Chic Links

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I want my front door to look like this!

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I am totally digging this milkshake loving couple and their fabulous southern wedding!

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Wish it was my 5th birthday all over again!

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Loving this engagement shoot (by my photographers!!)

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This inspiration board is dripping in sweetness!

Image via Elizabeth Messina

Don't miss this...

The Eclectic Owl is having this fabulous Dwell giveaway(4 bird place mats)....I just can't resist anything that is Dwell!! I can already picture myself entertaining friends on my back deck for dinner and using these fabulous bird place mats. I would use a bird's nest in the center to arrange a few blooms and scatter a few tea lights on the table and it would be absolute perfection!!

Click here to see how to enter to win!

Image via the Eclectic Owl

Now why didn't I think of this!

I can't get over these ADORABLE save the date photos!! I'm kicking myself wishing I had thought of something creative like this for my save the date. BUT, I have to remind myself that my dog (well really my fiance's dog) would never sit still to pose for the camera. She is one yellow monster that would rather be chasing balls then taking pictures!

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Image via Project Wedding

The Inspiration...

Okay, so apparently I'm pretty dense when it comes to computers because resizing this inspiration board so that it would fit on my blog was much easier than I thought! Sorry for the temporary brain lapse...you would think it was Monday wouldn't you? So, on to the inspiration! I really love how this board came together...there were just a few items that I just had to work in

1) Oysters (Charlotte is from Charleston and will be getting married there so it only seemed fitting to include raw oysters!)

2)Bagpipes (Charlotte's father's lineage traces back to Scottland, so of course a bagpiper was a must)

3)Champagne (One of Charlotte's favorite drinks and the perfect compliment to the date of her wedding 1.1.11 - love the symmetry of that!)

.... and the rest just fell into place....

A January Wedding

My friend Charlotte is getting married on New Year's Day, and of course once I heard the news I was dying to whip up an inspiration board for her wedding. To get started, I asked her if she had thought about a color scheme and she told me she was leaning towards the combination of gold and dusty rose. I immediately ran to my inspiration file because I knew I had an image that incorporated those colors. I emailed her the picture below to see what she thought of me building her wedding inspiration board around it, and funnily enough she told me that was the exact image that had given her the idea for her color scheme!

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So, I was hoping to post the inspiration board, but the right half is getting cut off and I am having serious trouble getting the board resized! Stay tuned....I'm keeping my fingers crossed I can get it up this afternoon!

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Image via Martha Stewart

Unique Containers

I'm always looking for a unique way to display flowers, so when I came across this hanging ball full of rose petals, I immediately stuck it in my inspiration file. I am loving this modern look with its sweet edge of femininity.

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Some more containers I have been loving these days:

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...I'm always a sucker for antique silver pieces

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...and of course milk glass

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...The rustic lover in me can't get enough of wood

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...and finally, I've been going crazy over tin cans, whether they are a nod to

Mexican food(perfect for a Mexican themed party)...

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...or bright and colorful vintage tea cans

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Aren't these all SO much better than the typical vase? What is your favorite way to display flowers?
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Images via Style Me Pretty, Sunday Suppers, Salt Harbor Designs, The Bride's Cafe, Martha Stewart

Navy + Pink

I have fallen head over heels in love with the color combo navy and pink! I'm not a real girly girl when it comes to colors...so I tend to shy away from pink, BUT this subtle dusty rose combined with classic navy had me at hello! Throw is some blueberries and you've got the perfect look for a summer party. This shoot by Sweet Monday Photography was designed for a wedding, but I think it would also be a great for a baby shower where the sex of the baby is unknown! It would be a more modern approach to the baby pink and baby blue, or yellow and green that we see so often.

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A few things I am LOVING from this design....

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...the pattern lining the envelope

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...the ghost chairs...I swoon!

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...the scalloped white plates are the perfect mimic to the blueberry pie crust

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...and finally the gorgeous bits of silver mixed in!

It's about time...

...I have a yard sale! I'm up to my ears in junk and have about had it. Moving is great because it forces you to clean out, but it also uncovers a lot of stuff you forgot you had! Between my fiance and me, we've got enough stuff to have a yard sale...and if it doesn't happen soon, I may go crazy looking at the stuff piled up in his basement. I mean, his basement looks like we could be on an episode of hoarders. Ha! Well, maybe its not that bad, but when you are a neat freak like me, anything that is not in its place is stressful.

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So, I've been trying to read up on yard sales since I have never had one and here are some great tips I found on Young House Love...

