looking at: doyle & doyle.

Well, the nice thing about saying I won't be posting means that if I do post it will be a good/happy surprise (well, hopefully!)!  I just couldn't resist when I saw these!!  Just like Erie Basin is a place to continually check in on (AHEM, gents thinking about proposing) so are Anthropologie and Doyle & Doyle!

Look at these beauties:

they are all at Anthropologie, and some for a VERY fair price too!

(well, they are there until they are bought...they're estate pieces so they are one-of-a-kind!)

see you soon!

Well, between finishing/wrapping gifts (with brown kraft paper, lovely free gift tags, homemade paper snowflakes and baker's twine!!  I'm so excited!), packing, celebrating our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!, trying to stay warm (even in our apartment :( boo!), getting things together, rehearsing for a sweet celebratory service at the line on Sunday morning and then leaving immediately after-I'm officially letting you know that I won't be posting for a little while (since I already haven't been this week...oops!).  

We are so looking forward to time with family and friends, and for days of rest and relaxation!  What a wonderful season of remembrance and being thankful.  I hope that you have a beautiful Christmas.

in honor of our one-year, here is the first photo ever taken of us!  ha!

a wedding/reception dress!

Someone please buy this NOW (it's $114!)!  It is so lovely, and if you aren't convinced for the ceremony, it would make a super sweet reception dress...

Check out the rest of the FLOUR shop too!  (shop found here).

gifting.

There have been so many incredible gift guides and free gift tags on the web that I wanted to highlight a few (and share one gift that I think is pretty sweet!).

My favorite free gift tags:

from eat drink chic---download here! (found here)

from hello handmade paperie (Shanna & Betsy)

download at RUE magazine page 60!

A really sweet/reasonably priced gift (for the traveller/wannabe traveller in your life):

the scratch off map!

from iwantoneofthose £14.99 (blast!  urban had them & sold out!)

Scroll through these blogs for some AMAZING and super fun gift guides:

rifle paper co.

mint design blog (especially this DIY guide!!)

a cup of jo

inspired by: karolin schnoor & 'holiday' earl grey.

Mint design blog posted a couple of things this week that I was/am really excited about!

First, Karolin Schnoor makes some lovely folky and colorful pieces that are interactive (and inexpensive) too!  You can "make" a beautiful owl, fox, rabbit, or squirrel for $6.80 (including shipping)!  Or buy a very pretty card.  Take a look:

Next, this delicious dish was posted and I made it this morning!  YUM.  It was really tasty.  I am a huge fan of earl grey in all forms I have had it in!

EARL GREY BREAD PUDDING

AND!  Here is my favorite earl grey treat recipe:

EARL GREY TEA COOKIES!!  (they taste a lot like lemon poppyseed!)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

4 tbls earl grey tea leaves

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces (or grated!)

1. heat oven to 375.  pulse together all dry ingredients in food processor until tea leaves are pulverized.  add vanilla, 1 tsp water, and butter.  mix together until a dough is formed.

2. divide dough in half.  place each half on a sheet of plastic wrap, and roll into a 12-inch log, about 2 inches in diameter.  wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

3. slice each log into disks, 1/3 inch thick.  place on parchment or foil-lind baking sheets 2 inches apart.

4. bake until edges are just brown (about 12 minutes).  let cool on sheets.

5. ENJOY!

(taken from real simple, and altered by me!)

date night.

Tuesday's are date night!  I like that even though we're married, this little piece of our courtship is still a mandatory one.  It is so important to have that one-on-one time even in the mix of living daily life together.  Last week we saw The Next Three Days and then as we walked out of the theater saw a photo booth.  My thought was, "Yeah, right, he'll never get in one of those with me"...but, I got a sweet surprise and he was the one who made the move.  He even agreed to go to Wicker Park with me and try out the really sweet, free photo booth at the Renegade shop, well...hopefully it's still there!!

Dan finishes up the semester tomorrow (WOOHOO!), so date night might not be quite as long tonight, but at least we'll eat some fun food together :)

buffalo check & gingham.

I have been perusing buffalo check and gingham items for quite some time now!  Maybe it was the fall and now winter that have been encouraging my liking?  I'm not quite sure, but here are some favorites...

(1) 69.50 at j.crew

(2) 49.99 at madewell

(3) 19.50 at ae

(4) 29.50 at old navy

(5) 68.00 at madewell

random!

Found a few fun things for you (if you haven't already found them yourself of course!)...

1. the new dreamily colored desktop calendar for December by Shanna Murray and Abby-Powell Thompson:

2. Two more online magazines have new issues!  Hooray!  N.E.E.T. magazine and Sweet Paul magazine (found here).  All of the holiday inspiration that has been available lately has been so fun to look at :) 

listening to: marla hansen & more!

