Wrap It Up

I feel like this year, somehow someway, I've been one step ahead of the quickly approaching Christmas season. I'm talking about our day after Thanksgiving tree fetching followed by getting close to everyone on my list completed during Black Friday/Cyber Monday- proud moment over here. Once all presents are here, I'm going to keep this new I'm-hella-on-it tradition going by wrapping them ASAP and putting them under our tree. This year, I wanted to go bold in my wrapping game. I picked up new wrapping paper from a variety of places last weekend and decided to add a few different pops of color and, of course, holiday accessories. I for one think going the extra mile in present presentation brings much more warmth to the gift- something the recipient will appreciate from the get go. To me, it's not just about whats inside the package, but the effort you put into making it special. A fun, thoughtful present never goes unnoticed; it also doesn't hurt that they look colorfully good under your tree!

Wrapping Paper | Green Ribbon | Tag | Pom Pom 

Wrapping Paper | Ribbon | Baubles | Tag 

Wrapping Paper | Ribbon | Tree 

Paper | Ribbon | Tassel 

Paper | Vintage Plaid Ribbon | Tag 

Paper | Raffia | Tag 

Paper | Ribbon | Tag

Holiday Gift Guide

I stuffed myself to the upmost brim yesterday afternoon. So much so that I'm staying horizontal for the majority of today. I swear, this lethargic day after Thanksgiving makes me forever grateful for the power of the Christmas click-of-a-button. This morning, I'm strategizing those coveted sales we wait all year for and making it Kris Kringle rain. Below are a few of my favorites for everyone on your list: the neighbor, your nana, the beau you're not quite sure what the heck to get, should you need to do any more gift transacting. Enjoy! ;)

Ginger Jar  // No Scrubs Mat // Artist Cheese Tray // Marble Box // Macaroon Trinket Boxes // Black Zebra // Colored Mercury Candleholders // Domino Home Guide Book // Gumball Lamp // Staffordshire Dog Pillow // Marquin's Vanity Tray // Pineapple Place Card Holder // Blue Dog Lumbar // Food & Beer // Cozy Wool Throw // Jungle Leaf Ice Bucket // Leslie Weaver Painting

One Room Challenge Favorites

I love nothing more than looking through all of the wonderful spaces the ORC brings to the creative table the week after our challenge is complete. Hands down, one of the ORC's biggest rewards comes when I take a gander at the well thought-out concepts that were flawlessly executed in just 6 short weeks.

During the ORC, Marquin and I lived and breathed her Dining Room, Living Room, and Kitchen. With such a brief timeline, we both put our heads down and got. to. work. - leaving little to no time to take a pulse on how everyone else was doing. Alas, I hug the week post ORC like no other. With every new Challenge comes amazing, magnificent creations. There are oh so many spaces to love - so much so that it's hard to find "favorites". Everyone crushed it and inspired me in a multitude of ways. Below are just a few ORC loves; that serious interior eye candy.

Super into this interesting take on a traditional color scheme from Pencil Shavings Studio. I love how inviting this feels. I mean red, white, blue and way beyond. SO fresh and so clean clean. // Photo by Pencil Shavings Studio

All of the textural layers from Jana Bek Design. I could go on and on about how good the use of her gorgeous fabrics and lamps play out here.  Leopard Goals. Always. // Photo by Marta Perez

Inspiring Office Space from The English Room FTW. So much color, so much love, so much Iris. Who wouldn't be inspired to work in front of the true interiors OG? // Photo by Lolli Photography

This vision of perfection from Hi SugarPlum. Lets all just take a moment and thank these lovely panels for doing their yellow thang. Gets me every time. A true color scheme dream. // Photo by Mary Summers-Hafner

Stripes on Stripes from The Makerista - doing it right in all the best places. I am such a fan of this color contrasting. // Photo by Lark Photos

The Mantle Mecca from Megan Pflug  hits the nail on the head for so many reasons, and you know I'm into the those throw beads. Hello winter cozy. // Photo by Manufoto

Everything about Waiting on Martha's color-popping reveal is all warm n' fuzzy. So smart, inspirational, and lovely. Great to see this high end one bedroom transformed. // Photo by Rustic White for Waiting on Martha

Traditional vibes with modern pops of color all day everyday. Adore how Home Glow Design brought this space to life with such quality details. // Photo by Karraline Streifel

Mad respect to A Storied Style for thinking of the genius use of an already existing nook as functioning shoe storage. Bringing reality to all my feminine dreams. Such a nice nod what a master bedroom with charm really is all about. // Photo by A Storied Style

Greenville goldmine in the home of Jenny Perone from Boho Style File. Frances Kinloch basically slayed in the wall department with those drapes and hanging artwork. I love everything about this. Makes me want to have Thanksgiving dinner at Jenny's (no pressure, J). // Photo by Angela Zion Photography

One of those rooms from Centered By Design you just know you'd get a whole lot done in. Zero procrastinating allowed in this office space. I'm a sucker for a clean palette with interesting touches pretty much errwhere. // Photo by Carolina Mariana

And last but certainly not least, the shelfie on Jest Cafe is baller. Inspiring me to get my hands on a colorblocking bonanza asap. // Photo by Jest Cafe Blog

One Room Challenge - Fall 2016 - Reveal

Y'all! The day is here. It is finally time to reveal this crazy fun One Room Challenge. Six weeks ago I partnered with Marquin Campbell of Marquin Designs to update her Dining Room... which quickly flowed over into the living room and a teensy bit into the kitchen. Week by week we shared the happenings and I couldn't be happier with our result. You can catch up on the process. 

