High Heel Heaven

If I were magically standing in Carrie Bradshaw's shoe closet, I'd be in high heel heaven. It's a feeling that I know a lot of women share ... but why is it that high heels just have a magical power to transform. They make our legs look longer, our whole persona sexier, more put together, more confident, etc....

To feed your inner high heel lover, check out Whitney English's collection of diva worthy, high heel stationery pieces. Find them HERE at PaperConcierge.

Lilly Pulitzer review from College Prep

I recently had to come to terms with the fact that I really like Lilly Pulitzer. Now I'm not really into all the over-the-top patterns for an adult woman. Or quite silly looking pants adorned with whales and flamingos for men. But on paper ... Lilly is spectacular! And the College Prep herself seems to think so as well. Check out her recent review of Lilly Pulitzer stationery. Lifeguard Press is the rep company that distributes for Lilly. And of course we sell a ton of it at PaperConcierge! Come see my Lilly collection HERE.

And here's what Miss College Prep had to say ...

Lifeguard Press + Lilly = College Preppy

Just sayin' Hi

Hi everyone! Just popping in for a minute to say hi. I just got back from 4 days at Ocean Isle Beach. This place is a little slice of heaven and I'm missing it already. 5 years ago, on this very same beach, my sweetie woke me up early in the morning and took me down to watch the sunrise. Then he asked me to marry him! In a few weeks we'll be celebrating our 4 year anniversary.

I tried to stick to my bucketlist while I was there. I ate at one brand new restaurant - Ellas Seafood in Calabash, NC. Ate me some broiled shrimp, deviled crab and lots of hush puppies! And I also got up TWICE and jogged on the beach! Here's an update for 30 Before I Turn 30.

1. Learn to make Grandma Burch's chocolate pie. (not planned)
2. Visit my sister in NYC. (not planned)
3. Go to Hawaii and see my friend Heidi. (October or December)
4. Revamp my iPod library. (not started)
5. Go to church once per month (minimum). (i haven't done this at all yet)
6. Go hiking in the mountains.
7. Enjoy a concert date with husband. (not planned)
8. Eat out at 3 new restaurants a month (new to me).
        - 8/5 Burger Co
        - 8/17 Ellas Seafood
9. Jog on the beach. (Ocean Isle or Hawaii)
10. Spend a rainy day at home watching movies all day.
11. Babysit a baby.
12. Order my wedding album.
13. Change a tire.
14. Run two 5k races.
15. Host a PaperConcierge party at my house. (planned for 8/29)
16. Reconnect with old college friends.
        - drinks with Joe 8/13
17. Make and continue the habit of 2 fitness classes per week.
        - accomplished weeks 7/18, 7/25, 8/2, 8/9, 8/16 was 1 class & 2 jog outside
18. Give blood again.
19. Go fishing with my dad. (when we're visiting in Oct)
20. Have a girls weekend away.
        - mountain weekend with Magee girls
21. Have a 'just because' party in the fall.
22. Stop biting my nails.
23. Visit an NC winery.
24. Watch a sunrise. (in Hawaii)
25. Go on a picnic date with husband.
26. No fast food for an entire month.
27. See a drive-in movie.
28. Play tennis ... LOL, attempt to play tennis.
29. Eat vegetarian for a week. (when michael is out of town)
30. Take a Zumba class (probably with my mom).

I love me some Trader Joes!

I'm heading off to my local TJ's in a minute and checking their site for any new featured products. Look what I found? It's a Guide to Party Planning, the Trader Joe's way! They're so smart and thorough, thinking of every last detail. 

Click for the full Guide to Party Planning

"Trader Joe's was once known as a party store. Before most of us bought eggs, bread, produce, meat, milk and vitamins at TJ's, we came for cheese and wine. Now that we offer so many interesting appetizers, desserts, cheeses, quick meals and sauces for everyday meals and entertaining, here are some ideas to help make entertaining fun, easy, tasty and stress-free. Now matter what your budget or space allowance, Trader Joe's will help make your gathering a huge success."

Throw a Fiesta

Do any of you use The Nest website? They have all sorts of things on there. It's mostly articles and forums geared toward newlyweds, with topics like home decor, fitness, money, travel, crafting, food, fashion, etc... They send out newsletters too and I recently got one featuring party ideas for a fuss-free fiesta. Here's the party plan.

Send a bold invite to get your guests in a fiesta mood. They suggest an online invite to keep it easy, but if you're a paper freak then go for a great printed invitation (below invite by Boatman Geller).

Serve 'ritas on the rocks. As soon as guests, arrive put a cold margarita in their hand.

Make a create-your-own-chalupas buffet. Or DIY nachos, tacos, fajitas. Have fun with it! Check out The Nests collection of Mexican recipes here.

Throw in a fun curve ball. No one's too cool for a pinata!

Play Latin tunes. Download high-energy hits from the Gypsy Kings and Santana.

Set the mood with lighting. Slip a votive in a colored paper bag with pebbles or sand, and presto: lounge lighting that will last all night!

Use creative serve ware. Try something original by using cactus or palm leaves for a no-cost serving platter.

End with tequila tasting. Use a quality tequila (one that's made from 100 percent agave - your hangover-free guests with thank you the next morning!) Ole!

