inspiration : thursday thoughtfuls

I have many loves in this world. As you know if you read this post, I'm a lover, and I love a lot of things. But today, I'm going to share with you two of those loves: coffee and books.

Coffee has always been a part of my life. Growing up with my coffee-drinking grandparents, I was always around it and would even drink coffee from Papa's cup, and he drank it straight black. Granny on the other hand, she filled her coffee cup with milk every morning, took her pills with most of the milk, but always left just enough milk in her cup to pour in coffee for the right balance. She also liked iced coffee which Papa never drank.

I always thought I liked coffee like Papa, straight black, until one day, in college, when I went to my first Starbucks. Yep, I was about 18 before I went to Starbucks for the first time. It's incredibly overwhleming for someone who has only ever drank coffee black or those little Starbuck frappucinos that you can buy in 4-packs at grocery stores. And, because those were the only things I knew, I remember ordering a caramel frappucino. Fast forward now 7 years later and I'm no longer intimidated by Starbucks or other coffee shops. I still order frappucinos, but only because I really like them. But I also order coffee, lattes and other coffee-related drinks. I like my coffee the most with just flavored creamer. No extra milk, no extra sugar, just flavored creamer like hazelnut, amaretto or the classic vanilla. I also like my coffee to be a medium-dark roast. I want it to be strong enough that I know I'm drinking coffee. And yes, sometimes, mostly in the winter, I'll have a cuppa decaf at night while watching my shows. 

via source

via unknown source.

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I want this in a different color for my kitchen. 

via unknown source.

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The perfect day.

via unknown source.

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amen. amen. amen.

via unknown source.

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*swoon*

I love reading too, but I also love books. None of those e-reader things for me thank you. As long as they keep printing books, I'll keep buying them and reading them that way. Not that I have anything against people with e-readers, but that's not for me. I'm too much of a traditionalist for that, I suppose. haha. I love all different genres, and "could no sooner pick a favorite star from the heavens" than pick a favorite book or genre. But this weekend, I'm planning on FINALLY picking up "Something Borrowed" and getting started on it. My friend sent it to me last month as a loan and it's still sitting in my office, waiting so patiently to be read. It's taking me so long because I don't have as much time to read as I used to AND I'm currently re-reading "The Shack" and doing a bible study on Spiritual Gifts.... lots of reading... not a lot of time... A horrible combination.

So... those are two of my loves, what about you?

What book are you currently reading and how do you like your coffee?

♥

goodies : packaging loveliness

It was 2 years ago this June that I began my journey on Etsy. Since then I've opened a shop that's still open, opened a shop that I've closed and opened another shop that's still open. Through my journey with Etsy I've had delightful experiences and I've had my frustrations. I've met the most lovely people and some I wish I could throw a tomato at. (Who me?) I've seen the cutest and most brilliant of items and some that have just left me _____.

Back when I was a beginner and the forums were actually useful, I learned that packaging can be very important. Afterall, who wants a broken item that they bought and were anticipating? No one! But along the way of my packaging education, I discovered a whole new world (although not on a magic carpet ride) of lovelies and pretties in packaging supplies. Since my packaging education began, I've been aspiring to have the most lovely packages, tied up in beauty, elegant simplicity and thoughtfulness. Unfortunately, for most of my journey on Etsy, I haven't had all of the money to put into practice the things I've learned BUT, I'm still aspiring and little by little, washi tape by washi tape, I'm collecting things. And one day, I'm going to post pictures of my packaging and you're all going to be completely blown away. One day...

But until that day comes, I'm going to keep dreaming, keep coming up with new ideas, keep relishing in all the pretty details and keep aspiring. And for now, I'm going to share some of the loveliest of lovelies with you:

1. baker's twine

2. hearts

3. manilla tags

4. mini clothespins

5. wooden scoops

6. kraft coin envelopes

7. sequin trim

8. mini envelopes

1. polka dot washi tape

2. mini envelopes

3. pillow boxes

4. velvet ribbon

5. doilies (50)

6. striped washi tape (4)

7. thank you stickers

8. mini envelopes

I'm starting to plan ideas for my Etsyversary and I'm wondering:

How long have you been Etsying and/or Blogging?

