Our Royal Wedding Celebration!

We put a Design Muse spin on our Royal Wedding celebration and unsurprisingly things got real over the top real quick.  Enjoy these highlights from our terribly fun day!

Instead of sending plain 'ol invitations we decided to up the ante and mail tiaras to each of our guests.  While we usually have a the-more-the-merrier take on party invites, we limited the guest list to family only for this particular occasion.  Granted, our family is huge so there were no shortage of invitations to send out, but the cap allowed us to include a lot of personalized touches for each guest.  Instead of just including local family, we sent invitations across the United States and I'm thrilled to say a handful of gals hopped on a plane and joined us!  

My favorite part of the event itself was the table decor.  We raided our event styling inventory for our favorite ornate pieces and put together a few beautiful flower arrangements using peonies, brightly colored poppies, a variety of roses and a few other beautiful blooms.  We couldn't fit all 16 guests at the dining table, so in an effort to avoid the feel of a "kids table", we got creative and came up with an inclusive T shaped layout.  We bought a beautiful gold fabric to create custom tablecloths and red velvet to fabricate the runners.  Each place setting included one of Hester and Cook's Gilded Frame Die Cut Paper Placemats and a personalized Table Accent Place Card...the perfect finishing touches!  

I used our Cricut (a purchase which- for the record- pretty much changed my life) to create a few embellished monogrammed seals that we placed on the runners.  I also used it to create some precision cuts on the Instrument of Consent we displayed that gave Harry and Meghan permission to marry.  

We rolled out the red carpet (quite literally, as you can see) and guests were greeted by a friendly member of the paparazzi (alias: Paul Wharton of Paul Wharton Photography).   When my Mom came up with the idea to order a red carpet I cracked up, but it was such a fabulous addition to the day and really added to the VIP experience we were trying to create. 

We kept the menu fairly simple, and decided against making it too British (because let's be honest...the Brits do a lot of things well, but food isn't one of them).  I ordered an assortment of Tea Forte blends, and a special Harney & Sons Royal Wedding Tea for the occasion.  We also set up a Mimosa bar and station for coffee.  Since our celebration was taking place mid-morning, the menu consisted of fresh fruit, macarons, tea sandwiches (peach/honey/ricotta and avocado/cucumber), shortbread cookies, charcuterie, quiche, yogurt parfaits, breakfast meats, a light salad and my Mom's famous homemade scones.  I also whipped up what turned out to be a delicious replica of Harry and Meghan's Lemon Elderflower cake and topped it with fresh flowers. 

One of the most memorable moments of the day was when my cousin, Natalie, made a quick costume change and re-entered the party wearing her mom's wedding dress.  It was hilarious and sweet all at the same time.  

Another special moment came when I received a few picture texts from my mother-in-law.  She and my beautiful niece Ava weren't able to make the trip from Virginia to join us, so they threw on their tiaras, invited over a few special guests of their own and had a lovely satellite party.  

                   

We watched the guests arrive while we ate (with much commentary, as you can imagine) and then moved to the sofas to watch the wedding itself.  Royal Wedding fan or not, if you haven't watched the ceremony yet you should put it on your to do list!  It was beautiful from start to finish but, as many have said, Bishop Michael Curry stole the show with his impassioned message on the power of love.  

I teared up on a few occasions, but cried very real tears when The Kingdom Choir performed Stand By Me.  While many moments of the Royal Wedding made me think of my own marriage and how lucky I am to have such a wonderful husband in Davey, this particular song made me grateful for the community of women that surrounded me in that moment.  The last few years have been challenging for our family, but the women in that room and the ones who couldn't attend but celebrated with us from a distance have consistently poured so much life into me.  I looked around and saw strength, love and the main characters from most of the best stories I have.  The gift of a life crowned with family is unlike any other.  Makes me feel luckier than a princess. :)

Minted Madness!

