If You Liked It Then You Shoulda Put A Wreath On It

I'm not talking about your doors. Or your windows. Y'all, the easiest ticket (ever) to an effortless holiday tablescape or vignette is laying a wreath flat, smack dab in the middle of the table! Okay. Rewind. I admit it. I love oooh-ing and aaah-ing over all the fancy shamncy holiday tables set Pottery-Barn-perfectly on Pinterest. I love them. I really do. (Um, they're beautiful.) But is that realistic life for me? Aw naw. So! Allow me to introduce the wreath trick. By lying a holiday wreath on your table, all of the sudden you have symmetry and texture. Add a little goodness in the middle, and voila! You now have the loveliest tablescape (and it took you less than 5 minutes to throw together). (You're welcome.) I have proof. This took me less than 5 minutes if you want to get technical.

Wreath (also available in gold) | Placemats

If you're joining me at Move Loot tonight, I'll be hosting as we DIY that hurricane holder + glitter faux evergreen. YAY! 

Here are some inspiration pictures I've wrangled to so inspire your wreath-on-the-table skills.

Via

You had me at glitter candles. Sprinkle some ornaments around. Boom.

Via

All of the lights. All of the pinecones. And done.

Via

The beauty of simplicity: a neutral runner, evergreen wreathes, and pillar candles. 

Via

Add that cake stand you're not using for more height.

Via

Don't limit yourself to green! I love this red wreath + cake stand + pillar candle combo too.

Instagram

This one? By yours truly. I slaved over it for all of 30 seconds. (Duh.)

I used this wreath that's available in silver and gold from Target this season.

Via

This mossy wreath + apple center is perfect for transitioning from fall to winter.

Via

Simple evergreen wreath (then swoon over everything else in this room)!

Via

Love this idea for the middle: a bowl full of ornaments. (Hint: lacking extra ornaments? Hit up the Dollar Tree! Seriously.)

Via

More simplicity to love.

Via

When in doubt: pine cones + candles.

Via

Okay, now that you're an expert, don't limit yourself to the table! I love this wreath + white pumpkin + stool combo. 
So now...go get a wreath? I know. It's early November, so live wreaths generally aren't available yet. Here's my idea: invest in a wreath that embodies your holiday style (traditional, glittery, red, metallic, bold, bright, etc.) and buy one to use for-eva. Why not make it easier on yourself (year after year)? Have at it! I've rounded up some of my favorite options in various styles for you:

P.S. Mama, you taught me about this little trick, so thanks for that. ;) Credit goes to YOU! I LOVE YOU! 

Target Christmas Decor + Gift Picks

Newsflash! There are less than two months till Christmas. I know not all of y'all bust out the Christmas decor on November 1 like yours truly, but I personally prefer to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year for two months. Fall decor gets its 2 month span from September-October then it's Christmas time again. If that makes you like me a little bit less, I'm totally cool with it. I promise. I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!! As a result of my annual Christmas excitement, I've rounded up my favorite Target picks for y'all before they sell out. You know how all the good seasonal Target stuff is: get it while it's hot, or it's gone! (At least that's how it is at my local Target.) You might recall that Hope and I spent mmmmmm 45 minutes perusing through the Christmas display last week. There was so much to ooo and aaaah over. A typical metallic Christmas decor lover (golds+whites+silvers galore!), this collection of Christmas gear makes me want to brighten up my ways with some fun boldness.
Enough rambling, here's the good stuff! Some is decor, but there are a few good gifts in there too...think stocking stuffers and hostess gifts. I like shopping early so our bank account doesn't take a single severe hit in December. Oh, and if you shop online, Target is offering 15% off using code OCTOBER and an additional 15% off $100 at checkout! Even though Target offers free shipping for $25 or more, I'm still known to let the excitement get the best of me and order to store...still scoring the online discount but not having to wait for the shipment (or the searching in store!). Merry, merry, y'all!

1 | copper // champagne // gold // navy // green // magenta // pink // yellow // red These are my number one for a reason!!! I already bought two for Nancy's room (did you see?). They come in so many colors, and I'm really excited about them. They come in 16" and 12". Note that the darker pink online is not at all how it looks in real life. The other colors are on point! I got the pinks, and my sister got 2 of the champagne color for the mantel or her dining room table! THESE ARE THE PRETTIEST!!!! (And I kind of want to snag 2 more in champagne for my mantel/tablescape too.)

