Camera Apps are fun...

 

Oh you know, just snapping pictures!!! Smart phones make it so easy for all of us to look like real photographers! I love it! While trying to understand the new app I just downloaded, I experimented with these.

 

 

 

 

Come by the shop and see all these beautiful things in person!

xoxo,

Lena & Cose Belle

We're Celebrating 7 Wonderful Years!

Crazy to think we're celebrating our 7 year anniversary here at the store. It's been an amazing journey, and we've been blessed with the best customers ever! Which is why we want to celebrate this milestone with YOU!

Join us at Cose Belle on July 11th, 2013 from 5pm to 8pm. We want to spoil you rotten for your continued support throughout the years in helping us thrive in a business we love.

Of course there will be plenty of champagne, yummy treats, and yes- dancing music! At the end of the evening there will be three drawings where the winners will receive one of the following: a piece of Melinda Maria Jewelry, a gorgeous piece of clothing, or $50 gift certificate

We will also be offering special discounts just for the evening's celebration! 20% off All clothing & jewelry, as well as, 30% off all Home décor and furniture!

Now we hope your ready to celebrate, because we are!!!

Wednesday Inspiration

Just a little inspiration for your Wednesday! Hope you all are having a fabulous week, and don't forget to come see us while we continue the home décor sale!

xoxo

Beach Basics!

Lucy here again! Remember when I said people weren't kidding about the heat and humidity here in Charleston? Yeah no, they really weren't kidding. The past two days have been somewhat of a rude awakening for this Kentucky kid. However, the great thing about living in Charleston is when the heat and humidity strike you can find solace in the beach, and I'd be lying if I said I haven't become a frequent beach goer. Here are some of my essentials for the beach:

Obviously a great bikini is essential

A great pair of sun glasses, of course. These Ray Ban Club-Masters have been on my wish list for quite sometime, and with a birthday next week I'm hoping I can cross them off ;)

 A hat to protect your face from the sun. While I usually just wear my favorite baseball cap I'm loving this Panama Hat from JCrew. We also have some AMAZING hats in the store, you should stop by and check them out!

I love a simple cover-up and this white one will go with pretty much any swim suit which I love.

Someone gave me pretty much this exact beach bag when I graduated high school and out of all my high school graduation presents this one has received the most use! We also have some super cute beach bags in store!

 

In my beach bag you'll find a towel, sunscreen ranging from SPF 15 to 50 (you can't ever be too careful)! I always have a book or two- anything from a classic like the Great Gatsby, some sappy romantic novel or a thriller like John Grisham. Oh and I actually finished my most recent beach read Monday so send suggestions my way! I'm always sure to bring water and some snacks with me too!

 

What are your beach essentials?

 

 

-Lucy

 

Summer Spirits

If you've ever come by the store around 5:00 you know we like to have Happy Hour with a little champagne! As we get closer to the official first day of summer and the heat and humidity rise we thought we'd share a few of our favorite summer cocktails with y'all!

 

You can't go wrong with a classic margarita! Here's a simple recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 lime, halved
• Coarse salt
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice, from about 4 limes
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup orange-flavored liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
• 1/4 cup Triple Sec
• 1 cup gold tequila
• Ice
• 1/2 can good quality lager-style beer
• Lime wheels, for garnish

Directions:

To salt the margarita glasses, rub the outside rims of 4 big glasses with a cut lime and press them lightly into a plate of kosher salt, to coat.

Combine the lime juice, sugar, orange liqueur, Triple Sec, tequila, and a big handful of ice in a cocktail shaker (or blender). Shake the margarita really well, for a good 20 seconds, add a splash of beer and strain into the salt rimmed glasses filled with ice. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Blackberry Bourbon Iced Tea, a great twist on a fabulous fruit tea:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups fresh blackberries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, plus mint sprigs for garnish
• 6 good-quality black tea bags
• Good-quality bourbon, to taste (Bobby likes Woodford Reserve)

Directions:

Combine the blackberries, sugar and chopped mint in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher or wooden spoon; let sit while making the tea.

