Guest Post! Truly Chic Inspirations

Thanks to Melissa from Truly Chic Inspirations for filling in as I take a short vacation. Do check out Melissa's blog for wonderful inspiration. The best part? She is a total sweetheart! Take it away Melissa!

    I enjoy finding inspiration in all areas!  Using items that you wouldn't expect as decor, as a centerpiece, or even display stands are just a few things I spend my time searching for.  I came across a few luggage photos and my mind went racing with inspiration.  

    Set up luggage to display items in, set them up as display stands for food trays and desserts, or stack them up for a more simple display (perfect for a going away party or celebrating for those who love to travel).  The possibilities seem endless.  Bright colored luggage and luggage that gives a vintage feeling...LOVE!

 Stay Chic,
Melissa C.
 

Luggage Decor source- http://decorology.blogspot.com/2011/06/little-eye-candy-for-all-you.html
Outside Luggage source- http://anaskadhim.tumblr.com/
Pink Luggage source- http://shoutourconfessions.tumblr.com/page/9
Stunning luggage display source- http://www.weddingchicks.com/2011/07/19/elegantdiywedding/
Vintage Luggage- source unknown

Melissa C.
Blog {Truly Chic Inspirations}
Etsy  {Tag Me Chic} 
Personal Blog {Chic Likes}

Thanks for the inspiration Melissa!

Maine!

I am SO excited to say that I am headed to Maine tomorrow to join my brother and my dad for a mini-vacay that is desperately needed! I have never been to Maine, and am DEFINITELY looking forward to some cooler weather! Here are a few other items I am looking forward to (Clock on the photos for larger images):

As always, I am excited about the FOOD! I have been lucky enough to have plenty of lobster in my life, but I've never had a lobster roll! So excited to put on my bib and break right into those fresh lobsters.

MAINE FOOD

Image Credits: 1, 2, 3, 4

I had to be prepared with the proper style...so I packed my best preppy items, and even bought a thing or two! Like the red, white and blue linen dress below from Urban Outfitters. Ahem, clearance rack - $29.99 thank you very much! If Jackie O went to Maine, I know this is what she would have worn. 

("Jackie Fo goes to Maine" sounds like a GREAT book, don't you agree?!)

MAINE STYLE

Image Credits: 1, 2, 3, 4

Finally, I am looking forward to unplugging, reading, relaxing, and getting some sun on my sadly pale skin. Below is the view my brother took from the house we are staying in. I think I could relax here, what do you think?!

MAINE VIEW

I am going to Brunswick, ME, about 40 minutes from Portland. If anyone has any great sights to see or restaurants to visit in the area, please let me know! In the meantime, I have lined up a guest post from one of my blog friends, Melissa from Truly Chic Inspirations, so be sure to look for that on Thursday! I'll be back next week! Have a great rest of your week and weekend!

Vintage Picnic Inspiration

Hello all! Are you experiencing the sweltering heat like I am? My sunglasses fog up as soon as I get in my car and my hair is NOT a pretty sight. But that's a Charlotte summer for you! 

It's no wonder I am dreaming of a breezy picnic under a tree...seriously, I have been dying to go on a picnic with Mr. Fo, but we really aren't the picnic type. If you know us, you are probably laughing right now at the thought of us having a picnic. Ha! Since a true picnic isn't in my future, I've decided to pair up with a photographer friend of mine and do a picnic photo shoot in August. I've been searching for some inspiration, and there is plenty of it to be found. Here's to faux picnics!

One of my fave sites, Truly Chic Inspirations dedicated an entire post to picnic inspiration. Check out her post HERE for tons more photos, but in the meantime, enjoy the two below.

I love the artfully arranged books in this shoot, and those fabulous red shoes!

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The lighting in this shoot is so beautiful.

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I love the old wooden crate in this shoot, I'm hoping to find one for my shoot as well.

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These glass bottles are so cool looking.

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The sunflowers, vintage camera and setting of this shoot are gorgeous. Check out the moss in the second picture. This might be my favorite picnic out of all of these!

