Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Celebrate Summer Home Tour


Hey friends! Thanks for hopping over from Beneath My Heart to take a closer look at some of my favorite spots in our home! As you may know, it's home tour season around here and last week we peeked at some of the shots from the Glitter Guide tour from a couple of weeks ago. Today, I am sharing a bit more of our space and some areas that weren't shared in that feature. 

One of my favorite things to do growing up, as most girls, was to play dress-up and house or family. Well, these days I am thankful I still get to re-live my childhood by playing dress up the adult way-in our home. 

Our home is unique in the sense that it's literally your average cookie cutter, Craftsman style  home with a few factory upgrades and many quirky architectural features. If you've followed along here for a while then you will remember that we moved into this home a little less than two summers ago to become a part-time respite family for a foster community. Most houses in this neighborhood, with the exception of square footage provided and a few small details, are  EXACTLY the same. So, naturally I needed to add a bit of charachter to the place.

I hope you enjoy this tour of a few of my favorite and some of our most used spaces in our home...


FRONT SITTING AREA 






ENTRYWAY



LIVING AREA

















DINING AREA





GUEST/OFFICE SPACE


     











I just love that we've been able to turn this place into our very own and add some personality to it with things that we absolutely love. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and please be sure to visit all of our friends joining in today for the #celebratesummerhometour. Now hop on over to my friend Melaine's home for more summer home inspiration. 

 Melaine | My Sweet Savannah



Photography Credit
Photography | Ryan Flynn 



SHOP THIS LOOK



Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Glitter Guide Home Tour + Saying Yes


Can I admit something to you guys? 
I get scared. 
Sometimes, really scared. 
Of what, you ask?
Well, first of all, admitting that I get scared. 
Secondly, of saying yes...to opportunities. 

It's kind of strange, actually. 
Sometimes when opportunities arise everything in me wants to say 'no' to things even though I know I shouldn't. Relate much? 



Anyhow, if you follow me on Instagram then you know that a week ago today, I had the opportunity to say 'yes' to a wonderful opportunity to a lifestyle site called The Glitter Guide and as excited as I was about it, everything in me wanted to run away from the idea of exposure and opportunity to have others enter my world. 


              

So, needless to say, I didn't say no. And it happened. And I'm learning guys. I'm learning a lot in this world of blogging and community and collaborating. I am so pleased with the  interview and had the amazing opportunity to work with some pretty awesome sponsors and my newly found photographer friend, Ryan Flynn or Ryan Flynn Photography.  


                 

So, what happens when we say yes to the things that we are afraid of? Well, I've put together a list of my top three things I've learned about myself  and how I win when I step out of my comfort zone and say 'yes' to opportunities: 


I learn that I can do things I never thought I could. 
Duh, right? Well, maybe not so obvious. There's something so wonderful that comes out of stretching yourself beyond the place of comfort and doing something that you never thought you would do. We're not talking about saying yes to everything that comes your way of course but this is really more about not saying no just because you're afraid of failing or don't know what the outcome will be. 



I learn how to work with others.
And everyone who grew up as an 'only child' says, "No way!" Haha! The struggle is so real, friends. I'm 37, love Jesus and my family and friends but I STILL have to remind myself that surrounding myself with others who are strong where I am weak only makes me stronger. And that I can share my chocolates. I'm a work in progress, what can I say? When we say yes to opportunities we are allowing others to join us in a journey of discovering some pretty special things stowed away inside them as well. It's really a beautiful thing. 



You learn from your mistakes and keep moving forward.
Let's face it. You're not perfect. And for this Type A perfectionist, that's a hard pillow for me to swallow. But, alas, it's true. Saying yes means you're not just saying yes to the opportunity itself but also to the possibility that something will go awry or just not work out the way you intend. Can I let you in on a little secret? It's okay. Man/Woman up, fix it when you can and move forward. As long as we are sucking air, it's gonna happen.                         



A special thank you to those amazing sponsors who supported the styling of this home tour for The Glitter Guide. You helped add a little more sparkle to my shine. 




For full source list, see list below...


FULL CLICKABLE SOURCE LIST


Stay tuned next week as I join in with Julie Blanner and a host of other amazing bloggers for more fun views of our home. I can't wait to share more with you! 

