Royal Perfection

Sigh... in a world with so many terrible things happening, it is so nice to be able to celebrate something so beautiful. Kate was stunning in McQueen, as was Pippa in her long ivory gown with lace trim. It's so fun to watch a real life fairy tale play out.

In the spirit of nuptial bliss, I wanted to share some of my favorites from my wedding files (of course I have one!)





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Accessorize with J. Crew this Spring

J. Crew, you've done it again. The accessories in their 2011 Spring collection are incredible.

jcrew.com

Pillow Talk

I wanted to share a couple links I've been crushing on...

Luxury Monograms

Martha & Ash

Industrial Style

Nate Berkus

Anthro

Last week I stayed home sick (cough, cough) and was able to enjoy an afternoon of Nate Berkus. He featured some crazy gorgeous industrial style desk lamps and I fell in love. I love the idea of mixing this raw look with some more feminine touches and am currently in search of one for my back room/office space. The one above is from Anthropologie and is way out of my budget at $350. Any suggestions on where to look for a more affordable option?

Gray: Fashion to Furnishing

That gray bench is amazing.

Love the nails and bangle on this monochromatic look.

It's pretty gray and rainy here in Chicago today, so I thought I'd post a couple of beautiful images in honor of this nasty weather.

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A style icon

Last night I got around to watching the newest episode of Gossip Girl, and while it made me crave a long weekend trip to Manhattan, it also made me realize that Leighton Meester is absolutely one of my style icons. While I love her buttoned-up, Upper East side couture on GG, her real life style is a little more, well, real.

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What's for dinner: My twist on fish tacos

This is one of Bob and my favorites. It doesn't take a lot of time, and I've perfected it with killer flavors. My twist on fish tacos: spicy red cabbage slaw and a creamy avocado cilantro guac.

What you'll need:
A little less than a pound of firm white fish- I've used tilapia, halibut, this time I used Alaskan cod, skinless fillets
Olive oil
2 avocados
1 bunch fresh cilantro
2 limes
1 Spanish onion
Light mayo, or plain yogurt if you're looking to make the dish a little lighter
1 small can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 head red cabbage
Corn tortillas

For the slaw:
Shred red cabbage, set aside
Remove three (or more if you're brave) of the chipotles, dice finely, removing seeds (these things are hot!)
Mix together two tablespoons of mayo/yogurt with chipotles, add in another tablespoon of adobo sauce from can
Add juice of half a lime and salt to taste
Combine with shredded cabbage
Cover and leave in fridge to allow flavors to blend

For the avocado cilantro sauce:
Dice and lightly mash 2 avocados into a bowl
Add juice of half a lime
Roughly chop a large handful of cilantro, add to bowl
Finely dice about 1/4 cup of sweet Spanish onion, add to bowl
Salt to taste

To prepare the fish:
Heat olive oil in a large pan (wait until the oil is really hot, this way you'll get a great sear and the fish won't absorb as much of the oil)
Fish should be at room temp, pat dry for maximum searing
Lightly salt and pepper on both sides of the fillets
Place fish in pan, only a couple minutes per side
Use a fork to separate the fish into large chunks and sprinkle with lime

Heat some corn tortillas and assemble {best when served with margaritas!}


Spicy red cabbage slaw

Avocado cilantro topper

Chipotles in Adobo Sauce {my secret ingredient}

The final product

Sunday Organizing: Jewelry

That's my grandma and me circa 1984

This bamboo organizer is housed in my dresser drawer

How do you keep your jewelry? Mine is all over the place. I've tried to organize it in one central location, but it somehow ends up gathering in clusters all around the bedroom.

High Gloss Giveaway

This is the perfect Summer tote. I'm thinking beach, farmers market, running around town, the list goes on. Head on over to High Gloss Happenings to enter!

New loafers, with a twist

This, my friends, is my newest purchase: fun spring loafers, with tassels.

Dolce Vita Suede Tassel Loafer

Help please

I apologize for having gone missing from the blog world for the past few days - an unexpected work trip came up and I was feeling pretty uninspired. A quiet weekend at home did the trick though. Now, I need your help:

The back room in our tiny two bedroom condo has been our project since we moved in about a year and half ago. Before we took over it was a nursery with bright green walls and white carpet. We immediately painted {Dolphin Fin Gray} and a couple months ago the bf and some of his buddies tackled the floors, turning ugly carpet into chocolate wide planked hard wood. It is certainly coming together.

The purpose of this room is a little bit of everything. It has a door to our backyard, so there is a lot of in and out, especially with our bulldog. It also serves as an office space, and houses my big white chair that is ideal for curling up in, which I've built sort of a reading nook around.

The latest addition: a chunky braided jute rug. The room is 8x12 {cozy}. I ordered the 3x5 rug because my only other option was a 5x8, which would cover most of the beautiful floors. I'm not quite sure this proportion works... thoughts?? {Please excuse the mess, the base boards are not in yet and it is still coming together... and also the exhausted bf!}

Take a Seat

A while back I saw this image and fell in love with the chair - it looks loved. Great lines, grainy wood and lots of space to curl up.

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When I came across this chair in West Elm's new Summer collection, it reminded me of the one I've been lusting over. Yes, I know it's an outdoor piece, and the lines are different, more of a Windsor style, but I saw it in person this past weekend and I may have to find a place for it in my home...

West Elm Dexter Lounge Chair

Team Veerasway Fundraiser at Matthew Lew Gallery

After the blogger round table I attended a couple weeks back, I was invited to the Team Veerasway Chicago fundraiser. It was held at the Matthew Lew Gallery and featured food and cocktails from Veerasway restaurant, bollywood dancing, music from DJ Buck, all for a serious cause- Apna Ghar Inc. A women’s domestic abuse shelter in Chicago. It was a great night for a great cause. A success, raising nearly $4,000 for the shelter.

In need of some serious girl time, I brought my friend, Lindsay as my date.

DJ Buck brought a great selection of music - there may have been some Justin Bieber

Lindsay and Thatcher, Kevin and Matt's English Bulldog Rescue pup

The ridiculously yummy and refreshing ginger cucumber cocktail from the mixologists at Veerasway I raved about here

A little bollywood dancing

Linds and I ended up at the Publican for some snacks - frites with a fried egg, yum.