Five for Friday & Bucket List update

Happy Friday, finally! I must confess, I've been a little blogaholic this week. I'm adding a lot of new reading material to my google reader and its keeping me very inspired and entertained. I can't believe it's August already! I'm so ready for a vacation. We'll be heading to Ocean Isle Beach in a few weeks :)

The only things I've done (so far) this week for my 30 before 30 list are:
- 3 classes at the gym this week (1 Group Power and 2 Spinning)
- I'm going to see a travel agent tomorrow to talk about Hawaii plans!!!!
- i set a date (August 20th for local friends) for my PaperConcierge Open House
- ate at 1 new restaurant this week, The Burger Co. (1500 W. Morehead St.)

#1 - Wedding stationery & photo inspiration by Dabney Lee -
http://www.dabneyleeathome.com/blog/?p=393

#2 - Martha Stewart Weddings favor label templates -
http://thebridesguide.marthastewartweddings.com/2010/08/template-of-the-week-favor-labels.html

#3 - English Paper Company's thank you note etiquette -
http://englishpapercompany.blogspot.com/2010/08/thank-you-note-etiquette.html

#4 - Wiley Valentine's DIY Signature Cocktails - http://www.wileyvalentine.com/blog/2010/08/03/diy-signature-cocktails/

#5 - Charlotte wedding photo session with Kristin Vining. I've actually hung out with this couple before through a mutual friend. Mutual friend purchased their wedding gift through PaperConcierge, so I feel connected to this great blog post in some small way :)  - http://www.kristinviningphotoblog.com/?p=1755

Anniversary ideas (1 - 10)

Our 4 year anniversary is right around the corner! None of our anniversaries have followed the traditional route, but its fun thinking of ways to tie it in. So here are some of my ideas for traditional anniversary gifts through the first 10 years.

1 - Paper: artwork, hand written love letter or card, favorite book, photo memory album, gift certificate, tickets
2 - Cotton: clothing, blanket, lingerie & PJ's
3 - Leather: fashion accessories, leather photo frame with wedding photo, leather desk chair, autographed football, tool belt, desk top sets, designer shoes
4 - Fruit or Flowers: fresh flowers, an orchid (my favorite), flowering fruit tree, floral perfume, bake a fruit pie, chocolate covered strawberries
5 - Wood: furniture, jewelry box or valet, wood picture frame, carved artwork, plant a tree together
6 - Candy: chocolates, sweets gift basket, have a date at a candy store
7 - Wool or Copper: copper jewelry, copper cookware, copper sculpture, wool clothing, wool hat & scarf, wool blanket
8 - Bronze: sculpture, flower pot
9 - Pottery: vase, flower pot, sculpture, dinnerware, have a date in a pottery painting studio
10 - Tin: diamond earrings in a tin box!, pewter personalized keepsakes, home decor

This is our 1st Anniversary, eating my year old wedding cake! Our gift was to exchange cards (PAPER!) and we stayed at a B&B in Asheville for the weekend, which was really nice.

I've got a crush on ... Blis Gift Boutique

I'm going to start a new post theme called "I've got a crush". What this means is something that inspires me to the point of pure jealousy. I want it, I want it!  So my crushes could be a store, an inspiring project, a blog, a celebrity, etc... whatever I deem crushable.

I recently had a weekday afternoon off and popped into a really cool little store in uptown Charlotte, NC.  Blis Gift Boutique is a dream come true for busy corporate women shopping for a quick gift, or like me, just looking for a quick browsing break and mental escape. Blis was recently awarded "Best Place for a hostess gift" by a local publication.

A mom and two daughters own and operate the store. I talked to one of the daughters during my visit, and we caught up on some of their new trendy gifts, stationery chitchat, and I told her about PaperConcierge. They're big fans of Whitney English, so I felt like it somehow connected us, haha! This visit prompted me to bug my own mom and sister about how cool it'd be to own a store like that together. Le sigh ... if only they shared the same dream too.

Gotta have it!

I just got an email from Swoozies about these great pool chair / beach towel combo thingamajigs. Very cool! And they're running a free monogram sale on your chair cover through this Saturday.

Above chair, $39

And I must say that I'm just really really happy that Swoozies isn't entirely extinct - after the scare they gave me with going out of business sales. Somehow we saved them!

Happy 90th to Grandma!

Good morning everyone! I wanted to share with you a cute 90th birthday party that my husband's family threw for Grandma Hallie. She's such an amazing lady and never wanted a party or fuss to begin with, but it was so much fun spoiling her for a change.

Invitation - as the go to invite girl in the family, I chose this watermelon invite from Whitney English. That was my job to help out. And I loved doing it!

Menu - classic BBQ dinner catered by a family friend. Pork BBQ, grilled chicken on the bone, baked beans, potato salad, slaw, watermelon ... mmmmm!

Dessert - birthday cake made by cousin Krissy. She's very talented. And a no bake cheesecake too.

Table decor - flowers from Aunt Jane's garden. And homemade canned goods as favors.

Grandma Hallie loves handwritten notes! So naturaly, I gifted her a set of monogrammed stationery from my favorite line Whitney English. She loved them!