Take a hat.

Sooo, my sisters and I have been planning a trip New York City over the holidays. But as it turns out, Megan and Amanda have opted for a shorter trip to DC... and now I am left with the decision of either riding the bus by myself to NYC and visiting a dear friend Danielle (on her 25th birthday!) ~or~  just going with the flow and exploring the DC area. I love having a plan, but sometimes... plans just don't work out.

Either way, I will need a hat. 

I love wearing one + it is going to be quite chilly compared to what I'm used to.

I've already purchased mine at Belk. It is black and will go with anything... but oh la la, did my eyes stumble upon something magnificent this afternoon... on etsy!

Hats By Behida Dolic

talk about a hat.

 

About the Artist: "Behida Dolić was born in a small village in northern Bosnia in 1982. Behida was raised by a community of crafters, kilim makers, furniture builders. It was here where her hands begin to learn the importance of craftsmanship and attention to detail. After the war, Behida moved to America to start a new life. While traveling in Italy, Behida first encountered & fell in love with early 20th Century American fashion, and began making hand-draped cloche hats. In 2003, she moved to San Francisco to finish her degree at San Francisco Art Institute. She currently lives and works in her millinery studio in Berkeley CA."

Are they not lovely?

I thought so. 

But my Belk hat will do for now ...

whether it be NYC or DC... we shall.. C.

Christina :)

Nursery Mural Painting

This whole project started very casually one day at school. Stacy was like, "hey! could you paint a tree in my nursery?" I thought about it for a second, sure, I've never done it before, but I knew I could. We went to etsy for inspiration, and the rest is history. We borrowed an overhead projector from our school, I blew up the picture of the tree that Stacy wanted, put it on an overhead and the work began. After the very first day, which consisted of only taping off the tree, I knew this project was a big one. All in all it took me about six, five hour days to complete it... I think. I really enjoyed the whole process.  With a minor in Art from Western Carolina, I was excited to get back to a hobby of mine that sometimes can get pushed aside with our busy day to day lives. It was a relaxing and enjoyable process that I would love to do again.  What made this whole process even more special is that Stacy and Bryan are waiting on a phone call any day now to hear that their child has been born. They are on a special adoption journey.. and what a luck baby to have the two of them as parents. Seriously, Stacy is going to be the best Momma. The two of us were almost in tears a couple of times, just thinking about it. The smile on her face when we put all the furniture back in the nursery was priceless. Keep up with Stacy's blog to see their adoption journey unfold. And if you want a mural painted somewhere in your house. Let me know!

email me: christina.spatharos@gmail.com

Step, by step, Stacy and Bryan's new nursery!!

{professional} amateur fotographer.

back from the holidays, with a new toy! I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving.. and if you like a deal as much as i do.. a lovely black friday, too! thanks to my new hhgregg credit card, i purchased an 18mp Canon Rebel T2i digital SLR camera. i LOVE it. since that day, i've been reading up on all the buttons and do-dads. in addition to teaching 6th graders, i'm hoping to start a little side job as a {professional} amateur photographer. the hope is that i will at least get enough jobs to pay for the camera. i love taking pictures, and when you love what you're doing... you can end up with something truly special. that is my goal. Soooo, spread the word to all of your friends and family. i would love to be a part of all their special moments!

I'm ready to start.
-Christina

Please feel free to email me with any questions.
christina.spatharos@gmail.com

the most random post ever.

lately i cannot seem to help my obsession with the 1960s. our house is being taken over by it.
when editing pictures on picnik, my mouse could find the "1960s button" with my eyes closed. i may be taking this thing overboard, but i love it. everything becomes more nostalgic.
above is a beach picture that i've always loved... and now ~ i love it even more with a 1960s twist. if you love pictures as much as i do and you don't have picnik yet, you should.
there are gillions of different editing combinations...
but once you find your favorite, you'll never go back.

{our yellow house: bits and pieces are coming together}

{hoping we have a green thumb}

this house has a story.
{i wish i knew it}

the only story that i know... is that everytime michael and i drive from his parents house back to charlotte: we pass this house. AND every time i would say, "michael! pleaaaseee can we stop and take pictures of that house?" AND not wanting to turn back around, we would pass it everytime. SO! We went into this one really old antique place we had been before looking for 1960s furniture. {I managed to find a nice looking hutch, but he wanted $425 for it.. and that was not my kind of deal} I asked the man where he got it and he said, "the old house with the pink shutters," as he pointed down the road. He said, "yeah they're gonna burn it down soon, so we emptied it out."

okay ~ long story, but that is how i FINALLY got michael to stop and take pictures of this place. because they're going to burn it. apparently the family who used to live here owned a lot of land.
i think it's magical.

appreciating the fall colors on the blue ridge parkway...
after wcu homecoming!

our bulbs that we hope bloom!

im not sure michael likes so much attention on my blog.
but he's real cool.

