{Sponsor Spot} Meet Sam

 Question of the Month:

 If you could only decorate your home in 1 color, what color would it be, and why?

{Sam says} I would decorate my home in the color grey because I find it to be a calm, peaceful color. Also, there are endless shades and undertones of grey that could hopefully help the place look a bit less mundane.

My name is Sam, and I am 20-something residing in Austin, Texas. I'm a girlfriend of 5 years and a fur mama to the sweetest American Bully named Guero. The people in my life inspire me to be the greatest person I can be not just for myself, but for them and for God. My blog chronicles my journey of finding my faith and my walk with the Lord, along with all of the other daily shenanigans that come along with life. I'd love for you to join me!

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She Lives

In Austin, Texas

In a stinking cute house

With a stinking cute man
With stinking cute pets
Covered in paint
In thrift and junk stores
For the next great find
For anything seafoam colored
For chicken fajitas
To decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving
To help children reach their full potential
For gummy candy
To add more color to life
Her own life

I made this list to remind myself of all the things that I love, and that make life worth living. I have been incredibly busy with work, and this house and my quest for completness within my nest has left me drained. I want to thank all of you for the sweet comments on my last post, as well as for the many encouraging emails that I've received! You all reminded me that this is my place to create, reflect and share. And that I will do. 

I have primed about half of the furniture in the house, and will be starting my painting and putting together tutorials and before and after shots next week! Woo hoo!

Standing Still

So I may not have been 100% truthful with you all.

Yes, every weekend since the move has been busy with family get togethers, home improvement projects, and catching up on work. But it hasn't been so busy that my blogging has had to fall so far behind. 

This may seem like whining. Bear with me. Lately, I've been feeling like the blog isn't really anything worth looking at. Yes, my dogs are beyond the point of adorable, and sometimes I dress myself for $25, but I feel like what I have put out there is so... boring. I try to put together colorful outfits and find fun things to write about, but I just feel so tapped out. I feel like what I put out there is clogging up the blogosphere, taking up room on the Internet that should be reserved for someone brilliantly creative with fabulous photography skills and a kick ass home. 

I am still on the hunt for some key pieces to the house, which is why I haven't quite managed to put together home photos. Colorful throw pillows, painted chairs and refinished headboards are filling my dreams and torturing my thrift hunts. The other day, I went to 7 furniture or clothing thrift stores, yes, 7, and came home with a single skirt. I'm ashamed. I have been beating myself up over the little details that haven't happened yet, and it's stalling my progress overall. 

I'm deadlocked and can't really seem to move forward. I struggle to think of creative topics, great photo ops or funny stories, and I end up spending all weekend running around for other life issues and completely forget about blog responsibilities. I so badly want to return to my little place on the Internet, but can't seem to feel at home here anymore. Maybe I just need to give myself some grace, but right now I can't seem to give myself, or anyone else that matter, much thought.

I'm going to write this up as a trip to the blogging doldrums and move on, making an attempt to spruce things up a bit. Maybe this is what happens when I spend too much of my time looking at the creations and talents of others, instead of exploring what I have to offer. I have felt so inadequate lately, and hope that it turns around soon.

Ad Space Giveaway!

Today, Audrey, one of the lovely ladies that I sponsor, is giving away a month of ad space for Secondhand Magpie, as well as a mini bio of yourself/blog/shop! She was actually one of the first blogs that I actually got into and started following consistently, and she's grown nearly twofold since then! She is a MASTER remixer, and has one of the most versatile wardrobes I've seen. Go on over and check it out here!

Cat Lady

I have been on full speed decor mode lately and finally burned out. I can't stand to look at any more paint, frames, furniture, and especially, Pinterest. I am creatively spent. So, when my brain can no longer process color, pattern, or pillow cover options, I watch cat videos.  Like this.

And this, my friends, happens to be my favorite. Of all time.

 Make sure to have the volume on for this... it makes the entire experience, really.

  Such a brave cat soul, this one.   Happy Monday.

Guest Post: Meet Yi-chia

Hi everyone!  I’m Yi-chia and I blog over at Always Maylee.  You’ll know me as the girl who is obsessed with polka dots.  I don’t even know when or how this obsession started, but I have no plans on stopping it.  Here are some of my favorite polka dotted outfits.  Which one is your favorite?

Britt asked me to share an embarrassing story with everyone.  Well, fine Britt, twist my arm!  I want to first state that I am fully aware of my weaknesses… specifically: parallel parking. Ok, here goes…

A few years ago, I was meeting up with a friend in downtown Boston for a day of shopping fun.  If you know Boston, you’ll know that street parking is few and far between.  Don’t ask me why I didn’t properly plan for this, I think I was too excited about the shopping.  I drove up and down the streets a few times, until I finally saw this one spot (in prime location), and I excitedly pulled up to it.  However, there was a car double parked next to the car in front of the spot.  But this car wasn’t trying to park, it was just there, being in my way.  I sort of pull up next to the guy and asked him to move forward a bit so that I could get into the spot.  He said, and I quote “no, I don’t want to waste my gas.”  Um, ok.  Fine.  I was determined to get into this spot.  So instead of having to do a normal parallel park job, which I’m already not very good at, I had to do a crazy one because this weirdo was in my way.  

