NUMBER 233

it's friday again [HALLELUJAH!], and i'm linking up with some favorite blogger girlfriends for the weekly five on friday! here are a few exciting things from this week, sprinkled with items for the weekend and right this minute:

1  |  i'm a big fan of dressing up neutrals or a comfy maxi dress with bold statement pieces. right now, i've got my eyeball on this gorgeous statement necklace from poppy style.

2  |  twice a day, every day for the past 7+ months, andrew and i have been driving past the construction site of our new grocery store. (it's on the way to/from work, we're not just creepin). yesterday was FINALLY opening day of the new harris teeter in plaza midwood! conveniently, we were out of eggs last night (a night that called for breakfast for dinner) so i made a quick stop by. the thing is as big as walmart, i swear.

3  | summer is the season for backyard cookouts, and i'm so so excited to be attending the season's first at matt and christina's. i know it will be nothing less than "pinterest perfect"!

4  |  i designed some bridal shower invitations for my sweet friend, and sorority sister, liz. i love seeing how this event is coming together and that i had a small hand in it!

5  |  j.crew had a BIG sale on monday, and i'm kicking myself for not loading up. right now, i'm especially loving their printed shorts and this sleeveless popover.

HAPPY WEEKEND!

NUMBER 232

hi there! just popping in to share one of my most recent pretties: stefanie from the house spouse. stefanie was so awesome to work with. i hope she looooves her new design – it ranks up there as one of my top favorites (they’re all my favorites, obv)!

NUMBER 231

did we just have a 3 day weekend? i'm asking because my memory is just a big blur. our memorial day weekend was spent celebrating birthdays, babies, beer, and burritos (actually, all junk food, but burritos fits best here).

friday: i drove down to my parents house to spend the night halfway to danville. i enjoyed some sweet jack snuggles, delicious dinner at lucky 32, did some design work and called it a night around midnight.

saturday: drove down to d-ville with my mom to celebrate my gorgeous mom-to-be bff, lauren. she’s in her 3rd trimester already and, i swear, the gal is in better shape than me. headed back to charlotte saturday evening to nurse my week-long head cold with a tall beer and salad with my boo at big daddy's (i like the old name better).

sunday: up early to celebrate sweet chelsea with brunch at peculiar rabbit and some a moderate amount of day [and night] drinking. oh! and gnarley kitty snugs.

monday: spent the day sleeping until noon, eating fast food, posted up on the couch in front of the tv, vowing to get back in the gym this week, and having my body hate me for the sunday’s activities.

NUMBER 230

i'm so excited, a few of my blog gal pals (here and here) are hosting a new link up: 5 on friday, and i'm so pumped to join the partay! here are a few things that i'm super excited about:

1  |  we went out last night to celebrate one of andrew’s coworker’s (and good friend’s) bday. we ended up going to VGBG and had a ton of fun playing trivia and eating cake. we made our way over to an invite-only concert next door at the fillmore. this was my first concert there, but it won’t be my last! what a great place – such an intimate setting! the free booze provided didn’t hurt either! andrew and i ended the night lounging on the couch, listening to jack johnson and o.a.r. reminiscing about the good ol college days. ahhh.

2  |  NO. i am not with child. i'm NOT preggs. one of my very best and long-time girlfriends is flying in from dallas for HER baby shower this weekend! i'll be going to danville on saturday to celebrate her and rub her little bump! one of my go-to baby gifts right now is a wubanub – which might be the cutest little thing ever. i know i would have been all about this as a child – seeing as how i didn’t let go of my tiny stuffed rabbit friend, “beans”, until i was in middle school.

3  |  memorial day is monday and the unofficial start to summer. this means short shorts are IN season! last year, i did a little tutorial on my american flag cut off shorts for the NASCAR race, and i might just be brining them out of retirement!

4  |  how gorgeous are these kate spade earrings? they would have been perfect for a cinco de mayo bash!

5  |  i've been using this face wash for a week now and think i've found my second life partner. i've mentioned before that i have horrible skin - actually, i'm pretty self-conscious about it. i have really deep pores (damn genetics) and i rarely feel like my face is really clean – even after washing with a clarisonic every night. i can honestly say that my face is softer and brighter and i could tell a difference after just 1 use. -- plus a $7 price tag certainly beats what i've been desperately throwing away at sephora.

look at me! back on the blog-wagon!

