Jack

Well, quite the weekend it was for the soon to be Joy Family. We went to look at a puppy we found on petfinder at a foster home in Monroe, CT. Jack had been shipped up to Connecticut to be adopted after being abandoned at the Mississippi River bed in Tennessee. He arrived in CT on Wednesday, and when I saw his cute little face, I knew he had to be ours.

So on Saturday we went to 'meet' Jack not prepared to take our little guy home, but we couldn't walk away without him so off we went with Jack to our home.

 Bringing Jack outside at his foster's home

sound sleep like a good pup

Meeting Uncle Kevin

the new happy family :)

exploring his new place...

he LOVES this spot so we put his little bed there

pooped

thanks mom and dad for my bed, it's so comfy...

I don't know about this snow in CT. Back in Tennessee we don't have it...

Do you like my spots??

I loved the dog store!

time for a nap...

He has been SUCH a good pup, already house-trained!! He only wants to be with Brian and me, and cries when we aren't in sight. We've taken him on walks, to the puppy store, and out to lunch with us on Sunday. He just sat there like a good boy. The nights on the other hand...let's just say I'm exhausted! I can't imagine what it's like to be a mom!

Thanks for letting me introduce you all to Jack, I couldn't resist!!

Foyer Friday

I read somewhere that upon the first 60 seconds of walking into a home, a visitor will know what type of experience he or she will have. A spot on theory, and to me, one of the most important reasons of keeping a nicely decorated home. The foyer plays a crucial role in the welcoming of guests and you want them to feel as comfortable as can be while in your home.

The essentials I see necessary to be included in your foyer:

console table for:

lamp (for warmth)

large mirror above console (so people can check themselves out before they see everyone)

a little area rug

maybe a picture frame or two

a piece of decor that is a reflection of you such as a shell, elephant, etc...

fresh flowers

{images via:}

elledecor.com

housebeautiful.com

decorpad.com

Wedding Monogram Decision

Hi Lovelies!! I am so happy to be working with the super-talented Jennifer Allison who I found on Etsy to create a wedding monogram for Brian and me. I plan on using the digital image she creates in all of the stationary we use including our thank you notes, programs, menus, etc... I like to be consistent and a monogram is perfect to carry out our theme through all aspects of the wedding, kind of like a logo or a brand for a business.

I gave Jen a few ideas and she came up with these beautiful designs. She is open to making some changes so please feel free to comment, I am dying to know what you think!

Jennifer Allison Designs

website

etsy shop

blog

Driftwood Chic

I love the use of driftwood in homes, not only in the accessories and furniture, but built into the walls, floor, and ceiling.

Some cute accessories on Etsy:

 etsy

 etsy

Do you have any driftwood in your home?? Do share!

specialescapes

coronahardwood

decorpad

rafkhostudios.com

A Starfish Wine Sack Giveaway on Facebook

Hooray for a giveaway #1! I'm so exited that there are 2000 people on our Shorely Chic facebook page, I thought it would be nice to have a series of giveaways over the next two weeks.


To be entered in this fabulous giveaway #1 please:

1) Suggest Shorely Chic to your friends with the simple tab that says 'Suggest to Friends'

2) Post a comment letting me know you did # 1 and your name will be entered into the drawing

**for an extra entry, post something on your own wall about this giveaway**

Good Luck my Lovelies!

New Designer Breakout: Rebecca Allen Designs

I love meeting and learning about other new designers and their experiences breaking into the marketplace. I frequent the online community on Etsy to connect with other sellers and share ideas and I have to say when I first started as a seller, it really got me going and taught me so much. I learned how to write better descriptions, take better photos of my products, etc... I actually posted in the forums about blog sponsorships and I was so happy Rebecca from Rebecca Allen Designs reached out to me. I asked her a few questions about getting her business of the ground:

  where do you get your inspiration from?

a.       A lot of our designs come from my super girly personality.  Since we are a two person team we love scourging through bead shops and vintage stores to help us feel inspired.  We’ve learned after having my shop open for two years that you really need to create what you enjoy and love.  Making things because that’s the trend or what other people like isn’t a successful business.  If you just follow your heart people will see that and will love your items as much as you do.

what are your favorite items to design and/or sell?

a.       I actually love creating lace jewelry.  It’s not one of our big sellers, but it’s one of my favorite things to create.  Being able to find that perfect piece of lace, cutting it into a design, dying and stringing beads and chain on it is the best part of my job!

what has been the most rewarding factor in owning your own business?

a.       I think the best part of the business is hearing customers tell you how much they love your pieces.  Having someone purchase your item and then getting an email or convo back stating how much they or the one they gifted the item to loved the design is the most rewarding aspect of having your own business.

 what has been the biggest challenge?

a.        When we first started out we designed a lot of my pieces by what style or design was the new hot trend, not necessarily sticking to our gut and what we loved.  Having the courage to finally create a piece of jewelry that was entirely us and seeing it be a success was the biggest learning experience and challenge to work through. 

 how do you see your business growing in the next few years?

a.       Well we’re growing more rapidly than we ever expected.  We would love to be able to grow our wholesale area of the business, we have been participating in trade shows for 2 years now and are steadily growing with sales reps. We would also love to connect with our customers, it’s great to sell items online but there is something even more rewarding when you get to have one on one contact with the people that love your items.  We participate in several fairs and cash and carry show a year, recently the Chicago Gift Show, but would love to visit and attend several more!

what is your big time goal?

a.       Well there are a few crazy goals that I would love to fulfill {that's the spirit!!!} one day, like sell on QVC (which would be crazy since there are only two of us making jewelry and handbags).  But a realistic goal is to increase the amount of products we sell, sign up with a PR company and meet more of our customers!

some of my favorite Rebecca Allen pieces:

 Thank you, Rebecca, and do take a visit to her shop!

Vintage Beach Shoots

It's nearly 60 degrees here in Connecticut today! This warmness has me longing for the sun and some quality time on the beach, I may even hit it today, just for a peak :) And speaking of beach, check out these amazing vintage inspired engagement shoots taken on the beach, how clever ...

LOVE this one...

LOVE the above

I don't think I'll go this route, but I think they are so adorable.

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