Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Wednesday: Two Loves + A Want

Sharing a few items that I picked up last week and one that is on my wish list today. 


I really did not expect to like this dress but I picked it up to try on when I was in Charleston last week. Oh my gosh, new favorite over here! It's a really comfy fabric that seems to skim in the right places. I don't have any dresses like this that I could dress up or down so I am pretty excited about this one. Daytime I will wear it with flat sandals and a long necklace, nighttime I would wear it with wedges and a fun pair of earrings! 


When I am home with the kids in the summer jean shorts are my yoga pants...so I need a few good fitting pairs! I thought the button detail was fun on these, a little out of my "box" but still classic. I would say if you are between sizes, size down. I wish I had, but I don't think its anything a hot dryer setting won't fix!


I could stock my closet with blue and white blouses and be perfectly happy! That really doesn't sound like a bad idea, right? I feel so put together with a blue and white blouse and a fresh pair of white jeans...This one is so sweet with the bow on the neck detail. It's on my list! 

Monday, March 27, 2017

Grocery Store Flowers + Ginger Jars


I saw an instagram post from The Pink Pagoda {a favorite of mine!} that got my wheels spinning on the way grocery store flowers take on a sophisticated look when paired with a pretty blue and white vase. I know I've done it many times before, but I wanted to search for inspiration photos to keep in mind next time I am at the grocery store! I took a big chance and ordered a "wildflower" bouquet on my online grocery order on Saturday and ended up with a decent pink and yellow bouquet. I immediately trimmed them down so the blooms were close to the edge of the lid of the vase. I think cheaper flowers like these look better in a tight form with out much stem showing...





Here were some other inspiration photos I found, all with flowers you can easily find at your local grocery store. Our flower departments really don't have a ton of selection, especially this time of year, so I just included the staples most stores will have...

Pretty pink roses always pair well with blue and white. I love how the low jar makes it seem a little more casual yet still beautiful.


The contrast of yellow with blue is an eye catcher. Grab about a dozen and half tulips for this arrangement.

source unknown

Use several different flower varieties in the same color family in a mix of jars for this look! Makes daisies even look pretty. 


My all time favorite- hydrangeas! Sometimes these are a little harder to find and trickier to keep perky coming from the store. Buy them the day you need them for a table setting or party...


Another pop of yellow against the blue in the form of spring branches...


Hope y'all are inspired!

Thursday, March 16, 2017

Monogrammed Spring Tablescape

Something I have always wanted, but have never gotten around to adding to my collection is a beautiful set of monogrammed napkins. They have been on my wish list forever and I only wish they had made the cut a long time ago. I met one of my readers, a sweet southern gal- Christine, in Charleston on vacation last summer. After the fact, I found out that she actually owned a monogramming shop with the prettiest linens. We have kept in touch over the last several months because our style definitely coincides! She is a lover of southern hospitality, monograms {of course!}, vintage charm, family, friends, entertaining, chinoiserie...the list goes on. Fast forward to now and here I am styling some of her beautiful dinner napkins. Here you will see me styling them for a Spring occasion to get me ready for Easter- but y'all- I can't wait to pull them out for more occasions throughout the year! 


Christine's sweet little shop is called "South of Libbie" which comes from her love of two historic, southern cities- Charleston and Richmond. "Libbie" is from a favorite area of her hometown, Richmond, called Libbie and Grove, with adorable boutiques and historic brick homes. Now that Christine is in Charleston, she is drawn to the South of Broad area that she loves for the gracious homes, cobblestone streets, and sweeping sea breezes. I can't think of a better name for her shop than to combine these two adored, southern cities!


 I chose a beautiful navy monogram that reminds me of something I would see in a fine linen shop. Good monograms are hard to find- am I right? I have to say I was so impressed when my box of napkins was delivered. It was so much heavier than I expected, which only meant that the napkins were a wonderful, heavy quality. 


Before I delve into the rest of the tablescape I wanted to explain my plan of action! When I started out thinking about the tablescape I wanted to design, I envisioned something really elaborate that I had never done before. It would require some shopping and hunting around for some unique finds...and time! Even though that sounded like fun, the more I thought about it, the more I began to realize I didn't need all of that. And you don't either! I decided something simply elegant with my monogrammed napkins was so much better than a table full of knick knacks that would likely be stored in a cabinet 364 days out of the year. 

Here is what I needed...that mostly can be found in my own cabinets:
-fresh linens {tablecloth and monogrammed napkins}
-fresh flowers 
-sparkling china and crystal 
-napkin rings and silverware
-candles

That's it! 

I was more than thrilled with how this tablescape turned out and I know you all can create it at home too. Since Easter is right around the corner, this is a great time to think about how your table will look. I love the elegance and simplicity of it. Enough room for food to be set on the table, yet your guests will be able to appreciate the beautiful table you set for them. 




This tablecloth is nothing new. It is actually extremely old- given to us the day after our wedding from my Grandparents. My Grandma explained that she had been given this tablecloth from a family member when she was young, even though she had never had a "C" in her name. It was a passed down tablecloth for generations and she was excited to give it to me...finally a "C" in the family!


Usually I keep my Tobacco Leaf salad plates in the china cabinet, but since I used them on the table I switched in my assortment of Blue Willow dishes.



