New Years Eve | zooey deschanel

If you haven't seen this floating around you are missing out!  Gah, I love her! 

Enjoy your New Year's Eve!

Fashion Friday: Auld Lang Syne

I enjoyed dreaming up my perfect New Year's Eve outfit, but, I feel like truth must be told:  I am not much of a NYE partier.  My perfect NYE is a night with friends cooking up something good, drinking something warm, followed by some bubbly.  So that is just what we will do!

For other New Year's Eve outfit inspiration check out Long Distance Loving!

a pretty perfect week

This week has been great.  Lots of time to get cleaning and house projects done, while finding plenty of time to enjoy some R&R! My baseboards are sparkling, the brussel sprouts were a hit and today my bookcase in the master bedroom will be a beautiful gold (then I can finally add my Christmas gift)! Its been quite the cozy week, which makes me want to dress cozy as well!

Right before Christmas I spotted this goodness--

Perfect with boots and leggings, but unfortunately sold out! 

I am debating whether to find a red plaid blanket to DIY 

or pick this one up and treat myself!

hmm... time will tell! 

home accessories from furbish studios

I am lucky to have inherited my love for interior design from my mom!  She looked at my Christmas list and knew just the things that I would love to have in our sweet home!

One of my absolute favorite blogs is I Suwanee.  I love her eclectic, pattern mixing taste! She also has an interiors store in Raleigh, NC and online! There were three beauties waiting under the tree for me Christmas morning!

 This amazing pillow will look great in the center of the couch surrounded by

two large animal print pillows.  It fits right into my plan! 

This large python tray will replace the basket on our Ikea hack coffee table. 

And lastly, these sweet Straffordshire dogs will for now go

 in our master bedroom on top of the book case.

I love all of Jamie's stuff! So, might as well keep the wishlist going right? 

gold beetle for on top a stack of books, peacocks for my bookshelf, spotted pillow, 

lucite coral for the coffee table tray, wine magenta pillow, ahh! that side table, 

and leopard lumbar for master bedroom

chalkboard porcelain platter + a Christmas tradition

Hope y'all had a relaxing few days of celebration! 

We sure did, it was wonderful to be with family!

Have y'all seen this precious DIY platter floating around pinterest lately?  I am loving it!  I think I even have a platter that I can use sitting in my cabinet, platters were a hot wedding gift for us!  

Voila!  Your own easy to personalize platter.

Every year my  siblings and I take a picture together for my mama for a Christmas present. We do the whole thing start to finish and give it to her framed. We have been doing it for about 10 years now, and it is so fun to see the changes.  And, this year of course we got to add another person!  I can't wait to add other spouses and children along the way.

Merry Christmas

"He will bring you joy and delight, and many will rejoice because of His birth..." Luke 1:14

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Wishing you and yours the many blessings of Christmas.

Our first "Marry Christmas"

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas! 

Friday's Fancies || winter of white

I am a southern girl through and through, which means I have always lived by the rule no white after labor day.  And I can see my grandmama cringe as I type this, but I am coming around!  The right white can work year around.

See what I mean? I would totally rock this! 

Check out more white inspiration over at Long Distance Loving! 

the look for less

I have been loving the wedge booties craze!  But, I had not added any into my closet until last week when I walked into target and spotted these.  You better believe I snatched them up in a hurry! Although, I do love the exposed sole on the  Dolce Vita option (and steve madden here), 

I am thrilled with my look for less! 

Merry Christmas to me!

fabrics + a winner

The fabrics came for my parson chair project! I love them!  You cant beat a classic linen and black with dog silhouettes, and then teal velvet lumbar pillows--yum!  Can't wait to get it all finished, 

I think it will have to wait til after Christmas, though. 

In between the two parsons is a cute little candlestick table that I fixed up.  I was inspired by West Elm's gold dipped table.  I painted the table classic teal by valspar, then covered it with a pillow case, taped off the legs and sprayed them with Krylon metallic gold.  

Above the two chairs I have a beautiful replica of one of my favorite Van Gogh's

above van gogh, mine mado smith

Sorry for the iphone photos!  I was in a hurry to show you!  

...and we also have a winner!  Emily from Recently!  I hope you enjoy such a great publication.  Please send me an email with the mailing address you would like to use.

etsy shop + giveaway reminder

Norwegianwood is such a fun etsy shop that I ran across!

 They sure have some funky stuff, but I cant help but stare at it.

Check it out, what is your favorite?  Here are my top three:

also...