You guys… it took me a solid 20 minutes.  Oh but Yi-chia, that’s not that embarrassing you say.  Well, while I was trying to get into this spot, I noticed I’m right in front of a Starbucks.  It was a nice day out.  And literally every single person from Boston was just standing there, watching me… sipping on their venti iced caramel macchiatos.  A few of them even tried to direct me, “hun, you have to turn the wheel this way!”  I was mortified.  As I’m now drenched with sweat from embarrassment, I finally get into the spot.  And the car that was annoyingly double parked, the one that caused this whole scene, he immediately drove away after. Seriously!?  I then get out of my car, pit stains and all, and everyone who had been standing there watching… started clapping.  Literally clapping at me for parking.  I seriously wanted to die.  

You best believe that I never attempted that again.  That’s what parking garages are for, even if I have to pay $20. So worth the money!  

Thanks Britt for letting me take over your blog and babble on about myself!  Don’t forget to stop by my blog and say hi!

Guest Post: Meet Bonnie

Hello Secondhand Magpie readers!  I adore everything about Britt and her blog – her style, her honest writing and her zeal for home improvement and older houses – so I was honored when she asked me to guest post for her this week.

My name is Bonnie and I blog over in my wee corner of the internet at Mini Me Style.  One of my New Year’s resolutions this year was to have a greater real-clothes-to-yoga-pants ratio on a daily basis, and my blog is a way to keep me accountable to actually get dressed in the morning. Although when I don’t have to be on campus (I’m a third year Ph.D. student and teach undergrad courses), I do spend quite a bit of time browsing Pinterest in my underwear.  Balance is everything.

I love blogging and have learned so much and met so many amazing people since I started up my little site in February.  I have no aspirations of blogger fame or fortune, but even if I did, lemme tell you what keeps a girl humble: the statistics tool that lets you see what search terms people are typing into google that lead them to your blog, and the things you maybe wish you hadn’t posted. Some of my recent favorites have been:

“Worst flower arrangement in the world”, which pointed to this picture of a failed Pinterest project that I posted after Easter.

I know, I know, I know - I cringe, too. The flowers were supposed to be beautiful pink peonies, but when your florist is a Kroger at 2:00 p.m on Easter Sunday and guests are going to be over in an hour, you make do. 

“Peg Bundy Nude”. First of all: seriously? And second, I guess I kind of deserved it after wearing/posting this outfit: 

“Img src slip cameltoe”.  I’m as lost as you are on this one, and thankfully, it didn’t seem to point to any picture in particular.

But I promise my blog isn’t all failed style and craft aspirations!  Occasionally I get things right.  Here is a collection of recent outfits that are not (yet) tied to any crazy search terms. Although if you spot a "img src slip cameltoe", please let me know ASAP. 

Thank you for reading, and I’d love for you to stop by and say “hi”!  I host a couple style features on my blog and am always looking for people to participate. This first is Academically Inclined which features women working in different facets of academia and how they stay stylish within their varying dress codes, and the second is a Petite Fashion Bloggers series that focuses on how shorter women dress for their frame.  

Thank you again for reading, everyone, and thank you for having me, Britt! 

Guest Post: Meet Kacie

Hi! I'm Kacie! I am so excited to be guest posting for Britt! I just love her blog! I blog at Kacie's Kloset and I own an online clothing store, Daisy Rae Boutique. I would love for you to check them out :)

{Top: Daisy Rae; Shorts: Daisy Rae; Shoes: Jessica Simpson similar color; Belt: similar; Bag: similar; Jewelry: Premier Designs}

Along with most of the world, I have been watching the Olympics a lot lately. Which makes me think of the days when I played sports.

When I was four, my mom signed me up for soccer. And let me tell you, I was the star of practice. I was like the girl version of David Beckham (well, almost). But when it came to actually playing in a game, now that was a different story. I would be out in the field and someone would kick the ball to me. The crowd would start cheering for me, yelling "Woohoo! Go Kacie!" And what would I do? I would freeze. Just stand there, not moving at all. They would cheer louder and would stay frozen, waiting for the cheering to stop. This would happen every game. As soon as the crowd of parents started cheering for me, I became a statue. Needless to say, my sports career didn't go very far.

A huge THANK YOU to Britt for allowing me to guest post on her blog! I hope you all visit me on my blog soon!

I'm Still Here

I, apparently, am a one focus person as of late. 

Living in a very small house for over a year left me salivating over various home ideas, ranging from storage tactics and arranging furniture to paint colors for refinished furniture and hanging my beloved finds on a gallery wall. Well people, all of these things are coming true. And because of that, my blog has suffered. For that, I am sorry.

But don't fret, because I know the status of my blog is up there with the importance with the rise and set of the sun. I have spent the last couple of weeks sweating, breaking nails and pulling paint drips out of my hair for some {hopefully} great blog posts. I have been tirelessly surfing Craigslist, junk stores, and trash piles for some new scores for our little nest. I'm preparing some DIY, before and afters, thrifting tips and ideas for living in a small space in the works as I type!

Bear with me friends. Starting next week, I will have something to write about. Configuring old house wiring, tips for taking showers in cold water and how to battle landlords with tact are not blog-worthy posts in my book. Or maybe they are, and I'm making an attempt at not reliving the misery.

Stay tuned.