Happy Weekend!

To kick start your weekend, I bring you thee cutest photo ever. Have you guys ever seen anything more adorable in your life? But no, really. Have you? I saw this photo on pinterest (my mecca for everything cute and adorable) and just kind of stared at the loveliness and then eventually pinned it to my 'things that make me happy' board. Because it totally makes me happy.

On another note, I am really excited for this weekend. I have a lot of work to do, per usual, but also a few fun plans. Tonight I'm celebrating a friend's birthday and tomorrow I'm taking a little trip to see family for the day. It should be a lovely time. And don't worry, I plan to take plenty of pictures to share Monday.

What are you up to this weekend? Any fun Easter plans?

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Kate Spade Saturday

Have you all seen Kate Spade's newest venture, Kate Spade Saturday? The brand launched just last week and I'm already completely smitten. It's all of the color, fun, and whimsy that I've come to know and love about Kate Spade NY, but it's a bit more casual (and a lot more affordable) than it's sister brand. I checked it out yesterday for the first time and found myself scrolling through the pages, eyes unblinking, just staring at all of the loveliness. These are a few of my favorite pieces, although there are plenty more things I have my eye on, too.

sexy back dress

Love the colors here, and the criss cross back design.

iPhone 4 case | sneaks by pf flyers

This abstract pattern is so pretty. And I love this take on the casual sneaker.

let loose dress | slip neck ponte dress

Neutral dresses done right.

weekender bag

I love this useful weekender bag. There are tons of individual compartments and there's even a separate spot for shoes on the bottom. I think I would get a ton of use out of this.

What are your thoughts on Kate Spade's newest venture?

This or That: Wedding Wear

I'm trying to decide what to wear to an upcoming wedding. Since it's in St. Louis, and since it's in that glorious season called spring, I get to wear a dress and heels without tights. I'm so excited. And because I'm so excited, I'm already planning my outfit. I've narrowed it down to two options. A coral dress from  Parc Boutique or a black dress from J. Crew.

I was recently informed by a few friends that you cannot wear black to a wedding unless it's black tie. What? What?! Considering my abnormal love for weddings, you would think I would have known this. After a little discussion and a few quick texts to the bride and groom, it was determined that I could wear a black dress after all as long as I added a few bright accessories. Phew. Problem solved. But I still want your opinion on the topic.

J. Crew Dress | Parc Boutique Dress

Loren Hope Earrings | BaubleBar Necklace | J. Crew Factory Necklace

I initially thought I would pair the black dress with a lovely statement necklace, but then I saw those earrings from Loren Hope, and I kind of love them. Decisions, decisions.

What are you thoughts?

Weekend Snapshots

So sorry for the silence from my end last week. Everything just got so busy all at once and I had to take a little break from the blog. But I'm back now! And I even got a head start on blog posts for the week so I'm all good to go.

I had a very well balanced weekend overall. I spend the first night / morning doing things with friends and the second half working / relaxing. There was a wine night on Friday and a delicious brunch on Saturday. And after that it was lots of cleaning, working, and catching up on a few favorite shows.

And now it's Monday. I'm not super thrilled about that little fact, but lately the weeks have been flying by, so I'm sure Friday will be here before I know it. And on the bright side, my lovely city of Minneapolis is expecting highs above freezing this week! So that's definitely something to look forward to. I hope you have a great start to your week!

How was your weekend?

Ten Little Ways to De-stress

Lately I've been overloading my schedule a bit. I have a lot on my plate and all of my commitments have been leading to more stress and anxiety than usual. Sometimes this stress is kind of a good thing. It's just enough to motivate me to get work done. But sometimes it's completely unnecessary. So for today's ten little things list, I thought I would do a breakdown of my favorite ways to de-stress.

1. Sleep. As often and for as long as possible.

2. Workout. Yoga sculpt and running are my favorite workout options.

3. Call your best friend immediately. Or your mom.

4. Plan something fun to look forward to. This always motivates me to get things done.

5. Make a list of things you're thankful for. Maybe this sounds cheesy, but I'm such a believer in the power of gratitude and being thankful for what you have.

