Home Bedroom Decor with West Elm

Shopping for bedroom decor is one of my guilty pleasures. Recently you guys have been messaging me a lot on Instastories about the decor in my house and I wanted to share some of my favorite home decor pieces at West Elm right now because they are having a killer sale!

When I was doing my home decor revamp after Kevin and I got married, I didn't have a very clear vision.... but I knew what I liked when I saw it. Not exactly the most organized way to go about a home decorating project, but hey, it worked for us! What I ended up with was very similar to how I approach my closet and personal style: 

I kept the big pieces of furniture (aka the ones that are a pain in the a** to move) neutral and got a little more funky with the smaller pieces of furniture and home accents. I thought of the big pieces of furniture like a build-able blank slate and the smaller pieces as accessories.

I may not have had a clear vision when decorating our place but I knew myself enough to know that my style changes drastically, often. I wanted to be smart when it came to allocating our budget for pieces in this home decorating project. This meant keeping the big pieces of furniture basic (lol) and easily updated with throw pillows and accent furniture.

That being said, I hope this insight helps you in your next home re-vamp. Don't worry, there is much more where that came from :) 

I have rounded up some great picks for you guys from West Elm. There are some great duvet covers, chic side tables, palm accents, and one of my favorites - lighting all included in this roundup for you guys!

New Years Eve Dresses with Cathclaire

It's that time of year again - time to get party-ready to ring in the New Year in your best dress! I am into sequins in a very big way but that is no surprise to you guys. I wore an all sequin Jenny Packham gown as my wedding dress, wore sequins from ASOS last year for New Years Eve (pictured above), and just posted my new favorite sequin pants on my cathclaire Instagram. Are sequins too trendy right now? Probably. But you can't help who you love - amiright?  

What are you guys doing for New Years Eve this year? It is my yearly tradition to meet my BFFs from college somewhere between Charlotte and Richmond. We have been doing Smith Mountain Lake for a couple of years and the photos in this post are examples of our time at SML last year. There is something so comforting about getting away to a remote area, getting dressed up, and hanging out! This year, I am meeting my friends in Charlottesville for the weekend before NYE and then heading back to Richmond to celebrate Rebecca's big 30! She is having a party for her 30th birthday to ring in the New Year in style. Be sure to keep up on social media to stay up to date with all of the fun!

That being said, I am rounding up some of my favorite New Years Eve options that I have my eye on, some with sequins and some without. I have seen all kinds of good pieces on ASOS, Revolve Clothing, Netaporter, Forever 21, and NETAPORTER if you want to browse for yourselves. If not, scroll down to the end of this post to see my favorite dresses and pieces for NYE! With these New Years Eve fashion tips, you can be sure to ring in the New Year in style.

Wedding Wednesday: Striped Reception Decor

Happy Wedding Wednesday my little loves! I am so excited to start sharing tips and tricks I learned while planning and styling my wedding on Cathclaire. 

Do you guys create mood boards?One of my favorite things about creating visual content is the making the mood board for a project. I had tons of fun creating Pinterest boards for my inspiration and collaborating on them with my wedding planner, Lauren at For Love of Love, and my with wedding photographer, Kaytee Lauren. Fun fact: as a little girl outnumbered by seven brothers, scrapbooking and mood boarding with fashion magazines was my saving grace!

The common thread in all of the mood boards for the style aspects of my wedding day was bold black and white stripes. (In fact, bold stripes are a common thread in my home decor and my wardrobe also - more on that later.) From the ring bearers ring pillow to the table cloths, I wanted to juxtapose the vintage decor at my reception venue, Havanna 59 in Richmond, with a bold yet simple statement. One of my favorite parts of the decor were the letterboard signage, especially the one on the bar with one of my favorite quotes from Frida Kahlo:

"Take a lover who looks at you like maybe you are magic."

To pay homage to the Cuban theme in Havanna 59, I chose to have clean palms as the florals, spray painted gold pineapples (yes, real pineapples..) and prayer candles as the minimal decor for the reception table tops. I love how these elements created the ultimate contrast to the somewhat busy decor of Havanna 59 and also created a Beverly Hills Hotel vibe. Can you tell I love California?

SALE: Workout and Beauty Picks for Cyber Monday with Cathclaire

Cyber Monday is here and I am sharing with you the two categories I am shopping this time around: workout clothes + beauty/treat yo-self products. While I thoroughly enjoy eating my weight in Turkey and whatever else I can get my hands while socializing with family and friend for a week straight, Cyber Monday is the perfect reminder to purchase some prods that will help get ourselves back on track before we do round two around Christmas! 

Whether you drank too much Brunello (like me) or neglected your workout regimen in honor of hanging with your favorite peeps (like me), here are some sale items to get you motivated to get in shape and treat yourself (or a loved one) this Cyber Monday. I especially LOVE the fact that Neiman Marcus is including BEAUTY PRODUCTS in their Cyber Monday gift card promotion..yes, even perfume. 

