Decorating from Zero

Six months into this whole suburbanite home owner thing, and we are still so, so, so happy with life these days. It's been a never-ending adventure. Sure, we are battling weeds in a yard and weird bumps in the night that never used to be an issue in our one-bedroom condo. But, it's been such a fun adventure!! One of the biggest things I have loved about being in our new home is that we can make it ours. From paint to furniture and wall decor, we are starting from a blank slate.

Well, maybe not a totally blank slate. Take, for example, the lovely recessed ceiling wallpaper border and dual-color paint job that came with the house in the dining room:

I couldn't even bring myself to take a picture of the window treatments that were also in this room when we bought it. They were poofy and pleated, and didn't match either of the paint colors OR the trim. Tearing those things down was the very. first. thing I did when we walked in after the closing, I think even before we poured that celebratory first glass of champagne!

The laundry room has some similar earth tones going on, this time in pea green. See photo at left below. So clean and cheery, right? And the upstairs guest bath, the photo on the right? I can't even. Thankfully, it at least matches our shower curtain and towels, although I would have preferred a happy moss green to this shade of ... brown. This room in particular is on the short term weekend to-do list, no doubt.

No home is without its decorating challenges, and while some might be overwhelmed by it, I take it as a challenge (say that with a nice Eurpean accent, "shall-ange"). I have been scouring home decor magazines for inspiration, and I know that a coat of paint and something on the walls can make a huge difference without spending a lot of dollars.

What to put on the walls is a statement in itself. In our kitchen, we have two large canvas photo prints from our honeymoon. Upstairs, we have our monogram "guest book" above the bed in our room, signed by all the wedding guests. I have boxed up the rest of our old black-and-white gallery wall for now (and may resurface the art in new frames soon) while keeping an eye out for other artwork to freshen up our space.

Have any of you tried out Minted before? It's an online marketplace of independent designers. It has the feeling of a boutique shop with the resourcing of an established big online store. What I love is that everything can come pre-framed, and they offer up a ton of frames to match your decor. So, if you are like me and loving the more rustic dark wood frames right now, they have you covered. Take this Georgia photo artwork for example:

Or this foil-pressed map. I love foil-pressed things for a subtle shine and some local personality. This one is of Atlanta's downtown streets. They have a large variety of other cities and states to pick from, too. I like how the gold pops against the "distressed cottage white" frame.

For rooms like my laundry room, I know I am going to be looking for something light and fresh to liven up the space, since there are no windows in there. Prints like this cheerful flower are right up my alley, and would look cute paired with another similar one, maybe like these pretty ones, once we repaint with a new color (I am thinking something very close to white).

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Minted's stationery line. Minted has gorgeous cards and invites for all occasions. They have a brand new Save the Date collection for all of you brides-to-be (or party throwers extraordinaire, for that matter). I am loving so many of these cards. This one comes in a variety of colors, but then you can custom pick a color, too! This would be so fun for a fun event of any kind, not just a wedding.

I love the phrasing of this one. It's not just "a" date, it's "your" date and you should make it yours!

I think what I love the most about their cards is the use of cursive or loopy handwriting fonts (my fav), and so many foil-pressed options! They all look so chic. And, the focus on photography in the cards is fab. For those of you with some killer engagement shots, this site has you covered so that you can focus on the image, vs. the copy. This one is a good example, where the copy doesn't take away from the shot:

So, whether you are home decor shopping, like me, or planning the next big event, go check out Minted! Let me know what you find! Have you shopped Minted before? What did you buy?

Disclosure: I was compensated for this post by Minted, but all opinions are my own! I was already shopping their site to begin with, too :) 

Be Yourself, Together

We are entering into the end of wedding season. I can't believe another one has nearly come and gone! It seems like just yesterday we were walking down the aisle ourselves, and now here we are, five months into married life and heading into the last month or two of wedding mania for 2013.