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The couple below is SO cute, but it's the exact reason Mr. Fo and I can't ever have a picnic. We are so not this couple ha!

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I can't wait to keep researching ideas and show you guys the finished product when we do the shoot in August! Hope everyone is having happy productive weeks. Off to bed!

OREO BALLS!

I hope everyone is having a fantastic week...mine has been long but very productive! I hope this post makes your week even better.

Everyone is familiar with the delcious chocolate and vanilla sandwiches known as Oreos. I used to love them as a kid whenever my mom would let us buy them. I would dunk them in milk until they got to that soft consistency. I also credit Oreos for making me drink milk, because otherwise I probably wouldn't. But milk with chunks of Oreo? Yes, I'll drink to that.

So when a coworker at Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center introduced me to Oreo Balls, I knew things were about to get Oreo-tastic.Thank you Charlotte Speech and Hearing for giving me a great place to work and having such a great mission. But mostly, thanks for Rhian, the hilarious Speech therapist who gave me the gift of Oreo Balls.

Without further ado, here is the recipe in Rhian's words:

OREO BALLS 

What you need:

1 package of regular oreos

1 package of cream cheese

2 packages of white chocolate chip morsels

 

To make:

Empty all of the oreos into a food processor and crush.

Next, add in the cream cheese and blend together until it is one big ball of chocolate goodiness.

Take a mini ice cream scooper and roll into little balls and place on a cookie sheet in the refrigerator for an hour.

Melt the white chocolate and dip the oreo balls, placing back into the refrigerator until they harden.

  

That's it! An easy, 3 ingredient process that will make you the belle of the ball for any event you bring these to. Some tips I have learned:

1) Ghiardelli Chocolate Chips melt the most smoothly. I use the double boiler method.

2) The recipe calls for white chocolate, but I have also used milk chocolate - this is a chocoholic's dream.

3) These are super easy to decorate. Right after the you coat the balls in chocolate, you can decorate with sprinkles (i.e. as I did with red, white and blue for the 4th). Or wait until the chocolate is hardened and drizzle different colored icing on top. You can even put them on a stick! The possibilities are endless!

4) These are clearly horrible for you, even if you use low fat versions of things. My opinion? Use the full fat Oreos and cream cheese because the Oreo Balls are so rich, 1 or 2 is the perfect amount to satisfy you.

5) Bring these into your office and they will be gone in a millisecond. 

Here are some pictures to entice you...as if you aren't already enticed. (All photos from Google Image  because I always eat mine before taking photos.)

Flanagan, if you are reading this, I promise I'll make you some Oreo Balls this weekend!

WEEK IN REVIEW

I know, I know...I've been slack this past week with my posting.
As I mentioned in my last post, my cousins were here for the July 4th weekend...and beyond. They were here for 5 days chock full of fun, eating and drinking...man it's hard to catch up after all that fun.

Here's a little week in review so you can catch up on what I've been doing while on "hiatus" from the blog:

4th of July weekend and visit from my New Jersey cousins:

We ate a lot of fried pickles...Introducing my cousins to the fine delicacies of North Carolina...

We attended a fabulous BBQ...

I made Red Velvet American flag cupcakes:

My niece Brookie was the picture of patriotism on her little red tricycle :) Check out her star spangled tutu!

Fully inspired by Celebrations at Home's 4th of July's tablescape, I made a backdrop of pinwheels from Party City and the Dollar Store. 

This backdrop idea would be great for any color scheme or event. Ruffled Blog has a great tutorial. Here's a great example of the paper pinwheels used at a wedding:

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In other news that happened in my world this week, I booked another wedding for next year! My new bride wants a Southern style vintage wedding. One interesting twist? We will be using vintage coke bottles that hold a significant meaning in the bride's family. I've started my research and have found some beautiful images!

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I am looking forward to planning the several weddings I have next year...it's so exciting to see my dream become a reality! 

Coming up on the blog this week....A ridiculously decadent recipe for Oreo Balls...YUMMMM!

Have a great week!