New Year's Eve

There is nothing more that I love then getting dolled up and going out on New Year's Eve, having a delicious meal and great cocktails with Grayson and a few great friends. This year is a little different with being pregnant and having a two year old. We are going for an early dinner with a few favorite friends that have kiddos too, then coming home to have a cozy late night together.  It can be just as fun, and a lot less stressful doing it at home. Here’s the plan:

Cozy Up:

You can still get dolled up, but tonight is the perfect excuse to splurge on darling silk pajamas and slippers. I love Equipment shirts so much, and they now have gorgeous pajamas. They are pricey, but I've heard they will last for the long haul. 

Equipment Lillian Polka-dot Pajama Set / Elizabeth Cole Starburst Earrings 

Charlotte Olympia Cat Nap Silk Satin Slippers and Eye Mask

Fancy Foods and a Movie

Break out the china and crystal, even if it’s just for you and your better half or best girlfriend. Since we are doing dinner out, I've picked up a few sweet treats and Grayson's favorite wine for later. We are going to watch a movie and hopefully make it until the ball drops at midnight. 

2013 has been an incredible years with blessings, struggles, and lots and lots of laughs. I know 2014 will do the same. I hope you all have an incredible last day of 2013 and a very happy New Year!

Thankful

I have been having the toughest couple of months lately. Lots of things going on and this pregnancy has been more difficult the second go around. We had Tilley-Gray's two year photos made by a sweet friend, Michelle Leonard, a few weeks ago, and looking through them made me feel so thankful. It's easy to start feeling sorry for yourself, but these photos reminded me how truly blessed we are. 

I am really looking forward to taking some time off and spending it with my family. We are traveling for the next two weeks starting today and I can't wait to see friends and family that I haven't seen in a while. Tilley-Gray is always so proud when she can remember their names and loves giving big hugs. 

What are your plans for Christmas? 

xoxo

How to host a Favorite Things Party

I posted a photo last night on instagram from a "favorite things" party I went to and had such a big response, I thought I'd share a little more today. I have really tried to be more disconnected lately, so only took one photo, but I wanted to share all the details. It was honestly one of the best parties I have been to, so here are the details....

How a Favorite Things Party Works...

Invite all of your favorite friends:

There were 10 girls last night and it was a great size for this kind of party

Each friend brings four of their "favorite things"

All of our gifts had to be $8 or less, but after talking about it, we may up it to $10 the next go around. 

Each friend fills out a "favorite things" sheet:

Some of the questions were favorite movie, favorite food, favorite guilty pleasure, etc. 

To start the game and gift giving:

The host chooses a "favorite things" sheet and reads off the answers. The first party guest to guess who the sheet belongs to chooses four names (out of a basket) to give their favorite thing to. Then she reads the next sheet.. 
Each guest has their name in the basket four times, so each guest goes home with four favorite things!

It was really one of the best nights I have had in a long time. These past few weeks have been especially stressful, and it was so nice to relax and just have a good time with girl friends!

If you are going to a "favorite things" party or hosting one, 

here are a few of my favorite things from last night's party:

Travel Wine Glass

 this was the most wanted item of the night!

Black Pepper & Ginger Lotion 

such a great smelling lotion

Emi-Jay Hair Ties

everyone needs these

Starbucks Gift Cards

won this and didn't feel so guilty driving through the drive-thru this morning!

The Fault in Our Stars

won this as well and I can't wait to read it!

Have any of you gone to one of these parties? I'd love to hear!

New Obsession: Ponchos

I refuse to buy maternity tops (except for these t-shirts), so I'm investing in a few quality pieces that I know will get me through the winter. Ponchos have been a go to on these colder days and I know I'll wear them just as much when I'm not pregnant.

Rachel Pally Turtleneck Poncho / Nordstrom Frieda Cable Poncho

Nordstrom Cashmere Poncho / Nordstrom Merino Wool Poncho 

A few more favorites

Hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

xoxo

Getting in the Spirit

Do y'all have the Christmas bug yet? I sure do. It's hard not to with an almost 2 year old. (I'm hanging on to these last few days of her being 1).

 This year, things are different because our extended family has taken a little shift, so we are starting a few new traditions. What traditions have you started? I'd love to hear!

A few new traditions this year:

Buying new garland and new ornaments to decorate our tree. I love these 12 days of Christmas ornaments!

Elf on the Shelf: I think Tilley-Gray still may be a little young for this, but know she will at least love the story and Gray and I will love seeing her spot the Elf in his new place every morning. 

