Look of the week : Working girl

I remember our senior year in college when our professors told us we needed to go to a department store and stock up on a couple of black pantsuits. Gross.

I never took their advice, and never regretted it either! These days, I think the working girl can be a little more colorful with her clothing and still look completely professional. I do admit, this look in particular would not fair well if you were a lawyer or accountant. But for everyone else out there I hope it inspires you to add a little flair to your weekday work wardrobe :)

Earrings - Kate Spade

Specs - Warby Parker

Top - JCrew

Skirt - Ruche

Kindle - Amazon

Bag - Thistle & Clover

Shoes - Steve Madden

Weekend wrap up : Here comes the sun.

Hello.

For the past two morning I have woken up with this song in my head. Really terrible, right? I mean, even for someone who loves country music this is not something you want serenading you to wake up. I want something like Julie Andrews' sweet voice waking me up. Either way, I am up, and it is Monday.

The weekend went by way too fast as it always seems to. Gloomy and chilly were two themes for this weekend, so we did what anyone would do, stayed in our comfys and watched as many movies as possible. We did sneak in a dinner date here with friends, but who would pass up on a good burger and sweet potato fries? After church yesterday, I got in a bit of a funk, I needed to get out. My plans for the day had included going to the farmer's market to buy a few things for this coming week, and it serves me right that the cats and dogs falling from the sky cancelled those plans, because I need to stop making plans on the weekend anyway. I am a planner, but recently have found that my planning just gets in the way of spontaneity, so I am trying to let our weekends just happen as they do.

I digress. Back to being in a funk.

The next couple of hours I spent enduring a gory war movie (because those are husband's favorites... not the gory parts, but the war parts) begging the sun to show it's face. And as if it was listening, it did just that. We rushed outside and spent the remainder of the little daylight that was left walking to our local coffee shop. Thank you sunshine, I needed that.

Go here to see more of our outing.

xo.

Have a productive weekend!

Follow my blog with bloglovin

You can now follow my blog via Bloglovin... check it out the link above.

TGIF... right? I do miss the days of coming home from school, having dinner and watching TGIF (you know... Family Matters, Full House, Step By Step, and Boy Meets World).

Anyway, enough of that. This week I have had some new revelations that I am excited and terrified about all in the same breath. When I first graduated from college I had all of these expectations of what I would accomplish in the business world. And as most of us have realized our expectations are far different than reality. Usually reality exceeds anything we could have planned out for ourselves anyway. Mine has. No, I have not climbed the corporate ladder for an event planning company that would inevitably take over most of my days and hours leaving little time to enjoy life. But, I have been able to start a successful company with my husband (he is the best boss that there is to have).

Above is an excerpt from Matchbook magazine of an interview of a married couple that owns and operates a design business. I have always loved their work and it is fun to put some faces behind the beautiful designs that they come up with. I really appreciated this interview, and you can go here to see more. It is very encouraging to see that married couples are able to work collaboratively, be successful, and at the end of the day still have a loving and healthy relationship.

I finally have dropped any and all of my expectations and am just completely excited to see what Stone and I can make of our business. xo.

We have changed our website! Simple and clean is the theme. I hope you love it.

Matchbook magazine has just released their first issue. It is awesome.

The cute couple interviewed above creates the most beautiful designs. Go here to see them!

Getting ready for Valentine's? Here is a fun craft to do over the weekend.

Ummm... all I can say is I am in love.

Letterpressed Valentine's cards... is there anything more romantic?

I found this blog post by my favorite star (Gwyn of course) super informative, I want to try out everything!

Stone and I both have a pair these on our wish list.

Inspiration board : A bit of everything.

I have found little inspirations from all over this week.

A perfect day for me would include all of the above. Lately, I have been speeding through books at a super fast pace. So, I would wake up and stay in bed a couple of hours reading. Then, I would head to an art museum preferably one with this 'Falling Garden' as the current exhibition. I would so love to spend a morning under this work of art looking at all the details. Next, I would treat myself to a delicious lunch like this Coconut Quinoa and Spinach salad (especially if it was already made for me!). After lunch, I would head here at our local outdoor market looking for new drapes for our living room and picking up some flowers to bring home. Of course, on this outing I would be wearing some sweet kicks. Lately, I have been searching for some fun stamps to make my own gift tags and cards, so when I got home I would attempt to create my own! And, lastly, I would take some inspiration from Olivia P and get glam for a hot date with husband :)

xo.