I've been in full blown wedding planning mode since December (give or take a few...years) and have just about all the big items in place.  We decided on the ceremony and reception venues in a snap, the heavens parted when I tried on my dress, the photographer was a no-brainer and so on and so forth…but when it comes to invitations…we're talking a whole other story.  Somehow or another I've tasked the invitations with the enormous responsibility of representing all parts of our big day…they should be classy but not boring, upscale but not stuffy, creative but not weird and a hush should fall over the room when they're opened.  As you can imagine, finding such an invitation has proved difficult.  Enter Minted.  Not only do they have some of the prettiest wedding invitations, menus and programs, I've come across, they also have birth announcements, (for a little ways down the road, don't rush me people), party decorations, business cards, art prints, journals and the list goes on!  Let's just say I've spent some time perusing the merchandise and I can say with confidence the selection is killer.  I gathered a few of their beautiful offerings below…I rest my case:

1. Ombre Menu, $1.63 each for 100  2. Wed in Type Invitations, $2.34 each for 100  3. Beautifully Penned Business Cards, $0.57 each for 100  4. Vintage Grid Birth Announcement, $1.15 each for 100 5. Wildflower Journal, $16 each  6. Miss Austen Print, $20 for 5x7
A collaboration with Minted, all opinions are my own.

All Set: A Tuscan Summer

Few things delight me as much as a well set table so I was thrilled my Mom put this gem together...the color palate brings the warm tones of Tuscany to mind and the sweets she featured look heavenly.  We picked up these plates at an antique show about a year ago and have been itching to use them ever since.  There's nothing quite like a good vintage find!  

Working For The Weekend

I'm posting from New York City today!  I'm in town orchestrating a lovely wedding.   After months of planning, the ceremony is tomorrow...which, as you can imagine, means it's crunch time.  Everything is coming together beautifully but I'm gonna be one tired girl come Monday!  In fact, enjoy the links and take a nap in my honor if you can.

This might be worth looking into...

Whoa...this sounds amazing!

Is it weird that I kind of want this?

So simple but so cute.

There's some fun ideas here!

Ha, this is too great.

I could get in some trouble here.

New merch available.  Get it while you still can!

The Big 1-0-0-0!

I'm excited and freaked out and just the tiniest bit emotional to announce that today is Design Muse's 1,000th post.  Our 1,000th post, people.  I've been cheesing all day just thinking about it...in fact, I even brought in cake batter rice krispy treats to work in celebration.

Since the big 1-0-0-0 calls for some reflection, I got to thinking about my favorite posts over the last few years.  Turns out we've gone through a lot together, you and I.  We've powered through design overhauls and the re-organizing of the blog itself, survived a salon opening and reveled in the excitement of starting a more hands on design business, had some sappy moments (prime examples here and here), mourned a national tragedy, and had a blast doing everything from throwing a Breakfast at Tiffany's themed party to actually having breakfast at Tiffany's.  So!  In lieu of my usual Working For The Weekend links, I decided to use today to count down my top 10 favorite Design Muse posts of all time.  Let's take a quick stroll down memory lane, shall we?

10. Disney Princess Makeovers: I've gone back and laughed at this post dozens of times over the last few years.  It's a personal fave, plain and simple.

9. Crafting with Maps : This short series was a lot of fun to put together and really turned out beautifully.  Ideas that don't cost much and make a fun statement will always top my list!

8. Vintage Beretta: This post is filled with hilarious pictures of outfits I "designed" when I was a kid.  It's ridiculous and laughable but it's always made me smile for a handful of reasons.

7. Gabees Lip Balm: I'm so enamored with my Dad's many "Most Interesting Man In The World" hobbies, so when he named part of his empire after me I was smiley to say the least.

6. My Bedroom and Living Room Makeovers: These particular before and after posts were high points for me for very practical reasons, but even years later I'm still thrilled with how they turned out.  It was important for me to learn first hand that a little bit of re-decorating changed more than just my space, it changed my disposition.

5. Best Day Ever: I'm excited to continue this series in the near future because we had such a great time putting together our first post.  They're sometimes a challenge to orchestrate but I'm determined to make personal style posts a regular part of Design Muse soon and very soon.

4. Project Pep Talk: This post will always be very close to my heart as it centered around a really special present I made for my partner in crime.  It took some time to orchestrate but it was worth every second!

3. Banana Nutella Bread and Nutella Stuffed Brown Butter and Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies: When it comes to Foodie Files, these two recipes tied for my favorites...though I think we can all agree the real winner here is Nutella.

