Currently Following: In Honor of Design

I feel like I've been in a bit of a blogging fog as of recent, perhaps because I am still trying to create a normal routine as wedding weekends come and go. I'm going to give myself some grace and remember life is all about progress, not perfection. It has been a little while since I shared a blog I recently stumbled upon so I thought why not get that started back up? I found Anna Liesemeyer's blog In Honor of Design about a month ago and have thoroughly enjoyed following this Atlanta-based mommy-blogger!

Don't let the phrase mommy-blogger deter you either, as Anna features endless ideas on fashion, DIY projects, home design, and family life. And her family is gorgeous, by the way. Doesn't she seems like the type of woman you would want to grab coffee with, gab over celebrity hairstyles, and then ask to help you pick out a pair of jeans!? Maybe just me. Ha.

I really appreciate Anna's down-to-earth approach to life, marriage, work and style. Besides checking out her lovely blog, be sure to follow Anna on Instagram and Pinterest as well. xo

// All images from In Honor of Design //

You Got This!

Sending some extra love out to T as he has an interview with Archway Partnership for an assistantship! No matter the outcome, I am just so grateful God continues to confirm that this is what he should be doing - going to business school right here in Athens. But I would also love for him to get the full scholarship :) You got this, Taylor!!

// Photo from our recent trip to Columbia, SC //

Carolina On My Mind

This afternoon Taylor and I are heading off to Columbia, South Carolina to see one of our all-time favorite bands: Old Crow Medicine Show! They are playing downtown at the Township Auditorium which holds only a little over 3000 people. The last time we saw OCMS was probably 4 years ago at the 40 Watt so dancing to "Wagon Wheel" is long overdue.

We are staying at the Downtown Sheraton, whose building used to be home to a bank, and hoping to grab dinner before the show at Hunter Gatherer. We are thinking of enjoying post-concert drinks at Motor Supply, but if you have any suggestions please feel free to share!

xo

Reality Check

It can be hard to navigate how personal to be in the blog-osphere and I did not really want to write this post. But of course the point in being open is to realize there are other women out there going through the same things and are willing to build up a community of support, right?! So here it goes.

Play Me a List // Vol. 1

Music has been getting me through a lot of long drives to and from Atlanta so I thought I would share some tunes that make my soul happy on the open road:

1. Ring Around // Ruby the Rabbitfoot
2. Highway Halo // Old Crow Medicine Show
3. Presets // Yip Deceiver
4. This Must Be the Place // Talking Heads
5. Hold On // Alabama Shakes
6. Gimme Little Sign // Brenton Wood
7. Where Rainbows Never Die // The Steeldrivers
8. Money on My Mind // Sam Smith

// Image via Patterson Maker //

Resembling Normalcy

After 3 back-to-back events this weekend I am aching for a more routine schedule with work and taking care of things around the house. I especially want to make sure T feels loved this week! He helped so much over the weekend - and not just by lifting heavy things, but by encouraging me and relieving any of the stress I felt with positive affirmation.

We kept our Easter Sunday pretty low key with brunch at Last Resort Grill and a trip to the park with the pups. Who's ready to tackle the new week with me?!

xo

Here We Go

I have been waiting for the next 3 days for over a year. The fact that this weekend's events are starting tonight feels unreal and relieving all at the same time. My prayer as the finishing touches come together is stay focused and giving, not getting caught up in emotions or stress and to make this as special for my clients as possible! And if you don't mind praying too...please ask for no rain tomorrow!!

See you Monday :)

// Image via Breathe, You Are Alive //

How do you treat yourself?

Clothes? Jewelry? Coffee? Manicures? I'm always interested to know how people justify purchases and what they "reward" themselves with after a long week. After this week's events I want to treat myself and am thinking about cashing in on an hour massage at Urban Sanctuary Spa!

// Image via Patterson Maker //

Friday Notes 05

Another Friday Notes coming at you on Sunday! I like to think this won't become a habit and I will get back to consistence...but who knows.

Monday
I sent out final wedding timelines and got to visit my sweet friend Mattie at her studio to iron out some final paper goods details. She made a true statement about Mondays feeling like a "trial run" for the rest of the week and they never seem to go as planned. It made me grateful for friends in the industry who can relate to creating your own work schedule.

Tuesday
After participating in Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day, Maggie and I posted up at Starbucks to do some work. I am such a people person, even if we don't talk for hours, I love not having to work alone. The dogs also got plenty of time to play together in the sun, which led to passing out later. Well, Kola passing out.

Wednesday
I shocked myself by going on a 6 mile run which I haven't done in forever. Seriously, wherever you are in your fitness routine, you can always get up and start over or pick up where you left off. I'm grateful for warmer temps motivating me to get outside and a dog who doesn't mind coming along for the jog.

Thursday
The morning was filled with good work and good conversation. I was happy to get to catch up with one of my bests, Jessica, on her birthday. Later I had a doctors appointment which seems to be much more daunting the older I get. I always feel awful when I can't remember my last "whatever." Can anyone relate? I was grateful to end the day at the CAMP Spring Supper held at Sun in My Belly. Candice, Lauren, Mattie, and I headed to the event together and had the best time meeting and chatting with many amazing creatives like Ginny, Krista, Ashley and Lesley! It was truly a memorable night, especially when we drove 20 minutes out of the way to have Jeni's Splendid Ice Ceams.

Friday
My first rehearsal of the 2014 wedding season took place and it felt great to be back in the swing of coordinating. There's something so special about watching a couple prepare for the first day of their marriage and I never want to lose sight of that focus being what it's all about.

