P

They call her P. Or Paisley. A year ago I took pics of this girl and she was barely 6lbs. Now she is a healthy 1 year old about to celebrate her birthday! Her mom Sara Loe made the props with her mother. Also her mom made the frilly outfit with pants. (can you say talent) I'll take it, makes me look good!

Enjoy this smiley baby girl!

 

Love- Mary Jane

E

Oh how I LOVEEEE this baby! It has been so fun to be apart of her life even before she was born. Her mom and I took a trip to Garven Gardens and just plopped her in the flowers. She is a shy girl and tends to be serious in front of the camera. 
Enjoy sweet little Eowyn!

 

 

Love - Mary Jane

My Do It Local/Yourself Wedding

My wedding was 3 months ago and it was AMAZING!!! I love crafting and doing things myself and I wanted to share some of the fun things I did and the amazing local friends/businesses that I used. I think you can get swept up in the details of a wedding and become really stressed. I didn't want to waste time and money on things that wouldn't matter in the end. I was picky on what I used esp to save money.

Photography: Most of these shots were taken by Annie Gerber. She is not only a good friend but great photographer. It was fun to have a sister friend shooting my wedding all day! You can view her portfolio here

Videographer: David Lusher was amazing. I have known him since he was a baby! I always liek to tell people that I changed his diaper, much to his chagrin. He has done several of my friends weddings and it wasn't even a thought to who would shoot my wedding day! 

Bridal Luncheon: Well that was a no brainer! Jo from Zoe's did a beautiful job at setting up a tea party luncheon for us. All my friends loved it and the place was beautiful and the food was amazing as always. Please go there sometime for lunch, breakfast or a party! It's lovely.

Invitations: I designed them myself after finding similar ones I liked online. I ordered them from Got Print and bought my envelopes a package at a time from Hobby Lobby using a 40% off coupon!

Dress: I planned to have my mom make one for me, thank goodness I didn't since I was laid up with a  broken leg. My mom surprised me and purchased the dress, something I never expected. We went to David's Bridal in Little Rock and had a great time. They were so helpful and I think it was even better because we went on a Monday and they were not busy. Every girl in the store was helping us. I know a lot of people can't imagine getting rid of their dress but for me I will never wear it again and I want my mom to get some of the money back. Soon it will be up on Ebay for some other lucky bride to wear and have a great savings!

Suit: Jeremy already had a black jacket, 

pants and shoes and so we just got him 

a nice shirt and black tie! He was the 

easiest to dress. I didn't want him in

anything that didn't make him comfortable 

so it was simple!

Cake: My mom works at Zoe's and I LOVE their cakes. Mom made my cakes using their recipe. I used to want a fancy looking cake but I've been to many weddings and just cause it looks good doesn't mean it tastes that way. I wanted a cake that wowed the senses and was cute of course. Thanks to my family and friends, they took my ideas and the night 
before put them together. My sister was the genius to the fun super hero logo for the grooms cakes! It was a great way to save money but also was SOOOO tasty! If your  looking for a yummy cake that wont break the bank check out Zoes on Malvern Ave.

Decorations: Oh goodness this was the fun part. BORROW, BORROW, BORROW. My friend Aubree gave me leftover vases from her wedding, I borrowed table clothes from a friend, lanterns from another friend. We used serving dishes from the church. It all came together nicely. If you know someone who has had a wedding ask around to see if they have any leftovers you can borrow! My friend Sara Loe made the ADORABLE signs, the "I love us" and "Sims" sign, which are now on my wall. She does amazing work.

 

Guest Book: This is one of my FAVORITE details. My darling friend Lisa Danger makes amazing handmade journals and I asked her to make our guestbook. I gave he photos and other things that were special and even dried roses Jeremy had given me. She made handmade paper and the entire thing was fun, cute, sweet and so us.

Flowers: House of Flowers did my Mothers flowers for her wedding and I wanted them to do mine. I wanted just a few things for the wedding. A bouquet for me and 2 brides maids. My sister would be playing a mandolin while walking down the aisle so I had a wrist corsage made for her. Susan Jones was my floral artist. She is a friends Mother in Law and I was so happy with them! For our table center piece we wanted something that looked like it just came from the woods and my mom asked her friend Rosemary to make it. Literally she went to her yard and neighbors, showed up with a bag of stuff and  made an amazing center piece! It was beautiful!

