Singin' songs about the Southland.

There is a second craft I should tell you about. Again, Pinterest, you just offer the most divine inspiration for projecting about the house.

I spied this 'lil beauty...

...and was sold. I think it's supposed to be, like, "the husband is from Louisiana and the wifey hails from Arizona! So CUTE!" or something. Not mine.  Naturally, my version of the project would hence be a shoutout to the Heart of Dixie and my new home of Hotlantaaaaaaaa.

You need:
+ a pair of scissors
+ white cardstock
+ a computer and printer
+ a pencil
+  red cardstock OR heart stickers. But don't wimp out and go the sticker route. Paper is prettier.

1. Print out two state maps and cut 'em out.

2. Place BACKWARDS on your cardstock to trace. Did you hear that? Backwards. No one likes a stray pencil mark. Stray pencil marks are for amateurs. Now cut those guys out.

3. In keeping with the exciting theme of my new room "grey and linen and white and wood," I opted to paint the matting and cardstock two shades of grey.

Alabama was the sacrificial lamb and during the disaster got splattered. So I had to cut out a new one. 

At this point, a Brownie (Ellis, the untamed little wild puppy beast) came running in and tromped her unproportional paws directly in the paint. Boykin Spaniels were bred with Chesapeake Bay Retriever blood, so their paws are big 'ole swimmin' paws. Which look awfully cute in paint and trotting around the kitchen--NOT.

At last, Ellis was captured and cleaned, and I finished my masterpiece. No Brownies were harmed in the creation of this art. Yay for the new room!

Blog post title: "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynard Skynard. Dear goodness, I hope that wasn't news to you though. You'd never win "Name That Song" with Rush Stallings.

The PARISH project (aka How I Wound Up Temporarily in Interior Design).

Photo courtesy of PARISH.

So. In the meantime, I'm spending my glamorous hours in this deep South city launching a few marketing and publicity efforts for the incredible (and yes, glamorous) Ashley Gilbreath.

Which means I'm dabbling in interior design.

Oh my.

You interior design people and your crazy world.

I'm learnin' at lighting speed.

Tall, blonde, and whip-thin with style dripping from her every word, Ashley is one of Montgomery's premier designers, and a huge role model to me: great marriage, precious-baby-girl-Cates, and an absolute killa in her field. Her designs? Probably (and by probably I mean exactly-could-not-be-more-perfect) precisely the style I would like my future house and apartment to emmulate.

Lots of neutral.

Lots of exposed wood.
Lots of natural materials.

Photos courtesy of Ashley Gilbreath Interior Design.

The girl's got style, am I right or am I right? Love it.

So if you're in Montgomery, venture out to this community:

Hampstead Development
A sustainable community from the planners of Seaside & Rosemary Beach

Photo courtesy of Kim Box Photography--love y'all!

and hit up 5272 Hampstead High Street for looks like this:

this:

and this chandelier that I am crushin' on:

Photos courtesy of PARISH and Kim Box Studio.

Swoon. PARISH is legit, huh? I'm a lucky girl.

So get ready: You'll be the first to know when our blog launches and the new website for Ashley Gilbreath Interior Design and PARISH goes live.

'Til then:

Follow PARISH and Ashley Gilbreath Interior Design on Twitter.

Like us on Facebook.

p.s. The interview? Went incredibly well, all thanks to Jesus. I'll keep y'all posted, but I do want to extend a huge, HUGE gracias to everyone who commented/emailed/Facebooked/texted about a prayer said or best wishes. So sweet. :)

There are two necklaces I'm crushing on.

And their names are:

Photo courtesy of Doree.

1. State of Alabama. Every penny of the proceeds go directly to benefit tornado relief in Dixieland. Sold at Doree in Homewood, Ala. $35 silver, $40 gold. You can pre-order them, uhhh whoops--like I just did, by calling 205.879.1333. Done and done.

Photo courtesy of Emerson Made.

2. Gold lion coin necklace. Considering everything Emerson Made touches turns to gold AND I'm an Alpha Delt, this lion necklace is simply swoonworthy. Roar. WARNING: If you start clicking on their website, you will not stop... just sayin'. I think that this is my personality in website form and that they are the most beautifully glorious clothes I have ever seen.

Sigh. Oh, materialism.

We will aye be true to thee.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Today, I was gonna tell you about how sweet they were over at Mississippi State University. But I just can't today--not when my heart is broken for Alabama. My sweet state and the lands I love more than anything...

It's eerie. Devestating. Perplexing.

I watch the news and blink back tears.

I just drove through Tuscaloosa. Tarrent. Bessemer. Northport.

Just spent the night in Birmingham yesterday, Father...

This is so weird.

Imma be cheesy for a minute, but you've had fair warning that I'm a tad in love with Dixie. The first lines of our state song: "Alabama, alabama, we will aye be true to thee." We will be true. And we will trust in truths. We will praise You in this storm for we know You are sovereign. Break our hearts for what breaks Yours, Lord.

Five minutes. For five minutes, turn off your phone. Your laptop.

Pray for this state. Pray for these people. Pray for the South.

To donate $10 to the American Red Cross, text REDCROSS to 90999.

p.s. Thank you to all my precious Alpha Delta Pi sisters around the nation who have texted/emailed/tweeted at me. "Ash, I dunno Alabama georgraphy or where Montgomery is, but I hope you're okay. Our sisters are praying for Alabama." Wow. That's when this sisterhood wins my heart all over again.

They don't love you like I love you.

Photo courtesy of Saturated Color.

The other day, I tweeted that I may have been born in the wrong state. 'Cause Texas, you weren't kidding us about that whole "it's all bigger here" thing.

Within minutes I received quite the backlash from,

welp, half the state of Alabam.

I was kiddin', y'all. And as a symbol of my love, I would like to show you this terrific find: rockin' vintage maps on Etsy. The shop has just about every state, so we can be politically correct here. One day, Alabama the Map will hang next to ____ the Map in my apartment.

I'm never gonna be anything but an Alabama girl. I hail from a background of cut-offs, debutante balls, and "War Eagle HEY." And goshdarnit if I wouldn't have it any other way.

My love for Dixieland is bigger than the state of Texas. No worries.

Blog post title: "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Fitting, duh.

Where the skies are so blue.

Photo courtesy of Etsy.

Dear The Wheatfield,

Please whip up an Alabama watercolor for your Wander the States collection on Etsy stat. We have won 2 back-to-back college football national championships and gave America the Bed Intruder Song (and before that, we housed the Leprechaun), thus feel that at least we should be bumped up on the list at least maybe before Rhode Island and Idaho.

Love,
A Montgomerian Girl Who Will Buy It

Southern Charm

I do believe I kinda want this. On a really long chain around my neck. Just sayin'.

  Alabama State Charm, James Avery, $85