me : photography dabbler

I love photography. I've dabbled in it from time to time, but never devoted a lot of time to it. Recently, I dabbled in it a bit more heavily than I have in the past. One of the Youth Group girls asked me if I would take some of her senior pics. Of course I said yes, how could I not? It was super fun being behind the camera and playing around with angles, lighting, backgrounds and textures. It was also a lot of fun (although very painstaking at times) doing the editing and seeing the finished product. I'm looking forward to doing another photo shoot with her soon to finish up her senior pics. And maybe I'll even find some new people to "shoot", since I enjoyed it so much. Not that I'll be opening a photography business or anything, haha, but I'm loving it right now. Here's some of my faves:

PS - I LOVE this chair! Shelby's step-mom found this chair and bought it and I think it's fabulous!

We loaded it up in my tahoe and took it all over with us as a prop.

Not really a "senior pic" style, but I love catching people being "real". She was in thought and wasn't paying attention to me at all. I love that kind of simplicity.

We found the only green grass in west Texas... at the town courthouse.

I'm definitely looking forward to another shoot. I've got a lot more ideas in store and can't wait to try out some new angles, props, and editing features.

And here's a photo I took at our Easter egg hunt this weekend. This is how you hide eggs in west Texas... ;) haha.

Happy Easter!

image via RKP

Happy Easter everyone!

I hope you have a wonderful day, enjoying time spent with your friends and family, and remembering that everyday is a celebration of Christ's resurrection!

Because of his conquering death, we have hope of life eternally.

Love & God Bless,

Regina

♥

inspiration : thursday thoughtfuls

Hi all! Whew, I'm just barely making it to my weekly post with just a couple hours to spare... No, I didn't forget about my post. In fact, I actually remembered bright and early this morning. But Pinterest, where I get my thoughtfuls, was down due to servers and then this afternoon when the site was up again, I was too busy with work and stuff. And tonight, we had Ladies Bunko night at church but I'm back from that and ready to get on with my weekly post: thursday thoughtfuls.

I must say, I'm really excited about this post, mainly because I love, love, LOVE the theme. I don't set out each week with a theme in mind, but it seems that one just evolves and I have to run with it. This week, I was stumbling across a lot of Dr. Seuss quotes and one thing you may not know about me is that I'm a Dr. Seuss FANATIC! I love Dr. Seuss, I want to have a Dr. Seuss themed party. I want to decorate the kids' rooms with Dr. Seuss quotes and art. HUGE FAN! In fact, did you know that Dr. Seuss is a pen name. His real name is Theodor Seuss Geisel and that he pronounced Seuss as "soyss" until he was almost exclusively a children's book author. Most people pronounced his name "souss" and because it rhymed with Mother Goose, he embraced it and changed the pronounciation of his own name.

Anyway... I have lots of thoughts and ideas that I'm thinking and ideaing, but I'll save them for later. For now, enjoy these witty quotes from a man whose work I admire tremendously:

I really love this. I'm still in mutual weirdness. ;)

Aren't those great!?!

What about you, what's your favorite Dr. Seuss book?

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Over on my friend Ashley's blog, she does these awesome posts every Wednesday called What I'm Loving Wednesday that she links up to her friend Jamie's blog. I love reading Ashley's WILW posts because they always remind me to think of the good things I love in my life right now. Kind of a "count your blessings" reminder. :) This week, I'm going to play along and post my own WILW. Enjoy!

I'm loving that I have Friday off. Not sure what I'm going to do with that, haha, but I'm sure I'll think of something.

image source

I'm loving this dress by Vera Wang. Which also happens to be my Easter dress this year!! :D This is my first Easter outfit in I don't even know how long... since like Freshman year of high school I think??? So yeah, I'm pretty excited about it! haha!

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I'm loving these shoes from Candies. The shoes for my Easter outfit. Yep, they're almost 5 inches tall, but I promise you, they are probably the MOST COMFORTABLE heels I've ever worn! Seriously!!!

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I'm loving Kohl's! [I used to work there and actually miss it sometimes.] I love that you can get cute yet sophisticated things like this! And because I hate sleeveless things, I'll be wearing this cutesy little sweater thing with my dress. :)

I'm also loving that I've lost 8 pounds so far with my diet/exercise plan. 4 more pounds to go before I hit my first goal which is 5% of my starting body weight. My long term goals: shed 50 pounds (I know, it's a lot, but what's the point in dreaming if you aren't going to dream big?) and wear sleeveless tops and dresses with pride!