Yesterday was the wedding and to say it was seamless would be an understatement. There is something to be said about beautiful April weather that just makes everything feel perfect. Of course there are always a few hectic moments, but overall it was such a happy day for the bride and groom. And I could never have done it without my two sweet assistants. More pictures to come eventually...

I hope everyone is still enjoying their weekend. We went to Five Bar for brunch today and Taylor had a great baseball game tonight- even hitting a home run!

A song for the start of your week.

Pretty print.

Creature Comforts opens in 2 weeks just in time for Twilight Criterium!

Oh. My. Yum.

Michelle Williams is everything in the new Louis Vuitton ad campaign.

xo

31 Bits: Fashion for Good

Have you heard of 31 Bits? I recently stumbled upon their website and love their business model, their mission of empowerment for women (and families) and of course, their jewelry.

"We believe true empowerment begins with caring for a person holistically and occurs when a person is completely self sustainable."

If you have time, I highly recommend reading through their Stories from Uganda to learn more about this wonderful company. Seeing the faces and names of the women behind the jewelry is inspiring as well. You could also host a party which I really want to do!

After perusing the website I decided my favorite necklaces are:

1. Freedom // 2. Jendy // 3. Luna

Wouldn't they be cute with a black jumpsuit or simple cotton dress? For more inspiration, visit the 31 Bits blog- which includes DIY ideas and recipes. You can also follow them on Pinterest!

// All images from 31 Bits //

Daydreaming

Rainy days can put me in the worst mood so I've reverted to looking up old photos on my computer and dreaming of a more peaceful and sunny place I would rather be...

// Photo from the shore of Connecticut, Summer 2011 //

Staying Invested

Back in January when I started working on my PowerSheets, I picked my word for 2014 which was (and is): INVEST. As a transitive verb, by definition it means, "(1) to make use of for future benefits or advantages, (2) to involve or engage especially emotionally." My thought process was that my big picture goals require small decisions of investment that will prayerfully achieve the greater goal.

Currently Following: Sugar & Cloth

Sugar & Cloth is not a new blog by any means, but I am a recent follower and love Ashley's style and DIY ideas. She lives in Houston, works for Smilebooth by day and blogs by night. I love that she also has a team of contributors to keep content new and fresh!

How cute are these leather drink tags? They would make for cool escort cards at a wedding as well. I like how Ashley keeps a balance of unique craft ideas and great recipes. If you're like me and enjoy easy, approachable crafts, this DIY blog will be a perfect new additional to your daily feed.

Sugar & Cloth's features always seem styled to perfection with tons of natural light- my personal favorite- and a great aesthetic. You can find a Ashley's home tour featured on The Everygirl and be sure to follow her on Instagram.

// All images from Sugar & Cloth //

Friday Notes 04

Friday notes and being posted on Sunday if that tells you the kind of week it's been. This was my first week off from my part time job and the freedom is nothing short of amazing. I've been so grateful to just focus on weddings and clients and not try to juggle the usual 60 hour week... A lot of my time has been spent outdoors too, which is good for the soul, bad for the allergies. Yay for sunshine!

DIY Dropcloths

The weather this week has been gorgeous so I took full advantage of the sunshine to complete some projects for an upcoming event. A client is hosting a welcome party the night before the rehearsal dinner for out of town guests and since the party is casual, I proposed we incorporate some blankets for guests to chill on the lawn.

Instead of having to purchase quilts or blankets that could get dirty and ruined, I bought canvas drop cloths in hopes of transforming them into colorful, durable and inexpensive picnic blankets. After doing some research for inspiration, tips and techniques, I felt comfortable enough to get to work.

Materials:
4 Canvas Drop Cloths
Rit Liquid Dye in Apple Green and Golden Yellow
Plastic Bucket
Salt (1 cup per color batch)
Rubberbands
Plastic Drop Cloth

To begin I spent time figuring out which way I wanted to fold each of the cloths as this determines where the dye will gather and what pattern will result. For the first two green ones, I kept the cloths folded pretty similar to how they were packaged, but spaced out the groupings with rubber bands, as you can see in the very top photo. For the yellow cloths, I got a little more creative and tried to come up with more unique folds to yield an unexpected result. The key was nothing too symmetrical- there's beauty in imperfection!

I added 1 bottle of dye and 1 cup of salt to 3 gallons of hot water. Once the ingredients were evenly mixed, I ran some water over the cloth, then placed it in the bucket.

I set a timer for about 15-20 minutes for each "area" of the cloth to set as I wanted to be sure that some areas of the cloths stayed the natural color.

Once the dying process was done, I rinsed them off with a hose, untied the rubber bands and hung them to dry on a clothesline. Due to the heat they each dried in less than an hour!

After all the cloths dried, I ran them through the wash to be sure the color wouldn't bleed if they got wet while in use. The final product turned out a little more faded than in these photos, but overall I am so happy with how they turned out and how easy this project was!

I can't wait to share photos of when these are actually in use at the party in less than 2 weeks :)

xo

Spring Look

It wouldn't be spring time in Georgia if the temperature didn't go from the 20's to the 80's in less than a week. Today was been a hot one (I've got the sun kissed face to prove it) so naturally I'm beginning to plan my spring wardrobe.

Sarah Sherman Samuel's blog Smitten Studio is great for style inspiration so when she shared her travel basics post featuring Anthropolgie's Pilcro Hyphen Chino's my jaw his the floor. How effortlessly tomboy does she look? To be honest, I hate wearing shorts (not a huge fan of my pale legs) and would much prefer to wear lightweight pants with a loose top. Here's my take on essential pieces to achieve this look: