Shark Week 2011

If you've been reading my blog for a while then you may already be well aware of my fascination with all things shark related. Everything. I live, breathe, and sleep sharks. My life goal is to free dive with a Great White (after many many many cage diving experiences, of course!). Some people get excited for Harry Potter (or did, I should say), Twilight or maybe even the newest Judd Apatow film... but me... I get excited for Shark Week. I have all of the DVDs, books, and even a collection of plush sharks to commemorate the annual event. Last year we rushed to move into our new place and had cable installed the day of Shark Week's premier so we wouldn't miss it.

Last year's Shark Week set up!

My love for sharks doesn't stop at the jaw-dropping entertainment on Discovery. Instead of just watching the shows or learning about them, we should also make a conscious effort to help keep them alive. With overfishing, finning, and sport, Great Whites are now more endangered than tigers! That's kind of huge. The population of white sharks have dropped 90% in the last 2 decades. Since I've been alive! To think that I may not have the chance to educate my children on the incredible creature that lives in our oceans is a horrifying thought. Sharks have been around for 400 million years! And we're managing to wipe them out without a second thought. With the booming popularity of Shark Week, other shows have made a break in mainstream media such as Expedition Great White. These shows help educate the general public that white sharks don't eat people for fun. They're actually very very intelligent creatures. We all need to do our part to help.

Whether it's donating money to a conservation organization, adopting a shark of your own, or signing a petition to help stop shark finning, we can do so much with so little. (Sharks aren't the only sea creatures that need our help. Please check out the above links and do what you can to help save our waters!)

Tonight we're throwing a Shark Week party. Shark and ocean themed food and drink. Balloons, decorations, and some Andy Samberg. Hopefully our guests will finally be able to see just how passionate I am about these mysterious but magical creatures! (And I have a petition here for all of the guests to sign, too!) 

I urge you all to check out Shark Week, check out various resources around the web, and to get involved! (and swing by our party if you're in Nashville!) Happy Shark Week! 

PS; Here's my shark infographic from my final semester of college! I can't seem to find the version where all of the typos are fixed so you'll have to make due with this one! (Click to view it larger!)

XL Sponsor Feature: LunchPail Pictures

This month's extra large sponsor is right up my alley. Lunch Pail Pictures is an adorable couple who specialize in wedding videography! Mike and I are totally into the video trend of weddings the past few years and we hope to have a videographer at our own special day. Photos are really great to decorate your home with and share with friends, but I'm sure there's nothing quite like re-living the entire day all over again, when you actually have time to sit back and catch some hidden moments that you may have missed in the hustle and bustle of it all. Geoff and Candice are going to share with you a new little video they put together.

(Just so you know, I cried. I'm a sucker for weddings and this one was truly adorable! Congrats to the lucky couple!)

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Hey we're Geoff + Candice of Lunch Pail Pictures. A newly married hubs + wifey team of Cinematographers! We shoot and edit in a way that captures the true essence of every story with every couple. We don’t create cookie cutter, traditional wedding films because YOU are not cookie cutter. We want to share your individual style, personality and all the small moments in between the big ones. So if you are looking for a wedding day documentary style film, shoot us an email and lets meet up!

Here's our latest film of Alex + James with a Super Hero themed wedding... light-saber fights and all! Enjoy!

Alex + James: To Infinity and Beyond from Lunch Pail Pictures on Vimeo.

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Cutest thing ever, right?! I think Candice and Geoff have one of the best jobs in the world. To be able to witness so much love and joy between so many people every day. It's magical! Be sure to pop by the Lunch Pail Pictures blog and check out their other amazing videos and posts! (And maybe read their about page and see how stinkin' cute they are!) Whether you're single, engaged or already married, it's a wonderful resource of just all around happiness! Thanks to C + G for being my XL sponsors this month! It's been an honor! xo

PS; I have a couple of medium/large slots still available for August if anyone is still interested! The XL spots are available for January 2012 and on! They sell out quick so email me to reserve yours! 

Loft Tour: KB's Wardrobe

Two weeks ago I shared a little tour of my workspace! It's definitely where I spend most of my time at home. However, there is a space in our little home that I love most of all. My wardrobe. When we moved into our loft we were sort of bummed about the lack of storage space (read: no closet). The gal who lived here before us had fashioned a few rickity shelves in the laundry room (which we use as a pantry/craft storage), but they weren't really useful. We have a huge white brick wall running the length of our loft and not enough furniture to put there so there was a huge area that just looked oddly open. That's when my step-dad suggested we hang chain from the rafters and make a swaying wardrobe. Genius! Mike and I high-tailed it straight to Lowe's to purchase industrial strength chain and 1" pipe. It was a labor of love but I couldn't be happier! Not only do I get a fully functional (and huge!) "closet", but it also serves as a decorative feature with all of the colors and patterns. The chains and pipe fit the industrial feel of our home, but the clothing fits my personality. The perfect combination! (Also, I'm totally one of those girls that If I can't see it, I won't wear it. So this works out so nicely!) 

The white storage cubes are from Walmart. The tall ones are 2 of the 3-cubby stacking shelves (8 total), and the shoe racks at the bottom are just that. (The horizontal shelves tend to buckle in the middle though! As you can see, I'm sure!). I love being able to display my little collection of clothing in our home because it's definitely a collection I've worked at accumulating over the years. Since I only own dresses and cardigans/jackets, they fit really well. My belts are in the bathroom and my tights are in a drawer. Win/win! I think the swaying wardrobe was such a genius idea and it's almost my dream closet! It's a piece of this loft that I will want to take with me to absolutely every new home we have (but it'll probably be impossible.) I'm just going to enjoy it for as long as possible! 

You'll be able to see more photos on Moorea's blog next week! Thanks for stopping by my space!

How do you store/organize your clothing? Are you a "all items turned one way, in a certain order" kinda gal? I am!) 

Things I Love Thursday

Here's your weekly dose of all that is awesome! I think it's a fun little list if I do say so myself!

♥ these hilarious dog portraits! ♥

♥ this bacon taped cat! ♥

♥ this gif of miss swan (and everything else madtv)♥

(i love watching old episodes online while i work!)

♥ this bright room! that natural lie is amazing!♥

♥ this sweet baby koala ♥

♥ this was my favorite part of horrible bosses! ♥

(i really really love charlie day!)

♥ this image and all thing pendleton ♥

♥ this is impossible not to laugh at! ♥

♥ this & everything auto-correct! ♥

♥ the wisest of words. ♥

Things I'm loving offline: hanging out non-stop with our new Minnesota friends, planning and preparing for Sunday's Shark Week party, getting to see my soon to be sister-in-law Maggie who is in for a few weeks from Paris!, my mom is getting married today! (eek! they opted for a tiny ceremony instead of a big wedding), I'm going back bright red (I hope! haha)! (I say this as I sit here with blonde/yellow/orange/red/auburn/brown hair from root to tip!), my new bike Bernice, non-stop puppy kisses and puppy-park dates, freezepops!

What are you loving this week?!

PS; As always, I unfortunately do not have the original source for the above images unless they are linked in the "this" part! If you know where the original image came from, please feel free to chime in below so I can give proper credit! xo

Bernice...

Introducing the newest addition to our household, my little 3-speed Dutchie, Bernice! I built and ordered her from Republic Bike last week and she was delivered on Wednesday. I threw (read: fought with and eventually somehow shoved) the box into my Xterra and took it to Mike's work so he could put it together for me. Perks of having a bike mechanic fiance! I took her for her first ride yesterday... to the post office. It was downhill the whole way and I only realized the trouble that laid ahead on my way down. Luckily Mike convinced me to go the slightly more expensive route and get a 3-speed. I would've died if it hadn't been for that! 

She's flamingo (but really more of a sherbert. and wayyy brighter than they'd have you think!) with cream tires, white vinyl skirt and chain casing. Brown leather grips and vintage styled seat. I ordered a basket for her already! She has a front and rear rack (snazzy!) and a pearl bell! I'm in all sorts of love with her. The plan is to have her sort of match with the camper we end up getting! I say sort of because the bike is so blindingly bright... I'm going to go a slightly more subtle route with the Shasta!

Who in Nashville has a bike and wants to start a bike gang?! Yes? Yes! 

