Inspiration board : Clothing and color.

Mmmmm, I have to say this is prob one of my favorite inspiration boards that I have made so far. Stone and I have all sorts of new things on the horizon... moving into a larger home, becoming an aunt and uncle (times 4), and of course FALL. This is one of my favorite seasons to shop for, as I am sure is the same with most of you. So if you go to my favorite shops across the world wide web you will find shopping carts full of boots, cable knit sweaters, felt hats, and warm colors. Love it all. You would also come across some shopping carts full of baby goodies for my nieces and nephews to come! I just cannot even wait to meet them. And lastly, there are thousands of dollars worth of items in online bags of home furnishings, rugs, lamps, and all things home decor. Basically I would need to be somewhere on the level of Donald Trump to afford the things I have saved to purchase online. Oofta. Not gonna happen, but you can't blame a girl for dreaming can you?

Hope you enjoy just a taste of my shopping carts ;)

xo.

1 : This dress is perfection, if only I worked in a really swanky office in Manhatten. There is not much need for it when I literally walk from my bedroom to my living room to work. Ha!

2 : A must for this Fall. A must.

3 : I mean, who would not want to throw this on as their PJs, love it.

4 : Okay, I have to get one for each of my future nephews and nieces. They are just the cutest little animals, the hard part is deciding which one to choose!

5 : A little splash of color for your Fall wardrobe. Arm candy!

6 : Is it too much to ask for our next living room to replicate everything from this room? The wall color, bookshelves, and comfy seating is pretty awesome!

7 : As Rachel Ray would say 'Yummo'. The perfect fall cake, I have huge doubts I could recreate this one to look so pretty though.

8 : I am still STILL trying to find the best shade of red for my lips. On another note, I cannot wait for Glee to be back on!

Food to love : Jenni's Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies.

This girl can bake. Since she and her husband moved out west (just a quick jaunt from where Stone and I live!) she has made us incredible cookies and scones. I mean who really makes scones from scratch? Jenni does. And they are awesome.

We were over at their house recently and she offered us these delicious cookies, which I know so many of us have had and loved for years. There was something different about these though, something that made me go back for seconds and even thirds. So I thought I must share the recipe with you all too so we can stop sticking Hershey Kisses in store bought Peanut Butter cookie dough and calling it good :) Hope you feel inspired to get in the kitchen and bake something. I know I do.

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1/2 cup butter

1 1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 doz chocolate kisses

Beat margarine, peanut butter, 1/2 cup granulated and brown sugar until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In another bowl, stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add and blend into creamed mixture. Place the 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl. Roll dough into 1" balls, roll in sugar to coat. Place balls 2" apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove cookies from oven, quickly top each with a kiss, press down firmly. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to cooling rack. Cool completely, store airtight. Makes about 3 dozen.

Enjoy!

Tuesday Tunes : The Cave.

I had not seen this video until recently when it was nominated for a mtv music video award. Mumford and Sons can really do no wrong in my eyes and they lived up to the hype with this video as well. Hope you like it :)

Some of my other favorite nominated videos were :

Justin Bieber 'U Smile'

Adele 'Rolling in the Deep'

The Black Keys 'Howlin for You'

Bruno Mars 'Grenade'

My bones are tired...

Hope you are having a wonderful Monday so far. Stone and I are back home finally from our weddings in San Francisco, Boulder, and LA. Whew! It was definitely a whirlwind, but oh so fun. All three weddings were totally unique and beautiful... we feel pretty blessed to be working in this business and to have such incredible clients! I cannot wait to begin sharing all of these photos with you. But, a secret, just between you and me I slept until almost 11 today.

Whoops! It is hard having such a demanding boss not only do I assist him at weddings all around this great country, but he also expects me to answer emails, blog, AND have dinner on the table at the end of the day! Goodness, who knew working for your husband could be so tiring :) Seriously though, this girl needs some rest. I will be back tomorrow, don't you worry. xo.

If you want to see a little shoot we did of our good friends The Grovers while we were in Sonoma this past week, head over here! Enjoy!

Have an adventurous weekend!

Stone and I are currently sitting in the airport delayed. Ugh. Oh well! We are so pumped to be there, it has been two years since we were in San Francisco and we just love it. We are shooting a wedding this weekend and then off to Sonoma for a little bit of R+R. Cannot wait.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend and if you get the chance head over here to see photos from the last time we visited San Francisco! xo.

Food to love : Corn and Bean Salsa.

Alright, so the recipe I am sharing today really does not involve cooking or even skills in the kitchen. It is simple and it is oh so good. My mom has actually been making this salsa for years and it has always been a family fav. When we were in Crested Butte with them just recently my husband, while devouring his 80th chip full of this stuff, asked me to please get the recipe and start making this for us at home. So I did. And husband is happy.

You should make it too. It will make you happy!

Becky's Corn and Bean Salsa

2 cans unsalted black beans, drained

2 ears roasted corn cut off cob, or 1 can corn, drained

1 jar corn, or corn and bean salsa

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 bunch cilantro

fresh cherry tomatoes, cut up small, to taste

fresh lime juice, to taste

add chopped avocado before eating because it will not keep overnight

Combine all of the ingredients from above into a large bowl, mix it up, and serve! Easy peasy!

Enjoy.

Inspiration board : Just some things...

So, my inspiration board this week is kind of a cluster, but that is what an inspiration board is supposed to be, right? Just some things I have seen lately and liked. I kind of have all things 'home decor' on the brain since we signed a lease at our new place! We do not move for another month and a half and I just don't know how Stone and I are going to contain our excitement for that long. We really are bursting at the seams to be in a place with TWO WHOLE BEDROOMS! I mean, I just do not even know what I will do with that much space. And on top of that, the kitchen, living room, and dining room are all separate areas of the house. Right now, our office, kitchen, dining room, and living room are all one space! We did the best we could to make it comfortable and stylish (I will take photos to show you before we move), but we will feel like kings and queens in this new place and we both have so many design ideas for it too. If you want a constant feed of the things we are both scheming for our new home you can follow our Pinterest 'Home' pages.

Stone and Shel

1 : We just finished Friday Night Lights last night. I cannot believe it is over, I spent last night re-writing some of the conclusions in my head so that it all ended the way I wanted it to (Is that weird? No. Very normal I am sure). Anyone have any suggestions of what we should start watching now, I am open!

2 : Babies are one the brain. Not my own, but the multitude of nieces and nephews that Stone and I are about to have! If you are feeling generous, go here to donate to Stone's brother and his wife's adoption fund.

3 : Love pretty much everything about this house.

4 : I am trying to find a fan similar in style but not in price? Anyone have a good suggestions? Why are there not more design-y fans out there for those of us without ones installed in our ceilings?

5 : I think these are pretty great. I would probably spray paint them some color and maybe hang my necklaces off.

6 : Cool retro chairs for when you are entertaining extra guests!

7 : A great way to store your specs.

Tuesday Tunes : Pumped Up Kicks.

I have been liking this song for a while now, and ever since I saw their video I think I like them even more! One of my favorite things is when a band makes their video more like a documentary on the road with them playing at concerts, riding on their tour bus, and visiting different cities. I like it because you can get a sense of the kind of people they are and I think that Stone and I would totally want to be friends with these guys. Rather, Stone would want to surf with them and I would want them to play music around a campfire :) Hope this pumps you up for another Tuesday!

Enjoy. xo.

Look of the week : Summer in the wine country.

Stone and I are headed out at the end of this week to shoot a wedding in San Francisco and then have some down time with friends and wine in Sonoma Valley. Not bad, right? We are so excited! We went to Sonoma a little over a year ago and fell in love with the town and of course the wineries. Last time we went it was May so it was a bit early for grapes to actually be on the vine, but this time around it should be close to picking season! Hopefully we can spend at least a day perusing vineyards, I have already checked out the forecast and it looks beautiful! So, I decided the look of the week would be for grape picking and wine tasting :)

Hope you enjoy.

Hat : Nordstrom

Necklace : Calypso

Top : Quicksilver

Shorts : Steven Alan

Bag : Steven Alan

Shoes : Repetto

Wine Bag : Tipsy

Weekend wrap up : 'You is kind, you is smart, you is important.'

Hello all!

I am a little late on blogging today, mostly because I avoided my inbox all weekend and had to play major catch up all morning/afternoon. Truly, it is 4 and I JUST finished writing back all of the emails. Craziness!

