Paper Goods: 12 Mother's Day Cards

01. / 02. / 03. / 04. / 05. / 06. / 07. / 08. / 09. / 10. / 11. / 12. 

There's still time to find the perfect card for Mother's Day. Don't forget your grandmother's, mothers-in-law, moms-to-be, friend's mom's who helped raise you, and on and on. There's definitely someone in our lives who would appreciate a thoughtful card! 

Happy V-Day!

hand lettered print by oh my deer

It has been a hectic, crazy week and I may or may not have forgotten that today was V-day. Oh yes, it's been one of those weeks. But thankfully, I have a husband who remembered (as of noon today, ha!) and I'm looking forward to enjoying the heart shaped meatloaf he made me. Oh yes. Heart shaped meatloaf. And wine. Can't forget the wine. Cheers to a happy V-day!

Paper Goods: 20 Valentine's Day Cards

one // two // three // four // five // six // seven // eight // nine // ten // eleven // twelve // thirteen // fourteen // fifteen // sixteen // seventeen // eighteen // nineteen /// twenty 

Oh my goodness, so many V-day cards! How does one choose? I'm pretty impressed that I narrowed it down to twenty favorites but I really need to decide on just one. Do you have any favorites?

Gift Idea: V-Day fortune cookie

If you're looking for a unique Valentine's Day "card", might I suggest a paper fortune cookie ($3) by imeon design? You choose the color and the "fortune" and your paper cookie arrives in a cute kraft box wrapped in twine all ready to give to your special someone. So sweet.

p.s. Have you noticed the new "Pin It" button that appears when you hover over an image in a post? I'm so excited about that little tweak to the blog and a big thanks to Anna of IHOD for making that happen!

Under $100: Hearts

Hearts, hearts everywhere and just in time for Valentine's Day. Here are some of my favorite heart(ed) options for under $100. 

1// heart pad printed bowls $8 2// clodia pillow $30
3// nature's heart ring $49 4// floral heart print $24
5// stitched hearts blouse $48 6// heart mugs $8
7// 14k heart earrings $75 8// heart lariat necklace $47
9// donnya shopper tote $45 10// heathered heart pullover $18
11// tiny heart pillowcase $39

Holiday Recap

We traveled back to our home state for the holidays. 

Spent lots of time with family including my oh so stylish niece (notice our matching coats?). 

I received lots of generous gifts including a Julie Nolan necklace, a scarf hand knitted by a sweet friend, and the two of the tops pictured above. Even the curl in my hair was new thanks to a curling iron gifted by my sweet mother-in-law. 

And, of course, I ate and drank lots of not-so-good for you things, all of which were delicious.

Even with 9 days between Atlanta and Athens, I didn't have enough time to catch up with everyone I would have liked to see. But, I'm grateful for every second I did get to spend with family and friends. Since we've moved away from GA, I'm really learning to appreciate these visits as they are few and far between. How was your holiday? Are you excited about the New Year? I know I am! Happy 2013!

check out more photos from our trip here

Merry Christmas + Happy Holidays!

image via forever love

We're spending Christmas with our friends and family in Georgia and after a looooong trip, we've finally made it. Our week's itinerary is jam packed with activities in Atlanta and Athens and I'm looking forward to spending time with some of my favorite people. May your holidays be filled with love, light, peace and happiness. xoxo

You can follow my holiday adventures over on Instagram if you feel so inclined (I treated myself to a new phone for Christmas, yay!). Also, the giveaway is open until the 27th and I'll be announcing a winner on the 28th. See you then! 

24 Merry Days is coming to a close. Don't miss the final giveaways:
Dec 21st - Lottie Loves
Dec 22nd - The Proper Pinwheel
Dec 23rd - Dust Jacket Attic
Dec 24th- Oh, Hello Friend

Paper Goods: In Haus Press

Per usual, In Haus Press is killing it in the holiday section of their letterpress shop. I bought gift tags for my holiday gifts last year and they were so nice no one wanted to throw them away with the rest of the gift wrapping and I don't blame them. If you're looking for something really special and unexpected, check out these New Years confetti cards. They're genius.

