As you can tell by my recent outfit posts, I love to mix patterns;) This carries over in the home as well. I am currently piecing together our living room and bedroom by mix matching monochromatic pattern pieces. I was excited to discover allmodern.com had pattern options galore in some of my favorite designers as well. We have a few Dwell Studio pieces to start with (ie: the striped throw and rug above), and I can’t wait to complete the rooms. It takes patience…one piece at a time:)
When it comes to your house, its all about making it feel like a home, right? As with fashion, style is objective these days. You can mix patterns in so many ways. I throw in some solid pieces here and there for balance but I am always drawn first to pattern and color.
What about you? What is your pattern play method?
P.S. The winner is announced for the Angel Wings Accessory Giveaway here!
*This is a sponsored post which is 100% my own opinion
My favorite month of the year, and one of the most beautiful in Atlanta.
Part of our weekend was dark and rainy, but we didn’t mind since we had a brown bag apple pie to bake and movies to watch. One of them, ironicly was October Baby and through the movie found this site. I cried through just about every video. Just a really cool reminder that each person we meet is beautiful, and everyone has a story! I know I need to stop sharing tear jerkers with you all.
Hope you all had a lovely weekend!
Love, Anna
P.S. Check out the new IHOD sponsors on the right. Some pretty awesome sites!
The True Beauty Files
A lookbook for the modern modeste.
“The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It’s the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows & the beauty of a woman only grows with passing years.”
~ Audrey Hepburn
September 30, 2012
At the beginning of the summer my husband Gabe and I were talking about all the things we wanted to see and do over his break as a teacher. We live in the big and beautiful city of Atlanta. There is something new at every turn. However, its so easy to get comfortable with your 5 mile radius (especially when you have little ones). In order to make it happen, we wrote a list and resolved to turn our date nights into an opportunity to get to know our city a little better.
Here are a few of the adventures our city had to offer…
Farmers Markets.
These are held in many counties throughout Atlanta. Many of the local farmers bring out their best produce and meats every weekend of the summer. They are super friendly, just as you would imagine in the south, and there are even some delish dips and desserts to sample.
Book stores.
Gabe and I could spend hours in bookstores. Atlanta has a few great used book spots as well as unique books chains that offer lots of material to explore. (We ended up taking home Sherlock Homes Collection that we were checking out above.)
Art Festivals.
There are some really fun festivals that occur almost every other weekend in Atlanta. We decided to go to the Piedmont Park arts festival where many local artists set up tents and booths, live music plays, and food carts are in surplus:) We struggled to pick a popcorn flavor. So many great options.
Rodeo.
If you ever get the chance, this is something that makes memories. (Maybe good and bad;))
We had such a blast watching some of the best bull riders and wild horse riders in the country at the annual rodeo that comes to Cumming, GA. It hurts your stomach to watch at times, but the atmosphere, the entertainment, and the culture that comes with a rodeo ticket is something you won’t ever forget.
I have to say this was one of our top dates of the summer.
There is still so much to see and do, and that is an exciting thing to look forward to.
What is something in your city you would challenge us to do if we went on a date there?
Thank you so much Colleen for having me as a guest on your beautiful space! I can’t wait to see the rest of these love your city posts:) Love, Anna
I happened upon a $1 rack of cardigans at H&M last fall….right place, right time. I grabbed a bunch, gave some to my sisters, and kept the basic colors. I realized I had not really worn them however, and I knew it was because they just needed a little more pizzaz to catch my interest on the go. So, resourcing that same scrap pile of leather swatches and trims, I decided to re-vamp, and now they are all competing for my attention. It just takes a little here and there to make it a new fun piece. Two of these are no-sew too! Not much instructions needed for these – mainly inspiration to get creative with what you have:)
1) DIY Shoulder Patch Cardigan – Up-cycle inspired by this lovely number from Emerson Fry’s fall collection.
Materials:
Cardigan
Suede or faux leather fabric (I used a soft cotton suede)
Needle and Thread
Instructions: Measure the length of the shoulder hem with your cardigan on (since it stretches when it is worn). Also make sure it is pre-shrunk or hang dry only. You can hand stitch or sew. As you sew or stitch pull the fabric slightly with you as you go so that it is sewn at the stretched length. Trim the ends at an angle if needed. If you use a thick fabric use a thick needle. You will want to match your thread to your fabric.
2) Heart Patch Pocket Cardigan
Materials:
Any color Cardigan (Pockets preferred) – (similar here or here)
Leather or faux leather fabric
Tip: check your local inter design stores for any fabric books they are getting rid of!
Fabric glue
Instructions. Measure out your heart so that the top middle part lines the width of the top of your pocket. You want it to be high enough that it won’t flop over. Cut, trace, and duplicate a second heart.
Glue only the area of the heart that will overlap the pocket. Pretty simple:)
The leather fabric I used had a soft suedish backing so it was perfect for fabric glue. Leather backings will not hold and you will need to sew.
3) Sequin Trimmed Pocket Cardigan – This is by far the easiest way to add a little glam.