Fall is a super popular time to get married. The cooler weather and pretty leaves add up to a gorgeous weekend for the party and photos alike. I always thought I might get married in the Fall. Although, the Fall is not an ideal time to get married here in the South. We take our Football Game Days seriously, y'all. So it worked out just fine that we got married in the stunningly gorgeous month of April instead ;)

We have just one more wedding to attend this year -- the wedding of one of our own Best Men, actually. We are so excited to celebrate with him and his fiance, and have already been thinking about all of the great wedding gifts we can give them to help them celebrate together as newlyweds.

When I shop for wedding gifts, I love finding something that fits the couple just so. Most of the time I shop from their Registry, since I know those are things that they really need and want. That's what the Registry is for, after all! Also, I will confess: I always have fun checking out what everyone has registered for. It's like getting a little, secret glimpse into their life-to-come, all via their flatware, china and bedding.

My favorite types of gifts are the ones that combine something "Registry" with a little "bonus" something that says something about them as a couple. Like a set of their rocks glasses paired with pretty cloth cocktail napkins -- the guy can enjoy his evening beverage while the girl enjoys playing hostess with gal pals. We got a fun gift along the same lines; bath towels combined with bubble bath and a book all about love. Utilitarian towels for him; girly relaxation time for me. Hooray! We both win!

This is why I love this year's Target Wedding theme of "Be Yourself, Together," which celebrates the unique qualities each individual brings to a relationship that, when combined, result in something beautiful. The Target Wedding Registry line includes traditional wedding items like vacuums and stand mixers, as well as some fun, non-traditional items to help make that gift extra special.

I went shopping around the store this week for my own Be Yourself, Together gift idea, and had fun pairing up these two items --



Gorgeous Fieldcrest bedding (who doesn't love that line, seriously? I have eyed that brand for YEARS,  am telling you!) with ...

A yoga set! Sleepyhead snoozer meets early morning gym rat. This is such a fun way to look at gift giving, and takes shopping off the registry to a whole new, personalized level. Plus, in this case, who's to say that the snoozer can't appreciate the yoga set as an evening routine, instead? It's not all about sun salutations, after all!

Follow along on Twitter for inspiration on other fun "Be Yourself, Together" gift ideas by searching the hashtag #TargetWedding. And be sure to check out the Target Wedding Catalog for even more fun ideas, and the Target Wedding website as you finish out shopping for these last few 2013 weddings -- or if you, yourself, are on the list to get married next!

Happy Shopping, and Best Wishes!!

Disclosure: I received compensation in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own. I truly love both Target AND weddings :) Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Target.

Friday Fotos

I must be losing my mind. The days -- they just keep slipping away!

One thing that helps me with my sanity is my photo stream on my phone. It was important to me when I was phone shopping last that it have a great camera. It really lets me capture those little daily moments that otherwise just slip past, when I might not have my real camera on hand.

A few of the recent snapshots from my brain, aka my phone ...

The Starbucks up near my parents' house in Roswell sure has upgraded since the days we used to study there as teens! They have an "afternoon" menu that includes wine and food, and a whole new layout for chairs and tables. If I lived anywhere near there, I am pretty sure I'd be right there in that comfy leather chair in the corner all. the. time. 

How adorable is this groom's cake set-up! The bride, a fellow GT gal, and the groom, my husband's Auburn roommate, gave a nod to the fun college rivalry world they live in. I loved it! I totally clapped along for the War Eagle song, and then STOOD UP (yep ha!) to sing along with Ramblin' Wreck when they were both played at the wedding. A girl's gotta show her pride! Hooray both teams!

I really do love my coworkers. One of our teammates went down to the Caribbean for a family vacation, and was SO NICE to bring us back awesome bracelet souvenirs! A few of the ladies on our team each got a different color. So thoughtful. I have mine tacked up next to my computer. It's awesome working with awesome people :)

At the same wedding as up above, the bride and her florist created these amazing arrangements for all over the venue. I didn't get a shot of the amazing arrangements inside, but these ones by the entrance table and escort cards grabbed my eye. The lemons and big leaves look so cool on the bottom! This could be fun to create on a smaller scale at home.

