Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! I have to admit this day is pretty uneventful for us since we don't have kids.. but for those of you who do I wish you lots of fun tonight!

This past weekend felt more like Thanksgiving than Halloween... the weather was crisp and cool, the fire was roaring and we had a house full of my family. It was awesome!



Vegetarians... beware.





I really need to get going on my gallery wall......



The best part of the night was teaching Grandma how to spice up a photo.


I'm sad this one came out blurry... Matt, me and my parents!


I'm glad to see Halloween come and go because I am so excited for the upcoming Holidays.... it's my favorite time of the year and I can't wait to see my family even more in these next two months.

A Home Goods Giveaway!

I was really excited when Home Goods contacted me to see if I was interested in a giveaway.. I of course said YES!!




If you read my blog often, you know Home Goods is one of my favorite stores. I live within walking distance to one and I tend to go there a lot. I don't usually buy something every time, but I love to go and see what's new since things are always changing.

If you remember back to this post, I got my family room lamp from Home Goods. I really love all the blues in it and it goes perfectly with my room.





Home Goods has a new video feature with quick design tips on YouTube. You can check all the videos out here. Here is a video about lamps!



One lucky winner will win a $250 gift card to Home Goods!! I will be choosing the winner at random via random.org.

To enter, leave a comment telling me about your favorite Home Goods find.

The giveaway will be open until Friday, November 4th 11:59 pm.

Good Luck!!!

Making Progress

Yesterday around 4 pm I was bound and determined to finish my black french doors and get them up. It took me until 9 pm but I did it! It feels good to have a project finished (for the most part. I still need to do some touching up).

Finishing the doors must have been fate because this morning I was delivered a HUGE package. I was shocked to see my parents had shipped me the painting I have been wanting for a while!! It was so unexpected, I had planned on bringing it back with me while visiting them for Thanksgiving.

And the best part, they are coming today for a short visit. I'm sure my mom planned it out this way, but I'm so excited for them to see the painting hanging in our living room in person!





There is still soooo much to do in this room (like the rest of our home). In case you are curious:

- I won the cream chairs from Joss & Main. I plan on having them reupholstered and adding a skirt similar to this Lee chair:



I'm not sure in which color yet...

- Drapery Panels

- Paint table in between Joss & Main chairs

- New lamp & Mirror in Entry

- Sconces on either side of the painting

- Rug in entry (and eventually in the sitting area too but we need one in the entry first)

Accessible Design

Sure, I love To The Trade fabrics from Schumacher and Kravet as much as the next decorator, but I want to share with you some accessible options that I am using in a couple projects. These textiles come from really talented women and I always feel good supporting fellow small business owners.

I recently ordered two yards of beautiful hand-printed linen from Etsy seller Pat of Giardino. She was so great to work with and I am very pleased with the fabric I received for a client.

If you remember back to this post, I had originally planned on using this David Hicks by Lee Jofa fabric:



It ended up being too harsh for the space and I decided to go with this fabric that Pat hand prints. I had her create two yards for me and I will have some pillows made for my client.



I'm sure all of you have seen Caitlin's new fabric line... it's fantastic! She recently sent me some samples and I was sooo excited that one of them works PERFECTLY with the Japenese screen/emerald sofa project I'm working on.



The colors are perfect and the floral used in the fabric looks like a modern take on the floral in the screen.



I especially love that Caitlin offers her fabrics in pillow options. My client also loved the fabric, so we'll definitely be ordered two of these for the emerald sofa:



And last but not least, we recently had a trunk show at Isabella for Bella Studios, a very talented local seamstress. Jennifer doesn't just sew pillows, she handcrafts them. They are soooo beautiful and considering the amount of detail she puts into them, are very reasonably priced too! (click on each pillow to go to the website)






This next one is so cool.. she took plain white fabric and hand knit it and then hand dyed it to create this ombre look. Then she sewed it into a pillow. So creative!!


These next ones aren't up on the website yet, but they are available. Email info@isabellastyle.com if you are interested. They are all around $140-$160









So much talent!!

The Perfect Ottoman

On Sunday I went to market with the Isabella girls. We were on the hunt for pieces for clients, but sometimes I stumble upon things I would really love for my house (I think all designers/decorators do!!)

This ottoman is what I found:



The two tops are double-sided.. tray on one side and ottoman on the other. Love!!

Perfect for in front of my two black chairs...



I'll be saving my pennies! :)

(If you are also interested in the ottoman, email me at brynalexandra at gmail!)

Giveaway Winners

Tiffany Leigh & Rachael - please email me with your addresses!

Thank you so much to everyone who entered. I actually have another great giveaway coming up this week!!

Let's talk about sweaters....

The weather is cooling down here in NC and I love it!! But I really, really need some sweaters. Last winter I found myself freezing and desperate so I went to Old Navy and bought three sweaters.. cheap cheap cheap. I need to get some of (better) quality this year so I can actually wear them again next year.

Here are some that I think would be good staples in my closet...

J. Crew Color Block Mockneck Sweater - $95

LOFT Poncho V-neck Sweater - $59.50

Gap Shawl-collar Cardigan - $79.95

Real Estate Stalker

I love when bloggers post pictures of real estate in their area. Paula is awesome at finding amazing places (click here to see them all). This week Jenny posted a crazy awesome home in Brooklyn.

I try and look for great places in Charlotte a lot but the majority of the real estate in my favorite neighborhoods are super traditional. :-/ But I did stumble across this gorgeous home this morning! It's definitely been decorated... I wonder by whom?



























There is also a virtual tour which had some additional photos:

Steals & Deals

There are some great deals that I have stumbled upon lately and I thought I would share them with you!

First up is this West Elm sconce. It looks so much more expensive than it's $129 price tag.



Caitlin is the queen of finding and pinning the best things. Through her pins I found this awesome tufted chair for only $380:



It also comes in gray:



Also on Overstock is this beautiful chair for only $650:



This may not be a "steal" but it's definitely a deal... this pillow is so gorgeous. It's 26" (Euro size) embroidery on linen which makes the $125 well worth it. It reminds me of Dransfield & Ross.



I'd love to decorate a sexy bedroom around it and throw in some magenta.

And somewhat unrelated, I found these chunky heels that are perfect for fall. I think they are a good deal at $105.



I am constantly on my feet all day long so I have to find shoes that are first and foremost comfortable, then cute. All summer I lived in these (in tan) and I need to find a fall equivelent. I think these chunky heels could work?

Now the question is should I get black (above) or tan?