Mine was a great time spent with family, celebrating my soon to be sister-in-law Leslie at her bridal shower!
How cute is she?
My sister and I were in charge of decor and we had a lot of fun with it.
I used scrapbook paper the color of the bridesmaids’ dresses to cut out the letters of the happy couples’ names. I hot glued the letters to twine to create the fireplace banner see in the pic above.
My sister came up with the idea of covering each of our two tables with white tablecloths and then laying burlap on top.
In the center of each table, we scrunched some pretty coordinating fabric (found on sale at Hancock Fabrics!) around mason jars filled with baby’s breath.
I made a garland from different pieces of fabric that incorporate the colors of the wedding. I cut circles out of the fabric (using a mason jar lid as a guide) and strung them together on twine.
That’s my parents’ pretty house as the setting for the festivities.
In case you’re wondering about the food, we had chicken salad croissants, meatballs, spinach dip, fruit/veggies, sausage rolls, cake bites, Muddy’s cupcakes, fruit tea and mimosas. YUM.
So, I may never make the Olympics medals podium (it’s okay, I’ve come to grips with it), but it doesn’t mean I can’t surround myself with gold this summer.
Not in a cheesy, Donald Trump kind of way, but more in a chic, shimmery, just-retro-enough kind of way.
That sentence is probably more confusing than your feelings about Ryan Lochte (that article might be the funniest thing I’ve ever read), but I promise, the project was not complex at all.
I’ve talked about ways to make a rental into a home that reflects your style before, and this is one of my favorite ways to do just that.
Shelf liner can add a pop to built-ins or furniture makeovers, and an unexpected pretty to drawers of antique pieces or blah kitchen cabinets.
I know what you’re thinking…but shelf liner sticks! My landlord will kill me!
Shh, my nervous little friend. Just because something is made to stick doesn’t mean it has to be stuck.
For this project, I cut the shelf liner as normal, but I did not peel off the adhesive backing. Instead, I used small silver thumb tacks in each corner to attach the paper to the back of the shelf.
When I move, I’ll just remove the tacks and be on my merry way.
This little tip could come in handy for those among us who like to change out decor frequently, renters or not.
Now with this pop of gold and the gold circle in my DIY art, this little room is becoming quite sparkly. I may introduce a few more pops of gold in some chair covers or wall art.
That’s it! Easy peasy. You may now resume watching the Olympics.
But I’m back! And I promise not to stay away again, because talking about pretty things is kinda fun. And I like fun. You too? That’s why we’re friends.
On to the prettiness.
My sister has a new Etsy shop and you must check it out. Why? She makes fun, unique jewelry that will add a pop to any outfit.
And, you know all of that jewelry you’ve been pinning on Pinterest? She can make it, and probably for a lot less. She can whip up custom orders for you or a friend.
So what are you waiting for? Back to school shopping isn’t just for the kiddos!
Source: ny-image3.etsy.com via Laura on Pinterest
How stunning is this pencil illustration? I love it for so many reasons. I’ve always been drawn to pencil drawings, maybe because my Dad can work wonders with a pencil and a piece of paper. (Are you sensing a pattern? I have some artsy family members!)
I am on the hunt for some pencil drawings, possibly fashion illustrations, for my living room. With the yellow, floral and stripes I have going on, I think some pencil art will be a welcome soft addition.
The other reason I love this? Top knot baby! Maybe it’s the former ballerina in me, but I am all over a pretty bun.
Did you watch the Olympic Opening Ceremonies?
It was fantastic, yes, but hello. Right smack dab in the middle was my coffee table. The coffee table. And in no other than the Queen’s, um, sitting room? Parlor? Not quite sure what that room was, but it’s not important.
People, the universe is taunting me. That coffee table will be mine. Even if I have to get knighted in order to make it happen.
After a hectic week, I treasured the opportunity Sunday to stroll through the aisles of my favorite antique store, Sheffield Antiques. I didn’t come home with any treasures this time, but I did snap this picture of a beautiful old mail sorter displaying a collection of bottles and trinkets. Geometry, y’all! Who knew it could be beautiful?
So that’s what has been catching my eye lately…how about you? What’s pretty in your world?
Actress Kristen Johnston on the set of “The Exes.”
I’ve always been fascinated by set design.
It’s an art form, really, to take the cold box of a sound stage and turn it into an authentic, lived-in space that can tell as much about a character as the script itself.
