Weekend Drive

Richie and I took a drive up to the mountains this weekend to see all the beautiful leaves changing.  We drove from Charlotte, up to Hendersonville, across the Blue Ridge Parkway to Ashville, and home again.  The weather was perfect!  We also took Lilly along for the ride.  In Hendersonville we popped into a little dog store and let her pick out her own treat.  She was exhausted by the time we headed for home. 

I hope you had a great weekend too!

Xoxo,

Whitney

Grayson Manor Glamour

I just finished watching Revenge for days.  No, seriously!  Richie and I signed up for Netflix and after watching the first episode, I was hooked!  I've been watching it while doing the dishes, laundry, cooking dinner, getting ready.  You name it, I was watching Revenge on my Ipad while doing it! It's sick, I know! The storyline is good, really good, but even better are the houses.  I'm sure you are well aware of my obsession for decorating by now.  Poor Richie. I have spent as much time pausing the show and looking at the décor as I have spent actually watching it.  Here is a glimpse into the Grayson Manor and why my heart lusts for EVERYTHING inside!

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The Entry

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I am quickly becoming inspired to paint our own stairs glossy black like the ones in the Grayson manor entry.  Below are a few examples of how great you can make them look in your own home. 

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I really love the white paneling on the wall in this photo too.

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The Living Room

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At first I wasn't sure how I felt about the black French doors, but they are quickly influencing my style too.  This would be a very scary move for me to paint our own office French doors black. However, I would be lying if I said I haven't considered it.

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The Kitchen

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An all white kitchen has always been on my MUST HAVE want list, so watching the Grayson family eat among their white cabinets on the show makes me want one even more! These are just a couple of the photos I have been hoarding for when we remodel our own.

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Isn't the Grayson Mansion beautiful? They really have some amazing designers on set.  I could go on for hours about the furniture, accessories, lighting, and flooring. The beach house on the show is equally as "crave worthy".  Maybe I'll do a post later on my obsessions from it as well.  I just love how the smallest changes can make a house into a home. 

 

Xoxo,

 

Whitney

 

A Fondness for French Decor

 Happy Monday lovely readers!

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I love all styles of décor but when I daydream about our home back in Idaho, I somehow always find myself coming back to all things French inspired.  I find French décor to be absolutely stunning. The neutral colors, hand carved details, textures, and old world feel makes my heart leap for joy. 

I hope you all had a great weekend!  The Panthers won their game yesterday! Yippee!  Richie and I headed straight to Cowbell in Uptown after the game for a celebration dinner complete with a chocolate milkshake.  It was a beautiful day!

Xoxo,

Whitney

Fall Haul

 Dress // Shoes- sold out but these are similar // Skirt //White Tee // Purse

 

Good morning!

 

I really can't believe that it is Thursday already but here we are. The weeks just seem to fly on by. 

 

I thought I would share some of the great finds I found last weekend.  The best part is...they were ALL on sale.  I have recently developed a love for Madewell! They have lots of great essentials, and all of their sale items are currently an additional 40% off!  The dress featured above is shown on their website for $165 but I was able to grab it in store for $60.  Many of their in store sales differ from their online ones. I always check both!

 

I've been in search of a fun cross body purse for fall for a few weeks, so when Coach sent me a 25% off coupon I headed straight there in hopes of falling in love.  This little beauty immediately caught my eye.  The size is perfect for me and the color is so versatile!  Today is my third day using it and I have to say, I'm loving it!!!

I hope you're having a great week!

xoxo,

Whitney

Weekend Target Run

Boots // Cardigan // Bracelet // Bodysuit

 

As I mentioned in today's earlier post, I made a quick (okay, not so quick) trip to Target yesterday.  My friend and I spent over an hour pawing our way through all their great new fall trends.  I'll admit the things I came home with surprise myself.  The black ankle boots came home with me in lieu of my need for brown ones.  They were too cute to leave behind and Target was out of my size in brown. The Cardigan, though out of my normal comfort zone, is going to go perfectly with my recent leather bracelet purchase and my trusty Frye boots.  I love the colors and shape of it.  This brings us to the bodysuit! Yes, the bodysuit. I'm pretty sure if you were born before 1990, you will remember the bodysuit from the 80s and 90s.  It was a staple in every closet.  I vividly remember owning one with pink flowers when I was a little girl.  My friend and I were dying to try these on and enjoy a good laugh.  Well,  the laugh was on us!  We both dropped the $18 they cost and brought one home.  It fit AMAZING!  Do you know how great this will be with skirts and leggings this winter? No more repeatedly  tucking in those shirts that seem to find their way creeping back up! 

 

Have you found any great Target finds lately? If so, please share! I adore Target.

 

Xoxo,

 

Whitney

Highlights From Last Week

I started last week off right by devouring the two Sprinkle cupcakes that Richie brought me home from Arizona.  Thank you, honey!

On Tuesday, Richie brought me home flowers from a local farmer's market. 

How beautiful are these?? 

 Lilly was a MONSTER! Yes, all week.

 We spent time enjoying our balcony.

We made dinner together.

