Thursday Loves

I think starting any blog post with a supremely handsome photo of Paul Rudd (my #1 celebrity crush, go KU!) and Adam Scott.  You're welcome :)  Via

Considering it's January and 22 degrees outside, I figured we could all use a little brightness in our lives.  Wouldn't this striped frock be a fantastic vacation dress?  Bonus, it's only $32! Via SheInside

I have to admit, I'm all about all things food these days.  This banana cream pie looks absolutely divine and I'm pretty sure I need to make it.  Yes, yes I do.  Via

How sweet is this photo? And that wallpaper? And that mushroom? Ah, my heart, it melts! Via

How gorgeous is this field?! Located in Ibaraki, Japan - someone should recreate this a little closer to home so I can go and most definitely get lost in its glory.  Via

Thursday Loves

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I fell in love the moment I spotted this colorful arrangement via {av} via Pinterest.   I have my eyes set on coral colored annuals to plant outside after we get back from Jamaica.  Wouldn't it be fantastic to just go outside and pick flowers that equal this lovely arrangement?  I could only hope for something a that equaled a fraction of this beauty.

I was perusing through the latest issue of Lucky when I came across the article, "unexpected purse essentials".  This Aesop Ginger Flight Therapy ($31) fragrance would be pretty incredible to have, as it is both calming and stimulating at once.  It sure would make that flight to Jamaica a little better, don't you think?

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How scrumdiddlyumptious does this creamy lemon tart with rosemary crust look? I want to eat it.  Now.  Lemon + rosemary? So delicious and perfect for the summer weather we're having today.

This cute little gauzy tank dress also comes in coral and white (sold out, unfortunately).  I think it would really make a pretty great cover up dress for the summer and I think I need to hunt one down.  This, my friends, is why blogging is bad for my wallet :)

These coral doors are pretty awesome.  So are all the plants.  Nicely done, I say.  Nicely done.

How are your weeks? Wonderful, I hope!  You've almost made it to Friday!

P.S. - please click this link.  You deserve the laugh.  Unfortunately the images wouldn't load big enough for me to just share with you...

Friday's Fancies + Have a Cheery Weekend!

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Happy Friday, everyone!  I'm so glad it's the end of the week - my husband is finally home from all his travels (and I get to keep him here for longer than a few days this time, whew!).  I can't wait to rest and relax this weekend and spend some time with family on Sunday.  I'm pretty sure our plans are minimal but making this week's Friday's Fancies has got me craving a good fancy date with my main man.  Maybe I'll just get dressed up at home and prance around in heels and a pretty spring dress just for the heck of it.

Speaking of Friday's Fancies - this week's is centered around flowers, naturally.  With spring in full force it's only appropriate to dedicate a week to the loveliness.  Unfortunately, the flowers around here (daffodils and tulips) have already blossomed and gone away.  Plus it's going to freeze tonight.  So I have to be patient and wait for the next round of beauties to bloom and hopefully stick around for longer than the others.  

I'm head over heels in love with this floral shift dress from Oasis.  The print and colors are gorgeous and open up opportunities to play with bright accessories.  And I seriously want to be able to wear that Elizabeth & James blazer all the time.  Seriously.

What have you got planned for the weekend and for Easter? I'm excited to be spending Easter with family this year - it'll be the first time we've properly celebrated the holiday in years.  Although there will be no easter egg hunt (maybe the dogs could have one, haha) it will still be great to get together.  

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends!

I Can Feel It Coming in the Air Tonight

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Yesterday, Stevie and I drove past SO many daffodils! I could hardly believe my eyes.  It's February 29th, for pete's sake!  I also noticed that the tulips I planted last October have started to sprout.  It makes me happy that I successfully grew some pretty tulips for our front yard, but it makes me terribly frightened that they'll die off when mother nature decides to bring old man winter back.  Either way, I'm feeling crazy for spring flowers and thought you might enjoy my latest obsession.

Thursday's Randoms :: Wedding Edition

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I loved my wedding hair - my friends Inna and Lauren worked so hard to perfect the messy chignon and Inna spent hours curling, curling and curling some more.  My hair was beautiful and I'm nothing but pleased with the way it looked.  But a year down the road, part of me wishes I had opted to wear it down with loose, flowy curls.  I almost always wear my hair down (except as of late with all this disgusting humidity) so it would have been a little truer to myself.  Oh well.  I can make my hair look like that any day :)

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I am in love with the dusty hues of this beautiful bouquet!  It's rustic, it's modern and it's gorgeous.  Wrapped up in raffia or twine, it would make the perfect bridal bouquet, don't you think?