We’ve explored the genius set design of Nora Ephron movies here and here, and taken a tour of Phoebe’s ecelectic apartment on Friends here.
Today, I came across this article in the New York Daily News about a new show on Nick at Nite (I know, who knew they had new shows?) called “The Exes.” Not quite sure about the premise of the show, but the article sparked my interest because of the peek it offered into the design of the show’s set.
Actress Kristin Johnson worked closely with set designers Wendell Johnson and Ron Olsen to create an apartment for her lawyer character that felt believable. While the TV-size living room is a bit of stretch, I think they did a good job on the rest of the “apartment.”
What do you think?
See what I mean about the living room? I guess this it’s kind of impossible to have a real New York City living room on a sitcom…not a lot of room to work with! I like the open shelving in the kitchen and the oven stacked over the dishwasher. It’s always interesting to see what designers put in the kitchen for the characters because it reveals so much. Remember Jerry and his cereal?
These last two additions are my favorite, because they show personality. The mirror is a flea market find painted a brilliant bright orange and the reclaimed wood table is beautiful, apparently built from a drawing by Johnston.
What do you think? Did they do a good job of creating a real space for a New York lawyer?
All photos via New York Daily News.
PS. I’m not getting paid to promote this show or Nick at Nite. I actually never heard of the show until the set design article caught my eye!
Back to reality! My much-needed time off was super relaxing.
There were beaches, dolphins, oysters, boutiques, cookies, lazy rivers, rain showers, happy hours, earrings, po’ boys, bands and ice cream.
Part of my unplugging was just that – unplugging – so I didn’t take many pictures. I did, however, manage to snap these pictures while passing through the great state of Mississippi on my way home.
Mississippi gets a bad rap, and mostly for good reason. However, passing through the state on a sunny day feels like what a road trip should be. There’s nothing but open road and flat farmland for miles (and miles and miles…).
The color of the sky popped against the vibrant green of the fields and it had a technicolor aura to it. Beautiful!
Have you gotten away this summer? Any fun road trips?
Ever sit in a room, notebook in hand and a big fat smile on your face because you’re just so happy to be learning what the instructor is teaching?
I hadn’t either, before attending the Haven Conference in Atlanta last week.
It was like the best two days of school ever, with classes in painting, staining, photography, woodworking, thrifting and sewing side-by-side with blogging classes all about advertising, PR, HTML and SEO.
Best of all, it was two days spent with people just like me, who didn’t ask me why I would spend an entire weekend painting a curbside dresser or trolling stores for the perfect shade of grey fabric. These women asked for details on both and then shared their own home-obsessed stories.
They were my bees!
I didn’t take many pictures (bad blogger), but here’s one with some of the great ladies I met:
That’s Dalila, who’s working on launching a blog this summer, me, Stephanie from Fresh Picked Vintage and Kristen from Pearl Gateway.
I also geeked out a little at getting to see John and Sherry from Young House Love. It was so refreshing to see that they are just as sweet and funny in real life as they are on the blog. Home blogs have a tendency to only show off the “perfect” sides of peoples’ lives, but these two seem about as real as they come.
Clara and Burger were there too, along with Kate Bower, family friend and blogger over at Bower Power.
with Sherry from Young House Love
My head is still spinning from everything I’ve learned and everything I want to try since leaving the conference. I’ll be sharing more of that on the blog in the weeks to come.
Overall, Haven inspired me to have even more passion for what I love to do, and also showed me what I don’t want to do.
I love my home. I love making it a home and living in my home.
I love writing about my home and sharing pictures and looking at all of the wonderful home inspiration from y’all and the great big internet. I love writing about home decor, inspiration and homemaking in general.
What I don’t want to do is get too caught up in growing a blog at the expense of living in and loving my home.
Haven reinforced that priority for me, plus gave me a fresh surge of energy to continue making my home into my most favorite place.
Break out the drop cloths and the paint brushes! This girl has a notebook full of ideas and lots of new home-obsessed friends with whom to share!
Special thanks to the organizers of the Haven Conference and all of the sponsors for wonderful demonstrations and the biggest swag bag I’ve ever received. (Seriously, this PR girl is normally on the other side of that arrangement and I’m so excited to be the one with the goodies this time around!) Also, a very special thank you to those who spoke at the various sessions, especially Kate from Centsational Girl and Chris from Just a Girl, who taught the furniture painting session that has inspired at least 37 new projects, for now.