I'm loving my morning coffee.

And I'm loving the new me. Healthier in mind, body and spirit.

What about you? What are you loving today? Feel free to create your own post, it would be great to see! And do you have an Easter outfit? If so, I wanna see!! :)

♥

fashion : revealing my inner fashionista

I don't know about you, but I love fashion. I love looking at fashion photographs in magazines. I watch America's Next Top Model marathons because of the fashion, not because of the drama. I love buying a shirt, and already knowing at least 5 different ways I could wear it. Even more, I love looking through my closet and re-discovering a shirt that I didn't think I liked anymore and realizing a brand new way to wear it that I LOVE!

Now that I've said all of that, let me say this. I love fashion, but I love *MY* fashion. I don't like watching runway shows because everything is too over-the-top for me. I don't like Lady Gaga's fashion. That's just ridiculous. If there was a fashion show-down between Kate Middleton (who is becoming a huge fashion icon) and Lady Gaga, I'd always pick Kate over Gaga. Every. Single. Time.

When I say I love fashion, I don't mean that I love every single fad that comes out. I mean that I love finding things that feel true to me and my personality, tastes and style. And that might mean a scarf from wal-mart or some jeans from GAP. It's not about the label that I'm wearing, it's about the overall outfit and what it says about me. I don't buy in to fads. I don't wear designer clothes because I'm trying to be someone I'm not. And I most certainly don't go out and buy something that is ridiculously expensive just so I can say, "Oh this old thing? Well I just picked it up in Milan the other week for only $1200." Yeah... I'm not that kind of girl.

Too often I've been caught up in a world of trying to be what I think people want me to be. But I've finally gotten out of that net of insecurities, and I am who I am. Love me or hate me. :) And I've added a new category to my blog "find: fashion", to celebrate the fashionista that I am. Like I said, not that I spend tons of money, but hey, if I can find similar items for way cheaper, what's to stop me right... ;) haha. 

So here's an outfit that I assembled via Polyvore (the perfect website for fashionistas like me):

striped tunic by reginakay featuring destructed jeans

3 1 Phillip Lim striped top, $375
Hollister Co. destructed jeans, $50
Forever21 rubber sandal, $15
Proenza Schouler leather handbag, $1,595
Chain jewelry, $28
MNG by Mango beach sunglass, $36

Like I said, not that I'd buy a striped tunic shirt for $375, but I will spend $30 on one at Target or wherever. But I love this overall outfit because it looks stylish, comfortable, and it's me. It suits my personality. Because my name is Regina, and I'm a fashionista.

What about you? Do you have an inner fashionista? Even just in flipping through magazines and imagining yourself wearing something?

Spring Cleaning!!

Hi all! I am cleaning out my Etsy shop to clear out some inventory and make room in my office for new things. I haven't been able to create anything new in a while because I have too much other stuff first.

So, I'm having a Spring Cleaning Sale in my shop. I have lots of items listed in my Clearance Section that have been marked down 30% off the original price.

PLUS for all of you lovely followers of my blog, I'm giving you a little extra too. Just enter the coupon code: Delight15 at checkout and receive an additional 15% off ALL the items in my shop! Yep, that's a big ol' discount, just for ya'll!

And with Mother's Day and graduations coming up, I'm sure you need a gift or two on hand for those special people in your life. I'll leave the coupon active until May 2nd. Enjoy!

inspiration : thursday thoughtfuls

I love love. Yes, you read that correctly. I. love. love. ♥

I love falling in love, being in love, staying in love, rekindling love. I love hearing everyone's love stories. And yes, everyone has one. At least one. I have many love stories. I have stories of faded love, lost love, unrequited love. I've had my heartbroken. I've had my heart shattered. I've even broken and shattered a heart or two myself. What can I say, I'm a lover. I was that girl that always called my friends saying THIS is the one. Eventually, one of my friends spoke up and was like, "Regina, you've said that about the last guy. And even the guy before that." But the thing is, I was always hopeful that that guy was the one. I fell in love so easily. I was so open to love; so ready to experience it, express it, relish in it and even... ahem... make it. Okay, now I'm blushing. Moving on...

