A Bit of Black and White

I love black and white...it's by far my favorite color combination. It's striking, classic, and versatile if you want to add pops of color in.  Although much of my new house is full of soothing neutrals and low contrast, I've always been drawn to farmhouse-classic black and white kitchens and decor like these. Unfortunately, with most new construction, I didn't have much choice in kitchens finishes for a spec home, but I'm still content enough with what I have and really appreciate my new soft-close cabinets and tons of workspace (especially since my former kitchen was tiny!).  Here some of the pics of my kitchen before moving in...

Fourth of July Birthday Bash!

My youngest daughter, Summer, has a birthday right after the 4th of July so the two celebrations tend to get combined!  Although she's a couple weeks away from turning 3, I thought I'd share our family's get-together from her first birthday in case you were looking for some inspiration for your upcoming 4th of July bash... 

Simple Summer Soiree and French Bee Dining Set

One of the reasons that we were drawn to our current home is the beautiful wooded view beyond our backyard.  Luckily, much of our lot extends back into the woods and the property line backs up to a private, natural buffer that cannot be developed.  It's a beautiful place to build a tree house, explore with the kids...or to have a little summertime soiree!

Easy Breezy Summer Mantel

My family finally had the chance to escape to the beach a couple of days ago and we had so much fun!  We are so fortunate to live just two hours away from Wilmington, NC where we can go to Wrightsville, Carolina, or Kure Beaches, but for some reason it is always hard to get away for the day and we don't go nearly as often as I'd like.  One of these weekends, we are finally going to check out the Outer Banks...something I've been anticipating since we moved to NC.

Coco Dresser and Master Bedroom Preview

I know it's been since Luckett's that you've heard from me... 

I've slowly been picking away at projects for my master bedroom since we moved in last August.  We sold most of our bedroom furniture before moving across the country, so in many ways I've been starting over and on a tight budget...of course.  One of my favorite ways to save money is simply updating an old piece of furniture that I already own...