Savannah trip Part 2

So as promised here are more photos from our Savannah trip. We took a day to visit the sleepy little towns between Savannah and Hilton Head beach. There are many quaint little communities to be discovered while driving. That's one of my favorite parts about going on these trips with my husband, we love driving around looking at houses and architecture. It's so inspiring to see all the little details in some of these houses. So here are a few off my favorites for you to be inspired by and to enjoy. Now we can all dream of building our cottage by the beach!

So what I loved about this house was the aqua shutters of course, but also the huge front porch. I can just imagine sitting on there with friends during a warm summer evening enjoying each others company while fireflies light up the summer sky. And that porch railing is really quaint and modern. Here are some houses with some amazing porches.

Notice the sleeping bed hanging. Love it! Can't get much more southern classic then this.

Do you know that it is a Southern tradition to paint all the ceilings in outdoor spaces blue? It is said to keep all the evil spooks away.

Seriously those live oak trees, which is the Georgia state tree, and the Spanish moss growing on them, is so magical. You really feel like you've stepped back in time. These trees are hundreds of years old.

This photo reminds me of the movie "Gone with the Wind"

These last photos are some of my favorite. So in this quaint little neighborhood, near the town center stood this beautiful chapel. It's design is so simple, but yet so breathtaking. I seriously feel in love with this chapel, and it sat near the water's edge, so the windows faced out on to the water. When my husband and I toured the chapel no one was in it but us, it was so romantic and peaceful. I'm already thinking it's the perfect spot to renew our vows. :) This church was designed by historical concepts

Inside the church had beautiful white batten board walls, and gorgeous old pine floors.

They had gorgeous custom made screens for these beautiful cathedral arched windows.

So if you ever decide to visit Savannah, be sure to check out all the quaint little neighborhoods and towns that surround it. I bet you will discover some little hidden gems, that you may never have even known about. Until next time,
XO~Gretchen

Trip to Savannah

Just got back from a nice little trip to beautiful Savannah, Georgia. It was my first time there, and the city did not disappoint. I kind of figured that I was going to love it, because I love Charleston, SC so much. There are similarities in the two, but there are also some unique differences.
We stayed right across the Savannah River in a lovely hotel that had a room with the view of downtown Savannah.

The area offered a free boat ride from our hotel to the city every day. It was nice to not have to worry about driving and parking a car in town.
Some of my favorite things about the city are the cobblestone streets. They are currently in the process of removing layers of asphalt in historic areas to expose more of the cobblestones and brick roads. I will say that you really should be very careful while walking on these gorgeous streets, I recommend wearing flats :).

Some places that I would recommend visiting while in downtown Savannah are some antique shops near the riverfront. There was a cluster of them near W Bay street. I found some great little treasures there. I bought some antique books and a few vintage pieces of jewelry. I would have bought more, but I didn't bring a big enough suitcase. ;). 

One of the shops had an entire library filled with vintage books. It was amazing to look through these gorgeous old books. I'd love to have a library like that some day. 

I also shopped at The Paris Market located in downtown Savannah. It was just as you would imagine. There was french music playing in the background, lots of dried lavender around the shop, and gorgeous antiques and lovely every day items. There was an entire section dedicated to children, and it was so sweet. Also if you wanted a little snack, they had a nice little bakery area with drinks and of course the yummiest macaroons. 

Seriously, loved these mirrors!!!

I would definitely recommend taking the trolley around town for the day. That is how my husband and I got acquainted with the city. It the perfect way to see the city and all it's lovely architecture. The way this city is planned is amazing. There are 22 town parks/squares, with ample green space and trees. How lovely is that? I wish our city was designed like that. You really learn so much about the city's history and founders by taking a ride on the trolley. 

Here are the places that I recommend eating while in Savannah. I think one of my favorite places was The Olde Pink House, which was recommended to me by several people. We booked our reservation prior to our trip, which I would recommend doing. You can book your reservations by simply going online to the restaurant. We ate dinner there, but the waiter suggested that the next time we return, we need to eat there for lunch. Apparently they have the best fried chicken. There is lots of beautiful history inside the pink house. Each of the rooms is decorated with gorgeous chandeliers, and trim.

