flower painted measuring cups

Who knew that my favorite wedding gift would be something so small and something I hadn't even registered for.  When I opened these beautiful measuring cups I was pretty excited. Out of the mountains of gifts we received, this tiny package held a lovely surprise. I admit though, I don't use them as measuring cups. They are just too pretty to use as a kitchen tool, and I fear I may chip one of them. I have them on display in my kitchen on the window sill, and occasionally I'll use them for entertaining. They are great for putting sugar in to serve with coffee, used as dip bowls, and they would make a great display for an ice cream topping bar! Later this year we are having a garden themed party, and I'm sure these will make an appearance. 

I believe that they were purchased from anthropologie, but they are no longer an available product. They do have similar ones for sale here - Anthropologie Measuring Cups

Southern Living

Southern Living is my favorite magazine... especially this time of year! It gets me excited for Spring gardening and decorating. I've always wanted to live in the south, and I love all the recipes, decorating tips, and stories this magazine shares. Southern Living has a product line through Ballard Designs, and everything is amazing. Whenever I think about the South, I think warm weather, beautiful flowers, southern hospitality, sweet tea, and great food. This magazine reflects all of that! I get an instant mood boost whenever it arrives in the mail, and I know exactly how my evening will be spent :) 

Boxwood

One of my favorite plants is boxwood. It looks great year round, and it is easy to care for. I was looking everywhere for a boxwood wreath before Christmas. I found a few I liked, but none that were exactly what I was looking for. Initially, I planned to buy a fake wreath, because I didn't think a real one would last long. A few weeks before Christmas, I was shopping at Trader Joe's and saw they had beautiful real boxwood wreaths for just $9.99. I was so excited! It was just what I was looking for -aside from the fact that it was real. I When I put it up, I religiously misted it with water daily to keep it looking fresh. It is now February 17th, and my wreath still looks great. It dried so beautifully, and I think I'll be able to use for years to come. I wish I had bought a few more for decoration, but maybe they'll have them again next year!

I also have a little boxwood topiary plant in our kitchen. This one needs trimmed up a bit, but it is so easy to care for. I love homes decorated with small boxwood topiaries, and I also love the look of boxwood in gardens. It adds a bit of formality and structure to your garden. Find a way to include boxwood into your home :)

Garden Seat

Recently, garden seats have been in all the home decor magazines. At first, I wasn't completely sold, but now I love them! I received this garden seat (below) from a friend for my birthday last year. She purchased it at TJMaxx, and the same one can also be purchased from Ballard Designs. They look great both indoors and outdoors. The stool can be used for extra seating, a table for drinks, or as a plant stand as I have here. I've seen so many unique designs with these stools. Here's a link to another seat that I love (on sale now!) Elise Garden Stool

Searching online for these garden seats can be frustrating-most of them cost $100 or more.  For cheaper options, look in stores like TJMaxx, Marshalls, and Home Goods. I saw this exact stool (above) at TJMaxx a few months ago for $40. -Ballard Designs sells it for $129! I'm all about a good deal :)

Entertaining Pieces

I love entertaining pieces. I especially love the styles of Pottery Barn and Ballard Designs. Having friends over for meals can be a bit stressful at times due to all the preparations, but I love it because I get to use my favorite tabletop dishes! White/Cream entertaining dishes always catch my eye when I'm browsing. They go well with 

anything, and I love the clean and simple look. 

In the picture below, I pulled out a few of my favorites. I got the trifle bowl as a gift, so I'm not sure exactly where it came from. It adds a lot of elegance to a simple dessert! I have made numerous trifles and desserts in this dish, and it always looks great. 

I also love my beverage containers. In the very back  of the picture there is a large glass jar with a ladle for serving. I prefer this style over a standard punch bowl. You can't see it - but the lid and ladle are hammered, and I love that extra detail. You can fill it up with your favorite punch recipe, and I like to add in some fresh fruit. I also love my juice jars. These are perfect for brunches. I've seen so many versions of the juice jar, and I love them all. Next to my juice jar is my milk carafe. Another great piece for brunches!  I purchased all three of these beverage dispensers at Pottery Barn.

