Archives for November 2013

Using What You Have: A Simple Thanksgiving Tablescape

November 27, 2013 by megan Leave a Comment

Thanksgiving Tablescape - Blues & Greens & Grays

We are down to the wire with Thanksgiving plans since the big day is tomorrow. I am not hosting Thanksgiving, but I have still had tablescapes on the brain. If you have yet to figure out what your table will look like tomorrow, I figured I would go ahead and share my super quick, use what I had Thanksgiving tablescape. I didn’t buy a single thing, and it took me about 10 minutes. You still have time! With Christmas decorations making their way up from storage, I put my fall decor to use one last time.

Our house doesn’t have hardly any traditional fall colors in my everyday decorations. Most things are grays and blues and greens, so I decided to keep that theme throughout the table decor while adding hints of whimsical Fall themed elements for a Thanksgiving feel.

Thanksgiving Tablescape - Blues & Greens & Grays

The table runner was made from the same fabric as my chevron chairs and accent pillows. I still have loads of that fabric leftover, and my mom made this runner for me before I had a sewing machine of my own.
In the center of the table, fall bottle vases, mini tiger pumpkins, and candles are offset around a gorgeous silver bowl with iridescent pearl interior filled with scented pinecones.
One of my favorite things to do is add vintage books to a vignette.
For the place settings, I layered our Lenox French Perle dishes from dinner plate, appetizer plate, and finally my set of blue dessert dishes. No two are alike. I added in a dark gray napkin underneath the dessert plate, and on top a glittery pinecone. I collected these pinecones at the park near my office, baked them, and sprayed them with silver glitter. Keep an eye out for them to make a second appearance in the form of Christmas ornaments.
Now I wish we actually were having Thanksgiving at our house. It was so much fun setting the table; imagine the fun if I added a Turkey to the mix! P.S. Thanks for sticking with me in my quiet November blogging month. We have been so busy and out of town every day I wasn’t working, so the blog has suffered. But life is more important anyway! Stay tuned for lots of Christmas posts to come. Last night we put up the tree. We only got this far.

Tree

Oh well. To be continued.

Where To Shop Atlanta Pt. 2 (Guest Post)

November 26, 2013 by megan Leave a Comment

Hey Y’all! Happy Thanksgiving week! If you’re like me, you are carefully straddling the line between Christmas and Thanksgiving. I’m so excited about turkey and football day, but I also can’t stop thinking about Christmas presents and joy to the world. Amy Prince is the guest on the blog today to talk about where she shops in Atlanta, and she has some great ideas for where to shop for those Christmas gifts on the brain. Amy & I met at a friend’s wedding in the spring, and I was immediately struck by what a beautiful person she is, inside and out! Their loft apartment in the Atlanta area is so adorably inspiring. I also heard through the grapevine that today is her husband’s birthday! Happy Birthday, Max!

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Be sure to check out Amy’s blog, and enjoy her list of Where to Shop in Atlanta!

Hey everyone! I hope you all are able to check out some of my favorite stores around Atlanta. My ideal shopping day consists of roaming through antique store after antique store & lucky for me, Atlanta is filled with them! I love how the inventory changes every week, making each shopping trip an adventure.

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1. Queen of Hearts
I fell in love with this antique store on my first visit years ago & since then I have spent many hours browsing the booths and looking for unique treasures and fun finds. The store is huge, so be prepared to come with some time set aside to enjoy the experience of wandering through the aisles & shopping at your leisure. Although I love all the charming decor, my favorite thing about this store is the furniture. There are always countless pieces of furniture that are reasonably priced & full of character. I’ve found kitchen tables, nightstands, old mantles, entryway tables, desks, vintage pie safes, vanities, and more. Each booth has a different feel & style, so it is easy for anyone to find the home decor style that fits them. Shoppers tip: bring cash. You get 10% off if you purchase with cash!

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2. Classy Flea
This store is a bit hit or miss compared to Queen of Hearts, but part of the fun is never knowing what you might find. I’ve purchased several items from here that I still love as much as the day I bought them.

