Picking Excursion Day 2

A few more things I came across on our picking trip. It makes you just wish you could take everything home you fall in love with! Everything! Here are a few things I couldn't take home.

-M

Things to do on a Snowy Day

They say you should be careful what you wish for. And damn it, they were right again. It is snowing again. Just when I though it was going to all melt away I woke up to a winter wonderland that I didn't even know was coming. So in case you're snowed in like me here are a few things you can do today that will make you feel accomplished even if you can't accomplish things you had hoped to accomplish today. Such as using the word accomplish 3 times in one sentence...yes! #imanerd

We just recently scored this gorgeous set of mid-century dressers from Vintage Mid-Century Frederick's booth at Cannon Hill Antiques and I absolutely love them! So last weekend when it snowed I decided it was time to pull out some of the artwork we had piled up in storage to make the room feel a little more complete.

**In case you don't know this about me, I'm a perfectionist and I totally over think things. So it's taken me 4 months to figure out that even if this stuff isn't what I want on the walls permanently, it's okay to go ahead and hang it because the bare walls were driving me nuts! Whew! I'm glad I finally figured it out. Because our bedroom feels so much better.

SO! 1. Pull that stuff out that you aren't sure if you want and just hang it already! Yes you may want to switch it out later but that is okay. A room full of bare walls, on the other hand, not okay.

2. If you're like me and you love baking, then you probably already know that snow days are the best days to bake. It warms your house up, makes it smell good, and gives you that cozy home feeling. I know it's not exactly some grand, new idea that you were hoping for from this post. I mostly just wanted an excuse to share these gorgeous cupcakes my sister made from scratch!

They were lemon blackberry and so delicious. AND SO PRETTY! Here's the recipe if you want to give it a try– Lemon Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream Frosting

3. Write love notes to some friends you may not get to talk to as much as you'd like. You can get crafty with it, or use some of that stationary that is piling up in your desk drawer. Everyone loves receiving snail mail, like the good kind...not bills. It will definitely brighten their day, and who knows it might lead to a much needed get together.

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 4. Clean. I know, this sounds pretty lame. But at the end of the day when you light a candle and plop down on your couch to do number 5, you'll be so pleased that you did. Plus, cleaning can be a great workout for people like me who don't like to actually work out.

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5. Find a new series on netflix and binge watch the rest of the night. Or cozy up with a cup a tea and read that book you've been wanting to read but haven't found the time. After all, you had a productive day. ;)

-M

Defining Your Style

The hardest part about decorating my own house is that I like so many different styles. It's hard for me to make up my mind and go for it because I change my mind every other day. Since this is the first home we'll have for more than a year it makes it that much harder! Before now, I could just go for it knowing that a year later I'd be starting fresh again. This time, I'm trying to make design choices that I know I'm going to enjoy for a long(er) time. I also know that I get bored and like to be able to change things up, which means I try not to do anything that can't be undone easily or that costs a lot in case I do change my mind.

I've especially been struggling with our bedroom. I want a retreat that is bright and cozy; something that feels calm and clean, yet romantic. I love a fresh white room. But I also love the high drama (and warmth of black walls. I love modern and tradition all at the same time!

Good Life of Design

West Elm

Desire to Inspire

Dwellings By Devore

Dust Jacket

Just picking out my favorite images off my pinterest board for this post was enlightening. Clearly I love crisp white bedding, shades of black and white, and natural elements. Sometimes pinterest can be overwhelming! If you're struggling with a room in your home you should try the same thing- pick out your favorite five images and see what their common elements are. Maybe next I'll put together a mood board, or maybe this was enough. I'll keep you updated!

-M

A Not So Valentine Mantle

I love Christmas. So it was difficult for me to take down my pretty woodland inspired mantle– it was up halfway through January! I also didn't want to spend a whole lot of money on red and pink cupid stuff that I'd want to take down the day after the 14th. And I'm not really a cupid kind of girl. So I went more for a love inspired theme that could stay up a bit longer.

