Birthday = "ME" Day

Happy DECEMBER lovelies!

As soon as December arrives, my Birthday comes along with it! 👑

I had been looking forward to having a relaxing "ME" day, and my Birthday was the perfect excuse! 

A large cup of coffee with cream from Dunkin' Donuts helped me wake up, as I headed over to the hair salon!

My first Birthday gift to myself was getting my hair colored. Every time I get my hair done, I go to Natural Alternatives Salon & Spa to see Sunshine. Everyone at the salon is genuinely friendly; they make you feel welcome. Christmas decorations were hung up beautifully, and I enjoyed looking at the cute Aveda Christmas gift packages they have available for purchase!

Getting my hair done was the best way to start the day; it was relaxing, yet fun (as always)!

Sunshine surprised me with the sweetest and cutest Birthday gift!

Now, you can SEE why getting my hair done by Sunshine was EXACTLY what I needed to begin my Birthday!

Photo Credits by Sunshine Carter

Sunshine is incredibly talented! She did the most stunning transformation with my hair with her painting skills. The chestnut tones flow through my hair and are bright, yet natural!

After getting my hair done, I drove over to The Southern Market.

The Southern Market is a great place to check out when you want a large variety of items to choose from! Many of the little shops inside are local artists; which I love looking at handmade, local items!

Most of the time, I could take a long while, looking around at everything, but with their open house it was very busy! Feeling a little too cramped, I decided to head out without any items in hand (this time). However, I'll be back on a less busy day! 😊

Next, I decided to check out Knoxville Soap Candle & Gifts

This was my first time checking out this little shop in Bearden, and it looked gorgeous and smelled wonderful! Knoxville Soap Candle & Gifts has been around for TWELVE YEARS! I couldn't believe I hadn't been there yet!

 Gregory's Greenhouse Productions was stationed in front of the store. His displays of greenery was beautiful! 

How cute are these Christmas trucks?!

Inside the cute and fragrant shop, I met Debra van der Hoeven, the founder of Tiny Treasure Jewelry. 

Her earrings were so unusual, and it's because she uses Kombucha SCOBY! Kombucha is brewed and when it ferments it creates SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) on top. Debra re-uses the SCOBY to make these earrings! The earrings are colored with different things types of paint (from food coloring to water colors) and then dried out!

There were other types of earrings as well, not just the Kombucha SCOBY; but I found them fascinating!

Make sure to check out the website for more earrings!

Kombucha SCOBY earrings by Tiny Treasure Jewelry

Knoxville Soap Candle & Gifts

The decor all around the store was beautiful! I just adore Christmas time!

I was too distracted to take more pictures. There were handmade candles, soaps, jewelry, and more! I really enjoyed this shop! I'll definitely take more pictures the next time I go back!

I had an incredible day of pampering and shopping! My Birthday was a perfect "ME" day!

When Nathan got home, I was FINALLY able to open up my Birthday present! 

An electric fireplace to put in the master bedroom! It's the perfect piece to make our room a little Utopia!

Riley loves it too!

Hygge on point!

We didn't have the energy to mount the fireplace on the wall, but that will be on our to-do list for today! 😃 I can't wait!

QUESTIONS FOR YOU:

* What do you do for your "ME" days?

* Are your Christmas decorations up yet?

* What is your favorite part of December?

February!

Hey y'all! Happy February!

Yesterday was Groundhog day! Apparently, Punxsutawney Phil did NOT see his shadow, which may mean we will have an early Spring!
We haven't had much of a winter anyway (in Knoxville, at least), so we will see if we will indeed have an early Spring or not!


Nathan and I had some time together, so we took advantage of the day and ran some errands. Adulting is awesome, isn't it?

First we stopped at McKay's. McKay's is a used bookstore that also sells used dvd's, games, electronics, and much more. We had a ton of books, movies, and games to drop off and trade in for credit. I love getting credit to the store just for bringing in old books, etc.! With our credit, we ended up buying some blu-ray movies that we haven't seen yet!
I love that McKay's had an adorable tree made out of books! They should keep it up all year round!

I convinced Nathan to stop at The Southern Market! The Southern Market is amazing! It is full of cute and unique interior items/decor. Every single time I go, there is something new I fall in love with. The store is massive, and they have items by local artists/vendors.
Whenever stopping by, it is mandatory to grab up some goodies made by Sugar Mama's Bakery!

Sugar Mama's Bakery 

New Eve Jewelry

I cannot believe I parted with the coffee tumbler that says "Ain't Nobody Got Time For That!" I think that will be a must have the next time I stop in the store! :) OR, if you go first, grab it up for me! Hehe!

Ashley Brooke Designs

Ahhh...the honey cookies by Sugar Mama's Bakery are SOOOOO scrumptious!

Sometimes you gotta treat yo' self!
    

;p

Lately, I've been slightly obsessed with New Eve Jewelry! The artist is Megan Craig, a local jewelry designer.  Some of her gorgeous pieces are sold at Southern Market, and I found a necklace that I could not part with. Actually, I wanted to buy them all, but unfortunately I could only purchase one.
You can find more beautiful handcrafted jewelry on her etsy shop or on the main website!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/newevejewelry
http://www.newevejewelry.com/

Below is a beautiful turquoise wired ring which pairs well with any outfit! This ring is by jewelry designer, Danielle Kimberly Robinson - DKR Jewelry. You can find more info on her etsy shop as well!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/DKRJewelry?ref=pr_shop_more
or on www.southernmarketshops.com

Isn't it gorgeous?!

I can't think of anything better than Starbucks coffee and shopping on a rainy day! :)

Recently, I finished reading Mindy Kaling's newest book - "Why Not Me."
Her first book, "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?" was hilarious. "Why Not Me" was quite funny, but overall enjoyed her first book much more!

Questions for y'all:

Do you think Punxsutawney Phil is right? Will we have an early Spring?

Do you have any favorite local artists?

What books are you currently reading?