live off cereal for every meal. Come on over and say hi, I love meeting new friends! 

BLOG/TWITTER/FACEBOOK

Hey friends, I'm Rachel from Minnesota and I'm the blogger behind Swell and Stylish. When I'm not chasing after mysuper independent 3 year old son or sleeping, I can be found on the blog sharing fun things that fall into the categories of design, fashion, food and random life happenings. I'm a vintage lover at heart, collector of many things and have a wide array of styles -- for everything! So nice to meet you, I hope you'll stop by and say hello!

 BLOG/BLOGLOVIN/FACEBOOK

"Hey there! I'm Lauren, I blog about my happy little life here in Los Angeles, where I live with my boyfriend and kitty. I spend my weekdays teaching, my nights crafting, and my weekends thrifting and eating. Come by and say hello!"

BLOG / TWITTER

Hello Secondhand Sunday readers! My name is Kate and I live with my husband, cat, and soon a puppy in a suburb of Philadelphia (well, we’re 45 minutes outside of it, but still). I started my blog, a peony for your thoughts, to detail my wedding planning and share it with my bridesmaids. Nowadays you’ll find me blogging about my newlywed life, our future puppy (coming 7/3!!), decorating our new house, misadventures in painting and gardening, and maaaaybe a little bit of fashion. And, confession: I am not a natural redhead. Hope you’ll hop on over and say hello! 

Go send these ladies some love and enjoy your weekend friends. big kiss, bekuh

UncommonGoods wants your Jewelry designs

When Ryan and I started looking at places to register for wedding goodies we both jumped at the chance to add a couple of items from Uncommon Goods to our online registry. We didn't get everything on our list but we did get some and the quality, and creativity behind the pieces can't be beat. Uncommon Goods focuses on offering creatively designed, high-quality merchandise that's super affordable. Now you know I have a pretty strict budget, and I don't just throw the word affordable around, so trust me when I say that you can always find a great gift for your mom, your brother, your boyfriend, your bestie, or yourself on this site without breaking the bank. That's a pretty good feeling if you ask me.

Recently, Uncommon Goods contacted me about an amazing opportunity for YOU, and I am more than happy to share it. They are currently holding an open call for any jewelry designer to submit work from their portfolio for competition. The winning designer will receive $500 and a vendor contract with UncommonGoods, getting their designs in front of thousands of customers! 

All finalists will have the opportunity to submit their entire portfolio to UncommonGoods buyers, get their work critiqued by a panel of judges, that will include Aaron Ruff of Digby & Iona, and experience some serious online exposure. Which you've gotta know is huge for newly started businesses.

Want to know more? Are you their next jewelry designer? You can learn more on their design challenge page and submit your designs through the online form.

I know that there are some pretty incredible jewelry makers, and craftsman who read this blog, so what are you waiting for? Sign-up today! bis kiss, bekuh

Happiness Is...a Saturday at home

 I've started taking a lot of photos, too many photos, photos I never intend to share here; and sometimes these photos say something to me and come to mean more than just an exercise in lighting, or focus. I've decided to start a series on the blog called "Happiness is..." My plan is to share maybe once or twice a month just little snapshots of life, the images I capture that don't have a place in the grand scheme of the blog but have a place in my heart because they're all the things of home.

Happiness is...

Waking up and walking out to the garden to water our growing plants, only to find your first ripe tomato and lettuce ready to eat.

Our CSA bounty turning into so much more; a time to spend with Ryan pickling and making the house stink of vinegar.

A silly puppy who thinks she has human hands and tries to help you cook and clean in the kitchen.

My studio- messy from use, and consistently well loved.

Pretty vintage wares hanging to dry in the afternoon sun.

Realizing it's noon and you've already had a day full of fun and exploration.

Loving a new thrifted item so much you put it on as soon as you get home and immediately go on adventures with it.

A spontaneous coffee date with the one you love.

Happiness is the little moments more often than the big ones. I hope you enjoyed this feature as much as I enjoyed creating it. I'm excited to share more posts like this in the future. big kiss, bekuh

My Morning Routine

Waking up is hard. There are some days where by noon I'm thinking to myself, "How on earth did I get out of bed? I don't even remember today before 10am," and that's why routine is so important to me in the morning. Today I thought I would share my morning routine with you, just because.

1. When I wake up in the morning I generally start by washing my face, I use Target's Up&Up (great name right?) products and tend to graviate towards something with a little exfoliant action.

2. After a good cleanse I apply a little anti-aging lotion with SPF and I've been using Garnier's lotion for about two years now.

3. After the basics are covered I comb out my hair and pretend not to notice it until I style it later.

4. Next I tackle the make-up. I begin by applying a little MAC blush in Dainty to my cheeks and eyes, then I add highlight to my eyes with Urban Decay eyeshadow in Sin.

5. I throw on a coat of mascara, I use Cover Girl's Lash Blast Volume and my eyes are done.

6. After my eyes I go back to my cheeks and apply a little bronzer to both my cheeks and the ridge of my nose. My bronzer is so old the label has worn off so I have no idea who makes it. That probably means I need to replace it, but I'm cheap and lazy, HA!

7. If I'm feeling extra fresh I'll put on a little lipstick to brighten up my face, my favorite being Revlon's Moon Drops 24k Orange.

Lastly, I style my hair however I'm feeling that morning and I'm ready to go. You may have noticed that I keep things pretty low-key in the makeup department and on most days this really is how I operate. I think it's important to point out that generally for outfit posts I put on a little extra makeup and usually foundation. We all need a little extra help sometimes. big kiss, bekuh

Sneak Peek for Deer Circus' Blog

Hello lovely Deer Circus readers, my name is Bekuh and I blog over at Secondhand Sundays. I'm honored that Bridget asked me to share an outfit post with you today because I personally find her style so inspiring. While she's off becoming the next awesome wedding photographer let's talk fashion.

