Monday, December 30, 2013

2013: a look back


2013 was good to us.
here are some highlights (and one very sad lowlight) from the year.

Niles discovered why he does't grow a mustache. 


I added to my collection.


this happened. 


and this happened too. 


i lost my brother at the dear old age of 18 1/2.


this angel turned one. 
(and announced she is going to be a big sister)


we sent this lovely lady off into marital bliss...


to marry one of my best friends. 




I continued making sweet memories with my amazing family


we got season passes to Dollywood and had a BALLIN' good time!


We welcomed a new addition to our friend group.


I started my own business with the help of these lovely ladies.


I grew closer with friends...


and made memories that will last a lifetime.


Thanks for the memories, 2013.
What does 2014 bring? 

-my premier craft fair
-a trip to Europe with my husband
-indie rock baby #2
-arcade fire concert! 
-and much much more

Happy New Year, Lovely!

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Introducing The Retropolitan Craft Fair



Hello Lovely,
I realize I missed the entire month of October on the blog. Whoops. Sorry about that. October was a very busy and very exciting month for us. The weeks were filled with long hard days at work and there was something to do every weekend. Through this chaos, I was able to concentrate some of my attention on realizing one of my goals. That my friends, is the subject of today's blog post. 

A few years ago I attended my first indie craft show in Nashville, and fell in love. The room was filled with quality, unique, handmade goods - all in my style. I immediately had to set a budget for myself. That first experience left me wishing there was a fair like this in Knoxville. It took a few years to decide if this was something I was really ready to take on myself. The first step, was establishing a team to help me. 

As a television producer I'm great at bringing people together, organizing large projects, and multitasking. I knew nothing about starting a business, creating a website, marketing to potential vendors, or setting running a craft fair. So, my first stop was my college roommate and dear friend, Taylor. Taylor and I had lunch one day and were talking about living our dreams. In that lunch I brought up starting a craft fair. Taylor is a crafty person and a former business major. It was a match made in heaven. Once Taylor was on board, my next step was reaching out to my coworker, Lacey. Lacey is a producer and a lover of design. She helped me nail down the overall theme and feel for the fair. Finally, I held my breath and reached out to the final crucial piece of the puzzle, Joanna. Joanna is the owner of Ivey Expressions and was one of the photographers at our wedding.  As a mother of two, a wife, and a small business owner, I was worried Joanna wouldn't have time to help, but knew we needed her expertise. Thankfully, she agreed to join the team and help us with vendor relations among many, many other things. Luckily, her husband Tim agreed to help us with our website and design. Thus, our team was born. 


We decided our fair will be juried, meaning we will hand select our vendors based on creativity, quality, and retropolitan flair. Applications open November 15th and that fair itself will be held March 29th. To learn more about the fair, apply to be a vendor, and see our definition of "retropolitan" checkout our website. And don't forget to "like" us on facebook.

I'm anxious, I'm excited, and I'm happy. I know our fair is going to be a great success. I hope to see you there.

xoxo,
alyssa renee

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

stitched with love


hello lovely,
my dear friend preston and his lovely wife are welcoming their first born this november! preston and i share a mutual love of the muppets, so i knew just the gift for his little boy. this is my first attempt at making an embroidery on clothing, but i think it turned out pretty well. i also think mom and dad loved it.
i can't wait to meet baby bradley!

xoxo,
alyssa renee 




Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Nana's Snickerdoodles



snickerdoodles were my great grandfather's favorite cookies.
i used my nana's recipe (great grandmother), wore my granny's apron, made them on my great great grandmother's table, and brought the cookies to my grandma's house.

needless to say the cookies were filled with love.






1 c shortening (I used butter)
1 1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 c flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

cream together first 3 ingredients
sift & stir dry ingredients
roll dough into balls

in a small dish mix 2tsp cinnamon & 2 tsp sugar
roll cookie dough balls in sugar then place on un-greased cookie sheet
bake at 400 8-10 minutes (I baked at 350 for 10 minutes)

enjoy!

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

my fall fashion favorites




hello lovely,
well it seems august came and went and there was radio silence on the blog. whoops. i've been really busy with the following things:
- work - a heck of a lot going on there
- helping plan next year's family reunion
- starting an amazing event for next spring *
- getting ready for a special series on the blog **
- celebrating my husband's birthday
- watching luther on netflix
- planning our anniversary weekend (2 years! can you believe it?)

*more details to be released soon
**even more details to be released soon

and then, like that, august was gone. but I'm back and looking forward to fall! looking ahead at the fall fashions i'm really hoping this horrible 90s high waisted mom jeans look is on the way out.  here are a few upcoming fall trends i'm really loving.

bring on the crisp air!

xoxo,
alyssa renee





one: mustard, two: wide legged,  three: shorts+tights, four: fur collar coats,  five: burgundy 



Sunday, July 28, 2013

primary colors



hello lovely,
i haven't style blogged in a long time, but i was looking rather colorful on a warm july day and asked my moon to snap a few photos. this outfit was so bright and cheery. i pieced the look together one morning when i was feeling in an exceptionally good mood and wanted it to last. it definitely brightened up my work day.  my thrifted scarf tied everything together and i felt happy all day long.
xoxo,
alyssa renee


Cardigan: Gap, Scarf: thrifted, Belt: Belk, Shorts: Old Navy, Shoes: Toms



Tuesday, July 9, 2013

favorite things: breakfast at grandma's



take note of that recipe people, these are the best waffles on the planet.





It doesn't get much better than this right here.

1 3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 beaten egg yolks
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup salad oil
2 stiffly beaten egg whites

Sift together dry ingredients  Combine yolks, milk, and oil; stir into dry ingredients.  Fold in whites, leaving a few fluffs.  Bake. Makes three 10 inch waffles.

Buttermilk Waffles:  Substitute 2 cups buttermilk for sweet milk.  Add 1/2 teaspoon soda and reduce baking powder to 2 teaspoons.  Continue as above