24 Merry Days is in full swing. Don't miss these giveaways!:
Day #6- This Little Street
Day #7- Hank & Hunt
Day #8- Funky Time
Day #9- Happiness Is

Ornaments

glittered geometry ornament $6 via leif

walnut ornaments $32 via branch

modern himmeli ornaments set of 8 $29 amradio

gilded geometry ornament $12 via leif

My favorite ornaments this year include simple geometric shapes, solid wood (made from sustainable deadfall walnut), and a touch of glitter. I like them all so much that if I had it my way, I'd put them all on the same tree with a few white lights and hope for the best. 

12 Holiday Dresses Under $100

1// crystal collar flippy dress $100 2// mesh dress $49.95 3// rylan dress $88 4// hello, deer dress $79.99 5// grangers grace sequined dress $52.99 6// flore dress $68 7// studded scalloped tunic dress $84 8// pleated high neck dress $97 9// glacial relationships dress $52.99 10// mint perfection textured dress $39.99 11// dreamscape beaded lace dress $44.99 12// sequin and tulle dress $29.95

So many holiday dress options for under $100 (ok, I cheated on #1 since that's technically not under $100 but let's not split hairs) so the questions remains, what will I be wearing this holiday season? I like the quirky patterns on #4 and #9 but the classic looks of #3 and #8 are also appealing. Hmmmm. What do you think? See anything you like?

Wrap It Up: Touch of peach

Peach, grey, black, brown, gold, silver. It's an unexpected combination for the holidays but I think a touch of peach is so cheerful! Plus, I get worn out on red and green during the holidays so I'm always looking for alternative color schemes. A little peach might just be the ticket this year.

On another note, how are your turkey preparations coming? We're having an alternative meal of turkey lasagna this year since we're only hosting my sister and niece and in lieu of traveling to see family. It should be nice and low-key. It's been a busy week and I'm looking forward to taking a couple of days off. I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing holiday! I'll see you back here next week. xo

1// stephmodo 2// the house that lars built 3// fig.2 design 4// decor8 5// crate paper blog

Summer Solstice

image: the design files, home of Lucy Hill and family

Happy first day of summer (albeit a little late but you won't hold that against me, will you? It's been a busy week)! I'd like to point out that this photo was taken in the backyard of someone's vacation home (see the full home tour here, it's pretty amazing), as in this was not styled for a magazine but this outdoor bathtub is actually a real life functional space. I mean really, I want it...in my own backyard...and I want to take baths in it assuming I could somehow manage to fend off the mosquitoes.
Speaking of summer, are you as excited as I am to spend some time by the water soaking up the sun? Any body of water will do but I'm particularly longing for the beach. In fact, a trip to the beach is my one birthday wish this year which I continually remind B about everyday or so. We're much closer to the beach now that we live in Raleigh so I'm crossing my fingers and my toes that it'll happen and I pity the soul that has to be around me if it doesn't (gosh, I didn't mean for that to come out as a threat. No, wait a second, yes I did). Do you have any fun trips planned this summer? 

Calligraphy for V-Day

B and I really don't celebrate Valentine's Day in the conventional sense. Neither of us gets particularly excited about this holiday (I'm still recovering from Christmas in February) but we do exchange cards, a tradition I very much enjoy. This year, I've decided to go with a simple hand-calligraphed card from Sparrow Nest Script. The words are beautifully rendered and the message is clear. I won't tell you which card I bought on the off-chance that B sees this post, but needless to say, I think I've found a winner! Check out the full selection of V-day cards here. 

