Update Through Pictures

I realize that I haven't posted in FOREVER, well since March, which is basically forever in the world of blog posting. Anyways, I am really going to try to get back to posting more regularly. For now, I will give you an update through pictures of what I have been up to lately. I feel like it has just been weddings, weddings, weddings (which is good, since that's what I do), but looking back through pictures, I realized that I have snuck a few other projects in as well. I have many wedding and interior design jobs to share with you but they have quite a few pictures and each deserve their own post, so those will be coming soon. 

I made this wreath just before Easter. Being a southern girl, I love the natural appeal of cotton so I added it to a grapevine wreath and tied it off with a burlap bow. 

In the midst of planning weddings, I also planned a sock monkey themed first birthday party. These were the custom party hats that I designed. I have many more pictures from the photographer to share later.

One of my clients had an unfinished toy chest that I repurposed into an elegant, mirrored piece for her dining room. It's amazing what you can do with some metallic spray paint and mirrors.

For a client's bedroom, I made a drop cloth covered headboard with nailhead trim. I also designed the bedroom and painted several furniture pieces.

A client's dining room got a make-over, keeping the antique furniture and adding modern elements including a leopard print rug, abstract painting, and mercury glass.

In March, the boyfriend and I flew out to Dallas (which I completely fell in love with) to search for an apartment for him. After two days of hunting, he decided on this building which is in the trendy Uptown area. It has a basketball court on the third floor, an incredible fitness room, and is within walking distance of about 60 restaurants, not to mention all the little shops. 

In May, I was able to fit in a family beach trip to Destin, FL. It was a super relaxing week spending quality time with all my favorite people.

The boyfriend despises taking pictures but since his mom insisted and he knew I was wanting to play with my camera, he cooperated for a few graduation shots around Auburn University. This was one of my favorites, because apparently this is his "smart" look, which is appropriate since he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering.

My best friend is 6 months pregnant! I can't believe how time flies. With only three months left until her little girl arrives, I am designing her nursery with custom bedding and furniture. I am so excited to see it all finished and put together.

So that pretty much sums up my life as of lately. More to come as soon as possible!

My Home Office

This past summer we converted the guest room (actually more of a storage room) into my home office. It has been a slow process getting it to this point, but it is now one of my favorite spaces. I chose Martha Stewart's "Sharky Gray" for the wall color and added white furniture to keep the room light and airy. It is a fairly small room so the light colors helped in that respect as well. Since my business is in the wedding industry, I wanted it to have a soft, romantic feel but at the same time, I wanted to add a few fun quirky pieces since the rest of the house is pretty neutral colored. I am still new at the whole photography thing and this room was extremely hard to capture. I thought since I just got the camera, it would be a long time before I would see the need to purchase additional lenses. Definitely not the case. A wide angle lens would have made photographing this room a million times easier, but for now I made do with what I have. Anyways, welcome to my office!

I love that it is so feminine!

The pink drapes incorporate my company color.

Dogs (small breeds only) are always welcome in my office and can lay in the hot pink bed if they choose.

Monograms are my thing so of course my chair is no exception. The mirrored chest was a gift from the boyfriend and one of my favorite pieces of furniture. It adds the perfect amount of glam (and is a nice home for my printer).

I painted both of these pieces a while back but they really didn't fit with the rest of the house. I loved the bold black frame with the metallic giraffe paired with the soft abstract canvas. Then I added a pop of turquoise with the Kate Spade box, which belongs to a cake serving set, a vintage wedding cake topper, and a wedding etiquette book. Just keeping with the wedding theme.

I found this cute metal card holder at Staples to show off my pretty pink business cards.

I seriously wouldn't make it without my daily planner. I'm very pro-tchnology but some things just need to be written down. If it's not in my planner, it's not getting done.

My office is consumed with wedding magazines and these are some of my all time favorites.

My bulletin board was a little boring so I painted the edges gold to glam it up a bit. 

The old window showcases pictures from a few of my recent weddings. I used it for a bridal show and decided to keep it out for decor. I love using windows to display photos.

When I saw this Yorkie picture at Home Goods, it reminded me so much of my Presleigh. I also had to get the cute pink treat container. I told you, it's a pet-friendly place.

I had been wanting a leopard print rug to add a little sass to the room. I happened upon this one at Ross and it was dirt cheap and the perfect size.

I got this magazine holder at the thrift store and it was the perfect height for a little window seat. I added some faux fur material and it became Presleigh's favorite spot to sit while I work. She lets me know when we have visitors.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of my home office! Enjoy the weekend!

