Working For The Weekend

I came across something while reading an old friend's blog the other day (an old friend whose daughter, for the record, is one of the most beautiful little girls I've ever seen in my life.  Just as a side note).  It said, "And every day, the world will drag you by the hand, yelling "This is important! And this is important! And this is important! You need to worry about this! And this! And this!" And each day it's up to you to yank your hand back, put it on your heart and say "No. This is what's important."  Is that great or what?  I'm not gonna lie, I may or may not have teared up just a bit.  Which brings me to my next point...I hope you have a chance to spend some time doing what's important this weekend.  I hope you find a moment to soak up all the wonderful things happening in your life right now...not the "someday" stuff you're hoping for or happy moments that have already past, the now.  Cause no matter how tough things are, I know you've got something to be thankful for.  Sometimes you just need to be intentional in dwelling on the good.  Anyway, now that I've stepped off my gratitude soapbox (how did I get up there anyway?) we've come to that time of the week where I tell you to enjoy the links.  Hope you do!

Say what?

I love this dress!

Figuring out my strategy...gotta get here

Sweet as can be...

Isn't this lovely?

Perfect for this heat!

4th of July, here we come.

Downton oh Downton, how I adore you.

Delicate, beautiful, just so so pretty!

Whoa.

I'm The Map, I'm The Map, I'm The Map: Part 1

One of my other fun flea market purchases was a handful of vintage maps.  It's crazy to think that not too long ago there was no GPS, no Google maps, no one to yell "recalculating" at you...only these awkwardly large pieces of paper with shockingly small font.  Still, there's something almost romantic about maps.  I can't quite put my finger on it but I suspect it has something to do with nostalgia.  I've got a lot planned for my new map collection...in fact, I've already scheduled another map do-it-yourself craft for next Friday (how on top of things am I?).  Now...today's DIY couldn't be easier.

Here's what I used:

3 sets of hinged double picture frames

3 photos of people I love

3 maps from where said people live

Scissors

A pencil

I've lived a few different places now and had the pleasure of establishing really meaningful relationships in all of them.  Add to that the fact that my family and friends are getting older and growing up and starting new lives in different places.  So, at this point, little pieces of my heart are all over the globe!  I thought it might be fun to illustrate my loved ones' little corners of the world in a "you are here" mall map style.  I used my parents' picture in one, made one for my roommate of her adorable niece, and went ahead and made one to remind me that there's plenty of special people right here where I live (most notably, my incredible brother).  

First, I printed out a few wallet sized photos.

Then I opened the picture frames and used the pretend family photo as a template for the map portion of the project (keeping the width of the frame itself and what it's overhang would cut off in mind).    

I centered the city I wanted to use and traced around the template with my pencil...

...then simply cut out the city and put it in the frame. 

Voila!  How cute is that?  Between the frames, maps and pictures I spent about $15 total which is not too shabby if you ask me.  Can't wait to show you my next map project (it's awesome)!

Kilim With Kindness

I think I've made my position on Morocco clear over the past few years (that position being obsessed with, in case you're new to these parts) but I find that the intensity of my obsession comes in waves.  Sometimes I'm too preoccupied with the other places and styles and decades I love to give dear sweet Morocco center stage.  But from the looks of my posts over the last week, it seems I'm riding on top of a Moroccan tidal wave at the moment.  I'm just so drawn to this whole exotic look right now!  I decided to ride it out by pulling together a roundup of Kilim patterned pieces.  Let the record show an over-dyed kilim rug is on my life purchase list but any of these pieces would be fun too!

1. Tapestry Ankle Boot, Etsy  2. Nadira Kilim Floor Pillow, Joss & Main  3. George Smith Ottoman Racer, 1st Dibs  4. Paprika Printed Crepe Tapered Pants, Net a Porter  5. Cal Kilim Area Rug, Kilim.com  6. Woven Tapestry Loafer, Etsy  7. Vintage Rug Chair, Jayson Home  8. Esta Kilim Pillow, Joss & Mai

The Foodie Files

I went to a killer flea market last weekend...the kind where you could spend all day there and still miss huge areas.  And I'm proud to say that- for the most part- I showed levels of restraint I didn't know I was capable of.  I walked away with a few things, but they were all (for lack of a better way to say it) planned pregnancies.  Of those items, I think I'm most excited about the awesome oversized blue mason jars I used for today's Foodie Files.  Since I rationalized buying them by saying "I've been looking for something like this so I can start infusing water" (which was technically the truth), I figured I should get to infusing right away to ensure buyers remorse didn't have a chance to sneak up on me.  I tried a few really fun flavor combinations that absolutely screamed summer to me and was super pumped to have them all turn out so well.  Drink up, folks cause these are delish.