I love watching romantic-comedies, some of my all time favorites including but not limited to: "You've Got Mail", "Sleepless in Seattle", "Pretty Woman", "Love Actually", "When Harry Met Sally", "Ever After". I love watching the classic romances, some of my all time favorites including but not limited to: "The Sound of Music", "Casablanca", "An Affair to Remember", "Pride & Prejudice", "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers", "The Notebook", "Beauty and the Beast" (hey, it's my list), "The Story of Us" (I CHOOSE CHOW FUNS!!!!). I love the "first looks" and the courting and the falling and sometimes the falling out of and then back in to and the ups and downs and all arounds. I love it all. Like I said, I love love.

So... with all of that in mind, this one's for the lovers. For the old loves, new loves, current loves, great loves, lost loves, classic loves, faded loves, passionate loves & even the comfortable loves.

image via http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/

I love this. I feel I've been too complacent in my love and I need more adventures.

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image via http://www.designspongeonline.com/

I get so caught up on the improvements I want to do to my house, that I forget what makes it really a home.

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image via Source Unknown

please comment if you know so I can give proper credit

I love this & never realize it until they're gone.

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image via source unknown

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This is so true of all of us. Rather referring to God's love, parent's love, our spouse's love or a friend's love, I know this is true. It has been for me many times.

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image via http://www.janeyyy.tumblr.com/

All I can do is *siiiiigh*

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I know Valentine's Day is over and 10 months away now. But wouldn't it be best if now, when love wasn't marketed down our throats, we expressed our love to the people we love? How about printing out one of these? Or better yet, write it in a note, whisper it in their ear, or hold them and tell them to their face. Embrace the love you feel for someone, and then express it. Don't wait. ♥

inspiration : thursday thoughtfuls

Okay, so maybe this is becoming a regular feature. ;) If this is your first time here for a thursday thoughtfuls, click the "find : inspiration" button to the left to find the other thursday thoughtfuls that you might have missed out on. For all of you returning readers, welcome back. Which reminds me... I'm very thankful for those of you who follow me and actually read what I write. I'm especially grateful for those of you who comment on my posts, even if it's just to let me know you've read my post. Reading comments from you all definitely gives me warm fuzzies and I just love it. So thank you. ♥ And if you haven't been one to comment on previous posts, that's okay... you can start with this one. I don't mind tardiness in this particular case. :)

Alrighty, now that I've completely digressed, let's try to find our way back to thursday thoughtfuls. Have you ever been really thirsty? Think about that time. Think about how you were so thirsty you just couldn't focus on anything else except for how thirsty you were and how much you would love a drink of something. Or maybe, it was a craving for your chosen addictive stimulant like coffee or pop (yes, I call "sodas", "cokes", "soda pops" pop. it's what I do. haha.). Maybe you hadn't had one in a while and you *needed* it. You needed that sweet, cold, carbonated beverage. I'm getting thirsty just thinking about it. You?

Sometimes, I find within me, a thirst. A craving. A deep desire to create or do. Not to simply think about or plan or organize, but to actually do. Sometimes it's something on a small scale like needing to take some time to read a book. Sometimes it's something on a larger scale like a ministry opportunity. A need in the community, the church, or a person and I yearn to meet that need. It's a situation where you feel bigger than yourself and if you don't start taking your talents and putting them to good use, or taking something you have in abundance and sharing it with others you are just going to explode.

In our Wednesday night bible class, we are studying Spiritual Gifts. I got this feeling that within that class of 30-40 adults, we had a few "doers", a few "I don't want to-ers" and the rest were "hopeful doers". Some people see something that needs to be done and they do it. Some don't want to do anything so they choose to ignore those needs, or instead they just focus on the comfortable things they do so they don't have to think about the uncomfortable things that they don't want to do. And the rest go through life thinking if something comes up that they can do, they'll do it. They are hopeful in their belief in their own goodness, instead of putting their goodness towards an actual use.

