Tag Archives: decor

Wedding Wednesday: Jon and Rylie

24 Wednesday Oct 2012

Posted by in DIY, Party, Wedding

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , ,

sweetheart-head-table-taft-barn

{I was obsessed with their sweetheart/head table setup}

Our friends Jon and Riley were married on October 13 at Taft Barn in Atascadero, California. They got engaged earlier this year, and planned a beautiful event in such a short amount of time! Rylie is incredibly crafty, and parts of the wedding looked straight from Pinterest — it was so gorgeous.

atascadero-ca-taft-ranch-events

The venue was huge – the photo above doesn’t even begin to capture the size. There were games, a candy buffet, a photobooth, a cigar lounge, and more. Rylie and Jon had a ton of amazing DIY elements…even the beer was home-brewed!

southern-belle-dress-barn-wedding

The ceremony was one of my favorite parts, which is not always the case. Jon and Rylie read beautiful vows that they had written for each other and both cried happy tears — it always gets me when the groom tears up. Rylie and her dad arrived in the coolest old car, which you can see above, and her dress was perfect for a barn wedding — so Southern Belle!

{With my handsome husband-to-be! I wore my favorite party dress.}

Wedding Wednesday: What We Don’t Want

07 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in Wedding

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, ,

bunting wedding trends colorful tent

Throughout the wedding planning process, Tim and I have come across thousands of beautiful, clever, unique, and classic wedding ideas that we love. Sometimes I feel like I pin a hundred new ideas a day! Luckily, we still have over a year until the wedding and I haven’t started to feel pressured to narrow anything down yet. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the process of exploring and getting inspired!

enjoy cupcakes best los olivos

{Luckily, my very favorite cupcakery, Enjoy Cupcakes, does cakes too!}

While we have a lot of ideas about what we do want (to the point of having no idea, if I’m being honest), we have a very clear sense of things that we don’t want. After last week’s Wedding Wednesday, in which I offhandedly mentioned using initials, Tim went so far as to draft up a written list of things we will not be including at our ceremony or reception, and I couldn’t resist sharing it (with some of my own additions mixed in)!

  • Chalk
  • Bunting
  • Vintage Suitcases
  • Mason Jars
  • Striped Straws
  • Candy Station
  • Burlap
  • Cupcakes
  • Our Initials
  • Soda

wedding trends striped straws

As you can see from the images here, none of the things on our list are “bad” – they’re all beautiful elements that were a part of beautiful days (except soda, which literally is very bad for you). Tim and I agree that the items on our list have run their course over the past few years of wedding trends, and we want to surprise our guests with something new!

In case you’re wondering, cupcakes are one of my favorite things ever and they was one of my additions to the list! Our engagement party will definitely include cupcakes and striped straws (phew!), and we already have some awesome wooden bunting that lives in our backyard – but for the big day, these items won’t be gracing our reception.

What wedding trends do you like? Dislike?

{1, 2, 3}

A Restyled Entry

30 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by in Books, Decor, Home

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , ,

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]

Thanksgiving Table Decor

16 Wednesday Nov 2011

Posted by in Decor, DIY, Holiday, Home

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

, , ,

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?

Halloween Mantel

28 Friday Oct 2011

Posted by in Holiday

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

, ,

Halloween is almost here! We have plans to make mulled wine, sit on our porch, and hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters. Today I put the finishing touches on our decorations and strategically placed spider webs both inside and out, and I’m very pleased with how festive our home looks.

For our Halloween mantel (which is kind of a stretch – we don’t have a fireplace, so I cleared out a shelf on our hutch), the Wild Things came together with gourds, my DIY pumpkins, and a few other Halloween accessories.

I love this clever spider candle holder

The only thing left to do before Monday is carve pumpkins – I’ll show you the front of our house once that’s done!

 

Morning Walks

21 Friday Oct 2011

Posted by in Holiday, Pets

≈ Leave a Comment

Tags

, , , ,

Tim and I have two goals this season: eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, and take a long walk every day. We were completely inspired by our vacation, where we had vegetables at every meal and only took cabs to get to and from the airports. All four members of our little family could use the exercise; I am so excited that we are finally getting off our butts and getting a little movement in.

Another thing I love about walking, especially during the holiday season, is stalking everyone’s decorations. We live on Vine Street, which is locally famous for its Christmas lights…but many of our neighbors get excited for Halloween, too! As you can imagine, Vine Street and the neighboring Oak Street are one of the bigger Trick-or-Treat destinations around here. This morning I brought my camera and captured some of my favorite outdoor Halloween decorations.

The one thing I didn’t snap was a fake severed leg that someone had in their fountain…but I figured you could do without seeing that!