Friday, December 5, 2014

Wreaths, Garland, and a Tree

I love my little apartment a lot.
So decorating it for the holidays is something I look forward to all year long.
This weekend Justin and I are going to pick out a wreath, garland, and a small tree.

The photo above is not my apartment but it looks a little similar.  
My favorite piece of Christmas decor is the fresh garland 
I hang over the doorway into our breakfast nook just like the photo.

I hope to post some photos of festive apartment soon.
xo

{photo from Libby Brittain}

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Flower School: Holly Berries


Holly berries add that perfect pop of red to a classic winter wedding bouquet.  
They also make for beautiful centerpiece additions and cake decor.  

Holly is available year round and has a vase life of around eight days.
You can learn more here.
You can purchase holly berries here.

Happy Wednesday.

{   1.   2.   3.   4.   }

Monday, December 1, 2014

Christmas Wish List

This year my wish list is a little practical.  
Things that I can't justify splurging on myself but I could actually use.  
Below are the links to everything on my wish list but more than anything 
I want a joyous holiday season with my family and friends.  
Its what matters most to me.  
I hope you enjoy!

I'm not usually a watch person but this one is gorgeous!

2. This coral sweater is sure to brighten up a grey winter day

3. Slippers.  My feet get cold and these would be sure to keep them toasty.

4. A new hairdryer that won't dry my hair out.  
I love my mom's and look forward to using it each time I visit home.

5. This colorful necklace is definitely on the top of my list.  
I love everything about it!

6. A camel colored coat.  With a belt.  
This one fits the exact description of what I've been searching for... 
at a price I can totally get behind.


Wouldn't this just glow in a dim room?!


xo

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving


I wish you and your family and friends a wonderful Thanksgiving.
I'm going on a short road trip so I'll be taking a blog break. 
We'll see you back here first thing next week.
xo

Monday, November 24, 2014

It's Monday.


I had a long and exhausting weekend. 
I could not be more thankful for this short Thanksgiving week.   
To get through this rough Monday I plan on 
drinking lots of black tea and listening to this song.

What tricks do you have to get through a Monday?


{mug by AvenueBlue}

Friday, November 21, 2014

Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes


This year we are going to Portland for Thanksgiving.
I'm taking a little piece of my family's thanksgiving with me: 
My Aunt's Sweet Potatoes

Below is the not-so-secret family recipe.


Aunt Carol's Sweet Potatoes

 3 1/2 lb yams or sweet potatoes

4-6 Tablespoon butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 cup dark brown sugar

4 tablespoon butter, softened

4 tablespoon flour

1 cup chopped pecans

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla


Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Bake yams or potatoes until tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours then let them cool

Increase oven temp to 375 degrees

Scoop pulp from yams.  Place in lage bowl.

Mash until smooth or use a food processor

Whisk melted butter and eggs into yams.

In small saucepan, heat the milk.

Stir hot milk and 1/2 cup of the sugar into the yams

Spread mixture into buttered 11 x 7 dish.


Mix remaining 1/2 cup sugar, the butter, and the flour until crumbly.  
Stir in remaining ingredients.

Sprinkle over yams and bake until topping is crusty (about 30 min)

Do you have a family favorite?

{photo from Baked in AZ}

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Holiday Sparkle

With a couple weddings and few holiday parties
I am in the market for something sweet and sparkly to wear. 
Below are some of my favorite holiday picks from ModCloth.
Do you  have any favorite holiday dresses?
Dresses found here: 1   2   3   4    5   6


{photo above from Patterson Maker}

Monday, November 17, 2014

A Perfect Weekend

This weekend was a good one.
It started off with a surprise visitor and ended
with a quiet night at home with the husband.
In between I helped a friend design her wedding dress,
brunched, slept in, and drank a lot of hot cocoa. 
I also finally got around to editing our Italy photos. 
I have some great travel posts coming soon.
Here is a sneak peek.
I hope you all had a lovely weekend.  
xo

{all photos by me}

Friday, November 14, 2014

Flower School: Calamondin

This would be the perfect Thanksgiving centerpiece.  
The little oranges called Calamondin grow on trees 
and can be grown even in Washington.  The fruit is mostly 
used for aesthetics but it can be used in cakes and marmalades as well.  
Also in this bouquet: fringed tulips, ranunculus, roses, and sweet peas. 


{photos and floral found on McKenzie Powell}

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Party Planning


When I haven't been blogging I've been party planning.  
The husband and I throw our friends a party each year in lieu of a Christmas gift.  
This year I'm going all out.  We do drinks and snacks 
at our place followed by a night of zoo lights.  
This year the theme is blue, gold, and animals.  
I can't wait to share the after photos. 
xo

Monday, November 10, 2014

Workout Wishlist


Now that its dark and usually rainy when I get home from work 
I decided to reinstate my gym membership.  With that being said my workout 
wardrobe is in need of a little bit of a pick me up.  Now that I actually workout 
with other people and not alone in my living room I need to throw away my 
tattered t-shirts and upgrade to a properly fitting sports bra.  

Below are my favorite picks of the moment.  
Do you have any workout products you can't live without?

These Shoes are a must on my list.  
You can find them here.

This one has polka dots so it's perfect.
Purchase it here.

I have been eyeing these lulu lemon pants for years!
You can see them here.

This Zella top looks so comfortable!
I found it here.


