Mixin’ It Up

As I was doing a little cleaning and organizing this weekend, I discovered something about myself that I kiiiinda already knew, but had lever really let set in before. What I learned was that I have a thing for pretty plates and bowls. (And cocktail napkins… And paper straws… And vintage low ball glasses… But we can discuss all of those another day… yikes!)

I started asking myself, “Laurel, why do you like plates and bowls so much? WHY?” and I answered myself saying, “Well, most of them were either given to you or you bought them on sale at Anthropologie, because you just can’t resist a darling little patterned salad plate or a colorful cafe bowl.”

Then I started asking myself which ones I should give away, and which ones I should keep. The thing was, I couldn’t give any of them away! Some I bought for my first apartment (#sentimental and #grownup), Price’s grandmother gave me that one, my super sweet aunt gave me those place settings, I bought these two with my mama on a trip to Florida… They all mean something!

Since I couldn’t part with any of them, I started thinking of ways I could put them all to use. I thought back on some pictures I’d seen on Pinterest with lots of patterns mixed together, and decided I’d give it a go myself!

What I found was that I almost love pattern mixing more than I love keeping it simple! When given the option between fussy and simple, I almost always go the simple route, but sometimes you can surprise yourself when you let yourself play around a little!

I even let some of the plants from our yard and some miscellaneous books from around the house play a role in the mix.

Now I’m ready to throw a dinner party…

Who wants to join?!

A Day In The Life { Fashinspiration }

Let’s liven up this day with a lovely dose of fashinspiration, shall we?! Elish talks about how, in the busy life of an interior designer such as herself, it’s important to look put together but still be able to get things done!

I’ll let her tell you about this fashionably functional ensemble!

“My day is never the same, no matter how much I would like it to be. (Type A, right here.)

By the end of the day this look had proven itself to be perfect for a girl on the go!

Starting with deliveries to client meetings, I felt an extra boost of confidence in my easy ensemble. Ready to take on the world…

That’s what every girl is looking for when she opens her closet each morning, right?”

Hat: Zara
Necklace: Anthropologie
Dress: Chelsea Violet
Cardigan: Anthropologie
Boots: Libby Story

Fashinspiration : Welcome 2014!

Happy Friday! I hope you’ve all had an awesome week and have a GREAT weekend planned!

I’ll let the fabulous Elish take things over from here today! 🙂

WELCOME 2014!

“As the first outfit post of 2014, I’m trying to put my best foot forward.

When I work on a Saturday, it’s fun to put a little more time into a polished look to feel better about being at work on the weekend.

AND the extra time helps an outfit pull double duty: Going from work to dinner with friends is an easy transition!”

Necklace: Anthropologie
(Christmas gift from my sweet sister!)
Top: Zara
Velvet Blazer: Boutique in Baton Rouge
(Can’t remember because it was in high school!)
Skirt: Anthropologie
Boots: Aldo

Lovely Lately

Lately, I’ve been surrounded by so much LOVELY that I wanted to share a few highlights / things that make me happy / things that I just find wonderful!

1. Hitting the washi tape jackpot at Target.

My sweet friend Mary Kathleen let me come over and help play with setting up the nursery of the baby boy she’s expecting next month, and she needed some washi tape for a certain project, so thanks to her, I knew to be on the lookout for some!

2. Getting a glittery wedding invitation!

Price is in a wedding on New Year’s Eve this year, and we got the invitation in the mail last week. The glitter lining made my day! How gorgeous is this invitation?!

3. A little C. H. Spurgeon wisdom

Came across this Spurgeon quote while doing a little reading the other day and loved it.

4. Noticing something I’ve passed 1,000 times for the first time.

As I was driving through Fondren earlier this week, I was at a stop light and noticed something I’ve never noticed in all my years of driving through this area… The window panes on the top floor of the building across from Ramey are painted yellow! Made me realize that I need to be more observant and take note of cool little details like that more often… 🙂

5. Airstreams + awesome food in Pensacola…

A couple of weekends ago, I was in Pensacola visiting a friend, and she and her hubby took me to al Fresco, which is basically a little food truck park. The best part? All of the food was served out of AIRSTREAMS! (I’m a little obsessed.) The second best part? The food was awesome.

