BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT: coleman allen shirley

I wanted to share my sweet nephew's birth announcement I designed over the summer. I may be biased, but he is the cutest little boy, just look at him the day he entered the world. Precious, I know. 

I used black and white photos for a subtle interior and attached kraft paper for the outer ends. The announcement accordion folds and is bound with twine and adorned with a sweet stamp. I think it's "cute as a button." What do you think?

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CENTERPIECE INSPIRATION

Ever since I added the new rug to Melrose's dining room, I have been brainstorming on new centerpieces for our farm table. I did have a sort of country chic runner, but now it does not match so I'm looking for something different. Something unique and colorful to tie in the moroccan rug. I gathered together my favorite inspiration images and my options:

1. Glass vase with long, twiggy stems -- I love the simplicity of this option and the versatility. I think my favorite arrangement are the pure greenery ones, especially the eucalyptus bundle.

Here are some recycled glass vase options that I think could achieve this look:

 viva terra clear recycled balloon vases $69

viva terra citrine recycled balloon vase $79

 pier 1 recycled glass vase (the site says out of stock, but I bet you could find one in stores)

2. Floral arrangement - Ever since I saw this instagram from Moth Design, I have been obsessed with her sea urchin vase (as well as her tory burch flats!).

It kind of reminds me of these beautiful floral arrangements in saturated pumpkins. I thought about attempting this idea, but then I worried about the pumpkin deteriorating. I think the sea urchin vase is a great option and could be played up in the fall and then used year around as a centerpiece. 

I started thinking of what plants in my garden I could use as well as purchasing some dried pieces to add in. Etsy and Terrain have some beautiful and unique dried options. And of course, a few fresh cut blooms are necessary as well! I mocked up an example to see what it could possibly look like:

left -- a true arrangement found on pinterest; right -- my photoshopped collage

3. Candles - With a rectangle table, I think you need either substantial candles or enough to spread out to make a statement on the table. A few cluttered in the middle won't produce a big enough interest. 

(this picture is a little overkill but I like the variety of candelabra's)

I am really smitten with this iron candelabra from Terrain. The welded detail and intricate details are exquisite!  I think it could easily fill a rectangle dining table without being too overbearing. I like to be able to clearly see my guests sitting across from me. Some bright orange or royal blue tapers could be amazing in this. 

So, those are my current options I keep toying with. What do you think? Do you have a favorite? 

1st BIRTHDAY INVITE: anne lewis

Happy Friday everyone! I wanted to share a project I did over the summer for one of the sweetest little girls I know - Anne Lewis. We both share a July 4th birthday (the 2nd and 3rd) so we wanted to do a red, white, and blue cookout theme. I tied in the pink to keep them girly and feminine! I printed them on white linen stock and paired them with brown kraft envelopes. Enjoy!

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SNEAK PEEK: dining room

Look what has arrived at Melrose -

Do you remember this post? Well after hearing your encouraging comments, I decided to bite the bullet and go for it! The colors are very radiant and it brings a lot to the neutral dining room. Now I just need to put a coat of high gloss white paint on the legs of the farm table. More pictures to come!

FALL GROWTH

I wanted to share some of my recent gardening projects before everything dries up and withers away for the winter -- not that Alabama is experiencing any extreme cold conditions anytime in the near future. A few months ago I posted about my adoration for potted boxwoods, indoors and outdoors. Like I mentioned, I plated a few around Melrose and here are my boxwoods on either side of the outdoor fireplace in the backyard:

And at this same time I purchased some miniature boxwoods to sit on Melrose's front stoop. I would love to find some better pots (I don't love the carved detail in the concrete), but we all ready had these and they get the job done so I have left them. I do think they need to be re-potted in bigger containers though.

I'm pretty positive you have caught onto the fiddle leaf fig tree trend. It is everywhere. You can't avoid it. And don't try to. I'll admit, I have been debating on purchasing one for our den bay window, but I resulted to being happy nursing my baby fig trees to full growth. You will be surprised at how much they have grown! Here they are fresh from the mail, pre-planted:

And here is a picture from a few months ago ...

And, now here they are this morning! You can definitely tell the growth by seeing how much fuller they are at the top. It is fun to watch a new leaf bud form at the center stem, grow to size, and eventually sprout open. Now I just don't know where to put them when they reach my pot hanger!

Another gardening project I finally finished is filling my flower bed with rosemary and dusty miller. It took me a while to locate rosemary plants large enough for my space, but now they are planted and smelling wonderful! Here is the empty, lonesome space begging for beautiful greenery -

And here is the new space filled with new cedar wood chips -

I've been a little slacking on decorating for fall, but here is my outdoor arrangement I set up. I stole the pumpkin idea from pinterest via Martha Stewart. In my carrot bag I only ended up with one gnarly, pointy carrot so I shaved the other one down to look the same. (note to self: the carrots will deteriorate) I used the same wreath and spider stands as last year. 

What is your favorite fall decor tradition? My favorite is definitely the purchasing of the pumpkins and hanging the wreath!