Take It Easy

Whatever this means to you right now--  making time for a little more relaxing, stressing a little less… I hope you have a rejuvenating weekend.  Make space in your life for something you've been wanting to do.  Treat yourself!

Family Portrait Challenge // 2

I have two family portraits for this month's challenge because I really couldn't decide which to post.  I love Poesy's face in the first one and the second one is SO us.  I need my slow morning routine and my coffee before I'm ready to do ANYTHING.  ;)

You can see January's portrait right here.
Are any of you playing along or doing something similar?  It's not too late to jump in!

Put On Your Dancing Shoes + A Giveaway!-- CLOSED

Here's a secret about me: anytime I see purple velvet ANYTHING I will automatically love it.  Purple velvet reminds me of Prince, so it will always be cool in my mind.  Because really, who is cooler than Prince?  That was a rhetorical question in case you were wondering.  I already know the answer.  ;)

Dress: ℅ ModCloth;  Cardigan: H&M;  Purse: Bali ELF;  Tights: ModCloth (last season);  Boots: ℅ ShoeMint

I'm pretty smitten with these boots from ShoeMint.  They recently partnered up with Aldo, which means better quality manufacturing and designs.  I'm for it.  I've been trying to be a little more mindful of acquiring higher quality shoes and purses these days, not just because they last a lot longer, but because they are typically much more comfortable.

Here's a little bit more about ShoeMint, in case you aren't already familiar:
ShoeMint is a members-only website that it totally free to use.  They use real leather and suede in their designs and offer free shipping and returns.  New styles are added monthly based on the newest trends.  Sounds good, right?  I think so!

ShoeMint is offering one winner a pair of shoes of their choice!  All you have to do is sign up for ShoeMint and comment here letting me know which pair is your favorite!  Super easy!  

The winner for this giveaway is:

This giveaway is for US and Canada residents only (sorry, international friends!).  I will choose the winner on Wednesday, March 5th and announce shortly after.  Good luck!!

**ShoeMint is offering 20% off your first purchase!  Just click right here to get going!

Etsy Love

Kimono by She Vamps;  Moongirl print by Caitlin Shearer;  Cloud Clutch by Studio Nono;  Himmeli pendants by Panselinos

I feel like this is an Etsy grouping that Stevie Nicks would be proud of.  I hope you are all getting a great start to the week!

Just A Little

Spring paid us a little visit this weekend, and it felt nothing less than perfect.  The beginning of each season is always so refreshing, so getting this little taste of wonderful weather made us appreciate just walking around our neighborhood and eating meals outside all the more.  It has been a long winter (as I'm sure many of you have experienced) and this break in the cold was much needed.

So, our first Dinner Club guests were wonderful and I can't wait to do it again soon.  If this is something you are considering, I highly recommend it.  (And if you don't know what I'm talking about, check out my last post.)  Having a great night with friends is all the motivation I needed to set a date with our next round of guests.  I tried my hand at baked falafel tacos that night and they were really good.  I've never baked falafel before and the consistency was a little crumbly, but once you put it in a taco you don't even notice anymore.  Although, trying new recipes on new guests is always a little scary.  ;)

I hope you all had a wonderful and refreshing weekend!

*My shirt and dress are from ModCloth, shoes from NastyGal, and socks from Tabbisocks.

Weekly Wears: Bob's Burgers

Okay, okay… I'm not ACTUALLY claiming that anything on this page is a great as Bob's Burgers.  BUT, I do love that show.

Shirt: ℅ Choies;  Jeans: ℅ ModCloth;  Backpack: RustyCuts;  Boots: ℅ ModCloth

I've started this little notebook recently that I have titled "Dinner Club".  Basically, I was tired of being a bad friend and always meaning to have people over for dinner, so I have a list going of everyone I want to have over for dinner.  I mean, yeah we're busy, but you make time for the things that are important, and I would like for my friends to know that quality time with them is VERY important to me.  Our first guests are coming over tomorrow night and I couldn't be more thrilled!  There will be a quick round of "hurry, shove that in your closet" at some point in the day (our house is never entirely clean), but I think it will be a good night.  :)

How about you?  Do you have any fun weekend plans ahead of you?

Sucre "You and Me"

Johnny and I had the pleasure of playing a small role in the new Sucre cover of "You and Me" by Penny and the Quarters.  I just FINALLY mustered the guts to watch Blue Valentine after we did this video, and man... I know I'm late to the game, but what a beautiful and heartwrenching movie.  *sniff*
Anyway, you should check out the video shot by our friend Brandon Goodwin.  It was a ton of fun to be a part of this.

