I found a gem at the flea market this weekend! I’d wandered almost every aisle (in 96 degree heat and full sun, might I add) before I saw it, and was feeling a bit discouraged because this was my third trip in a row without anything sparking my fancy. But as soon as I saw this beauty, my heart was hoping to take it home.

The price ($350) was more than I was prepared to spend, however. Happily, we were able to agree on $250 after a bit of negotiation and a quick consult via phone with John. It’s more than I’ve paid for other flea market furniture, but I feel good about it. The color of the wood is exactly what I’ve been looking for, and it’s in fantastic shape. If I was planning to paint the piece, I would have looked for something a little more banged up (and cheaper). It’s also solid wood, even the back, with no veneer.

Right now we have it in our guest room, and I really like how it looks with the wood tones of our frames. I’m not sure that this room will be its forever home, but it’s perfect for now!

These were the two images that inspired me to look for a piece like this:

First credit is unknown, second photo is by Meredith Perdue from Nebo Lodge

Our home is being photographed for Southern Newlywed in a week, and I am feeling a little anxious. I’m trying to avoid a mad rush to do things just to do things, but instead only moving the timeline up a bit on improvements we’ve already decided on. I think the anxiety comes from people looking at our home and thinking a) that’s all you’ve done in two years?? or b) that’s boring and not inspiring. However, I keep reminding myself that we don’t make decisions based on what the internet thinks, but on what’s right for us. Our home might even look a little empty to some, but that’s not a good reason to spend money and rush to fill it with things we don’t need or want.

On the bright side, I love that SW includes a lengthy interview with the couple; there’s nothing I love more than filling out a good interview. Even if our photos don’t do it for some readers, perhaps there’s a nugget that will speak to them from our interview :)

You’ve seen the spring woodlands baby animals inspiration board, and now it’s time for the real thing!

We ordered this invitation from Minted in “tree moss.”

First, a little background: this was Nancy’s one big shower, and the guest list drew from all walks of her life — family, church family, childhood friends, high school friends, more recent friends, team members, and more. We sent invitations to around 60 ladies, and only received a handful of “no” RSVPs. To ease the strain on my house and on street parking, her sister Mary Lindsey and I opted to make the shower an open house, and encouraged guests to drop by between 10am and 1pm. This worked out very well! Guests trickled in for the first hour, mingled for the second, and we opened gifts in the third (we were playing the gift opening by ear, but it worked out great). Some guests stayed for the whole time, and some stayed for a shorter period.

You may recall our Christmas deer. Bucky did an excellent job greeting at the front door outfitted with a custom sign.

As guests arrived, we encouraged them to pin on a pink or blue clothespin based on whether they thought Baby Ray would be a girl or a boy. I proudly wore one of the few pink ones, and was delighted a few months later when my guess was confirmed!

Our only other “game” was a prediction sheet, which we encouraged everyone to fill out before they left.

For decor, I picked up a few bags of moss at World Market and used that to fill in terrariums and cake stands. Callie was my terrarium queen – her loaners made all the difference! I also purchased spring flowers in white, green, and lilac from Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s the day before. (I was hoping they would have loose ferns or greenery at Whole Foods — I had seen both there before — but no such luck.) Lastly, I purchased a few potted ferns and repotted them in white pots. Tip: don’t buy them too far in advance, because ferns are notoriously hard to keep alive :)

The little animals are actually Christmas ornaments! I just folded their hanging loops under.

For the linen on the table, we used a few yards of Minted’s Branch Toss fabric. As a memento for Nancy, I had a pillow made from a piece of it for Baby Ray’s nursery post-shower!

Though I contributed a lot of the decor, thankfully, I had almost nothing to do with the food! Nancy’s mother-in-law and friends were amazing, and brought scones, sandwiches, donuts, parfait ingredients, veggies, muffins, and more. We did not want for delicious eats.

The tent cards are from Minted, too — here.

Another very special friend, Ashley of Ashley Cakes, helped us out big time with a beautiful dessert spread. Aren’t those deer cookies the cutest thing you’ve ever seen??? They were delicious, too!

The rest of the shower was simply spent loving on Nancy! Toward the end, her sister led everyone in a really heartfelt prayer, and others got the chance to join in and offer encouragement, too. I know that was a gift for this sweet mama-to-be — probably the best one she got that day!

Love you, Nancy!

Many thanks to the wonderful Elizabeth Tate of Nancy Ray Photography for all of these photos! It was such a joy not to think about taking pictures while getting everything ready!!

To know Nancy Ray is to love her. She is one of the most faithful, encouraging, insightful, and delightful people I have ever known, and her friendship has meant so much to me over the last few years (as I know it has to so many others!). When the opportunity arose to co-host a baby shower for her this spring, I jumped at the chance! I considered it a small opportunity to repay her the love she’s showed me over the years… and, let’s be honest, to throw a party where I could actually put my larger-than-normal collection of cake stands to use!*

Nancy had requested a “spring and woodland and baby animals” theme, which was perfect for our March party and her May due date. Since there were many hands helping, I put together an inspiration board to keep everyone on the same page. Our palette was mint, shades of green, creamy white, and tan.

Clockwise from top left: nursery photo by Brooke Palmer from SMP Living, fairy lights terrarium photo by Dulcet Creative via 100 Layer Cake, cheese platter from Martha Stewart, Minted fabric, fern backdrop by Dulcet Creative via 100LC, terrarium decor from Martha Stewart, leafy greens photo by Liz Banfield via Southern Weddings, spring tablescape from Creatively Yours

Check back in tomorrow to see photos from Nancy’s shower!

*Most of the other showers and parties I’ve hosted have been a plane ride away, making prop transportation problematic :)

Granted, this playlist might have been appreciated more on Friday instead of after this most celebratory weekend, but there’s still so much of summer left to enjoy! I hope my newest seasonal playlist will help you do just that. This one is definitely more eclectic than my spring or fall offerings — there’s some old stuff, some new stuff, some rock, some pop, some country — but the unifying factor is that every song is fun to dance around your kitchen or backyard to. Trust me, we tested them this weekend.

Click here to listen to my summer playlist.

You do need a Spotify account to listen, but, well, Spotify is wonderful, so go ahead and take the plunge!