The Brand Market Chicago

October 20, 2014

The Chicago Brand Market was by far my favorite location yet. All glass windows in Palm Court on Loyola Campus and a crisp autumn day to provide boat loads the natural light. It overlooked the water and campus which had breathtaking views. We also had such a positive group of women who came ready to learn and dive in to the content, but also ready to make big steps for their business. I am so thankful for another great experience in Chicago…

The centerpieces, double sided backdrop, and table decor was done by the talented Tiffany of A Splendid Occasion. I wanted to take it all home!

Vintage Furniture Set up thanks to Shadow Box Dreams. (Such a fun set up!) The fun geometric pillows were done by Tiny Prints.

And Rent Vintage Chicago sent over china for us to use for coffee and lunch. (So cool of them!!)

We had some really cool swag for each of our attendees thanks to these shops:
Casetify
Lucy Darling
Rifle Paper Co.
Black Bird Letterpress:
Tiny Prints
oh, hello friend.
Chykalophia Design
By Luciana

And as always, my co-hosts were fantastic. I learned something new from each of them:
Matthew Hoffman You Are Beautiful Project, Hey Its Matthew Shop
Mandy Kellogg Rye – Shop Owner, Blogger – Waiting on Martha
Ari Krzyzek Graphic Designer – Chykalophia
Jess Keys – Marketing Manager – Dean Street Society, Fashion Editor – The Everygirl

Their advice, tips, and stories reminded my how unique each person’s success story is, and how each person’s definition of success is different from the next.

We are finishing out the year in Atlanta on November 8th. You can grab your spot here.

*All photos by my talented sister, Angela!

Room Overhaul: Gallery Wall

October 17, 2014

When it comes to my own home, it takes me months (okay maybe years) to make decor decisions. At first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to put any effort into designing our room since we were renting. However, I have quickly come to realize how important it is for your house to feel like a home. We are working on a few rooms in the house, and our bedroom is one of them.This is just phase 1 one of the overhaul. We started with painting the walls from a dark neutral to a light ivory which immediately poured more light into the space.

Next step: Wall space. I admit, I have stacks of frames looking for art and stacks of photos looking for frames. I have the hardest time pulling a gallery wall together with the right mattes and sizes. Thankfully, I was introduced to Framebridge, and I am pretty sure hours of my life were saved. (No, seriously.) It is a new site that offers one of the easiest most effective ways to frame art, prints, and photos.

I actually really enjoyed the process. I was able to dream up a gallery wall that was a combination of instagram photos, art prints, and digital photos. (You can both mail in the art or digitally upload.) After your artwork is uploaded you can “try on frames” and see how your work looks in each style as well as change up matte color and size. Brilliant right? They even have an option to have the Framebridge team suggest a few frames for your work.

Once you order, the art is custom framed and shipped. I could not get over the quality of these frames. I say this because a few of my larger frames fell of the wall and broke due to poor quality. It was so exciting to actually have a set of frames that accurately reflects the value of the photos and artwork.

You all will have to head over and play around with your instagram photos or trip pics! I am a little hooked;) And BONUS, you can take 15% off your order with code: FRAME15:)

Stay tuned for full bedroom reveal!
x, Anna

Additional details: Artwork by Britt Bass Turner and John Robshaw, End Table Decor: Anthropologie, Lamps: Kenroy Home, Pillows: Target

This post was sponsored by Framebridge. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the companies that make this blog possible!

Guest Curator: UGallery

October 15, 2014

(Source One / Two / Three )

I am more than ready to admit I am an art nerd. I was an art studio / graphic design major, and did my fair share of studying all different art mediums. As challenging as some of those long art history classes were, I can say it gave me an appreciation for so many different types of artistry and where it all stems from.

Thankful to UGallery for asking me to be a Guest Curator on their site. These are just a few of the favorites and you can see the full collection here.

I have a thing for travel theme, impressionism, and pop art. I only realized this after viewing my collection!

Have a favorite?

x, Anna

How to Pack Your Carry-On Luggage Like a Boss

October 13, 2014

Traveling has unintentionally become the theme of the year, and each and every city has brought different highlights (and a few challenges). I have loved every weekend, although I am happy to retire the suitcase until Christmas;)

During these travels I trialed a few different suitcases and attempted to tote my favorite wheel-less weekenders far and wide. I have come to conclude convenience and spacious organized interiors is the best option for packing smartly and fitting it all in one carry on.

