Nashvegas

As a Tennessee alum a lot of my good girlfriends moved from Knoxville to Nashville after school. I however decided to go against the grain and move to Atlanta. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I hadn't moved here and had gone to Nashville instead. I know one thing, I wouldn't have met my darling husband so I guess I made the right decision. However, I do miss my college girls but luckily Nashville is a quick 3.5 hour drive.

Anyways, this past weekend I left for Nashville bright and early for a bridal shower that morning for one of my girlfriends. "Bagels with the Bride" to be exact, very cute! It was a great shower and my dear friend received lots of pretty things for her and her soon-to-be husband's new home. After the shower and a quick wardrobe change my friend and I headed to downtown Franklin for some antique and home shops. I've driven through this area but I've never actually walked around so I was super excited!

Me and the Bride out for dinner and drinks at Tavern in Nashville (my fav)!!!

When I told my husband that I was going into these stores his response was "won't things be marked up in a store?" Yes, I've trained him well, ha. In all actuality the prices were pretty reasonable but this could also be because things tend to be more marked up in Atlanta. I really didn't get anything that exciting, my friend got a pretty gold bar table for $99 though (wish I had a pic)! I did get some fun books that averaged about $7 a piece and are all dated from late 1800's to 1940's. Here are a few of my favorites:

Ok, this is Amy Vanderbilt's etiquette book. When I saw this I pretty much died on the spot for this book.

1- My name is Amy too!
2- I love old etiquette books
I mean who doesn't need to know things like proper attire for their yacht? Or how to arrange the living quarters for your staff members? My friends and I got the biggest quick out of her using the word "shant"... Ex: "You shant think I am silly about getting this excited over a book, there's a lot of useful knowledge in here."

I must say after flipping through it, I am going to make the assumption that Amy Vanderbilt was a wee bit pretentious. I might be wrong but that's just how I perceived her from the book. Either way, she sounds like a fun friend to have with all of wait staff and yachts, right?
p.s. Amy also thinks it's unnessesary to send Christmas cards, spending hours addressing hundreds of cards takes the spirit out of Christmas.


These 2 books are for hubster. He loves historical books about America, wars, etc. The other is an ethics book for young people. I consider Ry a very ethical person and I think he is probably convinced at his wise, old age of 30 that kids these days weren't brought up the way he/we were. It made me think of him...

These 2 books are larger than the others and pretty. The red one in the background has a really cool cover and is about all the different big city capitals the world at the time (1893). The other is from 1940's and called "A Treasury of Early American Homes." It has tons of pictures of gorgeous homes around the US like this one in Charleston, South Carolina.

Other than books I got some mercury glass candle holders and votives for $3-$5 a piece at a store. I am planning on getting some more in other shapes and sizes for my mantle. I am having a hard time decorating that space when there is a HUGE tv taking up 60 inches of the space and an ugly black speaker box underneath (ugh, sigh, boys).... I'm thinking of loosing the topiaries and doing large vases on each side full of cotton branches, what do you think?

Here's a final picture of a few of my good friends out in Nashville... aren't they all so pretty? They are all equally as lovely on the inside too! We had so much fun and I can't wait till my next trip there in Nashville for the one on the far right's bridal shower. Hubs will be in tow for this couples shower so it should be fun, maybe I'll even take him along to downtown Franklin :)

February Scott's Antique Finds

Ok, so I have been really bad at blogging the past couple weeks. Mainly due to being super busy with um, life and the being sick .

This weekend was full of friends and so much fun! It started with one of my high school friends flying into town Thursday and meeting for dinner at Barcelona Wine Bar in Inman Park. First time here for me and I lovvved it! Excellent food, company, wine, and atmosphere.

Friday our friends from Alabama came in town for a visit. We started with an easy but yummy dinner at Nuevo Laredo in West Midtown, always a favorite! Early to bed because Saturday we met A-Train's mom bright and early at Scott's Antique. She goes every month and has been going for many years. She is a PRO antique-er. Even though it is overwhelming I feel fairly confident walking around on my own but she taught me a thing or two (or three...).

We were just kinda looking so I ended up with some nic-nacs but definitely found some chairs that I love, maybe next time! Here's the run-down...

I've been wanting to try one of those Pinterest inspired picture frame turned into a dry erase board or cork board projects for my desk area until I saw this baby. $24 bucks and I was sold! Only thing is I got home and I wish I had 2, next time!


Second item from the same booth is not a random man (that's hubs) but the little plaque he is holding. His nickname growing up was "Tripple B" which stand for.... get ready.... "Big Booty Bowden". Yes. Dead. Serious. He is plagued with a bubble butt (he got this along with his height from the milk man). He got so excited when he saw this that we had to have it, only $5 too! They have tons of these and they'd be super cute in a nursery!