Happy December (2nd)!!  I am thinking fondly of last winter, missing our beautiful honeymoon spot.  Here are a couple of photos of the wood pile we grabbed from for our delightful wood-burning fireplace (Dan's one main requirement as we chose our destination)!!

Ack!  I thought I was feeling better yesterday, but woke up this morning feeling much worse...I still think it's probably just a cold or maybe something in the sinus area, but it feels worse than the last cold I remember having.

I really like Marla Hansen's sound.  I heard her first not as a solo artist, but performing with the original group that made up the Osso string quartet.  A while later I discovered her solo work and have really enjoyed it!  Well, she has a new song that is free!  Head HERE.  She is also on a Christmas Album that you can stream for free.  

The extras: 
I found this in my inbox this morning.  They don't seem to fit with the rest of the music I listen to regularly, but I think Coldplay will always have a place in my musical listening life.  Plus, it's Christmas-y!  Which is exciting!

Yesterday I saw this on Asthmatic Kitty's website...Shara is so beautiful!  A while back I had mentioned 'Penelope' the album, and it does not disappoint :)

Have fun listening!

rest.

I have been a bit sick since Saturday night, so I have just been trying to rest up and get well!  The cold came on us so abruptly, and with no snow (which in my opinion is what makes the cold beautiful and more bearable)!  So, sorry for the lag in posting.  I have a feeling I might be a little less consistent with the holidays approaching, so please be patient with me :)

There are three things I'd like to share with you today (all of which I have been a little late to finding, so sorry if there's some repetition for you!)...

1. the second issue of the online magazine, RUE.  It's the holiday edition!  The colors, decorations, and free paper goods giveaways are delightful!  Also, there's a feature on the collaborative work of 2 of my favorite artists on page 56.

2. 100 layer cake has launched their website!!  It is a wonderful site full of resources and inspiration for wedding-planning folks :) check it out!

3. my friend Beth has finished her 2011 calendar (the one that mentioned here)!!  Here are some photos and if you are interested in purchasing one, shoot her a comment here (more photos there too!):

homeseed (mini) calendar photos.

Here are some photos of the (mini) calendar I posted for you yesterday, as I don't feel like some of my explanations were clear enough (and I didn't have time to get this together earlier!):

Sorry for the terrible photo quality.  I'm working with what I've got! 

After a little more research, this is the camera I'm saving up for now...hopefully I can get it sooner (rather than later...what a silly phrase!) :)

a homeseed 2011 (mini) calendar, for you.

Happy Thanksgiving!  I'm thankful for YOU! Here is my little gift to you (descriptions & "instructions" below):

The calendars should print on letter size paper (just click on the image twice and it will become full-size, then print!).  The first one would be better for hanging in my opinion, but the second has a couple of options.  It could be folded in half and propped on a desk or table (or some other fun surface), or, with a little bit of effort it could be printed on both sides, cut into a single strip, and then folded up accordion-style.  The latter could fit in a planner or purse.  

ps...there are 2 separate calendars on the second image.

I hope you enjoy them!  Share with friends and family!

a gift for you...

To say "thanks" for you, I'm going to post a little gift tomorrow!  Nothing crazy, or super exciting, but still...a gift, which my dashboard dictionary says is "a thing given willingly to someone without payment".  

So with that, happy almost Thanksgiving!  

Sorry for the short/late/uninspiring post today, things might be looking more like that through the holidays!

terri potter :)

So, what did you think of Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 1?!  I had a delightful Thursday-Saturday with my friend Terri (Potter...it works so well I just can't resist!).  I enjoyed the movie, however I viewed it with very new perspective this time.  Let's just get this out there first: I don't read the books, I listen to them!!  I tried to start book one in high school and just couldn't get into it, but when the movies started coming out-I was sold.  So, for HP 1-6 I had seen the movie before listening to the book (I still haven't finished book 6!  EEK!) and for 7, I had listened first and then watched the movie.  My friends who have read the books first have had a lot of frustration with the first 6 movies and felt 7 was the most true, where...I couldn't stop complaining about different things in this movie!!  Oh my.  Perspective.  

That might have been a lot about Harry Potter and my thoughts than you cared to hear :)

The butterbeer was a hit!!  You will definitely want to brush your teeth after drinking it, but regardless, it's quite fantastic.  Notes on the recipe: the maple syrup was a great substitute, and try not to have a whole lot of time between preparing and enjoying the beverage.  It's not something you want hanging out in the fridge or sitting out long.  The cream portion had the effect of the "float" part of a root beer or creme soda float, and that's the kind of thing you don't want sitting around.

As far as dressing up goes, Dan unfortunately wouldn't let us brand him with the lightning bolt, Terri had some compliments on her Umbridge outfit, and I re-discovered that I like straightening my hair.  

:)

Also, thank you for all of the love about our wedding and wedding photos!  It is truly appreciated.

kristen & daniel (our wedding!!).

