reviving weekend

My was this weekend full! On Friday night our church hosted an all-night prayer in culmination of a 21-day fast. The prayer time was from 11 PM to 5 AM, but to be honest I didn't really feel tired during those 6 hours. We sang, shared inspiring stories about how God had been moving in our lives, cried, and laughed. We prayed for many needs in our lives, in our congregation, and around the world. I can't fully describe how much my heart was softened and moved, but I know I feel called to revive my devotion to the Lord.

Also - The Mad Men party was great and I'll be sure to share photos soon. Have a nice Tuesday evening!

xoxo

// Photo by Alison Hood of SilverLocket Photography //

have a thrilling weekend!

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This weekend is bound to be fabulous. Tonight, our church is having an all night prayer before we break our 21 day fast (I've been fasting from sweets, alcohol & salty snacks) and tomorrow is Lauren's birthday party! I hope your weekend is trilling and enjoy a little link love!

These photos blow me away

A precious Valentine's Day print

Sweet tumblr

Try not to drool

Save the date!

Mad Men poster 

A gorgeous Australian wedding

Easy seating chart

Oh to live in a farmhouse!

Mad Men: Attire

To finish up my Mad Men inspired posts for the week, I've saved the best for last - the wardrobe. Nothing on the show (besides the drama) has captured my attention more than the classy dresses and dapper suits. The costumes have even inspired the world's most famous fashion designers- not to mention a collection at Banana Republic!

It shouldn't take long to learn how to dress like a Mad woman, but if you're looking for any ideas, here is what I'm wearing:

Both pairs of earrings are from Agora and I'm still trying to decide which pair I want to wear to the party. Which one do you like more- the flowers or the art deco?

I adore these little orange pumps from Urban Outfitters and I think they add the perfect pop of color!

My dress is also from Agora! I bought it a few years ago for $20 but it was in rough shape (sequins falling off, uneven hemline, you get the picture...). Eventually I took it to an incredible seamstress in Atlanta called TK Designs. The alterations came with a hefty price tag ($80) but once the dress was on I knew it was worth it. I have only worn it one other time so I am trilled at the chance to don it again. Taylor already has dress pants and a white button down so all he needs is a skinny tie!

You can find my whole Mad Men inspiration round up right here! I'm looking forward to sharing the details of the party next week :)

Mad Men: Hair

Lauren's birthday party is only 2 days away and I'm still working on my Mad Men look. One of my favorite parts of watching the show is seeing all their fabulous hair styles. And not just the ladies- the men of Sterling Cooper have serious sophistication.

The Art of Manliness featured a Man Men Guide to a Manly Haircut filled with tips to tell your barber and how to style. The signature look? Tight on the sides, a sharp part on the left side of the head, and a healthy looking shine. No matter if you identify more with Don than Pete or Roger it's all in the confidence of pulling off the part (not the role- literally the part in your hair)! My biggest task will be convincing Taylor to clean shave...

How do Betty, Peggy and Joan perfect those waves and curls? The key is the pin curl and some volume. And to think you can have soft coif waves without the heat of an iron or rollers is such a relief. For Lauren's party I'm hoping to pull off Joan's up-do since my dress has some-what of an open back.


There are tons of pin curl tutorials available on YouTube but I found these two to be most helpful - here and here.

Photo sources: Top three photos from here // Bottom three photos from here.

Mad Men: Make Up

Since yesterday was Lauren's official birthday, a few of us went out last night to celebrate with her new ID :) Even though I've been fasting for the past 2 1/2 weeks, it was great to go out and laugh with good friends.

For today's Mad Men post I'm excited to talk about make up! My hope is to channel Joan Halloway and her simple, but seductive beauty come Saturday.

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I found Beauty Blitz's Insider Tricks to be extremely helpful. For eyeshadow they recommend caramel and velvety taupe; for cheeks a peachy cream blush; and for lips a racy orange-red lipstick. My only addition would be liquid eyeliner, perhaps with a subtle cateye.

Here is the make up I am working with:

From the top: 1. MAC blush in Early Morning  // 2. Mary Kay sensational effects eyeshadow // 3. MAC eyeshadow in Patina // 4. MAC fluidline in Dipdown // 5. Laura Mercier hydratint in Crimson.

