Let's Celebrate :: Brunch'n With MOM

Today we're kicking off the first guest post of my amazing contributor team! Meet Nycia Emerson, a very talented event planner, designer and blogger. Her post today is so inspiring and has my head spinning with ideas for Mother's Day. Enjoy! 

Hello, It's Nycia Emerson here with the first "Lets Celebrate" series.  Are you still trying to figure out how to "WOW" your mom this year? This post is all about celebrating mom in a fun and unique way, that allows you to get creative at home. What better way to show mom how much you care, then with an intimate outdoor brunch. 

 

Start off with fresh spring flowers, such as tulips, lilacs and daisies or moms favorite blooms of course. Place them in clear vase or pot in the center of the table, then build your table from there. After you decide on your flower color you can bring in unique napkins and other details to compliment your color palette. I chose pink tulips for our inspiration table and then added a floral fabric from my local Hobby Lobby for the napkins. Which gave the table another splash of spring.

Pull out your simple white plates and glassware and build your setting from there.  I added details to small simple glasses with cut dollies and jute; trust me, mom will love the handmade details. Also mom's place setting includes handmade cards and a special gift was laid out for her to feel special as soon as she takes her seat.  

Gather some of mom's favorite recipes and beverages, and then you are ready to celebrate!

 Images by C Thompson Photography

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And on a side note, I just have to mention that today is my sweet baby boy's FIRST Birthday! I seriously cannot believe that one year ago today, I was in the hospital with a newborn in my arms. My life changed forever that day and I've loved every moment of being a mother. Luke is so precious and brings me a kind of joy and love that I've never before experienced. Happy Birthday to my sweet little love! You melt my heart! 

 Baby Luke - 7 days old

 Luke today - One Year Old!

Guest Blogging Today!

Happy Wednesday! I hope your week is going great so far. Meet me over at Typhanie Peterson's blog today for a post on my prediction of 5 Trends that will be Hot in 2013! What do you foresee on the design horizon this year?

[CHANDELIER FROM GLOBAL VIEWS]

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Guest Blogging for AirCraft Infused Scentsticks...

Happy Wednesday...we're half way through the week! I wanted to share with you an exciting collaboration I have going on with a brand new company called AirCraft Infused ScentSticks. They've asked me to be a guest blogger on their Facebook page for the entire week, where I'm sharing a snapshot of a space and then creating a design board to reflect the style and color scheme of the space, along with the scent(s) I think would coordinate best from their collection (which smell amazing, by the way!). AirCraft believes the scent of the air in your home should be as important as the decor...it helps set the mood of your space. Here's a peek at one of the spaces I've broken down and created a design board around. Please visit their Facebook page to see the others, and be sure to visit again tomorrow and Friday! And if you like what you see, please Like their page!

Guest Blogger Gift Picks: Ally via From The Right Bank

To close my guest blogger gift guide series we have Ally from the fabulous blog, From the Right Bank. Ally's blog is another one of my favorites and I enjoy popping over to read about her latest personal projects or just to see what's inspiring her at the moment. She's super talented and it's been fun getting to know her over the years! Be sure to visit Ally's blog for lots of design inspiration :) How's your Christmas shopping coming along? I haven't even started...I do it every year and wait until the last minute. I'll never learn!

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 Hello! I'm Ally and I'm delighted to be a guest here today. I write a blog called FROM THE RIGHT BANK where I chronicle the decorating my home - from inspiration files to finished projects. It's hard to believe it's been almost 3 years since Julie and I met through our blogs! It's been great to see her start and grow her business during that time. I was asked to share my top five Christmas gift picks with you today and I hope there are some ideas here you can use. Merry Christmas!

 1. Astier de Villate Fleurs Vase - I love everything from Astier de Villate but this vase is one of my absolute favorites.

2. Dylans' Candy Bar Sweet Treat Tower - Who can resist treats stacked a foot high?

3. BsaB Soy Wax Candle - A nontoxic candle with an amazing price for one with a bone china holder.

4. Jetsetter Luggage Tags - Fun and colorful tags for the globetrotter on your list.

5. Living in Style: Paris by Reto Guntli - Tons of eye candy for the francophile and design fan.

Guest Blogger Gift Picks: Donna from A Perfect Gray

Hello and happy Friday! Today's guest blogger is Donna from the beautiful blog, A Perfect Gray. Donna often features gorgeous vintage, rustic and french inspired interiors, furniture and accents, all centered around gray and neutral color palettes. If you haven't visited her blog, you must do so! You're in for a real treat. Today Donna is sharing her top 5 Christmas gift picks to help you continue checking off your shopping list. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend. xoxo - Julie 

(P.S. - My husband and I are going to be in New York next week for a little bit of business and lots of pleasure! Any suggestions on "must see" places or great restaurants this time of year? I LOVE hearing your input...my dear readers always come through with the best advice and suggestions :)

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Thanks so much for having me, Julie. I'm thrilled to share a few of my Christmas gift picks for all those gals on your list!  Here are some great ideas for special gifts for a special friend..and the best part? They won't break your budget!

