Jewelry giveaway? Yes, please.

I'm so excited to announce a giveaway coming soon from Abazias, a fabulous online jewelry store!



Abazias has everything from beautifully simple pearl earrings to simply beautiful diamond necklaces. Seriously. Enough goodness to fill up any girl's jewelry box and then some. If you're in the market for an engagement ring, they have a super easy-to-use tool for building your perfect engagement ring-- which is totally customizable. And because they have a ridiculous amount of loose diamonds (150,000 to be exact) it's not like shopping out of a display case. You can find a gorgeous, one-of-a-kind diamond and design your own unique ring. How cool is that? Abazias even posts a Deal of the Day, so you can always find amazing jewelry at prices that don't break the bank. I also love that you can browse by price so that no matter what your budget or what you're looking for, you can find the perfect piece.



One thing that sets Abazias apart from other jewelers is that they have a blog! Pretty jewelry AND something smart to say? I know the blogosphere is feeling the love on this one. Some of my favorite posts are the ones about famous diamonds in history (which are completely swoon-worthy) and thoughtful, informative posts on the diamond industry. A jewelry company that is committed to raising awareness is certainly a rare thing these days. So whether you're browsing engagement rings or looking for a fab new watch to spruce up your work wardrobe, Abazias will have it. Because as we all know, love is all you need. And a little gorgeous jewelry along the way is just a bonus!



Stay tuned until week, when I'll launch a giveaway for these white gold, chandelier earrings!

Friday Favorites, vol. 43

1. cableknit sweaters





2. teapots





3. washlines (Despite my dislike of laundry!)





4. bookstores As much as I love Bookpeople, there's just something wonderful about an old, dusty, used bookstore.





5. sticky toffee pudding





My favorite sticky toffee pudding is made right here in Austin! You can buy it direct from the company or at Central Market.

I love you so much.

Back in November, we were planning an engagement shoot with Diana + Steven. Nathan asked if I had any good ideas for locations, and I mentioned that I'd seen a lovely message written on the side wall at Jo's.
"Well, that's perfect," he said, "Because that was the very first place Diana mentioned!"

So we started at Jo's that day on South Congress.





Last July, that beautiful message was spontaneously written on the wall at Austin favorite, Jo's on South Congress. But, today at 4:00, the wall looked like this:



Why? Because some d-bag vandalized the message. Can you believe that?! It makes me FURIOUS. Our city is so full of compassionate, sensitive people that when something this atrocious happens, I just get so pissed. I say we de-d-bag the city immediately. What do you say?

In the meantime, Jo's has asked its patrons to share any lovely photos they have as a tribute to the wall. You can see them on Jo's FB wall. If you happen to have a photo of the "I love you so much" wall, please consider posting it.

Monday Dose of Cuteness, vol. 19

It's been a little while since we've had a Monday Dose of Cuteness. But all the more reason to have one today. After all, it's a dreary Monday-- so let's give a listen to Tucker sing the blues.