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3. World Market
Odds are you’ve shopped here before, but if not, I highly encourage you to check it out! I frequently shop here and rarely walk away empty handed. I love the style of all the home and kitchen décor and it is also a great place to buy gifts for others. Their scarves, jewelry, candles, picture frames, and artwork are all great options for gifts. My favorite purchases from this store for our home are our curtains, bedroom artwork, lamps, and hallway table. Sign up for free to be a rewards member to enjoy all the coupons & discounts!

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4. Hobby Lobby
Although this is a chain store, it is absolutely one of my favorite places to shop. It’s hard to beat constant 40% off coupons in a store overflowing with beautiful home decor items & supplies to create your own art for your home. It’s a great store to buy holiday décor without breaking the bank. I love decorating our mantle for every season & always find what I’m looking for here.

Where to Shop Washington D.C. (Guest Post)

November 19, 2013 by megan Leave a Comment

We’re back with the Where To Shop series! Check out Nashville and Atlanta pt. 1 if you haven’t already! Have you started your holiday shopping yet? I still have a lot of shopping to do!! If you live close to Washington DC, perhaps this list from Chaney Widmer of May Richer Fuller Be will help give you some inspiration for your Christmas shopping. Chaney and I met through blogging, and I am so inspired by her creativity and craftiness! Be sure to add her blog to your blog roll.

Take it away, Chaney!

Hey y’all! I’m Chaney from May Richer Fuller Be. I live in the nation’s capital of Washington, DC, and I’m excited to share a few of my favorite shopping spots for the home. I’m big on mixing old and new, and modern and traditional pieces, so I like to shop at a wide variety of places. I love the thrill of the hunt, so flea markets, vintage stores and thrift stores are my favorite places to shop, but there’s also nothing like walking into a store full of shiny, brand new items as well :).

So with those things in mind, here are my five favorite places to shop in the DC area:

1. Trohv

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Trohv Blog

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Trohv is a mecca of both new and vintage furniture pieces, home goods and gift items. It reminds me of Anthropologie, but with a local, hipster flair. There’s so much to take in and the inventory changes regularly, so if you live in the area, go often!

The shop is located in northwest DC at the DC/Maryland line just west of the Takoma Park historic district. They also have a Baltimore location, so if you’re in that area, be sure and check it out too.
2. Barn Sales

So most of these aren’t technically stores, but they’re amazing. Barn sales were a new concept to me when I moved back to DC a year and a half ago. Most of them are literally old barns packed full of vintage furniture and home items (mixed with some new items), and I love going to them. The prices are typically reasonable, and you never know what you’re going to find. They’re usually open one or two weekends a month, but some are open daily so be sure and check the schedule before you head out there since they’re about an hour away from DC. I recommend spending a day hopping between the different sales to get the full experience.

The ones I’ve been to include:

Chartreuse and Co. in Buckeystown, MD (near Frederick, MD)
Sweet Clover in Frederick, MD
Old Lucketts Store in Lucketts, VA (open daily!)
On A Whim in Lucketts, VA (open daily!)

3. Salt & Sundry

Salt & Sundry is a curated boutique of housewares, linens, gifts, artisinal foods and vintage finds. They also carry reclaimed wood farm tables made by the shop owner’s father – cool, huh? It’s located in Union Market, a warehouse that formerly housed one of the city’s premier food markets and wholesale food operations from the 1930s to 70s. It was recently revitalized and turned into a food market once again with vendors, small cafes and pop-up shops. Salt & Sundry anchors one end of the building and is the only home goods vendor.

4. GoodWood

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GoodWood

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GoodWood hosts an eclectic mix of vintage and antique finds, and their inventory is always changing. It’s become a DC institution since it opened in 1994 in the U Street neighborhood. I’ve met the owners, Anna and Dan, and they do an amazing job curating items for their unique shop. It’s one of those places you wander through once, and then you convince yourself you need to make a second pass through because you couldn’t possibly have seen all the items the first time around. So much to see!

5. Jonathan Adler

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Young House Love

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I did mention that I liked modern items as well, so let’s change gears from vintage to modern for this last place. Jonathan Adler’s Georgetown store is one of my favorite places to window shop. His items are a bit out of my price range, but the punchy colors and clean-lined pieces are just so much FUN. I totally dig and appreciate his crazy style. While this is technically not a DC-exclusive shop, there aren’t that many locations, so I figured I’d throw it in here.

