Life, lately...

Life after the wedding has been nothing but busy... In a good way! I've been getting 
the house together and decorating for Christmas, taming unruly hair situations at 
work, and partyin' it up with some of my best friends... just to name a few. 
Oh yes, the fun never ends!
Now I'm ready for Christmas to get here! This is my favorite time of year... minus the
cold temperatures outside. No, I was not among those who complained about it being
75 degrees in Mississippi last week. I do, however, love being able to sit by a warm
fireplace with some hot chai or cocoa. Mmmm..Nothing better than that! I'm also 
ready to share my first married Christmas with my hubs and dogs and start making 
some new traditions together. 
What are some of your favorite family Christmas traditions? 

4 Tips for growing your hair out

About two years ago, I got a horrendous razor cut. I mean... chopped off. 
Borderline mullet. Layers up to my eyes! AWFUL. It was not at all what I 
wanted and I was pretty devastated. So ever since then, I've been relentlessly 
trying to grow it all out. Now, experiencing all this and being in the hair business
myself...I've learned a thing or two about a thing or two. So I wanted to share
   with you a few tips and tricks I've learned to growing your hair out.


#1.) Use a good, moisturizing or damage-repair conditioner. 
       I'm partial to KMS CA Moist Repair conditioner. One trick I know is after shampooing
       and using this conditioner, I rinse it out then coat JUST my ends with the 
       same conditioner and leave it in. It detangles and softens my ends without
       having to buy that extra hair product! And since it's not on my roots, it doesn't 
       weigh my hair down or get greasy.

#2.) Put your guns down!...Or at least use them sparingly.
       Blow dryers, flat irons, curling irons....They're all master manipulators of hair, 
          but they can do quite a bit of damage if you use them every day. So at 
          least every OTHER day put the tools down, give your hair a break, and embrace
          your natural texture!

#3.) Take vitamins and use style-prep products DAILY.

        Vitamins rich in E and biotin promote healthy, fuller, and shinier hair as it 

        grows. And products like CHI keratin mist and Biosilk provide hair with strength

        and softness. 

        

#4.) Schedule routine hair trimming appointments.

       Nothing gets rid of the split ends that you already have. They have to be cut off.

       So be sure to book an appointment at least every 6-8 weeks. The longer you

       wait, the more your hair can split and break off... which takes you back to

       square one. 

Blog in a blog

I just have to do one more post about my wedding because it's so 
darn sweet! I'm actually sharing a blog post by my very good friend and 
wedding photographer, Mary Meghan Mabus. The pictures, as you saw 
some before, turned out amazing so I just had to show more...


Check it out here - Mabus Photography blog

Our Wedding!

       As much as I wanted to post every single picture on here, there's just 

waaayyyyy too many so I settled on these. This really was my dream wedding. 

I couldn't have imagined anything better.. every detail was perfect and 

exactly what I wanted. We spent the entire week before setting everything up.

It was A LOT of work but totally worth it. And just like everyone said it would 

be, it went by so fast it was all a big blur. I didn't get to enjoy any of the 

amazing-looking food David made and I don't even know who all came to the wedding! 

       I chose to keep the tradition of not letting Cody see me until I walked down 

the aisle, so we had to take most of the wedding party/family photos during 

the reception. Nonetheless, we had a blast and enjoyed every second we 

could soak in. I'm beyond thankful for everyone involved in the wedding and 

behind the scenes. It never would have been so perfect without all of them.

       Our honeymoon to a resort in Mexico was a blast...and very interesting to 

say the least. I don't recommend any tourists trying to drive around in downtown 

Cancun. You might die. And sprinting the length of the Miami airport like you're 

in a movie does not guarantee you'll make it to your connecting flight. Sometimes

they decide they want to take off early and leave you behind.

       So far though, married life has been the best! We've been really busy this

week trying to settle into our new home. It's finally starting to come together 

though and I couldn't be happier! 