Food to Love: Nonnie's Fudge Pie

Here it is. And you definitely want to store this recipe away, somewhere very special and secret. It is the richest, most delicious fudge pie you will ever taste! When my sister and I were little we spent a couple weeks each summer in Wichita Falls with my grandma, Nonnie. Have you been to Wichita Falls, Texas before? If you have then you would know that it is lacking in the 'fun department'. So we made our own fun of course. We spent hours outside pushing each other on her tire swing in the backyard, playing Crazy 8 cards (I found the exact set that we used to play with on Etsy! How random.), and of course baking. Because every good Texas grandma knows she needs to teach her granddaughters to bake. We made all sorts of things, but the one recipe that is always requested whenever we go back to Wichita Falls is Nonnie's Fudge Pie. After you try it yourself you will know why.

This was my very first attempt at baking it alone, and of course perfection comes with time, so it fell apart. But, we molded it as nicely as we could back into pie form and covered it with slivered almonds just for good measure.

Delicious.

Nonnie's Fudge Pie

(recipe makes 2)

2 sticks butter

2 squares of Baker's unsweetend chocolate

Melt together slowly in pan on stovetop.

Watch and don't let it boil.

Stir after it melts.

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

Beat eggs in mixer, then add sugar and mix.

Next, add chocolate mixture and beat well.

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup flour, sifted

Add vanilla and then slowly beat flour into mixture.

Pour into 2 8" metal pie pans greased with butter.

Scatter pecans or almonds over the tops of pies.

Bake at 325 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Go ahead, have two pieces, you deserve it!

xo.

Look of the Week: Comfy Casual

I have decided to start a new tradition on this blog, that may inspire you and me to change things up or try a new look each week. I hope you enjoy it! I miss working at the boutique in Boulder, it was fun to be fashion-minded and know what was the latest trend. Even though I am not surrounded by beautiful clothing anymore... a girl can still dream right :)

So for this week is a comfy casual look. For my life stage right now, there is no need to dress up during the day, I need something easy going that can transition from cold to warm weather throughout the day. I love this look, it is simple and easy, plus the bag is a fun pop!

xo.

Earrings - JCrew

Scarf - Madewell

Top - Paul&Joe Sister

Bottoms - JBrand

Bag: MarcByMarcJacobs

Shoes - Urban Outfitters

Tuesday tunes.

I like the feel of this music by Brooke Fraser that I found here, makes me want to dance and sing! Enjoy.

Weekend wrap up.

Well, as promised, this weekend was another gorgeous one here! Stone and I spent the entire time outside, you can tell because our house looks like a disaster area from us running inside to change clothes for our next activity. We tried out a new breakfast spot called Swami's, played bocci ball on the beach and grilled out by a bonfire last night. Pretty great.

On another note, we had to take my computer in to the Apple store on Saturday and unfortunately the hard drive crashed. So, just a reminder, if you have not backed up you photos, now is a better time than any. I feel like most of the photos I lost I can have friends and family email to me, but, unfortunately our honeymoon pics are gone forever. They told us it would take a couple thousand to recover our hard drive, so I just told Stone for that amount of money we can go on another honeymoon :)

Happy Monday. xo.

Have a lazy weekend.

This weekend, I am sleeping in and enjoying a good cup of coffee when I do finally decide to get out of bed.

You know those weeks that are just so rushed, you wake up in a hurry and then speed out the door? Well it was one of those weeks. So I plan on taking the next couple days slowly... spending time with husband, playing tennis, hanging out on the beach, going to our friend's screening of 'Down the Road', and watching another friend finish a half marathon! Whew. I found some great links to share this week and I hope you take some time this weekend to relax as well :)

xo.

I want to learn how to do this to my hair... it seems like the perfect beach look.

A delicious looking lunch idea...

Or of course, you could be more healthy and try this.

Wardrobe essentials.

This looks like fun!

Stone and I have needed these tips for removing rust off our bikes... thought you might be interested too!

40% Off at JCrew Factory online this weekend! Woohoo.

