12.9.16 Friday Favorites - Greenville, SC Inspired

For this week's Friday Favorites, I've decided to choose a few people and companies in the Greenville area, who have really stood out to me lately.  I feel like the Upstate of South Carolina has so many wonderfully talented people!  There's no way that I could share all of my favorites in one post.  So, I'll definitely be writing more Greenville and South Carolina Friday Favorites soon!

As always, here's my list of things that have caught my eye and made me swoon throughout this week.  

1. Emilie @emsnails__

I am always amazed at what this girl can do with nails!  Each image that Emilie shares is honestly like a piece of art that you carry around on your hands for weeks!  With over 5k followers on Instagram, she's an inspiration to nail artists and salons throughout the United States!  Amazing work, Emilie!

 

2. Pen and Basil

I've been following Kristin Brooks with Pen and Basil for a while and it inspires me to want to do calligraphy. (Even though I have a hard enough time writing anything in cursive!)  Her work is so beautiful and I love what she has been creating for the Christmas season!  She also made the most adorable gift tags for the holidays.  I absolutely love this watercolor, Joy to the World, wreath print!

3. Goose Feathers Boutique

Last month, I visited Goose Feathers Boutique in Travelers Rest for the first time.  There are so many adorable dresses and home goods throughout the store!  They're always getting new stock in too, so you never know what you might find!  Go check out Goose Feathers and make sure to pet her sweet dog, Amos!  Plus, be sure to pick up one of my brush stroke paintings, which are featured in the store!  :)

4.  Clayton Tile

Clayton Tile on Woodruff Road in Greenville, has such an awesome selection of any kind of tile you could ever think of and they always share the most dreamy tiles on their Instagram page!  If you're thinking of adding tile to your home, definitely check them out!  Last year, we added a subway tile backsplash to our kitchen and we got our tile from Clayton Tile.  They were wonderful and so helpful.  I love following their page for tile inspiration!

5. The Adorned Fox

I am so amazed at what people can do with wood burning art!  I had no idea how gorgeous this art form could be, until the last couple of months!  Tabathia with the Adorned Fox has taken girl boss to a whole new level!  She's rocking out all different kinds of hand lettering and wood burn art. She has all sorts of t-shirts and goodies on her Etsy shop as well.  Way to go Tabathia!

6.  Liquid Catering

I think the idea of Liquid Catering is so awesome!  We had them provide beer and wine at our wedding reception in 2014 and they were amazing!  It's also awesome that they put drink inspirations on their Instagram page!  Yay for cocktail recipes and yay for Liquid Catering of Greenville!  

DIY Flocked Wreath

I am totally loving the look of all of these flocked Christmas trees and wreaths this year!  So, I decided to create flocked wreath for my front door.

I went to Hobby Lobby to buy the supplies that I needed for the wreath, including the flock spray.  I already had the plaid ribbon that I used for the bow, seen in my mirror post here.

This is the greenery wreath that I used.  I got it at Hobby Lobby, for only $5!

Here is the snow/flock spray that I used.  It was only $2.50 after the 50% off all of the Christmas items at Hobby Lobby.

I took the wreath outside to spray it and held the sprayer closer and farther away as I moved across the entire wreath.  I didn't want the wreath to be completely white.  I just wanted it to look like it had a dusting of snow on it.  

Here's what it looked like after I finished spraying it.

When I finished spraying the wreath, I let it dry for about 40 minutes.  It will still come off all over everything, so be careful!  

Then, I decided to make another bow, like the one I created for my dining room.  

Check out this blog post for the video that I used to make the bow.

Here's how the wreath looked before I hung it on my front door.

Here's the finished product.  I love how it turned out!  I can't wait to start flocking other Christmas projects now!  

DIY - How to Hang a Wreath from a Mirror

I've seen all of these gorgeous pins and posts lately with beautiful green wreaths attached to mirrors in living rooms and dining rooms and I just fell in love with that look!  Since I would consider myself quite the DIYer, I thought I would attempt it!

Well, hanging a wreath to a mirror wasn't quite as easy as I thought it would be originally.

Our dining room mirror is attached to the wall with two nails and two hooks on back of the mirror.  At first, I thought I would just attach a string and the ribbon to the wiring at the back of the mirror...  So, that totally messed up that plan.

After some thinking and Googling, I decided to get some 3M Command Strip Hooks.  I probably won't always want a wreath over this mirror throughout the year.  So, I didn't want to cause any damage to the wall or to the mirror. Therefore, hanging it directly above the mirror frame on the wall, was the easiest thing to do.