6. Take a break and watch something really, really funny. I prefer New Girl.

7. Wake up early and watch the sunrise. Only if you're a morning person. And preferably with a cup of coffee.

8. Read a good book or your favorite magazine.

9. Wear an awesome outfit. This always gives me a confidence boost and brightens my mood.

10. Make a to do list and organize it by priority level.

What's your favorite way to de-stress?

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Weekend Snapshots

This weekend ended up being a lot more laid back than I had initially planned. But that's okay. I needed the rest and relaxation, both of which were glorious. I finally had time to do things I never get to do these days: practice guitar, catch up on a few favorite shows, and sleep. It was lovely.

Now it's Monday, and an incredibly snowy Monday at that. I'm crossing my fingers spring will come soon!

P.S. If you need a little something to brighten your day, watch this. It's Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake's History of Rap. And how could those two not make you happy?

Emerald: The Color of the Year (and this weekend)

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Pantone's most recent color report for Fall 2013 lists emerald as the color of the year. And I must admit, it's pretty perfect timing for me to discover this. In case you forgot, Sunday is St. Patrick's Day, which kind of makes this weekend St. Patrick's weekend. I've never ever done anything to celebrate the holiday but this year a few of my friends and I are going all out. I'll be sure to let you know how that goes.

There's just something about St Patrick's Day traditions that doesn't resonate with me. The food seems a little boring, I don't like beer so Guinness is a no go, and then there's the green. Oh how I wish I could look as good as the woman in this picture when I wear green. 

Other than St. Patrick's Day celebrating, I plan to get a million things checked off my to do list over the next few days. Blogging, catching up on my favorite blogs, working on a few features for The Everygirl, going to a yoga class or two, doing laundry and, of course, attempting to catch up on sleep.

What are you up to this weekend? Will you be celebrating St. Patrick's Day?

Spring Favorites

Sorry for the radio silence yesterday, guys. I sacrificed my blog post in lieu of a bit more sleep and some more time to work. I suppose it's all a part of my never ending quest for balance.

Luckily last night I had a little less on my plate and was able to fit in a yoga class (best de-stresser ever) and a healthy amount of online browsing / shopping. I headed over to J. Crew (no shock there) to check out some of their new spring styles.  As usual, I wanted basically everything I saw. But what I really wanted were some classic basics that have been updated for spring. Chambray, gingham, denim and stripes. As basic as one can get. 

chambray | gingham | denim | stripes

The fact that I'm on the hunt for a denim jacket for spring kind of makes me laugh a little. I don't know why. I guess it takes me back to elementary school or something. I mean, denim jackets did go out of style for a while there, right? Maybe not. But I think the last denim jacket I owned was from Mary-Kate and Ashley's collaboration with Walmart. So that's a fun memory. 

Anyway, happy Thursday! Despite the stress of work lately, this week has flown by. I can hardly believe it's almost the weekend. And when the weekend arrives tomorrow, I am all ready to welcome it with open arms. 

What pieces do you have your eye on for spring?

Ten Little Things

A few of the little things that have been brightening my day lately. Because sometimes all you need is one little moment of happiness to make your day that much better. A little sappy for a Tuesday, but let's just go with it.

1. Fresh Flowers - especially in the middle of winter.

2. Post blowout hair.

3. Waking up and thinking it's time to get out of bed but then realizing you have an hour left to sleep. Love that.

4. When one of your favorite movies comes on TV.  Even if I own the movie, there's just some kind of novelty that comes with watching it on TV.

5. The first signs of spring. When it rains instead of snows, when the temperature slowly starts to rise, and when flowers start to bloom.

6. Those last few seconds right before you drift off to sleep.

7. Opening up a brand new book and reading the first sentence.

8. Introducing someone else to something you love and having them love it, too.

9. Trying out new restaurants on the weekend. Especially if it's for brunch. Because we all know I love brunch.

10. This quote from Dorothy Parker: "The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity." As seen on this Kate Spade tote.

Happy Tuesday!

Weekend Snapshots

Where do the weekends go? I feel like this weekend flew right on by and I was only able to get half of the things on my to do list done. Typical.

I did, however, make the most of my few days off. I made my usual attempt at catching up on sleep and did a bit of relaxing. On Saturday I went to a lovely little restaurant in Minneapolis for a late brunch. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was so charming. I also did a little shopping at West Elm. I love absolutely everything about that place.

