Sail to Sable Giveaway

Happy Monday! Sail to Sable sent Poplin & Queen a sweet email introducing themselves a few weeks ago, and Shannon and I were smitten. Since it's about 100 degrees in North Carolina well into October, their classic tunics are the perfect thing to put on.

Today I'm giving away this tunic. Lately, I've been obsessed with pops of red and this is just what my closet needs. I'd wear this running errands around town, as a bathing suit coverup, or even to a dinner party.  A tunic is a closet staple and Sail to Sable does it right.

They also have adorable pillows and table linens. These pillows are large enough to be used as floor pillows and I love the bright colors!

To enter:

1. Tell me where you would wear this tunic. I'd love to know what the rest of your summer plans are!

2. Follow Sail to Sable on Facebook. 

2. Follow Poplin & Queen on Facebook and Pinterest. 

Giveaway ends Friday, August 3rd. Good luck!

Favorite Fridays

How has your week been? For the first time in a long time, mine has seemed long, filled with overwhelm and exhaustion.. The week started off with successful meetings and a surprise date night (so fun!) on Tuesday.  But the past three days I have been working off less than two hours of sleep with a teething baby and a guilty conscience, missing Tilley-Gray's first swim class and a good friend's charity dinner.  It's hard not to feel like I'm doing only a mediocre job at being a mom, a wife, a business partner, and a friend. I'm doing them all, but am I doing them well? 

 I've told you about Mom, Inc. before, but I can't stress how much I like this book. I've had to apply some principles I have learned from it this week, and when looking back through my highlighted notes, and with the encouragement from my family, my husband, and Shannon, I don't feel quite so guilty. 

Enough pouting; on to favorites from this week!

Favorite Kitchen

I love all of the different textures (I counted ten!) in this kitchen. It's easy to do everything in a kitchen the same color or surface, but what makes this so interesting is that all of the surfaces work together. 

via

Favorite Bedroom

I'm sure you have seen this image popping up all over the place for a while, but Shannon and I have gone back to it this week when working on a client's bedroom. Our clients wants patterned wallpaper and a patterned headboard, which can be tricky but is gorgeous when you have the right mix. The Quadrille Pina fabric, Phillip Jeffries wallpaper, and the side tables and lamps that designer, Kathleen DiPaolo of Pacific Family Homes  found on Etsy are perfect. 

Favorite House Tour

Jamie Meares of Furbish Studio helped her client put the finishing touches on her home. I love how the entire home turned out, a mix of old and new, high and low, classic and contemporary. You can see more images of her home on Jamie's blog. 

Guilty Pleasure

The Bachlorette is over and I hate to admit that I'm kind of bummed. It was a guilty pleasure, a little escape, and Gray would even sit on the couch with me and pretend not to watch it. More than the show itself, I'm going to be sad not seeing what she wore. If you are (secretly) obsessed like me, here is another little guilty pleasure. 

photo

Favorite Reminder

Found here along with some other stellar art work. 

Favorite Photos

Tilley-Gray got scooped up on Wednesday for a secret photo session with Millie Holloman. She called me that night and told me to look at her blog. You can't have a bad day after seeing these, right?

 

A few other favorites:

The documentary, First Position.

The impeccable style of Olivia Palermo featured in Tatler Russia.

The new series on VMac + Cheese, Real Life. 

The new Tory Burch fall line up of bags. This one is my favorite. 

The opening ceremonies of the Olympics tonight. I can hardly wait!

I hope that you all have a great weekend!
xoxo

Parker & Rain Giveaway!

Happy Wednesday! 

To get you through this week, Alex from Parker & Rain is giving away one of her trays! Alex emailed me a while back telling me about her new business, and I loved her and her trays so much that I wanted y'all to get to know her too so we did a little Q&A. 

I love the name Parker & Rain! Where did it come from?

I was hellbent on having a two word brand name...with an ampersand.  Ilove ampersands! For well over a month I was stuck creating a name. Ihad my product vision, my product plan, everything - except the name!It was frustrating.  Parker & Rain was one of the names that came tome during many restless nights & ended up being the winner!

How did the idea for Parker & Rain come about?

