Rubber Ducky Invites

Sweet lil Stephen's momma had a very specific vision for her baby boy's 1st birthday party invitations.  After scouring the internet and coming up short, she reached out to me to help create a custom invitation that would go with the party's vintage, "ducky" theme.  Love it, right up my alley.  I put together the design, hand assembled the cards, pre-cut the matching envelope tags and sent them off.  Stephen's momma added the picture, raffia ribbon and sent me a copy...





You can't really go wrong with a picture like this.  So stinking cute!!

J.Crew Pink Bow Belt.

I loved the girly pink bow belt paired with these basic blue chinos and green sweater from J.Crew's Spring 2012 Catalog right away. The colors are just so cheery and the peachy/orange lip... love.



So I was pumped to find the exact same belt at Forever21 for $3. No joke, such a proud moment.


(The lighting in this picture makes it look a lot darker than it is)

I've thrown it on with bright random colors, as well as jeans and neutrals and it makes my boring, printless outfits way more fun! Unfortunately, I don't see the belt available online but there were a ton in the store (Cherry Creek).

More importantly, this is the day my sister arrives from Melbourne to meet her niece for the first time. We have Winslow in her horseshoe printed dress for the occassion. Safe travels Mae, we are counting down the minutes till you get here :)

{ Photo Credit: J.Crew Catalog Spring 2012 }

BRIGHT jeans.

Is anyone else living in obnoxiously bright colored jeans right now?



You know you're wearing them too much, when the cashier at Whole Foods says, "Where's your baby today? I always remember you and your bright jeans."

Both are from The Gap and surprisingly go with a ton in my closet. I didn't want to splurge on a pair that I may not get much use out of so these were a score at $59-69. I still need a pair of electric blue and The Gap doesn't carry a pair quite as bright as I need them :)

Baby Girl's 1st Easter!

I had grand plans for this lil lady's first Easter, but then realized dying eggs was a terrible idea for a 6 mo. old and an egg hunt would work best when she's walking. And between the house hunting, family coming into town and new projects at work, Easter was pulled together kind of last minute. It looked a little like this...






These bunnies were a heinous brown color... nothing a little white high gloss spray paint couldn't fix. Of course.




Sorry girl, just paper maché eggs this year. Goodie-filled eggs next year, promise!






Asparagus & Gruyere Tart


My first attempt at a souffle!


Fresh Strawberry Cream Cake


Flowers for Winslow from Uncle James!


A DIY attempt at the Moss Letter from Restored Style

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter with family and friends. We were missing everyone in Rochester, Florida, Michigan, Amsterdam, Australia, San Diego, Boston, South Carolina, Virginia, San Francisco... and on and on. Lots of Easter love to you all!

Breakfast Power Smoothie

I'm always craving a delicious smoothie, and this one is just that... DE-LI-CIOUS. It's from my current go-to, Elana's Pantry. Great recipes for all meals.

Breakfast Power Smoothie

1 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 cup coconut water

1 tbsp creamy roasted almond butter

5 drops vanilla creme stevia

1 scoop egg white protein powder

1 tbsp ground chia seeds

3 ice cubes

Combine strawberries, coconut water, almond butter and stevia in a blender and blend on high. Blend in protein powder and ground chia seeds, then blend in ice cubes until smooth. Serve! I added a little whole milk and went lighter on the stevia for a creamy, less sweet version.

We've removed grains, legumes and refined sugar from our household for the past 1.5 months. Almost Paleo with the addition of raw dairy. So this hits the spot while staying true to this "lifestyle" change. It's so delicious and filling, you'll want to make it every morning.

{ Photo Credit: elanaspantry.com}

Wedding Details.

I'm a little disappointed in myself for taking 6 months to post the pictures from this STUNNING Atherton, CA wedding.

I was so excited and honored to be asked to help with the wedding printed materials, which consisted of a menu, program, table numbers, escort cards, welcome signs, guest bag tags/agenda/letter from the bride & groom. They looked beautiful surrounded by all of the wedding details and provided such a personalized touch. Bravo to the Carter ladies for putting together a simply stunning wedding. I would expect nothing less from this crew.

Did I mention, I hand drew the map? A very proud moment for me :)

This photo was taken myself.

And a BIG thank you to Adi Nevo, who photographed this wedding and provided me with these shots. You're amazing. I could look at the rest of the wedding photos all day. But I won't, Beth, that's creepy. Congrats Beth & Greg! Hope you're enjoying married life!

{ Photo Credit: adinevo.com }

For the mommas...

