The Eclectic Owl

Reupholstering?

2012-01-23T10:27:00.000-06:00

image via anthropologie

I am contemplating taking on the challenge of reupholstering a wingback chair I have. I know - SCARY! This chair was given to us for free and has just been sitting in a corner out of the way since it is a nasty pink color - a mix between rose and bubble gum pink - and doesn't match anything we have.

I've found quite a few tutorials on how to go about reupholstering, but wanted to know if there were any tricks or tips any of y'all have? Maybe you've found a blog that has great instructions? Any help would be greaty appreciated!

I've also found a few fabric websites, too - do y'all have any favorites? I don't want to spend a ton on fabric so I need something reasonably priced since it will take about 7 yards to reupholster the chair. Hmmm...Should I go bold a do a print? Or keep it simple and do a solid color? Decisions, decisions...

P.S. - Did you notice that cute little new badge on my sidebar? That's right. I'm a Stella & Dot Stylist :)

Stella & Dot Stylist

2012-01-19T09:53:00.001-06:00

For the past two years I have toyed with the idea of becoming a Stella & Dot stylist. When I was living in Huntsville it just never seemed to work out - I worked odd and long hours and was always gone on the weekends, which didn't leave me much time to devote to being a stylist.

Well, ladies and gentlemen. I took the plunge and I am so excited to say that I am now a Stella & Dot stylist! This is a company that I back completely - they are ethical, supportive and their product is FABULOUS. It seems that I came in at a perfect time, too! Their Spring 2012 line just came out and OH MY GOODNESS (enter valley girl voice here) it is absolutely stunning.

Just to give you an idea, here are a few of my favorite pieces...

The Bianca Tassel Necklace

The Millie Necklace

The Jade Serenity Earrings

The Serenity Small Stone Earrings

Gorgeous, right? And there are probably 100+ more pieces I could have put on here! I can't wait to get my samples so I can show them off! It feels great to work for a company that I can truly say has beautiful, quality products. Feel free to browse and shop my online store!

Interested in becoming a Stylist? I'd love to have you on my team! Or live in the Montgomery area? Host a trunk show and get FREE jewelry! Just e-mail me at kelleyblakelee@gmail.

Here's to a happy January (and a happy 2012)! :)

Goodbye to 2011

2011-12-30T11:59:00.000-06:00

This year seemed to pass by faster than any other I can remember.

And there were plenty of changes that occurred...

I moved to a new city. Hello Montgomery!

photo via wikipedia

Started a new job. Welcome to Alabama politics!

Moved into a loft - which is gradually becoming a home.

Got engaged! Read more about that here :)

Married my best friend! See more photos here and here :)

And I just know there will be more changes headed our way in 2012...

And I can't wait :)

Have a safe and happy New Year's!

Our Wedding: First Look + Bridal Party

2011-12-16T09:00:00.000-06:00

I have to say my favorite part of the day was taking pictures at our reception site. We headed to

the Wynfield Estate in Montgomery, Alabama to have our "first look" and snap some day time photos.

Take a look...

All photos courtest of our fabulous photographer Colin Peterson.

Okay, and apparently "a few photos" to me means "more than you'd ever want to see" :)

The last batch of wedding photos will be some of the ceremony + reception. I'll post those soon!

Until then, have a happy weekend!

Our Wedding: Getting Ready

2011-12-15T12:00:00.000-06:00

I'm finally starting to get back on track with things after the wedding.

The house is starting to come together, although there is lots of decorating still to be done!

So, while I keep decorating I thought I would share a few of my wedding photos with you.

These are just a few of us getting ready...

All photos are courtesy of our fabulous photographer Colin Peterson.

Having my mom and my sweet bridesmaids there on my big day was such a blessing.

I will always have fond memories of these moments. I love each of you!

Up next I'll share some of our "first look" and the bridal party!

Antique hunting

2011-12-15T09:00:00.000-06:00

Tuesday during my lunch break I decided to venture out to a ~~little~~ big place here in town
called Lulu's Attic to Antiques. They have everything from tables to candles, rugs to china
cabinets. And I am on the hunt for a china cabinet! I haven't found the perfect one yet,
but I'll definitely be going back to Lulu's and checking their inventory on a regular basis!

