The Invites:

I recently had the privilege of planning a baby shower for one of my best friends. I started first by picking the invitations. Etsy was a great resource for this. I fell in love with puppy gingham invitations and used that as the inspiration for the rest of the party. The ones I found were 'print your own' and I used Walmart's print services for this. They were able to print both the front and the back of the invites perfectly. 

The Decor:

For the decor, I did a mixture of making and purchasing from Etsy. My favorite thing to make was the sparkling juice bottles. I used Pinterest to get some inspiration for them. They were fairly simple to do.

1. I purchased sparkling grape juice from Kroger
2. To remove the labels, I alternated between hot water and goo-gone
3. For painting, started with a white base using a spray paint primer
4. I then sealed this with modge podge
5. Now it is ready for the design, for two of them I sketched them out and then painted using craft paint and for the leopard print, I just did free hand
6. After the paint has dried for a day I sealed with a layer of modge podge
7. I ordered custom labels on Etsy here and added them once the modge podge was dry

I also loved making the photo booth. I couldn't believe places online charge $300+ for them! I browsed around YouTube videos until I found how to make them myself and it was super simple. You start by purchasing the cheap craft tablecloths found at places like Walmart, Hobby Lobby, and the dollar store. I then cut these into 2" wide strips. Then you loop them all on to three layers of string and hang! 

To make the diaper tower, I found a tutorial via Pinterest and purchased the gingham ribbon on Amazon.

I also purchased a lot of the decor on Etsy such as the bowtie toothpicks here, the banner here, and other miscellaneous things not pictured.

The Food:

For the food I used Sam's Club and Publix as well as asking a couple family members to bring some they would enjoy. I loved the idea of the popcorn bags for 'ready to pop!' so I purchased the gingham cellophane bags on Etsy here and tied them with white bows I found online. 

The cookies are from a local bakery called Two Smart Cookies. I called and told them what I was looking for and they were able to make it happen!

To go along with the sparkling grape juice, I found plastic champagne glasses at Target and put cotton candy in them. I thought it would be too sweet, but I actually really loved it. 

The gingham plates and napkins were also from a local store called Emily McCarthy. I was so excited that they had plates and napkins to match the theme! Those can be found here and the small blue plates were from here.

The Giftbags:

The brown paper giftbags were purchased at Target. I made the baby bottle, but purchasing empty mini-bottles from Hobby Lobby and ordering the hard candy from amazon. I then purchased these gingham bowties to tie around the top. I purchased the bowtie soaps here and the blue candy was purchased at Hobby Lobby.

This was so much fun to plan and I hope this helps give you guys a little inspiration!

Coffee Date No. 4

I realized I am a little behind on my coffee dates so these are a little bit out of order, however here are some of my favorite things from the last month or so. I have been loving fall in Savannah with all of the pumpkins and flower decor. I hope you guys enjoy!

Sometimes after work, my husband and I go for walks around downtown. In October, we stumbled across this gorgeous house.

A photo from one of my coffee dates with my friend Chelsea. This was such a fun day. I started the day with this coffee date, then went to another friend's house to work on some projects, and ended the day playing board games with my family.

Just another photo of Savannah showing off for the fall. 

We tried a new restaurant called Ardsley Station. I really enjoyed their food. I tried the duck and their coffee and was really impressed with the flavor. I loved the interior of the restaurant as well. They
utilized the space and large windows well. I definitely recommend trying this restaurant if you are ever in the area.

The beautiful and iconic Forsyth Park fountain. On one of our walks, we saw a couple getting married here in the evening light. They timed it perfectly because it had just stopped raining 😅. I didn't photograph, them but I caught the fountain. 

Here I am on one of our more recent coffee dates. It felt so cold that day I couldn't believe it. I had found this sweater recently. It is supposedly vintage and was quite warm, so I will definitely be wearing it a lot this winter. 

A quick snap of our view from the coffee shop. We definitely had the best view in the house.

This is one of the best parts of Savannah in my opinion. Between River Street and Bay Street there are a bunch of historic buildings and bridges. Underneath the bridges are old stone roads and staircases. It can be hard to capture in a photo, but it is one of the coolest parts of the city.

Until next time, 

Christmas Ornaments

American Flag | Macaron Tower | "Just Married" Car | Utility Vehicle

The holidays are upon us, so I wanted to share with you guys some Christmas tree details. We decided to start collecting vintage looking glass ornaments for our tree. So far, these are the ones we have. I would like to add a few each year relating to special events that happen throughout the year. 

Above are the links to the ones we currently have. This year I want to get this Cheese Balls ornament because my husband is obsessed with those giant cheese balls containers for when we go camping (healthy, I know). Currently it is sold out, but I am hoping they will restock. I also love this Low Country Boil ornament since we had a low country boil at our wedding. This French Press ornament is also adorable and since I drink A TON of coffee every day, it is only appropriate. I also put this Pink Camper ornament on my wish list this year since we camp so much. And last, but not least this Feline ornament in honor of our little cat.

The best way to find ornaments like this is to search for blown glass "x" ornament and then peruse some of the different stores that come up. I have also found some of them via Instagram posts.

I hope you are all as excited as I am for the holiday season!

Evening Tennis

A few quick phone photos from us goofing off at evening tennis. We like to play sometimes after work, but this time I grabbed my antique tennis racket my grandma gave to me to get some pictures while we were there. My dress is from Reformation here and my shoes are New Balance.

 

Billie Razor Review

Happy Thursday guys! Today I wanted to share with you my thoughts on Billie, which you can find their products located here. To start with a little disclaimer, these are all my own opinions and I am not sponsored, nor have I worked with the brand professionally or represent them in any way. 

