apartment style

i have been in my apartment here in franklin for just over a month now and have it just about perfect! with the help of my parents (especially my dad - cannot begin to thank him), all but my winter coats have been driven down 840 to franklin from murfreesboro... i might have to clear up some closet space to fit them! i am loving living here, my apartment is in the perfect spot: minutes to work, downtown, cool springs. nashville is just a hop on the interstate away and if i really need to see my mama and daddy, i can be home in 45 minutes. with the exception of needing a coffee table and the back porch and my room still being a work in progress, i have my apartment just about how i want it. a mix of modern and traditional, mostly feminine with hints of masculine, and a whole lot of white, my little place is home.

y'all come visit now! 

xoxo,

clp

favorite friday finds

so i have been pretty good about not spending my money on things i don't need and sticking to a budget which was one of my new years resolutions! however, last weekend i went home so, of course, a trip to green hills ensued. mom and i went saying we weren't going to buy anything but next thing we knew, we had shopping bags in our hands! nonetheless, it was all for spring and getting ready for our cruise so we passed the purchases off as acceptable! today i also treated myself to a big-girl purchase since i landed a dreamy internship earlier this week. once again, i am not your typical college student and instead of celebrating by going out or another typical young adult way, i went to one of my favorite home decor boutiques in knoxville, fig and company, and bought myself a ghost chair! i have drooled over ghost chairs for quite some time and i finally found one in my budget!  i love how you can combine them with both modern and traditional decor and they mesh seamlessly! i can't wait to put it in my apartment next year! below are my favorite finds as of late!

dolce vita niro sandal 

tory burch vesper top

tory burch brinda tee 

kate spade brighton rock collar necklace 

my ghost chair! 

i think i need to join shopaholics anonymous because i just can't seem to keep myself away from the stores! new lilly pulitzer and j. crew spring collections should be coming out in the next week or so... fingers are crossed for self-control! happy weekend everyone! 

xoxo,

clp

lilly pulitzer for the home

today is friday for me! as of 12:25, it was officially the weekend! i think i am really going to enjoy having no friday classes this semester... too bad jobs aren't just monday through thursday! but between yesterday and today i have been to all my classes, printed all my syllabi and bought my books so i am ready to roll for this semester. hopefully it will be a good one here on rocky top!

i posted some of my new year's resolutions previously but i wanted to add a more recent one that i did not share. another one of my resolutions this year is to put my self more on a budget and control my spending. so far i have done okay, but with the new resort and spring collections coming out, i know i am going to have a harder time! my mottos are going to be "spend less and wear more" and "quality over quantity." there are a few things i may treat myself to with christmas gift cards, but besides that, i am going to try to wear what i already have since most of it has only been worn once or still has the tags on it! i am lucky enough to be able to wear, in my opinion, fabulous clothes so i think they need to be put on display more and i believe i shouldn't buy something just because it is the newest thing! fingers are crossed that i can keep to this resolution y'all! 

as most of you know, i love Lilly Pulitzer. one of my favorite things about the brand is that they are not just clothing. they partner with other companies to produce items ranging from iPhone chargers to shower curtains. Garnet Hill is one of the companies that Lilly partners with and they just released their newest collection of Lilly bedding and bath! i can definitely see some of the following in my apartment next year!

perfectly printed percale bedding collection

well-connected cotton rug

sister florals towels

happy thursday y'all! tomorrow is friday which means it will be the weekend for everyone! have a good one! 

xoxo,

clp 

tuesday target finds & a recipe

tomorrow i start my spring semester of my junior year. how weird is that?! really though, the time is flying by! i came back up to knoxville on sunday to beat the weather and not get stuck in murfreesboro so i have been spending the past two days getting back in the swing of things. trader joe's, publix and target have all been crossed off my to-do list and i think i am ready to start the semester! hopefully it won't be as bitterly cold tomorrow when i have to trek to class - these single digit temperatures getting to me! last night for dinner i was really craving spaghetti squash and italian so what better than to break out the crockpot on such a cold monday? this recipe is so easy and could be done in the morning before going off to work! it is healthy and can be made a variety of ways but the beauty of it is that everything cooks at the same time in one pot! i made a salad to round off the meal and it was delicious! 

