Category Archives: Decor

Picking Daisies Sale!

17 Tuesday Apr 2012

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earth day reusable napkin sale 2012

If you have been reading my blog for a bit, you are probably aware of my affinity for Picking Daisies. In honor of Earth Day, the ladies of Picking Daisies are selling ALL of their dinner napkins for 25% off…holy cow! Reusable napkins are Earth-friendly, after all.

While I won’t be picking up any new napkins this time around (we’re on a spending freeze due to all the wedding down payments we’ve placed lately…not to mention we have a huge drawer full of Picking Daisies napkins already!), here are a few lovely combinations that have me very tempted…

Garden Party

sweet life a la carte cloth napkins for the girls

{Rainbow Flowers, Honey Swirl, Amelie, Garden Gate}

Cabin in the Woods

 picking daisies slo boys men cotton fabric napkins

{Eagle Peak Trail Map, Garbo, Fish Fiesta, Rummy}

Which are your favorites?

Picking Daisies Giveaway!

27 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by in Decor, Gift Guide, Home, Wedding

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picking daisies san luis obispo california

{the lovely storefront}

Tim and I first discovered Picking Daisies at Savor the Central Coast in 2010. When we walked into the magnificent Santa Margarita Ranch barn for breakfast that morning, I was instantly smitten with the colorful napkins that were on every table. We met sisters Kay and Dede, who own the shop, later that day, and bought a dozen mix-and-match napkins. Ever since, I haven’t been able to get enough of their gorgeous cotton napkins, aprons, and table runners – if you’ve followed my blog for a while, you’ve seen their beautiful products in many of my recipe posts!

napkin rentals SLO central coast cotton pattern colorful

{my man checking out rental napkins}

Our love for Picking Daisies is even extending to our wedding. We stopped by the shop this weekend and signed a quick contract – we will be renting a selection of these beautiful napkins (in blush, navy, and gray tones) to grace the banquet tables at our wedding. I am so thrilled!

cotton napkins san luis obispo central coast

{the famous napkin wall}

And now, for some exciting news: the wonderful ladies of Picking Daisies have graciously offered a set of four dinner napkins to one lucky Sweet Life à la Carte reader!

To enter: Visit Picking Daisies’ website and take a look at their beautiful napkin designs. Leave a comment below and let us know what four napkins you would choose if you won – they can be all the same, or mix and match.

For extra entries, you can:
1. Like Sweet Life à la Carte on Facebook.
2. Follow Sweet Life à la Carte on Twitter.
3. Like Picking Daisies on Facebook.
4. Follow Picking Daisies on Twitter.

Be sure to leave a comment for each entry. Winner will be chosen at random. The deadline to enter is 5pm Pacific time this Thursday, March 1, 2012. 

Wedding Wednesday: Engagement Party Inspiration

15 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Decor, DIY, Wedding

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Tim and I are hosting a teeny tiny engagement party for ourselves in April. My Maid of Honor, Kristin, will be visiting from Pennsylvania (SO excited!!), so we decided that weekend would be the perfect chance for (most of) the wedding party to meet each other.

{this cake has one cup of bourbon in it – yes please}

While a couple members of our party live on the East Coast and probably won’t be able to make it (totally understandable!), it’s going to be a wonderful time with our bestest best friends!

{small vases and farmer’s market flowers}

We are keeping this super low-budget, so I have been investigating inexpensive touches that will make it feel like a party without breaking the bank. It will also be a chance to really play with our wedding colors for the first time – yay!

{balloons make it a party! love the DIY sparkle on these}

striped pink paper straws

{striped pink paper straws – and perhaps a signature cocktail to match}

{imimages: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

A Restyled Entry

30 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by in Books, Decor, Home

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This weekend, I made a serious leap in one of my New Year’s Resolutions – I finally tacked an area of our house that has been bothering me since I moved in a year ago. Our house was built in the 1950′s, and we have this empty wall with a big, awkward heating vent in our entry area. On any given day, this area was home to the vacuum, Tim’s work shipment boxes, and out-of-place shoes. Our photos on the wall aren’t even straight in the below “Before” photo, which shows you how much attention we paid to the space.

sweet life a la carte decor entry sideboard 1920's

{before – not a very warm welcome}

Inspired by one of my new favorite books, The Perfectly Imperfect Home, I decided to create a welcoming space where we could set our keys, mail, and bags as we come in the door; have gloves, pens, and sunglasses at the ready (but out of sight); and transform this empty, unused wall into something homey, practical, and beautiful.

perfectly imperfect home book decor

{my inspiration – from The Perfectly Imperfect Home}

Last Friday, my mom and I visited a few shops and I was on a mission to find a beautiful piece of furniture to fill our empty wall. We hit gold at Return Engagement, an upscale resale store in Atascadero. I saw this sideboard, dated back to the 1920′s, as soon as I walked in and I knew it was absolutely perfect for the space!

entry decor 1920 sideboard side table

{after – I am in love with this space and my new sideboard!}

A few more details:

{bird of prey feet}

sideboard 1920 furniture

{the sunburst drawer is my favorite}

Eventually, I want to add a big mirror above the table, and of course keep my crystal vase stocked with fresh flowers. I am so happy with this transformation!