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• Start Early: We began prepping 2 hours ahead of the 8am start time so that we were ready for the inevitable 7:45 early birds (and boy did they flock to our house).
• Advertise Smart: We thrice posted the sale on Craigslist leading up to Saturday. And that morning, we hung a bunch of strategically placed hot pink signs to lure people to our home. We even got compliments on our signage, saying that the consistent look, bright color, and “multi-family” claim (my sister participated too) made them especially enticing.
• Look Big: We spread things out to fill our entire driveway – as you can see in the “before” above. Larger items went closest to the road, while the trinkets were displayed in the back.
• Categorize: We grouped similar items – furniture together, clothes together, books & dvds together, etc. It helped shoppers browse and helped us sell more “sets” of things.
• Set a Goal: We agreed ahead of time that our primary goal was to get rid of stuff, not make money. That way we didn’t hesitate to sell stuff on the cheap because it meant that we were meeting our purging goal.
• Prepare to Negotiate: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. The few times that we didn’t come down low enough for buyers and they walked forced us to realize that we should have just met their proposed price. Staring at items that we could have sold (and wondering if they’d ever go) was torture.
• Expect The Unexpected: People buy the strangest things. Some items that we almost didn’t put out (fishing line, tarnished mismatched silverware, pilled towels) sold faster than some of the items we thought would go the second we opened.
• Stay Late: We advertised an 8-12 sale, but we were still selling steadily until around 1 so we stuck around.
• Don’t Take It Back: To completely achieve our empty-basement goal, we immediately loaded the leftovers into the car and drove them straight to Goodwill. We didn’t want anything coming back inside.

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If you have had a yard sale, please send any other tips my way!

Image via Kaleidoscope

Bunting

I used to think of the 4th of July and American flags when I heard the word bunting....but now, I have a different image in my head. I think of festive fabrics, vintage charm, and DIY. I love how something so simple can transform a space.

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Images via Style Me Pretty

Vintage Inspiration

I was away from my computer on Friday, so over the weekend I decided to catch up on some blog reading and I immediately fell in LOVE with the Friday inspiration to design shoot on Style Me Pretty. I am still in awe of the gorgeousness that was captured by Richard Israel. Take a look...

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To see more from this fabulous shoot, click here.

Images via Style Me Pretty

Chic Links

I'm soooo glad its the weekend! Its been a really long week for me and I am looking forward to relaxing...finally. Hope you enjoy some of my favorite links from the week.

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This salad looks delicious!

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This birthday dinner party is oh so chic!!

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I love all things that incorporate lavender.

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I am completely amazed!

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If I was having a beach wedding....this would be my dream!

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I'm crazy about these DIY signs.

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LOVE, love, love the new additions to Emily's Master Bath!

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Image via Jessica Claire Photography

Nico and LaLa

My good friend in Nashville introduced me to the invitation designers Nicole and Lauren almost a year ago when they designed a super cute invitation for her book release party. At the time Nico and LaLa were just putting together a web site and didn't even have a blog, but this has changed! You must check out their web site...complete with a photo gallery of samples of their work... and their blog! I LOVE the fact that these girls followed and dream and made it happen...their work is super swanky, or as I would say...so chic :)! Their work spans from weddings to baby showers to birthdays and even includes event branding. Hurry and check them out here!

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Images via Nico and LaLa

Streamers

Lately on my blog surfing, I've seen streamers used for decoration. I think its a fun way to pack a big punch without breaking the bank. What do you think??

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Images via The Wedding Chicks and Style Me Pretty

Burlap

I had a friend call me to borrow my burlap table cloth for a party she is hosting this weekend, and it got me to thinking how much I LOVE burlap. You know I have an obsession for all things rustic, and burlap, well that definitely fits in to "all things rustic!" But what I love most about burlap is that it can be so versatile. I've used it at summer parties and fall parties...and as you see below depending on what you pair it with, it can be masculine or feminine...

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And, the best thing about it is that it is inexpensive!

Images via Style Me Pretty and The Knot

Chic Links

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Hope your weekend is sweet. Here are a few links I've enjoyed this week...

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Oh how I wish I could go back to visit Santorini and it's beautiful sunsets again!

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How cute are these shorts? Gotta love J.Crew!

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Loving these gorgeous lace details...

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What a beautiful table setting...feminine but not over the top girly.

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Wish I could have gone to this!

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I can never get enough of Letterpress...and more here.

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Image via Elizabeth Messina