oka.B Shoe Giveaway WINNERS

Wow, wow, wow - I'm so thrilled with the feedback from last week's post! It seems you all love oka.B as much as I do! And for good reason, what a great company with some fabulous shoes! Without further adieu it's time to announce the lucky winners.

DRUM ROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

The Winners Are:

1. Ellen
2. Yvonne Karr
3. Emily Phillips

Please email Jackie at jackieb@oka-b.com to claim your prize! From one shoe lover to another - Congratulations ladies!

A big, giant THANK YOU to oka.B for making this giveaway possible!

Photo from Pinterest. 

oka.B Photo Shoot & GIVEAWAY

A few weeks ago my house was the location for a photo shoot for oka.B Shoes. 

MY HOUSE WAS THE LOCATION FOR A PHOTO SHOOT FOR SHOES!!!!!!! 

Sorry, just wanted to make sure you understood...

Talk about fashion and interiors colliding in the most exciting way ever. 

My friend, Jackie, is the International Sales Manager for oka.B and hooked me up with the gig. Friends in high places :). The photos were for some marketing campaigns in Asia and I was super excited/honored for my house to play host! There were two models and a ton of shoes in a slew of different colors and styles, all of which were photographed in several locations in and around my house.

The day of the shoot was rainy and cold, luckily these shoes fair well in inclement weather because they are slip resistant and can even go in the dishwasher! Yes, you read that right - the dishwasher.

Oh, did I mention there was a third model that made a brief appearance? This wasn't just any model, but my four-legged niece: the adorable, photogenic, social media sensation - Piper the Westye!

This shot was taken on a little bridge behind our house and boy did Piper wish she had a pair of oka.B's to protect her little paws from the dreary drizzle. 

The above photo was taken in our downstairs bath, a space that has yet to be debuted on the blog. What girl doesn't want the option to match her shoes to her lipstick? oka.B shoes come in a large assortment of colors and color combinations, giving you options galore!

These shoes can complete any outfit, whether your running errands around town or working from your dining room table.

And finally...

Our Master Closet:

Shoe explosion - every girls dream!

As you can see, oka.B makes shoes in various styles and colors, and the best part - these stylish shoes are made right here in America. The shoes are actually manufactured right outside of Atlanta in Buford, GA. Their shoes are chic, comfortable (they have an ergonomic footbed!) and American made. What more could you ask for? I have several pairs myself and I never fail to get compliments when I wear them out and about. 

So, here's the exciting news - oka.B has graciously offered up 3 pairs of shoes to 3 lucky readers! 

Yes, FREE SHOES!!!

To win, simply visit the oka.B site here, pick your favorite shoe and leave a comment on this blog post with your choice. For an extra chance to win, like the oka.B Facebook page here. The contest ends Friday (April 25) at midnight EST. Winners will be announced on Saturday! 

Good luck my friends, may the shoe gods be with you!

Photography by Peter Ho Studio.

Copper is Coming.

Doesn't the title of this post sound like something from a horror film? Hide your children, lock your doors....COPPER IS COMING!!!! Well, fear not - this post is not scary at all, in fact it's joyful. I'm happy to report I have a strong gut feeling, nay prediction, that a new popular finish is on the horizon.

Yep, Copper....Mmmmm.

I've noticed this warm finish popping up here and there - on the web, in stores and in my dreams. Copper is no stranger to interiors, it's had several heydays in it's time, but in the past copper brought with it a more country vibe. This time around copper can be found adding pizazz to an assortment of decorating styles in a slew of different ways

Photo from Pinterest.

There is so much to drool over in the above photo - the textured wood wall, the cluster of industrial lights and the unique spindles on the stairs. The copper finish really works in this space, adding warmth and interest.

Like it's friend brass, copper really pops against most colors and has the ability to add a layer of elegance to a piece. I love how the copper hardware above, takes this gray cabinet from pretty to striking.

World renown kitchen designer, Christopher Peacock has been utilizing copper in his designs for years.

 There is a really pretty, understated "cool factor" with the mixture of shiny copper and industrial pieces of hardware. As you can see the copper doesn't take the kitchen down a country road, in fact it adds to the clean and sleek vibe.

What succulent wouldn't love a pretty copper home? As we discussed a few weeks ago, I'm all about mixing things up finish wise in a space. A copper planter is the perfect way to integrate this new trend  into your home in small doses.

I'm currently wrapping up the final design details for a new in town studio my company, Bell Kitchen and Bath Studios is opening. Take a look at the color scheme for the designer office:

Cabinetry - Sherwin William's Cascades SW7623

+

Copper Cabinet Pulls

Yep, I've decided to dip my toe in and give this new trend a whirl. Pretty sharp combo, eh?

 I. CAN'T.WAIT......finished photos coming soon. In the meantime, let me know, are you on board with the new trend on the block?

Spotted - Gulf Coast Bride

Exciting news - Brent and my wedding is featured in the winter edition of Gulf Coast Bride Magazine!

