Excellence is not an act, but a habit

My friend Jen’s wedding was even more elegant and fun than I ever could have expected it to be. Everything was so intentional, well-designed and just jaw-droppingly gorgeous, including the bride herself of course! Here’s a few tidbits from my iPhone capturing the weekend’s events:

Bridesmaids luncheon at the Weathervane

Swag

UNC’s Clefhangers gave a fabulous performance to usher us into dinner at the Rehearsal Dinner at the Great Room. Chills!

Before we knew it, it was Saturday morning. We got ready at the Franklin and enjoyed some delicious treats.

Love, love LOVED the bridal and bridesmaids’ bouquets. They were as fragrant as they were beautiful.

Looks like a scene from Town + Country Weddings, does it not? Absolutely stunning set-up at the reception, which was hosted at the Carolina Club overlooking Kenan Stadium.

Enjoying ourselves at dinner

*Not pictured: Bride and her groom rocking out on stage to “Rollin’ On The River” in her fun reception dress that consisted of a real FEATHER skirt. When I get some professional photos, I’ll be sure to show them off here. She was a number one stunner. Yeah. I just went there.

All of our love and congratulations to the Lemmings! 

So excited to celebrate one of my best lady friends as she ties the knot this weekend! 

I think I need some turkish towels for the summer. I love how they look, and how you can use them as beach blankets, towels or even cover-ups if the situation calls for it. I got my mom a really cute lime green one from Furbish for her birthday that I want to steal from her.

Here are some of my favorites, all of which I found on Etsy by searching “turkish towels.”

Do you guys have some of these towels? What do you think of them?

I did my first successful paint job this weekend and want to brag about it here. So feel free to keep scrolling if you don’t want to hear about my nonsense. 

Several months ago, I bought a cute, chippendale-esque side table from Craigslist for $15. I was pleased to see that it was actual wood, and not particle board, when I brought it home. I was clearly going through a “let’s cover everything in gold and/or sparkles” phase, so I decided to paint it gold. Forgetting that our rental’s walls are light yellow. Also forgetting about my short attention span. The paint job was a disaster, but I set the table aside for a few months. 

This weekend, I couldn’t take it anymore and decided to spray paint the table in a white lacquer. I went to my local Ace Hardware store, and Billy hooked me up with all the goods. 

The table in its golden state. God, this is embarrassingly bad. Looks like puff paint.

Step two involved sanding the table down on all surfaces to dull it for the upcoming paint job.

Billy suggested I use this with water to clean the table. Afterwards, I dried off the table and used a tack cloth (not pictured) to collect any of the leftover paint dust/dirt left by the sanding. 

My friend Evie told me about the wonders of a nozzle attachment to spray paint cans to make paint jobs easier. I will never paint anything without one of these..again. It made painting so effortless, even and used the paint much more efficiently than spraying by hand. 

Getting her first coat.

The final product. (Please ignore the ugly cord for the lamps. Clearly was not “staging” this photo to look pretty.) Love how it turned out and how quickly the project went from start to finish. Thinking about getting some clear gloss spray paint to seal the paint but that may have to wait for another weekend. 

A week ago, I started a new workout program with a good friend of mine. I’m always looking for something new and exciting to try, and I’m willing to try most anything. But I’ll admit…this one was a stretch. Three times a week, outside, at 6 a.m. at a local park. For an hour. Every day last week it was below 40 degrees and dark as we started our exercise. 

Oh, and did I mention our trainer is named Christmas? And she looks like this?

Yeah. That’s real. 

At first, I was kicking myself for signing up for such an early class and scared to death that Christmas was going to make me do squat thrusts with 100 pound dumbbells, all before I had my coffee in the morning. But, a crazy thing happened…I started looking forward to my morning sessions. Christmas and our other trainer, Meagan, were so positive, so fun and well..just plain cool that it made all of the jump squats, sprints and burpees worth it. Fingers crossed my ass starts looking more like theirs and less like a fat Beyonce’s in the next few weeks. 

You can learn more about Christmas here on the Lululemon site.

I’ve been known to wear five different bracelets on one arm simultaneously, so it should come as no shock to you that I’m absolutely in love with this Alexis Bittar molten bracelet. Lucite and gold? Pitter patter goes my sparkle-crazy heart. Birthday is in a few weeks. Just. Saying.

