My New Hobby: Wedding Flowers?

In the last few years, I've developed a hobby of flower arranging and have been asked to use my "talents" (and I use that term loosely) for wedding of friends.  I absolutely LOVE doing it and thought I'd share my latest wedding with you all:  Siobhan & Alex

 Siobhan and Alex have been friends of mine for years when I began working with Siobhan right out of college.  They're an awesome, laid back couple that I adore being around.  Their wedding was unique, modern, gorgeous, and most of all FUN!

I created bouquets for Siobhan and her bridesmaids.... as well as centerpieces for the ceremony and reception (which were funky and modern).

  

 This was a spring wedding with dark, moody (and gorgeous) flowers.....

which isn't exactly an easy combination.....

....but with help from my friends at David Wholesale Florist , I was able to find what I needed.  They're a great wholesale florist in Birmingham that is open to the public.  So whether you need enough for one arrangement or an entire wedding, they're a great local resource.

Hope you enjoyed the photos!  Email me if you'd like me to create something for your next event (shameless self-promotion, I know)!

Beauty Must-Haves

I've been a huge fan of Ole Henricksen products for a while, but I recently splurged on some of his "new-to-me" products.  I've been using the Aloe Vera Deep Cleanser and Grease Release Face Tonic for some time and they've been very good to my oily-proned skin.

But I went into Sephora to get my next bottle of cleanser and couldn't help but be intriqued by all of his other options, especially the Three Little Wonders set.                              

I've recently noticed a few minor wrinkles here and there around my eyes and forehead (I'm sure it's a result of lifeguarding with little to no SPF in high school) and I've yet to begin taking any precautionary steps to prevent aging so I thought now was the time to start.  This set has a Collagen Booster serum to be used at night to fight off current and furture wrinkles, an Invorgorating Night Gel (oil free which works much better for me than your typical night cream) and Sheer Transformation, an oil free moisturizer to be used at night and before makeup application. 

My skin is a catch 22.  I've been hesistant to use creams and moisturizers because I tend to be so oily, only to find out that my skin is oily because I don't use them.  When skin is dehydrated like mine, it over produces oil leaving your face super shiny.  I've been using the Sheer Transformation moisturizer for only a week and I can tell a huge difference at then of the day when it comes to shine control.

So, I get this is a blog about home design but the truth is, I feel like sharing a little more about my life and interests than just decorating.  So here you go, hope you don't mind!

Overstock Me! Living Room Edition

I don't know about you guys, but I do WAY too much online browsing when it comes to home interiors.  I love so many different styles and tastes that I'm constantly picking out so many items, I could decorate hundreds of living rooms.  And the one place that I always see something I like, no matter what style I'm into that day, is Overstock.  So I attempted to style an entire room (graphically) in nothing but Overstock inventory.  It turned out a little masculine, but I'm actually totally digging  it....and with the idea of a possible new house and new living room to furnish, I could definitely go with this look.  Let me know what you think!  I'll come back and source it all tomorrow!  Enjoy!

I'm Baaaccckk!!!

First off, my deepest apologies for absolutely no posts in months.  The truth is, I'm usually apt to post when I've got projects going on in my own home, but lately there haven't been many.  We're casually thinking of moving and in the process have looked at a few houses on the market.  Seeing all these gorgeous homes have got me mentally decorating like a mad woman.  Today I put together a mood board for what I'm hoping will be my next living room (whenever that happens).  I've included some sources if you're interested.....

It's a mixture of what I have in my current living room (the pillows, a brown sofa, pops of burnt orange and light blue) with some additional elements like the chair and Michelle Armas painting (she does commission pieces...check her out!).  I like that it has some modern elements to it, but is still pretty traditional.  Our living room walls right now are a light smoky blue and I love the color but it makes decorating hard when your walls aren't neutral.  I think using main pieces of furniture like wing back chairs is a great incorporate way to incorporate fun colors into an otherwise neutral room.  Hope you like it!