Apparently we live in a highrise full of third graders. Look this monstrosity! The ENTIRE set of pool chairs were "reserved" by people's bags, towels and sunscreen on a recent early Saturday morning. And there was not a soul in site. Seriously. So, I did what every older fourth grader would do. I stole a chair and claimed it mine :) Ha! It felt awesome. Especially when all of the 50 year old neighbors leisurely strolled down an hour and a half later, thinking they were set, and had one less chair to sit on. First come, first serve, y'all. Can't save seats with this many people in the building! 

How cute is this?! I ordered my very first thing from One Kings Lane recently (I know, I know -- but I have been a big window shopper all of these years!) and look what they sent for free as a little "Thank you for becoming a customer" -- a multi-color, prim and proper notecard set. I love writing handwritten notes, so this is just perfect. How thoughtful. And great customer service!

What memories have you been catching on your phone (or real) camera recently?

Nice Little Saturday

It's one of those low-key, few-plans, lazy-living kind of weekends over here. Last night we went to Callanwolde for one of their Jazz on the Lawn evenings. It was so relaxing! The music was James Bond-themed, performed by my brother's old jazz piano teacher and his group, the Ted Howe Trio. We went with my parents, who brought an amazing picnic dinner and chairs, and we supplied the blanket and wine. Easy! We ran into Lisa and Bo while we were there, too. All the cool kids know where it's at for a casual in-town Friday night :)

Today, much less is planned. I dropped my brother and his girlfriend at the airport earlier (so jealous, they are headed to Mexico!), got my nails done and soon am going to get my hair did. Later, a trip up to Roswell to see my parents. Yep, a nice little Saturday over here, folks -- I am loving it!

A few weekends ago, I had a similar day, and decided to spend it being crafty. I had a few supplies on hand as well as my trusty glue gun, so I poured some wine (another key supply for any craft) and got to work on making a new wreath for our door.

I am such a fan of door decor. You all may remember the Christmas wreath I made many years ago that we still hang out each year. I always get a little sad when it's the mid-summer months and I don't have a spring/summer wreath to take the place of the patriotic star I usually put out for Memorial Day and the Fourth. I also am in need of a good "house divided" Georgia Tech-Auburn creation. That may be my next project.

For this one, I grabbed up a wreath from the leftovers of our garage sale in early June, stripped off the former decor and gave it a good hose down.

What I love about this wreath is that it is decorated entirely using leftover goodies from our wedding. The white letters were used on a door wreath made by one of my bridesmaids for our couples shower. I also had YARDS of green ribbon on hand from the Williams Sonoma registry gifts we received. I was saving it for just such an occasion!

The "L" base is made from cardboard from a few leftover wedding gift boxes. I used tape to keep the fabric in place on the back, which let me move things around if the wrapping didn't look quite right.

Once I had the main letters in place, I glued on fake flowers on that were formerly centerpieces at another shower. Green, navy blue and pink -- our wedding colors!

I am pretty happy with what I made for free in about an hour. It's been fun coming home to see our joint monogram on our front door, and it also brings back to mind that great day in April and all of the celebrations with friends before that day, too.

Traveling Betty Style: Part II, Dingle

I promise I don't know where the last week went since I last posted.

Me and my fab cousins/bridesmaids/BFFs Erin and Katie. XOXO!

Ok, I guess somewhere in there, there was a little post-wedding family reunion slash party central slash party-like-we're-all-still-college vacay, this time in honor of my younger cousin, Brian, who graduated from Virginia Tech.

The Cousin Clan! Plus Steve. Minus the hubs. And one cousin. Close enough. Let's drink! Congrats, Brian!

So I don't totally fail, right? Family is a good excuse, right? Right?!