It's been almost a year since we got married (May 4, 2013) and this magazine feature is just the icing on the cake for the great first year we've had!

For those of you who don't know, we got married in Florida in Brent's Grandparents, Dandy & Papa's back yard on the bay.  We couldn't of asked for a prettier backdrop, full of mossy trees, lush landscaping and the beautiful St. Andrews Bay. Our wedding planner, Beck England of BE Events really helped us bring our wedding day dreams to life and our photographer, Tisha Saunders of Flashback Photography, was around every corner to capture the special moments, leaving us with beautiful shots we will cherish forever.

Since getting married we've had a whirlwind year and I've been a terrible post bride; posting maybe 2 wedding pictures...so, my patient, loving wedding party will finally get to see some of the magic captured on our special day. Speaking of our wedding party...

Pretty good looking group, eh? 

Our wedding was layered with details both aesthetic and personal, the above photo is my bouquet with two broaches attached. The birds next broach belonged to my Grandma. My sister had the same broach on her bouquet at her wedding :). And the other broach belonged to my Great Grandmother. 

Here I am with my bridal party! We were sequestered to the gazebo pre wedding to avoid being seen by the guests as they arrived. 

The guests sat in these pretty gold chivari chairs. 

Here I am peeking out from behind the curtains on the gazebo right before it was time for my Dad and me to make our big walk down the isle. 

The above shot is of the reception, under the nights sky and a sea of lights. There was dancing, toasting, eating and visiting - our reception was such a great end to a magical day.

And the final shot.....a little kiss before we left the reception. 

Wow - what an honor it is to have our wedding day featured in a magazine!  I swear, sometimes I feel like I would be totally justified to pinch myself 24/7 at this life of ours. Lucky, lucky, lucky! Thanks Gulf Coast Bride - what a great 1st Anniversary present!

All photos by Tisha Callaway Saunders of Flashback Photography from Gulf Coast Bride Magazine's website. 

Spotty Dotty

Earlier this year I posted about the progress in our upstairs den. New couch, new curtains a turtle shell suspended on a curtain rod…things had improved in a snap, but in order for you to have an accurate understanding of  how far this room has come I need to show you the other side of the room - The built-ins:

This room came with the built-ins and I was excited from day one. I love built-ins and I'd never gotten to decorate and style my own. Happy Courtney!! As soon as the house was officially ours and the renovations had begun I began thinking about what I wanted to do to the bookshelves. Obviously I could add books and knick-knacks but I wanted to take it to the next level and customize them a bit. What to do, what to do? As is typical I day dream about such things and one random day I remembered this wallpaper I'd seen on several blogs over the last few years.  

Tiffany Richey Design. Photo via Google search. 

Meredith Heron Design. Photo via Google search..

Dalmatian Spots - I'm a fan. In fact I've been a fan for sometime….anyone out there remember Spotty Dotty, the Sanrio character? 

Photo from Google Search. 

She was my obsession during my elementary school days! 

Anyways, back to the built-ins. I loved the look of the dalmatian spot wallpaper, it was fun, fresh and just the pop I was looking for. Boom! Decision made, I was ready to go. But I knew our budget was pretty tied up with other renovations (cough,cough KITCHEN) so purchasing wallpaper didn't seem feasible. Plus, installing wallpaper... what a pain! After looking at the pictures I decided I was going to tackle this look myself! I was going to spottily my bookcases. As soon as I made this decision I was practically elbow deep in spots. The back ground for the spots was already there and the supplies were on hand - black paint, small paint brush - I went to town.  

This particular day, Brent was downstairs, caught up in his own project, when he realized he hadn't seen or heard from me in a while...  He ventured up stairs and this is what he found... 

TOO LATE TO TURN BACK NOW!!!

 

I fast became obsessed and crouched myself in and round each opening until I had spotified each one.  I'm really good at instant gratification projects. I could see the concept coming to life right before my eyes which just encouraged me onward. 

Once my shelves were spotted they sat in all of their glory for months, empty waiting for some love.  It wasn't until we bought the couch that we  got ourselves in gear and began stocking the shelves. I focused on styling the shelves, which was fun and challenging at the same time. I loved integrating accessories and keepsakes we have collected individually and as couple over the years. 

I also switched out the undersized knobs for some fun Anthropologie hardware that I spray painted gold. 

Photo from my Instagram. 

Brent tackled turning the giant cavity on the far right into a space for a TV. He had to build a platform for the flat screen to sit on and in doing so created two smaller spaces for the stereo and Playstation 3 consoles; because, according to Brent, no room in our house is complete without a TV and Playstation.

The spots are everything I'd hoped they would be and more. This is definitely a DIY project anyone could take on to jazz up their own space. The spots are a fun, little unexpected surprise and frankly all of our do-dads look better sitting in front of them. It's instant happy! 

Unless otherwise noted all photos are my own.