* Great Gifts for Girls *

Alchemy Candle holder from Greige

This beautiful candle holder would warm up any spot. It's metallic glow is perfect for the holidays and those long winter months.

Set of two/$36.00

Greige

Buckle Cuff from Kayce Hughes

I'm crazy for tortoise shell and the buckle on this cuff bracelet puts me over the top. With a crisp white shirt and jeans - this one's a gotta-have.

Buckle Cuff

$28

Kayce Hughes

Python Tray from Zhush

A little skin for Christmas? These trays add some stylish zest to any desk or dresser top.

Python Tray

11" x 17" (larger sizes available)

$50.00

Zhush 

Calling Cards from Pixel Impress

Let's get personal! A gift of personalized calling cards can't be beat.

These double sided/two color Ikat cards are my favorite.

Set of 50 calling cards

$30.00

Pixel Impress 

Server Set from Furbish Studios

Have a friend who's always the gracious hostess? She'll love these unique servers made from hand-carved olive wood and inlaid bone.

Chevron Bone Salad Servers

$38.00

Furbish Studios

Happy gift-giving, everyone! 

Guest Blogger Gift Picks: Jennifer Ramos

Today's guest blogger is Jen Ramos, owner of Made by Girl online shop and blog. I rarely have time to visit all of my favorite blogs on the daily, but make always make time to visit Jen's blog! She is one talented girl who always gets it right with fashion, design and the hottest trends. Be sure to visit her other site, Cocoa & Hearts where she sells her very own original paintings (that are FABULOUS!). Enjoy her gift picks and happy shopping!

Hi this is jen ramos from madebygirl! Super excited to share my 5 gift picks for this Holidays season. I decided to do something different & suggest items that I already have myself & LOVE! I also decided to pick items that had GOLD (one of my fave colors)- Gold has been hugely popular this year & I hope it stays in trend all the way into 2012!!

1. gold clutch with neon orange zipper via MadebyGirl

2. gold snake cuff bracelet via bauble bar

3. ink blot mugs via saatchi store

4. golden branch candle via D.L. & Co.

5. Gold Love Print via madebygirl

Guest Blogging for The Purple Bow

Today you can catch me over at The Purple Bow. Karlita, the gal behind this adorable blog, has asked me to be a part of a series called Little Book of Inspiration, where I'll be sharing the things inspire me in life. Enjoy! (P.S. - I'll be sharing something super exciting with you tomorrow, so please be sure and stop by :)

Guest Blogging for La Dolce Vita!

Hello and welcome back to a new week. I hope you enjoyed the long weekend - I sure did :) Today I'm guest blogging over at La Dolce Vita as part of a special series Paloma has put together called Dream Home. Each guest blogger is given the opportunity to put together a detailed post sharing their ultimate dream home. I had so much fun dreaming up my home...but also found it a bit challenging to narrow down the hundreds of images I've bookmarked over time. I love so many different design styles and colors schemes, it was hard to choose my favorites! Anyway, please hop on over to Paloma's fabulous blog and take the tour of the home I dream of living in one day! xoxo - Julie

A New Approach to an Old Trend by Erika Brechtel

I'm so excited to have Erika Brechtel, owner of Small Shop [a brand styling studio] and the fabulous blog Shop Talk, as today's guest blogger! Erika is an incredibly talented graphic designer with a keen eye for all things fabulous and beautiful, especially when it comes to interior design and fashion. I've had the privilege of getting to know Erika over the last year and am happy to be introducing her to you today! So without further adieu, take it away Erika...

  

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Thrilled that Julie asked me to guest post for her, especially so since she was such a big influence on me and support for me in starting up my own blog. So to honor that, I wanted to do a post dedicated to her love of the chevron!

Okay so it's been around for a while, and you may even worry that we've seen the last of it. But I beg to differ! I have been so pleased to see an assortment of reinterpretations and reinventions of our zig-zag-y friend. Take a look at the reimagined products and inspiration shots I've collected
as Exhibit A:

[ illustration | pouf | napkins ]

[ print | napkins | brownie topper | throw | highball glasses ]

[ earrings | iPad case | towels | top | bag | paintable wallpaper ]

Exhibit B: Missoni -- the company that made famous the zig zag -- has been around since 1953! That's over 50 years of popularity, and a posh one at that. So fear not, my fellow chevron-lovers; it's here to stay.

