Accessorize with J. Crew!

The key to style is accessorizing. Layering is in style and adding a headband, jewelry, scarf, hat or belt to your outfit adds interest.
GradGirl knows how to do this well!

The "Jackie" cardigan, from J. Crew,
is a great sweater for any season.
Pair it with their matching skinny belt.
Adding a scarf is a great way to brighten your outfit
and stay warm this winter too!

see more fashion tips over at Kelly's Korner!

presentation is everything

okay... not everything, but it sure makes gift giving so much more fun!
I'm going to a bridal shower this weekend (in between 4 weekends of baby showers) and this is my gift
No... I can't tell you what's inside, just in case the bride visits my blog, but it is something off her registry.
I found this cute basket while out shopping, then took a trip to my fave store Hobby Lobby to buy a piece of fabric to make a gift bag.
A little stitching, a little ribbon... and Voila!
It's like dress-up for your gift!

lookin' forward to another fun celebration!

what bag are you carrying?

For a GolfGal, I haven't done a post about golf in a very long time. Maybe because it's winter and our weather has been "uber" rainy, and there's not been much opportunity to golf. But... I wanted to share these great bags with you! They are lightweight, great if you want to carry, and so cute and girly!

Ogio golf bags

on sale and free shipping at

That's it!
That's the one... pink plaid for GradGirl.
New to the game of golf, but you know...
a gal's always gotta look good!

C'mon Spring... we're ready anytime now!

which one is your favorite?

we have a name!

I will now address my grandbaby to you all as
Carter Lewis Hamilton
the name officially given him by his parents.

They had decided on "Carter" quite a few months back, and just finalized his middle name as "Lewis". It's my mother's maiden name, and an honor to carry it on. She was thrilled!

Auntie Kristin hand painted these adorable canvas's
to hang over his crib.

They have an under the sea theme with cute little fish.

Look at how the colors totally coordinate with the fabrics in the dust ruffle I made...

... and the bamboo hamper I trimmed out with the same stripe fabric!

I just love his nursery! It's such a beautiful color and has a relaxing feel about it. A little more tweaking to go, and a few more sewing projects for me. I'm working on the bumpers and need to recover the glider cushions in brown minky.

Very soon... it will all be ready for you Carter!

winter white sales

I've had my black and white toile dust ruffle and shams forever it seems, but they were custom made and such good quality that I can't give them up. I've been building around them for 3 rounds of comforters now. I was feeling the winter blahs and wanted a "face-lift" to my bedroom so I hit the January white sales!

MLK weekend I found this Ralph Lauren "Winter Cottage" collection at Dillards.

They had it their usual discounted off the MSRP price plus an additional 50% off! The check pattern enables me to still use my black and white toile, and my rug, and give the room a cozy face-lift for the rest of the winter.

I just love it! I found some red pillows and red pillowcases, yet to be put on the bed, to give it a little color. I'll be shopping for a larger red transferware platter to hang in the middle of my plates too. And... I'm thinking I'll freshen the paint up and go with a brighter cream color.

I also ordered this port-a-crib for Grandbaby for when he comes to visit. It will look great in the corner of my master-on-the-main bedroom too!
I know come spring I may want a lighter airier look, so I may just get a cream Matlesse' coverlet. But for now, I'm enjoying my cozy winter bedroom!


linked up at The Inspired Room inspiring finds

and at Cottage Instincts make it for Monday

baby showers in the forecast

Weekend showers... both raindrops and baby!

Last weekend we hosted a shower for my daughter, and this weekend her MIL and a friend hosted one for her too!

Sherry made a fun diaper cake centerpiece

We played "who could correctly measure the momma-to-be's belly"
45 inches was the winner!

Wow... what a pile of presents!my gift was a hamper trimmed to match the nursery bedding, filled with a rug for in front of the crib and a few towel sets for bath time.

All the guests took turns opening a gift. Kathleen opened a beautiful hand crocheted blanket and a book about "Boston Duck Tours" from cousin Kathryn. Thanks Kat !

Auntie Alex and BF Candace

Everyone was asked to bring a book to add to grandbaby's library.Aunt Jane came all the way from New York to be here!

The happy momma to be!

Kelly and the proud grandma's to be... "Bella" and "Hattie"

It was a fun day! This is one lucky little guy, already so loved by so many!

Baby Shower fun!

The baby shower this past Saturday was tons o' fun! We started the afternoon welcoming the guests with conversation and cocktails.

I had napkins printed up and the Club served wine, mimosas and...

a baby blue Mojito for those wishing to imbibe.

The tables were set with diaper cake centerpieces and diaper wrapped napkins.

We served a Tapas Buffet of Pork Lettuce Wraps, Halibut Soft Tacos, Grilled Beefsticks with Lemongrass Salsa, Vegetable Sushi and a salad of Winter Mixed Greens, Pears, Gorgonzola, Walnuts and Dried Cranberries, yum!
Chef did not disappoint, the food was delicious! No photos though, we were all too busy enjoying the meal!
For sweets we served homemade cupcakes in baby blue wrappers and a tray of mini delights.
We decorated the dessert table with a larger version of our diaper cake. There is a baby bottle filled with water in the center that allows you to put fresh flowers on the top of the cake!

One "typical shower thing" we did differently was we asked the guests to bring their gift unwrapped. Opening the gifts can be very time consuming and we wanted the entire party to be enjoyable for all! We displayed the gifts on a table so everyone could see the useful, adorable and much appreciated baby items. During lunch, the Momma-to-be thanked all the guests for coming and for all their generous gifts.
hand painted nursery canvas's by Auntie Kris, my handmade dust ruffle, and just a few of the sweet baby boy gifts

We played one game, "Name that Tune". Every song had the word "baby" in the title of course! The guests had fun and even sang along to their faves! We gave burned CD's of the mix to the top winners of the game.
Our thank you favors were very practical... cans of tennis balls and bags of golf balls, sports we all have in common and enjoy, and if not, the family pup always loves a new tennis ball!

It was so much fun to plan... and sooo much fun to share the excitement of welcoming our first grandbaby with all the guests, our dear friends and family.

grandma Hattie, alias