My Love For Haviland & Co. Limoges China

One of the many things I collect is Haviland & Co. Limoges china and more specifically the hand painted gold and white pieces.  I absolutely love the look and details included and simply can not pass up a monogram piece.  It started with a collection of six M bread plates and developed into a passion for hunting and finding new pieces.  At the moment my collection is still small, but it has the potential to be vast with the way I seem to be to locate pieces.

I feel an episode of Hoarders in my future ... 😉

Photo by Kristen Hechler

A few years ago I purchased my largest amount of pieces when my best friend Lance spotted a number of monogram pieces at an antique store on the Marietta Square. He called me and told me of his find and I immediately raced over to beat the clock before the store closed.  It was an exciting purchase as the monogram was one letter different from my grandmother and one letter different from both myself and Little Bit.  I was thrilled when I brought it home knowing one day I would wrap it up as a gift for her.  It is truly so beautiful. 

Organization For The New Year

I love to organize pretty much anything, have I shared that with you?  My husband calls me Monica Geller when he sees me get out of bed after getting all tucked in to put something away I left out.  I can't help it, and to be honest it does help me sleep so much better.  I really believe in having a space for things, it helps me with the clutter that comes with having a lot of us in the house and definitely helps them put their own things away.  With a house full of people we can create some serious chaos in a short amount of time.  Sometimes I feel like I just tidied a space and five minutes later it looks like a hurricane blew through and left all kinds of stuff scattered in its path.  I am not sure about your house, but my people are prone to misplacing things and if I can keep them putting things where they belong we seem to be able to cut down on the "can you find my ---" asks.

Christmas Inspiration

At the beginning of the month I participated in a tour of our dining room for the Twelve Days of Holiday Homes.  As always it was an amazing tour and one I think you should take if you haven't already.  It would be a perfect morning with coffee and a fire or a great way to end your day on the sofa also with a fire but maybe a glass of wine or a yummy holiday cocktail.

Introducing Ginny's Orchids

I have been a fan of orchids for a very long time as my parents always had one or two around the house.  They seem to have the touch to keeping them alive as their's are not only thriving but also blooming.  Since I am known for the brown thumb in the family I have purchased quite a few orchids in my time and most definitely the days before we have company coming.  I will rush out, trade out my brown sticks in a pot for a beautiful new orchid and smile the whole time as if somehow I kept that thing alive since the last time they visited.

Plaid Cachepots For The Win

As we all know I love to use pink and green when I decorate for Christmas.  It is just me and I can't quit it, not that I am trying.  This year I vowed to take that same pink and green and add in multiple plaids to the mix.  I have purchased blankets, moved some pillows around and added in plaid ribbon to the decor and to the tree in the den.  I love the plaid mix with the pink and two colors of green I chose and to be honest, it may be my favorite mix so far.  I can't wait to show you the result ... and the peeks into our house start tomorrow with our dining room, so come back tomorrow and take the tour.

Dutch Door Love

image from Madcap Cottage via Traditional Home

Remember yesterday when I said I was installing a dutch door?  Yep ... it is only a week or so away from happening and I am truly giddy.  I have wanted a dutch door for the longest time and I am truly so excited I get to install one in our home.

Front Door Decor

So the temps are cooling off just a bit and I am contemplating what to do for our front door for the new season.  I am seeing so many inspiring photos on social media with amazing pumpkins and wreaths and the wheels are beginning to turn in my head.  I am a girl who loves her Summer (as you well know because I haven't stopped going on about it) but the moment the air gets its first chill I am dressed head to toe in plaid and layers.  I get it ... enter eye roll here. 😳

Croquet Love!

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My love for the game of croquet started as a very young child.  My grandparents gifted my mother and I a set when I was about 3 and I distinctly remember being taught how to play immediately.  I will find that photo of me in cute plaid pants and blue clogs with a mallet I am sure was as big as I was learning to play.  My mother was wearing amazing flare pants in an incredible pattern with her beloved Dr. Scholl's sandals.

