Atlanta

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I spent the last few days in Atlanta, celebrating the wedding of one of my husband's best friends. I had been into the city briefly before, but was never given carte blanche to explore at my leisure and whim.

This time, I got exactly that.

We stayed at the Highland Inn, a 1920s boutique hotel in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood of Atlanta. The wedding reception was held here, and we were surprised by how interesting the hotel was. Every room was different, and the basement contained an old school bar and a quaint ballroom.

The neighborhood we stayed in reminded me of Chicago's old Wicker Park (you know, before it became a bunch of stroller-pushing yoga moms), as it is very eccentric and offers a lot of creativity. 

One of my favorite stops we stumbled upon was Paris on Ponce, a collection of chic boutiques all housed in an old warehouse. I was intrigued based on the exterior (above), and the moment we walked inside, I was sold.

The interior contained everything from vintage industrial to mid century furniture, tiny trinkets to large artwork, etc. I can't leave out this well-dressed woman, who quite literally "lost her head."

Paris on Ponce also contains a gorgeous, red-bathed event space, which reminds me of Delphine's Club from 1920s London (I first saw this on the show Mr. Selfridge, but here's a fun article about the fabulous woman and her club). 

Can I get married all over again and do it here? Pretty please with a red cherry on top?

We also enjoyed walking on the BeltLine, a running/walking trail that will eventually connect the parks in Atlanta, forming a visual 'beltline' around the city. I love the concept, but it was also plain old easy to get around on foot and catch some great sights using this walkway.

The wedding reception, itself, fit in with its surroundings. In case you need proof...

Another exciting stop was Stone Mountain. We hadn't heard of it until my husband's friend mentioned it the day we were leaving, so we decided to fit it in. It featured the world's largest baas relief, and a huge, granite mountain that took 30+ minutes, some serious shoes, and a bit of sweat to summit.

Oh, and skyline views of Atlanta.

After Stone Mountain, we headed to an area called "Little 5 Points," which reminded me of Chicago's 6 corners, but again, without the pugs and yoga pants (I'm not judging - I love both of those things).

The center of the area was filled with artists, musicians, and competing drum circles. After walking around a bit, we ducked into The Porter Beer Bar, which came highly recommended by our tablemates at the wedding reception the prior night.

The ambiance was wonderful but the food was to die for. 

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Have you been to Atlanta? What did I miss?
What's your favorite restaurant in your city?

DIY Vintage Chic "Let It Snow" Christmas Decor

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Christmastime is here, and I'm in good spirits because I love my apartment. I'm a bit biased against the traditional Christmas colors, though. I have a strong preference for cooler tones that mimic the weather outside -- no, not "frightful," but the colors of sky and snow. Blues and silvers, glitter and shine, those are the colors and textures that make Christmastime special for me.

So when it came to decorating my apartment, I was determined to do it in a way that fit for me. Which meant it had to fit my color scheme and, of course, it had to be a DIY project. Here's one of the projects I came up with:

I've got to say, I'm quite happy with it. The bright globe lights feel like shining stars, and the phrase is one of my favorites. I considered something like "The first Noel," and almost chose to go with "Emmanuel" (might make a second one that says that, actually). But, alas, I decided to go with the extremely catchy line, "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow."



Supplies:

• Brown paper (I used paper cut from brown paper grocery bags)
• Light paper to cut out letters (I used light blue paper that is lined, to add some extra detail. I would also suggest using light colored graph paper)
• Scissors
• Glue Stick
• Twine

Directions:

First, cut out rectangles for each letter, as well as one to place in between each word so that the letters don't run together. "Let It Snow" has 9 letters and 2 spaces, so I cut out 11 pieces. Make sure the pieces are roughly the same size.

Next, trace letters onto your lighter paper. I chose to do all uppercase letters. If you want things to look perfect, you could choose a font on the computer and type the word out (making sure the letters are large enough to fit nicely on your background sheets, of course) to use as stencils. Personally, I enjoy the handmade flair, so I drew my letters freehand. I went with all capitals, and added hand drawn serifs.

Once you've drawn or traced your letters, cut them out and glue them onto the brown background. 

Use scissors or a hole punch to poke two holes on each of the pieces. Keep the holes on the top left and right, but be sure not to get too close to the edges (because the closer you get with the hole, the higher likelihood there is that you'll accidentally rip through to the edge as you assemble the project).

Finally, string the twine or string through your pieces. I came in from the top on one side, threaded it around the back, and popped back out on the other side. If you want more string to show, begin at the back, then thread it through to the front so that the string spans the center top of the paper, then back out to the back. Whichever method you choose, keep it consistent on each piece.

When you're finished, hang your wonderful creation!

Skinny Monkey

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Who remembers Chunky Monkey ice cream?  It is so delicious! The ice cream, the bananas, the nuts, the chocolate... and the calories (dun dun dunnnn!). How about a delicious dessert that doesn't require the use of the word Chunky? How about a... skinny monkey?

Hmm. That gets the gears turning...Move over, Chunky Monkey! With 5 ingredients (including pudding instead of ice cream) and only 2 steps for preparation, this recipe might even upstage the original...

Ingredients:

• 1 package Banana (or Vanilla) Pudding
• 3 Bananas
• 1/2 cup Chopped Walnuts
• 1/2 cup Chocolate Chips
• 2 cups Skim Milk

Directions:

1. Combine pudding mix and skim milk and stir until well mixed. Set in the fridge for 1 hour.
2. Add walnuts, chocolate chips, and sliced bananas and stir.
3. Serve!