the ivy update…
Posted: April 11, 2012 Filed under: before & after., exteriors., favorites. 3 Comments »i wrote a post about my ivy obsession here last fall & now some six months later i have an update for you! i’ve done a little more research on the best way to get the front of our house ivy covered just like the english countryside castles i’m in love with…
i decided to start with new freshinglings instead of the grown plants i had {they weren’t looking too hot.} i bought traditional english ivy at lowes & i planted 4 plants across the front of our house. 2 are situated to the left of the front door… i’m hoping to train these up & over the door, eventually moving across the rest of the house. i’ve been told within 2 seasons that it should be climbing fast! i’ve been childishly watching & watering them each day & surprisingly enough in 2 weeks they’ve grown a lot. the tiny leaves are already going up, up up!
i’ll be sure to keep you posted on the progress. my plan is to add small pieces of chicken wire or trellis once the ivy gets going… that way it can jump from the ground to something close to the brick, & then onto the brick itself. we’ll see! i’m excited! do you have ivy on your house? i’d love to know… & be curious!
maison number eleven…
Posted: February 28, 2012 Filed under: antiques & trinkets., business., exteriors., favorites., interiors., living small., personal., vintage prints Leave a comment »i’ve been excited about this announcement for weeks now!! of course you all know about my love of everything antique, vintage, thrifted & reclaimed… & i don’t like the term “hoarder” but i’ve been buying & repurposing things for years now always hoping that one day i’d have a place to sell & share them… & well, the time has finally come…
my mom & i are teaming up to open an antique booth at one of our favorite local spots: The Depot At Gibson Mill in Concord, NC! we’re calling it “maison number eleven.” mixing my love of french style & my moms enchantment with gardens we’re offering an eclectic mix of furniture, artwork, antique dishes, gifts, vintage clothes, home furnishings & to-die-for custom garden work benches that my parents design and build from scratch…
just in time for spring, we’re throwing a grand opening soiree Saturday March 10th, 2012 from 10am to 7pm. The Depot has 85,000 square feet of trinkets & what-nots for you to explore… not to mention a fabulously delicious diner open all day so that you can take a break & nosh in between shopping. {try the blackened tilapia tacos, you’ll thank me later.) & our booth is actually directly across from the diner in the design center… look for our grey flannel walls & gold shingled roof, you won’t miss it! we’ll be mingling all day, passing out fresh cupcakes to visitors & of course shopping!
we still have a lot of work to do to get ready so spread the word & we can’t wait to see you on March 10th… be curious!
our gorgeous floor!
my incredible parents hard at work... they're so sweet to put up with my over the top designs!
follow us on twitter @maisoneleven for updates, giveaways & announcements about the newest products!
happy happy birthday blog!
Posted: February 25, 2012 Filed under: business., favorites., personal. Leave a comment »i can’t believe it’s been a whole year since i started this little blog… not only has it been so rewarding & so fun but it’s also challenged me in many new ways as well… i’m really learning how to live small, shine stylishly & tackle DIY projects right along with you all.
love, the looking glass has seen thousands & thousands of visitors this past year, of course from the USA mostly but the United Kingdom & Australia were in a close 2nd & 3rd. with over 470 photos, i hope you saw things that inspired you & kept you wanting to try more!
the top 5 posts were: ghost chairs, how to: indoor succulent garden, peacock feather inspired cupcakes, before & after: cane back dining chairs & how to: burlap bed canopy…
& i’m already on the edge of my seat excited about the new things that are coming down the pike. i can’t tell you all how much it means to me that you even think this blog is worth reading. i’m so grateful for each & every one of you. thanks for following, for google searching & for being so curious… if i could hug you all i would. here’s to 2012!!
hg
true love in pictures… tiffany & co.
Posted: February 13, 2012 Filed under: favorites., personal., style & fashion. Leave a comment »our friend andie asked us to help her out for a little photo project that she was working on… all we knew at the time was that she needed some fun shots of couples in love. gil and i are that indeed, so of course we agreed to work with her! we actually headed over to our church property for the shoot. the pond, fields & woods were a gorgeous backdrop! it was chilly so we bundled up and just frolicked around while andie did her thing.
come to find out the pictures were for a project with Tiffany & Co. omg!! they teamed up with some great fashion photographers & bloggers (including andie) to share {True Love in Pictures.} i just happen to wander over to the site today and was shocked to see her photo of us on the popular page. holy!!