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

3 Reasons Every Gathering Needs Charcuterie + Brooklyn Slate Co.

Hey guys! 

If you've followed me here or on the 'gram for any amount of time you already know I love me some good food (insert Southern accent here), good people and some good + pretty serverware to plate it all on. 



Well, I thought this was as good a time as any to chat with you a bit about why you see my shooting photo after photo of charcuterie or eh, hm...meat and cheese platters all over the place and when my friends over at Brooklyn Slate Co. gave me the opportunity to style their amazing slate board and use their cheese bags ( I will explain), I just couldn't say no to yet another opportunity to shoot some cool food images and enjoy the fruits or well, in this case, meat and cheese of my labor. 



So without further adieu...here are my top three reasons your next gathering should include a charcuterie platter: 

1. They look fancy, but they're not. 
Seriously, friends. It's one of the easiest ways to make your guests think that you have worked hard on food when my typical board takes me anywhere from 10-12 minuntes to complete. It's like throwing the flour all over your face just before walking out of the kitchen with a beautiful store bought cake in your hand except it's a whole lot less messy and tastes a whole lot better. 

2. It costs little to nothing for the amount of people you can feed. 
The cats out of the bag. I typically shop my favorite local market or hop over to the nearest Trader Joe's to grab some of my favorite cheeses and meats. The great thing about TJ's (if you have one) is that it's all preservative free and their prices are UHmazing. Amazing. I usually spend twenty bucks or less on my larger boards and they tend to feed 20-30 people. Meat and cheese. They just make people happy and tend to fool tummies. We like that. Right?

3. They're just so dang pretty. 
I'm sorry. Maybe this is my oh-so-artsy eye here but I just love the way these look, especially when on slate. I mean. You guys. It doesn't take much to make your spread look like it hopped right out of a gourmet food magazine. I promise. Not kidding you. I kind tend to believe you could place anything on a slate or wooden board and you've automatically upgraded whatever you're presenting. It's true. 


So, there you have it, all of my charcuterie (can you tell I love that word) secrets in one post. 



As a special gift to my faithful readers here, Brooklyn Slate is offering all of you a discount on any purchase now through Friday, December 11. Just use code RESTORATION15 to get your price adjustment! 


You can see the board I have picutered here by clicking here. This is their Slate Cheese Board and is one of my faves!

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Holiday Greens, Lindsay Letters and + Tribute to My Grandmother


Growing up I never understood this but my grandmother's favorite color was...you guessed it, emerald green. 

Our carpet, drapery and even our velvet sofas and chairs were green for as long as I can remember (hey, it was the 80's, okay) and I hated it but now that I no longer have her I cling to memories like these to bring an occasional laugh or smile when I think of her. 

I guess you could say today's post and collaboration are a nod to the woman who raised me and fostered my love for home and gathering.

Anyhow, if you've ever visited Lindsay's site, you already know that it's a visual treat and when I had the opportunity to pick out something from her newest line, I'll admit it wasn't easy. 

I mean, with the holidays I wanted something that would tie in with our simple theme but I also wanted something I could display throughout the year.



I finally settled on this piece. 


        


It's the Pine on Snow Watercolor and it's one of my faves. Actually, it's pretty darn scrumptious. In the spring I'm hoping to add a little more color to our living area and make this piece one of our statement pieces. For now, it's styled beautifully in our upstairs guest room and I couldn't be more pleased with it. 



If you've never ordered anything from Lindsay, let me say this...

Her work is amazing and she takes great care in the process. Not only is everything packaged with great care but she adds personality and character to every piece shipped, including wax sealing little thank you's to her art and prints.




Who doesn't love details and to know that the business that you are purchasing from cares about YOU and not just that you are ordering something from them to increase the bottom line. This is one of the benifits of not only ordering from a small business but more particularly, from Lindsay.




And just becuase Lindsay is so stinking generous each of you can order something for your family, friends and even yourself and get 15% off your order now through January 1, 2015. Just enter code LLLOVESRHI15 for your discount at checkout! For guaranteed Christmas delivery be sure and have your orders placed by December 14, friends! 

Head on over to the site and load up on some amazing pieces and to be inspired in your own homes! 


xo, 
 

design + development by kelly christine studio