New Direction...

It wasn't long ago...wait, 8 years, hmmm, okay long ago...that I owned a little gift boutique in Charleston, South Carolina on the famous walk of King Street. It was a tiny, charming little place...a building with a 1/2 address....sandwiched between two row buildings...so quaint and fun. There we sold everything from funky pajamas to tote bags to jewelry and stationery....and everything in between. I loved nothing more than scouting out and hand picking fun, fabulous finds to offer my customers!

The moral of the story is...I MISS IT! Am I ready to sign a lease for a brick & mortar store front? Probably not. However, I am ready to host trunk shows and get my website up and running. I spent the last weekend at the Atlanta market and have found some fun gifts to offer! Once my orders start rolling in, I will be posting pics on our Facebook page and uploading them to our website and we will host trunk shows in our area!

Just because we are moving towards a new direction doesn't mean we aren't still passionate about parties. We are recommitting ourselves to brining you fun ideas, design and products on the blog!

Favorite Find Friday: Middle Sister Wine

I love nothing more than finding a product that makes THE perfect gift! And friends, I have found a FABULOUS one!

Middle Sister Wine

I'm telling you it was LOVE at first sight! My sister and I were on a beach trip in South Carolina a few weeks ago and discovered this cuteness while out shopping! We were nearly wrestling each other trying to get to the bottles to scope out each label and find "our" Middle Sister!

You see, each varietal, is a different Middle Sister in it's own color...they are all so fun, it's hard to pick a favorite!

Pinot Grigio is the Drama Queen and adorned in green!



Are you a Goodie Two-Shoes? Go for the Pinot Noir!



Enjoy catching rays and waves....Surfer Chick Sauvignon Blanc is the sister for you!



Party girls that are obsessed with not only the beauty of a perfect dessert table, but also digs in with both hands to sample the goodies....hello, Sweetie Pie Sister!



There are many more Middle Sisters wines that you just have to check out! Not only are they phenomenal looking...they are DELICIOUS!

And do you want to know the BEST part about Middle Sister Wines??? They "Help a Sister Out"! Middle Sister gives back to two of my very favorite charities....Dress For Success and Wine, Women & Shoes!



These wines would be so great for a girly gathering! In fact, I'm thinking about hosting a Sister Wine Soiree for our Girls Night Out group! Everyone could dress in the color of their favorite sister! Gotta get planning!!

Hope you think these wines are as fantastic as I do!!

Run out a grab a bottle or two for the Sisters in your life! Oh, and start a collection for yourself!

Real Wedding Wednesday: Kristen & Taylor: Backyard Wedding

Oh my goodness…when I saw this wedding the other day I started to get butterflies in my stomach. I am constantly on wedding blogs and I have seen real wedding after real wedding and majority of them are at a venue, but this couple’s special day was in their own backyard. I was so excited that I stumbled upon this wedding, because our backyard wedding is only 10 days away! It is countdown time and here is a handmade wedding to get you in the mood…

{Photographer: Edyta Szyszlo}





















~Kristen

Real Wedding Wednesday: Kristen & Taylor: Etsy Finds

Etsy has always been one of my favorite places to shop for handmade pieces, but since the engagement I am on there all the time. Every time I get on Etsy i fall in love with a new shop and it is so exciting! I have found so many things for the wedding on there, it is definitely my "one stop shop." Here are some of my wedding faves...




Etsy Stores:
Ring Bearer Bowl
Silk Wedding Gown
I do. Me too. Mugs
Cake Topper
Don't Forget Ring
Love Me Pillow
Tiny Red Oragami
Bow Ties
Burlap Banner

~Kristen

Potato Chip Cookies

One of my favorite childhood memories is the first time that I went over to my best friend's house in the 3rd grade to play after school. Her mom asked if we wanted to make Potato Chip Cookies. WHAT? Potato Chips in cookies??? I had NEVER heard of such a thing, but I was sold. I remember how fun it was to crunch up chips and bake with them. Oh how easily entertained I was at that age! : )
I noticed the other day that we had snack bags of potato chips that nobody was eating and I was going to throw them away, but then I remembered these cookies! Nostalgia got the best of me and I had to make these with my son. The last time I made them was almost 30 years ago (GULP!) and I thought it was about time to relive this special memory!

These cookies are so simple to make and are really yummy. Here is the recipe I used...

Potato Chip Cookies
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup crushed potato chips


Start by crunching up potato chips! You'll need a 3/4 cup!


My sweet helper! So happy to be the cruncher!


2 sticks of butter! I never promised it was healthy...just yummy!


Just mix all the ingredients. Finished dough...


Roll into balls.


You want to flatten the balls out with something dipped in sugar. I used a measuring cup.





Smashed and ready to be popped in the oven for 15 minutes at 350.


I drizzled mine with a little melted Godiva chocolate. It gives it just the perfect amount of sweet and salty!

The finished product!


ENJOY!!

Real Wedding Wednesday: Kristen & Taylor: Chalkboard Art

I am not sure why, but I absolutely love chalkboards…they are so much fun. I knew from the very beginning I wanted to incorporate them into our wedding. Then, a few weeks ago I stumbled upon a post that featured the wonderful work of Dana Tanamachi and seeing her installations reassured me that chalkboards are the way to go. I was so amazed by her talent, I just had to share.

Oh, and after you check out the photos below make sure you view her time-lapse video of chalk art and the by & by on vimeo (they are amazing).

~Kristen

Real Wedding Wednesday: Kristen & Taylor DIY Project: Wood Sign

I must admit, I love anything that involves arts and crafts. Since, our engagement I cannot begin to tell you how many wedding blogs, magazines, and books I have looked at. One thing that most of them have in common is wedding/reception signs. It seems that they are pretty popular and I just think that they are so much fun! So, we decided to make some…but with a little twist. Instead of painting a sign, I thought we might make our rustic sign with yarn and nails. Even though it was a tedious process we finally finished and we are so excited with the outcome.



DIY Rustic Yarn Sign

What You’ll Need

A piece of barn wood
Panel Board Nails
Hammer
Sharpie
Yarn
Letters




Instructions

Before you get started pick out a font on your computer that you like. Once you have done that, make sure the letters are a size that will fit on your board. Then print out whatever word you want to go on your board (ours is ceremony) and cut the letters out.

1. Find a flat/sturdy surface to lay the board on.
2. Take the letters that you cut-out and lay them on the board, spelling your word.
3. Once the letters are on the board take a sharpie and mark dots going all around each of the letters. We put the dots about ½” apart. These dots are going to let you know where your nails need to go. Then remove the letters from your board.
4. Place a nail on one of the dots you made and hammer the nail half way into the board.
5. You want the nail to be sticking out some so you can wrap the yarn around it. Continue this until all dots are filled.
6. Now you can begin wrapping your nails with yarn. We chose to just outline our letters, but you can also weave the yarn to make the letters bolder.

~ Kristen