mayberry meets manhattan
Welcome to
A lifestyle blog created especially for those who desire to live simply, with STYLE!
hey there
I'm Carrie
I’m just a small-town girl (admit it, you sang that in your best Journey voice, right??) with a bit of an Urban twist. Originally from Memphis, TN, I currently live in Northwest Arkansas in the town of Bentonville, with my silver-fox of a husband, Clay, and our senior fur-baby, Riley.
I grew up as an only child and the daughter of a Pastor, which means I am now, at best, only a semi-reformed perfectionist. (It’s still a work in progress…I’ve accepted that I am perfectly imperfect!)
I have a passion for all things relating to Home Design…from the initial plans and construction to the finishing touches (which may or may not include a not-so-minor throw-pillow addiction). I’m also passionate about Entertaining, Travel and a good DIY project!
Nothing makes me happier than being with family and friends and I’m always searching for simple ways to create a stylish and welcoming environment for them to enjoy in my home. I look forward to sharing these ideas and tips with you here!
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my beautiful family!
fun fact
I grew up singing in the church and music has always been a huge part of my life. I was actually a Vocal Performance Major in college. As a Singer/Songwriter, I self-released a CD a few years back of original music. (No, you wouldn’t have heard any of it.) These days, I’m not pursuing music as a career but still occasionally perform and have a lot of contacts and friends in the Music Industry. Both of my daughters are also wonderful vocalists and one son-in-law has his own band! We are a very musical family!
Mayberry,
an introduction
Have you ever seen an episode of the old sitcom “The Andy Griffith Show?” I used to watch the reruns pretty much every day after school when I was young. The setting for the show was the fictional town of Mayberry. It was a picture-perfect and seemed like the sort of place where you didn’t need to lock your doors and everyone was a friend. I remember thinking how fun it would be to live there.
Today I think of "Mayberry" as being more of a state of mind than a destination. It's a sense of hospitality, where guests are welcomed warmly and where simple pleasures like conversation and a cup of coffee are savored. It's living life from the front porch-figuratively speaking, with an open heart- where relationships and a sense of community can flurish.
However, balancing work and family life can often leave us with very little energy left to do the things that we truly love. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed and give up before we can accomplish whatever it is that we set out to do. It took me a long time to realize that the trick was to work smarter, not necessarily harder. Now I try to simplify things whenever I can, and I’ve learned a few hacks along the way that I look forward to sharing with you.
Mayberry Meets Manhattan was created as an outlet to share ideas that help us celebrate life’s simple joys with STYLE! I hope you’ll join me!
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my mayberry
where mayberry meets manhattan
So, I must be honest…I actually DO live in Mayberry. Well, not the ‘real’ Mayberry, of course, but pretty darn close!
My home of Bentonville has something for just about everyone! Culturally, we are a mixture of small-town southern charm combined with a huge global commerce hub, all nestled in the middle of the beautiful lush Ozark Mountains.
The headquarters for Walmart (the #1 Fortune 500 Company in the United States) is right here in Bentonville, and as a result there are more than 1100 Vendors that have satellite offices here in our area to support their Walmart accounts. This translates into many transplants from across the United States and internationally as well that now call this area home. The result is a wonderful fusion of diversity in our community that somehow still manages to feel like small-town USA.
Thanks to the generosity of the Walton Foundation (the family of Walmart’s late founder, Sam Walton) we have a vibrant Arts Culture.
welcome to
bentonville
arkansas
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (a $450 MILLION museum!!) opened in 2011 just one mile from my house and a new modern art museum, The Momentary, is opening in February of 2020 just a few blocks away.
With over 350 miles of trails and growing, Bentonville is also one of the premier mountain biking destinations in the United States, hosting multiple cycling events through the year.
Our town even hosts its own film festival! Founded in 2015, the Bentonville Film Festival is held in downtown Bentonville each year during the first week in May, drawing many celebrities and visitors to the event. (It’s quite exciting to see Robert DeNiro walking down your street!)
Bentonville truly is where “Mayberry Meets Manhattan” and we hope you’ll come visit us soon!
