Friday's Fancies April Showers

I can't believe April begins this weekend!  This week's Friday's Fancies theme is April Showers, and it was so fun to put together a fun look for puddle jumping.  The Lilly Franco dress is even in Shorely Blue April Showers Eyelet, so clearly that was the starting point.  It must've been my yellow galoshes or raincoat growing up, but bright yellow always reminds me of warm rainy days, so these Hunters fit the bill perfectly and the yellow studs and classic monogram necklace don't overpower the dress while still adding a bit of pizazz.  I love the look of clear bubble umbrellas, and this one is a bargain that may need to be added to my online cart.

One / Two / Three / Four / Five

Say hello to {av} and see all the other fun outfits here!

What is your rainy day go to?

Question Game

Yesterday The Suburban Princess posted her answers to fun questions she found on The Enchanted Home and I love getting to know you questions, so I thought I'd play along! 

 If there could only be one season year round which would you choose?

This is really really difficult for me.  Although I always said winter was my favorite season (with the snow, my birthday, the holidays, cozy fires and skiing), I can't imagine it being cold year round as I'm ready for spring after Valentine's, so a milder summer of lazy days and Lilly dresses or a non-snowy autumn full of plaids and wool blazers would probably win for year round.

You get to spend a month in Europe, and can only go to one place..is it Italy or France?

I bet everyone here knows this answer--France, s'il vous plait! ;)  Can't wait to go in June 2013 for my honeymoon.

Red wine, white wine or champagne?

Of course I never turn down some bubbly as it's my go-to, but I do enjoy a nice glass of red or white as well.

Dogs or cats?

Sadly I am deathly allergic to both, but hopefully someday SHS and I can find a hypo-allergenic dog after we find a house with a yard.

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One word that best describes your life right now.

Bliss.  (With runners up gratitude, giddiness, and contentment.)

One job you haven't had that would be a dream job.

Today Show (4th hour) co-anchor with Kathie Lee and Hoda.

 One famous person you would love to meet.

So it's not exactly one person, but I'd love to host a luncheon for all of the past (and current) First Ladies and Vice Presidents' wives.  I'm sure they would all have fascinating stories of life in The White House and about all of the campaigns and public service programs they get to lead in their very special roles.

One movie that you could watch again and again.

Father of the Bride.  I watched it on my TV/VCR combo non stop in college while studying, cleaning my room, getting ready to go out, or just snuggling in my bed.  Breakfast at Tiffany's, Parent Trap, Sex and the City, Clueless and Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement would round out the list.

You are given a plane ticket to fly anywhere in the world this weekend, where are you going?

Minnesota to get to kiss my perfect baby nephew, M. and see the rest of my family.

One decade you wish you could have lived in (including this one).

If I got to go to cocktail parties at Don Draper's or Lilly Pulitzer's homes, the 60s would definitely win. I have recently been enamored with glamorous visions of mod shifts, Lilly maxis, and champagne in vintage coupes.

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If you had to change your name, what would you name yourself?

I loved the name Anne for a very long time, but usually gave Madeline, Maggie, or Caroline if giving a fake name in a shady bar. ;)

What about you? I'd love to hear some of your answers!  Also, if you're new or haven't said hello lately, say hello and I'll be sure to stop by.

Spring into Summer Wishlist: Clothing Edition

As all of the fun spring catalogs have been arriving in my mailbox, I have begun to make my seasonal wishlist.  I will be traveling a bit for work this summer, so topping my list are a few new dresses and pieces that will work for work, and of course some fun weekend options.

Vineyard Vines' Xanadu Shift Dress--navy and white with gorgeous applique and trim? If my wedding was this summer this would be a major contender for bridal luncheons or showers, but I can't imagine having it sit in my closet that long, so I may need to make this work appropriate with a cardigan and nude pumps.

Behold, some of the cutest pants ever made in hot pink eyelet.  I have a ton of pairs of Cafe Capris from J.Crew, and they're perfect for my work with silk blouses, tunics, and button downs, and with tees or tanks on the weekends.

I have definitely regretted not snapping up anything in last year's Derby print from Vineyard Vines.  I love the Bitsy top in this year's print with white jeans.

I think I've lusted after this coat to almost all of my friends already. The Camila's gold buttons and stripes make it over-the-top perfection for throwing over jeans and tees and dresses whenever there's a chill or a breeze.

I practically live in Lilly's knit dresses during the summer (or anytime I'm running late to work!) and the ruffle sleeves on the Maya  may let me get away without a cardigan as long as it's not too short.