Inspiration board :: A little bit of funk.

Good morning! Remember, just this week, when I told you that I wanted to start an inspiration board. Well, I was not lying. The tricky part is that almost every bit of wall space in our house is being used by windows (we have a lot! ) or by posters, photos, etc.

But, I still need to clear up my desktop and have a place to put the little things I see that inspire me, whether it be fashion, decor, food or design. Well I thought my blog could be a good place for this, so here it is, the first of many (probably weekly) 'inspiration board' posts.

The things on my board today are a little unexpected and funky. The pom-pom garland would be a fun decoration above your bed and I would love to learn to make them myself. I also thought the alphabet bookshelf would make a great statement in a kids room, and I am storing the idea away for one day when Stone and I have some little ones. And the oversized polaroid art prints are just awesome.

Hope you find this... well... inspiring! xo.

Snap, Crackle, POP!

Last night Stone and I attended an event in Long Beach for all of us who are crazy enough to be working in the wedding business. There were a lot of us. I have to say it was definitely out of our comfort zone to go to a thing like that, but we are so happy that we did. When we lived in Colorado we did not know many other photographers, but since moving here we have had a few amazing photographers reach out to acquaint us with the Southern California industry. Last night we were able to meet so many other people doing the same as us. Most of them are husband and wife teams, which was fun, and they all seem to know each other and have a little community. Stone and I are excited about the weddings and shoots that we have lined up this year and even more excited to get involved in this community. Just another confirmation that this move out here was a good choice for us. xo.

Someone... please tell me how I can be involved in a flash mob! No lie, I used to dream of musicals breaking out in everyday places, like at a hockey game. I was made for something like this! There is no way I took choir until my senior year of high school for nothing, right? I may just need a bit of a tune up.

This one is especially great I thought, because who would not want to be welcomed at the airport this way?

Design inspiration: Finding a creative space.

I love the idea of inspiration boards. You can constantly change them out and they are just a visual representation of your ideas. They include anything on them too... mine would no doubt be photos of homes, furniture, clothes and food. Kind of like the many articles and photos I have cluttering up my desktop right now.

If husband has one pet peeve it is my habit to drop everything I see that I like while browsing my favorite blogs straight onto the desktop. Clearly I need a new solution. I may try an inspiration board, because if I cant use the desktop I need to deposit my creative ideas elsewhere. The only hesitation I have about inspiration boards, and it is minor, is that I do not like clutter (they make the walls look kind of cluttered, right?). Hidden clutter is fine (please make an effort not to look i my closets and drawers when you are at my house, because then my NEAT cover will be blown!). So I am going to have to figure that one out, and when I do I will let you know what I come up with. Until then, I hope you find a space to put your own inspirations. xo.

Top Photo found here. Bottom two found here.

Tuesday tunes.

Hope you love this song. Also, check out more of Stone's surf photos he shot the other day here!

Weekend wrap up.

I hope you had a nice and long weekend!

Ours, I have to say, was pretty wonderful. For all of you who are not here in southern California enjoying the summer-like weather, I feel sorry. You are missing out. The beaches were packed with people this weekend and we made an effort to go every day. It was so fun to have Brady and his girlfriend Stephanie here to visit. Now that Stone and I are more acquainted with our new home we love to show people around and take them to our favorite spots. The guys went surfing while the girls hung out on the beach, we made homemade pizza and ice cream, took them to the best hole-in-the-wall mexican food place that we have found so far, went to our church and spent as much time enjoying being outside as possible. We miss them already.

xo.

Have a relaxing weekend.

Stone's younger brother and his girlfriend, Stephanie, just got in town tonight and are here through the weekend. We have lots of fun things planned and can't wait to show them around our new home :)

Hope you enjoy your weekend and spend some time outside! xo.

Stone's Chipotle party.

When Stone and I were engaged and going through pre-marital counseling we took a test, which told us what our love languages were... well, my first love language was gift giving (and along with that means, making a big deal on your birthday). This is Stone's last love language. So, last year for Stone's birthday, I went all out. I got him some great gifts, wrapped them beautifully, and made reservations at a fancy restaurant in Denver. Well, on the day of Stone's birthday we ended up having to drive through a blizzard, in rush hour traffic to try and make the reservation at a restaurant Stone did not even care to be at in the first place. Needless to say, we ended up arguing the majority of the time and I learned my lesson that on Stone's birthday, less is more.