Color Trend ... Lavender + Navy

For a girl who does not care for purple I do have a small spot in my heart for lavender.  Something about the pale shade makes me feel feminine and girly.  Pair it with navy and I am all in to swipe right.  This color trend is showing up everywhere right now and I could not be happier.  As you will see these two colors might be a perfect match. 

Lavender + Navy forever.  

National Pink Day ... Yes Please!!

OMG!!! Tomorrow might just be my favorite national holiday! Did you realize it was National Day of Pink tomorrow?  I almost exploded with pink confetti when I found out! Pink is a classic, girly, happy, and fun color, but it is one you can truly use your whole life when you do it right. You can never go wrong whether it be millennial pink, bubble gum pink, baby pink, or hot pink ... they're all too good.

Palm Beach Dreaming ...

I am absolutely thrilled to be planning a girls trip to Palm Beach in two weeks.  Palm Beach is one of my favorite places in the world and I can not wait to introduce this charming destination to my dear friend Krystine. Since our trip is just two weeks away I have already starting packing all of my favorite things and dreaming of all the amazing things we will see and do.

I am so excited!!

Signature Style

When my darling friend Emily came to visit in March she gifted me an incredible basket.  The basket was filled with so many fabulous things as you can see, a bottle of her favorite rosé, some delicious crackers, her favorite candle, fig jam, pretty cocktail napkins and a yummy San Pellegrino. I was truly so honored but not at all surprised as Emily is the perfect example of staying true to her signature style. To know her is to know that entertaining is part of her DNA.  She has a large family and a fabulous collection of friends and she is constantly whipping up a little afternoon or evening soireé for her people.  You can spend five minutes on her amazing Instagram and instantly see Emily is quite gifted at being a hostess.

The incredible box she gifted me was filled with everything I needed for a lovely evening.  As the tag says ... just add cheese and friends.  How amazing, am I right?  The thing that struck me immediately is that I knew a happy from her would be something like this, it is just her.

The gift truly got me thinking, we gift according to our signature style, what we love we share with others.  I think it is just second nature to us, if we are drawn to it and love it we want to share it with others. For me this would be something to entertain, something monogrammed, something vintage and something that means something to the person receiving the gift.  I recently sent a housewarming gift to my dear friends The Ross' and as I chose the gift I was lost in thought of this very topic.  I can't share the gift just yet, but I can share with you that it was very me.

Once you truly find your signature style it is one of those things that shows in every single thing you do.  Since it is signature to you, you don't even think about it.  For me this would be flowers, monograms, fun pajamas, adorable coffee cups, crisp button downs with popped collars, color, pattern and all things vintage.  I just sent my sweet friend Natalie a birthday gift and true to me (and her) it was filled with all things pink, green, a good fun read and something sweet!

A few more images of her incredible gift to us.  Like I said it was truly so yummy.  This was the first Diptyque candle I have owned and I am hooked, but to know me is to know I am a candle junky. Thomas Ard was painting yesterday in the foyer (full reveal coming soon) and he kept commenting how wonderful the candle smelled.  I could not agree more!

What is your signature style?  What do are you drawn to and love the most? Do you know?

Have the best day ... one more day of this short week and we will be sliding into the weekend!

Memorial Day Planning

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Is it just me or is it surprising to anyone else that this weekend is Memorial Day?  It completely sneaked up on me, but actually the entire month of May did. It was just Spring Break and now school is ending.  Say what?  I can't say I am sad to see summer coming, it is my favorite time of the year. I absolutely love Memorial Day because it is the official beginning of summer vacation!!

Cue the confetti!!

Introducing Madeline & Company

I will never forget the day I received an email from Madeline & Company, I had to read it twice. As I was reading my darling assistant was googling the company.  I remember hearing her gasp with excitement. What she discovered was the most adorable and fabulous backpacks I had ever seen. Stylish and large yet still so girly ... the perfect backpack for any girl and something my daughter and I needed immediately.

Porch Appeal

As the weather is warming up here in Atlanta I am starting to think about our front porch. I say "porch" but it is really a small area and probably should be called a stoop.  Anyway, it is time to clean out my planters and freshen them up for spring and summer.