(you can click on the photo to make it larger)

Hello hello! I'm excited to share my recent e-design with all of you today. Maria asked for some help redesigning her master bedroom. Our goals for the room include incorporating Maria's style- vintage chic- into the room, and also adding warm tones and texture.

Currently, Maria has some black furniture, including a dresser and nightstands, so I worked with those pieces for the space to keep the project budget-friendly. One trouble spot that I addressed in the room was the outdated closet doors- they were definitely dragging the room down. I suggested that Maria replace the old doors with modern bi-fold doors and colorful vintage knobs.

I think my favorite part of the space has to be the scene-stealing drapes from Pottery Barn I listed in her full source list. As a side note, the drapes are actually on sale right now!! They're fabulous.

Are you interested in a Ten June e-design?

Check out my e-design tab, my previous e-designs or email me for rates!

Ever since I can remember, I've used a planner. Back in middle school and high school, we called them agenda books. In college, my planner was chock full with party study dates, classes and homework. Even in law school, I kept all my school information organized in a planner. 

These days, I've upgraded to Outlook on my computer to calendar all of my work appointments, hearings and meetings. But I still like to keep my personal information written down the old-fashioned way. Enter Erin Condren. This year I received an Erin Condren planner in my stocking and wow, am I impressed.

You can customize the cover of your planner with your name, your color choice and even photos. I got this exact same chevron cover except in a bold, punchy red. I love it!

The beginning of the planner has all of the awesome spots for special dates, monthly at-a-glance calendars, note taking etc.  It's an easy way to get a good big picture idea of your month.

 The design of the planner is absolutely perfect for me. I love that it has a "morning," "day" and "night" section so that I can organize my to-do lists and appointments throughout the day. Perfection!

This bad boy even has stickers... it's easy to mark and remember important events this way!

Oh and don't forget the pocket + zipper pouch in the back of the planner to hold your random assortment of items... coupons, stamps, pictures... it all fits!

My only complaint is that the planner is a little hefty in size + weight. But if you're unlike me and don't obsessively carry your planner with you everywhere you go, that might not be a problem. Oh and I absolutely love the little tabs marking each month, but mine have already gotten completely bent and ruined. Again, probably my fault for carrying the planner everywhere I go (what if you need to know when your next dentist appointment is while you're out a bar? I mean, seriously). Needless to say, those are small potatoes. I will definitely be ordering a 2013 planner from them as well. I love it!

So there you have it, my 2012 planner from Erin Condren. Check out all of their calendars here and the rest of the products in the shop!

Since we pretty much saw half of the city on our first day in New York, we took the rest of the long weekend slow and steady. 

Sunday morning, we woke up and headed to brunch in the Meatpacking District, one of NYC's "poshest" areas. We dined at the incredibly adorable Standard Grill, which sits at the base of The Standard Hotel. In addition the fact that I just about died and went to heaven with their french toast + berry bowl + freshly squeezed orange juice, I also fell in love with this cafe's adorable ambiance.

Next up, we stopped by the incredible Chelsea Market. We seriously need a hot spot like that in Atlanta... the colorful fruits & vegetables, the freshly baked bread, the Anthropologie... it was all amazing!

After our fill of amazing food all morning, we decided to take a stroll along the Highline, New York's newest park. The city basically took a set of raised (about 2-3 stories in the air) abandoned railroad tracks and turned the space into a walking trail and park. Genius! 

We took the rest of Sunday to relax and prepare for my sweet friend Courtney's amazing Golden Globes party. She and her hubs Matt hosted us in their Upper West Side apartment with some amazing food, a little bubbly and a whole lot of red carpet fashion action.

The next day, we reserved tickets to see the World Trade Center memorial. It was truly amazing.

 do you see the rainbow?!

yes, I know Sarah's hat is fabulous... I gave it to her for Christmas!

For those of you who might not have seen it before, the memorial consists of two waterfalls located in the base where each of the two World Trade Center buildings used to sit. Around each base is a list of names etched into stone. Such a powerful reminder of what we lost.