Just a reminder that today is the last day to sign up for the last giveaway of 2011.  A year subscription to Charleston Magazine!  Wish I could win this one myself.  You do not have to be from the Charleston area to enjoy this publication.  Think elle decor meets martha stewart.  Head on over to make it yours!

Gift tag printables thanks to: Lona de Anna

We are doing all of our wrapping this year in craft paper.  It leaves so many possibilities for creativity!  Plus I hate storing wrapping paper, I mean hate! I just found that one of my favorite Australian artists who is the brains behind these beauties--

is offering printable gift tags!  Go over to her blog and thank her yourself! 

Fashion Friday | Shine On

Linking up with the girls again this Friday!  

I enjoyed all the sparkle and glitz that was inspired by this weeks Friday's Fancies!  

Hope you do too--

I am off for a wedding weekend for one of my dearest friends!  

Cant wait to wear our ivory dresses and glamorous jewels!  

Congrats Chelsea and Zack!

Gift giving guide | mothers

Well, this Christmas is my first buying for a mother and a mother-in-law, I must say they both have excellent taste!  But, still sometimes I need a little jump start as to what to buy them.  I have put together this little helpful guide for when buying for the mamas, mother-in-laws and aunts in your life, although I would take one of each!

Eucalyptus stoneware-- can go in the oven to keep your rolls warm, or a great fruit bowl

French butter keeper-- keeps your butter soft and fresh

Gurgle pot-- precious Italian inspired pitcher that makes a gurgle sound when you pour

Subscription-- a subscription is a great gift!  Head over here to enter to win a year subscription to Charleston Mag

Coffee-- The best coffee out there!  You must go read about their process, they have got it down!  And you can order monthly shipments to show up at your door!

Blenko glass-- these make a beautiful water pitcher, or vase!  An American family glass business since 1893.

Fur infiniti-- no words needed, who wouldn't love one of these?

Hobo wallet-- every woman needs a big wallet

Gold mason jars-- for the DIY gift giver, I know many a woman that would love these on their table!

Don't forget about the great giveaway for a year subscription to my favorite publication!

Gift giving guide | your man

I know mine would be happy with any of these!  

Too bad some of these ideas have already been used...

Wool Shirt, ipad case, big green egg, leatherman, atom vest, dopp kit, luminox watch, fly rod

Ivy & Piper Inspiration

This issue is filled with such goodness.  You have got to head over and flip through it...  You will be hooked too!

Two of my many favorites--

Guest post| Gift guide: for the teen

I could not be more thrilled to welcome Emily today.  She is the brains behind one of my favorites blogs!  I was so excited for yall when she agreed to share a gift giving guide for teens!  Not only because they can be hard to shop for, but also because you can now head over to her blog and make it one of your daily reads! 

Hello all! I'm Emily from Recently, and I'm so pleased to be here today sharing my gift guide for teens with you!  Lowlife Couture is one of my new favorite blogs, and I have a serious crush on Becca's casually cool way of showing us her world. Hopefully my gift guide of five favorites for the teen in your life will live up to that Lowcountry style we all know and love!

1. Rhinestone Friendship Bracelets- Give her the gift of friendship with a bracelet that shines as much as her!  Similar styles here, here & here

2.  Ugg Australia, Classic Sparkles- Keep her feet toasty and bright this year with a pair of Uggs she's sure to love!

3.  Juicy Couture Sequin Scarf- Wrap her in shimmering light with a scarf that will make her glow!

4.  Gorjana Star Stud Earrings- She'll want to wear these dainty delights every day!

5.  Ban.do Heart- This festive sparkler will make her the life of the party!

If you're anything like me, the teens in your life are usually the hardest to buy for.  I'm quite certain that, this year, it's all about making her shine.  You might even want to do a little shining yourself with some of the beauties on the list.  I, for one, may be snatching up a few bracelets for myself!

Becca, thank you so much for having me today!  I hope you all enjoyed my list and that you each have a holiday that shines!

And don't forget to get in on this weeks giveaway!  I promise you want this...

Guest Post| Gift guide for the Host

I have a couple guest bloggers popping in this week to share some gift giving guides!  I am so excited to first share with you Kim from Keller-Creative.  Another Lowcountry girl!!



Hi, I'm Kim from Keller-Creative and I'm so excited to be sharing some of my gift guide for the Christmas Host. I love to entertain and would love to receive any of these gifts...