How was your weekend? Stone and I had the first weekend in months without a wedding. As much as we love our job and shooting weddings, it was pretty great to have a small break from it all. We took full advantage of it too! We had dinner/game night with friends and ate delicious burgers + drinks at one of our favorite restaurants Starlite, we found a house to rent when our lease is up in October (yup, that's right, a HOUSE! we are going crazy with all of the possibilities...), and we went to see The Help at a swanky new theater in town. Have you ever been to these new deluxe theaters. They are more expensive, but have the most comfortable reclining seats and a waiter that brings things like lattes and gourmet popcorn to you while you are watching! Not something we will do often, but definitely a treat!

I loved the movie, by the way. Obviously not as much as the book, but still Emma Stone is the perfect Skeeter... exactly how I imagined her to be.

So on to another week, I have a 'To Do' list about a mile long... things are not looking good if my emails took me more than half the day, hopefully I can pick up the pace!

xo.

That's a wrap : Rachael + Mike

A little while back now, Stone and I headed to Yorkville, IL to meet Rachael and Mike. This is a place many of you will probably never have the privilege of actually visiting. Yorkville is a small farm town right outside of Chicago and while we got to spend some time exploring the city, I have to say we probably loved discovering some of the unique areas of this little town even more!

LOVE the invites by Posh Paperie!

We had the best time shooting their portraits! Go HERE to see more.

Beautiful decor and flowers by some of our favorite planners and friends Carter&Cook!

Inspiration board : Feeling crafty.

I have talked about Pinterest many times in the past, but recently my inspiration folder on my desktop has been exploding with craft ideas mostly. The problem with living in such a small space like I do, is that there is barely room enough for the things we already have let alone new crafts and such. Hummmphhh. So in the future these are on my to do list and I hope that they inspire you to get crafting.

BTW... I am very aware that these 'Keep Calm And...' posters are way overdone, but I had to use it this once! It just fit the post too well.

Wreath : I am always on the hunt for a wreath that will transcend all seasons. Like I said before, our little home does not come with much storage for things like wreaths, so I need one that will look fitting year round AND that I wont get tired of. I think something like this one would do the trick!

Lampshade : Made of PAINT STICKS?! Who would have known. I feel like I would have bought this from Pottery Barn, I love tricking people into thinking I paid tons for something when really I just made it myself :)

Planter : I have seen this around for a while now and just need to do it. It wont take up much space and looks very modern and cool. I would definitely have to fill it with succulents as my history of keeping plants alive is not good.

Bracelets : Okay these for sure won't take up too much room in out home and they are so trendy, I love them!

xo.

Happy birthday mom.

Tuesday Tunes : Rolling in the Deep.

Okay, so I know this song is nothing new. We have all loved it since her album released, but have you seen this video? Maybe I am just behind, but I had not seen it until this morning and I just love it. So beautifully made. I love the glasses of water vibrating to the drum beat, pretty awesome.

This girl gives me chills everytime. Enjoy!

UPDATE

My friend, Gus, just sent me this video of a military group singing 'Rolling in the Deep' and they sound so similar!

Food to love : Balsamic-Garlic Crusted Pork.

I have been on a roll lately making new recipes! One of my favorite places to be inspired is Pinterest, which I am sure most of you have heard of and are even using. I am all about seeing photos of recipes before I actually cook them, and Pinterest does just that. Sometimes I will dust off my big 'ol cookbooks and pick out something, but only a few of my books actually contain photos and like I said... that is a necessity!

This delicious recipe in particular I found on Pinterest. Stone and I felt super swanky because this meal is a far cry from the normal pizza or sandwiches we are used to making :) Enjoy!

Grilled Balsamic-Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin

Recipe found here.

4-5 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 pork tenderloins

Stir together garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a small bowl. Rub the paste all over pork. If you have time, marinate overnight... we did not and it still tasted great!

Sear the tenderloins on all sides. then grill for about 20-30 minutes, rotating every 10 minutes until the internal temperature is 160 degrees.

Let rest for about 5 minutes before slicing! Serve with pilaf and a salad!

Delish.

Weekend wrap up : Hanging with the Swedes!

