Friday, December 30, 2011

A Very Merry Married Christmas


I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! This was our first Christmas together as husband and wife, so this will surely be a memorable one. We celebrated Christmas with both our families, and ate way too much food. On Christmas Eve, we gathered at our house, cooked dinner together, baked lemon cookies, then watched Home Alone 2. Sounds awesome, right? Don't worry, it was. This year's menu consisted of prime rib, sweet potato casserole, and mac'n cheese. We feasted for hours. I think we're even going to make that our new traditional Christmas Eve meal, with the addition of everyone that comes over must wear Christmas pajamas. Yep, I won't let you in the house if you aren't wearing those pj's!

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Spring Rolls

My last post was about an annual potluck holiday party we went to. The week of the party all I could think about was what to make for that darn potluck. Now I wanted to bring something that was yummy, of course, but I also wanted to bring something that wouldn't taste craptastic if it got cold. After much debating, we finally settled on what to bring. Low and behold, the Vietnamese Spring Roll!

We eat them all the time at my mother in law's, and in many different varieties, but we decided to go the  vegetarian route this time. 





Here's what we used in ours:

-Rice Paper *
-Vermicelli Noodles *
-Fried Tofu *
-Lettuce
-Bean Sprouts
-Cucumber
-Carrots 

*Available at most Asian grocery stores.



Sunday, December 11, 2011

A Chicago Family Christmas

It's become a tradition that we get together with some of our Chicago friends to celebrate Christmas together. Instead of our typical potluck sit-down dinner, this year we opted for a potluck tapas style. Everyone brought smaller tasting portions allowing us to graze and socialize around the house while still filling our bellies. 

Our friends Eric & Beth kindly hosted this year's affair, and welcomed us into their newly renovated home. Some of their renovations include the exposed brick wall and the fireplace with built-in shelving unit (pictured below). They exposed that brick themselves, and scrubbed in between each and every brick! And that fireplace/built-in unit, Eric built that himself. Let me tell ya, their hard work is paying off. Their home is not only gorgeous, but oh so cozy feeling too. 

Happy Holidays from Chicago!





Thursday, December 8, 2011

Watercolor Walls

I am completely in awe of these walls, and I can't seem to get over how stunning they are. Can you believe they're custom watercolor wallpapers? Major props to the talented team over at  Black Crow Studios . 





Tuesday, December 6, 2011

New Banner

I've had the same banner up in the Etsy shop for quite awhile now, and thought it was time to change things up a bit. Afterall, sometimes change can be quite refreshing.

Do you like?


Navy


An adorable video by New York artist Chris Silas Neal via Kate Spade.

Monday, December 5, 2011

NEW IN SHOP

Lately I've found the color green to be quite inspiring.....

THE "AERIN" EARRING:  Pretty seafoam green briolettes double draped in delicate gold.



Friday, December 2, 2011

Ornament making

I love West Elm, so I was super excited to find out they were hosting an event near by this week. I hit up the West Elm/Etsy Holiday Craft Event with my friend Alex. A handful of awesome Etsy vendors were on hand selling there goods, West Elm offered 10% off everything in store + free gift wrapping, and there was a Christmas ornament making workshop! Sounds like fun, right? 




 Getting crafty at the table.
 Alex showing off her ornament.
My ornament.


Happy Friday!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Shop Update







So I closed the Etsy shop this summer due to my wedding, but I'm excited to let you know that it's back open!! I have a few exciting things to tell you about. First up, I've been working on some new goodies and I'll be posting soon, so please stay tuned.


Secondly, I'll be offering some sales that will change throughout the month. The first sale, 10% off all rings, starts today and runs through December 8th. Enter promo code "RINGSWK1" at checkout.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Holiday Gifts: Unisex

Aren't these just gorgeous? These, my friends, are horn whiskey tumblers. I personally don't want to drink whiskey out of them. I just want to sit and stare at them. Don't worry, they're ethically sourced, and handmade in England. I love that each tumbler is one of a kind and absolutely unique. 

They come in sets of two, and can be purchased from Best Made. Currently these bad boys are sold out, so keep your eyes peeled.


Saturday, November 12, 2011

Greetings from Mrs. T! Yep, the wedding is over and things are gradually getting back to normal life again. 

In my last post, I showed you those glorious crocheted TOMS. Luckily I was able to get a pair! I did in fact use them on my wedding day. Here's a photo of me wearing them while I get my makeup done, and our dog, Violet, keeping me company. Later in the night I changed out of my heels and back into those fab TOMS to get my dance on.

Hope you're having a great weekend!



