{holidays} photoshoot inspiration

i thought i'd drop by to show you an inspiration board i whipped up for a holiday family shoot i'm styling next week.  the family is so cute and stylish and have the most adorable baby girl named Ava, i swear i could laugh and play with her all day long, she's the cutest! 

they'll be taking their family photos for christmas along with baby A's 6 month photos, i really can't wait to show you how it all pulls together!  but for now i'll leave you will some of the eye candy that's inspiring the shoot's decor.... it'll involve kraft paper, twine, + burlap... navy blue + sea glass greens... touches of vintage book pages + newsprint... and of course some capiz, shells + star fish details.

nautical elements make my heart so happy, i can't wait...

{happy anniversary} to my parents

wow... today my parents are celebrating 43 years of marriage, something that is not a common thing these days!  here are my folks at my wedding 3 years ago, it was really cool to be married the same year my parents celebrated 40 years and my grandparents celebrated their 70th, yes, you read that right 70 years together!

mom + dad - although we didn't get to celebrate this big occasion together as a family i just wanted to say a few words on your anniversary {uh oh, i'm turning into dad} =).... but seriously, thank you for being the examples you've been to me the past 28 years.  i know that if ever i need counsel, support, or just a hug i can always count on you both.  i know these past 43 years have involved a great deal of work to juggle your marriage, your family and all the other things that life has thrown at you... but thank you for continuing to honor the commitment you made to each other and God the day you said your vows.  your marriage {no matter how perfect or imperfect it is at times} is an inspiration to me in my marriage and i'm sure to many others who know you.  i love you guys and i'm so thankful that you are the parents God blessed me with!

and yes we will happily cat-sit should you decide to go away for the weekend =)

love, b.a.

oh and PS. dad the 43rd wedding anniversary gift is travel!

{crafting} an inspiring studio

if you follow me on pinterest you know that i've been pinning inspiration for my dream studio workspace...  well i thought i'd post about what i'm planning to do to create an inspiring workspace for myself.  i really like the look of grey and white, it's very clean and a great way to mix in pops of color without really committing to a firm color scheme.  and since this room has primarily become my room for working in i want lots of color, something that wouldn't really be approved by my hubby elsewhere in our place. 

so without further ado, here are some of the grey + white spaces i love... 

  Source: homemadeinheaven.blogspot.com via Blair on Pinterest

simply adore the pattern on this wall, but i think i might get really dizzy with this on the walls =)

Source: betterafter.blogspot.com via Blair on Pinterest

if i did do a pattern, this would for sure be the front runner, it's tres chic!

Source: google.com via Blair on Pinterest

love the subtle blue and the stripes, but i think horizontal isn't quite the right approach

Source: None via Blair on Pinterest

i just LOVE these bold colors of bluey-teal and coral, and of course the vertical stripes would make any room feel instantly taller! but this is too much color for the walls...

Source: hayleyhurst.com via Blair on Pinterest

now for the major room accessories....

would love to incorporate geometric patterns maybe on the floor in the way of a rug and possibly on the windows too!

Source: pudel-design.blogspot.com via Blair on Pinterest

i certainly love these pillows, and these are the colors i'd love to splash around the room

Source: bdgstyle.blogspot.com via Blair on Pinterest

i also really need a space to display my work since it's all so unique and colorful, yes i create it and want to admire it... it's fun to reminder of what you've created!

Source: re-nest.com via Blair on Pinterest

and here's the actual grey i think i'd like to use on my walls

Source: gillygrey.com via Blair on Pinterest

if you are a hoarder of ribbon and trim like myself, you must add this storage project to your DIY list, i currently have the raw materials all cut and waiting to be assembled, i so can't wait!!!

Source: nicholeheady.typepad.com via Blair on Pinterest

well that's all the sneak peek i'm going to give you, i've gotta save the whole vision for my reveal post that i hope to show you in the next month or so! so excited

{things that make me happy} my hubby + Maison Ladurée {NYC}

you're probably wondering about this post's title... well, i'll explain... my husband just got back from a trip to NYC, which sadly i couldn't join him on.  being the oh so subtle wife that i am i said if you have the time PLEASE go to the new Ladurée shop in the city, and IF you stop, can you bring me back some macarons, PRETTY PLEASE!  it was pretty much a request not a suggestion... you see, i've always dreamed of visiting Paris, and a few years ago my mom + i adventured off to europe, even made it to London... and the day before we were set to fly to Paris, she fell and broke her wrist and after a looong visit in the ER, we were reworking our itinerary to come home for her to see a specialist here.  we were so close, yet it just wasn't what God had planned apparently.  so needless to say i saw my hubby's trip as an opportunity to get a "taste" of Paris {if you will}. =)


here is the window display from outside Ladurée

so being the totally francophile nerd that i am i documented my souvenir that he returned home with =)

isn't the shopping bag beautiful? i'm so lame, i'm in love with the bag and this totally chic branding

and then he told me he "upgraded" and got be one of the limited edition boxes, go hubs!

he had them packed in this awesome kalidescope butterfly patterned box w/ the gold foil text 

{can we say collector's item?!}

....opening it up... 

 seriously Ladurée, you and your beautiful gold leaf details... so in love with the packaging!

and there they are, my adorable little "taste" of Paris... 

courtesy of my sweet and very kind hubby who lugged them all the way home 

to make his wifey happy, what a guy! =)