So, I went to  the store and found these little guys.

First, I measured the width of the framed mirror, because I wanted to make sure that the wreath was centered.  I measured it as close to  the top of the frame that I could. After I found the center point of the mirror, I used chalk and made a small dot on the wall right above the mirror to mark the center point.  

Next, I used two of the Command hooks, since they are only good for 1/2 of a pound each, I wanted to make sure that the hooks would hold the wreath.  I put a Command Strip on the wall on the left side of the chalk mark and I put another command strip on the right side of the chalk mark.  (Make sure to follow the instructions that come with the Command Strips).  After you attach the hooks, apply pressure to the hooks for 30 seconds each, to make sure that they are adhered correctly to the wall.  

Now, I needed  to attach the ribbon around the wreath and then create a bow to cover up the hooks on the top.  I simply cut one strip of ribbon to loop around the bow, for it to hang at the appropriate length, in the middle of the mirror.  I honestly, just eyeballed this part and didn't measure.  (I hate to measure anything if I can get by with it!)  Then, I used two safety pins to quickly attach the ribbon at both ends, for a sturdy and seamless loop.  You could definitely stitch up the ends to make a loop, but I wanted this to be as easy to remove as possible and didn't want to waste my plaid ribbon, when I changed it out.  Hey, I'm thrifty!

For the next step, I needed a bow to cover up the small Command hooks above the mirror.  I found this awesome video by Michaels on YouTube and used it to create the plaid bow.  Where she uses pipe cleaners to attach the bow together, I used floral wire.  Surprisingly, I have no pipe cleaners in all of my craft stuff!  So, I just cut off about an eight inch piece of craft/floral wire to wrap around the bow and secured it in the back like you would a twist tie.  This excess will be what you attach the bow to the original loop that you created and the hooks, so make sure that you wrap it around and it is pulled tight in the back of the bow.  

You can see in the picture above, where I wrapped the wire around and looped it around throughout the back of the bow.

I am so happy with the finished product! No, it wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be, but it looks beautiful for the Christmas season, and its nothing permanent that did any damage to the wall or mirror!  Happy decorating and DIYing friends!

Check out my next post on my first wreath flocking experience!

Follow me on Instagram for more shots of my Christmas decorations!

12.2.16 Friday Favorites

It's December Y'all!  

Christmas will be here before we know it and then we will be ringing in the New Year!  I can't believe it!

Here's my Friday Favorites list for this week!  It's a list of the things that caught my eye and made me swoon throughout the week.  Enjoy!

1. Poppyclips

I came across these little cuties made by Poppyclips and fell in love with them!  How stinkin adorable are they?  Using a magnet, these little clips attach to the back of your Hunter (or other) rain boots and give them a dose of cuteness.  I just love these plaid ones with the red bows.  It's so festive for this time of year!  

2. Puppy Christmas plates at Pier 1 

I was window shopping this week and came across these plates at Pier 1 Imports.  Are they not the cutest little Christmas plates?  Pier 1 has an entire collection of little Christmas doggy decor items.  Adorable!

3. Flocked Christmas Decor

I am so obsessed with flocked Christmas decor right now.  I actually bought a wreath and some flock spray this week to make a wreath for our front door.  Stay posted for a blog post on that!

Can we just take a moment to appreciate this flocked goodness from hellofashionblog on Instagram?! I mean, this is just perfect! Awesome shot Christine Andrew!

4. Christmas Decor - Truck with Christmas Tree

I came across this same little truck in the Target dollar section while visiting Asheville, North Carolina a couple of weeks ago and I could kick myself for not getting one!  We haven't had them at our stores in Greenville!  Well, we probably did, and they just sold out quickly.  Downshilohroad shared this precious shot on Instagram, of how she decorated using her little Christmas truck.  Of course I love the plaid throw with it and that "Sweater Weather" sign is just too cute!

5. Tarteist Glossy Lip Paint

Well, I just had to do a little Cyber Monday shopping in the midst of my Cyber Monday sales on the Etsy shop.  Tarte was having some great deals on Monday and I had to take advantage of that!  Hey, makeup doesn't go on sale often.  Right girls!?  I'm super excited to try this Tarteist Glossy Lip Paint in Hella.  I've never been able to wear dark lipstick colors and I'm super excited to see how this light nude color looks on!  

6. Black Tassel Earrings

I know I might be a tad biased on this next item.  However, when I made these black and gold tassel earrings, I totally wanted to make a pair for myself and wear them to all of the Christmas parties this year.  I think they would be the perfect accessory for any holiday dress or outfit!  

