Wednesday Wishlist

Daydreaming of all these Fall beauties lately.  I already have a really good idea of what's on my Christmas list this year.  It's not too early to start our list, right?

::Farrah High Rise Skinny Jeans::
I'm loving AG jeans lately and high-rise is my best friend.  I love the grey color of these for Fall and hope to invest in these soon.  I have them in black and love them! 

 

::Amanda Uprichard Desiree Dress ::

I don't know what it is lately, but I have been on a major Amanda Uprichard kick.  Piperlime used to sell her clothes and after they shut down, I feel like I never saw her line anymore.  But now I see it all over! I love this green for the holidays, the length in the back and of course the off the shoulders.  The knotted sleeves are so cute too.

::Long & Lean Rib Knit Tunic::
I laughed at my closet this year because in the past I've always spent money on nice silk long sleeve shirts (think Lilly and Joie) and this year all I want to wear is cotton!! I love my silk shirts, but they just aren't as practical for me for everyday wear with kids around.  I love this easy tee for $17 bucks that covers my bum!

::Lululemon All time Tee::

I feel like I have so many workout clothes, but I'm burnt out on all of them.  Probably because I wear them once or twice a day!! After seeing my innertube around my waist in the Day in the Life VLOG, I realized I better get some tops that aren't so tight :)  I love this tee for exercising and then grabbing coffee or running an errand.

::Textured Knit Pullover::
Cozy sweaters are what it's all about this Fall.  This one has side slits, longer in the back, and comes in lots of good color choices. 

::Plaid Classic Buttondown::
I will always love my plaid button downs from J. Crew.  They are super cute on their own, but also are perfect for layering.  

::Calypso Over the Knee Boots::
Over the Knee boots are seriously all the rage this year.  I have a pair of tan OTK boots from a few years ago that I still like, but I was loving the look of these gray ones.  They have been pretty much out of stock in most sizes, but I saw a size 9 pop up yesterday and snagged them.  I'm praying they fit.  They come in two other colors though too that I really like! 

 

::J Brand Ankle Arcadia Skinnies  {on sale 50% off!}::

I bought these jeans during the Nordstrom Anniversary sale in July and now they are on sale for half off which puts them under $100.  I love these jeans because of the cute fringe at the ankles and the distressed knees!

Vigoss Distressed Skinny Jeans {40% off, only $40}
I have been on the hunt for some great distressed white skinny jeans.  I actually looked for some all summer, but never got any.  Since I think white is beautiful all year round, I was happy to find this deal for only $40.  I made the purchase, so I'll let you know how I like them.

:: Harper Footmate Shoes ::

I just bought these adorable little red patent leather shoes for Madelyn to wear with all of her Christmas outfits this year.  I love the red so much.  We had to have a little fashion show in them this morning.

 

Happy Hump Day :)

 

My 5 Favorite Design Resources | The Pink Door Blog Hop

Today rounds up the last day of our month long Pink Door Blog Hop.  I've had so much fun hopping around to these girls blogs {Annie, Amanda and Marquis} the last few weeks and getting a peek into their beautiful homes.  I always love viewing home tours and then reading how and where others find their inspiration.  You can see previous post from the blog hop here, here and here.  Now I'm going to share with you where I start looking when I have the itch to start decorating! 

:: ONE :: 

PINTEREST

Thankfully Pinterest was peaking about the time we started building our house about three years ago. I couldn't get enough of Pinterest.  I had a separate board for each room of the house and then one for categories like lighting and exterior.  Pinterest can definitely can get you in trouble with all the wonderful things you see, but I think it also can help you find what your eye is drawn to quickly as well!

:: TWO :: 

HOUZZ

I loved looking through the beautiful photos on houzz.  I remember loving the pictures so much, but sometimes having trouble finding where things came from.  I liked this site too because you get more direct photos of what you are searching for.  Sometimes Pinterest may include things that aren't relevant to your search.

:: THREE :: 

BLOGS

I loved scouring lots of blogs when I was building and decorating our house. You can find great inspiration from other bloggers plus some great resources for places to shop and tricks for decorating! These are some of my favorites:

  Honey We're Home, Kristy Wicks, Emily A Clark, iHeart Organizing

:: FOUR ::

INSTAGRAM

There is so much inspiration on Instagram.  Instagram is great too because people are pretty good at tagging where items are from or you can always ask in a comment!  I love @Kristywicks, @Urbangraceinteriors, @Hunted_Interior, @rachparcell and @elementstyle. 

:: FIVE ::

SHOPPING

It's always helpful to get inspiration by just shopping!! Some of my favorites are online and we also have some wonderful local shops that I love to browse as well.  Potterybarn, Ballard Designs and Crate and Barrel are always some of my favorite large retailers.  I love Home Goods and Target and so happy to find accessories at online stores like Design Darling, Shop Establishment, and Furbish Studio.    

I hope these helped and I know I missed a few.  Where do you love to find inspiration?  

We sure appreciate all of you participating in the Pink Door blog hop this past month.  We want to end it with an opportunity to win $100 gift card to one of our favorite online retailers, Design Darling.  I know you can find something amazing to make you smile all summer long.  

Enter the giveaway below and don't forget you can also get 15% off your purchase using code PINKDOOR from now until May 31st!  

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Thoughts for Thursday : Throwing a Dinner Party

Sorry I'm late! I have an excuse for being so behind on the blog this week.  I've been a busy little bee working on the house projects that I talked about last Friday!! It feels SO GOOD too.  

Did you know that throwing a party at your house is the best way to motivate you to get shit done??? It is.  I have already knocked out half of the 5 projects I talked about plus an extra project in our garage that I will share with you one day soon!  I tried to snap as many pictures as I could last night before our dinner party because the house never looked cleaner or prettier.  Honestly, I didn't snap enough because I ran out of time; but I did get a few good ones.  