6. More airstream + food fabulousness in Memphis…

Last weekend, my friend Avery and I went to Memphis for the day to spend some time with our sweet friend Elizabeth. As we were walking around, we came upon a mini Airstream that served froyo! Although it wasn’t in service at the time we found it, we still thought it was pretty awesome. (Ok, I thought it was awesome… Not sure the other two share my love for Airstreams!)

7. Drinks atop The Madison in Memphis

Also while in Memphis, Elizabeth took us to the top of the super swank Madison Hotel! We had a blast, and got a gorgeous view of the city. Good times!

8. Getting my Merry Christmas stamp in!

After taking a caligraphy class with some friends last month, I decided I’d put some of my new-found skillz to use! I wrote out Merry Christmas in calig, had it made into a stamp, and plan to get my stamp on with all The Lovely Bee Christmas cards I’ve been working on lately!

9. Doing the Anthro Christmas Display Workshop

Mary Straton signed me up for a fun little workshop at Anthropologie where we got to help them do crafts for their Christmas window display! Although we didn’t get to take anything home with us, I got some ideas, and we were rewarded with champagne punch and snacks! We were happy girls 😉

10. A little B&V wisdom…

I’ve had so much fun getting to do the social media for Blithe and Vine in Fondren! Their motto is “Life is short. Dress cute.” so I’m going with it… Life is short, so why not dress cute?!

I hope you all have a FANTASTIC weekend!! Thanks so much for stopping by! XO!

Fashinspiration Marathon, Part III :: Bullseye

Today is the final lap of our fashinspiration marathon! I’ve actually had a lot of fun with this… I hope you have too!! It’s always fun to see what Elish throws together… She’s seriously got such a talent!

Ok here is numba three…

BULLSEYE

Elish says, “The designer collaborations with Target are a highlight of any trip I make to my local red and white hot spot. No matter what item I’m there for, I immediately beeline to the left straight for the women’s clothing section.”

“I saw this shirt but, being the occasionally mildly responsible person I am, decided to wait a while before purchasing. Lo and behold, a few weeks later I returned and found my size on sale! Meant to be, obviously.”

Necklace: Anthropologie
Tunic Top: Kirna Zabete for Target
Leggings: Urban Outfitters
Shoes: Urban Outfitters

Numba 1 and numba 2 are worth checking out, too, in the event you missed those!

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! Y’all be careful out there!

Fashinspiration :: Truck Stop

Recently, I’ve come to the conclusion that fall is my favorite season… There are things I love about every season, but I do believe I’ve decided that fall has the most loveable things in it! 🙂 When fall is just around the corner, I find myself longing for cooler temps, simply so I can switch over into a new portion of my wardrobe!

Today’s fashinsipration is actually a look Elish and I shot months ago, like around February I think! It’s a lovely fallish look, though, and it goes right along with me wanting to switch into longer pants and sleeves, and richer colors. I’ll let Elish take it from here!

“Amethyst, Aubergine, Lilac, Merlot…these jeans have every tone! The pattern and colors in these jeans also keep options open when choosing a blouse to pair them with.”

“Here I went cozy and casual with a long, soft tee and a scarf. These surprisingly transitional jeans could also be paired with an oxblood silk top for an equally pulled together look!”

Top: Anthropologie
Scarf: Forever 21
Jeans: Free People via Libby Story
Shoes: Seychelles via Libby Story

Shout out to SummerHouse, whose delivery truck we used as part of the set on this particular day! 🙂

Hope everyone has the best weekend EVER!

Fashinspiration: Dressed To Impress

I think I say this every week, but… It’s appropriate to say one more time…

THIS is probably my most favorite fashinsipration to date! I love every piece of Elish’s look and I LOOOOVE yellow! It’s pretty much my favorite color… 🙂 I also love how she touches on professionalism and how presenting yourself in a professional manner does not mean fashion has to be sacrificed!

I’ll let the fashionista tell the deets on this fab look!

I think I’ve shared before that I have a lot of liberty as far as dress code goes at SummerHouse. I’m so thankful for that, and often use it to my advantage. But at the end of the day, professionalism is still something I greatly value.

I never want to take advantage of someone’s confidence in my work ethic. Professional dress is also a sign of respect. It reflects how much value you put on a meeting and in presenting yourself in the best possible light. So although most of the time I’m not in your typical “office” attire…I, along with the rest of the workforce, still believe in professional attire for interviews, new client meetings, etc..