I have been purchasing Billie's razors for 2+ years now and just purchased their new limited edition color, so I thought I would take this opportunity and review them.

I started using Billie because I have never been super happy with razors I purchased at the drugstore. I found Billie through an Instagram ad (I think) and was intrigued. They are a subscription based service and cost around $9 a shipment and free shipping. You are able to customize how often you would like a shipment and change the day if needed. They send me 4 new razor blades every two months which has been just the right amount of time for me, but you can shorten or lengthen the time depending upon your preference.  

In terms of quality, these are some of the best razors I have ever used. I never get razor burn from them and I used to get it all the time on my knees, from other brands. I love the fun colors they offer and the site is extremely easy to use. 

They also have phenomenal customer service. I have had to contact them via email several times and they have always been able to resolve my issue. In terms of cancelling your subscription, this is easy to do as well. As my sister's Christmas gift each year I have been signing her up for a subscription for 6 months and then cancelling at the end of the 6 months. You do have to email them to cancel, but they have been extremely helpful and did not give me a hard time. 

With your first shipment they send you a little wall magnet with your razor that has a sort of 'puddy' on the back. It stays on the wall great and does not leave any residue or marks when you need to remove it.

The only downside I have had with them is they recently transitioned to smaller packaging that does not include tracking. This has caused mine to go missing in the mail, but the customer service has been awesome at sending a replacement if this happens. Because of that, I am overall still very happy with them.

 I hope this covers any questions you may have had. I love them and the quality of their product and would love to hear your thoughts below!

Coffee Date No. 3

This photo is from a little while ago. We try to visit local restaurants once a week and this week we had gone to the Little Duck Diner. It is small, but one of my favorite restaurants in Savannah. I almost always get a cheeseburger and sometimes a milkshake.

Just admiring the evening in Savannah. The trees are one of my favorite parts of the city. 

If you follow me on Instgram, you may have already seen a couple photos from here, but we were able to attend a friend's wedding and it was absolutely beautiful. I love attending weddings, they are always so much fun with dancing and lots of laughter and new friends.

On our flight back from Colorado. It was such a fun trip, we hiked through tons of snow and ate at several small restaurants. I love visiting places that get 'real' snow since it is so different from Savannah.

Doing one of my at-home workouts. I had gotten some equipment at the beginning of the pandemic and have been pretty happy with the quality. Also recently got a haircut with curtain bangs. They have been pretty easy to style, so I may keep the look.

I found an artist on Etsy who I love. Purchased this and found a gold frame on Amazon. The frame is only ok on it, but it gets the job done.

Hope you guys enjoyed!

What Was My New Years Resolution?

Well, we are 6 months into the year and I never shared what my New Year's resolution was, so I thought that would be fun to do now. Plus, how have I done with keeping up with my resolution? 

We live in a fast-fashion, hyperconsumerism world, and social media certainly doesn't help this. I wanted a New Year's resolution that would not only benefit me, but others as well. I decided that I was going to try to shop local and second-hand as much as possible. With the pandemic and all the problems it has caused small businesses, I thought this would be a worth-while goal even if it was inconvenient at times (such as groceries!) or could sometimes be more expensive. This just meant I would need to be conscious of quality over quantity, which was part of the point anyway. 

So how have I done so far? Really well, actually! My whole outfit above was purchased second-hand, just as an example. I needed a dress for a baby shower, and a clutch for a wedding, so I looked second-hand and fell in love with these pieces. The best places I have found to buy clothing and accessories are Poshmark, local thrift stores, and local boutiques. I typically search somewhere like Poshmark for brands that I know really well in terms of sizing and quality, that way they are the most likely to be exactly what I want since I can't see them in person.

I have also had some luck with local groceries. My favorite grocery store closed, which I was pretty sad about since they had tons of locally made goods. Farmer's Markets have been a great way to still buy food locally as well as another grocer here in Savannah called Brighter Day.

I definitely recommend as many people try this as possible! It helps real people support themselves and their families as well as being a small way to contribute to your community.

Thanks for reading!

How to Style a Bar Cart

Happy Tuesday guys! Today I am going to share with you my bar cart. Styling one is super easy and can be done fairly affordably too.  

Starting with the cart, mine was purchased at Target. They have tons of different styles and so far the quality has been amazing. I did not find my exact one, but this gold one is really close. I also love this gold cart and this gold cart. Acrylic carts are also stylish and ideal for small spaces because they are transparent, they appear like they take up less space. I love this acrylic cart and this acrylic cart. Etsy, Ebay, and thrift/antique stores are other great places to look for a more unique option.

The next thing to decide is how you want the cart styled. Pink is my favorite color so I was originally going to make it VERY pink (hence the pink straws on the bottom), but I decided to do something a little more classic instead to match the rest of my apartment. I love the look of fluted glassware, it is classic and has the perfect 60's/70's look. Mine are from Macy's, but tons of places are selling them right now. West Elm has acrylic ones at a great price and Anthropologie has some with a cute gold twist. I found the perfect matching carafe from Urban Outfitters, but it is sold out. However, this one is almost identical. Etsy also has tons of gorgeous barware if you are looking for something truly vintage. My cocktail shaker was a gift, but this one and this one are really similar. The brass is perfect because it keeps with the 60's/70's classic look.

Next is accents! I knew that I wanted yellow as a pop of color and fresh lemons are the perfect way to do this! Not only are the perfect in mixed drinks, but I also use them every day in my water. To complement this, I added a book from my kitchen: Love & Lemons. Flowers also add a nice touch to the overall look. My vase is from Anthropologie and is the 'short' one. Cocktail napkins are another nice touch. The one hanging on my cart was actually a gift from one of my best friend's wedding. It has a note embroidered on the inside and fits perfectly on the cart. 

Thanks for reading!