It is difficult to see in the photo, but on my serving trays are three miniature pitchers. I received these as a gift, and they are part of the Southern Living Collection from Ballard Designs. They are the cutest little pitchers ever. They work great for salad dressing and sauces. I hate having a salad dressing bottle on the table when hosting a meal, and these were absolutely perfect for it!

These are just a few of my favorite pieces, I could go on and on! Entertaining pieces are probably my favorite thing to shop for! We don't have a whole lot of space in our home, so I try and purchase pieces that are versatile and that coordinate well with the rest of my collection.

Cutting Boards

Another favorite thing of mine ... cutting boards!  Who knew such a simple thing could come in so many sizes, shapes, and stains. They add natural looking decor to the kitchen when you have them on display. They also make great serving pieces - especially when serving bread. I especially love the big pizza cutting boards too. I'm not a collector of anything, but I could collect these! My husband's grandma has the cutest pig cutting board, and every time I'm in her house - I want it! What can I say? Such a random object, but I love them!

Linen

So continuing on with my "favorite" posts - as I have mentioned before - I love linen. I really don't know why I love linen, but I'm obsessed. My table runners are linen, my pillows are linen, my tea towels are linen, my napkins are linen... you get the picture! Anytime I venture into TJ Maxx, I always keep my eye out for linen things. I'm constantly pinning linen products on Pinterest, and on my personal account I have a board dedicated to linen. I love the texture and the look of linen, and I think it fits in nicely with our home. I have cream/natural colored furniture in my living room, and linen compliments it so well.

Above are just a few of my "linen" pieces, and I have shared some pictures of others on other posts before. It's a great light fabric - and makes great material for clothes too. I have two linen dresses which I absolutely love. My husband has some linen shirts, and he looks so handsome in them! Linen is the perfect summer material - it's light and refreshing.

The tea towel above is one of my favorite linen purchases. This picture is from the etsy shop I ordered it from. They have all kinds of prints on the tea towels. Check it out:

Linen Tea Towel

Favorite - Candle

The other day my husband and I were chatting about some of our favorite things. This conversation gave me an idea for my blog. For the next month or so, I'm going to be posting some of the things I love. I love to fill my home with these things, and I can't wait to share them with you.

First, I thought I'd share with you my favorite candle. I do love all candles - they smell so good, and they add ambiance to your home. There's just something romantic about snuggling up with a bunch of candles lit around the house - I'm sure you can relate! While I can make any candle do - I do have a favorite. A few years ago I received a candle for Christmas. It was actually made by someone I had worked with a few years ago. Since receiving this candle, I always have to have one on hand. It smells absolutely amazing, and I love the simple look of it. 

This candle is from Iron Tree Candle, and the scent is Mediterranean Fig. I don't even know how to describe the scent. It is such a unique, yet refreshing smell (I absolutely love it)! I love that the candle is a crisp white in a simple mason jar. It looks good in any room and it is so fragrant that it is able to fill the entire room (and the entire upstairs in our home). I hope this scent is never discontinued, because I don't know what I would do! I highly recommend checking out this candle, you won't be disappointed!

Signs of Spring

The first of February today... it seems like forever until Spring will arrive. This time of year I get so antsy. I want to be outside digging in the dirt and planting flowers, to be cooking all my meals with fresh veggies and herbs from the garden, to be canning and freezing the harvest, and to be going for long evening walks in the warm summer air. By February, I start to feel cooped up, and I'm tired of the cold and snow! 

We finally took our Christmas tree out today. We always leave it up extra long to keep the house feeling cozy. There's nothing quite like sitting by a lit up tree on a cold winter night, but its time to start thinking about Spring! 

I absolutely love orchids - they are my favorite flower. I have two of my own, and I'm nursing back to health one for a friend. They are all doing quite well, and their new stems and buds have been growing over the last month or two. When I came downstairs this morning, I was so excited to see the first opening bloom on my orchid. This made me smile. It gives me hope that Spring will be here before we know it! While I wait out the next 2 months inside anticipating planting season, I can watch the blooms open up on all three orchids one by one. It seems each year my orchid blooms know just the right time to make an appearance. It really does lift me up and take away some of those winter blues.

I think I'll spend my evening checking out the seed catalog and do some planning with my husband for our garden this year. Spring will be here before we know it :)