Dreaming of Spring Break

You might have seen my tweet last week - Jeff and I booked tickets for a little spring break!  We're heading to Key West for a few days in March.  I cannot wait to get away.  In the meantime, I'm dreaming of a few things to come with in my suitcase...

Bag / Caftan / Necklace / Sandals / Shorts / Suit

Have a happy Friday!




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Green & Coated

Emerald may have been the color of 2013, but I seem to be wearing it everywhere these days.

Sweater - JCrew Factory / Top - NY&Co (old, similar) / Jeans - Old Navy / Flats - Steve Madden (similar and super adorable)

I have been less a fan of the wind lately, but it still seems to be everywhere in 2014.  

I also rocked coated denim here. 



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DIY Clutch

Have you guys heard of Darby Smart?  It's a site that delivers full DIY kits with all of the supplies for making your own jewelry, accessories, home goods, and more.  I personally love it (and no, they aren't paying me to say this) because normally I go to the craft store and get overwhelmed with ideas, or come home with a bunch of stuff and no clue on what to make with it.

I ordered the Studded Cobalt Clutch kit (ahem, after seeing Jessica's gorgeous one) and got a box filled with everything I would need a week or two later.

I then took a look at the sample design and copied it exactly.  You know, because it was adorable and once I saw the sample I couldn't think of anything else.  An hour or so later, and I had a fun new clutch to add to my collection.

I'm thinking next of making these cute ring dishes.  Because there really aren't enough dinosaurs in my home decor.

UPDATE: Have you heard of Darby Smart?  They are currently offering a discount of $10 off for KDTI readers.  To receive the discount, enter the code CREATE14 at checkout.  This code expires on February 4, so go get crafting!



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Leopard x Double Denim

I'm going to let you in on a little secret.  A lot of my photos are taken with a tripod and a timer, which means I spend a lot of time running back and forth from the camera.  I finally got around to buying a remote shutter, but it's very temperamental and this is the only set of photos I managed to get it to work for.  I'm guessing maybe the one I got was too cheap?  If anyone has any recs for remote shutters, let me know!  I have a Panasonic Lumix G5.

Chambray - Target (old, similar) / Jeans - Gap / Scarf - Banana Republic (no longer available online, similar) / Necklace - YuniKelley (similar) / Bracelet - Stella & Dot / Watch - Michael Kors (old) / Boots - Bandolino (old, similar)

Oh, and don't worry, I did not take these pictures today/yesterday.  I may have died.  My work had another mandatory work from home day yesterday so I spent most of the day hiding under blankets in my pajamas.  Good luck today, East Coast!




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This weekend...

This weekend I...

... Bought some pretty flowers so I can pretend it's spring, even when it's minus 40 outside. Oh, and yes, the fox is back :)
... Had to fend for myself while Jeff was off on a retreat with the youth group he works with.  I maaaay have slept with all of the lights on in our house.
... Went out for some drinks and tapas with a couple of friends for some lady time and lots of bacon wrapped dates.
... Got another blowout at Blowtique and had an awesome time laughing with my stylist.
... Went to training for my volunteer role with Destination Imagination - looks like it's DI season again!
... Tried carrot chips, and decided they taste a little too much like a carrot but also weirdly like Frosted Flakes.
... Went to a friend's birthday party out in Wicker Park and saw a lot of interesting facial hair.
... Watched about 37 episodes of Four Weddings while getting some work done (errrrr, let's be real, going on Facebook).

I hope you had a good one!




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How I do a Cheese Plate

Jeff and I went to a party about a year ago that had a slate cheese tray with everything written in chalk on it.  He doesn't go on Pinterest much, so his mind was basically blown. Which is why he bought one for us when he saw it go on sale around Christmas.  We had my sister, her husband, and my parents over for dinner over the weekend and decided to break it out for the first time.

Slate Cheese Board - Boska / Bowl - Target

We had a lot of fun at Mariano's picking out cheeses and meats.  Sidebar - there has been a Mariano's in our neighborhood for months, and due to my confusion, just realized it was open. D'oh.

Anyway, you can tell that both Jeff and I were involved in this plate.  He gets excited about anything spicy, hence the chipotle gouda and spicy salami.  I'm into creamy cheeses, hence the brie.  And then it really wouldn't be a family party without some cheddar and summer sausage, so we had to throw those in too.  Add in a variety of crackers, and we were good to go.  I forsee many parties in this little cheese board's future ;)




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Emerald & Lace

I can't help myself.  I want to wear this skirt everywhere.  The temperatures outside aren't entirely conducive, but I'm surviving.  Paired with this adorable top I got from my mom for Christmas (thanks Mom!) and I'm a happy camper.

Top - JCrew Factory / Skirt - JCrew / Flats - Payless / Bracelet - Stella & Dot

I also wore this skirt (and froze my little booty off) here.


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Valentine's Day Gifts for Him (Part Deux)

Gifts for guys can be hard, no matter what the occasion is.  This year, Jeff and I decided not to do Valentine's Day gifts (you know, cause my birthday is two weeks later so I still get presents ;) but since my last Valentine's Day Gifts post was so popular, I thought I'd update it for this year.

