French Doors

I knew when we were looking for a house french doors were A MUST. They add so much warmth and charm.  We currently will have two sets of french doors in the new house, one set in our kitchen that lead to our backyard, and another in our master bedroom which leads to an extra room that I will use as my office/dressing room (maybe eventually a nursery?).  In the future I want to add another set of french doors in my living room because that is one of the first rooms you will see when you walk into the house. Here are some lovely french doors that made my heart skip a beat...

This is almost exactly what our kitchen french doors will look like- How fabulous is that chandelier?

If I had a beach view like that, I would instal french doors as well- what a beautiful way to feel the breeze...

I am totally loving these tall and thin french doors (check out the floors btw)...

These doors are great because on one side they are white and the other wood...great idea!

Between the oversized windows and beautiful french doors, this space gives off endless light!

Oh my! Is all I can say about this unique space...very whimsical!

What are your thoughts on french doors? Do you have any in your home, or are they something you can live without?

Have a great Wednesday my loves, and remember it's your last chance to enter the giveaway! Please check back tomorrow for the winner :)

{via; Elle Decor, Country Living, Domino, House Beautiful, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful}

Sweet Dreams

1. Eberjay $76
2. Kiki de Montparnasse $195
3. Eberjay $68
4. Jovoich-Hawk $69

I am defiantly a "cami" girl when it comes to my bedroom attire. I would love any of these lovelies to dream in, wouldn't you?

Giveaway Reminder!

Just a friendly reminder that the Studio Erickdotter Stationary Giveaway ends this Wednesday! Please enter if you have not already and you can check back Thursday for the winner.

Did you know that Erica offers an original painting of bridal bouquets?! It is a unique way to showcase your bouquet, or it would be a great wedding or anniversary gift! If you are interested in commissioning your bridal bouquet please contact Erica here.

Summer Dresses

Hello lovelies! I hope you had a wonderful weekend- I sure did!! I wanted to kick off this week with a fashion post. I practically live in dresses all year round- it is what I feel most comfortable in. I can not resist a great dress when I see one, here are some I am currently lusting over...

Look adorable in this beautiful turquoise one shoulder dress- doesn't it just remind you of summer?

This LBD (for the very few men reading this...it means "little black dress") is very light and airy. It can be worn during the day with a pair of gladiators, and it can be dressed up at night with some killer heels and an arm full of gold bangles or layered gold chain necklaces...

If you are new to this blog you may not know, but I am obsesessed with bows! How cute is this dress? Perfect for date night...

This is a "go to" summer maxi! I would wear this shopping, to brunch, to dinner, any where and everywhere! Love love love it!

I am not sure if I could personally pull this little sailor dress off, but it is so adorable that I had to include it! Would you wear it?

All of these dresses are available at Nasty Gal. If you are not familiar with this site, they offer a wide selection of the most desirable and coveted vintage clothing and accessories available online, as well as unique new designer pieces. Go check them out here, you will be presently surprised at their prices :)

Which one can you not resist?

Quote of the Day

“A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That's why they don't get what they want.” -Madonna {image via W magazine}

New House Update

I have not posted any updates on the new house lately because there has been nothing to update you on. We did drive past the lot yesterday and they finally painted the roads! So now they should start building any day! I will post pictures once they clear the lot.

In the meantime I have been making "inspiration boards" and picking out color combinations. There are so many options I feel like my head is going to explode! But I think I have my downstairs colors covered which I will post another time. Before this house we lived in a renovated city apartment that had a very Swedish interior design vibe (aka Ikea). So all of our furniture was pretty modern. Nothing modern is going to go in the new house. I am going for more of a French country, romantic, beach, cottage vibe.
We will use our couch from the apartment that we got from Crate and Barrel for our living room (no one uses a living room anyway). I also using my parent's antique dinning room set, and kitchen table that I will have to re-upholster (blog post to come). Other then that, we pretty much need all new furniture. I am loving the thrill of the search, and I am getting great ideas from my blogger friends.

Paloma, from La Dolce Vita posted this headboard from Serena And Lily this week, and it is EXACTLY what I have been looking for! The only problem is the price :/

Does anyone have any suggestions (besides Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn) where I can buy an upholstered headboard like this at a fraction of the price??

Thank you again for all of your support this week my lovelies!  I hope you all have fabulous weekend plans (I would love to hear them)! I am off to spend part of the weekend in LBI and the other part at work. Luckily I love my job, so I never really feel like it is work any way!

Don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY!

{images via: Life Magazine; Eye Spy, Serena and Lily}

Checkered Floors

I have always loved the unique look of checkered floors. It adds a ton of character to any room, and it can be used with all kinds of design styles from country to modern.