Photo credit: Mabus Photography

  

My week on Instagram

This post is actually of this week and last week. A lot has happened.. from 

kickball and my bridal shower, to lovely friends getting married and an indian 

food lunch date. But that's not all. I've been juggling work and running wedding 

errands. We've also started setting up decorations at the wedding venue. 

There is so. much. to. do!! I'm just glad we have this whole week to set 

everything up. It would probably be impossible if we didn't. I'm also very 

thankful for everyone who has been helping. I'm definitely going to be sad 

when all the fun and planning is over but I cannot WAIT to be hanging out 

in Mexico for a week! Oh yeah... and being married will be pretty cool too. 3 days!!!

Love me some Society6

Just doing some more internet window shopping. I found these prints on Society6 that 

I thought would look so good in our cute little house. They've also inspired me to 

finally start working on some pieces of my own again. I have some pretty

awesome ideas but of course they, too, will have to wait until after the wedding. 

Just 11 days to go! Wow... That's really weird. Amazing but weird. 

"Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life".

   Artists in order of prints:

   Kelli Murray

   Wesley Bird

   Tim Jarosz

   Oliver Lake

   Laura Evens

   Alicia Bock

   Who is your favorite artist?

    

Fall Faves

Ever since I got home from work tonight, I've been doing some internet 
window shopping and whatnot. Typical. Whilst perusing some of my favorite 
clothing sites and blogs, I noticed a couple color trends that are popping
up everywhere for this fall season.... Mint and oxblood (maroon)! I have to say, I'm 
loving these colors. Probably because I'm a State fan.... Probably because
mint chocolate chip is my most favorite ice cream flavor ever. 

 What are some of your favorite trends for this fall?

    These particular items were found on:

    Modcloth

    Ruche

Vintage Bridal Shower Brunch

Saturday we had my vintage bridal shower brunch and it was so beautiful! Missy did all the decorations flawlessly. Seriously, she really outdid herself! We had mango orange juice, red velvet cheesecake, blueberry scones, quiche, and tons more delicious treats. My sweet friends and family gave me the best gifts, so I guess now I'll finally have to take the time to learn how to cook! I really can't say this enough, but I have the best friends and family anyone could ask for. My heart is always full! 26 more days! 

Once the wedding is over, I'll also have more time to work on DIY art projects and beauty tutorials again for you girls or guys. For now, you just get to see what's going on in my life. This was the prettiest shower I've been to (of course, I'm a little biased). What's the cutest shower you've ever been to? I'd love to hear your stories.

Old Hollywood

I know I've just been posting a lot of photos on here lately, but there's been
so much going on that I have to show pictures! From random photo shoots just
for fun, to an old Hollywood birthday bash for a very dear friend. And there's a lot
more that went on this week that I don't even have photos of right now... Like mine 
and Cody's engagement shoot Tuesday night, and kickball with friends 
Thursday (sadly, I just watched and cheered because I'm athletically challenged). 
All in all... A very fun and eventful week. I got three hours of sleep last 
night and worked all day today. I don't know how I am alive right now. 
Also, I may or may not have stolen some of these pictures from various friends. Love you!!

Home Sweet Home

We recently started renting the cutest house but it's so empty! Right now, I have 

a bed to sleep in and that's about it! We don't even have curtains! However, I'm 

about to have a yard sale and get rid of most of my stuff from the old apartment 

to make room for some new things. I can't wait until we get everything moved in!

INSPIRATIONS...

Bachelorette Party!

We celebrated my bachelorette party in Memphis last night and I couldn't have 

asked for anything better from my "woo-girls"! Haha. My body is pretty sore

from dancing but it was well worth it! Oh, and I recommend eating at Local Gastropub 

if you're ever downtown. The food is phenomenal! Man, I really do have some amazing

friends who definitely know how to have a good time (and give some good advice)!  

I can't wait to be Mrs. Hickman. Just 7 weeks to go!