Normandy House by A+B KASHA Designs

i absolutely adore the charming simplicity of this normandy home.

i'm all about edited homes lately.

with so much going on around us nowadays, i'm carefully editing our home to achieve a similar sort of ease and simplicity. i just can't handle the visual chaos and maintain my sanity.

more from A+B KASHA designs

also, i'm regretting passing on a very similar set of dining chairs this past weekend.
oops.

but i did score some gorgeous rugs so there's that.

Modern Farmhouse

jaw  > > > > >  floor

 

believe it or not, there's more.

photos: Belathée Photography

This and That // 1

hello! happy monday. i hope you all had a wonderful weekend. eric and i took full advantage of the b-e-a-utiful weather in kansas city by lounging around, drinking adult beverages and soaking up the sun.

just kidding. but we did take advantage.

eric cut down a giant (dead) pine tree in the backyard.

sad that we lost it.

but pretty baller that he took care of that himself and saved us some serious monies!

then we admired the ones that are still alive.

i gave some closet doors a seriously delicious makeover.

(more on that in wednesday's ORC post)

 we did some sleeping in.

 monkey butt!!!!

and then i did my best to get caught up on inventory.

holy brass attack.

guys, relax. i sell it, i don't keep it all.

we celebrated our accomplishments and some fun news!

(that i get to share very very soon!!)

yesterday we assessed our mint crop.

can you say MOJITO?

pretty sure you wouldn't be able to if you put all of that to good use.

especially in a few weeks when it's fully grown.

i pondered what to do with the last bare wall in our formal.

there will probably be brass.

 and we celebrated Easter with the fam.

in bunny ears and polka dots. dah.

so it was a full one.

today, i'm over at classically b talking about 4 of my favorite things.

think spring. because that's pretty much all i'm thinking about these days.

also, there's this to start your week:

truth.

kid president is wise.

-  o x o x  -

Girls Night // Smirnoff Sorbet Light Mixology Party

Over the weekend, I had the extreme pleasure of co-hosting a night of fun, food and adult beverages with the lovely ladies of local decor shop Coveted Home, all courtesy of our friends at Smirnoff Vodka. With mere months before Eric and I have a new little bundle in our lives, I'm starting to realize just how different things are going to be -- at least for awhile -- and I've taken to soaking up as much time with girlfriends as possible. If you know me at all, that usually involves drinks (even if I couldn't partake on this particular occasion. Booooooo. But that doesn't mean my girls can't play).

Here I am with some of my favorite ladies and a sippy cup.

When the folks at Smirnoff asked about trying out their new Sorbet Light infused vodka, I immediately knew a mixology party was going down. Professional mixologists' recipes were provided to make sure we didn't mess things up, which meant that the girls weren't the least bit intimidated to mix their own drinks.

Okay, well maybe just a little :)  But everyone caught on pretty quickly and word is, the prescribed cocktails weren't overly sweet like expected, but perfectly light and refreshing. Everyone raved specifically about the Lemon Mojito (link to recipe card below, designed by yours truly). Apparently that lightness has everything to do with the fact that these vodkas are infused with natural flavors, not flavored with sugars and syrups like most. Which equals less calories as well. BONUS.

The food spread was pretty amazing, and the girls at Coveted Home graciously agreed to bring a few new items from the shop to zhush up the patio in true boheme style. And holy smokes if these two don't know a thing or two about pimping out a patio!

I was OBSESSED with the striped rug and those lanterns! INSANE.

I drew inspiration from the gorgeous John Robshaw pillows when designing the recipe cards. They add so much warmth and color to the space! Festive and chic.

 Of course, we played well into the night...

all photos by Jason Hanna Photography

Download my Smirnoff Sorbet Light recipe cards here:

Tropical Screwdriver Punch // Lemon Mojito // Pomegranate Berry Punch // Raspberry Lemon Punch

Decor sources:

blue zig zag pillow // coral triangle pillow // blue dot pillow // yellow dot pillow

suzani napkins //  striped rug // marble cheese board // small lantern (inquire with CH for large)

mercury tealights // succulent cachepots

This post was sponsored by Smirnoff Sorbet Light. All reviews and opinions are my own (well, or they're the opinions of my friends since I was unable to drink alcoholic beverages).