2. Amazing Race-Cation (parts 1 and 2): By far the coolest thing I've ever done.  Period.

And my #1 favorite post of all time...

*drumroll*

Table For Twelve Tuscan Night: A breathtaking night and precious memory...up there with my favorite evenings of all time.

So there you have it!  I enjoyed writing (let's be honest...almost) all 1,000 but these 10 have a special place in my heart.  I wish I had words to tell you guys how grateful I am for your willingness to keep coming back and allowing me to share my adventures with you.  The fact that even one person out there would find what I have to say interesting is so humbling to me.  Thanks for showing up and engaging...we've built something pretty cool together, don't you think?  Here's to at least 1,000 more!

The Foodie Files

Before my favorite guys hit the road last week, we squeezed in a delightful little Chinese New Year celebration.  It was fun for at least a million reasons but the menu was a definite high point...General Tsos chicken, sake steamed baby bok choy, a delightful green salad with ginger dressing and black toasted sesame encrusted avocado, rice and today's Foodie File, some absolutely delicious duck confit spring rolls with a plum dipping sauce (mmmMmmm).  I found the original recipe here and contemplated giving it a try on many occasions...buuut...it turns out you've gotta be real intentional to make this one happen.  There's lots of ingredients you sure won't find sitting around the back of your pantry.  I'd make these again in a heart beat, but I probably won't attempt them alongside so many other involved dishes...the prep work for this meal was out of control!

Ingredients:

For the spring rolls:
2 duck confit legs

2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed and thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks (about 1 cup)
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder
1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts, thinly sliced into matchsticks (about 2 1/2 ounces)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
10 round rice paper wrappers

1 quart vegetable oil

For the dipping sauce:
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons plum sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper

Remove the skin from the duck legs and discard.  Remove the meat, shred it into small pieces and place in a large bowl (you should have about 3 cups).  Discard the bones.  Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring rarely, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the duck meat.

Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to the pan and place over medium heat until shimmering.  Add the carrot and onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened, about 8 minutes.  Add the five-spice and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the carrot-onion mixture to the bowl with the meat and mushrooms. Add the water chestnuts and cilantro to the bowl and stir to combine. Taste and season the filling with additional salt and pepper as needed.

Place a clean, damp kitchen towel on a work surface. Fill a medium frying pan or wide, shallow dish large enough to hold the rice paper wrappers with hot tap water.  Working with 1 wrapper at a time, completely submerge the wrapper until it is soft and pliable, about 15 seconds.  Remove from the water and place on the towel.  Working quickly, place 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling across the wrapper.  Fold the bottom of the wrapper up and over the filling.  Holding the whole thing firmly in place, fold the sides of the wrapper in.  Pressing firmly down to hold the folds in place, roll the entire wrapper horizontally up from the bottom to the top.

Heat vegetable oil over medium high heat and fry rolls, turning with tongs until crispy (about 4-5 minutes).  Transfer to a paper towel covered plate and set aside until cool enough to handle.  Mix dipping sauce ingredients together and set aside.  Cut each spring roll on a bias and serve with dipping sauce.  There's a lot of harmony in this dish and it's honestly rather simple...I so hope you try it!

Be Our Valentine

Nashville friends: I have a fun announcement.  We're throwing a killer Valentine's Day event for new clients here at the salon!  You can't beat the price for the fun, indulgent night we have planned and tickets are extremely limited so make sure you get one ASAP.  If you didn't have Valentine's plans before, you do now!  Click here to purchase a ticket.

Schedule An Appointment!

Okay, let's talk shop for just a minute...as in the actual shop I just opened.  We're ready to start booking appointments for our various styling services!  How exciting is that?!  You'll find all the details on our booking page (which you can get to by clicking here or looking just below the header at the top of this page and clicking 'Schedule An Appointment').

I've spent quite a bit of time working on my business model because I'm kind of sailing in uncharted waters here.  There aren't a lot of people building what I'm trying to build and let me just tell you...it's wonderful and terrifying all at the same time.  At the end of the day, I've realized styling is a really affordable luxury that has all kinds of potential to help people.  Are growing pains and anxious moments ahead?  Of course!  But that's true of anything worth doing and I'm so excited to try and do this well.   