Scarf: Because he definitely needs one, but he's never going to buy one for himself.
Multi Bar Tool: Ummm, because it's the coolest.
Book: My almost father-in-law got this for Christmas and it's hysterical - all of the tips and tricks you need to know to achieve the art of manliness.
Krups Beertender: What guy doesn't want fresh beer on tap all the time?  Just make sure you know your guy likes Amstel/Heineken/Newcastle, since those are the only kinds of beer that can be used with this.
Moscow Mule Mugs: Moscow Mules are everywhere these days, and this way you can buy the glasses outright instead of putting down a $30 deposit at the bar and then walking out with one.
Funny Mug: So he can think of you every time he gets his caffeine jolt.
Silly Boxers: Just because it's 2014 doesn't mean he still won't need a pair of these.
Fancy Man Bag: So that he has something nice to bring on weekend trips, other than his backpack from college.

What are you getting your guy for Valentine's Day?  Or are you skipping presents this year too?





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A Little Tweed

Normally I'm not a tweed person.  It can feel a little too stuffy for me.  Then I saw this tweed sleeve top and said, "Please sir, I'd like some more."  Bring it on, tweed!

Top - JCrew / Jeans - Gap / Booties - Soles Society (on major sale!) / Necklace - Loft (old) / Bracelet - Stella & Dot 

Are you pro or anti tweed?

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This weekend...

This weekend I...

... Went a little crazy at the Coach outlet store.  Everything was an additional 50% off (additional 70% for clearance) and then they took an extra 10% off the entire purchase.  I just couldn't help myself.
... Had my family over for a little dinner party and seriously overestimated how much food we could take down - helloooooo leftovers!
... Obsessively tracked a package on the UPS website, saw it had been delivered yet there was no package outside.  So, now I have that to deal with.
... Played with some new masks I found at Target - love the results, despite looking freaky!
... Started watching The Bachelor, and as someone who has never watched before I found it so weird.  I just kinda feel bad for all of those ladies.
... Went out to dinner at one of our favorite neighborhood joints, and of course had to indulge in some wings.
... Got some adorable late Christmas presents from my sister.
... Managed to get my new wireless remote for my camera to work once, then couldn't duplicate the results.
... Had one of those trips to Target where you get a liiiiiiittle too excited and come home with things like this because they're cute even though you already have a giant wine rack.

I hope you had a good one!





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Current Pinsperations

All image sources found on my Pinterest page

Have a happy Friday!

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A Miss

This is one of those outfits that I liked when I was putting it together, but looking back at the photos now it seems like a miss.  I like the tee and button down together, and I like the skirt, but all three just don't work for me.

Tee and Shirt - JCrew Factory / Skirt - Kohl's (similar here and here) / Bag - Forever 21 (old, similar) / Boots - Kelly & Katie (old, similar)

Oh, and see these sunnies?  I won them in a giveaway from Fizz and Frosting.  They're the first pair of sunglasses I've owned that I actually need to keep in a case (I usually go for the $5 variety so I don't care when they break), and let me tell you, they may have changed my mind about expensive sunglasses...




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How I Asked My Bridesmaids

Jeff and I have not been great at wedding planning so far.  It turns out when you take two procrastinators and give them eighteen months to plan a wedding, they tend not to get much done.  One thing we did accomplish though was asking our bridal party.

Initially I wasn't thinking I would do anything cutesy to ask.  A lot of the ideas I've seen are a little cheesy or seem quite expensive.  But then I realized that I design websites for a living, so I thought it would be fun and easy to design a site to ask my girls to be a part of the big day.

I sent each girl a message with the link to my site, saying that I was working on my wedding website and asked them to take a look.  Luckily they all took the bait without any prodding on my end ;)

When they got to the site, they found the following text:

He already asked...
And I said yes...
But there's one question left...
Will you be my maid?

(graphic source)

I followed the question with some details about the wedding: the date and location, some possible dress ideas, and an introduction to the other bridesmaids, including some poorly done photoshopping of their heads onto bridesmaid dresses, some details about each of them and how we met, and their contact info so they can get in touch with each other.

I finished it off with a little "What do you say?" with the options to say yes or choose "the other option."  Luckily they all said yes!  

In case you're wondering, I'm going to have seven bridesmaids!  I was a little surprised by how big the wedding party ended up being, but apparently everyone I know was not surprised that I went big ;)

Did you do something fun to ask your bridesmaids?  Would you?  Or are you more in favor of just picking up the phone or asking in person?

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All of the Things My Sister Hates

This is the outfit I was wearing when I tweeted that I was wearing all of the things that would make my sister mad: spikes, midi rings, loafers, and plaid.  Let's get things straight though, she actually really likes plaid.  I just often tease her about how much plaid she wears so it's a little bit of a sore subject ;)  It also turns out, she's down with loafers!  Just not this specific pair - she hates the pattern.  You win some, you lose some.

Shirt (similar) and Necklace - JCrew Factory / Jeans and Belt - Gap / Shoes - Madewell 

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