Madras screams summer and I love the blues and greens in this great dress from Lands End Canvas.

As I already have one lovely lobster skirt, is another in red (with a very different cut) too much? I'm guessing no if it's this adorable one from Anthro.

 I always love Lilly toile (with the Jubilee pink one being at the top of my list), and the Allura dress is simple enough to let the print shine.

I'd like to wear the Milly Calais dress out this weekend, please and thank you.

The Millie would match practically anything making it a bit more air-conditioned office appropriate-- especially as pink is a neutral, right?

I love everything about this outfit, and it'd be perfect to wear to baseball games this summer. In fact, I probably have all of the other items already, so just need to add the cute terry mini and I could wear my fun madras topsiders I got last summer.

 I have joined the ranks of the rest of the blogosphere by yearning for a pair of mint jeans (or anything that color, really), and this pair looks perfect with the ankle zipper and cropped length.

This rope necklace tee would probably end up being another one of the striped tees I wear to death with cropped pants.

Stay tuned for my accessories favorites!  What is on your spring/summer clothing wishlist?

Friday's Fancies On Wisconsin!

The University of Wisconsin-Madison was the perfect fit for me in college.  I adored everything about my experience, from meeting lots of besties, sitting on the Terrace, getting to live in the prettiest house ever, strolling down State Street and spending way too much money at Bop, lots of late night Ben and Jerrys runs at Tags, poli sci classes with cute TAs, people watching at Starbucks, fraternity theme parties, and of course, meeting SHS.

Although Wisconsin isn't advancing to the Elite 8 this year, I'll be cheering on the rest of the Big 10 (ie: playing on pinterest) while SHS watches more basketball this weekend.

I bought a pair of red jeans this fall, and they're perfect for Badger Gamedays! I'd add a perfect white blouse, fun printed flats, and my favorite Christmas present from SHS--the J.Crew red bubble necklace. Red nails and red lips help add to the fun spirit, and classy jewelry (still obsessed with my ring and drooling over a new Kate Spade watch) pulls the look together without being too over the top.  Pass the Wisconsin cheese and you're set to cheer! Go Big Red!

On Wisconsin! by glitterista featuring diamond stud earrings

Say hello to {av} and see all the other fun outfits here!

May 25, 2013

It's official! We set a wedding date.

We signed the contract last night at a gorgeous old hotel that was once a family home in Cleveland.

We will be getting married on the lawn and celebrating under a big white tent (with chandeliers, of course!) over Memorial Day Weekend of 2013.

The white tent is gorgeous, and I can't wait to pick out table linens, place settings, and flowers.  We are doing lots of blues everywhere with hydrangeas as my number one flower pick now, and with a mix of blue and white and vintage silver for centerpieces.

Love the idea of using a mirror for table assignments, and then hanging it in your home.

 This is probably much more casual than we'll go, but love the striped runner.

I love lots of white with the white tent and another option for a blue runner.

Silver and white, so classic.

And I love the idea of doing silhouettes throughout the wedding (on programs, save the dates, etc.) and also including games for the lawn.

As SHS said to our caterer, "I'm sure there will be pink there, too.  My future bride is kind of a pink girl."

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Our next steps are to book our photographer, ask my bridesmaids (hopefully I can do a post on this next week!) and go to a preliminary tasting to help us with catering options.

How did you start with your own wedding planning? Are there colors or flowers or themes that you had in mind already?  Any aspects of a wedding you can't wait to have one day at yours?

P.S. Have you heard of pinerly? I saw a few mentions of it lately, and it's supposed to help organize your pinterest. As I've been a bit of a pinning nut lately, I can't wait to see it.  You can sign up here.

Hunger Games and Mad Men Returns!

Wedding Belles Wednesday will be postponed a bit this week as I want to make sure we have allllll our ducks in a row before sharing what I've been working on lately!  So I may do a Friday post instead if everything aligns like I'm hoping. ;)

Over winter break I got into The Hunger Games series.  I read the first book in two days, the second in an afternoon, and the third one as I was traveling back home from upstate NY.  I absolutely understand why so many people love this series.  I think I even convinced SHS that going to the movie this weekend would be fun and we compromised that we wouldn't go to the midnight showing. 

And of course this weekend also brings the return of this guy.

Are you looking forward to the return of Mad Men or the premiere of The Hunger Games?

Happy Spring!

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I hope you get a second to enjoy the beginning of spring today, especially if it's your birthday! ;)

I may have two very dear friends celebrating today--wish I was with you both. xoxo