Macy's Friends and Family Sale - Ends May 5th

It is one of my favorite times of the year!! Macy's Friends and Family Sale with 25% of your entire purchase. Sale ends May 5th. Make sure to use the code FRIEND at checkout.

This is PERFECT if you are looking to buy any shower or wedding registry gifts. Also, Mother's Day is right around the corner so why don't you buy your Mom that Michael Kor's purse she has been eyeing!!

You can use the discount on brands that normal coupons aren't applied too!

http://www.macys.com/m/campaign/landing/friendsfamily_042914?cm_mmc=VanityUrl-_-friend-_-n-_-n

Check out Macy.com to see what is available! I feel that online has WAY more selection of brands and product then in the stores.

Here are a few items that I am thinking about getting for Mother's day presents and maybe 1 or 2 things for myself!!

Kate Spade New York Darling Point Mr & Mrs Collection is perfect for engagement, shower and wedding presents. For my wedding I received the champagne glasses, cake knife and server and am also eyeing some of the picture frames for wedding photos. I have also given the picture frames as engagement presents.

kate spade new york Darling Point Mr & Mrs Gifts Collection

Kate Spade China is also buy 3 get 1 free! So if any of your brides are registered for these place settings it could be a great gift for the bridal party to give the bride!

BRIDES... How cute are these gold bracelets? They would make great bridesmaid presents!! And you can write in the card "thank you for helping me tie the knot"!! They also have rings, earrings, etc that would be perfect bridesmaid jewelry or gifts for your friends.

kate spade new york Bracelet, 12k Gold-Plated Sailor's Knot Hinge Bangle Bracelet

kate spade new york Bracelet, 12k Gold-Plated Skinny Mini Bow Bangle Bracelet

AND BRIDES... Don't forget about yourself as well! I bought this necklace last year to wear at my reception!! They also have tons of other cute jewelry that you can switch into for your reception or better yet wear on your honeymoon!

kate spade new york Necklace, 12k Gold-Plated Say Yes Mrs. Pendant Necklace

Okay, enough with the bridal and lets get on to Mom's and gifts for us!! Here are a few things that are on my list to buy!

Bobbi Brown Extreme Party & No Smudge Dual Ended Mascara

Le Creuset Revolution 6 Piece Kitchen Utensil Crock Set - in White!

MICHAEL Michael Kors Large Studded Straw Shopper

I could go on for hours putting together my list! Hopefully this will give you some ideas!

Happy Pinning!
By Jennifer Shelton

Strawberry-Rhubarb Shortcake with Whipped-Cream Biscuits

For the past week in North Carolina we have had the most beautiful weather. Coming from Boston I savor every single day of sunshine and the first warm day makes me think that summer is here. I was in the grocery store and saw fresh rhubarb which instantly made me think of a summer recipe to make.

I remember seeing a recipe for strawberry-rhubarb shortcake with whipped cream biscuits on Pinterest that sounded like the perfect dessert to have with dinner while we were eating outside!

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/167196204890015662/

This recipe is SO simple to make and is so incredibly delicious. I have been making shortcake for years and have always been complimented on my biscuits. I can tell you I am no longer making biscuits with my old recipe moving forward. This recipe calls for homemade whipped cream to make the biscuits. It makes the biscuits so incredibly creamy!! I also like the fact that you can make this recipe ahead of time or in stages depending on how much time you have.

The only tweak I would make to this recipe moving forward is to double the strawberry-rhubarb filling. Personally, I like my shortcake where the strawberry yumminess seeps into the biscuits!!

This recipe was originally from Yankee Magazine - May 2012

Ingredients:

Strawberry-Rhubarb Filling: Double this if you like lots of filling!

• 1lb medium-size strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1-1/2 cups chopped fresh rhubarb (about 2 stalks)
• Pinch table salt

Mix berries with 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons of orange juice in a medium-size bow. Toss gently and set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine rhubarb, remaining 1/2 cup sugar and salt. Set over medium heat to cook, stirring, until sugar melts and liquids are simmering nicely, 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Rhubarb will soften as it sits.

