Audrey Nadine Bags & Clutches Giveaway

Audrey Nadine Bags & Clutches is doing a fantastic giveaway with All Things Jolie. They will be giving away a Medium Clutch in Natural. Be sure to check out the facebook page to see other designs and inquire about specific bags. The Etsy shop will be up and running in the next few weeks!





Below are a number of different ways to enter. The giveaway will run until next Wednesday, check back then to see who won! a Rafflecopter giveaway

charleston.

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I'm off to Charleston today with friends to run in the Cooper River Bridge Run tomorrow!  Its the longest race I've ever ran (10K or 6.2 miles) that being said I've run like two 5Ks in my entire 25 years so not a lot of experience here.  I might die.  My goal is to not walk.  #goodluckwiththat

And Nene's response to my goal...

While there we plan on doing some shopping, hanging out, and enjoying a nice dinner on Saturday night.  Charleston is one of my favorite cities so I love any excuse to spend a weekend there.  I finally downloaded Vine so I will be sure to take some videos of the run and post on Monday.

Have a great weekend!

xo 

around the house.

Here are a few shots from around the house lately...

(Ignore the two small marks on the table, they are chips in the table finish not crumbs!)

I finally found a console table that I love!  Queue excitement!  It originally had a really wobbly leg and a chip in one of the front drawers.  The leg is fixed, the chip is not.  I'm working on it at this point.  I debated changing the finish or potentially painting the piece but ended up loving the wood so much that it is staying as is no matter if the chip is able to be fixed or not.  #fingerscrossed  If anyone has any tips on fixing wood chips in older furniture please let me know.

The bar is really coming together and I like that the mood board covers the office nook.  I wish I were able to do a little more with that space but at this point I haven't given it enough thought to do something that I really love.  What do you think of the changes?

xo

snail mail.

left // right

left // right

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There is something so lovely about receiving a hand-written note in the mail, whether it be a thank you note or a simple hello from a friend I am always smitten when I find something that isn't the everyday bill or letter.  I love that stationary can be extremely colorful and bright or crisp and clean with beautiful accents.  A few weeks ago when I was in D.C. I stopped in the Paper Source store in Georgetown and came across some gorgeous and very affordable stationary suites.  Above are a few of my favorites that I found while there.  I ended up purchasing the pink and red chevron as it is something so different from my usual choices.  I've sent a few of them already and have heard raving reviews from family and friends.  Are you as big of a fan of snail mail as I am?

xo      

glimpses.

A few bits and pieces of my weekend... 

My parents came in town for the holiday weekend and we had fun visiting some old and new places. 

I finally scored and found a beautiful mid-century credenza that needed a little love and care but cleaned up very nicely.  The proportions are so much better for the living room I love love, love it!

My mom being the amazing person that she is shampooed the carpet in my apartment which took me back to when we first moved in and there was no furniture anywhere.

Had nachos and beer at The Raleigh Times, my favorite.

Went down to Furbish to look around and found that cute glass piggy bank that almost came home with me.

Cafe au Lait on Sunday for brunch at Cafe Caturra, which I totally recommend.

Cupcakes and macaroons at Sugarland, if you have not tried this place, it is time that you do.

Hot lemon water that I thought was a going to be good for my body and ended up making my stomach hurt?!?!

All in all a great relaxing weekend.

xo  

lessons in photography.

I recently took a awesome photography class with the incredibly talented Lindsey Lee and learned so much as well as had the opportunity to practice with a model.  The photos turned out beautifully at least for my skill level so I wanted to share a few of them with you.

And finally Richard!  This picture was my major hello moment.  The background is completely blown out but you can actually see his fur and specific features which never happens when I photograph him.  That being said what do you think of my photography skills?  Ah-mazinggg right?!?!  I saw a huge improvement which all happened in about 3 hours so it was a great class.  Lindsey you da best!

p.s. I was watching The Perks of Being a Wallflower tonight while writing this post and man oh man if you have yet to see it, go rent it now.  Stellar!

xo

welcome back.

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I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome myself back to my own blog.  How long has it been?  Too long I think is the correct answer.  A lot of life changes have come about in the past few months.  I won't say I've been too buy to write as I haven't been, I think more than anything I needed some time to decompress away from the internet each night.

That being said, lets talk about life lately.

...I am starting a new job in two weeks!  Eeee!  I'll be working in Digital Marketing and am super excited to start working in the marketing and PR world again.

...I went to Ashveille in January for my birthday and had an amazing time with two great friends (pictures to come soon).

...Took an awesome photography class with my favorite photographer Lindsey Lee and learned soooo much.  Hopefully my new found skills will be portrayed in my photographs in the future.  We were able to practice with a model so I have like 300 photos of this beautiful girl whom I don't know and someone needs to see my fantastic photography skills (post to come soon!).

