My Latest Obsessions

Happy Friday! We have LOVED having my Mom (JuJu) in town all week - so much fun! Yesterday we went and took a tour of the Robie House built by Frank Lloyd Wright. It is inspiring me to read Loving Frank which I have had on my list for a long time! And last night my youngest sister arrived in town!
Some of my latest faves and finds...

• Some fun animal prints from Kate Spade. Loving this iphone case! And how great is this cute elephant basket/purse?! Love it! And some pretty flat sandals.
• It was super HOT last Sunday and we headed to the pool. You gotta love Chicago weather because yesterday it was in the 40s - ugh! The pool made me think of summer and swimsuits and flip flops. LOVE this suit bottom and suit top in navy. Sadly, they are all sold out of the color/size I need.
• Cute ikat swim cover up.
• This week JuJu and I have been making a list of decorating ideas for our house. She showed me a fabric that will be FAB in our living and dining room = LOVE! Speaking of ikat - ummm, how cute are these sheets!?
• Oprah is DONE. 25 years. I have been DVRing all of her last episodes. I haven't had a chance to watch all of them but did see the one with Ralph Lauren. What a great interview! They seem like such a great family.
• Love these little adorable canary tea holders - they would be very cute gifts!
• I cooked a bit this week - 2 real dinners (big feat for me!) - and was inspired this week to look up a few more recipes to add to the rotation. I may be trying this garden lasagna in the next few weeks. I've been craving a burger lately...some burger recipes to try!
• Essie's Spring collection = a French Affair.
• A little tie dye action!
• Last night my sister introduced me to theyskens' theory - pretty cool collection! Carrie and I were trolling around the net and she introduced me to Opening Ceremony. How rad is this handkerchief envelope? = LOVE!

Have a wonderful long weekend!

My Latest Obsessions

GMC at 9.5 months (where does the time go?)

Happy Friday! I'm so excited...my Mom (JuJu) arrives Monday and she will be here for the entire week! My sister and I are fighting over who she is staying with and when. Ah sisters! We are all excited to get some JuJu time in (even if it means sharing her)! AND our youngest sister is arriving late next week for the long weekend! I cannot wait to see her either (as I haven't seen her since the week we had GMC)!

Some of my latest faves...

I was checking out a couple of items on BHLDN's site and saw these ADORABLE kerchiefs. What a creative and different way to ask a friend or family member to be a bridesmaid or maid of honor! And then I saw that they were made by lovely ladies at Bird & Banner (the FAB designers who we worked with on our wedding invitation / and also my personalized stationery). I'm so pumped to see their stuff featured in BHLDN!

Some beautiful giftwrap by Banquet Antelier & Workshop. And cute notecards. Aviary Heart = Fave.

There are so many fun and cute paper plates and napkins out there these days. We had a bunch of PFC's college buddies and their spouses over for dinner this past weekend and we used these adorable blue stripe paper plates from Caspari (but I bought them at the local Fitzgerald's in Oak Park). We used the coordinating smaller blue stripe plates as the dessert plate and I found 3 different types of red ribbon as an accent color (polka dot, paper ribbon, and paper wraphia) to tie the silverware together (in these napkins). Our theme = think chic picnic (however, we had to hold the dinner indoors due to CHILLY temps). Food was amazing (and from our friend Tracy of fab feasts). We had pulled pork sandwiches (smoked for 13 hours mind you = YUMMY), corn salad with basil and apple cider vinegar, beans with bacon and maple syrup, watermelon slices and homemade coleslaw (that you put on top of the pulled pork sandwich = beyond FAB). Huge success.

I also noticed that Waverly came out with some disposable plateware w/Hefty = Waverly Hefty.

I love navy and white together. So how great are these items from Serena & Lily?! Check out the spotlight on their new brand...very exciting!

How cute is this Envelope Surprise (from oh happy day).

My Latest Obsessions

Happy Friday! Well, PFC and I snuck away for a few days to celebrate at dear friend's wedding. It was FAB! While we missed the kiddos we needed a little break from reality and I saw some of my favorite gals that I had not seen since our own wedding.

Being away allowed me some time to regroup and catch up on some mags and some other items. I feel very recharged for sure. Some things I came across while away:

• Marimekko's exclusive line at Crate and Barrel = LOVE.
• Zara's spring line of dresses = Cute and Colorful.
• Top 10 Outdoor Dining Tables from Elle Decor - fave = Cargo Table by Fermob (love that it comes in 24 hues). Fermob has some great stuff!
• Anthropologie Decorator Concept = PRETTY RAD! And I noticed that in the pic they are showing the wallpaper we used in our powder room (which makes me smile everytime I see it).
• Kate Spade launched a bedding line for Bed Bath & Beyond = FUN.
• Graham & Brown launched a paint line "The Colours that made Great Britain Great" = lovely. And how fun are the names?
• Calypso for Target = take me away on another vacation please! A few days before we left for our trip I was on one of my usual Target runs and stumbled upon the collection. I bought the Embroidered Ruffle Dress in Navy. It is super cute and I used a silk hot pink belt that JuJu (my mom) passed along to me years ago (that I LOVE) = works well (as I wanted to cover up the high elastic waist). I also bought C this cute little dress. 
• Fun decorations from BHLDN and some you could definitely use for another event / party besides a wedding. LOVE. How cute are these lovely votives?!
• Travel + Leisure just announced the 2011 list of 50 best new hotels.