11.18.16 Friday Favorites

Happy Friday Yall!  This week has gone by super fast!  I've been so thankful that my husband has been off work the majority of it.  I love those weeks when you feel like all of your crazy lists of "to do's" actually get done!

Here's a list of the the things that caught my eye and made me swoon this week!  Enjoy!  Have an awesome weekend and hopefully you can get caught up on some of your to-dos before Thanksgiving!
AH!  Thanksgiving is next week!!?!

1.  Southern Living Store at the Market Common in Myrtle Beach

When I saw this week that they are opening a Southern Living Store in Myrtle Beach, I will admit, I texted my husband and told him that we needed to make a trip to the beach ASAP!  I'm so excited to visit this shop!  Hopefully in the near future!

2.  Hobby Lobby Christmas 

You know that I'm loving anything red and black plaid this holiday season.  So, when Hobby Lobby shared this on Facebook this week, I totally wanted to rush to the store and pick up all of these things to make my house look like this! And that truck pillow... Adorable!

3.  Gap Pajamas

I've always loved a pair of cozy pajamas!  There's just something so classic about these plaid pjs that Gap shared this week, of Emily Jenny (Stilettobeatss) on Instagram.  They would be perfect for Christmas morning!

4.  Sleds

Since I've been in full swing of decorating for Christmas lately, I've been shopping for new decor items and looking through stores and Instagram for inspiration.  I'm really loving how antique sleds are being used for decor.  Last weekend, my family and I visited a few antique stores in Landrum, South Carolina and I was totally inspired!  I went home and found my mom's old sled in their storage building and brought it home to decorate.  Hey... that beats spending over $100 on one, that I don't have a story to go along with it!  I remember using this sled to go down our driveway when I was a kid.  Plus, I love how it looks in the corner of our dining room.

5.  Disney Inspired Shirts on Jane.com

I've definitely spent more time and effort on looking for household items and decor lately, rather than clothes.  However, when I saw these Disney inspired shirts on jane.com last week, by Lindsey Love Designs, I had to order one!  I couldn't decide which one to order and I was almost tempted to order several...  But, I ordered a charcoal black shirt with gold writing "A dream is a wish your heart makes."  I'm so excited for it to get here!

6.  Red Tassel Earrings

I know that I'm a smidge biased on this next item, but I love these red tassel earrings!  They would be perfect with a little black dress for all of your Christmas parties this season!  Check out my etsy shop to order a pair for only $10.00!

11.11.16 Friday Favorites

Happy Friday Yall!  It's been a whirlwind the last several weeks with everything thats been going on. Yesterday was mom's last radiation treatment for breast cancer!  She was such a trooper through all of it!  We are looking forward to not have to go to the cancer center every day of the week though.

Here's a list of the things that caught my eye and made me swoon throughout this past week!

1. Disney Pillow by The Shabby Coop

You all know that I LOVE Disney!  When I saw this pillow on Instagram this week by The Shabby Coop on the Real Mouse Wives page, I fell in love with it!  How stinkin cute is it?

2.  Southern Bliss Designs Woodburn Art

I am amazed every time I watch one of Southern Bliss Design's videos on Instagram.  Her talent is crazy! I just love this Starbucks woodburn art that she created for Christmas! Adorable!

3. Black Opium Perfume by Yves Saint Laurent

It's hard to find a great perfume!  Some scents smell fabulous in the store and then you put them on and it's just awful.  I am loving Black Opium right now though!  It has a strong, yet sweet smell and then when I read that it has strong notes of coffee, I was sold!  Check it out!  I think its the perfect Winter scent. 

4.  Christmas Pallet Signs

I'm already in full swing of Christmas decorating in our household!   I love to craft too, so I was super excited to make these Christmas decor pallet signs.  The hard part is, they're for sale, and I love them so much in my house!   Do all of my other crafters out there have this same problem!?

5.  Pottery Barn Plaids

This Christmas, I am LOVING plaid.  Pottery Barn released a whole catalog devoted to plaid.  Yes... omg...  I want it all!

6.  Garnet Colored Tassel Earrings

I originally created these earrings for my Carolina Gamecocks fans!  Woohoo!   However, I also think they would be the perfect accessory for your Christmas gatherings!  They would look awesome with a plaid vest or black sweater.  Plus, they're only $10 in my Etsy shop!

Christmas Pallet Signs

I am so excited to decorate for Christmas this year!

I've already put up and decorated the tree in our living room and I have three more to go!  I started feeling quite festive early this year and made these adorable pallet signs last month.  I'm super excited about them!  Sometimes when I create things, I fall in love with them and that makes it hard for me to sell the them.  Does anyone else have this problem?!