2 | I love this garland because it's gold, 3-D, and versatile year round. (But I'm also loving this Merry Christmas garland too). 

3 | Small (Green) // Medium (Navy) //Large (Pink) More happy colors plus mercury glass. Swoon! 

4 | Typically not a bright person, except in Nancy's playroom...THIS. WOULD LOOK SO GOOD. #amiright?

5 | You'll notice a theme here...can I have this for Nancy's playroom too? AHH! Literally putting this in my online cart as I type. 

6 | Also awesome because you can use it beyond Christmas and all through winter. Also for Nancy's playroom. Also I realize I might have a problem. ;) 

7 | AWESOME hostess gift or stocking stuffer right here! 

8 | "Iiiiii'm dreaming...of a maaaarble [inspired] kitchen..." CHEESE. But seriously. If I had one in real life, this would be the perfect little Christmasy adornment. 

9 | More bottle brush trees...mini style! All colors! 

10 | Another great hostess gift...or something to inspire your fall (like this!) AND winter tablescapes. 

11| Back to my usual loves: silver + gold. Crushing on this wreath in both colors! 

12 | I MEAN. No explanation needed. 

13 | Accent rug crush. These are so fun to put by the kitchen sink for a little holiday pizzaz!

P.S. Please vote for Nancy's Nursery ["The Loveliest Nursery"] right here while the contest is still running! You can vote once a day. Thank you!!!

Shop the Post (plus a few more holiday inspired faves!):

Move Loot Friday Faves

I had so much fun at Move Loot's DIY October Workshop this week. Summer from Simple Stylings hosted a wonderful girls' night out filled with craftiness, wine, aaaand maybe some free Move Loot bucks. Have y'all heard of Move Loot? It's THE easiest way to buy/sell furniture secondhand...think thrifting but without leaving your doorstep or spending your precious time only to come home empty-handed. If you have something to sell, they pick it up from your door, y'all. That's amazing. Think of it like Craigslist but a million times BETTER because Move Loot does all the picture taking, promoting, selling, delivering, and--duh--no sketch meet ups. You just sit in the comfort of your home. So go ahead and sign up for Move Loot (currently in CLT, Raleigh, Atlanta, NYC, LA and San Fran) and start browsing. I've been stalking daily in case something comes up that I just have to snag for my One Room Challenge! :) Oh! And I can't not mention, you get $25 in "Loot Bucks" when you sign up here using my referral link. Holla at that fun Friday treat! 
I've rounded up some faves that are currently available on their site. Happy thrifting! (My favorite.) Oh! And if you are local, please save the date for Move Loot's November DIY Workshop hosted by yours truly! We'll be creating something that's perfect for the upcoming holidays. You'll love it. Promise! November 11 at 6:30. Write it down! Come hang with me!!! :)
ONE | VANCE LINEN CONSOLE TABLESomeone please buy this. I wish I needed it. Linen, nailheads, that price?! 

Vance Linene Console Table

TWO | Misty Morning Club Chair by west elmObviously this is amazing because it's west elm. Also, it's gray. And velvet. Two things I have an affinity for! 

Misty Morning Club Chair by west elm

THREE | GOLDEN BAMBOO MIRRORGold! Bamboo! LOVE.

GOLDEN BAMBOO MIRROR

FOUR | GREEN DREAM TABLE by west elmMore west elm love. And I know I'm a sucker for neutrals, but if I had to pick a favorite bold color for decor accents, it would be this deep emerald green. This desk is SO COOL.

GREEN DREAM TABLE by west elm

FIVE | THONET ROCKING CHAIRSpeaking of cool...this. Talk about a statement piece! 

Honorable mentions...These end tables. I pondered them for my ORC, but I want something a tad bigger. I'm always a sucker for ring pulls (and this price tag)!Another west elm find: a sofaAmazing, unique corner piece.A mirrored dining table for 350?! Are you kidding me?!!!Mahogany brass end table
See, y'all?! Isn't there stuff awesome? There was a campaigner desk on here earlier that I wanted to show y'all (SWOON!), but of course it already got snatched up. I'm telling you. Move Loot is the thrill of the hunt, but with less time (and gas miles) wasted! I'm always stalking what's new. It's true. So start the hunt! And don't forget to sign up here for $25 of Move Loot bucks!
[FRIDAY means I'm linking up with...5 on Friday:  Darci, April, Christina, + Natasha | Friday Favorites: A Little Bit of Everything, Momfessionals, + Grace and Love | Oh Hey, Friday: September Farm + The Farmer's Wife]

Our Living Room

Aside from Nancy's Nursery, the living room is the only room in the house that is fairly complete. This is the first time we've had a formal living room, and I am loving it. Living rooms tend to be unused or neglected, but I am pleased to report that we've gotten some good use out of it in the short time in our home. It has proven to be the girl/boy divide when we have people over: girls chat in the living room, men in the den.