I am not a lover of doughnuts. Well, homemade doughnuts are another story. My dad used to make the best homemade doughnuts covered in cinnamon sugar, but for some reason every time I have tried to make them I have failed miserably. Yesterday I woke up with hankering for a rainbow sprinkles doughnut... so random. But, it was all I could think of and husband was laying next to me sleeping soundly and I could not wait! So I "accidentally" kicked him and he woke up! It worked. 5 minutes later we had gathered as much change as we could find around the house (this is a CASH ONLY type place, and unfortunately we never have cash) and headed to Leucadia doughnut shop. There they were, perfectly sprinkled and ready for me to take! We came home ate doughnuts, made eggs, and had coffee. Then we watched Friday Night Lights for at least 2 hours. The best.

By the way, have you watched that show? Stone and I are almost finished with the last season and it is well worth the many hours we have spent watching it. I mean who does not love a show about Texas football?! Anyway, you should check it out.

I have to tell you about the wedding we shot on Saturday! When the groom walked out in his tan linen suit, in which he had hemmed the pants into shorts, we knew this was going to be an awesome wedding. I did not know this before, but I am into suits with shorts... definitely. Pierre (the groom) was born and raised in Sweden and moved to New York 2 years ago where he met his beautiful new wife Cleshawn. We loved this couple from the start and felt so honored to be a part of the marriage of their two very different worlds. The Swedes came to LA for the wedding and could not have been a more friendly and beautiful family. They also brought traditional Swedish candy, which made us like them even more :) Best thing about this wedding? It turned into a pool party after dinner and the bride and groom did the inaugural plunge dressed in their wedding attire! So fun.

We ended the weekend at our friends Sean and Brianne's house. They made an incredible salmon and we spent the night laughing and chatting... don't you love having friends like that? We feel very fortunate to know them, you should check out their blog here!

Happy Monday. xo.

Have a delicious weekend!

Happy Friday!

Have you seen this beautiful recipe video? It makes a simple ribboned asparagus salad look absolutely mouthwatering. Love it. I have been working on my culinary skills and am just so inspired by all of the food blogs, videos, and books that are out there now. All I need is a sweet kitchen and then I have a feeling my cooking will really take flight :)

Stone and I are off to LA this weekend to shoot a wedding that we have been looking forward to all season. Want to know the best part? After dinner, drinks, and dancing the reception is turning into an all out pool party. I cannot wait! We also are hoping to find time to see this movie. I have heard good reviews and since it has been ages since we have been to see a movie in the theaters I feel like it is about time. Going to movie theaters is one of my favorite things, unfortunately there are not theaters near our house and the one that finally opened decided to be all swanky and charge people an arm and a leg to go. Hummmphhh.

ENJOY these links to love and have a delicious weekend.

Stone and I feel like two geezers lately, sitting on the front row and squinting to read the projector at church. It is time for some specs, maybe from here.

I thought this video was pretty hilarious.

Love these for s+p.

It might be imperative for us to buy one of these soon! Our lives seem to be captured on our iPhone.

A fun new do. Cannot wait to try it out...

xo.

Inspiration board : Color blocking.

I am very much into this new trend of color blocking. Have you gotten the latest JCrew catalog? That is pretty much the theme for an updated fall wardrobe and I love it!

Whether I am decorating my home or dressing myself it is a very modern and vibrant twist. The good thing about this trend is that is can be done with things you already own. Just take solid colored things and go a little crazy... think you have too many colors on? Add one more and you will be good :)

I gathered some of my favorite color blocking ideas for this season and I hope you will feel inspired to put on those hot pink pants, bright yellow sweater, and purple flats and wear them together proudly! xo.

1 : I AM IN LOVE WITH THESE WEDGES! Seriously. Anyone know a good knock off pair? These are a bit pricey, but oh so cute.

2 : Pink, orange, and nude has to be one of my favorite color blocking combos! I think a dress like this could carry well through all seasons too. Again... anyone know of a similar, less expensive dress?

3 : Love this piece by Jonathan Adler. Makes me want to go buy a bucket of paint in every color and go to town on all of our furniture!

4 : Ooo la la. You are bound to turn heads with shades like these.

5 : A great update for your bookshelves!

6 : Another reminder that I have got to learn how to sew. It would be so easy to create cute color blocked pillows like this one.

7 : Again with the pink, orange, and nude color combo. It just works.

8 : A different color for every finger nail? Why not.

9 : A line up of some of my favorite color blocking looks by JCrew :)

That's a wrap : Blog love!

Hello lovies!