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If you're more of a Betty Draper kind of gal, you can play up the look with light blue eyeshadow, creamy pink blush and a light peachy lipstick. Either way, I'm sure all the girls at the party will look flawless.

If you want a more throughout tutorial on 1960's makeup, check out this video by Pixiwoo. Stay tuned for tomorrow when I share inspiration for Mad Men hairstyles!

P.S. Be sure to check my other Mad Men inspiration - place cards and cocktails!

Mad Men: Drinks

As I shared yesterday, this week is filled with inspiration for Lauren's 21st Birthday Party on Saturday. Today I thought I would feature classic drinks of the time period (most of which haven't gone out of style). After dinner at Chops & Hops, we're headed to Lauren & Dan's place for drinks. AMC's website has a complete Mad Men cocktail guide and I can't decide which ones I want to try most!


Old Fashioned
Ingredients:
- 2 dashes aromatic bitters
- ½ tsp sugar dissolved with water and bitters
- 1½ oz of bourbon
- 1 cherry
- 1 orange slice
- 1 lemon wedge
// Fill glass with ice; add cherry, orange slice, and lemon wedge; pour in bourbon; serve in a rocks glass over ice //



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Classic Martini
Ingredients:
- 2½ oz gin
- 1½ oz dry vermouth
- 3 green olives
// Rinse martini glass in dry vermouth and pour out; shake gin with ice until chilled; pour into martini glass; add olives //



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Bloody Mary
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 oz. Vodka
- 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp horseradish
- Tomato or Clamato juice
- 4 dashes Tabasco sauce
- Celery salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- Salt
// Put all ingredients in a mixing glass; shake briskly; pour into pint glass over ice; add a celery branch to garnish //

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Manhattan
Ingredients:
- 1¾ oz bourbon
- ¾ oz of sweet vermouth
- 1 dash of aromatic bitters
- 1 Maraschino cherry
// Pour bitters, liquors over ice in mixing glass; stir and strain into martini glass; garnish with a Maraschino cherry //

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Brandy Alexander
Ingredients:
- ¾ oz cream
- ¾ oz brandy
- ¾ oz dark crème de cacao
- Nutmeg
// Pour the liquors and cream into a mixing glass; shake and pour in martini glass; garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg on top //

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Stay tuned for an update on the place cards! They came out even better than I thought they would...

Update: And here's the final product...

// Top image from AMC //

Mad Men Week

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I am so excited about this week's posts! Saturday night I will be celebrating one of my best friend's birthday. Lauren is turning 21 and in honor of her obsession with the show Mad Men, her husband is throwing her a themed party! While it was raining this weekend, I tried to catch up on as many episodes from the first season as possible. The late 1950's were such a fascinating time in our country's history and, as an advertising major, I appreciate the revolution that took place on Madison Avenue.

All week I will be sharing inspiration for the party and attire. To start off, I thought I would share some ideas for escort cards. Lauren mentioned wanting the Mad Men font for guests names. How cool would that look on cards in addition to the NYC skyline?

With this as my inspiration, I'm hoping to tackle the feat. I'll let you know how it turns out!

// Mad Men poster image from Minimal Movie Posters //

Update: I used this image for the skyline and typed everyone's name in a font similar to the show's (I thought Tahoma Bold was the closest thing). Next step is mounting the place cards onto card stock for a sturdier finish.

have an epic weekend

I vented earlier this week about how my original Friday Link Love post was erased, so to make up for it, here is two weeks worth of link love. I hope everyone has an epic weekend in store!


Girly garland

A gorgeous bookcase makeover

Madewell DIY

I've been rockin' this watch everyday since Christmas

Words + art

Yeah! that's cool (via 100 Layer Cake)

A sweet bridal shower gift

Just discovered (and loving) poppytalk

Engaged!

Dreamy Cape Cod wedding...and a nautical invitation

Mix & match patterns

Dying to explore Ireland

I made this and this the other night for dinner

Oh my YUM (via A Cup of Jo)

Poppy in your palette

LOL

// Top image via wit + delight //

recent happenings

squirrel tape dispenser at Anthropologie

a recent purchase, all wrapped up

My mom's Fiestaware

Tay's tournament in Tampa

Chai tea at Two Story

Zoso concert at the Georgia Theatre

wedding wednesday

Photo by Our Labor of Love

I am especially excited about today's Wedding Wednesday for a couple reasons. Besides the fact that it's been weeks (sorry!) since my last WW post, I'm thrilled to finally share about my wedding dress experience. And it seems even more appropriate to talk about dresses since Jenna recently showed me her wedding gown! (Side note: she is going to be the most beautiful bride and will surely knock her groom's socks off).

