Last Saturday Andrew and I hung out in the Noda neighborhood of Charlotte all day. Noda is most comparable to a small South Congress in Austin, or maybe a North St. Mary's in San Antonio. Lots of little shops, cool bars, thrift stores, and music venues. We started our day with brunch (per usual) and then took our time walking around and seeing the sights.
We discovered a lot of really interesting little shops, some that even doubled as art venues. One in particular featured a lot of imported goods from Latin American countries, as well as local handmade items. In the back room they even had a Dia de los Muertos inspired alter to honor lost loved ones. There were many beautiful photos, notes, and keepsakes.
In a third room we found some exhibits by local artists. 
We also happened upon an awesome thrift store called The Rat's Nest and I found these gems to bring home with me:
I am not sure the exact year of the purse, but it is in great condition. All the beads are still very much intact and the inside has little wear and tear. It will be a perfect companion on nights out! As for my good friend Rod, I just couldn't resist. I have two very important people in my life that connect me to Rod. First, my mother, who always picks Maggie May as her karaoke song. Second, my friend Anna, who has the strongest love for this man I've ever witnessed. She too has this particular album and it makes me happy to look at it and think of her.Andrew and I love hanging out in Noda and we will be back later this month to see Delbert McClinton!
Now onto some projects. Yesterday I spent the majority of my time working around the house. The first item on my list was to complete a privacy screen for our back deck. I wanted a way to make our outdoor space seem more intimate and I loved the idea of a "wooden wall" type structure. I found lots of random pieces of wood in our barn that I was able to salvage and my vision really started to come together. I arranged the pieces of wood on the ground and pulled some aside to act as braces for the top, middle, and bottom. I used a simple drill to screw each piece into the brace and before long it was quite secure. Here is a photo of my work half way through:
I really love how the different colors of wood came together. I am thinking about painting a mural on the bottom half to add a little more character. I think it will look really cool on our deck when all is said and done. I wanted to paint today, but it's too wet outside. I will post more photos when I make some progress.After using the drill for the better half of the day, I moved onto assembling our new chaise lounge. It arrived while I was working outside and I couldn't wait to get it up and running. I also wanted to have the new living room set up arranged before Andrew got home from work to surprise him. Here is the finished product:
Many of you may have noticed that we moved our super groovy electric fireplace into the living room from the kitchen. I loved having it in the kitchen, since it does an amazing job warming the tile in the mornings. However, it didn't work after I changed up our little eating area:
Isn't it charming? It reminds me of a cute little sidewalk cafe. I love how it turned out and thankfully so does Andrew.
As you can see, yesterday was a busy day for me. I was happy to get my hands on some power tools, build something outside, and make cozy changes to our cottage. Not to mention, I got to display my newest treasures. I'm am happy!
The next day we woke up and it was New Year's Eve! Colbey had some friends coming in to join us from D.C., so we mostly just hung out and got ready for the night. We made dinner reservations at a delicious tapas restaurant right across from Colbey's place and enjoyed a unique meal with good people.
After enjoying delicious food and drinks, we ventured out to a few more bars before making our way back to the apartment. It just so happens that the city of Baltimore sets off their fireworks over the water, RIGHT next to Colbey's building. We decided to hustle back to the apartment to find our spot on the rooftop deck. Champagne was flowing as we welcomed in 2012 and watched the spectacular show directly above our heads!
Obviously, the squirrel is supposed to be sitting on a nut...but doesn't it kinda look like a brain? Perhaps this makes me love it even more. Either way, I am digging the fact that it is actually quite tacky. I don't mind a bit of tackiness, as long as the piece is still well made and looks like it has a story to tell. I think this little squirrel on a nut will make a fine friend.
I don't remember the exact price we paid for this beautiful hand painted, wooden tray, but I know it was well under $10. Andrew loves collecting anything with a ship motif and he was psyched to bring home this piece of art.
I used some of my nice, soft, natural paper and then used my awesome pair of decorative scissors to cut the edges. The trees were drawn with my crayola markers. Easy, fast, and adorable (if I do say so myself). Just goes to show that taking a little time to create something handmade goes a long way. I didn't have to spend any money and the end result is a thoughtful, one of a kind, Christmas card.
I also got some more art put up in the second bedroom. The three bird themed pieces were also used at the wedding and now they have a permanent home next to Frida.
As you can see, I have been able to put some of our supplies to good use. I really like how the vases turned out with the branches and feathers. Hopefully Andrew can help me put up shelving in the second bedroom this weekend, so that I can create a few more. I have also been busy recycling the large amounts of lace we brought back with us. Some of the pieces were turned back into curtains and some of them are becoming stitching accents. In other words, I have been using cut out patterns of lace to jazz up some boring old sweaters and shirts. Here is the first one I finished:
