Refinery29's Next Big Style Blogger Contest

Hello lovelies, I'm here today to ask a big favor... you see, I've entered the Refinery29 Next Big Style Blogger Competition (eeps!) and your support would mean the absolute world. If you feel so obliged, hop on over to Refinery29 and click the heart next to my entry (it'll look like the picture above). (At the moment, it's easiest to find me by clicking the 'Popular Contestants' tab and scrolling until you see my mug shot.) There are some fabulous bloggers in the lineup and I'm sure you'll find a few new faves in the process, I already have!  Thank you in advance for the support now and always!

P.S. There's a convenient little badge in my side bar if you'd like to come back and vote again. And again, and again. Just sayin'. ;)

What a Week

Johanna of 101 Things I Love, Jennifer of Red Soles and Red Wine, Moi, Monica of The MidWasteland

photo by Kevin Aeh

Man, this was a rough one! (As you might have noticed by my disappearance around these parts...) But it did include some goodness like a date with Johanna (which provided the 'cat attack' picture above that just cracks me up) and the little snowstorm pictured below. (It's no Snowmaggedon but it'll do.) This happened yesterday afternoon and as it was the first significant snowfall of this winter, we decided to get out in it last night for a stroll - which was equal parts freezing and pretty. Bonus =  it's just in time for our winter weekend getaway to Michigan with friends for a little cooking, game playing, skiing and large consumption's of wine. Have a happy one friends!

P.S. It's Friday the 13th - you know I love it!

At this point I'm thinking, "Somebody should have left work much, much earlier..." 

My view for nearly 2 hours. This kept me company. 

 Laser flakes!

 Snowy rocks on the beach.

Video Skyping with the mother-in-law. Technology is so darn neat! 

Blogger Night Out

Last week a few Chicago blogger's got together for Mani's & Merlot. (Not the official name but catchy, no?)    Johanna arranged the salon, Cara chose the wine spot and the rest us just showed up to enjoy the show.     

The lovely salon space, Essential Nail Spa. Four days since my mani and absolutely no chipping - a record!

 With Zoe, letting our nails dry while....

 Cara, Mel and Kelsey get the final touches.

The finished product!  

The clan from left to right:

Cara - City Girl Chicago , Cait - Cait Hates Cake , Mel - Chicago Girl Gone Mild , Moi, 

Johanna - 101 Things I Love , Kelsey - Style Me Cheaply , Zoe - Style Foodie

Then it was on to Vintage 338 where we sipped and munched and talked and talked and talked until nearly 11pm (on a school night!) Time flies when you're having fun...until next time!

Much love to Johanna & Cara for the organizing & Essential Nail Spa for the mani's.
Photo's by Johanna, Zoe and Cait.

Advanced Style

My absolute new favorite style blog.

I adore advanced age in general, combined with street style... magnificent.

For Japan With Love

Tomorrow, I'm taking part in the Bloggers Day of Silence - a moment of quiet to honor the recent tragedy in Japan. I urge you to visit For Japan With Love to learn more about this project and how you can help. I'm constantly amazed by the blogging community and the willingness to come together in a time of need, {this post} by Ever Ours explains what's been done so far.

While it will be quiet around here, peek at these related links in the meantime:

{Rumi's account of experiencing the earthquake in Tokyo}

{Where to Shop to Support Japan}

{Art for Japan} (via Alkeemi)

{Before & After Photos}

Finally, I'm ecstatic to be paired with Melissa of Oh, My Darling as part of Krysten's After I Do Big Sister, Little Sister project. Melissa is featuring me on her blog today with a few fun facts - head over and say hello, she shares the greatest finds!

White Out!

