Showing posts with label MacKenzie Childs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MacKenzie Childs. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Family Valentine's Brunch



Hope you all had a lovely weekend with whatever you did for Valentine's day! We decided to celebrate as a family and my mother hosted an adorable brunch. She set the table using her always favorite MacKenzie Child's chargers and then mixed in some Love of Character pieces as well - plastic gold flatware, floral straws and our soon to be listed, striped paper plates! Definitely makes for easy cleanup. Plus I love how the black and white contrasts with the pink and white of the plate.





Dustin and my brother, Mikey, were the chefs and they did a fabulous job! Who knew they were such masters of breakfast potatoes and quiches! We did leave the baking up to my grandma, who made delicious cinnamon rolls, and Natalie, my brother's girlfriend, was in charge of mimosas. It was such a fun morning and great way to spend Valentine's. It got even better though, when cupid showed up:


Best little Valentine ever!



Lots of Love,

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Green Day

In honor of the very green holiday, I wanted to share my favorite green finds! Most of the items I own and love having in my house, others we sell in the LOC shop. All are green (my favorite color) and all are fabulous:



1. Juliska Hand Pressed Glass in Green - my wedding registry pottery | 2. Love of Character Coasters - Green Leaves Pattern | 3. Love of Character Legal Pad | 4. Dorothy Arm Chair - currently on sale at Joss & Main - love these in our living room | 5. MacKenzie-Child's Floral Tea Kettle - have in white and I love it on our stove | 6. Social Manor Pom Pom Throw - you can have it mongrammed | 7. Social Manor Cloth Coasters - Grasshoppers | 8. Serena & Lily Chevron Counter Stools - we bought for our future island because they are on sale now at a great price
Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Lots of Love,



Thursday, February 12, 2015

Wedding Week 2015: Wedding Gifts

With wedding planning comes the joy (and sometimes stress) of putting together your wedding registry! You are able to pick items that you need, want and love and put them out there for your guests to purchase. The registry can take many forms and can include a wide variety of items depending on what you and your spouse pick out. Dustin and I registered at The Plaid Giraffe in Wichita, Williams Sonoma and Target. We loved all of the above. Each had the different items we wanted to register for. Some other places great for registering are Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn and Anthropologie. 

One of the things I hear all the time from people registering is "We don't need china, we will never use it!" Well I'm hear to fight against that argument because I absolutely love our china. Growing up, my grandma always used (and still does!) her gorgeous china place settings. It also helps that my mother works at a store that sells amazing wedding china. I would walk around her store and gaze at the detailed patterns and vibrant colors of dishes as a young girl dreaming of my registry - oh, at the age of 10 you didn't do the same? When my time came to pick out dishes, my mom and I had a blast. There are so many fun pieces you can put together to make a drop dead gorgeous place setting. I absolutely love our china:

Read more details here.
To help me with this fight is my fabulous friend Lynn. Her husband, like many others tried the argument that they would never use the china...

"Basically China Mondays, as you know, got started to spite my husband. I wanted to prove to him that the expensive and pretty dishes that we registered for really would get used more than once in our lifetime. I had a ton of fun the first "formal night dinner" that we had and the idea of using our China once a week turned from spite into an opportunity to formalize one meal a week, experiment with making new meals I've never made before, share the evening with friends and family when possible, and make sure that my husband and I always remember to spend at least an hour or two a week of quality, sit-down-at-the-table-and-talk time. #ChinaMondays have been a success in more ways than one way!" - Lynn

Gorgeous wedding with a gorgeous couple!



She even has pulled in some friends in on the fun! We definitely need to get in on this China Monday fun...
Dinner at Katie & Spencer's
It helps that she has amazing china from The Plaid Giraffe - seriously that blue is gorgeous! Also, I noticed her amazing flatware mixed in there. I love her China Monday idea!

Now, if you are on the guest side of a wedding, you have to figure out what to get the couple. I think one important thing to keep in mind is that they appreciate the gift no matter how big or small. When brides register for something like china and pottery, guests are nervous to buy just one plate or glass. Don't be! I'd get a plate and jump with excitement. They are trying to build a collection and every little bit helps. Plus, it's the thought that counts as always!

I put together a little guide to help get registry and gift ideas flowing. If the couple you are buying for doesn't have a registry or the registry is picked over, here are some ideas that are fun, simple and unique:

1. MacKenzie Child's pieces - Water Goblets | Cookie Jar 2. Rifle Paper Co. - Recipe Box | Art Print 3. Annie Glass - Ruffle Chargers (as seen in place settings above) 4. Social Manor - Monogrammed Guest Towel 5. Acrylic Monogrammed Trays - Social Manor Small & Large | Mark & Graham 6. Target - Colorful Colander 7. Oil & Spices - Williams Sonoma Olive Oil & Balsamic Set | World Market Salts 8. Anthropologie - Coasters 9. Williams Sonoma - Dish Towels 10. Williams Sonoma - Soap Sets
All of the above items are things I own or have purchased for others. My MacKenzie Child's and Annie Glass pieces are some of my favorites. My cousin (and matron of honor) got us the Rifle Paper Co. art print since it matched the style of our wedding and it meant so much to us! My friend (and bridesmaid) ordered a custom Mark & Graham acrylic tray and it's perfect for our bar items. Our colander from Target was green and everyone got us that because it was so fun - haha seriously we kept opening them! The Anthro coasters were actually a birthday gift, but they are a coffee table staple. The other towels, soaps and seasonings are great things that people love to have, but hate to buy. Hopefully with all the different price ranges, you are able to find a way to give a fun and loved gift to the newlyweds!

