Monday, April 30, 2012

The Three Cs of Life

I truly believe in living by the Three Cs of Life: Choice, Chance and Change....You must make the Choice to take a Chance or your life will never Change.  Today marks a major choice, chance and change.  I turned in my resignation after 12 years in the corporate world.  I am excited, scared, anxious, nervous, terrified......everything all at once.  If you have read my "About Moi" page, you know I reference starting a "design resource business". Several friends and family have asked, "what do you mean by design resource". Well the answer is easy......I'm not sure. All I know is, I have to keep moving forward or nothing will happen.

At this point in my life, I choose DOOR NUMBER 2!

Posted by at 6:38 PM 4 comments
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Thursday, April 26, 2012

Smile....It's Almost Friday!

This weekend, I'm headed to B'ham (for those of you not from around these parts that is Birmingham, AL) to stay with my sister and go to the Magic City Art connection. Back to serious design and a major announcment on Monday!
Posted by at 6:00 PM 3 comments

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

French Connection - Bergere Chairs

Here are a random selection of events that led to this post: 

Today, Julie from Monkey Grass Hill received her Liebster award and mentioned Chateau À Gogo and the fact that the name sounds French.

My friend Melanie and her husband leave tomorrow for a fabulous vacation in the South of France.

Melanie is also currently furnishing her new home and recently reupholstered 2 Bergere chairs for her living room.

Therein lies the birth of today's topic: Bergere Chairs.

Bergere chairs were made famous by Louis the XV. They are characterized by their closed arms, loose seat cushions and exposed wood frames. They have a timeless design that is still relevant in today's spaces. The great thing about these chairs is your ability to go super formal or super fun. I of course choose super fun (surprise). Here are a few of my favorite looks:


So funny, I had to include these: dogs on Bergeres, can you believe I found two different ones:
Posted by at 5:20 PM 5 comments
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Monday, April 23, 2012

It's A Major AWARD!

Ok if you don't know the movie the title of this post came from......well I'm sorry. You are missing out on one major American Classic!

Any hoo.....I won an award. Can you believe it? My blog buddy, Charmaine, from My Best Friend Craig has awarded me the Liebster Blog award.

The Liebster Blog award is given to an up-and-coming blog, typically with about 200 followers or less that you feel deserves to be noticed. Hello! That's me, #56 and counting....come on #60. Reminder, every 20th follower wins a Chā-Gogo gift.




Now it's my turn to pass it on to 5 more than worthy blogs...

Shannon from Wine Taste Girl
Julie from Monkey Grass Hill
Melissa from The Insane Domain
J.Rutledge from Hot Child In The Country
Beth from House-Pet

To the lucky five above, here are your guidelines:
1. Link back to the person who gave it to you, they deserve the love (that is moi)!
2. Post the award on your blog for all to see!
3. Give the award to 5 of your favorite bloggers ideally with approximately 200 followers or less.
4. Leave a comment on your chosen 5 blogs to let them know that they have been given the Liebster award.


Now that you know about these amazing blogs, go check them out! You won’t be disappointed. Here are a few pics from each of them:

Wine Taste Girl



Monkey Grass Hill





The Insane Domain





Hot Child In The Country

Who wouldn't love this picture. I mean....seriously!





House-Pet



Posted by at 5:36 PM 7 comments
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Sunday, April 22, 2012

West Elm-Etsy Recap - Nashville's Got Talent

This past Saturday at the West Elm in Green Hills, Nashville style blogger Elise Yetton (Pennyweight), curated a collection of handmade goods on display and purchase as part of the ongoing partniship between Etsy and West Elm. The event featured the work of Nashville area artisans, food, drink and music.

Featured local Etsy artisans include: Acorn and Archer / Adelyn Stone / D Terry Designs / Gracey May Needlepoint / Gypsy Intent / Hummingbird Factory / Music City Suds / Oh My Deer / Peaces of Indigo / Pine Street Makery / Shutters and Shuttles / Simon and Ruby / Southern Lights Electric / Tina Eva Renee.


Please check all of their sites and awesome works. It was such a fun event and opened my eyes to new talent in Nashville. Who knows......maybe my 60th follower will get a gift from one of these artists.

Hummingbird Factory:


Oh My Deer:


Gracey May Needlepoint:


Southern Lights (Super Cool!!!)


Shutters and Shuttles:


Pine Street Makery:


A little bit of everyone:
Posted by at 1:37 PM 4 comments
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Thursday, April 19, 2012

Pastel Prettiness

Tomorrow is the last post of our Spring Sips and Styles blog hop. It was so much fun and I made some new friends along the way. Tomorrow's post is by the blog hop organizer, Shannon from Wine Taste Girl. She will be blogging on Pastels for Spring fashion. To get you in the mood, I decided to offer you a few pastel inspirations from my Pinterest boards. Enjoy and don't forget to check out all the other bloggers if you haven't done so already.




































April 9th- Savvy Spice- Color Blocking and Watermelon Margaritas




April 11th- A La Mode Maven- Nautical Trends and Mojitos




April 13th- Chateau À Gogo- Statement Necklaces and Strawberry Basil Sangrias




April 16th- Henning Love- Printed Denim and Gin and Tonics




April 18th- Her Late Night Cravings- Spring Shoes and Margaritas




April 20th- Wine Taste Girl- Pastels and Champagne Cocktails






Enter to win starting April 9th!






a Rafflecopter giveaway
Posted by at 2:42 PM 5 comments
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Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Going To Rehab: Dining Chairs

My design partner, Melissa from The Insane Domain, and I are going to give you a sneak peek of one of our latest transformation projects. We found six vintage dining chairs at the Nashville Flea Market this past winter. They have been patiently waiting in my attic for their time in rehab. We spent Sunday sanding and prepping.