And we did it...Restaurant Style!

 I added some fall décor to our little home.

The weather finally cooled down again, here in Charlotte.  I am getting so antsy for fall!  This weekend while Richie was away in MN I took full of advantage of the free time.  Saturday morning I got up early and headed to the mall for some fall essentials. More on that later.  That night I was invited over to a friend's house for a girls night.  We sat out on her back porch for hours, drinking wine, eating desserts, and catching up on all things wonderful in the world. Sunday was just as grand.  My good friend and I took an impromptu trip to Target for some very necessary fall wardrobe items.  Can I just add that I LOVE the way our Targets here (In Charlotte) have Starbucks located inside of them.  My two FAVORITE places in the same setting. [Dearest Target-please conveniently add Starbucks to your Idaho stores.  Thank you!]  After grabbing some Target goods, I came home and took Lilly potty, then dashed to my other wonderful friend's apartment for some delicious popcorn, company, and to watch the Panther game.  Our boys won!! Yay!!  There is really nothing better than seeing their hard work pay off.  In conclusion, I had a perfect wonderful amazing great weekend and consider myself beyond lucky to have made such a great group of girlfriends in this city.  I don't know what I would do without these incredible ladies in my life!

Happy Monday and thank you for reading.

Xoxo,

Whitney

Stereotypes Of The NFL Wife

Forgive me while I take this moment to vent!

[Stereotype]-an oversimplified standard image of a person or group. 

Stereotypes exist in all situations but are especially strong when it comes to life in the NFL.  Richie and I went to Wells Fargo last week because we needed a notary.  We sat down at the banker’s desk and chatted as she documented our IDs and went through her process.  With our multiple addresses and out of state IDs, she eventually asked Richie what he did for work.  He responded that he played for the Panthers.  Her response was one that most people think but few actually say out loud.  She glanced over at me, “You must just shop all day and spend the money, huh?”  I mustered the strength to shove down my anger and responded with a big grin and a quick, “yep”.  What else do you say to a person who has clearly made up their mind about the person you are?

I know who I am and I have confidence in that!  

You see, there is a misconception that NFL women are prissy, spoiled, trophies who have sought out this lifestyle. I’m sure there are a few of these women sprinkled here and there throughout the league, but from my own experience this couldn’t be further from the truth! The women that I have met are STRONG! I have learned more from these women in my short time being here than I ever could have imagined.  They are smart, strong-willed, confident, graceful, giving, and down-to- earth women.  They aren’t constantly dripping in designer goods and they surely aren’t consumed by selfish motives.  Most of these women have been there supporting their men since college, long before any talk of the NFL. 

We, as women of the NFL, fill so many roles besides being the wife of a player.  We are the ones in the shadow who become the counselors, nurses, home managers, and the cheerleaders to our men while they fight to live out their dream of playing in the NFL, and we do this while smiling and maintaining our own sense of self.

For the sake of full disclosure, yes we sometimes spend our day at the mall and most of us carry expensive purses but this is NOT all that we are!

Xoxo,

Whitney

DIY Stamped Art

Our entry hallway has been an ongoing project since we moved into our apartment last October. It was white, boring, and sterile.  I knew that I wanted to do something fun with the space but wasn’t quite sure what.  I purchased four large gallery frames from Pottery Barn this spring and stashed them in the closet until I knew for sure what I wanted to do with them.  Then in August when I was back in Idaho, I was reading Better Homes and Garden and saw a great DIY using vegetables as stamps for art on canvas.  Ding! Ding! This was it! The inspiration I had been waiting for. 

While Richie was in Arizona this weekend, I turned on Revenge, grabbed a glass of wine, and got to work.

I purchased a few colors of acrylic paint, foam paintbrushes, and some canvas paper at Michaels; then ran to the grocery store for an acorn squash and a sweet potato.   My recommendation for any DIY project is do not set your heart on what you want it to look like in the end. Trust me, art projects very rarely come out exactly the way you have envisioned them, at least for me they don’t. Try to just have fun and not criticize your work before it’s complete.

First I laid out lots of newspaper.  Unfortunately for Richie, all we had laying around was his new Barron’s magazine that came in the mail that day.  Sorry Honey! Don’t worry I laid it out to dry and put it back together for you when I was all done.  It’s just more festive now.  Then I laid out all of my supplies on the table. 

We didn’t have and paper plates so I used tinfoil for my paint.  I began by painting each piece of canvas paper, using my large sponge brush, with one coat of paint.

While I was letting that dry, I cut my squash and sweet potato into the designs I wanted.  After my first coat had dried, about 15 minutes, I painted my veggies with my small sponge brush and pressed them down onto the canvas paper like stamps, waiting about 15 minutes between each coat. 

When all four were the way I wanted them to look complete, I positioned them into my frames and hung them on the wall.

Here is a look at how they turned out.

Overall, this project took about 1-2 hours start to finish and cost about $15 (plus the cost of the frames).  I am so happy with the ways these turned out!  They have not only brightened up our entry but have become a symbol that we are home each time we walk through the door.

Xoxo,

Whitney