Slipcover Slap-Happy

Ya'll, I think I've gone mad.  

My family will recall that a couple summers ago I had this "great" idea to slip-cover some wing chairs.  Surprise...!!  It was really hard... 

The rolled arm, the gathering on the wing, the PIPING?!?!  What was I thinking making piping??!  It was a couple weeks worth of sweat, tears, and words that I am not proud of running through my head.

But two years later and.....they are my favorite chairs.  So, now I'm thinking about slipping another set of chairs that are in my dining room.  I know, I'm crazy...but I can't help it!  I love a slipcovered chair!

Pray for me...

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Cancun Re-cap

We had so much fun in Cancun, and I am already trying to get back there....

The hubs, my sisters, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, a few close friends and myself stayed at an all-inclusive.  It was so beautiful, we didn't even leave the resort....except for one morning to go to the a Mexican market, which was fun but hot and sweaty and we couldn't wait to get back to the pool.

A view from the girls' suite

It was so nice to get away with loved ones and spend time together without cell phones, obligations, or responsibilities, and to meet some new people at the swim-up bar, wear matching sisterly outfits (yes, even swimsuits), or just take a nap in the beach cabana.

Julia with Rojo the parrot

The hubs and me enjoying some R&R time

There was a delightful poolside lunch spot with fantastic seafood-shrimp tacos, ceviche, tostadas- and of course, an ocean view.

Julia and Poncho have a staring contest at the Sea Corner grill.

And at night we would try a different restaurant, or one night we all piled into the luxurious suite that the single ladies splurged on, ordered a ton of room service, and had a dance off!

The whole group at dinner...Nevermind Joey's terrible mustache....

The best news?  No one got burned.  And, as you can tell from the above photos, with a group this pale that is nothing short of a miracle.

Even while we were away, we had a lot of brainstorming going on for our product development and I was excited to return home and start making some samples.  We have been busy, busy getting together our ideas for Over The Moon, and it currently looks as if a hobby-lobby-bomb has exploded in my den.  

Back to work!  Thanks for reading!

Reunion Weekend

Not only will I be attending my own 10 year reunion this summer (by the way, have you seen the invitations I designed?), but I also get the pleasure of attending my husband's reunion this summer as well.  I have to admit...I might even be a little more excited to attend my husbands, since he was way cooler than I was in high school!

But have you noticed how the one-night reunion has become a weekend's worth of events? I'm all in for a party weekend, but this means extra wardrobe planning!  And when you haven't seen these people in 10 years, or if you're a spouse meeting them for the first time, then let's face it...the garb must be grand!

Here's a few ideas I have in mind about the weekend: Friday should be a casual, chic, and effortless look with little fuss while the daytime picnic-wear on Saturday should be bold and fun.  Save the ruffles, sparkles, and studs for main event Saturday night!

Target Black Hi-Lo Dress // L.A.M.B Alfie Wedges // Private Gallery Jade & Turqouise Necklace // Faith Quilted Chain Tassel Bag

Zara Quilted Yoke Top // Merona Shorts // Private Gallery Camel Bag with Pyramid Studs // AJ Morgan Cookie Cateye Sunglasses // Forever21 Long Cross Necklace // India Hicks Beaded Sandal with Pom Pom

Triangle Stud Earrings // Genevieve Postcard Dress // Asos Envelope Purse with Gold Metal Bars // DV by Dolce Vita Heels

Monogram Monday 6.17.13

In the South, monograms really are everywhere.  It's easy to slap a monogram on just about anything but after a while, it just gets to be a little too much.  Every once and while I come across monograms that are fresh, vintage and truly timeless.  Use that monogram on a beautiful object and it's truly heaven!

Take this gorgeous hardware from Nanz for example.  I don't even WANT to know what these cost (okay, maybe I do want to know....) but that won't stop me from admiring how gorgeous they are!  Now, if only I lived in a Gatsby-style mansion that called for custom hardware on all the doors....

see the above image larger here

Crazy for Canopies

While we were in Cancun, I sat under an umbrella, cabana, or in the shade almost the entire time because of my fair skin.  I love the warm sunny feeling everywhere around me, but not directly on me.  This got me day-dreaming about canopy beds...