Finally, our photos are out!!  Oh my...I want to describe our celebration with you a little bit, so here goes:

Dan and I got engaged in March of 2009 and after some deliberation with family, friends, and each other, we decided on a December wedding.  We had a budget of $7,000 which at first sounded like a very large sum-until we realized some of the costs of the different things that normally go into a wedding (especially when the guest list reached about 300!).  In all areas though, I feel we were able to cut down costs quite a bit.  I really liked the idea of doing a lot of things ourselves, which also greatly cut down costs!!  Our two very close friends got married in June of the same year and had a combined ceremony-reception, where, when the guests arrived they actually headed straight to their tables where they would later be enjoying brunch.  We really liked that concept and the fact that it could tone formality down quite a bit.  We also decided on having an early wedding (it helped with things like: cost, still having at least an hour or two to enjoy our wedding day together after everything was cleaned up, and...avoiding dancing!  Yeah, there it is...we're not into dancing!).  We decided on December 19th, 2009 at St. Elizabeth's, a big and beautiful old Catholic church that is now owned by the Vineyard.

After figuring out those big details everything else just had to come together slowly and in its time.  After seeing this lovely tutorial/DIY idea we decided on fabric flowers.  I purchased fabric for my dress with the help of my friend Beth at an amazing warehouse near Minneapolis.  We decided on having Spicy Pickle and homemade organic soups for lunch, with Izze's to drink of course (Spicy Pickle even let Dan create his own sandwich...which was gobbled up before we got to try one!)!  Espresso Guild catered the tea and La Terza coffee which was delicious.  We had a very original cake made by Take the Cake.  I've never been a huge fan of normal cakes (growing up I always requested cookie cake, ice cream cake, or dirt cake!!) so I called them to see if they might be able to create some kind of tiered cake that was cookie like.  It was hard to explain and I wasn't really even sure what I was asking for but we settled on a 3-tier cake, each tier made up of 3 layers: blondie brownie with raspberry swirl, buttercream connecting that to a chocolate layer of cookie/brownie, and then ganache connecting that to another blondie layer.  Oh my, it was SO delicious (and not to mention, under $400 for two!!).  I created the paper goods which later resulted in...homeseed!!  I did not expect to enjoy that portion of the process so much, but I really did.  We had some very dear friends do the music (I walked down the isle to sigur ros :D) and scripture readings, some more dear friends help with serving the food, a dear friend officiate, and two other very dear friends take the lovely photos below!  

A lot of how we were able to have a wedding as big as ours was with the budget at hand, was thanks to our beautiful community.  So many of our friends and family were willing to help (everyone asked me through our engagement how they could help!).  One of the most beautiful expressions of this willingness to help and sacrifice self was when 3 days before our wedding I slammed my finger in the car door.  I still had a fair bit of my dress to finish, the flowers for bouquets/tables/boutonnieres had not really been started, tags needed to be tied to the guest gifts...and more!!  It was awful, I was so afraid of what was going to happen...but, my wonderful bridesmaids, now mother-in-law, aunts, and cousins took care of the flowers and my mom drove over two hours to rescue my dress!  It was incredible.  So was watching the church get set-up (again, all of these beautiful people are to thank).  It was just an amazing thing to behold-the support, love, and friendship that was surrounding us and our future marriage.  I am so thankful.

One of my favorite memories from the day was of my incredibly peaceful morning.  Some family and friends along with all of the bridesmaids and I stayed right next door at the old convent which has been turned into a wonderful retreat center.  I woke up a couple of hours before any of my bridesmaids and went downstairs to coffee and bagels that were ready to be enjoyed.  I took a long shower and was able to take my time getting ready, not feeling rushed at all (which was amazing, I'm not the most relaxed person when it comes to time).  It was so fun too, to be getting ready with four ladies that mean a whole lot to me.  And then...it SNOWED!  I was so hoping for snow.  It was beautiful.

Well, I think that will do for now, I suppose that wasn't really a little description!  Enjoy!!

Happy eleven months Roger Daniel :)

I hope you liked those!  Here are some of my personal favorites.  Maybe we can call them bloopers?  Just look at the progression of body movement and facial expressions, amazing!  The photos we took with the bridal party might be my favorites... 

 And in these two, I really like how disheveled we look...:)

Thanks for looking, and friends and family-thank you, thank you, thank you for your endless and sacrificial love and support.

venue: St. Elizabeth's

dress: me and my momma!

bridesmaids dresses: Calvin Klein

paper goods: homeseed

coffee: Espresso Guild and La Terza

food: Spicy Pickle and Consumme Soup

photography: Cameron Huntington and Sarah Greco Elam

rings (only the bands, engagement is heirloom!): silverwoods

burlap table numbers/banner: funkyshique

paper goods/rings photography: Joe Lieske

cakes: Take the Cake

flowers/boutonnieres: everyone!

ps...If you have any questions about anything or if you'd like help/ideas for more inexpensive ideas, shoot me an email or leave a comment!