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Posted on October 14, 2015 by Cari
Categories: in THE HOME
    
One of the many fun projects on my plate right now is handling the design of our new home. We're currently building what we've dubbed "the Modern Farmhouse," slated to be finished in early February. I thought it would be SO fun to share the process & progress on the blog - both to share with friends & family, as well as document it for our own sake. =)
 
Four years ago, we found ourselves struggling with infertility & the "what ifs" of life. We had been trying to start a family for over 2 years & we weren't quite sure what God had in store for us. Yet, what we DID have was a little daydream about someday moving back to the country. And if starting our family wasn't going according to plan, we decided to try & make one of our other dreams a reality.
 
We tallied up our rainy day funds & started our search for the perfect spot, with our eye out for something in northern Hendricks County. Eventually, through a friend of a friend, we stumbled upon the perfect plot & decided to purchase five acres of farmland.
 
Two months later, we found out we were pregnant with our son. It's funny (and amazing) how life happens, isn't it?
 
There we were, doing all we could to keep our mind off babies, and God had a plan all along (and I also can't forget to credit our amazing doctor, Dr. Jarrett!). Upon learning we were finally getting the chance to grow our family, we put together a nursery in our starter home and decided to stick it out in the city for a while longer. All the while, we still visited our little piece of heaven & slowly plotted out where and what we wanted to build, when the right time came.
 
We were also a little spoiled, having two of the best babysitters within a block of our house. That made sticking around for a little longer just a tad easier!
 
Fast forward to Spring 2015 - we've added a baby girl to our family, our small business had outgrown the tiny 8x10 bedroom upstairs, and we had started using our parents' garages for storage. It became pretty clear that our sweet little starter home wasn't going to cut it for us much longer. 
 
We embarked on the search for a custom home builder, and finally settled on JR Lazaro Builders. They have been so incredible to work with - if you're in the market for a custom home, we highly recommend them! After the long, drawn out process of small home repairs, listing and selling our house, moving into a townhouse, and finalizing our new home's floor plan, we finally signed on the dotted line for our new home in early August.
 
The early weeks of the building process were filled with mundane things like tree clearing, surveying, pouring the basement, inspections, and digging the well. Our patience is paying off this month, as things are finally getting exciting! In a matter of 2 weeks, they've framed our entire basement, main level and garage. We can now walk through the entire house and see our floor plan & little dream home come to life. The earlier months of this year were nothing short of stressful....but it's all uphill from here, right?
 
We can't wait to share with you our experiences through the building process, as well as photos and details of our farmhouse design. For now, I'll leave you with these snapshots of it's current progress - we have WALLS! =)
 
 
Kitchen and breakfast nook, open-concept basement stairs, and our garage entrance.
 
Looking north, a view of our future front porch & open foyer.
 
Posted on October 9, 2015 by Cari
Categories: in THE STUDIO
 
Oh, my goodness. What a week, month, YEAR it's been already.
 
Fridays are amazing, aren't they? Around these parts, they mean that my husband is only hours away from being home for the weekend. We're talking FULL DAYS of another adult around to help wrangle the littles. I can actually get a peaceful shower, and maybe a moment away from the house ALONE. Even if it IS just to get groceries or grab a quick lunch. Hey, I'll take what I can get. Peace and quiet is hard to come by around here, so I won't be greedy!
 
In case you've visited this website recently, it may have appeared that we were now in the business of selling knockoff Coach bags. I can assure, that's NOT the case! Some lame, sneaky phishing program hacked our site. It took a while to get things switched over (plus some much needed updates added), but we are now back up and running again!! Did you check out that gorgeous new Portfolio section yet? You MUST check it out. Right this instant. Our clients have the best style & the most amazing photographers, and we have them all to thank for all of these lovely photo features.
 
Now that things are all patched up and pretty again around here, I have a long list of things I can't wait to share with you! Check back soon for updates on our new studio, new house, new products, new adventures, and LOTS of freebies for the upcoming holidays.
 
Now, if you'll excuse me, there's a pumpkin patch, a grande Starbucks hot chocolate and a piece of pumpkin bread calling my name. Hellllloooooo, weekend!
 
Posted on April 6, 2015 by Cari
 
After the birth of our daughter on New Year's Day, along with my surgery in Februrary, we've pretty much been on a self-imposed quarantine for the last 3 months. With the risk of the flu (and now measles?! What the heck? Vaccinate your children, please.)...we didn't want to take any chances. It probably goes without saying that we've been getting a TAD restless.
 
Thanks to Spring's timely arrival, we are finally ready to bust out of this joint for a weekly outing or two. In addition to our usual spots (local libraries, parks, and the Hendricks County YMCA, I've been keeping a growing list of "to do" items, mainly places to visit with the kiddos. Some spots we love + a few new spots I want to try out this year are....
 
SkyZone - This place is just down the road from us. Hooray! I have high hopes that it'll turn out to be the perfect place for a toddler who can't. sit. still.
 
Children's Museum - Need I say more? Multiple floors of endless, interactive exhibits. I anticipate that naptime may arrive earlier than usual after a visit here.
 
Rhythm Discovery Center - There are musical instruments, and children are allowed to play them to their hearts content. Yeah, I think this will be a toddler favorite!
 
Indianapolis Zoo - We are only a short drive from downtown, so we always purchase an annual membership. After my son's first dolphin show, he wouldn't stop talking about it for days! The new orangutan exhibit is pretty neat (as long as the crowds aren't bad) and we love watching people feed the giraffes in the "Plains" area. Plus, there's a wonderful playground just outside the dolphin aquarium, as well as near the Birds observation area.
 
The Urban Chalkboard - This past Friday, we finally had the chance to visit this adorable play spot! I have nothing but good things to say about this place. There were lots of play areas & options, including an enclosed baby play area. They also have a classroom, where they host a variety of interactive activities throughout the day. (TIP: Watch their Facebook page for activity dates/times.)
 
Holliday Park - This is one of my favorites. It's a bit of a drive from the westside (about 25 minutes), but is SO worth the trip. I personally love making a stop in here after running errands on the northside of Indy - it's the perfect cure for Restless Toddler Syndrome, which my son seems to contract every time we visit a mall.
 
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Stay-at-home moms, what are your go-to activities? Do you have any recommendations of other places to take a restless toddler (that's also baby -OR- baby-wearing friendly)? I'd love to hear what keeps you and your tots sane during the Spring & Summer months. =)
 
Best,
 
I’m a country girl, small business owner, wife, mother of three, and a proud alumna of Purdue University (Boiler Up!).
 
Wondering what life is like for a busy mom with a graphic design & laser cutting business? My days are filled with pretty paper, blissful brides, half-finished sketchbooks, half-eaten lunches, and lots of cuddling with my little ones. I look forward to sharing with you all of life's fun happenings (both in & out of the studio) here on the blog!
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