Very busy but productive weekend. Pretty tempted to play hooky today and enjoy the 88 degree temps, but bills have to be paid and whatnot. Also I think my eyes will start bleeding from the oak pollen in the air if I spend more than five minutes outside. Here’s what I was up to this weekend:

Randomly stopped into Aldo and found a great clutch for upcoming events and some funky 70s geometric earrings. Ladies- if you are looking for a clutch, go there. Tons of great finds.

Chair cushions were delivered by Ralph. I’m pretty pleased with them and they make the chairs actually nice to sit in, versus just stare at. 

Slowly but surely adding to my ginger jar collection. The one on the far right was a recent acquisition at Studio 123.

Our friend, Paul, competed in the Carolina Pork Experiment in Durham on Sunday. $10 got you a pork plate filled with noms from all of the competitors and a free Brooklyn beer. Duh. 

And then Paul won second place among lots of talented competitors! No surprise there though. His spicy, slow-cooked pork with a meyer lemon and basil vinaigrette on grilled ciabatta bread was ah-ma-zing. 

I had to take a nap after the intense judging re: medley of pork products. Afterwards, I decided to do something with myself and hang a pair of these octagon mirrors from Studio 123 on each side of our bed. Still looks a little sad/vagrant in there with the no headboard and exposed windows, but we’re getting there. 

I’m very proud to say that Loafers is graduating from law school in just a matter of weeks. The three years has gone by quickly, but I think we’re both happy to see it come to a close. In his honor, I’m hosting a luncheon with his family the day of graduation and then my family is coming on on Saturday to toast his success, so there will be a lot of entertaining going on in our household. I’d like to replicate something similar to the two photos below for our table setting. I’m working on collecting more ginger jars and I’m planning on hitting up some estate sales to find some beautiful white linen tablecloths that I can jazz up with colorful napkins and china. 

How do you feel about blue and white ginger jars? A classic “must have” in your home? Or are you over it?

The other day, Jenny from Little Green Notebook featured a reader’s beautifully designed bedroom. This reader did it all herself- in a rental- with items she either re-furbished, found on Craigslist, or collected over the years. She had some fabulous ideas, but I particularly loved this print she made by kissing a piece of paper while wearing different shades of lipstick. She then traced the lips and popped the paper in a simple gold picture frame and hung it beside her vanity. Beautiful, one-of-a-kind artwork that adds so much personality to a space. Kinda want to copy her someday soon in the future. 

I’ve heard ladies speak about the wonders of this tool, but I have yet to try it out myself. Get your head out of the gutter—I’m talking about the Clarisonic skin cleansing system. 

This set from Sephora, which includes a moisturizer, looks like a perfect little treat to brighten up tired, winter white skin. Does anyone have a Clarisonic that they love? Hate? Give me details!

I was lucky enough to enjoy some time on the beach over Easter weekend, and it got me all excited for linen clothing and pastels for the summer. Basically, you can’t go wrong when those two are combined..at least in my opinion. For my next trip to the beach, I’d love to be wearing a Rikshaw Design kurta- these are fun, airy tunics that you can wear with shorts or by themselves over a swimsuit. Here are my two favorites:

A toast to you, m’lady! We love you very much. Cheers!

These are some of my current favorites on Etsy. What are some of yours? (Click images for sources.)

Sometimes, I really miss this:

God, that show. The long hours I spent in college with girlfriends watching the drama unfold with all of the camera cuts and Spencer’s crazy crystals. Makes me almost a little nostalgic. Reunion show maybe? 

I am on the search for a new console table to use in our entryway. I want to introduce a new element into the house, as I think all or most of my furniture pieces right now are wood or wood covered in white lacquer. I immediately thought of lucite as a possibility. Lucite is a fabulous decorating element to practically any home decorating style and its transparency makes rooms look lighter and larger. Here are two vignettes where lucite is done right:

There are options available at CB2 for $379 and Target for a whopping $410. Here’s the CB2 version:

I think I can do better with a lower price point, so I’m going to keep combing my usual sources. In the meantime, if any of you come across a lucite console table for $175 or less, will you help a girl out and send me a note to excellenceasahabit@gmail.com? Many thanks in advance for your assistance. I will literally drive to almost anywhere on the Eastern seaboard to pick one up. Just saying.