Add berries and stir. Set aside.

Whipped Cream Biscuits

Ingredients:

• Unsalted butter (to grease baking sheet0
• 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• Freshly grated zest of 1 orange 
• 1 cup heavy cream, plus extra for biscuits
• Course or granulated sugar

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Grease a baking sheet, and set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and orange zest. 

In the bowl of a standing mixer (I used my hand mixer), whip cream until it forms firm peaks. 

Fold whipped cream gently into flour mixture until dough begins to come together. Add a tablespoon of unwrapped cream to mixture until you are able to gather the dough into a ball. Turn out gathered dough onto a floured surface. Press to form a disk about 3/4 inch think. It will be slightly crumbly. 

Using a 2-1/12 inch-wide biscuit cutter, cut biscuits and lay them on a baking sheet. Brush with extra cream and sprinkle with course or granulated sugar (I used Sugar in the Raw!). 

Bake until golden, 15-17 minutes. Cool on racks. 

Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Just before serving, make the whipped cream: Beat cream, sugar and vanilla until firm peaks form. 

To plate, split each biscuit horizontally. Spoon berry and rhubarb mixture on bottom half, cover with top half. Garnish with whipped cream. ENJOY!!

For other summer recipes make sure to check out my Pinterest page.

Happy Pinning!
By Jennifer Shelton

My Southern I Do's - Cocktail Hour

I was SO incredibly excited planning my cocktail hour for the wedding! I didn't want to miss one minute. We had amazing appetizers from Hamby's Catering, and include ham sandwiches on sweet potato biscuits, crab cakes, deviled eggs (for the backyard feel), and more! We wanted to make sure everyone left with full bellies! We used the chalkboard sign from our nautical shower!

We also greeted everyone with signature drinks in mason jars. I can't tell you how many pictures I have seen on Pinterest about this. I thought it was ADORABLE! Here are some pictures of our inspiration for the cocktail hour.

Signature drinks, cocktail hour and hanging lanterns!

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/167196204887443922/

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/167196204888573291/

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/167196204887943223/

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/167196204887708260/

So we took this to the next level! We had his and her drinks. My drink was Sweet Tea Vodka and Lemonade and my husband had Mint Juleps. Two of our favorite drinks. I can't tell you how many of our guests loved these drinks! Hamby Catering went above and beyond with how they setup the signature drink station. They did an amazing job with my rustic backyard theme! We used our signature monogrammed napkins, had a chalkboard describing the signature drinks and also navy chevron straws! I found the straws at Christmas Tree Shops super cheap!!

This was all before you walked into our cocktail hour!! We decorated the front doors of the Cotton Dock with monogram S that my in-laws made. My Mom and I made the wreaths for the side doors and my mother-in-law made the bows. We bought the bathroom chalkboard sign at Kirklands! We also bought a wagon at Hobby Lobby and filled with mums and candles to give the front of the Cotton Dock more flair! It looked so pretty at the end of the night with all the candles lit up!

I loved the idea of hanging lanterns! We ended up renting lanterns from our caterer which were perfect and totally my Pinterest vision! My mother-in-law made the chevron cushions for the benches as well as the placemats for the cocktail tables. I told the caterer that I wanted the flowers to look like I picked them from our garden. So all the flowers were in anqtiue bottles and mason jars! 

And do these small chalkboard signs look familiar (nautical wedding shower)? Haha! We reused these signs for the wedding and they were placed on the bar! The signs were purchased at World Market.

Our Escort Cards!

Mason jar vases and jelly jar candle holders. Tiger Lily Floral did such an amazing job with everything! We worked with Gayla and she is amazing!!

I just love these photos of the acoustic guitar players we had at our wedding! They were perfect and helped provide the best atmosphere for the wedding. Other Brother provided the music for the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. 

And did I mention the most amazing view during our cocktail hour? I can't tell you how beautiful our pictures were with this sunset. Such a magical day!

Happy Pinning!
By Jennifer Shelton

Living Social/Neiman Marcus Deal is STILL going on!!

