Is Instagram...

Is it possible that blogs are losing their voice? As schedules get busier and time seems to be more and more precious, could Instagram be the new blog? I don't know; but I have noticed a few trends that seem to suggest that people are kind of over blogging.

1. Less posts and comments. Maybe it's just me because I've been away from my blog so much lately. Very possible, but I've notices this trend with bloggers I follow as well.

2. Less time. It's so much easier to snap a pic with your iphone, post to IG and go than to sit down with wifi connection, write posts, edit photos and the like.

3. There are millions upon millions of blogs. How can we keep up? And how do we decide who to follow, much less actually read their posts?

4. I recently saw on someone's IG page that their "about" line said, "Instagram blogger." Am I late to this party? Are there now IG "bloggers"?

Once I saw this (#4) I couldn't help but wonder... What is the official definition of a blog anyway? I found this, "a personal website or web page on which an individual records opinions, links to other sites, etc. on a regular basis." Most of my friends don't have time or have left blogging because of the super-sized market. I don't know who even reads blogs anymore. If video killed the radio star, did Instagram kill the blog star? What are your thoughts? Do you blog? Are you over it? And yes, I realize the irony of asking these questions on a blog. ha ha ha. Indulge me just a little. xo

Some Seriously Good Blogs

Some say that blogs are on their way out, while others are still huge fans. No matter what camp you're in, I found some amazing blogs last year that are so worth checking out...

The Merrythought: this girlie family trio is insanely creative. they share everything from life, diys and recipes that will make your heart go pitter patter. And everything is completely original content with beautiful images to boot. i die.

Fourth Street: jamy has incredible style and she inspires me like crazy. her blog is like a really good IG feed - beautiful to peruse, easy to follow and a great quick read. love.

Almost Makes Perfect: looking for simple diys that will make the everyday more lovely? look no further. molly is adorable and her images along with the diys that accompany them are amazeballs. seriously.

Fox in the Pine: i recently found this amazing blog through pinterest and you guys, the images she shares in her Woodsy Weekend posts will leave you breathless. Cat shares food, family, diys, style and the best pics of her adorably pissed of kitty Twiggy. ha ha ha. i'm sure twiggy isn't really mad, but her faces give me the best laughs. check it.

Do you have any new blogs that are inspiring you like mad? xo

Around the House: A New Look for the house of Pure and Noble

Hello friends! And happy Monday. Welcome to the new and improved Pure and Noble. I've got a new logo. A new blog design. And later this week, there will be a re-opening of my Etsy shop. I can not tell you how good it feels to breathe new life into my blog and my shop.

It is like God has suddenly lit a new fire within me. I am sewing, creating and working like a mad woman. And for the first time in a long time, I love it. Truly. It's seriously so good that once my littles are at school, I am chomping at the bit to sew. It's all I can think about. Toothbrushing? Nah. Showering? Nah. Eating? Nah. I mean, all of that is so over-rated when you are sitting at your sewing machine with music blaring, coffee at your side and God's presence all around. I know this may sound crazy, but when I'm sewing, I feel God's glory abound. He is the ultimate creator after all.

my inspiration board: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

I also want to take a minute to thank my sweet friend Allison Vieger, who designed my new logo and sidebars. She is truly amazing and has more design skill in her teeny tiny little pinky than most people have in their entire body - myself included. Big huge, mad props to you lady! You rock it like no one else can.

I'm off to sew. I'll be back soon with some product shots of my new stuff before the big launch! Until then, poke around the new site and let me know what you think. xo

Around the House: Julia of Life on Churchill

I've got a mid-century crush on fellow blogger Julia Fain of Life on Churchill. This gal finds the most amazing items as she strolls the isles of her favorite thrift stores. And her navy walls flanked by a flock of brass birds... swoon worthy indeed. Julia's home is simple and lovely with just the right amount of open space for her littles to play. And because it's been a while since the last guest post within this little monday feature, I completely forgot to ask Julia to fill out the Q&A. I'll just let her beautiful home speak for itself...

I told you... mad thrift skillz. If you're wondering how you can get your hands on some of the same stellar vintage items you've seen above, be sure to check out Julia's Etsy shop - Life on Churchill. Not only does she have great taste, she's willing to share her finds with others. (I tend to hoard my treasures - eek.)