Ok, I know silver makes some people yawn but I'm obsessed. My style is very eclectic but I do have some traditionalist in my heart. This sugar and creamer were in a $5 bin. I never even knew about $5 bins until our friend's mom! The tray was either $5 or $10 too! Can't beat cheap silver!


These are 2 more pieces, the round tray $10 and the cute little serving spoon $5 bin.


This was one of my favorite things of the day. A silver cake stand that is on a platform with little feet. Seriously, how cute is this? There are so many great things I can do with this piece. $25!


Ok, I know I am boring you with photos of silver, I'll switch it up. This is a picture of the 1914 Harvard football team. We were walking by and a guy had this on the wall and looked at it, kept walking, quickly did a U-Turn and marched my butt right back. I think this is really cute. My husband has a bunch of football memorabilia from his family(example pic below) that I have no where to put in our house. So I've decided to paint our hallway going down to the basement and then do collage walls with all his football stuff. I've been looking on Etsy and Ebay for quirky football things so for $20 this was a must-have. Ry-guy loved it too!

One of the photos going on our football collage wall. Ry's Dad and Grandad with Joe Paterno (RIP JoePa).

That is pretty much everything we got except for a stack of antique coral-colored Swedish books to fill our bookshelfs, I've bored you enough, I won't bore you with pics of books(ha).

After Scott's we headed over to the Ballards Design Outlet on Defoors but didn't find too much this time. Then we headed home to rest our feet before dinner and snack on some wine and cheese. Another couple we are friends with came over and we all headed to SOHO in Vinnings. This was a last minute reservation and being the weekend before V-Day EVERYTHING in ATL was booked. Luckily we scored this, it was a great meal full of fun conversation, Andre 3000 from OutKast also joined us there! (Ok, not really but he was at the bar... hheeeyyy yaaaaa....) We woke up the next morning and had brunch at Another Broken Egg in Peachtree Battle (another great spot) before our friends headed home.

All in all, a great trip and a great time with friends. I am already looking forward to the next trip to Scotts!

More Southern Style on the Cheap...

Saturday morning we wake up to thunder and lightening... for once a rainy morning NOT on a weekday when you have to work!?...awesome! However, I had my Saturday already mapped out with bargain shopping, ugh, bummer. After sleeping in a "little" while we got ready, slapped on our rain jackets and went out to the monsoon & tornadoes. (I might or might not have incentivized my husband with lunch at McAlister's Deli...)

First, return the fireplace screen to Outrageous Interiors at their Alpharetta store. Since we were going all the way up 400, we might as well hit the Homegoods on Northpoint (my fav Homegoods-seriously awesome) and since we are going to eat at McAlisters which is next to the other Ballards Backroom, we'll go there too. Here's my finds:

My mom had mentioned that she wanted one of these drying racks you mount on your wall from Ballards for her laundry room, they had a stack of them on a clearance special for $49 bucks... of course I grabbed her one.


On a rainy day this Sunburst mirror was perfect! On Abode Home's blog that she found a similar one at TJ Maxx and ever since I have been on the lookout. I can't decide where to mount this sucker in my house. I know a lot of folks mount it above a bed or maybe a sofa. I was actually thinking in my entryway above my mirrored table. One thing I do know is this baby is HEAVY! Might need to call in the big guns to hang this piece up!... Big guns as in my dad, our handy neighbor Drew, or a guy I met at a local design shop who does all of their installations.

Ok, so really I didn't buy much else except the mirror and my mother's drying rack... pretty good right? One thing I forgot to preface in yesterday's post when I said I was practicing contentment, I walked away from the boutique warehouse sales, yada yada yada.... Earlier in the week I scored big time on Gilt Group's Blowout sale, OMG. Well these lovelies came in the mail over the weekend and I am sooooo excited!!!


This dress is by T Bags (yeah, weird name) but they have really pretty maxi dresses. You might have seen them on celebs like Adrienne Maloof on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Emily Maynard, Brad Womack's ex and the future Bachelorette doll (can't wait to see what she wears).

Anyways, you can't tell in this picture but the dress has a deep v and a ties around the rib cage, so cute and only $19 bucks for a designer dress, loves! Plus is so forgiving but doesn't look like a moo-moo. I love an easy, breezy dress that you can just "throw on".

If you aren't a member of Gilt Group, it's invitation only but I think you can request membership. Right now they have an extra 25% off promo going on (extra25off) and shipping is always quick and only $5.95.
