we would love for you to head on over and “like” the photo & to give andie some love & attention! she’s got a good thing going on! you can do so by clicking here. you can also visit andie’s blog here & follow her on instagram: @andielinn. enjoy her work… she has a style that’s all her own.
here are a few other shots she took that day… i am in LOVE!
happy valentine’s day my lovely blog readers… be curious!
i’m obsessed with: rose everything…
Posted: January 22, 2012 Filed under: cupcakes., favorites., interiors., personal., travel., vintage prints 2 Comments »i’ve always had a thing for the silk-soft petals, unmistakable scent & sheer timelessness that is the rose. i was reminded of this while on a work trip in Philadelphia this past week. i was working on the new lighting install at our King of Prussia store, & it seemed like everything that kept striking my fancy this week was completely rose inspired.
i’d never say i’m a huge fan of everything pink but throwing on NARS desire blush & schiap lipstick always makes my day. muted pink also made it into our wedding colors, & i always choose pink for my toothbrush color. okay, so maybe i do secretly love it. there i said it. but even more than pink, i love rose. that faded, antique, & almost slightly dirty shade of pink. the fresh scent of the blooming flowers & even the unforgettable taste of something rose flavored. it’s all just so classic.
i’ve gathered all of the rose things i’m completely obsessing over right now… enjoy.
gorgeous tufted velvet.
equipment blouse via Nordstrom.
i haven't won the vespa arguement with Gil quite yet, but this is perfect.
i've been frequenting Dean & Deluca more often for this tastiness.
what a room.
the rose flavored macarons from laduree in paris still have me daydreaming. lucky america, they just opened a manhattan location. oh my.
wish i could find english roses in charlotte...
just perfect.
the prettiest of toms.
anyone have a wedding coming up?
i bought this at the King of Prussia Nordstrom and i'm more than obsessed. the scent is perfect and it lingers in a good way.
beautiful without any pink at all.
wow this wallpaper.
i would have bought all the roses from the paris markets if they would have survived the flight home.
what rose inspired things are you loving? be curious… and tell me!
twenty twelve is here…
Posted: January 1, 2012 Filed under: favorites., interiors., personal. 2 Comments »can you belive it?! i can’t. it always happens SO fast. two-thousand eleven, you were great. like, really really great. but i have a feeling that twenty twelve will be even better. and i am so ready. ready for a new season. ready for new habits. ready for new memories, new adventures, new friendships and lots of new projects!
as soon as these christmas decorations come down i’ll be diving right into some pretty crazy house renovations. first up: new floors! i’m a little nervous, but excited to share it with you all. and excited to tackle them too. then after that, wallpaper, metallic paint, pillow making and maybe some landscaping. wish me luck!
i wanted to do a little photo look-back over this past year. it’s been fun 2011. bye!
we started visiting the chiropractor with ahhmazing results!
i turned 26 & celebrated with a carnival party!
we underwent new renovations at Nordstrom when we became a test store for a brand new concept... this equaled new co-workers and new friends.
one of my first house projects. banister from blah brown to black satin!
i fell even more in love with this bun.
the hubs turned 30!
we spent time with my grandparents in one of our favorite places: st. augustine.
my hubs was ordained as a pastor!
tackled my first re-upholstery project with success!
i put my first succulents & vintage brooches on a wedding cake!
we spent our honeymoon in london & paris!
& yes my husband took this photo with his iphone...
we had a wonderfully blessed holiday...
and i had dreams come true with this guy.
nifty gifts to give 2.0:
Posted: December 7, 2011 Filed under: favorites., nifty gifts to give., personal., uncategorized. 1 Comment »have you started shopping yet?! we have, but i’m still feeling a little behind! i love shopping for friends & family for Christmas but no one likes to be stressed… i need to get back to my list and knock it out.
here’s another great nifty gift! it’s quite honestly one of my favorite things on the planet. you’ll want to add a few of these to the cart for yourself, BELIEVE ME.
may i present: LUSH. fresh handmade cosmetics. they make everything from “fresh, organic fruit and vegetables, the finest essential oils and safe synthetics.” they invent their products and fragrances. everything is vegetarian, often vegan… so you could pretty much eat it, but you should definitely bathe in it. oh and they’re from London baby… i had more fun in their Covent Garden store than i should have… actually i’m pretty sure i stopped in every London location we passed just to smell & smile.
my favorite things that you should GIVE as GIFTS this year & buy for yourself 
are:
- the bath bombs. {oh my word. enjoyed one two nights ago and my bathroom still smells amazing. they also fizz, sometimes explode with glitter & will make anyone oh so happy… they also have them for men.}
- the sugar scrubs. real sugar. need i say more?
