I’ve always been obsessed with the concept of a bar cart. They are just the cutest things, and you can customize them to fit your personality and style. However, when we built our home, I knew we would have a full-size bar in the basement, so my dreams of a bar cart were put on hold. However, an idea sparked when I began planning our annual NYE bash. This year’s theme was Great Gatsby, and what better time than to bring out a decorative bar cart than that! So, after finding a steal of a deal at my local TJMaxx, I was able to snag the sweetest bar cart in their clearance section for under $40.

When I brought it home, I honestly had no clue what I was going to do with it. So, after grabbing a couple liquid items and fresh florals from the grocery store and piecing together ad hoc decorations I’ve accumulated over time, I was able to craft up a festive little bar cart that added perfectly to the Gatsby vibes of our party. 

Even though NYE is over, bar carts never go out of style and are always in-season.

Below are some key items to include to get your bar cart started and to take it to the next level:

• Bar carts
• Sparkling water
• Glasses (sets and singles)
• Champagne and/or wine bottles
• Fresh flowers
• Festive sign
• Drink napkins 
• Bar accessories (wine openers, coasters, wine cork, etc.)
• Paper Straws
• Cocktail book

I’m tagging lots of awesome items below to shop for additions to your bar cart!

As you know, Christmas is my most favorite time of year. I love the holiday spirit, the parties with friends and family, the yummy food, and of course, the holiday decor. My obsession has led our households to putting up several trees, of which I am not ashamed of. I purchased all my decor from either At Home, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, or Target. So, to share with you the best time of year, here is a tour of our new home with our Christmas decor throughout.

Upstairs

Because of my type-A personality, I require everything to match. Therefore, it only makes since to have a neutrally-decorated tree to go with the minimalistic glam I have themed in my upstairs living room and kitchen. The greys and whites match well with a flocked tree from At Home and silver and gold decor. Of course, the presents have to match as well, so metallics, whites, gold, and silvers are the only paper that will be under my tree. Y’all have seen this decor featured in our Christmas card photoshoot found HERE.

Office

If I could describe my office in one word- it would be SASSY. I’d like to say that reflects my personality, but I will leave that up for debate. 😉 In our first home, I used a 3-ft pink tree from college in my office, but for this home, I decided to use a 7.5ft white tree and decorate with HOT pinks, blacks, whites, and a pop of teal.

Downstairs

The basement is our party-zone, and it turned out a lot larger than I had anticpated. We decided to go with an industrial-farmhouse vibe, so I made sure to incorporate similar Christmas decor throughout. I will be sharing an entire basement tour after the Christmas shenanigans are over, but I couldn’t help but share my holiday decor first. I actually used the same stockings and holders from our first home on the mantle for the downstairs, which worked perfectly. And for the tree- black and white gingham, copper metallics, and eucalyptus leaves for accents. What I love about this tree is the “skirt” or what I like to call the “tree collar”. This is actually a galvanized tub found at a hardware store flipped upside down. My handy husband took the 17-gal tub I bought for $21 and cut a hole at the bottom (or top if you’ve already flipped it upside down 😉 ) and we simply put the stand beneath and placed in tree inside. It stand perfectly and matches well with our industrial-farmhouse vibe. These tree collars typically run for over $60, but with a few tools and a DIY-mindset, you have yourself a cheaper option and looks just as great!

Every year, I look forward to crafting up our annual Christmas card and sending out to all our friends and family. Each year has been different in theme and they just keep getting better and better. This year will be out first in the new house, so it was only appropriate to do a cozy in-home shoot for our Christmas card. And I made sure we dressed in theme- with cozy slipper, sweaters, and thermals with a little bling to complement my Christmas decor. But the color palette remained the same- all grey and whites. You can shop my decor and outfits at the bottom of this post.

Thanks to Minted, we were able to get all my dreams come true for this year’s card. I love to get the double-sided option to feature a sweet sentiment and additional photos on the back. And with the foil print option that Minted offers, the front was embossed with shiny gold calligraphy to add that additional bling-factor that I love. I highly recommend using Minted for your printing and deisgning needs. Their designs are classy, chic, and unique, with tons of options to choose from, and lots of customizable features that make YOUR card extra special.

