Sunday Funday at Railroad Park

I'm a little excited about my new look on the blog! Last Friday I sat at Ashlee's house and we brainstormed and came up with a new idea....hehe. She is starting up a blog and I wanted a new look for mine. We called on our website-photographer expert, Lori and she made a little time for us today! She helped me make the cute icons on the side and I couldn't figure out how to get my logo to the right side. It was sitting on the left and driving me crazy! So, I'm in the mood to blog. New color and pop inspires me!

I had a blogger meet up sponsored by Hometalk on Thursday at Southern Accents. I had one blogger come all the way from Texas! Denise and I went to the same high school and college. She and I have been chatting for a few weeks about blogging and she decided to make the trip! It was so great seeing her. For some reason, I didn't take a photo of the group. Lisa and Denise both took pictures, but I haven't seen any of them! I guess I could've asked for one....Leah Turner drove over from Cedar Bluff, Alabama. We all asked where that is and she couldn't tell us! It was our little joke of the day. (wink) She has a house that is over a hundred years old. You can find her on Facebook at The Field House. She found several things she "needed". I think she was going to talk her hubby into coming back with her to get some of her finds. It was so nice to show them the store and all of my favorite spots. Yeah, I kinda said that every time we walked into another room. While we were at the gym, I snapped a couple of pics of the "spire" from Arkansas. This thing has gotten a lot of attention and has potential to become famous! I think it looks like a lady in a dress. It reminds me of Beauty and the Beast. You know, the duster, Babette?

I picked up this piece of trim. It was from one of the houses in Arkansas. I love delicate trim. This piece is only about 6ft tall. I need to find a cool way to use it. 

On Sunday, Connor and I ventured downtown to Railroad Park. It's a new park that has had a lot of national recognition. It is a beautiful area. Our local baseball team, the Barons, will be playing in the new Regions Stadium right beside the park. We do not have a very safe downtown in Birmingham. I hope all of these new places will change that. We had so much fun checking out the park. Lots of dogs, kids and people enjoying the sunshine. It felt great to be there. There was a local pop up shop going on that day. Several vendors brought me out. I have been following Digs Design on Instagram and Facebook. They have some cool vintage finds. I talked to the Mom and Daughter owners. They have a great eye and are both so creative. I can't wait to work with them on a few projects soon! I love this yellow basket. Isn't it so fun??

A quick look at all the action that day at the park and a view of a portion of Birmingham, Alabama!

As we were leaving, we stopped to get a treat from the ice cream truck! It was the perfect ending to a very fun afternoon! 

Lucysinspired Friday Wrap-Up

This week has been full! It's amazing to  me how it can fill up so quickly! I've picked up a new social media client and think it's going to be a fun one! Lots of creative ideas floating around in my head!

Since Monday was a holiday, I got to go out to the creek party! house and take a few pictures. I shared a couple of them here. We were going to try and move in next week, but The Connor Farmer got it in his head it needed to happen today. He's got the moving truck out there unloading right now.....I guess I need to get ready to fluff! Here's one more peek before I head out.

On Tuesday, I headed North to Southern Accents. I walked around the store looking for what would go into our booth at the Birmingham Home and Garden Show. You have to come see me. It's going to be a great booth and we are doing giveaways! eeeek! I shot this picture and I'm still loving it! You can follow along Lucysinspired on Facebook to see things as they hit me!

Wednesday, I picked up a new client. I have this secret love of hardware, door hardware, that is. You've seen Lucy Locket's, right? I met Eric at Brandino Brass and we decided it was a perfect fit. I would start working on their social media. You may see Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter posts that sound a little like Lucy. If so, just click like or make a comment. We will all appreciate it! (thanks to Molly for the referral!) One reason I knew this would be a good thing? This door. I love this massive thing! I stood in front of it at SA last year and was amazed at the size of it. I love how they use it as the door to block off the storage area of the store! don't you?

Thursday took me to Deconstructive Waste Services. Sara and I will be friends. I can promise that! She has been salvaging cool architectural pieces from this recycling pile! I found some really cool things. Ashlee, Lori and I made a morning of it. We filled Ashlee's car and I have to go back with a truck for my haul! This one little pic sums it up! Thanks, Lori, for always capturing the moment! I will be giving you a personal tour of this place in a few weeks! Can't wait to share some of my favorite salvage places around the South!

I also got to meet the girls behind The Scout Guide Birmingham. I love their publication. It's gorge! You need to look for it around town. It's all about the to do and see in our area!