Ingredients:

2 cups pineapple

2 limes

2 TBS cilantro

7 cups water

Cut pineapple into cubes and lime wedges in half.  De-stem cilantro but allow leaves to remain whole.

Put cilantro in a 2 liter container and muddle with a large wooden spoon.  Add limes and pineapple then muddle again.  Seal lid and shake to distribute ingredients.

Add water and allow mixture to steep for at least 2 hours...best case scenario, overnight.

Ingredients:

1 peach

1 cup blackberries

1 cup rasberries

7 cups water

Cut peach into cubes and wash berries.

Muddle peaches, then add blackberries and raspberries and muddle again.  Shake to evenly distribute ingredients.  

Add water and steep in the fridge.

Ingredients:

2 cups watermelon

2 TBS basil

7 cups water

Cut watermelon into cubes and de-stem basil, leaving leaves whole.

Muddle basil, add watermelon and lightly muddle.

You know the drill...shake, add water, steep.

Besides the fact that they're all natural, my favorite thing about these infused waters is they're so fresh tasting.  If you exclusively love super sugary beverages, these might not be for you- however- if subtly sweet floats your boat, you'll be hard pressed to find something more refreshing.

Mirror, Mirror

It's hot as the dickens outside!  And truth be told, I love it.  Instead of fighting the weather, I say you lean into the heat with a bit of a safari vibe.  This outfit looks comfortable, classy and cool (in both temperature and style)...doesn't get better than that, now does it? 

1. Leopard Print Peplum Top, Giambattista Valli $1,001  2. Belted Gabardine Shorts, Carven $145.50  3. Orange Fringe Tote, Anna Sui $244  4. Dara Ettinger Adelaide Orange and Aqua Earrings, Max & Chloe $313  5. Horn Cuff, Bungalo 8 $90  6. Leopard Pumps, Madwell $188

Monday Mint Garlands

A few weekends ago I made it out to a local Nashville event that was essentially a real life Etsy...AKA the best thing ever.  One of the coolest shops I came across was Monday Mint and the coolest part of their booth was these darling little handmade garlands.  So creative, right?!  The shop's owner, Nicole, is a Nashville based artist who's Etsy shop is chocked full of original artwork and handwoven scarves.  You should check it out...I mean seriously, I love these!  

(Images Via Monday Mint) 

Get It Together: Modern Moroccan

1. Arteriors Ainsworth Wood Candle Holder Set, Zinc Door $190  2. Mongolian Lamb Pillow Cover, West Elm $59  3. Recycled Glass Jugs, West Elm $19-$29  4. Blanket, Shoppe by Amber Interior Design $175  5. Deconstructed Blocks Citrine Pillow, Dwell Studio $95  6. Artificial Mini Succulents, Pier1 $7.99  7. Vintage Paul McCobb Chair, Jayson Home $595  8. Vintage Books Boxed Set, Anthropologie $1,400

Hey Bartender

How fun are these bright little portable bar carts?  I keep seeing them all over the world wide web and picturing how great they'd look by a pool.  And come this Thursday I'll be posting a few delicious drink recipes you could serve on said carts so don't forget to check back in.  Have a great Monday!

1. Avalon Turquoise Bar Cart, Zinc Door $436  2. Luxembourg Bar Cart, The Garden Gates $932  3. Caneel Bay Cart, Shop Furbish $800

Design Musings

Working For The Weekend

The first week back from vacation usually goes in one of two pretty extreme directions...either you're miserable cause you miss vacation-land or you're recharged and ready to take on the world.  Luckily, during this past week I leaned more toward the latter.  While our vacation was more exciting than it was restful, it put me in such a great mood...and when you think about it, there's nothing that makes you feel more energetic than a good attitude.  I hope 1) you get a sprinkling of good mood in your day today 2) you get to live it up this weekend and celebrate the first few days of summer and 3) you enjoy the weekend links!  See you Monday!

I'm obsessed- obsessed- with this book at the moment.  It's so insightful!

Long live the digital flea market.

Yum.

Gosh, I love this blog.

I think this is legitimately beautiful...considering the subject matter, this might be a cry for help.

Phenomenal gift idea!

Sometimes semi-pretentious food is just plain fun.  There, I said it.

So...I'd really like to go to this.  Anyone wanna come with?

What will they think of next?

Download this CD!  ASAP!

The Amazing Race(Cation): Part 2

I'm about to throw a lot of pictures at you.  A lot.  But if they're even marginally as enjoyable to look at as they were to take I think you're gonna be okay with it.  Since I briefed you on the logistics of our Amazing Race road trip yesterday, I wanted to take a second today to show you the details of our actual journey.  While the purpose of the trip was to make it down to Miami for a conference (which was amazing, by the way), I didn't see any reason why we shouldn't have the maximum amount of fun possible along the way...so, that's exactly what we did.  Here's where we stopped, what we did while we were there and just a few of the moments we'll be talking and/or laughing about for many, many moons.

