Polka dots & lollipop.

Our friends, Lil & Brad are getting married next month, so to celebrate the bridesmaids hosted a low-key co-ed wedding shower in lieu of a traditional girls only bridal shower. We enjoyed a Mexican food buffet,  homemade sangria (good job Anne!), and cake. Guests left with these adorably colorful lollipops!

Dress (Forever21), Purse (vintage Coach), Shoes (Glint via Nordstrom Rack)

Style with Tieka.

Last week I attended a style event at the Madewell store in Old Orchard featuring SelectivePotential's very own Tieka. The event featured a DJ, macaroons, cupcakes, and champagne served in little bell jars (adorable!). I had such a fun time checking out their awesome selection of clothes and accessories, and talking to the super sweet Tieka.

Tieka (in yellow) chatting with a few of her blog readers

yummy macaroons

Breakfast in Bridgeport.

One of the best parts of the weekend for me is going out for breakfast. The NATO Summit was in town, so we were sort of locked in due to all the high security in the area. Despite the lockdown, we decided to try our luck heading to one of our favorite breakfast spots in Bridgeport, Nana. You might have seen it on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives." Lucky for us, it was smooth sailing getting there, and while normally we need to wait for a table, we had the pick of the liter!

Dress: Gap

Belt: Vintage

Shoes: Aldo

Purse: Old Navy

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Lipstick: Revlon in "Hot Coral #712" 

Maui, part 2.

It feels like our trip to Maui was so long ago, and it makes me wish I was still back there soaking up the sun.  Good thing summer is just around the corner! Only a few more weeks left and then it's summer break. I can't wait. This is when I drive home and blast the song "School's Out For Summer." Yes, I might be that person you drive past that's having a serious karaoke session in their car. No regrets.

Back to Maui. Here's some photos of great memories from our Maui trip...

sunset from our hotel

a plant from Haleakala

a plant in the town of Hana

above the clouds at Haleakala before sunset

Mommas

I hope everyone had a nice weekend and a great Mother's Day! The weather couldn't have been better here in Chicago on Sunday, so we had our mommas over to show them how much we love them. We soaked up the sun, and cooked a large Korean BBQ meal. I also made a big pitcher of iced tea to wash all that yummy food down (btw, have I ever told you how much I love iced tea in the summer time?)!

Mother's Day flowers arranged in a glass ice bucket

good times at the table

Teachers.

Did you know that this week is Teacher Appreciation Week? I want to say THANK YOU to all my fellow teachers that devote hours and hours of their time in and out of school to help their students reach their full potential. Teachers jobs do not stop when the bell rings and the students get on the buses. Their jobs never end. They never stop thinking of ideas for lesson plans, searching for props to help engage students, or stop worrying about the students they teach.

Sometimes parents want to show their gratitude, but aren't sure what exactly a teacher would like. So, I thought I'd give moms and dads some ideas.

a set of notecards

Bath and Body Works products

a potted succulent for the desk

a Starbucks gift card

HAPPY TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK!

getting geometric.

Lately I've been working on new designs for the shop and have been inspired by the simplicity of geometric shapes. Hence the "Jane" necklace, which consists of a minimalist golden square, and this pretty triangle necklace.

It will available in the shop by the end of this week, so keep your eyes peeled and get ready to get GEOMETRIC!

Birthday Cake

Recently my family got together to celebrate my mom's birthday. We went out for a fantastic seafood lunch at one of my family's favorite spots, El Barco. When I say fantastic, I should say feast....we're talking huge portions! No birthday is complete without birthday cake, so we headed back to the house and indulged in a fabulous organic chocolate birthday cake from Colleen's Pasty Lab. 

My mom's favorite color is red, so I had asked Colleen to incorporate red flowers on the chocolate cake. I loved how the cake came out! The bright red of the flowers was perfectly complemented by a pretty damask cake plate. 

Happy Birthday Mom!