Weekend in Instagram

four new amazing women joined team everygirl this week as spring writing interns. danielle and i are finally getting the hang of having help and we even prepared and had a little treat waiting for them on their first day. birchboxes, rifle paper co. notepads, hot pink le pens from design darling's shop, and our go-to anthropologie monogrammed mugs. we had them trained and efficiently working in no time!

i was able to make it to my friend allison's engagement party on friday night despite the sad sad state of tuck (who was not left home alone unsupervised, i assure you). allison is the first of my close friends to wed and the first friend wedding i'm standing up to, so it was really exciting to all come together my best ladies to simply celebrate and have a great time. friday's event was like a mini wedding complete with sit down dinner and dance floor. after that hefty glass of wine, i was finally able to relax a little given the previous day's event. granted i did have to duck out early to get back to my furry friend.
 

the office is almost done... still have to repaint but all of the other elements have pretty much come together. i realized what was missing from the gallery wall was more PINK. hot pink. so i added this canvas print from birdaria. you feel me? i feel you. much better i think.

and to give you all an update on mr. tuck. he went into the vet for a follow-up on saturday at which point his drain came out and bandages came off. we tried the tshirt method of preventing him from licking his wounds instead of the cone. he reminded me of an 80s teenager complete with tied-up baggy shirt and bad perm. alas, that wily dog wiggled his snout into the top hole of the shirt and got at them, so the cone is back. but he's healing well and feeling much better!

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my week in 5 photos

Here's a sneak peek from an amazing photo shoot Danielle and I produced on behalf of Fizz56 sparkling wine for The Everygirl. We called on the talented John and Maura Stoffer to photograph it, and we had all of our very talented and hard-working interns, Annie, Elizabeth, and Isabella on hand. Because I know someone will ask, the green napkins are Stone Textile, the stemless champagne flute is BHLDN, and the pink trimmed plates are from West Elm.

The new Anthropologie catalog arrived. That tutu is taunting me.

Small fall vignette on the coffee table. Succulents are from A New Leaf and the antler candlestick holders from West Elm.

As much as I love my cozy, relaxing nights in, I am antsy to get back into working out. I attended a Core Power Yoga Sculpt class in Lakeview last year with my best friend and loved it. But never found time to go back... shocker. Well, a new location just opened up near our new place and it's no where near as crowded. The first month is only $80 for unlimited classes, which is an awesome deal considering I spent $20 on the single class I went to last night. Hopefully returning soon (tonight?), w/ my hot pink Takeya water bottle in hand. And how fancy are those locker rooms? I felt like I was in a spa.

Finally, a quick snapshot of today's outfit because I love, love, love dressing for fall. And I finally went back to Anthro and got that beaded collar necklace. I paired it with my hunter green Zara pants, chunky wool sweater, and my new Clarks boots.

Remember: you can win a pair of the Clarks boots by voting for my styled look here!

Happy weekend all!

quite possibly the best weekend of the year (birthday recap!)

the birthday festivities technically began thursday evening when these polka dotted delights arrived on my doorstep! thank you, papa bear! shown here on my striped rug from layla grayce.

then on friday, october 5 (officially my 27th bday), my best friend lauren took me out to lunch at my favorite mexican restaurant - uncle julio's hacienda. surprise sopapillas! it was a rainy day so i sported my ali ro anorak, of course (i'm obsessed).