Now that I have shared How to Grow Your Blog Naturally, Nailing your Niche, and the Business of Starting Sponsorships, I want to share some really helpful resources that will hopefully help you with organization, growth, and motivation:) In fact, they are so thorough, I feel like I can refer you to these sites, and hang my hat with the Blog boosters series:)
#1. Get yourself a copy of Blog, Inc. – I pre-ordered Joy Cho’s book on amazon, and when it arrived last week, I dove in immediately. To be honest, I was expecting it to be geared towards the beginner level of blogging. However, I devoured that book from front to back, and I soon realized it is both for the starter and the pro. I was taking notes the whole way through. She offers some very practical and helpful tips on everything from the start of naming your blog to making it a full time business. Blogging Etiquette, Social Networking, SEO, and What to Charge for Sponsorship are just some of the topics she tackles. In between chapters there are fantastic Q & A’s with successful bloggers that I really enjoyed. Very honest, helpful, and inspiring perspective on their blog journey. It is a very easy read, and will help you in all areas of the blog realm.
#2. Be in the Know – Blog Series You Should Be Reading: I have come across some very helpful series on blog and business tips that you should definately be reading…
Design*Sponge has a Biz Ladies column that treads over every topic in the blog and entrepreneur world. The posts are loaded with helpful information. Recent topics include Quarterly Taxes Explained, Six Month’s Worth of Blog content in Two Steps, and Connecting with your Brand.
Bri Emery and Katie Evans have an advice column that I soak up each week. Its so helpful to me as a graphic designer and blogger. Its worth going through the archives:)
Alt Summit Blog- You know Alt Summit through the conference they host yearly for bloggers, but did you know they have a resource blog? Weekly tips and information to answer all your questions from some of the blogging greats! They also now offer online classes that can give lessons and demonstrations to grow in a targeted area.
VMacandCheese has a Blog Tip of the Day series that is helpful and to the point. Media kit, social media, and boosting traffic are all topics she has covered so far. Love each one! Any other series I should be aware of? Let me know! #3 Stay Organized: The not so fun part of every business is bookkeeping and scheduling, but these are a few ways to make it not so boring and scary, and dare I say enjoyable?
Freezer meals Blogging in Stacks – I recently started doing a lot of my cooking on Sunday – making 3-4 meals at a time to save time during the week during that crazy dinner hour. It can be the same with blogging. Try and prepare a weeks worth of posts in one weekend so that you have a clearer vision of what you want to share and post, and gives you time to focus on other areas of your business during the week. This has helped me so much with prioritizing my time with my family as well as saving me the frazzled stress that comes with flying by the seat of your pants. You can still leave room for spontaneity and make changes before you post. This may not work for everyone, but its worth a try if you need help in time management.
Freshbooks – This is a program that I plan on starting with the new year. It offers an easy invoice and receipt tracking system that keeps everything in one place. For instance, you can download the app on your phone and enter the amount of gas you spent on a business related trip right in the moment. This was made for my type of personality and schedule. When you are on the go, have a busy creative mind, and little ones to love on, being committed to book keeping ends up getting pushed back till tax time. You can try Freshbooks 30 days for free.
Evernote – This is a fantastic program you can use both online and on your phone. An organization tool with multiple ways to take notes, add photos, clip web addresses, draw sketches, etc. Every time you login, it will sync your devices. There is a helpful web bar button to quickly save and document things you come across on the web. I use this program for design inspiration, font finds, image sources, blog post ideas, etc., etc., etc. Its a private way of staying organized vs. public pinterest boards. Check out Evernote here. Its free and easy to use:)
Hope you have found this series helpful! Follow these sites to continue growing your blog naturally, and making it the business you hope it can be:) Love, Anna P.S. As promised, will share a new DIY tomorrow!
So sad to have this series come to its end. Gabe and I were talking about how this series pushed us to do some of the things we have been wanting to do since we moved back to Atlanta. Thankful to have some pictures to hold them in our short term memories as well:)
We love the outdoors, and Atlanta is beautiful at the turn of the seasons. We went to an old favorite spot to listen to some music on their patio, take advantage of free chips and salsa, and of course feed our sweet tooth problem..
It wouldn’t have been a complete date series without a little competition. Gabe and I thrive off a little competition with each other. When it comes to any game, it gets serious.
Mario Kart, basketball, and skee ball were all in the mix. We were rolling through that joint like high schoolers. $5.00 can provide an hour of fantastic entertainment. Its pretty cool to be married to your best friend. Can’t get enough of that boy.
Thanks for following along this summer! If you are new here, you can check out all 21 dates here. If you blogged about one this summer, leave a link in the comment section below! (Was going to do a link up section but they expire:/) I can’t wait to see some of the dates you all went on.
So happy I got to see, touch, and feel some of these beauties from Zoe’s new shop, so I can give you a good report of their awesomeness. The do shimmer and sparkle in real life I tell you. The kind that make you feel like Grace Kelly for the day. The beading is high quality, the fitting is stretchy and comfortable, and the colors and hues are even lovelier in person. I have been wearing my Angel Wings Accessory arm party on the regular since they blend with most color palates. Zoe takes custom orders too:)
One IHOD reader will win their choice of TWO Angel Wings Accessory bracelets of choice! Simply let us know which pieces you would choose and enter through rafflecopter below! More entry options available. Best of luck friends! Love, Anna