Here are a few pictures I took of the place...

Love that little white table! Such a sweet shape - and it's only $60.

I am coveting that table with the metal top - so unique.

The daybed below was beautiful! Very sturdy piece and only $200.

These are just a few of the wonderful things I found at Lulu's.

Oh, and I got to take this pretty painting home with me...

Thanks Mom for the early Christmas present! I can't wait to hang it up :)

Right around the corner

2011-10-27T09:58:00.000-05:00

In two days I get to marry this man...

I am so excited to marry my best friend! We met our freshman year of college at the University

of Alabama. My sorority and his fraternity were paired up for Greek Week and we immediately

became friends. Little did I know that seven years later he would be the man I get to call my husband.

He is the most caring person I know and has an amazing ability to make me laugh and remember

that it's the little things in life that make it so memorable. I am incredibly blessed.

So, here is making a lifetime of memories with my soon-to-be husband.

I can't wait to begin our lives together!

Before + After Dining Table

2011-10-18T09:00:00.001-05:00

In the midst of all of the wedding madness I was able to find some time to paint my

dining room table - finally! So, here are some pictures detailing this sweet little

table's journey from ugly duckling to beautiful swan...Enjoy!

Here is the before...

(Don't mind the fact that I accidentally started taking photos of it after I had already primed the base)

Poor girl needed some help.

So, help her I did and transformed her into this pretty little lady...

So much better, right? The color is the same as my coffee table - Martha

Stewart's Sharkey Gray. I know there are several other pieces that I need to

work on, but I won't tackle that until after our honeymoon!

Have you tranformed a piece of furniture recently?

Bad Blogger + Wedding Details

2011-10-17T11:48:00.000-05:00

I know, I know...I've been a bad blogger :(

Wedding planning has completely taken over my life, but now that the wedding is less than

two weeks away (eeek!) things are starting to settle down and everything is coming together!

So, here are a few updates on our wedding :)

This is the dress I selected for our sweet bridesmaids...

It is the J. Crew Silk Taffeta Blakely Dress in 'Aged Driftwood'. Swoon!

All three of my girls picked this little gem out - I absolutely can't wait to see them in it!

We picked out these beauties as our invitations...

We both completely fell in love with these invitations. We knew we didn't want the same

ol' cookie cutter invitations that we've seen 100 times. We wanted ones that were different

and incorporated our style. We added the floral backing to our invitations, too. And the color

was perfect since we are using mint green, coral, greens, ivory and other natural tones.

We knew they were perfect for us!

I've been working on a few wedding projects and post those soon!

Thanks for hanging in there with me while all this craziness has been going on!

Y'all are the best :)

love this

2011-09-09T09:00:00.001-05:00

Saw this and couldn't help but share...

I tip my hat to you Google. Now, where are my tissues...

Wedding Bells

2011-09-08T09:00:00.001-05:00

Well, the wedding is less than two months away (eeek)! Most everything is taken care of

with the exception of a few small DIY projects. I can't tell you how excited I am to marry

my best friend and the love of my life! He is everything (and more) that any girl could ever

want in a friend, confidant and husband. So, without further ado here are a few pictures

of some of the wedding items I've been working on and a sneak peek at a few things...

Wedding invitations (that went out this past weekend!) from minted.com

And here they are with the lovely (and non-traditional) stamps...

And take a look at this sweet koozie my wonderful friend Miranda got me! I love it!

Below is the wedding insert I made - monogram was made on Wedding Chicks.

As far as the bridesmaids dresses go, I told my sweet girls they could pick whichever dress they

wanted in the J. Crew Silk Taffeta Collection in the color I requested - and they all ended

up picking the same dress! Can you guess which one? Which color do you think I went with?

I can't wait for this weekend - we have a wonderful group of friends that are throwing

us a wedding shower in the fiancé's hometown. I am so excited to see everyone!

What are your weekend plans?

Just thought I'd tell you...

2011-09-07T14:00:00.001-05:00

(image via design*sponge)

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week :)

Instagram

2011-09-06T09:00:00.001-05:00

I have become fascinated with instagram. And because of said fascination, I have

chosen to bore you with some of the pictures I have taken on instagram. You're welcome.