Gifts: I wanted to give something special to our friends for being apart of our day.  I choose a pair of socks (Amazon) for each guy that went with his superhero boutonniere.

For the girls, I had my friend Bekah make vintage flower clips, a different color for each one. She also made the fabric flowers I used in all my boutonnieres and corsages! I had a lot of time sitting with my broken leg, I made so many!

Jewelry: I say shop local! I had a set of costume pearls from my mom I wanted to make longer as well as a set of baby pearls from my grandmother. I needed both extended as well as my great grandmothers wedding band. Mom has always gone to Lauray's for repair so that is where we headed.  They did an AMAZING job of adding a gold chain to the baby pearls as well as adding some matching pearls to the costume set.  I looked at engagement rings for fun there but didn't see any that popped out to me. I had heard that Lara's had amazing rings so mom and I stopped by. I told the lady what I was looking for and within minutes I was wearing the ring of my dreams!  It was from their estate case ad was from the 20's-30's era. Same as my wedding band! I decided to get Jeremy's ring there as well. They were so great to me and a really good price. I love that it is locally owned. I also purchased pearl earrings for my sister. Shop local!

Nails: Quick note! I love my people at Angel Nail's 501.624.2323 on Malvern Ave. Tonya is amazing and my nails didn't peel (shellac) for like 6 weeks. 

Venue: I had originally planned to have the wedding outside at a friends farm but the weather was cold and threatened rain. We had our back up First Presbyterian where my dad works. That was a money saver because my family and a few friends stayed and cleaned the place! How I owe them all for making my day so special and taking car of everything. 

Music: I had my siblings play the music I walked down the aisle to. My sister sang and played as she walked and my brother David sang and played. It was so beautiful! During our signing of the vows, Jesse played something sweet on the guitar so we didn't have this long awkward time standing on stage waiting for a whole song to get finished.

There are so many more things that made our wedding beautiful, We got trees from a local nursery, my friend Lauren painted our glasses, my Uncle provided wine for a party and my Aunt's brother worked for a company where we got our cheese. Jenee' from Ablution came over and did mine and my mom's hair. I loved making paper mache cranes with Valerie for decorations.

If you are planning a wedding please use local businesses! Have fun and make stuff.

- Mary Jane

Deliciously Minted

So you all know that I just got married. My engagement was short but if it had been longer I would have gone to Minted and chosen one of their adorable and romantic designs for a Save The Date. There are so many to choose from! Here are a few of my favorites. :)

These are only a few of the fun things that Minted offers! They have just about everything you need for your wedding plus more. I am really into printing my own photos and wall art and they have a huge buffet of yummy things for your eyes. You can shop for several photos for a styled wall. This is my favorite, I may have to get these!

I might have freaked out about this a little just now. Your own personalized photo backdrop! AHHH! How amazing would this be at a party or just on your wall for fun?! If only I had the room.

Ok, last thing I promise. PERSONALIZED JOURNALS! Uh... In love.

I really love this website and I am looking forward to doing a little shopping of my own! Also if you ARE planning a wedding, take it from me, it is cheaper and smarter to go through a website like these than to go somewhere for invitations and such. I hope you check it out and see what else they have going on at Minted!

Enjoy - Mary Jane

She Would Tell Me To Make Babies

I should be sleeping right now. Instead my head is full of so many things. One in particular is how I am going to use this blog this year. I have not made any New Year resolutions because I always give up on them or get bored. I'd love to just keep this blog bright and perky with my photos and projects, but at the same time I want to get real about life and say things I wish someone had told me once when I couldn't see outside myself. So I begin to try and gather my thoughts and I am going to share the main thing that has been on my mind and heart and literally just covering completely.

How do you lose someone you love, to death.