Time to stock up for summer!!! For $22 you can get a $50 gift card to Last Call at Neiman Marcus! Not to mention they have Jack Rogers sandals for $59-$99. Check out my link here!

https://www.livingsocial.com/deals/1113955-50-to-spend-online-at-neiman-marcus-last-call?ref=share-post_purchase-copy_box-web-deals&rui=5110596&rpi=158577111

By Jennifer Shelton

Southern Nest Monograms

As you can tell, I love anything with a monogram. I was on Pinterest and kept seeing these adorable monograms from Southern Nest. I of course wanted one right away and decided that my wedding would be a perfect debut for my Southern Nest monogram. Not to mention they are made in North Carolina just a short ride from my house!

We used our monogram on the front door of Boone Hall Plantation for our ceremony, and then moved the monogram indoors for the back wall at our reception.

I can't wait to use our monogram for future holidays and to decorate our home like these people did on Pinterest!

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/137008013637672275/

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/137008013633797040/

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/137008013638322812/

And of course when the time comes for a nursery, I will also have to get a custom monogram for the nursery.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/137008013637023345/

Southern Nest also has tons of different options for monograms! They have lobster background (great for a beach house), silhouette backgrounds, etc!

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/137008013637023345/

Happy Pinning!
By Jennifer Shelton

My Southern I Do's - Ceremony Details

For the most part our wedding was pretty simple for the ceremony! We really wanted the venue to be the main focus! We loved the Southern Charm of the venue. However, because I have a slight obsession with Pinterest, and love DIY projects we did create a few things for guests to enjoy before the ceremony.

When guests first arrived we wanted to make sure that they were given a cool beverage. Charleston is steamy and we knew our wedding was going to be at least 80 degrees! I saw these pictures on Pinterest and thought it was a great way for our guests to kick off our wedding.

http://pinterestdreams.blogspot.com

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/167196204889053171/

 Our caterer worked with us to setup this station! Guests loved having a cool refreshing beverage waiting for the ceremony to start. I made the signs myself and just used simple chalkboards I found at Michael's and chalk pens. The napkins were also monogrammed and read "Let's Eat Drink and Be Merry - Jennifer and Paul 9.15.13!!!

I knew I also wanted to do something different instead of a guest book. Personally, I never know what to write in guest books and afraid that I am going to mess up the book somehow! So instead I saw this idea on Pinterest where you ask a variety of questions and then guests write down answers. Thought this was fun! Not to mention we couldn't wait to read the answers!

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/167196204887969390/ 

I made the cards myself using card stock and of course put our custom monogram from weddingchicks.com

We put everything on the guest table which we setup after a few Pinterest posts I saw online for guest tables. I made the monogram S and just wrapped twine around the cardboard monogram I bought at Paper Source. I bought the suitcase at Pottery Barn and made the Love Notes sign myself. 

Pinterest Inspiration: 

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/167196204887798492/

 My wedding:

Also because it was going to be hot we had little fans for guests to use. The best part is these were actually from my sister-in-laws wedding. It was cool the day of her wedding so they didn't use them. We just switched out the ribbon color!!

Since we had 2 different venue sites for the wedding and ceremony we found these great signs at World Market and my step-father added posts. He also painted them with crackle paint to match the rest of the decor and help give the wedding that rustic laid-back feel. 

I saw these signs on Pinterest and wanted to re-create.

 These are what my signs looked like! I think we re-created the Pinterest vision 100% here!

For programs we used shutters we found on sale at Lowe's. My in-laws painted them with crackle paint. 

On each seat we had bubbles for guests to blow! I wanted to do something but also needed something that was easy to clean up. I saw the bubble idea on Pinterest and made my own. I actually got our bubbles super cheap and ordered them online from Dollar Tree. I found little tags on Amazon and printed "blow some wishes for the new Mr and Mrs"!

Last but not least we had a 5 minute walk from our wedding venue to the wedding cocktail hour and reception. I knew most ladies would have heels on so we provided a basket of flip flops and bags for guests to change into comfortable shoes. I put our monogram on the bags as well!

Now let's get to cocktail hour!

Happy Pinning!
By Jennifer Shelton