While the blackberries are macerating, bring 1 1/2 quarts cold water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from the heat, add the tea bags and let steep for about 3 minutes. Remove the tea bags and pour the tea over the blackberry mixture. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour to let the flavors meld.

Pour the mixture through a strainer into a pitcher, pressing on the solids. Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours. (You can also pour the mixture into a bowl set over an ice bath to cool it faster.)

Serve the blackberry tea over ice in tall glasses and float a shot of bourbon on top of each. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs

 

 

How amazing does this tropical sangria sound?

Ingredients

• 2 blood oranges, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 kiwis, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1 cup seedless red grapes, halved or whole
• 1 mango, cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 bottles sauvignon blanc wine, chilled
• 2 ounces orange liqueur, such as Cointreau
• 8 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled and halved                        

Directions

1. In a 1/2-gal. pitcher, combine the oranges, kiwis, grapes and mango. Stir in the wine and liqueur. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 6 hours.
2. Just before serving, stir in the strawberries.

What do y'all think? What are some of your favorite summer cocktails? Let us know!

Cheers,

Cose Belle

Are we going crazy!?

Okay, well maybe only a little crazy, but since we love all our customers so much over the next few days we'll be offering 25% off all home décor and furniture in store! So if there's a piece you've had your eye on over the past few months but never purchased it- now is your chance! Here are some of our favorite pieces of furniture that are on sale:

Don't let the gloomy weather in Charleston keep you from coming by and checking out these amazing pieces along with so many others during this fabulous sale!

XOXO

LWD

Of course we all know that every woman needs her little black dress, but now that the unofficial first day of summer has passed we're thinking about the LWD (little white dress) here at Cose Belle! While we don't suggest wearing your LWD as a guest of any weddings this summer, it's perfect for any other occasion. You can dress it up or down, add a touch of color with a neon statement necklace(another huge trend for this summer), or make your lips pop with red or pink! Here are some of our favorite LWDs:

 

 

 

 

 Love the bottom Henry & Belle dress? No worries- it'll be the store very soon, so come on by!

Lucy's Favorite Things

Hey y'all! It's Lucy, the newest member of the Cose Belle crew! I am originally from Kentucky and I'm so excited to be working here at Cose Belle, and who can complain living in the wonderful city of Charleston? Here are some of my favorites that we currently have in store:

Starting at the top left going clockwise: I love this pink and green chaise lounge. I was so surprised when Ashley shared that the piece hadn't been recovered. I'll admit, have a thing for quatrefoils. Which is why I love the chair pictured next so much. The chair on the bottom right is a great mid-century Danish piece. I love furniture that has a great story behind it, which is why the middle mirror is so cool. The tiles around the mirror are actually from the old Philadelphia convention center! Pretty cool if you ask me. There are also tons of cute scarves in the store, and while I'm still getting used to the heat and humidity here in Charleston- I think a scarf can do a lot for an outfit and it's super easy to add  to an outfit.

There are so many other great things in the store! I'm going to have to keep myself from spending allll of my money here. Stop by and see us this weekend! Also, don't forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@CoseBelle)!

Iconic Black and White

We are dancing with happiness now that spring is here in full effect! One of our favorite styles of the season, the iconic pairing of Black and White. It's classic, stunning, bold and just plain fun!  These black and white pants by Prince of Peace have been a huge hit at Cose Belle; we've paired them with the ever so perfect White Anorak jacket!! We included a couple of photos of our favorite Black and White pairings for the season!

 

We hope you are all diving into the Spring spirit and enjoying this gorgeous weather! XO

 

Wall Space for Dummies!

Here's our version of the ever-popular "yellow-for-dummies" books!