Blue & White - A Classic Color Palette by Will Taylor

Today's guest blogger is one of my faves, especially since he and I both share a passion for what else?! COLOR!! (his tag line is literally "because beige is boring"). Allow me to introduce you to Will from Bright.Bazzar - a seriously gorgeous blog that keeps me inspired on a daily basis. Will is such a sweet, thoughtful and talented soul...I'm so happy to have him here as a guest. Enjoy!

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Hello! I'm Will and I blog daily over at Bright.Bazaar about all things colourful in interiors and lifestyle, and I'm delighted to be guest posting here on Belle Maison while Julie is in Las Vegas. I've always been a fan of a blue and white colour palette as I think it transcends between the seasons with ease. In summer it works in it's simplest form of glossy, bright whites and colour-pop, saturated blue hues. Then for fall and winter you can make it work by swapping out the brighter blues for more sumptuous, deeper and darker navy hues, or even mix in come copper and gold accent pieces for a dash of opulence. Do you like decorating with a blue and white colour palette?

If you're new to Bright.Bazaar, I'd love for you to pop by my blog, twitter or facebook to say 'hello!' Thanks for having me, Julie!

IMAGE CREDITS: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

an earth toned summer color palette by robin pulsifer

To kick off this week's panel of guest bloggers while I'm away at Vegas Market, I'm excited to have Robin from the awesome blog Avante Garde! Robin and I have become good friends through blogging over the years and she is such a sweet and talented woman. She always creates such fresh, unique and inspiring blog posts, all centered around interior design. If you haven't visited her blog yet, do yourself a favor and drop by to say hello! Now I'll turn it over to Robin...enjoy!

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hi friends! it's robin from avant garde design, a guest today on my favorite blog, belle maison and SO happy to be here! while julie posts often of color and lots of it, and by the way i LOVE that, and double by the way, summer is bursting with color, i've also been stopped lately by all of the exquisite earth toned summer color palettes surrounding me...the warm tones of sand, the soft tones of driftwood, airy linen clothing, multi~earth toned rocks and sky. here's a small round~up of some of my recent earth toned summer palette favs...

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so there you have it! don't forget as you travel about this summer to notice beyond the peonies and the sunflowers and the vibrant summer colors to the neutral, soft and whispering earth toned summer color palette. this palette is classic, it's forever, you really never tire of these tones. and you know what? paired with pops of color, summer or otherwise, now you are talking about a perfect space, in my humble opinion anyway! ;) enjoy...

Guest Blogging for Tobi Fairley!

Hello and happy Monday! I hope you had a nice weekend. I mentioned last Friday that Tobi Fairley invited me to be a guest blogger for her "All-American Design" series, but in case you missed the post, please head on over to her blog to check it out. In case you're not familiar with Tobi, she is one incredibly talented designer based out of Little Rock, Arkansas. After you visit her blog, check out her website portfolio for lots of eye candy and inspiration! Enjoy and meet you back here tomorrow. xoxo - Julie 

Guest Post via Be Inspired

Nycia, the talented woman behind the blog Be Inspired, just kicked off a new series called "She Inspires," where she'll be featuring a favorite blog and the editor behind the blog once a week. I was honored when she asked me to be a part of this exciting series. If you have a moment, click here to read my answers on what inspires me and be sure to browse around Nycia's beautiful blog for more inspiration!

Guest Post via Little Bits of Lovely

Rachel, author of the fabulous blog Little Bits of Lovely, recently invited me to share"5 lovely things I can't live without." It sure was tough to narrow down it down to just 5, but somehow I managed :) Click here to view the post and be sure to browse around Rachel's blog too! It's filled with all sorts of lovely inspiration. Have a fabulous day!

{Little Bits of Lovely}

Six to Bliss + Giveaway Winners Selected

I hope you all had a great weekend! A couple of exciting things going on today...

Check out my edition of "Six to Bliss" today at the fabulous blog, The Decorista! Ashlina was kind enough to ask me to contribute, along with several other women, my six "secrets" to domestic bliss. Click here to view the entire series. What are some of your secrets to a happy home?

UPDATE: The winners have been announced for the GIVEAWAY hosted by Jennifer @ Made by Girl! Click here to see if you won and a big thanks to everyone who entered...I loved reading each and every comment! XOXO - Julie