Design Advice 101

Hey y'all and welcome to another WHW! Join in with Jen or myself so we can see what's going on with you currently. Today I'm sharing (lucky number) 7 design tips that are tried and true and I absolutely swear by. This was such a fun post to write and I also decided to track down an example of each so y'all can see what I mean. There are so many great tips out there to follow but these just happen to be my favorite. With that said, feel free to drop your favorite design style quotes or advice in the comments. I can't wait to read what y'all have to say! 

#1 

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6 

#7

Here you go friend!

Weekending: Miss VA 2018

Hey y'all and happy Monday! How was everyone's weekend? I had my superbowl before my mega superbowl takes place in September. This weekend was the 2018 Miss Virginia pageant and then Miss America will be in September if you're wondering what I'm referencing. Y'all know how much I love and support the Miss Virginia Organization and this year was no different. My Mama and I made a weekend out of it and loved every second of getting all dolled up for a relaxing and fun weekend. 5 of my picks made the top 10 and my number 1 pick was actually crowned Miss VA 2018 and I am SO thrilled to welcome another Hollins girl to the sisterhood! Hollins has had 3 winners now since 2007 and this is a back to back win! #Proud #Green&Gold

We had excellent seats this year because I somehow was able to snag the last two in the main family section which made for quite the funny evening with all of the "which one is your daughter/cousin/sister questions" We didn't attend the after party this year but instead went back to the hotel room, put on our plush robes and polished off a bottle of wine while watching HGTV. I'm so excited to follow along with the new Miss VA's upcoming year and I'll definitely be pulling for her on the Miss America stage come September. With that said, don't forget to tune into Miss Virginia 2035 to see Miss Andi ....ha! No but seriously...

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Congrats to Emili McPhail! Miss VA 2018 & My Hollins sister! 

WHW: #DemoDay

Hey y'all! Welcome to another WHW. Link up with us below to share whats going on currently with YOU! I've gotten some requests to share another demo update so today's post is dedicated to just that. Its hard to really show good pictures of the process because its difficult to show potential spaces when you're literally down to the studs. The hubs and FIL have really been kicking some mega you know what though. We ended up with a grand total of 13 tons of plaster and rubble but we are now officially done with the giant dumpster that has been occupying the side yard for over a month. 

The temporary wall is now up in the kitchen so that the new support beams can be installed to create the larger, open space we've been dreaming of. The doorway has been framed on the right side of the kitchen so that the space will now be walled off between the kitchen and future master closet. 

A little sneak peak of kitchen inspiration

Speaking of walls going up instead of down, the breezeway/hallway has now been constructed to create our new master bedroom, closet, bathroom space. This will just block it off from the main hallway so that the only access is through the master bedroom itself. We also encountered an issue with the main strip of hallway on the first floor. The floor needed to be lifted up a bit so they tackled that from the basement to make it more level. The basement is a great space and the added beams won't change that. Cheers to added support though am I right?! 

you can see master bath and then master closet to the left in new hallway

new hallway making it a straight shot to the kitchen 

look how large this basement space is - remind me to show y'all the future WINE CELLAR! (Hey Pop!) 

Shifting gears to upstairs, we framed a new closet in the first room so that it can now be classified as an actual bedroom and it looks great! The room behind that one now has an en-suite completely framed and its a great size. That will primarily be used for guests. Directly to the right of that new bathroom will be Miss Andi's full upstairs bath and that has also been framed. All the old plumbing has been cut out as well and this will now give us 2 full baths upstairs. 

New closet to the left of the fireplace - small but functional!

Andi's bath is what you see first and then beyond is the guest bath

We've also narrowed down the vision for the small (but again, functional) master bath. I decided to keep the master bath on the smaller side because I am SO ready to have my giant master closet back. If you follow me on IG then you've already seen the design inspo. Here's what we're thinking for that space:

Overall I'd say so far so good. We submitted the building permit application yesterday and the custom cabinet people start coming in next week to measure and show us some designs. The only thing we're struggling with is deciding on an exterior. (seriously, I'm pulling my hair out about it!) I'll save that reveal for next week but I'll just leave a hint by saying: super intrigued with black exterior pane windows.....hmmmmm.

Happy Wednesday y'all and don't forget to link up below.

Friday 5

Hey y'all and happy Fri-YAY! Today I'm not sharing in the usual Friday 5 fashion because I have a little more than 5 things (or in this case, photos) to share. We put our first custom cabinetry consultation on the books for the 29th of this month and they asked us to send some inspiration photos so they could better decide on what samples and colors to bring, etc. Inspiration photos you say? Of course! I've got tons! (in the words of Ariel, "You want thingamabobs? I've got 20!") I'm really excited with the direction we're taking with this new kitchen and while we're no where near ready to install cabinets, we've also never had to have them custom made so we're not sure how long the process may take. We've been pretty lucky with our previous renovations and we've just used the existing cabinetry and layout and painted them ourselves.

