Tassels & Poms

Dress | Earrings | Shoes

Need an easy, breezy look for a springtime garden soiree? Then I've got the look for you! Off the should tops and dresses are one of the hottest styles right now, and this light and airy barely-blush pink dress from Tobi.com is perfect for a steamy summer evening event. I especially love the fun flutter sleeves, and the teeny tiny white pom pom detailing along the bottom of the dress. 

Two of my favorite warm weather staples are tassel earrings and my Jacks. These Baublebar tassels are super light weight and come in over 20 colors! I think I'm due for an emerald pair sometime soon. The Devyn mid-wedge Jack Roger sandal is a great everyday wedge. It's not high, but makes the simplest sundress slightly more "fancy" as I like to say. And of course, it still has that traditional "Jacks" vibe that I love. I tend to lean towards the platinum color of Jacks shoes, but this gold is really fun, too, and still what I'd consider a neutral! 

Now to get to party planning! CJM and I keep discussing a housewarming party...pineapple party or low country boil?  

This post contains affiliate links.  If you click and/or make a purchase through certain links on this site or any related social media platforms, I may make a commission from it. This post is in partnership with Tobi.com. 

Pink Spring {Faux} Suede

I go back and forth between feeling like it's time to dress for spring, and figuring out what is seasonally appropriate for the randomly cool and/or damp day. While out of my "normal" style box, this pink faux suede Tobi moto jacket is a great transitional piece for spring! It's super soft and comfortable, warm without being hot, and adds a really cool vibe to the most casual of outfits {I mean, what's more casual than a white t-shirt and ripped jeans?!}

I can't wait to pair it with a breezy sundress for church on Sunday. But in the meantime, I'm loving the rocker feel from that jacket that compliments my cross body bag, featuring a fun zipper and chain element. This awesome jacket is available in two other neutral colors, and is currently on major sale under $60 {with free shipping!}. Visit Tobi.com to shop, or click the link above to order your own! My wedges are super affordable dupes for an extremely pricey Chloe wedge; while they're currently out of stock, there is a black version available, and you can get on the email list for the taupe!

This post contains affiliate links.  If you click and/or make a purchase through certain links on this site or any related social media platforms, I may make a commission from it. This post is in partnership with Tobi.com. 

Mid-March Recap

It's amazing to me how fast time flies as an adult. I remember being little, and counting down the days to whatever event {okay, maybe not so little. Maybe like, 16...} because time just moved so slowly. Now, I am feeling like I need just two, three, four, more hours in the day to get it all done!

But here we are, and we've lived in our new house and town for just a little over a month. And what a month it's been! During that time we've gone through two rounds of living room paint, too few boxes, and wayyy too many trips to Home Depot. We've had our first weekend guests, made an eight our round trip to pick up dining room furniture, and have crafted spaces and unique pieces to fill our home. And we've had a lot of fun!

A few of my favorite highlights of the last month:

I took a photography class with the amazing Frank Fortune {longtime Georgia Southern photographer, etc.} in the two weeks I had off between jobs. It was so educational, and has really helped me understand my camera much better. I love seeing an instant improvement in my shots, and look forward to learning even more and refining my hobby even further.

I experienced my first Dublin St. Patrick's season. 52 official events span the end of February to the end of March, but the pinnacle event is definitely Super Saturday and the St. Patrick's Parade followed by an Arts & Crafts  Festival. We had a float for work, and it was really cool to work on that together and then walk the parade route through town. So many people! I kept hearing how huge of an event it was, but until you actually see it, its hard to believe.

I'm looking forward to heading to North Georgia for the weekend to see all my sweet little friends who were in our wedding, and watching the new Beauty & the Beast movie with them. Happy weekend, friend!

Springtime Sweets | Italian Lemon Pound Cake

Spring, where'd ya go? 

It was beautiful last week--warm and sunny almost every day. Yesterday we saw temps in the upper 40's with a steady drizzle. Probably the perfect daylight savings time kind of weather, which allowed for like, three naps throughout the cloudy afternoon. 

This week is going to be busy with all of the St. Patrick's festivities coming up, but I'm looking forward to it, especially after a really great first week at my new job. But of course last Sunday, I had a few little butterflies in my tummy with those "night before nerves."