Huge thank you to Coveted Home and Jason Hanna Photography for helping to make this post possible!

Because It's Awesome + Home Depot Patio Style Challenge

Today's the day that I can finally share my patio, party people! I say finally, but in reality things actually came together pretty recently. When Home Depot contacted me about participating in their patio challenge, I had no idea Mother Nature was going to make things such a challenge. It came down to the 11th hour and we had to push through record low temperatures (which we may be getting yet again this week..grrrrrr), but we got er done!

HUGE HUGE HUGE thanks to Eric and my mama for all of their help getting this together! Eric did so much work due to my preggers condition preventing me from heavy lifting, painting and staining. (Truth: I don't think he trusts me to do as well on the DIY experiments projects anyway.)

And I've not given her enough credit to date for all that my mom has contributed. She was definitely my sounding board when making decisions for this challenge under the clock. Not only that, but she is often my partner in crime when antiquing, consignment and Craigers shopping. It's kind of become our thing, and I've scored so many great pieces thanks to her! She was pretty instrumental in that One Kings Lane sale success. The lady makes a pretty great business partner, I gotta say :)

Enough of the sentiments. Go check out the final product! But be sure to come back and tell me what you think....We'll recap everything in depth later this week.

Interiors // Miscellaneous Perfection

Sorry, guys, but last night when I should have been writing today's post, I was busy eating a McDonalds McFlurry (serious guilty pleasure) and watching the baby kick. Quite honestly, I don't know how long this has been visible because I don't tend to leave my white belly exposed, but I have been feeling kicks since week 15 and Eric was able to feel it at about 18 (we're at 23 now). So if we'd tried, I'm guessing we might have seen this a bit sooner.

I can't say it enough. This is so. surreal. I was absolutely mesmerized.

Also, Baby is an eggplant. Whoever came up with the fruit and veggie size chart was pretty brillz. I love comparing my unborn to what I should be eating (turns out there are no McFlurries on the size chart. hmmmmm).

Enough baby talk. Let's just look at some pretty pictures, shall we?

One of the best kitchens/eat ins of all time.

Mark D. Sikes via Lonny Magazine

Crazy perfect dining room.

Lindsey Adelman chandelier via Small Shop

And I'd like to be here...

Interiors // Heidi Merrick's (girly/not-so-girly) home

Just the other day, as I was perusing Glitter Guide's Style at Home archives, I came across Heidi Merrick's gorgeous abode. Even though I've seen it before and those beautiful shots have floated around Pinterest ever since, seeing it in its entirety let me view it with fresh eyes. And so I fell in love with each and every crisp, eclectic space all over again.

girls dinner // summer tapas party

about time for a second installment, don't you think?

just like last time, we're keeping things casual with a smorgasboard of deeeelicious tapas and red sangria (one of my personal faves) on the porch, all of which were deceivingly simple.

 first order of business? getting that patio table set. we went with a graphic fabric swatch (one of the girls has this on hand for an upcoming sewing project), but a tablecloth, blanket or quilt will do just as well. if you're forced to go solid, use napkins, dinnerware and accessories to add pattern and texture. there really aren't any rules! one or two standout items (umm...hello! that gorgeous turquoise vase bursting with peonies) can really make the table come to life.

then it was time to get our grub on. in the true spirit of spanish tapas, we divvied up food responsibilities, each with two apps to share. i opted for roasted red pepper hummus with pitas and delectable little herbed goat cheese, strawberry basil sandwiches. there was also beet salad, pimentos, spicy lime shrimp, artichoke crisps, and edamole (that's edamame guacamole).

we stuffed ourselves silly, to say the least.

stringing up some lights added serious ambiance, and allowed us to keep the party going a liiiiiiiittle later than anyone intended....but such it is when ladies find time to get together, right??

laura conjured up some festive belly bands for our glasses o' fruity delight (diy details here).

the girls over at ampersand are detailing how you can get the look yourself.

and for your drinking pleasure, a recipe card for that delicious red sangria from yours truly.

 available for download here.

mandatory group shot:

all photos courtesy of the very talented eric linebarger

awwww.

also, if you're like me and are sometimes challenged by the task of creating the perfect dinner mix, this one sure delights the earlobes.

hope this inspires you to call your girlfriends for a little dinner fun of your own! ox

 { find our previous dinners here }