Checkpoint 1: Cartersville, Georgia

Destination: Tellus Science Museum

For whatever reason, Jess and I both love a good science museum...which made this the perfect first stop!  Despite the fact that it's in the middle of nowhere, the museum itself was actually quite nice.  We explored their air and space exhibit, made a few new dinosaur friends (our favorite) and entertained ourselves in the mineral gallery (where Jess took it upon herself to fabricate a "guided tour"...needless to say I laughed 'til I cried).

Checkpoint 2: Atlanta, Georgia

Destination: Rosa Mexicano Restaurant, H&M

Since Atlanta is only about four hours away from Nashville, Jess and I have made a few day trips there over the years.  Sometimes we'll visit Ikea, other times we'll hit up Zara, but we always go to H&M and Rosa Mexicano.  Always.  So I kept our routine going.

Checkpoint 3: Ashburn, Georgia

Destination: The World's Largest Peanut

Now...I'm not sure if I believe this is actually the world's largest peanut.  According to the internet it is, but the internet says a lot of stuff so who knows.  Regardless, we were pumped to visit it.

Checkpoint 4: Ocala, Florida

Destination: The Ramada Hotel

Since our last road trip hotel experience was such a traumatizing one, we spent a lot more time researching where to stay this time around.  When all was said and done it was far from The Plaza, but at least "are we or are we not going to die tonight?" didn't seem to be such a pressing concern.  So that was a plus.

Checkpoint 5: Miami Beach, Florida

Destination: The Rendezvous Conference!!

I can't say enough wonderful things about our time in Miami!  My bestie and her husband put together the most incredible young adults conference...I was so proud I could've exploded.  On top of hearing amazing speakers share life changing messages, it was just plain fabulous to get to spend time with so many of my favorite people.  Oh, and I discovered one of my new all time favorite things...Nutella beignets. Yup, they're real.  And beyond tasty.  You just don't even know.

Checkpoint 6: Orlando, Florida

Destination: Disney World!

Oh Disney, where do I even start?  We rode the classics (including but not limited to the Teacups, It's a Small World, Aladdin's Magic Carpet, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, Rocket Ships), went to several parades and ate and ate and ate junk food.  And then we may or may not have tired of the junk food and taken the monorail to The Grand Floridian Resort to get a real meal.  One of my favorite parts of the trip as a whole was sitting on a couch in The Grand Floridian's massive lobby after dinner and listening to live music...first, a six piece band that was out of this world, then a concert pianist with skills as impressive as his penguin tailcoat was awesome.  Then, when we got our second wind, it was back to the park for more Disney magic!  The happiest place on earth indeed...

Checkpoint 7: Tifton, Georgia

Destination: Giggles Cafe, Antique Shopping

By this point in the trip we were starting to get the slightest bit delirious (hence the tiaras and kissy faces...it takes a certain level of exhaustion to turn me into a kissy face kind of gal).  But we pressed on and had a grand 'ol time in one of the most classic "small town" settings I've ever been in (which we explored tiara-free, for the record).  If you're ever passing through Tifton, Georgia I'd absolutely encourage you to take a little jaunt down Main Street.  It's adorable.  The little cafes are cute as can be, they have a farmers market and an old time movie theater and- my personal favorite- some killer antique shops.  We shopped around for about 30 minutes and I even got a chance to feed my jewel toned tableware addiction (I have a problem, for real).  Even though I'm waaaay more city mouse than I am country mouse, towns like that have a definite charm.  It was a delightful stop.   

Checkpoint 8: Atlanta, Georgia (again)

Destination: Dinner with friends!

We met up with a few friends in Atlanta for a late dinner and it ended up being just the recharge we needed to finish our trip.  

Checkpoint 9: Nashville, Tennessee

Destination: HOME!!!!

And after I distributed our victory medals (of course we had medals...please), I fell into the deepest, most wonderful sleep.  It was glorious. 

So there you have it!  That was our trip!  I'm happy to report we hit all our pit stops, completed all our Detour Challenges (if you're keeping track, the ones we chose were buy a lottery ticket, send post cards to each other and get a Georgia peach from Georgia which is a whole other story for another day), and had the very best time doing it.  I'm so thankful for a friend like Jess who's always up for whatever weird adventure I want to take (and often suggests a few adventures herself).  I wouldn't have wanted to take this trip with anyone else.  Now the question remains...how am I ever gonna top this one?  I guess it's back to the drawing board!