deadline extended...

I know how crazy life can be so I have extended the 'my favorite bedroom' pictures deadline to Sunday! Now you have no excuses:)

I'll fill you in next week on how I made this table skirt. Have a great weekend!

the clock is ticking...

Don't forget to send me pictures of your favorite room in your house by Friday! Click here for details.

early bloomers

I woke up Saturday morning and saw these early bloomers. It made me very happy. The warm weather didn't hurt either:) I spent lots of time outside and even got to hang out in the park with Ashley and Leighton. I hope you were able to enjoy the beautiful weather too.

CALLING ALL READERS

As much as we all want to decorate or redecorate our homes, I know that you have at least one room in your house that is your favorite. I want to know what yours is! Maybe it's your office, bathroom, dining room, bedroom, kitchen or nursery. Either way, I want to hear from you! Starting Monday, March 1, I am going to post pictures of my readers' favorite rooms. This will only be fun if YOU participate. Email 2 or 3 pictures of your favorite room in your house to me (amberjpoteat@gmail.com) along with your first name and the city and state where you live by Friday, February 26. Depending on how many participants I have, I will post the photos all in one day or split them up based on the type of room. This is going to be so much fun!

My favorite room is my bedroom. It's simple, classic and comfy and it incorporates navy, of course.

I love that our bed looks like Santa's sleigh. Also, none of our bedroom furniture came as a set. We saved up for each piece and I think they work pretty well together.We are quite the bargain furniture shoppers. We bought the tile above our bed at the straw market in Charleston, SC for our one year anniversary. Supposedly, it is a ceiling tile from an old plantation. This room gets lots of natural light and I love that.

I can't wait to see your favorite room!

weekend: rainbow chip and snow, the end of an era, and scrabble

As I mentioned in the last post, Paul's birthday was Friday. We celebrated with family and with lots of beautiful white snow Friday night. Paul's mom brought the cake, but Paul always requests rainbow chip cupcakes. He's a kid at heart, but who am I kidding. I love them too. In case you were wondering, the top of the cake stand came from here and the bottom from here.

Yes, we woke up Saturday to lovely snow. Luckily, my sister, brother-in-law, and niece decided to stay in Belmont for the night with my parents so we could play in the snow the next morning. And we did just that.

The circle of life! (if you watch Modern Family, that might be funny to you:). We love that show.

We made a snowman and it turned out really cute. While making the snowman though, Paul ripped his jeans, big time.

That leads me to 'the end of an era.' If you know Paul at all, then you know that he loves his light jeans. He would wear them every day if he could. Not just around the house, but out in public to a nice restaurant too. I bought him a couple pairs of dark jeans, but he would still pull out those light ones. I would complain, but decided early on that I would have to pick my battles and this was not going to be one of them.

Oh those light jeans.

I can still hear Paul humming 'Taps' while rolling them up and throwing them in the trash can. Meanwhile, I was singing the 'Hallelujah' chorus. Bye Bye light jeans, Hello dark jeans.

Luckily, we decided to celebrate Valentine's Day on Saturday night, so that helped ease his pain:) We went to the movies, ate dinner out, and ended the evening with a little wine and Scrabble. What a fun weekend we had! I hope you were able to spend yours with those that you love.

birthday boy

Happy Birthday to my sweetie!

Have a great weekend!

I'd like to wear this...

source
...when it warms up!

Day 4: Meet Blink Nutrition

Meet the Founder and Creator: Ashley Bizzell, RD

After three years in medical sales, Ashley decided to return to a career in nutrition in attempt to spend more time with her adorable daughter/my sweet niece Leighton (I'm a proud aunt). She opened her nutrition consulting company, Blink Nutrition, in November 2009. Ashley counsels individuals of all ages on weight loss, diabetes, hypertension, sports and fitness, eating disorders, allergies, wellness and nutrition during pregnancy. She customizes meal plans for each of her clients as well as takes them on grocery store tours/pantry "clean outs" to provide her clients with the knowledge and plan to help them achieve their health goals. Whether your personal health goals include weight management, chronic disease prevention or simply a healthier lifestyle - Ashley wants to help you!

For more information visit her website here!

Don't forget to check out her personal blog here.

Well, that wraps up the week. I've had so much fun with this series and I'm especially thankful for all of the participants! What a lovely group of inspiring women. If you are just now joining, don't forget to check out the previous posts.