We also ate at The Lady and Sons. I had the yummiest chicken pot pie, and the kindest waitress ever. She had the cutest southern accent, and was so sweet to my hubby and me. So that was an extra star in my book. :)

If you are looking for a yummy dessert than I would definitely recommend waiting in line for ice-cream  at Leopold's. I had a scoop of the strawberry shortcake and it was some of the yummiest I have ever had in my life. I can see why people wait in line for it!

Some "must see" places to tour are the beautiful Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in downtown Savannah. My jaw dropped once I walked inside this gorgeous church. My photos do not do it justice, you will just have to tour it yourself. And the tour is free.

The stations of the cross were breath taking.

We toured several of the historic homes in downtown too. In the homes that we toured you were not allowed to take interior photos, so we snaps photos of the gardens and exteriors. The interiors were filled with lovely trim details, 12-14 foot ceilings, and beautiful age pine floors.

This next photo I loved because of the aqua doors, really wish that it would have been a lovely boutique instead of a tattoo parlor ;)

We only spent two days in the city, so I am sure there is so much that we missed. But those are a few of my favorite highlights. I'll be blogging again soon, about a quaint little town just outside of Savannah. Until next time, XO

Gretchen

LOVE Artwork

Looking for last minute artwork for your sweetie? This one is really easy to make and took me less than 30 mins to put together.
Supplies that you will need:
Frame (I found mine at Walmart. They have inexpensive frames. I know Hobby Lobby does too.)
Hearts (I found these at Michaels Craft Store. You could also cut them out with various papers)
Double sided tape
Maggie Holmes scrapbook design art (This is optional, I just love her designs though.)
Music sheets (I used vintage ones taped together)

The first thing I did was tear out the pages of vintage music sheets from a book. I have a vintage book of them that I use for different projects. If you are ever out antiquing, be sure to pick one up. I promise you won't regret it, they are great for various projects. Another idea you could do is to print the music sheet from you and your sweetie's favorite song. I thought about printing out our "first dance" song from our wedding. Our song was "From this moment" by Shania Twain. I still love that song. :)

After I taped the sheets together, which I needed to do since it was an 8x10 frame, I started adding the hearts. I assembled 5 rows with 4 hearts in each.

Next I used some of Maggie Holmes artwork. She makes the prettiest designs. I snagged this pack of goodies at Archivers before they closed. I used the little love banner, which is so sweet, and coincidentally my one little word for the year. See how this is all coming together ;)

I wanted the word LOVE to pop a little more, so I painted aqua behind it. Shocking that I used aqua, I know.

So here is what the finished product looks like. I am happy with the way it turned out, and love how easy it was to make. I luckily had all the supplies at home. I guess it pays to be a craft hoarder sometimes.

There you have it. Hope you have a wonderful Valentines Day! And if you don't have a sweetie to make one of these for, then make one for yourself. It's the perfect reminder to love yourself, and spread love to those around you. Thanks for stopping by.
XO~Gretchen

DIY valentine for kids

I can't believe it is Valentine's Day this Friday. We spent the weekend working on some Valentine cards for my boys to pass out at our family Valentine party. These are super easy, and the perfect craft to get your kids involved in. Supplies you will need:
Cardstock
Glue
Googly eyes
Pipe Cleaners
Scissors
Suckers
Washi tape
Marker

I traced the hearts, mustaches, and hats. We then worked together to cut them out. You could use a cutting machine for this too. However, a great way to get your kids involved is to have them help cut out the pieces.

You can choose any paper color or pattern that you want. We decided to use red paper and bright pink pipe cleaner.

After we cut out the shapes, we glued on the eyes, hat, and mustache.

Next we cut the pipe cleaners. The easiest thing to do is to fold it in half, then cut it. One half is for the arms, the other is for the legs.

I used tape to secure the legs and arms to the back of the heart. I think it worked better then glue. :)

Here is the finished little guy. I secured the sucker by wrapping the stick around the pipe cleaner. You could use a pencil too instead of giving out candy. I used washi tape to make the flag, where I could write my son's name. 

These are really easy to make. They would be perfect for a class project too! If you are looking for a tween Valentine idea you can check my post from last year here.

Hope you have a wonderful Valentine's day and are able to spend some quality time with the ones you love. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

XO~Gretchen