What I adore most about Julia (aside from her sweet heart) is her carefree approach to mid-century life with littles; from playing with vintage stamps on the floor to pick-up sticks as decor. The most precious part of her home is the memories they make as a family. Thank you Julia for opening your home to Pure and Noble! Be sure to check out her shop and her blog for more vintage goodies. xo

Goodbye Google Reader

Hello Feedly! As many of you lovely readers are now aware, Google Reader will be no longer as of June. If you follow Pure and Noble via Google Reader (Google Friend Connect), I hope you will sign up to either receive posts via email or read in a new reader format. I recently found Feedly through the lovely SF Girl By Bay.  I love it. It's like viewing your favorite blogs in magazine format. I love that it's easy to customize and that all I had to do to transfer my blog subscriptions was click one button. Tada! Everything was transferred to Feedly. I didn't skip a beat. 

Seriously, it couldn't have been easier. Now to keep playing around and find the best format within Feedly for my daily reads. xo

I Break for Family

When I asked my husband what is one thing I could do for him right now his reply was quick and short... "stop blogging for a bit." So, I am taking a little break-y break. Family first. See you guys soon! Much love and thanks for all your support. xo

Kensie Kate print

Fab Finds Friday: Target Does It Again

Recently I told you guys about my little love affair with Instagram; well the other day I found #targetdoesitagain through this new timesuck of mine. Seriously, I don't know how they do it but Target just keeps getting better. Not only are they doing amazing lines with guest designers, but now they're hooking up with two amazing bloggers (deep in the hart and ascot friday) for their take on Target's loot. These gals have a gift for putting pieces together; it's a little rock-n-roll, very wearable and a lot thrifty.

 And yeah, they're getting both their littles and their hubs in on the act. Ahhh...family. I love it.

How about you? Have you found anything insanely awesome at Target or on the web lately? Here's to the weekend and lots of found moments with your family. xo

Guest Posts Galore!

Today it's two posts for the price of one - but you'll have to visit two different blogs...

home

My sweet Canadian friend Lisa of Wicked and Weird (which I affectionately call W2) asked me to post about home. Ironic huh? ha ha ha. I quickly agreed because I adore Lisa and her blog - she has wicked good taste in all things jewelry and her home is pretty darn dreamy too. She recently remodeled her kitchen (so I think she gets my current pain) and we both have a love for estate sales. This girl finds craigslist steals that make me salivate. Check her blog and my post for today over at Wicked and Weird!

I'm also over at Shades of Grey with a super easy DIY. Katie lives in Dallas, though I have yet to meet her, and I recently gushed about her awesome Etsy shop that contains goodies for your home and baby showers. If you haven't checked her shop or her blog, you should; this lady is insanely talented and funny. Even Ashley of Under the Sycamore loves miss Katie's stuff. Hop over to check out my fun, quick and easy DIY - that even boys will dig - and get acquainted with Shades of Grey.

Have a great weekend my little homies. I'll be back soon in my new digs hopefully - with power!  Woot Woot!  (PS - I am truly indebted to my sweet husband and community group for working so dang hard to make our new home a reality and keeping me sane in the process. If you don't have community - go get ya some. It's hard as hell, but worth every bit of it - 10 fold.) xo

Fabulous Finds Friday: A Week's Worth of Loot

You guys this series is gonna get real boring if I'm the only one sharing fab finds. Are you trying to subtly tell me that you prefer my weekly challenges? If so, lemme know. I can accomodate. I'm easy like Sunday mornin'. But since I did score some amazing things this week, I thought I'd go ahead and share. I went to an estate sale down the street from my bestie's and boom - scored major. I spent all of two dollars and got 7 postcards to create my own version of this, 8 coasters that might need a little dressing up and a McCoy vase for the MIL.

But no matter how good the deal, gifted fab finds are the best! Yes they're free, but the best part about them is that you know someone was thinking of you. That makes my heart warm. I have two of the very best MILs in all the world. Here's what they gave me this week...

Gold bangles, gold and green ring, lace clutch and and in yo' face red ring. I also got a rockin' set of earrings that I'll have to share later, couldn't get a good pic of them while wearing. They know me don't they?  I'm addicted to accessories and they are very well aware of my many weaknesses.

My last and probably most fave find of the week is a blog. I don't know why I haven't stumbled across it before, but it's lovely. Rarely do I read a blog that makes me smile (each and every 20 pages I've viewed thus far) and feel just overcome with joy. As I read Andrew+Carissa and looked at their images (both artists with amazing talent that share their gifts with Kinfolk mag and others) I can't explain what happened. My mood was elevated, I got all happy weepy at times and pride swelled within me as I thought of my motherhood journey. When my littles came in from playing with their PapaDude, I just ate them up with kisses and hugs - so happy that God chose me to be their mom. I have zero idea how one blog accomplishes all that, but Andrew+Carissa did. I am smitten and insanely inspired.

How about you? Is there a blog out there that moves you? Happy Weekend homies. Make it a joyful one. xo

Can I Ask A Favor?