Desk- Ikea

Clear Chair- Ikea

Chair Cover- World Market

Chandelier- Ikea

Drapes- Target

Mirrored Chest- TJ Maxx

White Cabinets- Home Depot

Window Seat- Thrift Store/Faux Fur- Jo Ann Fabric/Pillow- Ross

Rug- Ross

Lamp- Old Time Pottery

Yorkie Framed Art- Home Goods/ Treat Container- Home Goods

Window- Antique Store

New Camera

I finally decided to trade in my point-and-shoot for a DSLR camera. I narrowed my choices down to the Nikon J1 and the Nikon D3100. I liked the sleek design of the J1 but the reviews weren't great so I went with the D3100. I have been reading tutorials and trying to get out of shooting in automatic mode, and while I haven't even figured out a fraction of what this thing can do, I am absolutely loving it. I don't think I quite realized how poor of quality my pictures were before. Hopefully, from now on, all my pictures on my blog will be better and will continue to improve. Here are a few pictures that I have taken...

My Shih-tzu Zhoe

My Louis

Sweet baby Presleigh

Playing with depth of field

Macro Shot

 Now that I can finally take decent pictures, I will be posting pictures of my office make-over very soon!

RH trunk copy cat

I have always loved the Aviator coffee table trunk from Restoration Hardware. I thought this piece would be perfect for an interior design project that I am working on, but with a price tag of over $1000 and the fact that it is no longer available, it wasn't an option. Instead I decided to try my hand at a DIY replica. I found an old foot locker at the thrift store for $9.99. The hardware was already a gold that was very similar to my Restoration Hardware inspiration. I taped over it so that it wouldn't be covered with paint. I used metallic silver spray paint to cover the rest of it (it was green before). When I removed the tape, I was so surprised at how similar it looked to the RH trunk. It is much smaller and is being used on the hearth, not as a coffee table, but I absolutely loved the end results. Now I want to do one for my own house but I get bored doing the same projects again and again, so we'll just have to see about that.

Restoration Hardware Aviator Coffee Table compared to DIY foot locker

Baby Girl Door Hanger

'Tis the season for babies! I know quite a few people that are expecting little ones within the next couple of months, two of which are girls. I decided to make these door hangers for part of their baby shower gifts. They can be hung on the door of the hospital and then transferred to the front door of the home of the baby's nursery. My favorite part is the little curls on top that I made out of wire, and of course, the girly pink satin ribbons. Speaking of people having babies, my very best friend in the whole world just found out she is pregnant too! I am beyond excited and have already started designing her nursery! 

She is going to be the cutest pregnant woman ever!

Rustic Glam Winter Wedding

Yes, I have most definitely been MIA from the blog world lately. Between the holiday season and finishing up my wedding planning certification, there hasn't been much time to spare. I have a lot of exciting projects in the works, some wedding and some interior design, and I promise I will share pictures of everything. Today, I have pictures from my December 17th wedding. I couldn't be happier with the way it all turned out and the amazing pictures thanks to Jennifer Oetting Dooley. 
This is one my absolute favorite pictures! The bride and the photograph are just stunning.

The whole wedding party

The reception took place in a barn. We used rustic elements mixed with mercury glass and crystal for a modern elegant touch. The cotton was perfect for setting the southern vibe.

The wishing/advice tree I created and draped with crystals.

The wedding cake.

The groom's cake table was baseball themed. Along with the cake, there were bags of fresh boiled peanuts and boxes of cracker jacks.

I created a photo display with an old window to showcase the couple's engagement pictures. The pictures were taken at the beach, where they live.

The flower girls were absolutely precious. I made the sign from wooden hearts, which I burned with "Here Come the Bride" and finished with burlap bows.

This was part of the bar, including the monogrammed tumblers and moss covered trees.

The photo booth got a Christmas themed make-over. These pictures of the guests were hilarious.

These were the moss covered picture frames I made for the bride to give to her mom and mother-in-law.

The tall centerpieces were made from Hydrangeas, Carnations, Snap Dragons, Curly Willow, Hypericum berries, and cotton. The bottom of the vases were filled with green apples and grapevine. Each table also had a smaller vase filled with jingle bells, for some subtle Christmas decor.

As the couple left at the end of the reception, the guests showered them in "snow" confetti, that was distributed in paper cones made from old book pages.

There were bags of individual graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolates favors for the guests. We thought smores were perfect for the winter rustic theme.

This another one of my favorite shots of the day. Just gorgeous.

Oh, and this one.

I think it is safe to say this crowd had a fabulous time!

 

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and is starting the new year off right!