Thursday Randoms

The other day I stumbled upon this AMAZING tumblr via Happiness Is.  I seriously spent so much time reading every single one of these and mostly, they all made me smile big time.  If you haven't yet had the opportunity to browse this tumblr, please, please do.

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Especially after camping this weekend, seeing this wedding made my heart all aflutter!

This summer love dip dyed tote by Etsy shop forelements is so simple and lovely.  I've been wanting to replace my tote I've been...toting around and this might be a nice replacement.

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These beautifully tiled stairs have been on my Pinterest for awhile now, and I keep staring at them in awe.  My goal is to lay tile like this in our screened-in porch/sunroom area that doesn't look the best right now (at least I think, I'd SURE LOVE to see it in person again....come on, bank!).  Be sure to check out the rest of this incredibly lovely home!

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And just because...here is a funny cat.  Am I the only one who thoroughly enjoys trying to make my cat stand and dance? Surely not!

PS - today's silver lining of having not moved still is that I get to go to the zoo with two of my favorite people!  Hoorah!!

Calligraphy

One thing I wish I had done with all my time off is learn calligraphy.  It might not be useful for every day life, but how amazing would it be to be able to write like that?  I admire it so much and would try to put my skills to the test with SO MANY THINGS.

Isn't it lovely? Do any of you know how to do this?!

* All images via Pinterest

Weekend Recap

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Even though we're supposed to be unpacking boxes today, I am unpacking the truck and doing laundry all day to rid our apartment of the post-camp smell.  I am okay with this, because we had tons of fun.  Instead of sitting at home and dwelling over what should have been, we opted for an adventurous weekend out of the city and into the wild.  Some highlights include ::

• Dinner + drinks with lovely friends on Friday night
• A beautiful Saturday morning drive up Lake Michigan on the Michigan side
• Drinks + lunch at New Holland Brewery, getting a growler for camping
• Finding one last camp site by a National Park on the Saturday before the 4th (even if it was at a Jellystone, hey, it was only for one night!)
• Easy, easy camping surrounded by funny children 
• Meeting the sweetest ranger on Sunday who directed us to our own private campsite in Manistee National Forest that was free and only a handful of campers knew about it!
• Sleeping Bear Dunes - we hiked the giant dune, which was super difficult and tiring.  Then we watched kids who were at summer camp hike the dune 10 times while we laid on the sand and took the view in
• Hiking, hiking, hiking! 
• We drove to Traverse City after our hikes just to check it out per a friend's recommendation.  There happened to be a big festival/carnival going on so we walked around briefly (it was confusing switching from the forest to a small town like that)
• The most peaceful night camping ever.  Barely any peeps from the neighboring campers (except a few barks out of the pooches) and delicious Traverse City beers by the fire.  Does it get any better than that?
• Canoeing down the White river - we worked our butts off but it was fun.  We canoed 16 miles in 2 1/2 hours!  
• The best ending to a weekend ever - we climbed up on the roof of our apartment building and looked in awe at the panoramic view of fireworks throughout the city.  It was pure magic.  

Definitely some silver linings in there, eh?  How were your holiday weekends? Wonderful I hope!

Happy 4th of July!

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Happy 4th, everyone! I just wanted to pop in and say hello and wish you all a fun and happy Independence Day!  Be safe and eat lots of delicious food!

xo,

Mo

Guest post - {av} of {long distance loving}

Hi! My name is {av}--and on most days, you can find me blogging at {long distance loving}!

I'm so excited to be guest posting here at Mo-Pie, Please! Not only is the beautiful lady behind it a Friday's Fancies faithful, she's also a Midwesterner with a gorgeous kitty named Gus. Why does that matter? Because I'm a born-and-raised Midwesterner {now on the East Coast} with a pretty kitty of my own also named Gus. The best part? They look eerily similar! All of these funny coincidences behind, I've always admired Meagan's style and am so honored to appear on the pages of her stunning blog!

Since the holiday weekend is upon us, I wanted to incorporate the red+white+blue theme subtly into an outfit I think Meagan could totally rock as she moves to one of my favorite cities :) It's an outfit I'd like to deem "All-American Moving Day" chic! I hope you like it!

1) In the heat of a Midwestern summer, a cotton top like this Chambray Stripe Top from Splendid is absolutely necessary. I liked the fact the stripes were a bit more subtle too!
2) Kate Spade never ceases to bring a smile to my face and this Pocomo Gwen Bag didn't disappoint. It's the perfect size for throwing in the moving truck--and you wouldn't want to lose track of it because it is so stinkin' cute.
3) The length and the cuff of these Textile Elizabeth and James Nell Mid-Rise Stretch-Denim Shorts made them an appropriate choice for this get-up. Most moving day attire isn't fashionable, but these shorts would still keep you from the "what not to wear" column.
4) With the humidity, this Tasha Studded Suede Headband would work wonders at keeping the frizz under control. It's far from boring and works splendidly with the bag and the sandals too!
5) Though they may not be the most functional for moving, these Sam Edelman Gigi Saddle Leather Sandals were too hard to pass up. Sweet and simple, they look great without much effort.
6) To top off the All-American vibe, I had to throw an ounce of red in the outfit via this Nikon Time Teller P Watch. It's bright and bold and creates a killer contrast from the leather.

How are you celebrating the Fourth of July?

Do you like to rock the red+white+blue at other times too?

Be sure to hop over to {long distance loving} and check out the other 

fab Friday's Fancies from fashionistas around the globe!

Thanks again to Meagan for having me today! 

