Nora Fleming – PINEAPPLES AND SWEET TEA

All About Home, Decor, Everyday Life, Monograms

Freshen Up Your Kitchen For Summer In 5 Minutes

June 21, 2021 No Comments

I hope you had a nice Father’s Day and enjoyed the day with your families. We have had a very busy week. I just returned from Palm Beach on Monday from a Lilly Pulitzer ladies’ getaway. Palm Beach is one of my favorite places, and I will share a full round-up of the trip soon. Our son got married on Saturday. I enjoyed helping with the planning and decor and had most of it done before my trip. Our favorite local florist did an amazing job on the centerpieces. She did the flowers for my wedding almost 30 years ago. The wedding was at the barn on his property so the theme was rustic with a little firefighter added. He’s a volunteer firefighter. Saturday was also my husband’s birthday and of course, Sunday was Father’s Day. Yep, I was definitely busy. But it was a happy busy.

Before I headed to Palm Beach, I wanted to freshen up my kitchen for summer. Each season I can accomplish this in 5 minutes with just 5 pieces. Choosing a few key pieces to change for each season and holiday makes this job so much easier. I have a couple of cabinets dedicated to my collections of cutting boards, placemats, coasters, floor mats, flags, and so much more.

Changing out my cutting board is where I usually start. The lemon theme is so fun and summery for the season. That was the starting point for my design. The glass cutting boards from Initial Outfitters by Carrie. look so pretty displayed on a stand and they also make a great gift. It is my go-to wedding gift.

Glass Cutting Board

Placemats are another easy switch. Personalized placemats really create that designer look. It is fine to mix and match styles. I chose the lemon placemats to coordinate with my cutting board for our snack bar. For my kitchen table, I chose the pineapple design from Initial Outfitters by Carrie. I like to keep the kitchen table simple. My Mackenzie-Childs kitchen table is my favorite piece. It is so unique and stands out on its own.

Pineapple Placemat

Lemon Ring Placemat

Mackenzie-Childs Table

I love kitchen towels. I have different towels for each holiday and season. Bob says I have more kitchen towels than I will ever use. That’s ok, I love them. WH Hostess has a beautiful collection of towels. I simply switch out the towels on my dishwasher and ovens. Another quick change.

WH Hostess Towel

Floor mats are a fun way to bring your unique style to the room. Personalize one for each season. My dogs are even on some of mine. These can be used in so many ways to brighten up a space.

Bicycle Design Floor Mat

I added a new tray from Initial Outfitters by Carrie this year. I like to group items on trays to create a designer look. I added my favorite Mackenzie-Childs pitcher and Nest Bamboo candle to the tray. Having things grouped on a tray also makes it easier to move around when needed.

Personalized Wooden Tray

Bonus tip; I love Nora Fleming pottery. Create an entirely new look just by changing the mini. I have different minis for different holidays and seasons.

Nora Fleming Pottery

I hope you enjoyed this little summer kitchen decor refresh and found a few easy changes to make in your decor. Redecorating a room does not have to be hard or expensive. You just need a few good pieces.

Let me show you how I made my kitchen summer-ready in my latest vlog.

Wishing you a wonderful week,

Carrie

Carrie Kelly is an Interior Redesigner Industry Specialist and Lead Designer at Carrie Kelly Designs specializing in interior redesign, seasonal, and home decor helping clients create beautiful spaces in their homes without the time and expense of a full remodel. She is also a Senior Outfitter with Initial Outfitters, a boutique featuring all things monogrammed and personalized for your unique style. Carrie is also the author of Pineapples and Sweet Tea, a Lifestyle blog, and co-author of the #1 best-selling book The Art of Connection.

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All About Home, Decor, Entertaining, Everyday Life, Food, Tablescapes

Springtime Brunch For Two Tablescape

May 10, 2021 No Comments

What a lovely weekend it was here in the Midwest. I was able to finish my pots and hanging baskets and enjoy spending time outside in the sunshine. My herb pots are center stage right outside my kitchen door. One pot is full of herbs for cooking and the other is full of herbs for my tea. There is nothing better than picking herbs fresh from my pots. I also planted a pot of strawberries and a pineapple. I really hope the pineapple produces some fruit this year. I also spent a lovely afternoon enjoying lunch and shopping with a dear friend. We had not seen each other in quite some time. I am looking forward to everything Spring has to offer.

Spring is the perfect time for a brunch for two. The weather is warming up and I think we are all ready to get out and enjoy time with our friends again. I love spending an afternoon with a good friend and catching up. It seems like we all have so much to catch up on. I created a beautiful and spring theme table design for a brunch for two.

My Mackenzie-Childs pedestal table is the perfect backdrop for a spring-themed table. The minute I saw this pedestal, I knew that was the table that I had been looking for. My backsplash at my cooktop is the coordinating tiles to match my table. So unique and custom. My chairs are from Pottery Barn, and I love how they complement the table.