The next dress is this AWESOME hot pink Tibi number (sorry for the grainy pics). This beaut was $89 and I am obsessed! With all of the parties and weddings we have this year I can't wait to show this off especially with a nice tan, sunkissed hair, and killer gold heels. My best friend actually has a version of this dress that she wore to my rehearsal dinner and I loved it so when I saw this for so cheap I died. I didn't even know the back was open with the cape-back over it until it arrived.

I know what you are thinking... contentment? huh? what about that resolution? I'm a bargain shopper so when I see a deal it's hard for me to not buy something "just because it's cheap." My husband says if I would quite buying so many little things that were "dirt cheap" that I just like so-so it would be a start for my road to recovery. I really have done quite well lately of walking out of stores empty handed. Will this girly-gal not ever buy clothes? No way. I can start by only buying things that I truly love and will get a ton of wear/use from. So that's how I am starting, baby steps....

Winter Sales Make Me Happy :)

Last weekend there were some fabulous sales, my 2 favorite times of the year are 1) daylight savings time in the spring and 2) End of season clearance sales!!!

I started the weekend by hitting up the Boutique Warehouse Sale. They hold this twice a year at an empty spot in Atlantic Station. I always attend this sale and make sure I am there right at open, however, I must say this year it was so crowded from 10AM on.


This photo is from last year's location above Z Galleries, this year they were in the old Pier 1.

I must confess though, I didn't buy a single thing this time. They had some good deals but one of my resolutions this year is being more content with what I have and there wasn't anything I was dying to have. Not to mention I was a bit caught off guard by the mass amounts of people and baby strollers right at open. I also stocked up on the last sale in July with quite a bit of goods so I really didn't need anymore $50 designer jeans (got 3 last time) or any $75 Tucker dresses. Oh well, I'm sure hubs would be very happy to know I walked away empty handed, that is until I got to some of the other stores in Atlantic Station.... oops...

The next stop was on of my favs! Outrageous Interiors, I received an email in the week saying they were having a clearance sale. If you live in ATL and haven't been to Outrageous Interiors (formerly "Outrageous Bargains"), you need to go, esp when there is a sale. They have great furniture pieces that are fun and reasonably priced, their staff is amazing and super helpful, and they also carry great nic-nacs.

Again, I wasn't looking for anything major here but I needed some inspiration for my home, I feel a bit stuck on it right now. While I was there I saw a fireplace screen that was very pretty however it might have been too traditional/whimsical looking for my house. I took it home to try it out, thank goodness they have a very liberal policy on returns because it didn't work in our house. Just one more reason I love shopping here because they let you try things out to ensure they look good. Here are a few random pics I snapped...




I thought this chair was pretty and I love the fabric... almost what I am looking for in my master bedroom.


This abstract city-scape painting I am dying over... I love it since we live in the city but I keep going back and forth on 2 things... Do I want the art above my sofa to have much color and do I love it enough (or will I love it forever) to pay $450???


The crosses did come home with me. I need something to hang hand towels on in my powder room but we are limited on space. I'm not sure if the ring on these is decorative or functional but I think they are super cute for hand towels. Now I need to head to Gramercy in Peachtree Battle to pick out some pretty monogrammed towels (not these in the pic).

Ok, this post has been long enough so I will stop here and continue next time with some pretties I scored on the cheap last weekend.

Pinterest Recipe- Pizza Casserole

I was frantically trying to find something to make for dinner when I ran into the grocery store. I did what almost every pinterest-obsessed person does, pulled it out and looked for a yummy recipe... all intentions were to find that potato soup recipe I pinned a couple weeks ago, no luck and this is what I landed on... PIZZA CASSEROLE.



via

If I know one thing, my husband could survive on 2 things: Pizza + Casseroles.

We do eat pizza probably once a week but this southern gal is not a big casserole fan. Don't get me wrong, they taste great, but I literally can't stop stuffing my face of that cheesy, goupy stuff, I ALWAYS overeat. Not to mention, I was raised on meat and potatoes and I tend to try my best to stay away from dairy/cheese as much as possible. (That's a whole other story for another time...) My ideal meals consist of a lean meat, a whole grain starch, and vegetable/salad.

Anyways, I had to cook tonight since we've been living on leftovers from the weekend the first half of this week. So I went for a run and started cookin', here's how it went.



Step 1: boil noodles (I opted for whole grain egg noodles), brown beef (I might try ground chicken next time, beef: another conspiracy theory I have like cow's milk/dairy).