I just had to share these with you though!  "Merry & Bright" is only $20 in my Etsy shop!   I love the merlot red color and the gold glitter for the "&" sign.   This sign screams farmhouse chic!

"Let it snow" is 45 inches by 10 inches and because of its larger size, I haven't added it to Etsy yet.  I've been hesitant to ship anything too large.  If there is an interest for the larger sign, I will add it to Etsy or can sell it directly to someone in the Greenville area.

Happy Decorating Yall!

11.4.16 Friday Favorites - Vacation Edition

Last week was our two year wedding anniversary!  I can't believe how fast time goes by!  (Check out the details from our wedding here).

For our honeymoon and one year anniversary, we went to the Food and Wine Festival at Disney World.  It is one of my absolute favorite things!  If you've never been during the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot, please do yourself a favor and check it out!

This year, we wanted to stay closer to home and just take a short trip.  So, we decided to go to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee for a couple of nights at the Margaritaville Hotel at the Island.   It was wonderful!  There is so much to do that is within walking distance of the hotel and the hotel itself is brand new and amazing!

It was hard picking only six of my favorite things from the trip, but here's a list of six things and places that caught my eye and made me swoon throughout our vacation!

1. The Apple Barn

I remember going to the Apple Barn and walking around with my family when I was a kid.  So, every time we visit the Pigeon Forge area now, I still have to go look in all of the shops and watch the apple fritters being made.  It was also decorated for Halloween and Fall, which made it even more festive!  

2.  The Margaritaville Hotel 

The hotel was wonderful! Everyone was very friendly and it was super clean.  One of my favorite things about the hotel, was the location.  There is so much to do at the Island, within walking distance.  The Island is made up of tons of restaurants, entertainment and shopping.  You could literally park your car and not have to drive again until you leave.  There's plenty to do in that one area.  It was awesome!

Each hotel room has a walk in tile shower with a rain shower head from the ceiling!  Seriously, like a spa!  The shampoo, conditioner, etc. in the rooms are all Bath and Body Works products.  I know!! How cool is that?!

Each room also has a gas fire place. 

The bar area in the hotel was great!  They have Happy Hour every afternoon and the bar staff was awesome!

How gorgeous is the lobby?

A rooftop pool overlooking the Island.

3.  Pina Colada from the Margaritaville Hotel

I'm a total sucker for a good pina colada.  I would almost consider myself a connoisseur of yummy pina coladas. ;)  My all time favorite one is from The Conch House in St. Augustine, but these were wonderful too!  The bar at the hotel was great!  They also had an outdoor area where you could sit by a fire pit or play corn hole.  

4.  Breakfast at Paula Deen's Family Kitchen

I've been a fan of Paula Deen for years and years.  I was super excited to finally be able to eat at one of her restaurants!  I also love breakfast foods! So, we decided to go to the restaurant for breakfast our first morning in Pigeon Forge.  Paula Deen's Family Kitchen is only a short walk across the Island.  (Which makes you feel a little better about pigging out when you get there!  Hey, you totally exercised on the way there!)  The restaurant is decorated beautifully and is on the second story of the building, with views that overlook the Island.  The first story of the building has an adorable store.  We visited the store the night before we ate there.  

Make sure you bring your appetite with you when you go!  All of the food is family style and all you can eat.  We got chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy, eggs, hashbrown casserole, sausage, and fruit (we felt like we needed something a smidge healthy in there!)  Everyone also gets the most yummy raisin cinnamon roll before you even place your order!

After we ate breakfast, we were so full, we went back to the room, relaxed, and watched TV for a while. I also made a cup of coffee in the Keurig in our room. 

5.  Stages West

Being a Southern girl, we love our cowboy boots!  I even wore a pair at our wedding reception.  This store had the most awesome selection of boots ever!  Literally any type of boots you could think of, they had.  They also had a really cute selection of winter clothes!  Check Stages West out when you're in the area.  It's on the corner of the main road, when you are turning into the Island area.

6. Old Mill Farmhouse Kitchen 

There are a ton of cute shops at the Old Mill area in Pigeon Forge.  I've heard great things about the restaurant there too.  The Old Mill Farmhouse Kitchen was such a precious store!  They had all different types of soup mixes, sandwiches, cornmeal, and kitchen utensils.  You could try samples of some of their more famous items. The yellow jalapeño cornbread was awesome!  I also loved all of the Farmhouse decor throughout the store.  How cute is this huge galvanized tier display?