I find that the summer can be both the easiest and hardest time of year to dress myself. In the summer there's the beauty of just grabbing a dress out of the closet and throwing it on with a pair of sandals, sunnies, and a little sunscreen, but then there are days where you want more than the average fare and layering can be just too darn hot. September is such a magical time when you can actually feel the seasons changing. Days are spent in the still hot sun, but the nights are cooler and less confining. I find I'm falling in love with my wardrobe all over again, and I'm finally able to start layering a little here and there.

 This outfit is my quintessential Friday date night ensemble in late summer; a skirt, 3/4 sleeve top, and still bare legs. Mix in a little cool cotton, heart sunglasses, and a vintage accessory and I'm in love. Bonus points because this look is almost as easy to put together as throwing a dress on, and one you can recreate for yourself.

Outfit Details: t-shirt- Target // skirt- Anthropologie // belt- vintage head scarf // shoes- Fossil // heart sunnies- Ebay

As Summer draws ever closer to its official close I'm anxious for Fall temperatures and the changing leaves to really begin. And of course more layering too. Thanks for reading my little guest post, I hope you'll visit my blog and be a friend. Hugs and kisses to Bridget. big kiss, bekuh

Return of the sentimental babysitter.

This past weekend I cut shapes out for collages, splashed in the pool, made ice cream cones out of play dough, and pretended to be the coolest aunt ever to three of the coolest kids I've ever met. Enter the Sorensons. During my last two years of college I lived with this amazing family and watched their three kids on the daily, so to say it's been tough without them for the last two years would be an understatement. I've only gotten to see them a handful of times, one of those times being our wedding, and it kills me that I live an hour plus from them now. I love them so much and miss them like crazy. I decided I needed to relive the amazing days I had with them and you get to too.

Friday night was spent catching up, eating pizza, and watching movies; but Saturday was filled to the brim with excitement and adventure. First Sallie and I cut out pictures, and fun shapes to make a collage for her camp trunk before breakfast. Then we pasted the whole lot to the lid and ate pancakes and bacon with the two other littles.

After breakfast we played in a sandbox, swung for an hour, and enjoyed the cool morning air before the hot noon sun hit. Aggie was crawling when I first started watching the kids, so it was amazing to see how grown up she's become and self contained. For the fist time ever I didn't have to change her diaper! I loved how much she talked and how vivid her imagination has become,

Sallie was a ball of nerves because she was leaving for camp in just a few short hours, so we tried to keep her entertained with pogo stick challenges, and talking about her upcoming middle school days this fall. She's a full blown pre-teen now.

These were kind of precious moments for me watching the girls, while Jack rested inside for a bit. Precious because of all the time I've known them, and all that's happened between us, and how we can be apart for a long time but come back together like not a day has passed. They are truly family to me.

Sallie in particular has grown to be so strong and brave. I watched her hugging her siblings goodbye and not shedding a tear as they grabbed at her trunk begging her not to go to camp without them. It meant the world to me that she paused to say how much she loved me too and how happy she was that we got to spend some time together before she had to leave. I too teared up just a little watching her pull away in a friend's car all packed and ready for a new chapter of summer to begin.

Pool time always helps heartbreak and so Jack, Aggie and I went to the pool for the afternoon. It helped ease the pain of missing their parents, and having to say goodbye to their sissy just an hour or so before. I don't have access to a pool myself so this treat was as much for me as it was for them.

Saturday ended so suddenly with a heaping bowl of ice cream and laughter. I must have taken a hundred pictures of just the porch this weekend, trying to freeze time and all the silly faces and jokes that come with eating ice cream.

Jack is most himself when eating and has always loved a good turn of phrase; he had Aggie and I in stitches over a couple of jokes about food. He too is such a big boy now, and so helpful. He scooped everyone's ice cream and served it to us like a gentlemen, never once complaining or asking for help.

Sorry for the picture overload but there was just so much to share. You are getting a double or triple dose if you follow me on twitter (@bekuhdoo) or instagram (@bekuhdoo) because I posted a lot there too. Feel free to relive those moments too, I know I will.

These pictures will have to hold me over until I see them again. I just hope Sallie isn't driving by then, and Aggie in middle school. Do any of you have a special connection with the families you babysat for? That is if you babysat. It's funny when you're not blood related to someone yet feel like you'd do anything for them, even step in front of a bus. big kiss, bekuh

pleasure in simple things

I am humbled by everyone's sweet words yesterday, and a little relieved to hear so many people who can relate to our struggle (though I'd never wish it on them). It's good to know that we're not alone in this, which brings me to...I have a really bad habit of rushing through life, trying to do too much and not letting what I've just done soak in. I'm a pretty busy person, and I'm really really focused on achieving certain goals and those goals sometimes leave little room for savoring life the way I'd like to. Lately I've let a lot of little milestones pass by without giving them their proper acknowledgement.

It is in these times that something as simple as a snack can remind me that life is a gift and one worth relishing. Sometimes it is the simplest things in life that bring the greatest pleasure.

My Mom used to make us a variation of this treat growing up, and so it will forever remind me of Ohio summers, childhood, and my three siblings and I fighting over the last bit of brown sugar in a bowl. To make this yourself pick up some greek yogurt, brown sugar and strawberries. Dip the strawberry first in yogurt, and then in the brown sugar and gobble up. If you don't have greek yogurt try using sour cream, strange but delicious. I promise you won't be able to eat just one. big kiss, bekuh