Rosemary Rack of Lamb Recipe on Stove Top or Grill

It's been a while since I've shared a recipe with you all. CT and I have been cooking a lot the past few months sticking to a lot of our favorites, but trying out and perfecting some new recipes to share. This recipe we first cooked back in July for my Dad's birthday dinner and have cooked often since then. Rosemary is a key ingredient for this seasonal dish and one of my most favorite spices.

Ingredients

1 rack of lamb

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup of Dijon mustard

1 cup of extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons of finely chopped rosemary

2 lemons

Ditch Neutrals & Play with Unexpected Color

When I first started planning out the decor for our new apartment, I was set on a bright white and airy space with lots of neutrals and pop of color accents like Jen Ramos from MadebyGirl's Las Vegas home. I had trekked around Atlanta and narrowed the fabric for my couch down to three different beiges. Flash forward to the ADAC sample sale, and I was the proud owner of a new couch...a navy couch. Oops.

So, when one of my favorite sites for curated antique and decor hunting (you can buy and sell online with other design lovers!), Chairish, reached out to me to share what inspires my unique color combination, I was really excited to share what I learned.

My inspiration for the room really came from the couch that challenged me to think about what colors would look great with navy and bring a calm and serene feel to my home. I did A LOT of playing around with different color combos like persimmon and pink to really find what I liked together. I paired the navy couch with a gray rug overlaid with a light cowhide to brighten the room but keep the relaxed feel I wanted.

Adding bold colors to your house can really be tough to not overpower or make the room look disjointed. I loved the color couple Chairish shared of Peacock and Dove, and had to take a stab at creating a room like this for myself. I am seriously thinking about adding some teal to our living room. Teal is a color I'm shocked I didn't explore initially, but one that I think really amps up the room to make it feel more glamorous.

What do you think?

Get The Look:

Dove Gray Wallpaper

Ralph Lauren Custom Cape Lodge Sofa

Geometric Teal Pillow, Pair

Turquoise Velvet Greek Key Accent Pillow

Mid-Century Modern Brass and Glass Coffee Table

Reindeer Hide Rug

LouisXV-Style Bergeres - Pair

Wedding Wednesday - Here We Go

As promised, today I'm sharing an update on our wedding progress. We have been engaged for 9 months now and planning has been trickling along, unintentionally, life just kind of got in the way. I was moving to Atlanta from New York, starting a new job and decorating a new apartment, and CT was working around the clock and going to graduate school on the side. So here goes...

We are getting married April 25, 2015 at Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina. In one of the most beautiful areas on the 9,100 acres, Live Oak Allee.

Brookgreen Gardens is an old rice plantation turned sculpture garden and wildlife preserve near the beach my family has been going to for decades now. It's an insanely beautiful place and one I went to often growing up. I love this setting for a wedding and it's definitely played into the tone I'm imagining for the decor. We met with the event company the other week to nail down the details of the ceremony and reception, so we had to pick everything from chairs to table linens to tent types. Post coming soon on the tent decision - who knew there were so many tents to choose from! Overall, I am really happy with the style  and colors we decided to go with for a rustic, but classic wedding.

The colors were a really tough decision because Brookgreen Gardens has a lot of colors going on itself, and the flowers that will be in bloom in April are up to the discretion of the venue's horticulturist. This means they could be anything from hot pink azaleas to yellow daffodils. The bridesmaid dress color (muted blue/green) I loved because it can really go with any color. For the other colors, I'm envisioning the taupe and pink coming through in the reception decor and flowers, and mixing with classic ivory table cloths. Gold and natural wood both felt like obvious accents to me. I am a definite gold over silver girl so I'll be bringing this through subtly in the jewelry and other metal accents. And the natural wood - we are in a garden after all. We picked these driftwood x-back chairs last week for the reception and I love the rustic but classy feel they bring to the decor.

