indian summer

loving this dress from EmersonMade's India collection. that is all!

favorite etsy finds

i thought today that i'd share a roundup of my favorite etsy finds as of late. click on images for their etsy shops. right now, i'm really wanting that WWII era globe. perfect for our little entryway table!

bathing beauties

one shoulder

i just love how one piece bathing suits are coming back in style with a vengeance! these gorgeous numbers are enough to convince me that a one piece might be a good buy before the honeymoon!

black and white

red, black

BHLDN bridesmaids

wow.

that first dress. wow. might have to make an appearance at my wedding.

if you're not in the know yet, BHLDN is anthropologie's wedding line.

so, what do you think ?!

happy weekend!

have any fun plans for the weekend? mine will consist mostly of wedding planning and gorging on chips & salsa, & watching commercials (er... the superbowl). m & i had briefly talked about going night skiing but i have been under the weather so we'll see! i really miss skiing, and have been wanting to go since watching the X-games (who am i?) last weekend.

here are some fun links from around the web:

somehow this makes hitting on a stranger so much more adorable.

these look delicious and would make a great diy wedding favor.

wish i were sunning on the beach here (from one of my favorite photographers). stunning.

rockster taza had her baby! and she's so cute.

as a diy bride, this guide of 'what NOT to diy' is helpful.

cheeky pillow that i secretly love.

i love striped walls. do you?

pretty books + sweet friends

(sparkles and pretending)

i'm getting married on the 11th of june. i have the most amazing friends and sisters (and, therefore, bridesmaids). so, on the 11th of every month, i receive a sweet surprise in the mail: a small gift and a very thoughtful note from one of the women i most love in the world. if you are one of those women, take note: i love you! whichever one of you came up with this grand scheme to make me feel like the luckiest bride: you've done it. i am the luckiest bride.

they know me too well. so far, there has been somewhat of a trend: books. and not just any books but the newly covered, gorgeously gorgeous penguin classics. just look at them. i love them. i can't wait to read pride & prejudice recovered. or the odyssey (or at least parts of it...) recovered. or a christmas carol recovered. they are going to look so pretty on my bookshelf (once i get a bookshelf that is).

of course, what means more to me than the gifts are the notes. handwritten notes are the best, y'all. and, typed notes are a close second - especially if your bridesmaid is in Africa or Italy currently. whenever i get them, they totally make my day. even if it's just a simple hello.

if you're feeling writerly today, i implore you: do it. write a note. they're the best.

finally BHLDN

when natalie sent me a cryptic message displaying a simple url, i had no idea what to expect. but when i clicked on it and the webpage appeared, mimicking a pretty letterpress invitation and fading into gorgeous close-ups of lace and cloth buttons, i knew.

the time has come.

anthro is officially launching their bridal line.

i know; pick me up off the floor.

february 14 (how appropriate) will mark the big day. the wedding line, called BHLDN (pronounced Beholden), will launch online followed by a boutique opening in August of this year. their motto, Be You, Be Loved, is so very Anthro, wouldn't you say? romantic and breathless. i can't wait to see what they've come up with. the website preview is already swoon-worthy. lots of texture, lace, fringey poms, glitz, and glam.

AND it's just in time for my wedding. perhaps i'll be able to pick out a few bridesmaid dresses and accessories for the big day. i'll have to steer my eyes away from the wedding dresses. if only.

BHLDN will be featured in the April issue of The Knot, and, small Cville claim to fame, Easton Events will be coordinating the photo shoot along with Rock, Paper, Scissors, who will be designing the paper products. these two companies are incredibly creative (check them out!), so i'm sure the trio will produce an amazing shoot. and yeah, Charlottesville! i love this town.

you can sign up for their email newsletter here: http://bhldn.com/ and if you have any more insider details, please pass them my way!

oh my word. yes.

ok. ok. i promise this is the last time i will blog about emersonmade... at least for this week. but come on - that bra top, the high skirt, the ballerina messy bun. yes please. tell me it's springtime already.

sarah seven

if i could wear multiple wedding dresses, i would have bought my second dress from sarah seven. i discovered sarah seven the summer before m proposed. she wasn't all that well known then but in the past year, her designs have blown up on the blogosphere. this weekend when i saw a huge, gorgeous ad for her dresses in Unveiled (perhaps my favorite wedding mag), i was reminded how much i love her style. the dresses are flirty and not the least bit fussy. AND the best part is that 5% of the sale goes to the International Justice Mission, which works to free those enslaved by human trafficking, and to Compassion, which feeds needy children. how awesome to have a bit of your wedding benefit others!

too early?

maybe it's just the dreariness of this day, but i'm finding myself already dreaming of spring. so when i stumbled upon (ok, maybe i "stumble" here too often) emersonmade and saw that her new spring collection previews were up, i was thrilled.

ps - that coat is my fave.

amazing paper cuts

oh. my. word.

i LOVE these papercuts. what gorgeous works of art. they are from madebyjulene.com, and (of course) julene is British. her site is chock full of blow-me-away pieces (i could have posted a hundred more pictures) AND she has some available on etsy. i think the above two are my favorites though it's hard to choose. i'm storing this find for upcoming wedding gifts!

book page wreath

remember when i had mentioned that i'd been wanting to make the book wreath featured on the jones design company blog? well... i did it! check out jones design (it's amaaazing!) for full instructions. i have to say, my wreath turned out pretty differently from hers, but i still love it. she said it took her about two hours, but i have to warn you - mine definitely took longer (i think i watched 3 movies over the course of a week or so). and three whole books. and an entire pack of hot glue sticks i had just bought. but - so worth it, don't you think?

i made mine a bit fuller than hers by placing all of the folded book pages close together, overlapping the edges as i went around. i hung it in the hallway for now (please excuse my bad photography!) but i'm thinking it might make a cute decoration at the wedding (especially since m and i love reading together. it represents us well!).

christmas - it's almost here

i can hardly believe christmas is less than a week away. i still have one gift to buy and several to wrap. m and i will be going our separate ways for our last christmas as non-marrieds (crazy!), so i am headed off to chicago later this week and he to north carolina. it's amazing to think that next year, we will be each other's new family. i'm geting excited about starting new traditions with him. this year, we are celebrating together tomorrow with a christmas dinner and some gift opening (i can't wait to see him open his! wish i could tell you what it is).

then my sister and i fly to chicago where we will spend the next week with my mom's side of the family, playing with baby cousins and eating my mom's incredible cooking. we all go over to my aunt's house on christmas eve for a cookie decorating contest (my uncle, who owns this design firm in chicago, always wins.) then head out to church (where we always have a candlelit singing of o' holy night - my favorite). before bed, we all, including adults, get to open one gift from my nana and gampy, and it's always pajamas or slippers to wear to bed that night. (i love the below nightie from jcrew).


do y'all have any christmas traditions? they're my favorite and i would love to learn about yours!

cashmere coat

as i was scouring etsy for some last-minute christmas gifts, i came across this gorgeous coat. i love winter white coats, and this one is all cashmere and silk satin. love the high collar and the bow waist. it only makes sense that the shop is in england.

gifts for baby be

my family has decided to try something new this year with gifts. my mom drew names and matched everyone up in my extended family, so we are buying for just one person. i must have done something really sweet because i got paired with my little, less than a year old, baby cousin Bennett. she's precious and cuddly and everything a sweet little girl should be. i've had the best time finding cute things for her. isn't the little hat above adorable? an etsy find for only $20! click on the images for their source!



these soft toys are perfect for cuddling.



these painted, wooden animals are amazing - the company makes almost every animal imaginable!





and a few stylish accessories to keep baby warm! let me know if you have other suggestions!