This Love Letter to Motherhood was just sent to me (literally 5 minutes ago) by a friend and fellow mommy. It's too good not to share with the mommas out there. I love every single word of it and couldn't have said what was in my heart any better.

What is motherhood but the very best chance to learn what you are made of? It will strip you down to nothing. Make you doubt yourself a thousand times. And it will make you roar with a fierceness you’ve never before seen. It will search your heart for your greatest fears and the bravest of all your intentions and set them out on display.

It breaks you. It saves you. It steals the girl you were. All of her. You’ll never sleep like her or be as carefree as she once was, but she’d never believe the courage or the selflessness she’ll one day possess in you. Motherhood replaces her with someone who understands love on a level the girl you were never could.

It’s okay to sometimes wish you could go back and live a day in her shoes. A day to bask in the decadence of irresponsibility. But if she could look forward: If she could see herself tested, how her fears have been faced, how the question “Am I strong enough to survive this?” is answered with a resounding yes, time after time. She’d feel damn proud to become the woman that awaits her.

~Melissa

Mommyhood is amazing :)

Zara Online

I have to take advantage of the short breaks I get from Baby Girl that aren't spent working and the last thing I want to do is spend that time shopping at the mall. I end up missing her after 30 minutes and end up coming home anyways. So, all of my shopping has been online, even for the littlest things like lotion, baby wipes, chapstick (LipSmackers since 5th grade!) 75% of the time it gets returned because it doesn't fit right, terrible fabric, cut wrong, etc. But when my Zara shipment arrived yesterday, it was like Christmas... I loved everything!!

These shorts are so stinking cute on, I will be living in them this summer. They can go casual paired with a tee and sandals or flats and looks so chic dressed up with heels and a blazer.

I've been searching for a trench FOREVER. My hubbs is so sick of hearing about it :) But can't bring myself to spend the $1000+ on the Burberry trench I've been coveting when there are diapers to be purchased. I've come home with one from Anthropologie, Banana, Nordies, but they all looked kind of... blah. So I was pumped that this one fit so well. It's the perfect length, fitted instead of frumpy, and I love the way the collar stays up. And this tee should be a staple in everyone's closet. It's longer, fitted, soft and only $9.90.

Pleated Shorts | $59.90

Trench | $99.90

Tee | $9.90

Ok, enough of this, back to work!

{ Photo Credit: zara.com }

Sucker.

Is anyone else a total sucker when they open up their inbox to 20% Off from Piperlime? Plus the free shipping and returns... dangerous. I wish it wasn't true. But how fun are these...

Schultz | $175

KensieGirl | $59

Schultz | $180

BCBGeneration | $98

Boutique 9 | $130

7 For All Mankind | $235

Can't you picture these with some ankle length bright colored jeans or slim cropped pants?! Love.

For 20% off all pumps, use promo code: PUMP (expires today!)

{Photo Credit: piperlime.com }

Creative, Cool & Stylin'

I'm taking a break from work (yes, on a Friday night) for a quick lil post!

Worboys Design is expanding its team (SO exciting!) and has me pumped up to get back out there to bring in some new business. So naturally and most importantly :) I've been thinking about some amazing outfits to put together for client meetings. Something that says, "I'm creative, cool and stylin" ha! I think being in a creative role makes denim paired with business pieces is totally acceptable.

Love these looks...

Apparently thick rimmed (black or bright yellow!) are a must. I'm in. Hope you all have fun plans for the weekend!

{ Photo Credit: jcrew.com, madewell.com, gap.com }

Happy Day of Love!

Isn't that everyday?! I still took this "holiday" to do a little crafting for my two Valentines :)

I saw this Valentine's Day garland idea at Restored Style (a super cute blog that you MUST start following!) and whipped it together in about 3 minutes! Went a bit earthy this year, because kraft paper is all I had laying around the house :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day and is spoiled with lots of love... today and everyday!

Je T'aime.

Here are a few of my Valentine's Day favs...

Shakespeare's Love Sonnets | $18.95

Chalkboard Heart Labels | $9

Enameled Giraffe Bangle | $98

Savon de Marseille Hand Soap in Wild Rose | $24

Madewell Passenger Clutch | $78

Auspicious Posts "Love" Earrings | $28

French Bulldog Je T'aime Card | $4.50

Michelle Armas Antonia Print | $30

The true test to see if hubby reads my blog every day :)

Random...

Is anyone else as obsessed with Rachel McAdam's outfit on Ellen today, as I am? (This pic is terrible, it's the best I could do!)

Her top is fitted with boning and a perfect, crisp white. And those high waisted magenta pants... die!!!

:)

Back to work!