Catching Confetti Archives - Page 3 of 5 - Making Nice in the Midwest

Naomi of The Rockstar Diaries

Resolution #9:
Have more date nights.
Guest Blog post by Naomi

One of the things I love about my husband of 3 1/2 years is that he still asks me out on dates! Complete with opening the car door for me! Whether you're a married girl or a dating girl, sometimes it can become easy to get into a routine with your significant other that doesn't really allow time for each other like those first few romantic months together did. Especially in a world where we all carry on such busy lifestyles. But my husband and I have learned that making time for little dates each week has made all the difference in our marriage. Date nights don't have to be extravagant or over the top either, some of our favorites have been ordering in on a week night and building a fort out of blankets, or choosing a recipe and cooking a meal together, playing card games while we wait for the oven to ring! Turning off the computer, cell phones and other distractions while spending time together has also helped those nights become more memorable and it's made all the difference in our marriage.

Here's a little list of some fun ideas we've done (or hope to do) on our little dates:

Search for the best burger (or pizza, frozen yogurt, whatever you both love eating together) in your town or state.
Take the day off work together and go on a mini road trip for the day.
Find a TV show you both enjoy, rent a season's worth on DVD and make it a running date to watch an episode together every night with homemade popcorn and treats.
Have a picnic at the park, or in your house on the carpet if it's too cold outside. (We like setting up our camping tent indoors for picnics!)
Make mixed CD's of your favorite songs growing up and have a dance party together in your kitchen.
Get in the car and drive around your favorite neighborhoods. Pick out your dream home.
Fine a nearby thrift store and spend $5 on each other.
Make a movie together; write a funny scenario or scene & find props around your house to use.
Make homemade ice cream or pizza together.
Check out the evening class schedule at your local community college and take an evening pottery or ballroom dance class together.

posted on January 5th, 2011 16 comments

Jennifer of Sally Jane Vintage

Resolution #5:
Explore your town.
Guest Blog post by Jennifer
Photos by: Tom B.

Hi y?all! It?s Jennifer from Sally Jane Vintage here, pitching in for Mandi while she?s taking a break. When Mandi asked me to do a little guest blog here, I was tickled pink to help out. And when she suggested an ?around town? post, I knew just what I wanted to do? a vintage shopping guide of Lancaster! So, one day last week Tom and I headed out for a day of walking around town and stopping in all the vintage shops along the way.

I always joke that vintage shopping is my therapy, but really I?m only half-kidding. Searching for hidden treasures in vintage stores and flea markets always takes my mind off anything that?s ailing me. When we made the move from Los Angeles to Lancaster nearly three years ago (I can?t believe it?s been that long!) I was so sad to leave behind all of my beloved vintage stores. Los Angeles has such a wealth of vintage shops and I was quite spoiled by it all.

Luckily, Lancaster?s vintage shopping scene is nothing to scoff at! There are some real treasures here and if you?re ever visiting the area you shouldn?t miss them. We started out the morning with a stop at Mammalicious. This was the first store in Lancaster I discovered, and as soon as I walked in the very first time, I knew my worries were over. It?s stocked from floor to ceiling with quirky home accents, vintage clothes, accessories and at this time of year, vintage Christmas ornaments. A little piece of heaven!

Right across the street is Zap & Co, a Lancaster landmark. Zap was found in 1973 and is one of the nation?s oldest vintage stores. As soon as you walk through the doors, you?re overwhelmed with the sheer amount of vintage stuffed into one small space. There are cabinets full of deco and Bakelite jewelry, racks upon racks of clothes and an amazing selection of hard to find books.

Next we wandered down the block to Building Character. This isn?t strictly a vintage shop, although it does house Smilin? Gal Vintage, which you may recognize as my Etsy selling partner. Kris always has a great selection of dresses, shoes and hats to pillage through. Once I had sufficiently rummaged through all the vintage, we wandered back to the warehouse portion of the store that serves as an architectural salvage yard. There are piles upon piles of old doors, windows, school chairs and desks. Every time Tom and I walk through there, we want to start redecorating our house.

Last, we stopped into the newest vintage shop in town, Hinesite. This place has quickly become a favorite of mine. The owner, over the last 30 years, has curated one of the most amazing collections of vintage I?ve ever seen! It?s quite a magical space, filled with everything from 40s rayon dresses to vintage wool Pendleton blankets. Tom tried on a 30s wool blazer and looked like he stepped right off the set of Boardwalk Empire. I tried on several 40s wool ski sweaters but none of them were quite right. Then I was heartbroken over a 1910s striped wool jacket that was wonderful in every way except that it was a wee child?s size. In the end, I didn?t leave empty handed. Tom was sweet enough to surprise me by buying a lovely Jonathan Logan dress I?d been eying in the shop for a while.

We finished up the day with lunch at a new Thai restaurant? coconut soup and fried tofu wedges for both of us, then Pad See Ew for me and Thai Basil tofu for Tom. Yum! It was pretty much a perfect day.

posted on January 5th, 2011 10 comments

Elsie of A Beautiful Mess

Resolution #6:
Throw more parties.
Guest Blog post by Elsie of A Beautiful Mess

Hello there! I’m Elsie from A Beautiful Mess and I am super excited to share some fun party ideas for this new year! I put this little party table together in 30 minutes, for under $40!

Parties with pals don’t have to be super expensive or time consuming to be fun and memorable. I opted for colored candies and fresh fruit and flowers. My sister, Emma, created this yummy raspberry sparkler cocktail too! Don’t forget to take photos of your cute parties and get-togethers because they’re a lot of fun to blog about too.

Here are a few sweet ideas for 2011 parties…

*Have a fancy ‘girls only’ tea party. Dress up and take lots of instant photos!
*Have a donut party. You know you want to…
*Have a movie themed costume party. Make sure you have your camera too. ;)
*Invite your pals over for a craft night. Be sure to collect lots of cute supplies in advance!
*Make your own photo booth backdrop for a cute get-together.
*Host a back yard camp out with friends, tents, sleeping bags and smores.

Xo. elsie