music monday.

this week's music monday comes from gotye. don't worry, i'm not posting 'someone i used to know'. that darn song has been overplayed to death. i'm posting a different song from their album, called 'eyes wide open'. it's dance-y and uppity - great for waking you up on a rainy day.

enjoy!

gotye ~ eyes wide open

april's guest blogger!

this month's guest blogger is sally! we randomly found each other via twitter & pinterest because of our similar style and design interests. then i found the blog she shares with her friend fran, and i fell in love. here she tells us about her neck of the woods :)

Originally from Hampshire in the South of England, I’ve now lived in London for *woah* almost six years, and consider myself a true Londoner. I cannot imagine living anywhere else at this stage in my life. I’ve lived in South, West and North London but have happily been living in Islington now for two and a half years, which means it must be pretty good! So I thought I’d share with you what I love about Islington, and also some of the lovely things there that inspire me every day.

The main road through Islington, Upper Street, and all the streets off if for that matter, are filled restaurants and bars, lovely old English pubs and cute little cafés. Squeezed in between are lovely gift shops, some seriously lovely fashion stores, charity shops, art galleries and swoony furniture and design shops. Add to that the most adorable antiques market on Camden Passage, and I can’t really think of anything that Islington is missing. 

The area is surrounded by streets of gorgeous North London houses and pretty greens so its a fab place to mooch around on a sunny day. Personally I think it’s a great go to place when you need to pick up a gift for a friend, or to buy more bits and bobs for your house, which you probably really don’t need! Here are a few of my favourite finds from Islington shops at the moment…

image one, two, three, four, five, six

Oh, and If you’re ever in London, I seriously recommend jumping on the number 30 bus from King’s Cross for a mooch around Islington, and give me a shout if you ever need any tips on London! 

want to know more about sally? check out her blog and beautiful pinterest account! :)

recap friday.

happy friday!

this week's recap friday is shown to you in instagram photos. for those of you who follow me there, you've already seen these [sorry!], but for those of you who don't, enjoy :]

 

  

 

1. domino is back! well, sort of. a special edition issue came out this tuesday :]

2. i actually got out of the house and had coffee with a friend. it was much needed.

3. green tights. [i felt like peter pan, so idk if i'll ever wear them again]

4. maxi skirt & cropped shirt. i thought i looked hipster-y, adam thought i looked pirate-y. tomato, tomahto.

5. the only day of the week that it was sunny and colorful.

6. snuggle bunnies <3 

terrifically thrifty tuesday!

yes, i know it's wednesday - but posting today is better than never, right? :]

these are the goodies i found last week:

gorgeous white, round mirror.

colorful reindeer tablecloth - great for christmas, but pretty enough for year round.

an amazing elephant necklace made in india. i learned that the upwards trunk brings good luck <3 

a black and white tweed house coat. no tag, but looks totally vintage.

grand total?

$28! 

music monday.

happy monday!

take a minute to listen to this fun, upbeat song by the band chappo :]

chappo ~ come home

current obsession.

one word:

BHLDN

yep.

their new store/website has made me want to do crazy things. get married. have a wedding. plan a wedding. decorate a wedding. try wedding dresses on. style a bride. etc. all of their dresses are so romantic, and their decor is so fun and vintage-looking. 

i'm obsessed.

  

look at these amazing gowns - both are greek goddess-y and ethereal, and just down right stunning. there are more, too! have a look. truth? i found my future wedding dress on their site. no joke. i showed my mom & a., and they both said it's 'very me' :]

 

sweet floral bunting and colorful cloth napkins are two of my favorites on their website. i love how all their things look homemade/rustic/vintage - so pretty. what's even better is that everything at bhldn is such great inspiration for those of us who are on a budget! a lot of it is totally d.i.y. worthy.

i just love everything wedding/event related [it's what i went to school for!] and this post has made me contemplate whether or not i should start a wedding-esq tumblr.

so serious question: would anyone read it?


*all images are from BHLDN's website

arts n' crafts time!

chicago is such a great industrial city, filled with tons of inspirational places. one place that a. and i love is called architectural artifacts. their showroom is 80,000 square feet - five levels of pure heaven. it seems like they scoured the globe for abandoned/closed churches, schools or homes, because they carry an abundance of industrial items - pillars, desks, chandeliers, fireplace mantels, etc. we even found an old car!

while we were there, i picked up this cutie from the scrap metal section.   

   

adam was pretty skeptical as to what i would do with it, but i knew right off the bat.

add chalkboard paint!

 

it looks perfect on our dresser, next to our dapper candles :]

i guess it's true what they say - one person's junk is another person's treasure!

rebel.reclaimed.

a couple weeks ago, while a. and i were visiting friends and family back in michigan, we visited a new shop called rebel.reclaimed*. 

i'd been following the shop's page on facebook [and liking every single photo they posted], so i knew i just had to see their space. i was delighted with what i found!

despite it's small size, chip and dann's boutique is chalk-full of reclaimed pieces, as well as amazing designs from independent artists. every nook and cranny has something magical in it - handmade paintings, industrial lamps, mushroom terrariums, and snazzy dishtowels. 

chip told me that every monday they close the store down and spend the day creating everything. what an amazingly inspirational and creative day that must be! 

their designs are so simple, but so industrial and design savvy at the same time.

this owlie was one of my favorites - i just had to take him home :]

dann and chip just opened a location in zeeland, too, so if you're in the area - pop over! and make sure you clean your car out first, you'll more than likely fill it with amazing finds :]

*grand rapids-ers: it's right next door to urban exchange on fulton!

music monday.

happy monday!

today's music monday post is an oldie, but a goodie. neil young is a genius and i am so happy that he has a new album coming out in june.

this song is one of my favorites, so enjoy <3 

neil young ~ harvest moon

FINALLY.

it is finally time.

finally.

after some bumps, bruises, and set-backs, 

i am finally able to show you...

my new etsy store!

each print that i sell is a large 8x12 picture, that comes with a solid white mat frame. want a different size? no problem! an added bonus: the listing price includes shipping!

should you browse the prints and see nothing that catches your eye, check back later! i will be posting new pictures periodically. i will be taking custom photos, as well - so if you have something specific in mind, let me know!

i am so happy that i am finally able to show and sell some of my favorite art and prints, along with the occasional vintage find. thanks so much for everyone's support and patience - it's truly appreciated!

[click on the banner to take you to the store!]

personal style [take two]

remember this post i wrote two and half months ago? well, ever since then, i feel like my personal style has finally started coming together. i am thinking more about different textures and layers, and am only wearing things that i really love.

  

it's apparent that i love my glasses, eh? :] 

i really think that working at the clothing boutique is helping my style, because i have my mind in fashion all day. i am starting to be more creative with mixing and matching, and have been more adventurous with colors. example: six months ago, i would never [ever] be caught dead in pink - but i just bought a hot pink maxi skirt. i'm evolving... imagine that!

do you find your personal style evolving as you get older?

music monday.

this music monday post is inspired by the flashback party a. and i had last night. while we searched for places to live, i played some of our favorite 90's/pop2K music [bsb, nelly, eminem, etc.] & we sang and danced and rapped our little hearts out. hopefully you do the same, while you listen to this song :]

backstreet boys ~ if you wanted to be good girl, get yourself a bad boy [longest song title, ever]

happy monday!