For years my family & closest friends have told me to abandon my

career (then in banking, now in health care technology) & utilize my

bold creative side to develop a brand.  I always knew I had it in me,

knew I eventually wanted to work only for myself, but could never

choose a direction. Choosing a product to start with was an incredibly

difficult choice, one that truthfully I stumbled upon. I packed up my

teeny Gramercy apartment in NYC and moved to Cape Cod, MA & began

decorating what is now my EIGHTH apartment in four years.  Searching

for the perfect bold pattern in a catchall tray, I couldn't find much

in the market.  That was the "ah ha" moment in which Parker & Rain was

born!

What was the final push that made you take the leap into becoming a small

business owner?

Someone asked me a simple question that truly stumped me, "what are

you waiting for?" The truth was there would never be a perfect time or

place in life to start, but I quickly realized now is much better than

later, or worse - never.  I'm lucky to have incredible people in my

life who not only want me to succeed, but offer honest truthful advice

& most of all - inspiration!

I love the trays so much, what's next for Parker & Rain?

There are so many directions I'd like to take Parker & Rain. My styleis very much old mixed with new, so my next direction will hopefullybe in the vintage arena! I'd love to have a small shop of revampedfurniture & selectively curated vintage finds for the home.  One neverknows what my next "ah ha!" moment will bring!

How to enter:

1. Leave a comment on which tray you would pick! You can pop over to her Etsy store to see more designs!

2. Follow Parker & Rain on Twitter

3. Like Poplin & Queen on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter

Pagoda

Other than being a favorite word of mine (say it out loud and you will see why), a Pagoda chandelier is one of my personal favorites. So while Shannon and I are listening to Jay-Z and Mumford & Sons, we are putting vintage Pagoda chandeliers in our designs. It's how we balance. 

Look how these chandeliers balance these rooms. 

House Beautiful

Betsy Burnham

Meredith Heron Designs

Vanessa de Vargas

Lindsey Coral Harper

While not every budget affords a vintage Pagoda chandelier, we found gorgeous ones today that are not only budget friendly, but come in bright, happy colors. 

I think the yellow chandelier might fit perfectly in our laundry room. I believe every room needs some type of chandelier, and this one could make me (possibly) look forward to laundry day. 

What's your take on the Pagoda chandelier? Love it or hate it, I'd love to hear!

Be sure to pop over to my P&Q partner, Shannon Darrough's blog, to see our latest e-design.
 (It's for a darling newlywed's living room.)

Monday Pretties

It would tickle me to have just one of these pretties to start out this week.

Intiq for J.Crew Mochila Bag / Skinny Jean / Pine Cone Hill Napkin / Flower Lattice Necklace

Make Mischief Mug / Smoking Slipper / Chewing the Cud Storage Bucket / Colorblock Stripe Shirt

How about lining your drawers with pretty wallpaper? Can you believe that this is a dining table by Lily Pulitzer? You can see more of her collection here. 

Or have disco balls in your home or office? I'm thinking that P&Q needs a few of these for our office.

A bright new shirt, a pretty bauble, Lily wallpaper, and disco balls could make any Monday more exciting! Happy Monday!

A Childhood Dream Came True Today

Growing up, I always made up dances and even talked my brother into playing along. We would sing and dance with Madonna and Michael, always dreaming that one day, just maybe, we would be in our very own music video.

On Monday, my girlfriend and real estate extraordinaire, Jessica Edwards, got a group of friends together and we did just that. Jessica is incredible at marketing and social media and runs a wildly successful real estate business here in Wilmington. She is a powerhouse when it comes to that. 

Thanks so much Jessica for inviting me to be a part of such a fun project! 

PS: Tilley-Gray, Maggie, Jessica's little girl, and our friend Logan's daughter, Riley, make a cameo towards the end of the video. Their cuteness is out of control. 

Design Road Trip

Yesterday, Shannon and I went on a little road trip to Raleigh. Equipped with music, magazines, and a notebook to make our to-do and goal list, we were on a mission to find fab fabric and furniture for our  clients. We got lost a time or two (or three or four) but found our way to some gorgeous things.

Thanks for all of your lunch suggestions from our Facebook post. We ended having lunch at Nofo and spotted this adorable antique shop. I love the trim and the stripes together. 

 We spent hours scouring one of our fabric showrooms and found the perfect fabrics for our clients. Fabric is one of my favorite parts of design and it was exciting to add to our library. 