Enjoying some starbucks iced coffee. It's my weakness. Don't judge me.

My sweet baby Maddie. I have an obscene amount of pictures of her.

This is Maddie's baby. She carries it around the house just about wherever she goes.
Loofa dog has seen better days to say the least.

I made two pillow last Saturday out of store bought dish clothes.
The house is slowly becoming a home :)

Enjoying this little nook in my living room. Ampersand pillow tutorial can be found here :)

This is the view from my bedroom of the sunset a few nights ago. Simply gorgeous!
I can tell Instagram and I will be close friends for some time. Do you use Instagram?

Ready for fall

2011-09-05T09:00:00.001-05:00

I feel as though we are on day 2,847 of summer. It's hot. humid. miserable.

Needless to say I think we are all ready for fall. Especially me since I live in 100+ degree

weather right now with full humidity - Oh, and did I mention my AC in my car went out?

Yep.

Since I am longing for cooler temps I thought I would share a few looks I'm longing for :)

All courtesy of J. Crew...

Cafe Capri in Wool in "Dahlia"

Teddie Dress in "Decadent Red"

Blythe Blouse in "Extravagant Green"

Sidenote Sweater in "Heather Sandstone"

Sash Skirt in "Tender Thistle"

Ok, I'm just going to sit here and drool for a little. Don't mind me.

Wait

2011-09-01T12:54:00.000-05:00

I have to wait until mid February to see this?!

Thank goodness I have football season to pass the time.

Wedding Festivities

2011-08-29T09:49:00.000-05:00

Let me first start by saying THANK YOU to everyone for the sweet words of congratulations

on mine and the fiance's engagement! Wedding planning is in full swing! As you can imagine ;)

Earlier this month we had a wedding shower in my hometown of Marietta, Georgia!

It was thrown by two of my dearest friends from high school and it was a blast!

Here are a few pictures from the wonderful wedding shower...

It was so much fun seeing everyone and celebrating our upcoming nuptials!
Oh, and take a look at this beautiful painting my friend Katherine painted for us..

We love it! I have a few different ideas of where to hang it in our home and will
update everyone with where its new home is as soon as it finds its little nook.

We had another wedding shower this past week and I can't wait to show you the details!
Happy Monday everyone! :)

Chair Envy

2011-08-25T11:27:00.000-05:00

I saw this chair at World Market and immediately fell in love - look at those cute buttons!

I couldn't help but share this little beauty with y'all. What do you think?

P.S. - It's on sale right now. You're welcome ;)

My new secret weapon

2011-08-11T09:36:00.001-05:00

Oh, how I missed y'all so! I feel like with the wedding planning in full swing I don't

even have the energy to type when I get home - BUT I'm planning on changing that!

I have some projects I'm working on around the house and I have lots of wedding updates!

Okay, so on to my all important secret weapon. It's big y'all.

I'm not sure how I'm just now discovering it, but here it is...

Yep! Posie Tint by Benefit!

In my hunt for a light pink blush and a natural looking pink lipstick I came upon Posie Tint.

It's amazing - if I do say so myself. It gives me the perfect pink glow to my cheeks and

when used as a lip tint it look incredibly natural. And from all the reviews I read I believe

it will last quite some time! In case you're wondering what it looks like on...

Please ignore my fiance making faces behind me.

Fiance, if you make those faces they go on the blog :)

And here is an up-close of me wearing Posie Tint...

I got the Posie Tint in Pink Poppy, but it also comes in the original rose color.

If you're looking for a dual blush/lip tint that stays put I strongly suggest trying Posie Tint :)

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week! I hope to be posting more often these days :)

Note: These opinions are all my own. Benefit Cosmetics did not have any bearing on this post.
I just like the stuff :)

Recently

2011-07-12T20:25:00.000-05:00

Just a few things I've been up to lately (other than planning a wedding in 4 months)...

I've been seeing sweet friends + celebrating my friends Katie and Rory's first wee one!

I can't wait to meet the little guy (yep it's a boy!) and spoil him rotten :)

Enjoying a nice evening thunder storm...