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EmersonMade's silk flowers are versatile and gorgeous all at once!  While I opted for a real gardenia in my hair (at my florist's suggestion who told me I would smell great all day long with one in my hair) it might have been easier had I gone the silk route.  We ordered two gardenias because the oils in hair tend to make the flowers droopy a little faster than normal.  Again...oh well.  I enjoyed the smell all day long!

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Having your wedding in the forest sounds pretty amazing to me.  Instead of handing out parasols to keep your guests shaded, you could hand out those new insect-repellent fans!  There is so much beauty in the forest - it's incredibly dramatic and would be quite captivating for the occasion.  

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I wouldn't change our honeymoon to Italy for anything in the world.  But I do have to say, that if you're planning your honeymoon for directly after your wedding (like the next day) then plan a honeymoon that is nothing but relaxing.  I can't even begin to describe the amount of tiredness that we had to deal with post-wedding.  All I wanted to do was sleep for days!  I'm so glad we waited a month to go on ours; it allowed us to fully bounce back, have an added something to look forward to once the wedding excitement passed and it helped us deal with the jetlag a little better (I am assuming).  I would LOVE to go to Bora Bora sometime in my life and lay on a towel just like the woman in the photo.  

Thursday Randoms :: White Out

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Why hello, beautiful kitchen!  It's nice to meet you with your beautiful cabinetry and subway-tiled walls. You would be a joy to be in morning, noon and night.  

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Oh dreamy bathroom, you look as if you consist of a warm summer breeze bringin hints of fragrant flowers from what must surely be an incredible garden right outside those windows.  Your paneled walls and canopy shower curtain have perfection written all over them.

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A soda crate turned into a garden tote.  How is it that something so simple and ordinary could turn into something so amazing?  

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Oh BHLDN, why weren't you around last year when I was getting married?  If I had the options you're giving everyone now, perhaps I could have saved money on the perfect dress.  Le sigh.

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Oh Zara white pleaded skirt, your simplicity is killing me right now.  Please be mine.

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White lion, you rule.  I'm not sure if you're even real, but that doesn't matter.  

Fleur Flower Shop

Fleur is located on Logan Boulevard and I love living so close to it.  I've gotten several fresh flowers from there, and other gifts.  It's a great place to be close to because the boy has snagged some cute stuff from me for days where I've felt blue, an anniversary, etc.  And just this weekend my mom bought my belated birthday gift for me from here!  Check it out:

She bought me one of these super fantastic hanging plants!  It has made a great addition to our wall space, and Sir Gustoph Von Kittyschmidt can't eat it up (but he tries, he looks with a yearn in his eye, and someday he might succeed, but I sure hope not).  Anyway, not only is Fleur a great shop but they also do arrangements for some pretty great weddings - The Knot Chicago agrees. 

These table arrangements are so cute.  I love the paper laid down and the menu cards - Fleur tucked the rosemary in there, which is funny because that's what we're doing w/our menu cards too! 

And this here is an arrangement made for the flower girls of a wedding a few weeks ago at the Arts Club of Chicago.  They are so cute I can't even handle it.  It almost makes me want to scratch what I have planned for my girls and just copy this.  But it would be stressful for me and my florist and well, out of place with the rest of it, so I will resist the urge! 

Have any of you ever been to Fleur?  Do you love it as much as I??

Flowers

I'm loving the use of old wooden crates as flower decor.  Our welcome dinner is at a B&B brewery in Calistoga, and is being held in their private beer garden.  Flowers like this would be the perfect touch for this event, don't you think?  They put a smile on my face and feel just right!

Via Ruffled

Fffflowers!

I'm really looking forward to working on flower arrangements for the wedding. 

I want something earthy and rustic like all of these bouquets because the Napa Valley area is a jackpot for earthy and rustic things.  I even want to take it to the next level and add some tiny wheat stalks into the boot-n'-ears, what do you think?

I absolutely love this bouquet.  It's the exact colors and style that I'm hoping to achieve.  And isn't the bride adorable?

I have no idea what flowers are in the bouquet below but they're pretty awesome.

Does anyone have any ideas/tips/information to share with me before I dive on in?