This particular day we were meeting with a potential new client and several of our reps were in town to visit the showroom. I decided to wear something that was a little dressier and streamlined than my everyday dress, but still included a few creative pieces.

Enjoy!

Dress: H&M (London)
Collar: Anthropologie
Belt: Gianni Bini
Shoes: Lovely People

Darling Bee Things

I’ve come across several really lovely bee items lately that I’m just crazy about! I know there are a few of you who love bees just as much as I do, so this post is for y’all! 🙂

Right now, Target has some fabulous little white glazed terra cotta honeycomb canisters that I’m seriously in love with. The inside of them is green! And I’m smitten with the little bee on the top!

This gorgeous book with the gold bee on the spine was a gift from a very sweet friend, Elizabeth, who found this at Annelle Primos’ shop when she was out looking at some art. I’ve moved it around 50 times trying to find just the right place for it! 🙂

This last little gem is from Anthropologie! It was handmade in a country that I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard of… And now I can’t find the tag to tell you what country that is! Anyway, it’s really vintagey looking and so super pretty. I’ve only had it a week and I think I’ve worn it three times already! 🙂

Hope everyone has a great day!

Fashinspiration: Make It A Double!

Since I’m a bit behind on getting some fun Elish looks posted, I figured I’d do TWO today! I didn’t think anyone would mind a little extra dose of fashinspiration! 😉

I love the simplicity of this first look…
Take it away, Elish!

“Well, I moved recently, and every time I move and pack up my closet I find clothes that I haven’t worn in a while or that get forgotten that need to be used! I found this little vintage sleeveless sweater top that I hadn’t worn in a long time and thought I should put it to better use than folded at the bottom of a drawer.”

“I remember scrambling to get ready that morning. I’ve come to realize some of the most “me”, effortless looks are when I’m in a rush and going on instinct. Although I’m a major planner, I never lay out an outfit to wear for the next day. It is usually a wasted effort for me.”

“I think your signature style is what comes naturally, so never force a look. Nothing looks better than confidence!”

AMEN, missy! Ok now for this second, equally as awesome yet rather different look… E sent me these pictures from her mini girl’s trip/NYE vacay in Nashville! Her look that day was ROCKIN’!

Love the action photo!

“This is a pic in Franklin, TN’s Emmaline Boutique! “For the modern woman who simply loves to be a girl” So adorable!”

“Dressed for chilly, rainy weather in the quaint town of Franklin– New Year’s Eve sightseeing was a blast with our fabulous hostess Macey Baird! I stayed warm in lots of layers and my new Zara coat, which is quickly becoming my favorite winter coat. For lunch we took a short break at Franklin Mercantile Deli – serving everything from the Guacamento, a combo of guacamole and pimento cheese sandwich, to their noteworthy fruit tea. All in all, a fun day playing tourist spent in some relaxed “weekend” wear!”

Top & Necklace:: Anthropologie

Jeans:: Urban Outfitters

Boots:: Bronx

Jacket:: Zara

In love! Of course! What else is new? 🙂
As always, many thanks to the super stylish Elish Phares for letting me drool over her style on what seems to be becoming a daily basis! xo

Favorite Friday Find {inspired by} Barcelona

Today’s Favorite Friday Find was the Anthropologie email I got recently highlighting their Barcelona-esque clothing and home goods. I fell in love with all the outfits and housewares in the pictures of this flip book! These are a few of my fave pages:

Gorgeous, right?! My being carried away by these Catalonian images made me want to compile a few photos from the trip we went on with my husband’s family this past summer! The Spanish discos, the amazing food and shopping, the gorgeous water, the fabulous architecture… Oh, I love Barcelona!!
(Yes, that’s me leaving it all out on the floor at The Apollo disco… In case you were wondering… But that was definitely one of the highlights of the trip! Dance, baby, dance!) as was our hotel, the tapas, the plants… I loved everything about this place! And the “Barcelona bound” line on the collage is from one of our theme songs from the trip: So Good by B.o.B. Love that song! Here’s the music video, just for kicks!

Have any of you been to Barcelona? What was your favorite thing about the city? If I could go back every year, I so would!!