One thing I really liked is that while the memorial remembers the devastation that occurred,  it also focuses greatly on rebuilding and regrowing. In fact, the new World Trade Center building is on its way up right now. Word has it that a new floor is being built every week. Incredible.

I feel really blessed to have spent time at this memorial. It was so moving!

The rest of the day, we shopped in SoHo. And yes, I did make it to C. Wonder! Such a cool store.

Sadly enough, the weather didn't permit us to make it over to Central Park as we had planned on Tuesday morning before our flight. Oh well, that just means we need to book another trip up soon!

PS. As I was editing these pictures in Picnik, I was reminded about how amazing all of your comments were on my no more Picnik post. THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all of your advice and tips! I am in the midst of checking out all of your suggested options and will report back with my findings : ) Thanks again, everyone!

Something big has happened in Atlanta. Our beloved Braves pitcher, John Smoltz, has put his house mansion estate on the market. And for a mere $7.2 million, it can be yours!

Let's explore, shall we? Come on in.

Welcome. To all twenty-two acres, ten bedrooms, fourteen bathrooms and 18,000 square feet of it.

The first of our many living spaces.

The kitchen that's as big as your whole house. Just sayin'.



Insanely gorgeous, right? You can check out more pictures of ol' Smoltzy's casa (like the carousel pony, Braves themed basement game room and the incredible guest bedrooms) right here.

So who's lending me the cool $7 mill for this baby?

Alright guys, I need your help. I'm sure most of you have heard, but my most favoritest photo editing software, Picnik, will no longer be available come April 2012.

I know, a total bummer. As you guys know from my 30 day photo challenge, I'm a loyal Picnik Premium member... I edit every single one of my photos through the program. It's got some great tools, but nothing too fancy (ie. Michelle can actually use it). And I love so many of the funky "effects" that they have. Plus, I am so comfortable using the program with my new camera. Basically, I'm being a big fat baby about the loss of Picnik.

So I need your help. What other photo editing programs do you use? Share links! Give me names! Do you guys think I should just bite the bullet and purchase (and, more importantly, learn) Photoshop?

Last weekend, David and I stuffed our warmest winter clothes into a suitcase and traveled our little southern butts up to the big ol' island of Manhattan. I like to call myself an old pro at the city (been to visit several times and even worked one summer at a camp in Connecticut that was run by a children's school in Harlem, so we were in and out of the city a lot) but this was actually David's first time to the big apple. 

Luckily, two of my closest friends in the whole wide world live in the city (Sarah, who you'll see below, and Courtney, who you might remember from here and here), so we had automatic tour guides to show us around the whole weekend. It was amazing. 

Our first full day in NYC was a doozy, in the best possible way. It really was the perfect way to spend a day touring New York. Oh and did I mention it was a really cold doozy? Mhm. These two Georgia kids were shaking in our inadequately lined boots.

First stop: a walk along the water towards Battery Park with a view of Miss Lady Liberty from afar.

me + Sarah, my best friend since I was 14!

Then we took the train down to Grand Central Station, the hubub of it all.

David was really excited to reenact that flash mob commercial he finds so ridiculously funny...
don't lie, you know the one.

After touring Grand Central and its fabulous dining hall, we took the train over to Times Square. In David's redneck small town words, it was "sensory overload." In a good way, of course.

Next, we headed over to the fabulous Macy's at Herald Square, where we shopped for boots (our tootsies were beyond cold) and lunched at the Cellar.

After our late lunch, we stopped to watch the adorable ice skaters at Rockafeller Plaza. Then it was time for one of my favorite events of the trip- the top of the Rock tour. The views were stunning. And I'd like to say we planned it, but honestly, luck got us to the tour at just the right time. We showed up around 4:30 PM and stayed for about an hour, meaning we got to see the city from the top of the Rockafeller Center in daylight, at sunset and at night. The views were priceless!

we look warm, right?

the glow of Times Square

So gorgeous, right?

And don't worry, after a fabulous dinner at WhiteHall, I was about ready to call it a day. After all, I had to save up some energy for days 2-4 of the trip!

Which one of these NYC hot spots is your favorite?