PiBetaPhi.org

April 28, 1867 was a great day in history for myself and many other women... our sorority was founded!! There are a few things I consider myself to be an 'advocate' for. Sonic, animals and the Greek system all make the list. Today being such a special day for my sorority, I will harp on that for a while.

Depending on where you are from and your own personal experiences, you might have varying views of sororities- what they are, who is in them and what they are about. When some people hear the word 'sorority', certain terms may come to mind: "dumb" "elitist" "rich girls" "shallow" "self-centered" "drama" "paying for your friends"... etc.


Like I said... we can all only speak from our own experiences. So when I say that my sorority was full of the most intelligent, caring, accepting, driven, generous and fun women... I am only speaking from my experience.
I could go into the millions of dollars raised for and countless hours spent working in the name of charity... but this post isn't about that. Yes, sororities and fraternities benefit the communities in which they live, that's absolutely not a question.  The real benefit is something quite different from that.

The women I have the privilege of calling sisters at the Pi Beta Phi house were (and continue to be) amazing. They were scholars, athletes, beauty queens, performers and artists. They were from big cities and small towns. They were prepsters, hippies and everything in between. They were Bible beaters and party animals. But mostly I just called them my friends. They were the women who not only got me through Statistics and were by my side planting flowers at the Child Advocacy center... but were also there to talk about life with until 3 in the morning, buy me shots on my birthday, tell me to "BREAK UP WITH HIM" and ultimately be by my side at my wedding. The four years I spent there will no doubt be some of the best of my life and I have those ladies to thank for it.

As the years go on and life changes, these ladies are still there. Some as my best friends and some as acquaintances who occasionally post on my Facebook wall. But I will always say a little thank you prayer to God that I was blessed to be a part of such an amazing group of women.

So Pi Phi sisters, RING freaking CHING! I am so happy on this day 144 years ago a couple of really awesome ladies put a name on their club so we could all reap the benefits.

So even if the world doesn't understand it... please know that I would happily pay to have you ladies as my friends anyday!

xoxo, Emily

Kitchen Island---I might be crazy?

I swear I’m not crazy. But I definitely have my moments. This past weekend, I had one.

I was in Tulsa for a wedding and was running around with my mom/brother/friends (loooooove!!) My mom drove us by a house she wanted to check out that was for sale. Outside of the said house was this….

Now, I don’t know why… but I just thought “That’s my kitchen island!!!”

Let me explain how I got to that point:

Knowing we are- fingers crossed- going to live in the Chouse (church+house), I have been on the lookout for a kitchen island type thing. The space really needs a divider of some sort, but it needs to be smallish. The kitchen itself is relatively small, so I definitely wanted something that provided extra storage as well.

Also, I have just been feeling like everything we own is too ‘new’…. am I the only one who ever feels that way? Anyway, I have been wanting to throw in some more rugged items into the mix. Well it was Easter weekend and I have heard that if you ask, you shall receive!! I wished for something older and by golly, I got it!

I'm for sure going to clean it up, but I don't think it will ever look like new, and I don't want it to. I also really love that it has lived its 'life' in Tulsa. As you know, Tulsa just holds a really special place it my heart and it was such a wonderful weekend, so I am so happy that everytime I see the island, I will think of that Easter/Wedding/time spent with family and friends.

Big thanks to my Mom and her friend Alan who hauled it away and are holding on to it for me until it can make it's way up to STL.

Oh, and did I mention it was TWENTY DOLLARS?? You just can't beat that.

xoxo, Emily

Helping a sista out: Master bedroom makeover

One of my dear friends (Angela) recently decided she would like to give her master bedroom some attention. She and her husband moved into their house last summer and have been so busy decorating the rest of the house, the master hasn't gotten much love.

Because she knows I am a design enthusiast, she asked for my help! And I very happily obliged. Disclaimer- I am not a professional. I simply like to give input/ideas when asked :)

Here is where we started.

First off, this bedroom is HUGE. There is soooo much space to work with which is a really great problem to have. We were looking for a drastic change here, so we decided they were going to rearrange the room, paint, get new bedding, new curtains, and some new furniture here and there. As most people can relate to, we don't have an unlimited budget so being cost-conscious was definitely at the forefront of our minds.

I found  a room that I really thought looked like Angela... and she agreed! So this room is serving as our inspiration.

http://emilyaclark.blogspot.com/

So they painted and rearranged. Then she and I did a big Ikea run. And the other night, I went over to take a look at some of the progress and help make some more. Here is where we ended up.

Total progress, right? It's not finished yet but she (and I!) are loving it so far.

Next up, they will order chairs, a rug, make some more bed-related improvements (white bedskirt) and of course, accessorize! The white shelving will come later down the road.

Thanks, Ang, for letting me help!

xoxo, Emily

Currently on sale at J.Crew

Like most people I know, I love J. Crew. But...I love sale items from J. Crew even more!! Here are some great items currently on sale.


Perfect tank for a casual summer day.

Here

Perfect jacket to go over the perfect tank for a cool summer evening.

Here.

Have been thinking about getting into the fedora thing... a black and white one would be perrrrrfect.

Here.

Everyone needs a good striped t. (or four).

Here.

Denim vests are kind of 90s. And I kind of love it.

Here.

It might be the move to STL getting to me, but I am really needing some sweaters for summer. Probably not with sequined shorts though... but you never know!

Here.

And why didn't anyone think of this before?? A trench + vest. A trest!! Loves.

Here.

xoxo, Emily 

For the love of red.

Just a few lovely images featuring my fav. color.

Me too!

xoxo, Emily

More phenom staging

Just perusing HAR.com again today and I came up with this lovliness. Thank you, whoever-staging-company-you-are, for existing and for doing such good work.

That's all for now.

xoxo, Emily

Animals in home decor

It's no secret that I am an animal lover. I was raised in a home where all members were expected to be such. Just to give you an example- currently my mother has 1 dog, 3-5 cats, and lots of cows. I hope to be that lucky someday. Until then, I will fill my home with as many faux animals as I can. Just so the Hubs has a little reminder of where we are heading :)

I know I am not the only one who shares this love of animals in the home, so I put together a little gallery for ya.

http://www.sweetiepiepumpkinnoodle.com/

www.meohmymama.blogspot.com/



www.meohmymama.blogspot.com/



http://www.younghouselove.com/

http://www.threepinkdots.com/

http://shelterinteriordesign.blogspot.com/



http://www.ruemag.com/

www.beaulifestyle.blogspot.com/



http://www.ruemag.com/



http://abodelove.blogspot.com/

http://www.younghouselove.com/



http://lowils.wordpress.com/

www.tobifairley.com/blog

http://www.madebygirl.com/

http://secondstreeteast.blogspot.com/

I don't expect everyone to love it, but I sure do!

xoxo, Emily