This is the perfect farm kitchen! I love the combination of the checkered floor, white cabinets and wood counters! I was just at a co-worker's beautiful house last night, and she has a butcher's block like this one in her kitchen... I LOVE IT! 

What a grand entry way! Very glamourous! This is how I would do a checkered floor!

Being that this kitchen is pretty small, the big checks on the floor actually make this space look bigger!

I love that they painted these wood floors to make a checkered pattern, it looks lovely!

Isn't this the cutest little bistro table!? This would be adorable in a small apartment.

Do any of you have a checkered floor? How did you make it work?

{via: Country Living, Elle Decor, Apartment Therapy, House Beautiful,  A Field Journal,}

Come Sway Away with Me!

For as long as I can remember I have been picking out outfits for people. I picked out my brother's outfit for school every morning until he was old enough to tell me to "get a life!" Fashion is in my blood- so when I was approached by Sway.com to become one of their fashion ambassador's and help spread the word about this fabulous new site, I of course jumped on it! So what is Sway.com?

Sway.com is a website where the member is the fashion buyer and designer! Sway members will be able to vote on a look and critique it. The look with the most votes will then get produced using only the highest quality materials by Sway. All clothing will bear a fresh SWAY label! Then the pieces will be sold to members for 24-hours at wholesale price. After the 24-hour “flash sale”, the pieces will then be sold at full retail price for non-members. Sway.com is calling upon the internet’s fashion elite to help shape the future of the industry - blurring the lines between designer, buyer, and fashionista. 

Sway girls epitomize style. Every group has at least one - girls who know how to put an outfit together and are continually showered with praise for their impeccable fashion sense. Whether they know it or not, these girls are the ones driving forward the fashion industry, and Sway.com is here to give them the platform they deserve. 

The exclusive Sway community of tastemakers will work together to create a first of its kind boutique by both providing design inspiration, and voting on which looks belong in the collection, and which don’t. Of course, being a designer & buyer for a boutique comes with perks. Every day one of the looks inspired by and voted on by Sway girls will be meticulously crafted and made available to community members at 50% off. After this 24 hour flash sale limited quantities of this piece will be sold at full retail to the rest of the world in the Sway boutique.

Do you love to put outfits together? Or have an eye for what works and what doesn't? Do you have an eye for fashion "Do's"? If you answered YES! YES! YES! Then you will LOVE this site!

If you would like to be a part of this exclusive community, Please use this link here to sign up!

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY!

Studio Eriksdotter Giveaway!

Today I have a special treat for all of my lovely readers! I am super excited to have the chance to partner with Erica Eriksdotter for this fabulous giveaway... Beautiful original art stationary!! All of the prints on the cards are a reproduction of Erica's original acrylic paintings. 

Born and raised in Sweden, Erica Eriksdotter’s gift for painting surfaced early in life. Inspired by her grandfather’s talent as a child, she started working with water colors and sold her first paintings at the age of 10. 

"I hope to inspire, make people happy with my art and strive to make the viewer aware of
and believe in the vibrancy of life. It's all about celebrating life with color and
hopefully bring joy to the room and the viewer."

“Painting has always been a creative outlet for me, but lately it is more than just painting,” she says. "It is letting go of the fear and allowing myself to trust my hands and my talent. Each painting is more than just paint on a canvas, it is a story and each layer forms that story.”

For a chance to win this beautiful stationary...

*Please go check out her work at Studio Eriksdotter here and leave a comment on this post telling us your favorite painting.

**Become a “follower” of Lilac and Grey. Please click the “Follow” button on the right side of the page.

*** If you want to double your chances of winning, mention this giveaway on your blog or twitter (@lilacandgrey) and leave a second comment letting me know!!!


**** We would also love for you to become a Facebook Fan here and here.

Thank you for entering, and GOOD LUCK!!!