Week 1

Week2

Week3

Week 4

Week 5

I am so thankful to Marquin for trusting me with the vision for her space and it was the most lovely experience creating this space with her. 

I absolutely cannot wait to snuggle up today and overload with inspiration from all the other participants. It has been such a pleasure to be part of this crazy thing and I want to think Linda of Calling it Home for creating this fun, loving community full of support and inspiration. 

So here we go! Just to be up front... go ahead and grab that cup of coffee and get comfy. Below are approximately one million photos taken by my lovely friend Kimberly Michelle Gibson.

The Dining Room! The space was set off by some key pieces that Marquin worked her magic on. She painted a crazy-beautiful chinoiserie mural, painted this large abstract that might be my favorite thing ever and took some plain shades and made them this rich inky blue. We brought in more color on the seat cushions with Malachite fabric from Design Legacy and brought in all sorts of color and texture on the table. 

Joy from Pretty Pots created all the green goodness in the space and made this oh so beautiful orchid arrangement for the dining room. 

We loved that throughout this space, we were able to mix so many styles. These Rewined glasses are seriously the perfect drinking glass and I love how they mix with the more formal elements in the space. 

This bar cart might be one of my favorite moments. The girls over at Duo Design hooked us up with this treasure and we styled this babe to the max with all of our favorite things. Just how we like it. We found the mirror at one of the best Greenville places to find all the good stuff, Rock House Antiques. 

Our favorite things include all sorts of accessories including this trio of vases from Paisley and Paper, the biggest books in all the land, Carolina Girl Cooks tea cookies, Dana Gibson Trays, Marquin Designs mini marshes, Jonathan Caleb Cake macs, Pagoda cocktail napkins from Wheaton and Whaley and Veuve. 

This citron urn we found from Grey Street Market at Cottage Grove Vintage was the perfect place to stash extra napkins in those gorgeous silver rings from our friends at Croghan's Jewel Box . 

You can also spot a Lesley Grainger abstract down there. 

Does this not steal the whole entire show?! Kate from Kate Asire Flowers is amazing and I seriously can't imagine anything prettier than this. It was the perfect compliment to the room and table. 

These placecards from Rachel Knowlton just set the table off and I think they are the most beautiful ever. 

The table includes so many things that I love: Those flowers, crazy-beautiful monogrammed Sasha Nichols salad plates, Katie Kime Golden Bees Placemat and Ginger Jar Napkins. 

We had placemats made out of Schumacher's Zimba Citrine to place under the Katie Kime mats. This is one of my favorite little touches. 

Styling these shelves in the kitchen was how we carried our look into all the adjoining spaces. We covered foam core board for the back of the shelves with this Thibaut fabric and used family pieces, silver treasures from Croghans, a cute nude tray from South Haus, a killer brass tray from Addison Weeks. 

The dining Room flows into the formal living room, we felt the need to keep the ball rolling into this space. The foundation was there but we added artwork, new pillows, and lots of accessories that pulled it all together. 

We created this suite of pillows to add a jab of color and pattern play to the space. You know how I roll.... so we paired Robert Allen Neo Toile custom made tassel Pillows, a fun little pillow made from some zebra tape and Jana Bek's killer Shagreen Citrine fabric, and a Dana Gibson leopard goodie. 

Of course we had to add beads and tassels where ever we had the chance so I hand made some to sew into the sofa pillows and the girls at Shan Lou created this cutie for the coffee table.  This Dana Gibson Cachepot is one of my favorite things. 

These are two Marquin creations. She painted this beautiful marsh scene to accent the colors used in the space and to add some texture, made this juju hat that I am obsessed with.

We took the extra dining chairs and covered them in a green ribbed velvet. We loved pulling the vivid green out of the Cham originals and also tying them to the malachite fabric in the dining room. 

We found this lamp from Lamps Plus and it pulled it's weight to juxtapose some of the more traditional furniture pieces in the space. The Dali face lithograph was found at Seventh Heaven in Savannah Georgia. 

I picked up that cutie tray table from my friends at Found that sell on Chairish and at Cottage Grove Vintage. 

The light was chosen from Ballard Designs and accents the gold tones throughout the space. 

I am obsessed with this tray from Addison Weeks this bowl from Grey Street Market was the perfect vessel for a pop of orange. 

We used a collection of all sorts of special things on the mantle: antique store finds, beads for texture, Dana Gibson ginger jar and an orchids arrangement from Roots in a Gertrude Graham Smith vessel. 

Shelf styling is just one of my favorite things ever and especially when it involves porcelain dogs. We picked these precious pups up at Paisley and Paper and I love them so. 

I love Leslie Weaver's ladies. Each one has so so much personality and we took this pretty girl and stacked her up on a collection of books near the secretary. 

Nothing makes me much happier than paintings and this is one of my favorite views in the space: Marquin's mural and huge abstract, Cham's work, and a Lulie Wallace. All heart eyes over here. 

It all came down to the finishing touches. Marquin found this pup at Rock House Antiques and we gave him a little flair. 

Thats a wrap and of course you always end a fun project with champagne. Cheers, friends! Until next time. I can't wait to dive in and see everyone's spaces. 

XO, Amanda Louise