Monday, June 20, 2011

Summer Favorites

NO, I didn't fall off the planet. I've just been crazy busy planning my upcoming wedding. Still not an excuse though I admit.

Summer is in full swing...well sort of. The weather keeps toying with us here in Chicago. Dinners outside, outdoor music festivals, fishing along Lake Michigan, and wearing sundresses and sandals are some of my summer favorites. Right now I have these on my wishlist...




Crochet Women's Classic TOMS

Aren't they gorgeous? And perfect for summer! In fact, I think I might just wear them under my wedding dress when I hit the dance floor. You can get yours here.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Happy Easter







Hope everyone had a lovely Easter! The Mr. and I met up with some friends to celebrate and decorate eggs. I don't think you ever get too old to decorate Easter eggs! Plus I'd been dreaming of eating egg salad sandwiches, so needless to say, I had plans for those bad boys. Color-stained hands, and dozens of eggs later, we decided to have a nice Boys vs. Girls peep joust. Yep, you heard me correctly...a peep joust to the death.

Have you ever peep jousted?

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Smarty Pants

So, the other day in one of my classes, one of my students correctly answered a question without hesitation. I was so proud of him, so I said, "Wow!! You are such a SMARTY PANTS. Great Job!"

Brace yourself cause this is where it gets funny...
He then looked at me, then looked down at his pants and replied, "No, I have BLUE JEANS on!"

Oh goodness, its days like this that I LOVE. I think I laughed so hard my eyes teared.

Speaking of adorable, isn't this little boy one of the coolest looking kids you've ever seen? I mean he sure looks like a smarty pants to me.

Hope you have fantastic Friday!


via planetawesomekid

Monday, February 28, 2011

Color me Coral.

Mandy Moore was hands down one of my best dressed at the Oscars this year. She looked elegant and timeless in her Monique Lhuillier gown. For me, the fabric seemed to almost melt into her skin leaving a breath of sparkle. Can you tell how much I love this dress?!

But ahhhh, that coral lip was equally as beautiful, not to mention youthful & F.U.N.! So inspired by Mandy, here are a few fabulous coral lipsticks...



MAC Vegas Volt

NARS Casablanca

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Blues.

Happy Weekend! This week just seemed to drag and drag to me for some reason, but hey its the weekend now, and the sun is shining! So the saying goes..."something old, something new, something borrowed, something BLUE. I thought I'd share some things blue for your feet....namely, blue heels.

Kate Spade, Diva
To me, these say, "Hello, I'm elegant and lady-like. I enjoy a good afternoon tea and tiny sandwiches."

Kate Spade, Didi
I'm kind of in love with these. They look like a party on your feet. I mean, how could you not want to bust a move at your wedding reception with these pretty ladies on?!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Chinese New Year.

Happy Chinese New Year! 2011 is the year of the Rabbit. To celebrate the new year, I decided to make homemade Wonton Soup. I crossed my fingers that it would turn out ok, but it was better than ok. It turned out super yummy. My mr. even went back for seconds!

Here's some photos of my cooking adventures....

May the new year bring you happiness & prosperity!






Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Pop Rock.




True Grit's Hailee Steinfeld rocked the SAG Awards in Prada. Being that I'm stuck in a blizzard struck Chicago, this bright horizontal dress is just what I need to perk up my day. Pops of color = youth + fun in my book.

Case closed.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

BHLDN



It's the day we've been waiting for ladies. Ok, well, it's the day I've been waiting for atleast. The beloved store Anthropologie will launch their new wedding line, BHLDN, on Valentine's Day.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Blooms.


flowers via Poppies and Posies


Beautiful flowers have a way of making everything just a little bit better...wouldn't you agree?

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Eternally Yours...




Meet the Eternity Bracelet. She's based on an entwined circle design dotted with celadon, and made to represent the limitless opportunities we are given in life. She's also quite lady-like.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Monograms





I don't know about you, but I sure love a good monogrammed piece you can keep forever! Isn't this footed candy dish from William Sonoma the cutest thing ever? And, to make it even better, you can order it with a single monogram or a classic triple monogram. It would make such a lovely gift for a hostess or your bestie that loves to make goodies in the kitchen. Tempted yet?? You can order it here.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Cheers to 2011!


image via BrooklynBride

Wow. Well hi there 2011! I can't believe you're here already. You just sort of leapt out at me.

2011 is going to be such a great year. I'm looking forward to watching my business grow and putting more and more love and hard work into it. I'm getting married this year to the boy of my dreams, and I'll make that move from miss to mrs. I wonder how long it will take to me to get used to a new last name. I can't wait to start this new journey in life!