I found some free printables on Pinterest, printed off a few of our wedding photos that I still haven't done anything with (yet!), and grabbed a few things that I had elsewhere. I did buy a couple things from my favorite shop, but all were items that could stay up year round so it was worth the money! These little love blocks are so cute and I can switch the pictures out so easily. They can hold cards, or love notes too!

 

I've had these punchy yellow frames in a box for ages. They're just super cheap frames from Ikea but I thought this was the perfect chance to use them. I found these prints that were free and went together perfectly. Yes, I could have made my own, but sometimes you have to know when to appreciate someone else's hard work.

I found this awesome brass stag out in the Vintage Warehouse and decided it needed a place on the mantle too. I love it! I also got those gold flower tea light holders from the Vintage Warehouse a while back– they add the perfect romantic touch.

It still needs a touch of greenery for softness and a springy feel but everything is a work in progress, right? And if I only wrote a blog when I "finished" something I'd probably never post anything!

-M

Post Credits:
I Heart You Printable
With All My Heart Printable

Friday Favorites

So I'm going to try something new. Each Friday, I'll post a few of my favorite things that I found through out the week. Groundbreaking, I know! I'll also be posting them all to a board on Pinterest. So I'd love for you to follow along and send me your favorites in the comments or on Pinterest to pin! It can be anything from a recipe to a pair of boots that are to die for!

This weeks favorites:

Leah Duncan

ModCloth

Apartment Therapy

-M
 

2015 Trends at the Atlanta Gift Show

My mom and I went to the Atlanta Gift Show for the first time to do some buying for the shop. It was insanely overwhelming how large the show was and how many beautiful lines there were! We got so much inspiration– the displays were insane! Here are a few images I snapped of things I loved.

 

Home decor inspired by animals and nature was a HUGE trend across the entire show. And everything vintage! That has carried over from last year. And gold everywhere!

We found this gorgeous new line of jewelry designed by Jan Michaels that we'll be carrying! We were able to hand pick each piece to create our own line inspired by Downton Abbey in the 1920's. We'll be debuting the line during our Downton Abbey tea in March! There was so much beautiful jewelry and much of it was vintage inspired and had a very bohemian, found feel to it. This line really spoke to us.

 

Even the jewelry was nature inspired!

-M

Wedding Trend Tuesday: Wooden Box Centerpieces

To me, there is nothing more satisfying than a good old fashioned rustic wedding. I love the mixture of rusty vintage things and beautiful wedding details like flowers and bows. It creates such a nice balance that your wedding can feel both elegant and comfortable.

I received an email last week from Elizabeth Anne Designs saying hey, check out some of our weddings. I'm happy I did- they feature some really gorgeous weddings on their site in addition to so many great sources and ideas including everything from helping you find vendors to teaching you DIY projects. As I perused their wedding gallery I noticed a big trend right now is using wooden boxes and crates for flower centerpieces. I just love the look.

 Click the photo to see the full wedding.

 

Happy Tuesday!

M

Holiday Swap Idea

Hi there!

I found this lovely photo this morning on Pinterest and I just had to share it. It made me feel so cozy and excited to decorate for the season. Think of the endless possibilities in your home.

Photo belongs to Sweet Something Design...check her photos out here!

THEN I had an idea! Don't you get tired of putting out the same decorations each year? But it feels wasteful buying new ones when the decorations you have are in perfectly good condition. Why not have a swap with a few friends? You could trade a few items that you feel are equal in beauty and then you each have something new to look at! And you didn't even have to spend any money. Just a thought.

Enjoy!

M

I'm Married!

Hello!

I'm finally getting around to posting about the Big Day- it's been a whirlwind ever since it happened! The day was beautiful- beautiful weather, beautiful friends and family, beautiful decor- it was everything I could have asked for. Working up to the day was exhausting but completely gratifying. I'm just sad it's over! 

People ask if I feel different. Nope! I feel the same- totally happy and insanely in love...just with a different last name. We call each other husband and wife and then joke that it feels fake. Like when you're engaged and you call each other that because you're so excited- well it still feels like that! Totally unreal because you've been waiting for it for so long that it couldn't possibly be here. But it feels good and just right. :)

Ok! Ok! Pictures you ask! Well I'm going to post a few and then redirect you to Levi, our amazing photographers blog because his post captures it all.

