valentine's day

happy valentine's day! i just love this cute little commercialized holiday oh so much! we are keeping with our v-day card tradition - yr #3.

after we took our valentine's photo i decide to get a little creative alone with my camera. i learn something new every time i do a little photoshoot!

hope you have a wonderful day filled with lots of love.

♥. b-real

masque noir - pictures

here are the pictures from the 333nye: masque noir party at moca jacksonville. the entire event was fabulous....i'm glad i was able to be apart of it!

mood committee: myself, kelly peck, casie simpson design studio & the conservatorie

photographer: leah macwilliam

cupcakes: sweet by holly

if you missed my past posts on the design concept click here and here.

and lastly, jose and i hanging out in one of the nooks.

♥. b-real

kelly green

i just completed my first furniture renovation of the 2012!

my dear friend asked if i could refinish this dresser for her soon to be baby boy. she selected a kelly green, found these cute button knobs and left the rest in my hands. i love the finished result and from the sounds of it they do too!

 before

after 

the nursery that this dresser will call home is going to be so cute....she has fabulous taste and i hope to share pictures once it is complete.

have a wonderful weekend!

♥. b-real

nye attire

happy 2012!

along with being on the mood committee for the nye event at moca i made my outfit for the event. if you remember me telling you the theme was venetian masquerade. i found a dress at an estate sale for $5...all the sequins were hand sewn, so pretty and exactly what i wanted! the only problem, it was too short. so i enlisted the help of my mom. we designed a train for the dress in a navy blue fabric. i handmade rosettes out of the same fabric to add as embellishments. and my mom made me a shawl with the fabric to bring it all together. for two women that have great ideas but are not seamstress it turned out beautiful!

i also made my mask...which was a lot of fun. i bought a mask that had a simple black fabric then i created a lace pattern on the mask by using lace and spray paint. i love this look and it was so easy. i learned this little trick from my friend kelly who did this on coasters. next, i added beads, glitter and created an asymmetrical accent out of tulle to finish the mask off.

i have a lot to share with you once i get the pictures back from the event. it turned out awesome and i'm so happy to have had the opportunity to join the mood committee and put my design skills to the test.

♥. b-real

bow making

happy christmas eve. hope you are having a wonderful holiday season!

every year i try to make my gift wrapping out of something recycled. this year i made the bows with magazine clippings. they turned out super cute and were so easy to make...click to here to see the tutorial i followed.

♥. b-real

winter garden

i just pulled my first leafy head of lettuce from the garden this week. yum yum. i'm growing a variety of lettuces, spinach, beets, parsnips and peppers.

♥. b-real

happy thanksgiving

i'm having jose's parents over for dinner tonight....for the first time!!! lots to do so i will keep this short and sweet. i hope you a wonderful thanksgiving filled with lots of family and friend time.

♥. b-real

i see

i seem to keep things that i think will come back in style and that i might wear again later in life. my sister came over the other day and couldn't believe all the things i've kept from when we were young. and well and i guess my eyeglasses were one of those things. i was missing one pair, my very first pair (the little pink ones) and just found them at my parents house!...my collection is complete.

the evolution of my eyeglasses....my first pair seem a lot like the red ones i wear now. i can't wait for the really round glasses to come back in style....i'm totally going to rock the ones from middle school.

have a beautiful weekend!

♥. b-real

inspiration is flo'ing

hello there! i was super excited when i found out florence + the machine has come out with a new album!! i'm in love...she is insane. i had to post this video because it coincides so beautifully with the venetian masquerade new year's eve event i'm helping design.

this past weekend we had a workshop and made some awesome cardboard chandeliers for the event. i will share pictures soon.

♥. b-real

masque noir - part 2

last week i showed you my image boards for masque noir. this week i would like to share mine and kelly's concept for our main area of focus, which are the nooks. there is an intimate little niche under both sets of stairs that look out into the space. we are creating a cozy place for people to come and mingle. 

above is a floor plan which shows two different seating areas. one is using existing benches that the museum has as a base and building on top to create decorative backs for a romantic little get away . the other is an informal space where people can gather. we plan to use tree stumps as stools and high back antique chairs to create an eclectic area for conversation. below are two images that we are using for inspiration.

via: sweetie pie restaurant & martha stewart

we are also creating fun layering of textures with fabric that will swoop from the ceiling and recycled glass jars wrapped in yarn and lace that will hold candles. i will share photos and tutorials as we being to create these pieces....stay tuned.

have a beautiful weekend!

♥. b-real

masque noir

i got asked to be apart of the mood committee for this year's nye party at moca here in jacksonville and of course i said yes! this year's event is named masque noir with a venetian masquerade theme. with a tight budget most everything will be diy and with only two months away we have been brainstorming like crazy. below are my two image/mood boards. the other ladies also had awesome ideas and everyone is on the same creative wavelength! i can't wait to see it all come together. this past week we went further and provided sketches of the areas we are responsible for, i will share those next week.

i asked my friend/future business partner kelly to join the committee with me and these creative girls casie, meredith, amy, danielle and leah...:)

i didn't credit any of the images on my blog but you can check out my pinterest for image credits.

have a wonderful weekend!

♥. b-real



outdoor living

i've been dying to start creating the backyard of my dreams or at least as close as possible ;) jose and i have been talking about building a deck to extend the small outdoor living space i have now. our plan is start this fall so i've been gathering images of outdoor spaces i love. here are just a few that inspire me in one way or another. i can't wait to start!

1. vertical garden 2. lovely furniture 3. garden boxes 4. what's not to love 5. yes, please 6. pink door 7. perfect gathering

i heard the weather is going to be beautiful this weekend!

hope you have a great weekend with lots of sunshine.

♥. b-real

rearranging and such

i have a tiny little living room and didn't see much opportunity to rearrange until......i was having a conversation with my friend kelly and i got this crazy idea to change it up. and oh my i just love it! so i thought i would share a few special pics from the living room.

i love the "new" feeling i get after rearranging a space. it makes me so happy to be in the "new" room. my house is my favorite place to be and i like to keep things fresh and new. do you get this feeling when changing things up at your house?

well two post in one week is big time for me....see you next week. have a great weekend.

♥. b-real

hello there

hello there….i’ve been in a bit of a funk and haven’t done much of anything creative lately. but i'm still here, now refreshed and ready to get back into the swing of things.

since we last talked i’ve been super busy with birthdays, babies and weddings...i guess it goes with the age.

i have also been taking care of a stray dog that i fell in love with. i finally found him a foster home where he will be given lots of love until someone adopts him.

jose and i had our 3 year anniversary ♥.

lastly we took a much needed vacation.
we borrowed our friends pop-up like last year and headed to north georgia and the coast of south carolina for a little relaxation!

and in the middle of all this a few opportunities came my way that i’m very excited about. one of them was being asked to be a part of the mood committee for this year’s nye party at moca of jacksonville. i think joining this creative group of ladies is exactly what will pull me out of this funk. i will share more later :)

hope you are doing great and having a wonderful week.

♥. b-real

take me away

my suitcase is packed, take me away to a secret place.

tranquil nesting

bohemian daydream

exotic getaway

beach beauty

peaceful retreat

just doing a little daydreaming....ready to escape the world.

♥. b-real