{top photo from Tone & Tighten}



Friday, November 7, 2014

Happy Friday


Some weeks fly by so fast I can't blog as much as I would like.  
This one did and I will be back in full swing soon.  
In the meantime I hope the photo above makes you smile.
Happy Friday xo

Monday, November 3, 2014

Family Photos and a Day Trip

What a fun weekend it was!  Justin and I have had the travel bug 
ever since we got back from Italy.  On Saturday morning 
we took a spontaneous trip to Leavenworth.  It was so beautiful! 
I got my much needed fix of sunshine, fog, and golden leaves.  
If you have never been I highly recommend it.

I also spent this weekend finishing up photos I took for some close friends.  
 Thank you DeWaals for letting me spend a fun afternoon 
photographing your beautiful family!



{all photos by me}

Friday, October 31, 2014

In Honor of Halloween



 My favorite costume growing up was Ariel from 
the Little Mermaid (sorry for the lack of photo evidence).  
So, in honor of my favorite Halloween costume I wanted to share 
with you this amazing Little Mermaid themed wedding shoot.  
I love a good creative theme and this one was done exceptionally well.  
Take a look!


Happy Halloween!
xo

{original post by Pop Sugar}

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

A Halloween Cocktail

 I enjoy themed cocktails and this one stole my autumn loving heart.  
I can't wait to make this! See below for the recipe.


{recipe and photo found on Minted}

Monday, October 27, 2014

Etiquette: Wedding Invitations

When I first started addressing my wedding invites I had no idea how complicated it can be.  
Formal, informal, blended families, unmarried vs. married vs. living together.  
So many things to think about.   Below are some links to etiquette experts 
and what they have to say.  I tend to lean towards the more formal method 
but you know your friends, family, and wedding best.  
I just hope I can shed a little light.

Emily Post will always be the queen of etiquette.  
Her website was a daily visit for me 
during my wedding planning process.  
I highly recommend it!

Not only does Crane and Co. design beautiful invites 
but they also know how to help you address them

Martha Stewart knows it all! 


{photo and calligraphy from la Happy}

Friday, October 24, 2014

Home Sweet Home

We are home again.
It feels nice to snuggle into my own bed, 
use my dishes, and get back into a routine.
I will forever remember my honeymoon as 
one of the best times but being home is always nice.
Forgive me while I get over being jet-lagged.  
I'll be back in full force come Monday.

I hope you are all well xo

{photos of my home by Krista Welch}

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Fall Color: Cranberry Red

One of my favorite colors of fall is deep red.
I'm dreaming over the items above. 

What is your favorite fall color or piece?

{Products can be found here: 1. Dress, 2. Bag, 3. Shoes, 4. Lip, 5. Polish}

Sunday, October 19, 2014

My Love

This has been the best year of my life.
Today marks the one year anniversary of being married.

My husband is my rock and my cheerleader.
I'm supported, loved, and completely doted on.  

Thank you Justin for loving me
through the simple and the struggle.  
I love you to the moon. 

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together - Colossians 1:17 





Friday, October 17, 2014

Jamie G. Week: On Beauty

 Let’s face it, our faces are crazy places. 
They truly take a beating every single day from the sun, pollution, dirty hands, 
our hydration level, our hormones—so many factors influence our faces! 

And while I am no dermatologist, I have spent years fighting acne, 
weird skin sensitivities, and countless over the counter products 
that promise blemish free skin, only to be disappointed. 

My skin has constantly been a work in progress and,
although by no means flawless,  I have settled into a routine
with products and nutrition that give even my hormonal
acne/blemish prone face a healthy glow. 

Here are my top beauty tips for a lush, hydrated, and blemish free face.

Let’s just say the French know how to do a lot things well and these are one of them. 
My cousin introduced their line to me about a year ago 
and I love their stuff! Truly I’ve never had products where you 
can visibly see the quality like these. I use the Cleanance Gel Soapless Cleanser, 
the Cleanance Toner, and their Trixera Selectiose Emollient Cream for 
Dry to Very Dry Sensitive Skin. You don’t have to live in Europe 
to buy them either. Amazon has them and if you are local in Seattle, 
Pharmaca has started selling them as well! I only use the moisturizer 
in the morning and use a different moisturizer at night.

I’m going to begin with the least glamorous of my beauty tips—balancing your hormones. 
To all my ladies who suffer from cystic acne around your period—this one’s for you! 
Our hormone levels fluctuate A LOT during our cycles and often give us acne in the process.  
This is more than what topical treatments can help with! When it finally dawned on me that no
 amount of salicylic acid will prevent me from getting acne, it was sort of a monumental 
day for me. I did some research on natural ways to balance hormones and came across 
several articles (from respected places, I promise) on Dim.  It is a natural estrogen 
balancer. I have noticed a significant different  in the size of my acne as well as how 
 long those evil things stick around.  I highly recommend this product 
(found easily on Amazon!)!

Yes, you’ve probably seen it laying around 
your grandmother’s house. Three generation of women have 
been using it in my family and considering none of them look 
their age, I say it’s a winner. Plus it’s cheap and smells really great. 
I like it for night time on my face and neck.


4. Water. I know you’ve heard it before, but seriously, drink it! 
Drink a lot of it! Just do it!

5. Eat your greens (and other colors too)! 
The best way to maintain skin health is through eating 
foods that are good for you! Eat the rainbow and cut out the sugar 
(yes, even from fruit, it must be limited). Kale, spinach, berries, carrots, 
ginger, purple cabbage…all can be found in our fridge as part of our 
smoothie ingredients. No, it doesn’t taste like a Jamba Juice sugar 
bomb but it’s tasty and actually good for you!



Thank you Jamie for yours posts while I'm away!
xo


{photos: first, 1, 2, 3 }