Joie De Vivre

Another hot and hectic week has passed here in Georgia. I am starting to get the feeling that we are going to get weather payback now for missing out on the harsh winter that the North experienced.  It has been hot and everyone from here keeps telling us that it is going to get hotter.  On a much cooler note, during one of our daily walks here this week we discovered an alligator living in the lake just in front of our house. Scary, yet exciting!  I won't be walking the dog down there by myself anymore, but my husband and I have ventured down there once or twice more this week hoping to get a picture.  Seems our alligator is camera shy, but hopefully within the next couple weeks I can get a snapshot of him up here.  Just another Georgia experience for us!  Here are some snaps from the past week: 

Southern Comfort at a vintage car show in Atlanta.

A 90 degree day this week (in May)!

Country Georgia roads and sky on my drive home one evening.

Perfect Cinco de Mayo dinner.

One of my most favorite pictures ever: my mom and I on my wedding day.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom - I love you!

The above photo was taken my my wedding photographer extraordinaire Lauren Galloway.

Check out her blog here.

Have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all the lovely mama's out there!

xo Bridget

Washi Tape Wonderful

I can't resist cute washi tape when I see it.  It really seems to be popping up everywhere (the other day I noticed a large display in target) - people are catching onto the trend and I am loving it.  It really adds a pop of fun to whatever you put it on.  With that being said, I thought I'd share what I do with all this washi tape that I keep buying. So, here are some of my favorite ways to use washi tape.

Sealing Envelopes
(I love the pop that this adds to my cards)

Decorating Homemade Cards
(in this i used the tape to make a mini bunting on my March calendar card - this idea would look super cute for birthday, bridal shower or just general party invites)

Personalizing Cards or Gifts
(I bought this particular tape to label my handmade cards and gifts as being homemade)

Sealing Packages 
(I find that I mostly use washi tape in lieu of regular scotch tape - it's more fun and it's usually the only thing I have on hand anyways!)

While google-ing around I found this link to pinterest as well, which has some really awesome and creative ideas for washi tape: 1001 things to do with washi on Pinterest

xo Bridget

Unexpected Treasure

Back in September, my husband and I took a road trip from Ohio where we were living at the time to the area in Georgia where we would be living.  It was about a 10 hour drive, so we decided to find a fun half way point to spend the night.  I jumped at the opportunity to find a fun, new, place to explore.  I came up with Market Square in Knoxville, Tennessee and what an unexpected surprise it was!  We stayed right in the heart of the Market Square and really enjoyed sampling all the fun restaurants and wandering through the cute boutiques. 

The clothing boutiques were really unusual and I really wanted to find something to try on, but wasn't having much luck.  My husband pointed out this dress, which went unnoticed in my scanning.  I tried it on and loved it.  It's not something I would usually pick out for myself, but it has become one of my favorite dresses.  So, I had two surprises out of the trip : finding out how lovely Knoxville is and this dress.  I sure do hope I pass through there again one day.

If you are ever near Knoxville, you should check out Market Square.  We loved the Tupelo Honey Cafe  for a late night bite (homemade biscuits and blueberry jam - need I say more?) and the Mast General Store, which is a fun shop to mill around for some old fashioned candy and unexpected gadgets.

Dress: Tyche (similar) (similar) (similar)

Belt: Target

Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs

Earrings & Ring: Beeline for Old Navy  (similar) and (similar)

The Perfect Margarita

I don't need an excuse for a Mexican meal EVER.  So, every year when Cinco de Mayo rolls around, I definitely make Mexican a must.  I scanned through my cookbooks for some fun, new, recipes to try, however,  number one on my Cinco de Mayo checklist, was the perfect margarita.  I went back to my porch parties cocktail book, which I talked about here and found a recipe for the perfect margarita, which I tweaked to suit my tastes.

I decided to make a pitcher full so we could just relax out back with them and not have to worry about refills.  I don't like salt in my margaritas, so that's pretty much the only thing that I omitted.  The recipe says 2 oz. of Tequila and 1 oz. of Triple Sec to every 1.5 oz. of lime juice.  With the addition of lots of cut up limes and crushed ice, I found them to be the perfect strong for me.  If you wanted to make them a little weaker - just add a little less Tequila and Triple sec.  Ok, enough talking! Here's what I did:

Cut up your limes (I purchased 6 which yielded about 10 oz. of juice).

