maids in the making

I love all the cute, creative ways brides ask their friends to be bridesmaids these days. Maybe some less creative souls can feel pressure to cave into the Pinterest trends. But, even a sweet card can do the trick! 

This past weekend, a dear friend "popped the question" with this adorable cross-stitch. Can you say "wife-material"?!? No wonder he put a ring on it! Homegirl as her domestic skills DOWN! ;)

In need of some inspiration? Check out this list of 25 fun ways to ask your ladies if they'll stand by your side on your special day. Also, here's how I asked my girls, almost 4 years ago...

xo

the best gift

You know what gift I have loved giving the past few weeks? Plants! I think I've given away three in the past week! They are simple, beautiful, and full of life (and usually affordable!). Always original, but still "safe"-- meaning, almost anyone can appreciate receiving a plant. Especially with spring on the horizon, I'm loving handing out these little babies of sunshine :)

What's your go-to gift?


P.S. Incredible houseplants and mason jar terrariums 


Image found here //

have a nice weekend!

We made it! This week has been great, but I have been so exhausted from all of our previous weekend trips. I'm looking forward to having a weekend in our new city- I'm ready to explore and relax :) I have a friend coming in town for the night, too. I'm starting to understand why weekends are so awesome for everyone in the working world... :)

Baha. Yes.

Would have been wonderful in college.

Mine and Andrew's motto for the month of May, it has seemed. May is always the busiest!

Oh. My. Yum.

Another amazing food find.

I saw a little baby boxer today at my apartment and now I can't get him out of my mind!

Totally gorgeous.

I know I'm all over the food links today (can you tell I'm hungry?), but, OH MY!

Looking for a weekend DIY?

A woman of true beauty and deep wisdom.


xo


Image found here //

Furniture Restoration Reveal: more than you bargain for

I set out on a yard-sale hunting adventure at a local neighborhood last weekend. Yard sales can be so hit or miss for me. I tried to keep my focus strictly on the (many) furniture pieces we need, and ended up going home with a bargain- $15 book shelf and $15 couch (score!). While the renovations on the book shelf ended up costing more and requiring way more effort than I had planned (why is this becoming the norm in these projects?!), I'm happy with the end result! 

I spent way too much money on paint, and still ran out before the job was done. So, I improvised by adding paper to the backs of the shelves. It'd be sweet to do a paper with a little more personality and a pattern, but I already had this paper in the house so we're keeping it simple! I love the natural wood on top, too. And, (surprise!) all of our books somehow fit on this one shelf. Magical.

xo

Furniture Restoration Reveal: the little things

So this isn't a furniture renovation, but it's still one worth sharing! I found this old mirror at a thrift store for a decent price and absolutely loved the details. The shape and design gave me vision for what it could be, and I also felt a little inspiration from one of my sweet friends :) I forgot to take a picture before I started painted, so this is all I got for a "before!" Click below to see the final result...

Furniture Restoration Reveal: if at first you don't succeed, try again

Here we go with round 3- the coffee table // bench // storage chest. I found this guy on Craigslist and while there was little to no structural work involved, the cosmetics had their own tricks up their sleeve. This was another trial and error project, where I literally had to start over and "redo" it all again a few times in order to fix some mistakes- sanding, staining, and sealing will do that to you if you're a first timer!

Check out the lovely stain on top. And the knicks and scratches on the sides add such character, no? ;) 

Click below for the finished product...

Furniture Restoration Reveal: there's more than meets the eye

Round 2 of furniture renovations, and man, am I glad that this one is over. I've never been a huge fan of these chunky end tables and have wanted to renovate them ever since a friend gave them to me two years ago. These little babies had a lot up their sleeve and did everything they could to get me to give up on them and my religion! Okay, not quite, but after all the grief they gave me with every dead end and twist and turn I came across, I was filled with even more motivation to finish them perfectly so that I can ultimately sell them and never have to see them again :) Click below to see the final product...

have a joyful weekend

What are your plans for the weekend? Andrew and I have a dinner date with a close friend and his new girlfriend at a delicious Lawrenceville local restaurant. Also, I am super excited to be assisting Gracie and Laura with another wedding tomorrow (!) in Atlanta- always a fun time with that talented duo. Have a great Easter weekend, close to family and the risen Christ. 

