I can't wait to get paid for this!

For my package design class, we were asked to make up a wine company, design a logo, a reason the wine is made (it's supposed to be a gift wine rather than everyday wine) and a set of 3 label designs along with a gift box. I decided on "Reel Wine" with a meal and movie suggestion on the back of each bottle. Each one has a theme. There is "Kiss Me Cabernet Sauvignon" , "Murderous Merlot" , "and Shoot Em' Up Shiraz". The corresponding movie type has a suggestion of that genre on the back. Also, the gift box I designed to resemble a movie theater popcorn box and the bottles fit tightly down inside. If I had really made it to go into production, there would be an acrylic square cut to fit down into the box with a center hole cut so the buyer could pull the top out easily.

Not so formal, Formal

I'm not sure how I didn't notice that night, but my dress was extremely wrinkled at the bottom...how embarrassing!
This picture is from my sorority's not so formal formal. We stayed in town this year rather than travelling somewhere for the night. It was much cheaper than usual, but some what of a let down since we didn't get to experience somewhere new. Clifford went with me as my date, and was fun and charming, as usual. We decided that the fun of formal is dressing up and that it's too bad there wasn't a bad playing swing/shag music. Clifford is a great dancer so after we left we went to his house and danced for a while before he dropped me off. After all, if you're all dressed up, you may as well dance!

Home decor is my personal heroine.

For my packaging design class, I am required to purchase a set of some home decor items and package them to look fresh and new and typify the essence of the company (that was invented by our professor) along with rebranding that company complete with a new logo.
Since birds are all in this season (and they are just so cute!) I decided to go with a bird motif mostly inspired by a set of bird napkin rings Sara Jane sent me. I bought a set of bowls, dinner plates, salad plates, and mugs (all on deep discount at Ross, mind you) and set out to find those napkin rings!
I went to a store in Savannah I'd never been in before and was mystified! The store is called @ Home Vintage General and it has the most beautiful and magical items within. It's on Broughton Street in downtown Savannah if you are ever in the area, I highly recommend stopping by. It was like going into my vintage dream with beautiful colors, bird everything, and all sorts of fun things for the kitchen inspired by the past. I got a really nostalgic feeling (even though really I was not yet born when the vintage things I love were popular) without any of the things for sale being clique or too cutesy and overdone.
Also, the saleswoman who worked there was so friendly that it made the experience all the more enjoyable. She was not a salesperson who tries to push you to buy but she was very friendly and helped me find what I was looking for and gave me plenty of space to browse and not feel pressured. As I was checking out, I discovered that she was even an art student like myself. I really enjoy getting to know new people and she was delightful to talk to while I was there.
In addition to the bird napkin rings I found there, I also ran across some adorable paper that I bought for this packaging series I'm working on (photos to follow when I finish).

Package Design

I am a graphic design major, and as such...I may not be great at it just yet. My favorite class is package design and along with pretty much every other student in the program, I have become so sucked into package design that I will buy products merely for their aesthetic qualities.
For instance, the designs at the dieline are soo awesome! The Dieline is a site where you can find all of the best package designs that have just been released. It's a great source of inspiration for me and my classmates.
A few faves are shown above (since I cannot figure out how to get the pictures where I want them).
I have been making my own package designs with school and pictures of those projects will follow in a post pretty soon.

New Bands and Music Snobbery

I've been told that the music I like usually sounds something like a child's xylophone and I somewhat agree. Is there anything more happy and uplifting to hear than a delightful beat peppered with a nice guitar riff and xylophone fun?! I submit that there is not! So, I have decided that as a music snob (self-proclaimed as obnoxious as I may be) to share my most recent picks with whoever may stumble across my blog to hopefully share some lovely sounds with a small part of the world.

Firstly, not recent find but a treasured favorite: Feist. Leslie Feist has an incredible voice, and instrumentals are also beautiful! She even sang her song "1234" on Sesame Street and her videos (particularly "I Feel It All" are exactly what I would want to do if I were a performance artist of any kind.

A perhaps very little known band that I recently saw when I visited home and was instantly a fan. I just cannot get enough of them! Venice Is Sinking members are from Athens, GA and have a really unique sound that is both tranquil and upbeat at the same time. They're also a joy to watch, so I highly recommend having a listen.

Regina Spektor has a very unique sound with a really fun cadence. "On the Radio" is exceptionally fun!

Bat for Lashes, which you can listen to here and even read the review!

I am quite sleepy, so the rest of the list I will link for you to listen on your own and then perhaps come back later for more detailed descriptions.

Lenka
Beirut quick interjection, I know I said I would wait for explanations...but I just LOVE this band. You must hear them!
Rilo Kiley if you remember the smallest bully from "Boy Meets World" take a look at the photos of the guitarist...same guy!
Laura Veirs
New Buffalo
Kate Nash


You very well could have heard of all of these bands, or perhaps they aren't your cup of tea, but if the case is that you do enjoy them, I am very pleased!