...Tried my first Sprinkles cupcake a few weeks ago and literally devoured it in about 3 seconds flat.

...Made a quick trip to D.C. and saw the sights as well as explored Georgetown.

...Became a runner?  Am trying to become a runner?  Sometimes I run during the week.  Why you ask?  I'll be running my first 10K in two weeks in the famous Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston, SC.  Pray for me, running over a mile is still incredibly painful.

...Planning on celebrating Easter here in Raleigh with my parents.  We have a few things planned but notably my Mom and I are going to go check out Furbish which I could not be more excited about.  I've heard such great things.

...Debated adopting a Dwarf Bunny for about 1.5 seconds until my mom told me they chew on everything.  Did I think this through you ask?  Why no.  Did I even let me roommate know?  Smh, no.  All I needed to know is that it might chew on a piece of my furniture and nope, sorry bunny, you're going to have to stay with your lovely 5-year-old owner in Virginia Beach.  My next thought was how did my mother know this information.  Turns out my parents had a bunny when they were in college.  Excuse me?  They also had multiple dogs and a variety of other animals before I was born.  I come along and the only pet I ever had was a cat. I love cats, don't get me wrong, like really love cats but a bunny at 4 years old...heaven.

...This just cracks me up.

...I'm going on a cruise in November and I believe this little gem will be coming with me.

What have you been up too the past three months?

xo

differences.

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Sorry I have been so missing in action lately.  I feel like my last post was all about being grown up and in the past few weeks I've been having to make some very grown up decisions.  Its amazing how one day can make such a huge difference in your life and change everything.  I'm signing off for with this quote in my mind.

xo

twenty-five.

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 Today is my birthday.  Twenty-five seems like such a big age, maybe it’s that age when you feel like you’re supposed to be a true “adult”.  In romantic comedies I always picture the main characters to be 25 and they always seem to have it so together.  If only real life were that easy. 

In no way am I where I thought I would be at this age.  I remember thinking in college I would be in a large city, think New York, Chicago, Los Angeles with a very corporate job (business suit required).  I would also be married, living in a house I owned and have a pet, potentially children on the way.  I would hate that life.  Sometimes the things we imagine for ourselves aren’t what we end up really wanting therefore when we never meet those goals it’s okay. 

I’ve been conflicted in my professional life for quite some time and can’t figure out exactly what it is that I’m supposed to do.  I know what I like and what I dislike its finding a path to take that has been difficult.  At this age I feel like I should know by now.  But I don’t.  And that’s okay too.  So I’m going to continue on this journey, one year older now, continue reaching for my goals, and count my blessings.  It’s the journey, not the destination that counts, right? 

xo  

black & white.

 

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I am seriously in love Irene Langlois's home.  If you follow the link you can find more images of the entire house.  Her living however has my heart.  I've always been one to love color but in home design I always veer more towards neutrals.  This is a great example of the inspiration I've been going for in my own home during the design process but feel I haven't really gotten to where I want to be quite yet.  Progress I suppose is better than nothing.

That being said, it's Friday!  What are you plans for the weekend?  I am heading to the Asheville to explore the Biltmore Estate and celebrate my birthday with some friends.  The plans include eating at a lot of great restaurants which I'm told are in abundance, relax, and try some of the bars in the area.  I am thoroughly excited.  It's been years since I've been to the area and I've only heard great things.

Have a fabulous weekend!

xo 

1st birthday.

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This week marks the 1st birthday for All Things Jolie.  I had a lot of goals planned for this blog during the first year and I didn't reach a single one of them.  That's okay though.  What I learned from this blog is that I simply enjoy writing and sharing with all of you.  It's okay that I didn't reach 100 followers or have a certain amount of page views each day.  I think the simplicity with which I write and post make it something that I enjoy doing rather than a task I have to complete each day.

With that said I want to say thank you to all of you that stop by everyday.  Your my faithful online friends that I love sharing with all of you.  So keep on coming back, this year is going to be a great one!

xo

kitchen reno.

I last posted about my parents kitchen here and snapped a few shots of the newly improved space while I was home over the holidays.  Here is the before...

And the after...

Sorry for the random things on the counter, I was in a hurry and just needed to get the photos but I love how everything turned out.  For the amount of money they spent I think they really made a huge difference.  They painted the cabinets white, put down Pergo flooring, changed out the hardware, took down the wallpaper and painted the walls gray.

If anyone is currently debating about putting down a material like Pergo in a kitchen, both my parents have really loved it and no mishaps so far (knock on wood)!

Here is a side by side before and after.

For a very low budget I think the changes look great.  Once we do some styling for the top of the cabinets and maybe one day change out the counter tops and put in a back splash it will look even better.