Whether it's clean and classic, mirrored, or gilded, it's hard to go wrong with this elegant design staple!

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We're back!

KA-POW!

And just like that....our trip to Cancun has come and gone! We did not want to leave, but we are happy to be home! More on that later...

In the mean time, check out more of the above amazing photo shoot for Vogue Paris here.

Illustrated Maps

I'm sure you've seen these great little custom illustrated maps around....

via Robyn Love

The calligraphy and the watercolor is perfect to commemorate a wedding and all of its events.

via Wilmington Weddings Blog

Printing your custom map on a napkin is another great idea!

via CoutureMaps.blogspot.com

And I have to say that it makes a pretty perfect save the date, too.

via

But I think you could use this great idea to commemorate some other events as well.  For example, we made one with all of our hole sponsors on it for our golf tournament.  We framed them, and gave them to our steering committee as thank you gifts.

It could also be a great idea for an anniversary (special date places, or places you've lived), graduation (all the schools attended) or even a reunion (all the hot hangouts in the area).  It's such a cute and sweet way to commemorate different life-events!

Atlanta Food and Wine Festival

This past weekend, the hubs and I attended the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival.  Let me just tell you....you should go....

You can either buy a day pass or a weekend pass.  We had weekend passes that we won at a silent auction.  Each day (Fri, Sat, Sun) there are classes in the morning.  They were so fun!  They have cooking demos and wine tastings and all the major southern chefs are there!  We got to meet the infamous John Besh, which was really exciting!

After the morning classes, you just walk on over to the festival tasting tents.  Now, this is where it gets a little overwhelming...  Restaurants, breweries, and wine distributors from all over the south have tables set up and you just walk around and sample this and that.  We ate a TON and still only got to sample about a third of what we had planned.  It was really a blast!  Friday and Sunday are definitely the less crowded days (but still a healthy crowd), but Saturday definitely had the best morning classes...so if you're going for a day, then it really just depends on your interests.  Oh, and you can also just buy a pass to the tasting tents.

And then.....this happened..........

After the festival on Saturday, we met some friends at Miller Union in West Midtown.  And by some friends, I mean we had a party of 14...so we really did some damage.

We sat outside on the patio, which was actually quite lovely and perfect for a large group.  We ordered several appetizers but the best by far was the farm egg baked in celery cream with rustic bread.  I know, it sounds a little strange, but it was absolutely amazing.  For an entree, I ordered the grilled pork tenderloin with rhubard chutney that was absolutely heavenly.  As a bonus, it came with some sort of pan-fried deliciousness that could have been polenta or risotto.  

I mean to take a photo when it came out, but as you can see, I got waaayyy too excited and then remembered only after I had completely scarfed it down.  Delish.

Another great stop was Friday night after the festival at Antico.  If you live in Atlanta or you stop by there occasionally, it is a must!  Some of the most amazing pizza I have ever had!  If you want to go super-authentic, try the Capricciosa, which was amazing.  

WARNING:  Antico is a seat yourself place, and it has communal-style seating.  So, just prepare yourself for that!  Although, we only had to wait about 5 minutes before finding a spot for 5.

If you are unable to attend the festival itself, or if you are looking for a less-expensive way to be involved, consider the BBQ on the Thursday night before the festival begins (these tickets can be bought by themselves or are included in the 3-day pass).  This event was held at JCT Kitchen and was maybe my favorite part of the festival.  There were a lot of people there, but it was not overly crowded, and it was similar to the tasting tents where different restaurants had tables set up with "tailgate" style food.  JCT Kitchen is a wonderful indoor-outdoor space and there was also a great band playing outside.  It was relaxing and fun, and we were able to sit for a spell before going back for round 2 of sausage and grits, vegan sliders (this was actually my fav thing) and ribs.

Cheers!