Hey friends! If you follow me on Instagram then you saw my excitement (aka 500 stories) about the event I got to sponsor this week. Edge Mentoring partnered with HGTV and the ladies of Good Bones, Indy's own design show, to bring local Indianapolis women together for an evening of fellowship and fun. In their words, Edge Mentoring is "A national mentoring organization for emerging and established leaders that combines personal, professional and spiritual development into one experience.". They are a faith based organization that takes young professionals in their 20's and 30's and matches them with mentors in their community. How awesome is that? Edge hosts all kinds of intimate events and this one in particular was ladies only. If you are not familiar with Good Bones, it's a show on HGTV where mother/daughter duo Karen E. Laine and Mina Starsiak transform properties in and around their hometown of Indianapolis. It is pretty cool to watch them add new life to older, and oh so charming, neighborhoods right here in Indy! Emergent Construction hosted this event in the custom built home of my dreams that Matt Troyer, the company's CEO, lives in with his wife Natalie Troyer of Natalie Troyer Design. I was the first to arrive for setup and they were both so sweet and welcoming. Natalie is a design powerhouse and executed the perfect combination of modern farmhouse style (like real modern farmhouse, not pinterest modern farmhouse wannabe) with antique elements that make you feel like you are in another time. Her grandmother's easel + painting sits in the corner of their open-concept, shiplap clad living room - right next to the b-e-a-utiful rattan chairs from Target's new Opal House line. My favorite thing that Natalie said in our conversation is that you don't have to break the bank to have a beautiful home filled with quality design. Her statements mirrored my love of mixing high and low with a dash of (ok a lot of) sentimental elements. Their home is stunning and they have the sweet personalities to match. If you are looking to build in the Indianapolis area then I highly recommend you give them a shout!
My new friend Liz Henderson, who you might recognize from her appearances on HGTV's House Hunters and the DIY Network, brought me on board for this event. Liz found me through instagram a few months ago and asked me to provide florals for her booth at The Indianapolis Home Show, as well as, be a featured speaker on her design panel during the show. Um, yes. It felt a little scary to announce to everyone that I was exiting the wedding biz this year and moving more towards intimate events and in-home projects, but I am so glad I did because it made space for the projects I really wanted to be a part of. My passion lies in tabletop and community and I am so grateful that this little biz of mine is headed in the exact direction I hoped it would! Liz also brought on Jessica Madison of Jessica Madison Home, who I also got to work with at The Home Show. Jessica is as silly as she is sweet and just an overall fun person to be around. Her upbeat and positive attitude makes her an easy person to work with! Go follow her on Insta with her tribe of almost 10K devoted followers!
Images courtesy of Christina Donnell Photo
Liz sent over a few cell phone videos to show me what the Troyer's home looked like. That is pretty much all I had to go on visually. From those, I put together two mood boards to keep me in line with the look I was going for.
I used my own personal inventory of glassware and linens. I wanted to keep the inside dessert bar setup modern and clean to compliment their kitchen, not compete with it. Currently, I am totally obsessed with the glass jug vases. Bigger is sometimes better! My old boss Darcy, that I often talk about from Martha Stewart, always had flowering branches in her entry and it made such a statement as a piece of art that it really is my go to for an already well designed space. Joanna Gaines brought this look the farmhouse crowd, but it really originates from a modern look, with a nod to foraging fresh foliage from your own yard. Jessica Madison brought the tiered serving pieces and I supplied the cake stands and long wood serving platter. I love the way the whole look came together, but let's be honest, anything would look good in this kitchen! The images below are a mix of Christina Donnell's, mine and one from fashion + lifestyle blogger Erin Schrader of Living in Yellow.
Photo by Southern Sky Design
Image courtesy of blogger Living in Yellow
I did a few other pieces around the house and they were pretty fun if I do say so myself. I did this mix of texture and green and added fresh lavender by the kitchen sink. It smelled divine. Notice my cards with ma new last name!
I wanted the outdoor setup to feel like a summer dinner party with friends. Casual, cool and a pop of color. You might remember these buffalo check runners from my Thanksgiving table and I used my own brown glass bottles. I love a bottle. Throw in some candles ( keep them in glass for safety and wind), fresh ruscus and fever few - you've got yourself a a sweet little table.
Another fun part of this event was meeting my fellow sponsors. Indiana's own Vera Bradley donated beach towels for each attendee and First Harvest Boutique had a pop-up shop with fun threads. They are located in the Fashion Mall and 10% of their sales go towards abused women and sex trafficking victims. Amanda's exchange gave out giftbags and A Cup Above Coffee Catering made us all delish specialty coffee drinks!
The natural light in this room was so pretty that I just added a simple marble vase with a few tulips. White tulips are my favorite and doesn't it look like they are totally basking in the sun here?!
The Good Bone's lady shared their story with us and a lot of fun behind the scenes moments as well. They really are just are funny and real as they are on their show!
It was such a fun night and I am truly grateful to of been a part of it with all of these local sponsors. Thanks for having me, Liz!
