At the end of the year, our lettering group at Hallmark participated in a two day stained glass workshop! I was SO excited to learn about stained glass, and used the opportunity to make a special piece for the baby’s room. Matt Kessler leads workshops at Hallmark, and was also kind enough to solder my piece for me so I wouldn’t be exposed to the lead while pregnant. I love how it turned out and can’t wait to get it hung up just as soon as our blinds arrive!
Nursery Decor
Hello, 2023! In just a few short months we will welcome Baby Smith and I’ve been working hard to get the nursery all setup. A lot of these items aren’t available any longer, but I’m so happy with how it all is coming together. The Rifle Paper Co. rug is definitely the star of the show!
1. Menagerie Les Fauves Black Power-Loomed Rug from Rifle Paper Co.
2. Arlo White Wood 3-Shelf Kids Bookcase with Drawer from Crate&Kids
3. Brinley Colorful Abstract Tapestry from Crate&Kids
4. Merced Glider from Pottery Barn Kids
5. Pom Pom Bin, Natural from Maisonette
6. Arlo White and Gold Wood Baby Crib from Crate&Kids
December Around The Web
2022 is coming to a close and what a year it has been! This December was filled with time spent celebrating with family and friends, and I’m so grateful to be wrapping up my second trimester of pregnancy. We started the month with a whirlwind weekend at the return of Krikindl Markt at church, celebrating Macy’s baby girl in Wichita, and a few days in Savannah for work. Dale and I attended two holiday parties for his work and I celebrated the holidays with the Junior League of Kansas City Missouri, Fund Development council and hosted an ornament exchange for my Chi O friends. Our family took a trip to Lawrence for my aunt’s annual Vespers concert and Dale and I had a wonderful dinner at Basil Leaf with Grammy Pop. Then we headed into all the traditional Christmas festivities with our families.
On December 23rd I made spritz cookies with my mom and Grace for our annual Christmas Eve party, but next year I would love to add in these gingerbread ones as well!
I’m thinking that next year I want decorate our tree with something special so I’m saving this roundup for inspiration. Maybe I’ll add an orange garland, too?
Loved these beautiful paper angels from Lars
And this classic holiday home decor. Someday I would love to have a staircase to decorate!
Dale and I LOVED season two of White Lotus and this was an interesting read about about the filming and location in Italy
I don’t think 2023 will be a year of travel for us, but bookmarking just in case!
A good review of my favorite skincare line, Biossance
And the easiest, best appetizer I served at my ornament exchange
The most beautiful wedding I”m pinning for color palette inspiration alone!
And an impressive 2022 report card from Chris Loves Julia
may all be merry & Bright!
Savannah, Georgia
The first week of December I had the opportunity to travel to Savannah, Georgia for work. My co-worker, Anna, and I had the best time exploring the city and would highly recommend The Drayton Hotel. Visiting before Christmas was magical because we were able to see all the decorations! Our favorite meals were at Treylor Park, Collins Quarter, and Vic’s on the Water. Don’t miss shopping at The Paris Market, Savannah Bee Co., and the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters does a wonderful job sharing an accurate history of the house and Savannah. Enjoy!
November Around The Web
Hello, friends! November has come to a close and I’m excited to recap (mostly for my own memories) all the fun that was had. We started the month with a trip to Turkey Hill with Leslie & Nathan which was the perfect weekend away, at work we were able to attend the first post-2020 CLS (Creative Leadership Symposium) with great speakers and time to socialize, Alyson hosted a Chi-O Friendsgiving, and our friend Holly was in town so we had a fun night hanging out before Thanksgiving! This year we celebrated Thanksgiving with family on Friday night so that we could watch Grace perform at the Plaza lights and we celebrated with Dale’s family on Saturday. We wrapped up the month getting Christmas card photos taken which I’m so excited to share!
Around the web I loved Andy J. Pizza’s illustration on invisible things. Interesting to ponder!
Obsessed with this rattan Turkey, I may need it for next Thanksgiving
This month I was also able to attend The Kernference and found Vestaboard (one of the event sponsors) fascinating! Would love to see one IRL
Brighton shared her daughter’s beautiful nursery!
I just found out I will be headed to Savannah for a few days so bookmarking this itinerary for a quick trip (to warmer weather!)
This was definitely a comfort meal this month
Saving is apple dumpling recipe for holiday gatherings alongside these conversation starters (Cup of Jo always has the most thought-provoking posts!)
And a very comprehensive list of Thanksgiving movies
Grateful for you!
October Around The Web
Hello, friends! After a long hiatus (my last monthly roundup was in May) I’m excited to be back! So much has happened over the past five months and I can’t wait to share. For now, I will start with October: This month kicked off with Holiday Mart and was quickly followed by a trip to North Carolina and Charleston. After a week working from the beach and celebrating Brittany and Parkin, we had one weekend at home where we had a waffle breakfast with Dale’s family and a donut fry at Mary and Kam’s house! October ended with a fun family dinner to celebrate Sophie and Dale’s birthdays and one more trip to Denver to reunite with our SLU Froends (and Laura and Ashton!). For Halloween, we are having a family dinner and then taking my sister’s dog Kaldi trick or treating at my grandparents house! Around the web we watched the UK (and beyond) mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II and I found some other spooky inspiration:
Loved seeing the corgis pay tribute to The Queen!
The best golden hue for Fall
Grace designed a shoe with Sarah Flint and gave us a peek into the process!
Lovely party favor DIY
I’ve never been huge on decorating for Halloween but bookmarking these ideas as inspiration for next year.
A thoughtful list of core values
While partial to my bright blue front door, it’s fun to see what colors others choose!
My mom recently purchased a Cricut so sending this Halloween DIY her way
Sad to report I didn’t get bulbs in the ground this year but I always appreciate them around our neighborhood! Hoping my current round all return next year.
Anne Hathaway is having fun with fashion lately!