Our Valentine's Day Ashland trip

We took a lot of pictures--this is going to be a hard blog post to keep under control. Travis and I left Friday after a stressful hour or two of classes and could not get out of town fast enough!

Anyways--Ashland, Oregon was the perfect early vday getaway.

We woke up when we wanted to without any alarms set! It was glorious. We went to a Bagel shop for breakfast and then went to a coffee shop and spent some time reading, taking pictures, checking emails, etc.

'Concerto' at Key of C Coffee House--Mocha, Half n half, and hazelnut...to die for!

 He's seriously cute.

 This little guy popped his head in for my picture...

We spent a lot of our time walking around downtown and checking out the shops...

Ashland has some adorable bookstores, antique shops, fabric stores, etc.

 We walked around Lithia Park and soaked in the sun--it was absolutely gorgeous outside!

We got lost on campus too...

We spent our 'Valentine's Day' dinner at a delicious pasta place.

 It was a very romantic atmosphere...

Downtown was gorgeous at night! Travis loves taking night shots like this...

We spent the evening at another coffee shop then called it a night. A great night.

Breakfast in the morning at Apple Cellar Bakery...

We walked around the town a little more and then headed back home. I couldn't have asked for a better getaway. Seriously great!

Sorry just so many photos...I couldn't help it!

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DIY Candle Gift

This is a really simple and cheap gift idea for Valentine's Day. It includes a vintage plate, a paper doily, a small candle, some ribbon, and a cute note! It's that easy!

A while back I decided that I wanted to start to collect vintage/thrifty plates. You can find some really, really cute plates at just about any thrift store. How beautiful would it be to have 25 different vintage plates for girly gatherings like bridal showers, birthdays, baby showers, etc.? I digress....

I have been a little bit obsessed with doilies--as you will see when I share about my Valentine's Day present for my husband. I used just one paper doily (You can get a pack of 20 of them for around $1 or cheaper!) and laid it on the plate. Then I put one of the small candles that I got in the pack shown below from Walmart for $10 on the plate with some ribbon wrapped around it.

Attach a personalized note or tag and you are all set!

This cute little candle set will be a good small gift for just about any girl you know. Your coworkers, neighbors, friends, boss, sisters, mom, even yourself! If you give it to your boss, make a different tag than the one I showed--that would be awkward.

On a different note--make your own cards! It is so easy and saves you a lot of money. Okay, maybe cards are just too expensive for my bank account.

All you need is a piece of cardstock, a pen, and some nice words. Santa gave me a small card-making set (I think I saw the BigLots price tag on it). Making your own card really does mean more to the person than spending $4 on it.

Here's my card for my hubby. Thanks Mom Santa for the set!

This blog has helped me to actually be on top of Valentine's Day gifts! :)

What are you making for your loved ones?

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My blog list...

i LOVE it when blogs that I follow share their lists of blogs that they follow. Although I feel like no one really follows this blog, i know there are some of you out there who might check it occasionally. I thought I would share a list of blogs that I check on almost a daily basis. (who am I kidding, they're the first thing I check when i get up!)

Anyways...here is my lovely list--in no particular order:

AshleyAnn

 JonesDesignCo

 MegDuerksen

 HomemadeGinger

LittleMissMomma

TheMacs

 WindHula

 JoysHope

I feel like I might be leaving some out, oh well. This will keep you occupied for quite some time. I'm sorry husbands--this is going to leave your wife less time to be with you...

Our trip downtown

Travis and I are taking a Photography class together this semester. Besides our teacher being a little coo-coo, we're pretty excited! We have to have 60 photos each for our project due on Friday. Chico has had some beautiful weather recently(knock on wood) so we decided to spend Saturday afternoon walking around downtown taking some pictures. We could do a few projects with all of the pictures we took! Ah, which ones do I pick?!

Anyways, I thought I would share some of my favorite shots from Saturday afternoon. Enjoy!

Travis using our new Wide Angle Lens--will post photos from his angle soon!

Beautiful Day!

Travis and I actually had a lot of fun walking around and taking pictures. We walked into a few shops and got asked a lot "So, what are you guys doing with the cameras?" It was fun seeing Downtown Chico through my lens. Our feet were kinda tired after walking for a few hours but I recommend taking a stroll in the bright sunshine next time you get a chance, it's a beautiful world.

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