When Carrie threw out the White Denim in Winter outfit challenge I couldn't resist. Though not afraid of the concept, I've always refrained from wearing white bottoms after Labor Day for no other reason than that rule was always just stuck in my head. My eye would skip right past the bright white in my stack of jeans and I somewhat worried how this would come together..."How can I made a pair of white pants look wintery?" I thought over and over, especially when Snowtorious B.I.G dropped nearly 2 feet of snow outside. I think I solved the dilemma with with texture and layers, adding my Mom's (now mine) beloved vintage rabbit fur jacket to the mix - isn't it amaaaazing?! (It was a gift to her from my Dad before I was even a tiny thought and wearing it feels like a constant hug :) And to keep it fun I threw on some polka dot tights.

P.S.  To be festive, I wore the top half of this outfit to the Chinese New Year parade on Sunday - it is the year of the Rabbit after all!  (White jeans were removed due to tons of dirty, slushy snow!)

The details:
Black Rabbit Fur Jacket - Vintage Mom's
Denim Shirt - American Eagle
Grey Thermal - Aerie
White Denim - American Eagle
Metal/Pearl Necklace - Macy's
Black Elastic/Leather Belt - Vintage Mom's
Polka Dot Tights - Hue
Black Platform Slingbacks - Carlos (also seen here)


Be sure to check out my fellow posters today for more awesome white denim inspiration and see the full lot at Carrie's blog.

Kai - All Kinds of Complicated
Lisa - In Dramatic Fashion
Higgenbottom - Dressing the Higgenbottom
Kara - Sprinkles in Springs

This is my first official outfit post and I quite enjoyed it, thanks for the challenge Carrie, keep 'em coming!!

Do Something Good (and Do Fun Stuff) Part 2

Today I'm dedicating my blog to Do Fun Stuff which I talked about here. I could go on for days explaining the why's & how's but basically what you need to know is if you buy this album, you'll be helping a great cause and getting some cool music in return.  (If you really want to know the why's and how's read Ryan's post.) You can preview the songs below. And if you're feeling super awesome - you could tweet about it (use hash tag #dofunstuff) or share this link on Facebook. 

Thanks peeps. 

Do Something Good (and Do Fun Stuff)

Let's get serious for a minute. I need your help because my favorite blogger on planet earth needs our help. Ryan at Pacing the Panic Room is doing something amazing and because we bloggers have have the ability to reach an insane amount of people we need to spread the word. If you don't know Ryan's work what rock have you been living under? Just kidding. But you've seriously been missing out. He documents his life (among other things) and most famously photographed his wife's pregnancy. Cue the awwww... (By the way, there are some really terrible knockoff's of Ryan's maternity series out there. When I see it I just cringe but alas, I'm not here to complain. Just know he was the original genius.)

Anyhoo, back to the point...
Ryan is spearheading an album for charity to raise money for Smith Magenis Syndrome - a rare genetic disorder that The Littlest Buddy (his stepson) was diagnosed with. Here's what you you can do to help:

1. Visit Ryan's blog and read this post - it will answer all your questions about the album launch on August 30th and tell you the ways you can help and why you should.

2. Be a twitter maniac today and spread the word using the hash tag #dofunstuff and gently begging Ellen to have a dance party on her show. Come up with your own kind plea or retweet mine.

3. Mark your calendar for August 30th - the day we will post/tweet/facebook about the album launch and share the goodness.

This is my most favorite thing about blogging - making online buddies, falling in love with their stories and being able to do something good with our voices. So come on guys, if you call yourself a friend (or even if you hate my guts) have a heart and help out!

What Home Means to Me

Today I'm taking part in Pin It Forward - a blogger mashup organized by the awesome Victoria at SFGirlbyBay.  The theme is 'What Home Means to Me' and I could go on about this for days. The truth is, for me, it's not about a physical location filled with stuff, but where my heart is.

I grew up in the country. When I'm there, I want a farmhouse with goats and a garden.

I live in the city. When I'm here, I want a high rise condo with a door man and a lake view.

But I feel most at home surrounded by laughter and love. When I'm with darling family and friends it doesn't matter what location I reside. My heart is already home.