1 A Wishes Ornament from Red Envelope 2 For your dog lover host, some great treats for Fido 3 A Monogrammed Hand Towel from West Elm 4 Doesn't every bottle of wine need a Tory Burch Wine Cozy? 5 You can't go wrong with See's Candy 6 A guidebook for all things Holiday Entertaining 7 A rosemary topiary is a gift that smells good no matter what the season 8 A gorgeous holiday candle


Thanks for having me Becca and letting me share some of my favorite gifts to give this holiday season!




Thanks, Kim! I want to host a party just to receive some of this goodness!

  And yall don't forget to get in on this week's giveaway!! It is a great one! 

giveaway

This is a good one, you won't want to miss it.  Over the last few weeks we have had some amazing sponsors step up to offer some great giveaways.  Well, this week I wanted to do something for yall.  To thank you for the great encouragement and support, as I began this blog less than three months ago!  It is so fun, I am having a blast tackling the world of design!

So, to thank yall, one reader will receive a year subscription to one of my favorite publications Charleston Magazine! It is full of fashion, interior design, recipes, inspiring articles, art, history-- ahhh all the good stuff! I know this will make a perfect gift for you or for someone on your list.  And you don't have to live in the Lowcountry to appreciate the goodness found in Charleston Magazine, trust me, I see these on coffee tables around the country!

source

You have a few chances to make this great, season of giveaways, giveaway yours!

1. Follow Lowlife Couture on google friend connect/google reader 

(I apologize there is a glich in GFC that is not showing my correct number of followers, 

I can see the correct names so you will still get credit!)

2. Like us on facebook

3. Blog, tweet or facebook about this giveaway (can do this daily)

Do any or all of these things, come back here and

 leave a separate comment for each thing that you did 

in order to increase your chances!  You can still comment even if you 

did one 1 or 2 pervious to this giveaway. 

This giveaway will close December 20th at midnight

This giveaway is not sponsored by Charleston Magazine, just a gift from me to you!  But go check them out and give the gift of subscription to someone in your life! 

a sweet cerci

I love a good 'cerci'!  And, I might love that term even more.  I did not learn of it til living in the Lowcountry, but it has been described to me as a gift for no reason, just a little pick me up!  Who does not love that?

Well, this cerci was introduced to me by a childhood friend when she came to visit, and let me just tell you it is awesome! A perfect cerci for this winter, or a great gift to take to neighbors or a Christmas host!

Spiced Chai Tea Mix:

Ingredients

• 3 cups nonfat dry milk powder
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened instant tea
• ¾ cup vanilla powdered nondairy creamer
• 1 ½ tsp ground ginger
• 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• Whipped cream (optional)

Combine all dry ingredients in a mixer or food processor, blend until powdery.  Store in dry airtight container for up to 6 months.

Stir in three heaping tablespoons into one mug of hot water!  Enjoy!

And look how cute it looks in a mason jar:

Fashion Friday: Holiday Partay

Its that time again!  Linking up with the girls over at Long Distance Loving for another Friday's Fancies.  Enjoy!  Hopefully this will inspire your holiday celebrations this weekend--

my christmas wishlist...

I had fun putting together this collection of things that I would love to see under the tree--  Santa, baby?

There is a great gift giving series coming your way over the next week, featuring a few guests posts!

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12

stella and dot

I have fallen in love with the Leona Stella Dot necklace. (I found it on Ebay!)  Don't you think it adds the perfect amount of style to an outfit?

Its an awesome statement piece, and I have found it goes with everything!

Next up on my Stella Dot wishlist:

What about you, any stella dot you are loving these days?

Christmas Tree Adventure

Well this weekend we headed off with my best friends (referred to as 'The Grannies') and  all the men in our life for some great fellowship and to pick out our Christmas trees!  It was the best weekend ever.  So blessed!

The Gang

We were off to breakfast and to find our perfect tree...

Granns

Cute Hubs

It took me a little while to pick the beauty out, but not as long as Anna and Ryan I might add!  Since this is our first tree there was a lot of pressure to make it perfect!  It didn't take much to out-do my husband's tree from his bachelor life, that was a fake walmart tree that he wired the ornaments onto so he didn't have to decorate it!

A little 4 wheeler adventure

We hugged and kissed on this sweet little girl a whole lot

Then, we said goodbye to our dear friends and headed home to set up our tree! After cutting off at least 18 inches it is up and decorated!

My favorite ornament:

Gamecock Football and DIY invitation ornament

I also did a few other DIY ornaments, they are still drying, so pictures will come later.  You can check out my friends Anna's over at A Newfound Treasure.

I love Christmas trees, but I must say my favorite Christmas decoration is this sweet Nativity scene brought back to my years ago when my parents went to Israel.