Wish I could take credit for these pretties that were put together by the local talent, Evan, who’s blog is full of pretty flowers and yummy food! I wrote about these flowers in my West Elm post and wanted to share them separately and give a spotlight to their beauty! 
There you have it, a simple post with peonies to brighten your day! (or at least your computer screen!)
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Jess
I started a Tumblr! I’ve been making an effort to have it be somewhat different than my Pinterest, well, the same vibes but more refined if that makes sense. With an upcoming move it’s also become a place where I can get and store more inspiration for housewares and simple living. It’s been fun experimenting with a new site layout, to check out my Tumblr visit www.ladyflashbackblog.tumblr 
For the photo sources, visit my Tumblr.
I’m going to keep this short because I”m sure your Monday is about like mine: playing crazy catch-up!
Our holiday was a good one. Visited Dustin’s grandfather at the center he was at for his post-op hip rehabilitation and then spent the day in Alpharetta at the house where Dustin grew up. We hung around the kitchen, sipping wine and preparing a huge meal while catching up with all of his siblings. His baby cousins came over, who are now crawling so corralling babies consumed most of the night (allowing us to burn away some of those cals!)
Wearing an H&M shirt and jacket, Free People pants, Baggu purse c/o Shop Bop, MIA shoes, Anthro necklace.
The day following Thanksgiving we got news that Dustin’s grandfather had passed away in his sleep. Dustin and the rest of his family were really close with Da so it was very difficult news. We spent the rest of the weekend honoring and remembering him. He was buried on Saturday with a 21 gun salute and his entire family in attendance. He will be missed. I can say he was one of the strongest men I’ve ever met. 96 years young and charismatic till the end!
Ok, now get back to work and have a wonderful day!
Hope you’re all excited for the holiday and ready to feast! I know we are- definitely in need of a short work week! I’ve been real eager to share our cocktails from the West Elm bar cart shoot and I thought what better timing than right before Thanksgiving when folks go all out with recipes and indulgence. All three recipes below are pretty easy. All the ingredients I can pronounce and nothing you wouldn’t be able to locate relatively quickly.
#1
In the shaker:
rye shot
dash of Brooklyn Hemispherical Fig Bitters
1/2 jigger sweet vermouth
muddled satsuma
Directions: Shake/Pour/Garnish with peel
#2
In the shaker:
whiskey shot
dash of Brooklyn Hemispherical Sriracha Bitters
couple fresh blackberries
2 small thyme sprigs
satsuma and rind
Directions: First muddle fruit and herbs/Pour in liquid/Shake/Serve over ice
Does this photo have you craving dark chocolate, sea salt and home made pie crust? Let me tell you, this thing was something else. In one word: decadent. Me and my taste buds want to thank Courtney for making this treat!
See the recipe on Real Foodology.
The other snacks in the photo include Whole Foods pimento cheese with salted crackers, cornichons and satsumas that doubled as mixers. I didn’t know if I’d like working with such a small fruit but they peel easily and yield a good bit of juice, so I’d do it again for sure.
#3 (not actually pictured..it’s a remix of #1)
In the shaker:
whiskey shot
dash of Brooklyn Hemispherical Sriracha Bitters
1/2 jigger sweet vermouth
juice of satsuma
Directions: Shake and serve over ice
Not too hard right? My favorite was the first. Mostly because I can’t handle spicy drinks but Dustin and Courtney loved the sriracha bitters and would definitely recommend. All items were c/o West Elm. Colorful vases and flowers were made by and belong to Evan of Leggoe Land. To recreate these drinks with the bitters, glassware and shakers, visit West Elm’s holiday bar section!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow-indulge, you deserve it!
Here you have it- all the gorgeous West Elm items in my last post put together to make a perfect holiday bar cart!
I added a few more pieces including this bud vase in taupe and these two small metallic snack bowls. The vase is great for adding some nature elements to your cart and a pop of color. I reached out to Evan, a local crafty blogger, who I’ve worked with before for flowers for the shoot. She put together two vases that had peonies, rosehip, and a purple-ish grass filler. I pulled part of them for the cart, keeping it petite as to be a subtle accent and then used the full vases for the cocktail shoot I’ll be sharing soon.
All these pieces came together so nicely-I couldn’t believe it! Picking out everything online I had to really visualize things and hope that it would come together like it did in my head. Success!
For the shoot Dustin and I packed up the car and went out to the Goat Farm on the Westside of town. We set up inside a small building that had old broken out windows, concrete floors and corrugated sheet metal lining the walls. The industrial backdrop paired so well with the vibes of the cart!
The muddler didn’t come from West Elm but it is by the same company that makes the mason jar shaker, W+P Design. We found this while shopping around during our trip to Serenbe. It’s been fun experimenting with new bar tools! A muddler really takes the flavor of the drink up a notch.
When choosing the alcohol we wanted to go with darker liquor for a couple of reasons. We prefer the taste and also it looks better in these type of decanters. The two smaller decanters are filled with a rye whiskey and a dark bourbon, and the large one with a dry red wine. I had to sneak some beers in there too and love these from a local brewery, Orpheus, and with beautiful artwork done by local artist Peter Fararri. I love how much this little cart can hold without a having demanding presence. The shelves easily tuck away all of the glassware and could eventually hold even more.
I hope that you enjoyed seeing everything styled with my personal touch! Next I’ll be sharing some tasty cocktails and a pie made by a local food blogger with recipes!
PS: Big thanks to my sweetie for all the help! He jumped in helping me with little details, was the camera guy at some points and really helped this come together!
If you’d like to create your own holiday bar cart, visit the brand new West Elm at Avalon.