Recap:

Day 1: Found Studio

Day 2: Melissa Williamson Photography

Day 3: PaperVeil

Day 4: Blink Nutrition

Have a great weekend!

Day 3: Meet PaperVeil

Meet the Founder and Creator: Alexa Adams

PaperVeil is a custom design company. PaperVeil began soon after my friend Alexa designed her own wedding invitations. "They were a labor of love where I found myself lost with endless ideas for styles, techniques and colors." Alexa caught herself designing invitation after invitation just to get her ideas down. It was at that point where she discovered her true passion for all types of invitations, cards and paper goods. While she loves her day job of designing logos, packaging and ads, she feels she has truly found her niche.

Alexa would love for her little "shop" to continue to grow until she can one day open her own storefront. "I can already envision the cute, striped awning with my logo on it."

Alexa is wonderful to work with. She designed my wedding invitations. I had an idea in my head of what I wanted, but I couldn't find it any where. I explained to her what I was looking for and she created the most beautiful invitation. She read my mind!

Alexa has branched out a bit too. Don't forget to check out her custom calendars here.

To find out more about PaperVeil, visit Alexa's etsy site here or email Alexa at paperveil@gmail.com. Her blog is under construction right now, but it will be up and running soon!

Stay tuned for the final post...

Day 2: Meet Melissa Williamson

Melissa is a photographer who likes to have fun with people and help them feel relaxed and at ease in front of the camera. She describes her overall style as "documentary with a fine art flair." Melissa and I went to high school together and it was rare, even then, to see her without her camera. She has blossomed into an amazing photographer.

For weddings, Melissa concentrates on peoples' emotions and the flow of the day as it unfolds naturally. Each wedding is unique and each couple inspires her in so many different ways. For bridal portraits, she likes to glam up the session more like a fashion shoot- discovering unusual settings and playful poses. For engagement sessions, she likes to take the couple to a place that's meaningful to them. That really brings out their personalities. For children and families, she believes the best place to document moments is in a relaxed, natural setting such as their home or a park. Melissa tries to stay away from formal, "posed" portraiture, as the most memorable moments are candid and happen unexpectedly. She's also available to do lifestyle, maternity and senior sessions.

Now I will let her beautiful work speak for itself.

"I absolutely love my 'job', and I am so thankful for the people it brings into my life!"

What gorgeous photos. Maybe she will share some photography tips one day! To see more of Melissa's photos, visit her website here or check out her blog here. You can get in touch with Melissa by emailing her at melissa@melissawilliamsonphoto.com.

Can't wait for tomorrow's post...

Day 1: Meet Found Studio

Found Studio is a delicately polished collection of re-purposed finds and revived home furnishings.

Meet the Founder and Creat0r: Caroline Shook

Caroline, a Charleston native and a Clemson Tiger like ME, believes that every object can be recycled and given new purpose, new life. She creates one of a kind pieces constructed from antique fine china and tableware. Every piece of china is carefully chosen and perfectly matched for its new life as a Found Studio production. Caroline's creations have traditional Southern style with a functional, modern edge that make them so unique.

Each Stand is named after a street in the Lowcountry, beginning with the very place she grew up. She believes that one's jewelry defines the person. Therefore, she carefully names each piece after those who have helped define her - her friends and family.

Caroline also specializes in refurbishing vintage furniture. A new finish, a different color, fresh hardware...she gives new life to those tired and gently worn pieces.

She also crafts new distinctive jewelry, but prefers to renew and redesign antique and estate pieces found locally in South Carolina.

At Found Studio, everything deserves a second chance.

You can find more great Found Studio pieces here or by visiting her etsy site here.

Her next home show is in Charleston, SC on March 3. Also, she will have her own booth at a Designer's Showcase in Mount Pleasant, SC in March. Caroline, along with 12 other artists, designers, etc... will be featured. It is called Chic Antiques and the address is 675 Johnnie Dodds Blvd. If you have any questions, feel free to email Caroline at caroline@found-studio.com.

I wish I had just half of the creativity that Caroline has. Don't forget to check out her blog too. She has awesome design tips and the most quaint and perfectly decorated home you have ever seen!

Don't miss tomorrow's feature post...

hey, soul sister

Well, I know some women who not only have some soul, but also creativity, courage and passion. Starting tomorrow and running through Friday, I am going to post each day about a different woman-owned business. I cannot wait to introduce you to this lovely group of talented women. Make sure you have your cup of coffee ready for tomorrow morning! Stay tuned...