~Katie

A Little Living Room Inspiration

A sweet friend of mine, Meg Cook, whom I recently purchased some fabulous art from, sat down with me to do a little brainstorming for my living room.  While I love the french blue color of our wall, I find myself struggling to incorporate any non-neutral colors with it. I splurged a few weeks ago on a cowhide rug that I'M IN LOVE WITH and it gave me an itching to update the room a little bit...give it a little more "wow" factor.  The bold rug was making everything around it look so boring in comparison.  I felt myself hitting a wall and called her up for some advice.  Her advice was to incorporate a burnt orange color in the room with accessories.  So far I've added two of these burnt orange pillows to my sofa.

These are Celerie Kemble's Betwixt pattern in "Spark" which is a lovely shade I'd call burnt orange.  I love them!  They add a pop of color and the pattern is transitional so it blends with both the modern and traditional elements in the room.  I'm still working on finding a complementary fabric to do some additional pillows....but now I've set my sights on the wall above the sofa.  My husband gave me an Mary Bryan New York skyline painting that now rests above the fire place opposite of this wall and I'm thinking I'd like a mirror to reflect that painting so that you notice it as soon as you walk in the room.  The problem is a big mirror over the sofa is....well....boring...right?

Right now the wall has four vintage car prints but the wall is large and looks sparse and I'm ready for a change.  Which leads me to my inspiration photo.

Isn't is lovely?!  This living room is much more traditional than mine but I think the gallery of sunburst mirrors is a fun eclectic touch (even a tad modern) which is exactly what I'm looking to incorporate into my living room. I have two sunburst mirror in other rooms of the house that I can repurpose into the leaving room but I need at least three more and I'm hoping to find some vintage/antique ones to add in.  And so the search begins.....

Time for a Dinner Party

 First, let me apologize for my 3 month long absence.  I've been out of pocket since our September trip to Jamaica, but I'm back and in full swing, baby!  That said, getting ready for the holidays has been about all I've done recently....including planning my first "real" dinner party!  It looks as though we're hosting some folks for a New Year's Eve dinner this year so I, of course, used it as an excuse to become obsessed with decorating the table!  Here's a look that should be similar to mine.  Farmhouse table- check, white table runner-check, now on to adding the finishing touches.

The elements below will make up a majority of the table.  I'm going with a combination of formal and informal.  My every day Juliska Berry and Thread china, gold plate chargers, lettuce-edged linen dinner napkins with my new silver napking rings and a few hydrangea arrangements.

 

Throw in a few candles and the right guests and I'll think we'll have a great time!  It will also be the perfect time to take show you the "after" photos of the dining room I've been promising for so long!  Hope you have a Happy New Year and check in the first week of January for details from the dinner party!



House Tour: Our Living Room

As you may be able to tell by reading this blog,  I constantly have projects going on in our house.  Currently, all of which are not at post-worthy status (yet).  And as these projects continue to grow, each room of our house gets a million tiny makeovers.  While other rooms are in progress, I thought this would be a great opportunity to catch you up on our living room in it's current state.  Here are a few photos.

The wall with the sofa, the fireplace opposite of it, and the extra seating nook by the window are the main areas of our living room.  My goal with this room was to keep it neutral but interesting, polished and neat but lived in and cozy.  And so far, I think we're getting there.  One of the easiest ways to make a room feel cozy is with fabric.  These Kravet ikat throw pillows are my favorite!

Vintage pieces like these super old and naturally patina-ed iron candlesticks I snagged at a yardsale for next to nothing keep the room feeling used and lived in.

And probably my favorite part of our living room is the seagrass tray on top of our cocktail ottoman that holds some of our favorite tabletop books (Greek Islands, Esquire's The Meaning of Life, and a vintage Chanel Look Book is found at a THRIFT STORE!).  On top of the books is one of my many McCoy pieces and our brass elephant bookends to show off our college pride.

So that gives you the gist of our living room!  It honestly is the room where we LIVE...we use it the most out of all the room in our house and that's why it was important for me that we love being in it.  I'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions (because it's always evolving).

Thanks,

I've linked my thrift living room to:

www.southernhospitalityblog.com