J. Crew Spring 2012

Going to need all of this for Spring.

available at jcrew.com

A Winter Weekend

Dinner at Lillie's Q, snuggling by the fire at home, homemade pizza, cozy flannels on sale at J Crew.  This is what we call winter in Chicago... or hibernating.

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to my handsome future husband. Tonight we will be staying in {I'm making dinner} and probably catching up on Modern Family and Selling New York.  Oh, how birthdays have changed...

Wedding Wednesday: Inspiration

These are just a few images that have given me endless inspiration for the big day.  The photo at the top is actually our venue - inspirational on its own, an old, rustic loft in an industrial district here in Chicago.  It just screams for white pillar candles, right? With the details, I wanted to contrast this raw space with some softer textures and a little golden glam.  

All images via my pinterest wedding board

My domestic weekend in photos

 Despite the crazy snow storm Friday, my weekend was quite productive.  Lots of cooking/baking, a little decorating and some quality girl time. 

{Baked my mom's super simple and delicious dark chocolate chip banana bread recipe}

 {showed my mantle some love, took a little trip to West Elm - white blown glass with a succulent nestled inside, all in that perfect glass dome}

{Ordered three of these to hang over our kitchen island.  They were only $13 per pendent!!  That's right, head on over to the home depot website and order yourselves some.  I just can't get enough brass in my life right now}

{Ordered this address stamp from MaeMae Paperie for our Save the Dates, RSVP cards and thank you notes}

Thursday Musings

Three things getting me through this work week: one - my sparkly ring finger nails, two - new perfectly adorable {affordable} and wearable flats {from Gap AND they're offering 30% off right now} and three - this pad of paper via Rifle Paper Co.

Wedding Wednesay: Our Photographer

We've checked another item off our planning list this past weekend - we hired our photographer!  After working with Tim and his wife, Bethany at Cara's wedding in Napa this past October, we knew they were incredibly talented.  They have a photo-journalistic style, which was what we were looking for. They say they don't care much for predictable shots, but rather love to get people being themselves, interacting and making each other laugh.  Their work definitely reflects this.  We met with them on Saturday over coffee and they are just the cutest couple {recently married in August!}. We can't wait for them to capture our big day. If you're in the market for a photographer - engagement, wedding, baby, etc. - I recommend you check them out: Tim Tab Studios.

 Oh, and please be sure to mention my name if you do happen to give them a call.

 {This is the lovely couple - photo from their site}

Here's some of their work from Cara and Nathan's wedding. 

 

{See me in there? Second from the left}

Golden

I'm loving anything and everything with a brass or golden finish right now - frames, light fixtures, art, candlesticks - it just feels so classic and cozy, with just the right amount of glitz. 

all images via my pinterest

Sunday

I have a love/hate relationship with Sundays.  Love starting the day with my boy, my bulldog, the newspaper and some coffee and getting my life in order before the week begins.  Hate the fact that Monday and all its craziness is just around the corner.  

 This Sunday happened to be a lovely one.  Brunch at Hot Chocolate with Cara and Morgan, then scored this wishbone necklace for $7 at Marc by Marc Jacobs.  

Sent the boy to Whole Foods with a very detailed list: lots of leafy greens, berries, quinoa, lentils... trying to do a little detox.  Hope you all had a lovely weekend

Wedding Wednesday (on Thursday): The Public Hotel

I've been pretty off this week, so I'm going with it and posting a Wedding Wednesday on a Thursday.  When choosing a hotel for the night of our wedding, we wanted something very "Chicago" with a little history, but still modern and clean.  Enter The Public.  You've heard me rave about the Pump Room and my love affair with the decor.  So it seemed natural to book a block for our guests, some fabulous space for us to get ready in and a lux spot to retreat to at the end of the night. 

Set in a 1926 landmark building in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood, the first
outpost of Ian Schragers PUBLIC brand bears the hoteliers perfectionist signature in everything from the custom-designed lighting and no color palette to the cluster of chandeliers and the giant clock with a backward-moving hand in the lobby.

Overall, the effect is soothing, but the historic Pump Room  onetime host to the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra  draws a lively crowd for its reimagined, ultrachic interiors and Jean-Georges Vongerichtencrafted menu.

Winter Break

I'm back after ten days of spending time with family and friends, cooking, eating, celebrating, lounging, waking up late and drinking coffee at 10am.

Spent lots of time around the tree

Some new art

I have to admit, I'm a little intimidated by 2012. On the agenda: plan a wedding, plan a trip to visit my little brother in New Zealand, plan a honeymoon. All good things, but I need to get out of my recently lax state of mind and kick into planning mode.