We're doing white, square panel cabinets this time around and a large center island that will most likely measure 5' by 8'. There will be tons of natural light with 4 large windows and outside access door to the back deck. We also get our first little Butler's pantry/wet bar so we are sending in photos for that inspiration as well. I'm thinking I won't match the cabinet and counter color of the kitchen so that the wet bar is its own standalone statement piece. Take a look at the photos below, disregarding color schemes, and let me know what y'all think. 

Have a fabulous weekend! 

#1 - Island Inspo

#2 - hardware inspo + cabinets

#3 - Actual color scheme design inspo for our new kitchen

#4 Butler's Pantry/Wet Bar Inspo

WHW: Styling with Ginger Jars

Hey y'all and welcome to another What's Hap-Pinning Wednesday with Jenn and little ole me! Today I'm sharing one of my favorite go-to decor pieces: The Ginger Jar. If you're looking for classic, versatile and timeless then you've found the staple decor piece. There's no doubt that by now y'all know I love all things blue and white. (blue and white forever!) and finding an affordable Asian-inspired piece like the ginger jar is my all time favorite score. I always say to myself, "If you can use something in three different spots in your home, its a good piece!" (and worth the price, right?)

They look so good grouped together, standing alone, on book shelves and most definitely as vases. Is there anything prettier than a classic blue ginger jar with pink peonies? Nope. Also gorgeous - daffodils! I love them as a tablescape option or grouped together in a white kitchen. Even on a bedside table it just adds the perfect pop of blue. The possibilities are endless really and I love that they come in so many shapes and sizes. The double happiness jars are my all-time favorite (pictured above bottom row) even though they seem to be the hardest to find. My husband scored a perfect pair of lidded double happiness ginger jars for me last Christmas and I was over the moon! (try Ebay y'all) Since its the traditional Chinese ornament design sign for marriage, I feel like the gift was pretty fitting!

Below I'll link some of my favorites so that y'all can shop as well! I really do feel they have just the right amount of  a 'classic' vibe to go with any decor or design style. The prices vary dramatically most of the time but these that I've linked tend to be under 100 bucks (you can sign up for email lists that will usually send you a discount code as well) Happy shopping!

Ginger jars around our home (featuring Miss Andi)

Best Sources (linked directly to jar selections) 

Wayfair 

Ballard Designs

One Kings Lane

The Well Appointed Home
Pier 1 Imports
Etsy

T.J. Maxx

Thrift and Antique Stores

Ebay

Y'all! Please welcome my best friend and college roommate to the blogging world! She just started a new blog and I'm so looking forward to following along! I made her link up with us so she could be thrown into the fun. Happy Wednesday friends!

Check her out here: Miller Love

WHW: on my radar

Hey y'all! Can you believe I forgot to have a post ready for WHW? Ah - my bad! Its been a crazy busy week and we're only half way done. Yesterday I took off work to head out of town for my best friend's Mama's funeral so we were thrown off. I do however want y'all to hug your Mama a little bit tighter or just stay on the phone with her a little bit longer because you really just never know what God's plan has in store for us. Her service was spectacular and she even planned for the choir to sing a rendition of The Rolling Stones at the end before everyone headed to a grand reception in her honor. She was one of a kind and a fabulous entertainer. She will definitely be missed. 

Today I just panicked and needed to throw together a quick post so I'm putting house stuff aside for the day. I'm sharing some things that have been on my radar like crazy lately. All things blue and white, gingham, new recipes and more! Also, on the binge worthy show front, I have to admit something...I started True Blood....and I can't stop. Y'all, vampires are not my thing and this show is so old but I'm hooked. Send me some of your favorite binge-worthy shows.  

Has Google figured out this comment to your email issue? Its killing me! SO sorry if it takes me longer to reply to your comment. As always, thanks for stopping by and for linking up with us today for What's Hap-'Pinning' Wednesday!

1. The cutest little gingham sandals I ever did see - find them here
2. Kate Spade (RIP) Gingham bow tie pearl studs - find them here
3. J. Crew side tie gingham top - find it here (I just ordered this for only $23!)
4. I finally pulled the trigger on some Lisi Lerch Ginger earrings with a 20% off coupon on MDW!

Also on my radar lately - house plants!

I'm headed out tomorrow for our annual girls trip weekend and we're just going down to the bay. I'm really looking forward to it even though only 3 of us could make it this year. Stay tuned next week for a recap and a post dedicated to styling with Ginger Jars - you know, my all time fav! #Blue&WhiteForever