After Party Sale Roundup

With so many tips and tricks posts floating around the interwebs about the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale that started this morning, I thought I'd skip a blog post on that one and just shared my one piece advice with everyone: don't get your hopes too high. Although I've gotten some good things before, too often I've sat "in line" for hours and there have been little to nothing I would have wanted, or nothing in my size.

Luckily, this year was not the case. I was in line for just over three hours but walked away with some transitional pieces that I can wear into winter, and I'll probably be heading back for more as surprise pieces are released throughout the three days of the sale {so I'm guessing.}. Each item was around $40, which especially for dresses and silk tops is such a steal!

There are lots of everything, but I was really pleased at the amount of fall and winter items that were available. It's not just leftover summer. Plenty of cardis, cashmere, and more. Here's what I've snagged so far{I especially love the cardi in "Gilver" aka gold + silver!}:

The cardigan will go nicely over the silk tank with slacks for work, and I love a Lilly dress with riding boots and a vest when the weather cools off. I'd love a few more tops to wear layered, so if anything new pops up, let me know.

Speaking of fall, it's beautiful weather today in middle Georgia: crisp first thing this morning, and warm and windy this afternoon; loving it! And also praying for those across the country with devastating weather throughout the week.

Candle Combinations

Last weekend as I was walking out of Bath & Body Works, I realized I am truly a candle addict. I had a bit of a shopping bug that Saturday, and was hoping to pick up those last few summer pieces at Belk but couldn't stand the thought of trying anything on since their air conditioner was broken for the second week in a row and it was 95 degrees outside at 10 a.m.

So I wandered through the mall {a generous word to describe the current state of shopping options within the walls of the small-town center}, and saw that the BBW candles were on sale! Yay! My absolute favorite candles that are normally over $20 were on sale for $12.50, and were $10 for email subscribers. A little tid bit I've learned from my new BBW friends: their candles are now going on sale at least once a month, and the beautiful candle holders will only be marked down on Black Friday in November.

I've always felt that the fragrance in your home should be a continuation of the decor vibe. I like things to be crisp and clean, as well as warm and cozy, and I feel like this combination really hits the spot! Additional bonus: it matches our decor perfectly, and the marble accented jars have become new cotton ball holders in our master bath!

The Tea & Lemon scent smells just like a cold, large glass of sweet tea. It's perfect in the kitchen where I crave a clean scent that's strong enough to clear our cooking smells, but doesn't over power the entire house. Of course, I love this candle design too, with the alternating marble and wood stripes. I think I'm going to use these emptied glass containers in my upstairs guest bathroom for cotton balls and Q-tips.

The Cinnamon Spiced Vanilla candle hangs out in my living and dining rooms. I like that it's not as sugary sweet as some vanilla candles can be--I don't need my candle making me want cupcakes and cookies any more than I already do! It's still a 'clean' scent, in that it doesn't smell like the Pillsbury Dough Boy lives in my house. These jars are used in my dark blue master bath to hold small supplies.

The Honey Vanilla is upstairs in our master bedroom. It coordinates perfectly with our bedding and decor, and is just the right fragrance to settle in with after a long day. Plus, there's a cute new fall design, too!

There's a 3-wick candle sale that ends today--I love stocking up when these are on sale for $12.50 a piece when they're usually $22+. My hall closet is stacked full of candles, and empty jars to reuse throughout the house, too, which makes it seem like an even better deal when I get a cutesy container out of it!

How do you use your leftover candle containers?

Home Tour | Dining

How is it August? And how did my dining room of all places become my favorite room in the house? Y'all. For reals. It's definitely been the most "work in progress" space of our home because we haven't had a formal dining room yet as somewhat recent grads/young professionals. But in searching for a home that would allow for entertaining, a formal dining room was important to me. I have quite a bit of furniture, and my mother did too, so I knew we would not have a problem filling the space. 

I wanted the room to be a darker gray that compliments the living room. After finding the perfect paint color, it became obvious to me that the curio cabinet needed to be painted bright white {before and after post soon!}, with complimentary bright upholstery on the chairs. Then I added the four white matted picture frames on one wall, and a large wedding canvas on the other between the large windows. The room was coming together, but it didn't quite feel complete. 

CJM had requested a pop of color for this room, so I began looking for a pink and gray rug to coordinate with the china in the curio. I actually found this one just last week but couldn't justify the price tag! We also tried two or three different styles of curtains but couldn't find one we loved. So the dining room kind of sat, incomplete, but pretty. 

On Saturday, we wandered into Ollie's after sushi {if you haven't been to Ollie's, it's so fun to visit and see all the absolutely random stuff they have}. They always have a ton of rugs, so we just started flipping through some of the giant stacks and this funky rug was the third one we saw! I kind of stopped and went, "Hmmm...that's interesting" and kept flipping. It was pink, and had some gray and other colors that would work with the rest of the house but it was LOUD. And just really not the style of the room at all. But it stuck with me.

 We just decided to grab it and try it out. Before it was even down fully, I knew I loved it. Both CJM and I walked around all Saturday, stopping to stare into the room, and saying "Oh, I really love it." It's so funky. And different. But it has created just the coolest vibe in that room! I love the contrast of the traditional pieces and the various patterns on the chairs and the rug. It definitely ties in all of the gray and the colors from our wedding photos. Now I'm feeling like we don't even need curtains, but may just need to upgrade to plantation shutters sometime in the future for the windows.