Happy Holidays!

 hilarious illustrations by gemma correll

Well friends, it's time for me to take a break and sign off for the holidays! B, the dogs and I are traveling to Georgia to spend a jam packed few days with our families. I hope to pop in with a post or two before the New Year. Until then, I hope you have a joyful, peaceful, and safe Christmas. Lots of love to you. xo

Holiday Goodies at Olive Manna

From stamps to storage to ribbons and twine, Oliva Manna has lots of holiday gift wrapping and gift worthy items available. I love the idea of using these chalkboard boxes to personalize gift sets. And for decorating your own tree, these limited edition ornaments are too sweet. The mini mason jar is my favorite. *Don't forget that you can receive 10% off your entire purchase at Oliva Manna with the code 'CHIC' at checkout. 

p.s. Happy Halloween!

*Olive Manna is a sponsor of D&OC. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that support this blog.

Labor Day

photo by lisa smit (found via here comes the sun)

How was your weekend? B and I had a great time with his parents who came to visit from Georgia. We spent time outside, ate good food, received an amazing gift of a new mattress and box spring (it arrives tomorrow and I cannot wait to sleep in a comfortable bed!) and got to spend time with two of our very favorite people. Although we're confident that we made the right decision in moving, we miss our family very much and are learning to adjust to being so far away.

Today is Labor Day in the States so we'll be enjoying a relaxing day with friends and gearing up for a new week. B has found a job that he likes and I'm much closer to securing a position so we're keeping our fingers crossed that things fall into place soon. For now though, we're going to take advantage of the day off and worry about the future some other day. Hope you have a good! xo

Happy {Long} Weekend + Some News

  giant dwarf tiny startlette sparkler $8

It's a holiday weekend here in the States and in Canada (Happy Canada Day!) and I couldn't be any more appreciative for an extra long weekend. This week, my husband and I have made it public knowledge that we are moving away from our beloved Athens to Raleigh, NC. If you'll recall, we took a trip to Raleigh recently and fell in love with the city. B and I are in desperate need of a change and since B has completed his Master's Degree we are crossing our fingers and toes that he'll find a teaching job. As for me friends, I have no clue what I'm going to do but I've started applying for jobs with no luck yet. I am trying every day to ward off a giant panic attack as I think about the fact that we will be homeless as of July 31st. That's not to say that B and I will be begging in the streets any time soon or exploiting our dogs by having them perform tricks at the carnival (although, that's doesn't sound like such a bad idea) but, as soon as my current job ends on July 22nd, we will be sans an income. We're taking a big, giant leap of faith that things are going to work out for us and in the meantime, I'll be working with Kya and Bella on their performances. They've been free loading way too long. It's about time those pups earned their keep.

Happy (Holiday) Weekend

These circular snippets of our lovely and fragile planet captured by Marco Suarez remind me the Native American Proverb, "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."

Today is Earth Day, Good Friday, and the beginning of Easter weekend. As we increase our efforts in sustainability and striking a healthy balance with our environment, I am reminded that the worst thing we can do as individuals is nothing. Apathy not only cripples our individual spirits but will harm generations to come (including our children and our children's children). I was reminded yesterday, through a conversation with colleagues, that we are undoubtedly connected and dependent on one another and that we must work together to be good stewards of our planet. It's a big job, isn't it? Every.Single.Person.Matters.Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

I hope you have a restful weekend filled with lots of love and joy. xo

love.

And to my husband...

I hope you realize that today and all days, you are loved.  Thank you for being the best readers around. You bring a smile to my face every. single. day. Now go treat yourself to a cupcake. I know I'm going to!  xoxo

images: carina santos (via robot heart); design*sponge;  eat drink chic; photojojo; fifiduvi

Paperless Post + Happy Weekend

I love the Valentine e-card designs that Linda & Harriet created for Paperless Post.  I plan on sending out a of few these cards for the day of love. I especially like the piggies- surprise, surprise.
Do you have any special plans this weekend?  B and I don't have much going on which is exactly how I like it.  Hope your weekend is fab! xo