You see those mirrors on each side of the fireplace? They finally got hung this week.  It's been 9 months and it feels so good.  They used to just lean against the wall on those demi-lune tables, but they became dangerous once Brody was mobile.  We had to take them down and stare at the blank wall for the last 4 months or so.  It makes the room feel so much more complete now that they are up!  I can give a big thanks to my Momma for making that happen :)

I decluttered the living area a bit and added a few pops of Fall decor and it felt so good!! 

We sat 10 people at our dining room table (we brought a few more chairs in) and it really didn't feel too crowded.  I love knowing that we can have everyone sitting at the same table.  

You know that fine china you register for at your wedding and rarely use?? Well I broke it out for the dinner party and it was so much fun and looked so pretty.  Sadly, our formal dinner plates haven't arrived to my house yet as it took me over 2 years from our wedding to finally order them.  #pathetic. But we had a great alternative and no one even noticed.  

I posted this photo of the bar on Instagram {@homeofmalones} last night and you all loved it!!  It was fun getting such a positive response from all of you that it made me even more excited to share the rest of the photos with you.  

We had an amazing meal, but sadly I did not get very good photos.  This was a lobster cheesecake appetizer with a side of melon that was heavenly.  

And I only got one picture of some of the guest from the actual party and it's not a very good one at that.  But it is of me and my brothers so that makes me very happy!!!

I had so much fun getting ready for this party with the help of my Mom.  I can't tell you how good it made me feel to have my house clean, a reason to organize and decorate (I finished the office and can't wait to show you), gorgeous flowers all around, and family and friends to share it all with.

Here are a few quick tips for throwing a dinner party:
- Prep as much as you can ahead of time
- Have fresh flowers
- Light a candle in the bathroom and put a small vase with a flower if possible
- Light candle
- Make sure wine or champagne is chilled if needed
- Use place cards at the table (mine weren't put out yet when I took those photos)
- Make sure table is set before your guest arrive
- Play soft music through TV or stereo system
- Try to relax, have fun, and enjoy your guests!!

What am I missing??  What do you do to prepare for a party or even just when guests come over to your house for a casual gathering??

Grab the button below and link up to Annie and Natalie  on your Thoughts for Thursday post.  

Use #thoughtsforthursdays on Instagram and tag us @homeofmalones and @eastcoastnat.
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Let's Talk Seating | One Kings Lane

I really love a good chair...

I love one at home, in a hotel, at the office, or in a restaurant.  Chairs seriously can make or break a space.  They not only need to look good in my opinion, but they really need to be functional too.  My husband and I always notice good chairs when we sit in one (I swear) and we particularly love to swivel.  We always notice a good swivel chair.  

When I picked out our family room furniture, we knew the chairs had to be functional.  We needed the seating space, but we also wanted the chairs to make a cozy seating area or comfortable to sit and watch the television.  We chose two swivel chairs (leather) and two chairs on wheels (tall wing backs).   The two chairs on wheels also offered us two additional dining chairs if we needed to pull them up to the table which I loved.  I love a piece of furniture that is multi-purpose. 

Even though our family room is complete, I'm still in need of some more seating...

 I mentioned a few weeks ago how I still need a few more pieces of furniture in the new house to make it feel more complete.  I need a set of chairs to go in our office across from my desk and we are also in need of a bench for the end of our bed.   My husband hates that he doesn't have a place to sit in our bedroom to put his shoes on in the morning.  He's begging me to go buy furniture...why have I been waiting???

Well, good timing because I was contacted by One Kings Lane to talk and shop chairs and I'm excited to share my finds with ya'll.  One Kings Lane makes chair shopping fun and educational at the same time.  They have a huge selection of furniture options as well as a  Complete Guide to Modern Chairs.  Their guide helps provide some history on how the modern chair has evolved after the Victorian era.

I found some of my favorite styles based on my personal taste of a southern traditional with a pop of modern.  After reviewing my choices, I realized they are mostly all neutrals.  I tend to lean towards neutrals when I am purchasing a big ticket item and then add color and patterns with accent pillows that can easily be changed out with the season.  I don't want to purchase a piece of furniture that I'll get sick of in just a few years.  I like to buy investment pieces that I will keep for many years to come.  

||Gregg Chair||

I love the spindles and piping. 

||Alcott Chair||

More fun piping plus it swivels!

||Quinn Chair||

Typically this chair would be out of my comfort zone, but it caught my eye and I'm loving the print to add some pop and pattern in a room. 

||Hoxie Slipcover Chair||

The wing back and stripes of this chair is perfection plus slipcovered is always a plus in my book.

||Manchester Chair||

Leather is not usually my style, but I have a pair of leather chairs in my house now and I really love how they offer some texture in the room plus it's so easy to clean.

||Miller Chair||

Spindle love again...

|| Melrose Wingback Chair||
We have 12 foot ceilings in our house downstairs, so the height of furniture is something we have to consider.  Tall furniture looks good in our house and I love the look of this simple wingback chair.

|| Maynard Mirror Bench ||

I'm still loving the mirrored furniture trend and actually don't have any in my house right now and I'm pretty sure I need some.  This bench could be perfect in our bedroom.  

|| Sullivan Storage Bench ||

I love the idea of this bench too because of the hidden storage.  The nail heads are great plus the pretty wooden legs add a nice touch.  

|| Alita Bench ||

And....if money were no object, this would without a question, be the new bench for our master bedroom.  I'm pretty much obsessed with it and saw one very similar to this in person at a local home store here in Pensacola and it's even more beautiful in person.  

Can you see how perfectly it would look at the end of our bed adding just the perfect touch of modern goodness to this room??? #swooning

What's your favorite chair or bench?? Help a girl out!!