That wraps my list of places for “Where to Shop” DC. There are so many other places to go – DC is a big place! If you’ve shopped this area and have a favorite shop or two, I’d love to know what they are. Thanks to Chandler for having me today!

Thanks, Chaney! Now, I think I may HAVE to make a trip to DC just to shop!

Where To Shop Atlanta (Guest Post)

November 12, 2013 by megan 2 Comments

Happy Tuesday Everyone! We are back today with our “Where To Shop” series. Today’s stop…ATLANTA! This is only part 1 of Atlanta…we will have another guest post with more Atlanta shopping ideas coming in a couple of weeks. It’s a big city…there are a lot of places to shop!
If you missed the first installment of Where To Shop, check out Nashville here.

I want to introduce you to my good friend Olivia Carswell! She is the voice behind the blog Beautiful & Bright Home and I LOVE her style. She knows how to decorate, y’all. I’m happy to have her visiting All Precious & Pleasant and sharing her favorite places to shop in her hometown. Take it away, Olivia!

WhereToShopAtlantaPT1

Hey guys! I’m excited to share some of my favorite places to shop for your home in Atlanta and the surrounding areas. I wanted to share 2 antique stores, 2 interior decorating stores, and 1 decor outlet that I love.

My favorite way of decorating is to incorporate the old with the new. I can always count on these 2 antique stores in Woodstock, about 30 min outside of Atlanta, to have some amazing one of kind pieces that are moderately priced.

1. Woodstock Antiques

This place will never disappoint. Like every other antique store, you have to be willing to search, but trust me it is worth the time and effort. Some of my favorite pieces I own were bought at Woodstock Antiques.

2. Woodstock Market

Woodstock Market is located directly across the street from Woodstock Antiques so you can hit both back to back. I love that this store has antiques, customized art, refurbished furniture pieces, and unique finds. Tip: If you see something you love, you have to buy it right then because if you leave and come back another day, it will be gone! Pieces fly out of there super quick so there is no waiting around if you find something you love! It’s a great store and I’m positive you will find something beautiful.

3. Pineapple Park

Pineapple Park is a great interior decorating store in downtown Woodstock. They have beautiful furniture, bedding, and lighting. My favorite thing about the store is the amazing candles they sell. Park Hill collection candles are bomb.com and when you have one burning in your home it will make your whole house smell amazing!

4. Bungalow Classic

Now, this is a store that I WISH I could shop at! Its located in the trendy area of Westside Atlanta off of Howell Mill Rd. They have gorgeous pieces of furniture! It’s worth stopping by even if you don’t have the money to spend simply because its beautiful, inspiring, and smells amazing!!!

5. Ballards Backroom

Ballards Backroom has two locations. Atlanta off of Defoors Ave and Alpharetta off of Holcomb Bridge. This store is great because they carry discounted pieces from Ballards Design, a European inspired home furnishings store, for a lot cheaper than the prices on the Ballards website. They carry a wide variety of pieces that change out frequently…rugs, lamps, light fixtures, couches, chairs, bar stools, kitchen tables, mirrors, etc. I have purchased several pieces from here and am very pleased with all of them. Tip: Keep an eye out for pieces you like online and soon they will be at Ballards Backroom for prices that are a little easier to swallow.

So, next time you are in Atlanta, stop by these stores and I’m sure you will find something you’ll love for your home! I know I do…every time 🙂
Happy Shopping!
xoxo,

Bathroom Updates: Wall Shelf & Antique Key Hook Towel Rack

November 11, 2013 by megan 4 Comments

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We are almost finished with Phase 1 of the main floor bathroom makeover. All that’s left is to put a little more art on the walls and I think I will call it complete. Phase 2 will involve some new tile, but we are going to leave that as is for now.
Just as a reminder, we started here. Just a basic boring tan on the walls and nothing more. I have since painted and frosted the shower window.
Last week we finished up a couple more character adding touches.

Bathroom Updates

Here is where we are now.
It is already looking so much more complete!

