Hello Yellow (and gray)!

So I am loving the yellow and gray color scheme right now and it just so happens that we are moving to a new home soon, soooooooo I am already decorating it in my head.  The home has an open floor plan with the kitchen and living areas flowing together into a great room sort of thing, so I have a fairly large space to work with there and thought it would be the perfect place to try out my new favorite color scheme.

Doesn't looking at this color make you smile?

There is something very crisp and clean, yet cheery and fun about the yellow and gray combo.  It's also sort of a modern/contemporary scheme without being too far out there.

Here are some things that I am eyeing for our new home in Iowa:

Cute artwork from Etsy.

Pyramid mirror by Dwell Studio

I love chevron and I love Dwell Studio so this is the perfect rug!

Fabric by Dwell Studio

Pillow from Z Gallerie

Pillow by Dwell Studio for Target.

Dining chair from Ikea w/dark gray upholstery.

So one upside to moving - I get to redecorate:)  And in case you didn't notice, I'm also loving Dwell Studio these days!

My Farewell Tour of Charlotte

Saying good bye to the Queen City after almost 15 years!

Even though we aren't quite sure of our exact departure date, I am planning a Farewell Tour of Charlotte.  Part of me is excited to visit all of my favorite restaurants, shops and other hot spots in the near weeks, but the other part of me is sad knowing that I may not ever have the chance to visit them again.

I am certainly planning to come for a visit (or several), and in my heart of hearts I am hoping that we end up back here sooner rather than later, but there is always a chance that we won't or that in the meantime some of my favorite places might close (that would be tragic!).  So I feel like I need to cram them all into this short period of time, just in case.


My list is growing by the day but here is what I have so far (you may notice a food/shopping theme):
Mai restaurant - best sushi I've had here!  And a well kept secret.  If you ever go order the sapporro roll.

Pewter Rose Bistro in South End

Pewter Rose - my favorite brunch spot!  I must have a mashed potato omelette and mimosas here before leaving.  And the butterscotch scones of course!  This is where I held my bridal luncheon too:)
Encore Bistro - This is only on my list because of the yummy raspberry snow cone martinis - best drink ever!

Amelie's French Bakery in NoDa - eclectic decor and amazing food!

Amelie's Bakery - Though I've only been here once it quickly became one of my favorites.  The ambience combined with the best desserts ever won me over!
Cabo Fish Taco - If you've never been here you must go.  Such a cool setting in NoDa and great food too!
The Melting Pot - an oldie but a goodie!  I have always loved big group dinners here with the cheese fondue, main course and then of course, chocolate fondue.  I've never left hungry, that's for sure!
Alexander Michael's - historic setting uptown, amazing chicken pitas and the best fried pickles!

Edible Art cake

Edible Art - best cakes ever!  Not only do they taste incredible but the design work is amazing too.  Our wedding cake and just about every cake I've ever ordered for any occasion since has come from here.

And on to the non-food related stops on my tour:

Shopping Mecca 

Southpark Mall
More specifically - Tory Burch, Nordstrom, Anthropologie, Kate Spade, Urban Outfitters, Tiffany &Co., Louis Vuitton, Burberry and Pottery Barn Kids.  Can I afford most of those places?  Nope, but I sure do love to wander around and pretend that I can. Before I leave I will have the Tory Burch bag that I've had my eye on though!

Beautiful stone bridge at Freedom Park - seen in many movies!

Freedom Park - just because it's such a beautiful park and a Charlotte landmark.  I've taken many walks through this park over the years and eaten lots of funnel cakes during the Festival in the Park.  Great place!
Ikea - duh.  It took forever to get one here and now I have to up and leave.  I could wander around there all day.  Love that place!
Home Goods - I've checked out my shopping options in Iowa and found that most of my favorite stores have locations near where we will be living, except for Home Goods.  There isn't one in the entire state of Iowa.  Sad but true.
Nordstrom Rack - again, Charlotte finally gets one and now I'm leaving!

Home of the Carolina Panthers!

Bank of America Stadium/Carolina Panthers football game - this one probably isn't going to happen b/c I have such limited time to catch a game but I have some great memories of tailgating and cheering the boys in black and blue on.
Off Broadway Shoes - who doesn't love to wander around a store with thousands of pairs of shoes?

Just reading over that list is exhausting!  Sometimes I forget how many great things Charlotte has to offer.  And that's just scratching the surface!

Wednesday's Wish List

No Wish List last week due to a little one in the hospital but I'm back and ready with another one.

This one is strictly a Tory Burch Wish List.  How I wish I didn't love her so much.  I can't really afford her but I sure do love me some Tory.  And as a moving gift I have convinced Matt to use a small piece of his bonus to buy me a new handbag by Miss Tory herself.  It won't make up for the fact that I'm going to miss Charlotte and my life here like crazy but it's a start:)

This week's list has 6 items instead of the usual 5 but I had to throw in a bracelet along with all of the great handbags.  And there were even more items that I wanted to include but for today I'm sticking with handbags and the bracelet.

Lucite cuff bracelet.

Plaid rain tote.

Roslyn tote.

Trompe l'oiel tote.

Karlya carryall tote.

Tweed McLane bag.

Can you guess which bag is going to be mine?

