We’ve just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap…

Article Posted on Monday, December 26th, 2011 at 6:08 pm

{Photo by Bruce Weber, whom I have recently fallen in love with!}

The holidays have been absolutely *lovely!* Lots of friends and family time mixed with a steady diet of champagne cocktails & sugar cookies has made for an absolutely magical weekend. I’ll be taking a bit more time for myself this week but will see you next Monday in the new year! Until then, you can find me on Twitter and Pinterest, of course!
Best wishes! XO*

It’s *Giveaway* Time!!!

Article Posted on Tuesday, December 13th, 2011 at 11:36 am

As I’ve mentioned before, this year I’ve been thinking a lot about living a life with purpose. One way that we’ve been trying to do that around our house this year is with our Christmas gifts. We aren’t giving as much as we have in years past, but we are really trying to give gifts with meaning. My favorite gift to give thus far? Elva Fields jewelry! Gorgeous baubles made by one very talented Belle: Emily Wheat Maynard! I was lucky enough to ask her a few questions this past week about her background, her inspiration, and the local charity that she supports called Backpack Buddies.

As with most Belles, while Emily is moving into the future as a well-respected artist and entrepreneur, she never forgets to honor the strong, powerful women in her family. One of the most apparent ways she’s done this is by naming each of the 3 Elva Fields lines for a different lady…

The three women for whom our collections are named are (or were) each dynamic, cheerful, and engaging southern ladies.  Elva Fields, my great-grandmother, was born in 1900 and throughout her 95 years remained a strong and independent woman who enjoyed gardening, painting, baking, and reading–she was the true matriarch of our growing family.  June, her daughter and my grandmother (we call her Nana), is as stylish at 90 as ever.  She loves a fun party and truly never meets a stranger…she charms the bank teller, the doorman, and the refrigerator repairman as easily as she does her doting friends and family–a fashionable social butterfly in the truest sense of the word.  My mother, Deb, embodies the best of both of these lovely ladies, as she is one of the most creative people you’ll ever meet and the kindest, to boot.  From interior design and oil painting to sewing and catering…we’ve yet to find a project she doesn’t tackle with wild success, a gracious manner, and beautiful style.  At this point, I’m just hoping I have a tiny bit of each of their genetic contributions!

The gorgeous pieces in Emily’s collections are  designed with lots of care and attention to detail. If you’ve read a bit about Emily you know that she had the opportunity to study French & Art History before ultimately getting her masters with a fascinating study about the relationship between Italian Renaissance and ancient Greek and Roman jewelry, but I couldn’t resist asking what she might have done if she hadn’t gone the jewelry route.

If I had to pursue another focus, I often think it would be amazing to have formal training in Fashion Design…I’m a nightmare on the sewing machine, and I’d be over-the-moon to know how to make my own clothes.

Perhaps owing to her background, one of the most unique qualities of Elva Fields jewelry is how vintage pieces are incorporated into these new treasures so I couldn’t resist asking if there were any cities in particular she loved to visit for good thrifting. Surprisingly, the answer hit very close to home!

The South is full of antique and vintage haunts–from giant malls to holes-in-the-wall–and I always discover some amazing finds in the most unexpected of places.  (Not to give any go-to’s away, but there are some fantastic shops in the tiny town of Clinton, Tennessee!)

And while we’re in the South, I suppose I should mention that though Elva Fields is now everywhere it seems, (Have you seen its collaboration with CWonder?) Emily actually calls Kentucky home.

I’m a southern girl born and bred!  I was born in Florida, and we moved to Kentucky when I was seven, so the Bluegrass has been home for me since (with the brief departures for school in my 20s.)  It’s a wonderful place to raise a family, and the pace suits us perfectly.

It must! Because Emily has decided to make giving back to her local community one of the priorities of Elva Fields. For every purchase you make from the shop, a percentage goes back to the Backpack Buddies program. (In fact, for the holidays, there are a few pieces that will send a larger portion. Click here for the details.) Needless to say, I asked Emily how she got the idea to give back.

