Photo Friday: The Great Midwest

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent a little weekend up in snowy Wisconsin for the holiday and I spent a lot of that time knitting and taking pictures. It's amazing how much you can get done when there's no cell reception or Internet.

What I Wore: The Holiday Getaway Edition

My parents have been going up to Wisconsin every weekend since I can remember. When I was younger it was fun to get away and play by the lake. As I got older, I of course didn't want to do anything but stay in the city and hang out with my friends  - like most normal jerky teenagers. And they were oh so nice and let me stay while they went away for the weekends. Yes, you read that right, a teenager alone on the weekends. I promise I didn't cause too much trouble.

A Very Merry Christmas

It's been one long year. I feel very lucky to have what I have and very lucky to be able to write this little blog and have someone listening. Thank you to everyone that reads this every once in a while. You keep me up late typing away and I love it. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying a great holiday!

Photo Friday: Up Close

When it comes to photography, interior design or otherwise, I'm obsessed with color composition and details. Just like many of the shots by photographer Brett Stevens. Or rather, almost all of the shots. I can't accurately describe how gorgeous all of these shots are. The color composition is absolutely beautiful. I love how many of the shots are photographed with one color scheme in mind. Enough blabber, just look at this photography...

Inspiration Thursday: Christmas Tidings

Christmas is almost here! And I swear this year, it might very well kill me. Someone teach me how to say no to people? It probably doesn't help that I somehow miscalculated and thought I had an extra week. Ooops. No wonder I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off for a week.

To combat Grinch-ism, I'm trying to remember all the warm and fuzzy feelings that usually come with Christmas. Do you remember those? From when you used to believe in Santa? Well, hopefully these pretty picture will help us both enjoy those Christmas tidings a little more, with a little less Grinchiness. :)

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What I Wore: The Sweater Weather Edition

I'm in a rut. A cardigan wearing rut. I'm trying my best to break out of it, but I own like 50 cardigans (no joke) and they are simply my go-to cover up in cold weather. However, I realize that I look eternally boring if I wear a cardigan over something every single day. So I went to the Urban Outlet in Chicago and tried to change things up a bit.

Monday Design: Eclectic As It Gets

Now as much as I'm drawn in by rustic design mixed with clean white spaces, my actual living space is something of a hodge podge of...stuff. I tend to hoard things and add them to my apartment as design elements. Of course, I'm sure I'm not the only one that does this, but it's always refreshing when someone does it and it looks good. This cozy home in the French Alps is the definition of eclectic but in a way that all flows together well.

Photo Friday: Rainbow Strings

I would be oh-so-thankful that it's Friday, but I decided to leave all my Christmas shopping for this weekend. Why? Because I'm a crazy person. So before I go into all out frenzied panic mode, I pulled some pretty colors from the internet.

Thursday Tutorial: 7 Quick DIY Christmas Ornaments

So call my mom sentimental if you want, but I'm her only child so you'll have to understand why at 24 I'm still looking for handmade ornament ideas to make for her.  Mostly, we're probably still just humoring each other, but damn it I think she love the Christmas ornament I make for her every year!

Of course, at 24 covering a wine cork in glitter and beads doesn't quite seem to cut it anymore. So I went on a Christmas ornament hunt on the Internet and found some really awesome ideas. I think I know which one I'm going to make as a gift, but I found so many fun ideas for handmade ornaments that I thought I'd share then with you guys in case I'm not the only one out there still making kindergarten-esque gifts.

What I Wore: The I Heart Skulls Edition

I love skulls. Is that a weird sentence? Probably. But it's true! And I don't know how else to phrase it. The skull motif has been pretty popular in fashion for a little while now and I couldn't be happier. It's become slightly a problem. Obviously, when I found this dress I knew I had to have it. Even though I realize I look a little Wednesday Adams in this post. Ooops.

Monday Design: Floor Plans

As drawn as I am to rustic designs and styles, lately I've found myself being really pulled in my more modern and quirky interior designs. Maybe it's because I've been going through the painfully slow process of redesigning my apartment and there is nothing rustic about it so I have to look at more modern interiors for inspiration. Well, this awesomely modern and bright apartment is nothing if not inspiring.

Photo Friday: Bathed in Light

It's been a long week. Err, I guess when isn't it a long week? With the holidays on my tail, most days are spent juggling several to do lists. But I'm sure you're feeling a whole lot of the same right now. In a blur of Christmas ornaments and tree farms, I found this gorgeous set of photos of forests bathed in sunlight and fog by Boguslaw Strempel and all of them seemed oddly calming so I had to share them with you all.

What I Wore: Getting the Blues Edition

Have you noticed the peplum trend lately too? I've seen it everywhere and I have to admit I love that it's back. However, I have this problem with peplum that it rarely seems to hit me in the right spot and finding flattering peplum styles has been a challenge. Yes, I know my life is so hard.

Monday Design: Vintage Touches

I don't normally post businesses when I'm pulling interior design inspiration, but Emerald City Eyebrows is almost directly pulled from my dreams. I would live here if I could. It's located in Denver, Colorado, so if you're local check it out and tell me if it's everything I thought it would be.

Photo Friday: Wrap Me Up

It's getting chilly out there. Although we enjoyed a balmy Thanksgiving here in Chicago, I can feel a turn coming. It just makes me think that I need to buy more sweaters and more big jackets. How else do you survive the freezing Chicago winds, right? I love this fashion editorial from the November 2012 UK Harper's Bazaar, it makes me think about just that. All those long warm coats and chunky sweaters. This fashion spread knows what's coming. Good thing I just picked up a couple new coasts from ASOS. We'll see if I'll be as warm as this model looks.

What I Wore: On The Road Edition

Now, I don't know how obvious I've made this so far, but I'm a huge book nerd. I collect novels and read, probably to a fault. Which is why I was excited to find out that one of the most popular beat novels was being turned into a movie. On the Road is not one of my favorite novels, but it sure is entertaining and when I found this shirt from Out of Print Clothing, it had such a cool design I just had to add it to my wardrobe.

Tuesday Inspiration: Brocade for the Holidays

Now that we've finished stuffing ourselves after Thanksgiving, it's time to start hunting for that perfect holiday dress. I'm not ready to commit to anything yet, and I have a relatively small budget to work in, but there's nothing wrong with a little window shopping is there?

In perusing the internet for ideas, I found that one of fall's RTW 2012 trends would make the perfect holiday outfit: brocade!

Monday Design: Icelandic Warmth

After taking a much needed holiday break from the world of the bloggies, I am back in action! Did you miss me? Well I've been sitting around plotting and planning on how to finish off the year, so hopefully it'll be a good one. Stay tuned!

After having a (mostly) restful week full of the three f's (friends, family, food), it probably makes perfect sense that the interior design schemes and photography that have been catching my eye this week all involved very relaxed looking, yet still lived in spaces. This tiny home in Iceland is exactly that.

Thursday Tutorial: Last Minute Fall Leaf Garland

I kind of snoozed on decorating for fall and Thanksgiving this year after all my excitement decorating for Halloween, but I still wanted a little something up and I thought that a garland would be the easiest way to do that. Also, I'm completely obsessed with garlands. Why? Who knows. Is "they're pretty" not a good enough answer? Anyway, I had all this fall leaf colored felt laying around in my fabric stash and decided that would be my easy solution: A Fall Leaf Garland!

What I Wore: The Thigh High Edition

Don't I look mad today? It was starting to rain and I was trying to get this shoot done as fast as possible so forgive me for looking so moody. Anyway, today's focus is thigh highs! Fun right? Okay so I recently got another tattoo and it happens to be on my thigh (no close ups but you can see a glimpse below) and I realized that healing it while wearing leggings or tights might be kind of annoying. However, it's also getting pretty cold here in Chicago so going bare legged is not an option for the chronically cold. My solution? Thigh highs, naturally. 

Monday Design: Industrial Mood

As you can probably tell by all the other interior design post on this blog, I'm an exposed brick, rustic farm elements kind of gal. However, this doesn't mean that I can't appreciate or enjoy clean modern lines. The inner hoarder in me just happens to prefer a more cluttered design scheme. Finding this industrial inspired home was one of those moments that pulled my out of my usual design aesthetic.

MadMen Fashion Event in Chicago

A few weeks ago I told you guys about a few fashion events going on in Chicago for what is basically Chicago's Fashion week. I only ended up going to the one that my friend was showing at, but it was a ton of fun! I tried to take some pictures of the amazingly lavish Blackstone hotel, but of course I'm not photographer and I don't have a flash cube on my camera. But I did the best that I could with what I have.

What I Wore: The Fall Florals Edition

I'm a little obsessive when it comes to florals. As in florals comprise almost my entire collection of prints. That's why I always have a little internal battle in the fall and winter, because I feel like florals are for spring and summer. Otherwise, they usually just seem out of place.

Monday Design: Unfinished Wood Dinner Table

It's no secret that I am obsessed with anything that has a rustic style to it - exposed brick, high wood beams on the ceilings. I mean, move me into a refinished barn already, right? Well, lately what's been catching my eye has been these massive unfinished wood dining room tables. Have you seen them? You must have. They're everywhere it seems like, which is only working to further ignite my buyer's lust for them. Of course, even if I did have the money to buy or make one of these gorgeous pieces, I'd have absolutely no where to put one. Sigh. One day, right?

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Sunday Moment of Zen: Chicago Lovin'

Happy Sunday! I found this great little timelapse video of my home sweet home Chicago comprised of over 30,000 photographs from around the city. For those of you who have never been to Chicago, this video shows a lot of my favorite parts. For those of you that have, enjoy!

Photo Friday: Cowgirl Fashion

I am super drawn in to any kind of cowgirl or western style. I think it's because I've never really been out west so it all seems so mysterious to me. Is this really what ranch hands look like? Probably not, but damn Elle France made living life on the farm look appealing.

What I Wore: Happy Halloween!

I love Halloween. It is by far my favorite holiday. I mean you get to play dress up along with all your friends, watch lots of scary movies, and eat more candy in one night than you normally do all year. What's not to love? Since Halloween falls on my usual day to post an outfit of the day, I thought this would be more than appropriate. So Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you eat candy until you make yourself sick and dress goofy today!

Monday Design: Free Form Castle

Have you ever wished you lived in a castle? I think a lot of children always imagine what it would be like to live in a castle, I know I did. But a lot of times, even now, I think of castels as big stone buildings with large tapestries on the walls and fireplaces in every room because they don't have any other systems of heating installed. In most cases, every time I've been to visit a "castle" it have been like this because they've all be the ancient leftovers of some royal family that hasn't existed in hundreds of years. So when I saw this home of Prince Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia I realized that it was the perfect modern day castle.

What I Wore: The Running Errands Edition

No one believes me when I say I don't do sweat pants or that I hardly wear jeans, even when just running errands on a lazy Sunday. Well here's the proof! This outfit post was a last minute throw together since I had my camera and was running errands and working around the house. This was what I actually woke up and put on to do laundry in. It has not been staged and no animals were harmed in the shooting of this outfit post. Thank you.

Tuesday Trendspotting: Birch Woody Design

Birch, birch, birch, birch, BIRCH! I love it. I think it's such a cool looking tree. The wood patterns are just so different from other trees that they really do lend well to new designs in fashion and interiors. I've seen an amazing birch print wallpaper for a while now, but lately it seems like I've been seeing the white and black pattern everywhere. I'm thinking that I might need this iPhone case or these pretty vases for my apartment.

Monday Design: Tiny Apartment Style

First thing first. New look on the blog! I am working on updating the look of the site so bare with me please! There are still some small alterations I want to make before it'll be all done, but when it is I hope you like it!

Now, I often think that I need a bigger place because my little one bedroom can feel fairly cramped at times, but what I'm starting to realize is that what I really need is less stuff. Or better storage, but less stuff is probably the best solution. There are a ton of awesome small apartment designs out there, but they all seem to have that one thing in common. This apartment is no exception. Where do people hide all their stuff?

