You may remember me talking about hosting a Stella & Dot party last spring. I've purchased a handbag, numerous earrings, rings, bracelets, necklaces and more over the past four years. I'm happy to say that each and every piece has held up and is still in my rotation.
After my stylist moved to Louisiana, I was left with the desire to see the new pieces without an easy way to do so. I knew my friends (Sarah, Susan and Michelle I'm looking at you!) would be in the same boat. So being the problem solver I am, I decided it was time to put all this passion and my purchases to use. I'm officially a Stella & Dot Stylist! Trust me, you're welcome!
Between all the great items already in my collection and a few new purchases I've just made, I'll be up and running soon--ready to show everything off in mid-January. If you want to get your hands on anything, browse the catalog with me, explore my website in your pj's or even host a trunk party (hello, hostess rewards!) I'm here for you.
Here are a few of my favorites to whet your appetite. All images are courtesy of Stella & Dot.
My sister in law, Caren, purchased these earrings and she loves them. They look so great on her!
I have these fun citron drops and I get compliments on them every time I wear them. So fun!
I bought this ring on a whim and I love it so much that I wear it at least four times a week. It is simple with a fun twist!
I just ordered this ring and I can't wait for it to arrive. This shows the funky, edgy side that I love from Stella & Dot. They make classic pieces to wear every day as well as statement pieces for special occasions.
This is another bracelet that I personally own. I wear it much more often than I first imagined. I love that its a bit "rough" but the metal is classic and it blends well with many of my other pieces. I usually layer it with a few additional bracelets.
My friend Michelle owns this necklace in the gold version. Every time I see her wear it, I feel a pang of jealously that I didn't order it myself. Check out how many ways you can wear this thing! So versatile!
And my favorite new piece is a real showstopper. Like the necklace above, you can wear this at least five different ways. I love longer necklaces, so this is perfect for me, but you can also wear it short, peeking out of the professional button up shirt.
If you have any questions about the products or if you want to see it in person, just shout! Odds are I'll be wearing something the next time you see me anyway.
My husband loves leather. He loves big recliners. I prefer stylish chairs and upholstery. What's a family to do?!
A couple years ago we upgraded from Brent's hand-me-down sofa and loveseat. The pic below is how we had this set up when we moved in in 2012.
I had my heart set on a sectional for our long narrow space. We ended up with a lovely gray two piece from Macy's. We special ordered it to be extra long. I love it because the whole family (me, Brent and the dog) can all stretch out on it! The pic below is a smaller version of our current sectional.
But Brent still has his heart set on a recliner and I decided I didn't love the chaise in our space. We all make design mistakes, right? I remember my mom's big curtain mistake...this was mine. I didn't think it through very well. So now, the big gray sectional is for sale on Craigslist and we started the hunt for replacements.
Because our room is a bit narrow but long, I think we'll have room to do this:
We spent a couple weeks driving from store to store, reading other blogs who experienced the same search, and we sat in LOTS of sofas and chairs.
We had almost settled on a deep sofa from Arhaus based on Thrifty Décor Chick's experience, but then we remembered Ethan Allen. Boy I'm glad we stopped in. We found the Retreat sofa to be the perfect fit for both of us and we could upholster it in a perfect Pewter gray fabric that looks great with our paint.
Then we started looking for leather recliners. UGH!!! Why do recliners have to be either a) stylish and stiff or b) ugly but pillowy?!
Store after store. It was the ultimate Goldilocks tale. And then we found it. When we sat and both of us murmured "ahhh," I knew it was the one.
We're skipping the nailheads and we're getting it in a yummy caramel leather called Dorado Toast:
Now we wait 8-12 weeks. And just as I've been writing this post, I think I've sold our sectional. So we'll be sitting in miscellaneous chairs for the time being. Actually what we should be doing is working out instead of sitting...Maybe this whole debacle will accomplish several things.
As we sit here together post-Christmas, we're thinking about our favorite projects and upcoming plans for 2015.
Let's start with our 2014 list:
#1 The Paris Street Market This was our first joint venture and it was a huge success despite lots of heavy lifting. We loved planning, displaying and selling. It was wonderful to see so many of our friends and followers come out for the event as well. View the posts about our goods and the market here, here, here, and here.
#3 Creating a Funky Junk Mailbox Dwight got involved in this DIY project---so much so that we call it "Dad's Project." The results are still holding strong!
#5 A New Old Farm Table Kandy found and refinished an old farm table for Karli's new dining space. It made a huge difference in the transformation of the room!
#6 Giving an Old Christmas Village New Life After years of storage in Kandy's barn, these ceramic houses got a new modern look. Karli is loving the finished product.
#7 Karli's Christmas Tree Makeover After imagining a white, light tree Karli is thrilled with her new ornaments and tree elements.
#8 Painting the Front Door Black Kandy painted her front door in May and hasn't looked back.
As we enter the New Year, we'll be sharing a few things we're excited to start, continue and/or finish in 2015. More to come!
