Date Night Stripes

Hooray for date nights.  This past Friday was just the fourth time in nearly eleven months that the husband and I were able to go out for a date.  The weather was perfection, and there was a festival going-on downtown, so it was a wonderful night for walking around.  

The evening started and ended at Fort Worth's only Prohibition Cocktail bar, Thompson's Bookstore, which opened while I was pregnant.  Finally, a good cocktail bar in town.  

For our casual, yet sophisticated night out, I wore a new striped tank-top.  The mix of horizontal and vertical stripes with spaghetti-straps, and a v-back, was the perfect amount of cute, with a little skin showing.  

My navy blue wedges tied-in the navy from the top, while my turquoise purse added a pop of color. 

The neck-line on the tank-top was perfect for a collar necklace, so I wore my new favorite Howlite, Crystal, and Gold one.  

A simple, cute outfit for a fun Friday on the town.  

Necklace, Chloe and Isabel

Tank, BP by Nordstroms

Jeans, Loft

Shoes (similar), Target

Bracelet, J Crew

Purse (similar) Kate Spade

Baby, Mine :) 

Decorating an Entryway on a Budget

When we moved into our house we thought we would get it decorated and stocked with nice furniture within a few years.  Well, seven years later, aside from some new paint on the walls, it looks exactly the same.  No hardwood floors, no master bedroom set, no new kitchen table or couch, etc. Life happens, money happens, and before you know it, time has passed.  We have recently hit a rut with our home and are ready to get the ball rolling on making it look how we always wanted it.  But, we have to start small.

One of the smallest areas in our house is the one that drives me the most crazy.  It is the first thing you see when you enter the house, the last thing you see when you leave, and well...you always see it.  It's our entryway!  A small space of ugly tile flooring with the front door and the garage door.  I have always hated having the garage entrance there; it belongs in the kitchen.  With two swinging doors we have one small space to actually decorate.  Up until now this space either housed hand-me-down faux leather ottomans, or a small table.  I have tried to change it up dozens of times with different pieces throughout the house, but I could never get it right. 

When I set out to re-decorate this space, I knew I wanted three things:

1- a bench

2- a place for shoes

3- wall hooks

A few months ago as I was wandering Michael's looking for Valentine's decor, I found these wonderful metal baskets.  They screamed Magnolia to me, and they were Buy 1 Get 1 Free.  Of course I bought them.  They sat on the floor in my entryway for nearly two months while I tried to decide how I was going to incorporate them into the space.  

Finally, while strolling through Target one weekday with my baby, I went down the wrong aisle looking for closet organization and found this gem of a bench. I looked the mix of wood with wire, plus it was the perfect size for my space, holds shoes, AND within my budget. 

A few more trips to Target and a month later; to return and exchange things as I tried to make the space look perfect, I was ready to decorate.  

In the end I decided to use only one of the hanging baskets, with a family photo, and command center.  I didn't exactly get a row of hooks; but who wants ugly jackets hanging there anyway?  

The piece de la resistance; this beautiful rug.  It ties in the grey from the walls, the teal from the door, and the coral and yellow touches from the rest of the house.  

It's not perfect but it's a million times better than it was before.