This is so me!

The Scart Trick Sweater @ Anthropologie features a built in scarf- hello! It couldn't be more made for me. I love how they pair this fun green and pale pink scarf with the simple knit fabric .

Reclaimed wood & concrete

This is just anther image showing my love of reclaimed wood and concrete together. The slatted wood is very natural but has a modern feel with the rhythm it creates.

Common Mother Nature!

We need some snow :( Although it has been nice to relax over the Thanksgiving holiday, it would have been much more exciting to be on the slopes! But the free time did give me time to find this GREAT jacket that would look amazing with my new brown bargain ski pants I got at the sample sale this summer. If my husband catches on to the hints I've been dropping, maybe I will be rocking the slopes in my new Patagonia Women's Powder Bowl Jacket!

It's Tree Time! The Holiday Season Has Begun.

Last year, we braved putting up a Christmas tree in our small 850 sq. ft. apartment. After my husband left the tree laying on the ground w/out water all day, I had to clean up all of the needles that had scattered from the tree fitting through the small front door. I was a little worried how this was going to turn out. After nursing the tree with water and tying the tree up to a door to compensate for the $6 tree stand (again my husband's crafty idea) the tree turned out great and we enjoyed our first holiday season as a married couple :) Had the situation not turned around, I would be looking at creating one of these pieces of art on my wall. Deck the walls!

Hang decorations directly on the wall in a tree shape to create a crafty holiday centerpiece.
String hung on the wall acts as makeshift tree limbs to hang decorations on!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Letterpress Class

I am super excited- my Letterpress II class starts next week at Evanston Print and Paper! Just doing a little drooling...

Feeling the Domino effect

Those of you who were blessed to read or look at a Domino magazine while it was in print know how amazing it was! I found some of their magazine shots on flickr...

I LOVE the mixing of blues and greens in this shot. The dark color is Benjamin Moore- "Soot"

Again, the mixing of Blues is so calming.

Check out the old beat up floors here. They have so much character!

My obsession with mustard pops up again!

Jcrew to the Rescue

I have always had problems getting dressed in the morning- whether it be that I've only had 1/2 a cup of coffee by that point in my morning routine or it's just too early to be creative. I remember some knock down drag out fights that my sister and I had- "You never wear that- why can't I?", or "ok, you can wear it but you have to tell EVERYONE it's mine!" But lately I've started to pull my inspiration from another source... J.Crew. Over the past five to ten years Jenna Lyons (the head designer at J.Crew) has re-invented the company and the feeling they portray to worshipers like myself. Not only have the clothes become a whole new level of super-stylish, but the catalogs are like porn for fashionistas! I have started ripping out pages and keeping them in my closet to use as my personal stylist. Now, sometimes it does make me want to go buy that exact sparkly little tee that the model has on to complete my outfit but most of the time the looks help me to put something together that I wouldn't have been able to think up on my own by using my existing wardrobe. Here are some looks from their recent online catalog. Hopefully they bring you some inspiration!

GREEN!

A paint like this required an explanation point at the end! I love it. Add some small linen pillows with black text or simple icons and you've got a great theme.

The Beginning: Geometric Print Sheets

I have been trying to find the perfect bedding for my guest room since we got married... That was a year and a half ago! My choices were always too expensive, or not available. But i just found these GREAT sheets from Target that might just be the ticket to (in Tim Gunn's words) "making it work!" This option is exactly what I was looking for and budget friendly for my husbands sake!

DwellStudio® for Target Floral Block Sheet Set - Black/White

I love the idea of pairing the busy geometric sheets with a nice simple duvet cover and a soft blue quilt! This duvet is from Urban Accent Home's etsy page!

I've been busy!

Sorry! I've been so busy working in the real world. Thanks to the economy picking up a bit, I've been neglecting my blog. I just wanted to showcase this amazing bag by Petunia Pickle Bottom that I have had my eye on. I know- it is technically a diaper bag, but I LOVE it! The boxy shape, the weathered leather, the accent color peeking through in a couple of spots... amazing!
Petunia Pickle Bottom has such a great design approach. If only I could convince my husband to carry a baby murse like this one! Who knows- maybe by the time we have a baby.

Not so Christmas Decor

Looking for some elegant decor for the holidays?! These could go from Thanksgiving to Christmas and not be so "Christmasy" that you have to take them down at New Years Eve! Check out makelewakan's etsy shop for these great finds...

Top of the Morning!

It's getting chilly here in the windy city! I just said the other day, "It's almost hat weather!" Hats are one of my favorite things about winter. But you have to equip yourself with a heavy duty comfy one like this to stay warm...

Letterpress Fever!

My letterpress II class starts in December and I can't stop thinking about it! Here are some images i've found of amazing letterpress... (Thanks to Dolce Press for making me drool every time they post their work)