I don't know, but I am. Someone dear to my heart, a sister to me is dying and I can't do a thing about it. I've prayed, begged God for her to be healed and yet thus far she continues to fall prey to this horrible disease. I've been losing her for 3 years. I've watched a perky, bright intelligent woman need help to do the little things in life and somehow she has never become bitter or angry. I don't see how, I am. Unless there is some miracle she is coming to the end of her life here on Earth.  She told a few of us the other day that she felt that God was calling her home early. I cried. She said she was happy about it. I know that is only a peace that God can give someone in that place.  I can't imagine my life without her. We were going to have kids together, I was going to try and get one of mine to marry hers so we could really be related!  I can look back on the past 12 or so years that we have been friends and I am so grateful for every moment I have had with her. We have lived together twice, take several road trips together and she has been my confidant and rock. My friend has totally changed my taste in decorating and encouraged me in ways of art, beauty and God.  She has changed my life.

So how do you lose someone you love? I don't know. I do a little every day. Sometimes I am fine, sometimes I break out in tears at the worst times. Some days I just feel horribly sad.

 I feel glad she has peace and sorry for myself that I won't see her for quite sometime.  The hope of Heaven and what God promises for those who love Him encourage me and yet my small mind can't wrap my head totally around it. I can feel myself trying to prepare for the overwhelming feeling of loss, knowing that being active helps and that I need a church family around me as well. 

She wouldn't want me to lose myself in it. She would tell me to go on, be happy, make art and have babies. She would. 

I am not sure where this blog is headed this year or even if many people will read it but I feel compelled to give it more attention and share what's on my heart.

Have you watched someone you love die? 
How did you deal with it?

Love, Mary Jane
(This blog is dedicated to my sweet Rachel)

Wedding Dreams

Ever since I can remember I have planned my wedding. I used to imagine myself in a huge Cinderella dress, tiara and when clear heals became popular I was beside myself with joy! Eventually my ideas changed into a Wizard of Oz theme with an emerald city cake, yellow brick road and skittles on every table. I always had it planned and would wonder who my groom would be. It was all about the wedding. Me being the superstar for the day. Then I met Jeremy.

When we met I had just turned 30 and my tastes had begun to change. I still played with my wedding ideas in my head and sometimes would even imagine him as the groom. But still this was all just an idea, a dream that was mostly in my head. When Jeremy and I started to talk about getting married I started putting my ideas together and my dream started to move closer to my heart. When Jeremy proposed and asked me to be his wife my heart exploded and wedding plans became so real! Well as most of you know I broke my leg the day after and so in my pain med state I watched every wedding show on TV I possibly could so I could feel like a wedding was really coming. The past few weeks it has become much more real to me.
"Wedding" isn't it. As little girls we dream of our wedding without understanding it's just a door to marriage. A path brand new to us and something we can't understand until we walk it. Thinking about what this wedding means brings up memories of so many I've been too. A wedding where it seemed the girl was being pressured to marry the man, the wedding where the couples love was so evident they never let go of each others hands, a wedding where the couple was expecting a baby and didn't seem to care about the commitment but just wanted to make their family happy and another where the bride and groom laughed through the entire thing until the officiant told them this was serious. It is serious. I'm not saying you can't laugh at a wedding but I am realizing the seriousness of what I am committing to. Fancy clothing, cake and flowers aside I am promising to spend my life with this one person no matter what. No divorce, no cheating, no outs for us. This is it. The day we get married we become family. And family stays, no matter what.


After thinking about these things I realize how serious it is to take the time to choose who you make these promises to and really seek God on it because HE ALONE can see through people and know our true desires, intentions and hearts. I feel for me that God has led me to Jeremy and although neither of us are perfect people we do our best not to keep secrets from each other no matter how small. We are see though in our thoughts and feelings.

I am so excited about my wedding day, I feel like it will be a wonderful friend reunion I may never have again till I am in Heaven but even more, that day I will bind myself to an amazing man and with our family and friends celebrate something God created to be wonderful.

If I could leave this post saying one last thing, don't be the person who gets so caught up in the wedding planning that you can't wait till it's over! Cut things down if you have to, it's not about having the best event.. it's about the people around you and the beautiful promises you will make.