I hope you had a great week! I love being busy and creative.

Easy Street Resale

I am a procrastinator. I'm also crazy busy. I seem to have time to sit here and research facebook marketing on Mashable for the past 2 hours. ugh. my priorities are wacky!

Ok, so I am moving into a booth in Pelham tomorrow! I have a ton of stuff that I've been "collecting" for awhile and decided when we moved, I might need to sell some of it! It's a really cute place over on Hwy. 31. The kids and I were eating at McAllister's a couple of months ago and we walked in to check it out. I could tell from the outside that I would love it.

Rachel and Bo are the owners and they are adorable! They have lots of space and really awesome vendors! I decided I should take the plunge. I'm not very good about execution. I have great ideas and rarely follow through with them. I signed up for September and then, you know, we moved. I pretty much left a huge space open at the store for a month. After talking to Rachel via email the past few days and Bo on the phone today, I decided to get my butt in gear and get some things over there! I'm winging it. I have an idea of what I'm taking. I just have no idea of how I will style it to make it look like a million bucks! I have this issue of things looking a certain way.....or not doing it at all. I really can't wait. I hope it will turn into something and I can have that extra cash I need to stop in at Anthropologie every once in awhile!

Go like their facebook page! You can tell them I sent ya and then get in there and buy something!!

Shop-a-haul-ic

Hi my name is Lucy and I'm a shop-o-holic. It used to be clothes (did I say used to be?). Now, it's home decor. (just now?) I do love it. I love finding things that I just can't live without. I also love to help others find things that they can't live without....or that they actually need. #whatever

For the last couple of years I have been working with Southern Accents. Yes, I do their facebook page and their Pinterest page. I also have a board dedicated to them on my own Pinterest page. I love to find unique items or unique ways to use items. Sometimes it's just placing it on a mantel. Most of the time, it's creating a new use!

They aren't quite the only place that I love to shop. I have a couple of other spots that I frequent. This week I'm going to Chattanooga. There is a salvage shop there, Architectural Salvage, that I love! They have lots of American and European architecture. I found this really cool green iron piece that I want. I have the perfect place for it at Hansel and Gretel's house. I just hope it will fit!!

I also love to go to Estate of Confusion to visit Greg. THIS is a treasure hunt!! I swear he has laundry bins full of old patterns from foundries. They are all different and I can find a million uses for them!!

foun·dry  (foundr)

n. pl. foun·dries

1. An establishment where metal is melted and poured into molds.

2.

a. The skill or operation of founding.

b. The castings made by founding.

remember these?

I love to go in there for hours and dig. My mom isn't a fan. She wants to see it finished and gets impatient when I just walk around aimlessly. She will have to go to lunch while I'm there Thursday!

I plan on coming home with a few things. I will take lots of photos and then maybe you and I can make a road trip!

Socially Acceptable

Jumping on the bandwagon. It's fun at first. I'm always a bandwagon NFL fan. I love the winning team. That one and which ever one Tom Brady is on. He's so cute, right? Mark Sanchez is easy on the eyes, too. That's not what this post is about..how did I get there? I'm about to be 40...Is it the cougar coming out of me? please laugh here....

So, jumping on the bandwagon. 3 years ago, I was trying not to get on the Facebook bandwagon. Seriously, I was on Twitter before that and I didn't even know what it was!! I thought Facebook was that silly place that my little sister would go to check up on her ex-boyfriend. (sorry N, if you are reading this! xo) Really, it was just something the college kids were doing. I had a few friends jumping on and they were having a little fun with it. Talking to high school friends...really? did I want to go there? Don't get me wrong, I love my high school and the friends from there, but all the drama that was from high school. I guess I expected it to be on Facebook!! Well, I was right about that part.....and not the high school friends!!

It is my life now. I am on Facebook for hours a day. I don't play games, I don't stalk people (wink) and I don't update my status every 5 seconds. If I have to pee, you don't have to know it. It's my network. It's how I find out who won the game, that a tornado touched down, that LSU 's busses can't leave the hotel because someone painted a 50 yard line in front of it! That's hilarious, you have to admit! I also make new friends and find old ones. I find people that live within 10 miles of me that I have SO much in common with. We pull together and do things to help each other. It's how I keep up with EVERYONE! If someone has a baby, I check Facebook to find out when. It's life events, the world around us and right next door. Someone will say, "I don't have time for it.". Ok, neither do I. I make time for it. I want to know how my friends are and seriously, there is a contest, I can win a new pair of jeans!! I did! On FACEBOOK! I got them and yes, they fit PERFECTLY! It's like the yellow pages with a friends recommendation. You need something? Ask for it on Facebook. You will find it!