So far my wedding inspiration has been a hidden board on Pinterest as to not flood my followers with my frequent style changes on the wedding's theme, colors, etc. But here is the mood board for where our decor is netting out:

There is still a lot to do on our list before April. This week and next we are prioritizing save-the-dates, the wedding photographer and the band! 

We've picked a save-the-date and now just have to find a place to print our custom design. Would love any suggestions!

{Image sources}

The Handbags of Fall

Say goodbye to flash tats, there's a new favorite accessory for the season. Fall fashion has officially hit the stores, and the blogosphere is buzzing with everyone offering up their favorite picks for your imminent Fall closet. While I've definitely had my eye on some new leather jackets, billowing sweaters and booties (shop here), I couldn't help but share my favorite bags for Fall 2014. My style for the season is jewel toned satchels with some structure and slouch.

Weekly Roundup

source

You've probably noticed that I've been a huge slacker on posting in the past month. CT and I have been non stop with only 10 days or so in Atlanta in the month of August, crazy! September was supposed to be our month to relax at home and enjoy the city we live in. But, a chill month for us has turned into 2 weekends at home and 2 trips to beaches in SC though I can't really complain.

Last weekend, we went to Pawleys Island to do some wedding planning. I haven't talked a lot about wedding plan so far, but am going to start sharing progress as it comes on Wednesdays. Stay tuned for next week, it's going to be a big one!

In other news, this week I've been pretty much been bed ridden with a bum foot. Aside from some awkward hopping around our apartment, I have been keeping it iced and elevated. So, it looks like no Music Midtown for me.

Next weekend, we are heading to Charleston for a black tie wedding. Good news is a long dress fits the dress code and can hide the foot bootie I hope to get next week. I am thinking about trying out Rent The Runway since a trip to the shopping mall is definitely not in my future. Has anyone rented from there before? Any tips? I'm deciding between this dress and this one.

Not sure which iPhone size to get? The people have spoken. My iPhone 6 gets here next weekend and I couldn't be more excited!

Wit&Delight has launched at Target. The beer tasting set is really fun.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Fall

Fall clothing has got to be my favorite season to shop for. Baggy sweaters, jeans, spandex pants and booties will become my new uniform for the next 3 months at least as I try to squeeze as much Fall clothing ware out of Atlanta. This weekend C and I are headed to South Carolina to do some wedding planning and take our save the date photo. So I scoured the sale racks this week for a white dress to no avail. BUT Good news - Fall clothes have hit the stores, and they are something to talk about it. I left my Anthropologie trip with new outfits, none of which included a white dress and all of which will be a great addition to my Fall closet. It is going to be a good season.

Travel - Michigan

August was a month marked by travel with trips to New York, Chicago, Ann Arbor, Charleston and Louisville. We were a bit aggressive with our plans heading to a new city each weekend, but we had a lot of fun and managed to ditch some of summer's unbearable heat. This past weekend was my first trip to Michigan besides a brief trip through the Detroit airport. We explored Ann Arbor and went to an amazing wedding on a farm outside of Ann Arbor in Chelsea.

The farm was Misty Farm in Chelsea and if any place could make a city girl turn country this was it. Rolling hills, a pond and a lovely farm house and barn made this place so relaxing and serene.

The bride and groom thought of every little touch in their wedding with lemonade at the outdoor ceremony, a mojito cocktail hour with corn hole, dinner catered by the famous - Zingerman's, a dancing shoe flip flop basket, and jam that told guest to "spread the love."

One of the coolest things was that the reception dance party was in a refinished barn that they decorated with lights and paper lanterns and a desert table.

I love going to weddings now that I am in the process of planning one. Deciding the days colors seems nearly as important as the venue. I love the kelly green bridesmaid dresses paired with yellow and white wild flowers, an antique necklace, a messy bun and pink lips. See what I mean by every detail?

On Sunday, we toured Michigan's campus and were really impressed by their Law School and its gothic detailing.

I also had to share the wedding hosts incredibly unique home in Ann Arbor, because how many houses have you seen with a tree growing in the middle of the living room?