Wednesday, May 30, 2012

To Buy or to DIY: Accent Pillows

The ultimate question..."I know I can make that but I could just buy it...."
I ask myself {and my mom & fiance} this question all of the time! 

The couch is a mega eyesore in the apartment and it isn't in our immediate financial future to purchase a new one... So why don't I give it a little "pillow talk" instead ;)

Cute look- as long as it's still soft!

Will there be a day when I am sick of a monogram?

A lovely combo of rustic burlap and on-trend print

Bold! But what number do I choose? Hmmm....

How much do I love chevron? Oh, let me count the ways


Well geeze, this makes styling easy! 

My colors in perfect ikat harmony

Warning...there will probably be an "H" overload in our home. But I'm okay with that :)

So guys?! Do I bust out the sewing machine & hit the fabric store or send some love to etsy-ers with more time on their hands? Or could I be an Etsy-er??? Now the wheels are turning...

stay tuned
:) amc

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

On Sale & In Style: World Market

Raise your hand if you don't like a sale. I don't see any hands raised. Just as suspected. 


Hmmm.... raise your hand if you like original and stylish home furnishings & decor? Cookie cutter lovers, put your hands down.


On Sale & In Style:
{World Market}


Because details matter

Great for behind a couch or lining a dining room wall

A bonus pull out tabletop for serving

Oh I got these on a fancy trip to India World Market

Great little details make this table perfect for anywhere- bathroom vanity, entry way, breakfast nook

Let style shine through. Solid color curtains are so yesterday.

Display trip mementos, pictures and more. I love it when a piece of furniture does double duty

Serve summer drinks in cool style

An outdoor rug to weather the torments of indoor living. 


get it before it's gone
:) amc

where has all the crafty time gone?

Who are these people that have time to be so crazy crafty?! Gah they make me jealous! :)


Check out some of my favorite "crafty time" projects from eighteen25


Spring mantle decor: so interchangeable! 

When you rent, you have white walls. When you have quirky frames with fun art, you don't have to live with the white walls! 

a great new verse for our chalkboard. 
love the idea for the bunting on the board to make it holiday/seasonal festive! 

white walls- be gone


In addition to precious home decor inspiration, she {assuming...} also creates fun printables that I can't wait to scatter around the house: 





surround yourself with pretty graphics, bold colors and positive words 


Now if I could just find some time to be home and decorate and craft...

crafty time wishing
:) amc

counting down...

Just over 4 months to go! 

The time is flying by and I cannot wait to be Mrs. Joshua Hall! 


back to this busy busy tuesday, that feels like monday
:) amc

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

date night: southern art

Lucky me- my fiance loves indulging in tasty food and trying out new restaurants as much as I do. This means plenty of date nights!

Southern Art, Buckhead

Hangin' meat ;) This is your first impression

Oh and this- a gorgeous marble table topped with delicious desserts

Ok....this was not an Eat Clean meal. This wasn't even an attempt at healthy eating. It was an all-out "let's try out this new place and indulge in southern food". Here we go kids:

Of course we started with drinks. I opted for a cocktail bursting with the taste of fresh strawberries. It was succulent and refreshing. This place can concoct a good cocktail. 

Warm buttery biscuits. 
They were a nice balance between dense {i.e. filling} and flaky {as a biscuit should be}. 

A fun jar of pickled veggies. Not bad- but we've all had better. 
Kudos on the cute jar- but we've seen that before too. 

Fried Green Tomato Pickles with Alabama Pimento goat cheese and jalapeno pepper jelly
This was the star of the night- hot, crispy, flavorful. Top anything with goat cheese and/or pepper jelly and I will inhale it. Anything. 

Josh, the country boy, chose catfish and grits. He loved it! Perfectly breaded, precisely cooked and topped with a tasty green tomato apple relish with bacon. After months of clean eating. he was one happy boy. 

I outdid myself and went for the fried chicken. It was an all-day craving that I couldn't kick- until this beauty landed in my lap {well on the table, I didn't spill it}. What a heaping serving! I didn't even waste my time with the green beans {sorry....}, too busy devouring the crispy and moist friend chicken breast. It was good! But was in need of some flavor...seemed low on spices, seasoning and salt. Come on people, layer on the flavor! Either way- I made a generous dent in this plate. 

Did I mention that in addition to this overwhelming amount of food that we tacked on a serving of mac and cheese? Imagine my surprise and delight when it was served in a precious mini cast iron pan and was made with WHITE cheese! Yellow cheese just isn't my thing. The macaroni was the bomb. Tasty, creamy, hot.

So Southern Art, how do I rate thee? Well, you had a cute attempt at southern fare. The drink menu beat the food menu, but there were still plenty of options for those looking to taste the south on both menus. All around the food lacked on flavor, it just needed more of a seasoning HIT. The service was good and the atmosphere {ON THE PATIO!} was enjoyable. Would we have noticed or tried this place without a ScoutMob? Nope. Will we go back? Naw. 


If you want to really impress my country boy and this Atlanta-native; you just have to try a bit harder. Did I already mention adding more seasoning? Oh yeah...my bad. 

Give me a Pioneer Woman cookbook and a mind-set that ignores bikini season, and I can whip up a meal twice as tasty. 
{who wants to challenge me? :) haha}

less art, more southern
:) amc


{Southern Art}

those lady lumps

It's HUMP Day!




Move through the second half of this week with some booty focused routines because on Wednesday's it's all about those humps. 

Some of my fave booty buster workouts: 

those lovely lady lumps
:) amc

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

hey tuesday

It's been much too long since Josh and I got our hands dirty with a DIY project {umm like a week...haha}. Our living room is fit for about 2.5 people {.5 equals Mr Mason}, we are in need of more seating. Loving the ones above! 

This gets me excited for my wedding! 

There aren't enough days in the week where it is acceptable to wear shorts. So sad. Love this outfit though- I think I need that necklace :) 

aww :)
But really, who has time for coffee together before work?!

Hopes & Dreaming! How precious are these little onesies? Like a statement necklace for a little baby boy. 

I much prefer this idea to a wreath. Much more modern and timeless to me. 

Have I already complained about not getting to wear shorts enough today? :) Enough said. Love this color combo. 

Always and Forever 

Everyone having a good week? Mine already feels long! Probably the anticipation of a fun long weekend coming up! 

be nice
:) amc


as always, more info for each of these images can be found on my Pinterest page 

Monday, May 21, 2012

ready for the week!

Plan. Plan. Plan: An INTEGRAL step to success! 


This is my week! Just writing it down gets me amped! 

Last week the Tone It Up girls wrote out workouts for Monday through Friday, morning and evening. Who knew such an easy step would be so helpful?! Lucky for us, they did it again this week! Check it out here then modify to your schedule- write it in your planner or post it in your house! 
Let's stay on track! 

Do you have the Beach Babe DVD yet? The TIU girls have challenged us to some of those workouts {I'm a sucker for selfless promotion and product plugs ;) }... they are difficult but rewarding. 

My favorites:

Get ready for a BURN OUT!!! Similar to Pure Barre and Fly Wheel arm routines, this routine uses light weights to tighten and tone your arms till their breaking point. My arms get so hot that I seriously think you could fry an egg on them. 

The booty...a workout dvd staple. We all want it. This video will get us there. {Bonus it's way more than just lunges and squats!}

Let's get it this week! 
:) amc