Those cute "Frozen" singing parents are at it again.

BRB, on my way to here (in my mind).

Every Office stare.

An historical look at Disney princess fashion.

Oh my, yum.

Easy DIY Gifts people actually want.

Hilarious. And genius.

Start your weekend off with a smile.

xo


Image found here //

Furniture Restoration Reveal: it's all in the details

As I've previously mentioned, I have been working on a few DIY projects over the last couple of months. It's definitely been interesting. What I thought would be a fun weekend project, has turned into several months of bumps and dead ends. It isn't as simple as I thought it would be- so much goes into the design and functionality of restoration, beyond just a simple coat of paint and some cute knobs.

Alas, I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and this week will {finally} produce some wonderful results. Here are some pictures of one of my pieces, a dresser from Goodwill I found for $14, before the renovation. Click below to see the final product...

have a peachy weekend!

The weather has been so warm this week- it feels like we skipped right over spring and went straight to summer. I don't know if I'm ready for this much heat yet! Pollen counts have already jumped from 50 on Monday to 5,230 today (!), so have those tissues ready. What are your plans for the weekend? Hope you stay allergy free and enjoy an ice cold drink outside in this beautiful weather :)

Kristen Bell singing live- so great!

Kind of terrifying... Do you believe it?

Such darling wedding dresses.

Now, this is a taco.

An interesting perspective on Noah.

For all my Georgia peaches.

Would be a great DIY birthday gift for a friend.

Home Inspiration. Can't wait to decorate our next home with all the trinkets I've been collecting.

Wanderlust- stargazing.

xo

Image found here //

growth > perfection

The calligraphy practice has finally begun! And I am off to a (very) shaky start... but you've gotta start somewhere, right? I already have two projects underway for a friend getting married in May, so I'm hoping to be a fast learner and to create something pretty for her big day (this is helping me get there!). With this plus my recent furniture reno's, I am feeling super crafty and motivated to try many new things. Pottery classes, videography, instruments... I have all of these ideas for things I'd love to learn. What about you? What are you learning, or what would you like to learn soon? Make a decision to always be learning something new, no matter how small-- make your goal growth, not perfection. Happy Monday!!

xo

weekend round-up

This picture... (insert emoji smiley face with heart eyes). Do you have any weekend plans? Andrew is working all weekend at a temporary thing in Alpharetta, so I've got some "me time" in my future. I'm hoping to finally finish a few projects and start some new ones :) (a.k.a some calligraphy practice for which I am way overdue). I hope you have a lovely weekend, enjoy these links!

DIY ombre wall-art photographs.

Would you be so bold?

I wonder how well this would work...

10 minutes off your phone gives a day of clean water to a child in need. 

Baking 101: What went wrong?

Haha, blame hormones. 

The most gorgeous oatmeal, probably ever. 

Technology is fascinating.

Nature bowls...

This is such a sweet app.

xo

Image found here //

a flower twist

Wouldn't these floral pendants look gorgeous hanging over wooden tables at an outdoor spring wedding? There's a DIY tutorial over at Sugar & Cloth today, and it really doesn't seem very challenging. Let me know if you decide to give it a go!

happy spring weekend!

I hope you have a lovely first weekend of spring. After a busy and stressful week, Andrew and I are planning on just taking it easy this weekend. Thank you for all of the prayers, support, and encouraging words. We are keeping our fingers crossed, and pushing forward no matter what :)

Totally planning on seeing this movie this weekend, most likely alone, and I'm not even ashamed. 

And next up, this one. (I finished the book in less than 4 days. So. Good.)

And since I've had a Young Adult novel kick lately, here's this link, just for fun :)

Super hot.

Adult magnetic alphabet letters. 

Maybe I will try this on my almost done dresser renovation...

Gold and white ruffle (I die!).

I will take one, please :)

Citrus love.