Mike came back from work with the most beautiful (and huge!) arrangement of flowers for me!
(the pink rug is from rugsUSA.com - I'm obsessed and always get asked about it!)

and Mike's family had this tasty dozen delivered to my home! vanilla, chocolate, and red velvet from sprinkles. so thoughtful! these were a hit at my game night!

romantical dinner date for two at one of my favorite French restaurants - Mon Ami Gabi in Lincoln Park. get the filet with red wine reduction. melts in your mouth.

followed by game night at my place! it was a large group so instead of my favorite board games, we played celebrity and drank a lot of wine. for those wondering, the striped flats are madewell.

it was the first time many of my friends were seeing our new place, so i wanted to create a nice ambiance! i decorated with gourds, pumpkins, yellow flowers, and candlelight. it was cozy and lovely. my new antler candlesticks from west elm were a perfect addition.

saturday my girlfriends and i headed to new buffalo, michigan for some r&r - if you've never been, it's a charming lake town just an hour and some change outside chicago. a little wine tasting at tabor hill, a hearty dinner, late night cocktails and chit chat. work often gets in the way of me hanging out, so it was great fun catching up and spending quality time with my best friends.

how beautiful is this winery? it's called round barn and we arrived just as they were closing, so we are planning on heading back w/ all the boys around christmas when it looks extra beautiful!

sunday i returned home and settled in on the couch with mike for a long day of football and fall ambiance! obsessed with this pumpkin souffle candle - a gift from danielle! and note i took the two oversized white hydrangea (i swear they must have been on steroids) out of the huge bouquet mike gave me and created a separate arrangement. two for one. awesome.

monday morning. back to work but not without a hot treat. loving my new crossbody bag from k.slademade and fair isle glittens i picked up in michigan.

Birthday Weekend Loot

Kate Spade ball hat / Kate Spade glitter bow belt / Kate Spade leather gloves / pumpkin souffle candle by Lumin Candles / k.slademade crossover bag in brown / wee heart ring in rose gold from Anthropologie / tippi sweater in shocking pink Paris in Color book  / Cupcake chardonnay / antler candlestick holders from West Elm / Kate Spade polka dot pumps 

Quite possibly the best weekend of the year. Thank you to everyone who made it so special!

Life in Instagram

I went to my favorite art supplies store in the city, Blick, to pick up some items for styling projects. I thought this paper would make a beautiful wallpaper.

Did you see yesterday's Everygirl feature on cooking with seasonal blood oranges? Hands down one of the most beautiful features to date. Danielle's photography is gorgeous, and I am quite proud of the simple graphics if I do say so myself. Not to mention I was there to style this shoot so I got to taste everything. Delish. Our contributing food editor Lara Matos knows what she's doing in the kitchen.

Attended a baby boy shower so I thought this navy Tippi sweater and my favorite Zara pants in teal were apropos.

Spotted this bright geometric rug while in Land of Nod. It would definitely work in any space - living room, office, dining room - not just a child's bedroom. I've found similar things at surprising resources, like PB Teen and Restoration Baby and Child.

I officially need glasses. When I drive around at night, the lights are all fuzzy and I can barely read street signs. Not good. Thoughts on these frames by Lookmatic? They're called The Apprentice and are very reasonably priced. Please excuse the hair.

While I stared at a computer nonstop last week, I'd receive lovely little texts from the boy who was enjoying a much prettier view in Colorado. Not fair.

Fortunately this beauuuuteous bouquet arrived at my doorstep from a good friend as a belated congratulations on launching The Everygirl. Made my desktop view worth looking at!

This weekend I also enjoyed my favorite new beverage, Jarritos.

Hung out with Petunia.

And on Sunday night, my friend and I attended celebrity chef Curtis Stone's party at my favorite restaurant, Paris Club. Curtis was in town for the International Home and Housewares Show promoting his new line of kitchenware, and his group rented out the restaurant, offering guests... and I quote from the invite...
"20 gallons of champagne
50 black truffles
150 pork bellies
50 lbs slowly braised beef
300 oysters
40 lbs king crab
1 dash of dj."

There was also plenty of wine and mojitos. Sign me up.

Mmm... oysters on the half shell. Slurp.

Curtis Stone shaving Italian truffles over a risotto. Holy hell that was tasty.

Fun times. My friend and I with the man of the hour. Curtis always seemed really nice onscreen, and it was refreshing to see that he was just as genuine in person.

So that's that. How was your weekend?!