when B made the decision to move to nashville, i lost my will to live, i searched for the perfect going away present. i thought about simply putting a bow on my head and inviting myself to stow away in her suitcase, but i figured i’d probably not quite clear the weight requirements. so i came up with the next best thing. she had mentioned her affections for orange & park -if you aren’t familiar with the brand, they’re the geniuses behind those trendy state & city prints, so given how much B was bound to miss california (obviously, we have in-‘n-out), i wanted to send a little california with her as she ventured into the central time zone. i bought her the california coastal counties print and gave it to her over our final breakfast at honey’s. and it makes me so happy to know that even three years later, she has it proudly displayed in her nashville abode.

but this isn’t a story about what a great gift-giver i am (or how humble i am about it, either). it’s about how when i gave B that print, i secretly wanted one of my own. i almost went back to the local boutique where i had purchased her print to treat myself to one as well. but then i forgot and three years passed me by. whoopsies. and sadly, that boutique has since closed.

but recently i was reminded that orange & park has an online shop when i was helping a friend pick out new prints to decorate his office walls. right, because it’s 2014 and we can order things off the internet and have them shipped directly to our front doorstep. so i perused the prints and found one that was perfect for my beachily-decorated home. the only issue was that it was a funky size for a frame. so momma suggested we take it to michaels so we could have their custom framing professionals work their magic.

and work their magic they did because in a matter of minutes the guy had suggested the perfect double mat-frame combination to not only highlight the colors/vibe of the print, but also compliment its final resting place -a light khaki-colored wall at the top of my third stairwell.

anyway, this past sunday toppie came over and hung it for me while i was holed up in starbucks after church. when i came home, this is what i saw:

custom framed & fabulous.

so until i actually live west of the five (my lifelong dream), i’ll just pretend like i do every time i come home and see this hanging on my wall.