<3 Cara

This giveaway will be open from June 23rd-June 30, 2010 

Worst Date Ever

About a year ago my husband and I attended a funeral in Princeton, NJ, and afterwards we went out to a local pub/restaurant to eat. We were seated in the outdoor patio right next to this other couple. We were the only ones out there, as it was around 9:00 on a weeknight. They were a middle aged couple, and clearly on their "first date." The woman was very simple, long grayish brown hair, glasses, and she was wearing jeans and a cotton shirt. The man was kinda nerdy and dressed very casual. I think they met online. We were sitting so close to them that we couldn't help but listen to their entire conversation. The woman was going on and on about her divorce, and the guy seemed very bored. They were both drinking a lot of wine, and she seemed very tipsy. Then it was his turn to talk and he went on to say that he was just laid off, and blah blah blah. It was actually pretty uncomfortable to even be eves dropping. The date was going so terribly.  They finished their meals and he kept trying to leave, making excuses like "he had to go because he goes to sleep very early" and that he "had to get home to his dog." But somehow she convinced him to stay for "one more drink."
At this point our food comes and just as I am about to take a bite out of my burger, I see the the lady pull out a guitar from behind her chair!! She started singing about butterflies and her pond.  Just think of "James Taylor meets coffee cafe folk singer."I literally almost choked! Who brings a guitar to a restaurant on their first date!?!
Just when I thought it could not possibly get worse, the guy grabs the guitar and starts jamming to Eric Clapton's Cocaine! At this point I am holding on to my chair and trying not to scream! Imagine? These two are someone's parents (I know because they were talking about their kids) how embarrassing!
We ended up leaving while he was still "jamming out." Kevin and I call this story "Madame Butterfly" and whenever we hear the song "Cocaine" we die laughing. Besides Madame Butterfly actually bringing her guitar, I think the funniest part of this story was that he went from wanting to bolt- to "rock star." This had to have been one of the funniest situations I have ever witnessed.  

What are your thoughts? Do you think it is ok to bring a guitar on a first date?

Do you have any funny dating stories to share? Any that top this?!

PS. CHECK BACK TOMORROW FOR MY FIRST GIVEAWAY!!

{images via: The Diamond Store; this is glamourous}

What's in the Bag {part 2}

The lovely Jaime at La vie J'aime tagged me and although I have done this before here is what is in my bag - "the work edition..."

The Bag: Tory Burch

• The "little bag" is Marc Jacobs- I am constantly getting in and out of my car, so I carry this when I am showing houses, or if I have to run into a store or something and leave the big bag in the car.
• I got rid of my big wallet and switched back to this patent leather Coach "mini-skinny" that my best friend bought me 9 years ago...thats why I love patent leather-it never looks worn. It is perfect to hold a few credit cards and business cards- I rarely carry cash.
• My Mac Book- Omg! I can't live with out it!
• calculator- I use it all the time!
• blackberry 
• Kate Spade planner-  My schedule is all over the place and changes all the time so I put appointments in both my blackberry and planner, because seeing it once is not enough :)
• My car keys
• Bobbi Brown cheek and lip cream in pale pink- whatever makeup I put on in the morning is what it is for the day, I never re-apply- I don't even know why I carry this...
• Ray-Bans- I change my sunglasses daily, but these are my new summer fave...
• Dust Bag- I use the pink and orange bag that came with the Tory Burch bag as a laptop cover... 
• I also carry folders, pens, electronic measurer, water, and a sunglass case (not pictures)

So that's it! Now what is in your bag??

Kristin and Megan 

Shari

Pink Bow

Anna

Lyndsy

Weekend In Photos

We had a wonderful time at our friend's wedding this weekend! Congratulations James and Laura! You make the perfect couple!

My friends and I...

My shoes <3

I spent the rest of the weekend relaxing in the sun...

How was your weekend?

{all photos by Cara Gardner}

Quote of the Day

“If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with.”


Michael Jackson






Happy Father's Day! 
Daddy we miss you <3


photo by DANIEL FARMER 

Have a Sunny Weekend!

I must be having a lot of fun because these weeks are just flying by! I feel like it was just Sunday yesterday, and Friday is already here! It's insane!! Does anyone feel the same-or is it just me?

Our good friend's are getting married tonight- and I can not wait to celebrate with them! I love to see how a whole year of planning comes together for one night. I also can't wait to see the beautiful bride in her dress :)

The rest of the weekend will be spent boating around the jersey shore- and relaxing with family and friends.

{images via: this is glamourous; style me pretty; ada and darcy}

I would love to hear what YOUR weekend plans are...

Picnic Love...

Can you believe I have never been on a picnic?! I know! I feel like I haven't lived yet...I had a beautiful picnic basket filled with china and wine glasses, and I think it even had a cute little blanket...It was never used, but I left it at the ex bf's (ugh, don't you hate that?!) I am thinking that I need a "picnic experience" in my life asap...

I would imagine that my picnic would include a lovely Sauvignon Blanc, assorted cheeses, fig spread, and a crusty french bread. What the heck, I would even throw in some apple pie! It would be in a beautiful field, on a secluded beach, or on a hill top over looking the city...and of course I would be with my love :)

Have any of you ever been on a picnic? Lovely or Over-rated? What did you bring?

{via: wide open spaces; kitchen critic; Country Living}