These AG polka dot skinny jeans are such a fun twist on the prints that are so popular this season. I can see these with a white tank or a neon tank for summer with sandals, and transitioned into fall with ankle boots and an easy white oxford shirt. For $178 they are certainly a splurge, but their timeless print and flattering cut could make them a constant choice from your closet!

With the warm weather sticking around, and my first beach trip of the season looming, I’m in the mood for some new casual kicks to rock in rotation with my trusty Havianas. Enter Soludos. These shoes are, to me, cuter and preppier than the Toms that are all the rage. Don’t get me wrong- I love Toms! But I think these are a great alternative for the summer given their flat espadrille bottoms and variety of fun colors and patterns. And they are a bit more reasonably priced than Toms, which makes them even cuter in my book.  Here are a few I’m loving right now:

Do you own Soludos? What are your thoughts?

Whew this was one busy and fun weekend. Let’s review, shall we?

Finally found the perfect lampshade for the vintage alabaster lamp I bought a few months ago from Etsy. Now the room doesn’t have that ‘exposed lightbulb crack house- chic’ vibe. Kinda miss it. Bedroom continues to be a major work in progress.

New bracelet for my growing collection. It’s called the Katniss bracelet- how could I resist? You can get yours here. 

Huge find at local thrift store, Shelton’s Furniture. Very cool, vintage mirrors for a steal. I bought two..no idea where the second one is going but it just felt right. Please ignore the recycling bin and trash- I was in the middle of cleaning. Now I’d love to find a simple upholstered skinny bench to go with this mirror that I can stack with fun pillows. 

Sunday brunch at Babylon. Good food but extremely crowded due to recent LivingSocial deal. The waitstaff was a wee bit ornery, hungover and overwhelmed, which made for an awkward situation. But the outdoor seating and free mimosas for the wait made it almost okay. 

The hubby played in a golf tournament with some friends on Sunday as part of a law school event. The weather was perfect, so two great girlfriends and I tagged along on our own cart…with our own cooler of refreshments. Great way to spend a Sunday!

*Not pictured: Fun dinner at a friend’s beautiful home on Friday night that lasted long into the night; a great time in Durham with Becca and her sweet husband at Watts Grocery on Saturday night; cuddling with neighbor cat Pickles, who recently moved across town. 

whatshouldwecallme:

Before the financial meltdown: 

Now:

That Chelsea Handler quote may as well belong on the Heckner family crest. Well, if we had a crest.

To steal a line from my friend Evie, Craigslist is currently on my sh*t list. This is the second time in as many weeks when I’ve tried MULTIPLE times to get a response from someone with a posting on Craigslist (a recent one, might I add) with absolutely zero contact back. For more than three days. In the world of smart phones. I mean, would it KILL you to write one short email that says “it’s sold” or something? So, in the meantime, I stay chained to my iPhone in the desperate hope that I get a returned email so I can claim my treasure. 

My friend Jessie was the first person who introduced me into the quirky world of estate sales. The whole concept is wacky- you wake up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning to go stand in line for the chance to walk into a beautiful home whose owner has either passed away or moved on to a rest home somewhere. All for the chance of finding beautiful, unique and vintage home furniture pieces and decor items that are sold for many, many more dollars at antique stores. And believe me, they are there- and they are extremely well-priced (read: low-cost.) 

In the world of really odd reality shows (Anyone see Lady Hoggers yet? Because I have), the estate sale circuit is one area that has remained relatively untouched. I, for one, think it would make for excellent cinematic moments. I literally almost hip-checked a woman well-over 60 in order to get in the front door of a home at an estate sale this weekend and she didn’t even bat an eyelash because she was so focused on getting to some vintage crystal sconces. 

I’ve only been to a few of these, but at each one, I’ve encountered some characters along the way. All ages, races, shapes and sizes. And witnessed more than a few awkward encounters when two people want the same ginger jar lamp. 

So if anyone wants to hook me up with Discovery Channel or HGTV right now, just say the word. 

While we’re on the topic, here are a few lovely estate sale finds some friends and I had this weekend:

My friend scored this lovely butterfly armchair for less than $200

I scored a set of vintage barware that I’m kind of obsessed with.

How cute are these paisley towels? Don’t worry, I washed them twice in HOT water. They liven up our boring guest bathroom. 