Sunday Moment of Zen: Guide to Life (in 10 Steps)

Not that I want to be the crazy cat lady, but I'm a crazy cat lady so check this out. It's for anyone that needs a little reminder to take a step back and enjoy life. Hope you're having a great Sunday!



BRETON'S GUIDE TO LIFE (in 10 steps) from Ariel Belziti on Vimeo.

Thursday Tutorial: Hot Pink Home Decor DIY

I've been in the process of making my apartment a home for a little bit now. Slowly but surely it's all coming together! Oh course my appetite is constantly bigger than my wallet, so I've been finding cheap ways to creatively decorate my apartment. This hot pink and gold serving tray set way my first attempt at doing just that and I was really happy with how it turned out so I'm sharing this little tutorial for it with you guys!

What I Wore: The Fall Color Blocking Edition

Color blocking is not my strong suit. It seems so simple right? A few colors on top of each other, no problem. Wrong. I think I own too many prints to successfully color block at any point. However, I do love the way that large blocks of color can bring an outfit to life all on their own. Color blocking is the one trend that I always feel stand perfectly on it's own and needs limited accessories (shocking, I know). So how do I color block? I cheat. And you can too!

Happy Blog-o-versary + a Giveaway!

Giveaway closed: Winner announced at the bottom. Thank you to everyone who entered and keep your eyes peeled for another giveaway soon! 

Oh how time flies. It's crazy to think that I've been writing on this little thing for a year now. I honestly thought that it would be a passing fancy and I'd give up on it after a few months, but once you sink your teeth into a blog it's really hard to give it up after all the work that goes into it. So here I am! One year later and still fumbling around trying to figure out what this blog is all about. I'm so thankful for all of you that have been stopping in and reading posts and making comments! You've been keeping my love of blogging going and I hope that in the past year I've brought you all some entertainment.

To thank you all for sticking along with all my shenanigans I wanted to do a tiny blog giveaway.

Monday Design: Design is in the Details

I have an immense fascination with interior photography. Mostly I think this is because I just love photography in general, but interior photography is of a whole different level. Shooting inside is extremely difficult for me and I love admiring the work of those who can do it and do it really well, like David Prince.

Photo Friday: Marie Claire Australia - October

I love looking at fashion editorials from around the world. The only problem is I'm in full fall/winter mode right now, but I love this spring layout in the Australian October issue of Marie Claire.

What I Wore: The Grown Up Leopard Print Edition

It's not a secret that I love leopard print - at least it shouldn't be at this point - so me wearing a leopard print dress on the blog isn't really news. However, this leopard print dress is particularly important to me as it's my second piece of "grown-up" leopard print.

Monday Design: Lovely London Loft

Oh holy brown. This lovely London loft is definitely not lacking in the brown category, but I love every bit of it. Of course, it's constructed with exposed brick walls and extremely high ceilings complete with wood beams. Basically, everything I love.

Photo Friday: Then and Now - The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake

A while back I had a long conversation with a friend about photography, art, and photoshop. He didn't understand how photography could be considered art, especially when you manipulate the images within photo editing software. Well my friend, this is where photoshop meets art.

These images, masterfully combined, by Shawn Clover that I found here are absolutely how you create art with photoshop. Clover merged vintage images from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake with present day images of the same locations. Now, this isn't a new concept. In fact, I featured a similar play with new and old images here. However, it's the way that he combines these photos that really got me. I love how Clover almost painted in the old image over the new landscape so that the edges fade and you're not looking at a square cut-out but a fluid piece. It took me a second for some of these to even realize that they were two separate photos. Some just look like portions were colored in black and white.

Fashion Focus Chicago 2012

It's coming. It's coming! IT'S COMING!

Are you ever jealous of New York, Paris, Milan, and London because they get all the cool fashion events and runway shows? Well you should be. BUT, I have good news. Fashion Focus Chicago is coming in just a few short weeks! I'll be there. Will you be there? I'll be there.

My very talented and wonderful friend Jessica is showing in a MadMen competition on the 16th of October and I will most definitely be there. If you're local you should come by! It's not free unfortunately, but the gift bag should be well worth the $40 ($35 if you're a student) and it'll just be all great fun! Find the details here. 