Lots of Love,


Sunday, December 21, 2014

Eat, Drink & Be Merry!






Last week I had a very festive, very holiday character filled party with some of my fabulous friends! It was such a great night and the co-hostesses and I had a blast setting it up...that got entertaining! About a month or so ago, we sent out these fun invitations from Paperless Post to make sure people marked their calendars:


Wanted to start the party with a fun note and getting "Elfed Up!" seemed to do the trick. I took a lot of pictures, so I will let them do the sharing of the event:

Snowman cheese ball! We made two cheese balls (one smaller than the other) with 2 packs of cream cheese & a clove of garlic minced. Best to let them sit in the refrigerator overnight. Then day of stack them using a small pick and cover with shredded mozzarella. I  sliced a small piece of carrot for the nose and used chocolate chips for the eyes and buttons - so cute!

For fun marshmallows, dip the ends in food die (add a few drops to a small cup of water)! Perfect for the hot chocolate we served.
Amy Hopper's amazing lemon cookies and Trader Joe's chocolate covered Peppermint Joe Joe's!
Cheese Tree: Cut a cream cheese block diagonally and match up back to back making a triangle shape. Then cut the star and steam from green peppers. I added a yummy raspberry preserves dip on top from The Plaid Giraffe. 

Had to make the new bar cart festive for the party! Check out the original bar cart makeover here. We used the fun paper coffee cups for Hot Chocolate spiked with Peppermint Schnapps!

Wreath Salad: Broccolini, Arugula, Cherry Tomatoes, Mozzarella Balls and spritz with Olive Oil - love how pretty, yet healthy it is!



Obsessed with my new holiday platter from MacKenzie Child's!

Photos via me
Items in the pictures: MacKenzie Child's Black and White and Holiday serving pieces, dish towel, vase & paper napkins, rose hand painted goblets | Juliska salad plates & cereal bowls  | Threshold Gold Flatware | Oh Joy! for Target goblets, green pitcher & tree paper napkins | C Wonder elephant bottle stopper | Annie Glass gold edge serving pieces

It was such a great night and I have such wonderful, beautiful (inside and outside) friends! Love a good night of eating, drinking and being merry...

Amy, Paige, Rachael & Alycia

Ryan, Hailey & Amy

Jenna, Shannyn, Shelby & Aubrey
Special thanks to Amy Johnson, Amy Hopper and Paige Gade for helping host the party and keeping me sane! Such a fun way to ring in the holidays. Hope you all have had some fun celebrating yourself!

Lots of Love,

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Thanksgiving Day Table 2014!

I don't know about all of you, but I am excited to spend the day with my family tomorrow and enjoy the nice break! Tonight, I headed over to my mom's to start the holiday early and we got her table all decorated for tomorrow. I wanted to share it with you before feasting time in case you want to get out there and find some leaves to paint!Okay, I know I'm not giving you much time, but maybe you have some gold paint lying around...

















If you love the place settings those can all be found at The Plaid Giraffe - you wouldn't expect anything else in Nancy's casa! I am in love with her Annie Glass plates on top of the MacKenzie Child's black and white chargers. I also love her ceramic MacKenzie Child's napkin rings - jealous of those! The pewter pieces, tray and goblets are Juliska and go with my mom's everday dishes. The centerpiece is comprised of a fun metal basket from the Plaid and my mom had some greens arranged in it. Then today she picked up some flowers from the floral department at the Plaid and I did some fun arranging. The velvet pumpkin and little nest (with velvet mushrooms and acorn) is also a new item at the Plaid and they are really a great way to incorporate fall into your decor. The pumpkins come in lots of different colors.

Now to the DIY aspect of the table, the golden leaves and acorns. In my Thanksgiving Prep post, I had pinned a fun idea of painted leaves for the place cards at the table. My didn't turn out as fancy, but I still love the pop of gold they add to the place settings. Dustin found leaves and acorns out in our front yard (he must really love me). Then I used my favorite craft staple, liquid gold leaf paint, to paint them. I tried using a Sharpie, but it didn't flow smoothly, so I decided to paint on the names with black acrylic paint. Like I said earlier, if you have some paint laying around, go pick some leaves!


Overall, I love the table my mom and I put together. It helps when she has great pieces to work with, but I think if you find ways to incorporate your own character to your turkey day table, then you will be successful! Flowers always add a nice pop of color and there should be a grocery store near you open tomorrow morning if you still need to get some.

Happy Thanksgiving!! Thankful to have you all in my life!

Lots of Love,