These Snowman Surprise Balls are adorable and filled with little trinkets and toys. 

She loves her Jellycat Bunny so much, I had to get her the reindeer for Christmas. 

One tradition that we will continue to do is adding to our Christmas playlist. Shannon and I pulled together some of our favorite songs to share with you all! Hope you love them as much as we do!

Glam Office

Here's a little treat for you all on Halloween. Shannon and I had the pleasure to go all-out girly glam for a client's office and installed it right when we got back from High Point market last week. 

Before:

After:

We have a few more things to add to the room, but once everything is finished I'll be sure to share!

I hope you all have a great Halloween!

Tilley-Gray is going to be Cinderella and yesterday in dance class, she was beside herself in her costume. Hopefully she will love the costume just as much tonight!

Fall

If you follow me on instagram, you might have seen that Tilley-Gray is going to be a big sister. We are over the moon excited and will find out in two weeks what we are having. I'm not sure Tilley-Gray knows exactly what is going on, but once in a while she will walk by and pat my belly or lift up my shirt and give her biggest kiss. It's adorable. 

The past few weeks have been loaded with traveling and with High Point market (I'll be posting my favorite finds later this week). I was able to sneak in some family time with a few of our friends and take all of our girls to the pumpkin patch at Mike's Farm. In my next life, Gray and I are going to live on a farm and have horses and a pumpkin patch. I know we enjoyed it just as much as the girls did.

How has your Fall been so far? Any fun Halloween plans?

Style Your Man

East Dane, aka Shopbop for men, launched recently and it's amazing. They have rounded up the best of the best from classic styles like Billy Reid and Filson to newer brands like Burkman Bros. and Raleigh Denim .

I'm not sure I'll find Gray looking at it anytime soon, but it sure does make shopping for him easier on me. I love the style guides they have with everything laid out. 

Have you seen East Dane yet? It's a whole new world for menswear!

Cozy Fall

Are you all ready for Fall? It still feels like summer here in Wilmington, but I'm looking forward to the cooler days ahead. Cozy textiles, warm sweaters, fireplaces, and hearty food are all the things I love about Fall.

1/ 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 

Fall Closet Updates

I wish I could buy flirty dresses and high heels, but these days I'm running around between design meetings, preschool pick-ups, and play dates. I wouldn't trade it for the world and I need a few updates in my closet to keep getting dressed in the morning a little easier. 

Belle by Sigerson Morrison Kyeran Western Boot / Barbour Axle Jacket / Color-block Baseball Hat

3.1 Phillip Lim Cargo Pant / Tory Burch Smoking Slipper / 3.1 Phillip Lim 31 Hour Bag / Swingstripe Day Dress

Do you have any new fall favorites? I would love to hear!

Firsts

Tilley-Gray's "firsts" are still happening, but not as often as they used to. No more "first laugh", "first steps", etc. , but this past week, we had two big first. First day of preschool and first time as a flower girl. 

Tilley-Gray loved her first day of preschool. She has eight other children in her class, and all but two are boys. 

After I picked her up from her first day of preschool, we left for Cashiers, North Carolina to celebrate our friends Kristin and Patrick's wedding. If you haven't been to Cashiers, it is great vacation spot if you are looking to get away from the heat and humidity. When we left Wilmington, it was 98 degrees and that night when we arrived in Cashier's it was 57. Perfect and just what we needed!

We started the weekend off with a bridesmaids luncheon at the cabin Kristin's family rented. 

The rehearsal dinner was at the Chatooga Club and it was gorgeous. Tilley-Gray and Grayson ran out on the croquet field while I had time catching up with the girls before the dinner started. 

My mom came up for the weekend to help with Tilley-Gray, and came and picked her up just before dinner so we could focus on the time with our friends and the food, which was incredible. 

Not too many pictures these days of just the two of us!

The wedding day could not have been prettier. We started the morning out getting ready with all the other bridesmaids at the cabin, and Tilley-Gray had the best time putting on "lip-tick"on everyone, including herself. 

(Kristin gave us all robes from Plum Pretty Sugar. I love that Tilley-Gray and I have a matching set!)

The wedding was at Lonesome Valley, one of my new favorite spots. The staff, the food, and the view are all top notch and you feel right at home as soon as you arrive. 

Tilley-Gray did a great job being a flower girl, and thankfully, the staff at Lonesome Valley didn't care that she took her role very seriously, picking every flower she saw on property before the ceremony. 