 Juice those babies (I like to add all the pulp to my juice, but you can leave it out if you wish).

Margaritas are ready for assembly! Pour your lime juice into the pitcher.

Add Tequila (8 oz. was enough for me) - less or more depending on how strong you want them.

Add your Triple Sec (4 oz.).

Give it a good stir.

Enjoy!

This made enough for 4 pretty large margaritas and trust me, between the two of us, that was enough!
As part of the Mexican dinner that accompanied, I made these taco cupcakes (from pinterest), these shrimp tacos (from my Southern Living cookbook), and a guacamole salad (which is just shredded lettuce with some guacamole and veggies on top).  Perfect!

xo
Bridget

For Mom

My mom is my best friend, so naturally, I love to spoil her on Mother's Day.  Of course, the most important thing about Mother's Day for us is just being together.  Sadly, this year, my mother and I can't be together, but we will be just one short week later!  I really can't wait!  Here are some of my mother's day gift picks, just little extras to show her how much you appreciate her.

one :  A beautiful and decadent candle for her vanity.
two : The richest caramels in a pretty package.
three : Fancy glasses and a flowery liqueur for impromptu champagne cocktails.
four : The essential mani/pedi kit.
five : A dainty bracelet watch.  Is she a gold or silver girl?
six : The most luxury bath products for an at home spa day (here, here, and here).
seven : A classic everyday tote.


Happy Mother's Day to all you lovely mama's out there!
xo Bridget

Icing On The Cake

one . two . three . four . five . six . seven . eight 

A couple of weeks ago, I shared my makeup foundation basics with you here.  Today, I thought I'd share what goes on top.  I don't switch up my beauty routine that often, I know what I like and what looks good on me.   It's great to have a tried and true beauty routine so you can get it on and get out that door quickly!   Here are my "icing on the cake" essentials.

one: This is the best liquid eyeliner I have ever had,  it's easy to use and has a great bold color.

two: Makes my lashes look big and beautiful!

three: I have these roll on glitter shadows in almost every color, I get compliments on them every time I wear them.  Walnut is by far my favorite color.

four: A classic (no. 7 - lingerie pink).  And worth the money.

five: This stuff smells awesome, it's like lip perfume.  It's made my the same company that makes the ever popular Rosebud Salve - so the same formula - just love the smell (and tin) of this one more.

six: I use this over my bronzer and my blush.  It's just gives a beautiful rosy, bronzy sheen all over.

seven: Illamasqua products are so pigmented, a little bit goes a long way, so your face doesn't get caked up with makeup.  This is the best blush that I have ever had (color is Katie).

eight:  This is the first Naked palette that I have ever had and I can see why people love them.   The  rose gold colors in this one suit me best.

Floral Appeal

I don't know how many of you are familiar with Loehmann's, but for years it has been one of my favorite shops.  Located in a shopping center right next to my gym, I was sure to visit a couple times a week and score a bargain.

A couple of months ago my mom called me with some very sad news - Loehmann's was closing!  Since I am living so far away, she went over for some farewell shopping and picked up this Free People skirt for me.  I love how flowly it is and how it's short in the front and long on the sides - I have recently learned that this is called a shark bite hem.  I am sad to see Loehmann's go, but I've got some lifetime bargain pieces to remember them by.

Bralette: Free People (similar) 

Tank: Topshop (similar) (similar)

Skirt: Free People (similar) (similar)

Shoes: Steve Madden (similar) (love these)

Bag: Liebeskind (similar)

Bracelets: Swarovski, Free People, and Alex and Ani

I styled this skirt with an oversized black bralette and a white cropped tank.  Because the skirt is so high waisted, I feel comfortable wearing it with a couple of my cropped tops, layered.  I love the more high waisted styles coming back.

What do you prefer - high or low waists?

xo Bridget