costume check: a la brunch…
Posted: September 30, 2012 Filed under: favorites., personal., style & fashion. Leave a comment »you’d think that since hubs & i work at the same place we’d see each other often but that’s not always the case… i’m off on weekends & he works. i start early & he usually starts late. he gets an hour for lunch & i only get 3o minutes… not to mention my spare time is full of domestic duties, antique boothing & cake making while he spends countless hours studying theology… but, we have the BEST jobs & i couldn’t be more thankful for where God has us, & how he’s using us… it’s pretty much perfect despite having many days off together but we’ve never had that our whole marriage so we make it work! when we do have a whole day together we like to make it special… lately we’ve been venturing to saturday morning estate sales with coffee in hand but one of our most favorite things is to have brunch at toast in davidson.
i’m a total creature of habit & we never tire of this place. if you’ve never been you just have to try it… not only is the food impeccable but it’s located in a quaintly lovely historic college town. oh & they play the best music. honestly that may be one of my favorite parts. i could eat the cali benny & listen to the mama’s & the papas ALL DAY LONG. {hey south queen citiers, they now have a locations in dilworth & ballantyne!}
i’m loving this cooler weather so i thew on my favorite sweatshirt & jumped in the car.
sunglasses: bp nordstrom
white collared top: lush via nordstrom
jeans: forever 21
polka dot loafers: gap
bag: lv eva
phone case: rabito via nordstrom
bangs: dirty & pulled back
*this is NOT a sponsored post.
the great outdoors…
Posted: September 28, 2012 Filed under: before & after., exteriors., living small., personal. 1 Comment »well, we’re almost finished with our very first BIG renovation project here at the gatch house… a brand new deck to replace our sinfully boring & unusable back yard!! it was on a hill, we couldn’t get grass to grow, only weeds… it did not feel homey nor provide a suitable place to entertain. actually our concrete patio was barely enough room for a table & 4 chairs. we moved the deck to the top of our project list once we realized that fall was right around the corner & we just knew it would be something we’d both really enjoy. we LOVE to sit, eat & relax outside plus adding square footage to our tiny living space won in the race against hardwood floors. so those will come later…
it’s been fun having a building permit in the front window & i’ve loved seeing the progress each day when i get home from work. but now that it’s almost done i’ve been obsessed with finding inspiration to make it look & feel amazing back there. i can’t wait to furnish it, plant tons of things & really make it feel like an extension of our home, french inspired & all.
i’m kinda bummed that we’ve missed all the outdoor clearance sales but it will come together eventually. home decor patience is not one of my virtues… alas, there are a few must-haves on my wish list:
-a couch of some kind {i’d really love to find a great sectional that’s not $7 grand.} or chaise lounges?!
-a fire pit
-string lights a la paris
-small trees, i’m thinking a fig or lemon tree & a few others too
-a grill {we don’t have one. YET.}
-gil wants some kind of cool large outdoor rug
-a raised herb garden
-& lots of pillows.
here’s what i’ve been pinning lately… take a peep.
love the rug & the black & white stripes… right up our alley.
can you name this tree?! if so please tell me, it’s perfect!
i can’t wait to use these barrels for planting & drink sitting…
these lights remind me of our wedding… & paris. love, love love.
lately i’m loving greens way more than flowers.
wait, i wish i could afford this furniture for inside my house! love the mirrored table & all neutral pallette.
i’m thinking if i can’t find the perfect couch, my dad & i could build one out of pallets right?!
not sure if our HOA will approve a pergola, but we might try next summer. oh so homey!
what’s your favorite part about your outdoor space? please share! can’t wait to show you all the final product soon… be curious!
all photos via my pinterest board… click here to find the links.
costume check: circus inspired by accident…
Posted: September 15, 2012 Filed under: style & fashion., vintage prints Leave a comment »i’m normally off on the weekends but as the cosmetic stylist i spent my day at the store supporting our biggest cosmetics event of the year: beauty on location. it’s a huge beauty bash where artists come from each line to make over the ladies, gab about fall beauty trends & launch a lot of our fall collections. there’s a hair bar, a nail bar & there are hundreds of appointments… it’s so fun! last night we had a live band & mocktails. today prizes, free gifts & a dj spinning all the good stuff.
even though i can be a neutral nancy i decided to wear a fun, bright vintage printed skirt, my new favorite boots & a black h&m tee with mesh polka dots {very a-la stella mccartney.} i had my bestie Jessie at MAC give me some sassy black liner & told her to give me a pop! she went straight for the brightest blue, electric eel. i loved the look & it was SO fun for the day.
needless to say i soon realized i looked like a walking circus… & i kind of liked it. be curious!