I love each and every one of you. So to show you my appreciation, this card is for you as well! XOXO

Hope you all each have a very merry Christmas.

| SHOP MY LOOK |

| SHOP MY DECOR |

It is officially the holiday season! We are seriously so happy and feel beyond blessed to be settled in to our new home, especially in time for the holidays. Decorating is so much more fun during this time of year. So, to get in the spirit, I decide to spruce-up my kitchen dining room table to seem like I’m fancy. 😉 I have to be honest- we RARELY eat at the kitchen table, and instead, at the kitchen island or downstairs. So staging my dining room table just makes sense, considering I can just leave it how it is. Now that I have it set, I feel a sense of completion. It fills decorating space in our open kitchen-dining room- and living room area. But it also shows a sense of living- like someone ACTUALLY lives here.

While keeping it set may not seem practical for some (especially if you have kiddos), I highly recommend investing in decor that will allow you to whip it together if needed for a family-function or when friends are visiting. And what’s even better is that you don’t have to spend a ton of money to make it look nice!!

Here are a few tips for decorating a tablescape and dining room on a budget:

• Hit up Dollar Tree!! They have amazing dinnerware for only $1 each. This is where I got my gold-rimmed dinner plates.
• Use pops of color. I chose copper, as it bleeds over from the theme in my kitchen and ties it all together. And on that note: don’t be afraid to mix metallic tones. I have hints of silver, gold, AND copper.
• Choose between a table runner or place settings. Not both. Too much going on. In fact, I always lean towards a table runner because it lengthens the table and is easy on the eyes so your entire table isn’t covered.
• If you have windows in your dining room, use decorative curtains. NO valences, as they are a thing of the past. And don’t go too crazy with the curtain patterns and colors. Keep it simple.
• My favorite tip of all- use curtains that go all the way from the ceiling to the floor. I have 9ft ceilings, so I used 108″-long curtains. This will give the illusion that your ceilings are taller than what they are and lengthen the room.
• Put a rug under your table. And make sure it is larger than the table itself, because if it is smaller, your room will appear smaller.
• If you have a smaller dining area like I do, use a bench on one side of the table instead of chairs. Not only will this open the space up a bit, but it will also give some styling variation and edgy-vibes.

I’m tagging my dinnerware, wine glasses, kitchen furniture, Christmas tree, curtains, and EVERYTHING else below.

Happy Shopping & Merry Christmas!

If you have been keeping up with my Instagram lately, you know that our new home is moving along quickly. We now have drywall and the first coat of paint. Picking out paint colors was definitely a pain. With so much pressure to make a decision and all factors and opinions to consider, I definitely got major anxiety from it all. However, I see the final look in my mind and I am confident it will all come together in time.

As 2018 rolls in, I’m beginning to accumulate my thoughts and ideas on the vibe of our new home. The progress on our home has moved very quickly these past few months. (Prayers the weather continues to hold off so the advancement continues!) It is amazing to witness the transformation in such a short amount of time. For a while, we had a hole in the ground- now we have a beautiful home completely framed and roofed. P.S. I’m obsessed with our roof line! The variation of peaks are giving me life! Now, let’s talk decor! As you know from my previous design post, I am going for a modern rustic-romance theme: focusing on lots of soft metallics, furry pillows, and my latest obsession-MARBLE! I am all about that bling, so my plan is to incorporate a different style metallics into each room. For example, the living room is focused on silvers, kitchen is copper, and master suite is gold. Each room will have a touch of silver, that way it ties the entire house together. Below you will find the mood boards I use for inspiration.

A lot of changes have occurred in 2017 for the Burris family; changes we did not expect. Not that any of these changes have been negative, but with my “Type A” personality, I don’t handle change well, making things a little tough. But as always, God’s plan prevails and we try our best to adjust according to His will. This time last year, I would have never guessed we would have sold our first home and be living temporarily elsewhere until we build for the first time. In fact, we absolutely loved our first home. We spent so much time, hard work, and lots of love in making it ‘ours’. But the opportunity arose, and here we are!

So, to adjust, I decided to make our current humble abode a little version of our new home. The living room is currently decorated with a little touch of rustic romance, focusing on lots of soft metallics and furry pillows!