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DESIGN DARLING {THE BOUTIQUE} IS LIVE!!!

I am absolutely over the moon to announce that the new boutique is live at www.designdarling.com!!!




Check it out HERE and let me know what you think!!!

{SNEAK PEEKS}

I am over-the-top excited to share that five of my favorite bloggers have posted sneak peeks of Design Darling {The Boutique} today! Each sneak peek features three products that will be available on the site when it launches first thing tomorrow morning. Can you believe it's TOMORROW?!!!







Check them out and be sure to let me know what you think with hashtag #designdarlinglaunch on Twitter!

The Finishing Touches

I'm happy to say that I'm very close to finishing the site and taking a big deep breath before the boutique launch first thing Thursday morning! Now it's just lots of little finishing touches. As they say, design is in the details!


This outfit is full of lovely little details: the brass buttons on the striped dress (which is a must-have for spring!), the scalloped trim on the wallet, and the lace-up detail on the ballet flats. It's precisely what I wish I were wearing as I run around getting things in order!

One day...

...I will wear Stubbs & Wootton. Until that's in the budget, I'm content to drool over their new arrivals and play around with their "create your own" feature. Don't you love? Le sigh.

New For The Night!

I'm all about getting dolled up for a birthday party or night on the town. Spending hundreds of dollars on a new dress I'll never wear again? Not so much. Enter New For The Night, a brand new service based in Houston that lets you rent your designer favorites for as little as 10% of the retail cost. 

Kirribilla ($65) Naven ($73) Allison Parris ($90) Jay Godfrey ($55) Tibi ($70)

Pretty cool, right? Personally I have my eye on that ruffled Kirribilla dress for a number of spring soirées. Be among the first to sign up for this new site here! Check it out and let me know what you think.

Surprise Launch Party

Let me just start this post by saying that I am blessed to have the most wonderfully supportive family and friends in the world. I came home from a weekend trip to a friend's lake house to a room full of people yelling, "Surprise!" My cousin Emily and the rest of my family had planned a surprise launch party for the boutique — and somehow I really had no idea!
Emily gathered ideas from her Pinterest to plan the decor and food. Of course she thought of literally everything! The navy and pink palette was right up my alley and she divided the table with breakfast on one side and lunch on the other. I think I ate about 58 ten bruschetta. So good! 
The house was filled with flowers which is of course the most wonderful treat. My grandmother — who is quite possibly Design Darling's number one fan! — send this beautiful bouquet up from Florida.
Emily thought of every last detail right down to filling the candy bowls placed throughout the family room and kitchen. Did you know Party City now sells M&Ms by the color? This makes me endlessly happy.
Of course the biggest gift was everyone who came out to celebrate this new venture of mine. My aunt was visiting from Boston and my sister even drove down from Amherst for the occasion! Family, friends, flowers... I am the luckiest girl in the world!
And the pièce de résistance... The cake that my cousin and her friend made after my logo, illustrated by Gadabout. Apparently it took them three hours to get the colors just perfect. Aren't the bows just the sweetest touch?
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Thank you to everyone involved for the best surprise of my life! How they tricked my nosy nature is still beyond me ;) Now let's speed this week up to Thursday and let it be launch day already!!!

Color Palette {Blue & Green}


Just a little lovely from me to you on this fine Saturday morning. I hope you're up to something perfectly fabulous!

*fashion photograph by Dean Isidro for Cosmopolitan
interior design by Melanie Turner in Veranda
both layouts by Mackenzie Horan

Friday Finds (Everything Under $40!)

Who's happy it's Friday?! I sure am. If only this weekend entailed some real relaxation...



Summer, come sooner! Do any of you have a vacation coming up?

Bikini Beauties

Who's going on a warm weather vacation and wants to pack me in their suitcase?


(3) Dear Marlene bikini topjust wait until you see the neon pink bottoms! (4) Ashei bikini top

Because really I'd like an excuse to wear any one of these darling bikini tops from Anthropologie. Which one tickles your fancy? 

Schuyler Samperton

I discovered the portfolio of Los Angeles interior designer Schuyler Samperton on one of my favorite blogs, Absolutely Beautiful Things, and thought her work was too gorgeous not to share. Is it any wonder with all the blue, pink, and white?
It's definitely a more bohemian take on my favorite palette but I kind of love it! Really, that first room makes me giddy. Bamboo mirror, natural light, pink flowers, striped rug, suzani chairs... Be still my heart! What do you think of Schuyler's work?