Hence, the Chipotle party.

We had a few friends over for burritos and beer at our house last night. Easy and comfortable. I even made homemade ice cream for dessert! The night was so fun, and Stone loved every minute of it, which really is what matters. I think this will be a new tradition for Stone's birthdays from here on out :)

Happy birthday husband!

Today is Stone's 26th birthday! We are celebrating with a beach day then a Chipotle party tonight (of course!). I was telling him this morning that I am just so proud of him in so many different aspects. In all the roles that he plays in life whether it is as a husband or a business owner he is always thoughtful and kind. He really is a man of great character and I am so lucky to go through life with him. Stone, I love you so much and cannot wait to see what this year brings for you.

Sweet Paul.

Have you heard of Sweet Paul magazine? It is an online publication that comes out at the beginning of each season and has been named the best online magazine! I just found it and am loving everything about it. Now that Stone and I have made the leap to get an iPad, it is fun to read through these online magazines from anywhere... and so green too, right? :)

Go here to see their latest Christmas publication and enjoy it! xo.

Wardrobe rut.

So, to be honest, I am not into those many blogs of girls who post daily photos of themselves. In any capacity really. Usually they are showing off their new clothes, hairstyles, or just really love looking at themselves and think everyone else does too. But, for some reason, this blog has stuck out to me and I am totally into it.

I am not too big of a risk taker when it comes to trying new outfits, and if I do step out of my comfort zone I need to be told by at least Stone that I don't look like a total fool. Well, this girl has my style with a 'out of the box' twist. Her outfits are so great and it inspires me to try pairing some things together that I may not normally. Go here to see more, and maybe find some new fresh ideas too!

Shel's Etsy picks.

Well, I have a few new favorite shops on Etsy. A good friend of mine gave me the 'Love' pillow in yellow for Christmas and it looks just perfect on our bed! I also have been on a search for a good clock. Recently, I noticed that since we have been married we have relied on the oven clock or our computer to know the time. Anyway, the one's below would be perfect for us... in fact I love all of the clocks on the sight. Lastly, in the spirit of the new year, I thought I would share some 2011 calendars and prints! Enjoy.

Clocks by DecoyLab.

Pillows and lavander satchels by Honey Pie Design.

Prints and calendars by Spread the Love.

Tuesday tunes.

Happy Tuesday! A small secret I think you should know, is that I love The Sound of Music and I have to watch the movie one time every year (no one will watch it with me more than that). So, when I heard this new version of 'Edelweiss' by The Honey Trees I could not stop playing it :) I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

xo.

Photo taken by my husband.

Weekend wrap up.

Good morning.

How was your weekend? We had a pretty good one :) We met up with a couple photography duo who gave us some insight into the industry out here, had delicious pancakes on Saturday morning with friends, went to the Birch Aquarium with Lacey and Patrick and watched Toy Story 3 (have you seen it? it is sooo good!). All in all a great and educational weekend for the both of us, and yes we did find some time to be outside in the beautiful weather that we have been having here lately! Jealous? Come visit!

xo.

Have a yummy weekend.

What are your plans this weekend? The weather here says sunny and warm so hopefully husband and I will be spending as much time outside as we can. We have recently (...recently meaning ever since we got home from Christmas vacation and realized we needed to lose some of the lbs we gained on sugar cookies and homemade rolls) started cooking new meals together, so tonight it is shish-kabobs! By 'new meals' I mean that we are straying from the 10 recipes that we normally rotate and trying out new and healthier recipes. I will let you know how it goes :)

Below, as always, are some links to love! Enjoy.

A fun and delicious way to drink milk.

A sneak peek into the life of The Sartorialist.

Pantone's 2011 calendar, very colorful!

I am loving this blog of notes to the writers' future wife. Pretty sweet.

This is going into my folder of things to do when I have kids... such a smart way to display you little one's artwork!

Calypso is designing a line for Target and I could not be more excited.

I may be adding one of these to my kitchen wishlist.

xo.