Seriously, though, sorry that I fell off the face of the planet. I even had this lovely little post mostly ready to go, too. So, here goes! Time for some more Betty travel time -- this time, to Dingle, Ireland!

For the second part of our first honeymoon week, we drove down to the southwestern corner of Ireland, to the Dingle Peninsula. While we stayed in B&Bs throughout our honeymoon, we switched things up a bit in each place. Our Doolin B&B was very traditional, while our Dingle B&B bordered more on a small hotel-feel. We were one of many rooms, and our room looked right out on the bay.

BB tip: If you are traveling for a special reason, tell the B&B owners at the time of your booking. I made a note with each reservation that it was our honeymoon, and we got special treatment at 3 our the 4 places during our two weeks. In Doolin, a free breakfast, and in Dingle, champagne upon check-in. In the Highlands, we had homemade truffles and liquors in the room each night. That fourth place? It was the B&B in Edinburgh, and they ended up being all function, no frills, so that's ok :) 

Dingle has a lot to do all within a day's drive. One of the easiest, and of course, free, things to do is drive around the Peninsula itself. We chose to drive around the Slea Head Drive, and oh my, how incredibly beautiful! It was a gorgeous day and we got somewhere around a million fantastic pictures. If I lived in this part of the world, I think I would have trouble getting anything done.

BB Tip: Bring some snacks and drinks along with you for your drive, as not all of the towns along the way are very large. The drive is a perfect morning outing, getting you back in time for an early afternoon pint. 

There are something like 30 or 40 pubs in Doolin, from hotels with a pub on the ground floor to the traditional music houses serving up pints and live sessions. We, of course, chose to sample a number of the pubs while we were in town. While pub food is tons of fun, though, we were getting a little tired of it by the end of the week. Thankfully, Brad caught sight of a "takeaway" fish and chips spot that took pub food to a whole new level. Enter, the Best Fish and Chips I Have Ever Eaten.

BB Tip: Dingle Fish Company has no seats and might remind you of a hole in the wall spot from a big U.S. city. But do not ignore this joint just off the bay by the entrance of town. It is worth the standing around and taking out, especially since you can't beat the price. For those of you who know the power of Tain in NYC, you know what I mean. No joke, this was an amazing, amazing meal, and still piping hot when we got back to our B&B to eat it. We split a large portion, and it was more than enough.

I drank more cider in Ireland and Scotland than beer. Bulmer's and Aspall were my favorite!

The other thing we did while in Dingle was tour the Ring of Kerry. The Ring of Kerry is a huge tourist destination, know for amazing ocean views, tiny roads encircling the Peninsula and quaint villages along the way. It's about a 4-5 hour drive around the whole thing. We kind of ruined it for ourselves, having already driven around the Slea Head Drive, but it was a nice tour of another part of Ireland. Plus, the bus driver was totally entertaining, and we got to listen to some fun Irish music along the way. Brad liked it because he didn't have to drive, so he got to actually see the sights, too.

BB Tip: Take a tour bus trip if you are unsure of driving, as the entire Ring of Kerry is FULL of huge tour buses that take up the whole road. It can be really intimidating for local and tourist drivers alike. Know in advance that the tour buses all stop at one main hotel/restaurant for lunch, and also know that the lunch will be horrible, made for the masses and not at all Irish. Bring along a sandwich, or at the very least, a snack :)

Words of wisdom for us newlyweds ... in the bar.

I have a few other posts coming up -- this time, for Scotland! Plus, our wedding photos came in, so you better believe that I will share a few of those along the way, too :)

Traveling Betty Style: Part 1

The gifts are unpacked, our suitcases are stowed away, and we are back to our daily routines. Mostly. I keep finding myself mentally drifting away to memories from our wedding and honeymoon. Good thing we have a lot of photos to help keep these memories fresh!