HAPPY [HOLIDAY] WEEKEND!

NUMBER 229

i'm back from radio silence to share a project that i worked on over a month ago with sweet sweet lindsay of linsday wynne photography. linsday reached out to me not long ago about a blogger promotion she was hosting and after reading the first sentence of her email, i was hooked! from that point, we scheduled a meet and greet and started gathering our ideas for the shoot. linsday was so awesome throughout the whole process. even though this was totally her idea, she fully indulged my creative side as we started collaborating on a pinterest board to plan the shoot (what a GREAT idea!).

the morning of the shoot, our hair and makeup gal arrived at the house with a suitcase full of tools and we got to primping! i have to say that this was one of my favorite parts - i could watch youtube tutorials on hair and makeup for hours on end, and having someone else do mine on a daily basis would be money well spent! ok ok! now to the good part…

here are just a few of my favorites from the shoot:

thanks so so much, lindsay, for making me feel so beautiful! you truly are an artist and one of a kind! i had a blast doing the shoot and look forward working with you again soon!

i promise not to go another 20 days before i post again!…famous last words

NUMBER 228

via

i appreciate you sticking with me in the last few months - my posts have been pretty bare. 4 in the month of april!? eesh.

i was putting together one of those "fluff" posts today, and halfway through, it was TOTALLY evident that it was just that - filler. i think it’s only fair to me and to you, that i wait until i'm truly inspired to write about something legit. deal? until then, i'll keep sharing some happy, lovely new designs.

as a side-note: thank you for the outpouring of support from friends, family, strangers, and especially my husband and for allowing me to do the work i love to do!

NUMBER 227

HOW is it already may? i guess that's what happens when you spend all month traveling, working, and having visitors! i promise to have a real post coming up soon, but in the meantime, i'm popping in to share one of my latest favorite designs:

i recently had the pleasure of working with leigh, a fellow carolina gal, from hines-sight blog! check out her new, fresh design and follow along as she reviews the finest hotels and restaurants in the country! maybe i can sweet talk my way into her suitcase for her next trip!

NUMBER 226

this past weekend was one of the most fun weekends i've had in a looong time! the older i get, the more i appreciate a low-key weekend with great friends and wonderful family. my dad’s newest hobby is brewing beer, and since he had 2 little kegs ready at the same time, we decided to celebrate a successful brew with a crawfish boil! the weather was gorgeous, the beer was delicious, and the crawdads were spicy – all elements that add up to a perfect afternoon! here are a few of my favorite shots from the shindig:

the eligible bachelor

still alive and pinchin’

this is only a little bit. we had 50lbs of crawdads!

pretty/sweet/awesome lori beth

my handsome husband

sweet sweet charlotte girlfriends, chelsea and kristy
(awesome hurr stylists in charlotte @ t.reid – give ‘em a call!)

oh, and jack got plenty of attention. i promise he's really loving it!

our gracious hosts/the best parents ever

p.s. special thanks to chelsea for letting me steal a bunch of her pics for this post! xoxo

NUMBER 225

oh look! i'm back! i've been busy working with sweet sarah over at georgia peaches on a bloggie facelift. if you love animals and all things southern, you should check out her blog. she's such a sweet soul who loves her furbabies - which was (and still is) the base for her blog design. sarah wanted to honor her sweet dixie dog, who recently went to heaven, by featuring her in the header image. her previous blog design used this cutesy frame and dixie's picture, and she wanted to keep that theme going. we worked together to develop a cleaner design that felt light and airy with accents of peach and pink. see how it all turned out:
 

NUMBER 224

i promise i'm still alive! with springtime here in full force, andrew and i have been spending all of our spare time working in the yard (grass seeding and flower planting). when i'm not a sweaty mess, i've been doing LOTS of design work! i couldn't be happier about the influx of work and support for laura wyatt designs! even though i'm primarily doing web design, i still do a little bit of invitation and print work. here’s a recent graduation invitation i made for a william & mary graduation party:

i hope everyone is having a great week (and month). i promise to get back on the blog train once life slows down a bit!