Naturally, I want to go to all the events, but since I am a lowly editor I have to only pick a few. So if you want to stop in and say hi and join me on the fun you'll find me StyleChicago Art Fashion event on Friday the 19th as well. Why? Because it sounds like great fun! 

If you live in Chicago or the Chicagoland area come, drink, play, and be dazzled! 

I hope to see some of you at Fashion Focus Chicago! 

What I Wore: The Vintage Dots Edition

It's been a while since I've done one of these check-what's-in-my-shop outfit posts so I thought I might be due for one. This dress is an awesome one I picked up and it's awesome for two reasons: 1. The fit is fantastic for pear shapes like myself and perfectly professional if you work in an office. 2. It's a little daring in that it's both polka dots and stripes in one dress, so if you're intimidated by mixing patterns (like I am sometimes) this dress does the hard part for you.

Photo Friday: Fall Opulence

Oh they are laying the jewels on thick for this coming holiday season. If you haven't checked out any fall 2012 fashion editorials yet it's possible you haven't seen it, but oh it's there. Get ready to be encrusted in gems and gold. Don't get me wrong, I am very, very happy about this. Cover me in feathers and jewels. It's on.

Monday Design: Living on LSD

This house holds a special place in my heart because it's right here in Chicago and I walk / drive/ ride by it frequently. And yes, you can too! It's very interesting looking from the outside. The exterior is entirely modern with clean lines, large windows, and protruding levels. The architecture is really something to take in, but it's also surrounded by greenery with a park right across the street. The modern facade is masked by large trees making this pretty imposing building something that you could easily pass by without a second glance. Luckily, I glance at all buildings.

Photo Friday: Take Me Back in Time

Oh this week. I am ready to call it quits. I need some hot chocolate and a good long nap. Unfortunately, I've had little to no time to stare at my Google reader and discover awesome new artists this week. So in an effort to get back to something easy and simple, how about some pretty retro imagery just for a brain break today? Well, they're pretty to me, but you know how I feel about both rustic and retro ;)

via Flickr

What I Wore: The Magnificent Mile Edition

Oh Chicago, you manage to steal my heart again and again. Maybe it's been the weather getting slightly cooler and the fall items hanging in all the shops on Michigan Ave, but I've been loving going downtown and walking around the city. It's reminded me how lucky I am to live in such a fun and dynamic city. And that I love hot chocolate.

Tuesday Trendspotting: Fashion-gasm

Fashion-gasm is the only way I can appropriately describe this SS13 collection from Julien Macdonald. It's hard to not think ahead and stay focused on being excited about tweed and pumpkin spice lattes with New York fashion week just behind us. I have so many favorites, but I really hate jumping ahead so much when I've only just started shopping for fall. However, this collection really caught my eye. Something about the severity of the model's hair and make-up against the long flowy dresses instantly made me fall in love. I mean one of these dresses actually looks like it's on fire. How fun would that be on your next night out?

Monday Design: White and Brown Interiors

Ah white wall inspiration. Ever since I decided that I'm going to repaint my technicolor apartment and just make the walls white again, I've been scouring the internet for white wall interiors. I do love color, but I guess there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Can you believe it? Well I have to repaint my apartment if I'm ever going to move out anyway, so I figured I might as well do it while I have the chance. But I've become obsessed with the idea of having white walls with wood trim, just like most old Chicago apartments do. Alas, inspiration for white interiors with brown details!

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Photo Friday: Two for One

I am in love with every single one of these prints by artist Tang Yau Hoong. Every single one. I've always been a fan of art that masterfully plays with perception and negative space, but these are also kitschy, fun, and whimsical. I love the idea of playing with all of the space visually instead of leaving some empty. It always gives your eye two different world to look at. Anyway, hope you're having a happy Friday!

What I Wore: The Office Edition

Dressing for the office when it's hot out is difficult (especially if you sit in traffic for an hour in a car with no air conditioning). But somehow, I've got to do it. This one is probably my favorite to the office outfit for the summer. It's light and fun but classic and office appropriate at the same time.