I'm crossing fingers the move goes off without a hitch :)

I hope you all have a fantastic holiday weekend... xoxo {av}

Thursday Randoms

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Well.  Today is supposed to be the day we pack up our moving truck.  But notice...I'm still here.  Yesterday we received some bad news from the bank.  We weren't going to be able to close on Friday because some forms needed to be rerun.  So now it's looking like next week for the move/closing and both of us are completely heartbroken.  Neither one of us were mentally prepared for this giant hiccup (especially myself, I am not happy with the way I've handled it so far).  Our apartment is seriously all packed up with the exception of some stray things we've been using.  It sucks.  Because this weekend is a holiday weekend and our original plans were postponed, we've decided to make the most of it.  We're already packed...so why not take a trip!?  With the help of our lovely friend Anna-Maria, we've decided to journey east to Michigan to visit the Sleeping Bear Dunes!  We realize this is totally last minute and it's a holiday weekend so we run the risk of every camp site being taken or there just being an insane amount of people trying to get out into nature.  But we don't care.  We need to get out of here and spend some time outdoors.  Hoorah!

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As an example of how we're trying to make the most of the situation, when life gave us lemons, I insisted we drink vodka lemonade.  So we did.  It was good.

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This eco-friendly handprinted clutch from Etsy shop seaoats has my heart all aflutter.  It's my favorite hue, I'm a lover of design with birds (put a bird on it!) and it's totally affordable.  Be sure to check this shop out as she has a lot of other cool things in there!

Have you seen this split-screen love story?  The video won the Nokia Shorts Competition of 2011 and it was shot entirely on a Nokia N8 phone.  The screen is split between Paris and New York, meeting up in London at the end.  It's worth the few minutes of your time :)  Via Refinery 29

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This Midnight Coral shirt by Rachel Rose is too beautiful not to share.  The colors, the design...brilliant!

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Last, how awesome is this twinkly entryway?  It would put me in a cheery mood every time I came home.  The rest of the flat is pretty neat too.

As I mentioned before, all of our plans are all kinds of messed up now.  Our closing date/move in date is still up in the air, but hopefully there won't be any more set backs.  The bank is completely at fault for this one but it really sucks to know we have no control over anything at this point.  I imagine truck rentals will get expensive and I have to forget about the fact that we reserved it weeks ago with the best rate possible.  But I digress.  

I am bidding you all adieu for the long weekend but please check in tomorrow as I have a very special guest stopping by!  You won't want to miss it.

Feeling Festive

The 4th of July is right around the corner - it really snuck up on me this year!  Independence day has always been one of my favorite holidays.  What's not to love about fireworks, outdoor parties and a good reason to make all kinds of delicious treats?  Growing up, we always went to my grandma and grandpa's house to celebrate with our entire family.  My cousins and uncles would usually go a little bonkers with the fireworks, which was usually pretty awesome to enjoy (if you block out that one year they did that one thing).  Since I've met my husband, we have had some fun 4th of July's together and I'm hoping this year will be another happy one.

Above are some festive ideas for hosting a celebratory party.  How cute are those little burger bite cookies!?  And the corn dog cookies?  I'd love to see the reaction of those who get to enjoy!

Not sure what to wear? Want to wear something a little festive but not end up looking like a block of cheese?  Here are some style tips of ways to look the part without embarrassing us all :)

4th of July by Meaganpie featuring vintage shawls

Aubin Wills scoop neck top, $70
Cacharel cuffed shorts, £117
American Eagle Outfitters stripe swimwear, $15
American Eagle Outfitters stripe bikini, $15
Kork-Ease leather shoes, $125
Vintage shawl, £280
Madewell oversized retro sunglasses, $134
Bow hat, $13
4th of July Tableware - Patriotic Party Themes - Party City
4th of July Tableware - Patriotic Party Themes - Party City

* Images L to R 1, 2, 3
2nd row 1, 2, 3

Polaroids

Last night, I had a dream about an art show.  I was a photographer in this dream and I had already taken some incredible "polaroids" with my Fuji Instax Instant Camera.  They were full of bright colors and the shots were perfectly set up.  I had been given an assignment in which I was required to photograph some buildings from the ocean (what?), in which case I promptly dropped my camera in the water.  Now I'm not sure what my dream means or anything but as weird as it was, I woke up feeling oddly inspired to take loads of polaroids.  So I think I'll try to do that.  Does this ever happen to you?

* Images 1, 2, 3, 4

Weekend Recap

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I am pretty sure I loved every single second of this weekend.  Which is truly a fantastic way to feel after your last weekend in the city you've called home for the last six years.  Some highlights include ::

• Dinner at Union in Evanston.  This pizza place is delicious and I mean delicious.  We each ordered a different pizza and shared in the glory.  So good.
• After dinner we had drinks down the street where good conversation was had
• Packing, packing, packing.  Our apartment is a disaster right now and you have to step over several boxes every time you get up.  But we're making serious progress, folks!
• French toast at Victory's Banner
• Cheer Accident @ The Hideout - I'm so so so glad we were able to go to The Hideout one last time.  That place is such an amazing venue and being there always warms my heart.  They had hung up gold tinsel along all the walls that week so it was extra shimmery inside.  
• Going away party - our friend Jacob just moved into a spacious apartment complete with a big back yard, so we spent the entire day outdoors drinking, eating cake/pie/cupcakes/chips.   It was one of those parties where you say you're leaving 800 times but then end up staying another hour. Needless to say, karaoke showed up when the sun went down and I had to sing one final karaoke jam for Jake.  I hope everyone who heard (including the neighbors on both sides who were all just staring at us) had "sweet dreams" last night.

Now, the final countdown has approached and it's time to hustle.  So if you don't hear from me much this week, just know that my life is in disarray right now but that I love you all.  Also, I've got exciting guest bloggers lined up for next week while we settle into our new home.  Get excited!

How were your weekends? I'd love to hear!