The warm weather is so close- you can do it- almost here!

xo

Image found here //

coffee table inspiration

I'm about to wrap up a couple DIY furniture projects, and am now looking to accessorize. I am on the hunt for a good coffee table book or two. I would love something with dreamy pictures for guests to scan through. Any suggestions?

I currently have this book, and am planning to make a wedding album (long overdo). Wouldn't it be awesome if Kinfolk had a coffee table book?!

P.S. some DIY coffee tables, and a cute idea for a game table.


Image found here //

have a smoochy weekend xo

Happy Valentine's Day! Whether or not you have someone special, I hope you still feel loved (because you are) and full of love (because you have so much to give). Call your mother and tell her you love her :) Hope your weekend is full of lots of sweet smooches! In the mean time, here are some fun links to inspire you...

Homemade Valentine's Day cards for some last minute inspiration.

A Pinterest board full of cute Valentine's ideas.

How often do you say "I love you"? (I found the readers' comments very interesting!)

One of my dear friends, Kathryn, recently started a blog with an emphasis on recipes (she's a great chef!).

Love this DIY book I received for my birthday.

A little bit of history and fun facts about Valentine's Day.

Andrew and I watched this movie last night and really enjoyed it. Very sweet and meaningful, and hysterical- I haven't laughed that hard during a movie in ages. (and an interview with the real-life Phillippe)

love love love to you all

xoxo

simple & pretty

Did you know that today is National Handwriting Day?! In celebration, Chesea Petaja is offering a 25% discount off anything in her etsy store with the coupon code HANDWRITING. Check out her designs at Oh My Deer. 

Also loving these prints/cards (a few of my favorites…)

xo

have a creative weekend!

Have you seen photographs printed onto canvas? WeddingWire.com is offering a gift of a free 8x10 canvas (originally $45 value) if you complete a survey/reference for two of your wedding vendors on their site. You still have to pay for shipping (unless someone can find a coupon that can be combined!), but it still seems like an okay deal for an alternative way to display a photo. Maybe you could find something less expensive at a local drug store, but I bet the quality wouldn't be as great. Could be worth a shot!

I hope you have a great weekend, and find some time to be creative!

xo

homemade gifts

Do you get crafty when giving gifts to loved ones? Homemade gifts tend to be cheaper, but at the same time, the most precious. With the recent passing of both my dad's brother and father, I wanted to make something for him that could honor them and remind him of the good memories. I thought of making coasters like these, but after seeing the plethora of coasters that my parents have in their basement, I decided to take a more traditional route and just frame a few pictures. 

My dad's two older brothers- Chuck and Hank in PopPop's old football gear

To keep a common theme, I collected and made copies of old photographs of my dad, grandfather (PopPop), and two uncles playing different sports in their youth. I also scripted a sports-related Vince Lombardi quote- I wanted the gift to not be too emotional, but still sentimental. 

PopPop in high school

The most fun part was looking through all of my grandmother's (Grammy) photo albums and imagining what life was like back then, and what my family members might have been like as kids and teenagers. I may have grabbed a couple pictures for myself :) She has so many wonderful photographs; I told her that I call dibs on inheriting them all on day ;) I absolutely love (any) old photographs, and having them be of my dashing PopPop makes them even more amazing. 

baby dad and his two big brothers, Chuck and Hank

PopPop in high school

such handsome and wonderful men- my PopPop and Uncle Hank

xoxo

terrarium inspiration

In our next home, I'd really like to make it more green. In addition to the succulents I've been day dreaming about, I also have visions of having a terrarium or two. Honestly, they used to confuse me and I wondered what the big deal was. But we recently stayed at Lucille's Mountain Top Inn & Spa (we would definitely recommend!), which was beautifully decorated and had a couple little terrariums in their breakfast room. They were so simple, but created such a beautiful, earthy feel. 

love these glass and wooden combo terrariums- you can find some really beautiful ones here.

Wouldn't this be such a fun table centerpiece?

And I absolutely love these terrarium prints. 

They'd be lively in a living room, or even so sweet in a nursery.

Happy Planting!!

xo

Last two images found here and here //