That being said, I have to lay my head somewhere so here's what makes a house a home for me:

A front porch with rocking chairs

A zebra rug because it makes life feel fabulous

A calming bedroom where I can read and relax

Books - for browsing, for storing memories, for scraps of life

Fresh flowers, yellow is good :)
2 sweet black kitties

I complied my favorite images using Pinterest - its the easiest way to keep track of inspiration, build wish lists, and gather ideas for future reference. See my original board here.

Thanks to Bobbi's Art for passing the torch and now I'm sending you on to Apple Blue for tomorrow's post!

Emerson Holds a Chicken

Sure I love Emerson because she makes pretty flowers and takes super cute photo's of her farm and has an adorable traveling little mouse. But mostly because she does things like hold a chicken whilst looking fab.
Let's be friends gosh darn it!

Shopping Lists

Debbie collects misplaced shopping lists and illustrates them. This one made me laugh. I make lists for everything. I'll make them prettier from now on in case someone finds them!

via Creature Comforts

Housekeeping

So much computer, so little time...

 Image via The Road Less Traveled

Lovely Bloggers, 

I've come across so many of you lately and would love to stay connected. Many of you have are members of IFB but unfortunately, I haven't been able to find you due to broken links, etc. 

If you're interested, use the links at right to find and follow me and I'll return the favor. I'm on Bloglovin' and Twitter too!

Dirty Dancing Design

My heart just skipped a beat! Came across this post from a few months ago and am so moved! Design*Sponge runs a series called "Living In" which features a movie and related products including clothing, furniture, and accessories. They're all fabulous, but this one is tugging at my heart. It's my favorite movie of.all.time. and it's been 7 months since we lost Patrick :( Look how strong he is in the photo below.

Images via Design*Sponge

Love Garden

Isn't this colorful print fantastically fun?

I wish I could remember how I stumbled on Helen's blog, such a happy place! The 'Love Garden' print above is available in her Etsy Shop: Orange Studio, I love them all!

Have you heard about Glo?

MSN launched a new site today called 'Glo'. It's touted as a women's lifestyle destination with a simple, clean format meant to create an emtional connection with the user as well as mimic the magazine experience. The main page features sections for beauty, living, style and relationships as well as a 'Scrapbook' feature for saving articles and photos. Each day, 7 'packages' will be posted and paired with large glossy photos. (The format is expected to thrive on the new Apple Ipad.)

So far, I like what I see. It reminds me of a cross between a magazine and a blog.

What do you think?

Read more about Glo here and here.

Cat Nipped - Blog Love

If you know me personally then you know my 2 black kitties, Mojito & Petey and appreciate my enthusiasm for 'unlucky' charms. I recently came across Cat Nipped - a blog that features pretty kitties and their owners in a reader submitted photo/mini interview format and I'm loving it!

See more feline photos, and learn more about the Chicago based pet photographer behind the project on my ChicagoNow blog.

What type are you?

Ever wondered how your personality translates to a font? Me neither, until I realized 'Marina Script' is the perfect fit for me! (So perfect I had a gasp of excitement upon it's revelation.)

Emotional * Understated * Traditional * Disciplined

(yep, that pretty much sums it up)

Take this quick test to find yours. It's fun!

(Password: character)

Honey & Jam blog

oooh, I'm so in love with this blog. As you may or may not know, I do not claim to cook well, or at all...But I do appreciate people who do, and especially people who take such pretty pictures of it! If the name weren't sweet enough 'Honey & Jam' - the story is even sweeter, 19 year old Hannah is oozing with talent!

Just look at these pancakes! Too special for a table, they scream for an outdoor balcony breakfast nook, or a country porch on a dewy morning, or a sandy, breezy beach breakfast...aaaahh

is for Ashleigh.

That's moi and this is a neat little piece of flair for blogs everywhere. It's the little things...

Do yours! I promise it's fun :)

Our Kissing Tree

Fewer things seem more romantic than taking a leisurely stroll through the fall leaves & carving your names in a tree for the world to see... This makes it possible without damaging mother nature's gifts! Be sure to check out the rest of the site, I fell in love with the theme, so sweet & lovely.

Ashleigh + Alex, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s, i-n-g :)