I made some very large art for Chad’s new office based on this tutorial from Little Green Notebook. It’s 4′ wide and almost 3′ tall. Love it!

We went to the Zac Brown Band concert on Friday, which was more like a Broughton High School reunion/homecoming party. I married into this group and I love them so much I can’t keep my eyes open.

On Saturday we attended a very fun engagement party. The cupcake toppers were designed by Martin Design Agency (as was the framed Save-the-Date… but more on that later).

I made floral arrangements for three very special mothers.

This shot was taken on the west coast a couple of weeks ago, which is one of the things I have yet to post on. More on that in a few days!

This year, I knew I wanted an equally “springy” color scheme. My starting point was a recent obsession with the famous “Blue Willow” china pattern that has been made by Wedgewood, Johnson Brothers & countless other imitators. The pattern is so classic, yet blends perfectly with more modern pieces. This oil painting by Jeanne Illenye confirmed the addition of pink into my colorway.

After combining the blue and pink with some natural accents (raffia + bamboo), I still felt like something was missing. Colonial Williamsburg’s “Raleigh Ikat Plaid” fabric (what a perfect name!) brought in the dose of teal my color scheme needed.

Here’s a sort of sad design board that I threw together as I added elements:

…and the finished product:

The result is a casual, colorful table for a spring wedding. The fictitious couple was Lucy + Nathan and they got married on Saturday during the home show. My favorite part is definitely the flowers, which were a great suggestion from the designer at my local wholesaler: Esperance roses, Flash Point tulips and Buplureum. The backdrop is a variation of this idea made from fringed crepe paper.

Some detail shots…

As usual, Chad created the printed elements from some vague creative direction from me. I love the “crest” and coordinating plaid (which you can barely see on the back of the name cards). The flowers were sort of organically arranged. The tulips started out completely closed and just got bigger and bigger until they hardly resembled tulips.

In addition to myself, three other designers from our organization participated. There was an unintentional blue theme:

Carole Marcotte from Form & Function had a sweet bird-themed table with gorgeous hydrangeas. The birdcage that hung overhead with a porcelain parrot inside drew everyone’s attention.

Marguerite Grimm created an Asian table with fresh fruit + flowers. I loved the orange and cobalt blue combination.

Last, but not least, Marie Martin’s elegant table won the public’s vote. The sparkly elements mixed with peacock blue + lime green kept her heirloom silver from being too serious.

Overall, it was a great representation of our group’s talent and I’m looking forward to the fall competition!

I gave up french fries for Lent, which may not sound like a sacrifice, but it was. We didn’t waste any time and had this for dinner on Easter Sunday (after a family lunch, of course). I’ve definitely been making up for lost time since then.

We’ve been watching little mini live-feed Edwin McCain concerts lately. You make a donation of $5 or more and watch from the computer for an hour. I wasn’t really sure what to expect at first, but it’s intimate and pretty cool.

Two weeks ago, I practically lived at the Southern Ideal Home Show (more details to come). This is what Rigby looks like when he doesn’t get enough attention. He’s incredibly spoiled.

I did, however, get to enjoy these leftovers all of last week.

I’ve been testing out the pastel nail polish trend with Target cheapies before committing to good quality brands.

My phone got a case upgrade last week to stay current with the color of the year. I’ll be back soon!

Unfortunately, the wedding invitations aren’t usually involved in the actual wedding day… so they didn’t make it into the feature. What you can see is the telegram that Grady used to propose to Amanda in the video from Inkspot Crow. It just so happens to be the video still shot, so technically it’s on the Style Me Pretty website!

And here are our names on the vendor list!

The site tells a little about the day from the bride’s perspective and showcases the talents of KMI Photography and Kickstand Events. For more detail goodness and lots more photos, see the blog posts from the vendors themselves: KMI Photography part one and part two + Kickstand Events.

Some of my favorites from Style Me Pretty…

Newlyweds!

Wood flowers were incorporated into the boutonnieres and arrangements.

One of Grady’s two adorable nephews who dance all night long.

Once again, a huge thank you to Amanda + Grady! We’re happy to call you our friends.

photography by KMI Photography and floral design/event planning by Kickstand Events

To jog your memory, here’s the Save-the-Date design:

For their invitation suite, Bridget wanted a memorable design with traditional wording. They’re reminiscent of the Save-the-Dates, but a bit more refined. We dropped the navy accent and focused on metallic charcoal gray + orange. I love the nice touch that the metallic ink adds to the main piece of the suite. We flooded the entire back of the invitation with orange for a really finished look.

We also wanted to subtly include the airplane, since I mentioned that Shaun’s a pilot. They liked the idea of a reply postcard, so it was added on carrying a little banner. Using the same biplane from the Save-the-Dates kept everything cohesive (that’s the magic word around here)!

The info card listed accommodations, the venue address and the couple’s wedding website address.

A few more shots of the suite:

All together now:

We love helping make clients’ ideas a reality. Thank you for working with us, Bridget + Shaun!