The other day on Cupcakes and Cashmere, the writer mentioned a cocktail called the Cherub’s Cup. And it had pictures of the said cocktail, which I noticed was pink. Clearly, this was a topic that I needed to learn more about. The recipe for the Cherub’s Cup can be found here and it sounds absolutely perfect for lazy afternoons in the summer, or perhaps even better, in plastic solo cups while sunning on Wrightsville Beach. 

This little dress would be a perfect match to wear while sipping on the minty pink cocktail:

[Source: Topshop]

Bottoms up.

Our extremely talented wedding photographer and friend, Meredith Perdue, recently started a new website with her equally talented boyfriend. It’s called Map & Menu, and it highlights all of the amazing places they travel- in the U.S. and otherwise- and what they do while they are there. Need a restaurant recommendation for some place quaint with lots of local flavor? Go here first. Trying to figure out if your Bed & Breakfast is dog-friendly? Just go ahead and bookmark this site.

Not only is it informative, this website is gorgeous! Beautiful photographs fill the site with life and I love hearing the candid accounts from Meredith and Michael about their adventures. So go ahead and check it out yourself! Kudos to Meredith and Michael! I can’t wait to hear about your next trip. 

Do you need a little pampering, too? You do. You deserve it. I suggest this Jo Malone gift set, comprised of 100ml of your choice of their cologne, 100ml of their luxurious bath oil and a home candle. I’ve never owned their cologne or “luxurious” bath oil, but I can attest to the fact that their candles smell better (lit and unlit) than any other candle I’ve ever purchased. Period. End of story. That’s why, for this edition of Treat Yourself Tuesday, I suggest a little pampering from Jo. 

Had a busy weekend and the time got away from me. I was too busy crying at The Hunger Games movie and taking furious notes on the art of being a hottie in the workplace and at home from Megan Draper on the season premiere of Mad Men. First action item: Learn how to sing in French. Second action item: Learn how to apply full sets of fake eyelashes. Subscribe to the philosophy of wearing matching undergarments and be a somewhat vulnerable diva (is that a thing?) to the fullest, every hour of every day.

Stay tuned. We may need to add a “Ask Megan Draper” column to this blog as a weekly feature.

My summer is going to be extremely low-key with Loafers toiling away in preparation for the Bar exam. Which is totally fine! (Eye on the prize sweetie.) However, if I was planning on jetsetting somewhere fun in the sun, here are some of the things I would pack:

A fun carry-on and beach bag from Deux Lux

An easy dress to wear day or night [Source: Topshop]

A figure-flattering bikini in the season’s brightest hue {Source: Anthropologie]

A beach hat to keep the sun off my face [Source: Zara]

Gold bamboo hoops [Source: Kenneth Jay Lane]

Classic espadrilles [Source: Asos]

A cozy pullover for when the sun goes down [Source: Old Navy]

Or this geometric/neon scarf:

[Source: Asos]

This pencil skirt and a black simple cotton tank or v-neck tee to wear with flats to dinner al fresco. [Source: Tibi]

Funky harem pants to wear while sightseeing [Source: Forever 21]

I know we hear a lot about adding a “man cave” to a home. A place where the man in your life can hang up sports paraphernalia (non-ironically), buy massive dark leather furniture and store a second fridge filled with beer. Great. Fine. Whatever.

But what about a woman cave?

I don’t know about you, but sharing space with a guy entails a lot of compromise; you can’t pick out really girly colors for furniture/pillows/curtains, certain paintings or artwork are off-limits and whimsy pretty much flies out the boring window you have framed with gender neutral curtains. And you can forget about animal prints. On anything.

So I suggest adding a woman cave to your home. Mine would look a lot like the picture below (if I had an unlimited budget of course.) A soft pink linen couch would be an absolute must. As would an abundance of small side tables, layered together and tons of gold and natural accents. A hanging wicker egg chair, while certainly not the most functional choice, would be perfect and fun to swig your cocktail while ensconced in its mid-century arms. I would love to have a spot like this where I could curl up to read Hunger Games while blaring Dance Moms/Beyonce albums and drying my nails after a homemade manicure. For now it will just live here in my dreams/blog world. 