On Saturday night I decided I wanted to try a new recipe. I've had this one on my to do list for ages and I finally gave it a go this weekend. It's a quinoa veggie stir fly and it is delicious. I also made some of my favorite veggie burgers ever to go with it.

Sunday included lots of cleaning and laundry and a dinner party with coworkers. Overall I had a lovely weekend but it was far too short. I may or may not already be counting down to the next...

How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun?

Weekend Reads: SMP Living

Guys, I just discovered the most wonderful and lovely new lifestyle website...Style Me Pretty Living. Living! I love the original Style Me Pretty so much that I remember exactly when I first heard of it. In fact, I think it was the very first blog I ever read. I'm such a big fan of Abby Larson and her creative genius.

So I'm just going to throw out a suggestion that this weekend you put down whatever you're doing for five minutes (or an hour) and go check out SMP Living. It's beautiful. And inspirational. And so perfectly curated. And you can't tell me you don't like browsing pretty things on the internet every once in awhile (or all the time, if you're like me).

Here are a few images just to show you what you're missing.

Paris images via one & two // Oh Joy! home images via

Lovely, right? Good. Glad that's settled.

I'm off to celebrate the fact that it's Friday and the weekend is a few short hours away. I'm pretty excited about it. I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing, fun weekend!

Spring Footwear

I’ve been daydreaming about spring a lot lately. I’m done with the snow and the cold. And I’m especially done with winter coats, winter boots, and wearing tights with every dress. I’m ready for warm weather clothing and warm weather shoes, especially wedges. I kind of have a love affair with them. They’re just a bit dressier than your everyday flat sandal, they’re way more comfortable than heels, and they’re really pretty. What more could you ask for?

While doing my regular perusal of my favorite online stores yesterday, I found a few particularly amazing wedges for this upcoming season. I’m especially loving the pair from Rowen, mainly because of that ridiculously pretty mint color.

What are you most looking forward to wearing this spring? 

Tory Burch | Rowen | ShoeMint | Michael Kors | Anne Klein | J. Crew

Oh! Almost forgot. I did the graphics for another feature over on The Everygirl today. The person featured today is an amazing interior designer named Caitlin Wilson. The photos are beautiful. Thought I would let you know in case you like to keep up with things like that.

The Color Black

The color black plays a huge role in my wardrobe. Like most people I know, I wear it constantly. But I would have never thought to use black as a main color in my home...until I started blogging, that is. And now it seems like it may be a good idea. It’s an unexpected neutral and creates a dramatic backdrop for any room. And if done right, it’s just so darn classy.

What do you think? Would you ever use black as a primary color in a room in your home? 

 

 

images here & here

Weekend Snapshots

Thank you all so much for your thoughtful birthday wishes yesterday! So nice of you guys. I had the loveliest of birthday weekends this year. My birthday fell on a Monday, which was unfortunate until I decided to take the day off from work. Then it was just the best birthday ever. I spent it relaxing, getting in an awesome yoga sculpt class, working just the tiniest bit, and meeting up with friends at night for dinner, drinks and the best birthday cake ever.

Now I’m back to work on this extremely snowy Tuesday. And I may or may not be counting down the days until next weekend. So there’s that.

 Hope you all are having a great start to your week!

23

Guys, it's my birthday! I'm 23 today. And I'm really excited about it. I love birthdays. 

It's crazy to think how much has happened this past year. I graduated from college, started a blog, got an internship with The Everygirl, got my very first full time job, and had surgery. It's been a busy year and I'm honestly really excited to see what year 23 holds. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to celebrate / watch the snowstorm that is happening outside. Because really, what birthday is complete without a winter storm? Apparently not mine. 

Happy March 4th!

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A Celebratory Weekend

The weekend is here! And thank goodness. This was one of those weeks. I have been counting down to the weekend since Sunday night. Phew. It's been a long five days!

My birthday is next week, but since I did not hit the birthday jackpot this year, it's on a Monday. Let me tell you how I feel about that. Meh. Unenthused. But since I'm a birthday fanatic, I'm going to make the most of it. I'll do dinner on Monday and a night out this weekend. Problem solved.

I do have a big to do list to tackle these next few days as well, but really, what else is new? I hope to be a little productive in between all the fun.

Happy happy weekend! I hope you all have a lovely one. What are your plans?

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