I don't know what makes you "thirsty" in your life, nor do I know what quenches that thirst. But I do know, that all of us are thirsty for something. Maybe it's something small like ignoring all the things you need to do, should be doing, or how you might be interrupting something and just calling that friend or family member to catch up. Or maybe it's something bigger... something bigger than you even thought for yourself. Think about what makes you thirsty and how you can quench that thirst, and then check out these quotes:

image via : original source unknown

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Whatever your dream, it's not too late to start walking towards it.

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image via : original source unknown

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Don't spend your life comparing your talents to other people's. Remember that your talent's are just as special and just as needed. "We can't all be an eye, or we wouldn't be able to hear."

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image via : madebysean.com

Sometimes I get too caught up in what I could make money on in my Etsy shop, that I forget why I started crafting in the first place. Don't lose focus.

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image via : original source unknown

please comment if you know so I can give proper credit.

The name for my shop and other things is "Vivat Regina!" Lots of people think it's "Viva T Regina" but that's not the case. "Vivat Regina!" is latin for long live the queen. My name, Regina, means queen. My dream is not necessarily that I will live a long life, but that the things I create, the lives I touch, the good I do in my life, will stretch out far beyond the years of my own body, and in that aspect, I will "live" a long time.

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image via : mth2011.tumblr.com

Countless times I've started a new hobby or tried a new thing and I've always wished I had done so sooner. This quote reminds me to start now. Do today. Because if not, I'll end up spending my whole life looking forward to the moment instead of living in the moment.

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I hope this post inspires you to stop just thinking and to start doing.

♥

the ginger listographer : live music

Alrighty... I'm excited! From the time I started making-over my blog, I've had lots of ideas for new features, regular pieces, etc. and I'm *finally* getting to one that I've been looking forward to a LOT. Something you may or may not know about me is that I'm a listographer. I'm a person who likes to make lists of things. Grocery lists, to-do lists, lists of songs I want, etc, etc, etc. The list, literally, goes on and on. Recently I wrote a letter to my friend Amanda (the same Amanda you'll see later) and it was a letter written completely in lists. I signed it, "The Ginger Listographer" because well, I'm a ginger and I'm a listographer. 'Nuff said right?

Anyway, listography is a passion of mine. I love it! And from time to time I'll be sharing some of my lists with you via my blog. It would be great if it inspired you to channel your inner listographer and explore the fun of making lists. If not, that's okay. I hope you enjoy my lists anyway. Please keep in mind, my lists are never complete. They are always open-ended.

And now, without further adieu, in no particular order, here is my list of bands/musicians I've seen live:

{Jars of Clay}

(my first concert ever, I was a freshman in college and our college bible group went to the Tulsa State Fair and saw Jars of Clay perform. It was cold and rainy that night, and I didn't know any of the words to the songs, but it was still a good experience.)

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Concert in OKC with Ashley Ousley and Belinda Keith:

{Kenny Chesney (& Uncle Kracker)}

{Dierks Bentley}

{Sugarland}

image via Ashley Ousley

At the Kenny Chesney concert

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Concert at the University of Oklahoma with Amanda & Kevin:

{Derek Webb}

{Sandra McCracken (wife of Derek)}

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Backstreet Boys concert in Kansas, August 2005. BEST CONCERT EVER!!

{Backstreet Boys}

{Seminole County}

My love for them has not faded... ♥ 

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Free concert with the Youth Group:

{Voto}

{The Wrecking}

{Satellites and Sirens}

{Big Kettle Drum}

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Warped Tour 2006 in Dallas:

{Motion City Soundtrack}

{Gym Class Heroes}
{Cartel}

{Saves the Day}

more I can't remember...

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{Adele}

Amanda and I drove to Dallas to see her!

image via Amanda Boyd

Amanda & I at Adele's concert. I made a t-shirt on the way down that said "Pavement Chaser"... ♥

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Concert in Norman:

{Secondhand Serenade}

{Rocket Summer}

image via Amanda Boyd

Yes, we know you're jealous of our mad dance skills!

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Concert in Wolfforth, TX:

{Andrew Peterson with Ben Shive}

Watch the video. Seriously.

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Various places in Texas:

{Keegan Mcinroe}

Click on his name to be taken to his Facebook music page. Then "like" it. You can see where he'll be playing next and videos of his songs. He's great, just go listen.

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There's mine, what about you? Who was your first concert? Which concert was your most memorable?