crockpot spaghetti squash and meatballs

1 spaghetti squash, cut in half and seeds removed

4-5 meatballs per person (i used frozen, but you can use homemade if you want)

2 cans diced tomatoes 

3 cloves minced garlic

1/3 cup chopped onion

italian seasoning, black pepper, etc., to taste

1. in a large crockpot, combine tomatoes, onion, garlic and spices. 
2. place spaghetti squash cut side down in tomatoes.
3. spread meatballs around spaghetti squash.
4. cook on low for 4-5 hours, until meatballs are cooked through and spaghetti squash is tender. 
5. remove spaghetti squash and shred with fork. 
6. serve meatballs with tomato sauce over spaghetti squash, topped with cheese if desired.

*instead of meatballs and the canned tomatoes, you could easily use a meat sauce, homemade sauce with vegetables, or even a jarred pasta/marinara sauce of choice (but watch out for high sodium with the latter!).

i just love target. i can/have done some major damage in there, especially when it comes to apartment shopping. yesterday i was at the super target at northshore and had to practice some self-control and get out of there before i drained my bank account. i am moving to a new apartment next year that i get to completely decorate myself so i have started to shop around for decor! target's threshold line is one of my favorites since it is affordable and usually appeals to my style of decorating. the newest threshold collection is so cute and i am already coveting some pieces that i want for next year! the items below are from the threshold white and gold decor collection and the botanic blush collection!

Demijohn Vase

Butterfly Gold Foil Lampshade

Tufted Bench 

Tufted Ottoman 

Oblong Magnolia Decorative Pillow

i hope everyone is staying warm! i am keeping to my warm apartment and since it is the last day of my break, i felt it necessary to stay in my pajama's, watch netflix and read all day! 

xoxo,

clp 

fall break adventures: day 3

can we just rename fall break 2013 to fall food fest 2013? i feel like all i have done is eat! this morning was great though because i got to go to my favorite workout class at the MAC, body pump! i had missed it so much and really enjoyed the workout for a nice change! i also got my haircut today after two months too long! i really like the shorter length she cut it to and the angled style!

after my haircut, mom and i went to The Puffy Muffin for lunch, one of our favorites! i had my usual summer salad: pimento cheese on tomato with fresh fruit! they have some of the best pimento cheese i think. we then shopped at our favorite little boutique next door, Hot Pink, and then went to downtown Franklin and shopped around there some as well. as trip to Franklin would not be complete without getting cupcakes from IveyCake. i don't know how she does it, but they are the best. i got my usual "i do" flavor and stepped outside my cupcake comfort zone and got the spiced apple for tomorrow night! for supper tonight, we are making Eggplant Rollatini from SkinnyTaste with a salad. it is in the oven right now and it smells so good!

today turned out to be a gorgeous fall day. i love all the pumpkins and fall decorations and i think our house looks absolutely perfect! i love the stacked pumpkins and especially the cotton ball wreath.

happy fall friday y'all! 

xoxo, 

clp

apartment living

i am finally all moved in and decorated (for the most part)! i cannot tell you have long i have waited for this day. dorm life was not for me and i loved living in the beautiful alpha chi omega mansion (which some of recently nicknamed the Lyre Lair - which i am loving) but i think living in an apartment will be much more suitable for me. move-in went as well as could have. there was a lot to do but everything got done except a few cosmetic issues. here are the highlights of the weekend and the finished product!

mom got trapped in the back seat after the publix and target run...

dad the handy-man got stuck after fixing something under my bed...

living room

breakfast area

my room

closet

and the bathroom! 

i am so happy with the way everything came together in my room! i had a vision for it all summer and this is about as close to the dream as i could get! none of it would have been possible without the help from my mama and daddy! i definitely got the luck of the draw with those two. i am absolutely exhausted from moving this weekend and from recruitment. i gave my body a much needed break from working out. tomorrow starts a whole new week with exciting things happening so i am hitting the hay early tonight! 

xoxo,

clp