One of the hottest trends right now is wall décor- more specifically- framed wall décor. Eclectic, simple, large, and all things in between. It's time to pretty up those walls!


But don't worry, we'll help you out!

 

 

 

 

Here's a great example! Each photo, painting, print, etc. is framed, creating a beautiful visual space around the desk. You don't need to over-do it. This looks elegant and is sure to draw a lot of attention!!

This is a great way to appreciate your high ceilings! When things are framed, even if there's a TON going on, it still keeps itself sharp and contained. This eclectic wall features paintings, drawings, quotes and maps. What tops it off is the varying shapes and sizes. So gorgeous!

 

Nice bedroom space!!

 

Let your artwork shine!! Use a group of brightly colored images to liven up a room.

To the max!!! And still so gorgeous! Eclectic living, baby.

Here's another great way to create wall décor. Everything here is measures perfectly, all the prints are the same size, and they look great!!

And finally, here's Lena's living room! There's a mix of prints, art and mirrors. It's always changing and evolving!!


As you can see, it's easy to create this trendy wall décor! The spacing and orientation is not very necessary. All that matters is you get it up there and on display!


xoxo,
Cose Belle

 

Charles & Ray Eames- The Ultimate Power Couple

There's no confusion these days when someone says "Mid-Century Modern." We instantly know what they're talking about, the sleek and simple styles that are so prevalent in our modern day culture.

 It's the most popular and trending style right now, and understandably! While we all love Mid-Century pieces, many of us don't realize that they stem from one of the hottest power couples of our time! Charles and Ray Eames created a style completely their own, which transpired into the style of an entire country.

Charles and Ray are the King and Queen of Mid-Century Modern style, exceeding beyond just furniture to architecture, industrial design and manufacturing, and photographic arts. They were creative and progressive, exactly the traits we admire in power couples.

Their furniture design focused on the concept of FUNCTIONALISM.

"Rectangle about to turn into an oval, the transformation being arrested at a point midway between."

This couple created some of the most recognizable pieces of furniture for our modern age. They've become so incredibly popular that their designs became widely copied, making it much more difficult now to find a true original, but proving how influential two people can be on an entire culture. The Eames' looked at things a little different than the rest of us...

Ray and Charles were progressive and creative. They invented a style that has transformed how we even look at furniture.

If anyone is looking for a role model, search no further. This couple managed a marriage, a company and a country together. The ultimate power couple if there ever was one. They've taught us to constantly move forward with progressive thinking and creating. Here's a shot of Ray's workspace..

Thank you, Ray & Charles. You've created a lifestyle that many of us can only aspire to, but we appreciate yall at the top. :)

Green with Envy

Green is popping up everywhere this season and we'll admit it; we really love it. Weather it's a muted green or a bright vibrant hue it adds so much life to decor and any outfit.. Here are a few our favorite flashes of green we've seen lately.

Nate Berkus's gorgeous dining room inspires us to bring the tropics indoors with this stunning wall paper, while mixing it with modern furniture. via Elle Decor

            While Melinda Maria makes our Green Evny lust over these gorgeous rings!

Lastly, this unique green headboard is in our store now and we have endless ideas of how to incorporate into home decor.

Spring is here.. or is it?

Spring has arrived, at least in our store it has.... Although the weather may beg to differ.

We are loving the spring styles that have flooded our store with bright vibrant colors.

These fun high wasted orange tweed shorts mixed with the color of the season, citron cardigan makes the for the perfect spring outfit.

This sophisticated Chanel inspired tweed jacket will add class to any ensemble you pair it with. We love pairing this jacket with a pair of skinny jeans and neutral tank.

This.white.jacket... Ok, we'll admit it; we really love this sexy piece. It adds the perfect amount of edge and sleekness to your daytime wear. While also looking incredible over a cocktail dress.

This piece is going fast, so we highly recommend seeing it for yourself.

Wishing you a week full of laughter and dance parties.

xoxo

The Cose Belle Family.