I wear a lot of cardigans. They’re perfect for North Carolina, because it’s too warm in the winter to wear a heavy sweater, but too cold to wear just a short-sleeve shirt. I also love cardigans because they help me get extra mileage out of my wardrobe — pair the same cardigan with three different shirts, and you have three different outfits! I actually just peeked in my closet and counted, and I currently own ten cardigans. I swear I am not a grandma (though I do love grandmas).

All this to say, I am something of a cardigan conneisseur, and I wanted to share my favorite cover up source with you today. I used to be a fan of J.Crew’s “Jackie” cardigan, but as they’ve inched the price upwards over the years, I’ve grown less and less fond of it. ($62 for a simple, solid cardigan?? No thank you.)

My new go-to source is the Nordstrom juniors department, specifically the Nordstrom house brand, BP. They almost always have a cardigan very similar to the Jackie, but with a tiny bit more stretch, and a much lower price tag. In the winter they offer a long-sleeve version, and in the spring and summer, a 3/4 sleeve one. The quality on both has been quite good in my experience. Online, the long-sleeve version is going for $34 right now, but they’re often on sale in store (I bought most of mine for about $24). You’ve seen this picture before, but here I am in the light pink, 3/4 sleeve version:

I hope this tip helps my fellow cardigan-wearers! If you are going to pick up one for yourself, I would suggest going up a size, since BP is a juniors line, after all. In my experience, they also shrink a tiny bit in the wash.

I am hosting Thanksgiving dinner again this year. It will be very small by my family’s standards (just five of us). I don’t really have the extra cash on hand to buy new pieces for the table, so I’m trying to brainstorm with what I already have, and come up with something that will coordinate well with my blue willow ware dishes. Here are a few ideas I’ve collected:

acorn candle votives from Pottery Barn

pretty pink and gold table design by Tara Guerard from Southern Living

pinecone door decor via Something Green

napkin menu wrap via Project Wedding

more nut candles from Good Housekeeping

velvet silverware wrap via Style Me Pretty (photo by Brooke Boling)

Are any of y’all hosting Thanksgiving dinner?

P.S. Last year’s Thanksgiving dinner

My Mom came to visit last week for another round of dress shopping (spoiler alert: it was also the final round of dress shopping!!!). She brought with her a disc of images my aunt had taken of my grandmother’s silver collection. Bingie (what my cousins and I call our grandmother) has agreed to let me borrow a few pieces for our wedding reception, which I think will add a lovely personal touch to the tables. Here are just a few of the pieces I’m considering using:

(Since we’re not going for a vintage vibe, I wouldn’t use the teapots or the pieces that look like they’re from a tea set.)

Aren’t they pretty? Grandmas are the best :) The coolest part is that as my Mom and I were flipping through the images, she kept pointing out pieces with stories behind them. I love that!

P.S. The rest of my silver collection, so far.

As crazy as it has been to be going, going, going for the last two weeks, I can’t say I would trade my trip to the Cayman Islands! Here are a few iPhone snaps from my four-day stay. We went on a catamaran ride to Stingray City, and the water was so clear, turquoise, and gorgeous! The boat was neat — the bow was mostly made up of nets, which you could sit on and watch the water flash by beneath you. This trip was also the first time I got to use my passport, which was thrilling :)

P.S. I did a little personal wedding scouting while abroad! These chairs are what I’m picturing for our reception, and I’d love to use lounge furniture like the pieces below.

P.P.S. Back next week with Thanksgiving prep posts!