Our family has always made philanthropy a priority, and I suppose that “giving” has just been a part of my life forever.  I volunteer and am a Board Member with a charitable organization in Louisville, but when we moved outside the city a few years ago to the more rural town of Taylorsville, I wanted to contribute to our new community somehow.  My husband teaches at one of the two local elementary schools and told me about Spencer County’s Backpack Buddies program–he sees the need firsthand in his classroom–and it seemed like such a simple solution for Elva Fields to donate a portion of each sale to aid in their mission to feed underprivileged children who live where we do.  We’ve seen the program’s outreach double in the two years we’ve contributed to their cause!

Finally, I couldn’t resist asking such a hard-working Belle what she does for herself  when she gets a free evening?

Though it’s a rare evening indeed, I’m a fairly simple gal: a good book or magazine, a cozy spot, and a glass of wine (or hot tea, depending) is my idea of a perfect indulgence these days.  Otherwise, I love taking a walk down our country road in warmer months…fresh air and some quiet are definitely a treasured indulgence.

Isn’t she such a sweetheart? And the best part for you? Emily’s been kind enough to give away a pair of earrings to one lucky reader!

There are 2 steps:

1.) Become a fan of Secrets of a Belle on Facebook.

2.) Tell me your favorite bauble from the Elva Fields site below in the comments section. Be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win!

The contest will end on Friday at noon and, my apologies, but this contest is not open to readers outside of the USA.

Good luck! XO* Hannah B.

P.S. Need more Elva Fields? Check out the EF website for fabulous gifts, the tumblr for a little inspiration, and the twitter for fun tweets!

Tis the Season

Article Posted on Monday, December 12th, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Hello, dears! Tis the season to make *pretty* things and, if you’ll indulge me, I’d love to share a few of the more crafty parts of our holiday thus far. If you’ll remember, I got a *gorgeous* silver piece at an estate sale last month that I’ve made into a cute little candle display on top of our piano. The block tree on the left is something my mother-in-law made a few years ago and each year I add a few more tiny ornaments. Isn’t it wonderful?

This is the first year I decided to make our cards and now I don’t know if I’ll ever go back. They may not be red and green but they are very *us.* I tied them up in a red bow for Husband to take to the PO this afternoon.

*Belle Secret: Little details like tying your cards up in red ribbon are a simple way to make life more beautiful.

I also made some mistletoe this weekend out of felt and pearls. It may have to stay up all year. After all, who isn’t always looking for an excuse to kiss their beau?

We have this thing for dinosaurs at our house; can you tell? Mom and I made these trees when I was really little, and they lived in my dollhouse for years. Now they inhabit random tabletops with little mini dinosaurs to feed on them. The bigger guy who I affectionately refer to as “Fancy the dinosaur” is one of a few guys that lives on top of our bookshelf. For Christmas, he got his own bow tie. Dapper, no?

Have you done any Christmas crafting? I’d *love* to see! Share a link below…

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” but 1st…

Article Posted on Monday, December 12th, 2011 at 9:00 am

:: Listen ::

Every year we decorate our tree while watching one of 2 movies: White Christmas or Holiday Inn. This year, I had to replace both DVD’s (I’m really thinking about never loaning anything out ever again.) and totally lucked out with footage we’ve never seen before of White Christmas! New or original cut, you can’t go wrong with either movie. Also, as a side note, I’d *love* everything Rosemary Clooney wears for Christmas please!

:: Read ::

One of my very *favorite* finds when it comes to Christmas books. Niall Edworthy’s The Curious World of Christmas is just a book I picked up solely based on the cute cover a few years ago and now find myself re-reading the quirky facts and stories of Christmas past again and again. It’s very amusing and makes a fun little coffee table read.

:: Dress ::

This time of year you should never be without that *perfect* shade of ruby lips. I am a huge fan of Mac because it stays on so well and feels great. My color? Russian Red with Brick liner!

:: Live ::

Get out of town! We are so excited to be heading to Chicago this week and the timing couldn’t be more perfect! Feeling a bit overwhelmed with buying gifts, sending cards and visiting family. Why not take a quick jaunt to your favorite city? Booking last minute, we found an *amazing* deal on tickets and a hotel this time around so how could we pass up the opportunity to take a quick escape?