We are now at the priming stage and are still undecided on seat fabric. We kind of like the original "granny gold" that was revealed after layers (representing different decades I might add) were removed. We were surprised to find the original fabric in perfect condition. The question..."is it just too granny?" We are going to wait until we have the perfectly finished high gloss white chair to make the final decision. Until then.......the jury is still out. Let us know if you have a vote.

Also let us know, if you are interested in these lovely ladies. They will be part of our "Paris Flea" (aka stuff we want to sell) inventory.









Tomorrow is another segment in our Spring Sips and Styles Blog Hop. Please check out all the bloggers listed below for some great tips.



April 9th- Savvy Spice- Color Blocking and Watermelon Margaritas



April 11th- A La Mode Maven- Nautical Trends and Mojitos



April 13th- Chateau À Gogo- Statement Necklaces and Strawberry Basil Sangrias



April 16th- Henning Love- Printed Denim and Gin and Tonics



April 18th- Her Late Night Cravings- Spring Shoes and Margaritas



April 20th- Wine Taste Girl- Pastels and Champagne Cocktails





Enter to win starting April 9th!






a Rafflecopter giveaway
Posted by at 5:57 PM 3 comments
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Monday, April 16, 2012

Gifts For The Gogo - Jonathan Adler iPad Cover

Tomorrow, I take another step towards the design resource business I've been dreaming about for years. I'll be going to a business networking group where I tell oh, about 100+ professionals about myself and my business. Who knows, it may lead somewhere, it may not but I'm kind of freaking out about it in a good way.

So, yesterday and today the topic around the house has been what I'm going to say and what I'm going to wear. I've been more focused on what to wear. Because my interior design aesthetic emphasizes the use of vintage classics with modern pieces, I've decided to wear a retro inspired dress paired with modern accessories and shoes.

This is the style of my dress. Sorry I do not have a picture but you get the idea.






My mother, knowing how important this is to me, ran out and bought me the perfect accessory for my look. The Jonathan Adler iPad case in Gothic Rose.




I love it and love her for supporting me and telling me I can do it! Now, if I can just think of what to say :)

Wish me luck. I will let you know how it goes.

Posted by at 8:07 PM 4 comments
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Henning Love

Today is her day. Pop over to Henning Love to read about Spring's colored and printed denim and drink a gin and tonic on me.

Here I am in my yellow jeans enjoying a wonderful Monday (not really but I do have yellow jeans).








April 9th- Savvy Spice- Color Blocking and Watermelon Margaritas



April 11th- A La Mode Maven- Nautical Trends and Mojitos



April 13th- Chateau À Gogo- Statement Necklaces and Strawberry Basil Sangrias



April 16th- Henning Love- Printed Denim and Gin and Tonics



April 18th- Her Late Night Cravings- Spring Shoes and Margaritas



April 20th- Wine Taste Girl- Pastels and Champagne Cocktails







Enter to win starting April 9th!








a Rafflecopter giveaway
Posted by at 11:00 AM 0 comments
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Friday, April 13, 2012

Spring Bling!

As part of the Sips and Styles blog hop hosted by the lovely Shannon from Wine Taste Girl, I am featuring Statement Necklaces for Spring. I've decide to break these up into 4 different fashion looks: Retro Girl, Mod/Uptown Girl, Classic Girl and Boho Chic Girl. The beauty of these looks are, you can go in just one direction or you can mix them up for a more eclectic style. Either way you can't go wrong.

Look #1: Retro Girl




To get this look, I recommend Geranium's Bauble Necklace. It comes in Mint, Black and Pantone's color pick for 2012, Tangerine. And just your luck, Wine Taste Girl sells them. You can order directly from her (only $44.95 which includes shipping). Mine is on the way!




Look #2: Mod/Uptown Girl



Kate Spade New York Octagonal Necklace is the one for you.



Look #3: Classic Girl



Max and Chloe's West Avenue Large Monogram Necklace in gold is a must. The picture above is a perfect example of how the looks can be mixed.



Look #4: Boho Chic Girl



Kendra Scott 'Danielle' Oval Pendant Necklace. The color choices are great and I love a long chain.



To finish up my Spring Bling and to start your weekend, I have a wonderful Strawberry Basil Sangria recipe to share with you.



•½ lb of fresh strawberries
•1 apple
•1 ounce of fresh whole basil leaves
•1 bottle of Cline Cellar's Cool Climate Chardonnay
•½ cup organic sugar
•1 cup of club soda
•1 cup of white grape juice



1. Trim and thinly slice the strawberries.

2. Slice and dice the apple into very small bits.



3. Score the basil leaves with a fork. Do this instead of cutting the leaves into strips so you will not choke on basil while trying to enjoy this drink. Simply just rub the basil leaves gently with a fork in order to release their flavor in the sangria.

4. Layer the fruit, sugar and basil in a large pitcher and let sit for about 10 minutes. This is just to let the sugar absorb the juices from the basil and the fruit. You'll see it turn a bit red.

5. Add the club soda first and then the remaining liquids. Stir well and serve.


I hope you enjoyed this segment of the Spring Sips and Styles blog hop. Please remember to visit the other bloggers and enter the contest by clicking on the Rafflecopter giveaway button below.

April 16th- Henning Love- Printed Denim and Gin and Tonics


April 18th- Her Late Night Cravings- Spring Shoes and Margaritas


April 20th- Wine Taste Girl- Pastels and Champagne Cocktails




a Rafflecopter giveaway
Posted by at 4:00 AM 10 comments
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