{& it’s not too late, if you’re in charlotte visit Nordstrom tonight to join in the beauty bash fun!}
skirt: value village
shirt: h&m
watch: nordstrtom
boots: nordstrom
eyes: MAC electric eel
lips: chapped
it’s all about dark glamour…
Posted: September 5, 2012 Filed under: personal., style & fashion. 2 Comments »the closest i ever got to goth style was borrowing my best friends pyramid studded belt from hot topic in 10th grade & really wanting but never getting black lace up doc martens {fyi: i still really want a pair.} but this fall, it’s all about dark glamour… at least for one big trend. dark glamour in a nouveau gothic, enchanting, old-world victorian, eerie yet weirdly gorgeous, makes me want to watch sweeney todd kind of way.
here’s what i’m LOVING from the runways. i hope you’re inspired to add a wisp of dark glamour to your closet this fall. i know i am… allsaints & doc martens on ebay here i come!!
be curious!
every fall i splurge the $20 on a runway book… it’s the best way to peep all the up-close details &
feel a little closer to fashion week. this year, marie claire did a fab job.
helmut lang via style.com
lanvin via style.com
gucci via style.com
alexander wang via style.com
valentino via style.com
j brand rtw fall 2012… i would wear THIS outfit EVERYDAY.
a few “wish list get it’s:”
i heart these alexander wang shoes…
love these pleats!
philip lim 3.1 pashli transparent PVC tote
oh my these sleeves!
gucci ankle strap sandal… they come in navy too!
{wanna be on trend all the way? add wine stained lips, cage-like accessories, a belt & tall boots. game over.}
in my opinion fall fashion is always the best… layers, textures, the constant reinvention of silhouettes & the blowing of minds. enjoy it friends… resort is quite literally just around the corner.
*all runway shots via style.com. no one does it better than vogue.*
happy second anniversary love…
Posted: September 3, 2012 Filed under: personal., uncategorized. | Tags: love, wedding 2 Comments »labor day means celebrating another year hitched to the love of my life… with each passing 365 days i fall more & more in love with the man of my dreams. i can’t help but be all sappy… we’ve been rescued. we’re provided for, blessed & protected. the Lord continues to give us wisdom & show us what he created us for… & we get to do the things we love together.
gil, another year gone by… can you believe it? there is no one like you. you laugh at me. you encourage me. you know me. you take care of me. you show me Jesus more than anyone else i know. i love & cherish you. happy 2nd anniversary. here’s to the next one hundred & thirty-eight years we have left. xoxo
all packaged up…
Posted: September 2, 2012 Filed under: au naturale., business., health & wellness., nifty gifts to give. Leave a comment »i understand that sometimes we all have good intentions of doing those amazing projects we keep on pinning… believe me my pinterest boards are FULL of things i’m hoping to get around to, yet i find myself saying “i just need to get the spray paint for that” or “once the deck is built then i’ll start working on this” & “if i could just find the perfect chairs then…” but honestly sometimes we just can’t do it all. we pick & choose the projects to complete now & the others linger on blogs & pinterest with the hope that we’ll see them come to pass… eventually.
i thought the natural laundry detergent just might be one of those projects for some of you… lots of you out there have kids, husbands, jobs, blogs & shops of your own & there just isn’t enough time in the day. it’s messy, bubbly & although i claim it’s easy to make, it did take me a while to perfect the recipe… so, i’ve packaged it up for you to buy… all natural lavender laundry soap.
oh yes. $6 will get you a whole quart of the good stuff. that means 20-40 loads of fresh, clean, natural, lavender smelling laundry & a glass jar to re-use once it’s empty… without the nasty harsh chemicals i talked about over here. if you’re local you can find it in my mom & i’s antique booth: maison number eleven at the depot at gibson mill in concord. if you’re far away i’ll be adding it to the looking glass etsy shop soon & you can email me at lovethelookingglass@gmail.com to order. be curious!
before & after: barely there entryway…
Posted: August 31, 2012 Filed under: antiques & trinkets., before & after., interiors., living small., personal. Leave a comment »i just love entryways. of course they seem to be the place to toss keys, mail, shoes & what-not but they’re the real “welcome” to your humble abode. it’s also a visitors very first impression of the place you call home & they deserve to be well dressed & functional. i found these photos via pinterest & they were just the inspiration i was looking for… clean, bright, white, & mirrored with just the right amount of un-polished charm.
here’s our before. & proof of just how small we’re living! it’s a TINY, barely-there {if you blink you might miss it} spot right behind the front door, but i refuse to let any space in our home go without a purpose. every corner deserves to be used to its highest potential right?! that’s what living small is all about…
& the after!
ahhh shoe storage!
we’re SO thrilled with how it turned out. i’d been looking for a more traditional console table for months when we saw this shoe storage cabinet in the new ikea catalog… it was much more our style than most ikea furniture, the measurements were PERFECT for our teeny space & who can pass up a place to store 14+ pairs of shoes?! i actually love scattering my things here each day when i get home & it’s such a great storage solution, it almost never looks messy. i toss my headphones, lipstick & everything else into the cute striped drawer, smell the fresh flowers, & glance a smile at my grandma. oh & i’m planning to carry the black & white stripes to other parts of our downstairs so you’ll see more of those. 
if you’re working on your own entryway don’t worry. these sometimes awkward spaces can be a little hard to design. i suggest really thinking through what you’d like to get out of the space. do you need a place to sit, baskets to hide things, or lots of hanging space? do you need to store umbrellas, children’s backpacks, or pet leashes? do what works for you & your family. it can be as simple as coat rack or as detailed as entire foyer… it’s your home & yours only. enjoy it, & be curious.
*shoe cabiet: ikea.
*french mirror: the depot at gibson mill.
*pink depression glass & brass turtle: vintage from my grandma.
*black & white stripe hooks: anthropologie.
*picture frame: target {i love this polaroid of my late gran gran & my dad in his teens.}
*flowers: from the ONLY place i like to buy flowers: the kings drive farmers market, charlotte nc.