Going Back To Cali

Remember that song by LL Cool J?  "I'm going back to Cali, Cali, Cali..."  It's been in my head since we made the very difficult decision to pack up and move our family.  Only we're not going back to Cali.  We're going back to Iowa.  Words I never thought I would say (or sing).

Maybe a more appropriate song title would be "Take Me Home Country Roads."  To the place I belong. Or so it seems that we belong there for the time being.  Matt was offered a job there, and not only is it a great opportunity for him, but for our whole family.  It's an opportunity that would be silly and irresponsible to pass up, so we're going to give it a try.

And speaking of family, ours will be close by now so that will be a luxury that we've never had before.  Maybe, just maybe, Matt and I can ditch the kids with my parents and sneak away for a weekend.  Or even just one night.  Or even for a few hours.  Sadly, it's been years since that has happened.

Having family so close is one of the few perks that I can think of when it comes to leaving North Carolina and heading back to the MidWest.  I'm trying not to dwell on all of the reasons why I don't want to leave and focus on the reasons why this move will be good for us, and family is by far #1 on that list.

Thankfully we have some time before we have to leave so I plan on spending that time not only with friends, but also visiting my favorite restaurants, shops, and other Charlotte spots that I'm going to miss. And there are many.  I'll be sure to blog about each spot along the way!

Design Dilemma

So remember last week when I wrote about planning Addyson's big girl room and I was sooooo excited about the bubblegum pink and turquoise color scheme?  Well, thanks to Pinterest I found something that I like even more.  Go figure.

The pink is still there for sure but instead of turquoise the other color is more of a powdery/periwinkle blue.  It is so beautiful - clean, crisp and still girly.  And not something that I ever would have thought of on my own.  Love it!  


Of course this means that the $7 bedding will have to go back to Kohl's and I'll have to find something different to replace it.  What are the odds of finding another bedding set for only $7?  Slim to none I'd say.  

But as soon as I saw these photos I fell in love with the color scheme so I'll have to deal with the bedding predicament and move on.  I think it will be worth it!

Isn't this room amazing?  Photos via Chic and Cheap Nursery

Planning Addyson's Big Girl Room

Addyson turned 3 in June and is still sleeping in her crib.  We did remove the drop side about 2 months ago, so technically she's now sleeping in a mini daybed of sorts.  Okay, it's still a crib.  I was just trying to make myself feel better.  Didn't work...

Truthfully, time got away from us and the next thing we knew we had a 3+ year old that was still confined to a crib and starting to look a little silly in it.  And truthfully, we don't have extra money to spend on a new bed and everything else that goes along with it.  I mean, she can't get a new bed without also getting new sheets, comforter/quilt, pillow, etc.  And I don't like to do things half way so when we get the new bed/bedding I would also prefer to decorate and complete the entire room.  Who wants a room that's only half complete?


Of course, me being me and being a plan ahead kind of person, I choose a color scheme for Addyson's big girl room a few months ago.  And like with Cooper's aqua and orange theme, I couldn't just go with something common and typical.  I had to make things difficult for myself again.  I choose turquoise and bubblegum pink.  Not too far out there, but not something that is gracing the shelves and displays of any and every store in town.

So as usual I took to the internet to look for ideas and inspiration.  Still not a lot to work with!  Thank heavens for Pinterest!  I was able to find a handful of photos and ideas there.  And Google is a life saver too.  I don't know how I ever survived without Google.  And blogs.  So many blogs.  


Now I have a color scheme to work with, but no money and limited ideas.  Should be interesting.  I was able to score a twin size comforter with a standard sham and a super cushy and cute floor cushion at Kohl's for only about $7.  Yes, I said $7.  They had select bedding sets on clearance for 70% off and I had a store credit that was burning a hole in my pocket, so I paid a whopping $7.  I was proud of myself for that deal.  And even better, the colors were exactly what I had envisioned!  Still smiling now.  


Of course, a new issue has come about since purchasing the amazingly inexpensive bedding.  I found a bed that I love and it is pink.  Adorable, girly and pink.  And affordable.  So what's the problem?  I'm not sure that the bedding is going to look quite right on the pink bed.  Problem is, the bed is an internet only item so I can't take the bedding to the store to see how they will look together.  Why do I get myself into these predicaments???  Super cute bed versus super cheap bedding.  Who wins???  Or can I pull it off using both the bed that I have my sights set on and the bedding that I mistakingly stumbled upon and scored for such a great deal?

This is the floor cushion from Kohl's and the bedding also features the same medallion print.

Pink headboard similar to the one that I am contemplating.

What do you think?  Will the aqua medallion bedding look too busy on the bubblegum pink bed?
Stay tuned as I plan and execute this turquoise and pink haven!

Wednesday's Wish List

I took the week off again last week because I just had too much going on but I'm back with a new Wish List for this week!

I love this color scheme and zig zag print from the Missoni for Target collection.  Too bad it sold out only hours after being launched!

Another goodie from Target - this upholstered ottoman will fit with any color scheme/decor type and the top is removable with storage inside - great for hiding toys!

This beautiful fashion print from Laura Trevey is on my "Want List" for Addyson's big girl room that we are starting soon!  There are actually 4 coordinating prints that are on my list:)

I'm drooling over these wool wedge heels from Bettye Muller!  With a price tag of $235 I think I'll be drooling for awhile, like forever.

Can you tell I'm ready for Fall with my wool finds?  I adore this Walker Park Tate handbag from Kate Spade.