- Mary Jane

(SIDE NOTE: Please know I am not condemning anyone who has been or is divorced. I do not pretend to know everyone's situation. This is just my story)

Broken Bride-To-Be

My last post was so fun to write. My life has literally been insane in the past 7 days. I moved to a new Salon, Jeremy proposed (best night ever and every time I think about it I cry) and then the next day disaster struck. I was walking in the new Salon with my brother to cut his hair and somehow when I told him to watch his step, I stopped watching mine. I fell and heard the crack and pop. I knew I broke my foot.  The pain was shocking and disgusting. My brother looked for something to brace it with and then he and another guy carried me to to the car (thanks to that guy who helped, I was in no way going to be walking) We got to the ER and right off I started joking around with the male EMT who had a sweet, natural, white hair patch. If I didn't joke I was going to throw up and think. My wedding was in SIX, weeks and I'm in the ER. Everyone was really nice to me. Mom met us there and said right off, "You will walk down the aisle". I handed mom my new engagement ring to keep safe. They gave me a pain pill which did help and made the tears stop running down my face. I kept telling everyone I was engaged! I didn't know how else to keep from freaking out. Jeremy was at work and we told him to stay since we didn't know what was going on. The Doctor came in and gave us the news, I broke 2 bones, the Tibia and Fibula and that I would need surgery now.I have never broken anything or had surgery so this was all new to me. Before I knew it they were giving me a shot in my back and wheeling me away. 9 screws, 15 staples and 1 metal plate later I was done.

Surgery went well, I guess since I was asleep! ha! I woke up in the recovery room to my nurses playing candy crush. I think I babbled on and told them I was engaged and getting married in 6 weeks while in the back of my mind I was worried I wouldn't be. I was pretty loopy for the first 2 days in the hospital. When Jeremy got there I asked him to put my ring on me again. Being in the hospital sucked. I had awesome nurses but the pain from my foot was NOTHING I have ever felt before. They said they could have me use a bed pan but I couldn't imagine trying to pee while laying down. It was really hard at first but I started to use a walker. Jeremy stayed with me the whole time I was there. I don't think he even slept the first night while they were trying to manage my pain. He was there for anything I needed which if you know me at all I take care of myself so having to ask for help to get off a toilet is not an easy thing. The first time I talked to the Doctor I was too loopy to really understand what was going on. 

On day 3, checkout day I understood better. He said I MIGHT be in a boot in 6 weeks..wedding day... You see at this point I don't mind being in a boot because it will be covered but to be freshly in one and possibly hurting? Not on this day I waited for for so long. I cried a lot. The Doc said I wouldn't be able to even put pressure on it for 3 weeks. The new salon I was at is up 2 sets of stairs and I had 5 weddings booked in the next 6 weeks. You can imagine my devastation. Jeremy and I don't live together so suddenly he has said he is going to take me and my bills on with his. I was so upset! This is one of my best seasons for work and I am O-U-T - out. While laying there in the bed I just prayed for help. I can't explain it but even though this totalllyyyyyy sucks I feel like God has this whole thing in his hands. I was able to find a stylist friend to take care of all my clients and a photographer friend to take over all the weddings. I didn't want so many people put out because I can't walk right! lol

My dear friend Jo said to me one day, "Figure out the most important thing about your wedding and go from there". I thought about it and apart from the dress, food, and where I REALLY want it to be, my number one's are, marrying Jeremy Sims,

having the people I love there and not being in pain. Everything else is just icing on the cake.

So many people are praying for me and I can feel it. Day to day God is providing for this broken Bride. My friend Amanda is coming over everyday so I am not alone and bringing her sweet baby which really brings me joy, my parents have taken me in and are caring for me, I have a walker and thanks to my friend Brittany a really nice wheelchair and who knows what else God has in store. I didn't write our love story, and I have no idea what is in this chapter now but God has us in his hands. So until the day I WALK down that aisle, I'll be writing blogs I'm sure, a friend suggested it :)

Also, I don't like asking for help but my dad has set up a 

Go Fund Me  to help Jeremy and I out. I have had several people ask so the link is there. MORE THAN ANYTHING please pray for my bones to heal amazingly!

Until next time.... Mary Jane