Feeling Crafty : Polaroid Heart

For some reason this morning, when I woke up the first thing that popped into my head was that this wall in our bedroom looked blank. So random, I know, but I had to do something about it. Remember last year when I posted some fun ideas for polaroids? Well, I drew inspiration from that and viola! No more blank wall :) I love it.

This made me smile today...

...pretty dang cute.

For the Mad Men lovers...

So... I have only seen the first season of Mad Men and, of course, I loved it. Stone and I both loved it. If you have not seen an episode and are wondering what all of the fuss is about, rent it and you will become a crazed fan too, I am sure of it. I saw this illustrated book based on the TV show and thought I had to share, especially because I know so many of my friends are die hard Mad Men fans. The book takes a look at the culture of the 60's by offering up things such as drink recipes, women's hairstyle tips, appetizer menus, and paper cutout dolls of the office manager, Joan. Love it!

Now Stone and I just need to rent the next season and catch up with everyone else.

Go here to buy!

French Breakfast Puffs

These muffins have been a New Years breakfast tradition for my family ever since I was little, and since Stone and I have been married I have carried on the tradition with him. They are delicious, and Stone is always wanting me to make them more than just New Years morning... but, that is what makes them a tradition and so special, right? Here is the recipe, just in case you want to try them out, and trust me, you do!

1/3 cup shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup butter melted

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix shortening, 1/2 cup sugar, and egg thoroughly in a large bowl. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg alternately with milk. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Grease the pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.

Mix 1/2 cup sugar with cinnamon. Dip muffins into melted butter then into cinnamon sugar. Yumm!

Design Inspiration: Unique living.

This sneak peak into a family home sitting atop Seattle's Smith Tower is so incredible. Most of the materials for this home were salvaged from other stories in the building. The family travels up 38 floors in order to make it up to their cute little home with a personal 360 view of the city. I love all of the old fixtures and windows throughout the home, it seems like a very fun and creative place! Could you even imagine growing up in a home like this?

Go here to see more.

Tuesday tunes.

Such a great video. Love it!

Ooo Lala!

My sister-in-law just sent me a link to EmersonMade's new spring line! I am in love. Seriously. I have put four things on my wish list (including that polka-dot skirt with scalloped trim!) and there are more to come! I cannot wait to see. Ge here to see more. xo.

January's Playlist

The playlist this month comes from Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the Top 50 Songs in 2010. There were so many on there that I had never heard of (except Tightrope, I just added it because I like it so much!) so I thought I would share them, just in case you were as out of the loop as I am. Enjoy!

Also... go HERE to see Stone's top photos of 2010!

Holiday wrap up.

We are back home! I have to say, traveling to two different states over our Christmas vacation this year was wonderful... exhausting, but wonderful. Stone and I have yet to divide Christmas up between our families and I kind of like it that way, it is so great to be able to spend time with both of them. In Colorado we made homemade pizzas, went to Christmas Eve service at our old church in Boulder and played ping pong at Cooper Smiths Pub with Stone's friends from high school. In Texas we visited my grandma in Wichita Falls, went to the Nasher Sculpture Museum, saw Little Fockers (not nearly as bad as the critics are saying!), and spent time with friends at Times Ten Cellars.

We flew back the night before New Years Eve (thank you AA for the free first class upgrade!) and rang in 2011 with friends. I have not yet officially put together my resolutions for the new year, but I have been thinking of them and will write them all down soon. One that did come up last night was to choose to be happy. It sounds kind of lame, and probably seems simple, but I really think it can make a difference. Last night I spent a couple hours making Wendy's Green Chili Enchiladas, they are so delicious and I made extra to last us a few more days this week (love leftovers!). Well, when the time went off and I was taking the dish out of the oven , I cant really say what happened, all I know that I lost my gripping on them and the entire glass dish dropped out of my hands and onto our kitchen floor, breaking into a million pieces. My first reaction was to walk out of the room and cry, of course. So, I did... for only about a minute and then I took a few breaths and walked back into the kitchen to clean up the delicious disaster. About an hour later we ended up eating frozen taquitos in silence. Looking back, I really wish I had reacted differently, I wish I had laughed about it cleaned it up and moved on happily. But, I let it effect my mood for the next few hours. So, one resolution in 2011 is to choose to be happy, even when you are eating frozen taquitos at 8:30 PM.

xo :)