When we decided on heading to Europe for our honeymoon, Operation Savings went into full effect. We didn't want to backpack across the countryside; we wanted to see it in full Buckhead Betty style, staying in nice accommodations and living it up with dining out. Thankfully, we had a year to plan and save our pennies, so not only did we get to enjoy Europe for all it was, we also didn't blow our budgets in the process. A full two weeks in Europe (or anywhere) is doable if you plan accordingly. So, as part of my little recap here on the blog, I want to share a few of the things we did and learned along the way. Just in case you are planning a little getaway of your own to these two fair countries someday :)

The first half of our trip was spent in Ireland. Rather than driving around the country for the whole week, we decided to balance "relaxing honeymoon" with "tourist honeymoon," spending three days and three nights in each of two little fishing villages. By choosing a "home base" for a few days, we got to relax, slow down our pace and still see enough to satisfy our exploring bug. Our first stop was Doolin, on the western side of Ireland.

Doolin is a tiny town with big claims to fame. Home to a few famous tourist attractions, there is a lot to do while staying in a town with only a few hundred residents, a few pubs and tons (and tons) of cows and sheep (seriously, they were everywhere).

 While we rented a car for the trip, we found that it was most cost-efficient to walk everywhere we could in each town. This saved on fuel, the remaining tank of which was actually reimbursed to us when we returned the car later in the week. Go Ireland!

We chose to stay at bed and breakfasts through our entire trip. A B&B is a fun way to meet the locals and also get a hearty, HUGE breakfast as part of the cost of your room. The breakfasts we had throughout our trip were amazing. Cooked to order full Irish Breakfasts, French toast, cheese boards, fruit, yogurts and cereals -- the works. My favorite? The little Irish soda bread scones and jam, with a huge pot of Irish breakfast tea.

This was just the buffet portion of this B&B meal. You had this -- PLUS the cooked-to order hot meal. Oh my. So good.

BB tip: If we had not been gluttonous by still having three full meals a day (we were coming off of Wedding Diet, so we may have splurged on eating a little), the B&B breakfast can actually get you through a big portion of the day -- cutting down on lunch dollars later.

The only thing on the whole honeymoon that didn't go to plan was our cruise out to the Aran Islands. The weather was particularly stormy and windy that week, so they didn't have any cruises the whole three days we were there. But that's ok -- we fit in a lot of other things, instead! A few highlights ...

All through the country and especially in the Burren, there are these old rock walls made by farmers.

The Burren: this massive region of Ireland is made up of huge limestone rocks. And grass. And that's it. Rocks and more rocks and grass and cows. It was other-worldly, barren and stunningly beautiful.

BB tip: Go on a free hike of the Burren for a day. You can find short paths throughout, or do what we (accidentally) did, and end up on a 9-mile trek up the side of the Burren itself. Woops! At least we earned our pints that day :) 

Our view at the top of the Burren. As we sat there having asthma attacks from the climb.

We were smiling by the time we hit the other side. All downhill from here, and towards the sea!

Cliffs of Moher: these cliffs off the edge of the peninsula are breathtaking, and it's easy to see why they are one of Ireland's most-visited attractions. Seriously, just go. It's hard to detail out in words why.

BB tip: Go to the Cliffs in the evening after the visitor center closes, when entrance fees are free. Plus, the sunset on the Cliffs is stunning at that time of day. 

Pubs: But of course. We went to a pub every single day we were in Ireland (we would have in Scotland, too, but the Scottish Highlands were a bit more remote, so we just drank whiskey in the B&B, ha!). Whether for a mid-afternoon pint, evening dinner or the free music sessions at night, the pubs in Ireland are where it's at. I loved the music at night!

Every session features different instruments. This one had an accordion, guitars and an Irish whistle.

BB tip: Fish and chips, like the American burger, is a go-to choice at any pub. None of the bars charge a cover, so head on over around 8PM, grab a seat near the corner with the musicians, and hang out until close.

Our German couple friends!

Hanging out on our last night in Doolin.

Up next: our three days in Dingle!