The showroom has one of my favorite wallpapers at their checkout. I would love to put this in a powder room or a hallway. It would also be great lining bookshelves!

No trip to Raleigh is complete without stopping to see Jamie at Furbish. Her store is always full of inspiration and furry friends. We stopped at the most adorable cupcake shop to pick up treats for her and the Furbish girls. 

How cute is this cupcake shop? 

Are you following Poplin & Queen on Instagram? If not, what are you waiting for? We post pictures of  fabric, great design, cupcakes, and our adorable dogs and babies. Find us at poplinandqueen and on twitter @poplinandqueen. 

Abstract Art

Last week during our little vacation, I went to the art store and bought a canvas, paint, and paint brushes. Our house is in serious need of abstract art, and although I haven't painted since college, I thought it would be a great project for us to do as a family. 

Art can be a tricky thing, and abstract art is not something that is as easy to create as it looks. I love the work of Michelle Armas, Kate Long Stevenson, and Sally King Benedict. 

Michelle Armas

Kate Long Stevenson

Sally King Benedict

As I prepared the supplies and stripped Tilley-Gray down to her diaper, I had visions of what it must be like to be a full-time painter. A little cottage in the country with a boho vibe? A dozen chickens and babies running around, all in white? Sounds appealing, doesn't it?

In the end, we made a few pieces that I really love and are special because Tilley-Gray helped smear the paint when she wasn't trying to eat the brushes. 

 Abstract art has a place in every home, whether you have a contemporary or traditional home. Cottage in the country or apartment in the city, I think this little reading nook would fit perfectly in most homes. 

Furbish Studio Chair / Kate Long Stevenson Art

Furbish Studio Pouf / Bungalow 5 Side Table

Do you have any favorite abstract artist? I'd love to hear!

Someone please invite me to a wedding...

Just so I can buy this dress. I saw it on Shopbop and instantly feel in love. 

Or, it could be a great excuse to throw a fancy party.I think this dress most definitely deserves a party!

Favorite Fridays

Hope y'all had a great week! Our "staycation" was great. We were able to enjoy time together and explore Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach in a way that we haven't been able to do before. Tilley-Gray's nanny came yesterday for a few hours while Gray and I went paddleboarding, something that we haven't done together since last summer. 
 I get emails all the time from readers about my favorite places and things to do in Wilmington, so next week, I'll do a round up of my favorites in Wilmington. 
Here are a few favorites from this week!



Tilley-Gray's favorite things (7.5 months)

Picnic Basket /Bunny/ High Chair

Bathing Suit/ Book

I finally committed to a highchair. Thanks for all of your recommendations. The Oxo Sprout Chair is great, fits with the aesthetic of our house as much as a highchair can, and Tilley-Gray seems to love it!

Favorite Outfit
It's 100 degrees outside, but we are staying inside a lot these days and it's typically freezing.
I've given up on using my diaper bag (I could never find anything in it!) and am saving up for this gorgeous Miu Miu bag. 

Tucker Blouse / JBrand Super Skinny Jeans / Miu Miu Satchel
DKM Drop Earrings / Yosi Samra Ballet Flats

Favorite Blog Find

Pink Peonies

 She's beyond adorable and has such a fresh take on style!

Favorite Quote

found here

This resonated with me a few weeks back and I keep reminding myself when my self doubt starts creeping up. It's not that I'm comparing myself to anyone else, but to what "could be." It's always great to plan and to want to do great things, but it's just as important to live in the moment and be grateful. 

Favorite Room

So bright and cheery. A gorgeous design by Maria Barros.

Favorite Photos

TG living the life of luxury at her grandparent's house.

Our first day of vacation on the beach.

Tilley-Gray pulled up for the first time Monday. I'm not ready for this yet, but she is telling me to "get over it." My sweet girl is growing up so fast.

I hope y'all have a great weekend!
xoxo

7.5 Months

I can't believe that my sweet baby is already 71/2 months old! She is crawling and pulling up now, quickly growing out of her 9 month clothes and learning new things everyday. We spent an evening at the beach with our friend and favorite photographer, Millie Holloman, a few weeks ago to capture Tilley-Gray at 6 months. I love how they turned out and was happy that she took a few of our little family, even if I did have sweet potatoes and formula on my shirt!

As always, a big thank you Millie for capturing such precious moments!