I knew I wanted this space to be filled with neutrals (my favorite) as well of pops of metallic silver-- inspired by my beloved rug. Additionally, since the square footage isn't super generous for a formal living room, I envisioned floating the furniture centrally instead of pushing it against the walls. It creates the perfect little setup for hours of girl talk. So...welcome to this light, airy (and a little girly) space! It's so fun to see all these pieces of furniture that were in completely different places in our old house come together and make a room.

When we lived at my mom's house for 5 months (in between buying and selling), she asked me one day what my favorite piece of furniture was at her house. I reported that it was the tall pine shelf. Well, my oh so sweet and gracious mama passed it on to me when we moved out of her casa. Love you, mommy!!!! I so adore this piece!

The big apothecary jar holds petals from our wedding cake. How amazing is that? I'm obsessed. 

The sea shells were collected by us while we lived at the beach.

...And then there is some sentiment-less potpourri form Pottery Barn. :)

When my interior designer mom was styling these shelves, she decided to only put the frames on one row instead of scattering them around the shelves. I love how it keeps your eye in the same sight line for photos and the other decor gets to shine by itself without competing with a photograph. 

I've had this coffee table for 3 years and am still completely googoo over it. 

See the reflection of our chairless dining room? Lots of things to complete around here in the months (and years!) to come! ;)

I have to include my little photo bomber in this final picture because this is her favorite room. She guards the house from this little perch for hours on hours. Bless. :)


SOURCESUnless otherwise noted, the majority of the furniture is a family hand-me-down.Wall color: SW Sea Salt {read about all of our home's paint colors here}Curtains: Thrifted, but they are West Elm (no longer available in this color, available in platinum)Curtain Rods (These are A BARGAIN! I use them all throughout our home and did in our old house too!)Metallic Cowhide RugCoffee TableSofa Throw Pillows: Family hand-me-downs, thrifted, and a PB Monogram Appliqué Pillow CoverWhite Chair Throw Pillows: society6Faux pumpkin: MichaelsFaux hydrangeas (comes in a set of 3)Apothecary JarsMercury Glass Vases: At Home Mercury Glass Pumpkin: Home GoodsSilver Plates: thriftedCandle, c/o New South Home Couture
OUR HOMENancy's Nursery

Dining Chair Roundup

So this weekend I scored a dreamy round pine dining table on the cheap. As in <$100 cheap. It's broken in, filled with beautiful wood knots, and I can't wait to add our family memories to its well-loved state. The only prob? I have zero dining chairs. I spent much of yesterday afternoon daydreaming of the possibilities. 

Oh, and if you need a visual, here is the current situation. Yep...a near blank canvas. :)

I have a few favorites in mind, but I'd love to hear you thoughts. What do you think?

Shop the post:

Painting our QC Home

After a morning meeting with my designer yesterday (aka my MAMA!), we nailed down paint colors for our Queen City home. It was quick decision time...before the 40% off sale ended at Sherwin Williams. We got it done, and boy was it exciting! At least to me. I stinkin' love this kinda stuff! Hubby and I are planning to do most of the painting ourselves for the first time for the love of saving a few [thousand] bucks. Here goes nothin'!

I took the above picture straight from our meeting venue: our butts on the kitchen floor surrounded by 13905315 paint swatches. So fancy but so necessary because of the natural light. You'll see some old favorites (Jogging Path and Sea Salt) and some newbies (the rest of them!). 
Here's the breakdown:

In my humble opinion, the computer images of the colors only go so far in terms of mimicking reality. They're all a lot lighter in real life. But just for imagination's sake, here's where each of these colors will go!
Sea Salt: Formal Living, Dining Room, Guest BedroomThis is the second time I've used Sea Salt. It was in the guest bedroom (and almost Nancy's nursery) in our Wilmington home. I believe it to be the perfect combination of gray, mint, and blue all rolled into one perfect neutral.
Jogging Path: Den, Sunroom, Guest BathroomAnother old favorite, this is the third time I've used Jogging Path in our main living areas. It is hands down the perfect "greige" in my book. I'm really excited about using it in the guest bath. Why? It's going to cover up pink tile! Did y'all know you can paint tile for a temporary quick fix instead of gutting the bathroom? Goodbye pink (on the walls and floor), hello Jogging Path! Thank. Goodness.
Pearly White: Foyer, Hallway, Master Bedroom, Brick FireplaceI chose this color completely inspired by the walls of my sister's new home (which are Benjamin Moore China White). I knew I wanted more "white space" in our next home, and this was our pick! Yay for white!!! (Even though the above image doesn't make it look white at all. Oh well! Silly computers.)
White Dogwood: NurseryOkay. Mom and Hope had to talk me into this one. If it weren't for Mallory's most recent One Room Challenge using this color, I probably would've kept my foot down with keeping Nancy's nursery Sea Salt. So...light pink nursery...here we come! Eeeek! And confession: the fact that this paint color is called "white dogwood" totally helped. A) The word "white" is in the color, and B) Dogwood is the North Carolina state flower! So fitting for my tiny southern girl, right? :)
Anonymous: All interior doorsI've used SW Urbane Bronze in the past (which I still love!), but mama talked me into changing it up and using Anonymous. She said it's what she'll choose in the future, so I'm just going for it. She's a pro; I'm sure she's right about this decison. (I still love you, Urbane Bronze!) Anonymous still makes for a dark door--and I love dark doors always--so I'm sure I'll love it.
[Omitted: Kitchen, Mudroom/Laundry, Master Bath]The kitchen is currently light gray, so we're keeping it that way. Same for the mudroom/laundry. Our beautiful master bathroom has royal blue tile and light blue walls with silver glitter...we are just going to live with that special combo until we save up to gut the master bath. I'll just pretend I'm a unicorn in a land of sparkles in the meantime. For the future, I'm daydreaming of light gray walls or a geometric wallpaper (maybe it would be better to not sand the glitter?) and lots of chrome hardware with whites/grays in all finishes.
If you read all of this, God bless you. I love interior design, so this post is thrilling to me while to others...it might be like watching paint dry. ;) Nonetheless, I am so excited to jump back into home decor posts and updates soon! Can't wait, y'all!
...And a blast from the past to remember:THINK before you PAINT: 7 Thoughts to Consider

Latest Steal | My New Favorite Rug

So this steal was also a splurge. Yes, that's a contradicition. It was a big splurge in my world but a huge steal nonetheless.

Meet the Serendipity Devour Cowhide Metallic Beige Rug. I've been crushing on it for almost half a year. No exaggeration. I've stalked this rug on my beloved Rugs USA (best rug deals out there -- for real) for month after month. I've seen it go out of stock, come back, get down to 50-60% off, go out of stock again...but I never pulled the trigger. Until now! I had some Christmas money and decided to spend it because after months of daydreaming,  this rug is finally on sale for 75% off. No tax. Free shipping. If you're looking for a layered look in your home, this is your deal. Or if you love a pop of metallic, this is your deal. If you love contrasting textures, this is your deal. How could I not fill y'all in?

Oh, and want to price compare? Don't worry, I've done the research. I take my deal finding very seriously. :) Here is every other online retailer that sells the rug. Price check that. I promise you won't find a better deal. The Rugs USA 75% off sale price makes it nearly/more than HALF the price listed by any other retailer! I wouldn't lead you wrongly!

Source 

I snapped a few pics and was hopeful for some bright sunlight, but it doesn't look like we'll be getting that in Wilmington till Friday. Lots of rain and lots of clouds over here. Lamp light will have to do for now. I just didn't want to wait till next week to post this in case you want to steal this deal before it goes out of stock (again)!

I layered it on top of another one of my Rugs USA purchases, the Maui Jute Rug.

When I purchased the rug, my thought was to angle it diagonally, but I couldn't handle the lack of symmetry. :)

Rug detail (and a few folding wrinkles from packaging that should be making their way out soon)

One thought: it's a lot bit more gray than beige to me, but that doesn't take away from its fabulousness at all. Besides, gray is my favorite color. And in general the rug is neutral. From leopard print to metallic cowhide, a neutral is a neutral is a neutral in my world.

Go steal this deal before it's too late!

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored by Rugs USA. But please know that Rugs USA is hands down my go-to, most favorite steal-of-a-deal rug website on Earth! Promise. :)

Be sure to pop over to Lena's blog -- January's champagne sponsor!