Disposable Camera Challenge

I use to always carry a disposable camera around with me, tucked away in my purse.  It was so fun to spend months using up one roll of film and getting the surprise "oh I forgot I snapped that" shots during developing.  I've gotten out of the habit of doing this lately, and I'm ready for it again.  Instead of simply just mentioning it here, I thought it would be fun to create a Disposable Camera Challenge in case anyone wants to play along.  Here are some simple guidelines:

*Keep a disposable camera in your purse/bag/coat pocket/etc any time you go out.  This is not meant to replace your "real" camera or your iPhone, only an extra little memory keeper.
*Don't snap all in one place!  The fun of not being able to see what you're snapping comes at the end when you have photos from all kinds of different events and places.  I would suggest limiting to 2 snaps in one situation, but it's your camera so do what you want.  ;)
*Don't be afraid of flash/nighttime photography.  I think that's part of what makes a throw away camera great-- you don't have to be worried about graininess or laser eyes from the flash.  That's part of the charm!

What do you think?  Anyone want to play along?  It will take us all probably a month or two to fill one up, so the pay off will take a awhile.  Once I get photos developed, I'll definitely share (and would love it if you did, too)!  I'm excited to be doing this again-- it's going to be fun!

(I've gotten a few questions about where to get photos developed-- I get mine developed at Walgreens, but if you don't have one in your area there are definitely online options!)

Snapshots + Valentines Day

After Valentines lunch- Poe was ready for nap time // Cheerful flowers in my swan teapot // "Look, Mama, I don't hab a hand" // Pretty things at Aviary // I brought Spring to my living room because I just couldn't wait any longer.  ;)

On Valentines Day, Hope woke up before everyone and cooked us all breakfast.  There were fresh corn muffins, strawberries and raspberries, and handmade valentines.  To say it was sweet would be an understatement.  She is a gem.
In the afternoon we took the girls with us on our Valentines lunch date.  Last year Johnny and I went out for the first time in YEARS on V-day, and it was so crazy we opted for a lunch date this year.  Johnny and Hope ended the night with a heart shaped pizza (much, much later).  It was a really sweet day as always.  No complaints over here.  :)

I've gotten sick all over again and I actually gave myself a "sick day" yesterday.  As someone who works from home and can SEE the piles of work waiting on me, this felt like a big deal.  Of course, I still went supplies shopping, so I really took MOST of a sick day.  ;)

I hope your week is getting off to a good start!  I'm going to go drink some tea and tackle this day!

Projecteo

I've seen these adorable little Projecteo projectors around the web here and there, and I knew how much the girls would get a kick out of it!  Seeing their photos projected on the wall definitely earned that little gal amazement.  Plus, it totally reminded me of my grandpa and his old slides of the family.  I LOVED hearing all the stories behind each slide and seeing photos of my mom and her siblings and my older cousins.

If you aren't totally familiar with this little gadget, basically, you choose your photos and they stick them in a slide reel and you project it with this palm-sized projector.  The best part for us was Poesy being able to use it without it breaking!

(I tried to capture the wall projections, but low light photography is a little tricky!)

If you are interested in acquiring one of your own, here is a code for $5 off for you and a $5 credit for me: FRIEND0A01
After you order your first Projecteo, you'll have your own code to share and earn rewards for more wheels!

Is this something you or your family would get a kick out of?  I could see this being a really fun gift for a parent or grandparent.

Will You Be My Valentine?

I asked this Valentine to brave the FREEZING COLD with me earlier this week, because it is so rare that we get pictures the two of us.  Sure, there are the every-once-in-a-while couple selfies, but I thought it would be nice to get a snap or two with the "real" camera.  Or, the "dad" camera, if you will.  (FOTC, anyone?)  Anyway, he obliged, so I popped that tripod right up and ran back and forth like a crazy person, trying to make it before the timer went off WITHOUT getting loads of snow in my shoes.  The things we do for pictures, huh?  I don't care.  These are precious and worth it and I'm happy we did.  Sidenote: must remember to order a remote...

Here are a few more snaps of this amazing dress (that I WILL be wearing again today on V-day) made by 23 Skidoo.  I love every single one of Courtney's dresses and I am so happy to finally own one of my very own!

Dress: 23 Skidoo;  Tights: ℅ ModCloth;  Shoes: NastyGal;  Heart Clip: Ban.do;  Clutch: Gift Shop Brooklyn

I hope you all have a really wonderful Valentines Day.  I hate that it's this weird, alienating day for a lot of people.  No matter who you are and where you are in life right now, I hope every single one of you has a day filled with people you love who love you back.