Step 2: Start your layering, see recipe for the order, I also used more than 1 jar for the sauce, thankfully I had an extra. One other change I made to the recipe is that I sprinkled in Italian seasoning here and there.



Step 3: Ready for the oven after you cover with foil. This is where I didn't plan appropriately (you can tell I don't make casseroles much), it bakes for a total of 45 minutes and needs to cool for a bit after. Therefore, we are still waiting for it to finish as I write the start of this post....

...yep...still waiting.....



DONE! So delicious! Maybe not the healthiest but hey, that's why I ran earlier... although not sure my run cancelled out the sweets I also ate today... life goes on....
Thanks to pinterest for this awesome recipe. Be sure to check me out on pinterest and follow my boards too! https://pinterest.com/arbowden/

Scott's Antique

Over the weekend our in-laws came for a last minute visit from Florida. They are Almost done building their beach house in Seagrove off of 30-A. Ry's mom called a week ago and said she was looking at her schedule and they were about to get really busy with their new house finishing up in the early spring so they wanted to pay a visit. Luckily we didn't have any plans except going to Scott's Antique and I finally had an excuse to call cleaners to come clean our house. :)

In true Bowden fashion, we relaxed, ate a ton of food at fabulous restaurants, watched football, and did some shopping at Scott's. Next time you want a great meal check out Horseradish Grill in the chastain area of Buckhead. I don't know why it took Ryan and I so long to visit this great place but it's a new fav. We also ate at Fox Brothers BBQ with my parents (ahmazzzing bbq), Corner Bakery (cafe adjoined to Maggianos-try their chopped salad, it'll change your life), West Egg (West Midtown), and Malaya (Collier Hills).

Enough about food, back to Scott's... this place was PACKED. I'm not sure if it was due to college football season being over, the long weekend, or the fact that market was going on this week but I haven't seen it this packed in forever. Luckily Ryan and I weren't looking for too much and honestly it felt picked over by the time we arrived Saturday. I ended up going home with an all-time spending RECORD! ...low that is. 3 hours and $8 later we left with an old coca-cola crate for my desk area in the kitchen. I had one but needed another... I did take a few pics, I'll take more next time, promise!



An armoire we found (in front of the North building) to possibly put in our Master, these babies were already sold but the vendor said he has these every month, so I plan on checking back with him.



The inside...



Don't worry if your spouse goes with you and starts to get tired there are plenty of interesting chairs to take a rest in...




A pic of my desk area (was a large pantry before we moved in) with my $8 coca-cola crates... (butcher block from Ikea, office filing cabinet and counter stool from Ballards outlet, baskets from homegoods, metal bins from Lowe's, cake plates from Juliska, Poterry Barn, and Homegoods)

After Scott's we hit up the Ballards Outlet near my house... All Christmas goodies 75% off, we are talking nice ribbon for $2-$3 but most of the Christmas goods were gone by the time we got there. I did however score the very LAST 3 foot pre-lit Christmas tree for $17.50!!!!!!! (Outlet price before xmas $150). I plan on using it on my skirted table in living room this next year and moving my big tree to the dining room in front of the bay window. Talk about a steal... One thing about living where we do, we get the best deals on home stuff with all the awesome stores near our house, so blessed!

High and Low

No, I'm not talking about uppers and downers... I'm talking about style. Whether it be your wardrobe, your shoe collection, or you house... I think it's all about mixing high-end style with low-end style. Maybe it doesn't even have to be super high end but it appears high end or fancy but on the flipside you pair it with some good 'ole comfort pieces.

Similarly, I feel like you can do a mixture of new and old with vintage things too. Whatever you love make it work but a good mixture of both will always add more interest and make for an inviting and cozy home.

Here are a few images via Pinterest that I love...



Love these Tolix chairs mixed with a farmhouse table and a crystal chandalier!
(Pic courtesy of Melissa Edelman, designer and owner of Antiquaire.)



If you are on Pinterest, you've probably seen this image. Who doesn't love exposed brick? Mix it with crisp white bedding, vintage or reclaimed side tables and a sparkly chandy, perfecto!

(Image courtesy of Country Living)



You've seen this pic before, it's my dining room. I'm aspiring to mix the high/low in here too... I found this farm table and loved it, then I fussied it up some with these Louis XVI French chairs which I reupholstered. Throw in a cowhide for a touch of SOCO (southern comfort) and a corner china cabinet. Next I am planning on a mirrored buffet like this one from Z Galleries for more sparkle in shine... rotate the mirror (vertical), add pretty buffet lamps, curtains, table linens, and BAM! I might be about done! Well, maybe...



(Image courtesy of Z Galleries)