Beauty in the Little Things

It's a beautiful sunny day here in Oklahoma. I look outside and see my surroundings the same as they've always have been. The same cannot be said on this day for much of my home state of Alabama or the city of alma mater, Tuscaloosa. If you've been watching any news coverage in the past 24 hours, you'll know that the largest amount of tornados to hit a state in one day occurred yesterday in the state of Alabama. The aftermath is almost unimaginable. The current death toll is at 184 and still growing. People lost their homes and loved ones in a matter of minutes. I'm so very thankful that my family and friends remained unharmed and offer my sincerest sympathies and prayers to those that didn't escape unscathed.

With such damage and loss of life as this, it seemed almost trivial to write about the my latest party inspiration or room design today. What little it must mean in the wake of such a horrific disaster, I thought.

But then I began to look at this little blog in a different way. If we should take nothing else from this catastrophe, it should be that life is fleeting and that we should make the most of it. We should savor the small joys in life and take time to see the beauty in things. We should rejoice more, celebrate more and really appreciate every day. That's what I aspire to do with my blog--to showcase a little bit of beauty or inspiration in a world that is often so dark. By no means do I profess to think that my daily words make this world a better place, but if my post brightens just one person's day today, gets one person excited about the little joys in life, then it's been a success. With that being said, here's today's inspiration. I hope you enjoy.

I've been on a party design kick lately, and with all of the celebrations coming up in the lives of our friends, I have a feeling it will stay that way for awhile. One of the things I've been seeing and LOVING is the use of ribbons and fabric strips to create vintage-styled garlands and backdrops. It's a simple way to bring fanciful fun to any event.

via Amy Atlas

via Style Me Pretty

via WhipperBerry

via Etsy

via OnceWed

via WhipperBerry

To avoid spending a fortune on fabric, rummage through the discount bins at craft/fabric stores and hunt down remnants at local thrift stores.

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Canopy Stripes

As I mentioned in a previous post, black and white canopy striped fabric is one of my current obsessions. It's classic, clean and oh so elegant. Not to mention that it can make a bold statement in a room without being too flashy. I normally favor a very neutral color palette with accents of greens and robin's egg blues, and this pattern could be put in any such setting and be beautiful. Here a few of my favorite examples: Is this room spectacular or what? It's modern, classic and sophisticated! There is a large amount of stripes in this room, yet it's not overbearing. And the symmetry and clean lines displayed throughout give the room great balance. I could just plop this room right into my house! This is another example (as shown in a previous entry). If you don't have the money to invest in a rug, buy a few pillows and get the same look in your room for a fraction of the price. Whoever said black and brown don't go together was seriously mistaken. Lo

Southern Gentleman Baby Shower

Last month I helped throw my best friend (we met in 9th grade speech class :)) Lauren's baby shower for her soon-to-arrive baby boy, Gunner. The shower had a "Southern gentleman" theme complete with bow ties, silhouettes and gingham print. Personal touches and family items were used throughout, including baby Gunner's dad's bow ties :) Gunner's daddy's "going home" outfit greeted guests at the sign in table, along with a framed "Southern gentleman in the making" print. A variety of centerpieces graced the tables with groupings of baby mementos, flowers and photos. An antique baby basket helped house the gifts. The drink menu consisted of milk, apple juice (one of Lauren's cravings), fruit-infused water and coffee. The menu was made of a variety of brunch goodies including fruit, doughnuts, muffins, shrimp and grits, breakfast casserole and a waffle bar. And of course no shower is comp

Table Decorating Contest

Jon and I are leaving to spend a long weekend in San Antonio with his parents and his brother (who will be town from Arizona). But before we go, I wanted to leave you with some pictures from the Officer Spouses Club Table Decorating Contest that was held last night. I called Jon on my way home from base, and he immediately asked "How was the contest?" to which I responded "Victorious." The 32nd FTS, our squadron, took first place! The theme was Silver Screen so we decided to focus on famous quotes from each movie genre. Each place setting featured a different movie. We had a "drive-in" for our center piece where clips of the famous quotes were shown. Welcome to the Jayhawk Drive-In! Wizard of Oz place setting. The glass had a button you could turn on to make the water swirl and look like a tornado inside. Also notice the witch's feet sticking out from under the plate :) A close-up of the yellow brick road I painted. Silence of the Lambs pl

House of Hydrangeas

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