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

Thank you Aubrie, Kaite and Lindsay for these pics! :) We had a great time dancing the night away with our family and friends. I would like to thank all of our parents for their help- Kathy and Ernie gave us a beautiful rehearsal dinner that was absolutely perfect and that heartfelt slideshow that brought us all to tears! Thank you Dad for our AWESOME lemonade stand, photoboth back drop and all of your help preparing and cleaning up- it was a lot of work. We would also like to thank our bridal party for being there to support us and for your help during the process as well. My brothers and cousin for doing our readings- it meant a lot to us. And our sisters who were always there to be excited for us and lend a helping hand. :)

And lastly I'd like to thank my my mom for being there through the whole process making phone calls, collecting furniture and enough dishes for 90 people(!) and for keeping me on top of things including knowing all of the right questions to ask our vendors! You were a HUGE help and I couldn't have done it without you.

Check out Levi's page for to see pictures of the entire day! He's gonna try to get our wedding on some blogs which would be totally crazy awesomeness! Stay tuned for that and our Honeymoon blog post!

Happy Tuesday and thanks for reading :)

M

23 Days

I can't believe I'm getting married in 23 days ahhhhh!

Kc and I are off to get our Marriage License tomorrow and to have our final meeting with the deacon! I'm so glad to have a long weekend to get lots of wedding crafting accomplished. I have lots of little banners to assemble and paint among other creative tasks to complete.

I'd love to make something like this for the dessert table but ours mights say "How Sweet It Is..." but that's pretty long- we'll see how much patients I have!

Also! I am 100% stealing this idea because I love it! We already have the wheel and everything...and look! She's got our date! Both of these found on this lovely etsy shop. She has all sorts of neat things.

I've been hand doing all of our lettering. It appears that she uses stencils...or maybe she's just that amazing. Something to definitely consider if you are making your own and aren't exactly confident in your painting/lettering abilities. These are really easy to make, just a bit time consuming. I can post a "how to" explaining how I made mine once I start working them this weekend.

I STILL have to cut out our table squares. I know, I know! Just do it already! I will. This weekend.

My mom got us our little bird's nest for our rings! I have yet to have seen it but I'd love to achieve something like this (also found on etsy):

We've got the lemonade stand to build and our photobooth backdrop to create! All of the fun stuff at this point. :) I went to the dentist today and she asked if I am sleeping haha! Yes, I am sleeping quite well. In fact I think I'm more tired than usual and yes, stressed but ecstatic! My schedule at school is awesome this semester and is leaving adequate time for planning and working and the never-ending journey of staying organized and on top of things. I expect the next few weeks to get a bit crazier but I'll manage, as we always do. :)

Happy Planning! 

M

1 month to go...ah!

Needless to say, we're getting down to the wire!

I cannot believe we're actually at the one month mark. I thought it would never come. Never come time to really be worried about all that was to be done; Never come time to have an excuse to be fully emerged in wedding stuff. Well, it's time! It's here! I'm fully emerged! Wow!

Being that I am now in Philadelphia and classes have begun, you can imagine that the next month is going to be totally crazy. There is so much to get done!

• Schedule and have final fitting and alterations done on my dress.
• Order Rentals
• Finish up burlap decorations
• Make Photo Booth backdrop
• Finish tagging jars
• Finish making chalkboard
• Get Kc a bowtie
• Get gifts for all those people we get gifts for

Goodness. Anyway, here a few pics of somethings I actually was working on a while back and just never really got a chance to post.

 

You may recall this birdcage that I posted pictures of a while back. Well here is the little banner that is going on it. I just have to decide how much cleaning up to it I'm going to do.

These little gems are to tie onto our chairs! Just simple little burlap pennant banners that I used acrylic paint on. I think I just used a pencil to make the holes to put the twine through.

Happy Eve

M