I got a pair of amazing real bamboo chairs this weekend and almost passed them up. I know, I can’t believe it either. (I can literally feel my husband’s eyes rolling at that sentence.) I found the pair of chairs two weeks ago, posted from Fuquay Varina, a small town in N.C. near Raleigh. The pair were priced at $140, which were well below what I’ve seen for similar pairs of chairs on Etsy, Ebay and 1st Dibs.com. However, I felt confident that the seller didn’t know what she had and that I could negotiate her down a bit on the price point. I drove smugly from my downtown townhouse, thinking of the sweet girl from the small town who didn’t know she was sitting on a pair of chairs that people drop $500 on at the drop of a hat. 

Then I pulled up to her mansion. 

While wearing H&M stretch pants and a greasy ponytail. 

I felt awkward. And I knew the bargaining was out the window between her manicure, the Tara-esque lawn and the four cars in her driveway. 

But I think, ultimately, I still got a great deal. And the chairs were even more amazing in person (I almost backed out of going at the last minute because I was tired.) Here they are in place (rug is going away; other changes are also in the works..):

Here is a similar chair in the latest issue of Lonny:

All in all, I think a pretty successful find after a series of disappointing cancellations from Craigslist sellers I was encountering. Stay tuned for more changes with the chairs!

With this gorgeous Tibi number. The blush and cheetah make it playful but the silhouette makes it a classic that you’ll be reaching for each spring and summer for special events and date nights. (P.S. Hate the shoes they are showing with it on Tibi.com)

Working from Wilmington this week and crashing with my parents. Tonight, mom modeled her really cute, new blue open jacket she just bought.

“Isn’t this kimono jacket just perfect? I’m wearing it to a luncheon tomorrow that has a dim sum theme!”

So glad I’m here. For real.

Just go ahead and tweet that with the tag #shitgirlssay but I don’t even care. It is going to be AWESOME! Update for Raleigh people: It is a Groupon for English Garden. Check it out!

What a fun, beautiful weekend! Not gonna lie, it started out rough on Friday after two botched Craigslist furniture deals and driving to the wrong Wal-Mart to pick up a vacuum (note to self: wait the five days to have it delivered to the house to avoid Wal-Mart at all costs), but things started to turn around on Saturday. 

Green skinny girl margarita at brunch

Officially rose season. Enjoyed a tasting while watching St. Patrick’s Day revelers walk up and down Glenwood Ave.

Scored a new ginger jar vase at the Flea Market and made a centerpiece using fresh neon pink lillies. Love this color combo.

A sweet friend tipped me off to a pair of immaculate Staffordshire dogs at the Flea Market. They are in perfect condition and currently flank our TV. I’ve named them Kourtney and Khloe. 

Dinners spent outside, early season sunburns and fresh flowers all made me a happy girl. Hope you had a great weekend, too!

I don’t think I’ve been this excited since Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire came out. 

May the odds be ever in your favor.

So, I have this weird obsession with Etsy. So much so that I’ve been invited to participate on various “teams” (embarrassing and no, I didn’t accept the invitations) and my favorites list is steadily growing to an unmanageable amount. I relied on Etsy for a ton of things for my wedding and I find it a fabulous resource for vintage, unique items that I don’t have the time to look for at thrift stores and the flea market.  Right now, I’m crushing on a few things BIG TIME. They are:

Vintage Schumacher fabric. Would love to see this as a long lumbar on an all-white bed or roman shades. 

Could this seagrass and bamboo ice bucket be any cuter? I don’t think so. How fun for a summer filled with cocktails on the patio? 

Vintage glasses to go with the new ice bucket.

This shell in a shadow box is so cool. I’d love to see it on a narrow wall in a powder room. The moire fabric in the frame makes it extra chic.

This lucite vase is BEYOND awesome. It would look great sitting on a bookshelf or filled with a single bloom. 

I want to mount this turtle shell on a lucite base and put it on my dresser. Fab.

Hold. The. Phone. Brass and faux bamboo in one fun and functional piece. I would set this proudly on my counter (after attacking it with some Brasso/Rub n’ Buff) and fill it with bottles. Or, use it as a magazine rack next to my bedside table. The options are endless. 

Any Etsy finds to report on your end?

With all of this rainy weather we’ve been having, I think a really chic raincoat would make it much easier getting out of the door in the morning when it’s pouring. Right now, I’d love to treat myself to this linen raincoat from JCREW:

What is your favorite rainy day gear?