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…

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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!

NUMBER 208

thanks so much for the great responses to the "date my bro" post. keep 'em comin!

and in case you need a little pep in your step today...

being delivered to me, as i type.

love it in flame too!

i'm not a big pink girl, but if i was…

the lauralee is perfect for a night out on the town..or if your name is laura leigh (kate, you were so close).

diggin the red…

just gorgeous, but you’re out of luck – unless you’re a size 11.

these, on the other hand, are still in stock…. i would wear these beauties everyday.

i’ve already picked out my new pretties, have you?

and andrew, if you’re reading this, stop sweating, i didn’t buy all of these.

NUMBER 207

ok. so this post kind of started out a few months ago as a joke between andrew, my brother (john) and me. “why don’t you just set me up with one of your blog friends” was his request – verbatim. little did they know, that got the wheels turning. so when he received a list of interview questions last week compiled by alex and me, his response was “so this is really happening?” yes, john-boy. this is really happening.

ladies, after a handful of long-term-gone-wrong relationships, my brother is back on the market. and although he’s not rushing to the altar any time soon, he’s agreed to humor me and answer a few questions for inquiring single ladies.

time for a little q&a:

• What’s your most visited website? Barstool Sports
• What’s your favorite make-out song? Usher – Nice & Slow
• If you were forced to watch the same RomCom for the rest of your life, which one would you pick? Wonderlust
• What’s your favorite restaurant in Charlotte? Cowfish
• Have you ever cried during a movie? Yes… multiple times.
• If your life had a theme song, what would it be? Semi Charmed Kind of Life
• If you were stranded on a deserted island, what are 3 things you’d have with you? A Boat, Cooler full of Beer, a Beach chair
• What’s your favorite piece of clothing? Why? My khaki shorts, to show off these great legs.
• What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever experienced? Spraying my college roommate with a fire extinguisher inside our house
• What’s your worst pet peeve? Obnoxiously loud people
• What’s your favorite midnight snack? Anything leftover from dinner in my fridge with chocolate milk
• How many times have you seen The Notebook? 3
• What is your favorite thing about your sister? That she does cool shit like this for me… and has bailed me out of some tight spots. And she one of my best frannns his words, not mine.
• Who is your favorite actress? Why? Natalie Portman. Because she is wifey material!
• What is the best meal you can cook? BBQ Pork Ribs
• This or that?
  • iPhone or Android: IPHONE
  • chicken or steak: Steak
  • boobs or butt: Butt
  • city or country: Country
  • beach or lake: Lake
  • sports car or truck: Sports Car
  • Carrie Underwood or Taylor Swift: Carrie… sad to say. i gather that this was a difficult decision for him.
  • newspaper or books: Books
  • high heels or Toms: Toms
  • Biggie or Tupac: Biggie
  • salty or sweet: Salty
  • long hair or short: Long Hair
  • beer or liquor: Liquor
• If you were an animal, which one would you be and why? Panda, because in China they live the life of a king… and they get to hang out all day long
• Do you know what Pinterest is? Yes.
• Do you have a laundry hamper? How often do you do laundry? Yes. At least once every week and a half
• How long does it take you to get ready? 15 minutes from couch to cab.

some additional deets:
current location: charlotte, south end
gainfully employed
age: 24

and, just so there’s no pressure to deal with the obsessive/crazy/overeager sister, if you complete this form, the info will go straight to john. no need to even comment – unless you really want to, in that case, it’s encouraged!

go ahead, date my bro

NUMBER 206

today's the first of feb, and i just couldn't wait to get some pink in the mix! here's your new february calendar, because i know y'all were just waiting on pins and needles...

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

if you don't see your device in the list below, or find that the sizes i've supplied aren't compatible, let me know about it, and i'll try my best to help you out!

happy weekend!

NUMBER 205

andrew and i had an amazing, low-key weekend. it was just what i needed! friday was gross, icy and wet. we took that as an opportunity to crash, eat what was around the house for dinner, and watch movies. saturday was spent running a few errands, picking up a new coffee table at nadeau, and grabbing some groceries for dinner/breakfast. one thing to know about andrew and me, if you don’t already know it: we love food, and if something stuck in our heads or we get a craving, you can be it’s going to be on the menu SOON.

the star of the weekend was the apple, walnut, and brie pancakes that my husband made sunday morning. i can’t take an ounce of credit (except for whipping up some easy peasy box pancakes). lucky you, he agreed to share his secret recipe:

apple, walnut, & brie pancakes

2 whole granny smith apples, peeled and sliced thin
2/3 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup syrup (mrs. butterworths is my favorite)
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup walnuts
few dashes of cinnamon
2 tablespoons of heavy cream (optional)
brie cheese

combine all of your ingredients (except for the cream and brie) in a saucepan on medium/high heat. keep cooking until the apples are soft and the syrup has begun to thicken back up. right before serving, add your heavy cream. serve on top of your pancakes, and don’t forget the brie – it TOTALLY makes this dish!

and if you have leftovers, cheese and granny smith apples make great crostinis! (cheddar and brie pictured)

NUMBER 204

2013 [so far] has been the year of an attempt at a healthier lifestyle and dinner menu. i've always been a bigger fan of carbs, starches, and sweets than veggies - it's no lie. so when i was perusing the pin' yesterday, i started thinking about new veggie options, amping up my culinary confidence, and no longer being a veggie virgin to some of these lovely...plants. enter: brussel sprouts. never have i ever tried brussel sprouts, and to be honest, they've never been placed on a plate in front of me. we just didn't have them in my house growing up. last night, i gave it a shot and was pleasantly surpised:

crispy brussel sprouts with bacon & garlic original

ingredients:
15-20 small brussel sprouts
3 bacon slices, chopped
2 garlic cloves, grated
thinly sliced ¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons rock salt, sea salt or "kosher" salt
salt and pepper

1. peel off any bad leaves from the brussel sprouts
2. bring a pot of water to the boil. add rock salt.
3. blanch brussel sprouts for 4 minutes then drain and refresh in cold running water.
   
   
4. cut sprouts in half lengthwise.
   
   
5. in the meantime, heat olive oil on high. add bacon and cook 1 minute.
6. add brussel sprouts and garlic and fry until they start to brown around the edges and the bacon crisps
7. drain brussel sprouts to remove excess oil. serve hot.