Lovely Treasures

Not sure why it has taken me so long to discover the joys of Etsy, but it has.  I know it has always been there for me as a unique shopping option, but never fully discovered it's awesomeness until I really started looking and browsing.  Every now and then I would like to post up some lovely treasures and share to spread the wealth.  The Etsy link for each shop can be found in the caption of the photo or email me with any questions.  Enjoy!

Link here.

My husband's cousin makes wonderful soaps and soy candles and they are available through Etsy, please check them out, the soaps smell delightful and make your skin so soft.  They are also safe for babies! Check out these other lovelies! 

Link here.

Link here.

Link here.

C'mon 5 o'clock

 As of 5 o'clock my staycation begins and relaxed Carey arrives!  We are kicking off our Memorial Holiday Weekend with an afternoon wedding on Saturday.  I just love weddings, it makes me want to have another one (which makes my husband and father roll their eyes).  I will also be house/dog sitting for my parents while they drive away to NashVegas for the weekend, but oh well, I will be enjoying the pool and sun and project making.  And of course, spending time with the husband (when he is not at work) and the sweet Hudson. 

No matter what the husband says, he is a very good dog.

 It is also important to remember why we all get this upcoming Monday off of work, Memorial Day.  A day to remember all those brave souls who fought and died for us, so that we may be free and live our lives.  As a granddaughter of a passed away WWII veteran, it is unreal to think of all the sacrifices throughout our short history as a country.  Even though America is going through some tough times, we need to reflect on what we do have and just how blessed we are.  Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend and be safe!

Hand over heart please.

Staycation 2011

The time has come to relax.....at home! Usually vacation to me involves traveling somewhere new or familiar, either way it is AWAY! But this year I have decided to take time off for the sake of taking time off.  As an interior designer one of the top comments one gets is, "I bet your home is gorgeous!"  Well no it usually is not because we spend so much time making sure everyone else's spaces are beautiful.  By the time we get to our homes we are tired and as long as laundry, dishes and home is clean then I am satisfied.  But lately the nesting newlywed in me has been stirring and I've had enough! I want my home to be special too!  So, a list of DIY'ing is in my very near future and I am getting very excited.  Here are some sneak peeks at some of my projects:
Silhouettes

Framing Fabric & Wallcovering

Mantel Art Piece

Window Treatment for Family Room

Food Themed Collage or Artwork for Kitchen

Here's to hoping I can accomplish all this while spending lots of time cooking, cleaning, working on my tan and of course time with my two men (hubby & hudson).  I will document all of my craftiness while on staycation.  Have a great kick-off to summer everyone!

Bella!

A co-worker of mine is currently on a two-week vacation in Italy.  Jealous yet?  Talking to her about her second trip to Italy brings back so many memories from my week visit with some of my girlfriends in 2006 on our way to our Berlin studio we left the states early to run through Italy before getting to Germany.  It was a fantastic time, we learned so much, saw everything and grew as women.  So I just wanted to share some images from the trip to spark inspiration and hope everyone gets to go on their dream vacation one day! Happy Wednesday!

Early morning Florence.

Stepping off the train in Roma.

Just pluck one off.

Nite Nite.

Yes please.

The Show of the Century, Part Duex

Since I just showed my story and idea behind our Save-The-Dates, I thought it would be appropriate to continue this by talking about my reception extras.  The ticket theme continued at the wedding once the guests arrived for the cocktail hour in the pre-function space. 

Backstage Pass, where all the action happens

I designed both the Save-The-Dates and the Access Passes on Adobe Illustrator.  I had the Save-The-Dates printed through a local supplier, but I decided to print the Access Passes myself using my at-home printer.  Using a hole punch at the top of the passes, my Maid Of Honor and I tied ribbon (0.69 cents a roll from Big Lots!) to each one of them!  One of the great things about these items was that they were black and white, saved a ton of money.  They had the look we wanted and gave guests all the information that they needed.  These clever little suckers told guests their assigned tables and where parking validations were available.  Not to mention a cute little souvenir if they are feeling sentimental.  A ton of the guests, including myself wore them around their necks like Backstage Passes.  The passes for the bridal party read their first name except for Bride, Groom, M.O.H. (for Maid of Honor) and Best Man to give these special people a special touch.

Another detail we added to give our love of music to the mix were the party favors, sunglasses!  Once the guests had received their backstage pass, enjoyed the cocktail hour they still were not allowed into the grand ballroom.  Once the doors opened and the guests matched their passes to their table, tucked into their dinner napkins were a pair of wayfarer sunglasses (not Ray Ban's, we are not made of money).  

Shady Surprise.

All the guest donned their shades with an attitude and helped us dance the night away.  Needless to say, they were a great hit.

My future is so bright, I gotta wear shades.

And as the ballroom grew darker and the drinks were going down smoother we started knocking out the lenses so we could see what we were doing.  Not to mention pulling off some fantastic hipster looks!  

My good friend K, who doubles as a nerd.

 It really ended up being such a personal touch for us and the guests!  We could not have asked for a more perfect celebration!

The Show of the Century, Part Un

One very special thing that my husband and I share is our love of music.  Some might call us "music snobs", but I just would say we have more taste than others.  I'm only joking! Calm down people!  But in all seriousness we do love it, I used to be the concert queen and Keith loves to play the guitar (although the busier life gets the less time he gets to play).  I have talked before about my custom designed invitations by moi, but we also designed our own Save-The-Dates.  Playing on our love of music our Save-The-Dates emulated concert tickets! 

We really are rock stars.

At first we wanted to send a ticket to each individual person who was invited versus one to each party.  Then we thought...that is a lot of tickets. So we opted to send one ticket to each party we invited.  The tickets contained the date, venue and our website so guests could learn more about the wedding and the couple.  I was really happy with the result of the tickets.  We also continued this rock-n-roll theme in other ways through details in our reception which I will share very soon!  Happy Monday!

My invitations, yum.

A Gaggle of Fine Dining

Last night in celebration of dear friends in town my friends and I made it downtown Lexington for a nice evening to catch up, enjoy some good drinks and food, and revel in the wonderful weather (until the torrential downpour began as we were getting our checks) .  We made our way to Grey Goose located on Jefferson Street and ate out on their patio.  One of the features I love about this restaurant is the atmosphere, when I am sitting on the patio I feel like I am at a friends house in their backyard hanging out (and they happen to have their own chef and waitresses to continuously wait on me). 

Outdoor Bar & Patio.

Cuisine wise, they are known for their oven grilled pizzas and they are wonderful!  I mean even their cheese pizza is delightful, though it's previous reputation might blind people as boring (do not be afraid).  All of their cheeses are fresh from up north and you can seriously taste the difference.

The husband and I had the Greek Pizza, it has become a favorite.

Full bar and yummy beer options are available.  In the summer their original cocktails, such as the strawberry mojito, are creative as they are refreshing and satisfying.  And for you bourbon lovers, Grey Goose has Pappy Van Winkle, a deliciously aged bourbon that is smooth and hard to find.  So even though the atmosphere is casual and intimate, it certainly doesn't mean that the food is. The creative nature of their dishes combine wonderful tastes that just make you want to vocalize it (and I did with a big YUM!).  I highly recommend this joint and hope you go and try it out!