Guess how much money I have spent? $40. That’s right, folks. Just 40 smackaroos for a facelift on this tired bathroom.
Let’s break it down:
– 1″x8″x6′ board for the shelf and the towel wall board: $8
– Paint for the walls: $10 (They messed up my first order and gave me an entire gallon of bathroom ready paint for $10. I’ve barely used a quarter of it.).
– Shelf supports: $10 total ($5 a pop at Lowe’s).
– Antique Key Towel Hooks: $10. ($5 each at the Flea Market).
– Picture frame: $2 at Goodwill. I already had the art.
– White paint and primer for the boards: something I keep around the house anyway.

I purchased a 6 foot 1″x8″ board at Lowes and had them cut it down in store into one piece for the back wall and one piece for the shelf. I lucked out and 6′ was the perfect size for both.

I primed both with Zinnser primer and then painted several coats of plain jane white paint.

Bathroom Updates

For the shelf, I purchased a couple of decorative shelf brackets, and Jeremy installed it on the wall above the toilet. Simple as that. The art above the shelf is a beautiful print of a painting by my grandfather (G-daddy, as we call him). He is an incredible artist, and this is one of two prints I have from his collection. They are so special to me! The other is on our gallery wall.
For the towel rack, I was inspired by these amazing antique key hooks. Aren’t they gorgeous? I immediately knew that a wood plank on the walls and a couple of hooks would bring both functionality and style to the room. There used to be a standard bar towel rack on the wall, but I just don’t like those. We have been hanging our towels to dry on the back of the door, but they don’t dry well there.

Bathroom Updates

So after painting the plank (I decided it would be easier to paint before mounting to the wall, and I’m glad I did), Jeremy used a stud finder to mark the studs in the wall and measured things out so that everything would be straight and symmetrical and awesome.
Then we used standard drywall screws to attach it to the wall. I decided I wanted something heavier duty than nails for such a large board.

Bathroom Updates

Next I used some painter’s caulk from Ace Hardware to fill in the gap at the top of the board similar to the way that John & Sherry over at Young House Love show in this video about their board and batten install.
I also used standard spackle to cover up the screws as best as I could and went over the board with one final coat of paint and some Miniwax Polycrilic (DON’T use oil based polyurethane on white paint. I repeat. Don’t do it.)

photo BathroomUpdates5_zpsa727798f.jpg photo BathroomUpdates6_zps731f2071.jpg Bathroom Updates

Finally, we installed the hooks. They didn’t come with matching screws, and standard silver screws would have been a bit of an eye sore, so I used some leftover Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint to coat the tops of the screws.
And there you have it!
I’m thinking of doing a gallery wall above the towel rack. Something like this? What do you think?

Bathroom Updates

{source} from Chris Loves Julia

{source} from Holly Mathis Interiors.

The Month of Thankfulness…

November 8, 2013 by megan Leave a Comment

November Chalkboard

This week I updated my chalkboard and made the transition from October to November. These are two of my very favorite months of the year. I love Fall, and I love the start of the holiday season in November. (See this post for my October chalkboard)

What are you grateful for today? Isn’t it wonderful that in the US, we have an entire holiday dedicated to giving thanks.

change

I’m thankful for…
– Change. My sensitive little type A heart sometimes wants to steer clear of unforeseen change, but when the leaves turn brilliant colors, it’s like God reminding me that change can be beautiful. I’m thankful for the changes that He has brought me through and the changes yet to come.

mornings music

– Relationships. For me, this has been a year of figuring out what relationships look like in a post-college, adult world. I’m still new at navigating the waters of wifehood (is that a word?), and I am developing and growing new friendships and transitioning into a new season with long-held friendships. I’m so thankful for the relationships and friendships I have in this season. You know who you are 🙂
– Mornings. I am a morning person. I love the smell of coffee in the morning, sweet time with Jesus before the rest of the house (*cough* Jeremy) wakes up, and the anticipation of an entire day stretching ahead.
– Music. I have been pouring into creating music quite a lot lately, and I am reminded of how creative God is.

– Adulthood. I kinda like it, actually.

little joys

– Family. So cliché. So true. We live apart from both of our families, and I’m so excited to head into a season when we get to spend serious quality time.
– Little joys. Cuddling on the couch. Boots and knee socks. Apple cider. Car seat warmers. Crock pots. Podcasts. A child’s laugh. Board games. Hiking. Antiques.

So that last one was basically an excuse to list a bunch more little things I’m thankful for 🙂

What are you thankful for today? And how will you remind yourself to practice thankfulness this month?