Do you have a bike? Did you name it? (If so, what?!) Where's your favorite place to ride it? xo

Hive + Honey

Hey honeybees! There's a new batch of goodies up for grabs in the Hive + Honey shoppe! Yesterday I added 15 new fascinators and 20 new bows! With more bows coming today! Below you'll find a few examples of what can be seen in the shoppe! Happy Wednesday! xo

Unintentionally American

I was feeling festive yesterday. Apparently. I am no stranger to red, white + blue combinations and this one is no exception. Sometimes they have an Americana feel, sometimes they're straight up nautical. I haven't decided which one this is more of (maybe nautical because of the hint of gold in the accessories?!) Who knows. One thing is for certain though: I am wearing the cutest cardigan ever! I hate that we forgot to get a detail shot of it, but I really haven't taken it off since I received it on Saturday. I guess forgetting to photograph it is a good excuse to wear it again really really soon! This is the cardigan and holy cute right?! The little swan and bows and lace. I die! It's also a fantastic weight. I've been having issues with cardigans lately. I know it's probably because it's like 100+ degrees outside, but all of the ones for sale now are this lightweight stretchy fabric... no no no! I like my cardigans of medium weight and thickness so I can wear them year-round and they don't stretch out awkwardly. That's why I'll probably go back and buy a replacement of this one just to have it for when I (undoubtedly) wear it to shreds. (Seriously. Have you felt the Target cardigans lately?! I want to go back to the ones they had last year with the ruffles! C'mon!)

This bright red dress is the sister dress to the one in this outfit post! Yes, when I say I buy multiples (in quantity and color) of the things I like, I'm really not kidding. It's a lightweight dress but the bottom has some sort of structure about it that I can't quite put my finger on. It keeps it held down when a gust of wind comes, but I don't feel like I'm dying under fabric in the Nashville summer. Paired with the same thrifted belt and my new limited-edition Betsey Johnson bag I snagged on Ideeli last week... win! This is also the first time I've worn these Blowfish shoes! These are the Romans and I've had them for months! Probably like.. 4 months now? I just haven't found the perfect outfit for them. Voila! 

Today is a day of productivity! I'm already eyeball deep in an over the top girly blog design (so fun! I love doing stuff like this!) and I'll be launching the first set of fabric bows on Hive + Honey! I'm editing photos for the closet part of our loft tour (eeeeek! It's almost my dream closet!), and then I'm mailing off H+H packages! Oh, and my bike gets delivered today! Hooray Tuesday! 

Motel "Franchesca" dress c/o Love Clothing (just got marked down on sale!)

Swan Striped cardigan c/o Love Clothing (also just got marked down on sale!)

Golden Arch necklace c/o Little Pancakes
Thrifted white belt

Betsey Johnson tote via Ideeli

Hive + Honey fascinator

Rescue wedges c/o Blowfish Shoes

PS; Last day to vote for me in the three categories of the AE contest! (Some dude just blew up from like 3rd place by getting 200+ votes overnight. Boo!) ONE // TWO // THREE. Thank you to everyone who has voted so far. It means a lot to me and I hope that if I'm lucky enough to make it to the finals then you'll stick beside me once more! The cash prize could do so many wonderful things for my dream business! xo

Surprise Date Night!

Mike had left for work yesterday morning after making sure that I knew to be dressed and ready at 6:30pm when he got home from work. It was date night. He gave me no heads up on what we were doing or where we were going, or even what to wear. He just said be ready and I'll see you then. I spent the day working on designs and responding to emails before finally finding the motivation to get up, get ready, and get dressed. I opted for a caramel floral dress, grey cardi, my brown waffleweave jeffrey campbell litas, and my new (huge!) Betsey Johnson bag. I was ready. 

I was going through my email when I heard a knock at the door. The girls got all excited and were barking like mad. I picked up Pip (she'll dart down the hall!) and went to open the door. All I could think was "Who is knocking at 6pm on a Sunday?!" I opened the door to find the most dapper fella standing on the other side. Grey blazer, white dress shirt, hat, dark jeans and even some brown loafers. And he had roses in his hand! Eep! He said he was here to pick me up for our date. I die! Maybe I'm biased but my heart melted and I felt like that was the sweetest thing ever! I mean, he knocked!! At our own house! Love!

