tickled

Over the past few years, pink has crept into my color wheelhouse.
I am a major neutral girl, you see. And as a redhead, pink was always one of those no-no colors (along with most any "warm" shades). So Molly Ringwald wore it and looked pretty darn good doing so, but it's just not a color I can pull off.

Although I don't wear it, pink has snuck its way into my life through other avenues. I love it on lips, nails, and purses, but I especially adore it as an accent color in decor.

How I would love to use pink.

How I actually use pink.

How do you wear/decorate/accessorize pink?
Oh, and Happy Valentine's, friends. I hope it's your best one yet.

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gallery wall go-to

I have been collecting gallery wall art for this whole bedroom renovation idea of mine over the last few months. To put it simply, it has proven more difficult than originally anticipated. I feel like almost everyday there is a new gallery wall posted on one of the blogs I follow, so lack of inspiration isn't the problem. This abundance may also be why some people think gallery walls are overdone. This might be true, but I think they are aesthetically brilliant and I have the perfect wall space right across from my bed.

 I made a promise with myself that if I was going to spend money on art, it had to be something original. Maybe most importantly, I want to feel connected to the art immediately upon seeing it. No second guessing. No trying to picture it in my room. I think the art we have in our homes are little windows our visitors can peek into to see what we deem important. If you have really out-there abstract art, you probably value free thinking and non-conformity. My aunt, who loves 80s pop (which is awesome), has her old vinyl album covers framed throughout her entire basement. My mom has a lot of the Italian countryside, us kids, and religious symbols on the walls. Mine will surely be a mix of encouraging words and pretty images.

If I had to choose one artist I've found through Etsy for the entire gallery wall, it would be Jessica Durrant from JessicaIllustration. Completely in love with her designs. Don't you agree?

What would (or do!) you include in your gallery wall?

braids and bows

Two of my very favorite pretty, girly things....

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Speaking of braids, maybe one of my friends will let me try this hairdo out on them this weekend. Molly - I'm looking at you!

*if you know where the two last braid images are from - please let me know! I hate not being able to give credit for those pretty photos.

ombre weddings

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I just love the idea of ombre weddings. Whether it's a recurring theme throughout the entire day or pops up in unexpected places (inside of a cake - what?!) it is so pretty. What do you think? Is this something you'd ever do (or did!) at your wedding?

happy spring!

It was a rainy first day of spring here in Kansas City, but even so there were signs of the season popping up all over. Like these budding tulips on the Country Club Plaza... so beautiful! I can't wait to see what this season brings. I know a few things, like a vacation to the Dominican Republic with Blue Eyes' family, lake road trips, the one year anniversary of finer feelings (woo hoo!) and my one year anny with my job. Wow, so much planned and so much to be thankful for! What are you looking forward to this spring?

the cutest...

...birthday cards. If you're a regular reader, you already know my love of gold and dots, so these are just too perfect. Thanks to Molly and Sally at A Piece of Toast for bringing these to my attention! They are now saved in my "to buy" list once Easter rolls around and I can start shopping online again.

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best gold polish

I just had to share with you the best gold glittery nail polish.... It's Essie LuxeEffects "As Gold As It Gets". It is seriously perfect: medium gold flecks that look great by themselves or over your favorite color. So run to CVS and grab this bottle before it sells out!

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pretty packaging

Is everyone getting ready for Valentine's day? I love it. Always have, probably always will. I don't get so much in to the nice dinners and flowers. I just love the idea of celebrating the ones you love. 

Last year I had quite the Valentine's day surprise.... I was working at my horrible ex-job when I got a call from the security desk saying I had a package. Blue Eyes isn't really the type for romantic surprises, so I was pretty perplexed. Once I got to the desk, I saw a beautiful plate full of heart-shaped sugar cookies, decorated perfectly with cute x's and o's, polka dots and a lot of purple! My sweet friend Stasia had made these delicious (and literally perfect looking) cookies and surprised me with the special delivery! I wish I still had the picture so you guys could see them... I just dug through my old tweets but apparently the old Blackberry (RIP) wasn't capable of doing that back then. Anyway, ramble ramble..... More on all this next week, but Stasia and I have a date to make the cookies this weekend, so you'll get to see what we come up with this year!

So now I'm trying to figure out how I want to package the cookies and other V-Day presents I have in store for some lucky loves. Here's what I'm thinking:

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I'm madly crushing on this orange and pink wrapping paper from Paper Source.

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This idea to use glassine envelopes for treats is adorable, just add stickers! Thanks Martha Stewart.

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This is so simple and feminine, and all available at Hobby Lobby. Perfect for a mom or grandma's gift!

What are your plans for Valentine's day? Any exciting gifts you're giving or hoping to get?

happy february!

A little image inspiration for this short (longer this year!) but sweet month.....

[All image sources found via Pinterest]

oh hello

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