Will post about Chicago soon, but for now, head over to Conde Nast and see which suitcase beat out the rest!

Hope you all had a stellar weekend!
Anna

P.S. A few links to items I packed for Chicago this past weekend from my #ConsciousCloset ^^

Atlanta’s Finest Coffee Shops

October 10, 2014

It is no secret anymore that I am a coffee junkie. Maybe someday I will go profesh just to have the title “coffee connoisseur.” For now, I am a willing taste tester.

Coffee shops are as frequent as ATM’s around here, so narrowing down the finest coffee shops in Atlanta was a difficult assignment, but ohhh was it a delicious one. Head over to Condé Nast to see who made the cut!

Haley Sheffield toured these shops with me and snapped all the photos. She is a talented one that girl. Will try to share more photos of the spaces in the coming weeks:)

I am off to Chicago for my last Brand Market workshop of the year! Very much looking forward to it, but will be so happy when I can settle in for the rest of the year with my family.

Wishing you all a good crispy fall weekend ahead.
x, Anna

The Brand Market D.C.

October 8, 2014

We were given the perfect weather weekend at the Alexandria, VA Brand Market workshop held at one of the cutest studio’s I have ever seen, Sweet Root Village. Old historic charm, an enviable prop shelf, wooden floors, hanging plants, and white picket fences. Charming as they come. The Sweet Root Village team created that stunning mantel decor….

Got to meet long time blog friend and co-host Rebecca Beach of A Daily Something, as well as newer instagram friend Joy Janes of Mornings Like These. Both of these women killed it on delivering relevant and relatable content to grow your business and do it with passion and success. So grateful to have worked with them!

We also had the pleasure of working with Misha’s Coffee, Out of the Box Bakery, and Honest Tea to keep us going with happy tummy’s all day long.

Tickled Photobooth showed up with photo fun for the guests with backdrop by A Daily Something team. Gina Paola Design custom made the polka dot totes! They were perfect.

A Special thanks to our Market Tote Sponsors:
Valentina Black
Gina Paola Designs
Paper Finch Studio
Sapling Press
Casetify
Rifle Paper Co.
Kate Aspen
Design Dotted
Mes 2 Petites Etoiles

Thank you to Anna Clair Photography for capturing the day!

The next workshop is in Chicago this weekend which you can keep up with on The Brand Market instagram, and finishing the year here in Atlanta (registration went live yesterday!)

Three.

October 6, 2014

Look One: Dress by Duchess and Lion Co. (available for pre-order tomorrow) // Hat: Baby Gap // Shoes: Old Navy // Glasses: Target
Look Two: Dress by Dream Catcher Baby c/o // Cardi: Old Navy // Hat: mama’s // Shoes: Old Navy

Three.
It presents a whole new meaning for the words: strong-willed. New vocabulary with mixed consonants and expressions for every occasion. My life is never short of entertainment.

Three with a little girl is drastically different than three with a little boy. Snakes, snails, and puppy dog tails are replaced, with sugar and a whole lot of spice with a side of sass. My little wild flower seems to have inherited the strong will of her mother and the stubbornness of her father. Lord help us all…

And yet, I am so grateful she has that strong will. It’s the one that will help her fight the good fight when it seems the world around her is giving up. It will help her finish strong when her team is behind, and there is only a minute left on the clock. It will also help her stick to her guns when the wrong boys come calling. It will help her stand by the people she loves and never waiver in that loyalty……….but how do I help turn that will to all that is good?

I am realizing in raising my little ones, that the daily battles are building my own patience and strength of will in the process. How do I help this fiery wildcracker hold on to that iron will, without letting it become Veruka Salt or Regina George?…Well Gabe and I are still figuring that out. We have looked at each other many a times and ask, are we doing the right thing? What ARE we doing??

Little by little, day by day we are learning. We hope to raise these little ones with strong minds and loyal hearts who hopefully will be able to make good decisions on their own when the time comes. Gabe and I pray for this every night. In the process it is a lot of consistency, setting clear guidelines, always backing each other up, and loving them unconditionally no matter how tired we are.

My little Veronica Rose is our live comic section in the daily newspaper.
As I always say, I wouldn’t wish this age away for anything.
Every age is my favorite.

Now go check out these incredible mothers who hand make the most delicious dresses and other things for little peeps! Duchess and Lion and Dream Catcher Baby

Photos by Chelsey Heidorn (she is so good with kids!)