- the hand & body creams. get away from those full of just scents and no sense!
- and i haven’t tried them YET, but i’m most interested in their henna hair dyes. yes really.
okay, this is a short post because you need to get to shopping and i need to check out so my lush stuff ships asap!! be curious & enjoy lush, i know you will.
check out their video below…
nifty gifts to give 1.0:
Posted: November 12, 2011 Filed under: antiques & trinkets., favorites., nifty gifts to give., style & fashion. 1 Comment »with christmas right around the corner, i’ve decided to start a new category called: nifty gifts to give. i LOVE to give gifts… birthday gifts, wedding gifts, job promotion gifts, new puppy gifts, just because i love you gifts, happy new apartment gifts… all gifts are amazing. it’s a moment to show someone how much you care about them, to make them smile and my favorite part: to give them something they wouldn’t normally just get for themselves. that’s what a REAL gift is. when it’s not for you, it needs to be great… over the top… extra special and something they’ll really, really love.
first up is one of my favorites… iPhone compatible gloves. yep, you heard right… i bought these for my mom last christmas {and achartreuse pair for myself}. not only are they GENIUS, but they work great, are super cute and the PERFECT gift for any lady in your life, young or less young. i’ll be stock-piling these this year as well… {close friends of mine, please act surprised.} available at NORDSTROM {fashion accessories} and NORDSTROM.COM… $35.00
& don’t forget about the men in your life… also available via nordy’s…
happy gift giving… be curious! hg.
*all photos courtesy of Nordstrom. {thanks Blake, Pete & Eric for the best company ever.}
i’m obsessed with: ivy covered…
Posted: October 29, 2011 Filed under: exteriors., favorites., personal. 1 Comment »i’ve always been captivated by ivy covered places… houses, buildings, even trees. there’s something so enchanting about it. i planted english ivy in our front porch planters over the summer with hopes of moving it to the flower beds after it grew a little… and now that i’ve planted fall cabbages on the porch, {post coming} it’s time to move the ivy.
i’ve heard horror stories of ivy growing through brick and overtaking electrical wires and drywall, all while causing troublesome nightmares, BUT i still want it to cover our house. am i crazy?!?
i’m doing some more research on the best type for our brick house and i think i’ll let it stretch out over the ground first, but for now be inspired by these “straight out of a storybook” images… oh, and thank you cambridge university for reigniting my ivy covered obsession… i’m sure our brick will be delighted.
my breath... taken away.
here's what i'm working with...
if you have ivy-advice please send it this way! be curious… hg
plans for london & paris… eek!
Posted: September 16, 2011 Filed under: favorites., personal., travel. 2 Comments »i can’t believe it’s almost time to go. we’re leaving in 5 days… 5 days! gil and i started dreaming up this trip before we even got married… then, instead of taking a traditional honeymoon when we got hitched we started a travel fund… a fund for plane tickets, hotels, historical sites and lots of food and trinkets. a whole year of saving, planning, researching and preparing is almost over. we’re headed to london and paris for our {honeymoon/first anniversary} and i’m so excited i can hardly stand it.
we’re SO ready for a vacation… and ready for some quality one on one time. all i can think about is wandering cobblestone streets, listening to british accents and staring at my handsome husband over brie and baguette under the eiffel tower. i’m ready to leave my regular routine, work, and technology behind and just explore. i’m not taking my phone or computer so don’t forget about me… i’ll be blogging again as soon as we return! and i’ll have LOTS of photos! we’ve made a lot of tentative plans, but only in list form because spontaneity reigns! here are some of our plans so far…
plans for london:
- all the great landmarks: big ben, parliment, tower bridge, buckingham palace etc.
- windsor castle {omg! a HUGE bucket list check off… if you know me or our bunny then you know my obsession with england’s tudor history.}
- the tower of london {we’re spending our first night at the Tower Hotel… we asked for a window with a view!}
- the eye of london
- we’re heading to chelmsford to stay with friends for the weekend and i can’t wait to visit cambridge!
- westminster abbey.
- and whatnot.
plans for paris:
- we’re staying at La Belle Juliette in Saint Germain des Pres… supposedly one of the most stylish areas, overflowing with paris’ oldest literary cafes. {i’m sure i’ll be photographing every piece of cane back i can find.}
- the eiffel tower
- the louvre
- the palace of versailles {omg. can’t wait to visit marie antionette’s estate}
- the catacombs {oh my!}
- notre dame
- and more whatnot.
