The Hunt is Over

The wedding festivities have begun and I am so excited to share some of my favorite photos from our engagement session in Georgetown. Tyler and I decided to do our photos in Georgetown since that is where he proposed to me! BEST. DAY. EVER. Camille Catherine was our photographer and she is absolutely amazing. Not only is she a gem to work with, given her bubbly and easy-going personality, but she is soooooooo talented. All of her photos have a bright, light and airy feel, which is right up my alley. If you are getting married in the DC-metro area, you have to check her out! We fell in love with her over a glass of wine and a 2 hour "interview," which honestly felt like cocktails with an old friend.

Dress details: Katie Kime - aka my design/fashion idol who I have been obsessed with for 3+ years. I love her designs so much that she is making custom dresses for my bridesmaids, which will be absolutely stunning!

Vintage Picnic

A vintage 1950's suitcase + Katie Kime fabric + TLC = BEST PICNIC TRUNK EVER. My mom and I found this gem at an antique store awhile back and I instantly knew what I wanted to do with it. If you have a couple of hours, grab an old suitcase and your favorite fabric. You will be popping bubbly and picnicking in no time. 

• Remove the old lining. 
• Clean the suitcase to get rid of any dirt and/or smell. I used Clorox and Windex. 
• Use the removed lining as a template and trace around it on flat pieces of cardboard. 
• Cut the cardboard with a razor. 
• Cut a piece of fabric for each piece of cardboard that is about a half inch larger on all sides. You want to make sure that there is a little extra so that you can fold it over the back to secure with glue.
• Glue the fabric to the cardboard and clamp until dry. 
• Decide on what picnic items you want to create an elastic holder for and measure/cut your elastic accordingly. 
• Poke holes into each side of the elastic and push a gold brad through. 
• Measure and mark the area for where you want to attach the elastic to the fabric covered cardboard. Use a drill to make your holes. 
• Insert the brads into each hole and fold back the legs to secure the elastic to the board. 
• Adhere each cardboard piece to the interior of the suitcase with tacky glue and clamp. Allow for adequate dry time. 

Time to picnic!!! 

Coming Up Roses

Happy Thursday! It's time to kickoff your weekend with some bubbly. This is my favorite cocktail recipe and I know that you will love it too!

Ingredients:
1 lime - cut into 6 chunks
1 oz rose syrup
4 oz Bacardi raspberry-flavored rum
Champagne
Rose water
Rose petals

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the lime with rose petals and rose syrup. Add rum and about 1/2 cup of ice. Shake well. Pour into a highball glass and add ice. Top with champagne and rose petals for garnish.

Enjoy!

My highball glasses are from Anthropologie.

Stylishly Organized

This week's DIY is another antique transformation. It's amazing what a little Orange Glo and new hardware can do to an old sewing machine drawer. Although I had planned on painting the drawer, once I got it cleaned up, I decided that the modern hardware complemented the distressed wood perfectly! 

Checkout your local antique shop and get yourself some new hardware. All you have to do is clean it up, drill a hole, attach your hardware and you are done! Whether you re-purpose it as a planter or a mail holder, it will surely make a statement! 

I got my hardware from Anthropologie on sale. I'm also kind of obsessed with these knobs:

1. 2. 3.

 

The Golden Beauty

I scored this antique buffet cart for $100 at a hole-in-the-wall hardware store in the Northern Neck. With a little TLC and paint, it was totally transformed into a golden beauty. This DIY is simple: use chalk paint to fully cover the cart (I did three layers), distress with sandpaper, and top it off with three coats of the Golden Glimmer.

Product details: I used Vintiques chalk paint in Buttercup and the Metallic Masters top coat in Golden Glimmer.