What do you think?

xo   

galleries.

We finally got our gallery wall completely finished.  After living with empty frames for about a year each one now has a picture!  I actually liked some of them being empty, but the general consensus was that it looked better with framed photos and prints.  A lot of our frames are really big as the gallery covers an entire wall so ordering upwards of 20 prints was not in the cards right away.  We used this method to print most of the prints and will be switching them out soon enough with the real deal. 

If your looking for ways to fill up a gallery wall, Pinterest is your best bet with all the free printables they have floating around.  I also love this new collection, I am dying to add some of the pale pink prints to the wall. 

As it is everything is currently black and white and I would love to mix it up a little bit with splashes of color here and there.  My boyfriends parents bought me this lovely print which will replace Audrey Hepburn (sorry Audrey) in the next few days.  Not really helping on the color front but I have been lusting after that print for a long time, so I'm excited to finally be able to hang it on the wall.

Anyone else have a favorite place to purchase prints?  I have been scouring Etsy but there are so many sellers it can take awhile.

xo

a little vanity.

I finally took some pictures last night of my new vanity (beware these were taken with my phone).  Look at this beauty!  I found her on the side of the street in my parents neighborhood (free!) about two years ago.  Last summer my mom painstakingly refinished her and two and a half years later she finally has arrived at my apartment! Eeee!

Basically, she was extremely beat up with a horrible finish.  There was a little piece of molding in the middle that my Dad removed and I changed out the knobs for a cleaner look.  Loads of sanding and painting later you have crisp and white.  I was obsessed with these but $48 was maybe a little much to add on to something that was free.  I ended up going with something a little different, similar to these.  All in all I love how it turned out.  I have been searching everywhere for a stool so that I can actually use it!  

As for the setup, I originally planned for it to go against a wall in my bedroom but after getting the piece moved in, it didn't work well.  It now rests on the other side of the room in front of the window.  It worked out really well though.  I leaned my favorite mirror from Ikea against the middle pane and my curtains billow around the sides for a feminine yet sophisticated look.

What do you think?  I'm still loving those other knobs, I might have to do a little change out!

xo

fiddle dee dee.

Jonathan Adler via Elle Decoration France

I know I'm a little late extremely late to jump on this bandwagon but there are some things in life I'm just not very good at, cooking be one and keeping plants alive being another.  That being said I'm seriously falling in love with the Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree.  I mean they are adorable when they are young then they grow up and become these beautiful trees that are so aesthetically pleasing its insane.  I want one right meow.  My birthday is in a few weeks fair maidens!  

Another reason I'm really loving these at the moment, you can get them at Home Depot for $16.98.  When they first came out I couldn't find one for less than $50-80 but $17 that's something I can deal with.  I just hope I can keep the little guy alive for more than a few days.  Fingers crossed. 

 

Marion House Book

  

 

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xo

resolutions.

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I seriously cannot believe it is already 2013.  When a New Year rolls around I really like to take stock of what I’m doing and see if there are changes I can make to better my quality of life as well as reach some goals I’ve been aspiring to.  I don’t believe it’s the time to make hundreds of goals you know you will never reach.  Rather a few specific things that will take some change to make happen but in the end are doable.

 

I was complaining to my boyfriend the other day that I felt stuck and instead of moving forward just sort of walking aimlessly around my life not doing what I always intended.  What it boils down to is I’m comfortable.  My boyfriend’s response to my complaints was, “I don’t want you to wake up at 35 and still be saying the same thing.” 

I think this quote by John Maxwell sums up a lot of how I’m feeling. 

“Human nature tempts us to stay where we’re comfortable. We try to find a plateau, a resting place, where we have comfortable stress and adequate finances. Where we have comfortable associations with people, without intimidation of meeting new people and entering strange situations. Of course, all of us need to plateau for a time. We climb, and then we plateau for assimilation. But once we’ve assimilated what we’ve learned, we climb again…Many times, our challenges in life are not in understanding; they are in doing.”  

That all being said I’m making some changes or as many call them New Year’s Resolutions.

...Take the GRE
...Decide if Grad School is the right option for me once and for all (This is something I go back and forth on constantly.)
...Continue to work out 4-5 times a week.
...Post on the blog 3-5 times a week.
...Create a business plan.
...Cook more meals at home for myself.
...Travel more and visit new places.
...Only eat out twice a week.
...Get a cat.
...Put more money into savings

My list revolves around both personal and professional.  I always am trying to better my life in both aspects as I feel that is the only way to keep your sanity.  What are your New Year’s resolutions?  Anyone trying to make huge changes this year?  My favorite number is 13 so I am hoping this year is one of the best yet!  (No I did not copy Taylor Swift it was my favorite number first, I’m older.) 

xo