Stone and I feel so unbelievably blessed by every one of our clients and the opportunities that we have had. Since the last time we talked, Stone and I have shot a bunch of absolutely incredible weddings and I cannot wait to share them with you. Until then, if you get a chance check out these wedding blogs to find some of our recent shoots! Enjoy!

Snippet and Ink and Green Wedding Shoes

Style Icons : Courtin-Clarins Sisters

After reading the large spread on these sisters in the newest Vogue, I would be lying if I did not say I have a style crush on these two. At first glance I thought, I could never pull off the wild outfits that these two seem to look flawless in. And while I still would have a hard time with the tie-dye leggings and neon green heels, I thought I would try to put a spin on these outfits for the every day girl. With Fall soon approaching I have noticed that there are absolutely zero rules this season. White? Sure. Pastel? Why not. Color? LOTS of it. In the past it seems like the stores have tried to keep us in muted and dark colors when the weather turned cold, but now it is another story and I love it. I am going to try to keep this a regular thing on the blog taking high fashion and spinning into an affordable, similar look. Every now and again I may even try and find some pieces in my own closet that would work, while my efforts to complete the 30 for 30 were weak (I know, I know...) I still would like to try and figure out new ways to wear my clothes so I do not get so bored with them so quickly!

SO introducing the newest style icons... I hope you love them as much as I do :) xo.

Virginie Courtin-Clarins

Raen Sunglasses

JCrew Sweater

Marc by Marc Jacobs Bag

Calypso Skirt

Madewell Shoes

Claire Courtin-Clarins

JCrew Hoodie

Urban Outfitters Tank

Elson Jeans

Dolce Vita Shoes

Food to love : Egg in the hole.

So there may not be a lot in our fridge at the moment, but at least we have bread and eggs! This morning I was feeling creative and thought I would try out this spin on the classic toast and eggs. Delicious! Husband was very impressed too so I made sure not to tell him how easy it was :) Enjoy.

Egg in the hole

(recipe found in The Pioneer Woman Cookbook)

Sliced Bread (next time I want to try it with sourdough)

Butter

Large Eggs

Salt

Pepper

Using a juice glass cut a hole in the center of the bread. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-low heat, then place the bread into skillet and allow it to begin toasting (bring heat up to medium). After a couple of minutes crack a large egg into the hole, sprinkle with s+p and then cook for about 1 minute. Using a spatula flip the bread, the top should be nice and toasted and the egg white should have cooked through. Sprinkle again with salt and pepper then cook for about 1-2 minutes until egg white is firm and the yolk is just beginning to harden. Serve with fruit and coffee!

Yummm.

Oh, hello there!

Woah. Three weeks of traveling can really take a lot out out of a girl! But, alas, we are home and feel like we are drowning in 'to do' lists...

- edit 2 weddings

- complete 4 wedding albums

- unpack (ugh!)

- clean, clean, CLEAN

- grocery shop so we can stop eating out

- water plants that died while we were gone in effort to try and revive them

- prepare for wedding this weekend

- catch up on photo blog

- catch up on 'in a nutshell' blog

- shower

- exercise to burn off the calories from the delicious homemade food i spent the last three weeks inhaling

You see! Lots of things! But, oh did it feel good to see our family, catch up with friends, and sleep in. Dallas was wonderful, minus the 112 degree weather (I do not think that there was a moment the entire time I was there that I was not sweating). My time in Dallas was spent celebrating the marriage of my sweet friend and college roommate Lauren, seeing my sister's pregnant belly in person (we found out is is a boy & girl, so exciting), eating at some of my favorite Dallas restaurants, going to an outdoor concert at the arboretum, and spending as much time in the pool as I possibly could!

As soon as my plane touched down in Colorado, husband picked me up and whisked me off to the mountains where we spent a week with his family in Crested Butte. My family drove up the next week so we had back to back family vacations, so fun! The weather was perfect and we biked, hiked, read books, shot a wedding, played on the lake, picnicked, played dominoes, talked about the babies and drank more coffee from here than was probably healthy.

I have to say it feels wonderful to be back. As much as I enjoyed my time away from blogging (I suggest all bloggers take breaks here and there), I feel like I am coming back with plenty of new, fresh, and fun ideas that I cannot wait to share with you. Thanks for being a loyal reader and sticking with me through my short hiatus from the blog community. xo.