My very favorite illustration is called “Ten Great Years” and is hopefully self-explanatory. When it was re-released, I was the second person to order… probably right after my dear Melita. It makes me very happy to see it every day.

The print we gave my brother features guitar greats from over the decades, from Frank Zappa to BB King.

Who doesn’t need a Monty Python and the Holy Grail illustration?

I love the Ferris Bueller’s Day Off board game poster. I would definitely play.

“The Cocktail Party Cut Out Set” even includes little Barcelona chairs and a Noguchi table with its Mid-Century modern house.

Finally, the house from The Royal Tenenbaums. It looks like a dollhouse with all the little details.

There are other “cult classic” subjects, including the Kill Bill movies and The Big Lebowski, and he recently added lots of magazine illustrations. To see more of Max’s work, check out his website or buy it here.

This past weekend’s update was totally free since everything had been purchased previously. See how I can justify that? It’s like when I tell Chad how much I saved buying things that were on sale. You’re still spending money, Meredith! We made it our goal to hang some art on the walls after we ran out of time back in August. Here’s the result with some terrible photos… I was rushing before we lost daylight.

First up, the start of a gallery wall in the dining room. It even has the art from the original design plan! I know that everyone has a gallery wall these days, but with a big open wall and lots of various-sized frames left it really makes the most sense.

Such a big difference!

The guitar lessons print is my favorite and is so perfectly Wesley.

On the opposite side of the dining room is another big empty wall. We filled in the space over the console table with two pieces. The train illustration was found in my parents’ attic and the other is by an artist from my hometown.

We hung his album frames over the tv with some covers from a favorite band.

His copy of the house watercolor is by the stairs.

Finally, the print that started the entire color scheme. It was already on the wall, but I don’t think I’ve shown a full-size photo.

Those were the most major changes, but it’s a work in progress!

I’ve worn these shoes almost every day since I got them. They’re a huge upgrade from my cheap Target leopard flats.

Spring is in the air! Lots of trees are in bloom around the neighborhood, which make our walks so much more enjoyable.

Who could say no to this face?

How did I forget how good these are?? I think I’ve eaten half a bag by myself since yesterday.

Recent Anthropologie purchases, including some birthday gifts. I love the Rifle botanical notebooks so much and these huge dishtowels are on sale.

My view on any given night: Friends on tv, dog sleeping on floor (behind flowers) and stack of unread magazines that seems to double overnight.

Hope to share some design work soon!

When you write a blog, you automatically expose yourself to the opportunity for negative criticism… that’s a given. At the same time, everyone has the right to freedom of speech. People can say whatever they want, whether by name or anonymously.  Since I think it bears repeating, the premise of YHL’s post on dealing with criticism was the following:

You can’t be anything other than who you are. There’s a reason why people read your blog — you’re offering something that they enjoy reading. If someone doesn’t like what you write or the pictures you post, no one is forcing them to look at it!

You can’t please everyone all the time. I really struggle with being a people-pleaser and have to remind myself of this all the time. If Sherry took everyone’s feedback into consideration (“write more about this” or “write less about that”), she pointed out that there wouldn’t be anything left to write about at all!

When you’re faced with adversity, kill it with kindness. Or as Sherry says “do all things with love.” There is usually an underlying reason why someone chose to leave a nasty comment or send a hateful email. Don’t take it personally and certainly try to avoid fighting back with equally hurtful words.

Fortunately, I’ve never experienced any form of cyber bullying, but I understand how hard it is to put yourself out there for all of the world to see. I write a blog for the sole purpose of promoting our business. My hope is that allowing my clients a sneak peak into my life will help them connect with me (and maybe learn something along the way). I like to think that I’m very relatable!  Keeping friends + family in the loop, while chronicling our lives for posterity’s sake, is just a fringe benefit.

On a totally different note, is anyone excited about the return of Mad Men this month? Chad found these photos last week and I thought they were really cool.

photos by James Minchin III

My amazing grandma turned 94 on Sunday, so we celebrated the other February birthdays along with hers. We were too busy filming her house to take many pictures, but here’s a good one from our wedding. She actually reads the blog (and email and Facebook). I love you, Grandma!

A couple of shots of the aforementioned house, which I’ve written about here. I can’t wait to see Chad’s documentary-style video. I love this house so much!!!

Someone else had a birthday this Wednesday… my handsome husband. Somehow his brother came out blurry in the pic, but Chad and the birthday cannoli are just fine. Sorry, Brian! His actual birthday was taken over by work responsibilities, so we’ll be celebrating more this weekend.

In other news: a little sneak peak of a fun project…

Rigby found a pacifier in our neighborhood yesterday. Unfortunately this is not the grossest thing he has brought home. I fear for our future children, but it’s pretty hilarious all the same.

In general, I prefer old music (80′s or earlier) to new music. However, I recently ordered Jack and White‘s Gemini + Winter albums. Only 10 songs total, but I’ve been listening to them nonstop. Brooke White is one of the Girls with Glasses.

Finally, two of my girlfriends are also celebrating a birthday today. Happy Birthday, Kendall + Ashley!