Our crystal pattern is Waterford Lismore Tall, but I found these Tiffany + Co vintage glasses a week ago for $8. I nearly fell over. They are simply gorgeous with that fluted edge. They remind me of something you would see in an old Hollywood movie...






The monogram napkins totally set off this table. They were the finishing touch that I needed to make it special, and the perfect investment piece to really make your table pop. 



One other fun detail is these inexpensive lucite napkin rings. They have a slot where you can put a flower, as I did. I think they would be really cute with a ribbon or sprig of holly at Christmas!



I wanted to share this note from Christine, so you all understand why she loves what she does! "I love to create linen dinner napkins that are high quality, with vintage style monograms that can be passed down for future generations! While I love the vintage and antique, I also love pops of bright colors and you'll find that incorporated through many of my pieces!"

The good news for y'all is that Christine is offering you all 10% off in her shop with code MISSDIXIE10. This expires March 26th, so it gives you just enough time to get your napkins ordered before Easter! And, if you aren't in the market for napkins- you HAVE to check her tea towels. I love these and these ginger jars! They make beautiful gifts for a shower, birthday, Mother's Day, or a treat for yourself!!

find South of Libbie on instagram here

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Spring Garden Wishlist

With a new house comes a new opportunity to create our dream landscape! I'm really, really thankful that our yard has the perfect amount of "base" landscaping. Everything is very well maintained, nothing messy, quality evergreens...with plenty of space to make it our own. I don't know how much will get planted this year with our pending garage addition, but I cannot wait to really make the yard ours! Here are some of my favorites for the garden that we either currently have that are worth a mention, or on my wishlist!

1. Boxwood
My evergreen hedge, foundation bush of choice. I will never quit you boxwood!


2. Endless Summer Hydrangeas
These are the ones that if cared for well, will give you blooms over and over throughout the summer. Thats a big plus since most just bloom once a season.


3. Blushing Bride Hydrangeas
My parents gave me one when we got engaged in a pretty stone planter. A beautiful shade of white with hints of pink!



4. Irises
I love seeing these bloom early Spring. They come in a ton of colors and are so, so easy to grow. Great bulb.


5. Japanese Snowball Viburnum
I love these for the gigantic mounds and mounds of blooms they produce, twice a year. They look similar to hydrangea blooms, so of course I love them!



6. Holly Ferns
 Great for adding to beds. Come back year after year.



7. Trees- Magnolia, Crepe Myrtle, Holly
Southern staples! I love the natchez crepe myrtle variety.



8. Caladiums
Easy for your pots!


9. Limelight Hydrangeas
These are a great shade of white and light green, they bloom a little later in the season which is a nice change when everything else seems spent!



10. Hostas
I'm obsessed with hostas. They are also a favorite to clip leaves for arrangements.



11. Rhododendrons
These are in the azalea family. I love the bright pink blooms!



12. Creeping Jenny
Easy for your pots- one of my favorite "spillers"...


13.Sweet Potato Vine
Another easy "spiller"....


14. Kimberly Queen Fern
I get two every year for my big black pots and they last all season. I am on the lookout for them now. I usually buy mine pretty early and they still do fine all summer and through the fall.



15. Peonies
Oh how I wish I could grow peonies. They do not do well in our salty, humid climate...but a girl can dream.



You can find all of these on my Floral Love + Outdoor Inspiration Board. What are your garden staples?!

PS- Stay tuned for a really fun post tomorrow to get ya in the mood for Spring + Easter!

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

A Birthday + A Christening

We celebrated both of my babies two weekends ago and I wanted to do a mini recap on those! I know I don't share a ton of personal updates but this was a special weekend for everyone. Maybe I will get better about sharing more weekend recaps etc - but let me tell you, its a lot of work for doing that. Major props to those bloggers that keep up with it all! 

First up, my sweet Weeks' Fourth Birthday. He wanted a jeep and golf themed cake :) Our baker did a perfect job executing it! I also set up a black chalkboard runner on the table that I wrote little messages on. The food went on the table- I know it looks sparse in the pic and I didn't get one when lunch was served. We had hamburgers, hotdogs, hashbrown casserole, and at the last minute I got some frozen Nathan's Onion Rings {which were SO good! Such a good side thats easy and who doesn't like onion rings?}



Weeks was so excited when it was time to sing Happy Birthday to him with his cake presented! It was so sweet.


Weeks got a fun new swingset for his birthday from both sets of Grandparents. I know the kids are going to have a blast this summer on it! This was right after going down the slide the first time!


The next day we were up early for Frances Ann's Christening! Thankfully both kids did great on the front row of the church and Weeks nodded off during the sermon, ha! I was worried how Frances Ann would react during the actual baptism but she did great. 


You can find my dress and shoes here. This dress line is one of my favorites. A designer style but priced fairly, and such a classic look! This would be perfect for Easter in a few weeks. The shoes are not only so pretty, but so comfy- I wore them all morning up until after lunch with no problems. The heel is the perfect height. I fell in love with them last fall and they are on sale now!



We had brunch at my parent's beach house afterwards and my Mom set up fresh potted flowers, pictures of my sweet girl, and of course, another cake! It was perfectly simple and sweet for the occasion. Our menu was fabulous too: roast beef tenderloin sliders, ham biscuits, broccoli salad, fruit salad and twice baked potato casserole. 




We even got a decent family photo, minus FA being her curious self! I will take it though...love them to pieces!