I do a lot more with this social network, too. I help businesses find more customers. over 800 million people are on Facebook all over the world. It's the best marketing tool you can have. You have to utilize it in a way that benefits your business. There are no HARD-CORE numbers that prove the ROI, but when someone walks in your store almost every day and says, "you have a great Facebook page", it makes sense. You may even be lucky to have someone make a purchase and say, "The only reason I even came here was from your Facebook page." They probably won't, but you can't NOT be on there!

There are other social platforms out there. They may not all work for you. I love Pinterest and blogging. They fit with most of my clients. I am still learning everyday. I did get a likeable book today. It's all about social media and how it works. Not sure why I need that, but I'm sure I will get something out of it. If I do, I will share it with you. It is the reason I decided to write this post! 

BTW, I am still trying to take a photo a day. I've missed a few. I decided not to post here because after the 2nd day someone unsubscribed. It hurt my feelings and I stopped doing something for them. I guess that was the wrong decision. Maybe I will bring it back...or you can just keep up on my Facebook page!

One more thing.....Roll Tide! Congrats on the National Championship!

Pre-game with John Connor

 Post game with Emma!

It's the holidays! Time to celebrate!

How does it get so busy? Every year I say I'm going to be ahead of the game, right? It's just too hard. With all these things to distract me......Pinterest, Facebook, blogs, oh and that job I picked up! Geez. The first month I was a decorator, which was fabulous! I was in and out and working from home. Now, I'm officially full-time and I'm.worn.out!! If you aren't a fan of the Telegraph Facebook page, you should be. We are the coolest boutique ad agency in town! yeah! It's a super fun job...making commercials, designing logos, websites, getting creative with facebook pages..it's all the bomb.com.

I really need a week off BEFORE Christmas, though! Shopping done - nope. Decorating finished - nope. Kids parties at school planned - nope. Cookies and sweets baked - nope. Special touches (my favorite part) - nope. Going to Holiday parties like Alabama Chanin's Holiday Market tonight -  nope. I'm so sad. I wanted to go and I can't fit it in....I just have all that other stuff to do.....I could kinda get all that done in the four hours it takes to get to Florence and back! oh well....I get to go in May for a workshop. I just want to sit around and stitch, ya know?

I did get to go to a fun Cookie Swap last Sunday at the adorable Beth of Unskinny Boppys house. It was so much fun. Do you know she invited me and we have never met in real life! How cool is that? I think she has the magic touch on decorating skills and wanted to be her friend...so, we have been cyber friends for a while now! I also got to meet Lori from Click Workshops. Oh, there goes my Christmas list...it's all things photography now. I want a new D700, a Nikon 1, a new lense (any one will do) and a year's full of photography workshops with Click. Santa? Do you hear me? To make matters worse, I come in to work on Monday and Kevin and Isaiah decide they are going out to buy a camera! Green, I tell ya, I was green. They got the D5100 to shoot video and stills. For the love......I want to steal it and play with it all day! Oh, make that one more thing on the Christmas-I-haven't-gotten-to-it-yet-list. Pictures of the kids for Christmas cards - nope!

I guess that's why I decided to sit down and write out a blogpost. Make myself a list...maybe I will be held accountable....or the time will get here and it will have to get done, or else!

I do have some decorations up...here's my mantel - done!

Hope your Holidays are all in order and you are sitting at home baking cookies with your kids, listening to Christmas music by the fire...which, is not going to happen here...it's 70 degrees out! You've sent out your cards and are finished with all the crafts....probably working on next year's gift list! Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Decorating Dilemma

You know how much I love Pinterest. I get lost in those boards for at least an hour a day. I really need to start a board of completed projects.....mine would be really small right now! Jessica Turner created one and inspired me to "think" about it. maybe next week!

I am always looking for fun ideas to post to Southern Accents FB page. I found this fabulous pot rack last week and I can't get it out of my mind!

I want to make one of these ASAP! There are so many pieces of iron in the iron gate lot at SA. This is the obvious choice......I think it's too ornate for me.

 there are several others to choose from....

I know I can make one that is spectacular. The problem is, I need to take down my pendant lights over my island. What will I put there? I'm thinking I will just turn them into can lights. This would mean there would be no light fixture in my kitchen...oh how I love lighting! ugh....what should I do?