it's been real.

after four sporadic years on blogger, our time has come: we are breaking up.

you can find me here, tumbling along.


and a new chapter begins.

and the wanderlust soul i have.

it should come as no surprise to anyone who has been following this (rather sparse of late) blog for some time that i have this overwhelming need for adventure. i struggle with the still, the settled. since moving to austin i have done an adequate job at remaining constantly in motion, sleeping too little, and laughing much. in between and throughout all of that, i am diligently working away on the little coffee home to be, vintage heart. before the shop has doors and windows and seats to share, i need to get lost. i need to adventure this pretty country we have been blessed with. i'm hitting the road.

here is a little outline of my trip.

i will be exploring the highway lines for twelve days. i will sit at tables of long time friends and travel from home to home. i will walk my sweet friend becca's little ones (who are not so little these days) to school then share coffee and scones with a soul i first met in an airport terminal so many years ago. i will meet up in denver for little sleep and too much conversation with a friend who at one time seemed unlikely, but now i can't imagine life without.

i will get lost in portland with a new friend, who inspires me and i so look forward to learning more while we hike those northwestern mountains and streams.

a best friend will fly to meet me and journey the entire left coast as we head south on the familiar pacific coast highway. i will breathe easily in a city that welcomed me so warmly and healed my soul. i will cut through the southwest, a familiar landscape i have learned to find the beauty in and quickly find myself home. here in austin.

as you would expect, a mix of sorts is being put together for this voyage. it's currently at about 5 hours of playing time, so i'm trying to cut it back a bit for the downloaders out there who aren't planning on burning to five cd's. be looking for it in the next few days, it will be here shortly.

until then, be well, pretties.

i think love

hides behind gates that look like this.

color me summer.

t's here, it's here! summer has finally graced us with her flawlessly blue skies and steady temperatures above 100. i had the opportunity last weekend to play with bella and tess as well as my pretty friend shannon. here is a little bit of summer for you.

oh, and here is a little sample of summer color.

premature pta.

these days i spend the majority of my time playing barbies, brushing hair and saying, 'stop, that's not nice.' 'use your inside voice.' and 'it's not polite to tell miss mallory that she has a big butt. time out.'

all this time around kids has made me seriously question whether or not i want them. ever. however, i find myself at the ripe age of 24ish and the people i love are announcing new pregnancy after new pregnancy. everywhere you turn, there are fetus trackers on facebook (which, for the record, i have absolutely no interest in knowing how many inches long your fetus is and which random body parts it has at this stage) and shower invites.

consequently, i have found myself engaging in 'mommy talk.' you know, the 'oh goodness, sarah is just talking so much and little ryan is crawling like you wouldn't believe.' i find myself discussing disciplinary techniques and fighting over whether cloth diapers are better than disposable (which they are. MUCH better. seriously). i hide in the bathroom from children so i can just get a break only to be asked, 'miss mallory did you wash your hands!' yes. yes i did.

while my days usually leave me exhausted and offering to sell my uterus for a small business loan, i have learned one (okay, two) things.

enjoy the ride.

whatever stage of life you find yourself in, enjoy the ride. me? i'm not anywhere near to being ready to start a family and that's okay. i am single, trying to start a business and in no way can i think of being a mother to anything more than my handicapped dog and coffee. i need to revel in this season and gain from it wisdom and experience that will (god willing) help to define how i love people in my life.

be thankful.

i recently found out that an acquaintance of mine from when i worked at fossil passed away during child birth. she was not much older than me and was in great health. she was forced to do an emergency c-section and she didn't make it. her baby is alive and well as is her husband, but now both find themselves without the woman they love.

while we find ourselves at the stage in life where everyone is announcing those new bundles of joy, i think it is important to embrace this news with reverence; this child is a gift and everyone's lives are about to change drastically. this is something so wonderfully heavy, in my opinion.

i may not be ready now or ever to bring a little munchkin into this world (i do daydream about adopting thought) but for those of you who are, my heart swells. i hope that this chapter in your life is fully encompassed in love from those around you and within your relationships. oh, and you should use cloth diapers.

happy place.

as promised, here are a (very) few pictures of my new space.

creative corner/desk

littlethings.

slowly becoming home.

if you have been around my blog for a while, you will notice that the wall of chaos looks similar to one in my old place. i had a little more space and wanted to see how i could pseudo-recreate it since i loved it so much. also, most walls i have around me end up turning into blank canvases for vintage heart design ideas. im sure my landlords love me.

let me know what you think. me? i love the baby steps this place is taking to be home.

p.s. please excuse the horrendous editing.

hipster granny.

upon arriving in austin, i learned that the term 'hipster' describes a particular character not well received. i say, 'i love those crazy hipsters! bring on the ray bans and american spirits!' hey, if it weren't for the 'hipsters,' the gourmet coffee world may not exist as we know it. okay, okay, i'll stop defending the walking urban outfitters advertisements and get to the point.

i have always been drawn to a somewhat vintage style. not always necessarily in my clothing choices, but most certainly in my home decor. perhaps this is convenient, as i often refuse to buy anything to decorate and insist upon upcycling and repurposing anything i possibly can. today, the day i didn't have work, actually got enough sleep, and drank too much coffee, was the day i took my roommate's bachelor pad and introduced it to me: the hipster granny.

here are some of the little accents i created today:

our quaint fireplace.

coffee beans, buttons, vintage saucers, ribbons, sparkling water bottles. simple.

buttons too.

go forth and make pretty.

**please note, i either already had everything i needed (the ribbons, coffee beans, saucer) or found them (baby food jars from the family i nanny for). i spent 4.99 on candles at ross.