NUMBER 223

ermagersh! i just wrapped up the cutest design for just bri – you might remember her from the charlotte social. bri is a fellow charlottean and as cute as she can be! it’s been such a pleasure working with her again, and i was so thrilled to design something so fun and fresh – just like her! see how it all came together…

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

NUMBER 222

today, i'm linking up with sweet jaime for what i'm loving wednesday – something i haven’t done in a while, but it’s nice to revisit old friends, right?

1  |  do i carry a laptop everyday? no. do i need an excuse to buy a super cute laptop bag? perhaps. currently eyeballing this cutie from better life bags – you may have heard of her from kate @ the small things blog. at $75 for a custom sized bag, you really can’t go wrong!

2  |  i've been daydreaming of the day that my girlfriends would make the trek down to visit me in charlotte and see our new home. i'm loving the look of this light and airy guest bedroom. add a few southern living mags, some fresh flowers, they’ll be happy call this place home for an extended stay! (source)

3  |  if you walked into old navy today, you’d find at least 8-10 items that look like they hopped off right the overpriced racks at jcrew. i snagged some incredible look-a-likes over the weekend, including this pair of adorable paisley printed shorts, this gingham shirt (got it in black gingham, only in stores, i guess), and this comfy tee. debating hitting the store again this week to snag these sweet gingham shorts.

4  |  i spend an absurd amount of time being jealous of andrew’s long eyelashes. it’s just not fair – he doesn’t need lashes that long and thick – I DO! i've been very leery of the large price tags, so i hadn’t tried a growth serum on my eyelashes yet. BUT i saw where this loreal kit is on sale for less than $7, so i snagged it and am excited about giving it a try. if it ends up working (even the slightest bit) you can bet i'll share the love and do a review. i may/may not have already taken my “before” pics!

PS – don’t forget to enter my giveaway for a shopping credit at ADAIR! the giveaway ends this friday!

NUMBER 221

so remember that time i was a fashion blogger? yeah, me either. today, i am one of "those girls". the ones who laugh ever so casually while giving that shy upward glance (because that's totally natural and not staged at all). the ones who sweet talk their husbands/boyfriends/so into having a rather large photo session in the back yard. the ones who give away dresses and gift cards to awesome boutiques. yes! that's me today!

sweet sydney over at adair (a charlotte-based online boutique) recently reached out to me and asked that i style their gorgeous "heat is on" maxi. a red dress is a little bit of a challenge – especially for a gal like me. red is such a BOLD color - often worn by women who want to make a statement, who want the spotlight. i, on the other hand, am perfectly comfortable OUT of the spotlight… but that’s another story for another day.

it actually ended up being really fun to make this bold statement dress a little more “me”. i added a chambray shirt to make it a bit more casual and cool weather friendly. i threw on my booties to keep in trendy, but in all honesty, when i wear this dress again, i’ll most likely be in flippy flops or my favorite tory sandals.


dress: c/o adair | shirt: old navy | belt: forever 21
bracelets: david yurman,john hardy | earrings: silpada  | booties: steve madden
not bad, right? today, we’re giving away a $30 credit so you can shop online at adair too! to win, you must follow our life in the queen city through google friend connect, bloglovin, or feedburner. additional entries can be earned below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

NUMBER 220

the design business is GOOD, y’all! over the past week, i've had so much fun working with precious kerri from a sweet georgia peach on her new bog design. kerri wanted a design that was clean and sparkly, and this is right up her alley! i'm so thrilled at how it turned out:

NUMBER 219

i love a good deal! over the weekend i ran across a dead ringer look-a-like for an item i'd been eyeballing at j.crew factory. check it out:

i've been on the hunt for a utility jacket as soon as i saw cute emily sporting hers last fall. i waited too long to pull the trigger at j.crew, and they sold out. now, i'm glad i waited! i spotted the copycat at jpc and snatched that baby up! fyi, the look-a-like version isn't quite that green in real life. so go get it girl!