{ we got out some black and
white photography to hang soon }

love a random post,
christina

halloween.

our halloween in charlotte was not spent going to gravediggers ball. no, no... we were too broke for that, but some how managed to scrape enough pennies together to make a weekend trip to lowes :) i've been debating over paint chips for weeks! finally we decided on pebblestone with a flat finish. it's a much needed improvement from our once light yellow living room walls (that color is ALL over the house). we put the first coat of paint on the walls on hallow's eve. halloween was spent doing the trim and second coat. by the time trick-or-treaters started arriving, it was time to peel the tape off and see our finished work... that's when i got the bright idea for my halloween costume :P i have to say, we did a great job AND had fun doing it... watching football and hanging around in sweatpants all day... next project recover the couches.

just a little halloween diy.
- christina

fresh snaps.

recent pictures i've taken, that i love.

LOVE this one. love.

wacky tree.

my mcneillies!


my daddy. you can't tell.

and that is all for now.
take pictures.
happy monday!
c.

october. the tenth month.

The months of August and September seemed to drag on from the days of summer. Here we find ourselves in October. One of my favorite months; the cool air has arrived and fall is settling in. A walk through the backyard now consists of dodging acorns. Football is in full swing. I have stocked up on hot cider and cocoa. And.. Halloween and Thanksgiving are right around the corner!

It is a must to get out and enjoy the fresh fall air. So, this weekend I'll be traveling back to my alumna mater, of Western Carolina, for homecoming. The weekend will be the epitome of fall. In the spirit of the season I have scoured etsy for new fall joys! I hope they make you smile.

pumpkin spice & everything nice,
Christina

i want a danish.

...and no, not a danish that goes with coffee and a morning newspaper. i want a danish, as in, the people. and to be more specific: a woodworker. ok, so i want a danish elf. i have the perfect little shed for him and there he could create masterpieces for my home. first on his list of projects: a danish desk ~ because someone is still blogging on the floor.

all of this danish inspiration came from a trip today to a local consignment shop. and i've found yet another couch to fall in love with. clean lines. solid hickory. one cushion top. ahhh. and i have the perfect place for it. the danish style furniture is so retro/modern and i love it. im looking to purchace the first piece to my collection. tonight i've been scouring craigslist, ebay, overstock, and etsy to feed this danish hunger. however, the best inspiration came from suiteny.com, full of beautiful {and expensive} furniture... thank God for thrift shops. the following is just a little research i thought i would share.

i've been a busy teacher and soccer coach these days. pulling 13 hour days. seriously... it doens't leave a lot of time for me to brainstorm house decor ideas. so, this weekend im locking myself in the house and coming up with a game plan! you can count on some danish inspiration!

just delightful.

-christina

little yellow house.

a new city, a new house and reunited with my hunny. it's essentially a new life and a fresh start! since graduation from western carolina university, i've been living with my parents while searching for a teaching position. finally, after a year and a half, and hundreds of resumes later... i've found a JOB!! i'll be teaching 6th grade science and coaching boys and girls soccer! i feel blessed that we were able to move to the charlotte area, where michael and i have some of the best friends. hello real world, i have just arrived.

we moved in a week ago and the house is still in shambles, no pictures on the wall, random furniture and my computer is on the floor as i blog. i can't wait to fix everything up, but it will definitely take some time {and a few paychecks}. i've been super busy at school, preparing for the 25th when the students arrive. *biting nails* i'm not going to lie, i'm a little nervous. so before i get swept away with being a teacher, i wanted to share our new pad: our little yellow house. i love it!!! and can't wait to warm it up with a little tlc... and friends :) the guest room is ready for our first visitors!

{ front room: connects to living room and kitchen entry on right wall }

{ front room and hallway back to rooms + bathroom }

{ office }

{ guest bedroom }

{ master bedroom }

{ master bath }

{ master bath }

{ 2nd full bath }

{ kitchen }

{ appliances }

{ living room and stage/dining room? ..used to be a car port }

{ sitting room goes out to back porch }

{ garden, eat fresh }

{ us }

and there it is. our little yellow house!
I hope everyone has a happy sunday.

back to school,
christina