Sweet Deals

Close up of the prints from the kitchen. I dont know how to move this picture to the appropriate section.
This deal makes me want to squeal. I love metallic shoes, and I love JCrew....so combined is even better! My sister, Sara Jane and I went to Rugged Warehouse (a discount clothing store) and found these little beauties for $13.99. They are so delicate and lovely and I loved them so I bought them. Apparently on JCrew.com, they are currently on sale for $129.99 and were regularly $175. I feel like I won the lottery knowing I got them while they are still in stock and for sale so much more expensive. However I can't figure out how Rugged Warehouse can sell them for such a great price...
This piece I am particularly proud of, is my great-grandmother's old vanity with a facelift. It was a dark stain and had some damaged spots on it, so I first primed it with a KILZ spray paint, let that dry and then followed with two coats of Krylon spray paint in Blue Ocean Breeze. Isn't it beautiful!? I was afraid at first to paint something passed down, but the vintage appeal is upgraded with the color. I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. Also, the lamp above (possibly out of scale with the vanity) was a TJMaxx find for $40 and the silk curtains a discount fabric made by Mama for me. She is a great seamstress and I love the curtains so much!
This image is kind of dark, but I just wanted to show off my liquid dish soap container. We don't have a dishwasher, so this gets a lot of use and needs to stay on hand on the countertop for the sake of ease. I got each of these little bottles at Goodwill for $0.50 a piece! They are so pretty and each have their own pattern on them. The green color also looks great when they pick up light and cast around the room. Particularly when the other two bottles have water and azaleas in them. Cheap and old-fashioned, but very pretty in my opinion.
This deal was really sweet. I found two prints in Mama and Daddy's attic that they got at an Antique store years ago for $5 a piece. I love their vintage look (and that they are real vintage prints) The frames were 2 for 1 at Michael's for a total of $20. The big piece of furniture to the left (not sure what to call it, armoire? cabinet? entertainment center?) I got at Goodwill and not only that but at Goodwill for half price! It cost only $25 and the fabric curtain at the bottom made from scraps of fabric found in Mama's sewing closet. We needed more storage for our food and such so this was the perfect solution for storing and even displaying someday. Also, the walls were gross and white, so I used left over yellow paint for an accent wall...but I'm considering painting the whole kitchen yellow. Thoughts?
I love anything in colorful enamel. I got this tea kettle from TJMaxx by OXO for $10. It may not be the top quality tea kettle, but it gets the job done, whistles, and has a push lever for pouring. I LOVE it and the color is perfect with the yellow and red in my kitchen.
A few weeks ago, I needed a little retail therapy, so I went to TJMaxx. They have some really good deals on name brand clothes, shoes, and home decor. I got the bowl (center) for $5 and it is perfect for storing clementines, alhtough there are none in there now because I ate them all. The round placemats I got at TJMaxx also for a mere $2 a piece. Good deals really get my blood pumping. Even though this is a rental house and I am in college still, I want it to feel like a home. Clean, warm, and inviting. Hopefully my real home one day will look exponentially better but it is fun to start now building up housewares and staples that I will keep later down the road.

In Your Face, Nordstrom!

I think I might identify a little too much with Rebecca Bloomwood in "Confessions of a Shopaholic", except I buy clothes much much cheaper than she does. On a college student's budget it is hard to get great clothes that are not only pretty, but high quality. There's nothing I hate more than buying a cheap polyester dress that feels like sandpaper or makes me feel clammy. What I love, however, is finding a great deal...the kind where you feel like you are the only person that could have come along and unearthed that most incredible dress for the most incredible price. Sometimes I want to just hold the dress in the air and dramatically scream "it's mine!" Thankfully, I am able to restrain myself...

But I could barely contain the excitement when I purchased this Suzy Chin dress at Belk's (where coincidentally the best sales in the world go and wait for me). This dress, originally priced at $150 I got for a mere $20. That's cheaper than a dress from Target that will pill in no time! The best part is, that's not the only deal I've scored there. I got a dress by the same designer originally priced at $168 for only $20. They are both silk dresses (well, one is a satin/silk blend) and I got them for dirt cheap! I love when that happens. Meanwhile, Nordstrom is trying to sell that very same dress today "on sale" for $98. Laughable to me, now...although the dress is totally worth that much. I highly recommend Suzy Chin dresses. They fit like a dream and are well made out of high quality materials.

So far I think I am blogging for just myself mostly, I just want to figure out how to blog and put up pictures of beautiful things that I love, like Suzy Chin dresses. Perhaps the next blog will be about the home decor deals I've gotten recently. It's just a rental house, but I can't help myself when I see a yellow enamel tea kettle, I mean..c'mon! I am also looking forward to getting Charlotte's old window to hang in between the old shutters/picture frames in the den...hopefully that will be soon so I can take pictures and not get anything else productive done.

The Masters

Now seems like as good a time as any I can think of to start "blogging" like the rest of the world. Recently, I've been reading a few really good blogs and have been inspired. Women around the southeast at least, who have great taste in beautiful clothing, furnishings, and other "lovely little things" have motivated me to share what I love too. Not only have these women been sharing with the internet world their love for beautiful items, they've also been sharing Jesus! I am excited to read and learn about families who love the Lord and live their lives for Him.

Yesterday was not only Easter, but the final day of the Master's Tournament. I've been fortunate enough to go the past four or five years (and previously thought it might be boring...wrong!) and it is so enjoyable! The weather this year was perfect, the food more delicious than ever (particularly the bar b que...yum!), and the company was also fun. My sister Sara Jane, and I spent most of the day together and met up with our cousins, Lauren and Brittany for the above picture in front of the clubhouse after lunch. I would love to go in there someday...maybe I'll rub elbows with the right people some day. Although I was really pulling for Kenny Perry to win, the finish was very exciting with three way tie and double tie-breaker! That has to be one for the record books. Poor Perry, I think the nerves just got to him, but I can't blame him because I can't make a putt in mini-golf with two people watching, much less half of the world! Today is romantically rainy, and lovely but I am very thankful it held off for a day so that the tournament didn't get rained out. A very lovely weekend.