I broke down what I'm offering into three basic categories; Wardrobe Styling, Home Styling and Event Styling.  There's a variety of services available in each category, the details of which I've listed below.  All of our paid services are set at $40 an hour with a two hour minimum, but I'm also offering free in office consultations at our 144 McGavock Pike Nashville, TN location.  You can book an appointment right on this website (via the 'Schedule An Appointment' link I mentioned earlier)...if you see something that piques your interest there's no time like the present to follow up on it!  Now without further ado, here's what's on the menu...

Wardrobe Styling Services

Wardrobe Evaluation:
Your space, your time and the way you present yourself are all valuable...let's maximize all three and tackle your closet together. During your session we'll sort through your wardrobe and make edits based on clothes' condition, fit and style. Get ready for your fresh start! (20-40 pieces an hour)

Closet Shopping:
Did you know there's outfits...great outfits...outfits you'll love hiding out in your closet? It's true. And we can help you find them. After analyzing your wardrobe and accessories, we'll put together a look book of stylish options suited just for you and using pieces you already own. We'll even help you create a list of missing items that would pull together more looks still. Let us show you your closet in a new light...you'll be shocked at what we'll uncover. (10-15 outfits an hour)

Personal Shopping:
Let's go shopping, shall we? Whether you know what you're looking for or just know you want a change, you've come to the right place. We'll shop with you or for you, at local stores or online, and handle the pick up, delivery and return of all items. Learn to navigate trends and choose flattering styles at any price point...a perfect option for season changes, special occasions, a new job, an exciting vacation, weight fluctuation or simply turning over a new leaf! (3-5 garments an hour)

Personal Style Consultation:
Visit our Nashville, TN location for a FREE 20 minute consultation. We'll talk about how to define your personal style and share a few tips and tricks. If you're looking for a helpful, relaxed way to decide whether Wardrobe Styling is for you, this is it!

Home Styling Services

Room Consultation:

Let us help you identify your vision and the key pieces of furniture and accessories that can make it a reality. Maximize the flow of your home by re-arranging the pieces you have and/or add new ones to freshen your space. Together we can create a space with function and style that reflects you and your family.

Home Staging Services:
Selling your home? Entertaining VIPs? Preparing to have your house photographed? Home staging is all about making small changes that leave a big impact. Looking for a low investment and fast results? Look no further.

Color and/or Custom Drapery Consultation:
Visit our Nashville, TN location for a FREE 20 minute consultation. We'll discuss your color preferences and offer a few specific suggestions for high quality paint combos that are sure to brighten your home. Interested in elevating your space with custom draperies? Come browse our extensive library of fabrics!

Event Styling Services 

Venue and Tablescape Styling:
Whether you're throwing a party for 4 or 400, you want it to be fabulous in every possible way. We can help you achieve a memorable impact through venue and table design, gifts and favors, menu consultation, event branding and much more.

General Event Consultation:
Visit our Nashville, TN location for a FREE 20 minute consultation. If you're just looking to bounce around a few ideas and see if event styling services would benefit you, we'd love to meet with you!

So there you have it...I'm really going for it, folks!  I hope you'll tell your Mom, your sister, your Facebook friends, and anyone else you think might listen (have I mentioned how great you guys are lately?) :)  I'm thrilled to get this ball rolling...there's just nothing quite like a new adventure.

Oh, Lolly Lollypop

What do creme brulee, blackberry merlot mulled wine, vanilla honey with figs, chocolate cupcakes, grapefruit rosemary and baklava have in common?  They're all available (and then some) in lollypop form from The Groovy Baker!  Best news you've heard all day, right?  Seven 2 inch lollypops will run you about $10, so I'm only letting myself order two flavors (okay, probably three).  If you want to check out their inventory and weigh in on this very important decision, please do.  I'll let you know how they taste in due time, but if the shop owner's resume is any indication of what to expect (she's an experienced, professionally trained chef in NYC who's worked for the Ritz Carlton, etc) I'm thinking they'll be every bit as scrumptious as they look!

From top to bottom: Blackberry Buttercream, Peaches and Cream,

  Blackberry Merlot Mulled Wine, Mimosa, Lavender Honey