Weekend Recap

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Another great weekend for the books, friends.  The weather went from what felt like the dog days of summer to what should have felt like spring back in April & May.  Why does the weather never make any sense in this city?  I can't complain too much, it actually turned out pretty nice (a.k.a. the kind of weather where you're so hot one minute and super chilly the next) and ended up being great for all the walking we did on Saturday.  Some highlights of our weekend include ::

• Using one of our last Chicago Groupon's to enjoy dinner together after 5 days apart.  I had a few mojitos which made everything that much better
• Sleeping next to my husband - what's normally an every day occurrence (of which I'm thankful for) felt like a rarity this weekend.  Maybe that's because he's gone yet again for another business trip (this time he'll be back on Wednesday though, whew) 
• The Old Town Art Fair - surprisingly, he wanted to go (he hates crowds) but it was a great Saturday afternoon activity and it was much lower scale than something like the Taste of Chicago.  We grabbed a few beers, walked around for a few hours and found it funny - the only thing we ended up buying was a new pump for our fish tank from the Old Town Aquarium (that place is awesome if you've never been.  Save your money, don't go to the Shedd, go here instead)
• Since we were out all afternoon, we opted to stay in and be lazy together a.k.a watched The Big Lebowski 
• Logan Square Farmer's Market - we missed the opening weekend but made it out yesterday.  It seems bigger than it was last year and I'm not complaining.  We came home with some fresh whitefish, a jar of passionfruit curd (outstanding), a single horchata cupcake, rhubarb and a jar of the hottest pickled mushrooms my husband has ever had (ewwww).  
• I ate a tomato + goat cheese crepe (well, half a crepe) the size of my head.  He had a banger sammy.  
• Sunday afternoon cards + wine
• The best fried fish EVER (husband, you know how to fry up some fish lemme tell you)
• Wayne's World!  My favorite movie of all time.  Schwing!
• Oh and last but not least - SUCK IT, LEBRON!

How were your weekends? Eventful, I hope!  

Thanks to everyone who took the Berenstain poll.  I'm still so annoyed by it all!  

Last, do any of you Chicago bloggers know of a great place to go berry picking? I've been itching to do that for awhile now!

Berenstain Bears

Just a quick survey here, out of nothing but curiosity.  Tonight we were watching a pre-recorded episode of Jeopardy!  The question was, "It's the last name of the bear family seen here, as well as their creators Stan and Jan."

The contestant answered BerenSTEEN, as did I.  My husband agreed with me.  Alex agreed with her.  Then, a few clues later, Trebek informs her she answered incorrectly and the real pronunciation is BerenSTAIN, therefore they could not accept the answer.  I mean, what the what?!  We were infuriated. I grew up adoring the Berenstain Bears books, tv shows, etc. and so did he.  AND THAT'S HOW WE PRONOUNCED IT, TREBEK!  BerenSTEEN.  I do not whatsoever recall ever having ever pronounced it BerenSTAIN.  Psshaw.

Also, why are the judges so inconsistant with pronunciation?  I understand if your mispronunciation means something else entirely, but let's face it.  When Badger says "ri-cote-ah" instead of "ri-cot-ta", you correct him but at least understand that he's talking about the same thing/knows how to spell it in order to save $1,000 on his Jeopardy! score.

Later, the same contestant was robbed some more money for adding an 's' on the end of a name and also lost the game by a mere $200.  Poor girl.

So I just want some input on this.  If you can remember, did you pronounce this family as BerenSTAIN or BerenSTEEN?  If you could so kindly reply at the top of the page to your right.....

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Friday's Fancies

Friday's Fancies by Meaganpie featuring crew neck tops

Marc Jacobs sheer tank, $299
Marc Jacobs crew neck top, $269
Skirt, $385
TopShop wedge shoes, $110
Mar Y Sol raffia handbag, 75 GBP
ALDO tribal jewelry, $9.98
Essie Nail Polish Mint Candy Apple, 14 EUR

My sir gets home tonight!  What a week it's been.  What I though would be a lonely week turned out to be chock full of friends and good times, hurrah!  Because the huzbadge and I have been apart for 5 whole days, we'll be having a date tonight and I can't wait!  In a dream world, I'd be wearing this outfit accompanied by the perfect makeup and hair.  Because Friday's Fancies isn't just about the perfect clothes, it's about the whole enchilada, folks.  So there it is.

What are you all up to this weekend?  Whatever it is, I hope it's terrific!  And be sure to give a hug to all your loved ones while you're at it.

Thursday Randoms

This messenger/laptop bag is one of the most practical and adorable bags I've ever seen. I am totally in love with the colors and the pattern and feel I would look endlessly hip toting it around.  Via SHELTER

This incredible card pretty much says it all - camping is exactly where I'd rather be.  Via Ashley Pahl Paper Goods

Yesterday I went to the beach since we were suffering through a heat wave (which I didn't suffer, I quite enjoyed) and the public pools aren't open yet (come on, it's June!).  The moment I stepped foot on the sand, it was everywhere.  In my beach bag, on not just my legs but my arms as well, all over my book and it didn't forget about my cell phone and keys! The water was freezing as per usual but it was a pleasant spot to soak up some sun and make some progress in my current book.

This Viva Vena for Vena Cava dress is perfect for summer.  It's simple, easy to wear and the screen-printed detail is pretty awesome.  Plus, it's on sale!  Via Refinery 29

This vintage cake tin is calling my name.  I'm such a complete sucker for vintage kitchenware even though I only have a few vintage pieces right now.  But this tin with its adorable floral decoupage would be pretty amazing to have, don't you think?  Via am radio

Last but not least, this Vessel print from Treat is full of vibrant colors that spark something within me.  Maybe it's the aqua + red combo with hints of yellow and black (my favorite color palette ever) or maybe it's something else.  Either way, I love it and feel inspired from it.