I grabbed my purse, gave him a kiss and off we went! He said the dinner plans had been foiled as the restaurant he had planned on taking me to was closed on Sunday. Instead we opted for a little sit-down restaurant in Mt. Juliet on our way East. He never let on to what we were doing but about an hour later we are driving in the middle of absolutely nowhere and I start to get an idea. I didn't share the idea because I thought he'd think it was silly if I were wrong, but sure enough we pull into a sweet little drive-in theater! Double feature, please! We settled in to watch Harry Potter (so good!) and Horrible Bosses (so funny!). 

He had planned it all on his own and best of all, he kept it a secret! I have a tendency to figure out what he's scheming so I tried really hard not to this time around! It was such a wonderful date and I felt like the luckiest girl in the world!

Isn't he the best?! xo

PS; I had to do the picture below to assure people that we hadn't just gotten engaged! I guess the 2nd picture up there hints of it but I'm assuming these people weren't aware that we got engaged in March! hehe That picture is the lock screen on my iPhone! I love it (thanks to Susannah and Chris for snapping it!)

PPS; I feel bad for basically begging for votes but I had a look-see through the AE rules and prizes and get this... If I'm in first place tomorrow at midnight then I'm automatically in the final 4. If I win the final round then I'll get $3,000 to put toward my small business dreams! AKA my mobile shoppe! AKA I wanna come visit you with it! This would mean I wouldn't have to take out a small business loan! It could speed things up like no other... so with that, I beg of you.. please throw a vote or two my way! If you could share it with your friends I'd be infinitely grateful! I don't even care about the campaign part... not having to rely on my credit or anyone else for funds to start my business would be amazing! Here are my three entries: ONE // TWO // THREE! (If you go to the LCH Facebook page, you can just click "SHARE" underneath the post and share with your friends! <3)

The New SusannahBean

Are you tired of me blogging about layouts and designs yet? I did a lot of them this week and I have many more to tackle coming up! It was about time that I got to work on Susannah's though! I had been promising to redo her layout for quite some time and I finally got the fire under my butt to do it. I'm really happy with the way it turned out. The colors (her choice) were spot on and I just went with what I thought was cute. I like cute design and if that makes me less of a "real" woman or "real" designer then so be it! My skills have since been compared to that of a 5 year old but hey, they have an unfiltered imagination and idea of color so I take that as a compliment! My favorite part is the little button with the thread and needle! 

I had a lof of fun doing her layout and I'm tickled that she's happy with it! Pop on over to her blog and check it out! It's one of my favorite reads! 

Also - Many of you have been asking this week if I do blog redesigns for people. Yes! I do! If you are interested in having your blog redesigned (whether it's a complete overhaul, a custom navigation (with or without rollovers!), or a set of buttons), feel free to email me at kaelahbee@gmail.com with "Design Inquiry" as the subject! I'm only doing them through the first 3 weeks of August for sure so email me to get on the list! xo

Say Hello To Our July Sponsors!

Yow! This is going up a week later than usual so I apologize! I am currently accepting sponsors for the month of August and over half of them have filled already so sorry for my slow nature but feel free to email me if you'd like to snag one yourself! The next extra large isn't available until January 2012 but if you'd like to reserve it, don't hesitate! Now check out these fab shops and blogs! I'd love it if you could pop over and tell them hello or check out their wares. LCH wouldn't be quite the blog it is without them! xo

SITE - TWITTER - FACEBOOK

BLOG - TWITTER - 4PAWS4LOVE

SITE - BLOG

BLOG - SHOP - FACEBOOK

SHOP - FACEBOOK - TWITTER

** MSN is offering 15% of her shop during her Christmas in July sale! Prices have already been changed so a coupon is not necessary! Valid until July 31st! ** 

BLOG - SHOP - FACEBOOK

SHOP - FACEBOOK

BUBBY & BEAN - THE FOUNDRIE

KIRSTIN MARIE - TUMBLEWEEDS ODDITIES

And if you're interested in sponsoring Little Chief Honeybee next month, here are some specs! Feel free to check out the perks and rates here, and then shoot me an email at kaelahbee at gmail dot com with the subject "August Sponsor"! Thanks so much! xo

Can't wait for August! (actually, I can't wait for cooler temps! ;P)

PS: Sign on to sponsor LCH for 2 months and save 10%! Save 15% when you do 3 months!