Checkin' UP & Checkin' IN

Haven't checked in with y'all in a minute. I've quickly come to realize that when you're a one woman show working in the wedding industry, blogging comes secondary to most obligations. And I say y'all because once you've lived in the Midwest, you're allowed to say y'all. (WHAT UP, MANHATTAN, KS!).

Speaking of Kansas, this is Aggieville. Located approximately one block from our old apartment, Aggieville is a much cleaner and classier version of South Side, Pittsburgh. Never once have a seen a nasty weave, a random body part, or someone's dignity left on the sidewalk the morning following a long night of partying... Well, maybe I have, but I digress...

Manhattan, Kansas is a small business heaven, home of the Wildcats, a hotbed for creativity, and quite possibly where my admiration for entrepreneurship was unknowingly legitimized. If you have an inner fat kid or are a creative like myself, check out @varsitydonuts, @bourbonandbaker, and @acmegift on Instagram. You will not be disappointed!

Leaving Kansas was certainly bittersweet. I surprisingly grew to love Kansas, I loved my job teaching soldiers on post, I LOVED the food (chicken and waffles to the FACE), I loved the nightlife and our fellow military friends, but of course Jared and I both looked forward to seeing our families back in the 'Burgh.

Yet when I moved home, I struggled finding employment. And soon enough, I became irate with my return home and took up the random task of creating my sister's wedding invitations to try and keep myself from snatching planes from the sky out of frustration.

I never in a million years expected this endeavor to be anything more than a "one time thing." Slowly but surely, however, some of my closest family members and friends began requesting small projects - a birthday party here, a baby shower there. All the while, I continued to look at my projects simply as me just doing a good deed, all the while praying that the universe would notice my kind work and reimburse me with a J-O-B.

And I think it was probably around that point that I must have absolutely blacked out into total oblivion and here I am one year later with 15 brides requesting my services for the 2016 calendar year. It's both entirely terrifying and exciting. I definitely believe that things happen the way they're supposed to, and perhaps I was never meant to find a job here in Pittsburgh. Maybe I was intended to create my own...

In lieu of my absence, here's a couple of projects that I've been able to wrap up...

I have awfully big plans for the KN (AKA Kate & Nate) sketch at the end, stay tuned for more on that!

In more recent news, I've been provided the opportunity to team up with Lisa Bittner at @therackboutique in Murrysville, PA in creating one of a kind, custom graphic tees. Again, it's a venture that I never truly anticipated but I'm excited to look ahead at the possibility of where it may take us both. More black and yellow themes to come...

And there's still so much more to come! I have a fancy New York City military wedding, a beachy chic and modern Chincoteague, Virginia wedding, and a local, hipster duo with a vibrant color scheme.

I'll check back in with Y'ALL soon on updates, until next time!