What's calling your name today?

Get the look :: The 1920s

When I was young, I was a flapper girl for Halloween several times.  My mom hand-sewed my dress, which was white satin with red fringe.  She created a headband for me out of red sequins, got me a red boa and I sported some dress-up shoes my grandmother gave me (if memory serves me correct).  I loved that costume - so much that I had her recreate it for me as an adult (but specifically to be a zombie flapper girl).  She made me a grey dress with black fringe and I loved that costume as well (even if she was disappointed I went out with a bullet hole in my forehead that night).  I guess I've had a fascination with the fashion of that era for awhile and it seems to me that others do as well.  Then I saw Midnight in Paris the other night and it reminded me of how much I love that time period and how I wish I could dress like that every now and then.  So here's how (if you're kind of rich)!

Calypso St. Barth Margherita Dress - $250 (I'm in loooove with this dress and want to frolic around in it non stop)
Michael Kors Women's Clare T-strap Sandal - $145
Betsey Johnson Flapper Chic Shoulder Bag - $98
Charm & Chain Art Deco Earrings - $350
Loren Hope Flapper Tassel Lariat Necklace - $88

Dreaming in color :: Turquoise

My favorite color - turquoise/aqua makes me extremely happy all year round.  But it holds a special place in my heart in the warmer months, when pops of color are everywhere.  I always gravitate towards this hue when shopping - maybe it's the close resemblance to water, or maybe it's the fact that it flatters my super pale skin.  Either way, I totally dig it.

1.  Hunter Boots - $120
2.  Calypso St. Barth shorts - $138
3.  Harvey Nichols Twisted back one piece 
4.  Opening Ceremony Tsumori Chisato - $245
5.  Max & Chloe Cocktail Ring - $170
6.  J Brand cut-off shorts - $205
7.  Jigsaw Flat Bow Espadrilles - $75
8.  Journelle Cosabella Soire Molded Bra - $51

P.S. - Happy birthday to my niece, lil' miss Ally girl!  She is now 6 going on 20, I swear!

Weekend Recap

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What a weekend!  It flew right on by like it barely even happened - but I attribute that to the copious amounts of fun I had.  Nothing beats a wedding-filled weekend spent with friends you rarely see because of distance.  That's exactly how my weekend went down.  Some highlights include ::

• Rehearsal dinner/Pre-Wedding Bash - we drank endless amounts of margaritas and mojitos and beers for several hours, then walked home.  It was awesome.
• I love getting all gussied up for things so I thoroughly enjoyed putting on my brightly colored Zara dress and fancying up my eyes in a pretty purple hue.
• I feel the same way about seeing my love getting dressed up in a suit and tie!
• This wasnt' so much a highlight, but about 45 minutes before the wedding was to start, it began storming pretty bad.  Various guests came in rather soaked and the ceremony was delayed for a bit.  But when the clouds parted, they parted for good - we all cheered and immediately rushed outside to begin.
• Watching/listening to my husband officiate the ceremony was something I'll never forget.  He was so well spoken and made it seem like he'd performed 100 weddings before.  He did an amazing job.
• I sang along to an M.Ward song with my friend Sam after the bride & groom shared their kiss - it was really fun and a pleasure to accompany him.
• Champagne, champagne, champagne!
• Dancing, dancing, dancing!!
• Not being as hungover as I feared
• Lazy Sunday afternoon strolls for Italian ice in the 75 degree weather

Now it's Monday, my friends are heading back to New York, my husband has left me all week for business in Canada and it's looking like rain out there.  So I guess I'll put a smile on my face, bask in the afterglow of my terrific weekend and hope Friday gets here faster than ever before.

Friday's Fancies

Friday's Fancies by Meaganpie featuring french connection dresses

French connection dress, $188
Charlotte Olympia platform shoes, 550 GBP
Alexander wang handbag, $580
Bijoux Heart butterfly jewelry, $575
Yellow ring

Hooray for another Friday!  And another Friday's Fancies!  I'm very excited about this weekend in particular because we are going to a special wedding tomorrow to see our friends Daniel & Megan get hitched!  So many good friends are in town right now and we've already been hanging out like crazy.  Today is a rehearsal, tonight is a welcome/rehearsal dinner a few blocks down the street (hooray for stumbling home on foot later) and tomorrow is the wedding.  This weekend should be pretty awesome.

If money were no object, I would definitely want to wear this French Connection lace dress.  I love the color and the style of it and think it would be perfect for tomorrow's festivities.  I love how the sleeves are longish so it could be warm if the Chicago weather gets crazy.  The color is neutral enough that you could pair it with anything - I had a hard time deciding on which shoes to pick.  It's funny because I would NEVER wear those shoes since I wouldn't be able to last more than a few minutes in them, but they're playful and colorful and I couldn't resist.

What are you all up to this weekend? I hope something summery and fun!

Thursday Randoms

These optimist and pessimist toys were designed by architect Hans Bølling to remind us of the balance of both characteristics.  I love their fuzzy heads and the expressions on their faces.  Via Dwell

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My husband and I both agree that we're not the biggest fans of our new bathrooms - the style is just "meh".  This bathroom is incredible and exactly the style I want and I think I could easily get him on 
board.  

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I can't tell you how badly I want to swim in this trifle.  Oh gosh

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I'm loving the idea of sending out moving announcements and these are inspiring me to do it that much more.  But maybe something on a smaller scale as these look reminiscent of wedding invitations!

Could you imagine camping in such a luxurious sleeping bag?  I would have the best dreams while snuggled up in this beauty.  Via Good Intent

This buttercup ring has me a little weak in the knees.  But with a price tag of $3,200, I'll just dream about it.  Via 1st Dibs