Baking is quite a good stress reliever for me, and is something I really haven't done a lot of in the last year or so, as I didn't consistently have people who would help me eat the creations! But last Sunday we were heading to a small dinner party, and CJM was working all afternoon, so I browsed through Pinterest for a springy dessert to bake that would compliment an Italian/seafood meal.

This Italian Lemon Pound Cake was a breeze to mix up, baked perfectly, and tasted delicious. It was definitely one of those things that gets better as the days go on, so I'd recommend this as a "make ahead" recipe! Its a dense yet moist cake, with the most amazing tart and tangy icing. Also, the pinch of ginger added in really takes the cake! I may be whipping this one up again for Easter...try it, and let me know what you think.

On My Radar | Spring Things

It feels like we totally skipped over winter here, but I have to say, I don't hate it.

I'm starting a new job soon which has got me really looking ahead to some spring work wear, as well as few more casual pieces just for fun! I love Talbots, but try to be very selective with my purchases and invest in true "legacy" pieces. Also, not every season is "appropriate" for my age and can lean towards being a little grandma-ish. But I am loving most of the spring things this year! So many mix and match options, and classic features like scallops, navy, and some nautical accents thrown in.

On a more casual note, these Marc Fisher wedges are the "hot blogger item" of spring/summer. A dupe for the even more pricey Chloe wedge, these are versatile warm-weather wedges, that I don't know I'm ready to invest in quite yet. I like to give a trend a trial run first! Luckily, Red Dress Boutique has a super affordable similar style--only $32, and only a few sizes are left! I scooped up a pair, and can't wait to try them out. 

I've gotten so many compliments and questions about my fall bag, that I knew Barrington Gifts would be the place for my spring purse, too. Their new spring collection is beautiful with perfect pink and blue pastel colors accented with electric oranges and greens. Of course, there are plenty of more neutral options that can carry throughout the seasons as well! 

Spring {Bridal} Shower

I was born in Florence, South Carolina, but never actually lived there until I was in college. My family moved back right after I graduated high school, so I spent every summer and school holiday going home to Florence. I fell in love with the town, which is always stunningly beautiful in the spring, but mostly with the people.

We started attending First Baptist Church, and it was there that I've made some truly lifelong friends and a real church family. I miss them so much, especially now that I'm working and don't just have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays and can go home every weekend for four days!

 My sweet bridesmaid Brittney, her mother, and a few other ladies from church threw me the prettiest, springiest shower Saturday! Mrs. Nancy hosted it at her beautiful home, and put out her amazing collection of spring and Easter decor for the event. Everything was pink and green perfection! It was a holiday themed shower, and Christopher and I received so many wonderful holiday decorations to help us celebrate throughout the year.

I 

Beautiful homemade red velvet cupcakes...and some pina colada ones, too! 

Crackers with a vegetable cream cheese spread. I love this cake stand...the ribbon can be changed out to match the different holidays!

Graham crackers with a pineapple cream cheese spread, topped with a pecan.

Sparkling Punch
Bottle sparkling apple cider
Equal parts lemonade and cranberry juice
{or replace lemonade with champs!}
Frozen raspberries, or cranberries for Christmas 

My Florence family, The Wallaces!

This is my friend Brooke. Her mom and my mom got to know each other years {decades?!} ago through Southern Living chat rooms, and eventually blogs. Brooke and I are the same age and got to know each other as well. She came and stayed with us one summer during the fourth of July, and drove all the way from Durham, North Carolina, to come to my shower! She's an amazing girl who has recently overcome Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and is a blogger, too! Check her out here.

Brooke gave me different yard flags for St. Patrick's Day, the fourth of July in honor of when we met, and this Happily Ever After one for wedding week!

In addition to hosting this event, the hostesses got together to create an all occasion box of goodies, with home decor items for every holiday. I loved this precious hydrangea bunny! The gifts came in a purple Rubbermaid container which was brilliant--I'm always needing more boxes for storage. 

Of course I had to snap a selfie-stick pic with my pretty mama before we left! I'm so glad I got to spend time with my family this weekend, too.