[throw - West Elm, candle - West Elm, frame - Pottery Barn, vase - Riedel]

Wedding Wednesday: Inspiration Board

18 Wednesday Jan 2012

Posted by in Decor, Food, Wedding

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This weekend, I made a point to truly relax and enjoy my time off from work. I got the house super-clean and donated another trash bag full of clothes from my closet, both of which made me feel like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Then, I organized what had become a gigantic, jumbled Wedding Inspiration pinboard into (count ‘em!) fourteen smaller, more targeted boards. Taking a focused look at what I had pinned since summer was a true eye-opener to the wedding details that I am truly attracted (attached?) to.

{all images via my Pinterest boards}

New Year’s Resolutions

03 Tuesday Jan 2012

Posted by in Books, Decor, Fashion, Home, Wedding

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via

Hello 2012! It’s the start of a brand new year, and we have a ton of exciting things happening in the coming months. Here are my main goals for the new year, and truly, the next year and a half: it’s all about planning our wedding and starting our life together!

        • Wedding Planning: We are thinking of a Spring 2013 wedding date, and I know the 18 or so months leading up to that is going to go by so fast. One of my goals for the New Year is to be present in every minute of the planning process. We only get to do this once, and I want to savor it.
        • Staying Healthy: After I started working from home in April 2011, I gained 10 pounds like it was nothing. I have slowly but surely worked off 8 of those pounds, and I would love to lose a couple extra. Even more important than that, I want to get both Tim and I eating even healthier – to me, that means at least five servings of fruit and veggies every day, less wine and beer during the week, and minimal processed junk.

      • House into Home: It’s been almost one year since I moved in with Tim, and we are still working on organizing and minimizing our things. One of my Christmas presents from Tim was The Perfectly Imperfect Home: How to Decorate and Live Well, and I plan on slowly working my way through this book and adjusting our home accordingly. For our home as well as my wardrobe, my goal is to invest in classics, pare down to the essentials, and keep everything neat and tidy. It’s hard to do, but I know we can have a beautiful space by the time the year is through.

Christmas Preparations

22 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by in Decor, Food, Holiday, Home, iPhone

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{One of my cheese platter creations – love my job}

It’s been a crazy week, working extra hours at the cheese shop and trying to get everything wrapped up (har) for Christmas. I’ve had a cold in varying degrees since before Thanksgiving, I’ve been living on cheese and restaurant leftovers, and we have been out every night this week seeing friends – there ain’t no rest for the holiday revelers. We are doing three Christmases and three Christmas Eves (our house, my parent’s house, and Tim’s parent’s house), so I’m almost looking forward to the 26th, when I get to relax on the couch all day and do nothing…

LOVE this time of year! Happy Holidays to to you and yours.

{Cava, our Beta Fish, all ready for the big day}

{Presents wrapped}

{Receiving Christmas Cards is one of my favorite things of the season}

Thanksgiving Table Decor

16 Wednesday Nov 2011

Posted by in Decor, DIY, Holiday, Home

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Split Pea, Golden Pumpkin, Turkey, Drumstick

So I’m not too sure how it snuck up on me so quickly, but Thanksgiving is only nine days away! Nine days, as in, NEXT WEEK! Wow.

What Thanksgiving traditions do you have? In my family, we start the day off with mimosas. I tear up all the way through the entire Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (What can I say? Parades make me cry!), and root for the Shetland Sheepdog in the National Dog Show. During and following the television highlights, my mom and I cook the different components of the main meal. We also come up with a few fun appetizers every year to keep everyone’s blood sugar up until it’s time to really eat. In the evenings, I commute to Tim’s parents house for dinner #2 with his family (last year I drank too much Veuve…). I think I am pretty lucky to have two Thanksgiving meals in one day…it’s definitely one of my favorite holidays!

This year, I am hoping to deck out our table a little bit. Our Thanksgivings are small since all of our extended family is on the East Coast, so it won’t break the bank to add little details like sweet place cards or a fun centerpiece. I am loving the place cards above, and I seriously wish we needed a kid’s table, because how cool is this popcorn-stuffed turkey from Martha Stewart?