Last week I spoke a bit about the number one. One means a lot to me. Like you for instance. I want to make sure that when you take time out of your busy day to read Pure and Noble, you feel like you're getting something out of it. (I mean, you are one of the main reasons I write this little blog of mine.) So in order to make that happen, I need to hear from you.  Will you please take a quick 5 minute survey for me?  It would mean a lot; plus, you could help change the content of Pure and Noble. Will you help me bring you the content you want?

Pure and Noble Survey:  Click here to take survey

Thanks! You're the shizzle! xo

* tag image via the plaid barn

Weekly Challenge: Google Reader 911

***

Going into this week I didn't really have anything on the radar for challenges. And honestly, this week went by so dang fast I could hardly keep up. But I did make an effort to catch up on my blog reading. Yowza, I follow way too many blogs. Anyway, I am so glad I did some actual reading rather than just zipping through images. Whoever says the blogosphere is a waste of time is viewing the wrong posts. There is some seriously good stuff out there homies.  Here are just a couple that blew me away.

AshleyAnn - Under the Sycamore: I have a voice.

Glennon - Momastery: 2011 Lesson #2: Don't Carpe Diem

They both made me feel as though I had been rescued from my self-imposed island. It's amazing the sisterhood you feel with women you have never even met just because you have something in common with them. I praise God for women who have the courage to speak up and speak out! (Glennon made me laugh my arse off and even got a chuckle out of the hubs. Now that's impressive.)

I tell ya, this is why I love being a part of the blogosphere and Faithblogs. It's not just fluff and materialism.

Happy Happy Weekend. It's going to be a busy one for me : 

Chicago - high school play with a dear friend.

Cheering on the Bey Bladers - 6 year old basketball is a hoot.

Date night with the sexiest man alive.

Friends. Friends. Friends.

Have I told you lately that you guys are the shizzle? You are! xo

Around the House: Memorial Day Weekend

I'm taking the day off to spend more time with the littles in our new plastic play pool. But I wanted to share this really sweet post that Christine of Tiny Dallas did on me last Friday. Happy Extended Weekend! xo

His & Hers: Hot Sauce

We like our food spicy at this house...well, the grown-ups do anyway.  The hubs has a very specific sauce that he uses on everything. I try not to be offended, as he tells me often that it has nothing to do with m cooking. Really? And me, well I just have my favorite salsa that I could eat by the spoon-full.

his

hers

Sorry for the poor image quality, but this is important stuff that I thought I should share. ha ha ha. Happy Monday! xo

His & Hers series is a weekly little diddy that Alli, of Hooray, and I started for fun to give you guys a glimpse into our worlds two images at a time. Two pics, two perspectives, no rules. Play along with us! xo

His & Hers: Mother's Day "Letters"

I had the best Mother's Day! My guys let me sleep in until 9:00 - awesome sauce. I was greeted with hugs, french press coffee and a chocolate eclair - YUM! I found this note on the kitchen chalkboard wall:

His

I thought it fitting to leave a note of my own before going off to spend the day with my Mom. So I made this sign and taped it to the back door for my guys to find upon returning home from Lowes:

Hers

Hope your weekend was as rockin' as mine! xo

His & Hers series is a weekly little diddy that Alli, of Hooray, and I started for fun to give you guys a glimpse into our worlds two images at a time. Two pics, two perspectives, no rules. Play along with us! xo

Prayer Request

Today I'm interrupting my regularly scheduled post, Around the House, to ask a favor a you. One of my dear, dear blogger friends, Hayley of Tiny Twig, recently had her third child. Sweet Asher was born 4 weeks early and has been moved to the NICU center for an infection. It's recently been discovered that he has pneumonia.  For more details, please visit Tiny Twig.  In the mean time, I am asking that you join me in prayer for this sweet child and his family.  Here are Hayley's specific prayer requests for this time.

Thank you for your prayers. I am grateful beyond words. xo 

New to Me

Every time I hop on the computer to get inspired or just browse blogland, I am amazed by the number of blogs out there. It's a little shocking and a bit overwhelming at times. Here are just a few new blogs that I have stumbled upon that I think are pretty awesome.

Fashion/Style: Both these gals are guilty of being super cool chics that are obviously not stay-at-home Mommies. I say this by judging their wardrobes, heel heights and amount of accessories. They both make me drool at their amazing skillz of layering and accessorizing. Wowee zowie.

atlantic-pacific

lucy laucht

Letters: Oh my oh my. I adore this blog so very much. Such a breath of fresh air and extremely well done. Love.

Letters from Lauren

Random Bits of Inspiration out the Yang:

giver'slog

tokketok

There you have it.  Now go...be inspired. xo