Sipping a prickly pear margarita - helloooooo delicious!

I've been taking pictures of creepy men who wear shirts with kidney beans on them.

Side Note: After one or two margaritas I may or may not have ~~yelled at~~ spoken to this

nice gentleman and informed him that he indeed did have beans on his shirt.

We rode on a boat! And continuously kept yelling "I'm on a BOAT!!"

Notice the fiance's muscle man pose - Can someone point me in the direction of the gun show?

There's more where that came from people. Don't you worry your pretty little head.

What have y'all been up to lately? Any fun summer travel plans?

My Favorite Salad

2011-07-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

Wow! The past month has been a wee bit crazy!

But more on that later ;)

I wanted to share with you my favorite salad - and what's even greater is that it only has 4 ingredients.

Here is what you will need:

Mixed baby greens

Goat cheese

Dried cranberries

Brianna's Asiago Caesar Dressing

Instructions:

Place mixed greens in a plate or bowl. Top with goat cheese crumbles and dried cranberries.

Add a little bit of Brianna's dressing on top and you have a wonderful side salad.

You can even add some grilled chicken or shrimp on top to make it a complete meal!

Or pair it with a small tenderloin filet...

Recipe for the steak to come :)

BIG news

2011-06-09T11:56:00.002-05:00

That's right.

I have some very BIG, exciting, HUGE, unbelievable news.

I'M ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I must have had some type of preminition from that post I made yesterday!

And here is the beginning of the story of our engagement...

As you know I work for the Governor of the State of Alabama. What you may not know is

that my boyfriend (now fiance!) also works for Governor Bentley. Yesterday at 4:00 PM

we had a staff meeting scheduled in the Old House Chamber at the Capitol. The staff

meeting was a chance for the Governor to let the staff know how much he appreciated

our hard work during the recent tornado recovery. Little did I know, this was not a

typical staff meeting. Don't worry - our friends caught it all on video! Enjoy :)

And here is a peak at the ring...

We both could not be more thrilled to be engaged and can't wait to begin our lives together.

A HUGE thank you to all of our friends and family that made that moment so memorable.

I can't wait to marry my best friend and the love of my life :)

A sweet something

2011-06-08T09:14:00.000-05:00

I spied this video via Style Me Pretty and thought it was a perfect way to brighten anyones

day. The love, joy and complete happiness between this couples seems immeasurable.

Enjoy :)

Griffin & Todd from McKenzie Miller on Vimeo.

Ready

2011-05-27T11:17:00.001-05:00

photo found via pinterest

I don't know about y'all, but I am beyond ready for this weekend -

and a three day weekend at that! Hip hip hooray! So here are my plans:

Attend a rehearsal dinner

Sleep in

Be lazy

Relax

Attend a wedding

Enjoy the festivities

Rejoice for our newly wed friends

Relax some more

Go to church

Enjoy time with the boyfriend

Maybe enjoy some time at the lake

Take a nap

Eat good food

Maybe another nap

I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend as well!

Do y'all have any Memorial Day traditions? Anyone else headed to the lake?

Caught my eye

2011-05-24T09:00:00.001-05:00

As I was browsing Anthropologie recently there were a few items that tickled my fancy.

Now that warm weather is approaching I'm thinking more and more about new summer outfits...

Horkelia Shift Dress - $178

Mompos Dress - $228

Spiced Dress - $188

Hanging Gardens Tank - $168

With A Twist Tank - $78

Dotty Shorts - $88

Earl Grey Necklace - $38

Rolo Interlude Necklace - $38

Has anything caught your eye recently? I'd love to know!

2011-05-16T09:00:00.001-05:00

I am obsessed. I mean, really. I may have a problem.

I have discovered Pinterest and there is no turning back.

Pinterest is a visual pin board where you can create collections of things you love.

I love that I can pin things to my collections - and I can re-pin things others have discovered.

You can create collections of home decor ideas, DIY, wedding, photography, etc...

I know, it sounds confusing. But once you check it out you'll understand. Promise.

Are you on Pinterest? I'm telling you I don't know what I did without it.

You can find me on Pinterest right here. I'd love to follow you, too!