NUMBER 218

today, i'm linking up with sweet whitney over at the observant turtle for her international badge day link up! this week, she's invited bloggers to share their sorority experiences and celebrate greek life!

i knew, way before i started college in the fall of 2003, that i wanted to be in a sorority. one of my older cousins, who i still look up to so very much, joined a sorority in college, and that was all the info i needed to decide that i was going to be in one too. i can still remember my last pref party, late and in the freezing cold - how narrowing it down to 1 choice had been so easy. i had no idea then how much that easy decision would impact the rest of my life. my pledge sisters would eventually become my bridesmaids and my leadership roles would shape me into the woman i am today.

i cannot say enough wonderful things about my experience in zeta tau alpha. i met some of the most important people in my life by joining the greek community at virginia tech. even 6 years after graduation, our tight-knit group has celebrated highest highs and mourned lowest lows together. i wouldn't trade my 4 years at virginia tech for anything, and being in a sorority with these amazing women MADE my college experience.

anti-greek hipsters can make comments like "joining a sorority is just paying for your friends". if i paid for my friends, it's the best investment i've ever made.

for your enjoyment: some vintage snapshots and my ever changing hairstyles.

NUMBER 217

this weekend, we got to experience our first snow in charlotte (we missed the first “big” one this winter). it was a big wet snow that didn’t stick, but it definitely got me in the mood for a yummy soup and crusty bread. i’m no gourmet chef, so i stuck with something simple – a canned tomato soup, doctored up to taste like one of my favorites: tomato basil bisque.

laura’s fake tomato basil bisque

2 cans of tomato soup
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 large garlic clove (i like to grate mine, so it dissolves nicely)
2 tablespoons of fresh chopped basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
.5 teaspoon fresh black pepper
.5 cup milk
splash of heavy cream (just because it was in the fridge)
parmesan cheese (optional)

i added the first 7 ingredients and let it simmer for a while – to let the flavors meld. then towards the end, i added my cream!
*note: my measurements are not precise. honestly, i just eyeballed it and seasoned to taste.

enjoy with a heel of crusty bread or the mandatory grilled cheese that has to go with tomato soup.

NUMBER 216

over the past week i've had the pleasure of working with sweet sweet christina from carolina charm on a new blog facelift. i know christina in real life and can’t say enough good things about her! she’s just great, y’all!! she wanted something fresh and clean – “lots of white space” – and nothing too frou-frou or girly. i think the new design we put together is so timeless and gorgeous! i hope she loves it as much as i do!

NUMBER 215

since it’s the first day of march, here’s your new calendar! weee!

desktop | android | ipad | iphone 3/4 | iphone 5

happy weekend!

NUMBER 214

BAH! the last 8 days have been nuts, and i'm feeling incredibly blessed. i've got some big design projects on the horizon, a special giveaway coming up, and a few new pretty things around the wyatt house!

andrew’s parents came to visit last weekend. while andrews mom and i were out shoe shopping and antiquing, the men were knocking holes in the wall….literally. we’ve been staring at electrical wires coming down beside our tv for some time now, and it was beginning to make my eye twitch. we decided that the ideal option for us would be to have a built-in shelf to store the tv receivers, xbox, etc., and since my father-in-law is a contractor, we knew he’d be just the man to do it for us consult.

i'm so incredibly pleased with how it turned out. every time i walk by i can’t help but make a comment like “it looks SO good!” “it’s EXACTLY what i wanted” …etc. the project will be complete once we put a coat of paint her this weekend! thank the good Lord for handy men!

our second pretty present came tuesday night. andrew and i have been a one car family since we moved to charlotte over 2 years ago (wow! i can’t believe it’s been 2 years). not only were we a 1 car family, our 1 car was a 2 door toyota celica that i've had since high school! it was really hot in 2002, trust me! the celi is an unbelievable car, SO reliable, and we still have her (no tears were shed yet!), but this will be a nice luxury that we both can enjoy. we picked up a 2011 jeep grand cherokee on tuesday night and have been joy riding ever since!

hope everyone has had a great week! my dad’s on a business trip in tokyo, so my mom and jack (the dog) decided to make a road trip down for a long weekend to do a little (more) antiquing, paint some more rooms in the house, and do some girl things. can’t wait!

NUMBER 213

please disregard the major mess i'm making while i redesign the blog [again]!