And so begins the holiday two-step…

Article Posted on Sunday, December 11th, 2011 at 11:01 pm

I don’t know about you, but the holiday season is in full swing here at the Slaughterhouse. Decorations are up, cards are in the mail, and we even did a little gifting this weekend. However, this week is what really marks the beginning of our holiday season because Husband & I are headed to Chicago for a bit of cold weather, lots of yummy food, city wandering and the Chicago Symphony Brass concert. If you follow HB_Belle on Twitter or Secrets of a Belle on Facebook and need a little mini-vacate this weekend yourself, feel free to say hello and I’ll send you a pic! And, no worries, there will be plenty of things happening on the blog this week including a *VERY* exciting interview & giveaway Tuesday!

Article Posted on Thursday, December 8th, 2011 at 10:30 pm

Thrifty, Nifty Thanksgiving Table Setting 101

Article Posted on Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011 at 5:01 pm

For Halloween, Husband was sweet enough to get me this Cinderella pumpkin. Isn’t it cute? It’s really called that because it’s an heirloom pumpkin that looks just like Cinderella’s carriage, and that prompted me to cover it in gold glitter. (Which resulted in what I have termed “The Great Glitter War of 2011,” but that’s a different story entirely.)

Anyway, with Husband back in school I am trying to be more thrifty. So this year I’ve built our Thanksgiving table setting around my Cinderella pumpkin. And here’s what I’ve come up with…

First of all, I put the pumpkin on a gold charger and cut some greenery from the yard to place around it. (If you do this, be sure to rinse it well so that no bugs come in the house too.) The tea light holders that resemble mercury glass were actually $.99 at Target last week. (Score!) The linens, flatware, and china are all from sweet family members that know of my love of old things. I prefer all of the china & silver to be mismatched. We don’t do this all the time because Husband would lose his ever-lovin’ mind (*Bless his heart), but on holidays with more than 6 settings he indulges me. This year, I also tied the napkins with mismatched ribbon just to add a little something.

Another thing of note is that while there are 2 glasses at each spot, there’s a side table with other drink options and regular drinking glasses. Here in the South we have quite a few teetotalers so with a glass for water, one for wine, and one appropriate for any other beverage of choice, no one feels uncomfortable declining or indulging in any drink. A few of our hydrating must-haves while we’re on the subject: a push-button wine stopper (just in case there’s any left) and a carafe of water placed in an icebucket somewhere in the dining area. Also, if you’re up for something a bit fancier, Jess posted this on Pinterest this week, and I believe I’m going to print it to hang in the pantry.

Just in case you have a few unexpected guests…

Article Posted on Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011 at 8:34 am

Do you remember A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving when all of Charlie Brown’s friends invite themselves over for a Thanksgiving feast? I watched it this week, and I couldn’t help but laugh when I realized what Charlie Brown was feeding his guests. So I thought I’d share a few little things to have on hand just in case you have some unexpected guests yourself. Later today, I’ll share our Thanksgiving table setting so keep an eye out for that too!

Hello, Gorgeous!

Article Posted on Monday, November 21st, 2011 at 9:00 am

:: Listen ::

If you downloaded a copy of my Thanksgiving ToDo list, you know that I suggest gathering some background music before your guests arrive on Thursday. You can subscribe to my Thanksgiving playlist by clicking here.

:: Read ::

I *love*  David Sedaris so I thought this week, as a little treat, I’d pull out his holiday classic: “Holidays on Ice.” It may not be Jean Shepherd but I think you’ll still like it!

:: Dress ::

To me, Thanksgiving week is the dawn of the Tartan season. So pull out those brightly colored plaids and get in the spirit! My favorite picks this season are from Rugby by Ralph Lauren.

{ Rifle Paper Co. //  Kate Spade // Etsy }

:: Live ::

There’s no time left to procrastinate, this is the perfect time to order your Christmas cards! I usually try to get ours out the first week in December because if we wait too long, they’ll be forgotten in the hustle & bustle of the season. While you’re at it, I’d also recommend stocking up on Thank You notes. There’s no time like the present.

A Little Welcome Basket for Guests

Article Posted on Saturday, November 19th, 2011 at 11:45 am

This time of year, with guests coming and going, it’s especially important to keep your guest room stocked with little niceties that will make anyone feel at home! I find that along with clean towels, lotion, and candles, it’s nice to add local products that your guests can take with them to remind them of their trip. After all, aren’t belles known for always adding an extra little something?