Yes, even Tom Ford "F***ing Fabulous" perfume. What better time to try new beauty products or to stock up on all of your beauty staples than when Neiman's is offering you a reward like a gift card? I have my eye on La Mer, Oui hairspray, and the RMS highlighter kit! RMS is all natural and one of my favorite highlighters for the dewy look that is popular now.

SO, don't wait too long because your size or favorite beauty product will sell out! Check out my workout picks from ASOS and my beauty picks from Neimans below!

ASOS Workout Gear: 30% off for Cyber Monday

Neiman Marcus Giftcard Promotion Cyber Monday Beauty Picks:

PS - Here is my hat from ASOS that you guys have been asking about from my Thanksgiving Insta-stories!

 

Fashionable Holiday Outfits with Forever 21

What do you have planned for the holidays? Any exciting events that you want some festive Forever 21 skirts and outfit ideas? I know you guys are super busy so I've teamed up with Forever 21 to give you some holiday options to shop that are quick and easy and covered in holiday-appropriate embelishments.

....AND you don't have to scroll through millions of pages on their site to find! 

As you guys have probably noticed, I love shopping at Forever 21. As a matter of fact, I can still remember the exact moment in middle school when I first was told that there was a Forever 21 within driving distance from my house. Some (my mom perhaps) would consider it a trek, but for me, it was an enjoyable driving distance. Most locations, in the name of shopping, are driving distance as long as it doesn't go over a "couple" of hours............and I'm sure my fellow shopaholics would agree with me, amiright?

Elevated Denim

My fiancè prefers that I wear white denim over my constant "the darker the denim the better" approach to my daily attire. When I scored these black and white striped beauts from ASOS, I immediately recognized them as a wearable compromise in skinny jean form. Cue the Maroon 5 "She Will Be Loved" earworm - It's not always rainbows and butterflies, It's compromise that moves us along. Am I the only one who can't say the word compromise without thinking of this song? 

Some may call these Beetlejuice jeans and I agree, but they are also my fashionable compromise that remind me of a Maroon 5 song.

Jeans: ASOS / Top: Zara, (similar here) / Longline Blazer: Forever 21 / Boots: Steve Madden / Sunnies: TIJN / Bag: Gucci / Earrings: Vanessa Mooney / Photos: Kaytee Lauren

Dress Me in Possibility

With the Drake and JLo's rumored romance on my mind, I have found myself listening to a lot of throwback music from the good ole days when I had an intense obsession with Jennifer Lopez. While I can't tell you how old I was, I can tell you this JLo obsession was right after my infatuation with Taylor Hanson and right before my Newlyweds-is-the-only-show-I-watch-and-I-want-to-be-Jessica-Simpson phase. Obsession can be a beautiful thing and I was reminded of this when I felt waves of pure bliss while rediscovering "Feelin' So Good" from Jennifer Lopez's first album On The 6th. Isn't it the best when you get hit with this nostalgic feeling?

After vowing to start my day with that amazing JLo throwback until further notice (the lyrics are gold), I got to thinking about why people feel so strongly about songs from their good ole days. Whether it be a song I used to blast before going out in college or a song I played on repeat until I made up an entire dance routine growing up, these works of art never fail to give me the same awesome feeling today. After a little thought, I realized that this blissful feeling comes from a reminder of sheer possibility.

I can't speak for everyone but my "good ole days" are from times when I felt intense excitement about possibility. In college, I never knew what was going to happen next and it was the time of my life. Waking up and getting ready for that kind of day creates the feeling that all successful people stress the importance of time and time again. We are surrounded by the result of the idea that respectable adulting is working, paying all of your bills, and providing for those you love. In turn, we get jobs we think will pay our bills, while sacrificing possibility for security, and we sleep to dream about the good ole days, when possibility was all around us, instead of creating them.

While a lot of us don't have the luxury to quit our jobs that bring predictable days to search for this elusive concept, we do have the ability to schedule time to look for possibility. This may sound like a contradiction at first, but the more you make time for it - the more you will understand. My favorite part about the workshop that I mentioned I attended with Joe Dispenza was his constant emphasis on living in possibility. I am so thankful that I can feel possibility in my meditation or anytime I put JLo on the radio and that my friends, is how I want you and I to start every day. What reminds you of possibility?

PS: Drake, if you're reading this it's not too late to do a song with Jennifer Lopez. In my professional opinion, I think this collaboration would be a good business decision.
Black dress: Asos White  / Shoes: Balmain (similar here) / Handbag: Gucci / Watch: Christan Paul / Sunnies: Prada / Photos: Kaytee Lauren

Queen of All Colors

“I’ve been 40 years discovering that the queen of all colours was black.” 

— Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Raise your hand if “does this come in black?” is your most asked question when shopping. While everyone’s hand but Anna Wintour’s is probably raised, this color is the queen of all colors. “It looks better in black” is my fashion mantra and this bodysuit from Nasty Gal is no exception. #Nastygalsdoitbetter

Sidenote: Does any one else feel uncomfortable when using Nasty Gal’s hashtag? Asking for a friend.