So here's the story of my dress. I was a strong believer in the theory that once I saw "the dress" I would just know. And that's exactly what happened. Shortly after Taylor and I were engaged, I was on OnceWed and saw this gorgeous feature:

Photos by Brion Hopkins

I almost fell over with excitement- the cap sleeves, the bodice, and the soft fabric were everything I was dreaming of and more. On the post you can even find my original comment :) The next thing I did was research the designer, who happened to be the fabulously talented Amy Kuschel.

The gown is called Margherita and after reading the description of "dreamy silk chiffon" I knew I had to try her on to know for sure. Luckily, Amy's website offers a directory of where to find her gowns, and can you believe there would only be one shop in the state of Georgia where I could find this dress?! And that shop happened to be in Atlanta! I was a very relieved bride-to-be.

I booked an appointment with Kelly's Closet, located in the heart of Candler Park, and brought all my girls to my first ever wedding dress experience. [Yes I brought 10 people with me. Yes it was overwhelming. No, I don't regret it- I'm grateful for the memory I have with each of them.]

Next thing you know, I'm trying on the dress:

I remember feeling like I never wanted to take it off and I just couldn't wait for it to be made and be all mine. The only major change I wanted to make was the addition of cap sleeves because I didn't want a strapless gown. The ladies at Kelly's Closet were very helpful and their seamstress for alterations was phenomenal. I eagerly anticipated my trips to Atlanta for my fittings and the excuse to eat at The Flying Biscuit Cafe and Fellini's.

Perhaps some brides don't like seeing their dress on other women, but I loved stumbling upon my dress on other blogs.

Photo by Our Labor of Love

I had actually used this wedding for a lot of inspiration, and it was only until much later that I realized this was the dress I picked too! (Another ironic side note- I now work for the company that planned and catered this wedding :)

Photo by Our Labor of Love

I also saw the dress (before my big day) on Ruffled. I love how the bride added smaller cap sleeves and you can just tell the gown moves easily and comfortably!

With so much anticipation, I was so relieved to finally be in my white dress, ready to marry the man of my dreams.

Photo by Our Labor of Love

You can see more lovely photos of the dress here, here, and here! Enjoy!

P.S. Isn't it a little crazy how Lauren, Jessica & I all chose the same gown AND had Our Labor of Love to photograph our wedding??

relationships

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This made me laugh a little. Would you say this is true of your friendships? I thought about this for a while and I think most women would say they are looking for friends that share similar interests- not disinterests. But perhaps once we're close, we reveal more of the things that grind our gears and the friendship deepens :)

Personally, I enjoy the "what's your biggest pet peeve?" conversation. Although, it's a little more dangerous once you're married. I can honestly tell you Taylor gets annoyed with me when I yell across the house in a tone that implies (1) something has gone terribly wrong and (2) it's no one's fault but his. And usually it is something completely trivial. Like yesterday when our washer was making a funny sound.

I am going to work on not doing this anymore. You can read other things I'm working on here.

over the weekend

our friend, Mike, scoring a touchdown

I hope everyone is enjoying their MLK Day. Last Friday I was in the process of posting when everything I had saved was erased from our iPad. I'm trying not to get too frustrated and might just post link lovin' throughout the week.

We had a great weekend in Tampa for Taylor's flag football tournament. They made it to the second round of playoffs, but lost to a very competitive team from Gainesville. Over the weekend I also got to see my blogging friends Kelsey and Brittany since their husbands played as well. I got a little sun and came back with a horse voice from cheering. All in all, I would say it was a very fun weekend.

P.S. I thought this idea was so sweet.

white jeans

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I stumbled upon this image on Prepaganda and it reminded me of how much I love (and miss) wearing white skinny jeans in the summer. The button-down and blazer seem to help the look translate to any season.

Are you bold enough to wear white pants during the winter?