Spring Brunch Table For Two

Pink dinner plates from Kate Spade with Juliska Seaside Estate appetizer plates were the inspiration. Seaside Estate is my new favorite pattern from Juliska. Perfect summer pattern. Personalized pieces are a must for me. I added personalized napkins and napkin rings from Initial Outfitters by Carrie. The acrylic place setting toppers from Initial Outfitters by Carrie is so fun and versatile to use anywhere. Personalized pieces are a quick way to add a custom designer look to any design. Lilly Pulitzer wine glasses and drink glasses completed my place setting.

Juliska Seaside Estate

Initial Outfitters Monogrammed Table Decor

Fresh flowers in a pretty vase are really all you need for a pretty centerpiece. I have been using my Mackenzie-Childs Royal Check pitcher as a centerpiece. I love the blue and white check mixed with the pinks and bright colors. A monogram platter from Taylor Beach Designs will look so pretty with tea sandwiches or cupcakes on it. Nora Fleming pieces are also some of my favorites. I love having one piece and just changing the mini on it for a new look. The flamingo looks perfect on the napkin holder. My monogrammed ice bucket in a Lilly Pulitzer print is a piece I have had for so long. I have a matching tray as well. And brunch would not be complete without a bottle of Veuve chilling in a Mackenzie-Childs wine bucket.

Lilly Pulitzer Ice Bucket

Taylor Beach Design Platter

Mackenzie-Childs Wine Cooler

I think this is the perfect table for a lovely brunch My brunch menu would be a delicious quiche, salad with a champagne vinaigrette, fruit salad, and of course cupcakes. Check out my YouTube video featuring my Mother’s Day brunch table for two. Are you looking forward to entertaining again?

Carrie Kelly is an Interior Redesigner Industry Specialist and Lead Designer at Carrie Kelly Designs specializing in interior redesign, seasonal, and home decor helping clients create beautiful spaces in their homes without the time and expense of a full remodel. She is also a Senior Outfitter with Initial Outfitters, a boutique featuring all things monogrammed and personalized for your unique style. Carrie is also the author of Pineapples and Sweet Tea, a Lifestyle blog, and co-author of the #1 best-selling book The Art of Connection.

All About Home, Decor, Holidays

Five Minute Fall Decor

September 14, 2020 No Comments

Fall is finally here and it’s time to bring in the warm colors of fall into our home decor. Does the thought of changing out your decor stress you out especially with the holiday season right around the corner? Do you skip decorating for fall altogether? What if I could help you decorate a room in five minutes with five accessories? Sounds easy, right? It really is with a few perfect pieces.

Let me show you my kitchen refresh for fall. Clearing out the summer decor and pineapple placemats and accessories were the first steps. It’s nice to start with a clear space to really see all of the possibilities. I love bringing in some warm-colored pieces and buffalo plaid prints are some of my favorites. I switched out my pineapple placemats for a gray buffalo plaid with a pumpkin personalized with our name for our counter eating area. Personalized pieces are a quick and easy way to achieve a high-end designer look. These are pieces you won’t see in everyone’s kitchen and on every store shelf. Mixing patterns is always a great idea, pieces don’t always need to match, they just need to go together.

With that thought, I used personalized black placemats on the kitchen table to coordinate with my napkins and napkin rings. It all pairs nicely. A pumpkin soup tureen from Pier 1 became a pretty centerpiece. My napkin holder is a Nora Fleming piece. I love her pieces because you only need to switch the minis to create a new look. Their collection contains minis for every holiday, season, and occasion. I highly recommend them. A fall candle and fresh flowers complete the table. Fresh flowers are always a must in my house.

Kitchen Table Refresh

The last few changes were simple. I always have a personalized cutting board on my counter and I just switched it out for the same pumpkin style as my kitchen counter placemats. A Mackenzie-Childs pumpkin and fall candle add to the display. Switching my summer kitchen towels for pretty fall ones was the last step in the kitchen refresh. Towels are such an easy way to achieve a quick change. Normally I add garland to the windows but decided to leave them out this year. I wanted a clean, uncluttered look.

What do you think? I really did just do this refresh in just five minutes with five accessories. Room designs don’t have to be complicated, sometimes less is more. I really enjoy the simple uncluttered look before the holiday decorating begins. Enjoy the crisp fall weather and changing colors.

Carrie Kelly is an Interior Redesigner Industry Specialist and Lead Designer at Carrie Kelly Designs specializing in interior redesign, seasonal, and home decor helping clients create beautiful spaces in their homes without the time and expense of a full remodel. She is also an Independent Consultant with Initial Outfitters, a boutique featuring all things monogrammed and personalized for your unique style. Carrie is also the author of Pineapples and Sweet Tea, a Lifestyle blog.

Find her at: https://carriekellydesigns.com

https://pineapplesandsweettea.com

https://www.facebook.com/carriekellydesigns

https://www.initialoutfitters.net/ckelly

carrie@carriekellyesigns.com