NUMBER 212

hey y’all! sorry i'm not sorry for the radio silence over the past week-ish. i've been having TOO much fun playing designer for sweet bri over at just bri. bri is the founder of the charlotte social – a networking site for charlotte bloggers. i was giddy with joy when she asked me to help out with the design because 1. i love blog design (obv.) and 2. i TOTALLY support her cause. i've met some incredible girls and real life friends through blogging and am SO excited to see what the charlotte social can offer these amazing women. below, i've featured some branding and design elements i developed and the final site design!


y’all stop by, and tell bri i said hi! if you’re interested in a fresh design for your blogspace, fill out a design request to get started!

NUMBER 211

tomorrow is valentines day, and i find that most people either really love or really despise the holiday. although i'm incredibly thankful for my valentine (and love receiving something sweet from him this time of year), i'm still on the fence. i don’t find myself itching to go out to a fancy restaurant or send my significant other a lengthy wishlist of luxury items. in years past, we’ve had dinner in and exchanged cards, and i'm expecting (and looking forward to) this year to be no different. the discussion so far has been: to get in a good workout (thinking the gym will be pretty dead), stop somewhere after to get some delicious takeout (tbd), and maybe indulge in a homemade treat for dessert (again…tbd). to me, valentine’s day is about spending time with those who mean the most to you: husbands, parents, girlfriends, close friends – and letting them know that they are appreciated and loved. it doesn’t matter how much you spend, what you wear, or how good you are at writing love letters. what matters most is love… and maybe, chocolate.

NUMBER 210

we tuned into the grammys last night, and i'll say i was SO pleased with the winners this year! all of my favorites won (carrie, fun., and the black keys), and i just went to bed feeling so happy!

so…lets get down to business. overall, i was a little disappointed with the fashion of the night. everyone seemed a little bored (and boring). maybe it was just the absence of those we love to hate: nicki minaj and lady gaga.

rihanna is probably one of my least favorite artists of all time (pink gets 1st runner up), but in my opinion, her red carpet look was the best of the night. her hair was perfection, and i love love love the shape and the movement of her dress. however, i do wish she would have covered up her goods in the front a bit more – there’s no question about it, that dress was sheer.

another best dressed was girls star: allison williams, and katy perry’s date for the night. i thought this was a really pretty, classic look – she’s not a nominated artist (or even in music, that i’m aware of), so wearing a show-stopping ball gown or some outrageous getup would be in bad taste (in my opinion).

honorable mention: taylor swift, adele, florence welch, jayz. i'm just glad to see adele in something other than black.

i wont go into a lengthy discussion about the worst dressed, kat dennings or carly rae jepsen. kat did a decent job of maintaining her ‘girls’ but the tie dye, sparkly, rouched, saran wrap look just isn’t working for me. i think carly rae chose a beautiful dress, but she’s swimming in it. it just seems to me that she picked this dress right off the rack and never had a fitting. her hair style, that signature mouth-open stare (not pictured), and the blue eyeshadow…just wrong.

honorable mention: beyonce, jennifer lopez, carrie underwood (performance outfit – didn’t like the LED dress in concert, don’t like it now), faith hill, john mayer

who were your hits and misses?

NUMBER 209

vday is right around the corner, which means there’s been a lot of that pink-red-white combo in our presence. i love these cookies for a quick valentines treat because they’re pink and festive (and more importantly easy and delicious).

strawberry cake mix cookies
with cream cheese icing

1 box of strawberry cake mix
2 medium eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 stick of butter, softened

preheat your oven to 350. mix all of your ingredients in a medium mixing bowl with your electric mixer until it’s doughy. if you feel that it’s not doughy enough, add a little water (a 1 tsp at a time). then, i used my measuring spoon to form uniform-sized little cookies, and found that, since the dough spreads when you cook, these are the perfect serving size. bake your cookies for 8-10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack before icing.

i loaded up some store bought cream cheese icing into an icing bag, clipped the end to make a little piping tool, and drizzled the icing in zig zags across the top (and added sprinkles, obv). this was better for me because i had to transport them quickly to another location. i've seen other icing methods with these babies as well – in the middle for whoopie pies or just loading it all on top – either one works!

i store mine in an air-tight container in the fridge. cold soft cookie + cold milk = YUM!