Kristin and Patrick's ceremony was so sweet and the party afterwards was incredible.

We can't wait to get back up to Cashiers again. It kicked us all right into Fall mode and I'm looking forward to cooler weather now!

Have any of you been to Cashiers? I'd love to know your favorite spots when planning our next trip!

Summer Time

This summer has been a complete whirlwind between settling into our rental house, traveling, soaking up every minute with Tilley-Gray, and designing some gorgeous spaces. Let's do a quick catch up...

We moved fast and furious into a tiny little rental and are in the search for our next house. We have given ourselves a little bit of a break this summer on house hunting are are just enjoying being outside and on the beach as much as possible. 

Tilley-Gray started her first dance class this summer and is loving it. She may love wearing her tutu just as much as she does the dancing part. I have tried to soak up every single second with her. She is at such a fun age and is starting to say and do things that show her little personality.

One of my very best friends is getting married in September so we celebrated in Palm Beach a few weeks ago. I had never been there and it was so much fun! It was the perfect girls weekend.

Shannon and I have been designing our hearts out this summer with fun projects locally and in Atlanta and San Fransisco. It has been one of those long stretches where every day we look up at the clock and think, how is it already 5pm? Feeling very blessed these days.
One of our Spring projects, the Dudley Mansion, debuted and then sold, but not before a cocktail party to celebrate the historic mansion.

I have missed writing and talking to you all so much! I'm not sure if anyone is reading anymore, but I sure hope that you come back once in a while. I've got a few exciting things to share around the corner!

xoxo

HAPPY

HAPPY video from Lindsey Cheek on Vimeo.

We have survived the toughest six weeks. We sold our house (in 4 days) and moved into a rental house. Even before we sold, Gray and I were frantically looking for our next home, but took a step back and decided that renting and taking our time was the right thing for us to do. We are so blessed to have found the perfect little rental condo until we decide on our next move. It even has a swimming pool and a pond with dozens of turtles. I feel so at peace with how everything has happened.

Poplin & Queen in moving as well into a new office, so I'll be back once things settle. In the meantime, I can report that we are all very happy. And I love that it's Tilley-Gray's favorite thing to say!

Wait & See

The last few weeks have been jam packed, but incredibly blessed. Tilley-Gray is at such a fun age, exploring and learning every single minute. I wish I could just freeze time right where it is right now with her. Every month she gets older, I always say "this is my favorite age" but it just keeps getting better.

We are busier than ever at Poplin & Queen and are working with such fun clients. Running a business is amazing, and sometimes Shannon and I get bogged down with all of the paperwork and bookeeping, but at the end of the day, I know just how lucky I am that I get to work everyday with my best friend doing something that I love. This weekend we are headed to High Point for the the furniture market. It's an exhausting but exciting time. I'll be sure to post some of our new finds. Last week, we found a rug that was perfect for a client's home and they loved it just as much as we did! Isn't it so pretty?

And then, Gray and I decided that it would be a good idea to put our house on Wilmington's Azalea Festival Historic Home Tour. Essentially, we opened our home to the public, left it in the hands of volunteers, and over 2,400 people walked in and out of our house Saturday and Sunday. I have been asked for the past three years to do this, and finally caved in this year. Thankfully, we left during the home tour because if I would have seen all of those people in my house, I would have probably had a nervous breakdown.These photos were in the paper Sunday morning. 

Being on the home tour was a great experience for us. The volunteers were wonderful and we were left sweet notes from some of the visitors about our home (including Grayson's 7th grade teacher)!

 I love our house, but we are quickly growing out of it, so we put it on the market on Friday. It is the craziest experience, even more than having 2,400 people walk through our home to look at it, because now we are having people walk through our home to make it their home. It's bittersweet because we have put so much money, hard work, and late nights in to it, and my grandfather built the built-in shelves that won't be coming with us.  It is our first home that we brought our first baby home to. Our neighbor's are amazing and I'll miss them so much when we move. On the other hand,  I'm happy because I know it's time to move on, and I know whoever moves into this house will love it and add more layers of happiness to it. So, where does that leave us now?

We aren't quite sure, but are praying that a great house will come along, or a great rental until we can build a great house (a summer on Wrightsville Beach would be wonderful, wouldn't it?) Keep us in your prayers that we make the right decisions and fingers crossed that our home sells quickly! 

We will just have to wait and see!

xoxo